AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > March
March 2007
How the Thrashers can clinch on Saturday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As of right now, 2:31 p.m. on Friday afternoon, the Thrashers can clinch a playoff berth against Boston on Saturday. Now, doing math makes me break out into a cold sweat, that’s why I got into journalism in the first place. But thankfully, the fine folks in the media relations department with the Thrashers, broke it down for me today. Here’s the scenario that needs to happen for them to get in with a win against Boston — and by all means check the math, that’s the beauty of the blogosphere - instant analysis.
So here you go, the playoff scenario, cut and pasted directly from my e-mail (thanks Potter):
e-mail from the Thrashers:
“We can clinch a playoff spot if:
If we win tomorrow (BOS)
and
The NY Islanders lose tonight (vs. BUF) and Saturday night (vs. OTT)
and
If Carolina loses tonight to TB
and
Toronto loses Saturday night (PIT)
If we win tomorrow, we have 93 points and if all of the above losses occur, the most points the other teams can possibly have is:
Toronto - 93
NY Islanders - 92
Carolina - 92
We own the tie breaker with Toronto based on head-to-head series, because a win tomorrow would give us 41 wins and if Toronto wins out, that would give them 41.
We can’t clinch the division tomorrow.”
Now, I haven’t had a chance to go behind Potter and check this scenario over, but I will here shortly. But I wanted to throw it out there, because if there’s an error, I’m confident you number crunchers out there will spot it.
Practice report: Today was an optional practice, and I exercised my option - arriving in Duluth about the same time that the players were getting off the ice. But Hartley confirmed that there would be no lineup changes for the Boston game except Kari Lehtonen is returning to goal in place of Johan Hedberg.
Sundin says the Southeast is soft
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
These back-to-back games are killer. I understand why Bob Hartley is splitting it up between Hedberg/Lehtonen because I’m wiped out after getting up at 4:45 a.m. to catch a flight back to Atlanta in time for the morning skate and a sit down interview with Hartley, especially since that game dragged on last night. I need a Moose to back me up tonight.
But enough whining, I’ll be refreshed in time for the press meal tonight and ready to go for the drop of the puck. But first let me catch you guys up to speed as to what’s going on.
The only lineup change tonight is Hedberg in for Lehtonen.The Steve McCarthy watch continues, but those of you who think he’s in Hartley’s doghouse or something are wrong. I sat down with Bob today for a story that analyzes his coaching style/tactics and evolution. And part of that addressed the fact that he has “his guys” that he’s loyal to. Guys like Brad Larsen, Greg de Vries, etc. Well, he said McCarthy is definitely one of his guys. He said this is killing him to do, and really, Hartley has no reason to lie about it. McCarthy is unrestricted after this season, so they could just part ways and be done with it. But I really think that Hartley likes McCarthy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes back. I know McCarthy wants to come back, although not if he’s going to sit.
Hartley and I also got into his contract situation and as it stands right now, he’s still potentially in his final few months under contact (his current deal expires on June 30th). He said there has been no talk during this playoff push of an extension, and he’s not worried about it. Some of this stuff will be in the story, so I don’t want to get into it too much here, but he’s pretty focused on the task at hand, not his expiring contract.
Now, back to today, huge game tonight. But really, we’ve been saying that for at least three weeks now. Toronto is getting healthy at the right time, and is getting contributions from everybody. Also, just to mix things up a little bit — Mats Sundin criticized the playoff setup in the Toronto Sun, saying just because a team wins its division, it shouldn’t get a top three seed. Then took a little shot at the Southeast division and the quality of play.
I leave you with a Sundin quote from the Toronto Sun: “”The last two Stanley Cup champions came from that division,” Sundin said. “Try to figure that out.”
Rank the biggest goals this year
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s good to be back in Florida. Too bad this is the final game of the season down here - just enjoyed a great lunch on the beach, which I figured I deserved since I got stuck in Philly with a snowstorm. The big talk down here has been the big games last night. First I’d like to acknowledge the staff at the Original Steak House and Sports Theater which set a group of us up with big screens featuring the Carolina/Toronto game, the Florida/Tampa game and Pittsburgh/Washington game right in front of us. Great food, great company and hockey made for the perfect night.
More importantly for Thrashers fans, the night couldn’t have gone much better. The right teams won and not too many people were surprised when Dunham went down with an injury. Now the big thing is for the Thrashers to take advantage of it. The team hasn’t won on the road since the trade deadline, and with two of the next three on the road, it’d better turn that around quickly.
This morning, Bob Hartley seemed to think that Ed Belfour would get the start in net, despite playing last night. But there was a lot of debate whether or not that might actually happen. Don’t be surprised to see Craig Anderson tonight for the Panthers.
Had a good chat with Scott Mellanby, just wanted to see if he was feeling nostalgic about possibly playing in Florida for the last time in his career. He hasn’t officially announced his retirement but he did acknowledge that this was “probably” the last time he’d play in Florida. Although he said he thought the same thing last year.
While at dinner, we got into a discussion about the biggest goals this season. FSS will be doing a package (I believe on Saturday, but don’t hold me to it) where they count down the seven biggest goals of the year for the Thrashers. Now I know what those seven will be, but I’m not giving it away here, I’ll make you tune into the Thrashers game to find out (although I’m sure you will anyways). But it made for some good debate over chicken wings and beer. My opinion was slightly different because I got thrown into the mix in January, but my top seven included two from Bobby Holik (the goal when he was sliding on his stomach, and the huge goal against Carolina he scored from the blue line). You also have to throw in Zhitnik’s game winner against the Rangers (even though I was listening on the radio driving from Philly to Richmond in a sleet storm), the one Darren Eliot cleverly calls “Hoss, skip and a jump” and what about Hossa’s goal from the corner against Carolina? Anyways, what are your top seven goals this season?
