Shootouts Suck

The NHL better get rid of shootouts in the next CBA or shortly thereafter.  They make a mockery of the sport and I've cried many times in this space about the ridiculousness of how they count in the standings.  A tie is a friggin tie.  Let it be.  We witnessed one of the best games the Bruins have played in front of Thomas all season on Saturday night, but they lost in a shootout (unfortunately Thomas wasn't as sharp as he usually is).  I would have been thrilled to go home with a tie after trailing 3-0 and showing a ton of heart to claw back into it and get the point.  Then the shootout goes and ruins it and leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

The Morale Officer was his usual morale-boosting self and was saying "it's ova" after their second goal and again after their third, but the Bruins put on a good show for us in coming back.

This "loss" capped off an impressive 3-0-1 week for the B's though in which they overcame the loss of Krejci to get some valuable wins.  Going into Monday's game against the Devils I was very worried after the two turds they dropped against Montreal and Ottawa.

• Thornton watch - 4 down, 46 to go ($45,274 per goal); Kovalchuk - 4 goals ($347,561 per goal)
• Lottery watch - Toronto still in 27th place overall
• Blake Wheeler had a good game on Saturday!  Scored the first one (Quick's fault) and setup Bergy's tying goal.  Hopefully he helped his trade value.
• 4th line continues to impress - what a great shift that led to the 2nd goal on the delayed penalty
• My hometown UMD Bulldogs are #1 in the nation with an 11-1-2 mark and scored two wins over the hated Badgers in Madison on the weekend in overtime (notice that they get the full two points in the standings and the Badgers get nothing - novel concept - and they play 5 on 5 the way the game should be played in OT - and a tie is a friggin tie).
• The Devils are a disaster. 
• Tuukka was great on Thursday - nice to see him finally get that elusive first win of the season
• Lootch - thoroughly entertaining night at the Gahden on Thursday with Lootch's trick and he sniped one off the post on Saturday that was an inch from being his 11th of the campaign
• Another 4-game week coming up with the trip to Florida to take on the Lightning and the Panthers followed by one of my favorite dates every season: the Black Friday game against the 'Canes in which The Mayor will make his trumphant return to Section 311