In the poker game of the NHL, some teams can't handle the swings

As a college student always eager to procrastinate, Texas hold 'em has become my time-wasting activity of choice. As a result, I tend to find poker parallels in much of the world around me, including the NHL. So, what better way to relate the league's recent news and notes than to quote the best poker movie ever made, "Rounders." So, in honor of poker greats Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Howard Lederer, along with Matt Damon, Ed Norton and John Malkovich (with the purposeful exclusion of Gretchen Mol), here's Inside the NHL, "Rounders" Edition.

"Some people, pros even, won't play No-Limit. They can't handle the swings."

Like no-limit hold 'em, fortunes in the NHL can change considerably from game to game, and from week to week. This season, the unpredictable and inconsistent St. Louis Blues have exemplified this league tenet. The constant ups and downs seem to have become too much for general manager Larry Pleau, who fired coach Joel Quenneville on Tuesday and replaced him with assistant Mike Kitchen.

The Blues have definitely been playing "on tilt" lately, winning only four out of their last 16 games. Once the league's "chip leader," the Blues have become "short-stacked," a collapse that has been well documented by ESPN's Power Rankings. Eight weeks ago, St. Louis had reached the top position, but since that pinnacle, the team has slipped to 17th. Its latest loss, a last-second overtime heartbreaker to the lowly Chicago Blackhawks (46 points), was the end of the line for Quenneville, who won coach of the year in 2000 and is the franchise's winningest coach.

The move was probably made to give the players a much-needed reminder that not making the playoffs is unacceptable. With 21 games remaining, the Blues (67 points) are currently two points shy of the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators for the eighth and final playoff spot. Those of you off-campus can see how the team responds to their new "hand" tonight against the Colorado Avalanche (80 points) on ESPN.

"I learned it from you, Mike. You always told me that this was the rule -- rule No. 1 -- throw in your cards when you know you can't win. Fold the hand."

Poker is all about making calculated choices -- knowing when to bet, when to call, and when to fold your hand. On Tuesday, the Phoenix Coyotes (58 points) decided that taking their chances on the next hand made more sense than hanging on to their current one, firing Coach Bob Francis and replacing him with assistant Rick Bowness.

Like Quenneville, Francis is a coach of the year award recipient, winning the honor in 2002 when he led the unheralded Coyotes to a surprising playoff berth. This year though, the bright spots have been few and far between.

One such highlight, however, was goalie Brian Boucher's five straight shut-outs over winter break. The streak set an NHL record for consecutive minutes of scoreless goalie-work. The team also opened a new arena this season, though their home record there is a disappointing 4-8-2-2. Eleven points out of the playoffs and last in the Pacific Division, the odds that the Coyotes make the playoffs are probably less than catching both runners to make your flush.

"You can't lose what you don't put in the middle ... but you can't win much, either."

You can only check to the raiser so often. Eventually, both in poker and in the NHL, you have to make a move if you expect to start building a chip stack. Last week, the Nashville Predators (69 points) were out of the playoffs and struggling to score. After taking a risk and trading for right-winger Steve Sullivan from the Blackhawks, however, the team has turned it around. Sullivan had an astounding ten points in his first three games.

The move by GM David Poile can probably be compared to Mike McDermott's great lay-down in his final showdown with Teddy KGB ("f**k you lay that down for?"). The payoff: a good chance for the franchise's first ever playoff berth.

"Nyet! Nyet! No more!"

That was the last of my chips. Take it down.