AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > January > 10
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Point Not So Well Taken
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve mentioned before that I don’t care much for the shoot-out deciding games in the NHL. It’s a gimmick. It’s akin to an NBA game being decided with players marching up to the free throw line and taking turns there until a “winner” is determined or baseball games having a home run derby or football games decided with field goal kickers in same fashion. And lest ye think I’m just spewing sour grapes, I dislike the shoot-out whether the Thrashers win them or lose them…only a little less when we win.
Yes, yes…I know. It’s a definite hit with the fans. It’s exciting and can be fun to watch. It is the vehicle in which the NHL suits have used to eliminate ties, something I guess some focus group determined the league needed to do to attract new fans. So, I know it’s something that is here to stay. However, when I’m elected King, I’m gonna change the rules to have teams play a 10-minute overtime period before getting to the exhibition-style tie breaker and no point for the loser if the game ends prior to the shoot-out. Oh, and if your in the penalty box when OT ends, you don’t get to participate in it because…your in the box!
OK, I’m off my soapbox now.
There are two ways you can look at the 3-2 shoot-out loss to the Florida Panthers. We came out of the game with a point that may come in handy down the road, or…we lost a point that we may desperately need somewhere down that same road. Yes, it brought us one point closer to Carolina who lost to the Devils…but Florida, Philadelphia, Montreal and Pittsburgh gained one on us in the conference standings.
Kari Lehtonen played well enough in the nets, stopping 38 of 40 shots. He faced 15 in the first period alone, stopping them all. If I wanted to pick on him for something, it was that early on he was giving up some rebounds, but that might have been due to having the last week off. Overall he did well.
Bobby Holik followed up the choice words for his team the other night by netting his 7th goal of the season via a nifty through pass from the left wing by Slava Kozlov. I though the captains words following the Philadelphia loss were on target so it was good to see him follow tem with action…one goal and no penalties.
Then there is that Kovalchuk kid. Another game, another goal, ho-hum! Seriously, as I have stated before, I am convinced more then ever that Superman wears Kovy PJs to bed because when he grows up and gets real good at that super-hero stuff, he wants to be as good as #17. Kovy’s wrap-around goal in the third followed a wrap-around attempt by Mark Recchi…a little ring-around-the-rosy action, if you will. He is still on a pace to score 66 on the season.
It seems as though the Thrashers have come up with a plan to counter the way they have poorly dealt with 2-goals leads of late, (Buffalo game excepted),….by not GETTING a two goal lead. Twice Atlanta could not hold 1-goal advantages as the Panthers countered both tallies the Thrashers notched. Credit Florida for hanging in there and leaving Philips with two points. But let’s be honest here, the Thrashers were playing a team that had 4 of their regular defenders out, (Mezei with an injury to a hand, Van Ryan, Murphy… and Welch who will miss the remainder of the year), but were still only able to get off 26 shots on goal in regulation and 2 in overtime.
So, we pick up a point…good for us. But that extra one the Panthers walked away with was one we really needed and should have had.
