And Now From the Department of Redundancy Department.....And Because You Probably Didn't Notice My Post-Game Recap

POST-GAME RECAP / SUMMARY OF THOUGHTS:

Overall, the Thrashers gave a solid 60-minute effort, but there were still a couple of mind-boggling break-downs, inopportune turnovers (both forced and mindless unforced) and mis-communications that cost them. Devils play the type of game that does not allow you to make many mistakes and win. Even 5 or 6 instances of brain-lock or rushed decision-making will cost you. Perhaps tonite's effort would've beaten Tampa, Montreal or the Rangers, but not the Devils. Problem is the Thrashers don't play with the same intensity every game and rarely do they outwork weaker opponents. There were some bright spots upon which to build and perhaps Boulton and Thorburn rekindled a bit of nastiness that had been sorely missing for a while.

A few stats and gut-reaction musings before I sign off for the evening:

-- Shots on Goal ended up being even at 26 apiece. Thrashers actually attempted more shots, but had 9 blocked and 2 misses (inaccurate if you ask me) to only 2 blocked shots and 5 missed shots by the Devils. At any rate, the Thrashers had some looks, but too often they did not get the juicy, second chance rebound you need to beat Brodeur more than once or twice.

-- The Devils wound up winning the Face-Off battle with 27 wins to 22 losses on the evening. That means they won 9 of the last 13 draws to finish the game, which is how a defensive trap team holds onto a lead and wins. Strangely, Antropov was very good with 6 out of 9 where as Reasoner struggled to only 3 out of 11 wins. Oh yeah, one last thing that I nearly forgot.

-- This loss makes 5 losses in a row and for the first time all season this team has failed to turn their own fortunes after a 2 or 3 game slide. And now they are one loss away from not winning one game in regulation in 15 tries during the month of December -- Thrashers are 4 - 9 - 1 by virtue of 2 OT wins and 2 shootout wins after OT.

I will go out on a limb right now and state that the Boston game Wednesday night is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT GAME OF THE SEASON. THIS LOSING STREAK MUST END NOW AND THEY MUST NOT COME OUT OF DECEMBER HAVING EARNED ONLY 9 POINTS OUT OF 30 AVAILABLE...LOSE WED NITE AND THIS ROAD TRIP LOSING STREAK SPIRALS OUT OF CONTROL AND THE SEASON SLIDES INCHES FROM SLIPPING INTO THE ABYSS. AM I BEING TOO DRAMATIC?? NAH, I DIDN'T THINK SO.

My Three Stars plus Honorable Mention for the evening:
1st Star -- Zach Parise (2 goals including the game-winner)
2nd Star -- Marty Brodeur (several key saves and few rebounds)
3rd Star -- Marty Reasoner (scored 2nd goal to give team chance)
Honorable -- Kovalchuk (1st goal of game), Bergfors (2 assists)

Live Blog Against the Devils (Largely to Entertain Myself and Hopefully Keep from Screaming at the TV)

** Hedberg with a "Moose-tacular" save on a long rebound attempt from the slot by Elias I believe; a bit of an offensive lull for the Birds after a good initial shift by the Russian Troika

**Prior to the huge shot-rebound combo save by Moose, Boulton took a few licks from Andrew Peters after de-helmeting him with a couple of solid right hooks. Then they crumpled to the ice in a lover's hold...action resumed at 5 on 5.

**Valabik slapper from the right point deflected just wide before he decides to "scrum it up" with Dave Clarkson and Rod Pelley...stank-eye duly rendered with no penalty penance; Valabik created the offensive chance with a nice play at the defensive blueline

**Kovy with a decent bid from his normal left circle position...pulled up for the hard wrister, but denied by Brodeur...Bogo looks to be playing physically thus far...Kovy already back on the ice to create a good look from the point by Schubie...no dice tho. Kovy dbl shifting for Boulton.

**Kovy drives hard from the right and Reasoner collects loose change to keep the play going; puck cycled to the other side and hammers home a hard slapper from the left circle over the Hall of Famer's outstretched glove-hand...1 - 0 Thrashers!!

**Schubert with a wicked hit at the defensive blueline...however, getting out of position for the big hit costs them as Parise collects the loose change on a rebound while a helpless Ron Hainsey can't get back to help Hedberg in time...now 1 - 1. EDIT: Devils goal was a direct result of a weak clearing attempt by Todd White after Ron Hainsey was too quick to give up the puck that was dislodged by Schubert just outside the blueline. Basically, a play that never should have happened if Hainsey and White had taken their time or pushed the puck up the ice themselves.

**Kovy seemingly everywhere as he continues to double-shift for Boulton. He is showing very good jump and very little hesitation or doubt on his acceleration plays...defense is still a bit wanting as there is too much standing around watching the puck...Hedberg collects the puck after a position save high to the body.

**Another boxing exhibition between Thorburn and Clarkson...looks like the boys are doing everything possible to rally each other in the effort to get out of this losing rut. 6 mins left in the period...Kane trying to set up cycle. Fail.

**Kovy back out with his normal linemates...will he double shift for Thorburn too??

**After a solid shift by the Russian Roulette line, a slow line change leads to a bad defensive zone sequence in which Moose is forced to make two good saves. The resulting D-zone faceoff is won by Pevs, but a failed puck battle by Little to free the puck results in a weak shot from the left point that goes under the flamingo-leg of Toby Enstrom and then eludes a screened Hedberg. Now 2 to 1 Devils with 3 mins left. Crap balls.

**Thrashers need to stop allowing the likes of Colin White and Rod Pelley to score on lame-ass point-shot attempts when the defense is standing around like pile-ons. No real response to speak of after the Devils goal. UNTIL! Peverley gets a beauty of a feed from Kovy in the slot for a wrister 20 feet out...Brodeur stones him.

**Another horrible transition from O-zone to D-zone leads to a good chance for Parise...luckily, Hedberg was up to the task. Time expires and it remains 2 to 1 Devils after 1. Overall, intensity seems good, but the team looks rather dis-organized and has especially struggled in transition. Getting absolutely nothing from secondary lines once again. No shots that I'm aware of from Kane, Army, White, Kozlov and Little.

**Kovy's in-between-period advice: "we've got guys that skate like the wind so we need to get pucks deep and get chances." That's all well and good if you know how to actually get the puck out of your own freakin' zone! Can someone teach these ass-clowns how to execute the little things that win hockey games rather than wait for the random or accidental loose puck that might just lead to a breakaway or odd-man rush??

BEGINNING OF THE 2ND PERIOD:

**After 1, shots are 13 for Devils and 9 for Thrashers. Seems like Devils have 3 or 4 shots on rebounds alone, one of which was a goal. I don't believe the Thrashers have one rebound shot attempt. NJ also dominating the face-off circle, which needs to change for ATL to win.

**No real zone time established over the first 2 minutes of the 2nd. Lots of back and forth.

**Crowd pretty quiet as you can hear a lot of the various player's exhortations and shouts to teammates on the ice. Thorburn too slow on the trigger in front of the net after a good feed from Boults...not how you capitalize on rare scoring chances.

**Near miss on a juicy rebound for the Devils, but Thrashers manage quick break-out leading to a shot attempt by Kane...puck was deflected out for O-zone draw. Won to the point, but another lazy shot blocked.

**Good forecheck pressure by the Russian Front line...Antro playing big in the corners. Max kills it with a crazy off-balance pass...gee that never happens does it?

**Devils playing very conservatively for the most part, but nearly cave in as Little and Peverley force their way to the net with several whacks at the puck into Marty's pads. Little went from looking life-less to pouncing on a loose puck complements of Slava Kozlov. Again,, other than Kovy, they are too slow in their puck-shooting decision-making. Better to get pucks on Marty's pads and then try to jam home the loose change.

**Birds going on first PP at 12:59 of the 2nd. Someone went off for slashing I believe. Peverley fans on a good look from in front. Kozlov searching, finds Peverley again but the puck is ramped up into the crowd.

**PP continues with White taking draw, but he gets booted. Little loses the draw and Devils move the puck out and then deep. Finny picks it up and moves it to neutral zone; however, no luck in getting the puck established in the zone...29 secs remain in PP.

