AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > November > 15
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday night the Atlanta Thrashers…make that the RED HOT Atlanta Thrashers…responded to a full-fledged Hurricane warning in Philips Arena by donning their new alternate unis for the first time in a game and placed Blueland under a full Red Alert!
The result was a 3-2 victory that pushed the current winning streak to five straight games…raised the Thrashers home record to 5-3-0…improved their record against Southeast Division foes to 4-0-2… and tied New Jersey for the 9th place in the conference with 16 points.
Not a bad couple of weeks following a 1-7-2 stretch, I’d say. And if the play of the team and the result on the scoreboard has anything to do with the red jerseys…then they can wear ‘em every night as far as I’m concerned.
Marty Reasoner has been a self-appointed Cane killer this week. His first period goal… one that came during a 2 on 1 break with Colby Armstrong halfway through the first period … got the evening off to a fine start. In the two games this week versus Carolina, Marty has scored three of his four goals on the season. Eric Perrin notched his initial tally of the 2008-09 campaign 3:32 into the second with Boulton and Slater getting the assists.
Sure is nice when the lower lines pitch in, eh?
But then there’s Slava Kozlov…Killer Kozzy… whose power play goal in the third would wind up being the margin for victory on this night. Carolina was attempting to kill off a 2-minute, 2-man penalty at the time…and came within two ticks of the clock from doing so… before Kozzy took a feed from Bryan Little and netted the all-important third goal for Atlanta. Just moments prior, Ilya Kovalchuk and Ron Hainsey had paired up to save the puck from crossing over the blueline and out of the attacking zone, setting up Kozlov’s heroics.
Johan Hedberg was very solid ‘tween the pipes in his third straight start stopping 27 of the 29 shots fired against him. Both times he was bested came when Carolina was on the man advantage.
For his part, Cam Ward had a strong night as well. Though three of Atlanta’s 25 shots got past him, two were on 2 on 1 breaks and the third on a 5 on 3 power play. The save he made on Bryan Little in the first…sliding to his right to get a skate on the puck…was outstanding as was his gloving of a Kovalchuk bomb in the third.
The Thrashers will now make their way to Philadelphia in pursuit of the sixth consecutive win. If I’m not mistaken, this franchise has never strung together more than five in a row…fumbling through stacks of records and stats…no I can’t find any such streak. Can I get my staff on this? Brendan? Trixie? PJ? Staff?…STAFF?
%$#&@…I hate it when they take the weekend off! Regardless, I think the Thrashers will be going for that team record Sunday night in Philly.
Oh… and lastly, Garnet Exelby as Ron Burgundy…very classy.
Services »