Morning skate report: Florida didn’t skate. Everyone skated for the Thrashers. Here’s your lineup:
Ilya Kovalchuk-Keith Tkachuk-Pascal Dupuis
Slava Kozlov-Eric Belanger-Marian Hossa
J.P. Vigier-Bobby Holik-Eric Boulton
Brad Larsen-Jim Slater-Scott Mellanby
Defensive pairings
Alexei Zhitnik-Niclas Havelid
Garnet Exelby-Greg de Vries
Andy Sutton-Shane Hnidy
Goalie
Kari Lehtonen
Updates on getaway day
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was a pretty entertaining post-practice media session today. First, it was nice to be joined by Carroll Rogers who is working on a couple hockey features for the AJC. She’s doing a Stanley Cup story, so she asked Bob Hartley about his day(s) with the Cup after winning in Colorado. He told some incredible stories, which made the interview session much more entertaining than the usual beat writer stuff (where’s Rucchin? When are we going to see McCarthy? New lines? When is Moose starting - after awhile, it gets just as repetitive asking as it has to answering for Hartley). He was obviously happy to talk about something else, which turned into a long, entertaining conversation. And if you’ve ever read any of Carroll’s features, you know she’s going to piece it all together into an incredible story. I’m looking forward to it, and am definitely not giving any details away on the beat blog.
Then I got to sit down for a few minutes with Jon Sim for a story for Wednesday’s paper. He was really good and forthcoming, so if I don’t mess it up, should be a nice story setting up the Florida game. He’s not making the trip to Florida, even after he begged to let him on the plane. I’m guessing a flight and the pressure wouldn’t be good for a broken orbital bone.
Speaking of hurt, the Steve Rucchin saga continues. He suffered a bit of a setback when he missed some time with shingles, which is basically adult chicken pox (as I understand it), so he wasn’t allowed around the team for awhile. So, according to the team, he’s not close — so there’s your Rucchin update for those who asked.
I got a call from the Hockey News to write a column giving my opinion on why the Thrashers will or will not make a long run in the playoffs. Evidently, the word up in Canada is that this team (if it makes the playoffs, for all you sky is falling dooms-day fans) is primed for a first-round exit. So they asked me, if I agreed, to do a column on how far I thought the team could go. Unfortunately for them, the AJC pays my salary, and part of the deal as a beat writer is I can’t go around giving my opinion to other publications and media outlets. So I had to turn them down, although it was interesting to hear that there might be a growing feeling that expectations might not be high outside Atlanta for the Thrashers.
Practice report: Not much to report, everybody (except Sim and Rucchin) was out there. Looks like the grind line will be Holik with Vigier and Boulton like we thought yesterday.
Around the league: The Islanders were dealt a serious blow when goalie Rick DiPietro suffered post-concussion syndrome. According to TSN.ca, he’ll be out indefinitely, and as we know, that team isn’t the same without him… Tonight is a HUGE night in the Eastern Conference race. Hopefully Jim Allen, the producer for Thrashers television broadcasts has scouted out a good spot tonight in Ft. Lauderdale for all of us to catch the games. Jimbo has an uncanny knack for finding a bar in every city with the Center Ice package. We’ll need it tonight. Thrashers fans need to root for no overtimes…According to Ed Moran at the Philadelphia Daily News, the Flyers signed goalie Martin Biron to a 2-year contract extension. The word was that Biron’s wife loved Buffalo and he had to convince her Philly was the answer. Evidently $3.5 million per year was enough.
Alright, the plane is boarding soon — I’ll check in with some comments when I land.
The start of a huge week
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, this is it. The Thrashers are starting a week that coach Bob Hartley said could be the biggest in franchise history. The stretch from Wednesday through Saturday, three games in four days, will ultimately decide where this team finishes. So how are you feeling about the chances?
Hartley said his team has two options - to “turtle up” or to embrace these games and the excitement that comes with a season on the line. He’s confident that his players will rise to the occasion, although what’s he supposed to day - he thinks his team is going to choke? They played pretty well against Pittsburgh, and if they play a similar game against Florida/Toronto/Boston, you can probably count on two wins out of three which I’m guessing everybody would take.
Eric Belanger (more on him in a minute) made a good point, these games are probably more pressure-filled than the playoffs, because in the playoffs you can still lose one or two and it’s not the end of the world. The Thrashers are nearing a point where a couple losses in a row might be more than they can make up - at least as far as the division goes.
As for Belanger, he skated today although he said he paced himself a little bit out there. He suffered a little scare when his groin acted up in Pittsburgh, an injury he has some history with. He spent time on the injured reserve last year with the Kings because of a groin injury so obviously he’s being careful. Best case scenario is that the humid arena in Pittsburgh (and it was really humid in there) led to some cramping up.
It was good to see Jon Sim at the practice facility, even if he was in khakis and flip flops instead of skating. Considering he just had surgery to correct multiple fractures in his orbital bone he didn’t look that bad. Just a relatively small bandage and a shiner - I asked if doctors would have him ready to play sometime this year, and he said - “They’d better.” I’ll be sitting down with him on Tuesday for a Wednesday story to get more from his perspective, although it was interesting to hear Hartley say he thought the linesman should have stopped the fight earlier, which would have prevented Sim’s injury.
Practice report: Besides Sim, Greg de Vries was given the morning off for some extra rest, let’s not forget his face still has a bunch of stitches so it really isn’t that surprising. He’ll play against Florida, which I was wondering about when I saw McCarthy skating with Exelby - but there won’t be any lineup changes against the Panthers. Pascal Dupuis was still skating with Tkachuk and Kovalchuk, and the three and fourth lines weren’t (as usual) very clear. Maybe Boulton/Holik/Vigier for line No. 3 but that’s all subject to change.
Goalie rotation: Kari Lehtonen will start against Florida and Johan Hedberg will get the second game of the back-to-back when he starts against Toronto. No real surprise there, especially with the way Hedberg played against the Rangers. Both goalies are pretty close to the top of their games (the monkey puck goal notwithstanding) which is a good thing considering everything that is on the line this week.
Tonight’s TV: Darren Eliot and Billy Jaffe will be calling tonight’s game on VERSUS (w/ Joe Beninati) in a game I believe is a preview of the Western Conference finals (Anaheim vs. Detroit) - sorry Nashville. Although San Jose might have convinced me otherwise with its win over the Thrashers last week. I’ll let you know if I change my mind for good after watching tonight’s game.
Around the league: As if the Penguins weren’t scary enough with three of the best young centers in the game, the Pens are starting to get some goaltending. Marc-Andre Fleury shut out the Bruins on Sunday. Ron Cook says Fleury is the key to the Pens playoff success.
