Thunderbolts

Coach Brent Bilodeau said injuries have cost Thunder players 200 games this season. The number will likely increase tomorrow.

Bryan Nathe, who leads defensemen with a plus-6, did not skate on Thursday. His return seems doubtful. Same for Jonathan Bernier, who is getting another X-ray on Monday, Bilodeau said.

The status of Connor MacDonald and Brad Thompson is uncertain. They’re day to day, as Bilodeau likes to say.

The rest of the story: I will have an article in tomorrow’s paper about rookie Chris Shudo. He scored two goals against Oklahoma City and, if he can provide consistent offense, could be a big boost to the offensively starved Thunder.

Everyone says the same thing about Shudo. “The kid’s fast.” The source of that speed is interesting, although I couldn’t find a fitting place for it in tomorrow’s article.

When Shudo was 4, the only open class at the local rink was figure skating. So his folks signed him up. Shudo stayed in figure skating until he was 9. He was also playing hockey much of that time, but he thinks the figure skating was a huge benefit.

“I think it gave me a head start with the fundamentals,” Shudo said. “I had a head start over the other kids.”

The story surprised me, but Shudo said it’s “pretty common” for hockey players to have figure skating experience. Who knew.

Steve Schuster has been the voice of the Thunder for two seasons. On a completely irregular basis, we’ll conduct an interview with Schuster to gain his thoughts and insight.

All right, Steve, there’s been a lengthy layoff between our popular Q and A segment, but we’re back. The Thunder has won two straight, and I expect you to pick up your game as well. Frankly, I can’t carry this thing every time. Here we go.

KL: You recently retuned from a lengthy road trip. Take us behind the curtain. Who are the loudest players on the bus?

Schuster: The bus is pretty professional, to be honest with you.  Most of the guys will either watch a movie or listen to music.  I’d say that our equipment manager Brad Brundgardt probably jokes around more than any of the players.  Off the ice, Andrew Davis is a very funny person and is great to be around.

KL: What do the players eat on the road: fast food? Lunchables? Do you make PB&J sandwiches for the whole team?

Schuster: Do I make them? No, that’s what we have rookies for.  Seriously, I can’t say enough about the support of the Booster Club and all of their efforts to make things first class for the team.  The club purchases lunch meat, snacks, fruit, etc. for EVERY road trip so that everyone isn’t stuck eating McDonald’s on the side of a random interstate.  All of this comes from their own funds, so again, I can’t say enough about what they have done for us.

KL: Do any groupies on the road ever mistake you for a hockey player and ask for an autograph? Or do they see you coming and right away go, “Nah, geeky radio guy. Where’s Duda?”

Schuster: Well, there aren’t many Asian hockey players, so it’s pretty obvious when I step off the bus.  A couple players asked me if I was a team doctor at the beginning of the year, which made me laugh.

KL: Speaking of autographs, I’m thinking about selling signed 5×7s of myself. How many can I put you down for?

Schuster: No. 11 NFL draft pick Jake Long?  I’ll take several.  Kollen Long? Ehh…

KL: What is your impression of the latest addition to the team, Mike Zbriger?

Schuster: He looks like your classic center.  Fast, good hands, good vision.  You can see why he has been able to score a lot of goals in his young career.  I had the chance to talk with him for a couple seconds before his first game, and he seems like a very high-energy and good person.

KL: It would have been reasonable to expect that goalie Tim Boron show a little rust after missing six games with injury. However, he was solid to great all weekend. Your thoughts.

Schuster: I just think he was further along with his rehab than your typical injured player because he had practiced with the team during the last couple of weeks.  Coach Bilodeau had mentioned that he probably could have played on the last road trip, but wanted to play it safe, which looks like the right decision.

KL: You referred to OK City goaltender Andy Franck as a “quiet nemesis.” An interesting description. Explain.

Schuster: Oh, it was nothing about him specifically.  I just meant that he had been lights out against the Thunder over the last two years.  6-0-0 is pretty impressive against one particular team.

KL: Obviously, the Thunder has had trouble sustaining strong play. Tell us why you think the Thunder will continue to play well.

Schuster: I think it’s just a matter of finishing offensive chances.  Coach has talked a lot about “real” scoring chances (anything from the middle of the faceoff circles to the crease) as opposed to just looking at the shot totals, and Wichita’s chances have been virtually equal with the opposition at the end of each game for quite some time.  The difference has been finishing them off and burying the puck.  If they can score just a little bit more, wins are going to pile up.  The defense and goaltending have been strong, and the penalty kill has been the best in the league for almost three months.  The team has proven it can hold off any offense in the league, so if they can just score a little bit more (like they did over the weekend), it’s going to be a winning combination.

KL: The Thunder needs another forward (besides Duda, Ofukany and Hanson) to start contributing regularly. Chris Shudo scored twice on Saturday. Is he the guy?

