Houston Hotdish: Not a Well Man

He's got a point per game in the AHL after racking up 2 goals and 4 points in 3 games over the weekend, as well as scoring twice in (losing) shootout efforts.

We talked to him after Sunday's game in which he was clearly on another level and played a fantastic game in spite of the loss. I asked him if, even though he'd obviously rather be with the Wild, is he able to appreciate a bit of a break from a really tough environment?

Asked if he was given any instructions of things to work on while he's down here, "No. Not much. Not much this time."

More telling than his answer was the look on his face and his body language. He's disappointed, even a little pissed (though it's hard to tell because he's an incredibly nice guy), and knows it's more of a numbers game. They had to change something up there and it's going to be the guys who don't risk waivers who bear the pain of the ol' switcharoo.

But it says a ton about Casey's character that he comes down here, believing he's an NHL-caliber player, and still plays hard every shift (maybe harder than I remember him playing before, to be honest). It's making a HUGE difference on a team that's steadily bringing on more ECHLers.

Not that ECHLers are bad, mind you, but they also just don't know the system and won't play as many minutes, so we don't have the depth you really want this time of year as far as ice time.

Radja, in fact, scored twice Saturday night earning his first two goals with the Aeros before most of us even were quite sure how to pronounce his name.

The basic theme for the Aeros remains the same, however: Lose at home a lot, lose pretty much all the time if they go into OT or SO, and win on the road. If any team has ever worked their way into a playoff spot on the backbone of road wins and loser points, it'll be these Aeros. I've never seen anything like it.

It's clear that the guys understand how much these lost points matter and they're all saying the right things about it. And indeed, the last couple of games I've seen glimmers of "the system" that we got used to last season. I feel optimistic, anyway. But again, maybe that's still just "Benched Zids Euphoria" talking.

Up next are games Friday and Saturday in OKC and San Antonio, respectively. And with several guys back down due to the NHL All Star break, that will either be a gong show or 4 points. I'm not sure chemistry-wise. Except for Wellman, guys have been a bit "off" when they come down. Maybe leaving on a high note with hope of going back after the break will keep them in line.