**Officially no shots on goal for the PP...fuck me running. Time to give the 4th line some time to try to establish the cycle. No dice. Hedberg with good pad save on a wrister from 30 feet. Time-out under 10 mins with the score still 2 to 1 Satan worshippers.

**Little and Pevs dig out the puck and sneak it out to Bogosian who turns it over at the blueline to Parise...disaster averted thanks to Hainsey & Moose. Jeezus H!

**At this point I am quite baffled at the Thrashers' overall inability to get to loose pucks, hold onto pucks when trying to possess it for any length of time, shoot before the other team blocks or deflects the attempt and how easy the Devils make it look when they surprise us with a deft pass or quick wrist-shot on which Moose must make a great save. At least I have managed to keep from screaming at the TV. I think I hate this team.

**Boulton gets 2 minutes for being a hot-head in the act of defending Ron Hainsey's honor after he was plastered into the boards by not one, but 2 players! Clarkson may have left his feet, but I'm not surewhy Boulton reacted so silly-ly, if you will. PK good for the first 40 seconds.

**Kubina nearly surprises Brodeur with a point blast off a F/O win in the O-zone during the PK. 4o secs remain...Kane digs out to Reasoner for a key clear. Marty again with the clear and penalty is summarily killed dead. Now let's go!

**Kovy with a wrister from the left circle gets steered aside and then Bogosian's blast from the left point is smothered by Brodeur...time for commercial break just under 3 mins in 2nd period. Shots 8 to 3 in favor of Thrashers, but to no avail...only 1 or 2 decent chances.

**Antro wins O-zone face-off but Birds can't keep the zone...what else is new? Kovy on the rush drops for Bogosian who bungles the shot attempt. Pressure maintained thought by Antropov and Kovy to generate a good look for Hainsey. But alas, no rebound attempt when really needed.

**One final rush by Pevs & Kozlov leads to a hard shot and rebound attempt for Army but he can't capitalize on it. Now Thrashers are scrambling in their own zone and are forced to take a bad penalty (Valabik for holding the stick?) with only 13 seconds left. Pretty weak call but he did use the free arm to gain leverage. No shots and period ends. 2 to 1 Bad Guys...time for cereal!

**Shots on Goal check: Thrashers with 9 shots to only 6 for the Devils, but they got 3 in the final 3 minutes as Thrashers are getting caught too deep in the zone leading to some easy break-outs for the Devils...no real odd-man rushes, but it's too easy for the Devils to enter our zone. No need to panic, but a penalty kill is essential to winning this game to start the 3rd. Now cereal.

THIRD PERIOD BEGINS ON PK:

NOTE: Thrashers have evened things up in the face-off circle and are now 50/50 in wins. Good improvement and probably, in part, explains their increased number of scoring chances of which there were 8 (to the Devils 4) per Daren Eliot and crew. They still struggle too much maintaining posession when they do get it after an O-zone F/O win...in my humble opinion.

**Good defensive play by Schubert to cut off the forward streaking in from the corner...F/O won and puck cleared HARD by Pavel Kubina who nearly be-heads Coach Jacques Lemaire.

**Peverley helps Kubina clear again and Colby goes down behind the Devils net, which leads to an easy break-out up the ice and entry into the zone thus resulting in the Devils third goal. Blueliners were way too lackadasical in getting back to shut off the cross-ice pass in front of Hedberg. Nice redirection goal by Parise who naturally breaks his 13 game goal draught with 2 goals versus the Birds.

**Well, if the Birds come back and manage to win this game it will be a freakin' miracle as nothing comes easy against the Devils. Gonna need some secondary scoring if it is to happen.

**Pulverizing hit by Antropov behind the Devils net leads to a point chance for Kubina, but nobody home for the rebound...Kovy and Max nowhere to be found. Finny tries to go one on two on the ensuing rush and is easily shut-down. Time to hold try-outs for anyone, I mean anyone who might like to crash the net from the right side after a shot attempt. Little? Antro sliding over for White or Little to center? 13:30 left...time left, but need a goal soon.

**Marty (Reasoner) beats Marty Brodeur like a rented mule with a crafty wrister through a screen and under the gloved right arm of said fooled goalie. Marty's 4th of the year. I am certainly pleased as punch as I am quite fond of our mucking and grinder 4th line, sometimes 3rd line center. K-belle says he is my "sweet baboo" whatever that is! Yeah, I love him. Ohhhh yaaaaa!!! This one is now within reach with 11 minutes left for the tying goal. No whammies.

**Now it's time for some hard-earned puck luck...let's see if the boys can grind one outof the corner and slam home some garbage in front of Brodeur. Cue Army, Kane and White. Kane just wide and they can't keep the zone. That's what I'm talkin' about though!

**Reasy and the boys with a good shift but can't get the puck on net. Time for the top line to do their thing...Finny's shot is deflected wide. Enstrom stopped on the one-time from Kovy. Puck bounces out and time to head on back....ooops turnover, but Moose stones Rolston on the break-in from the blueline! Perpertrator was Kovy with a careless pass that is beyond the reach of Toby Enstrom who was heading up ice with no one behind him. Yikes!! Okay, puck luck may not be enough this night. Someone needs to be a hero...KOVY??!

**7:50 left after Moose saved the day...and the game. Pevs, Kozzy and Little out for the Birds. Pavel overwhelms the forward and starts the clear out. White's line out now, but can't hold the zone...Bogosian harrassed by Parise after icing waived off.

**Enstrom nearly penetrates Brodeur but his outstretched glove gets just enough to thwart the shot from the left circle. Devils looking for the long break-out pass up the middle and the Thrashers are there for the most part. Devils now playing keep-away. Hedberg melts puck. Time for final commercial with 4:47 left. Enough time but this won't happen if they don't dump the puck and win some battles in the corner.

**Devils putting pressure on the Birds and we can't corral the puck. Time to set it up and make a good rush...Bogosian tries it himself, but too disorganized after he penetrates the blueline. Why are we so freakin' stubborn...dump and chase for God's sake!!

**Kovy gets off a sneaky wrister from the right side but it is one and done per the usual because we are too stupid and stubborn to dump the puck and win some battles...IDIOTS!!! Thrashers ice the puck...WTF??

**Empty net and Little fighting for his life in the corner...Kozzy on the help. Kovy down low to Kozzy for a Schubert flip...no rebound and puck is cleared. One last chance to cycle and put some pressure on...Antropov from the point...rebound with Kovy in front and the whistle is blown seemingly prematurely as the puck trickled to the side of the crease. Looks like Kovy was "helped" into Brodeur by # 6 (Greene?). Big F/O with 28 seconds left.

**Peverley in to take the big draw...wins it. Enstrom to Pavel for the bomb! Goes wide and the puck caroms to the crease where the Devils get to it before Antropov or anyone else...DAMN! Game over after a game attempt during the final minute thirty...but it took too long for the Birds to finally dump a puck and get it to the corner with a chance to win a battle. Too little too late.

POST-GAME RECAP / SUMMARY OF THOUGHTS:

Overall, the Thrashers gave a solid 60-minute effort, but there were still a couple of mind-boggling break-downs, forced turnovers and mis-communications that cost them. Devils play the type of game that does not allow you to make mistakes and even 5 or 6 instances of brain-lock or rushed decision-making will cost you. Perhaps tonite's effort would've beaten Tampa, Montreal or the Rangers, but not the Devils. Problem is they don't play with the same intensity every game nor against weaker opponents. There were some bright spots upon which to build and perhaps Boulton and Thorbs rekindled a bit of nastiness that had been sorely missing for a while. A few tidbits before I sign off for the evening:

Shots on Goal ended up being even at 26 apiece. Thrashers actually attempted more shots, but had 9 blocked and 2 misses (inaccurate if you ask me) to only 2 blocked shots and 5 missed shots by the Devils. At any rate, the Thrashers had some looks, but too often they did not get the juicy, second chance rebound you need to beat Brodeur more than once or twice. Devils wound up winning the Face-Off battle with 27 wins to 22 losses on the evening. That means they won 9 of the last 13 draws to finish the game, which is how a defensive trap team beats you. Strangely, Antropov was very good with 6 out of 9 where as Reasoner struggled to only 3 out of 11 wins.

