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December 2008
Who should play with Kovalchuk?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Marty Reasoner and Chris Thorburn have been skating on a line with Ilya Kovalchuk since that memorable day (for me) when I caused a media circus by blogging what I thought I saw because of the sweaters in practice: Kovalchuk on the fourth line.
Who knew Kovalchuk’s goal-scoring would drop to near fourth-line levels?
Kovalchuk has scored three goals in 14 games with this line. Yes, he has 15 points in those 14 games, but the Thrashers need goals from him. Tuesday night, when Kovalchuk’s goal-less streak reached a career-high nine games, John Anderson suggested it’s time to change the lines again.
He won’t mess with Kozlov-White-Little. Everything else is fair game. The question: What should he do? He has tried Kovalchuk with Erik Christensen and Kovalchuk with Jason Williams, and neither was ideal. The center pretty much has to come from one of those two players. Does he put them both out there with Kovalchuk and scratch another forward? We’ll probably see Wednesday night.
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2008 in review
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I know it’s only Dec. 29, but with back-to-back games on Dec. 30 and 31 I don’t know how much blogging I’ll get done. So, after this brief bit of news —
no lineup changes expected for Tuesday night, other than Moose in net in place of Kari, who is likely to play Wednesday at Carolina. Bryan Little’s six goals in three games resulted in him being named the NHL’s second star of the week, raising the question of how many goals in three games a Thrashers player would have to score to be named the first star of the weekÂ
— we go to the subject of this blog:
The year in review.
Most pleasant Thrashers surprise:
A) Bryan Little
B) Nathan Oystrick
C) Todd White’s resurgence
D) Slava Kozlov’s resurgence
Area you thought would be better than it has been:
A) Forwards
B) Defensemen
C) Goalies
D) All of the above
E) None of the above. I expected what I’ve seen, or worse.
The Thrashers are
A) Where I thought they’d be in the standings
B) Lower than I thought they’d be in the standings
C) Higher than I thought they’d be in the standings. Thank God for the Islanders
The story of the year so far is
A) More of the same
B) What happened to Ilya Kovalchuk?
C) Zach Bogosian’s injury. I really wanted to see what he could do.
D) Ownership and management, not the players on the ice
The injury that hurt the Thrashers the most is
A) Kari Lehtonen’s bad back
B) Zach Bogosian’s broken fibula
C) Mathieu Schneider’s shoulder and hip flexor
D) Garnet Exelby’s hairline fracture of the lower leg
E) Erik Christensen’s shoulder
F) John Anderson’s knees. The Thrashers could really use his 1980s-era 30 goals a season.
G) Atlanta hockey fans’ egos during the 1-7-1 stretch
Reader participation category. Name your own topic and your multiple choices.
A)
B)
C)
D)
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Crusher to play Sunday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Erik Christensen took Jason Williams’ place as the center between Eric Perrin and Colby Armstrong in practice today for the Thrashers, and coach John Anderson later confirmed Christensen will play Sunday against the Boston Bruins. It’s Christensen’s first game since Dec. 2 at Montreal, when his right shoulder briefly popped out of joint. What are the Thrashers looking for from him?
“He’ll be a little rusty. I expect that. But I hope the hunger to get back in to play will overtake that,” Anderson said. “He’s got tremendous skill, and he’s got the opportunity to use it.
“I know he’s a little nervous, but I think he’s going to be a little more determined this time. We want success.”
Nervous over his shoulder or over returning after such a long absence?
“I think a little of both,” said Anderson, adding he experienced the same feelings when he was a player. “Hopefully, he’s fine.”
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Bogosian now ready for emergencies
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ron Hainsey was a no-show at the morning skate (illness) but is expected to play tonight. Scott Lehman has been sent back to Chicago. Garnet Exelby is still wearing a walking soft cast whenever he leaves his house. So Zach Bogosian, one of six defensemen on the ice for the morning skate, is now the Plan B if Hainsey can’t play.
