AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > January > 16
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Mow Down In Motown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
First of all, I want to thank all those who came out to watch the game last night at the Jocks-N-Jills at The Galleria! Most I knew, some I met for the first time!! It was a good time, indeed! Great game, great food, great service, (thank you Ashley).
Now, as for the game…
Well…there, THAT wasn’t so hard, was it? You just go into The Joe, thump the Wings 5-1 and come home…ho-hum!
I mean, Detroit WHO?
If I had not seen the game and you would have told me that the Atlanta Thrashers would be out shot by the Detroit Red Wings 47-25…20-6 in the second period alone…I would have said, “Yeah, not surprising”. If you would have followed it up with the fact that the final score was 5-1, I would have muttered, “Surprising we kept it that close given the shots”.
But then you tell me that it was the Thrasher who came out of it with the win…well then…I would have told you that I hope your not driving home because it’s obvious you have had one…no twelve…too many to drink!
However, it is all true as the Bruisers of Blueland took their act to Motown and came away with the biggest margin of victory over the Red Wings anyone has achieved this season. The only time Detroit was even beaten by as much as three goals was a 6-3 loss to the Ducks on October 15. In the last three games the Wings are 0-2-1….losing as many games as they did the entire month of December!
Early on, it was Marian Hossa putting Atlanta’s offense into over-drive as he scored a hat trick in the games first 21:14. The second coming late in the first as he won the puck from Detroit defender Brett Lebda and took it in to beat Chris Osgood. Not a very nice thing to do to Lebda as the Buffalo Grove, Illinois native was celebrating his 26th birthday! How do you say, “Happy Birthday, Brett…SEE YA”, in Slovak?
I wonder if GM/Head Coach Don Waddell carries that contract around with him in his suit pocket…HHmmm??
The Thrashers offense was clicking on all cylinders early on but it was Kari Lehtonen that put his game into over-drive as he turned away 46 of 47 Red Wing shots. Kari has put in 3 solid games in a row this past week, giving up only 5 goals and making 73 saves, (a .936 SV% in that span).
Now, I’m not gonna say just who it was…but someone texted me a question regarding whether or not Detroit had ever been shut out this season…just before Niklas Kronwall scored at 13:42 of the third to deny Kari of his 3rd such blanking of the season…but YOU know who you are!!!!
Of course, it didn’t help matters that I shared the question with everyone at the table up in the loft at Jocks-N-Jills. Oh, the glares and stares I received for breeching the sacred protocol of such hockey etiquette!! BTW, on New Years Eve the St. Louis Blues beat the Wings 2-0 for their only shut out of the season. The Thrashers have been the only team to hold them to 1 goal in a loss, (Colorado did hold them to a single goal in a 1-0 loss just last week).
So, as you can see…our team beat a very, VERY good hockey team. They did it with great goal keeping and an awesome performance from Hossa!
And all is quite from our out-post in Lavonia, Michigan!
OK,….now if you haven’t done so already, treat yourself to a glance at the standings. With Tuesday’s Mauling in Motown also came Carolina’s 5-3 loss in Toronto. Bada-BOOM, bada-BING…first-place in the Southeast Division! In one night’s worth of work, the Thrashers jump from 10th to 3rd place in the conference!
Some will say that being in first is because the division is weak. Ok,…but it’s also because since the 0-6-0 start, (seems like such a long time ago, eh), the Thrashers have gone 23-16-2. That’s something like .585 hockey…which is as good as the Dallas Stars have done this season and they have the 10th best winning percentage in the league.
So, Thursday night we will welcome the, (try to say it with me if you can), Southeast Division leading Atlanta Thrashers back to Blueland.
There, that wasn’t so hard…was it?
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