AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > October > 12
Friday, October 12, 2007
A quick fix: Improve the special teams
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lots of work on the power play today in practice, not surprisingly. If the Thrashers are going to turn this thing around, it’ll start with improved play from the special teams. If you look at the first period alone of yesterday’s game, you saw a Buffalo team that converted on three power plays while the Thrashers couldn’t even get a shot off on a 5-on-3. In chatting with a couple of the guys, it seems like there’s a hesitation to make plays. The power play isn’t a confident unit, which is stifling its creativity.
That’s going to have to change, fast. Slava Kozlov suggested moving Ilya Kovalchuk to the point, although I seem to remember that not being the answer last year. “They’d have to respect his shot,” Kozlov said. True enough.
More than anything right now, guys are tightening up. Each loss puts more pressure on the team to win the next game, and in hockey, as you know, a team that starts thinking too much doesn’t play well.
Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk were the only two players who didn’t practice today. Hossa plans on skating on Saturday on his own, and if he feels good he’ll skate again on Sunday while the rest of the team is off. Saturday is a crucial day for Hossa and the groin injury. If all goes well, he could be back as soon as the Philly game.
Kovalchuk is a little banged up. There’s the arm, and Hartley joked that his knuckles were sore. But Hartley said it was nothing serious, just giving the sore Kovalchuk some rest.
The Devils are practicing today in Duluth as well, and they’re playing about as well as the Thrashers are right now. Kari Lehtonen, who is winless in his last five starts dating back to the playoffs, might be able to take some comfort in the fact that Martin Brodeur is 0-3 this season. But then again, Buffalo was 0-2 entering Thursday’s game and looked like world beaters.
Don Waddell seems willing to ride this one out. He said he doesn’t anticipate any roster changes despite the poor start. Again, he called on the veterans to improve their play. He thought that perhaps some personnel tweaking on the penalty kill might help. How would you fix the special teams? Put Kovy back on the point on the power play? Change around some bodies on the penalty kill? Is it fixable with the current roster?
