So after ten...

This is awesome
Jose Theodore: 7 GP, 4-2-0, 17 GA, 199 SA, 182 SV, .915 Sv%, 2.53 GAA, 1 SO, 403 TOI
Jacob Markstrom: 4 GP, 2-2-0, 7 GA, 128 SA, 121 SV, .945 Sv%, 2.11 GAA, 199 TOI

Thought the same, re: Skille. Snakebitten right now.

Kulikov? Six assists this year. If he keeps that pace and plays 70 games(What he averaged for his two other years in the NHL) this year, Dmitri will have more assists in 2011-12 than he had in 09-10 and 10-11 combined.

OK, so many of the people I talked to about the Panthers asked me how to gauge the start. I said to look at the entire season in 5 game and 10 game segments. So of the first 5 I saw 2 I though we should win, 1 I thought we could win and 2 I thought would be hard to win. So i was hoping to be at worst 2-2-1 in the first five. Well, we won the two games i though we should win (Isles, TB at home…) won the 50-50 game (TB on the road) and did actually lose the 2 I thought we might (Pitt and Wash) so all in all I am quite pleased with the Panthers so far because even in the losses I thought we played well. Now onto the next 5. I see about the same thing, 2 we should win (Isles at home, Ott on the road) 1 we could win (Buffalo at home) and 2 that are a toss up (MTL and Buf on the road). So let’s see what happens. and LET’S GO PANTHERS!!!!

So let’s see, we blew it against Buffalo at home, then we took care of the Isles at home, so we are +1 and -1 on my predictions, then we blow the Ottawa game in painful fashion BUT we win BOTH of the toss up games. So once again we go 3-2 in the last five and are 6-4 in the first 10. I said before the season that after 10 I want to be right around .500 figuring something around 5-4-1 would be a good start. So I am very happy with the 6-4 record and realize it really could have been 6-3-1 seine for 2.5 seconds in Ottawa. The team has shown the ebbs and flows I expected in the first 10 as they have been alternately brilliant and equally exasperating. Still, old players are stepping to the fore (Garrison, Kulikov) new players are really shining (Versteeg) and our best players are truly playing their best (Campbell, Weiss) and leading the charge.

Lets Go Panthers!!!!!

I am still on the fence so far. At times, they look like a completely different team, hustling, making the smart plays/passes; other times, they look like last year’s team (albeit with different players) – lazy passes, no hustle, etc.

I have been seeing more of the positive in the past few games, though. 10 games in, and I am still not sure what to think. Because of past performance, I have become weary of becoming too excited after a stretch of a few good games. I would like to see some consistency in a larger sample size first. I do have to say that I am more optimistic this season that they can do it. And Skille is surprising the hell out of me with his hustle.

I imagine Dineen is working hard at whipping the boys into shape. I hope they keep up their good play and stay in the upper half of the league standings, instead of mired in the middle, where the difference between a playoff position and early tee times is a careless SO win-loss.

I just got to see the highlight on his goal vs Buffalo… I <3 him!