Coach John Anderson said he’d rather not play Bogosian on an emergency basis but could give him six or seven minutes of ice time in, well, an emergency. “We want to put him in a game situation where he’s going to succeed for sure, not just we hope he does,” Anderson said. Bogosian said his formerly broken leg is fine and it’s just a matter of getting in game shape. General manager Don Waddell talked, before Exelby’s injury, about having Bogosian play some games in Chicago with the Wolves before returning to NHL games.
“If that’s what we decide to do, that’s what we decide to do, but right now we don’t have that luxury,” Anderson said. “Sending somebody to Chicago for conditioning, that’s a luxury to have because you have enough guys to play, enough good players to play. That decision will be made down the road.”
When could Bogosian play on a non-emergency basis? Probably seven to 10 days from now, Anderson said.
Now we turn from the news to our popular connect-the-dots feature:
Waddell followed the Wild for a couple of games a couple of weeks ago.
Marian Gaborik is in the final year of his contract and isn’t expected to be back with Minnesota.
Gaborik returned from injury, played well, and is now being held out consecutive games post-Christmas break.
Conclusion a lot of people are drawing: Something’s up.
Perhaps.
Obvious question: If Gaborik is being held out in Minnesota, who’s being held out in Atlanta? The answer for tonight’s game doesn’t add much fuel to the fire: Erik Christensen, again, and Kari Lehtonen.
Christensen hasn’t played since the Montreal game and declined to comment earlier this week when asked if he was healthy. He is listed as a healthy scratch. Lehtonen just came back from a long layoff and needs practices to stay in, or get into, game shape; the team didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday. Plus, Johan Hedberg played well against the Islanders on Tuesday night and has played well against Carolina.
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Merry Christmas, Thrashers fans
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Thrashers washed away some of the bad smell from Monday night with a strong performance Tuesday night against the Islanders. My game story focused on Ilya Kovalchuk, who played his 500th game and got his 500th and 501st points. And I wrote about Bryan Little, who scored two goals.
But here’s a key move John Anderson made, one that paid off. He used Todd White in place of Eric Perrin at the start of the penalty kill. White was there to win the faceoff in the defensive end and get the penalty kill off to a good start. Marty Reasoner’s hand still hurt a bit, Anderson told me after the game, and that would affect his faceoffs. Overall on the night, White won 12 of 16 faceoffs. And the Thrashers killed all three of their penalties. It was just the seventh game all season the Thrashers didn’t allow a power play goal. Their record in those games: 3-1-3.
I’ll be back blogging on Friday, when the Thrashers return to action. (Don’t worry. We’ll have stories for you the next two days. We don’t believe in days off.
I’ll be spending some time in New York with my brother and sister-in-law. I wish you a Merry Christmas, too, and hope Santa delivers you everything on your list.
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Reasoner to play tonight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You can still see where the puck hit on the back of Thrashers center Marty Reasoner’s right hand, about midway between the wrist and the knuckle of his pointing finger. But that injury won’t keep him from playing tonight against Toronto, Reasoner said. He credited trainer Tommy Alva and assistant trainer Step Roberts with helping reduce the soreness enough to get him back on the ice.
That leaves the Thrashers’ lineup unchanged from the one that beat Tampa Bay on Saturday night.
Toronto is expected to start goalie Justin Pogge, who will be making his NHL debut.
Ilya Kovalchuk’s next point will be the 500th of his career. He’s averaging a hair over a point a game; this is his 499th in the NHL.
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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?
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Last place is at stake
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tonight’s loser between the Thrashers and the Tampa Bay Lightning will be in last place in the Southeast Division. Tampa Bay is playing a lot like Ottawa, the team the Thrashers beat Tuesday night. Ottawa has scored the fewest goals in the NHL; Tampa Bay has scored the fewest goals per game. Compared with the Lightning, the Thrashers look like a powerhouse. Other than Vincent Lecavalier (12 goals) and Martin St. Louis (10) nobody on the Lightning has more than seven. Compare that with the Thrashers: Slava Kozlov (14), Bryan Little (12), Ilya Kovalchuk (11) and Todd White (nine).
