AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > October > 31
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Things are clicking on road trip
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Montreal (for the next couple hours) - So that was the biggest win of the season, right? That’s as well as I’ve seen the team play all year. The defense was strong, the goaltending was outstanding and the offense kept the pressure on Montreal for most of the game. Remember, this was a Montreal team that had been lighting up opponents in the first period, and the opposite happened. The Thrashers were pretty dominant in the first period and set the tone for the rest of the game.
And the most encouraging thing was that they shook off that Montreal goal in the second period like it was nothing. That’s something I haven’t seen from this team all season - well, maybe the Toronto game. But you get my point. They battled back, the confidence is growing and this is a team that is starting to believe in itself.
I saw that a couple of you were complaining about the home-cooking in regards to the 3-stars of the game. How about the home cooking from the scorers? Eric Perrin’s goal was officially an unassisted goal. Really? Hossa drives down the boards, gets a shot off, Todd White whacks at a rebound and Perrin knocks it home, and it’s unassisted? I know the Thrashers filed a complaint to get a look at the replay. By all accounts, nobody on Montreal had possession of the puck, so Whitey, in my humble opinion, got robbed.
Interesting that Hossa was the second star. I’m saving all my Hossa stuff for my story for the paper, but he’s struggling to score right now. But otherwise he’s playing a complete game. He’s logging tons of time on the penalty kill, and is getting plenty of scoring chances. At some point he’s going to have a three point game and everybody will settle down.
The Thrashers had an optional practice today, and one of the guys sitting was Tobias Enstrom. It’s not often a rookie will sit out practices, but when you put in 27:33 of ice time the night before, you’re entitled to time off. He had five blocked shots last night and he and Havelid were great on the penalty kill.
I know you’re tired of hearing it, but there’s still nothing to report on the coaching front. Don Waddell’s focus right now is on winning games, and he believes that bringing guys in and doing interviews right now would be a distraction this team can’t afford to have. Brad McCrimmon ran practice today, and the sentiment around the dressing room that he’d be a worthy replacement for Hartley continues to grow.
Expect Johan Hedberg to continue to man the goal for now. The team is playing strong around him, and he’s making big saves. How about that 6-0 record in the shootout? Also, feel free to blame me if he loses his next shootout, because I asked him about his perfect record. He should be alright, because he knocked on wood while he talked about it. If he plays well, that back-to-back stretch on Nov. 9-10 becomes Ondrej Pavelec’s best shot at making his first NHL start.
I thought Bryan LIttle looked great in the shootout. He thought he got the call as the second shooter because of his familiarity with Carey Price from their time together in the World Junior Championship, but that wasn’t the case. You’ll find out the details in my story for Thursday. But he was surprised, and agreed that he was probably better off not knowing he’d be the second shooter until the moment it happened because nerves might have gotten the better of him. Waddell says Little has five or six great moves for the shootout, so they may just be scratching the surface there.
Kari Lehtonen’s rehab is going strong. No setbacks or anything right now. He’s doing a lot of physical training, although the groin isn’t being tested. The priority is to keep him in shape and let the groin heal. Also, speculation that he wasn’t in good shape at the beginning of the season is being shot down by the team. I haven’t talked to anybody who had issues with Lehtonen’s conditioning this season. The fact is, it’s a different groin injury and just one of those things that happen in hockey.
