AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2009 > February
February 2009
Happy homecoming, so far
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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After going 2-1-1 on their longest road trip of the year, the Thrashers lead 3-1 through one period of Tuesday night’s home game against the Colorado Avalanche.
The Kings, Red Wings and Blackhawks are here scouting this one.
The Thrashers looked shaky defensively in the first 90 seconds but then, bang-bang-bang built a 3-0 lead, before giving up a power play goal near the end of the period.
Atlanta goals by Enstrom, Kovalchuk and Reasoner. Colorado goal by Hejduk.
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Slater might return this week
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thrashers blog has a new home. To comment on this subject CLICK HERE.
Center Jim Slater practiced with the Thrashers today for the first time hurting his shoulder Jan. 20 against Montreal. (Incidentally, that was the team’s last home victory.) Slater and Jordan LaVallee skated as a fifth line, with another player joining them to complete three-man drills. (Eric Boulton returned to the fourth line after sitting out Saturday’s game at San Jose.)
“It actually felt good,” Slater said of the practice. “First time out there with the guys. Finally got to pass the puck a little bit and receive good passes. With one guy out there [the past couple of weeks], you can only do so many drills. It’s good to be out there with the guys. You can do a lot of different drills, especially with goalies out there.
“I don’t think I’m ready yet. I’m hoping by the end of this week. It’s a lot different once you get in a game. I feel good. It’s coach’s discretion, but hopefully by the end of the week I’ll be looked at.”
Coach John Anderson said he liked what he saw.
“It’s just a conditioning thing,” Anderson said. “He’s been cleared by the doctors. We’ll play it by ear and see how I feel about his conditioning. He usually in good shape all the time anyway. Maybe [he’ll play] by the weekend or just after.”
On a different subject, a couple of you were curious about Slava Kozlov appearing to chirp at Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky after Kozlov scored in the shootout Thursday night. Here’s what Kozlov said today about it: It wasn’t Gretzky he was talking to, but Coyotes associate coach Ulf Samuelsson.
“It had nothing to do with Gretzky,” Kozlov said. “I didn’t see Ulf for a long time. He was my teammate in Detroit. So that’s it.”
What to watch for
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Thrashers are back at Philips Arena for five of their next six games, beginning Tuesday night against Colorado
Some things to watch for:
—Can they play as well at home as they have lately on the road? They’ve lost four consecutive home games but won four of their last six road games and earned a point by taking one of the other two to a shootout.
—The trade deadline is March 4. Are guys playing better at the last minute in hope of finding another place to play? What moves will the Thrashers make? I would expect at least one more veteran defenseman to be traded.
—Thrashers fans get their first in-person look at Jordan LaVallee.
—Will Ilya Kovalchuk, Bryan Little and Slava Kozlov stay hot?
Also, I’d like to thank, and link to the page of, Jon Swenson. He’s got some great photos from Saturday’s game against the Sharks. Jon was the source of the quotes from Evgeni Nabokov about Ilya Kovalchuk that appeared in Sunday’s Thrashers Report; Jon lent me his tape of the postgame interview.
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Best in the West
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Thrashers have gotten five points out of the first three games of their western swing and try for more today here in San Jose against the No. 1 team in the Western Conference.
Columbus, Tampa Bay and Boston are scouting, according to the press box seating plan.
Kari Lehtonen is in goal, with Nathan Oystrick and Eric Boulton scratched, meaning Boris Valabik plays for the first time since Feb. 8.
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No defense, but 4 for 4
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve written three very upbeat stories about the last two games. Two focused on the offense the Thrashers showed in beating Anaheim 8-4 and Los Angeles 7-6 in a shootout. The other, to be posted today, is about the success the rookie defensive pair of Zach Bogosian and Nathan Oystrick had in the first game post-Mathieu Schneider.
I didn’t write about giving up 10 goals in two games. That comes tomorrow. I figure when the Thrashers get four points from back-to-back road games, I need to take one of the rare opportunities a Thrashers beat reporter gets to write about some things going right.
