AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > November > 20
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
We Had Them Right Where We Wanted Them
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I can see it now. The next time we play the Tampa Bay Lightning, during the pre-game discussion John Tortorella is going to tell his guys, “Hey, whatever you do, don’t get a 2 or 3 goal lead on these guys. That’s right where they want us”!
And who would blame him. The last time the two teams matched up, the Thrashers erased a 4-1 deficit by scoring 5 unanswered goals. This time Atlanta did it by scoring 2 goals in the last 5:18 to send the game into overtime, where they then beat them. It’s almost like they are just toying with them. There is a certain evil, twisted, demented quality about that type of a team that I just love!
The Boys of Blueland started showing this quality in Ottawa at the beginning of the month when they got behind 5-0 and pulled to within a goal of the Senators. The very next game is when they completed the “sting” against the Bolts for the first time. Last week, they “played” the Panthers much the same way when Marion Hossa scored to tie the game with less then 3 seconds left on the clock. Ilya Kovalchuk then finished them off 25 seconds into the overtime session, (Very humane thing to do, finishing off wounded prey so they don’t suffer long).
Last night after a very strong first period, the Thrashers allowed a one-goal lead slip away. The goal coming when Pascal Dupruis beat, I mean literally BEAT, Brad Lukowich to the puck and fed a nifty pass to Brad Larson who tallied his first goal of the season. But Tampa Bay’s Jan Hlavac and Vinny Lecavalier scored second period goals just 38 seconds apart to put Atlanta in a 2-1 hole. (It ended a nice run of 98:59 Johan Hedberg had gone without allowing a goal). Half way through the third it was 3-1.
Right where we wanted them.
The hustle of Slava Kozlov earned a 5-3 power play at 13:57 of the third, then he and Marion Hossa assisted on a goal by Bryan Little. Hossa later teamed up with Niclas Havelid setting up Kovy’s game tying goal at 17:37, his NHL leading 17th of the season. The pass from Hossa found its way past two Tampa defenders who were sprawled out on the ice like pretty little snow angels.
Enter Todd White in the extra frame. He took a pass from Kovalchuk on the left side during a 4-3 power play and motored his way to the net for the game winner. Tobias Enstrom had the secondary assist and played an amazing 27:18 on the ice. It was White’s second such goal in the past three overtime games. He has gone from being called Charmin, (because he was “soft”), to be referred to as Bounty-The Quicker-Pucker-Upper due to his improved play. Maybe we can now start calling him Dow Scrubbing Bubbles. Because in overtime, he works hard so you don’t have toooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
(Sorry)…
Anyway, the win brings our team to 10-10 on the year and 6-1 on the 8 game swing through the Southeast division, picking up 12 points and only giving back 5. It ties us with Boston for 9th place in the conference, just one point behind 8th place Toronto. The Thrashers are third in the division, seven behind Carolina and two in back of the Lightning. The victory also brings Atlanta to 6-2 for the month of November and assures the team of a non-losing record for the month.
The Lightning came into the game on a roll winning five in a row. They had built a two-goal lead on the Thrashers with less then half a period to go. But they left Blueland with their win streak snapped and their heads shaking.
They’ve only themselves to blame. They walked right into our trap.
Suckers!
