AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > April > 15
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Four-step program to recovery
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Disheartening stat of the day: Only 37 of 274 teams have come back to win a best-of-seven playoff series after losing the first two games. That’s 13.5 percent. Of those 37, 16 have done it after losing the first two at home. That’s a 6-percent success rate.
However — and you guys know how I like silver linings — it did happen twice just last year. And one of those teams, the Carolina Hurricanes, went on to win the Stanley Cup, as I recall. (Brian, can you confirm that?) In fact, Carolina lost the first two games of the first round AT HOME to Montreal before the mo’ turned in the Hurricanes’ favor.
So, you see? We’re in like Flynn.
Maybe not. But still. Just a little positive spin on a dire situation. Let’s no forget, too, that the Thrashers typically went on some of their longer winning streaks this season immediately after some of their more demoralizing defeats. We know this team has some resilience to it.
I took the Ice Kids to the Cooler today for a few laps at free skate. The comforting swoosh of a thin metal blade gliding on the ice gave me a chance to reflect on the first two games. We had a lot of varied opinions in yesterday’s blog — some well-reasoned and intelligent. Others a little out there. Some, well, just plain sick and twisted.
Here seem to be the general principles to which the Thrashers must abide if they want to get back into this series. Nobody write in and say, “Hey, you clueless idiot, that’s what I wrote yesterday!” I know it’s what you wrote yesterday. I’m summing up the thoughts and ideas generated by you.
Here they be:
Fix the power play. We never really had a great power play this season, but we at least had a power play. This Norman Dale Offense (pass four times before you shoot) isn’t going to cut it. We’ve actually had good movement on the PP, just no shots. And when we do take shots, they’re coming from the perimeter on one-timers and slappers. Like Lance Armstrong says, It’s not about the bike … it’s about the cycle. We’ve got to get a rotation going down low and get some quality inside shots on the PP.
Find Marian Hossa’s manhood. There are whispers in Ottawa that Hossa was one of the main culprits for the Senators’ annual postseason flameouts. I, for one, would like to shut those people up. But to do that, Hossa’s gonna have to get a little more aggressive with the puck. There are few people who make that bullrush from the right side as fearsome as he does. We’ve seen him cut inside defensemen, go around defensemen and turn two defensement into each other. Remember that one time, when he bunny-hopped the defenseman’s stick and met up with the puck on the other side and scored uncontested? That’s what we need to see. He needs to play a little less calculated and with a lot more of that aggressive creativity. I’ve seen defensemen start to weep openly when they see him coming one-on-one.
Forget about Sean Avery for a few minutes. I, for one, liked the way the Thrashers tried to dole out some physical punishment. But I think you guys could be right when you say it took the Thrashers away from their normal game. Heck, even Avery said it. If the opportunity is there to put him down, do it. But the team needs to stop going out of its way for the big hit on the big distraction. That applies most directly to Ilya, whose energy needs to be directed more toward the net.
Better decisions from the D-men. OK, that might be asking a bit much, but they have to try. Zhitnik is rock solid. XLB is what he is, and he’s playing well. And de Vries, though limited in his range of skills, usually makes the right play with the puck. But Sutton, Havelid and Hnidy are killing us with their hesitations and ill-timed passes in the defensive zone. Sometimes they need to be content with just getting the puck across the blue line and regrouping.
So those are four. Feel free to submit your own, and I’ll fax the list up to Hi Bob in NYC.
We’ll make a series of it yet.
