Rich Peverley continued to skate on a line with Evander Kane and Colby Armstrong -- at least for one shift.
Thrashers coach John Anderson is not about to tempt fate.
The Thrashers halted a trend of slow starts when Armstrong scored a goal 19 seconds into a Nov. 14 game against the New York Rangers. The trio started that game and the next three. Even though Peverley was moved to a line with Slava Kozlov and Todd White while Bryan Little was injured, there was a brief reunion for the start of games.
“It’s more of a superstition thing for John because we won our last four,” Peverley said Thursday. “When we started this winning streak, I was playing with Evander Kane and Colby Armstrong. We’ve started every game since. I think he’s just continuing with us because we are on a winning streak.”
Anderson said he’s not superstitious, but ...
“We are always talking about our [slow] starts, and we scored on that first shift,” Anderson said. “[Assistant coach Steve] Weeks said to me, ‘Why don’t we just start them. It’s a good chance it’s going to be a good start.’ I said all right, and we just did that. It’s not so much a superstition; it’s they did a good thing, and we’ve been having trouble with our starts. ... I’m not superstitious, but I’m not dumb either.”
Entering Saturday’s play, Peverley led the Thrashers with 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists). He had at least one point in 14 of the Thrashers’ 18 games and has done so when injuries have forced him to play on several different lines.
“The first couple games it was tough,” Peverley said. “A lot of it is your timing. Now that I’ve been all over the place, I kind of adjusted to that.”
Schubert ‘Entourage’ fan
This week the NHL Insider caught up with defenseman Christoph Schubert for an off-ice Q&A.
Q: What’s your favorite television show?
A: ”Entourage.” It’s just hilarious. All the characters that are in it, it’s pretty funny. I just enjoy watching it.
Q: If you weren’t a professional hockey player, what would you be doing?
A: I’d say I’d be a soccer player. I was a pretty good soccer player back in the day. When I was 14 years old, I had to make a decision because I was pretty successful and I got some offers from some soccer teams. At that age, you’ve got to make a choice and I chose hockey.
Q: What was your welcome-to-the-NHL moment?
A: I played in Toronto my first game. My first game was there just after the lockout. It was pretty cool having your first game be in Toronto.
Q: Why did you choose to wear No. 16?
A: [No.] 5 was gone [Boris Valabik], 24 was gone [Josh Gratton], 25 was gone [Anssi Salmela], 13 was gone [Slava Kozlov], 10 was gone [Bryan Little]. I had to choose one. They were all taken. I think I had one half a season when I wore 16. So I picked 16.
Q: If you could pick your last meal, what would it be?
A: It would be Schweinebraten. It’s a pick pork chop on a bone with dumplings and red cabbage and gravy. But it has to be from my mother.
Q: What kind of car do you drive?
A: A [BMW] X5, 4.3 liter. It’s a pretty nice car.
Quote of the week
Anderson when asked if Little, a 30-goal scorer a year ago, has sat two games this season because of a lack of production. (According to Anderson, Little was scratched two games because of a groin injury.)
“I send a message to him when he sits in my office for a meeting. That’s when he gets the message. A guy scores 30 goals, you have to give him a little latitude. When I see a guy who scores 30 goals, it’s up to me and the coaching staff to get him going again by hook or by crook. I don’t think we are at the point where I have to tell him, ‘If you don’t score tonight, you’re sitting down.’ You can’t do that to a goal scorer.”
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