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Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Thrashers remain inconsistent
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
On a night when one Philips Arena tenant reaffirmed in Philadelphia there will be no playoff tease, the other kept us guessing.
The Thrashers returned home and lost 5-2 to Carolina on Wednesday night. They are 8-3-3, still easily the best 14-game start for a franchise that only once before had managed a winning record to this point. But cracks are showing. This makes two straight losses, punctuated by suddenly pedestrian goaltending, coverage breakdowns and an anemic power play.
This is when you wonder: Are they ready for this?
“Whether it’s focus, execution or whatever — we were outplayed twice,” said Bobby Holik, who has never been one for burying the lead. “This just wasn’t good enough. We were outplayed in two games, at every level, in every department.”
The shot counter, who might have been popping amphetamines, will say otherwise. The Thrashers had a lopsided advantage of 42-18, thanks in part to 10 power-play chances. But shot counts can be as misleading in hockey as time of possession in football. Most of the Thrashers’ chances came from the perimeter. There were few shots through traffic, and even fewer rebounds. Consequently, only one of 10 power plays resulted in a goal, and the team is only two for its last 27.
Are they ready for something special? For 12 games, the Thrashers looked the part. Then came the dreadful first period in Toronto when they allowed three power-play goals in a span of 1:26, awoke too late and lost 4-2.
They returned home hoping to show something that really hadn’t been required yet this season: resilience. But they whiffed on three early power plays, goalie Kari Lehtonen — who was pulled in the second — allowed two goals in a 40-second span, and suddenly they were reeling. A losing streak was born.
Yes, this was a “test” game. Coach Bob Hartley labeled it that after the morning skate. “It’s another situation where we’ll find out a lot about ourselves,” Hartley said. “We’ve been catching up from behind for so long, now the time has come for us to try to be front-runners. We have to find ways to keep battling in our division.
“Those are signs that dictate your learning curve, to really see where you’re at. Right now we’re in a situation where we’ve never been before, and that’s fun. But we’re going to learn more as we go.”
Extended losing streaks have buried this team in the past. Last season, the Thrashers managed to navigate through early goaltending nightmares and fought their way back into the playoff race by mid-January. But then, just when everything seemed to be going great, they dug another hole with a seven-game losing streak and left no margin for error down the stretch.
This season is about avoiding that. Good teams don’t crumble. Good teams bounce back from defeats, especially at home. Hartley said afterward he was “not ready to call this a bad game.” He seemed to pin the result more on Lehtonen — and Carolina goalie Cam Ward — than the rest of his players. He was being nice.
The Thrashers needed a fast start this season to affirm a run at the playoffs. They got it. Now you wonder if they know what to do with it. Logic dictates this can be a dizzying experience for a bunch so used to being stepped on. But nobody really knows because, like, the Thrashers have nothing to compare this to.
So many more games.
So much to prove.
This can gnaw at players like Slava Kozlov. He played on resilient teams in Detroit, and he has seen the other side here.
“I think we’re stronger mentally than we were last year,” Kozlov said. “I think we’re better prepared. But this is the key for us this season. On the good teams, like when I was in Detroit, we almost never lost two or three in a row. When that happened, it was a big deal. We don’t want that to happen here. It’s a matter of discipline.”
A two-game losing streak used to be just the start of something worse for the Thrashers. Now, they’re hoping it’s a blip.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Thrashers / NHL
No college playoff system needed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Again, I ask the obvious to Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville and to all of those other whiners regarding the Bowl Championship Series: Why do we need an official playoff system in college football when we already have an unofficial one?
Maybe you’ve heard. When it comes to the BCS standings, No. 3 West Virginia will play No. 5 Louisville on Thursday.
Well, uh. Hmmm. Sounds like an unofficial playoff game to me.
You also have that little matchup on Nov. 18 in Columbus, Ohio. That’s when No. 1 Ohio State will face No. 2 Michigan – you know, if they both remain undefeated as expected. On that same day, current No. 10 California will travel to current No. 8 Southern Cal. Then, on Nov. 25, those same Trojans will play host to current No. 9 Notre Dame.
We haven’t even mentioned that current No. 4 Florida and current No. 6 Auburn could meet in an unofficial playoff game called the SEC championship game. Plus, current No. 7 Texas has to survive an unofficial playoff game called the Big 12 championship game.
So stifle yourselves, whiners, take a deep breath and enjoy the wonderful ride to the BCS title game.
Permalink | Comments (61) | Categories: Quick Hit, Terence Moore
