Saturday Introductions

Hi, I'm Fiji, and I just prevailed in one of the all-time Rugby Union Classics over Wales. Probably the greatest achievement in Fijian sports, I dare say, reaching the RWC quarterfinals. Why is this good for the Bokke?
From a South African viewpoint it was the perfect result, for while the Fijians play some quite spectacular rugby at times, the Springboks are not physically inferior to the Fijians, which was the Welsh Achilles heel in this match. For a start, their pack should be no match for the Boks in the set-scrums.

After making the quarterfinals for the first time in their history, Fiji will probably also feel now that they have played their final, and they did have to dig deep to prevail in the Nantes thriller. It is hard to see them get up like that again for a quarterfinal just a week later, and they lost flyhalf Nicky Little, an influential player on the day, to an injury which looks serious enough to rule him out of the remainder of the tournament.


Hi, I'm Yossi Benayoun, and I rescued my Liverpool teammates for the second match in a row. I can't say enough about how much I love the addition of Yossi to the squad and would like nothing more than to see him get more regular starts on the wing, opposite Jermaine Pennant. Even if it was Wigan, an away league win is always an accomplishment.


Hi, I'm the NHL, and I have unceremoniously returned! I feel a bit ashamed of myself, quite honestly, because I love the NHL and, yet, (along with the rest of the nation) completely missed that the season began today. Maybe it's because the season opened in London with your Los Angeles Kings spanking defending champion Anaheim 4-1! Skreee! Welcome to the fold, goalie prodigy Jonathan Bernier. I still don't expect much from the Kings, this season, but this is a promising start and I'm excited to catch a few games at Staples Center. Go hockey!


Hi, I'm the Pac 10, and I'm AWESOME! The Cal-Oregon game lived up to the hype and more. What an electric second half. The Ducks really had every chance to win this game, aided in part by the highly dubious "missed field goal" by Cal in the third quarter (A kick the went over the top of the post -- which meant it was good. But just ask Oklahoma about that officiating in Eugene, OR.), but that bumbingly muffed kick return, a couple of 4th quarter picks by Dixon, and one of the most gutting fumbles in recent memory opened the door for Cal. Desean Jackson picked on heck of a time to have a breakout game. Sadly for Dennis Dixon, his Heisman candicacy took a severe hit. Cal had better hope Longshore's ankle problem isn't too serious, but the Bears are every bit a top-4 team. USC is still the class of this conference, but they'll have to deal with both the Bears and Ducks. Phew... I'd love it if Arizona could pick up a win tonight against Washington State.


Hi, I'm the Big 12, and I'm officially irrelevant. It takes a pretender to blow a 17-point lead to Colorado. I present to you: Oklahoma. And Texas was finally exposed for the overrated frauds that they are. Terribly overhyped by the national press thanks solely to their name, Kansas State smacked the hell out of them, Vince Young on the sideline and all. The Horns are K-State's new bitch. Don't worry about watching next weekend's Red River Shootout. It doesn't matter. Don't set the alarm, sleep in, catch the final score in the following morning's paper.


Hi, I'm South Florida, and you may as well give me the Big East title right the hell now. Beating West Virginia and seeing Rutgers proudly display their "pretender" logo by flopping against Maryland, there's no way the Bulls can blow this? Is there?


Hi, I'm Wisconsin, and I'm inspiring nobody. Even with the tight win over an unbeaten Michigan State, Wisconsin isn't looking too impressive. Isn't it funny to think that the only team that looks to have a shot at rattling Ohio State's tree in the Big Ten, this year, is a janky Michigan team? But wait... Here come the Ilini!


Hi, I'm the National League East, and I'm ridiculous! Pretty insane that the Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins are going to decide this division and a bit of a shame that the Mets and Phillies weren't scheduled to play each other during the final weekend of the season. Even though the Mets have imploded over the last two weeks of the season, Philadelphia fans must have that awful feeling in the pits of their stomachs -- a feeling they're all too familiar with. 162 games and it comes down to the final day? Yeesh.

What a sad day to be a Sabres fan

Fortunately for me, I'm not. But my, oh my, has there ever been a team in any sport more devastated after just one day of free agency? Seriously? Daniel Briere flys to Philly for an 8-year deal (which is just nuts), and then Chris Drury -- Buffalo's heart in the playoffs -- heads to the Rangers. Couldn't be crappier times for Buffalo fans. Shades of the summer following '99.