Oh yeah, one last thing that I nearly forgot. This loss makes 5 losses in a row and for the first time all season this team has failed to turn their own fortunes after a 2 or 3 game slide. And now they are one loss away from not winning one game in regulation in 15 tries during the month of December.

I will go out on a limb right now and state that the Boston game Wednesday night is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT GAME OF THE SEASON. THIS LOSING STREAK MUST END SOONER THAN LATER AND THEY MUST NOT COME OUT OF DECEMBER HAVING EARNED ONLY 9 POSSIBLE POINTS OUT OF 30 AVAILABLE...LOSE WED NITE AND THIS ROAD TRIP LOSING STREAK SPIRALS OUT OF CONTROL AND THE SEASON SLIDES INCHES FROM SLIPPING INTO THE ABYSS. AM I BEING TOO DRAMATIC?? I DIDN'T THINK SO.

My Three Stars plus Honorable Mention for the evening:

1st Star -- Zach Parise
2nd Star -- Marty Brodeur
3rd Star -- Marty Reasoner
Honorable -- Kovalchuk (1st goal of game), Bergfors (2 assists)

Grasping for Answers That Don't Exist

First, I get my ass kicked in bowling by Big Shooter (of Dawsonville, GA) in Roswell. Then I have the rare privilege of watching the Thrashers get embarrassed during the 3rd period of an NHL game in Tampa, FL, a game which was certainly within their reach after a respectable showing for the first two periods of hockey. But for some inexplicable reason, the Thrashers failed to show up for the final frame of action and accomplished next to nothing for the final 20 minutes. A late Kovalchuk (who else?) goal on the team's only recorded shot on goal through the first 16-plus minutes provided a glimmer of hope (lest it was nothing but the shimmer of unrealized hopes and dreams) in the waning minutes of the game. But alas, the final Thrashers goal served only to exacerbate an overwhelming sense of doom that has gripped this particular Thrashers fan along with many other crestfallen souls who hastened their way to the exit of TJ's Bar and Grill in Alpharetta, GA this bone-chilling night in late December. I didn't think I had any words to express my sadness and exasperation, but in truth I simply have no answers for what has happened to a hockey team that once showed such promise and potential earlier this season.

I would be remiss if I did not express my thanks and gratitude to the Atlanta Thrashers Fan Club, led by Lisa Lewis and Sean Grace, for providing a fun and raucous atmosphere for game-watching at the always hospitable establishment owned and operated by former Atlanta Flames player, Tim Ecclestone. Despite the very disappointing outcome, preceeded by a very uninspired and lackluster effort by the Thrashers, I very much enjoyed making the acquaintance of the following fellow Thrasherville residents: "Russian" along with his two fine sons, "Daculafan" of the blog "FanThrashtic", and "Glovesave29". As always, it was a pleasure seeing and spending time with "Big Shooter", "French Catalogues" and "Razor Catch Prey" of The Blueland Chronicle, Bill "Rawhide" Tiller, "Paminski" and Karri Salonen, a fine Finnish supporter of Kari Lehtonen and the Atlanta Thrashers who helped my sweet Krisabelle gain re-entrance to the concourse during the last home game we attended. To all, keep the faith and see you at the next game down at Blueland on January 7th, 2010 against some team from the Eastern Conference that will probably beat us.

It's Christmas!! And the Thrashers Still Looking for First Regulation Win of December

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Evander "Kane-nine" and Maxim "Afino-bark-ov" of the Atlanta Thrash-Dogs.

Okay, so there is no such organization called the Atlanta Thrash-Dogs, but I had to come up with something clever in my pecan pie-induced haze. Anyway, apologies to anyone who actually reads this blog as I have neglected to update this site with a new entry in just about a week, which was coincidentally the last time the Thrashers "won" a hockey game, in OT over the Stars. To this date, the T-birds have not yet earned a victory in regulation time during the month of December. I guess you could say the Thrashers have been playing a bit like dogs lately...sorry.

Our favorite team's defense has been as sad and pathetic looking as these lovable labs with big antler "hats" over the past couple of weeks. I think I read somewhere that the Thrashers have yielded an average of 5 goals over the last 4 games. To quote our esteemed blogging colleague, Bill "Rawhide" Tiller, that is very much "UNGOOD!" The long, seven game road trip, which just commenced last night with a 6 - 4 ass-drubbing at the hands of the Boston Bruins, picks up anew with a game in tawdry Tampa against the 'Ning Saturday night. Hopefully, Tampa's team will ingest just a bit more turkey, ham and egg nog over the two-day NHL respite from game action so that we can see our team get that December regulation-win monkey off of their collective backs.

I'm sure the players would love to see this "cold December fly away" as quickly as possible, but they can still salvage a respectable month by cobbling together two or three wins from Tampa, New Jersey (on Monday) and Boston (again, on Wed). If not, then we inch dangerously close to the edge of a steep precipice of darkening and desolate despair. Right now, we are immersed fully into a maddening well of futility and erratic play, but hopes remain for a swift and timely turnaround as December turns to January and 2009 is rendered complete and final in its inexorable unfolding of yet to be written history. Okay, this has turned into a melodramatic, meandering stream of less than poetic consciousness. A simple, heartfelt extension of well wishes for a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Blessed New Year's would have sufficed. So that!

Be safe and merry this holiday season! May you all be blessed with good health, good fortune and prosperity in the upcoming New Year.

With warmest regards, Mr. Speaker

Thrashers Goalie Ondrej "the Giant" Commits Grand Theft Larceny in Dramatic OT Win

When asked why he committed so many blatant and daring acts of grand theft hockey larceny, goalie Ondrej "the Giant" Pavelec was heard telling the mass of huddled media surrounding him that he did these crimes simply "because it's what I wanna do."
http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/4/23/2415502/andrerap.mp3

Tonite at Philips Arena the Atlanta Thrashers capitalized on an astonishingly brilliant effort by young netminder, Ondrej Pavelec, to finally eject the Thursday nite hex that had foiled the burgundy-clad Thrashers five times previous to this cold night in December. However, it required at least five proven counts of grand theft larceny by "Ondrej-ing the Crease" Pavelec to neutralize numerous baffling burgundy blunders at BLUE-land. And fittingly, Pavelec's outstanding play was rewarded by a game-winning goal -- the fifth and final lead change of the night -- in overtime by Richard Peverley. And no, #5 Boris Valabik did not play in the contest tonite.

Anyway, while Ondrej Pavelec is downtown answering questions posed by bold and brash "authorities", the dependable "Deadeye Dick" Peverley was busy fighting off the throng of animated admirers who wanted to congratulate him THE REAL ONDREJ AT LARGE for his timely sharp-shooting at the end of the 3rd period. His late goal essentially assured the Thrashers 1 point in the standings. As if that wasn't enough, the man also known as "Ten Gallon Dick" potted the game-winning deflection in the overtime stanza for a rousing encore. Fans blustered lustily in appreciation of his heroic feats!!

Update: despite a lengthy and considerable inquisition at the hands of aggressive and unrelenting local authorities, Ondrej Pavelec was not "busted" for the alleged crime of grand theft hockey larceny, of which he was accused by this busty and overzealous fledgling female flatfoot, who is pictured here to the right. (As if you didn't notice!)

This blog correspondent was able to track down Pavelec's agent, Alan Walsh, who said that the police run-in was "a simple mis-interpretation by an eager, green policewoman" and that his client would not press any "harrassment or police brutality charges." He went on to state that his "young, burgeoning star goalie", who tallied 42 impressive saves against 47 recorded shots on goal, would not "expect to be given the starting job outright, but he would endeavor to do whatever it takes to prove his standing as a # 1 caliber goaltender in the NHL."

Boom! Wuz that? A Mighty Explosion! A Blast from the Point, Off the Stick-a Bogosian!!

