St. Louis Blues Oust Thrashers after Near Misses at End

Mister Levenson! TEAR DOWN THIS CURTAIN!!!

On the morning after the Atlanta Thrashers dismissed the New Jersey Devils with a resounding statement of renouncement, and as the beleaguered Blueland Nation savors the spoils of this brief, but glorious triumph over some rather beguiling franchise demons, we must now pause to reflect on what this victorious battle means for the future of hockey in Atlanta. Just how could it alter the fate of a struggling franchise that is trying to climb its way from the depths of darkness, despair and ridicule?

For the first time since March 20, 2010*, more than 17,000 fans desperate to believe in Blueland filled the seats of Philips Arena to not only offer their sarcastic thanks and harsh invective to the once ballyhooed face of the franchise, Ilya Kovalchuk, but also witness what they hoped would be a turning point victory for a team that has historically come up short in big "statement" games. On a night when the team mascot would be released from lawful detention as a symbolic message to the hockey world that Thrasherville CAN and WILL rally to support the attendance cause, the Thrashers' players responded with a convincing and profound message of restored hope, renewed excitement and fulfilled expectations. *Note: I'm very much aware of the fact the last home game of 2009-10 was a sell-out, but at least 1/3 of the arena was filled with Pens' fans.

At least for one night were expectations fulfilled. Finally, after two consecutive failed attempts to win in regulation (the Thrashers suffered back to back overtime shoot-out losses against Tampa Bay and Carolina) and earn the coveted second point that would catapult them to the top rung of the Southeast Division standings, the Thrashers elevated their game to match the import level of the prize at stake to dismantle a reeling Devils team by the count of 7 to 1 in front of a boisterous and near-capacity crowd at Philips Arena. Led by the "best 4th line in hockey", the Thrashers blitzed legendary goalie Martin Brodeur with a 4-goal barrage on just 15 shots. The Thrashers were led by pugilist turned goal-scorer Eric Boulton, who netted his first ever hat-trick (and multi-goal game for that matter) in a 10-year career known solely, if at all, for dishing out punishment as part of a grinding, "energy" trio not expected to score goals.

But just like my good friend, and AJC Fan Blogger, Bill Tiller said after "Boultsy" put the finishing touches on an amazing feat of crazy, cosmic luck, the Thrashers had officially entered into the "bizarro world" of hockey phenomena, for on the same night, Rich Peverley, known purely for his gifted skating and slick passing, decided he would attempt to one-up Boulton by dropping the gloves and teaching Eric a lesson on how to execute some of the finer points of the "sweet science". Truly bizarre indeed. Pretty much the entire sequence of unfolding of events made for a surreal outcome as the Thrashers seemingly managed to cast off a galling shroud of bad luck and misfortune with this win over their devilish nemesis. Not only was Boulton's 3rd goal the result of a strange twist of fate that saw the puck take a random, hard kick off the boards from behind the goal and past a startled and panicked goalie -- former Thrasher Johan "Moose" Hedberg was victimized by an even stranger karmic carom in Game 2 of the 2007 playoffs' series against the New York Rangers -- but the final score seemed like a fitting ironic tribute to erstwhile Thrashers hero, Ilya Kovalchuk, who left the ice beneath a scoreboard emblazoned with a score matching the transposition of his number 17.

For the fans in attendance, it was surely a cathartic release of pent-up frustrations, anger and scorn. For years, the fans have been subjected to the fickle and petty whims of a misguided ownership group. And recently, the relentless rumors of relocation fueled by a frenzied Canadian press have been rampant. And with the Canadian, and even the national American, media agenda buoyed by recent comments in the press by NHL Deputy Commissioner, Bill Daly, who continues to question publicly the viability of hockey in the metro Atlanta market, the 7 to 1 spanking of Ilya's Devils was even sweeter for the citizens of Blueland, who can now enjoy the chance to fire back with a thunderous message of partial vindication that screams out like a chorus of "Mooooooooose" chants at Philips Arena: UP YOURS CANADA!!!