Speaking of Chris Drury with the Rangers, the Blue Shirts also signed Scott Gomez, bolstering their forward corp even further.

Another lifelong Devil fleeing New Jersey? Brian Rafalski. To Detroit. Which is fortunate for the Wings, as they actually upgrade from the departure of Mathieu Schneider... who went to Anaheim. Yeah, because the Ducks were lacking in defense. But Niedermayer might just retire, so a shrewd move.

Even in the NHL the saying holds true: the rich get richer. E.J. Hradek's got it covered.

As for my LA Kings... well...

Spezza's time?

Due to the NHL's sad relegation to the Versus Network (NBC's got game 3, though), it's easy for the media and casual fans to forget that the Stanley Cup Finals are going on, as we speak. Perhaps it's even easier to have a memory lapse when your the cities of Anaheim and Ottawa are expected to rev up a national fervor. At any rate, I'm still watching the Stanley Cup. After all, it's the greatest trophy in sports. Scott Burnside offers a solid profile of one Jason Spezza and why the Senators need him, more so than anyone else, to step up if they're ever going to get back into this series against Anaheim.

Oh, those sorry Royals...

I don't know what's funnier: The annual May announcement that the Royals season is over or the fact that, no sooner does this article run in the paper, the Royals won three out of four against the A's IN OAKLAND. Oy vey. Actually, I know which one is funnier. The latter is just depressing.

Before checking out for the weekend and hopefully watching both the Super 14 final (South Africans the world over will be proud regardless of the outcome) and the FA Cup (The team money built vs the devil... on second thought, do I really want to watch this???), as well as game 5 of the compelling Ducks/Wings series (now featuring Chris Pronger!), I have two NBA comments:

1. If the Suns don't beat the Spurs, there won't be any reason to continue watching the playoffs. And even if they do, my interest is tenuous at best.
2. Where's the Eastern Conference? I thought they and the West were supposed to be playing games concurrently?

Guess who's OHL executive of the year, Nation?

I love sports. Steagle-Cobeagle, this one's for you.

Go you Spirit!

Also, NHL conference finals in full swing. Wheeee! I'm liking the Ducks and Sabres, both in long series.

Desert Dogs

Don't know if anyone's noticed, but the Phoenix Coyotes are the hottest team in professional sports not named the Phoenix Suns. Gretzky's resurrection job with the 'Yotes begins with the ace-goaltending they've received from CuJo and the next super Swede, Mikael Tellqvist. They've been nails during this run.

Speaking of goaltenders, Dan Cloutier is out after hip surgery, so you'd figure the Kings would be improving defensively, right?? I mean, we've got the first Japenese player in NHL history on our side. Why wouldn't we be doing incredibly well? After all, Fukufuji only let in half of the six goals conceded to Atlanta, last night. In fact, during this current four-game-pointless streak, the Kings have conceded 20 goals! My lord, you call yourselves professionals? Thank heaven Anze Kopitar is there. He's been the one silver-lining to what may end up being the most embarrassing season in franchise history. The Flyers may beat the Kings for worst record in the NHL, but I'd wager that Philly still has a better team. After all, they did beat the Kings earlier this season. If LA doesn't get the "Ugly" award on Barry Melrose's podcast this week, I'll be stunned.

By the by, has anyone else noticed (wait, no, of course you haven't) that the NHL All-Star game will be played on a Wednesday? Just how far into obscurity has this league fallen? But then, baseball has their All-Star game midweek, too. Whatever, All-Star games are lame.

