Thrashers

By Sara

October 22, 2008 1:16 PM | Link to this

They have got to do something with Sterling. Play him, demote him, trade him…something. I’d prefer the former although there is still the age-old problem of where to fit him in. Fourth line doesn’t suit him. Second line would be more appropriate. Maybe rest Kozlov some and get Sterling in there a bit. Kozlov is gone after next season and that will be yet another hole in the roster to fill. IF Sterling can translate his scoring touch to the NHL, he would be an heir apparent for that position as second line LW. I hate to lose that option by trading him away. But if he cannot be utilized in a scoring role on a regular basis at his natural position, then we will never know what he can or cannot do in the NHL.

While it doesn’t appear anyone has screwed up to warrant demotion, at some point I think coach needs to say “while you aren’t hurting the team, you aren’t helping the team either so let’s see if someone else can.”

As for the Detroit game, well, #81 should be all the motivation the Thrashers need for that one. I’d love to see Kovy pop off his own hat-trick in Mo-town. And, as always with these two competitors, I want lots of goals and an OT/SO Thrasher win. 5-4 ought to do it nicely. :D

By Toby

October 22, 2008 1:24 PM | Link to this

Sterling in place of Williams and Hoffman (unless he still can’t go) in place of Boulton seems the way to go. As far as Kari goes, no doubt he has carried the team. Without his performances, we are 1-5.

By Spud Webb

October 22, 2008 1:30 PM | Link to this

Ugh, my worst fears. We can’t score. Super struggle. Something has to give with the forwards, minus Little (I know he’s a center, but been playing forward).

By GAThrash

October 22, 2008 1:38 PM | Link to this

Mike, How has the Reasoner-Perrin-Williams line looked? It looked like they generated some shots last night, but hard to tell b/c of no TV. I like Reasoner and Perrin on the PK.

By pierre chalifoux

October 22, 2008 2:11 PM | Link to this

Vous stupide Rednecks la Confédération dans le sud ne méritent pas une équipe de hockey! La ligue doit prendre votre équipe de vous parce que vous ne comprenez pas ce sport et vous n’avez pas de soucis pour votre franchise! Vous devez être dépouillé de votre franchise, avec Nashville et Columbus et de la LNH sera de les réinstaller au Canada, où ils ont droit et appartiennent à juste titre!

By GaVaHokie

October 22, 2008 2:21 PM | Link to this

I’ll post it here as well… I was saying on Ben Wright’s blog that we should bench Boulton and do the following.

Kovy/White/Little

Kozy/Crush/Army

Sterling/Perrin/Williams

Thorburn/Reasoner/Slater

Then, I’d flip-flop Kozy and Sterling on the 2nd line until something clicks.

By No

October 22, 2008 2:26 PM | Link to this

Imagine that. A rude comment in French.

By Toby

October 22, 2008 2:29 PM | Link to this

I think pierre “fraaaaaanch dressing” chalifoux has a crush on Sterling and is frustrated he’s not getting ice time.

By Bob

October 22, 2008 2:37 PM | Link to this

I’m a little concerned about the lack of scoring (after Game 1 anyway, guess that was an aberration) and the shots against. Let’s see if Sterling can help on offense and we need to tighten up defensively, Kari can’t face that many shots every night and hold up the he has so far.

By Tony C.

October 22, 2008 3:03 PM | Link to this

KL has been a stud.

I say let SlavaMatic center Sterling and Christensen/Williams. Let’s just see what happens…the line he set all the records on wasn’t exactly hefty…maybe a line of

Sterling/SlavaMatic/Williams could be equally effective as

Sterling/Krog/Haydar was for Coach in Chi.

Basically, I’m not dis-pleased with our record so far-now if we can get a point in each of this weekend’s games-I’ll be very pleased. Sara-if # 17 goes off and has the “Anti-Audition” game, I’ll buy you a drink! I think we’d all love to see that.

Also, Knobes did you get the sense that Le Thrash had gotten the momentum and were on their way to a win before the Little tripping call???

Sounded like they were starting to really come on-right up until the tripping call.

GO BLUE !!!

By volgrad1985

October 22, 2008 3:31 PM | Link to this

Pierre, I faaaaaht in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.