Hartley on bloggers: Lastly, I asked Hartley if the team’s streakiness was a concern, especially since the team has lost two straight and now would be a horrible time to go into one of those four or five game skids. He said he doesn’t look at any of that stuff. “I never get caught up in, what’s our record, what have we done - that’s for you and your bloggers. I don’t have time to lose.” So there you go, Hartley’s leaving it up to you decide if the streakiness is an issue.
Simmer down for awhile
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A little bad news from Thrashers camp - Jon Sim is undergoing surgery today at 2 p.m. to fix a fractured orbital bone suffered last night during his fight with Mark Bell. It’s a tough blow for a team that had relatively healthy, and for a guy who provided a lot of grit to the Kovalchuk/Tkachuk line.
He’s a great lockerroom guy too. Just to give you an idea — when I asked Tkachuk today what it meant losing Sim off his line, he spoke about all his positives — his grit, his hustle, his hard work. Then he laughed and said “don’t tell that SOB I said any of that.”
Hartley wouldn’t say he that Sim was lost for the season, but we’ll know more once the surgery is done.
I haven’t seen replays of the fight yet, but it was bizarre because Sim skated right off, there didn’t appear to be a lot of blood - unlike de Vries’ crash into the boards the other night. But I knew something was up when he went right down the tunnel to the trainers room.
Pascal Dupuis will replace Sim on that line, Boulton will be back in the lineup and could skate in Dupuis’ old spot with Holik. Or we might see Vigier there. Or Slater. We won’t really know for sure until the puck drops, especially considering there won’t be a morning skate in Pittsburgh because it’s an afternoon game.
I don’t have a lot of time to blog today, need to wrap up Saturday’s story previewing the Pittsburgh game and head to the airport. But just wanted to give you a quick Sim update.
Oh yeah — in case any of you thought we might see Hedberg in goal for the Pittsburgh game, we won’t. Kari Lehtonen will be back in there against the Pens. The two Macs will be the other scratches.
Thrashers should be well-rested
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Interesting matchup tonight with former teammates Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin facing off with their new teams. San Jose didn’t skate this morning because they played last night in Chicago (a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks). The Thrashers however are well-rested, coming off a pair of off days and a practice on Wednesday.
I asked Bob Hartley how you balance giving guys a deserved time off, without losing some of the momentum gained over the strong recent play. He said that without fail, players are more focused when they come back from two days off, plus they appreciate the rest - especially this time of year. Monday was scheduled as an off-day, Tuesday was a reward for the recent winning.
The Thrashers could be looking at another two-day rest next week. They’re off on Sunday, and as we speak have a 10 a.m. practice scheduled for Monday, but there’s a chance that could get canceled as well. We’ll see how the team plays tonight after the layoff, but Bobby Holik said yesterday (I think it was Holik, don’t hold me too it) that it’s crucial that this team gets to the postseason with some energy. You don’t want to expend every last ounce of effort just getting there, then be exhausted once you get there. The schedule is certainly in the Thrashers favor in that department.
Dan Kamal pointed out this morning that after tonight, the Thrashers will have more road games left than home games. But even when there are two straight road games (Sat vs. Pitt. and Wed. vs. Florida) there is plenty of time off for rest, so I wouldn’t be too concerned about that, despite the fact that the team is playing lights-out at home.
Also chatted with Hartley this morning about Steve McCarthy, who was a hot topic of discussion on yesterday’s blog. Really nothing has changed there. McCarthy continues to ask for extra practice work with Brad McCrimmon to stay sharp. Hartley also said that other than one game, the defensemen who are playing have all done well and don’t deserve to sit. (I’ll let you figure out what one game he was talking about). He did say he’ll get McCarthy in the lineup before the playoffs:
“My plan is to definitely play him before the end of the season,” Hartley said. So there it is, we haven’t seen the end of Mac this season.
Like I said yesterday, Slater is in the lineup. He’ll likely skate between Mellanby and Vigier, if Larsen skates with the Holik/Dupuis line. But as we know, once the game starts, it’s like a blender and anything can happen.
Around the league: Interesting to note that Todd Bertuzzi will make his debut with the Detroit Red Wings tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets. If he’s healthy, and we know that’s a big if, that could turn out to have as big an impact in the playoffs for the Red Wings as the Tkachuk/Zhitnik trade has had during the regular season for the Thrashers… Flyers forward Todd Fedoruk is doing fine after taking a knockout punch in the head from Colton Orr on Wednesday night. The Rangers neurologist Claude Macaluso told the AP that Fedoruk was awake, and there were no neurological problems. He was just having some issues with short-term memory. I’d probably want to forget a punch to the face too. Here’s the knockout punch on YouTube:
Thrashers confident they’ll get in
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I know some Thrashers fans are nervous to start talking about the playoffs, and potential opponents — don’t want to jinx anything. Well, hockey players are just as superstitious as fans — Washington Post hockey writer Tarik El-Bashir said that Caps coach Glen Hanlon always makes him stand on the same side of him after wins while doing postgame interviews - and you don’t know how many times players knock on wood (or whatever is around them) when talking about positive things (or avoiding injuries).
So with that being said, most of the Thrashers are openly talking about the playoffs. This is a team confident they’ll get in - Jon Sim pretty much summed it up when I was talking to him today after practice:
“I think we’re going to get in the playoffs, it’s just a matter of where we’re going to finish.”
So if the team is talking about the playoffs, shouldn’t we be allowed here on the beat blog?
Practice report: Bob Hartley said he was pleased with the pace of practice today after two days off. Keith Tkachuk was the only player who didn’t skate with the team. According to Hartley, Tkachuk woke up today sick as a dog, although everyone expects him to play against San Jose on Thursday.
Jim Slater will return to the lineup on Thursday in place of Eric Boulton. Kari Lehtonen will start in goal. There won’t be any other changes, although Hartley said it’s been hard sitting guys during this stretch.
“It’s been tough to make changes, no one needs to be out,” he said.
While he’s managed to rotate his forwards, mostly Slater, Vigier and Boulton, Hartley hasn’t managed to work in Steve McCarthy, who hasn’t played since Feb. 24th.
