Some quick notes for the Stars fans from around the NHL as we continue to live off the good vibes created by the big win last night.
- The decision on who to start Friday night in Pittsburgh should be made sometime today, if Glen Gulutzan was being honest with us before the Capitals game. He said he wanted to see wait until after the Capitals game so as to not get caught looking to far ahead. Now, after the win in Washington, the Stars have a big weekend ahead and an interesting decision to make. Obviously, Lehtonen is only going to play one of these games -- but which one? Conventional wisdom says to play Lehtonen against Detroit, at Joe Louis Arena, on the second night of a back-to-back. Gulutzan has shown tremendous confidence in his backup, however, and it will be interesting to see how he approaches this situation.
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Adam Burish was on ESPN Radio this morning to talk about the win last night and the season so far. Here is a choice quote:
"To be honest with you, going into the season, you can't help but see what people are saying about your team, predicting about your team and everybody is picking you to finish last, to be a disappointing season, have no chance and write you off early. After last night's game a bunch of us went to dinner and everybody said, ‘I've been telling people since training camp that if you look at our lineup and look our roster, we're a good team.' I think everybody, except the guys in our locker room, wrote us off. But you know what; we've got a pretty good darn team here."
Burish also talked about the expectations for the rest of the season; you can listen to the full interview here. - Finally, Razor has yet another postseason prognostication up on his blog. He acknowledges he was wrong last season but gives several reasons why he won't be this year. Here's one.
"Forward - Benn has arrived. Eriksson is world class. Ott is emerging as something more. Ryder is a natural scorer and a right shot, Ribeiro and Morrow draw top checking. Newcomers Fiddler and Dvorak and the so far surprising, Eric Nystrom comprise a terrific, "utility club" third line. The 4th line - whatever players it is comprised of - is ultra competitive. But the best asset of the group is their doggedness and tenacity. There is no longer a massive chasm between the compete level when Steve Ott is on the ice - or even just in the line-up - and when he's not."