This Just In: I'm Lazy.

And University is fricken hard.

I had this whole post planned out last night before the game, thinking I'd post it talking about how the team wasn't playing well enough for me to write anything nice about them anyway.

While that's still the case, despite their success last night, I'm going to try and find some positives, and though we haven't been winning, the positives for this team aren't hard to find.

Positive Improvements:
Dustin Penner: Does this need some explanation? I don't think so. The funny thing is that he was never really that bad. was he worth his contract? No, but near-top of the team scoring every season since he's been here is nothing to sneeze at. He's been a Jack-of-all-Trades this season: winning faceoffs, PKing, PPing, Even Strength Scoring...

Ladislav Smid: YES. I am so freaking happy that he's doing so well this season, it's unbelievable. I love this guy, and he's now playing the way that I knew he could.

The Goaltending Duo: While the team has some issues; I think we've established that goaltending isn't one of them. Say what you want about the two games prior to last night of JDD's, he was awesome last night, and he has been dependable in other games as well. Besides; he just wasn't as bad in the Chicago game as some were saying. I don't think I need to say much about Khabbi... He's a monster. That is all... Rest that back... Now that is all.

Return of Lubomir Visnovsky: Incredibly impressed with his play this year. He has his odd off game, but overall he's easily the best overall defender on the team. I am shocked when people suggest we trade Lubo over Souray. I completely disagree.

Some Negatives:

Faceoffs: This was a problem last year, and it's a problem again this year. What ever happened to Reasoner? Oh yeah... We let him walk.

Tom Gilbert: What the hell is up with you? Granted, you're not a favourite of mine and you never have been, but come on. You're better than this.

Secondary Scoring: Our first line is out-producing other lines on the team by a long shot, which wouldn't be a problem if the other lines were actually producing on a semi-regular basis... But they're not... This needs to change.

The Occasional Return of Last Year's Team: Some games the team looks like they simply don't want to be there. They'll have no energy, they'll turn the puck over every 30 seconds, they'll have trouble scoring and no problem letting the other team score etc. The effort level isn't there sometimes, and it's confusing because unlike last year it's not all the time. Perhaps it's just a case of old habits die hard... I hope so, because otherwise this could be a much more serious issue.

This team is not where I wanted them to be come this point in the season. However, injuries and illness have been factors, not to say that they're to blame, because the negatives I chose to talk about here are not a result of injury or illness.