Okay, so for the second week in a row I predicted that the Moose should have an easy time with a bottom feeder team and the Moose end up splitting the back to back games with them.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch most of either of the two games that were broadcast this weekend so I'll leave any sort of analyzing or discussing to those who are in the know. What I will do is recap what I did see of Saturday's game, which, admittedly, wasn't much. So,
- Against Hamilton the Moose were having problems setting up on the powerplay and gaining the zone. There were a flurry of penalties in the second period which were basically alternating between the Moose and the Bulldogs. While the PK looked decent, the PP didn't look all that great.
- Drew MacIntyre played both games and I'll assume he'll be starting again after the Christmas break when the Moose play the Bulldogs yet again. This shouldn't be surprising to anyone, as Arniel has repeatedly stated that D-Mac is his boy, first and foremost. I figure he'll get 2/3 starts next weekend.
- Juraj Simek continues to confound. He had a brutal giveaway that directly led to a goal for the Bulldogs and tended to disappear at times. I'm really starting to wonder what's going on with him. Granted, he is a rookie in the AHL so I'm willing to cut him some slack, but with the loss of Raymond and Jaffray, the opportunity was ripe for a player like him to step up and contribute. Strange. Then again, he might have just looked bad out there when I was watching (second half of the first and the second period) and was great the night before, but I somehow doubt it.
- Paging Pierre-Cedric Labrie, Michael Grabner, Brad Moran (didn't play on Saturday) and Luc Bourdon: Let's see some more contributions from you guys out there. It's kind of bad when you have a defensive defensemen scoring more GOALS than all of you combined. That said, Grabner has been looking very dangerous out there on the ice in the offensive zone and has been a plus player, so here's hoping that the bounces will start going his way soon. The other players mentioned? Step it up!
- Ryan Shannon returned to the lineup, although I wasn't too impressed with what I had seen from him. I know that he's just coming back from a bad injury and hasn't played since October 26th, but he was looking much the same out there. Hopefully he'll be able to hit his stride soon. I wouldn't mind seeing him with Gajic or Hansen and Labrie.
- Colby Genoway left during the Saturday game and didn't return.
- Milan Gajic is one of the few players for the Moose who has been looking consistent and is one of the few forwards who has been giving an honest effort out there when he's playing. Not 100% sure if he's going to be able to stick with the Moose, but I'd like to see him continue to stick with the club, something which I am sure fans of the Victoria Salmon Kings won't like hearing.
- Gary Lawless had a rather scathing rundown of Friday's game. Of note is the 'highlight reel' at the bottom of the article, for those looking for a period-by-period summary.
- A recap of Saturday's game. There appears to be another article on the Winnipeg Free Press' website, but it currently leads to a story about the Blackhawks/Senators game on Saturday. Strange.
- Lawless also has a look ahead at the next few games coming up in the Moose's sked. While I think that he might be overstating just how important the next three games are, I would like to state that it's possible that the Moose's current woes have been a result of the strange scheduling they've had to deal with, particularly having incredibly long stretches in between games. It's hard to stay focused when you keep getting weeks off at a time. Perhaps the Moose just need to get back into a grueling schedule to get focused. Here's hoping.
- The Province has some Q&A with Dave Tomlinson, with a brief mention of Corey Schneider. I would really suggest folks checking it out (it's buried midways down), especially if they're concerned about Schneider and his level of play thus far. I stated I was worried about how his play at the AHL level might be affecting his confidence, but all signs seem to be pointing that he is taking everything in stride and handling it well. That is great to be hearing, if true.
- Finally, the Winnipeg Sun also has a story on Luc Bourdon and his experiences with the World Junior Championships, which start on Boxing Day.
And that about does it for this update. I apologize for the lateness on this, as it is the holiday season. Just a reminder to folks who do read this blog, I'll be flying home on the 27th so I will be missing most, if not all of the Moose-Bulldogs rematch.
Happy Holidays and remember to check out the World Juniors!
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