HOLTY’S BLOG: NOW OR NEVER
“Now or Never,” may as well be the motto the rest of the season. There are 18 games left and if you’ve been following along, in this Boston native’s opinion, the Condors need 26 points to play beyond April 14.
You may not like #HoltyMath and that’s fine, but as I’ll remind you, it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want.
Now for the blog…
– With Ontario’s comeback victory in the final 10 minutes of regulation Saturday, coupled with their win over San Antonio last night, the Condors sit between seven/eight points behind the Stockton Heat and the Reign for the final playoff spot. Stockton/Ontario/Texas are essentially tied for the final two playoff spots.
– Why do you say it’s now or never Holty? Well, let’s be frank. The Condors still have eight games against three of the top teams in the Western Conference (4 v SD, 2 v TUC, 2 v MB). If this team is making the playoffs, four against San Jose, four against Ontario, and two against Stockton are basically must wins.
– Believe it or not, the Condors basically control their own destiny. 10 games against the teams in the hunt. The only team I worry about is Texas because the Condors have 0 games remaining against them. San Antonio, in my opinion, is falling off a cliff, and won’t be there in the end.
– That said, even with Caleb Jones coming back this week from a groin injury, the Condors have just 18 skaters after Ty Rattie and Ethan Bear were both recalled by the Oilers. I don’t expect we’ll see Rattie back this season, aside from playoffs. Bear is probably more likely, but doesn’t look like it’ll be for the weekend as Edmonton is dealing with some injuries.
– Speaking of Rattie, he became the 25th player to play in Bakersfield and Edmonton in 2+ seasons. Talked with Tony Borgford (interview below) on Condors Insider last night and I loved his expression “we’re happy any time we can graduate someone to the NHL and watch them on TV.”
– Also liked what Ty had to say about Bakersfield and the organization in this interview
– Was down in the room after the Oilers game in Anaheim on Sunday and it was basically a Condors post-game dressing room with all of the guys who have come through these doors in two seasons. It’s a reminder of just how close everyone is here to realizing the ultimate goal.
– The AHL “Trade” Deadline is Monday. I put the quotation marks, because NHL contracts in the AHL can be “loaned” to other organizations. We saw this two years ago with Andrew Miller, and last year with Mitch Moroz and David Musil. Just something to keep an eye on.
– A reminder that Friday’s game starts at 11 a.m. “Brunch with Holty in San Jose” starts at 10:45 a.m. I’m giving you permission to be a little guilty at work and enjoy the game!
Until next time Condorstown…
Ryan Holt aka Holty is the Voice of the Condors and in his seventh season. He can’t believe it’s March, but is happy it’s the final trip up the 99 of the year. Follow him on Twitter @CondorsHolty for more nonsense or shoot him an e-mail to RHolt@bakersfieldcondors.com with questions, comments, or blog ideas.
