Rough weekend for the Birds...

Last year after 5 games the Tbirds were 0-5 and this season they are 1-4...

Last year after 5 games the Tbirds were outscored 29-10 and this season they have been outscored 20-8...

So why does it feel so different?

Well for one... last season the Tbirds started the season with 5 straight road games. 2 in Prince George (which is always a bit of a difficult road trip), one game at Tri and we now know that Tri was a good team, one game at Everett where the Tbirds have always had trouble, and one game at Vancouver who up until the playoffs were nearly unbeatable.

This season the Tbirds have had 3 of their first 5 games at home. Remains to be seen how good Portland is, but indications are that they will at least be a playoff team. Everett might sneak into the playoffs and Chilliwack is probably on the borderline as well and I'm not certain how great Vancouver will be this season.

If Seattle has an illusions of being a playoff team (and I said this going into Saturday night) they had better get it going in a hurry. They have games against Tri-City (2), Spokane, Everett, Prince George, Prince Albert and Brandon before getting going on their extended road trip to begin a stretch where they will play 12 of 13 games on the road. If you go into that road trip at... oh... 3-8 or 2-9... they could wind up pretty solidly behind the proverbial "8-ball" before we even get to December.

The defense hasn't exactly been good but the real problem is the inability by the Tbirds to get the puck out of their own zone and that falls as much on the forwards as it does on the defense. I just don't see the desire in these players that is needed to win. I'm not saying that if they just tried hard... they would suddenly be the top team in the West.... but they aren't going out there selling out their bodies to win. The first two periods on Saturday were actually much better, and it just fell apart in the third.