Much work is surely left to be done as the underdog Thrashers attempt to lift up a fan base that has been beaten down repeatedly by a neglectful, often ungrateful and sometimes petulant ownership group. But in the wake of the Thrashers emphatic win over the Devils last night, and their ascendancy into the upper echelon of the NHL standings (did I just type that?), it now seems as though the time is ripe for all fans, both the embittered and unwavering citizens of Blueland, to renew, or solidify their belief in and support of this team. And in so doing, they can convey to the desperate "Octo-cluster" ownership group a powerful and adamant message similar to the one late President Ronald Reagan delivered to Soviet Russia in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin back in 1987:

Paraphrasing of course:

"There is one sign the (dis)Spirit Group can make that would be unmistakable; that would advance dramatically the cause of (passion) and (hope). (Mr. Levenson), if you seek (success); if you seek prosperity for the (town of Thrasherville).....come here to this gate. (Mr. Levenson), open this gate. (Mr. Levenson), TEAR DOWN THIS (CURTAIN)!"

Yes, for those who are unaware, the upper reaches of the stands at Philips Arena -- the 400-level section of seats --has been partitioned off by the Atlanta Spirit Group since the beginning of the season. In an attempt to apparently mask their own embarrassment over dwindling attendance and their methodical dismantling of hope during the past three seasons of failure, the ASG has erected a black curtain of shame to hide the once popular section of $10 seats. Well, I think it's just about time that our short-sighted owners take down this damn curtain and open up as many reasonably-priced seats as possible so that the thousands of fans, who are still on the fence about financing further ineptitude on the part of the ASG, can come to Philips Arena and pay a guilt-free pittance to watch some of the most exciting and inspiring hockey ever seen in these parts. In fact, the now first-place Thrashers, who overtook, even if only briefly, the free-falling Washington Capitals with their win last night, play some of the most exciting, fun-to-watch hockey in the entire National Hockey League.

So ASG, do what is right and indeed salutary for your benevolent Blueland backers. Come here to the front of this curtain. Come here, with hat in hand, before the masses of hockey fans who want to believe. Come before them and offer up a gesture of good faith to win back the hearts of those who wish to no longer be exploited for their generosity. Come before Blueland and TEAR DOWN THIS CURTAIN!!!

On the Road Again, Thrashers Winnin', but also Livin' on the Edge

Last time I posted a blog, I was exhorting my readers (and followers on twitter) to spread the word about the Thrashers' recent play as well as their bellwether prospects for a good season. Slowly but slowly (that's not a typo!), the bandwagon is starting to gain some momentum. However, the Thrash-wagon did get bogged down trying to traverse a muddy street in downtown Thrasherville as recent as last Friday nite when the boys lost their most recent home game to the Colorado Avalanche 4 to 2. Hopefully, that relatively poor effort will not dampen the collective belief and spirit of those potential fans who are still lukewarm to the idea of casting aside their pessimism and joining the T-bird battalion of faithful fandom.

As the boys make their pre-game preparations for tonite's huge divisional tilt with rival, and proverbial thorn in the side, Tampa Bay, I've been looking backwards to see if I can learn anything about the team that can explain why they don't seem to be as sharp despite winning two straight road games. The one thing that sticks in my craw is a quote I gleaned from Coach Craig Ramsay's presser after the loss to Colorado in which he concluded that they "didn't stick to a good plan to get it (the puck) past them and make their D work...we backed up, we played on our heels; we have to be more aggressive." Indeed he is right. The Thrashers allowed the Avalanche to dictate play and control the tempo on our ice despite an early 1 to 0 lead for the Thrashers. While the boys didn't play poorly, Ramsay could not have been happy with the effort and the paltry 26 SOG for the game.

Apparently, the residue of the lackluster 1st period against Colorado -- the Avs outshot the Thrashers 16 to 5 -- has not been easy to remove as Ramsay seems to be searching for a spark with some recent changes to the line-up. Perhaps looking for a way to motivate his troops with a fresh message of "tough love", he benched Niclas Bergfors, who scored the first goal against Colorado, and grinding winger Ben Eager, who hasn't really stood out to me as playing poorly of late. Back into the line-up are veteran winger Freddy Modin, now completely healthy after a rib injury, and recently signed Tim Stapleton, whose diminutive frame belies his scrappy and aggressive demeanor. But neither was much of a factor in either of the two road wins in which the Thrashers shook off in-game doldrums to find a way to win.

