Shootout sends Thrashers into prospect tourney final

Sep 16 2008

Published by bud006 at 10:50 pm under Thrashers News Edit This

By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

ATLANTA – Certainly nobody expects the Atlanta Thrashers and Detroit Red Wings to be playing for a berth in any type of final this season.

But it happened Tuesday night, and the Thrashers prevailed, moving into the championship game of the Traverse City Prospect Evaluation Tournament.

Spencer Machacek scored a power play goal in regulation, then added a score in the shootout as the Thrashers downed the Red Wings 3-2 on Tuesday night, moving Atlanta into the tournament final tonight against Dallas.

Machacek and Matt Lyall scored in the shootout, and Chris Carrozzi stopped Francis Pare in the final round of the shootout for the Thrashers, who won their first two games in the tournament with back-to-back shutouts.

Detroit scored first in this one, taking a 1-0 lead on a power play goal in the second. The Thrashers rallied with a shorthanded goal from Riley Holzapfel at 8:07 in the third. Machacek gave Atlanta a 2-1 lead two minutes later, scoring on the power play off an Arturs Kulda assist.

The Red Wings tied the game at 2-2 with 2:24 to go in regulation, and neither team scored in the two overtime periods, setting up the shootout.

The Thrashers spent most of the night in the penalty box, finishing with 26 minutes of penalties. Holzapfel and Machacek each led the Thrashers with four shots on goal. First-round draft pick Zach Bogosian finished with two shots on goal and two penalty minutes. Carrozzi stopped 29 of 31 shots.