AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > December > 21
Sunday, December 21, 2008
No day off
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Thrashers often get Sundays off, but not today, or next week, or the week after that. There are games Dec. 28 and Jan. 4, and there was a practice today because of Monday’s game against Toronto. It wasn’t a long practice, though, and the skate was optional, because Monday and Tuesday’s games will be the fourth and fifth in eight days.
The bigger picture: The Thrashers are playing 14 games in 26 days, from Dec. 16-Jan. 4.
No wonder coach John Anderson gave players the option of doing a workout on an exercise bike instead of skating. I was about 10 minutes late today (hey, I’ve got 14 games in 26 days, too), but the only players I didn’t see on the ice were Ilya Kovalchuk, Mathieu Schneider, Ron Hainsey, Eric Perrin, Tobias Enstrom, Marty Reasoner and Garnet Exelby. Exelby is in a walking soft cast/boot as his hairline fracture heals, and Reasoner is day to day with a sore hand.
Kari Lehtonen and Johan Hedberg both were practicing. The plan is to start Lehtonen against Toronto on Monday and Hedberg against the Islanders on Tuesday. Makes a lot of sense, based on the way Kari played Saturday night and the way Moose played the last time the Thrashers visited the Island (28 saves on 29 shots). Hedberg is 5-6-2; Lehtonen 3-5-2.
The upcoming schedule, with Eastern Conference rank in parentheses: Monday, Toronto (11); Tuesday, at New York Islanders (15); Friday, Carolina (9); Sunday, Boston (1); Dec. 30, at Toronto (11); Dec. 31, at Carolina (9); Jan. 2, Vancouver (5, Western Conference); Jan. 4, Tampa Bay (14).
That’s five of the next six and six of the next eight against Eastern Conference teams that wouldn’t make the playoffs if the playoffs started today.
Two questions: How many of those games do the Thrashers need to win if they hope to be in playoff contention come March? How many do you think they will win?
