This is it. The roster is locked in, the players are adjusted to the time difference, the gear is dried out, and the clock is ticking.
There are no more “ifs” in training camp, no more chances to see who fits and what will need to be adjusted.
This is the final rehearsal, and starting tomorrow it all counts.
According to the Inside The Redhawks blog over on sydsvenskan.se (warning: Extremely Swedish), the Redhawks are resting several players today so they’ll be fresh for games against Leksand and Rogle BK, so scratch off top scorer Morten Green, Centre Mikael Wahlberg, and defenseman Ossi-Petteri Gronholm from the preview we did yesterday.
I’m really interested to see how the larger ice affects the plan of attacking the puck and how our defense will move around as a result.
As was noted yesterday, it looks like Mason will start, but switch with Garon towards the mid-point of the match. If both netminders can stay on their game and keep alert, I think we should be in a good position for this game. Also, don’t forget that Kris Russell will be activated for this game – the first time we’ll see him skate in game action under Arniel since he was injured at the start of training camp.
The game will be streamed at NHL.com and will be available to watch at the R-Bar if you’re lucky enough to be able to go down for the afternoon tilt.
Me? I’ll be hanging out with a video window open on my workstation at the office and trying to look vaguely productive…
Who scores more for the CBJ? The Swedes looking to show off in front of their friends and family, or the Non-Swedes?
| Swedes | 9 |
| Non-Swedes | 10 |