Really, this team should be designed for the number one goal of any good and pure hockey organization, to eliminate the stink of Tanker scum every year as soon as possible, and we'll see where it is at.
It seems a war will be fought between young guys like Schenn and Couturier seeking to upset and rile Lottery Boy and Baby Huey. Now, in the case of the latter getting physical is a must. I made a note of Coburn spearing him with the blade end of the stick to the gut before drawing the retaliation last game and against this opponent that kind of thing is established by the league as OK and thus necessary.
Our health is paramount. I really consider Grossmann as the key one to return, and the Tankers do too, since they clearly sent scrub Vitale to blow his knee out. The more guys we get back the better things get.
We over here will be leery of a Bryzgalov meltdown. He did it twice vs Detroit while playing for Phoenix and has a lot to prove. Is his confidence fragile? Sustaining good play for the time he did suggests not at this stage, but we won't know until we see it unfold.
As has been said, winning this series makes the season wildly successful and everything that would come after is gravy. I really do think that from the Tanker perspective, even with them confident in being backed by the widely known and identified double standard, that the Flyers are definitely the toughest matchup for them. Boston as well may have enough firepower to give them pause, especially since the Tanker defense is spotty at the bottom of the group. Teams would be foolish not to spend some shifts in any series dumping it to Letang's corner and running him through every single chance they get. If the Tankers lose Letang, their D falls apart.
Don't stress though. We'll have to beat the Tankers stars and the double standard to win it with, as usual, guys on the sidelines when we play the Tankers. Tankers are the big favorite and almost all the media wants to win so very badly. The young Flyers are underdogs.
Posted on Apr 9, 2012, 12:58 AM from IP address 64.201.178.45