In the immortal, paraphrased words of Jack Nicholson as the Joker in Tim Burton's Batman: "this (team) needs an enema!! "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYaki2ZvhSE"

Bogo-Pete with a wicked one-timer playing in the OHL

To be specific, the Thrashers stagnant, constipated if you will, power play could really use a laxative of sorts. And I reckon a "Bogosian Explosian" would be a smart way to catalyze this woefully impotent power play that has produced a mere 4 goals in its last 25 attempts. To inject some life into a power play that has produced only 2 meaningful PP goals in nine games, why not prescribe a heavy dose of Peptol Z-Bo??

So why am I suggesting that it is time to unleash the Zach-Attack on the PP?

Well, there are several different reasons, the least of which being that Zach is personally fond of shooting the puck, and shooting A LOT. See, the biggest problem with the Thrashers PP is that they are trying to be too perfect. As a result, they are not generating enough shots and thus, opportunities to score the puck. Check out these numbers from the last 10 games (I went back and added the Philly game to my analysis for some tidy 1 decimal numbers):

** 5 PP goals scored -- note that Peverley's versus Philly was rather important -- in 31 attempts for a very mediocre conversion percentage of 16.1%

** 39 total PP shots on goal in 10 games for an avg of 3.9

** 1.6, or the average number of shots on goal per PP opportunity

** 13, or the number of PP goals scored by 2 men: Kovalchuk and Peverley; that is just over half of the team's PP production (total PPG for the YTD is 25)

** 2, or the number of PP goals scored by 2 other men: Antropov and Little; these are our supposed net cloggers and puck-muckers who are supposed to scrape in PP goals

By delving a little deeper into NHL statistical databases (thanks to website http://www.behindthenet.ca/) we find that the Thrashers are one of the 3 statistical anomalies when it comes to scoring on the PP. Of the Top 10 in total PPG scored, only ATL, NJ, and PHX rank in the Bottom 10 in PP shots taken per 60 minutes. Without getting too detailed, just keep in mind that the Top 6 in PP% efficiency all average above 5.3 PP shots / game. The Thrashers average, on the year, 4.75 shots / game. The problem lies in the fact the T-Birds are not shooting it as much over the last 10 games; if you recall from above, the average is down to 4 / gm (3.9).

My suggestion is to mix things up a bit by employing Z-Bo's youthful exuberance and his thunder-clap of a slap-shot in the 2nd PP unit. The PP has become predictable and stagnant with Kovy dominating too much of the PP minutes; he rarely comes off the ice when the 2nd unit comes on the ice. The Thrashers have too much depth and skill to be struggling this much on the PP. By getting some fresh blood out there and taking Kovy off the left point once in awhile, teams will be faced with less certainty in how to defend our PP sans Kovy. Bogosian has demonstrated he is more than capable of manning the left point with his right-handed shot. Get him out there with his pairing mate, Ron Hainsey, who is left-handed, and I bet more shots will get thrown on opposing netminders' pads.

Also, by utilizing a guy like Colby Armstrong, rather than Todd White, who has all of 1 goal playing 2nd unit PP minutes this year, the ice might open up a bit as Army likes to operate in the corners and behind the net to create chaos. I would suggest re-uniting him with his old line-mates of Peverley and Kozlov to play the PP with Bogo and Ronsey. If they can't figure out new and creative ways to get more shots on goal, then I doubt there is any other personnel that will. Kovy can get his goals playing with Enstrom (left pt), Antropov (big body), Afinogenov (right circle) and Little (slot and left circle). Perhaps playing less minutes will incentivize even Kovy to shoot more from different angles on the PP.

Tonight against the Stars, the PP may be key as Dallas plays to a lot of 3 - 2 scores. I don't think we can afford to go to an overtime shoot-out with Pavelec betwixt the pipes tonite, so it is imperative the boys get a goal on the PP as they are 12 - 6 - 1 when scoring a man up. Unfortunately, Dallas will be looking for the same edge. And they mean business as a Top 5 team when it comes to peppering the net with the man-power edge. Their robust average of 6.75 shots / game is right up there with Detroit, who is synonomous with PP scoring through maximizing shot attempts.

Is Tonite's Game in Sunrise, FL the Prelude to a Soon-to-Come Sunset on the Panthers' Hopes?

Last time the Thrashers were in south Florida, so were I and my beyond awesome, hockey-loving girlfriend, Krisabelle (of bitchin' "blogtastico" fame) to celebrate not only my 36th birthday, but luckily, a dramatic, come-from-behind shoot-out win over the Panthas.

On this mid-December occasion, I can only hope that an outright taking of two-points from the Florida Hell-Kittens would signal the advent of their demise this season. Injuries have really depleted the Cats and despite some gritty play of late (they even beat back the Devils!), they are barely in contention for the 8th spot in the playoff picture. Problem for them is that a regulation loss tonite would mean they fall a full 6 points behind the T-birds, who, additionally, have played 3 fewer games this season.

Over the long run, I just don't see three teams from the Southeast Division making the playoffs. So winning this game along with a couple more against the Thrashers later this season is of monumental importance in my view. If the Thrashers can win tonite and win at least 2 of those 3 games in hand, it will deal a serious blow to the Panthers' fragile pysche and make it that much harder for them to catch us in the standings. Add in the fact that David Booth, arguably their best player, is still a long way from coming back from post-concussion syndrome and you've got a very tough row to hoe. Here's to hoping the Birds can instead offer up a handy shovel with which some significant dirt can be tossed onto Florida's nearly dying playoff hopes.

Note: I realize this blog entry is rather melodramatic in its tone, and painting such a grim picture of the Panthers' playoff prospects is perhaps a bit pre-mature (how's that alliteration doing for ya?). However, I really wanted to post this beautiful picture, which I took on a pristine beach in Longboat Key, FL. And I needed to parlay it into a workable theme. In contrast to my entry, I actually feel a bit bad for the Panthers, who have a lot of good young talent. But with God as my witness, if one of them tries to run Toby Enstrom or one of our better players again, I will drive back down there and personally hurl aspersions from the lower level of their half-empty bowl when we venture back down there on January 18th, 2010. Consider yourself forewarned Bitch-Cats!! I will "rock your rink" like you've never seen before!!

Fun Factoids About Moose and Statistical Folly

While I hate to bump down the wonderful picture of Slava scoring over the top of Lundqvist's arm and my lucky "Moose" socks, I can't help but post a new entry to demonstrate just how, dare I say, dominant Johan Hedberg has been so far this season. Check out these numbers and do revel in their elegance and beauty!

**Hedberg has started in 12 games for the Thrashers this season. His record thus far is a sparkling 9 - 3 - 0 <-- cuz' Moose is killer in the clutch (shoot-out)! Speaking of which, Moose is an amazing 15 - 3 lifetime since the addition of the shoot-out as a game-deciding mechanism...his save percentage? Just the highest of any goalie in history at 82.6%!! WOW!

**In those 12 games, Moose has faced a total of 383 shots for an average of 32.8 shots / game (adjusted for actual minutes played in games started).

**Moose has stopped 356 of those 383 shots for a sterling save percentage of .929 .

**Hedberg has made three other appearances in relief of a struggling Ondrej Pavelec. In those shortened appearances, Moose has stopped 28 of 29 shots for a save % of .965 . While only one of those games was close to winnable, it speaks to what kind of focus Johan maintains even coming in cold off the bench...a true professional and as reliable as they come when playing his best.

**So far, Moose has posted a superb Goals Against Average of 2.19 in the 15 games of action he has seen this year. In the games he has started, his GAA is even better at 2.11, which is quite jaw-dropping stuff considering he faces, on average, 4-5 more shots per game than most other elite goalies in the NHL.

**Taking that a step further, in his 9 wins this season, Moose's GAA is a very stingy 1.83. Other than the game he started against San Jose, in which he was admittedly dreadful, Hedberg has been excellent; giving his team a chance to win with a GAA of 2.05 in his other 11 starts this year.

**Moose are the largest "extant" species in the deer family. They are distinguished from other deer family members by their "palmate" antlers possessed by the male, as opposed to the "twig-like" antlers of deer and other members of the deer family. And naturally, moose typically dwell in the deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere in moderate to subarctic climates.

