AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > October > 14
Sunday, October 14, 2007
You Thinking What I’m Thinking?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was shocked. Simply shocked. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief. But there was Kari skating toward the goal to begin the game. I wondered, did Moose hurt himself during warm-ups? Was there an illness or death in his family? Surely, something wasn’t right. Were you not thinking Moose was starting tonight? I was.
Now, I’m not dumping on our Finish net-minder. It’s just that after 5 goals on 20 shots in 40 minutes Thursday night before being pulled, I don’t think I was alone in my feelings that #1 would start Saturday night. But apparently I was wro….uh, I was less-then-correct.
Then, 1:46 into the game New Jersey is up 1-0. (Just an aside here, but will somebody check to see if a law was enacted requiring that the Thrashers go down a goal before the first beer is consumed). Anyway, then I thought, OMG, same song-different verse. Was I the only one of the 15,606 in the arena thinking that? I doubt it.
But just 35 ticks of the clock later the youth movement led the charge. Haydar rips a blast that stunned Marty Brodeur. The assists coming from fellow rookies Little and Sterling. (Can one of my stats-wizards take a look-see at the record books and tell me the last time a goal was scored by a rookie with two assists from rookies. Not only THAT, but a rookie scoring his first goal from two rookies notching their first assists).
The “older” crowd took it from there. Ilya, XLB and The Captain crinkled the twine and in just 28 minutes and 28 seconds, we not only held our first lead of the year we had doubled our goal production for the season. And we all thought THIS was where it all would turn around. We saw speed and passing mixing together and we rejoiced. We saw our defense stone the Devils on a 4 minute PK, allowing just 2 shots in that span, and again we rejoiced. I know I wasn’t only one feeling it, I heard it from you all. It was LOUD!!!! From our youngsters then to our vets, this team started to bridge the generational gap and Blueland was a-rockin’.
But then, it happened.
Half a minute before the second intermission, Kari gives up a juicy rebound and Pandolfo pulled New Jersey back to a single goal and I began to get nervous, almost as if I knew this was going to wind up coming back to haunt us. Now, I will be honest with you all. I felt bad for allowing the doubt to creep in my mind. After all, the team played great overall and we still held a lead going into the third. But still, I had this ugly, nasty feeling in my gut. We were getting out shot 23-14 at that time and just let up one of those dreaded last minute goals. But was I the only one struggling with pessimism at this point?
Obviously not. Here is a post from Stendec Saturday evening, “Oh my God! Thrashers had an offensive explosion. FOUR GOALS! See (Kari) let two-goal edge dwindle to one before second intermission. Figures…… Look for (Kari) to allow two or more in third period! Hope I am off base. DOUBT IT!”
And, alas, unfortunately our friend Stendec was, indeed, on base. He put into print what we all were thinking. When we first saw Kari skate out to start, we all were suprised. However, the 3rd period played out in a fashion that justified our fears. Before we knew it, we were a goal down and we couldn’t get a shot on net in the first half of the final period.
Kovalchuk’s lazer blast with 3:20 left brought us to out feet in jubilation, (oh, and I would be remiss if I did not note his intense play of late. He has justified that “A” on his chest). At minimum, our first point of the season seemed surely at hand. Then….
Exelby holds at 18:15
Elias scores at 19:32
It seemed almost surreal.
It got even surreal-er-er.
As the clock ticked down,…..17, 16, 15,…..somehow the puck makes it past Broduer and slides slowly, S L O W L Y, toward the goal line. I thought it was going in, you did too, just before Marty covered it with his mit. The great Marty Brodeur made the most meaningful save of the night on a shot that was travelling at 0.00000031 m.p.h.
Done. 6-5 loss. 0-5-0 on the season.
Now what are we all thinking? Let me take a Stendecian type stab at it.
Kari must sit. Moose must start. Not just in Filth-adelphia, but Thursday when the Rangers pay us a call. He must start the vast majority of the road trip. Kari must sit, not because he is 0-4-0 against the Flyers with a 3.31 GAA and an .881 SV%., but because Lehtonen has allowed 11 goals in his last 5 peroids. That’s over two per period. That’s just bad,…period.
Now, Moose himself has a 4.50 GAA and an .857 SV% in 4 periods, so it’s not like he’s been standing on his head out there. And surely our defence must reduce the amount of shots our net-minders are facing. But Kari’s in a daze, a rut, a funk, call it what you will. And he has to figure it out. Only not on the ice.
Johan Hedberg must be our starter.
Period.
