It will be very interesting to see how the Edmonton crowd will greet their lost son Ryan Smyth when he returns to town with his Colorado Avalanche tonight. This marks the first time he plays at the Rexall Place since being traded to the New York Islanders earlier this year. Anything less than a standing ovation would be surprising. Ryan Smyth is one of the most players to ever wear the Oiler shirt and he was widely appreciated for his actions both on and off the ice. Having played 12 seasons for Edmonton, this is sure to be a very emotional return for Smyth, who fought back the tears when delivering the news of his trade on Feb. 28. I guess he, like all the rest of us, found it hard to believe .
And tonight's game? It will certainly be an interesting battle between two teams in trouble. The Oilers have dropped five of their last six games after opening the season with two wins. They will be looking to take advantage of Colorados bad road form to get back in the winners seat. Last season Colorado had 22 wins on the road, but the opening of this season has shown a very different Avs. One of their biggest problems is the goalie situation. Number one puck stopper Peter Budaj has three wins in four games but a lousy 3.33 goals-against average. Pricy backup Jose Theodore, who remains a total mystery, isn't much of an alternative with his .879 save percentage. Their hope is that Edmonton continues to be one of the league's worst offensive teams.
* * *
Tonight's best game, depending how you look at it and what you like, could be the Penguins taking on the Rangers in the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. The Rangers' offense so far has been awful and they boast a measly 13 goals all together. To make matters worse, Martin Straka is out with a broken thumb after being hit by a puck playing Boston the other night. The Blueshirts, and especially the guys up front, need to start delivering soon or the playoff ship is going to sail. And don't tell me it's too early in the season, because with the other teams racing away in front of you that hill keeps getting steeper. The Colorado Avalanche made a valiant attempt last season after falling behind, but even with a 15-2-2 finish it wasn't enough to make it to the post season.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, are looking for their third straight win. Unless Henrik Lundqvist puts on a magic show, I can't really see why they won't earn it against the hopeless Rangers.
* * *
Rumor has it, three days on, Marc Savard is still shaking his head in disbelief after being robbed by Lundqvist at the wide open net. Man that was crazy!
No comments:
Post a Comment