Game Day Preview: Game 5, Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals

Totally in all my glory today… had to flip the channel to NHL network last night to see the experts eat crow and admit we are a good team. All this talk about gelling and chemistry, and I keep saying to my wife, “If this is forming chemistry and trying to gel…”

I said last year when we hired Dale that we are looking at 3 to 5 years and I have a good feeling he will be getting his Cup and the recognition he deserves. No matter what the teams play this season was going to be like, I was ticking to the 2 to 4 years from now statement. But this team is making me feel much much mroe vindicated! Keep it up boys!! I am pumped that I still have another week of free Center Ice! What a time to get it!

Further proof that this team has really turned the corner to me… We kept checking in and out last night while making supper and the score was 1-1 and 2-1, the first two times and my wife said, “Oh no, thats no good.” My response was, “Nothing to worry about, with this team it will be tied in a few mins.” Next check 2-2…. So we ate, took the puppy for his walk, and came back to catch the Panthers scoring the 5th goal… and took in the rest. Another GREAT NIGHT!

Couple quick random thoughts before getting to work:

- Was cruising through the game thread last night and couldnt help but laugh at the “Edmonton is a prison” Comment. VERY funny stuff!!! We actuallty are hoping to be heading to Edmonton next year once my wife if done school. Never understood why Pronger didnt like it there… LOL…. BIG plus to living in Edmonton… the occasional LIVE Panther game!

- Goaltending tonite: 1) Markys first start or Theos redemption… either way I am excited for the goal that will be starting and totally confident in either of them. 2) I hope the Panthers up front enough past Vokie to show all the “experts” that Tallon made the right call with Theodore.

- I have a feeling that my new fav, Steeger gets another one tonite and that at least one of Skille, Booth or Upshall gets their first goal of the year.

- And am I ever ticked at that guy in our office pool that snuck Weiss out three picks before I was to take him. My master plan for the draft was to draft the best available for 5 rounds, grabb Weiss and then complete the plan by taking Flash as a sleeper and snagging Steeger in the late rounds. I snuck Flash though and got Steeger…. so 2/3 is not terrible.

- Will maybe try to join in tonite on the thread while taking in the game. Got the laptop ready to roll!!

Markstrom rumored to be tonites starter.

Yeah, no kidding. Maybe they need to foray a little deeper…
Whatever, if they want to be like that, so be it. This is why I put little stock into the so-called expert opinions. They get too caught up in their flavours of the previous years. New Jersey and Detroit could be awful, but they will still get top billigns on these thigns cause they won 3 or 4 Cups in the past 20 years.

Well those panthers should think that they are playing home game tonight with all that red in the crowd and that chant let’s go caps ( just imagine let’s go cats instead!).

I’m hoping for the best tonight and that the panthers can escape dc with a point and make vokie pay for not resigning with the team.

I hope Markstrom gets the start. I’d like to see what the kid can do. I watched him during the pre-skate on Saturday and thought that he looked like he belonged.