By Hockey Biltong

October 22, 2008 3:31 PM | Link to this

Pierre, Gaan blaas doppies in Valley View, jou perd se gat. Dat plek kan a groot stad wees.

By h

October 22, 2008 4:08 PM | Link to this

Pierre- How about you go post on Montreal’s website or maybe Toronto’s website before that team moves to Birmingham so real hockey fans can enjoy the game……I mean seriously…..Toronto? 41 years since they won a cup….I’d kill myself if I was a fan of theirs……Montreal? 15 years……and counting…..go onto their sites and write something in “Surrender Monkey” language

By Bob

October 22, 2008 4:51 PM | Link to this

KL has been a stud

He has so far, if he keeps it up he may have turned the corner, finally.

Classic with the Knights stuff.

I blow my nose at you! Now, go away, or I shall taunt you a second time!

And the pansies on this board (ahem) go away running crying like the Knights run away, run away

lol

By Tom

October 22, 2008 4:55 PM | Link to this

What is ironic is that ol’ Pierre would be up in arms if we posted in English on a French Canadian website.

Of course, being a French Canadian, he would not understand irony if it hit him in the face.

By MB

October 22, 2008 5:04 PM | Link to this

I’d definitely like to see Sterling get some solid time in at 2nd line LW to see what he can do with the big club. We won’t know whether or not he can fill that role unless we give him a real chance…multiple games.

While Kozzy’s lost a step or two, he’s still capable of playing competently at the other forward positions.

Bob, at times it seems like we’ll all go to our graves calling for the Thrash to reduce shots on goal. At least the gap won’t be as wide now that we’re putting more shots on as well.

Speaking of, a big positive we have this year as opposed to previous ones is that our defense can score…definitely important in a year where scoring for us is going to be at a premium.

By Mike Knobler

October 22, 2008 6:06 PM | Link to this

Tony C. The Perrin-Reasoner-Williams line plays with high energy. They’re more of a counter-punching line, but they did create some chances last night.

I didn’t really get any sense of momentum before the penalty in overtime, in part because the penalty happened so fast and in part because 4-on-4 hockey swings back and forth so wildly. Little was going for a poke check in the neutral zone, and he misjudged Martin St. Louis’ speed. It was a legitimate call, but it wasn’t a bad penalty in the sense of a guy getting angry and letting his emotions get the better of him. Little was just a little overeager to make something good happen.

Toby Hoffman practiced a fair amount today but told me he’s still shooting for Halloween weekend.

Everybody Anderson told me after practice he was happier after seeing the video than he was immediately after the game.

My story in Thursday’s paper (online tonight) looks at the Thrashers’ scoring woes. There’s a chart showing the team’s leaders in shots taken overall (not just on net), with a breakdown of whether the shot went in, was saved, was blocked or went wide. I doubt you’ll be surprised by the first three names, but you might be surprised by the fourth, a guy who so far has either been: 1) very unlucky, or 2) not good at finishing. I’m guessing it’s more of No. 1.

Sara You know that No. 81 is now No. 18, right? I guess he’ll always be No. 81 around here, though.

By Mike Knobler

October 22, 2008 6:18 PM | Link to this

Incidentally, the Thrashers have been outshot 211-185 in shots on goal, but the Thrashers have been wide or high of the net 67 times to 60 for their opponents. Shots blocked by someone other than the goalie: 68 Thrashers shots, 69 opponents’ shots.

By Tony C.

October 22, 2008 6:47 PM | Link to this

Not to be too big a jerk Mike, but uh hossa switched from #18 to #81 in Detroit as Kirk Maltby is #18 (and no matter how good hossa is, he ain’t gettin Maltby’s number ever).

By Tony C.

October 22, 2008 6:55 PM | Link to this

Another thing you know they are still trying to sell hossa gear on the NHL.com webstore???

sheeesh

By Tony C.

October 22, 2008 7:20 PM | Link to this

on the Thrasher’s section that is.

By Brendan

October 22, 2008 11:09 PM | Link to this

Mike Knobler, another nice blog. Neither Anderson nor Waddell really call players out by name. In nine seasons, I think I heard Waddell do it twice. Once to Kozlov, before he re-signed, and to Eric Belanger, whom he did not re-sign.

