AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > November > 17 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USMoose Stands On Head In Carolina
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sounds like a National Enquirer headline, does it not? But it’s true. I swear it is. You see, Johan “Moose” Hedberg turned back 31 shots and hand delivered the Thrashers their first shutout victory of the season, a 3-0 win over the division leading Hurricanes. Some of those saves where things of beauty. Interestingly enough, Moose had entered Friday’s game in Carolina with a .889 SV% and a league low 3.59 GAA. While his overall numbers are not that impressive on the season, (or for that matter the team’s overall goalkeeping numbers), of late those stats are improving all around. In three of the past four games Atlanta has given up 2 goals or less.
So, apparently, moose can stand on their heads. Just ask some of the players wearing red jerseys last night. They are believers. Now, about that incident in Roswell, New Mexico…
Combined with the stellar goaltending of late is another positive trend, the play of one Mr. Marion Hossa. In his past four games he has 6 goals and 3 helpers. The combination of White, Hossa and Kovy has been nothing short of electric. On the second goal the “Player Formerly Known as Charmin” turned his defender into a snow-angel then passed the biscuit to Hoss as he sliced through the slot. Very nice! Hey Don, or Brad…or whomever is going to be coach next week, I think I speak for the entire Blueland Blog-o-sphere when I say, “Please keep them on the ice together”.
Honestly, that game could have been 6-0 with all the quality chances. Hossa was on target 6 times and Pascal “You Me And” Dupuis went postal just prior to the second break. The whole offense just looked good.
Defensively, it looks as though the pairings are starting to click. Exelby back in the line-up with Klee logged some very solid minutes and Toe-BEE-us Enstrom with Havelid continue to communicate well. Popovic with Zhitnik did well, (could we call that the Pop-a-Zhit pairing)?
So, all in all a lot of very good things from Raleigh last night and not anything really un-good. Oh yeah, we were out shot again.
And now, some quick shots from the hip:
Friday’s win puts the Thrashers at 5-1-0 with two games left in the current southeast run.
The Thrashers are 9-4 since….ya know what? I’m not even going to mention those first six games anymore.
We awake this morning, sipping upon our morning brew, to find the Thrashers two points below the playoff cut-off line.
What’s this? Over the past 10 games the only team in the Southeast Division with a winning record hails from Blueland.
Chris Thorburn played a solid game, logging 8:00 TOI and a shot on goal. But more importantly, he handled his TV interview during the second intermission very nicely indeed, and that is VERY important.
Anyone else cringe when Sports South displayed Hedberg’s goaltending as the Perfection Play of the Game with about two and a half minutes left to go? Do they not understand the delicacies and protocol of Shutout Karma?
Enstrom was the Time On Ice leader. Funny, as I was typing that it felt as though I was experiencing a bit of deja-vous.
Monday night Tampa Bay is in town for a nationally televised game on Vs. That’s HD folks so get to the solons, shave close and clip those nose hairs.
Comments
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By Kozzie13
November 17, 2007 2:05 AM | Link to this
I win
By Wreckin & Thrashin
November 17, 2007 2:12 AM | Link to this
Rawhide, you are freakin awesome. It’s 2 AM, and you give us an updated blog. That’s the kind of passion I love to see. Keep it up! Oh yeah, and another awesome team effort tonight… I’m so psyched about this team right now! Go Thrashers!
By R. Stroz
November 17, 2007 2:14 AM | Link to this
Todd White, the hockey player formerly known as Charmin, has a new name, Bounty, the quicker pucker upper.
By Thrashers27
November 17, 2007 3:05 AM | Link to this
Can we stop with the “I win” crap? Might have been fun the first couple of times, but now it’s just old and dumb. The only thing we should be concerned with is “WE WIN”!!!
Nice game tonight fellas! Keep it up!
By ranallo10
November 17, 2007 4:23 AM | Link to this
I like the new nickname Stroz…will you be making signs?