Predicting an opponent
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Anybody with kids has heard the saying - ‘when the baby sleeps, you sleep.’ It’s a pretty sound strategy, one my wife and I use with our son Cal. Well, the life of a beat writer is kind of like that. When the team is off, you’re off. Monday was a scheduled day off, and today was an earned day off, given by Bob Hartley to the players thanks to the recent winning. So there’s not much to report, we’ll go back at it Wednesday morning at practice.
But because I’m slightly obsessed, someone who already got in trouble with his wife for spending my time off reading TSN.ca, I wanted to take a look at the standings, and handicap the Thrashers most likely first-round opponent. I’d like to hear who you all think the Thrashers are going to play - and who you’d prefer.
So here’s my top three most likely opponents, then I get to put my son down for a nap:
The favorite: The Rangers - This team is playing really well, and gave the Thrashers all they could handle on Friday night. If not for some outstanding goaltending from Johan Hedberg, they would have won that game. Since Feb. 24th, the Rangers have exactly one loss in regulation, and that was a close one to Ottawa (my Stanley Cup sleeper). Henrik Lundqvist has been outstanding — in his last three games (Atlanta, Boston, Pittsburgh), he’s allowed three total goals.
The runner-up: Tampa Bay - I’d like to see this series, because it’d be great as far as rivalry building goes for the Thrashers. Oh yeah, plus I’d rather travel to Tampa than New York. The goaltending issues are starting to catch up to the Lightning, who have a HUGE game tonight with the Islanders. But of their final nine games, only two are on the road and there’s a chance that the second one (at Atlanta on April 7) will mean a heck of a lot more to the Lightning than it will the Thrashers.
The darkhorse: Toronto - There’s another big game to watch tonight as the Leafs playing against New Jersey. Suddenly, the Devils have to worry about Pittsburgh after it looked like they basically had the Atlantic wrapped up. Let’s also remember that there is some bad blood between these two teams because of Cam Janssen’s hit on Tomas Kaberle. If Toronto can win this game, and it’s not out of the question considering New Jersey’s March struggles, the Leafs are right in it.
So who do you see the Thrashers playing in round one? Who do you prefer?
Let’s make (one) deal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta has never looked so good. No, not the Thrashers, although they looked pretty good against Buffalo, but the city. You get a whole new appreciation for home when you’re stranded in Philadelphia. But with a little help from Hertz, we got back in time to see the Thrashers beat the Sabres. Big win right there.
So with Eric Belanger, Alexei Zhitnik and Keith Tkachuk all scoring, Jeff Schultz (good column on Lehtonen today, by the way) and I were debating which of Waddell’s trades have been most important to the team. So anytime it makes a good discussion in the real world, I like to bring the discussion to the beat blog. The team is off today and Tuesday, and so am I. But let’s start a little debate: If you could only make one of the four trades (Zhitnik, Tkachuk, Dupuis, or Belanger) which one would you make?
I’ll even throw in their stats as Thrashers to help you make your argument, also take into consideration what the Thrashers had to give up when presenting your argument:
Eric Belanger (for Vishnevski) - He has 13 points (8 goals, 5 assists) since joining the Thrashers, and has been instrumental in turning around the penalty kill. Has brought stability to the middle of the Hossa line. He’s an unrestricted free agent after the season, and a good postgame quote (hey, this stuff is important).
Alexei Zhitnik (for Braydon Coburn) - Has scored goals in the last two Thrashers games, and has 12 points in the 10 games since coming over from Philly. Huge special teams guy, especially on the power play where he has been outstanding at the point. He’s signed for the next two seasons and $3.5 million per.
Keith Tkachuk (for Glen Metropolit, and a bunch of draft picks) - Brings needed swagger to the dressing room, and is a huge presence in front of the net. He has nine points in 10 games since joining the Thrashers, and has helped Ilya Kovalchuk’s production increase. He’s also a UFA after the season.
Pascal Dupuis (and a pick for Alex Bourret) - Speed guy has really helped the penalty kill and gives a scoring boost to the Bobby Holik checking line. Another UFA on July 1st.
Alright armchair GMs, you can only make one of those deals. Which one would you make?
Who would you re-sign?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What a miserable morning. I’m staring at giant windows here in the Philadephia airport, with streams of water running down them. My flight is already an hour delayed, and now there’s no chance of me catching the Rangers at the morning skate at Philips. I’ve been scrolling the blog comments on both the beat blog and IceMan, and boy is there some venom out there. You guys are even letting P & S get under your skin - c’mon now, you’re better than that.
So rather than rehash the loss to Philly, which was summed up pretty nicely by Tkachuk and Hartley, let’s look ahead to the summer, shall we? I know, I know, the Thrashers are in the middle of a playoff run, but I was chatting with the infamous Eklund last night at the game, and we were talking about free agents this summer, and it got me thinking about who the Thrashers will keep and who they won’t.
I tend to believe Don Waddell when he says the play through the end of the season and into the playoffs will dictate who stays, but that shouldn’t stop us from speculating, now should it?
Even better than that, we’re going to spend some of the Atlanta Spirit cash. I’m giving you guys a tight $5 million budget to resign current Thrashers who will be UFAs — let’s not forget Hossa is due an extension soon, so that’s why we’re going to be frugal here. This is just the first $5 million, so the guys you pick are your priorities. These are the players you’re calling at midnight on July 1st. I’ll also assign salaries for next year, based on raises over salaries this year. These estimated salary demands aren’t based on what I think they’ll get on the open market, because right now that’s tough to estimate. As one pending UFA said, you just don’t know until July 1. We won’t get into contract length. Let me know how you would spend the money:
Budget: $5 Million
Players and our fake contract demands :
Keith Tkachuk - $5 million (and a first-rounder to St. Louis)
Greg de Vries - $2.2 million
Slava Kozlov - $3.5 million
Andy Sutton - $3 million
Eric Belanger - $2.5 million
Scott Mellanby - $1 million
Pascal Dupuis - $2 million
Jon Sim - $1.5 million
Shane Hnidy - $1.5 million
J.P. Vigier - $750,000
Eric Boulton - $750,000
Brad Larsen - $750,000
So how are you spending your first $5 million?
