Couple of little tidbits, one not so little, as we head into this 3 in 3 weekend:
Nik Backstrom's "lower body" is bugging him again, so he stayed home while the Wild headed off to Buffalo, and of course, that means Hackett is on his way to the Buff to meet up with them.
So, those of us wringing our hands over poor Joe Fallon being cast aside in favor of Hackett can relax a little as it looks like the Aeros are squarely in Fallon's hands for at least a little while longer.
Additionally, Sunshiney Kuemper is on the shelf for 4-5 MONTHS after having shoulder surgery yesterday, so they'll have to get another back-up in for Fallon this weekend.
Or at least all the above is what Wild and Russo twitter would have
you think. Joe O'Donnell is instead tweeting that Hackett is still in
Rockford with the team and, while Torch wouldn't tell him who is
starting tonight, it sounds like Hackett is certainly a possibility.
As my grandmother used to say, "Heavens to Betsy!"
And the revolving door just keeps spinning!
In less important, but potentially good news, the Aeros announced today that 4 games coming up will be on ESPN Radio 97.5 here in Houston.
I dunno if it's because college basketball has pre-empted it on the usual station or if this is something planned or what, but it fills me with hope that some day the Aeros will be on a proper sports radio station that I won't be repulsed by if I accidentally leave it on for a while after the game.
From the team:
Joe O’Donnell will call the action exclusively on ESPN Radio 97.5 FM (Listen Now button in upper right) for games
on March 28 (at Milwaukee), March 31 (vs. Hamilton), April 6 (vs. Chicago) and
April 13 (at OKC).
And there will be 15 minutes of pre-game vs. the usual 5, so that's cool, too.
The Aeros have not played since Sunday, and still own the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. They are not going to catch OKC, but that's OK ... no one will. The goal for the Aeros has to be to keep the No. 4 seed and get the home-ice advantage in the first round. If they play San Antonio, they'll get home ice in a 2-2-1 format. If they play anyone else, they'll play a 2-3 or 3-2 format, and they'll get to decide whether or not to start on the road.
That could force some real interesting decisions given the new five-game, first-round series.
For those of you watching the scoreboard, I think this is down to a seven team race for five spots. Milwaukee, unless it just gets REALLY hot, has fallen behind Grand Rapids, who will try to keep San Antonio on the outside looking in tonight at AT&T Center.
I call this a must win game for the Griffins tonight, and tonight is a very big game for the Lake Erie Monsters, who host the Chicago Wolves at Quicken Loans Arena.
Win, and the Monsters jump back into the Top 8. Lose to Chicago, and the Monsters stay on the outside and stay on 72 points with a whopping 67 games played. The Monsters only have seven games left, and they probably need to go 5-2 and get a ton of help.
The Aeros are on their way to ChicagoLand, and will play four games in that area, three against teams that are currently not in the playoffs. With Matt Hackett back, he needs to play much, much better than the last time he got sent down. And with the consistency in the Aeros lineup, I think you'll see that.
No matter what, though, he is going to make a huge impression either way. After the Aeros play these four road games, they only have one left away from Toyota Center. That bodes well for Houston, which is 7-2 in its last nine home games and has points in nine of it's last 11 at home overall (7-2-1-1).
Congrats to Aeros goalie Joe Fallon who, today, was named the AHL's Player of the Week for that incredible stretch of games he just played. He went 4-0, stopping 120 of 125 of shots. That included Saturday and Sunday when he played 130 minutes of hockey and went 13 rounds in the shootout over the two games.
Meanwhile, in related news, Fallon may be getting some rest as Matt Hackett has been returned to the Aeros from the Wild.
And Andrew, seeing as how you enjoyed the last Barry Gibb Talk Show clip I included with a Fallon post, here's another. And don't forget, everybody congratulate Joe Fallon for an incredible week of hockey.
If anything, doing the power rankings today made me realize that I probably had the Aeros too low last week. It takes a lot to move up or down six spots in one week, but what Joe Fallon did this week for the Aeros cannot be minimized.
Joe Fallon won all four games for the Aeros last week. He said he lost about 7 pounds per game, too.
