100% Effort - and It Paid Off!

Last night the Bears put in 60 minutes of excellent, energetic hockey, and although they were playing against a less-than-stellar opponent (Hamilton), they pulled off a solid win. Particularly impressive was Chris Bourque's play, with 4 goals to his credit. With both Lepisto and Boumedienne back, the all-around play was crisper and the defense sharper. The Bears desperately need to play this way for the remaining games in the season, both to ensure the best possible placement in the playoffs and to get ready to perform well in the postseason. My one remaining concern is their play on the road - we shall see how they do on Friday.

The Capitals also put in a super performance last night that I wish I'd seen... Cristobal Huet delivered his second shutout since being traded. It truly seems as though the trade has fired him up and given him something to prove, and it's working out to the Caps' benefit. Olaf Kolzig also seems to have stepped up his play. We have tickets to the next two Caps games - Tuesday in particular is hugely critical, as it gives the Caps a chance to tie the Hurricanes for the divisional lead. Boston's next three games are all on the road, which hopefully will work in the Caps' favor. However, Boston is 4-2 this season against a slumping Buffalo - we can only hope that Buffalo takes up the spoiler gauntlet. Pittsburgh hopefully will defeat Philly twice - all this will be meaningless, however, if the Caps falter down the home stretch.