AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2009 > January > 27
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Big D Shuts Down Thrashers O-Fense
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Thrashers came off the All Star break and ran smack dab into a brick wall with the number 35 on it. Marty Turco denied the Thrashers 25 times in Tuesday’s 2-0 win against Atlanta. For Turco, who improved to 20-16-7 on the year, it was his second shutout on the season and thirty-fifth of his career.
Much like their last game in Philadelphia this past Wednesday, Atlanta played flat for the first two periods but showed some life in the last twenty minutes, where they took 13 of their total 25 shots on goal. Unlike the Philly game however, this time Atlanta was not able to even dent the scoreboard and make a game of it.
Even in the loss, I thought Kari Lehtonen played very well. The first goal scored on him was caused by his rebound, but it took an unfortunate bounce off the chest of Jere Lehtinen. The second Dallas goal came only 28 seconds into the second period when the Stars sipped the puck through a flat-footed Thrashers defense and Steve Ott was able poke the puck home into a wide open net off a pass from Trevor Daley.
But for the next 39:32 Kari held Dallas right there…stopping the next 22 shots that he faced. In the second, he robbed Mike Ribeiro moving from right to left in order to knock away his point-blank attempt. In the third, he moved left to right to deny Loui Eriksson as well.
After a sluggish 5-9-4 start to the season, Dallas is now 21-18-7 and only a couple points below the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
Meanwhile, despite playing better of late, the Thrashers now find themselves five points behind Tampa Bay in the basement of the Southeast Division and tied with Ottawa for the next to last spot in the Eastern Conference. The New York Islanders, who are that one team below Atlanta and the Senators, pay Blueland a visit Thursday night.
Life After-Sean Not So Bad
For what it’s worth…with their win against Atlanta, the Dallas Stars improved to a record of 13-7-3 in games played without the services of Sean Avery. In the 23 games Avery played in a Stars uniform, Dallas was a very sloppy 8-11-4.
Policy 1, Common Sense 0
At least that what Michael Farber thinks in regards to the one-game suspension of two Red Wing players for being no-shows at last weekend’s All Sat Game in Montreal.
No Soup For You!
The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell writes, “The free lunch for NBC is over. That’s the message the NHL will give to the network when it begins negotiating a new national television contract to replace the one that expires after this season”.
Da Commish Speaks
Ross McKeon of Yahoo Sports writes that Commissioner Gary Bettman believes on-ice fighting in the NHL is a part of the game that should not be eliminated.