And I think I’m in agreement with Thrashers27.
By Bill
November 17, 2007 8:08 AM | Link to this
What a great game!, let’s hope this is a harbinger of things to come…and of regular televison coverage, ahem!
By Hockeyfan
November 17, 2007 8:22 AM | Link to this
If Larose ever needs to change his career he should look at competitive diving
By Brian
November 17, 2007 8:23 AM | Link to this
Rawhide - Obviously a great game by a great team. Alexei Zhitnik still needs to stop taking dumb penalties. Since we are on the topic of name pronouncing, the Zh in Zhitnik is pronounced like the Zs in Zsa Zsa. So put a little ssshhhh sound in there, it’s not a pimple.
Glad to see that people are begging DW to keep Todd White, the center he signed this summer, on the same line with Kovy & Hossa. It is a little bit of an endorsement for DW as coach, but a greater one for him as GM.
And I too think the I win posts have jumped the shark…
By Baldheaded Thrasher
November 17, 2007 8:31 AM | Link to this
Looks like the team is starting to gel, arguably the best game the Thrashers have played this year. The only un-good I saw were the 5 shots on 5 PP’s. We should have the iced the game on one of the PPs and not have to worry about the last 2 minutes when the Canes pulled Ward.
PK looked great. The fans need to show up Monday night for the game in Blueland. It shouldn’t take a weekend game for a sellout. Hope to see you there.
By FormerIslesFan
November 17, 2007 8:32 AM | Link to this
On a different note, NHL.com has a nice feature on how Sterling has found his scoring touch again in the AHL.
I must admit, I didn’t realize he was playing on the off-wing when he was up here…
By Brian
November 17, 2007 9:05 AM | Link to this
Baldheaded Thrasher - I know this is hard to believe, but MOST teams (not just the Thrashers and their fans who yell shoot it) do not average above 2 SOG/PP. So to have between 5-10 SOG on 5 PPs is pretty fair. Again, I am not just talking the Thrashers, but most NHL teams. Watch the games, especially the ones on VS where you can see other teams, and pay attention on the PPs. To get one quality chance is a good thing. To just wing it from the blueline when no one is in front doesn’t do any good. Thus the debate here where some folks feel to just throw it on net for the sake of getting it on net and others want a high scoring shot. It’s the equivalent of hoisting up a 3 pointer with a defender in your face or passing it around, running a pick play and getting a lay-up…
FormerIslesFan - glad to see Sterling found his touch again, I didn’t know either he switched up here. The problem becomes “where do you put him up here”? We have a plethera of LWs and fewer RWs (Perrin is a C playing RW, Larsen & Dupuis are on the same line, both LWs so one of them is playing RW, and then Hossa & Thorburn are the other RWs playing that position). Haydar is also a RW and he is a healthy scratch…
By Christy
November 17, 2007 11:03 AM | Link to this
Oh that was a good win, good night last night. Thrashers win, switch to NHL Network and watch the Habs go down 4-2 to Buffalo. I had sweet dreams last night. Don’t know why I get so much joy out of Montreal’s pain, but I do. Well, might have something to do with their fans’ disdain for Atlanta, but…
By Christy
November 17, 2007 11:09 AM | Link to this
Oh, and did anybody see TSN’s headline for the game recap “Hurricane Hossa blows past ‘Canes” loving the alliteration and metaphor they got going. Sounds like something straight out of Dan Kamal’s lexicon.
By kracker
November 17, 2007 11:24 AM | Link to this
Brian & FIF On where to play Sterling, yeah that remains the problem for him here. Sterling playing RW was mentioned but not stressed in the local media as why he didn’t score up here this year.
Possible solution?: Trade him for an almost comparable right wing prospect ready for a prime time chance. Doing that deal to get equal value is much easier said than done I am sure. Tell me, in general, I am thinking there are more LWs than RWs?
