At the Halfway Mark

by Ryan

If you would have told me we would be hovering at the .500 mark after 41 games this year, I would have punched you in the mouth.

Seriously, I would have punched you in the mouth, then told you that you are reading too much into the value of Danny Briere and Chris Drury. Yeah, I'm as much of a "team chemistry" guy as anyone can be, but we have an almost identical roster other then those two players. Violence is not a common response from me, but after such a silly statement I would have felt it fitting. You expect me to believe we are going to sit in 11th place on January 9th, 2008?

Shenanigans. I declare shenanigans on you, good sir. Half of the roster could have made the All Star Game. Vanek and Pomminville are going to score 40 goals each this year. Drew Stafford is going to make "the leap." Tim Connolly is going to be Tim Connolly and set up goals like Moses granted him the golden Synergy himself.

And yet, here we sit.

19-18-4

42 points.

11th place.

Wow.

I think the picture of the season as of yet is this:



Insert whoever you'd like over Stan's face. Connolly, Roy, Pomminville, Stafford, Afinogenv, Gaustad, or most recently Vanek will all do. So many missed chances and lost points. This season the difference between 4th and 12th place is just a few missed chances and blown leads. How many of those have we had to put is in 11th?

We will get to some numbers and real insight before the Ottawa game, but what I wanted to talk about was how this season has felt so far. I can't be the only one that has been monstrously let down by these first 41 games, nor the only person with a certain optimism to the next 41. Eventually, they have to turn it around.

Let's face it, there is too much talent on this team for them to suck this hard for 81 games. Something will give, and until then all I ask is a consistent effort from everyone on the roster. Just... play your game. Hard.

I really don't know what else there is to say.