Thrashers.Today.Com

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.

—30—

Trackback URI | Comments RSS