By Brian
November 17, 2007 11:45 AM | Link to this
kracker - as long as the team is playing well, I hold on to him as insurance. What if Kozzy gets hurt? The problem is that the top 2 lines are set now. Kovy-White-Hossa will not get touched. Kozzy-Little-Perrin is not on fire, but is contributing a bit. Then you have the d-line of Larsen-Holik-Dupuis. Then the 4th line/energy line of Boulton-Slater-Thorburn. You don’t want to break up the top 2 unless you take one of them off the team (where would you move Kozzy to?). The Holik line doesn’t do well for scoring, but they aren’t supposed to. And even Dupuis has plenty of speed, they had a great scoring chance last night that took an amazing save from Ward and drew a penalty on that play. The only thing you can do is take the enforcers out, but do you want to leave them off with no bangers? Even if you get a great RW, where do you put him, sit Perrin or Dupuis?
Oh yeah, we have 5 LWs active now, and 2 RWs (We also have Haydar as a healthy scratch who is a RW, so really 3 RWs). 5 Cs as well. Perrin is a C playing RW, and Dupuis is a LW playing RW, so that makes it 4 each, and that is our 4 lines.
It’s easy to say we should add a player, but then tell me who do you take off…
By Brian
November 17, 2007 12:00 PM | Link to this
kracker - before all the DW haters come out and say that he didn’t construct the team properly (quick, we’re 9-4 and can’t think of a reason to fire DW!!!), let me add that Perrin has already played all 3 positions up front with TB, so it was not a problem for him to play RW even though he is listed as a C. And the 4th liners can be interchangeable real easy. So although it seems like there isn’t balance among the positions, we actually do have all of our positions covered. The team is constructed fine. Again, if you add Sterling, who do you take off? Kozzy? Put him on the 4th line? No and No…
By kracker
November 17, 2007 1:22 PM | Link to this
All good points, Biran. I’m not for making a trade just to do it. Or for forcing Sterling into the lineup. Just thinking a trade of Sterling may be a way to get another player for the right side if we need it, without having a guy play out of position.
By Brian
November 17, 2007 1:50 PM | Link to this
kracker - I’m not worried about the offense at all. Obviously we are stacked at G. If we get anything this year in a trade, I want a quality, established D-man. We have 2 rookies doing great now in Enstrom & Popovic, so our drafting is turning out talent. That will also give more time for guys like Denny or Oystrick to develop and not be called up too soon. I think that was the logic in getting Klee, a vet who can be stable. X has been a force. Havelid is doing well now too. But Zhitnik is dropping off and the only option is MacCarthy. Imagine if we had Enstrom & Havelid bringing it up one moment then a total shutdown guy to go with X, then you have Popovic & Klee as your 3rd pairing?
By Midfield
November 17, 2007 5:55 PM | Link to this
As much as I criticized Zhitnik, I think he is slowly getting his wheels back. He reportedly showed up in the camp out off shape - big time, and it still was a drag to see him skate during the game with Florida (back-to-back sequel). But when he can keep up, he has good spacing and he has a decent shot from the point.
By Brian
November 17, 2007 6:18 PM | Link to this
Midfield - last year we all drooled over the guy and were more than happy with that trade. But now it’s this year. I don’t know if benching him will get him going or if we just have to wait it out like you say, but it is the one glaring spot right now.
By Darren
November 17, 2007 10:35 PM | Link to this
I remember Craig writing several times that Sterling would have to play the off-wing.
It’s the kind of thing that kind of makes hockey unique in that left wings and right wings aren’t simply interchangeable like in left fielders and right fielders in baseball.
It’s not as easy to switch as it sounds.
Could Sterling do it successfully? I think so. But I guess the expectation of him continuing to tear it up at the NHL level after playing for so many years on the left wing as well as the pressure of being on a line with Kovalchuk was too much.
