DBJ's 2011-12 Season In Review: Games 11-20

GAMES 11-20   (4-5-1, 5-13-2)

11		12		13
14		15		16
17		18		19
20

With a 1-8-1 start to overcome, and no confidence displayed by...well...anyone, it was fair to suggest around Halloween (Game 12 on 10/30, 13 on 11/3, 14 on 11/5) that the season may have already been lost.  Of course, few folks were saying that openly.  Many, many people were whispering by the end of the first period in Philadelphia, however.

The rhetoric on the blog pushed pretty deep into "IT'S NOT WORKING" and an exploration of why that might be the case.  As themes go, I'd suggest this was a season-long one.

The last of the four kids that could be sent back to Springfield were gone before Game 11, and the slog was on.  Which was great if you enjoyed seeing Cody Bass play (at least until Bass nudged Rick Nash's BFF, Aaron Johnson, in the Philadelphia game).  Ryan Johansen, whose maddening status as a "No AHL" rookie made the choice either the NHL or Major Juniors, stuck around and occasionally (like the Winnipeg game) was able to find a groove despite being bounced from line to line.

Philadelphia.  Nothing more to say about that game in the recap, but plenty to say the next morning.  Plenty.

Scott Arniel confirmed that the shoot often/defend infrequently "wet noodles on the wall"/"insane clown posse" approach of the first 14 games of the season was dead, and "Hitch-lite" was going to get a spin.  With players who weren't ideally suited to play Hitch-lite, mind you.  (Speaking of Hitch, St. Louis hired our former head coach right after the CBJ's Philly game...and after, what, two years of CBJ-underwritten professional development?)

The Winnipeg game, against former CBJ assistant and interim head coach Claude Noel, brought all sorts of comparisons in light of the fact that Scott Arniel was chosen over Noel (I was, and remain, a bit of a Noel fan).  But, hey, the coaches didn't appear to be working all that hard.  And I pretty much agree with Gallos.

I took my first long, hard, cold look at Rick Nash.  This would be known as "foreshadowing" in the literary world.