I've noticed that I have said the following words a lot this season: "I never thought I'd say this, but (fill in the blank)..." Today is no different except I have TWO things that I'm shocked I'm about to type.
I never thought I'd say this, but I'm happy we're playing the Sharks tonight. (Oh wait! There's more!) AND I'm happy to see Jason Blake back in the lineup. What the hell is wrong with me? I'll tell you what's wrong with me - the Anaheim Ducks are what's wrong with me. This season, the craptastic Ducks are 3-0 against a Sharks team that sits one point behind [deep breath] the Kings for first place in the Pacific and third place in the West. It doesn't make sense.
Another thing that doesn't make sense is that the last time Jason Blake was in the lineup, the Ducks were 4-1-0. Then Mr. Burns chopped off Jason's arm (possible exaggeration) and the Ducks began spiraling quickly downward. Without Blake the Ducks went 6-20-6 and changed their coach. This is Jason Blake, the guy that we all firmly believed was a bloated cap hit that would be allowed to walk - if not traded first - at the end of the season. Jason has no revered skill like Teemu Selanne's speed or Corey Perry's hands. He works hard to get the puck free for Selanne and Saku Koivu to do their work. That's it. My head hurts.
As of this morning, the top two lines were back to "normal". Ryan Getzlaf centering Perry and Bobby Ryan. Saku Koivu between Jason Blake and Teemu Selanne. Seeing how difficult it was for RPG to gel early on, should Bobby be pulled off that second line when he was just starting to score again? I just don't know anymore. Expectations, whether they be positive or negative, are fruitless at this point. This team will continue to shock/horrify/amaze/nauseate us the rest of the season.