Point well taken: Thrashers fall short in OT at Florida

Oct 12 2008

Published by bud006 at 9:16 am under Thrashers Recaps Edit This

By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

Panthers 3, Thrashers 2 (OT)

Top of the Slot: Unable to cash in on power-play opportunities late, the Thrashers dropped their road opener, falling in overtime to cap a weekend in which Atlanta took three of four points.

The Good: The newcomers keep on keeping on. Saturday, it was Jason Williams’ turn, the winger netting the game-tying goal with 3:03 left in the second, with fellow newbie Ron Hainsey picking up an assist on the play. Slava Kozlov scored for the second consecutive game. Nic Havelid assisted on Kozzy’s goal, the Swede’s fourth helper in two games. Ilya Kovalchuk and Jim Slater each added an assist. Kari Lehtonen faced a barrage of shots from the second period on and played well overall, finishing with 35 saves. Atlanta’s penalty killers also were sharp, as the Panthers went 0-for-5 with a man advantage.

The Bad: Power play? Try lack of power. Atlanta finished 0-for-5 on the power play, including squandering three 5-on-3 chances. Yikes! Lehtonen and Eric Perrin collided in front of the net as Kari tried to snare a rebound in overtime, setting up the game-winning goal. Kovy hit the post in the third, and picked up a questionable diving penalty in the third. First-round draft pick Zach Bogosian picked up a penalty for the second consecutive game. Marty Reasoner lost 12 of his 18 faceoffs. After outshooting the Panthers 10-1 in the first few minutes, Atlanta wasn’t able to sustain the pressure. Florida outshot the Thrashers 39-33, including 22-5 in the third and overtime.

View from the Sports Garage: This would have been a great two points to get, without a doubt, but I found myself thinking about the big picture as regulation expired. Remember, we’re talking about a franchise that had ZERO points through six games last season. This year: two games, three points, first place in the Southeast Division. Yeah, I’d say that’s a better start. Still, very frustrating the Thrashers could not cash in early in the game, when the Panthers committed two penalties 43 seconds into the game. When you have three 5-on-3s, you’ve got to light the lamp at least once. Atlanta wasn’t as crisp on offense; playing on back-to-back nights is never easy, and it looked at times that the Thrashers were playing with heavy legs. But the Panthers also were playing back-to-back. Overall, a good effort, not as sharp as Friday’s win over Washington. But again, big picture time: three points so far. And now, two days off.