They Have Superstars, We Have our Bonk

First off :clap: way to break the loosing streak. Luckily we've had Atlanta's number this year, and Huet was hotter than a Victoria secret model last night (ummm for the ladies …...he was hotter than a Chip and dale dancer I guess).

All this to say that last night they looked more like the HABS we know than they have since the holidays (except that other time we played Atlanta...maybe we should keep playing them!).

So what's the pattern here? Our reason for success? There are of course a myriad of variables which can affect the teams performance and I would be a fool to suggest otherwise, but Bonks line being intact and playing against the opposition's top line is a key element in our success.

With Bonk’s absence the team went on their biggest loosing streak. Our top line thus was matched against the opposition’s top line, which had adverse effects in the least and this shows in our top lines +/-.

Now that bonk is back in his role of shutting down the opposition’s fire power we are surely better equipped to get the W (remind me again how many points Crosby got against us compared to his avg/game? How about Ovechkin? Koslov & Hossa?).

This is music to my ears, since one game is hardly proof enough of ending our slump. Until I see a 0.7+ winning% in our last ten games, I'm not convinced. The only thing I have been convinced of is that Bonk does not get nearly enough points towards the Molson Cup as he deserves given his value to our teams success.

But being an experienced veteran he knows this and continues to be the quiet type who leads on the ice by his style of play.

Bonk is part of an elite group of players in NHL who specialise in shutting down the Sydney Crosby's to the point of reducing them to Aaron Downey offensive talents by allowing them to a hand full of shots from awkward and tight angles. Players of Bonk's stature are even more important today, given the overflow of fast, talented and almost superhuman skilled players who can cripple an opposition and win the game in 3-4 shifts.

Although players like Bonk cannot win Stanley Cups on their own, they are the type of players who you cannot win a cup without. We may not have our superstar, but at least we have our equivalent of the Patriot missile...a third line who can shoot the top lines down. If we had two Bonks to throw at Buffalo (one for Briere's line and one for Afinogenov’s), than I'm confident we'd have their # as well.

If this team has a chance to win the cup before the centennial, rest assures Bonk will be in that line up and will probably see the most ice time during the post season.

P.S. As HTL so eloquently put it, we have a new toy: http://magicnumber.createforum.net/viewforum.php?f=1