Salutaions From the Sin Bin Returns for 2009-10

After a lenghy hiatus from the world of blogging, hockey observations from 'Salutations from the Sin Bin' are back at the cyber-rink. Sure, the season may be well and truly underway, but after serving time in the penalty box, it is time to 'unleash the fury' once again. There will be no real changes to the format that was started last season - once again, the focus will be on the Washington Capitals, the Hershey Bears and a few reports from the Reading Royals too. This particular blogger does not intend to provide a play-by-play summary of each game played, but to merely provide commentary and observations from games attended throughout this season.

The Season so Far: A Recap:

The 2009-10 season started where last year ended - back at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA. After bringing the Calder Cup back to Hershey last June, it was only fitting to commence a new season at home with the raising of the tenth Calder Cup victory banner to the Giant Center rafters. Being in the fortunate position to retain a large percentage of the championship team roster, the Bears would open their 72nd season against the Norfolk Admirals. With plenty of talent provided by the Capitals organization, and a few free-agent signings, the Bears roster once again has plenty of depth. And once again, it would be a mediocre Norfolk team that would feel the wrath of an opponent looking to start the season in similar style to the way in which it took all of the honors last year. The Bears took a 3-1 victory, in a game that was nowhere near as close as the score would indicate. Capitals prospect Braden Holtby would make his Hershey debut between the pipes, and played a solid 60 minutes for the host team. With the departure of Graham Mink, Andrew Gordon was promoted to the first line with Alexandre Giroux and Keith Aucoin, and while Gordon does not bring the grinding skills of Mink, he does bring an acute awareness of where to be when the puck is brought into the zone. It was only fitting that Gordon would nail the game winning goal, and be awarded the number one star for his efforts. The performance also left a taste for more winning hockey at Hershey - this should be another great season.

One week later, we were back at Hershey to welcome a visit from the Manchester Monarchs. The Bears and Monarchs do not play each other too often, but when they do, the games tend to be tight, and this encounter would be no different. However, on this occassion, the Monarchs would bring an ace up their sleeve - goaltender, Jonathan Bernier. Braden Holtby was once again given the start for Hershey, and held his own against his NHL experienced counterpart. However, with a red hot performance from Bernier, who stopped 34 of 35 shots, the Monarchs would steal this one in a low scoring 2-1 affair. The Bears did not play a 60 minute game, and ultimately left it too late in the 3rd period to mount the necessary comeback.

We made our first visit to Washington DC just 24 hours after the Bears game, and took in the Columbus Day battle between the Capitals and the New Jersey Devils. After taking a quick 2-0 lead in the first period, the Capitals looked to be a team that finally had all the pieces in place to be a contender this season. Newcomers Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison were quick to adapt to the Boudreau system, and the team seemed to have this game under control. And that led to their downfall - too much confidence, and some sloppy hockey in the remainder of the game saw a 2-0 lead evaporate, and a shootout victory for the boys from Joisee. The Caps did not go for the kill, and the Devils refused to quit - Martin Broudeur would seal the deal in the shootout, and the visitors were handed 2 points from a Caps team that showed a severe lack of discipline and intensity down the stretch.

A Watched Pot Never Boils...

Three games tonight that are critical to the Capitals, and waiting for at least one of them (if not more) to turn out the way we need... if I'm this nervous, I can't imagine how Bruce Boudreau must be feeling!

I find it irritating that DirecTV is blocking the Flyers game(especially as it's a sellout), but I'm working around that by listening to XM, flipping between Hurricanes/Panthers and Senators/Bruins, and watching the gamesheet for Hershey/Binghamton. I can't say this is the way to take a close look at any particular team, but at least I can keep up with the scores real time.

(As of this writing, Fla 2, Car 1; Bruins and Senators scoreless; Phl 1, Njd 0; Bears 1, Senators 0.)

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.