Schuster: He’s definitely got the talent.  He’s probably the fastest player on the team.  I really think Stan Yanchishyn could break out too.  He missed a decent chunk of time due to injuries this year, but I think he could become a 30-40 point player when all is said and done.  He’s got great speed, and we know how good he is in terms of the physical game.  He was voted the team’s most improved player at the end of last year, and I noticed early this season that he’s gotten even better this year.

Coach Brent Bilodeau doesn’t reveal much publicly, but his language on Tuesday afternoon made it seem like he was close to making a trade or two. “With our lack of goal scoring, something has to give,” he said. “But you have to give up something to get something. Anyone we lose lose will hurt us. We lost Matt Byrnes. Was he the savior? No, but it hurt losing him. Everyone brings something to the table that we would miss, but we might be adding something that is more dynamic too.”

Injury updates: We’ve heard this before, but No. 1 goalie Tim Boron might return this weekend. He’s been out six games with an undisclosed injury. In Boron’s absence, Krister Toews is 1-5 with a 3.02 goals-against and a .916 saves percentage. Defenseman Pascal Bedard skated for the first time on Tuesday since his injury, and he could play Friday. Brad Thompson may play Friday too.

Top line needs some help: Here’s a telling stat: Besides Jason Duda and Troy Ofukany, no other Thunder forward has managed a goal in the past four games, all Thunder losses. The other member of that top line, Joel Hanson, has three assists.

Personal note: Not to make this all about me, but I managed to work the word “squadush” into my Thunder notebook for tomorrow’s paper. It’s been a goal of mine to get that word in print ever since I heard Tony Reali use it on “Around the Horn.” We’ll see if one of the paper’s heavy-handed copy editors changes my prose.

OK, Steve, we took a week off for the holidays but we’re back for our first interview of 2009. Lots of people are telling me that I’m clearly the brains of this Q & A, that I make you look good, but I couldn’t do it without you. It’s like I’m the Fonz and you’re Potsie. There’s no ”Happy Days” without both of us. On to the questions with Steve, the Voice of the Thunder.

 KL: Did you see I’m periodically giving out Thunder tickets to readers who answer trivia questions correctly on my blog? Seriously, doesn’t my benevolence astound you?

Schuster: Actually, I read the post and from what I can gather, the Eagle is giving the tickets away.

KL: You had to look up “benevolence” didn’t you?

Schuster: I did. But if you were hoping your picture was next to the word, you’re out of luck.

KL: After Saturday, I think the Thunder is something like 4-0 in games I don’t cover. I am starting to take this a bit personally. 

Schuster: We may have to start using Brooks (your replacement reporter) as a good-luck charm.  Several baseball teams did this with Garth Brooks a few years back.

KL: OK, enough questions about me. Recap the fights for me from Saturday night.

Schuster: 2-0-1…Connor MacDonald held his own against Fraser Filipic, who was voted the best fighter in the league pound-for-pound last year.  Neither one was brought down to the ice, so I’d call it a draw.  Filipic gave MacDonald a pat on the back afterwards which was classy.  Jonathan Bernier and Ryan Tobler, two of the biggest heavyweights in the league went at it, and I’d give the nod to Bernier who dodged a left hook from Tobler before dropping him to the ice.  After Jordan Hack demolished Jay Birnie into the boards, Birnie tried to chase down Hack, but Stan Yanchishyn intervened.  This one didn’t last too long, and rumor has it that Stan broke his nose.

KL: I don’t think it’s possible to overestimate the importance of Jason Duda this season. Your thoughts.

Schuster: You asked me who the most irreplaceable player was a while back and I said Duda.  That hasn’t changed.  He just knows how to make things happen.  Coach Bilodeau has tweaked the lines throughout the season, and the guys who have played with Duda always seem to get better.  The team is a combined -60 with Duda is +11.  That says a lot about what he means to the team.

KL: I don’t think many would have predicted that Troy Ofukany would be the team’s highest scoring rookie. Plus, he’ll drop the gloves now and then too. What do you like about his game?

Schuster: He does a little bit of everything.  Might remind you of a young Rob Weingartner.  I’m really not surprised by his recent scoring surge.  He had very solid numbers in the WHL, and players from that league tend to do well in the pros.  Along with Greg Cassista, I definitely think he’s been the most improved rookie as the season has progressed.  He has gotten better and better each game in terms of both skill and physical play.  He’s a Gordie Howe hat trick threat every night.

KL: Arizona is 13^th in the league in goals against. Do you look for the Thunder to continue its recent offensive surge on Tuesday night?

Schuster: It appears to be a favorable matchup from an offensive standpoint.  That being said, the Sundogs have one of the best offenses in the league themselves, so it could be a very high scoring battle.

Defenseman Andrew Davis is eligible to come off IR tomorrow. He may play in the game against Arizona. Davis has five points, including two power play goals, in 11 games.