Last year, the harshest words DW could muster were, “if some of our veterans had played like they did last year, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” when answering the question, “What went wrong this year?” Today, Zhitnik, Holik, Klee, Recchi, Larson, Dupuis, and Hossa, among others, are no longer with the team. Waddell never called these players out by name. But his actions spoke louder than his words. They’re not here ANY MORE. Havelid and Perrin are also veterans who have not, as yet, had their contracts renewed. If Waddell doesn’t like what he sees from them this year, they could be trade deadline casualties. That, or they might not return next season.

So it would appear, to me anyway, that Waddell is holding accountable those he perceives to be the violators. A GM can’t be every player’s “best friend.” And if a player “pouts,” he should feel embarrassed about it. There’s no crying in baseball. And there’s no pouting in hockey. I love the Anderson philosophy so far. I reserve the right to change my opinion later on, however.

By Mike Knobler

October 23, 2008 12:19 AM | Link to this

Tony C. You’re right about Hossa. D’uh to me. Sorry, Sara. I guess that’s what I get for typing without engaging a rested brain. It’s midnight, and I just got up from a six-hour nap.

Brendan Thanks. Great post. I think Hossa not being with the team is more a result of a Hossa decision than a Waddell decision, but I think your overall point is right on the money. There’s definitely a pattern there, and whatever people think of Don there’s no question he went about changing things roster-wise. We’ll see how successful those changes are.

By Mike Knobler

October 23, 2008 12:50 AM | Link to this

The online version of my story about Christensen and others looking for goals doesn’t include the chart, so I’ll give it to you here:

The Thrashers’ leaders in shots taken, broken down by how many goals they scored, how many on net shots were saved, how many were blocked before they reached the goalie and how many were wide or high of the net:

Player* Total shotsGoalsSavedBlockedMissed Mathieu Schneider39 0* 24* 11* 4 Ron Hainsey* 37* 1* 16* 10* 10 Ilya Kovalchuk* 37* 2* 13* 11* 11 Erik Christensen* 31* 0* 17* 7* 7 Bryan Little* 21* 4* 10* 3* 4 Todd White* 18* 2* 9* 5* 2 Jason Williams* 17* 1* 12* 3* 1

By Tom

October 23, 2008 7:24 AM | Link to this

Knobs

When you get back to the ATL take a little time and spend it with the web guys. On the Thrasher page the top item for multimedia is Waddell’s first win.

That has a year of age on it and either get them to ditch the category or get some new content.

A pet peeve of mine to be sure, but it drives me crazy everytime I come to the AJC Thrasher page.

Thanks

By kracker

October 23, 2008 7:24 AM | Link to this

Nice chart and info, Mike. I’m one of those dinosaurs that still subscribes 7-day.

I’m surprised to see that our most accurate shooter is Jason Williams with 13 of 17 shots on goal and only one miss. Followed by Little, Schneider and White by percentage of shots on goal. Kovalchuk and Hainsey are firing away but are missing the net the most. Schneider looks very accurate for having taken the most shots - but with no goals.

Very interesting.

By GaVaHokie

October 23, 2008 8:32 AM | Link to this

I understand Anderson saying no one has played bad enough to deserve being benched, but isn’t it equally insulting to NOT play Sterling when he was the preseason scoring leader? And doesn’t it make sense to play your preseason scoring leader when you have only 8 goals in the last 5 games?

By h

October 23, 2008 8:59 AM | Link to this

I agree with Hokie……gotta play Sterling….give someone else a rest…..give one guy the Wings game off and another the Bruins game off and have Sterling play both nights…..get him into the flow…..Bolts, Thorburn, Slater, Williams, Army, Crusher, Kozzy….all 7 guys could use ONE game off…..let’s let Sterling get into the flow and see how he does….Sterling is getting too old to sit on the bench all the time…….either he makes a difference or send him elsewhere…..I’d like to see him with Perrin and Reasoner, but anywhere would be nice.

By Sara

October 23, 2008 8:59 AM | Link to this

Hey Mike no problem - we all brainfart now and again. You at least have a good excuse for yours. ;)

Love the article, especially what it says about the coaches’ approach to all of this. They aren’t panicking or getting upset or throwing guys under the bus or even doing a bunch of talking. They are being proactive and taking action - when’s the last time we really saw that? Mostly I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE that they are working on the action down low near the goal. I’ve been touting that mantra for a while - they just need to make sure they transition that to both ES and the PP.

