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It was all about Jiggy...
At least for Anaheim. Jiggy was received like the long lost son and I get it when it's the fans that are cheering a guy coming back. But why is the organization trying to show its love, when they were the ones that sent him packing? It's like saying, "Hey, you weren't good enough for us, but it's so nice to see you." A little hypocrisy or it's just my jaded, cynical attitude. Well, for the Avs it was all about the win. And they got it.
Robert Ciubotaru, Romania, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
02/01/2012 - 12:30
Postgame thoughts: Ducks
It was all about Jiggy...At least for Anaheim. Jiggy was received like the long lost son and I get it when it's the fans that are cheering a guy coming back. But why is the organization trying to show its love, when they were the ones that sent him packing? It's like saying, "Hey, you weren't good enough for us, but it's so nice to see you." A little hypocrisy or it's just my jaded, cynical attitude. Well, for the Avs it was all about the win. And they got it.
Duchene was missing his first full game, but some names stepped up and the biggest one was the captain, the Duke, who scored twice after a 13 games drought. O'Reilly assisted him both times, but the Factor was already playing insane. Unfortunately, Stastny is still not close to his standards. He had some nice plays in defense, but offensively he's just not where his contract and his name demand him to be.
Again, the little guys did some fine work, like David Van Der Gulik, for example. They turned the team into a working class team at times, forechecking and not letting the Ducks settle in their zone.
And the Ducks were reminding me of the team they were a few years ago, playing hard and hitting almost beyond what the rules allow. Still, they got the hits, the Avs got the win. I would've expected McLeod to step in, to calm the Ducks down, but it was EJ who did it after the hit on Hejduk.
I also have to mention Kobasew's 100th career goal, congratulations to him! He was one of those hard working guys that are keeping the team close to that magical 8th spot. The problem is that now it's getting hard. A lot of games on the road, the Sharks are just one point behind and have about six games in hand... And we know what happened last year down the stretch.
Of course, now that the holidays are over, the Valentine's Day is closer and last season's massacre is still haunting us. It's time to see what these guys are made of. And I'm talking about the players, not the coach. We all know what he's made of. But if the players take it upon themselves to push this team forward, they just might get to the playoffs. I'm not saying they will, just that it's a very slim possibility they might.
Of course, now that the holidays are over, the Valentine's Day is closer and last season's massacre is still haunting us. It's time to see what these guys are made of. And I'm talking about the players, not the coach. We all know what he's made of. But if the players take it upon themselves to push this team forward, they just might get to the playoffs. I'm not saying they will, just that it's a very slim possibility they might.
Robert Ciubotaru, Romania, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
02/01/2012 - 12:30
