AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > December
December 2007
Boston, Carolina x2 & Travel Plans
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bruins: Take Two
The Thrashers will end the 2007 calendar year in BAH-Stan to take on the Bruins for the second time in less than 48 hours. Fresh off Saturday night’s 5-0 beating, I’m sure the only thing the Bruins would dread more then face the Thrashers again is go for a drive with Ted Kennedy behind the wheel…thank you!
For the Boys of Blueland, today’s results have some major implications as to their standing in the conference bracket as well as the Southeast division. A regulation win would put them at 41 points and spring them over the Bruins as well as the idle Buffalo Sabres. The Islanders at 40 points play division-leading Carolina. So, if the Thrashers do prevail again they can find themselves alone in 8th place in the conference or two points off the division lead. The Thrashers still have a game in hand with the Hurricanes as well.
JINX-Your It!
Prior to Saturday night’s game, New England Sports Network’s Rob Simpson had the following to say:
“An entertaining statistical sidebar tonight. Barring a Thrashers shutout, which we don’t expect this evening, the next Bruin to score will score the 18,000th goal in Bruin’s history”.
Needless to say, he broke all hockey protocol and jinxed his team! The Hockey Gods do frown on such things, you know. Hey Rob, the stat still stands! So what say you make the same comment later today prior to the game!
Na-Na-Na-Na, Hey-Hey-Hey…SHUT UP!
Apparently the NESN TV broadcasters that do the Bruins games, Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley, do not think the Atlanta hockey fans “get it” when it comes to NHL hockey. Why, you ask? Well, because when we were giving the Bruins an old-fashioned beat-down in Philips the other night, we failed to sing that insipid “Na-na-na-na, Hey-hey-hay…Good-bye” song.
Oh, of course! How silly of us! And, why…right here it is on page 102 of “America’s Single Standard for Hockey Orders and Lasting Etiquette”…the hockey fan’s official guide of behavior that was obviously written by Edwards and Brickley. From it I quote, “If the home team gains a point advantage that is seemingly insurmountable, the home crowd shall sing the ‘Na-na-na-na, hey-hey-hey, good-bye’ song in an attempt to taunt and shame the visiting team”. Well, there you go…needless to say a copy shall be distributed later this week at the next home game to all who attend.
So, if the Thrasher do indeed provide us with a repeat of last Saturday night’s smacking of the Bruins…sometime around the middle of the third period, that’s the last period of an ice hockey game, (seeing that none of us down here know squat about hockey)…stand up, face the north-northeast and, at the top of your lungs, shout it out loud!
“Na-na-na-na….Na-na-na-na…Hey-hey-hey…SHUT THE $%#@-UP….Jack and Andy!
Carolina X 2
The Thrashers travel to Carolina to play the Hurricanes Wednesday then on Friday will return home to play the Hurricanes. Hey, is there an echo in here?
Anyway, it just makes today’s game that much more important as they need to pick up the points now to be able to take advantage of the scheduling afforded us at this juncture. Take care of business in Bean town; take care of business against Carolina, and …TA-DA… its first place in the Southeast. How simple is that math?
Travel Itinerary
I’ll be traveling to sunny Florida on New Year’s Day, returning home Sunday…in time for the Buffalo game. I’ll be working on the mid-season report card for our team and should be able to check in periodically…depending on what brand of civilization I will be afforded, dial-up or hacking into an unlocked aerial signal, (oops, did I say that)?
Anyway, I have a very special guest blogger lined up for you in my absence. My cousin Cletus from Alabama-stan has accepted my invitation and is anxiously awaiting his chance to provide his insight.
Enjoy!
You Want Me To Do WHAT?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“You want me to do WHAT”?
I could hear the incredulity spewing forth from his mouth on the other end of the phone. It was Friday, noon-ish. Don Waddell had just read my last blog entry that called for him to put Kari Lehtonen back into the nets for Saturday night’s game. He wasted no time getting on the horn with me to find out if I had started the New Year’s partying early!
“Yeah, that’s right”, I fired back. “Put him in there…trust me, Donnie, you won’t regret it”.
Oh, he hedged all right. He hemmed and he hawed. He gave me all the shallow, shortsighted, knee-jerk reactionary reasons why Moose should have started. You know the ones like, “But Hedberg is fresh and he needs a start”. And, “But Kari let in four last time…and they were all so soft”…Blah, blah, blah. DW obviously is a “lurker” in this blog!
I continued, “Oh, and another thing…I hear Slates is under the weather. Call Chicago, have that Colin Stuart kid wing his way down here to start in his place”.
“But, Rawhide…he’s not a center! If I’m gonna call for anyone it’ll be…”
“Don, buddy, pal, chum, comrade…look, I don’t have time for this, I’m a busy man. Get him down here, put in on the Holik line with Dupuis…I’ve got this feeling, so just go with it. Besides, Larson can center the 4th line. Geeze, do I have to explain EVERYTHING to you”?
“Putting Kari back in the nets? Saturday night”? He kept whining, “I dunno…it’s a sellout. We’re expecting almost 19,000 people. You know how we do in front of sell outs”.
“Sell out, SCHMELL OUT”! I quipped back, “Look, just trust me on this Don-meister…start Kari, it’s a no brainer”.
Anyway, he reluctantly capitulated. I tell you…that boy, Donnie,…when he listens to me, he does OK. Eventually, if he keeps this up, I’ll be able to turn him loose with this whole Executive Vice President/GM/Head Coaching thing.
And that’s the way the conversation went! - Yeah, that’s it…that’s the ticket. It happened, really…just like that!
Anywhoooooooo…
Kari Lehtonen laid a big, fat, hairy goose egg up on the Philips Arena scoreboard Saturday night when the Thrashers and Blueland really needed one. In stopping all 26 shots faced in the 5-0 victory he became the first goalie to shut out the Bs all season. In all honesty, he got a great deal of help from the defense in front of him. The early goals from the forwards didn’t hurt either. But when he was called upon, he was up to the task.
Things went so well for the Boys of Blueland that the one puck that did beat Kari, a short-handed break away shot that doinked the post, was taken right back down ice and led to Ilya Kovalchuk’s 32 goal of the year. And Alexei Zhitnik notched his first of the season on a slapper while the puck was rolling on its edge. It wobbled like a Tim Wakefield knuckleball over Tim Thomas’ right shoulder, who had relieved Alex Auld after allowing 3 goals on 13 shots in the first.
And how do you think it must feel to be Colin Stuart right now? His first NHL game and his fist NHL point, (assisting on Pascal Dupuis goal). The only thing making it sweeter is that his brother Mark got to see it…from the Bruin’s bench!
The captain got into the scoring as well as he banked in a shot after Auld took a little field trip out by the boards. Holik added on an assist to finish with 2 points and a +2.
But, speaking of “Finnish”…thank you…the night belonged to Kari. He now has six quality starts in his last seven and is looking more like the net minder we have expected him to be.
So…who do we place between the pipes Monday afternoon? I’m sure Don will be looking in to get an idea of what to do!
Hey, it could happen!
Put Kari In The Net Saturday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Yes, you read that correctly. I said put Kari between the pipes Saturday night when the Boston Bruins pay Blueland a visit.
“Why”? You ask…very simple. He needs to.
See, one thing that Kari Lehtonen has been knocked for constantly over his career thus far is that things tend to get between his ears and fester for span of time. When that happens, his play suffers until he gets it all worked out. Maybe he thinks about things too much. Maybe he over-analyses. Heck, maybe he’s just very sensitive. That’s why I suggest keeping him in there.
“But Rawhide, but Rawhide, weren’t you the same person who declared that Hedberg had to be the starter last October? Huh, huh…huh”? You ask…
Yes, but the Thrashers were 0-5-0 at that time and Kari had just given up 6 goals against a Devils team we had scored 5 on and that was on the heals of being smacked 6-0 in Buffalo, Kari giving up 5 of them on 20 shots! Those were desperate times! Today, not quite so much.
In defense of my position, I give you exhibit ‘A’: Last April, after a 4-3 loss in the very first playoff game in Atlanta Thrasher’s history, then-coach Bob Hartley yanked his starter in favor of Johan Hedberg. Moose played well in game 2, giving up one of the flukiest goals in NHL playoff history as the Thrashers lost 2-1. Then, in an even more baffling move then pulling his starting ‘keeper after game one…Hartley put Kari back in for game three when almost everyone, myself included, could have sworn Hedberg was going back in for the game at Madison Square Garden. The result…a 7-0 pounding that spelled the beginning of the end to that short-lived post-season experience. Kari’s frame of mind from the get-go was one of no confidence because he had been pulled due to one loss.
