Better effort for Thrashers, but end result the same in loss to Rangers

Oct 31 2008

Published by bud006 at 6:49 am under Thrashers Recaps Edit This

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.