Melrose: I like the Thrashers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m making an effort to eat healthy on the road, but made an exception while here in Philly — had a gigantic philly cheese steak sandwich and some great seasoned fries from a local sports bar. Caught some NCAA tournament action as well during a quick lunch break, but now it’s back to work.
Just got off the phone with Barry Melrose, was talking about the Eastern Conference for a setup piece I’m writing for Sunday’s game against Buffalo. I think for awhile, we’ve all assumed it would be Buffalo and somebody else coming out of the East this year, but he said it’s time to change that thought process. It’s wide open, and he made a pretty great point — whoever Buffalo plays in the first round (and he used Carolina as the example) will have been playing intense playoff-like hockey for 20 games, while Buffalo hasn’t been playing with the same level of intensity. He, for one, wouldn’t be surprised to see another Detroit/Edmonton-like upset. My next phone call will go out to Buffalo to get the Sabres point of view for the story.
He also likes the Thrashers, and loved the Zhitnik trade especially. He said he really likes the makeup of the Thrashers, good mix of leadership and skill. His biggest concern is goaltending, because, in his words - Kari Lehtonen hasn’t made a playoff save yet. What’s your level of concern about Lehtonen’s playoff inexperience?
In about two hours, I have an interview set up with Braydon Coburn, for a story for Friday’s paper. He’s getting serious ice-time, I’m looking forward to seeing in person how he’s playing for the Flyers. A couple players on the Thrashers said that all Coburn needed was confidence and he was on the verge of being a top defenseman, we’ll see if he’s developing some of that now with the Flyers.
Pretty uneventful morning skate — Same lineup as last game. The interesting twist that we haven’t talked about too much on here is Brad Larsen’s move to center on line No. 4. You can’t help but wonder if Jim Slater wouldn’t be a better fit there, but I’m not one to argue with W’s. Slater and McCarthy got a lot of work in practice today, I overheard a couple workers at the arena remarking that ‘there’s more coaches than players’ on the ice at the end of practice — McCrimmon, Hartley, Weeks and video coach Tony Borgford were all out skating hard with Slater and McCarthy. You gotta love that about hockey.
Biggest news here in Philly (hockey wise) is GM Paul Holmgren getting a two-year extension. The feeling here is that Holmgren, especially with all the young talent he got at the deadline, can turn this team around as soon as next year. Here’s a transcript of the conference call made after the deal was completed.
Like I said yesterday, Derek MacKenzie didn’t join the team today, but should be with the team on Friday. I’m still not 100 percent convinced that I shouldn’t be suspicious about the MacKenzie call up, but I haven’t seen anything to indicate its nothing more than what the team says, a depth move. Other than MacKenzie, everybody skated this morning at the arena. There won’t be a morning skate before the Rangers game on Friday, which I believe, is already sold out.
Alright, lastly, I picked Memphis in my NCAA pool, for no other reason than I liked dealing John Calipari when I did some college basketball stories last summer. The pick drew a laugh from Jon Sim (“Memphis? They’ll be out in the first round,” he said.) Sim picked Florida — Hey Jon, way to go out on a limb.
Gotta beat the Flyers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Enjoyed Tuesday’s rare day off, as I’m sure many of the Thrashers did. Sure my wife had a honey-do list that kept me busy, but I didn’t mind mowing the lawn (actually the weeds in my lawn) for once. But today, it was back to work. The Thrashers had a productive 50-minute practice, one in which everybody skated. It was a pretty loose dressing room afterwards, including a nice argument between Kari Lehtonen and Pascal Dupuis over the toughness of hockey players from Quebec.
Now it’s off to Philly, I leave in a few minutes here for the airport. As Alexei Zhitnik pointed out this morning , these games against the Flyers are big ones. He was on the other end, when the Flyers were beating the Thrashers back in February. He pointed out that if the Thrashers would have beaten his Flyers, they’d be in the hunt for the top spot in the conference right now. But there’s nothing they can do about those losses now.
Kari Lehtonen will start in goal against the Flyers, and Johan Hedberg will start against the Rangers. Kari talked a little today about how nice it is to get the second day of back-to-back games off. He was saying that sometimes in the third period of the first game, he starts thinking about the second game - losing a little focus. it’s human nature, heck as I’m writing this, and thinking about what I have to do next. An NHL goalie, evidently, is no different.
The Thrashers called up (or will, not sure if it’s official yet) Derek MacKenzie from Chicago, basically to get another skater out there for practices. I’m guessing, with players slightly banged up, exercising their option not to practice, it doesn’t hurt to have another guy out there. Since we’re post-trading deadline, there’s no roster limits.
Alright, gotta run — I’ll get to some of your comments when I get to Philadelphia.
Rest or ride the hot hand?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Goalie Kari Lehtonen made his eighth straight start Monday for the Thrashers, after giving way to backup Johan Hedberg for two games at the end of February. With two days off — the Thrashers did not work out today — before games at Philadelphia on Thursday and home versus the Rangers on Friday, when should we see Hedberg again?
Coach Bob Hartley invoked the name of Ed Belfour when explaining his reasoning for staying with Lehtonen. Belfour, the 41-year-old Florida goalie, has played in 48 games this season and beat the Thrashers Saturday. The 23-year-old Lehtonen has played in 60 games.
Should the Thrashers rest Lehtonen for the stretch run — with a huge game against Buffalo on Saturday — or ride the youngster as long as possible?
Slater on the shelf
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Looks like Jim Slater drew the short straw today. It’s his turn to join Steve McCarthy as a healthy scratch, and Bob Hartley confirmed that Slater is healthy (hey, you never know). Makes you wonder who will center that fourth line (I guess Vigier) although that fourth line hasn’t seen much playing time as a unit recently. You’ll probably see Vigier kill some penalties, and Mellanby skate some with Tkachuk and Kovalchuk (still no nickname for that line yet? We’re creative people, surely we can think of something. John Kincade suggested the Upchuk line, since they make opponents sick. One of you said the Chuk Wagon. I’m not sold yet — there’s got to be something better.).