But since a few of you commented about Johan Hedberg’s pre-shootout play Monday night, I will address that here. He didn’t have a good game, but it was far from awful. The guy faced 45 shots. Fixing that is the bigger issue.
Realistically, Hedberg is the bridge to the Thrashers’ future. It’s not time to burn that bridge. Here is why you want Hedberg as your No. 2 goalie the rest of this season:
—You want Ondrej Pavelec to play more than he would if he were Kari Lehtonen’s backup.
—You want Pavelec to experience some more success before you bring him back to the NHL. The worst thing you can do for the long term is rush him to the league and ruin his confidence. Yes, he played games in the NHL last season and this season. But he’s 21.
Do those of you in the dump Hedberg camp remember how Pavelec looked when he was with the Thrashers this season? Inconsistent as heck. Young. Athletic but not fundamentally sound. Give him a chance to fix those things in Chicago, away from the bright lights of the NHL.
Hedberg is an excellent presence in the room with a top-notch work ethic. A great goalie? No. A useful and valuable piece for the team right now, when it is not contending for a playoff spot? Sure.
Hedberg is under contract for next season, too, but I could see the calculus changing over the summer. There’s an argument for starting the season with Pavelec and Lehtonen and giving the younger guy a chance to put some pressure on the still-young guy. But that’s a discussion for the summer.
By the way, this blog will be moving to our new, improved platform on Saturday. The link from our ajc.com/thrashers page will work, but if you have bookmarked this blog directly you will need to update. I’ll post the URL here.
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Schneider deal helped Thrashers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mathieu Schneider sure didn’t look like a $5.75 million defenseman for most of this season, especially in the early going. But acquiring him turned out to be an excellent move for the Thrashers.
Remember, the price for Schneider was Ken Klee, Brad Larsen and Chad Painchaud. Were the three of them together worth a second-round pick? And were they going to be as useful as mentors for Zach Bogosian? Larsen hasn’t played a game this season because of a sports hernia. Klee is playing 15 to 18 minutes a game for Phoenix. Painchaud, a former fourth-round pick, is in Bakersfield of the ECHL.
The Schneider story is a salary cap story. The Thrashers got him because the Ducks needed to make room and Atlanta was one of the few teams that could take him. The Thrashers might have gotten more for him than they got from Montreal if more teams had space for him under the cap.
Thrashers fans will now be Canadiens fans, because the further Montreal goes this season the lesser the draft choice the Thrashers lose in June. It will be third-, fourth- or fifth-rounder. Regardless, the Thrashers get Anaheim’s second-round pick in June plus Montreal’s third-round pick in 2010.
It looks like the Thrasher leveraged their salary cap space, and some salary, into improving their franchise. A small step? Yes. But at least they moved forward.
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Early morning PST
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Thrashers skated at 8:30 a.m. today at the arena formerly known as the Pond but now called the Honda Center. Here’s the reasoning: Their biological clocks are still on Eastern Time, and the game, at 5 p.m. Pacific, is like an 8 p.m. EST start, so why not skate at 11:30 a.m. Eastern?
Your scratches for tonight’s game are Jordan LaVallee, Nathan Oystrick and Boris Valabik. Kari Lehtonen plays in goal. Yes, it’s not good to have Oystrick and Valabik sitting when you’re trying to give them experience. That’s one of the issues when you carry eight defensemen. I’m sure the Thrashers would have dealt one or two veteran defensemen by now if they could have gotten as much for them as they might get closer to the trade deadline.
Mathieu Schneider didn’t skate this morning but is playing this afternoon (tonight, Eastern time). Everybody else was on the ice.
Peverley plays on the wing today for the first time since joining the Thrashers. He played all three positions for Nashville. He prefers center but says it’s no big deal. Defensively, the role of a center is more difficult than that of a winger.
Kovalchuk-White-Little
Kozlov-Reasoner-Peverley
Stuart-Christensen-Armstrong
Boulton-Perrin-Thorburn
Havelid-Enstrom
Schneider-Bogosian
Hainsey-Exelby
Lehtonen
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Reasoner front and center
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Marty Reasoner returns to the lineup Sunday night at Anaheim after being out because of first illness and then fatherhood. His daughter, born Wednesday, is named Alexandra but will be called Allie.