I need to correct a mistake I made online yesterday. Scott Lehman is still with the team. He’s just not practicing. He has an injury on his right side, suffered about midway through his NHL debut Thursday night. Lehman told me he should be back in the next couple of days. The way I read the CBA, the Thrashers couldn’t have sent him back to Chicago while injured, and they now must keep him on the roster through Dec. 27 because of the holiday roster freeze. That means a week of NHL money for Lehman. His mission on Saturday: Buy some clothes. He was on the road when the team called him up, and he has a suit, a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.
Meanwhile, the lineup tonight looks like Thursday’s, with the exception that Kari Lehtonen is in goal and Mathieu Schneider replaces Lehman on defense. Pairings are likely to be the Swedes, Schneider-Oystrick, Hainsey-Valabik. Schneider has averaged 21:46 in ice time this season but is likely to see significantly less tonight.
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Pavelec absent
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There are two goalies at the Thrashers’ practice today, and neither is Ondrej Pavelec. Pavelec has been pulled in two of the team’s last three games, albeit with an excellent game in between at Ottawa. Kari Lehtonen hasn’t played since October but might be able to play Saturday against Tampa Bay, and NHL teams don’t carry three goalies.
There are seven defensemen, and two of them are Mathieu Schneider and Zach Bogosian. Garnet Exelby isn’t on the ice, suggesting his lower body injury continues to be a problem, and Scott Lehman isn’t out there, either, suggesting his three-minute NHL debut Thursday night was a very brief stay in the league and that Schneider will play Saturday night.
We’ll have a story when I can speak with someone about all of this.
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Same lineup, same result?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
John Anderson liked the looks of Tuesday night’s victory at Ottawa so much he didn’t plan to change a thing in the lineup for tonight’s game against Pittsburgh. That means Ondrej Pavelec is back in goal after coming 1:18 and one shot from his first NHL shutout.
Mathieu Schneider participated in the morning skate and is very close to being able to get back in the lineup, Anderson said. Erik Christensen and Kari Lehtonen also are very close. Zach Bogosian, who participated in the skate, still needs some conditioning before he’ll be ready.
The return of Schneider and Bogosian probably won’t be bad news for Nathan Oystrick, who has been excellent as an everyday player since Bogosian’s injury. The Thrashers are committed enough to keeping Oystrick that they told him early this month to move out of the hotel and into something more permanent. Oystrick’s three goals rank him behind only Ron Hainsey among Thrashers defensemen, and his nine points time him with Tobias Enstrom for second behind Hainsey. (Last sentence fixed thanks to the alert commenters below.)
Garnet Exelby sat out the optional skate this morning but was expected to play tonight. That expectation didn’t turn into reality. He has what is being termed a “lower body injury,” and the Thrashers have brought in Scott Lehman from Chicago to replace him. So the lineup won’t be the same as it was Tuesday.
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The big hit and its aftermath
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ottawa’s Chris Neil delivered one heck of a shoulder to Bryan Little 18 minutes into the second period of Tuesday night’s game. Little had his head down, and Thrashers coach John Anderson called it a clean hit, but his players clearly went out to defend their teammate.
Eric Boulton challenged Neil to a fight, and Neil declined, Anderson said. Boris Valabik wagged a finger and talked some smack from the bench. Jim Slater took on Jarkko Ruutu in a fight that showed lots of moxie on Slater’s part considering his substantial size disadvantage. Boulton ended up tangling with Mike Fisher.
Little was able to play 6:30 in the third period.
Colby Armstrong’s two goals 31 seconds apart weren’t a Thrashers record (John Sim scored 22 seconds apart when he played for Atlanta against Carolina in October 2006), but they were a heck of a shift.