He stole probably three points the Aeros did not deserve on Saturday and Sunday, and he was great when the offense was clicking on Tuesday and Friday. A perfect 4-0 week moved the Aeros all the way up to the No. 3 team in the conference and the No. 7 ranked team in the AHL overall. Obviously, because of the playoff rules, the Aeros cannot be seeded 2 or 3 if they finish behind the OKC Barons.
The Aeros magic number is down to 10, and they'd really have to fall off the wagon not to at least snatch one of the top 8 seeds for the postseason tournament.
The Aeros get some much-needed rest this week before starting a tough four-game road trip in Rockford on Friday.
As for the rest of the league, OKC is back on top. Toronto was unimpressive against the Wolves, and they really needed a weekend sweep to stay on Top. Speaking of Chicago, they are bag atop the Midwest and Charlotte has really hit the skids.
San Antonio and Lake Erie fell back, too, after bad weeks, but both of those teams are right in the middle of the playoff chase.
Don't go anywhere, fans - things are getting REAL interesting now.
2011-12 Western
Conference Power Rankings Edition 8,
March 19, 2012
After a big weekend of games, the Aeros moved all the way up from 10th to 3rd in the overall points totals. They cannot be the No. 3 seed in the playoffs as the top three spots are reserved for division winners.
The Aeros best hope is for the No. 4 seed and home ice advantage in the first round, best of five.
Milwaukee and Rochester - and even San Antonio to some extent - are in trouble. The first two are going to have to go on some incredible runs just to get in, as they've played more games than everyone else. San Antonio picked the wrong time to see its offense go cold at home. The Rampage have a favorable schedule for the next six games, so they better win 4 of 6.
Both the Aeros and the Barons were playing their third game in three nights, and at times, especially in that third period, it looked like it. And of all of the guys who have played in these three games for the Aeros, none has put in the minutes, been under the pressure, as goalie Joe Fallon. And for the third night in a row, Fallon delivered, backstopping the Aeros to their third straight win (the second in two nights to go to the shootout) by the score of 2-1.
Earlier this month, when the Aeros were dying on the road, and Matt Hackett was called up and Darcy Kuemper was too injured to plays, the panic seemed to set in. Especially at the thought that two ECHL goalies were now tending goal for the Aeros. But after this weekend, after this past week, after this six game homestand, is there really any reason to worry?
The Aeros took the early 1-0 lead on Oklahoma City as David McIntyre, fresh off his shoot-out heroics from last night, scored 1:55 into the game on what appeared to be a mistake shot that kind of floated past the Barons' Yann Danis -- I would try to offer up a better description of the goal, but Toyota Center only showed replays of nonsense for the night, when they could be bothered to show replays, but refused to replay any of the goals in the game.
The Barons tied it at the 18:47 mark of the second period when they scored on the power play. That came after the Barons dominated the period, outshooting the Aeros 12-4. John Torchetti attributed that differential to the Aeros being sloppy with the puck.
"Every turnover probably brings you a shot-and-a-half," he said. "So if you
have nine, you’re looking at 13 shots. That’s the difference. We’ve got to make
sure to get better puck control. You kind of get away with a little bit at home
because you’ve got your match-ups, and on the road you don’t. That’s the detail
part of the game."
That was also pretty much the story in the third period, yet both teams appeared to have trouble standing on their skates, so tired did they appear to be. But Joe Fallon stood tall, stopping another 12 Baron shots and sending the game into overtime where he made one of those saves that's just so special you can't find the words to describe it, so spectacular was it -- essentially Fallon went one way, the puck went across him to the other side on a pass, the shot was made and looked to be the game-winning goal, but Fallon was able to reach back and grab the puck in the air and save the game (tip of the hat to Drew Bagnall who was able to tip the shot and slow it down).
"Let’s just hope next time that my feet are working more so I
can get over into position better," was Fallon's basic response to the play.
The game went to the shootout where the Barons made their first two shots. But Fallon shut them down from there while the Aeros came to life. Jon DiSalvatore went top shelf in the third round, Jeff Taffe banged it in the fifth round, and Joel Broda sunk the game winner in round seven.