Garnet Exelby said that the players union decided in a conference call last night to place NHLPA executive director Ted Saskin and senior director Ken Kim on paid leave while they investigate allegations that the association monitors players e-mail. If you’re interested in following the story, TSN.ca has a pretty good story on it, along with links to older stories. Out of curiosity, is this a story you’re at all interested in? Seems like a lot of inside baseball to me, but I can keep you updated if it’s something you want to follow.
Other than that, not a whole lot going on. The Capitals are in town, and this is a team that’s been really struggling since the trade deadline. Barry Melrose was saying on his ESPN podcast, that Washington is a key team down the stretch that needs to get its stuff together because the Caps play so many teams in the playoff hunt. You don’t want to automatically pencil in two points at this point in the season. I’m guessing the Thrashers are fine if they wait another game before that happens.
The key tonight will be a fast start. The Caps, as bad as they’ve been this season, are 18-5-6 when they score first. On the flip side, they’re 6-28-6 when the opposition scores first. So if you’re the Thrashers, you want to go ahead and put this team away early, much like they did against Montreal. If the Thrashers win, expect it to come from a big game from Ilya Kovalchuk, who has 10 points in six games against the Caps this year. In talking to Alex Ovechkin this morning, I learned that he sees Kovalchuk (not Hossa) as the one player the Caps need to stop. Based on those numbers, you can’t blame him for thinking that. Kovy is a plus-5 against the Caps this year. Ovechkin also has 10 points in six games against the Thrashers, but is a minus-1 against Atlanta.
Stat of the day: Kari Lehtonen has never lost to the Capitals (in regulation) during his career. He is 5-0-0-2 (W-L-T-OT) in seven starts.
Oh yeah — I’ve got to fill out my NCAA bracket, and I’m usually pretty good about knowing college basketball, but the Thrashers have kept me busy this year. Any inside tips would be appreciated, because I’m afraid my Michigan State squad won’t be going too far this year.
No Hedberg just yet
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Was packed in to a big ol’ Boeing 767 with a bunch of hung over spring breakers coming back to reality this morning on the flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Atlanta. Got back just in time to grab players as they were leaving the practice ice in Duluth.
Hung around long enough to learn two things worth noting on a quick Sunday blog. One, Garnet Exelby will be representing the Thrashers tonight on a conference call with the NHLPA executive committee, where Ted Saskin and the alleged e-mail tampering debate will be discussed. It may ultimately lead to the removal of Saskin as executive director of the players’ association. Exelby said the e-mail stories he’s hearing, that basically says the NHLPA is monitoring the e-mail of its players, are all rumors and he hopes tonight’s conference call clears it up.
The other thing I learned is that we’ll see Kari Lehtonen in goal on Monday against Washington. I thought maybe this was a good spot to get Johan Hedberg some action, but I thought wrong.
No lineup changes for tonight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve changed my mind on the current unbalanced NHL schedule. I think it’s a must that the Thrashers play Florida at least eight times a year, the more games near Ft. Lauderdale the better. Right now it’s a perfect 80 degrees, sunny with a slight breeze. I’m about to go get lunch somewhere down by the beach. Suddenly, that alarm clock set for 4 a.m. this morning for my 7 a.m. flight from Atlanta is worth it.
Before I go, just wanted to give you the lineup for tonight. No changes. That means Vigier will stay in the lineup, and Boulton/McCarthy are the scratches. Slava Kozlov didn’t skate this morning, but Hartley said there will be no lineup changes, so we’ll see Kozlov out there tonight.
Marian Hossa will play despite his left hand still a little stiff from Steve Begin’s slash on Thursday night. Hossa said he had a good practice and that it started to loosen up for him, so he’ll play.
Kari Lehtonen is in goal, but then again we already knew that. Hartley keeps promising that we’ll see Johan Hedberg sometime here before the playoffs begin, but he’s not tipping his hand on when.
Lastly — if you missed it, Tim Tucker had a story today that announced the Thrashers playoffs tickets are on sale. I couldn’t have been the only one thinking that they just totally jinxed themselves, could I?
Simon’s hit: You be the judge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In league news, Islanders forward Chris Simon has been suspended indefinitely for slashing Ryan Hollweg in the face last night. Once again, the NHL will be getting a ton of bad publicity on this one, this hit is brutal.
If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the clip on YouTube: Simon slashes Hollweg
Go watch it and tell me what you think. How long should he be suspended ? Are we talking Todd Bertuzzi suspension here? Is this something that can end up like McSorley’s hit on Donald Brashear? You could argue that this is assault, couldn’t you?
I think at the very least, we should be talking 20 games, and I’m being kind.
Practice update: Kari Lehtonen and Marian Hossa both exercised their option to skip (and Bob Hartley, if we’re including anyone. He’s suffering from racquetball hip, a lower body injury). Hoss (hand, knee), I’ve been assured numerous times by everyone, is fine. Hartley said Hossa will play against Florida. Lehtonen will also get the start against the Panthers - obviously there’s not a lot of motivation right now to make lineup changes.
Had a really honest interview with Andy Sutton for a story running Monday. He admits to struggling with the recent trades and his move from the top pairing (and his decreased ice time). He was sulking, but has turned the corner, and is determined to finish this season with a positive attitude, no matter what his role with the team is. He’s a guy who wears his emotions on his sleeve, and you could tell he was having a good time at practice today, lots of laughing and messing around, something we haven’t seen from the big defenseman in awhile. Looks like he’s working it out — and he played pretty well last night. Over 20 minutes of ice time, with two hits and two blocked shots. He also got lots of time on the PK, something that wasn’t happening before.
One last look at the Habs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Who knew Pascal Dupuis and Eric Belanger were so popular? With the Montreal media in town, a group that Habs legends say hurt the team, the French Canadian corner of the Thrashers dressing room was a crowded place. I needed Dupuis for two seconds — to see if he was switching lines (he isn’t), but had to wait for the big crowd around Dupuis to disperse. Evidently when you speak French, you’re a popular guy.
During the morning skate, Dupuis skated with every line, including a brief look with Tkachuk and Kovalchuk. That would be an interesting trio, but you’d lose the scoring punch that Dupuis is giving that third line, so Sim is safe for now. Really there’s no reasons to make any major moves, the team is 4-0 since the Tkachuk deal.