**Female moose have an 8 month gestation period. Similarly, Moose Hedberg's period of effectiveness usually peaks in the 8th month (see his Pittsburgh Penguins playoff run in 2001 when he started all 18 games and posted a GAA of 2.30 and a SV% of .911 before losing to the Devils in the ECF) if he procreates successfully in early October. Are any of Johan's kids pre-mature June babies?? We'll leave that one to slimy tabloid mags like TMZ and Us Weekly.

Will this magnificent run continue and for how long? At this point, it is anyone's guess due to the risky style of play the Thrashers employ. Their rope-a-dope style usually puts them on the very short end of the Shots on Goal stick and thus applies more pressure to the D-men to clear pucks as well as the netminders, who need to be on their toes to thwart 90-95% of 30+ shots.

Clearly, Moose is clicking with the defensive personnel this year (newcomers like Kubina and Schubert have been a big part of the team's stingier defense) and his puck-handling skills make him a better compliment to John Anderson's up-tempo, quick break-out system. If the coaching staff can tighten the screws and get the shots against totals down to an average of 30 or so per game (and the D-men continue to improve in their communication and risk vs reward decision-making), then Hedberg will have very good odds for continuing his stellar play in the blue paint.

Rangers "Moose-merized" by Johan Christian Hedberg in 3 to 2 Shoot-out Loss to T-Birds

In yet another breath-stealing, frustration-filled, nail-biter of a game, Thrashers netminder Johan "Moose" Hedberg was at his very best under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, where he made 46 saves -- many sensational -- on 48 shots by the New York Rangers, who seemed to shoot from any and every angle possible. How did he summon the will and the strength to stand "on his head" as the old hockey lingo goes? Was Johan Hedberg touched by Christmas angels? Or was he just wearing lucky socks like the very ones pictured below?

We'll never know the exact answer, but we can all be thankful that this loyal blogger and fan realized his new and blue lucky socks were in the dryer before the final period began. That's not to say that I've been especially lucky when it comes to pulling for various pro sports teams in my lifetime, but no one will ever be able to doubt my serious dedication to the boys from Blueland and their quest for hard-earned road points against Conference rivals. Luckily, my socks combined with Moose's strong will and stellar goaltending were just enough to make a difference in this heart-stopping 3 to 2 shoot-out win over the Ranjahs. For those scoring at home, that's two games and two OT wins for these snazzy blue reindeer socks.

Author's Note: Since both moose and reindeer (caribou) are members of the Cervidae animal family, I can safely refer to these socks as my lucky, blue "Moose" socks. Now back to our regularly scheduled blog programming.

Special Stat Summary (in lieu of my usual paragraph by paragraph ramblings):

** None of the 4 regulation goals were scored at Even-Strength; the Rangers scored twice on the PP thus putting a serious dent in the armor of the Thrashers previously # 1 ranked road Penalty-Kill unit (in fairness, the first PP goal should never have happened as Evander Kane was summoned to the box for some mysterious phantom holding call after taking a high elbow check...even Coach Anderson expressed his doubt in the TV post-game interview)

** Colby Armstrong scored his first Short-handed goal of the season with a gorgeous over the shoulder top-shelf wrister that left Henrik Lundqvist looking rather stunned; for Colbs it was his fourth straight game with a twine-tickling tally, but this one was the first of the four that wouldn't necessarily be classified as "greasy" or, to paraphrase Army, "banged home and dirty"....oh wait a second, I think he was answering a question about Tiger Woods' extra-marital affairs...sorry for the confusion.

** Hedberg's previous career high for saves in a game was 43 so this effort at MSG (since it included a perfect 2 saves on 2 shooters in the S/O) was perhaps the single best outing in his 10-year career; several saves were high-light reel quality and on quite a few occasions, Moose bailed out his D-men by battling in the crease 'til the puck was covered or cleared to safety.

** Both Ilya Kovalchuk and Slava Kozlov scored in the S/O by taking different than normal approaches. Kovy was successful in dangling the puck and freezing "King" Henry as he moved from his left to his right, patiently waiting for Lundqvist to fall forward and creating space in the top half of the net for his deft wrist-flick; for Slava, who normally goes wide to the goalie's left before streaking back to the middle and waiting for an opening as he moves laterally, decided to take a more direct approach from Henry's right and waited for him to drop his glove hand before snapping a perfect shot just inside the left, far post. Both goals made the Gold Medal Olympian look quite silly, but Lundqvist was the reason OT was even a reality as he was impenetrable for nearly a minute and a half during a late third period 5 on 3 Thrasher PP.

Kaptain Kovy Gets Last Laugh Versus Montreal's Price with Overtime Winner

With a simple flick of the wrist, Ilya Kovalchuk gave his team the second of two hard-earned points in a mettle-testing win over a scrappy Canadiens squad on Saturday night at Philips Arena. In their first game back (Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press) at the Bulb after a dismal 7-day road trip, which saw the Thrashers lose in 3 different time zones in less than 4 days, the Thrashers used some much needed home-cooking to rediscover their scoring touch in a pivotal intra-conference match-up against the Habs. The dramatic overtime win earned Atlanta two crucial points in the tightly-bunched Eastern Conference standings.

With only 3 seconds left in a power-play that carried over into the overtime stanza, Kovalchuk beat Habs' netminder, Carey Price, with one of his patented wristers over the shoulder of the hot-dogging Price, whose outstretched glove-hand was not nearly quick enough this time. In a back and forth affair offering a little bit of everything for the raucous crowd of 15,000-plus, the Thrashers battled back from yet another early two-goal deficit by amping up the pressure and peppering the Montreal goaltender with a season-high 17 second period shots. The perseverance paid off to the tune of 3 goals in the middle stanza as the T-birds managed to overcome not only the initial 2-goal deficit, but also an immediate response and goal by the visitors from la belle Province once the game was knotted at two. (Author's Correction: the team's season high for 2nd period shots on goal was actually 18 in the November 5th, Thursday nite tilt against the CBJ's; you can certainly guess the result considering the day of the week it was played!)

After Andrei Kostitsyn gave the Canadiens a 3 to 2 lead with 4 minutes and 47 seconds remaining in the 2nd period, Johan "Moose" Hedberg turned aside every single shot he faced thereafter, including a sprawling third-period save on his belly to stone a surging Sergei "Brothers" Kostitsyn on a short-handed breakaway attempt during the last of six fruitless power(less)-plays. Alas, the 7th man-advantage of the evening, which saw former Thrasher Glen Metropolit, sitting in the sin bin for an ill-timed high-sticking infraction, proved to be the elixir that would cure Atlanta's recent power-play woes.

On this night, fortune smiled on the blue-clad Thrashers as the timing of the penalty was such that the PP carried over into overtime giving them a fortuitous 4 men to 3 advantage. After a couple of good scoring bids early in the bonus stanza, the ageless Slava Kozlov took a mid-ice feed from Toby Enstrom over the blueline where he slammed on the breaks, waited for a streaking Rich Peverley to divert the scrambling defense's attention, then hit Kovy in full stride at the top of the right circle for the game-winning wrister. The laser-like shot left little doubt denting the far-side twine to the delight of the Blueland faithful, who gleefully chanted the captain's name during the 3-star ceremony and obligatory interview.

Lastly, before I close up this here laptop to get some welcomed slumber, I would like to give a few shout-outs to my esteemed blogging buddies, Razor Catch Prey, Big Shooter, Mortimer Peacock, Bill "Rawhide" Tiller and the lovely and talented K-belle (Ms. Ten if you're nasty) for providing such a fun and festivial back-drop to the game unfolding before our eyes. And finally, a tip of the hat to ajc.com blog poster "rightshot" who graciously took the time to pay us all a visit in our section of mischief between periods. 'Twas a pleasure to meet you rightshot and thank you kindly for stopping by my blog from time to time. Don't be a stranger!