But exciting as that shootout was, it wouldn't have happened without the excellence of Fallon. And here's the thing, Fallon played all three games this weekend, meaning he played 190 minutes of hockey and went a total of 13 rounds in two shootouts.
"I tell you what, he’s come in and given us a lot of
confidence," Torchetti said. "He’s played with a lot of confidence. It just goes to show you,
that’s what it’s all about, I think. Giving people chances, and he’s taking
advantage of it. He’s got experience. He’s come in and done a fantastic job for
us. He likes a challenge. I’ll tell you what, he’s done a great job."
And nobody should argue with that fantastic job bit, especially after this weekend. As to why Fallon went back out today and didn't get any rest, well, as Fallon assured us after the game, that's the way he wanted it.
"Torch asked me if I wanted to go again, and I said, yeah,
let’s do it, let’s keep the train rolling, and it paid off today," he said.
In this past week, the Aeros have gone from sitting in 10th place to sitting in fourth place with a record of 32-20-3-9 (76 points) with 12 games to play. The Rivermen sit in fifth with 73 points, percentage points ahead of the Heat who also have 73 points, but fewer wins. The Checkers have dropped down to sixth place with 72 points, while the Americans and Monster are battling it out for eighth with both have 71 points, but Rochester having the better winning percentage. The Rampage are now the tenth place, and they have 70 points.
So while the Aeros were able to make up ground and get some slight spacing on the teams behind them, this season's not over by a longshot. They've got the week off from games (but not off from practicing) before a three-in-three this weekend with two games in Rockford and a Sunday game in Chicago -- hopefully our Midwest Bureau Chief, Chris Jerina, will be able to get some photos and make a report for us from there.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:
Tyler Cuma was a late scratch from the game. He skated pregame, but had a slight lower body injury. While he could've played, Torchetti said they decided that it was better that he sit out and get the extra rest time....Kris Foucault was a healthy scratch, allowing Nick Palmieri, freshly arrived from the Wild, to play....Also, it is expected that, sometime soon, Matt Hackett will be returning to the team as it's appearing that both Wild goalies will actually be healthy.
Also, I apologize for taking so long to get this posted, but I wanted to post a video honoring Joe Fallon, who had me thinking of Jimmy Fallon, so I went into Hulu watching old Jimmy Fallon skits from Saturday Night Live. And that led me from one video to another to another, and so on, and so on, and so on. Anyway, for your enjoyment, here's one of my favorites, The Barry Gibb Talk Show.
There are times in the life of a hockey fan where a player can enter your sphere of interest for only a brief period, but still find themselves a permanent place in the messy Locker of Affection in your hockey heart.
For me, Kurtis Foster is a guy like that, after coming down to Houston for a conditioning stint after breaking his femur, and being just a joy to watch, great attitude, and a huge help with his bomb of a slapshot at a time when the Aeros really needed that lift to get into the playoffs (the Locke/Kolanos season).
Another is Matt Climie, who swooped in during that same playoff run where goalies were dropping like flies, battled through dehydration and cramping to get the Aeros some important wins.
Now, you can add Joe Fallon to that list. To get the Ms.Conducty stuff out of the way first: Oh gosh, y'all, he's really cute. And really nice. And you could have punched him in the face after tonight's game and I don't think he would have quit smiling. I wanted to hug him and bake him cookies and stuff.
Goaltending is a funny business. It's hard, it's painful, it's embarrassing at times. But when it's good... man, there is nothing better in life. Feeling good in goal is such a phenomenal place to be, I'm not even sure how to describe it.
It's like, "just had great sex" and "my hair looks freaking awesome today" and "these jeans are comfortable AND make my ass look amazing" and "the bills are paid with some left over for, not just beer, but GOOD beer" and "it's Friday night of a 3-day weekend." That's how great it is. Life is pretty much perfect when you're having a good streak in net.
And to have come to that feeling after a rough start here, having spent the season in the ECHL, and to have fought through it and elevated his game to this level is the kind of stuff that makes me love love love watching hockey at this level.
Watching guys get choice opportunities like this and just GO TO TOWN with them is an honor to witness. And for it to be happening at a time when the Aeros really need it to happen is even more special.