Big game for Ondrej Pavelec. Just when you thought the Thrashers’ goalie situation was becoming clearcut, after Pavelec started to struggle, he comes up with one of the team’s best goaltending performances of the season. Now, barring a trade, what do they do with their goalies when Kari Lehtonen returns, possibly this weekend?
I was lucky to make it out of my hotel parking lot this morning. Quite the snowstorm overnight, and it’s still falling outside. The Canadians are pretty ho-hum about it; they deal with this all the time.
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Reasoner returns to Kovalchuk line
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Centers Jason Williams and Marty Reasoner have swapped lines again, with Reasoner rejoining Ilya Kovalchuk and Chris Thorburn and Williams back with Eric Perrin and Colby Armstrong. The two centers were switched for the game at Boston and part of Friday’s game against Boston in Atlanta, as coach John Anderson tried to get Williams’ offense back on track.
Ondrej Pavelec is in net tonight, returning to action two games after getting pulled after giving up three quick goals against the Bruins Friday night. Pavelec has a history of being able to bounce back from things like that.
Angelo Esposito is a big story today in papers throughout Canada. The Thrashers prospect made the Canadian junior team after getting cut three times (a record he shares with Daniel Cleary of the Red Wings). Here’s a good example of what reporters here wrote.
It’s cold here in Ottawa, but no colder than it was in Boston on Saturday. Snow is forecast for tonight, with two inches expected before it stops Wednesday afternoon.
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Bogosian, Christensen practice
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The ice is getting crowded at the Ice Forum, and that’s a good thing for the Thrashers. Zach Bogosian and Erik Christensen are at practice today, though they’re wearing sweaters that suggest they’re not going to be fully incorporated into the drills.
Bogosian is coming back from a broken left leg, Christensen from a subluxated right shoulder. With them on the ice, there are 23 players (13 forwards, 7 defensemen, 3 goalies). That number should climb to 24 soon when Mathieu Schneider returns from a shoulder injury.
They’re doing some power play work. When they brought in a penalty kill unit to work against the Kozlov-Little-White-Kovalchuk-Hainsey power play, it was Reasoner and Thorburn. That’s a departure from the usual.
Second power play is Kovalchuk-Williams-Perrin-Enstrom-Oystrick. They’re working against Slater-Crabb-Valabik-Exelby.
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Thrashers reach new low
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This was a lot different than my previous trip to TD Banknorth Garden this season. Back on Oct. 25, the Thrashers came in here the night after a game at Detroit and at least looked competitive. The effort was apparent in that game, and though it was a 5-4 loss the Thrashers looked gritty and gutsy if not quite as good as the Bruins.
The last two days were a different story entirely. Sure, there was effort. You don’t kill 1:37 of 5-on-3 by not playing hard. But Friday’s game was over quicker than any other this season, and on Saturday, though it was just 2-1 after one period, the Thrashers looked overmatched for most of the game. It always seemed to be a question of when the Bruins would pull away rather than whether it would happen.
The low point of the game might not even have been a Boston goal. I’m talking about a second-period stretch where the Thrashers couldn’t get the puck out of their own zone, couldn’t get a line change and had to ice the puck three times in 40 seconds just to catch a breath. It was a 4-minute shift for Ilya Kovalchuk, Jason Williams, Chris Thorburn, Ron Hainsey and Garnet Exelby, and it was painful to watch.
I don’t envy John Anderson at the moment. I asked him tonight whether some leaders on the team needed to pull the Thrashers out of this situation, and he said that’s his responsibility as coach. Talk about your tough assignments.
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Another (small) line change for Kovalchuk
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thrashers coach John Anderson liked one thing he saw Friday night: When he put Jason Williams with Ilya Kovalchuk and Chris Thorburn. Kovalchuk and Thorburn had been centered by Marty Reasoner, but Anderson has decided to begin with Williams in that role tonight.
