Sid the Kid comes to town tonight as the Penguins open their season at the RBC Center. He'll be bringing along a few of his young friends, like Jordan Staal, Evgeni Malkin, and Marc-Andre Fleury. Familiar faces Marc Recchi and Gary Roberts will be joining him as well. Oh yes, and don't forget Brooks Orpik and Colby Armstrong. I'm sure that Trevor Letowski and Erik Cole remember them! While there's no such thing as a "must win" this early in the year, this is a pretty crucial game for the Hurricanes. Due to the conflict with the State Fair, the scheduling turns a little tough as the team will play the next 6 games on the road. As I mentioned yesterday, it's pretty important to get off to a good start in October. Games on the road are never easy in this league, so the boys must try to take advantage while they play at home.
Bubba's keys to the game....
- Stay out of the penalty box. These guys have skill and can take advantage when they have an extra attacker. Look out for Sergei Gonchar when they are on the power-play.
- Concentrate on better passing and get the puck out of your zone. Soft passes through center ice are not going to cut it.
- Give Cam Ward some help. It's typically not good defense when you allow 40 shots on goal.
- Take advantage of opportunities when you have them. When you give a team second life, they will come back to hurt you.
- Don't get caught up in a game of revenge with Armstrong and Orpik. The best revenge would be a 5-0 Canes win!
Are these keys too obvious or what? *L* Mike Commodore bruised his leg against Montreal and missed practice on Thursday. He's listed as day-to-day. Cory Stillman is still sore from his fender bender, but Chuck Kaiton mentioned on a radio interview that he should play. I have a feeling "Commie" will play as well. Look for Bayda to trade places with Letowski so that Trevor can get a chance tonight. I'll keep an eye out for a report after the pre-game skate and see if there are any other changes to the line up.
One more thing. Let's not allow one of these tonight!
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Jordan Staal scores a shortie
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