I say at this juncture, give him the start against Boston instead of sitting him and don’t allow him to think about this loss to Florida too much. Besides, it just might be the type of confidence boost the kid needs. He needs to understand that every time he fails to hold a team to 2 or less goals, the rug isn’t going to get pulled out from under him.
Also, it has been said that goalies and relief pitchers in baseball need to have one thing in common; short memories. In baseball if a guy comes out of the bullpen and blows a lead, he knows chances are he’ll have a shot at redemption the very next day. Hockey goalies, while not playing everyday, can do much the same. However, it seems like the last couple times Lehtonen has had a less then par outing, he has sat out the next game. After the 4-0 loss to Toronto, Moose started in Ottawa the next night. After a poor showing in Washington earlier, Moose started the next game against Boston. So it isn’t as though Lehtonen has no reason to play with one eye looking over his shoulder.
A goalie that goes 5 straight games looking solid…only allowing two goals in each of those games… should not have to be concerned of his starter status if the sixth game does not go quite as well.
Lastly, let’s be honest. Kari Lehtonen needs to grow up. Yes, grow up. This is supposed to be his gig, his job, his deal, and his responsibility. It’s time Don Waddell confirms that to him by putting Kari right back between the pipes Saturday and gives him one less thing to concern himself with. He either comes through or he knows at least he was given every chance a coach/GM can give him.
That’s right…it’s time for Kari to grow up. Just like another Thrasher needed to do this year. They slapped an ‘A” on that player’s chest and he now leads the league with 31 goals.
I say, start Kari Saturday. He needs to.
Thrashers Get Lump of Coal from Columbus
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m Getting’ Nuttin’ For Christmas
OK, so it wasn’t on Christmas, but the day after, that the Atlanta Thrashers got nothing in Columbus as they lost to the Blue Jackets 2-0. It was the seventh time Atlanta has laid a goose egg on the scoreboard this season so far. On the other side of the ice, it was the seventh time Pascal Leclaire has posted a shut out. Both stats lead the NHL.
Columbus’ defense did a great job playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, locking down the Thrashers offense, and then sending them away with a lump of coal in their blue stockings. There were no breakaways for Atlanta all night and they were able to only get away 21 shots on goal. Ilya Kovalchuk was held without a shot for the first 43-1/2 minutes, finishing with only 2. To properly illustrate how well the Blue Jackets shut down our attack, tied with Marian Hossa for most SOGs for the visiting Thrashers with 4 was none other than Alexei Zhitnik. Folks, he has played much better defense of late, but when #77 takes 38% of your shots, things are just un-good!
Really about the only highlight the Thrashers provided for us Bluelanders came half way through the second period. Jari Novotny was attempting a pass during a breakaway as he skated through center ice when his stick crumbled much like I did attempting to ask Debbie Hesslefielder out on a date in the 11th grade. Only seconds before that same stick had been used to block a Kovalchuck shot from the point and it was severely damaged. Interesting way to stop a fast break, eh?.
It would be a stretch to pin this loss of Kari Lehtonen as he stopped 26 of 28 shots he faced, (a .929 SV%). After all, it was his fifth straight game that he let up only 2 goals. How can he be praised for playing great during a 6-2 win, called “outstanding” in four consecutive 3-2 wins, but be lambasted for a 2-0 loss. If Kari posts a 2.00 GA/A from this point on, we will be in the playoffs. If not, it won’t be his fault.
The loss in Columbus was due to the Blue Jackets’ playing great team defense and our offense not being able to do anything about it. Period.
Time to move on…
Panther Swing Into Philips
Tonight the Florida Panthers invade Philips. The winner will be a scant 2 points off the pace behind division front-runner Carolina, (a 4-2 loser to the Rangers last night). Now, there really isn’t anything spectacular about Florida…average amount of goals allowed, 22nd in the league in goals scored per game, penalty kill is midland, their power play is good at 20.6%, and it come as little surprise that their leading scorer is Olli Jokinen who’s 19 goals and 37 points has him at 21st in the league. But the Panthers are one of those teams that seem to just hang around in the standing. Let ‘em do so long enough and it could be troublesome.
Tough to call any game a “swing” game in late December, however, as I stated above, the winner tonight will sit in sole possession of second in the division and, depending how other games result, could be in a tie with Buffalo for 7th place in the conference. Conversely, the loser will find themselves with two teams to climb over for the division lead and possibly in 13th place in the conference should the Flyers beat Toronto.
That’s a bit of a swing I would say.
Seeing Double
If you take a gander at the up-coming schedule, you’ll be seeing double. And that’s BEFORE your first New Years Eve cocktail. A game Saturday night against the Boston Bruins is followed up Monday afternoon with one in Boston. Then there is a game on the second day of January in Carolina followed up two nights later with the Hurricanes in Philips. Fast-forward a couple of weeks and you’ll see two straight games against the Rangers in MSG just prior to the All-Star break.
Umm…seriously Occifer…I haven’t been drinking…hic…I was just looking at the Thrashers sche…burp….uh, schedule.
Post-Post Edit: Zhitnik’s four shots on goal amount to about 19% of the team total. 38% would be counting Hossa’s as well.
Back At It, Blueland
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OK kids…We’re blogging in bed again this morning, so be mindful of the flannels as you sip your coffee and don’t slop any milk from your bowls full of Sugar Puffs! Puckjunque…nice reindeer slippers!
So, I hope Christmas brought you all the wonderment and blessings you desired and that you’re hearts are filled with love, peace, and…. Oh, OK, I’ll cut the crap. I hope you got all the goodies and gifts that you wanted or, if not, you’ll be able to exchange them for something that you like better.
Me? Let’s see, I got some DVDs…The Green Mile…The Producers, (funny flick)…Patton…Apparently the word hasn’t gotten out that I already sit around too much on my fat a-…Oh look, Schindler’s List! How festive!!!
Anyway, as I was saying, I hope Christmas was good for you and that you’re well rested. Because, you see, it’s time to put down that 14th helping of pumpkin pie and the Chunky Fruitcake Surprise that you’re Aunt Mildred UPS-ed you from Rochester and return your attention to our Atlanta Thrashers!
The Thrashers play four games between Christmas and New Years. Tonight the season resumes in Columbus, Ohio as we pay a visit to the Blue Jackets. Their 15-14-6 record has earned them 36 points, which is good enough for 4th place in the Central Division and 11th in the Western Conference. Columbus scores an average of only 2.40 goals a game, but only gives up 2.34 which is 5th best in the NHL. The Blue Jacket’s power play is struggling at only 14.1% but their penalty kill is the league’s 4th best at 86.3%. So, scoring a lot of goals against this team might be as tough as chewing that fruitcake.
Returning from the Christmas break we find our Thrashers still riding high on a 4 game win streak that put them one game above .500. They will play tonight attempting to go two over the break-even mark for the first time all season. A victory, combined with a Hurricane loss to the Rangers, will also bring them to just 2 points behind division-leading Carolina and allow them to pull into a tie for first tomorrow by beating the Florida Panthers. Yes, that’s what I said…the Thrashers could be on top of the division tomorrow night! How’s would THAT be for a late Christmas present?
Now, here are some reading assignments for you guys while I surf the Internet after Christmas sales ads…
The recent play of the Thrashers is good enough to move them up seven places in SI.com’s Scott Wraight’s Power Rankings.
Outdoor hockey in Buffalo…Gimmick or greatness? Espn.com’s Scott Burnside and Damien Cox hash it out.
Speaking of outdoor hockey, here is how they converted an NFL field to a hockey rink.
Unhappy Snowbirds and A Blues Christmas
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sending The Snowbirds Home Unhappy
One would think that a fan of the Montreal Canadiens…someone who apparently is FROM the city of Montreal… would have a firm grasp on “hockey etiquette”. You know, like…if you have a “GO HABS GO” banner to wave about as you cheer for your team, you don’t hold it up high in the air so those behind you have the view of the ice blocked during play. You would THINK! It was a good thing that the gentleman sitting a few rows in front of me “gently” and “politely” clued her and her crowd in on how to behave at an ice hockey game!
Needless to say she and her friends skanked out of Philips Saturday night in very quiet fashion with her banner tucked neatly out of sight after the Thrasher’s 3-2 shootout win.
Kari Lehtonen was spectacular again for the third start in a row as he turned away 37 of 39 Montreal shots and both of the shoot out attempts that he faced. The box score will show that both goals he allowed were full strength, however Alexei Kovalev’s goal in the third came 1 second after Ilya Kovalchuk’s hooking penalty had expired…the shot fired before the door opened. Regardless, Kari’s play for the past three-plus games has been what we have been expecting from him all year.