Colin Stuart joins the lineup and will play alongside Reasoner and Colby Armstrong.
More later.
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Hear Armstrong speak
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the unlikely event you’re not at Philips Arena tonight, you won’t want to miss the telecast of the Thrashers-Bruins game. Colby Armstrong will be wearing a microphone on his uniform, so you’ll be able to hear what gets said on the ice.
Well, you’ll get to hear some of it, anyway. The NHL wisely forbids live feeds from players wearing a wire. Even without Sean Avery on the ice, something might get said that’s not suitable for fans of all ages.
Anyway, I thought this would be a good place to enlist your help in predicting some of the things Armstrong will say or ought to say.
For example, “Excuse me, Mr. Chara, but that puck is mine,” or the old hockey favorite, “Have another doughnut.” (OK, so I’m dating myself with that last one. Google it if it doesn’t ring a bell.)
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If not Kovalchuk, then who?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Don Waddell made it clear again Wednesday night he has no intention of trading Ilya Kovalchuk.
“I don’t get any calls,” the Thrashers general manager said. “This is all driven by the media. I think teams realize our situation. He’s the face of our franchise. Nobody’s even called and said, ‘Are you going to trade Ilya?’ It hasn’t happened.”
Incidentally, coach John Anderson is in full agreement with his general manager. “Why do you want to trade him? Why roll the dice?” Anderson said. “You never know what you’re going to get back.”
So, if there’s going to be a trade involving the Thrashers, which players might be involved? One answer has been obvious for months, though it probably can’t happen until after the Christmas roster freeze. (There are no waivers or trades allowed Dec. 19-27.) The Thrashers have three goalies, and they need two. Kari Lehtonen, Ondrej Pavelec or Johan Hedberg could be dealt.
“We’ve always gotten calls from the summertime on,” Waddell said. “Everybody knew coming into the year that we have three capable guys. That’s an ongoing thing. Right now, our biggest thing is let’s make sure we get back healthy. Then we’ll make a decision where we go from there.”
Lehtonen hasn’t played since October because of a back injury but has returned to practice and might be able to play next week. If he’s the one to be traded, any team that was interested probably would want to see him play a couple of games to prove he is all right. If he’s not the one to be traded, the Thrashers won’t want to let go of one of the other two until they’re sure he’s OK.
Lehtonen is a restricted free agent after this season; Pavelec and Hedberg are signed through 2009-10. If the primary goal is building for the future, Waddell could hold onto all three goalies until right before the trade deadline, or even right before the draft. But if the goal is to try to get to the playoffs this season, he’d want to move fast enough to give any players he acquired time to help the team.
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Christensen aims for next week
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thrashers forward Erik Christensen skated today and said his injured right shoulder felt better than his legs, which hadn’t been on the ice since he got hurt eight days ago at Montreal. Christensen originally hurt the shoulder last season, re-injured it early this season and then hurt it again Dec. 2. It’s a subluxation, a step below a dislocation but painful and damaging nonetheless. Here’s the problem: Each time he re-injures the shoulder, he suddenly loses strength in the shoulder, and it takes time to rebuild that strength. An MRI has shown he has nothing worse than bruising, Christensen said, and the hope is that if he can get the many muscles in the shoulder strong enough the problem will go away.
Strangely enough, Christensen said, one way to avoid re-injury is for him to hit with his shoulders rather than with his lower arms, as he did in the game at Montreal.
He hopes to be able to play Tuesday at Ottawa or, at worst, two days later when his former team the Pittsburgh Penguins come to Philips Arena.
Tonight against the New York Rangers, the Thrashers have Johan Hedberg in net, riding a 28-shot save streak from Saturday’s victory over the New York Islanders.
