Thrashers.Today.Com

By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

Rangers 3, Thrashers 2

Top of the Slot: At least it wasn’t a seven-goal blowout like Tuesday, but nonetheless the Thrashers lost their fifth straight, following a gutty effort against the team with the NHL’s best record.

The Good: Unlike in Tuesday’s 7-0 rout by Philadelphia, the Thrashers actually showed up and competed in this one. Slava Kozlov gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead 4:41 into the contest. Bryan Little tied the game midway through the third period with a power-play goal. Todd White finished with two assists. Kozlov also assisted on Little’s goal. Kari Lehtonen made 30 saves in goal and played much better than he did Tuesday. Atlanta’s penalty kill snuffed out back-to-back-to-back power plays at the end of the first and start of the second.

The Bad: The worst news of the day came off the ice. Top draft pick Zach Bogosian’s leg was broken early in Tuesday’s game, sidelining the young defenseman for six weeks. Ilya Kovalchuk is struggling. Thursday, he mustered just two shots, and was on the ice for two of New York’s three goals. Jason Williams finished minus-2, and Erik Christensen, back to centering the top line, finished minus-1. Atlanta was outshot again, although the 33-29 margin is an improvement.

View from the Sports Garage: So it’s a loss, and that’s troubling for a team that hasn’t won a hockey game since Oct. 18. But still, the Thrashers played inspired hockey against the best team (record-wise) in the NHL. Atlanta had much more jump and hustled far more than it did Tuesday. Still, though, the little things are hurting this team. Like playing one-man down too much. Like not being physical enough in front of Lehtonen. Opponents still are getting far too many chances from in close, and if you give the opposition time to camp out in front of the crease, sooner or later they’re going to bang home the puck. The top line has disappeared. I like Christensen being in the middle, as I wrote in the postseason, and certainly White didn’t have a problem going down to the second line. He had another great game. It’d be hard to imagine where this team would be offensively without White and Little. Bogosian’s injury is a tough break, no pun intended. I think while there are times the kid is overmatched, you can see the raw potential and the skill set. For an 18-year-old, he’s held his own pretty well. Let’s hope it’s just six weeks.

Next
Thrashers at Devils
7 p.m. Saturday

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By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

ATLANTA — From the frying pan straight into the fire.

If you’re the Atlanta Thrashers, that had to be the way you felt getting on the charter to New York late yesterday. Coming off an embarrassing 7-0 loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday, you lace ’em up tonight and face the New York Rangers, the team with the NHL’s best record.

Ugh.

The Rangers (9-2-1) have more than three times as many points (19) as the Thrashers. Atlanta is 2-5-2, good for six points or, to be more accurate, tied with Phoenix and Columbus at two points ahead of the Islanders in the race for worst record in the league.

Like I said. Ugh.

Word is head coach John Anderson shuffled every one of the offensive lines at practice on Wednesday. Good idea, because absolutely nothing worked Tuesday night.

And tonight’s game isn’t exactly promising for an offensive outburst. The Rangers are giving up a league-best 1.92 goals per game and their penalty kill ranks second in the NHL.

Like I said. Ugh.

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By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

ATLANTA — Wasn’t it this time last season the Atlanta Thrashers were blown out by Philadelphia in an October contest that would mark the last time Bob Hartley stood behind the team’s bench as head coach?

So, what to make of this October’s thrashing of the Thrash by the Broad Street Bullies? OK, so this incarnation of the Flyers may not be as imposing as their brethren from a generation ago, but still, it’s hard to imagine a worse beatdown than that imposed upon Le Thrash on Tuesday night at Philips Arena.

Final score: 7-0. And no, we’re not talking about the Eagles playing the Falcons.

Of course, the Falcons probably would’ve put up more of a fight than the Thrashers, who looked like they were out for an early-evening skating outing instead of playing an NHL game. They were beaten in every aspect of the game. They were outhustled. They were outmuscled. They gave up short-handed goal. The defense was porous. The goaltending was shoddy. The offense was non-existent. The leadership was abysmal.

This is a young team, and it’s up to Ilya Kovalchuk not to pitch a fit on the ice and end up with a double-minor, during which the Flyers scored TWICE.

At one time during Tuesday’s game, head coach John Anderson could be seen on TV shaking his head. He’d probably like to know what’s going on with this team, which isn’t great by any stretch of the imagination, but is much better than what they displayed for a national TV audience Tuesday night.

And it doesn’t get any easier from here. Next up: a trip to Broadway to face the Rangers. The optimist says the Thrashers have to play better than they did Tuesday. The pessimist doesn’t even want to watch.

Regardless, any more listless performances like Tuesdays and something will have to be done. The glow of opening night long has faded into the wind. The season is underway, but it looks like the Thrashers are still stalled at the starting line.

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By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

Flyers 7, Thrashers 0

Top of the Slot: Allowing three goals in a 114-second span turned a close game into a rout as the Thrashers were embarrassed at home by the Flyers, losing for the fifth time in nine games.

The Good: Yeah, right.