In Long Island against the Islanders, the alarm went off nearly too late after a miserable 1st period led to a 2-nothing deficit, and in Ottawa, a mid-game lull set the tone for a late Senators comeback, which was auspiciously thwarted by former Ontario junior hockey stand-out, Bryan Little, who's overtime heroics won the extra point in the standings. Either way, the Thrashers made things more difficult for themselves by failing to play hard for the full 60 minutes. For whatever reason, the Thrashers have not looked like the team that had been dominating games from start to finish during an impressive 6-game win streak. Other than the Boston game, in which the boys used a defensive shell to frustrate and befuddle the Bruins late onslaught of pressure, Atlanta seemed to be playing right in concert with every note on Coach Ramsay's game-sheet music. In other words, they were earnestly applying the coach's mantra of "safe is death", sometimes even in scary-good fashion.

In the first 4 games of the win streak, the Thrashers averaged an astounding 39.0 shots on goal while only giving up 29.0 SOG against their own goalie. In addition, they outscored opponents by a whopping 19 to 3 margin. While that sort of run cannot be sustained for more than a couple of weeks, it seems as though the Thrashers have started to rest on their laurels just a bit. In doing so, they have had to dip into every gallon of confidence stored in their reserve tank to pull out wins in "thoracic", heart-stopping fashion. With 3 overtime wins in their last 7 games, one must begin to wonder if he/she will need a bottle of rum or a dose of valium to watch games from this point forward. Surely this team doesn't want to be known as the "Thoracic Thrashers" going forward, even if it is fun to win games in overtime and mob the goal-scorer like you just won the Stanley Cup??

If they hope to continue their evolution towards becoming a dominant force to be reckoned with on a consistent basis, then it's time for them to figure out a way to put a halt to the prolonged lulls that have plagued them a lot of the season, and especially of late. That's not to say I'm ready to proclaim that the bottom is about to fall out on the Thrashers' season. In fact, I'm buoyed by some convincing statistical evidence that shows a methodical, as well as dramatic improvement in how this team plays hockey. Not only are they still scoring goals at a consistent clip, but they are really starting to clamp down defensively, limiting shots and neutralizing scoring chances. Obviously the play of goalie Ondrej Pavelec has been sensational since mid-November, but the numbers show the Thrashers are improved in all facets.

Over their first 10 games, the only reason they were a shade over .500 was because of timely goal scoring (32 goals in all) since they were yielding way too many shots against. Making matters worse, they were only getting 28.1 shots to the net while their opponents were lighting them up for 35.5 per game! In the second set of 10 games, the shots-against average was exactly the same (spooky statistical anomaly), but the shots-for improved greatly by 3.80 shots per game to an average of 31.90. Unfortunately, this did not translate to much success -- a losing record of 3 - 5 - 2 rather -- as erratic goaltending, okay, bad goaltending, cost them dearly. In games 21 through 30 though, the team turned the corner. Over that stretch, in which they racked up 8 wins versus 2 losses, they averaged 33.0 SOG while only giving up 31.9 per game. On top of that, they were plus-15 at even strength, scoring 3.20 goals a game while only allowing a paltry 1.80 (can you say Pavelectric!?). Indeed the trend of improved play at both ends of the ice has been readily apparent with or without stats to back it up.

But I do have some concerns as the boys seem to be falling prey more frequently of late to the kinds of mistakes that cost them wins earier in the year. Two weeks ago, I penned these words to paper after their overtime win in Colorado: "While the Thrashers didn’t play their best hockey last nite, they did something even more impressive: win on the road against a very good team when the mountain seemed way too steep to climb. Such a win is just the kind of validation a fan and blogger like me was hoping for as I try to convince myself, and the reader, that the Thrashers are for real....keep in mind that stats only illustrate the underlying paradigm shift that has occurred in Atlanta. Now that it has started to take hold, the stats seem even more impressive than the actual turn-around that has occurred on the ice and in the players’ collective confidence."