Now, part of the improvement from the man between the pipes has a lot to do with the play of the defenders in from of him. Steve McCarthy was spot-on all night in his 15:08 on the ice and Alexei Zhitnik put in twenty and a half minutes of solid play. Honestly, I saw Zhit get beat once in the second…but all-in-all his play in the past week has contributed largely to Atlanta’s 3-0-0 home stand this week.
Also, it’s nice to have the team come away with two points in a game Kovy was held pointless. It’s gonna happen every now and then and the Thrashers need others to step up in those games. Marian Hossa chipped in two assists and Eric Perrin scored and threw in a helper himself. Slava Kozlov started the night out right with his goal 4:31 in and Mark Recchi had an assist giving him six points in six games with Atlanta.
The crowd at Philips was in this game all night…the joint was a-jumpin’ after Kari stuffed Siahei Kastsitsyn’s shoot out attempt to seal the victory.
Well, there were a few unhappy snowbirds…oh well, at least they now know how to conduct themselves at a hockey game.
Thank You, Sir
Saturday night as I was at Philips with the youngest tax exemption, a few people approached me and said hello, recognizing the RAWHIDE on the jersey, which is always very nice. One gentleman in particular tapped me on the shoulder as I waited in line at the concessions during the second intermission. As he did, the lady at the counter started shouting for my order and it may have seemed to him that I did not pay the necessary attention to him as he was speaking to me. I did not fully catch his name, but I wanted to say thank you so very much for your kind words to me and that I apologize if I seemed distracted. If you see me again, please come by again so I can chat more and give you the time and attention you deserve.
I’ll Have A Blues Christmas
Sunday night’s game in St. Louis was one of the best games I’ve watched since…well…the night before. The 3-2 OT win, (deja vous), marked the first time that the Thrashers had won the tail end of a back-to-backer all season. Atlanta bucked another trend doing so as they netted two power play goals against the best penalty killing team in the NHL.
The Thrashers got their Recchi-gball out again as Mark tallied another goal and an assist. He now has four goals and eight points in seven games. I tell you, if a Christmas card from Don Waddell doesn’t show up on the doorstep of the Pittsburgh Penguin’s front office, he should be scolded for not properly showing appreciation for such a wonderful gift.
Ilya Kovalchuk, after taking a whole game off from scoring, (slacker), tied the game at a goal apiece at 16:22 of the second after drawing a penalty against the boards and then drilling a laser blast on the ensuing power play. It was his 29th goal of the year and 47th point. He is on pace to net 66 goals and 107 overall points. Both would be career highs.
Marian Hossa, (1 goal and 1 assist), ended the well-played game 19 seconds into the overtime period when he scooped the puck away from a Blues defender’s skates and flipped it past Manny Legace.
Then there is Kari Lehtonen. Four straight starts, four straight wins, four straight games he allowed only two goals. I think he has gotten a grip on this “consistency” thingy. In front of Kari was another fine job by the defenders. To-BEE-us Enstrom finished a +1 and had two assists during his 25:34 TOI. Ken Klee played well, notably with the sliding block on Keith Tkachuk in the first period. Steve McCarthy, XLB both had strong showings as well.
The Thrashers out shot St. Louis 25-20. That’s right, they held a team to 20 shots in 60:19 worth of game. Who said there is no Santa Claus?
The win brings the Thrashers to 37 points in 36 games, places them in second place in the Southeast Division just four points behind Carolina, (who have played one game more then Atlanta). Keep in mind the two games against the Hurricanes just after New Years…could be very big! Coming away with two points Sunday also puts them in ninth place in the conference, a single point below the playoff line.
Playing Outside The Box
One of the reasons the Thrashers have been able to pull of four straight wins, the last three being of the one-goal variety, is the fact that they have cut down on the silly penalties. Sunday they only gave St. Louis 3 power play opportunities, Saturday night Montreal had two, Thursday night Ottawa also was limited to two. This tends to cut down on shots per games and makes life easier on the man ‘tween the pipes. Kari, in turn, has returned the favor by putting in four straight high-quality starts.
Merry Christmas To All
I hope that everyone out there in Blogland has a very Merry Christmas!! This is especially true for you, Manley, and all of our wonderful men and women who are serving our nation. Whether you’re in Iraq, Afghanistan or at any post around the globe, you have our thoughts, our love, our prayers and support. We hope you return home safe and victorious! May God keep His watch over you as you keep your watch over us.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Blueland!!!
Breakfast In Bed Blogging
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ah, Christmas weekend! I have looked forward to this morning more then I have Christmas. I knew I would be able to sleep in and lounge around in the flannel sheets, sipping the morning brew as I perused the cyber-morning paper. Ahhh…all is right with the world! And, just to show you all just how much I like you, I decided to share this morning with all of my friends in the blogosphere, just don’t hog the covers or spill anything on the bed. The divine Mrs. R will not like that one little bit!
With that precautionary note out of the way, here are a few topics for discussion:
Breaking The Back of the Back-to-Back Bug-A-Boo
Once gain, the Thrashers look to take on the challenge of playing games on consecutive nights. Montreal pays us a visit tonight and then the team will jet their way to St. Louis to take on the Blues. The last time Atlanta won both ends of back-to-backers was last April 6 & 7 when they won the Southeast Division title in Carolina then beat Tampa Bay the next night to close out the regular season. Prior to that was last December 26 & 27 with a 2-1 win over the Lightning and a 4-2 victory over Pittsburgh. Two wins this weekend would really do the team well, both in the standings and psychologically.
Spotlight on Slates
Hey Jimmy, in my previous blog I jokingly said that Craig Custance should do a write up on you seeing that Alexei Zhitnik’s play has improved greatly just after the one on him. Steve McCarthy’s play has been vastly better and I do believe our fine beat writer recently produced a piece on him as well, though I don’t know which came first…the article or the improved play. Well, lo and behold what appeared last night, a fine piece of journalism on you. So, Jimmy, this is the weekend you break through and net that first goal of the season seeing that I’ve called for, and Craig has produced, the write up. No pressure.
Kari Back ‘Tween the Pipes & Looking Better ‘Tween the Ears
Kari Lehtonen will be back in goal for tonight’s game against Montreal. His past two starts have been things of beauty and here is hoping it continues. The team can deal with giving up 2 goals per game and if that average is carried throughout the rest of the year we will be just fine with that, thank you very much! Kari’s excellent play actually started last Saturday in Ottawa when he took over for Hedberg and stopped 18 of 20 shots. Counting that game he has stopped 78 of 84 shots over two-plus games which calculates to a .929 SV%.
A Glance at the Standings
OK, now a quick look at where we are at this juncture….33 points places us in the third spot of the division, three behind Florida and six behind the front-running ‘Canes. We have a game in hand with the Panthers and two in hand with Carolina. Both are in action tonight as well. The Thrashers sit in the 13th position in the conference but are just three behind Pittsburgh and the afore mentioned Panthers who reside in the eight spot.
French Lesson for the Nasty Nesters
Ok guys, tonight, considering who our opponents are tonight, the chant is, ”Huey….Huey…Huet…VOUS SUCEZ”!
OK, now, everyone out of bed! I’ll see you all in Blogland at about six or so!
Thrashers “Out” Ottawa
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ottawa…consider yourself “outed”!
That’s right, out shot, out hit, out hustled, out skated, out checked, out intensified, out foxed, out maneuvered, out played and out scored. Now, out the door with you!
In essence, The Atlanta Thrashers out “Ottawa-ed” Ottawa.
Thursday night the Atlanta Thrashers played their finest game of the year against the best team in the Eastern Conference. The home team came out shooting the puck at a dizzying rate, out shooting the Sens 21-7 in the first period alone. To put that in it’s proper prospective, last Saturday the Thrashers took 25 shots all game against this same Ottawa team. Atlanta wound up with 45 shots on goal, (tying the franchise record), to Ottawa’s 30. Forty-Five shots…that’s normally week’s worth of shots for these Thrashers!
Hey, didn’t someone around here predict Ottawa +15 on the shots? Well, you had the 15 right. (To be fair and honest, I placed the line at OTT +10.5 as you will recall).
As well as the Boys of Blueland played, they still found themselves trailing 1-0 deep into the second even though they were out shooting Ottawa 26-7 seven minutes into the period. But that’s when the fourth liners gave the team a boost via Eric Boulton’s 3rd goal of the season. Then, after falling behind 2-1 with three minutes left in the middle frame, the MVP of the league, (yeah, I’m already declaring it), Ilya Kovalchuk got it even again just 46 seconds later with a back-handed flip into the goal, his 28th of the year.