These are the Lakers

Not a good day, yesterday, to be one of my teams (see Liverpool rant below). The Lakers didn't do themselves any favors with regards to being taken seriously. That 46-point third quarter was one of the most difficult things I've ever watched in my sports fandom. And to have it happen against the worst record in the league? Ugh! Brutal. But these are the Lakers. Top five record in the NBA? Yes. Losses this season to Memphis, Charlotte, Portland, Milwaukee (with a makeshift lineup), Seattle? Oh yeah, we've got those, too. Luke Walton said it best after the huge win over Dallas on Sunday: this team cannot be considered elite until they play the way they did against the Mavs on a consistent basis, night in, night out. It's a mental issue for the Lakers, as they're all too prone to playing down to the level of competition at times. Tough defense is a mentality and the Lakers are lacking that grit, that teeth-nashing ferocity that says, "We're going to score 118 points tonight and you're not cracking 70." You can score on the Lakers and not because they emulate the Phoenix Suns (which they don't, but they certainly play better when they're running that style). Also, I'm not sure how this happens at the pro level, but LA cannot solve the zone defense. Only once have they had any success against it this season (versus Denver on Friday), but otherwise, they're like a deer in headlights. And yet here they are, right in the thick of it in the west, Kobe is an MVP candidate, and they travel to Houston, tonight, against whom they're up 2-0 in the season series. Seems to only make sense that a loss to the Grizzlies would be followed up by a win against the Rockets. After all, these are the Lakers. I guess I can take comfort in knowing that in the playoffs, there are no teams below a .450 winning percentage. At least not in the western conference, anyway.

Couple more notes before calling this one.

1. Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn nabbed something like 97% and 93%, respectively, on the Hall of Fame vote. I've gotta ask: WHO THE HELL IS VOTING "NO" ON THESE GUYS?! REVOKE THEIR CREDENTIALS IMMEDIATELY, DAMN IT!

2. Starting lineups for the NHL All-Star game are out. No serious beefs, here. Again, it's an all-star game, so how much do you really care. Nice to see a lot of fresh faces get starting nods. The lines change so frequently in hockey, it hardly matters who starts, but out in the east, I'd say that Jagr probably deserved the nod over Ovechkin and, in the west, I certainly would've put Teemu Selanne in there ahead of either of the Sharks, Thornton or Cheechoo. Chris Pronger probably should be skating on the blue line, too. Tough break for Rory Fitzpatrick (record vote-getter as a write-in candidate) who fell only 23,000 votes shy Niklas Lidstrom. The whole Fitzpatrick fiasco speaks volumes about why fan-balloting is both fun and absolutely ridiculous. It reminds me of going into McDonalds, back in the day, hording a whole bunch of NBA All-Star ballots that they had next to the straws, and voting for some slug Greg Ostertag over and over again. Imagine how disappointed you be to see Greg Ostertag voted in as a starter?

End of the year

Well, it's that time. 2006 is coming to a close and everyone is spewing out their precious lists. (Actually, here's an entertaining one.) So why not pile on, just a little? To me, the athlete of the year is Roger Federer. Without question. 92-5 record this year, 12 singles titles including three grand slams (and he says he dedicating himself to winning the French Open in '07, so watch out!). It has to be Roger, this year, and the two reasons he isn't dominating Tiger Woods and LaDanian Tomlinson for the honor are 1) he isn't American and 2) because he plays tennis. That's just poor, Associated Press.

There are several moments that stuck out for me in '06. Agassi retiring, George Mason beating UConn to advance to the Final Four (among history's greatest upsets), the arrival of Ovechkin and Crosby. But here are the three moments, in descending order, that made me lose my mind

3. Liverpool winning the most dramatic FA Cup -- perhaps ever -- over West Ham United. The comeback was largely thanks to English Player of the Year and now living legend, Steven Gerrard.

2. The Lakers weren't supposed to beat the Suns in the first round of the playoffs (and they didn't), but Kobe's winner at the buzzer in game 4 was one of those magical moments in Lakers lore and it had everyone believing that LA had a real shot of winning this thing (they were one rebound away in game 6 from doing so). Anyway, this shot had me screaming "Black Mamba!" and jumping around for a good five minutes straight.

1. His name is Fabio Grosso and he's my personal hero for 2006. The Italian fullback scored the decisive penalty kick that won the World Cup for Italy over France (I haven't been so mental in my life, I think), but he etched his name in glory the match before during the semifinal where, in the 128th minute (final two minutes of extra time), he famously broke German hearts. Everyone in the bar lost their minds. It was the best.

Some predictions for 2007

Orange Bowl - Louisville vs Wake Forest: Doesn't matter.
Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma vs Boise State: Doesn't matter.
Rose Bowl - Michigan vs USC: Doesn't matter.
Sugar Bowl - LSU vs Notre Dame: Doesn't matter.

