Healing Powers

I know we are three months past Christmas, but I'd really like to ask Ol' Saint Nick for one last, belated gift: a healthy Thunderbirds team for the playoffs. This team has demonstrated, that even at much less then 100-precent, they can compete with any team in the Western Conference.  The case in point was Saturday down in Portland. Even down four goals, on the road and with key players out, Seattle showed they can come back and play toe-to-toe, if not outplay one of the top teams. It's not an excuse for the loss. The T-birds started that game way too slow. It is a fact though. Put a healthy Gustafson, Ciona and Gottfried in the lineup and the T-birds are a better, deeper team.

Probably shouldn't play the "what if game" but if the T-birds had been at or close to full strength more the second half of the season, I believe they'd be fighting for the top of the conference.  It is what it is but remember, right before the Christmas break, Seattle was neck and neck with Everett for first place in the U.S. Division.  But how many games the second half have the T-birds dressed less then 18-skaters?  How many times have they had not two or three, but six or seven of their best players sitting up in the stands? 

So, the only wish I have right now is for this team to get healthy for the postseason. I don't think home ice is going to matter. Right now, Seattle has more road wins than home wins. I don't think finishing higher in the standings is going to matter. Give me a mostly complete Seattle roster and I like this team's chances in the playoffs. I'm not saying it guarantees a run to the Cup, but it levels the playing field.  Seattle's advantage is their depth, but depth only means something if all the players are healthy and available.

This past weekend the Thunderbirds played about sixty minutes of really good hockey.  The problem was, there were 120 minutes of hockey played this weekend.  Seattle got away with it Friday in their 6-4 win over Tri-City, building a 5-0 lead before too many players abandoned the game plan and they had to hold on at the end. 

Saturday in Portland the T-birds were full marks for most of the second and third period.  The slow start, the sleepy first period, really was the difference in the game.  Maybe you can get away with a less than sixty-minute effort against the Americans, you can't get away with it against Portland.

Here's a link to the altercation in the third period in Portland that led to the Winterhawks game winning power play goal.  This is why you have to stay disciplined.  I know it's hard. You've just been hit along the boards, a very dangerous hit at that. You want to retaliate. You want to stick up for your teammate. 

But in a close game where you've just roared back from a four-goal deficit to tie it, you just can't do that. There was going to be a boarding penalty on Portland. Maybe the first retaliation is okay but then there's a second and Seattle goes from, about to go on the power play, to having to go on the penalty kill. 

https://youtu.be/D8A09NS4J5w

Despite that last penalty on Rybinski, I loved his game Saturday in Portland.  I thought that was the first time in a while we've seen the complete Rybinski. That 200-foot tone setting play, the Energizer Bunny forechecking Rybinski and the crashing the crease with abandon Rybinski. Injuries have impacted his season but when we get that Rybinski on the ice, the rest of the team feeds off it.  

My T-birds Three Stars for the Weekend.

Third Star: W Lukas Svejkovsky.  The reigning WHL Play of the Week stretched his point streak to five games with two goals and two assists in the two games.  41-points now in his 31 games with Seattle and has a +19 rating. 

Second Star: W Conner Roulette.  Roulette finished the weekend with four points (1g, 3a).  He sparked Seattle's comeback in Portland with a nice power play goal.  Over his last three games he has seven points (3g, 4a).  that's the Roulette Seattle will need in the playoffs.

First Star: C Henrik Rybinski.  I think he got shorted an assist down in Portland and should, after review, end up with a three-point game (1g, 2a) and that would give him a four-point weekend.  But as stated above, it's his tone-setting 200-foot game that drives the T-birds engine. A healthy Rybinski is imperative for a long playoff run.