Then, after Todd White’s go-ahead power play goal 47 seconds into the third….it was Kari Time! In his second straight quality start, the Finn stopped 28 of 30 shots including all 14 he faced in the final stanza. A few days ago I asked, “Would the real Kari please stand up”. Well, if this is truly he…he may remain standing!
Not to be overlooked is the solid play of the Thrasher blue liners. McCarthy looked good again, Ken Klee played well and Tobias Enstrom tossed in his normal workman-like effort with 28:46 TOI. And then there is Alexei Zhitnik…he has had his best week in a Thrasher uniform since just after arriving here just prior to last season’s trade deadline. His game has greatly improved ever since Craig Custance wrote that piece on him.
Hmmmmm…Hey Craig, can we get a piece on Slater still being goal-less so far?
Nine players got points Thursday night, but none had more then one. Very fitting as it was a total team effort.
But most importantly, for the first time all year, the Thrashers this game… this week …have come to the ice at Philips with an attitude. From the drop of the puck to the final horn, they played with purpose and resolve. They skated with a mind-set as if to say:
“This is OUR home ice, these are OUR fans. You will NOT have a good time tonight! We will pressure you. We will attack your net! We will pursue you, hunt you down and hit you so hard your parents will be sorry they even MET! We will chase down every puck. We will knock you down and laugh when we make you cry like little girls! We don’t care what your record may be or from where you came! When you play your next game, whether that is tomorrow…the next day…or the day following, you will still feel what we did to you tonight!
We do this because this is OUR ice!
Because THIS is Thrasher hockey!
These are OUR fans!
THIS is BLUELAND”!
This is how they need to play every team, every game from here on out!
Maintenant, provoquer les habitants de Montreal!
Bucking A Trend In An Un-Good Fashion
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When the NHL came out of the lockout that robbed hockey fans of an ’04-’05 season, put in place were new rules intended to increase scoring and offensive production. Such rules being goalkeepers not being allowed to play pucks in corners, allowing two line passing, the delayed offside rule, not substituting after icing the puck and refs clamping down on the holding and clutching, holding, grabbing in center ice.
Here we are in the third season of the post-lockout era and a review of the numbers show that the league’s goalies and defenses are adjusting to the rule changes and the increases in offense seen two seasons ago are slowly eroding away back toward those of the pre-lockout days.
Well, except in Atlanta.
Case in point: The last season before the work stoppage, ’03-’04, saw 3 goalies finish the year with GAA averages under 2.00. Leading the way was Mikka Kiprusoff of Calgary with a microscopic 1.69. In that year the average number of shots taken by teams was 27.1 per game. Atlanta goalkeepers let in 2.96 goals per game and the defense allowed an average of 29.4 shots a game to get through to the man between the pipes.
Move forward to the first year after the lock out and subsequent rule changes. Kipprusoff again lead the league, but this time with a 2.07 GAA. That GAA would have earned him just 9th best in ’03-’04. Not surprisingly, the average shots per game by teams in league also rose to 30.55. That year the Thrashers let up 3.29 goals per game and gave up shots at the rate of 30.3 per game.
In the following season, ’06-’07, Minnesota’s Niklas Backstrom lead the NHL with a 1.97 GAA in 41 games as he went 23-8-6. Detroit’s Dominik Hasek was second with a 2.05 goals per game average. The average number of shots taken by teams dipped slightly as well to 30.25 per game. Atlanta gave up goals at the rate of 2.94 per game but allowed 31.5 shots a game.
Half way through the current campaign we see that there are no less then 3 goalies with their GAAs under 3.00 going into Wednesday’s games, Detroit’s Chris Osgood, (1.76 in 18 games), The Ranger’s Henrick Lundqvist, (1.98 in 29 games) and Evgeni Nabokov of San Jose, (1.99 in 33 games). In fact, the 2.07 posted by Kipprusoff two seasons ago would place him in a tie for 5th this year. The average number of shots, you ask? Down again slightly to 30.0. But the Thrashers are giving up a league high of 3.42 goals a game and are now giving up 32.5 shots a game and while their shots per game have dipped to 25.4.
In ’03-’04, the middle of the stats sheet for GAA was right at 2.71. Today, of the 40 goalkeepers who have played enough minutes to be considered in the league’s individual rankings, 27 have goals against averages at or below 2.71. Comparatively, Kari Lehtonen has a 3.62 GAA in 11 games, Johan Hedberg sports a 3.16 GAA in 20 games and Ondrej Pavelec’s 3.11 GAA was earned in his seven games played.
So, as the NHL’s net-minders and defenders seem to be making adjustments to the post-lockout style of play and their numbers sink downward closer to those before the ’05-’06 season, it seems as though the Atlanta Thrashers are bucking that trend as we see theirs continue to rise. What is going on behind Atlanta’s blue line is what the NHL suits wanted to see these past 3 seasons…only not by just one team.
The Line Changes?…I’m A Fan
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Don Waddell did a little mix and matching of the forward lines for Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After the winning 6-2 performance, I’d say it was a smashing success. I’m sure the fire and chemistry shown from the match-ups were just what he was looking for when he placed Marian Hossa with Eric Perrin and Slava Kozlov as well as moving Mark Recchi up with Todd White and Ilya Kovalchuk.
But it was the third line that was on the ice for the first Thrasher goal of the night as Garnett Exelby scored his second goal of the season with assists from Bobby Holik and Steve McCarthy, (Mac earned 1st star honors and that’s great to see because the kid needed a break). The top line scored next when Atlanta got out their Recchi-gball as the newest Thrasher notched his third goal in 4 games with help from Kovy and, what’s this…Kari Lehtonen? You know things are going well when your net-minder gets onto the scoring sheet.
In fact, the first four goals the Thrashers scored came one from each line as Kozlov shoved in a goal under Lightning net minder Johan Holmqvist to finish out the scoring in the first and then Chris Thorburn notched one in the second. Talk about spreading it out!
The Thrasher scored 6 goals on 24 shots including 3 goals on 9 shots in the first and 2 goals on only 7 shots in the third. That’s making the most of your chances.
Now, as much as I love all the scoring, I would be remiss if I did discuss the performance Kari put in. 32 saves on 34 shots is very good and he looked as though his head was in it all night. Specifically when he was called upon to make a couple of stops in the closing seconds of the second period. Neither was exceptionally difficult, but given the team’s knack of giving up late period goals holding firm at that juncture and not allowing the opposition to gain any momentum entering the next stanza was note worthy, indeed!
The Thrashers were out shot 34 to 24. So, if you were like me and took the “under” from Russ’ over/under of TB +14, then you can send your people on over to his place to collect your winnings. Props to Brian for citing two hours before game time the following, “I think it is going to be at least +10, although I’m gunshy about taking the over”. In keeping with the over/under theme in regards to shots…allow me to take a stab at setting it for Thursdays game against Ottawa. Given the fact that Atlanta is a -7 or so on the season and that the Thrashers have been out shot by 7, 9, and 19 by the Senators in the three previous games, I’m setting the line at OTT +10.5.
Spotted in the stands during the game…Kovy’s mom, Luba. I thought she was gonna jump outa her skin when her boy scored on a breakaway mid way through the third. I don’t care how old your kids are, when they do well there is no other feeling that matches.
Holy Zhitnik Batman! Alexei finished the game a +2 and Steve McCarthy a +3 to go with a pair of assists, as both played much better on the blue line. Also, the Captain was a +1 with a helper. Ken Klee put in a solid game with 20:07 TOI and a +2. That’ll help put a dent in those negatives. The pairing of McCarthy and XLB looked pretty good as well.
Every skater was in the plus category with the exception of Hossa and Tobias Enstrom, (both at break-even).
Speaking of that slacker Enstrom, he only played 20:06 Tuesday night. What makes him think he can take the night off? Don should skate him hard next practice!
Logging the most time on ice for Atlanta last night: Zhitnik with 21:22. Now, while it was only one game, think of how much this team would benefit from #77 tossing in 20 minutes TOI and finishing positive regularly.
Jameson, we’ll meet ya at Blueland to dole out your birthday spankings!
Tampa Bay and Other Assorted Tidbits
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Getting Back At It Against the Bolts:
Ok, we’ve had a couple of days to pout about the 7-3 loss in Ottawa that extended the losing streak to four games. It’s time to get back to the business of once again climbing out from near the bottom of the conference and up the ladder towards playoff positioning.