The rest of the lineup:
Kozlov-White-Little
Kovalchuk-Reasoner-Thorburn
Armstrong-Williams-Perrin
Boulton-Slater-Crabb
Hainsey-Exelby
Enstrom-Oystrick
Havelid-Valabik
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Three very challenging games
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fresh off consecutive road games against last-place teams Ottawa and the New York Islanders, the Thrashers this week play the first-place teams from the Northeast and Atlantic Divisions.
First come the New York Rangers, Wednesday night at Philips. Then come the Boston Bruins, Friday at Philips and Saturday at TD Banknorth Garden. The Bruins have won 14 of their last 16 games. The Rangers have cooled off a bit after their hot start; they’ve lost three of their last four games. But they still have almost twice as many points as the Thrashers.
The Thrashers played the Rangers tight in Madison Square Garden but lost 3-2, as Nikolai Zherdev had a goal and an assist and an overall excellent game. Even a point tonight would keep up some of the Thrashers’ momentum from Saturday’s victory against the Islanders.
The NHL’s Winter Classic publicity machine rolls into town Wednesday night at Philips, where fans will be able to see inside the truck that will produce the Wrigley Field outdoor rink for the Jan. 1 game between Detroit and Chicago. It’s the world’s largest mobile rink refrigeration unit, a 53-foot truck custom-built in Mobile. Because when you think outdoor rink refrigeration, Alabama is the first state that comes to mind.
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Kari’s back
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kari Lehtonen is back at practice today, having recovered enough from his back injury to skate with the team. The Thrashers’ No. 1 goalie hasn’t played since October.
Defenseman Mathieu Schneider, out the last three games, is not at practice.
Here’s today’s statistical tidbit: The Thrashers’ three goalies all lead the team in something. Johan Hedberg has the best record, 5-4-1, compared with Lehtonen’s 2-5-2 and Ondrej Pavelec’s 2-5. Lehtonen has the best save percentage at .903, compared with .899 for Pavelec and .888 for Hedberg. Pavelec has the best goals against average, 3.17 compared with Lehtonen’s 3.44 and Hedberg’s 3.61.
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Anderson rips team, demands more effort
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here is the main news of today, John Anderson saying he’s mad as hell and not going to take it anymore, or words to that effect.
Johan Hedberg is in net tonight. Erik Christensen did not practice but is here. The word on him, day to day with that right shoulder with the arm that keeps popping out of joint. It was a problem at the end of the season and has been an issue this season, too, and he has tried to play through it. One wonders with an injury that has been around so long what the prognosis is for getting it to an acceptable level, and what that acceptable level is. “We don’t want to put him in a situation where he’s worried about his shoulder,” Anderson said. Better news with Mathieu Schneider — “He should be ready for next week” — and Kari Lehtonen — “We’re actually a little excited about it. It’s getting better than we anticipated.” Still no date set for Lehtonen’s return. Anderson said he wants to be very sure Lehtonen is ready, not just pain-free but also fit enough that he can play without risking further injury.
So, the lineup tonight is pretty straightforward: All the healthy forwards and defensemen are playing. Let’s see if they play hard enough to: A) Win, and B) Satisfy their coach.
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Lots of Kovalchuk
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greetings from Long Island. I just arrived Friday night. The team has been here since after the Ottawa game on Wednesday. It’s the first time the Thrashers have had back to back days without a game since Nov. 23 and 24, and they get three days without a game after Saturday night. They need it. Let’s see if they get some more hop in their step against the Islanders and then Wednesday at home against the Rangers.
Ilya Kovalchuk played a season-high 25:25 at Ottawa. Only about half of that was with Chris Thorburn and Marty Reasoner. So any notion that John Anderson might be de-emphasizing Kovalchuk was out the window. (He played 22:37 against Montreal, too.) OTOH, his shot is as wild as ever. In the last two games only six of 21 shots he has taken have made it through to the goalie and been on net. Is a strategy of having him blast away from the point on the power play the right way to go? Kovalchuk was on the ice for 9:29 of power play time against Ottawa. Thorburn got 1:17, which may not sound like a lot but is more than half his total for the season.
