AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > February > 29
Friday, February 29, 2008
Comeback Effort Wiped Away in OT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday night’s massive comeback effort by the Atlanta Thrashers came up just short as the Islanders flushed out a goal 1:09 into the extra period. Failing to squeeze out the extra point has Thrashers fans seeing any remote chances of post-season play circling the drain.
New York began the game by piling up a 3-0 lead as Atlanta strained to find any rhythm to their game. But a short-handed penalty shot goal by Eric Perrin was followed by slappers off the sticks of Ken Klee, (his first of the season), and Alexei Zhitnik. The three-goal run silenced the groans from the stands.
Ilya Kovalchuk showed a great amount of grit in his play as twice he smeared Islanders against the boards…Bergenheim in the second and Hilbert in the third.
The Thrashers again found themselves behind the Islanders late in the game until Bobby Holik leveled the score again with just 71 seconds left in the final period.
But ultimately it was Trent Hunter’s goal that allowed the New Yorkers to sneak out the back door with the all-important point number two.
Whew…thank goodness we don’t play the Islanders anymore this year. I don’t know if I could push out another one of those.
Un-Good Numbers
The Thrashers are mired in a five game losing streak. They have been out scored 22-10 in those games. Turn the clock back to last fall when they lost the first five games of the season by a combined score of 23-9. As you’ll recall, they went on to drop the next game 4-0 in Philadelphia and Bob Hartley lost his job the next day.
With 1:21 left in the third period of the game played against Washington 16 days and 7 games ago, Alexander Ovechkin scored a goal to tie the game at 2 each. The Thrashers went on to win that game in a shootout. However, since that time Atlanta has played 372 minutes and 30 seconds of hockey in which they have held a lead for exactly 11 minutes and 39 seconds.
Also, since the 5-1 win in Detroit on Jan. 15, the Thrashers have won exactly two games in regulation.
At The Fork In The Road
The great Yankee catcher and malapropist Yogi Berra once said, “When you see a fork in the road, take it”. Well, the Thrashers find themselves at just such a fork. Do they forge on with the intention of pushing for a playoff birth…or do they take the fork, stick it in the ’07-’08 NHL campaign and set their sights on the future?
If they decide upon the latter, and they should, then I would like to see more of Little, Stuart, Kiwi and Pops in the line up to play along side of newbies Armstrong and Christensen.
If they opt for the former, then here is what they are facing…assuming 90 points is still the benchmark to win the Southeast crown and make the playoffs.
To reach that total the Thrashers would need to earn 27 points in their last 17 games, say going 13-3-1. But then, Carolina would then have to go no better than 9-6 to finish at 89 points and Washington would have to finish out 11-6-1 in their last 18 to end up with 89 and Florida 12-3-1 to end at 89 points…..Tampa Bay would have to go 16-2-1 to get to 90 points.
Again, this is all predicated on the fact that Atlanta wins thirteen of their last seventeen games in the first pace…and that’s a pretty tall order. One could say the Thrashers are “overwhelming underdogs”.
While it’s true, “It ain’t over until it’s over”, considering just last week we were in a position to be one off the lead with 20 to go, well, “the future ain’t what it used to be”.
If You Want It Done Right…Do It Yourself
Since it is now abundantly clear that the Thrashers Organ-I-zation isn’t going to place a full-time head coach behind the bench any time soon, I have placed it upon myself to take this matter into my own hands!
My fellow Bluelanders, I present to you…the unofficial, honorary Thrashers head coach for the remainder of the season as named by Rawhide’s Ice Man blog….Coach Jim Mora.
And Finally…
A big, fat, hairy THANK YOU to Maal who fed me some stats while my internet service was out last night. Maal, you are the best-est-est!