Reasoner’s return leaves the Thrashers with an abundance of centers, even without the injured Jim Slater (who isn’t on the western trip but has been doing one—man skating workouts supervised by strength coach Ray Bear). Reasoner gets to stay at his natural position; Rich Peverley moves to the wing.
Kovalchuk-White-Little
Kozlov-Reasoner-Peverley
Stuart-Christensen-Armstrong
Boulton-Perrin-Thorburn or LaVallee
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LaVallee excited to be back
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jordan LaVallee went through his first practice today as an Atlanta Thrashers player since preseason camp. He’s psyched to be back. His role:
“They want me to play a big man’s game,” he said. “They want me to go out there and be physical, be first on the puck, take the man every chance I get.”
LaVallee, 6-3, 220, expected to have a chance to make the team in training camp and was disappointed when that didn’t happen and he had to start the season in Chicago, where he already had played two seasons.
“It took me a little while to bounce back from it,” he said. “Mentally I felt like I turned it around after the All-Star break.”
He practiced on the fourth line Friday alongside Eric Boulton, Eric Perrin and Chris Thorburn. Coach John Anderson said he will play some but not necessarily all of the games on the upcoming four-game trip out west — Anaheim, LA, Phoenix, San Jose.
Jim Slater (shoulder) is not traveling with the team, Anderson said.
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Which defenseman could play forward?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
John Anderson threw it out there at the end of his post-skate interview this morning, and I was sleep-deprived enough not to know if he was serious, but …
Marty Reasoner’s wife was having a baby today, and Anderson said Bryan Little wasn’t feeling well, and Jim Slater is still on the injured list. Now, Reasoner and/or Little might be able to play tonight against Chicago, but if for any reason neither can the Thrashers would be down to 11 forwards. They’re up against the 23-player limit, so they can’t fly in someone from the Chicago Wolves without putting someone else on the injured list or sending someone down.
Regardless, at least as a theoretical exercise, it could be interesting to consider which defensemen could be an emergency fill-in. I think Zach Bogosian and Nathan Oystrick would seem to have skills that could translate to a spot on the wing. Maybe Tobias Enstrom. What do you think?
Kari Lehtonen will try to make it back-to-back victories tonight after making 40 saves at Tampa Bay. The rest of the lineup might depend on the status of Reasoner and Little.
Today’s morning skate was optional. My flight didn’t land in time for me to see the start of it, so I am not sure I have a complete list of players who participated. However, I can say Johan Hedber was there in goal, defensemen included Oystrick, Bogosian, Niclas Havelid, Garnet Exelby and Boris Valabik, forwards included Eric Perrin, Eric Boulton, Joe Motzko, Colin Stuart, Chris Thorburn.
Perrin and Boulton made the smart move of checking into the Omni Hotel after getting back to Atlanta late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning rather than driving all the way home and then having to fight traffic to make it to the skate.
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Thrashers-Lightning a buyer’s market
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The press box seating list tonight is full of teams looking to add a player or two to help them make the playoffs (Pittsburgh, Minnesota, New York Rangers) or make a longer playoff run (Chicago, Detroit, Boston, New Jersey, San Jose).
When you’ve got the 12th place team in the Eastern Conference (Tampa Bay) playing the 14th place team (Atlanta), you know there are players ready to be dealt. Plus, you get the bonus of Florida weather before you set foot inside the arena.
Kari Lehtonen will be in goal tonight. Zach Bogosian is back in the lineup, with Boris Valabik out of it alongside Nathan Oystrick. The Thrashers have eight defensemen at the moment. They’re sure to deal one or two before the deadline March 4.
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Reasoner might be back Wednesday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Marty Reasoner was feeling bad enough over the weekend that he got some intravenous fluids but told me today he is starting to feel better. Still, coach John Anderson said, Reasoner won’t be traveling with the team for Tuesday night’s game at Tampa Bay. Part of the reason is that the Thrashers have a game here Wednesday night, and there’s no reason to push things Tuesday and ruin the chance for Reasoner to play on Wednesday against Chicago.