The Tampa bay Lightning hit town Tuesday night at 14-16-3, two points ahead of Atlanta. The Thrashers are 2-2-0 vs. the Bolts earning 4 of a possible 8 but giving back 5. Tampa Bay scores a decent amount of goals, 3.00 per game in fact, which is good enough for 7th best in the league. However, they give up a bunch too. Currently they have allowed 107 goals in 33 games, which translates to 3.24 per game. Only the Boys of Blueland surrender more, 3.47 per game.
When last the two engaged in on-ice pleasantries, the Thrashers won a 5-4 overtime thriller on Todd White’s goal. The hometown skaters had scored twice in the last five minutes to send the match to the extra period via goals by Ilya Kovalchuk and Bryan Little, (remember him)?
We will see some changes to the line up as Don Waddell has chosen to split up Kovy and Marian Hossa for now. Mark Recchi will skate with Kovalchuk and White while Hoss backs up to the second line with Slava Kozlov and Eric Perrin. The hope being that it will produce two strong scoring lines and give Kozlov a better chance to step up his game. Personally, I welcome the move.
Hard to say who will be in the net Tuesday night, Kari Lehtonen is 4-4-2 in 11 starts vs. the Lightning with a 2.58 GAA and .920 SV%. The Moose is 5-5-1 with 3.31 GAA and .878 SV% in 14 games, 12 of them being starts. Maybe you lean toward Kari…maybe.
Other Items of Discussion:
Brett Sterling is playing like he wants to get another shot at playing at Philips. Since going down on the farm he has netted 15 goals and 24 points in 19 games.
The Atlanta Thrashers win 100% of the games in which they lead after the first period. They also win 100% of their games when they outshoot their opponents, (that’s happened, what 3-4 times)? Also, Atlanta wins 88.9% of their games when they hold a lead after two periods and 81.8% of the time when they score the first goal of the game. Hint to Thrashers: Shoot more and get early leads.
The Thrashers are winning 50.2% of face offs. That puts them better then most at 12th in the league.
Reading Assignments:
Here is a nice write up on To-BEE-us Enstrom from NHL.coms’s Dan Rosen. Drafted 239th and playing like a No. 1.
Here’s one on Kovalchuk from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Star. Check out who Kovy “points out” as his one of his favorite players.
Quote of the Day:
General Manager and Head Coach Don Waddell after Saturday’s 7-3 spanking in Ottawa, “We gave up that early goal and it’s almost like we were early on where we’ve become fragile again”…Uh, Don… “Almost”?
Waddell Needs To Rethink Coaching Search
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last month, Don Waddell indicated that the Atlanta Thrashers would no longer be searching for a new head coach outside of the organization. At the time, most people figured that it was actually a very sound decision. The team had seemingly reversed its fortunes after a miserable 0-6-0 start to the season and had actually poked its head above the .500 mark. So the consensus was, “Shoot, why not let Don stay behind the bench and direct things”. Besides, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Well, it might not be broke just yet but there are some signs of stress fractures and the time has come for the General Manager and Coach to drop the latter from his title.
If your looking for exhibit “A” as to why, look no further then Saturday night’s 7-3 embarrassing loss in Ottawa where the Thrashers once again let up an early goal on their way to being out-shot 44-25. In fact, the Senators second period shot total of 21 was four shy of Atlanta’s total for the game. That is absolutely un-good and unacceptable.
Exhibit “B”? With Washington’s win over Tampa Bay, the Thrashers are now one point ahead of the Capitals for last place in the conference. This is not a position that a serious contender should be in mid-way through December.
Rest assured, this is not intended as “Waddell bashing”. Since stepping behind the bench Atlanta is 14-11-1 and, for a while, the team was playing inspired hockey. The offense was clicking behind Ilya Kovalchuk, the defense had stabilized and the starting goalie Kari Lehtonen was coming back from a month-long injury absence. Many people, myself included, began to think that Don’s presence bench-side was the correct elixir for an ailing team. For a certain time, yes it was.
But the last couple of weeks watching the Thrashers play have made it crystal clear that certain things must to be done in order to have a legitimate chance at a playoff push this season. Things like addressing the fact that we still need a true 1st line center. Todd White has played better of late, but he’s a #2 guy at best. Also, there has to be something done to get another top-flight defender in here. Zhitnik and McCarthy are not getting it done, (combined they are -36), and Klee has been spotty at best. A deal must be made, sooner rather than later.
These are things Don Waddell needs to be concentrating his efforts on from the comfy confines of his office. Ten short months ago he orchestrated just such a series of deals and they were instrumental in landing the Thrashers in the playoffs for the first time ever. And, lest we forget, Waddell said himself that his future was not to be found behind the bench.
It will be pointed out below, I am sure, that the big question would then be…WHO? Yes, that’s true. Anderson? McCrimmon? Burns? Someone else? Yes, there can be much discussion and debate as to what the correct choice is. But until Don Waddell and the ownership round-table opens again the discussion and search phase of the process, the right call has no possibility to be made at all.
The team needed a new direction in October and Don Waddell made a coaching move to give it just that. It has done a good job of putting the poor start behind and flash signs of what it can ultimately be. But we are now at a new juncture in the season. One that will see many wanna-be contenders drop out of the ranks of the hopeful. If the Thrashers are to keep themselves from being one of these teams, a new direction is needed.
Another reason I feel Waddell needs a change of heart in regards to the coaching search is that this team has gone flat. This team needs a new energy, a fresh voice, a different perspective brought to the ice and locker room. Needed is a coach that can inject new life into a squad that, of late, is simply going through the motions with seemingly no focus or purpose.
Also, the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team needs a character…a persona…a definition of who and what they are. Going into the season it was thought that it would be a high scoring, offensive-minded one with solid, if not outstanding, goalkeeping. A fast team, built to out skate and out hustle the opposition. However, it has been shut out a league high 6 times, has been in the lower third of the NHL in goals per game on a regular basis, dead last in goals against per game, has a weak power play, consistently gets beat to the puck, is out-sized and gets out-shot to the tune of 32-25 each game. Worse yet, the team’s -26 goal differential is the worst in the NHL.
Lastly, (as was pointed out by the gentleman who I had the fortune of sitting next to Friday night…a man who has close ties to the team and players), this is not a team that others fear playing against in their home building, Philips Arena. They are 6-8-0 at home and have been shut out twice on home ice. Too many times we are seen as a soft road game. Again, this is indicative of a team with no identity and that needs to be changed if the Thrashers are to be taken seriously as contenders.
A new head coach is what is needed to deal with the issues listed above breathing new life into the team if this season is to be successful.
Don Waddell faced a crucial point in the season two months ago and stepping behind the bench was the right call to make at THAT time. Stepping out from behind it now and placing a true head coach in that position is the right call to make at THIS time.
(Sniff, sniff)…What Is That Smell?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday morning as I prepared myself for work, standing in the walk-in closet just off the master bath, the lovely Mrs. R walked in and stopped dead in her tracks. She sniffed the air and then gave “that” look. You know the one…that soured looked that is usually reserved for when she opens up one of the boys rooms and beholds multiple dirty sock strewn about the floor, and bed, and desk…maybe a ceiling fan blade. Yes, that look.
“(Sniff, sniff)…what is that smell”, she asked as she looked directly at my lucky Thrashers jersey hanging prominently in the front of the closet…unwashed since the Nashville loss on October 25th.
Now, I might have fallen off the turnip truck…but it wasn’t yesterday. I knew what she was getting at. I told her she was over-dramatizing it and a washing was not in order. Bad hockey karma to do so, you know. When she reminded me that it was washed earlier in the season and that it seemed to work just fine as the Thrashers then got on a roll, I stressed to her that these are very tricky things and you can’t just go washing the jersey after a couple of losses. She then asked just how many losses in a row equated to tossing the thing into the washing machine… I simply waived her off citing that this was not a scientific, cut and dry process.
I was firm, I was resolute, I was…lucky she was late for work and she dropped the subject.
Tonight, when I got home from the debacle at Blueland…she stood waiting for me in the foyer. She knew that loss made it three straight for the Thrashers, being outscored 15-6 doing so. She knew the night’s loss was the league leading sixth time Atlanta had been shut out. She stood there, with her protective rubber gloves on, looking for me to hand it over. But I, being the man of the house…being firm and resolute, I stood my ground and told her that in no way, shape, matter or form would this hockey jersey be washed tonight…and that was that!
