DEL.ICIO.USThrashers’ power-play futility on display
New Jersey blanks Atlanta at Philips
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, October 16, 2008
They call it the “two-minute drill.”
If the Thrashers score in a given two minutes, some lucky fan gets an autographed Ilya Kovalchuk jersey.
Pouya Dianat/pdianat@ajc.com
Thrashers defenseman Ron Hainsey and goalie Kari Lehtonen react after Devils right wing Brian Rolston scored in the second period.
That promotion was a sucker bet Thursday night. The Thrashers haven’t been able to score in a designated two-minute stretch — those things called power plays — for almost a week. And they couldn’t score in an entire 60-minute game against New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur.
Brodeur stopped 25 shots, and the Thrashers wasted five power plays in the Devils’ 1-0 victory in more than half-empty Philips Arena. (The Thrashers announced 11,293 tickets distributed, but thousands of those tickets weren’t used.)
Brian Rolston scored the game’s only goal when he skated to the front of the net, shot, then knocked in the rebound. The power-play goal, at 18:57 of the second period, came after Garnet Exelby drew a roughing penalty for tackling Jamie Langenbrunner.
The Thrashers haven’t scored a power-play goal since the season opener. They’re 0-for-12 with the man advantage in three losses since.
John Anderson tried to solve the problem by making it the focus of Wednesday’s practice. He tried to coach his way out of the slump by moving Kovalchuk to the point and adding another forward to the power-play unit, a personnel grouping he used on the second power play Thursday night.
None of it worked.
In fact, it failed so badly the Thrashers had more power plays than power-play shots (four) against New Jersey. Of course, not every close scoring opportunity counts as a shot on goal.
“We hit a crossbar, and we hit a post,” said Ron Hainsey, who was responsible for one of those shots. “[Kovalchuk] had a great chance. I think he hit the defenseman. We came storming back. We hit a post or a crossbar. There were some other chances down there. We just couldn’t beat their all-world goalie tonight on it.
“We had five great chances at him, and he made some unbelievable saves. That’s why he’s coming up on the best of all time.”
Brodeur pulled within 10 victories of tying Patrick Roy’s NHL record of 551, and his 97th career shutout pulled him within six of Terry Sawchuk’s NHL record. He had made a lot of opponents miserable, not just the Thrashers and not just Thursday night.
Still, the Thrashers could have made his job harder, especially when they were skating 5-on-4.
“A lot of times we’re not getting the second and third chances when we do get good shots,” White said. “We don’t seem to get there for the rebound and re-establish the possession. On the power play, you just can’t be one-and-done. You have to stay in the zone and have numerous chances.”
Anderson said his team played its best game of the season and just came up against a hot goalie. He said he was disappointed only in one eight-minute stretch of the second period and suggested if the Thrashers keep playing the way they did Thursday night, they’ll get good results.
“We had chances,” he said. “If we don’t have chances, then I’m concerned. We didn’t have chances [Tuesday night against Minnesota], and today we had a lot of good chances.”
They practice again today and play another home game Saturday, against Buffalo.
“There’s always more you can do,” Hainsey said. “Scoring would be one.”
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