One interesting stat fact: As much as Erik Christensen has struggled this season, he has been excellent on faceoffs. He has won 100 and lost 85, a 54 percent success rate that’s best on the team among players who have taken at least eight faceoffs this season.
Mathieu Schneider (shoulder) has not rejoined the team. He didn’t travel to Montreal and Ottawa, but I had been told there was a possibility he’d be back for Saturday’s game. The word as of Wednesday night on Kari Lehtonen (back) and Zach Bogosian (leg) was good. I might be able to get an update on Saturday.
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Misery loves company
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last night, the Thrashers played a Montreal team that’s near the top of the division. Tonight, the story is a lot different. Ottawa is one of the NHL’s most disappointing teams, last in the Northeast Division at 8-10-4, only one point ahead of the Thrashers (though with two games in hand) and coming off a loss to the New York Islanders, who are last in the Atlantic Division.
Former Thrasher Dany Heatley has 12 goals and a point a game through 22 games, and he has a new children’s book autobiography called Dominant Dany Heatley. His teammates, though, are having a tough season. The Senators were predicted to be one of the top five teams in the East.
Ondrej Pavelec is in goal tonight for Atlanta. Eric Boulton, who sat last night, will play. Erik Christensen, who reinjured his shoulder last night and had a breakdown that led to the tie-breaking goal, will sit.
The feeling in the room after the skate was more serious than usual. These guys know they need to get points in a hurry, and they weren’t at all happy about what happened last night.
On a personal note, I highly recommend a trip to Montreal to see a hockey game. I’d rate last night at the Bell Centre as the top hockey atmosphere I’ve witnessed this season, even ahead of the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Smoked meat at Swartz’s and poutine at La Banquise Resto, a 24-hour place near the Parc Lafontaine, have joined my list of hockey road food highlights, up there with the beef on weck at Schwabl’s.
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Make your predictions here
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Will the new Kovalchuk-Reasoner-Thorburn line:
A) Score tonight.
B) Score tomorrow.
C) Be disbanded by the time the team returns to the United States.
D) Both A and B.
E) Reinvent hockey, end world hunger and advise Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton on Russian-American-Canadian relations.
Will Eric Perrin flourish back home tonight and Todd White in his homecoming on Wednesday?
A) Bien sur.
B) Je ne sais pas.
C) No, but I hear Byron Young will save the day.
D) Oui, parce que Ron Burgundy le dit, et j’ai confiance en lui.
E) If I wanted to read a blog in French, I wouldn’t be reading ajc.com.
Tony C. asked on the last blog about Ron Hainsey. He left the ice Sunday afternoon after getting zinged by a puck somewhere on the arm, went up the tunnel, came back and kept playing. He practiced Monday. I expect him to play tonight. He’s had a run of bumps lately, with a cut on the calf and a puck to the ankle the other night at Washington. He is one player the Thrashers definitely don’t need to lose.
I’m in Canada but not yet in Montreal, so I have no news from the skate. Will update if there is any news pregame.
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Kovalchuk paired with checkers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Yes, that’s Ilya Kovalchuk wearing a red sweater today at Thrashers practice, along with Marty Reasoner and Chris Thorburn. The red sweater has been the fourth line sweater all year, though Thrashers staffers tell me the sweater colors don’t signify anything. Reasoner has been a third-line center, and Thorburn has bounced between the third and fourth lines.
If John Anderson wanted to make a statement, it looks like he picked a strong way to make it. However, after practice, he told me the lines were about looking for a way to score goals and not about sending any messages. Who knows? Maybe he can accomplish both.
The complete lines:
Kozlov-White-Little
Armstrong-Williams-Christensen
Kovalchuk-Reasoner-Thorburn
Boulton-Slater-Crabb-Perrin
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