Notes for you, now in easy-to-digest form!
- You know how sometimes your team is on the power play and it's over in like 30 seconds? And then the other team goes on the power play and that two minutes takes like seven minutes to tick off? That's because your team's power play sucks and the other team's power play is better than pizza and beer. The Blues' power play is depleted by not having those three forwards that we keep mentioning, but it has a hard time setting up in any case. The Sharks' power play? Kinda freakin' awesome.
- In terms of specialty teams, the Blues power play is run by Brad Shaw. Shaw likes to say that the players who get to play on his PK units are guys willing to skate like you drive when you realize the liquor store is closing in five. He also wants guys willing to put bodies into shooting lanes. His third requirement is something he calls, "Sticks." Guys on his PK gotta have active sticks and gotta get them into lanes. We saw a lot of that tonight tonight and it's amazing how big a difference one little tip of a puck can make.
- Ryan Reaves fought tonight but was kept off the scoresheet. Cam Janssen continues to sweat so hard his taint is geasier than his car's transmission.
- Ian Cole looked like, as averagejoe said, he doesn't want to go back to Peoria. I get that. I don't want to go back to Peoria and I've spent a total of like 23 minutes there my whole life. But the kid was trying too hard to do a little too much tonight. I like the hits, I like the shots on net. I even like standing up and fighting a dude for no particular reason other than you're feeling a tad froggy. But cheese and rice, son, what the shit were a couple of those penalties?
- Open topic: Eric Brewer is playing better this year because he's paired with Erik Johnson? Also, is Johnson doing a little worse this year because he's playing more defense covering for the robot? Discuss.
- Darren Pang alluded to a continuing flu problem in the locker room. Is that why we didn't see much of Bradley F. Winchester, or was that because he remembered he is Bradley F. Winchester?
- Good to see that Twister got some sleep, some fluids and worked in a couple greasy meals (they have healing powers) since his Hungover Show the other night. Then again, I think I'm more apt to watch these dismal post-game shows if I know that Twister is hungover than if he's just mis-speaking. Seriously, FSN, if you want me in the meeting for this one, I'll let dude know what is required of him.
- EDIT: Forgot this one: Clearly the Roman Polak came back from surgery too early, right? He is not nearly as good at anything as he was before the injury (Damn you, Sidney Crosby!). And while 80% of Roman Polak is clearly better than 100% of Tyson Strachan or 100 % of Nikita Nikitin or 200% of Nathan Oystrick, I'm starting to feel like it might be 2011-12 before we see a full-sized Roman Polak who does not twitter, does bench 300 and possibly farts in teammates' helmets.
- EDIT: Aldo forgot: If you're gonna come in this house and talk about Jaroslav Halak providing bad goaltending on a game like tonight, you risk the seldom used SpiteBan. Mainly because you are an idiot. What goalie do you suppose would have fared better than Halak tonight? I mean, in the whole world? The goals he gave up were not soft, were not poorly played... if this were almost any other guy we've suited up over the last decade then this thing is a blowout. Take your dumb shit elsewhere, please.
OK, you bastards, the homeboys are off until Tuesday, which means I guess we need to come up with some sort of content for you between now and then. Somehow I think we're up to the challenge.
Also, since I didn't mention it yet, Dany Heatley is a douchebag.