AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > January > 31
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thank You Sir! May I Have Another?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you were wondering what the rest of the Atlanta Thrashers were doing during the All-Star break, I think I know the answer. They were finding that killer instinct that has eluded them for the better part of four months! Let me be the first to order up another batch of it in time for tomorrow’s Sabres game. Because if Wednesday night’s 4-1 walloping of the Pittsburgh Penguins is any indication of what the post-All Star break Thrashers are all about…I’ll be more than happy to take much more of it, thank you very much indeed!
It’s not just that the Thrashers put a beat-down on a team attempting to take over first place in their division, but they did so playing short-handed on the bench by two men for much of the game. Three minutes into the second period Jarkko Ruutu flew knee-first into Ilya Kovalchuk … aiming for his knee…along the boards. Kovy tried to return but was unable. Steve McCarthy took exception to Jerk-o’s deliberate attempt to hurt Ilya and took 17 minutes in penalty time for doing the right thing. The Pittsburgh winger was shown the gate for his actions.
Ruutu attempted to explain his assault on the high-scoring Russian by saying, “I barely hit him. I didn’t change direction. I just went in for a hit”. Oh, really? You’re just finishing off a check…leading with your knee?
He then complained that he got penalized for fighting but he didn’t even throw a punch. Yeah, that’s because Steve-O put you on your butt faster than you could blink!
The team as a whole responded well after the hit. Fired up, they were all over Pens keeper Ty Conklin like a pants suit on Hillary Clinton. To his credit, Conklin turned away all 10 shots he faced in the middle frame, but he didn’t make it past 4 minutes of the third as he was pulled following the Thrasher’s fourth goal.
I don’t know what the league will do to the cretin for the attack, but if Ruutu sees the ice again before Valentines Day then the NHL front office owes Kovy an apology…especially if Kovalchuk misses any games due to the injury.
Regardless, Big Mac showed what a teammate is supposed to do when the team’s leading scorer is targeted as such. The 37 of the back of Jerk-o’s jersey should resemble a bulls-eye on March 2nd and he needs to be pulling his nary-butt off the ice until he can’t do so on his own.
Accountability and responsibility, you know.
And now, some quick shots:
Very Special, Indeed
Atlanta’s special teams were in great form as they scored 2 goals on power plays of their own and another on one of Pittsburgh’s.
Playing Lehts Out
Kari Lehtonen came into Wednesday’s game sporting a 5-1-0 record against Pittsburgh with a 2.77 GAA and .917 SV%. He improved on those numbers by stopping 29 of 30 shots and not allowing Pittsburgh to score until his team had built a 4-0 lead.
Slates Off The Schnide
The fourth goal tallied by the Thrashers came from Jimmy Slater, his first of the season. Who won the “Guess Day of Slater’s First Goal” contest?
Uh, Nate…You’ll Have To Give Back The Puck
Pittsburgh’s Nathan Smith scored what he thought was the first goal of his NHL career in the second period. But replay showed he had kicked the puck into the net. If it had counted, it would have cut the Thrasher lead to 2-1 with half a game to play. Combine that with Kovy being out and McCarthy serving penalty minutes for putting a punk in his place, and it could have been a major turning point for the Penguins.
As it turned out, it was only a major let down for the kid. I almost felt bad for him.
Almost.
On Deck: Bananas and Caps
The next two games will provide another character-check opportunity for the Thrashers. Blueland will once again be infested Friday night with fans wearing jerseys blazoned with flying banana peels, as the Sabres will be in town. I don’t think anyone needs to be reminded of the embarrassment the last time the two teams met. There is no excuse for not getting up for this game.
Then the team will wing their way to D.C. to take on a Capitals team that is as hot as Alyssa Milano. The Caps have won 7 of their last ten and have dug themselves out of an early season hole to contend for the division lead. Given the fact that Washington has 2 games in hand vs. the Thrashers, putting some daylight between them and us would be a very good thing right now.