Minor lineup change for tonight — J.P. Vigier is back in for Boulton. Marian Hossa and Slava Kozlov didn’t skate this morning, but they have the option to skip. Hartley said the Vigier/Boulton switch was the only one for tonight. He also said he’s happy with the play of his defensive pairings, so some of you calling for a move there will have to wait.
Montreal is a team kind of reeling. There’s the whole Alex Kovalev story, about him ripping teammates to the Russian media (see: Habs stand behind Kovalev despite alleged comments) and the team has lost four of five. They are also in the midst of a five-game road trip, so they might be a little gassed. Then again they haven’t played since Saturday, so that might not be an issue. Overall this season, Montreal is 14-17-3 on the road. The Canadiens are 3-0 this season against the Thrashers.
Random stat of the day: The Thrashers power play is 0-14 against Montreal this season.
Second random stat of the day: Marian Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk and Slava Kozlov have a combined 0 goals, and 2 assists against Montreal this season.
Goalie matchup: - Kari Lehtonen (29-19-8, 2.83 GAA) vs. Jaroslav Halak (3-3-0, 3.15)
Lineup changes - and Dupuis in movies?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just wrapped up interviews after today’s optional practice at the IceForum in Duluth. Naturally there is a lot of talk about Vancouver’s Jeff Cowan, who now has consecutive two-goal games. The former Thrasher, who was picked up off waivers by the Canucks in December, helped out his old teammates in a big way last night. Tampa is finding out what the Thrashers already knew — that western Canada swing is miserable. They do have the advantage of playing a Ryan Smyth-less Edmonton team tonight. When the Thrashers played in Edmonton, the Oilers were still fighting for a playoff berth, although the way the Thrashers were playing then, it might not have mattered.
We’ll probably be seeing some lineup changes for Thursday’s game against the Canadiens. Nothing is finalized, but Bob Hartley said a couple guys are a little beat up right now. From what I could tell, the following players exercised their option to skip the morning practice: Garnet Exelby, Greg de Vries, Keith Tkachuk, Pascal Dupuis and Brad Larsen.
I saw all but de Vries hanging around the dressing room after — including Dupuis who was hauling away some equipment in his giant Minnesota Wild bag — which he said he’s finally taking home. ‘I’m cutting the cord’ he said laughing. Also found out that Dupuis had a part in the movie “The Rocket” the story about Maurice Richard. He played Milt Schmidt. Roy Dupuis played Maurice Richard. How’s that for some useless info for you?
Now for some useful information, Kari Lehtonen will get the start on Thursday, as he continues to play well. I thought maybe we’d see Johan Hedberg sometime on this homestand before heading to Florida, but I guess not. Then again, Kari’s parents didn’t fly all the way from Finland to watch Moose.
Watching minutes: Some interesting trends as far as ice time goes — On the high end, Alexei Zhitnik logged 27:17, the most of anybody on the team. Andy Sutton, who on the night the Thrashers traded for Zhitnik was on the ice for 22:14, saw that number drop to 7:18. Also thought it was interesting to see Pascal Dupuis play 1:29 on the power play after not playing a second of PP on Sunday. Then again, when the opposition has 10 penalties, I guess everybody gets to pitch in. Dupuis assisted on Tkachuk’s power play goal.
Florida still battling
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just got done reading Dave O’Brien’s Braves blog, because I was looking for ideas to make this one better. If you haven’t read his entry yet today, he blogs about cruising central florida with a cigar under the shining sun. And just for a moment, I was jealous. I mean, here I am, just returning from a morning skate at frigid Philips Arena, and spending my afternoon booking 6 a.m. flights to places like Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Boston - not exactly spring break hotspots in March.
But then I remembered something that we have here at the Thrashers blog, that they can’t get in the Braves blog — playoff hockey. Yeah, it’s getting close. There already has been an amped-up atmosphere at Philips Arena, and I expect that to continue tonight. The Panthers are calling the game tonight, the biggest of the year. One writer said Olli Jokinen called tonight’s game the biggest of his career. See, Florida is playing well, and some of the Panthers have gotten the idea that they aren’t out of the playoff hunt. They don’t care that they’d have to leapfrog Boston, Toronto, New York, Montreal and Carolina just to get the 8th spot — they still think they’re alive.
Do I agree? Nope, but then again I’m not behind Florida’s bench. This is a team playing with an air of desperation, and playing good hockey, so the Thrashers will need to continue playing at the high level they’ve played since the Tkachuk trade.
Like I told you yesterday, Eric Boulton is in tonight. I chatted with him briefly after the skate and he said it’s been tough watching - the guy is a competitor and wants to be out there. But the byproduct of the recent trades is more competition for playing time, which I know Bob Hartley enjoys. We’ll see Boulton on a line with Slater and Mellanby.
Eric Belanger skated this morning after getting Monday’s practice off. Everything was fine there, he said he was just getting a breather. Marian Hossa and Slava Kozlov didn’t skate this morning, but they have the option of skipping, and Hartley confirmed that is why they weren’t there. It also led to this exchange, paraphrased because I wasn’t taking notes:
Me: Hossa and Kozlov weren’t out there…
Hartley: It was an optional skate, they’re fine. I told Tkachuk and Zhitnik it was optional for them too.
Me: They didn’t take you up on the offer?
Hartley: I told them when they were already out there.
I also chatted with Brad Larsen, who as a few of you noted, seemed to play with a lot of energy against Carolina. He said he’s just now feeling 100 percent from his groin injury, and that the addition of Dupuis to his line has brought another dimension to that line. It’s opening things up a little more for Larsen and Holik — don’t be surprised to see a goal from one of them tonight.
Talked with Jon Sim for a few minutes, just wanted to get a feel for how the Tkachuk, Kovalchuk, Sim combo was working out. The line is still scoreless since Tkachuk came over (Kovalchuk’s goal was on the power play) — Sim said they’re getting chances (which they are) and also pointed out that they had a goal taken away (Sim scored, but the play was offsides) against Carolina. So he’s confident that things will be clicking soon.
Lastly, I got mustache growing tips from Garnet Exelby. Who needs cigars and Florida sunshine when you can get facial hair advice?
