Blazers preview: Coach Sauter mystified

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"I'm at wits end,” he said, "at what motivates these guys.”

"These guys” are Sauter's players, who will take an 18-19-4 record into tonight's game in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, against the Texas Brahmas.

With 40 standings points through 41 games, the Blazers have the second-worst record in their 16-year history.

Only the 2004-05 Blazers — the last Oklahoma City club that didn't make the Central Hockey League playoffs – had a worse record through 41 games. They were 16-18-7 (39 points).

The good news is that those Blazers from three years ago were 11-4-4 after those first 41 games. The bad news is, they became only the second team in Blazers history to miss the CHL playoffs.

This current Blazers look headed in the same direction, with a three-game losing streak and only two goals scored in those games.

"If you're tough on ‘em, they go one way. If you're not tough on ‘em, then they think it's OK, whatever,” Sauter said, shaking his head. "So I don't know.”

Tonight in North Richland Hills, Texas, the Blazers play the team they lost to last. Texas won 3-1 last Saturday night in the Ford Center.

"There's a good shift and there's a poor shift. There's no consistency,” Sauter said. "I can't explain it. There's no reason for that other than effort.”