well.... here we go !

i didn't listen to the game last night, but i'm trying to gather some information about what to expect in calgary on thursday as we open the season against the flyers. the verdict: i'm a little scared...

1. GOAL
kipper seems game ready, and i'm not concerned. mcelhinney (who, btw, was my call for the backup job months ago ---which makes me supersmart, even though he clearly only got that spot due to krahn's injury) seems more comfortable than he was two weeks ago. the verdict : should be fine.

2. OFFENSE
we've got a pretty decent lineup, all in all, and i'm not at all worried that we will watch some highly entertaining games... i am, however, concerned about our inability to put'em in the net, which is a problem that has carried over from last year. there is no shortage of shots on goal, and no shortage of incredible scoring opportunities, what's lacking is that little rubber disc hitting the mesh in behind the goaltender. why ? not sure. keenan blames it on effort. some might blame it on good opposition goaltending. i blame it on rhettro's black cloud of bad luck.... verdict: remains to be seen...

3. DEFENSE
yikes.
1-4 i think we'll do fine. the matchups of phaneuf/sarich and regehr/aucoin allows for some firepower and some conscience on each shift. it's 5-6 that, quite frankly, scare the bejesus outta me. eriksson and warrener, who look to be the ones slotted in as starters, are defensive liabilities and get my heart racing on each shift. but #7, david hale, is no better... rhetzky played all of 12 minutes last night, was penalized twice and ended a -1. there is no way to skew those stats towards anything postitive... verdict: frightening...

*sigh*
it's gonna be a tough year....