So, I’m sitting here typing this blog as it goes through the rinse cycle…and quite frankly just don’t know where to begin with this. I mean, for a team that was supposed to be built for speed, it sure gets beat to the puck a lot. And the Thrasher’s offense was supposed to be their strong point yet it can go though periods where team scoring disappears faster then a pizza at a Weight Watchers meeting. Case in point, the Calgary Flames have scored 13 goals in their past two games. The Thrashers haven’t scored 13 goals in their past 6.
Then there is Kari Lehtonen…tsk, tsk, tsk. In his latest Billy Graham moment, (where he gets 18,000 people to scream the Lord’s name all at once), he meandered out to play a puck in the corner and tried to flip it around the back of the net. Unfortunately, it came off his stick with the speed of a snail and Boyd Devereaux was able to swing around, scoop it up and tuck in a short-handed, unassisted, wrap-around goal to give Toronto a 1-0 lead in the middle period. That was really all the Leafs would need on the night as Toronto held the Thrashers scoreless on 24 shots. Mats Sundin scored 3 and a half minutes later and Alexei Ponikarovsky tallied a couple of late goals to rub it in. Nik Antropov finished the night with three assists.
The schedule isn’t kind to Atlanta as they make their way northward to Ottawa to play the conference leading Senators. They will be looking to end a three game losing skid as well as win for the first time this season on the tail end of a back-to-backer. Canada’s capital is not the easiest place to perform such a task, as the Sens are 20-7-3 scoring 102 goals in 30 games. They have beaten the Thrashers both times we have played them, 3-1 and 6-4…Ilya Kovalchuk scoring 4 of the 5 Thrasher goals.
So, now that I’ve gotten the smell off my jersey, time for the Blueland Boys to get the stench off their game and find a way to sniff out some goals and nose their way to some wins, and soon. Otherwise, the jersey won’t be alone in being hung up to dry.
Recchi, Oh Canada And Other Quick Shots
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So Far, So Good Mr. Recchi
It was speculated that the addition of Mark Recchi would be a boost to the sluggish Atlanta power play. Wednesday night it sure appeared that was the case, indeed. Trailing by two in the second, Recchi notched his first goal in a Thrasher uniform on the man advantage and then added another tally a minute later to tie the game. The team would score another power play goal on Ilya Kovalchuk’s rocket blast that gave them the lead. So, while one game is hardly enough time to declare any roster move a success or otherwise, it certainly was a good start to the Recchi experiment.
Same Song, Different Verse
Once again, the Thrashers were victimized by a late period goal. Boston’s Glenn Murray netted a game tier with a buck-seven left in the second period after Atlanta had rallied from a 2-0 hole to take the lead. To be honest, prior to the Boston goal, it was 8 minutes of some of the most outstanding hockey the hometown boys had played in quite a while. But it seemed like the late period let down bugaboo just won’t go away this year and it bit us in the butt again. Call it lack of focus on the goalie or the defense or just bad luck, but it keeps popping up and it’s aggravating as can be. Wednesday night’s version of the same ‘ol song seemed to suck all of the energy right out of the team and swung big Mo back to the Bruins.
Oh, Canada
So, good day, eh… and welcome to the next week’s hockey schedule, it looks like a real beauty, ya know. Four of the next five games are against teams from The Great White North including two this weekend. Toronto at home Friday night then up to Ottawa Saturday night. After a game against Tampa Bay next week, it’s Ottawa again and Montreal. Saturday’s game lands the Thrashers on Hockey Night in Canada, so it would be real nice to have a good showing in front of our friends up there….eh?
Kari Is So Very…
Kari Lehtonen is so very…good? Bad? Inconsistent? Spectacular? All of the above? I guess it depends on what night it is. Since coming back from his injury he is 2-1, giving up 0 goals, 3 goals and 6 goals respectively. Against the Islanders in New York he stopped all 33 shots, but just last weekend gave up 6 goals on only 27. He’ll surely get a start this weekend in back-to-back games so he’ll have a chance to get back on track. But would the real Kari please stand up….
Speaking of Back-To-Back
Our record in the second game of just such a series is 0-5-1. There are 10 such back-to-backers left on the schedule.
I Can’t Look
A quick glance at the standings finds Atlanta at 29 points. While that puts us only 3 points off the pace for the 8th and final playoff spot, it also puts us at 3 points ahead of last place Washington, (going into Thursday night’s action). If the team was looking for a good time to start putting 3 solid periods together, might I suggest…NOW!
Kaptain Kovy
Ilya Kovalchuk and his 24 goals and 17 assists put him on a pace for 66 goals and 112 points for the season. His career best in scoring was 98 in the ’05-’06 campaign when he also notched his career best 52 goals. Could you even imagine where the Thrashers might be if he were ONLY playing at that pace?
Triple Double
It was pointed out in these parts that the Thrashers have a triple-double going on, three players with a double digit minus rating, (Bobby Holik at -11, Alexei Zhitnik at -13 and Steve McCarthy at -16).
For What It’s Worth
The Thrashers are 3-2-0 on Friday nights and 3-6-0 on Saturdays. For that matter, they are 4-1-0 on Tuesdays, 2-2-0 on Wednesdays, 1-4-0 on Thursdays, 0-0-1 on Sunday and 1-0-0 on Monday.
Atlanta’s Best Team Today?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When Don Waddell eventually gets around to appointing a new head coach for the Atlanta Thrashers I am sure he will have taken into consideration many factors and will ask many questions. One that thing that I hope he looks into is whether or not there is a head coaching position that is open at a major college that could pull him away before the end of the season. Say like, The University of Arkansas. Do they even have a hockey team?
My goodness!
Two months ago the Thrashers made a coaching move. Since then, the Georgia Tech football team released their coach and the Falcons just yesterday saw theirs up a quit for a gig at Razorback-U after lasting three-quarters of one season. Bobby Patrino basically told Atlanta, “I’m taking my ball and going home”! Home to the college ranks again. I guess he just couldn’t play with the big boys. Head coaches in Atlanta have faired as well this fall as the lawns in the drought.
Anyway, it got me to thinking about the local sports teams in Atlanta, all four major franchises and where they are in the big scheme of things.
Take the Braves for instance. They are still fresh off of a decade and a half run at greatness. I don’t think we’ll ever see anything close to it again. But they have been out of the playoffs for 2 straight seasons and just showed their star center fielder the door. Sure, Tom terrific is back on the staff but it remains to be seen what the future holds for the lefty and the Bravos as a team.
The Hawks…this is a team that last saw post-season when they played in the Omni, before the Thrashers dropped the puck for the very first time. While it’s true that they have played well over the last few weeks, (actually sitting in the 6th spot in the conference), they are still below .500 and not too many would bet on their post-season possibilities.
The Falcons: A team that will see their 3rd head coach in 11 months on the sidelines this weekend cannot be in good shape. From doggie-gate to yesterday’s “out-the-gate” by Bouncing Bobby, combined with a 3-9 record…life isn’t real fun in the Dome’s Birdland!
Why, even Jaw-JUH Tech is now going through the shifting sands of change as Chan Gailey was tossed overboard for Navy’s Paul Johnson.
This leads us to our Boys of Blueland…the only team to see post-season play since Houston dumped the Braves in October of ’05. A quick look at the standing find them at 14-14-1, or break even. However, since Bob Hartley was relieved of his duties, they have gone 14-8-1, which is a level of play that, if continued, would land them in the hunt for Lord Stanley’s cup for the second consecutive season. That would be a great feat for the franchise, for sure. But where would that put them as far as their status in the city?
Consider this: The Falcons have never had back-to-back winning seasons, and the Hawks have not since…what…the first term of the Clinton administration? That plus the Braves are, seemingly, on the backside of their glory days.
That would leave the Thrashers as arguably Atlanta’s highest performing pro team today…emphasis on the word TODAY.
You see, as sports fans in this town have painfully come to understand, success can be fleeting. The Hawks have never been a success since the late ’80s when they were the hottest thing in town. The Falcons? Simply look to each season after they played in post-season. So, the typical Joe Fan out there could say of our Thrashers, “yeah, sure OK…division title last spring, but what are they gonna do THIS season”? And he would have a point.
That is why I think it is so important for the Thrashers to make the post-season again and do well once they are there. Right now is their time. The question is, how long will they have and what are they going to do with the chance afforded them?
Rawhide Visits Santa
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(Lenox Mall on a busy Saturday afternoon during the Christmas season. Rawhide, after waiting patiently…OK, UN-patiently…in line for 3-1/2 hours to see Santa Clause finally gets his turn and hops up in his lap)…
Santa: Ugh!…OW! Sheeze kid, what do you weigh, 210?