Reasoner might have another reason to miss Wednesday’s game, though. His wife is scheduled to deliver their baby on Wednesday.
Reasoner didn’t practice on Monday. Also out: Ilya Kovalchuk, who was accompanying his wife and their new baby son home from the hospital, and Mathieu Schneider, who at 39 gets a day off whenever he feels the need. Colby Armstrong left practice early to get treatment for an injury. All three are expected to play Tuesday night.
Reasoner fills a lot of key roles for the Thrashers. With him out on Sunday, Rich Peverley played 2:11 on the penalty kill, Todd White 2:07 and Chris Thorburn played 1:04.
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Lineup changes, no scouts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Johan Hedberg is in net today, and Zach Bogosian, Nathan Oystrick and Marty Reasoner (ill) are scratched.
Starting lineup includes the new line of Kozlov-Peverley-Motzko.
No scouts on the press box list today, for the second consecutive game.
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Morning after raises questions, not answers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thrashers coach John Anderson had some new combinations skating today:
Stuart-White-Motzko
Kozlov-Peverley-Little
Boulton-Perrin or Christensen-Thorburn
Don’t read too much into that, because these guys were missing when I wrote down those lines: Ilya Kovalchuk (wife giving birth), Marty Reasoner (ill) and Colby Armstrong (hurt). They could all be back for Sunday’s game against Philadelphia.
My guess, and it’s just a guess: Erik Christensen gets a chance, and Garnet Exelby replaces Nathan Oystrick, and Boris Valabik still sits.
I’m thinking if I’m the Thrashers I start finding a way for Valabik and Oystrick to play. They need the experience, and even if they don’t necessarily give you the best shot at winning, isn’t player development more important than winning at this stage of the season?
BTW, I’ve been asked on the blog about Mike Hoffman. Here is the answer, courtesy of a conversation today with Anderson. Hoffman hurt his hand again (it was broken here in the preseason, and then he hurt the tendons in Chicago). He has played in 38 of 51 games, but even when in his minutes have been somewhat limited.
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Slater returning to ice
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jim Slater’s shoulder passed a recent test, and Slater said he’ll be back skating “hopefully this weekend.” Add a week from when he starts skating to when he could be back in the lineup, so the earliest you’re likely to see him back at center is on the West Coast trip Feb. 15-21.
Craig Custance of Sporting News and Scott Burnside of ESPN.com both spoke with Mathieu Schneider after this morning’s skate. Look for both to write something about Schneider’s potential value to playoff contenders down the stretch.
Here’s a stat for you: Kari Lehtonen has a 92.9 save percentage in his last eight appearances.
Here’s another stat: The Thrashers have scored in only two of the 12 periods they have played since the All-Star break.
Looks like the same lineup tonight as the Thrashers used Tuesday night. Thrashers coach John Anderson likes to stick with whatever is working (when something is working).
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Radio, radio
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Center Eric Perrin made his second of four appearances on 680 the Fan’s Hockey Night in Atlanta tonight at 7 p.m. from Buffalo Wild Wings on Roswell Road in Dunwoody. “To get on for an hour and talk about hockey, it doesn’t happen often [in Atlanta],” said Perrin, who takes calls from fans and discusses the Thrashers and the rest of the NHL. How does he talk with a mouthful of wings? He doesn’t. He eats the wings afterward.
So if you call in, you’ve got his full attention and that of host John Kincade.
“We’re pretty much open to anything. I know when I was a kid, I’d listen to the Montreal Canadiens’ show. You’d always have a player on there, and you’d be interested in what they had to say,” Perrin said.
Perrin isn’t the only radio talent on the team. Jim Slater will be on the air with Dan Kamal for at least part of Friday night’s broadcast from Philips Arena for the Thrashers’ game against the Devils. Garnet Exelby and Mike Hoffman have done previous celebrity stints.
Slater is out for at least another week with his shoulder injury, coach John Anderson said Exelby is ready to play but doesn’t expect to play Friday.