He was funny after the game, when John asked him about that insane OT save where he stuck his glove out behind him to swipe that puck out of the air before it made what appeared to be an inevitable trip to the back of the net... he basically admitted to being out of position and that he hopes he doesn't have to make too many like that as his game improves.
Talk about humility (and, well, honesty... but still what a save!)
He also said he hopes to work this week on the defense being able to work with him on outlet passes, which thrills my heart because I love me a goalie who's confident and competent moving the puck in meaningful ways. Still, I have to wonder how much more we'll see of him as it sounds like Hackett may be back this week.
But I won't worry about that for now. At the moment, I'm content to bask in the reflected glow of a goalie playing out of his mind, exceeding everyone's expectations, as well as enjoying the benefit that has for the team I care most about.
The Aeros improved to 4-1 on their homestand with a 1-0 shootout win over the Heat, and you can read more about their dazzling performance in Heather's recap below.
She was spot on about Fallon and his great game, and how, even though the Aeros were plagued with turnovers, they still found a way to get the extra point in the standings.
Big picture wise, this was a big game. The Aeros jumped all the way to No. 4 in the standings. And they've won three in a row for the first time in ... a long time. Since that awful four-game losing streak, the Aeros are 6-3.
After tomorrow's game against OKC, the Aeros will hit the road for four straight, including games against the Rockford IceHogs, Chicago Wolves and Milwaukee Admirals.
And here is another weird note for you - after the game against the Barons, the Aeros will play nine straight games against teams outside their division.
I honestly don't know what to expect tomorrow; the Barons just pounded the Stars in back to back games, and the Aeros have not scored a goal in four plus periods.
Big win for the Aeros tonight, and a win tomorrow would give them a sweep of the weekend home three in three.
We'll see what happens and who Torch decides to start against the Barons. It was really, really warm down on the ice tonight, and Fallon has be to drained after a game like tonight.
With Houston and Abbotsford tied in the standings, this was as close to a playoff game as you can get in the regular season. Both teams played a careful game, which translated to super-defense and no scoring in regulation and overtime.
The sleepiness of the game was maybe a surprise after 44 minutes of roughing and fighting penalties in
Tuesday's match-up, but these were some of the biggest 2 points the teams have played for so far this season.
Both goalies were fantastic, but Fallon in particular saw 15 shots in the third period and a whopping 6 in OT. He made a handful of game-changing necessary saves and you can see the trust he is earning from the guys in front of him. This has to be one of the best, most important games in his AHL career. There's no way the Aeros do this with a goalie whose head isn't in it right now.
And McIntyre, who's been fairly quiet on the score sheet the last couple of months, was super clutch scoring the lone shootout goal in 6 rounds of shooters.
It certainly wasn't the Aeros' best game recently. Loads of turnovers and just unable to keep pressure in the offensive zone, but they won the battles down low in the defensive end, swept away lots of scary rebounds, and just generally honey badgered their way out of it.
If I had to pick one thing that has really gotten this team back on track is simply consistency in the lineup. The Wild have stabilized in their suckitude and call-ups are less frequent or enticing. The focus in Houston is now HOUSTON and less about the parent club and their needs.
It's that time of the season, thank god, where the Aeros can kinda get out of the Wild's dismal shadow and bloom a little. At least I hope that's what's happening. They may lose 6-0 tomorrow and I'll feel like an ass for being so optimistic. But that's the fun of fandom, isn't it? I mean, unless you're Forecheck. :)
Anyway, fun night tonight.... eventually. Nothing like a little history being made.
The Aeros did a really classy thing tonight, honoring Jon DiSalvatore for his play with the team. He was awarded an aluminum hockey stick, modeled after his own stick, down to the curves, engraved with his name and celebrating his scoring 20-plus goals for nine straight AHL seasons. He was also honored with a crystal puck, and with the game puck from the game where he became the Aeros all-time leading scorer (AHL seasons only).
We here at T3I get the honor of dealing with DiSalvatore on a nightly basis, and he truly is a good and classy person, as a player, a teammate, the team captain, and in his off-ice activities. So we're offering our congratulations, as well. And below are some photos from the pregame ceremony (featured in the photos are Joe O'Donnell, team president David Burke, GM Jim Mill, DiSalvatore, and his wife and children).
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