Preseason Thoughts

Kudos to Chris Bourque for getting the first star in the Caps' preseason game against the Panthers last night... as much as I'd like to see him back in Hershey this year, I have a suspicion that we might be seeing him more at the Verizon Center.

On the Josef Boumedienne watch (note to Caps: you shouldn't have let him go!), he earned an assist in the Leafs' loss to Pittsburgh. We have this game on the DVR and only saw bits and pieces; we'll definitely check the rest of the game out.

I'm still not completely sold on Jose Theodore. Martin, who attended a day of training camp on Tuesday, says the two younger goalies look tremendously sharp. About Theodore, I'm just concerned that he'll be the Theodore of old and not so much the Theodore who carried the Avs last year.

It's Only Been Forever Since We Posted...

Hey, it's the off-season for us as well! However, when Hubs brought home the master list of the games we'll be attending this year (Caps, Bears, and Royals), it became abundantly clear that hockey season approacheth. So, with that in mind, some random thoughts to kick off the 2008-2009 season:

* I remain unconvinced that Jose Theodore is the answer to the Caps' goaltending questions, even short term while the Caps' prospects are developing. Granted, the market was such that there weren't really any better choices available (I would have loved to keep Huet, but his manager screwed that up; and Ray Emery certainly was not a good choice), but I'm in the 'I'll believe it when I see it' line for liking Theodore.

* Come on, Caps/Bears, sign Josef Boumedienne already!!! We need a skilled, experienced defenseman on the Bears, and he's already proven 1) leadership skills and 2) a great chemistry on the ice with Sami Lepisto. Had Josef not been injured in 2007/2008, his numbers would have been exceptional, particularly in the assists category.

* I think Georges Laraque was a great pickup for Montréal... I've thought for a while that where the Habs were sorely lacking was in the muscled, strong, intimidating player department. Sure, Komisarek is fabulous, but we needed more muscle - and Laraque provides that.

* I'm disappointed to see Shawn Collymore leave the area... Shawn, if you're out there, we'll miss you here in central Pennsylvania!

* Is it October yet? :-)

Props to Boomer

Hershey fans should check out the latest issue of The Hockey News, which features a piece on Josef Boumedienne.

(Note to Bears and Caps management: you need to resign Boomer!)

Lepisto Called Back Up to Capitals

The Capitals' website is reporting that Sami Lepisto has been called back up to the Capitals in advance of the first playoff game on Friday... while I'm thrilled for Sami, this is bad news indeed for the Bears, who only need 2 more points to clinch a playoff spot but must gain them in 2 games against the Phantoms and a finale against Binghamton. At least with Josef Boumedienne healthy, we still have that experienced spark anchoring the blueline, but this just makes a tough job even tougher. Still, I hope Sami goes out there Friday night and rocks the red - he had some really great shifts in his previous stint with the Caps and I'd be happy for him if he could have a breakout game.

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.

Flat Devils, and Bears Updates

Hubs and I traveled to Newark last night to see the Devils/Penguins. First, before I say anything else, the new Prudential Center is a beautiful facility and the Devils have every reason to be proud of their new home. That being said, however, they played with so little verve last night that it almost seemed at times as though they were sleepwalking.

You would think that a game like this, with important playoff implications and standing in the division at stake, would fire up a team. Not so the Devils - flat, flat, flat. The Penguins weren't actually much better as they had some sloppy play of their own, but at least they came out with some gumption. I was disappointed that Crosby chose not to play (since that was 95% of the reason I wanted to go to the game), but his decision makes perfect sense for him and for the Pens.

The one player on the ice with whom I was impressed was Marc-Andre Fleury, who made some super saves to preserve the shutout. I've been a stout Ty Conklin admirer since the Winter Classic, and I remain so, but Fleury's play makes a really strong case for his claim to the #1 goalie spot.

Now, for some notes closer to home:

* Kudos to the Caps for giving Jay Beagle a contract. His play this year has warranted the attention, and we have the feeling he won't be around Hershey long. Our loss, but Washington's gain, for sure.
* Sami Lepisto's return to the Bears is good news for us going into this last set of games prior to the playoffs. Now if we can just get Boumedienne healthy again, the dynamic defensive duo can help get us into the postseason.
* The losses of Barney and Clymer for the rest of the season are disappointing, to say the least. I can only hope that Giroux, Gordon, Bourque, and others step up offensively.

Bears Show Some Winning Spirit

On Sunday the Bears held off a 3rd-period comeback attempt by the Lowell Devils and earned another much-needed 2 points. In the course of earning a hat trick, Alexandre Giroux delivered an absolutely sick (in the most positive sense of the word) goal, working around several Lowell players to tip the puck into the net at 4:58 in the third period; I hope someone posts the video to YouTube, it was truly a thing of beauty. Chris Bourque had a beautiful goal 55 seconds before that, as well.

What struck me about this game was that, while Hershey weakened somewhat in the third, allowing Lowell to score two relatively easy goals, they kept working at it and preserved the win. This isn't a quality that I've seen consistently throughout the season, but it's certainly showing up at a good time. I continue to think that the presence of Andrew Gordon is making a difference; we'll see how he impacts the two road games this week (Norfolk and Bridgeport). I also hope Boumedienne returns soon; his is a strong defensive presence that we desperately need if we have any hope of getting to the playoffs and making a strong run.

Some Bears thoughts

After 3 weeks of eagerly anticipating the Hershey Bears' return home, it was a deep disappointment indeed to see the Bears go down twice to the Manitoba Moose over the weekend. With the Bears' road victory over the Phantoms on Friday night, I had expected that the Bears would come out swinging Saturday - and they did, but not in any kind of productive way. Clearly there were some leftover frustrations from the Bears' visit to Winnipeg, as the number of spats and fighting penalties was fairly high.

The team's play did improve markedly from Saturday night (lost 5-0) to Sunday (lost 3-1), perhaps in part due to the presence of Dean Arsene yesterday. However, the loss of Josef Boumedienne to injury and Sami Lepisto to the Caps is really palpable, as the team seems to lack spark and leadership at the D position right now.

Some other observations:

* Robitaille's fight with Manitoba's Brown at the beginning of Sunday's game was a great strategic move. I'm normally not a fight person, but taking out a player who scored 2 goals for the Moose on Saturday could only help the Bears.

* The passing was abysmal on Saturday, perhaps due to the fact that so many players are out due to injury and have been replaced by call-ups and trades. This was somewhat improved yesterday but still needs work.

* Overall the Bears seem to lack assertiveness when it comes to going after the puck. There were too many times in both games when a player seemed to watch the puck going by and only belatedly move to secure it.

With only 13 games left in the regular season, every game is critical now. Let's Go Bears!