All of the above games are as relevant as the prestigious MPC Computers Bowl or the Papajohns.com Bowl. Maybe not as much as the prestigious Emerald Bowl, though.

BCS National Championship game - Ohio State vs Florida: Chris Leak throws not one, but TWO shovel pass interceptions in the first half, allowing the Buckeyes to set the pace early and coast to the 4th quarter where the Gators salvage some dignity, but fall short. Final score: Buckeyes 36 Gators 22

Allen Iverson and the Denver Nuggets will finish either 7th or 8th in the Western Conference, then get knocked out of the playoffs in five games.

Roger Federer will win all four Grand Slams.

The Colts will not reach the AFC Championship game.

The Bears will not win the Superbowl.

The Spurs will win the NBA title, beating Phoenix in the Western Conference Finals. The representative from the East will be swept by either team.

Sidney Crosby will win the Hart Trophy.

Florida will repeat as champions in college basketball and UCLA will repeat as runners-up!

Greg Oden will go #1 in the draft.

It doesn't matter who the Oakland Raiders select with the top pick in the NFL draft, they'll screw it up.

Daisuke Matsuzaka will have a relatively strong first half of the season before completely folding after the All Star break.

The Phoenix Coyotes will finish ahead of the Los Angeles Kings this season. I will get $10 from my dad.

The fans will screw up balloting for every All Star game. Again.

Terrell Owens will not be in Dallas next season.

If Barcelona doesn't win the Champions League, it'll be because they lost to Olympique Lyon.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will miraculously find a way to remain in Pittsburgh.

I still won't give a crap about Nascar or golf.

Your mom.

The code of the NHL

With respect to the "Grapple in the Apple" and how that stirred more turmoil around the NBA's image-problem -- imagined or not -- the culture of North American ice hockey, while violent, still respects schoolyard rules. In today's NHL, crackdowns on fighting are becoming more and more severe as the sport struggles to find an audience. But there's no place in the game for Todd Bertuzzis, for Marty McSorelys (both of whom were being threatened with criminal prosecution and jail time, nevermind suspension, and both of which were covered extensively by the media), and you can add Nashville's Scott Nichol to that list. A sucker-punch is not a fight, plain and simple. Interesting, though, that the NHL has perhaps the cleanest image amongst pro athletes in North America given how rarely you see it's players getting into trouble off the ice. The same cannot be said for guys with guaranteed contracts who mail it in nightly (*cough* New York Knicks *cough*), while pouting about their coaches, making contributions to orphanages across the country, and having the occassional Stephen Jackson. This isn't meant to be a "hockey is flat out better than basketball" jab because that is a completely subjective argument and this post has nothing to do with the actual sports, but facts are facts. Also, for Steve Francis to cry racism in response to the suspensions levied in the aftermath of the brawl when it's Stu Jackson (*cough* black! *cough*) who is dealing out the penalties speaks to an ignorance that further distances Joe Fan from your average NBA player.

Kings manage to lose 5-2 to the bloody St. Louis Blues, last night. For those still in the dark, the Blues are a hockey team that plays in St. Louis. They're the worst franchise in sports, today. Although the Kings are certainly giving them a run for their money, lately...

NHL considering realignment... again.

Pac Ten hoops and the greatest line ever

College basketball is officially on full tilt as we revel in the meat of the December holidays. Pitt v Oklahoma State and Duke v Gonzaga, tonight. Couple of major seeding battles. But it was last night's impressive showing by the Pac Ten that should have the country taking notice. Arizona dismissed an athletic, dangerous Memphis squad and the Washington Huskies finally arrived, dismantling overrated LSU and Fat Baby Davis. It's rare that FSN ever broadcasts a double-header of this quality, but last night was a treat. I'm well aware that no teams are good or bad because of the conference they play in (Arizona State is still a Pac Ten school, isn't it?), but at last check, the Pac Ten conference had the highest win percentage of any conference in America, with scalps like Memphis, LSU, Georgetown, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Gonzaga, Louisville, Illinois, and Georgia Tech on the resume so far. We know about UCLA and Arizona. We know that Oregon is still undefeated and bringing it hard. We know Washington can play. Lurking in the shadows this season, though, be wary of Washington State and USC (yes, even a year before the arrival of O.J. Mayo). Pac Ten play is going to be excellent this year and the conference is getting no less than four bids (none less than a 6-seed) to the dance.