Everybody loves the Thrashers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Got a call from a guy from a sports radio show in Edmonton that has decided to adopt the Thrashers this year with the Oilers looking like they won’t be heading to the playoffs — so your Thrashers are starting to get some exposure all over North America with their improved play.
Not only that, but Don Waddell was named the sixth-best GM in all of sports by Forbes magazine. Waddell said he wasn’t sure how the formula for the rankings worked, but he promised that it wasn’t concocted by anyone in his family, so congrats to him.
Also, the NHL recognized Kari Lehtonen as one of its three stars for the last week. Lehtonen was 3-0 with a 1.67 GAA last week, earning him the first star over Olli Jokinen and Peter Budaj. Marian Hossa was named one of the NHL’s three-stars for his two-goal performance last night.
Wow, you win a few games and everybody is ready to jump back on the bandwagon. But if I was a fan of the team, I’d be a little concerned about Tuesday’s game against Florida. Here’s a game that has all the signs of a classic letdown. Florida won’t be a playoff team, but the Panthers are actually playing pretty well right now. They’ve won four straight and haven’t lost a game in regulation since Valentine’s Day. We also know how the Thrashers tend to play down to teams — but right now they can’t afford to do that with three games coming against Florida and Montreal - a pair of non-playoff teams (I don’t see the Habs getting in, sorry).
Practice report: Scott Mellanby and Eric Belanger didn’t practice this morning. Mellanby resting makes sense, he’s 40. But I was suspicious about Belanger’s absence. Bob Hartley said he was just resting, and that he’ll play on Tuesday. Not that I don’t trust Bob, but I double-checked with Waddell and he confirmed that a guy like Belanger, who has less body fat than an Olsen Twin, needs to be well-rested. So maybe my suspicions were wrong. Hartley says Belanger will be in the lineup Tuesday, so he should be there.
Tuesday will mark the return of Eric Boulton into the lineup. He’s been a healthy scratch the last two games, and Hartley said he wanted him to get some playing time. If nothing changes between now and the morning, J.P. Vigier will be a healthy scratch, joining Steve McCarthy. Kari Lehtonen is your starting goalie.
Back in first
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nice win for the Thrashers this afternoon, who continue to look much more confident since picking up Tkachuk and Zhitnik. I know this game wasn’t on TV, so I wanted to point out a couple observations in a special post-game edition of the beat blog.
The power play, which struggled to get things set up early, has the potential to be really good with Tkachuk wreaking havoc down low and Kovalchuk waiting nearby. The days of the passing until Kovalchuk gets a slapper from the point are gone. Maybe we’ll see less broken sticks now.
Kari Lehtonen was sharp. His rebound control, which had gotten so bad that one Ottawa writer said he looked like a pinball machine a few weeks ago, was outstanding - or in the words of Hartley: flawless.
Hossa crashed into the boards late, a result of an all-out backchecking effort. He was down for a minute, and left the game. He said that his hand hit the boards in a bad angle, but it was only a bruise. He returned, and nearly scored his third goal, so he’s probably fine. But we’ll be monitoring the hand closely.
A better effort from the penalty kill — Dupuis, as advertised adds speed there, but it’s Belanger who has made the biggest impact on the PK.
And Bobby Holik registered his 700th career point on a nice pass to Hossa who scored his second goal of the game. Naturally, Holik said after the game that he had no idea he was close to 700 career points until just recently. “600? 700? It doesn’t matter,” he said. All he cares about is winning, and right now the Thrashers are.
Unveiling the new Thrashers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What a morning. First my thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the baseball players killed in the bus accident this morning. I couldn’t get mad while I was stuck on I-75 during a two-hour commute to Philips Arena , because I knew somewhere there were people who had bigger problems than being late for a morning skate.
I finally made it in time for Bob Hartley’s media scrum at 11:15 a.m. outside the lockerroom, but most the players were already off the ice. Thankfully, I was slipped the lines for tonight:
Kovalchuk - Tkachuk - Sim
Kozlov - Belanger - Hossa
Larsen - Holik - Dupuis
Vigier - Slater - Mellanby
Zhitnik - Havelid
Exelby - de Vries
Sutton - Hnidy
Lehtonen
Hedberg
So it’s like we figured, although I wasn’t sure if Boulton would be scratched or not. He’s been playing well lately and so has Steve McCarthy ( the other scratch for tonight), but that just points to the team’s new depth for the playoff run.
Tonight should be interesting — it’s two Eastern Conference contenders who took completely different routes at the deadline. The Thrashers loaded up, while the Senators stood pat. But Ottawa, sitting at 38-22-4, was in much better shape than the Thrashers, so they could afford not to gamble at the deadline.
I know there’s a lot of anticipation to see Don Waddell’s completed product make it’s debut. Should be a great atmosphere tonight at Philips, I’m looking forward to seeing how each player fits in, especially with some practice time under their belts. Which newcomer do you think will make the biggest impact tonight?
Tkachuk believes in Thrashers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just returned from lunch with Keith Tkachuk, Alexei Zhitnik and the fine Thrashers PR folks who helped set it up, as I get closer to finishing the Tkachuk feature for Saturday. He had a lot of interesting things to say over some calamari and a salad and I’m not going to give it all away in today’s blog. I’m going to make you wait until Saturday’s story - but believe me, this is a guy who thinks this team can go a long way this year. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t.
It was interesting to note how comfortable he said he’s felt since the moment he arrived. He said that since he first got here, it’s felt like he’s been on the team for 10 years. His brave wife is making the 9 hour drive from St. Louis with his two sons to deliver his truck and catch Friday’s game. Thank God for DVDs, Tkachuk said.
One more insight — he said one of the reasons he was so willing to waive his no-trade is because he thinks, and got more confirmation in talking to players around the league, that Kari Lehtonen is one of the most underrated goalies in the league. As we all know, it comes down to goaltending, and Tkachuk has tons of faith in Kari.
Okay, no more. I have to get back to working on the feature before I give more away. I promise, anything else I don’t use in the story, I’ll give you guys on the blog.
Lastly — if you haven’t seen the mullet worn by Greg de Vries at casino night last night — check the pictures out here on the blueland blog. I never thought anyone could overshadow Garnet Exelby’s mustache, but de Vries definitely did.
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