Moulson Ices Thrashers Hopes of Fifth Straight Win with Impressive Hat-trick

Well, so much for avenging bad losses by playing with fire and intensity! In a game that started off with such promise -- good jump, sharp passing, sustained O-zone pressure AND the all-important first goal -- the Thrashers played the second two periods like they were hung-over from drinking too many of these delicious beverages the night before. The lackluster effort put forth by the burgundy-clad Thrashers gave me the kind of headache I used to get from trying to drink this crappy beer. Too many forced passes, ill-timed decisions with the puck and too little intensity until it was too late. Without any late third period or last minute heroics, the Thrashers can definitely drive one to drink a few too many brews. And by the way, if the game didn't give you enough of a headache, then go ahead and drink 3 Molson Ice beers as they will certainly remind you of how poorly the Thrashers played for the last 40 minutes of this game.

Before I get back to packing for my trip to south Florida and the white sandy beaches of beautiful Longboat Key (near Sarasota), let me give a gracious tip of the, ahem (what else?), hat to Cornell Big Red alumnus, Matt Moulson, who schooled Ilya Kovalchuk and his Russian linemates for 2 of his 3 goals at even strength. Perhaps he will be drinking the more stout cousin to this lousy "ice" lager, Triple X. Go ahead Matty, you earned every drop of potent Canadian beer you can stomach!! And if Kovy keeps playing such uninspired defense whereby he coasts around like he's in a recreational beer league, I think I may just have to go back to smuggling in the hard, brown stuff to cope with the results! (Game Photo Courtesy of Scott Cunnigham, Getty Images)

We Interrupt Our Normally Scheduled Programming to Bring You This Other Thing:

K-belle's best friend (forevah!) had the great pleasure of obtaining some autographs from some of our favorite Thrashers not named Kovalchuk or "Something-ov". Always great to see the boys out and aboot town pressing the flesh and kissing babies or the like. I'm sure the children at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta -- Emory Chapter -- were quite tickled to spend time with the likes of budding stars Evander Kane and Bryan Little as well as "Oh my God it's" Ron Hainsey. And the nurses on duty must've been buzzing like bees in a bee-hive! A hearty thanks goes out to our boys for being such good all-around dudes!

Note: According to Ben Wright on www.atlantathrashers.com, today is the day of the annual holiday hospital visit by the team. Sounds like just about everyone on the team was "oot and aboot" in the community visiting several different hospitals or chapters of CHA (guessing). Stay tuned to this site for details, pics and video linked from the team website...complements of Big Ben and his homies!

Which Free-Agent Acquisition is Providing the Greatest MAXIM-um Value?

For Thrashers fans, November is usually a very depressing month in which one's hopes, expectations and excitement are quickly transformed into despair, frustration and pessimism. But not this year! Not by a longshot! In fact, the month of November, in which the Thrashers stored away 9 wins and 2 OT loser points -- against only 3 losses -- for the cold winter months ahead, was the most successful since 2006 when they earned a playoff berth. October of 2006 was only slightly more successful in terms of points earned percentage as a record of 8 - 2 - 3 meant a PP of 73.1% and gave the team their quickest start to a season ever.

As we turn the page on November and head into December, optimism and hope are again words being used in association with the Thrashers. There are many reasons to explain the reversal of fortunes for our beloved Blueland Army. But the most principle reason for the recent success, and the renewed media attention that comes with winning, is the acquisition of several off-season free agents. But of the 3 newest key contributors (I won't include Kane in this since he was drafted rather than purchased), who has provided maximum bang for the buck? On this Wednesday morning, I shall ruminate on who of the trio of new comrades is looking like the best deal this side of the nearest Tuesday Morning store in East Atlanta.

But before I delve into the details and provide some statistical fodder for discussion and comparison, I shall leave you with this lovely blog entry detailing the accomplishments of the newest hockey glamour boy, Maxim Afinogenov. Here in the words of our team's esteemed beat writer from the AJC, Chris Vivlamore, are the truly impressive achievements of Mad Max whilst wearing Thrashers blue (and burgundy....uggh!):

How remarkable has Max Afinogenov been this season?

-- He has 11 goals, eight in the third period.
-- He has four goals in the final minute of a game and five in the final minute and a half.

Here’s a look back at some of his heroics already this season:

*Scored with 5.5 seconds left Monday to give the Thrashers a 4-3 win over Florida.

*Had an assist on Rich Peverley’s game-winning goal in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Philadelphia.

*Scored the game-tying goal in the third period of Friday’s game against Carolina, in which the Thrashers went on to win 6-4.

*He assisted on Nik Antropov’s goal, the game-winner, in the 2-0 win over Detroit on Wednesday.

*Pulled the Thrashers to within a goal when he scored with 17 seconds left in 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 21 .

*Scored with 42 seconds left to force overtime against Boston on Nov. 19, a game the Thrashers lost 4-3 in a shootout.

*Scored with 22 seconds left in the second period to tie the score on Nov. 15 against Edmonton, a game the Thrashers won 3-2 on Slava Kozlov’s third-period goal.

*Clinched a 5-3 victory at the New York Rangers on Nov. 12 with an empty net goal with 13 second left.

*Scored with 1:31 remaining to clinch a 3-1 win over Ottawa on Oct. 31.

*His highlight-worthy goal in the third period helped clinch a 4-2 win at Buffalo on Oct. 17 – a game in which he was booed in his return.

It’s even more remarkable when you make such a list.

Indeed it is C-Viv, indeed it is!! I'll be back later today with not only my own contributions to this wonderful story of redemption and vindication, but also some thoughts and certainly praise for our other important free-agent acquisitions, D-man Pavel Kubina and Center Nik Antropov.

FINS FOR THE WIN!!! WOOO HOOOO!!!!!

Blueland Bad-Ass, Maxim Afinogenov, delivered once again in clutch fashion at the end of the game -- this time with just a mere 5.5 seconds remaining in regulation -- by swiping home a perfect cross-ice feed from the Big Kazakh, Nik Antropov, to beat Scott Clemmensen (AP Photo, Courtesy of John Bazemore) cleanly just inside the left post. The rejuvenated and exuberant...aww crap, at this late hour, I really don't have much left in the tank to recount what I saw up close and personal from Section 121, row K so, instead, I shall leave you with this little ditty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfjOmE81yDc&feature=related

AND THIS......

"Smaximum Finnies" gets ALL the BIG goals!!!

BUT.........

Smooth Ronnie Hainsey gets ALL the LADIES!!!!

Thrashers Look to Spay the Kitties in the Season Premiere of "The Price is Wrong Pussies!"

Tonite. At the Bulb. Where Marietta Street crosses Centennial Olympic Blvd. Passers-by may hear some hair-raising hisses, gnashing of fangs and mee-OWWWs of terror as the Atlanta Birds of Prey forcibly spay the visiting Kitties just like our esteemed and venerable pal, Bob Barker, advised us to do for 35 years on the Price Is Right. Unfortunately for the Florida Pussy Cats, there won't be any nice parting gifts or door-prizes for their troubles.

In the first installment of 6 games pitting the Brown-headed Thrashing Birds and the Hissing Panther Pussies this season, the Thrashers look to continue their winning ways and extend their current streak to four. Doing so would extend the Panthers' recent string of frustration to five games and deliver a real blow to their surely feeble collective pysche. Give them pardon or mercy and you give them hope and confidence for the return affair in Sawgrass, FL this coming Saturday, December 5th. The Panthers were trying to turn their season around in November, but have recently hit the skids with a 4-game losting streak in which they have not only struggled to score goals -- only 11 goals in their last 5 -- but also failed to dispose of a wretched Maple Leafs squad in a game that saw them surrender 6 goals.

HOWEVER, the Panthers are a division foe who can be a pesky, determined bunch against which to play. The Thrashers must be willing to match their intensity level as they will be desperate for a win and the spoils of a 4-point swing in the bunched Eastern Conference standings. Just 10 short days ago the Panthers were able to outlast their prey with a hard-fought 2 - 1 OT win against the Red Wings. And in the game before that, they completely tore apart a very stingy defense with an eye-opening 6 - 2 ass-thumping of the Sabres, who have cooled off considerably themselves lately. Regardless, a win tonite over the slumping Kitty Kats would mean more than just 2 points in the standings.

As for Mr. Barker, we can only wonder if Bob's Beauties are ever-longing for their Big Daddy Lion to return to the pride.