With respect to my beloved Arizona Wildcats, J.P. Prince won't be missed. A fine player, to be sure, but he never had a chance to impact the squad in any true capacity. What's scary about the Cats, though, is that they're playing all of this excellent basketball without the lynchpin that I think is absolutely crucial to them making a Final Four, possibly a national title run: Kirk Walters. You may laugh, but Walters is one of the most hard-working, scrappy big men in the country. His presence on the defensive glass will be a monsterous boost to an already lethal team. When they want to buckle down, Arizona is unstoppable.

Switching gears to the NHL, opting not to discuss how horrid the Kings are, the news out of Pittsburgh is dour, to say the least. And all because of a lousy slots license. That's a new one, isn't it? "Hey, everybody. We're probably going to move the team because our financial backers didn't get permission to cater to 68-year-old slot jockey grandmas. Sorry!" In a perfect world, Super Mario will be able to keep what has now become the NHL's most marketable team (ahem -- Crosby & Malkin) in Pittsburgh, in a new arena at no cost to the team or the city (which is what the Isle of Capri Casinos had proposed), but we shall see. The irony with the Penguins is so incredibly thick. Everyone wants to see them, but they can barely afford to stay afloat.

Speaking of Mario, he appeared on ESPN's top NHL lines of all time, um, a few times. I guess I (and presumably the rest of the reasonable world) were mistaken in thinking that a player could only appear once in this list or that, you know, it actually mattered if they played their natural position. Naturally, Gretzky is centering all four lines. Oh, and while I'm thinking of it, why wasn't Pavel Bure on that list of 50? Where's the love for the Russian Rocket?! Perhaps the most lethal sniper of the 90s!

One last thing and then I'm done raiding ESPN.com for nuggets of banter. In their on-going top 100 stories of the year, Zidane v Materazzi clocked in at #2 for the year. If you want to talk about sheer coverage, then this is unquestionably the top sports story of perhaps the last three years, but this is an American audience, so not the case for these purposes. This story being #2, however, means that "Vince Young toppling USC in the Rose Bowl" will be #1 and, frankly, I take a lot of issue with that. There's no denying that Young's performance in that game was excellent, but to suggest that he singlehandedly defeated the Trojans is asinine. Let's be clear about this: Texas didn't win the national championship, USC lost it. Reggie Bush's lateral, quitting after going up two scores in the 4th, not having Bush in the game on the last play, shoddy tackling... Vince Young may get the glory, but the reasons why are masked.

At the very least, the following stories have more significance than Texas winning the college football national title: Zidane-gate, George Mason's ultimate Cinderella run, Roger Federer/Tiger Woods (they're inseparable in terms of domination, as far as I'm concerned)

Top 50 after 2 seasons?

ESPN seems to be pushing Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby to an almost absurd amount as they promote their top 50 NHL forwards ever shtick. Look, Ovechkin and Crosby are without question the future of this league and it's nice to see that there is at least some level of committment by the league to put their two young saviors into the public consciousness (in as much as American sports fans are the public), but c'mon, they're just in their second season. How can anyone measure true greatness in a career after so little time played?

When LaDainian Tomlinson retires from the NFL, he'll likely be included in the same conversation as Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, and Walter Payton. To suggest he belonged in that debate after two years, however, would be absurd. Ovechkin and Crosby may (will) have a legit claim to being amongst the top 50 forwards of all time in a few seasons when they've sustained their success. For now, though, it seems a bit overzealous on the part of both ESPN and the NHL. There isn't a doubt in my mind, though, that we're witnessing the rise of the next Gretzky/Lemieux

So the question then becomes: who do you put on this list ahead of the two premature selections? One, certainly, must be Joe Sakic, who I was stunned to see omitted from the list, given his ranking as one of the all-time leading scorers (greatest in franchise history) and his two Stanley Cups. Swapping out Sakic for Crosby would be a change at center, so it reasons that Ovechkin should be swapped out for a winger. Teemu Selanne's name springs quickly to mind, he of the 74-goal rookie season and continued dynamisn from then on. If Mike Gartner's on the list, Selanne should be, too. Cam Neely's another suggestion.

As far as the list goes, if you have anything other than a 1st line of Gretzky/Howe/Rocket Richard with Super Mario as your #2 center, you're dreaming.

