AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > January > 06
Sunday, January 6, 2008
The Good, The Un-Good And The Ugly
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The 5-2 win over Buffalo was just what the doctor ordered for the Thrashers given the let-down that was Friday night’s aggravating loss to Carolina. The win brings Atlanta to .500, again, placed Atlanta in sole possession of second place in the division, (3 behind Carolina), and a single point behind Philadelphia and the New York Islanders who are tied for the eighth spot in the conference. The Flyers pay Blueland a visit Tuesday night.
So with that, we delve into another segment of The Good, The Un-Good and the Ugly within Blueland.
THE GOOD
Marian Answers The Call
Jeff Schultz called out Marian Hossa in his recent article. The basic point of the piece was that the Thrashers are an average team…and so was the forward’s play. It was a fairly candid write-up on the man who many called to have the captaincy placed upon his shoulders prior to the season. So, how did Hoss respond? Why, with 2 goals on 9 shots and a +2 against the Sabres, that’s how. That’s a good, …actually… outstanding effort…the kind that needs to be on display more often.
Jeff, feel free to call out anyone else!
What Was That Blur?
Was it just me, or did it almost look like there was a cape flapping on the back of Colin Stuart as he blew through center ice and past the Buffalo players on his way to that coast-to-coast goal in the third period? I think the only ones more in awe of his speed then those watching the game were the Sabres he left flat-footed on the blue line…BOTH of the blue lines!
In four games, the kid has 2 goals and 2 assists and is a +6. There were a lot of people, yours truly included, that were scratching their heads when he was called up to replace the ailing Jim Slater.
Now the only ones left scratching their noggins are the Sabres who only saw a blue blur just before the red light went on.
Stuart, Perrin, Hossa - I’m A Fan!
Gotta love that line Don Waddell put together by moving Stuart up with Eric Perrin and Hossa. The reason given for the switch by the Executive Vice President/ General Manager/ Head Coach/Ticket Taker/Popcorn Seller/Water Boy/Usher, (what else does he do)?…was that he wanted his forechecking skills on that line. Well, his speed doesn’t hurt either.
The line accounted for three of the four goals in which a Buffalo goalie was involved.
Hard Work Paid Off
It was a solid 60 minutes of hard work and hustle by the Thrashers Sunday. It brings to mind a quote by Thomas Jefferson, “I’m a firm believer in luck. And the harder I work, the more of it I seem to have”.
Sneak In To Sneakers
I always like to give props to great eating establishments when I run across them. Last Friday night, while in Jacksonville, Florida, I took the tax exemptions to a place called Sneakers off of Bay Meadows Drive. They put us in a nice corner area with multiple viewpoints of the Thrashers game vs. Carolina. They even made sure that we were able to catch the last minutes of Sweden’s 2-1 win over Russia in the Junior’s, knowing we were hockey fans.
So, if you’re ever in the area and need to find a place to catch the game and chew on some good food that is served up by good people, sneak on into to Sneakers! Ask for Kristi…she’ll take good care of you!
THE UN-GOOD
Up By 2 And Not Feeling So Good
Speaking of Stuart’s goal, it put the Thrashers ahead 3-1 one at the time. Raise your hand if, after you settled back into your seats, you noticed the two goal lead that Atlanta possessed and got a cold chill down your spines! Uh-huh…. I knew it!
We’ve seen that movie all too often the past four games. Starting in Boston last Monday and every game since, the Thrashers have at some point in the game built up, and then blown a two-goal lead. Two of those games ended in losses, Wednesday’s took overtime to ultimately provide a win.
Monday’s loss to the Bruins bugged me the most. Here we have a team that was on a slide…a team we had throttled 5-0 less than 48 hour prior…had them down 2-0 after the first period….we had the Thrashers playing 4 consecutive solid periods…..and then…PLOP! We get flushed like a logo on an Islander jersey!
So, as Yogi Berra once quipped, “It was like deja vous all over again”. Only this time, Atlanta kept playing hard and was rewarded later with Hossa’s second goal of the game.
Here’s hoping that ends the un-good trend.
Getting No Help From The Zebras
Over the past three games, the Boys of Blueland have been on the power play a total of 6 times while having to kill off nineteen. In fact, of the three man advantages Atlanta had Friday night, one was abbreviated after a 4-4 and the third was with 11 seconds left in the game.
So, the Thrashers have returned to their bad habit of taking some un-good penalties at inopportune times, (see Klee’s 4-minute slash followed by Holik’s clear over the glass that lead to Carolina’s game winner Friday). Regardless, 19-6 is quite the un-good stat.
THE UGLY
Lastly, it was just pointed out to me by the divine Mrs. R upon the return from our trip to her mom’s house, that the Thrashers had a winning record…going 2-1…while visiting my in-laws. She followed the observation quickly with, “So, seeing how superstitious you are, maybe we should visit mom more often during the season”!
Cue: Creepy ‘Psycho’ music
AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaugggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