Rawhide: 195 and a half… like YOU got room to talk. Now cut the crap and let’s get down to business. I’ve waited over 3 hours for this…it would have been longer had I not bought off some of those kids with counterfeit Hannah Montana tickets.
Santa: Wha…?? Oh, it’s YOU Rawhide. I thought I recognized those ears.
Rawhide: (looking out a crowd), The man works with elves and he’s bustin’ ME in the chops about ears?
Santa: I’m just saying, those look like someone left the car doors open…
Rawhide: Shut it, fat boy. Look, I’m still peeved about what you did to my pals and me last year…
Santa: Whoa there, smarty, YOU and your little friends Brian, Buzilla and RStroz …you all asked for your Thrashers to go to the playoffs. That’s what you little cretins asked for, right? Did that not happen, with a division title to boot?
Rawhide: Oh, yeah, sure…whatever….swept in four and out the door. Thanks. Thanks a PANT-LOAD!! You knew what we wanted!
Santa: Well, you weren’t specific. Look, I got 6 billion people to deal with and….
Rawhide: YADA-YADA-YADA…whatever Santa Klutz…look, I’m gonna spell this out for you nice and simple-like, see? I don’t want you screwing up THIS order. Got it? Me and my pals in Blueland….we’re all in agreement on this. We want a Stanley Cup Championship for our Thrashers. Yeah, I wanna see the Thrashers skatin’ around Philips with Lord Stanley’s Cup and so does everyone else. Can ya handle that?
Santa: Well, if that’s ALL you wanted, why didn’t you just say so. I’ll just get my people RIGHT on that for YOUUUuuUUUUUuuuuu……
Rawhide: Watch it chimney-stuffin’! I’m not messin’ around here! See, Brian and Zilla and RStroz, they all are willing to give up EVERYTHING else for Christmas. They are satisfied with getting NUTHIN’…ZIP…NADA…GOOSE EGG….BUPKIS…for Christmas if they can just see the Thrasher win the championship.
Santa: But what about you? Are you going to go without too?
Rawhide: Hey, when did this become all about ME?
Boy in line: Yo, hustle it up….we’d like to see Santa too…WHILE WE’RE YOUNG!
Rawhide: Look, Jethro…why don’t you go get yourself an Islander jersey over there. It’s just your speed. Meanwhile, pipe down. I’m almost done here.
Santa: UGH. Can you shift over to my other leg…this one’s gone numb.
Rawhide: Deal with it…occupational hazard. So, you coming through this year or what?
Santa: I dunno, that’s a tough one. I’m gonna have to call in some serious favors on that. Beside, that’s in the spring…shouldn’t you be taking this up with the Easter Bunny?
Rawhide: Passing the buck already, are you? Look, I didn’t want it to come to this…but you see that guy over there, the one wearing the trench coat?
Santa: Oh…ah…yeah. That’s Brendan, right?
Rawhide: DING-DING-DING! Let’s hear what he wins, Johnny…Yeah, that’s Brendan. Now look….if you don’t come through, he’s gonna start talkin’.
Santa: What do you mean? You saying that he’s got something on me? Look, I know I spend a lot of time with the elves in the workshop and those rumors about the Swedish ones and me are just…
Rawhide: No, no, Chubs. He’s gonna start talkin’….chattin’…blabbin’….you know, like he always does. He can go on and on and on and on and…wait a minute, “the Swedish ones”?
Santa: Oh, ah, nuthin’…OK …I get it! Geeze, that Brendan…he just doesn’t stop! Oh, you’re a bad one, Mr. Rawhide! You would do that, wouldn’t you?
Rawhide: Faster than a reindeer can wiz on a snow bank, Tubby! And he’ll be right there in the sleigh with you, all Christmas Eve, see? And I got some pull with the Nasty-Nest gang; I could get a “Santa” chant going in this place just like that…(snap).
Santa: OK, OK, OK….I’ll see what I can do. Just go….and take him with you. Please!
Rawhide: (Hopping down and walking off)…OK, you just do that…or…(points over to Brendan).
Santa: (Head in hands), There just isn’t enough coal in the world to stick in that one’s stocking….
Thrasher Get Into The Christmas Spirit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There are 16 more shopping days until Christmas and the Thrashers got into the giving spirit while visiting Washington D.C. Saturday night. The Capitals received gift-wrapped opportunities packaged as bad clearing passes off of Atlanta defenders sticks as well as Kari Lehtonen’s. There were even stocking stuffers in the form of Ken Klee screening Kari on a shot that ended up in the net and even one that saw Jim Slater barreling over Lehtonen on another. I’m sure the Caps won’t be rushing to return all of those gifts!
In all honesty, that was just an un-good game played by the Thrashers all around, and credit the Capitals for…well…capitalizing on chances afforded them. But what does stand out is the fact that Kari let in 6 goals in a game that the defense allowed only 27 shots to get through to him. (In fact, the sixth goal was scored on Washington’s 22nd shot of the game). It’s a shame to waste a game that sees the Thrashers give up fewer than 30 shots since they are as rare as straight talk and honesty in the nation’s capital.
In my viewpoint, the last two goals surrendered were the one’s of most concern. The last goal of the second originated from the Atlanta net-minder’s poor attempt at clearing the zone and the last goal, scored in the final period, was clearly due to a focusing faux-pas as he looked outmatch by a shot from his left. Given the late game goals by the Thrashers, the final few minutes could have been somewhat more exciting if those did not occur.
But then again, as my grandpa would say, “Were ifs and buts candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas”.
If you’re trying to keep thing in perspective, however, the team is 3-1-1 in the first 5 of December’s 16 games. If that pace were to continue it would put the Thrashers at 21 points for the month going into the game on New Year’s Eve. Also, lost in Saturday night’s pounding on the Potomac were Todd White’s 2-goal performance and Ilya Kovalchuk’s 2 assists. Kovy’s points are his 39th and 40th of the season putting him on a pace for 113. White’s goals tie him with Slava Kozlov for third most on the team at eight.
Atlanta will enjoy three days off before playing 7 games in 12 days leading into Christmas. Let’s hope their seasonal generosity has ended and the defense starts looking more like Ebenezer Scrooge and the goaltending returns to a more Grinch-like demeanor.
Wave THAT Off, Ref!!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When Slava Kozlov rocketed a shot from just beyond the left circle that zipped over the shoulder of Stephen Valiquette I, along with the rest of the throng at Blueland, leapt to my feet in jubilation. But before I landed the following words flew out of my mouth:
“WAVE THAT OFF YOU MORON REF”!!
Something tells me Slava and the rest of the Thrasher bench at least thought the same thing after Marian Hossa’s goal mid way through the 3rd period was waved off by the official. Apparently he had deemed that the Ranger goalie had covered the puck and, thus, blew the play dead. The crowd, ever so politely and softly expressed their disagreement with the refs decision with a chant of “We Respectfully Disagree…. We Respectfully Disagree…We Respectfully Disagree…”!!
Yeah, RIGHT!! The reaction was similar to a few weeks ago when the refs made an atrocious call against Hossa, one that seemed to light a spark in the team as it then went on to win in come-from-behind fashion. I guess sometimes it just takes a good ticking off by the refs to get the team going!
What was extra-special about the 4-2 win were the contributions coming from the lower lines. Eric Boulton took a through pass from Jimmy Slater for the game’s opening goal. Pascal You-Me-And Dupuis ties the game in the second at 2-2 with his second goal in as many games. Slates finished with two assist and of course Kozy’s winner with assists from Bobby Holik and Chris Thorburn. Thank goodness they stepped up tonight because that slacker Ilya Kovalchuk… I mean geez…he’s gone, what, a WHOLE GAME without a goal? Someone’s gonna have to take him aside and wake him up!
The win put Atlanta back into second place in the Southeast division and, coupled with an Islanders loss, placed them in the 10th spot in the conference just a point shy of Toronto and Pittsburgh. A win tomorrow combined with losses by those two teams would catapult the Thrashers back above the post-season cutoff line in the 8th slot in the conference standings. However, and more importantly, a win and a Carolina loss on Saturday would put the Boys of Blueland…. brace yourself…two points off the division lead with a game in hand.
I’ll pause for a moment to let that sink in.
(Cheesy Intermission Music)…
Ok, you back with me here? Good.
The Thrashers are indeed on a roll right now having earned 7 of a possible 8 points in the month of December as they jet off to D.C. with an appointment with the Capitals who are dead last in the conference…strike that…dead last in the league. In fact, coming into the game, the Cap’s point total of 20 is lower then the approval ratings of Congress, (22.5% according to realclearpolitics.com’s average of all such polls). If you’re doing worse the politicians in Washington these days, things are not going well at all! So, there are two big, fat juicy points hanging low on the point tree just waiting to be picked!