Thrash Knock Out Flyers, End Philly Curse

It only required a blemish-free, 34-save shutout effort by goalie Johan Hedberg to FINALLY end a 4-year streak of frightening futility against their Northeast Division nemesis, the Filth-adelphia Flyers. Almost 4 years to the day ('twas November 18, 2005 the last time the Thrashers managed to defeat the Flyers), Atlanta summoned enough fortitude, will and barely enough energy to kill off a couple of key third period penalties, stymie an attack that produced 13 shots on goal and win countless loose-puck scrums in front of the focused and impenetrable "Moose" Hedberg. Luckily, a very steady and relentless offensive effort in the 2nd period, coupled with some determined team defensive play throughout the game proved to be enough to score one more goal than the Flyers on this historic night. Rich Peverley scored his 10th goal of the season, as a 2nd period 5 on 3 power play expired, to provide the necessary margin of 1 - 0.

On this night the Thrashers drew upon their mettle and character to thwart a very good Flyers team in a regular season battle that resembled an intense mid-April early round playoff contest. For the Thrashers, it was their third straight victory and fifth on home ice bringing their home record to an even 5 - 5 - 2 and their overall record to 13 - 7 - 3. In addition, this pivotal win, which makes them an impressive 7 - 1 - 2 since Ilya Kovalchuk returned from injury, gives the Thrashers sole possession of 7th place in the Eastern Conference with at least one game in-hand on every team, save for Buffalo, ahead of them in the standings. For Rich "Pevs Dispenser" Peverley, the lone goal was the 5th game-winning goal, his 2nd in two nights, he has dispensed into enemy nets this season. Not too shabby for a guy who only makes $475,000 per year. And speaking of financial coups, Dicky Pevs and rejuvenated right-wing Maxim Afinogenov have now combined for a total of 50 points in 23 games, all for the bargain-basement price of $1.275 million!!

Even more impressive than that was the stellar net-minding provided by the "Moose!" Hedberg, who has been fantastic this season in his role backing-up # 1 goalie Ondrej Pavelec, was the starting goalie the last time the Thrashers so much as earned a point from the Flyers (November of 2006 I believe), but wasn't even the goalie of record as deposed Head Coach, Bob Hartley, made the mind-boggling decision to yank Moose in favor of the glass-groined wunderkind, Kari Lehtonen, for the shoot-out, which Lehts than proceeded to lose. But there would be no overtime or shoot-out on this night as Moose stood tall "like a stonewall", with the exception of the occasional cross-crease dive or poke-check, for all 60 minutes of regulation play. His defensive mates on the blueline provided stellar support in the blue paint with several heady clears of the puck to safety when there was a rare rebound opportunity or funny hop that Hedberg could not corral himself.

All in all, it was a very solid and mostly disciplined team effort to notch the four-point standings swing on the Flyers. There were still a couple too many brainfart plays leading to either a Flyers odd-man rush or power play, but the team managed to overcome them without it costing them a goal. However, I will say that the extra penalty time doled out as punishment for Colby Armstrong's message-sending charge and battery of Flyers rookie James van Riemsdyk was short-sighted (in other words: TOTAL B.S.) on the part of the officiating crew.

Before the puck had even been dropped at center ice, JVR was quite guilty of cross-checking Armstrong not once, but twice thus prompting Colby to take honor code-enforcement measures into his own hands when the puck was put in play. All the while, Aaron Asham was taking liberties during the face-off trying to provoke Thrashers rookie Evander Kane, who was having none of it. But then after the charging ambush by Army, Asham jumped in to pummel Army down to the ice. However, it was Armstrong who got extra "sin-bin" time for a fight he did not participate in willingly. Meanwhile, JVR went unpunished, but left the ice after a valuable lesson had been imparted by the justifiably angry Armstrong.

Nevertheless, the victory was all the more sweet knowing that the Thrashers stood strong in the face of adversity and despite a relentless effort from a playoff-caliber team in the Flyers. The Flyers play a physical brand of hockey and usually succeed at "getting in your kitchen" with their push-the-envelope style of play. But the Thrashers didn't back down at all. In fact, Eric Boulton made a triumphant return to the line-up with a first period statement fight in which he renewed hostilities with regular foe Riley Cote. Setting the tone early, Boulton made good use of his off-season MMA training and beat the living daylights out of a tough S.O.B. who never quits. Cote got off a couple of lefts late in the long fight, but could not inflict any damage on Boulton who pounded him flush in the face with several devastating rights.

You can view the bout here at hockeyfights.com: http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/89276

Now its a day of well-deserved rest as the Kitty Kats from Sawgrass, FL come to town to kick-off a week of games against 4 inferior opponents. After Florida visits Monday night, the Islanders come to Philips for some payback (for a 6 - 3 drubbing of the Thrash on Long Island in early November) on Thursday, then its back on the road for the back end of a home and away tilt versus the surging Panthers -- the lovely K-belle and I will be in attendance at the beginning of our week-long vacation in south Florida -- and then a visit to hockey's mecca of Toronto for a visit with GM Don Waddell's best buddy, Brian Burke, and old friend Garnet Exelby, who was traded to the Leafs for D-man Pavel Kubina in the off-season. I reckon Donnie Dubs will be treating Mr. Burke to a lavish dinner and perhaps a trip to the local, ahem, adult entertainment venue in downtown Toronto, eh? Oh yaaaaa! You 'betcha! Thanks Burkie for giving up too soon on Kubes, who has been an anchor on the blueline thus far!!!

Quit Playin' Games With My Heart!!

I really don't have many words (edit: okay, perhaps I have a few) to describe how I feel right now in the wake of the Thrashers' dramatic, roller-coaster ride of a comeback against the team formerly known as the Cardiac Canes. After playing about as bad as a team can play for 40 minutes, with a few exceptions such as Evander Kane, Ondrej Pavelec and the tandem of Kubina and Enstrom, the Thrashers' alarm clock finally rang much later than usual, but a with a resounding jolt to the previously zombie-fied Thrashers players. In a span of about 14 minutes, the Thoracic Thrashers scored 5 highlight reel-quality goals to completely shock the you-know-what out of the Hurricanes by turning a 4 - 1 deficit into an improbable and ridiculous 6 - 4 win! (Author's Note: my girlfriend K-belle actually predicted a final score of 6 to 3...go figure!)

Three of the goals, including the game-tying goal -- a nifty between-the-legs backhander whilst skating against the grain by Maxim Afinogenov (who else?) -- came in a shocking span of 2:39. And then the guy we have all come to love and adore as much as the Backstreet Boys at their pinnacle of fame, Ten Gallon Dicky Pevs lit the lamp with a sweet top-shelf wrister to the stick side of Manny Legace, who is probably going to need shock therapy to survive a frightful night of trembling, night-sweats and horrible dreams in which blue and gold Thrasher birds swoop down from the heavens like the angel of death to poke his mask-covered eyes out with their long beaks.

Other than that, I've got nothing but stunned brain-freeze and some shaking of the head. Until I can collect myself and drink some more bourbon to calm my nerves, I leave you with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1KdkQv0FfI

Thanksgiving Holiday Review....continued:

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope all of you have had a safe, peaceful and, of course, tasty day of delicious food with family and friends. And now that everyone is sufficiently stuffed with turkey and enjoying late afternoon, tryptophan-induced hallucinations of hat-tricks, miraculous saves and a deep, satisfying run into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, let me bestow unto you a delectable dessert to devour with your eyes and mind.

As a scrumptious, belly-filling chaser to the glorious main course that was the Thrashers 2 - 0 Thanksgiving Eve dismantling of the 2009 Western Conference Champion Detroit Red Wings, I give unto you my own personal quarter-season review of the Atlanta Thrashers in the form of the the "Ham-tastic", the "Medi-okra" and the down-right "Cran-cid-berry". Who's still hungry? Uh, make that "who's still awake??"

THE HAMTASTIC:

Goaltending - As if a shutout on Friday the 13th against the Kings wasn't enough, our baby-faced netminder from the Czech Republic, Ondrej Pavelec gave us all an early holiday treat to savor with the second shutout gem of his young career. Which provides the perfect introduction to my first "ham-tastic" point of this blog entry.

