shrader

I said it over on Sabrespace last week that once Skinner gets one, you can blink and he'll be up to about 6. It just always seems to go that way with goal scorers who start out in a funk. The second they finally score, the flood gates open. We'll see where he goes now because that mini-funk was not due to a lack of chances.

I like how even rolling logs have an unusually high head shot rate.

Were they specifically named though, or more than just one or two of them? I only watched the complete series one time, so it's been a while. I could see a lab builder finding his way on there if things go the right way in the future. Hell, I could even see Kai somehow turning around and becoming very useful once the switch flips in his head.

I know I'm not alone on this one. I know I've heard the same exact comment several times over the years. Hell, it's even hinted at in a Seinfeld episode.

I did watch some of it actually. I just can't do it when I know the final score ahead of time.

Thanks to games with stupid start times, my eyes are currently at .500

Did they ever give a full explanation of the list of people that Mike was protecting and giving money at the end of his run on Breaking Bad?

I think we're anointing Boterill way too fast. People said a lot of the same things about Murray early. It is very clear how different the approaches of those two are, but so far, we still have no proof of anything. He still is given a lot of credit based on the Pittsburgh, where ultimately we really don't know how involved he truly was. I've said it a million times but a job is so much easier when you're starting out with Crosby/Malkin. He'll never have that luxury again. So far, yes, his approach does look to be more promising. I can't get past that Buffalo cynicism though where I'll believe it when I see it.

I don't think you need to watch Breaking Bad to understand Jimmy's motives. This whole season has painted a very clear picture that he wants absolutely nothing to do with Chuck. That was pretty much the entire purpose of his portion of the story this entire season, right up to being disgusted by the decision for Chuck's memorial scholarship. Once he got his license back, he no longer needed to take advantage of anything Chuck-related, so he completely cut ties.

The only thing I can ever think of that shows the passage of time in Breaking Bad was the birthday bacon. Now if only someone with incredible eyes had somehow caught a glimpse of Walt's DOB on his license or something.

Did they ever actually say when Breaking Bad took place? I know an episode or two ago they showed a ton of paperwork from either Jimmy or Kim that said 2004.

I feel like it has one season left at this point. Next season he gets his Saul operation up and running and Fring gets the lab up to pre-Heisenberg levels. That does sound like it could be a lot of details, so maybe they get two seasons out of it. The one thing that bugs me is that we have to wait a very long time to see who will be getting that post Breaking Bad phone call after Saul fled. With the amount of time between seasons, I'll probably forget about by the time we get the next season. It may just be the biggest loose thread out there at this point. edit: And the Werner scene was tough to watch. The stuff he had to say to his wife knowing that those were his last words to her, that was rough.

Finally an explosion of even strength goals, their first 3 of the year (I don't count the ENG). They're going to need to get that going a bit more if they're going to continue to get some wins. I expect that it will once Skinner finds his first goal.

I call it the Gerbe special (he did it all the time in college). He grabbed the defender's hand and immediately fell, making it look the he (Skinner) was the one who was pulled down. I'm amazed that he can draw that kind of call even after doing it for so long already in the NHL.

Right when I want to see if they can build on some positives... they schedule a day time game that I can't watch. At the moment, I'm a little concerned that this team will still struggle to produce offense. So far it's two powerplay goals and an ENG. That's not encouraging so far, but maybe once the likes of Skinner and Dahlin can start to click, things can turn around. Skinner has definitely showed some flashes, minus the finish so far. I'll never be able to get used to his horrible dives though. Yeah, it got the team a power play, but I absolutely hate that crap.

Even with how down on this show people are, last night quickly reminded me of why it is still light years ahead of the absolute trainwreck of a season that they just had from Fear. It's something so simple, but most of what they showed last night was at least visually appealing, especially compared to the constant dark and gray of Fear. There's no specific threat at this point, but even that is still better than a crazy injured old lady.

My lasting imagine from that game was a shot of the bench late in the first period. They looked deflated and defeated already. The second I saw that, I knew that game was done. Nothing after that surprised me one bit. It's going to take a long time to remove that mentality from this team. It's been going on for so long now, it almost feels like it is pure luck to break free from it. Of course, if they figure out how to bounce back in game 2 bruin-style, things can look completely different very quickly. 5 minutes with an extra skater at the end and they still can't even put together a single serious scoring opportunity.

I understand that with so many changes we need to wait a bit to see it all take shape. I’m just not sure I have the stomach to watch while I’m waiting.

Johnny English? I loved Mr. Bean, but I never saw any of these movies. I had no idea it did well enough to get two sequels.

And let's not forget how Shanahan moved from New Jersey to St. Louis via restricted free agency. He wasn't leaving a winning situation, but he definitey chased the dollar signs.

Do you think you would have had those same thoughts before you got all that experience? I really can't fault a kid for looking for all the money so early in his career.

But does losing suck more than getting paid less money than you think you're worth? There really is no right answer to that question. It's different for everyone and it changes over the course of your career.

I've said it several times in the past. It's usually about football though, but it happens for just about everything. People are more than happy to tell other people how to spend their money. But anyway, if we want to be more specific, let's just say it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out exactly who Shanahan is talking to with a comment like that one. I haven't actually seen the comment itself, but I trust K9 enough that he's not just making something up. That whole Nylander thing actually scares me a bit, seeing as how his brother is a Sabre. If he ever gets his career going, does he wind up trying the same thing?

It has absolutely nothing to do with the Leafs. I get a kick out of it any time a retired player suggests a current player take a little less money. It happens all the time and it's always ridiculous. As I said, it's always a hell of a lot easier to say it when it's someone else's money and not your won. This one gets a few extra points since it also happens to be coming from a front office guy of the same team as the suggested pay cut.

I wonder if Shanahan ever took a little less money for the good of a team. It's always easy to say it when it's someone else's money and not your own. Based on the way that Red Wing team used to write checks back in those pre-cap days, I'm guessing there weren't many pay cuts to be had.