Anze Kopitar

Consider this my goodwill and community service for the day: spreading much needed knowledge!

In a season that is (and will likely continue to be) full of low-lights for the LA Kings, there is one bright spot on the team that has others around the NHL taking notice. Awesome to see Kopitar finally getting some national pub. I know it's all about Malkin this year (and with good cause), but Anze is a super scorer in the making. Not nearly at Malkin's elite level (few in the league are), but easily the next best rookie in the NHL. Go Kings.

Rebuilding: It sucks

Regardless of whether or not Peter Forsberg is back (and, man, he is definitely back) there's just no excuse for blowing a 3-1 lead to the freaking Philadelphia Flyers. Not this year's Flyers, at any rate. Yet another embarrassing, demoralizing defeat for the Kings and they seem to be all too frequent this season. Our next game versus Phoenix is anything but a gimme, too. Not knowing that playing against Phoenix is... my lord, I can't even tell you how frustrating that is. My dad (a Coyotes fan) and I actually have a $10 bet on which team will finish last in the Pacific, each of us thinking our team is worse than the other's.

As expected, this is shaping up to be a grit your teeth and just bend over and take it type of season for the Kings. We're certainly not pressed for talent, though, and there are some bright spots. As expected, Alexander Frolov is quietly having a very nice season, netting his 10th goal of the year last night, and Anze Kopitar leads all NHL rookies (that would include Evgeni Malkin, even though the Russian Penguin has played nine fewer games) in points and assists (17 and 12 respectively), but the goaltending remains suspect and the power play is terribly weak (ranking 22nd currently).

Adding to the frustration, just one hour south on I-5, Anaheim looks like a bonafide Stanley Cup team. ARGH! THE PAIN! THE AGONY!

I motion that that phrase should be the Kings' rallying cry, this season. "ARGH! THE PAIN! THE AGONY!" I think it fits almost too perfectly.

Do you know the Malkin Man?

Why yes, I know the Malkin Man that lives on Pittsburgh Lane. People, the NHL has stumbled upon something exciting: a new set of faces to carry the league. Last season marked the rookie years of Ovechkin and Crosby. Both lived up to expectation (I had the pleasure of seeing Ovechkin in person when Washington came to visit Los Angeles last year. That guy is the real deal). And now, as if the NHL gods just knew that Gary Bettman & co. would find a way to horribly botch the marketing of their new superstars, another 20-year-old phenom falls into his lap: Evgeni Malkin. Some people are calling him the best player in the world, right now. Are they wrong? Maybe. There is a guy in the league by the name of Joe Thornton and Jaromir Jagr, while getting up there in age, probably still has something to say on the matter. But not many can argue with this.

Last night may have been the prime example of why I so desperately need a TiVo (no need to remind me that I live in the dark ages), as flipping between the Kings and Lakers (another strong victory for the Purple and Gold without the Mamba -- even if it was only Golden State... Odom looked terrific again) games was a trick in itself (then Lost came on). But I did see all the Penguins goals, including Malkin's OT winner (his second). I gotta tell you, Pittsburgh is the luckiest franchise in the world, right now. All those years of being terrible after Super Mario's revival led to a stockpiling of excellent draft picks. The Malkin/Crosby combo sees the ice as crisply as any duo in the league. It's no wonder that Malkin just tied a record for goal-scoring streak to start a career (he's six for six, people). I mean, if Gretzky, Lemiuex, Messier, Hull, Yzerman was last generation's NHL scoring vanguard, this generation's list must have Malkin and Crosby at the top along with Thornton, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, and Iginla. There's not a luckier franchise in all of sports, right now, than the Pittsburgh Penguins who were this close to expiring. Add Marc-Andre Fleury into the mix as the stud goaltender and former #1 overall pick who is finally coming into his own and it's no wonder that the Pens are tearing it up, right now. Six-games on the trot, as we speak. Their achilles, however, remains defense. Nab a couple of bruisers and watch out, the Penguins are back in a big way.

Pity that with the new NHL's scheduling, the Penguins won't be back in Los Angeles for another three years. That's a shame. Staples Center was sold out last night, just as it should've been. The Kings, for their trouble, at least earned a point out of last night's game, though the full points were there for the taking. Dan Cloutier is not the answer in goal.