A Wild Ride: Preds Win 4-3 in St. Paul

The Preds come back once again after blowing a 2-goal lead to defeat the also-struggling Minnesota Wild, 4-3 in regulation. 


Trotz juggled Legwand's line and it ended up...well...kinda making sense.  Scatchard, Wilson and Hornqvist worked very well together (I hope to see them together again tomorrow).  Dan Ellis played a great first period and blew it in 3 minutes in the 2nd - kinda like a reenactment of his career with the Preds on fast-forward.  Rinne came in this time and stood his height (see "tall"). Santorelli gets his in the 2nd to tie the game up. Goc had a nice breakaway to no avail.  Smithson scored the game-winning goal...on the POWER PLAY, while the names you normally expect (Weber, Dumont) started the game off before it all became uncertain...just like in Ottawa.  Thankfully it all took place in regulation!


Excuse my negative tone - I'm very much glad that we won this game...BUT...(cos there always is one of those) we essentially beat a team much like ourselves, plagued with weaknesses.  I can kick the shit out of a Pekingese, but if I'm only a handicapped Platypus, is that a strength or a bit of luck?  Also, I learned my work schedule changes to evenings next week so I'll be missing many games and I'll have to sell some of my tix in 303 - contact me next week if you're interested seepuckcity@gmail.com. Grr.


The losing of leads needs to stop.  Since O is our weakness, you'd think once we get a bit of it, we'd buckle down and play it like New Jersey.  We've finally got some chemistry going on with the lines...we'll see how they hold up - hopefully for the better so my fairly recent Trotz-dismissal will be proven wrong.


We've got the Blackhawks tomorrow night.  Let's do what we did right tonight tomorrow night and see how that fares against a faster, stronger Chicago.  I want to see these plans work!  I want to see this team go forward with their own identity!


And I KNOW I'm not alone in wanting this.


Cheers.


PS. No humorous hotlinks tonight - tired as all get out due to the new day job and I wake earlier than normal in the AM.  Off to the Land of Nod.

What Kind Of Voodoo Do You Do?

We all know that die-hard sports fans can be superstitious.  From wearing a certain color jersey for home or away games, to color-coordinating your closet for game days (or non-game days), to dying your hair the team colors or even driving to the arena taking a specific route, since blogs like these are for the die-hards as well as the curious (or inexplicably bored), I'd figure I'd share mine with you and you can comment with your own if you'd like.

It's no secret to those in Section 303 that I am a fan of Greg Zanon.  When I bought a blank replica jersey, I sent it out to IceJerseys to get a #5 professionally stitched on the back right away.  After a few weeks, I was eager to march right back up those stairs in honor of my favorite Puck Magnet, but the evening's events took a turn for the worse, and I marched down those stairs after we were handed a loss. No matter, I'd wear it for the next game, proud as ever...only to be slightly glum afterwards due to the fact we lost again.  I didn't wear it one evening...and we won.  And again.  And again.  Perhaps the bad juju was gone? I gave it one more shot, we lost, the jersey stayed in the closet during home games.  Z was sent to the Wild (sayonara #5, hello #6), so I figure maybe, just maybe, all would be well.  Wore it to the pre-season games, we won. Wore it last night, another win.  I think it's safe to say...I can enjoy my investment once again! Now...for one of those X-mas colored #6s!

Stephanie and my roommate discovered a minor (and I do mean minor) phenomenon in the form of a latex wrist bracelet.  Each time my roommate would don the bracelet while he watched the games on Center Ice, the Preds would win...for awhile.  The bracelet seemed to have lost its power for a few games, so Stephanie built a shrine to the bracelet out of popcicle sticks, mesh and paint. There, the bracelet sleeps, gaining mystical energies from the hockey heavens, awaiting to be summoned by a hairy, red-headed hockey conduit.  So far this season, 2-0 bracelet.

And then there is this man:
Marvin Elias Ecos.
I've had the pleasure of knowing this gentleman for at least 2 years now and have watched many an away game with him on Center Ice.  In all of the games I've watched with him and of all the games he told me he was watching, never once have the Preds lost; not on his watch.  You see the picture there? He's watching a game at a local chicken tender establishment.  Guess what? We won that game.
There are too many times to recall when a phonecall was made, a request to "turn the TV on!" or to "get thee to a bar, now!".


So there you have it.  Those are the SeePuckCity superstitions at this moment.  Have I cursed them all by sharing them with the blogosphere? I don't think so.  Superstitions may be mystical, but I highly doubt they're internet savvy.

'Til next time.

Cheers.