“Slow start” or not, I’m still very optimistic about the prospects of this team. I think come a few more weeks/months, all those “experts” in the media are going to be eating their preseason words.

By Gregg49

October 23, 2008 10:32 AM | Link to this

I just knew that the lack of legitimate offense would come back and bite us. Glad Brian Little is able to show he belongs here. Shows the lack of talent evaluation DW has, because remember he was the one who sent Little back down last year.

By Sara

October 23, 2008 11:35 AM | Link to this

Gregg49 Waddell sent Little back down last year because Little had gone cold (3 goals in 29 games isn’t exactly lighting things up) and the team had just picked up Recchi off waivers. It made more sense for Little to get consistent playing time in Chicago then spotty play in ATL. And from everything in follow up, whether it was what Waddell said, what Little said, or what his play itself said when he was called back up, it was the right call to make. In all, Little scored 6 goals in 49 games with the Thrashers last season, yet in 6 games this season has potted 5. With all due respect, that looks like good talent management on the part of Waddell and the organization, not mismanagement.

If you want to discuss “lack of talent evaluation,” try Bourret, Kapenen, White, or Zhitnik - you could make better cases with them.

By h

October 23, 2008 11:49 AM | Link to this

gregg49-add yourself to the list of uninformed…..check your facts brainchild…..first of all, Little played the last 20+ games with the Thrashers and went back down for the AHL playoffs……he spent a small stint in Chicago from December - February….he ended up playing in 48 games last year…..yeah….you’re right….what does DW know…he just drafted the kid and let him play most of the year in the NHL at age 19-20……

By GaVaHokie

October 23, 2008 12:06 PM | Link to this

Well, while we’re talking about talent evaluation and Brian Little, let’s go ahead and look back at the 2006 shall we. I’d say we did pretty good with Brian Little, Riley Hozapfel and Arturs Kulda in comparison with the rest of the draft.

When someone in the 5th round emerges in 3 more years and lights the league on fire, you can b*** and moan about “How could Waddell not draft him?” But, so far, I’d say we did pretty good.

By jb

October 23, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this

they should bench Christansen and let Sterling play at LW on 2nd line, move Kozy to Center

By Sara

October 23, 2008 12:33 PM | Link to this

Mike may start a new blog about this, but Hoffman has been reassigned to Chicago for a conditioning stint.

““I need two weeks of playing in games before I can fight,” said Hoffman. “If I’m not able to do 100 percent of my job, I’m not going to take anybody’s spot here.”

I LOVE this guy. :D

By Bob

October 23, 2008 12:55 PM | Link to this

they should bench Christansen and let Sterling play at LW on 2nd line, move Kozy to Center

I like this idea. Not permanently, but to let him sit and watch Coach’s system.

In the big picture, I am underwhelmed by Christensen. He didn’t show me much last year when he was healthy, and I don’t see much there this year either.

Mabye the better solution is to get Little going as 2nd line center?

By Toby

October 23, 2008 1:19 PM | Link to this

Mabye the better solution is to get Little going as 2nd line center?

In my opinion, the first line is currently working well together and I wouldn’t mess with it. Little is playing real well on the wing right now. I believe Williams should sit a game and have Sterling wing the 2nd line. Army can stay on the third.

By kracker

October 23, 2008 1:25 PM | Link to this

Sounds good on Hoffman. The road back for him runs through Chicago.

Yo, Mike! We need some new stories below the blog links (by Kovy’s picture.) The most recent one is “Thrashers get first win for Waddell.” That’s a year old. All those links are from early last season, containing pics of Haydar, Dupuis, Hartley, etc.

Maintaining the page is probably not your responsibility but it makes it look a bit like nobody’s paying attention there at the AJC.

By GAThrash

October 23, 2008 2:09 PM | Link to this

Mike, How is Reasoner-Perrin-Williams line? Hard to tell with the last two games not on tv. Looks like on paper that they are getting some chances…we need some production!! Reasoner and Perrin have been really good on the PK!!

By Tony C.

October 23, 2008 2:28 PM | Link to this

Yeah, I like the fact that the Hoffman piece ends with his quote:

” I’m more than willing, any day of the week, performing any duty they have in mind “

Nice.

Also Hokie, what do you think about Lucic instead of Holzapfel???