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White chooses against a day off
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A dozen players took part in the optional skate today:
Johan Hedberg; Zach Bogosian, Garnet Exelby, Nathan Oystrick and Boris Valabik; Eric Boulton, Erik Christensen, Bryan Little, Joe Motzko, Colin Stuart, Chris Thorburn and Todd White.
If you were playing the old Sesame Street game of One of These Things is Not Like the Others, you’d have to say White sticks out. The other guys are either younger or didn’t play Tuesday night in New York or, in Boulton’s case, played but not very much (6:18). White was on the ice for 19:20, behind only Ilya Kovalchuk and Rich Peverley among Thrashers forwards. White is 33.
Being kind of old myself (I’m 45), I figured I’d ask him what was up and get some answer about hard work or leadership or some such.
“I was trying to break in a new pair of skates,” he said. “Instead of a real practice that’s high, high intensity, it’s better to break in a pair of skates on an optional. I was up, so I decided to come to the rink.”
Incidentally, the guys who didn’t skate Wednesday didn’t necessarily take the day off. Eric Perrin, Marty Reasoner and Jim Slater were scheduled to make an afternoon appearance at a children’s hospital ground breaking. Boulton, Hedberg, Thorburn and White worked double, attending the skate before the hospital appearance.
Thrashers coach John Anderson and his staff have a decision to make before Friday’s game against New Jersey. Do they stick with the lineup that won Tuesday night at New York, or do they find a way to squeeze Exelby back into the lineup? Exelby is ready to play and looked the part on the ice on Wednesday, but if he plays who sits? Oystrick, the most likely option, was good Tuesday night.
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New feature: Who is watching
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The NHL trade deadline is a month from Wednesday, so we’re starting a new feature on this blog: Who’s watching? We’ll tell you who has scouts/front office people in the building each time the Thrashers play from here to the deadline.
Tonight’s installment: Red Wings, Maple Leafs, Coyotes, Ducks (two people), Canadiens, Predators. GM Don Waddell is in attendance for Atlanta. He or assistant GM Larry Simmons is on hand every time the Thrashers play.
Other news: Tonight’s lineup looks the same as it was Saturday at Carolina, with Erik Christensen and Boris Valabik as healthy scratches and Kari Lehtonen your starting goaltender. Garnet Exelby might also be considered a healthy scratch now that he has been cleared to play, but if you read the blog yesterday you knew he wasn’t going to play tonight.
Though the personnel aren’t changing tonight, other things might. Assistant coach Steve Weeks played a major role in running Monday’s practice, and that’s not typical for this season, in which Todd Nelson and Randy Cunneyworth have taken much more prominent positions on the staff.
Were I smarter, I would have spoken with Mathieu Schneider today about his former Rangers teammate Adam Graves, whose jersey is being retired tonight. I didn’t, but you’ll see some comments from Schneider on tonight’s telecast. The game starts at 8 p.m. because of the Graves ceremony, which they are rehearsing as I type this.
Also, be looking for an upcoming story on Zach Bogosian on NHL.com. They did the interviews today; I think the story will hit their Web site next week.
There is a blizzard outside.
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X returns this week
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Doctors have cleared Garnet Exelby to return from the hairline fracture of the leg that has kept him out since the Ottawa game Dec. 16. Coach John Anderson says Exelby will be back “very soon,” not Tuesday night at the Rangers but probably Friday for a home game against New Jersey.
X practiced with Boris Valabik today, which suggests the Thrashers will stick with Nathan Oystrick, who played Saturday at Carolina after being scratched since Jan. 10. I don’t expect Valabik to be out long, though. He’s too valuable to this team long-term, and he needs to play to develop.
Chris Thorburn returned to the Kovalchuk line in practice today, and Bryan Little returned to the line he has played on for the vast majority of the season. Here is how it looked:
Kovalchuk-Peverley-Thorburn
Kozlov-White-Little
Stuart-Reasoner-Armstrong (Christensen)
Boulton-Perrin-Motzko
Christensen looked to be the odd man out again.