After Pavelec's sensational, 40-save effort last night, the tandem of Ondrej the Giant and Johan "Moose" Hedberg now sports a sterling save percentage of 92.1%, which is second only to the notoriously stingy New Jersey Devils goaltending led by some French Canadian guy by the name of Brodeur. What's even more impressive is the fact that the Thrashers give up a league worst 35.6 shots per game, which will be featured below in a category that you can surely guess. Anyway, if anyone had told you that the Thrashers would sport the 2nd best save percentage in the league at the quarter-pole, you would have thought they were certifiable for sure. (Photo Courtesy: Kevin Cox, Getty Images)

Goal Differential - While the Thrashers have the highest incidence of shots allowed in the entire league, that statistical reality is belied by the following anomaly: a positive goal differential of +13!! Believe it or not, your Atlanta Thrashers are third in the East behind only Philly (+15) and division-rival Washington (+14) as of the time of this writing. Quite a nice change from our not-so-nifty goal deficiency of -11 after the first 20 games last season. At this point in time, I'm still not completely convinced this isn't a mirage of sorts just a quarter of the way in, but our stellar goaltending, surely impacted in a positive fashion by better team D and a much improved Penalty Kill unit, is slowly making me a believer.

Special Teams (especially Penalty Kill) - Perhaps the most reaffirming evidence of an improved, playoff-caliber team is the Thrasher's re-tooled and more effective penalty killing unit. Led by the indefatiguable Marty Reasoner and the exuberant and quick Evander Kane, the Thrashers have risen from the depths of P.K. futility to the heights of the NHL Special Teams' high-rent district with a fifth-best 83.3 % efficiency rate. Most impressive might have been the team's second penalty-kill effort against the Red Wings in which the unit of Reasoner, Chris Thorburn, Ron Hainsey, Christoph Schubert and of course Pavelec, fought and scrapped for the entire 2 minute sequence to keep the puck out of their net. And doing so for over a minute's time without the benefit of a full complement of sticks -- Pavelec lost his goal-stick and had to resort to using Reasoner's blade while Marty went diving and sliding in front of would-be slapshots --was nothing short of remarkable. A truly heroic, if not heart-stopping effort by the quintet.

Emergence of Rick Peverley - The story of Rick, "don't call me Rich", Peverley has been well-documented in many media outlets over the last few weeks. And the praise being heaped upon the man known widely throughout Thrasherville as the "Pevs Dispenser" has been well- deserved as Pevs still leads the team in scoring with 8 goals, 16 savvy assists and 24 points in just 21 games. So to this point, if my math is correct, Mr. Peverley has maintained a point per game pace for 60 games now. Okay, so he's a shade below a PPG now with ONLY 59 points in those 60 games. Most impressive is the fact Dicky Pevs has been able to maintain his production no matter what line he's been asked to bolster with his presence. While he's been most effective playing with young Kane and road-roomie Colby Armstrong, Peverley has managed to find scoring success no matter what line permutation John Anderson can conjure up.

Also Ham-tastic Worthy: Evander Kane's defensive presence has been quite remarkable despite his inexperience, which is a nice bonus on top of his impressive scoring prowess (7 G, 12 pts & a +7) as an 18 y/o rookie; Pavel Kubina has been a welcome addition to the blueline as his size and skill have buoyed a defensive unit that has now recorded a stunning 19 goals thanks to Anderson's razzle-dazzle system; the Power Play success rate has been very good at 23.5% and despite a recent slump of sorts (only 2 goals in the last 16 attempts) is still rated in the Top 5 of the entire NHL; Mother Russia's (apologies to Kazakhstan) sons have gelled nicely to form a line as formidable as the ones iced by the Soviet Red Army at the pinnacle of Cold War hockey glory with both Nik Antropov and Maxim Afinogenov maximizing the ASG's bang-for-buck-spent by racking up 42 points in just 21 games (21 points each which makes Mad Max's resurgence worthy of his own blog very soon).

THE MEDIOKRA:

Home Record - Ugggh, yes...the most maddening "statistic" of all is the team's less than acceptable home record of only 4 wins - 5 losses - 2 OT or S/O losses. What is even more galling is the fact that all 5 regulation losses have come by only one goal. This is particularly disheartening because most of the damage has been self-inflicted with lethargic 1st period starts, lackadaisical play and eye-popping turn-overs resulting from poor concentration. Anyone who follows this team knows they possess the talent and skill to play better at home as a 7 - 2 - 1 road record is far from a fluke. If this team is truly playoff-caliber, then this is an issue that must be rectified immediately as the schedule-makers were unkind to the Thrashers in December with only 5 home games and 10 road games.

Lack of Scoring Depth - On the surface, with four PPG players (Kovy, Pevs, Nik & Max) and a bevy of high-scoring D-men, it would appear as though the Thrashers do not have any issues with scoring as evidenced by their robust, league-leading 3.38 goals per game avg. However, 77% of the scoring from their 12 forwards comes from just 4 players. And if it weren't for the efforts of stud-in-training Evander Kane, that percentage would be even higher. Bryan Little (2 goals), Slava Kozlov (3 goals), Armstrong (2 goals) and Reasoner (0 goals) all need to find a more consistent scoring touch soon to help the team weather the scoring draughts that will surely hamper our top scorers in the coming months. If they don't, the Thrashers will be hard-pressed to maintain that stellar 3.4 goals per game scoring average.

AND FINALLY...THE CRANCIDBERRY!

Shots Allowed & Brutal Schedule - Every good team, even Stanley Cup Champions, have some kind of flaw or weakness that need to be addressed for that team to take the necessary steps towards becoming a truly formidable opponent on the ice. For the 2009-10 Atlanta Thrashers, that weakness happens to be the scariest one of all: shots allowed. One by-product of their more exciting and aggressive style of play is the inherent risk involved. By taking more chances to produce offense, a team will inevitably give up some juicy Grade-A chances during the course of a game. Luckily for the Thrashers, the overall team defense (clearing pucks, moving bodies etc.) and fantastic goaltending have limited the potential damage.

As mentioned above, Atlanta gives up a gaudy 35.6 shots per game, worst in the NHL. On top of this, the team's shot differential has widened to an alarming -6.9, its biggest gulf yet under the tutelage of John Anderson. To paint the picture a bit more dramatically, imagine that this trend were to continue over the course of the entire season. Over 82 games, the Thrashers would yield an absurd 2,920 shots on goal. Chances are, over the span of the season, the goalies will not be able to maintain such high save % (currently north of 92%). Even at a very respectable .910 for the whole season, the team will end up yielding 262 goals. If you subtract out the 61 goals (including shootout gimmick goals) already allowed, that means the Birds will give up 201 goals over the remaining 61 games or a sobering 3.29 GAA!!

No matter how good your offense is, it is damn near impossible to outscore your opponents by a score of 4 to 3 almost 60% of the time. This is an issue that MUST be corrected soon as the Thrashers' schedule gets increasingly difficult in the month of December. With 22 of 36 games on the road starting December 1st, the Thrashers risk wearing down to the point of surrendering too many goals on a regular basis. Sure their road record has been great thus far, but the amount of time they spend on the road will certainly take its toll eventually. Thus, it will be important for JA's team to find that special balance of dynamic, risk-taking offense and solid, two-way team play that can limit the shots allowed to a number closer to 30 and, in the process, take a bit of the pressure off the goaltending duo of Pavs and Moose.

To this point, the Thrashers have played well enough to position themselves for a strong run to the playoffs, but there is cause for concern despite the wealth of positive statistical support. The biggest weakness is a potentially dangerous one that could deal a serious blow to the Thrashers' prospects for success this season if not corrected soon. One thing that John Anderson and his staff has shown thus far is that they are more than capable of making the necessary in-game adjustments to either mount a comeback after getting down early or protect a lead that they've achieved and kept through 20 minutes of play (Atlanta is 7 - 0 - 0 leading after 1 period). If Coach Anderson can figure out the requisite IN-SEASON adjustments to sure up their sometimes shaky team defense and shrink that miserable shot deficit, the Thrashers may just find themselves battling for a playoff seed rather than playing for pride in a another season lost.