Page 34 of The Trade Deadline
Abigail Cunningham, The Baltimore Sun
WE’RE NOT QUITE HALFWAY through the season, but with the abbreviated winter break upon us, it feels like as good a time as any to take a look at how the Crabs are doing as they try to maintain a Wildcard position, what the competition looks like, and notable updates from around the league.
The Metro : The top playoff positions in the Metropolitan division are likely to go to the Otters and Nor’easters, who have consistently dominated the competition this season. The Pythons and Gliders, on the other hand, have been inconsistent, with sparks of greatness that then turn into multi-game losing skids, particularly when their top players are injured or in dry spells. One of these teams will likely grab the third top spot in the division, and unless one completely plummets in performance, the other will take one of the two Eastern Conference Wildcard spots. So where does that leave the Crabs?
The Wildcard: The Blue Crabs have been doing well this season. Dependable goaltending and consistent scoring have driven the team since October. The real issue is that the division is stacked with talented teams where every loss hits like two in the standings. They’re very much in the Wildcard race, and, if they do an exceptional job in the new year, could even fight for third in the Metro. Their real competition looks to be the Ice Owls, who have nearly an identical record. As the regular season winds down, we’ll have to turn our eyes to the Atlantic division to see who potential playoff matchups might be; for now the Crabs are trying to get their foot in the door.
The West : Most of the team’s trips to visit Western Conference teams are out of the way, but a good chunk of the West still needs to make it to Baltimore to face the Crabs on home ice. It’ll be important to keep track of which teams are making a playoff push, though the only team I’ve been following right now are the Prowlers. They had a mediocre track record to start the season, then seemed to rally after their win against Nilsson and the Crabs: they’ve been on a five game win streak and are 15-2-3 in their last twenty. They’ll be in Maryland in Late March and I for one want to see how the Crabs do against a team that’s gunning for them.
The Crabs : And now to our traditional pre-holiday wrap-up where we ask Blue Crabs players where they’re going for the break:
Jake Campbell: My parents are flying in to see the kids for Christmas. I’ll get to stay up late on Christmas Eve wrapping about a hundred presents and putting together a new swingset, then maybe get a few hours of sleep before the kids wake me up. Fingers crossed!
Lars Nilsson: I'll be visiting my mormor, sister-in-law, and my niece and nephew in Ohio.
Vladislav Voronin: My parents and younger sister will be visiting from Russia. It’s a long trip, so they will stay about a month as we celebrate.
Pavel Vlasic: I hear it might snow this year. The kids will like that, we can make snowmen and have a snowball fight. But we will obviously do presents and a big family dinner, and FaceTime with our family who live overseas. Very important for the kids to know their cousins.
Pierre Lauren: I’ll be hosting the team party on New Year’s Eve, so most of my holiday break will be spent helping my wife decorate and stock up on hors d’oeuvres and champagne. Luckily the dogs don’t need much attention, no?
RJ Russell: I fly to Montana to spoil my nieces and nephews but then usually get stuck helping clean out the barn. Real buzzkill to the Christmas spirit.
Kyle Fritz: I’ll be driving up to New York to visit my aunt and uncle to celebrate Hanukkah.
Rupert Swanson: Just me and my girlfriend celebrating in town. Very low-key. I won’t even hit the gym or the ice until we come back. Hopefully I still remember how to skate.
Stay warm, Crabs fans, and Happy Holidays!