The Bad: Nothing like putting together your worst performance of the season in front of a national TV audience (although can we really call Versus a national TV network when most of the nation can’t find it on their cable or dish?). At least only 13,207 – many disguised as empty seats – turned out to Philips Arena to see the carnage. Goodness, where to start in this one. Ilya Kovalchuk took a double-minor for unsportsmanlike conduct after the Flyers scored their third goal, and Philly cashed in twice more in the next 1 minute, 54 seconds, turning a 3-0 game into a 5-0 blowout. The power play returned to form: 0-for-7, and the Flyers scored a shorthanded tally for good measure. Nic Havelid led a parade of Thrashers on the minus side with a minus-3. Bryan Little, Eric Perrin, Mathieu Schneider and Marty Reasoner finished minus-2. Kari Lehtonen struggled, allowing all seven goals on only 31 shots.

View from the Sports Garage: And to think I missed writing game stories while I was out of town this past weekend. Guess I missed some good hockey, because I sure didn’t see any tonight. What a brutally bad performance. There’s nothing else left to say. You have three or four games like this a season … let’s hope this is nothing more than just a bad game. The Thrashers had some chances early but couldn’t convert. The Flyers took advantage of every Atlanta miscue late in the second and early in the third. Ballgame. Time to move on.

Next
Thrashers at Rangers
7 p.m. Thursday

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By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

ATLANTA — I just got home from pumping gas and there is no denying that it feels like hockey season in the big A tonight.

And not just because the Atlanta Thrashers actually scored on the power play while I was away in the mountains, without Internet access and far from the reaches of the Thrashers’ radio network …

Of course, my suburban house just south of downtown is outside of the team’s radio network as well, when the sun goes down.

Anyway, great to be back in the hockey blogging chair, refreshed and ready to jump head first into this season that’s started with less-than-stellar results. The two losses on the road this weekend, at Detroit and at Boston, were far from surprising in the regard the Thrashers are scuffling on the offensive end right now, staying in games largely in part to the play of Kari Lehtonen.

But still, it’s disappointing that this team is 2-4-2 through the first eight games.

At least the power play showed some signs of life during the weekend roadie. Atlanta broke its drought on the man advantage with Ron Hainsey’s goal 4:48 into the third at Detroit on Friday during a 5-on-3. The Thrashers added three more power play goals Saturday at Boston, on tallies by Jason Williams, Mathieu Schneider and Ilya Kovalchuk.

But breakdowns in the defensive zone – not to mention the barrage of shots thrown at Lehtonen on Friday and Johan Hedberg on Saturday – were too much. This team has to start playing a little better, doing the little things that turn close losses into much-needed wins.

Tuesday night’s nationally televised home tilt with the Flyers would be a good place to start.

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By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

ATLANTA — You know what ticks me off? Other than drivers who don’t use turn signals (that’s another story altogether)?

Hockey writers who take one look at the Atlanta Thrashers and immediately think this team is heading to Las Vegas, or Seattle, or Kansas City, or Canada …

Puh-leeze. Enough with the relocation talk already.

Yes, this team has won zero playoff games in nine season. Yes, this team has reached the postseason just once. Yes, this team doesn’t exactly lead the world in attendance. Yes, this team plays in a market where college football is king, basketball is big, the NFL has a following and baseball is very important.

With all that said, the Thrashers aren’t going away.

For one thing, the Atlanta metro area has more than 5 million people, and whether the national critics want to acknowledge it or not, many of those people have roots from other parts of the nation, roots that include exposure to hockey. Atlanta is a transplant city, and many of the folks who have settled here during the past two or three decades came from areas where hockey is huge.

Another point: The NHL needs a team in Atlanta. Regardless of growth in other areas, Atlanta remains the hub of the South and a major international city. This is a city that played host to the Olympics, features a dynamic population base, and is a booming center of commence, culture and transportation. No way the NHL pulls up stakes from this place.

Yet another point: What type of message would it send if the NHL allows the Thrashers to move? The league so desperately needs stability, and having a team leave one of the nation’s biggest and most vibrant cities would be a black eye on the league first and foremost.

It’s funny … nobody talked about relocation two seasons ago, when the Thrashers were winning the Southeast Division title. But the talk resurfaced last season, as Atlanta tumbled to 14th in the Eastern Conference.

Regardless of whether or not Atlanta makes the playoffs this season, whenever you hear talk about this team moving, dismiss it. It’s nothing more than speculation from folks who don’t know what they’re talking about, plain and simple.

NHL hockey left Atlanta once. It won’t happen again. You can count on that.

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By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

ATLANTA — When I looked at the Atlanta Thrashers’ schedule earlier this summer, the first thing that caught my eye was this weekend.

And no, not because I’ll be spending it in the mountains relaxing for three days, after burning the work/blogging/freelance/husband/father candle at every end imaginable nonstop the past few months … but more on that in a minute.

No, seeing back-to-back road games at Detroit and at Boston for a young team with a new head coach in games seven and eight of the season really grabbed me.

Tough, tough weekend upcoming for Le Thrash.

Detroit, the defending Stanley Cup champion, stands second in the Western Conference with nine points (4-1-1), leading the Central Division. Boston sits third in the Northeast Division with seven points.

