Anyway, back to the ice, which is what we really care about. According to Jesse Rogers, Antti Niemi will start tomorrow’s game against LA. In my mind, Niemi then must get almost all of the starts from here on out. Otherwise, Coach Q is needlessly points-chasing, which helped get us in this mess in February. These 17 games left are all about getting the team in playoff shape. First and foremost is getting one of the goalies into a rhythm and finding confidence. They’re cemented in the #2 seed, and I don’t know of anyone who thinks it’s vital to have the #1 seed. Sure, it sounds cool, and the idea of starting every series at home appeals. But you might do that anyway after another San Jose crash and burn, and even if that doesn’t happen the Hawks don’t require home-ice to dispatch those softies. You’re not going to catch the Caps for the President’s Trophy. Their conference and division especially are far too weak for them to drop enough points to be caught. So if Q’s going with Niemi or bust, that’s fine. If this is more goalie-jockeying for points, then I’m going to have to object.
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