Great game last night…made even better by meeting the likes of JSmooth, Rone, FormerIslesFan and Buzilla, (with fiancee along-side). Zilla…. I’m telling you, you are marrying WAY over your head! But then again, all of us of the male persuasion can say that!
The Fewer The Better
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday night the Atlanta Thrasher defeated the New York Islanders 4-3 three in a shootout. The victory was due greatly to the Thrashers taking advantage of power play situations…the ISLANDERS power play situations. Atlanta was held scoreless on nine man advantages however they outscored New York 2-1 on their seven such situations.
The Thrashers overcame a 1-0 first period deficit with three goals in the second, two while fending off man advantages by New York. The first shorty came at 7:06 of the second when Marian Hossa slid one through Isle’s keeper Rick Dipietro to tie the game. Then eight and a half minutes later Pascal Dupuis netted another from after a nice pass from Eric Perrin. Sandwiched between was Ilya Kovalchuk’s 23rd goal of the season.
To their credit, New York rallied from their 3-1 hole to tie the game with a late goal in the second and Trent Hunter’s power play goal at 7:32 of the third. Now, I did find it appropriate that the Thrashers were scored upon at least once while Andy Sutton was on the ice. After all, it happened so often the previous few years…(ba-dump-bump)…thank you folks, please try the veal and be kind to the waitress.
In fairness, the former Thrasher was a +1 playing almost nineteen minutes with an assist on the Islanders second goal, his shot from the blue line tipped in by Mike Sillinger. I’m sure Andy was pleased to see the Nasty Nesters holding up the signs addressed to him from section 320. I wasn’t wearing my glasses so I couldn’t quite make out what they read, but I’m sure it was something like “Welcome home Andy, gee we sure miss you”!
Kovalchuk notched the winner in the exhibition to go with Slava Kozlov’s tally. On that goal, Kozlov seemed to have rolled it off the Islander net minder’s back as he bit on his hesitation move. Dipietro protested the goal, (I guess he thought that Kozy touched the puck twice while shooting), but later said of the refs, “They made the call, the goal stood and we have to move on”. It’s always nice to hear someone from New York leaving town without whining.
The home team comes away with two points despite being out shot 33-24, taking a meager 3 shots on goal in the third and needing the gimmick known as a shootout to get the win. But the points are needed and welcome regardless.
The win brings the Thrashers back to .500, (if you count OLTs as “ties”), and places them in sole possession of second place in the Southeast division, six points behind Carolina with a game in hand. The 27 points are good enough for 11th place in the conference but only one point shy of Pittsburgh, Toronto and the Islanders who are tied for 8th in the east. Atlanta is 6-3-1 in their last 10 and has picked up 5 of the possible 6 points December has availed to them thus far. It also marks the third straight game with points for the Boys from Blueland.
Now we look forward to Friday nights game against New York…what? New York again?…Oh, the Rangers this time. That’s OK, Atlanta is 3-0-0 this season against teams from Metropolis. After that, they will make a quick trip to the nation’s capitol before earning three days off leading up to visits next week by Boston and Toronto, two teams just to our north…both geographically and in the conference standings.
So, it wasn’t necessarily a pretty win over the Islanders tonight, but it’s one the Thrashers needed and ultimately they squirted out the victory.
&%$#! …I almost made it through the entire post without doing that!
Thrasher Look To Flush Islanders
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OK, sorry…I supposed I should not have used the word “flush” in the title referring to the New York Islanders. I really need be more sensitive to those Isles fans that are so easily offended given the lambasting I took on their message board due to my previous post. I shall endeavor to conduct today’s column with a higher degree of professionalism and make no reference to the shape and appearance of the logo on their jerseys.
ALLL-right-y then…Wednesday the Thrashers will attempt to squeeze past the New York Islanders at Philips Arena. Neither team play Tuesday night so there will be no excuses for anyone being pooped. The Islanders are coming off Monday night’s 3-1 loss to Boston in a game the Bruins pretty much made a big skid mark of them on their home ice. The Thrashers, of course, are fresh off a back-to-back road trip where they pushed out 3 of a possible 4 points against the Islanders and New Jersey.
New York is 2-5-1 in their last 8, dropping their last 3 and eking out only 3 goals in those games. The Islanders normally do not smear anyone in a scoring contest as they tend to work out a lowly 2.28 goals per game, (28th in the NHL). Comparatively, the Thrashers score 2.58 goals a game on average, (20th in the league). However, their penalty kill unit is very good at 85.2% and they only give up 27.1 shots per game, (both are 8th best in the league). They force opposing teams to strain their way through a thick defense as they clog up the drain. Their defense is backed up by Rick Dipietro who is 12-9-1 with a solid .910 SV% and 2.40 GAA.
The Islanders tend to push for low-scoring games. In fact, in their last five victories they have won by scores of 2-1, 1-0, 2-1, 2-1 and 3-2 in a shootout. So, a good thing for Atlanta to do would be to waste no time attacking the net to get a quick lead, much like last Saturday night. Allowing the Isles to hang around and cling on in a low scoring affair plays right into their hands, as they are adept at grunting out wins late in the game.
As for the Thrashers, they will enter the game with 25 points and trail division leaders Carolina by 8 points. Some may say I’m a bit nutty, but I think we can make a run at them and close the gap by New Years. Atlanta has gotten December off to a good start by going 1-0-1 thus far, so now is not the time to plop down.
If the Thrashers can keep the pressure on the Islanders net they have a good chance of wiping New York clean out of the rink.
Maybe Todd White will have something to say about that.
Quick Shots From The Weekend
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OK, I’m back from a busy weekend with the boy’s JROTC drill meet in Milledgeville. I have to give a big shout to the North Cobb-Harrison crew with their fine showing, finishing 5th overall in a field of 13 including 2nd place in the academics portion, (which the youngest tax exemption is a member of, thank you very much). So, a big OOO-RAH to you cadets, job well done! Oh, and a big thank you goes to Puckjunque whom I left in charge of this site. If you all did throw a wild party while I was away you at least cleaned up well after yourselves….PJ, I’ll get with you later regarding the Sean Avery card.
Now then, the Thrashers gained 3 of the 4 possible points available to them over the weekend as they ended their three-game slide. While it would have been nice to get that extra one tonight, I’ll never complain about that production going into back-to-backers on the road. Some quick shots from the weekend:
Lehtonen Returns: Kari Lehtonen came off his injury a month and a half ago and delivered his first win of the year by shutting out the New York Islanders 4-0. After the game he commented that, “There’s a huge difference between tonight and six weeks ago”. Yes, Kari…yes there is. Probably the biggest difference is the fact that the team was up 3-0 before he was called upon to make his first save.
Balancing Act: It’s been stated many times in these parts that the Thrashers need to get contributions from players other then Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa. Well, we got just that Saturday night. Kovy and Hossa got their goals, for sure, but joining in on the fun was Slava Kozlov and Eric Boulton as well. In fact, 10 of the 18 skaters picked up at least a point the other night. Of the 6 goals scored over the weekend, there were 5 different scorers. That’s spreading it around nicely.
Kovys Continuing To Score: Two goals over the weekend bring Kovy’s total to 22 on the season, still tops in the NHL. So, who’s behind him? Well, it’s Alex Ovechkin with 20 and Vinny Lecavalier with 18. That means at this time the top 3 goal scorers in the league hail from the Southeast Division. Folks, if you haven’t already, get out there and cast your ballot for #17.
Building a Wall: Kari and Moose stopped 37 of the 39 shots they face over the weekend, that’s a .949 SV%. One would think that with Lehtonen’s return he will see the bulk of the action with Hedberg moving back into the support role. So things should be back to normal between the pipes. However, let us not forget that contributions that Opie made when called upon going 3-3-0 with a .905 SV%. Combined with Moose, they more than filled the gap when Kari went down.
Where Are We Now?: Three points this weekend brings us to 25 for the season in 26 games. We are tied with Florida for Second in the division and in a three-way tie for 10th in the conference, (although Buffalo has 2 games in hand). The 25 points place us 2 behind the Islanders who hold the 8th position and who will be in town Wednesday night.
Parting Shot: As I am sure you already know, Wednesday night marks the first visit to Blueland by Andy Sutton since he put on the jersey with the big orange turd on the front. Well, if the guys who do those penalty box skits visit this blog, I have an idea….what if the camera is actually showing Sutton as he sits in the box while playing in the background is Barry Manilow’s “Mandy”….just a thought.
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