If there is a ray of hope for the Thrashers, consider this: the Red Wings are 1-1-1 at home, having made most of their hay in the early going away from Hockeytown. The B’s are 0-1-1 at home following Thursday’s loss to Toronto.

Be a good time for the Thrashers to turn things on in regards to their power play production, and on the blueline, where Atlanta still is surrendering a ton of shots.

Now, about the weekend: I will not be filing game stories Saturday morning or Sunday morning. I’ll have advance stories posting each morning for your enjoyment. I’ll recap the weekend trip either Sunday or Monday, and then we’ll look ahead to next week, which features games with Philly, the Rangers and the Devils.

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By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

ATLANTA — Six games in the books, and you’ve got to go down the Atlanta Thrashers’ stat sheet a little bit before you arrive at the name Ilya Kovalchuk.

The sharp-shooting winger has just four points in six games, tied with Nic Havelid for fourth on the team behind Todd White, Bryan Little and Ron Hainsey. Seeing Kovy, who scored 52 goals last season, with two goals and two assists, begs a question:

Are you worried?

The answer is no, there shouldn’t be any worries about Kovy’s production – or lack thereof – in the first half-dozen games this season. If anything, credit the two guys Kovy’s skated with on the top line.

White looks like a (gasp!) first-line pivot after his lackluster season with Atlanta in 2007-08. Dude’s been moving the puck well (he leads the team with five assists), and has been more aggressive shooting the puck. Little looks far more comfortable in the NHL this season than he did in his rookie campaign, leading the team with four goals.

The fact Kovalchuck sits fourth on the team in shots (15, behind Mathieu Schneider, Hainsey and Erik Christensen) is evidence that this year, it’s not going to be Kovy shouldering the burden of the offensive load all alone. And it can’t be. As talented as he is, the Thrashers are going to succeed by getting more offensive production from players who don’t wear No. 17 on their sweater.

The goals will come for Kovy. This we know, as we know the sun rises in the east and taxes are due on April 15. But during times like this, when the shots aren’t falling, it’s comforting to know there are others who – unlike last season – appear willing and eager to try and pick up the slack until No. 17 goes off on one of his patented goal-scoring streaks.

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By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

Lightning 3, Thrashers 2 (OT)

Top of the Slot: Down 2-0 after a brutal opening two periods, the Thrashers fought back to salvage a point in the standings on Todd White’s game-tying goal with 35.5 seconds left, then lost on a power-play goal in extra time.

The Good: I know we beat on White in the preseason, but give him credit: dude has played very well so far through the first six games. White set up Colby Armstrong’s goal 6:47 into the third, then tallied the game-tying goal with time running down, off assists from Mathieu Schneider and Ron Hainsey. Kari Lehtonen survived an onslaught of shots in the opening period, finishing with 35 saves.

The Bad: The power-play drought marches on, now 0-for-24 after the Thrashers came up empty on all three man-advantage situations Tuesday. In a matchup of two of the worst defensive teams in the league – in regards to shots allowed per game – Atlanta was outshot 38-33. It was one-sided in the first 20 minutes: 18 shots for Tampa, five for Le Thrash. Bryan Little’s tripping penalty 1:11 into overtime set up the Lightning’s game-winning goal.

View from the Sports Garage: So Tampa gets its first victory of the season, and you know it was extra sweet for the Lightning to get into the W column against the Thrashers. This team has 2’s across the board now: 2 wins, 2 losses, 2 overtime losses. Those three 2’s would be great in poker, but you can’t help but feel Atlanta should be better. The power play continues to be a major issue; Atlanta doesn’t have a power-play goal in its past five games. With games this weekend against Detroit and Boston, the Thrashers best spend some time working on converting with the man advantage. I just don’t see the zip in Atlanta’s step I saw in the first couple of games this season. Granted, this team was 0-6 at this point last season, so having six points in the standings is indeed improvement. But, the Thrashers need to shake off this funk and get back to playing good hockey.

Next
Thrashers at Red Wings
7:30 p.m. Friday

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By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

ATLANTA — One season after battling for the Southeast Division title into the final week of the regular season, the Atlanta Thrashers and Tampa Bay Lightning waged a battle in 2007-08 nobody wants:

The battle for last place in the Eastern Conference.

One season after these two slug it out for the top spot in the division, the Thrashers and Lightning dropped like a rock in the standings. Atlanta, the Southeast champ in 2006-07, finished 14th in the East last season, one spot ahead of Tampa in both campaigns.

We’ve discussed the changes Atlanta’s made since April, but Tampa is a totally new team. A new/old face appears behind the bench, as Barry Melrose and his slicked-up ’do left ESPN to return to coaching. A re-tooled roster has the Lightning hoping for much better things this season.

The two tangle tonight in Tampa. You can’t blame folks along Florida’s west coast if they’re not paying attention to hockey just yet, not with the surprising Rays in the World Series for the first time.

Nonetheless, should be a game with plenty of scoring chances. The Thrashers and Lightning are among the teams that have allowed the most shots per game so far this season. And as we all know, these teams really don’t like each other.

Would be nice for the Thrashers to get a W, especially staring down a trip to Hockeytown Friday night to face the defending champion Red Wings.

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