By Brian
November 17, 2007 10:54 PM | Link to this
Darren - Sterling didn’t spend that much time with Kovy’s line at all, so it had nothing to do with pressure of playing with him. He probably spent the most shifts with the wolfpack line with Haydar & Little. But Haydar is a RW, so he would’ve been LW there, so no switch was needed. Maybe that’s why that line did as well as it did. He was also getting minutes on other 4th line combinations (BH didn’t use the current energy line of Boulton-Slater-Thorburn). But those 4th line minutes aren’t going to lead to much scoring though…
By ranallo10
November 17, 2007 10:54 PM | Link to this
Zhitnik and Klee are definitely wearing my patience thin. When Exelby is with Klee, his aggressiveness is balanced well with Klee’s slowness, and thus the overaggressive pinching by Exelby isn’t a glaring weakness. The untimely penalties are still there, but at least Klee isn’t ALWAYS at fault for every goal against (a positive in my book).
Zhitnik however doesn’t seem to be compensated by anybody’s strengths, as at this point Popovic is looking more average than anything (which I’m fine with, Hnidy looked average). Zhitnik seems lost, tired, and just plain bad right now. He needs to snap out of it and revert back to the 18 points in 14 GP defender that was acquired last season.
I think if Sterling is going to be traded (I hope not) that it has to be to improve either Defense or Offense.
I could see a Zhitnik+Sterling trade for a top 2 defender and a prospect or draft pick. The problem is, who wants Zhitnik right now? I’m sure not many people are knocking down Waddell’s door trying to grab him. So, I guess we must rely on Zhitnik getting out of his slump.
By ranallo10
November 17, 2007 11:14 PM | Link to this
I think if Sterling is going to be traded (I hope not) that it has to be to improve either Defense or Offense.
What I mean is that trading Sterling for a right wing prospect is useless, as you’re getting rid of a proven commodity and replacing him with another AHL level talent.
By Brian
November 17, 2007 11:30 PM | Link to this
ranollo - I was going to make a comment that it was a very Bobesque type statement. Gee, offense or defense? That narrows it down. What other option is there, trade Sterling for a goalie??? Oh it’s Sat, have another drink…
By ranallo10
November 18, 2007 1:43 PM | Link to this
Yeah, I noticed that when I re-read my own statement.
The word I was attempting to emphasize was “upgrade”.
I need to lay off the bottle…
By Jim
November 18, 2007 2:07 PM | Link to this
Rawhide- What game were you watching? I watched the Center Ice show that was the Hurricane TV broadcast. The announcers pointed out that the Canes had very few real scoring opportunities and that we had many more scoring opportunities. The forwards and denfensemen played a good game in front of Moose. No question that he played good but he certainly didn’t have to stand on his head.
By puckjunque
November 18, 2007 3:30 PM | Link to this
Hey Manley I haven’t seen you blog in a while. Whatsup? You’re still in our prayers. The Thrashers have been kicking butt, where are you?
By Rawhide
November 18, 2007 4:19 PM | Link to this
JIM - Maybe it’s a matter of perspective. I watched our SPSO TV broadcast an saw Moose make some great saves. His positioning was flawless. I don’t know if the Carolina guys were downplaying it or what….I didn’t listen to them, so I don’t know.
Your comments about the guys in front of him are right on target and I could not agree more with you. Probably the most coplete effort of the season thus far.
It’s just to me, IMHO, when your goalie shuts down a team like Carolina in their building he gets the props.
Even if we have to simply agree to disagree on this, I hope we have this “problem” for the rest of the season.
By Jim
November 18, 2007 8:19 PM | Link to this
Rawhide_ I agree completely, would be a nice “problem” to have all season. The D. was dropping down in front of shots all night (X, Enstrom, Havelid)and the forwards joined in. Even Kovy dropped down in front of one late in the game. And, what a great play X made on Staal’s breakaway- a poke check from behind without tripping or holding him. The Cane announcers were very complimentary and noted that this is the way a team should play on the road. I’ll take it at home as well. Refreshing to see the team actually playing as a team.