Heading into the Tulsa game
Some observations heading into the Blazers’ home game March 1 against Tulsa:
It’s a good thing Curtis Voth of Tulsa will not play in this game, because of a league suspension for the rest of the season. Had Voth played, a week after breaking the jaw of the Blazers’ Tyler Harder, retribution was assured, probably a fight right after the faceoff. Fights are a part of hockey, sort of a policing agent, but had Voth played tonight, the hockey game might have been replaced by mixed martial arts, and we don’t need that to happen to any hockey game.
Don’t misunderstand, though. Expect some chippiness tonight. I’m expecting Justin Sawyer and Robin Richards to fight again; they almost always do. Beyond that, as far as fights tonight, who knows?
Graham Dearle, whose jaw was broken Jan. 5 against Texas, has been cleared by doctors to play tonight. If he does, indeed, suit up, it’ll be a plus to see the always active and scrappy Dearle on the ice again. He’s missed the last 22 games.
Alex Lalonde has become maybe the biggest mystery player on the Blazers’ roster. He started this season with five goals and eight points in his first 11 games. Since then, he’s almost disappeared. He has no goals and just one assist in his 13 games since, and he’s taken only five shots on goal in the past seven games. This from a guy who had been one of the Blazers’ most impressive players after joining the team a few days after Christmas.
The only healthy Blazers skater who hasn’t scored a goal this season? Defenseman Stacey Bauman.
I’d agree with what one Blazers official said: Wichita is the worst team in the league, and maybe the worst CHL team ever, or at least in the reformed CHL’s 16 seasons. That, at least, is how the Thunder looked on their last visit to Oklahoma City, a 7-2 loss to the Blazers on Feb. 12. Wichita returns two more times, on March 15 and 21.
Will part-time coach Doug Lawrence be back behind the Oilers’ bench tonight? He hasn’t been here on the last several visits.
This won’t do: Ryan Watson has three shots on goal in the past four games.
Gordon Bell, one of the most underrated Blazers, has 31 points in his 39 games.
The Blazers’ leader in plus-minus rating? The injured Harder, who will finish at plus-6, is one ahead of The Captain, Tyler Fleck.
If you’re picking a first goal of the period contestant you may want to consider Dallas Flaman. He has scored five goals in the past eight games.
See you and several thousand others tonight at The Ford. For the first time all season, we’ll be using the “real” press box on the top level of the arena, because the entire upper bowl will be opened.