While I stand by my words that an overall paradigm shift in attitude and approach has occurred -- breeding both a renewed esprit de corps and aura of confidence -- in the locker-room and on the ice, I would hate to see all of the progress made squandered over the next 10 games. The condensed schedule in which Atlanta plays 13 times in 22 days presents the sternest, most grueling test yet for this young team. If they can get back to playing a game where they compete full bore for 60 minutes, while paying close attention to the finer points of the game to minimize mistakes, then this team should find itself firmly entrenched within a playoff spot in the standings by January 1st. From there, anything is possible. Then I will dare to dream, but for now, I will stick to my quiet, reserved sense of hope. Cold December was harshly unkind to this team last season. Until we survive this storm of games winning at least half of them, then I don't plan on making any more pleas to rustle up fans for the bandwagon. I'll let the team do it with their play on the ice.

Despite Relocation Talk, Here are Ten Reasons to Watch the Thrashers

If you're a faithful follower of the Atlanta Thrashers, you are no doubt sickened to the pit of your stomach over the repetitive and annoying chorus of Canadian media who relish the fantasy of one day poaching the Atlanta-based hockey club from U.S. soil. Without fail, as attendance numbers drop well below the league average down at Philips Arena, relocation rumour mongers (I speak Canadian!) in the media start licking their chops at the prospect of returning a team to its rightful place such as Winnipeg, Quebec (pour la memoire, je voudrais voir les Nordiques de retour au Quebec) and Hamilton(??). Anyway, I'm not here to lament the sobering attendance reality that exists here in Atlanta, nor soothe any egoes by providing a litany of valid reasons, both economic and political, as to why the Thrashers aren't moving any time soon. (For that, you can simply click on this link to ESPN.com for Burnside's take on the situation). What I do plan to do is provide for you a list of 10 reasons why any curious resident within 100 miles of Atlanta should go check out the Thrashers. Beyond that, the folks in Winnipeg can go "peg" sand for all I care. Enjoy your AHL Moooooose!

Obviously, it's still early in the season and any record through 28 games can be a bit misleading. Last year's Thrashers are a great case in point when it comes to unrealized expectations after a strong start. Strangely, after the same number of games, both teams have/had a record of 15 - 10 - 3 for 33 points. The difference seems to be a different style of play, one that lends itself better to production and effectiveness over the long haul. Last year, after 28 games, the Thrashers were giving up way too many shots on goal -- 34.4 SOG to be exact -- and that trend would end up taking its toll with a 6-game holiday losing slump to finish out a miserable December. On top of that, the Thrashers were coming off their hottest scoring stretch of the season in which they potted 49 goals in 14 games by scoring at a sizzling 11.5% clip. Alas, that trend would come to an abrupt halt when the team managed just 16 goals over its next 8 for a scoring clip of only 7.2%. The goaltending tandem of Hedberg & Pavelec couldn't rise to the challenge of overcoming the scoring drought and the rest is etched in history as another season of failure.

But I digress, I'm here to show you why the Thrashers of THIS SEASON are worthy of your attention. Statistically speaking, they are certainly trending in the right direction with 2 more goals scored compared to last year through 28 games and a goal differential of plus-13 compared to last year's plus-8 (adjusted for shootouts and ENG). The special teams have maintained consistency and the Thrashers have 5 more PP goals through 28 games compared to last year. Although the penalty kill numbers are roughly the same (hovering around 80%). Most importantly is the improving trend of shot differential as the Ramsay-led Thrashers are 53 SOG better than the Anderson-led Thrashers through 28 games. Impressively, over the last 15 games they have netted a favorable SOG differential of plus-20 (+26 at even-strength). In the last 10, a favorable differential of plus-19, coupled with timely PP scoring, has produced an 8 - 2 mark to earn a share of 6th place in the East.

Now that I have laid out the comparison to last season, let me point out TEN really good reasons why you should be excited enough about Thrashers hockey to check out a few games over the next couple months. In no particular order they are:

#1) A very proficient and effective Power Play unit -- Since they are currently #1 in PP production (at the time of typing this on 12/8) with a 24.7% success rate (27 goals in 28 games), I'll put this at the top of my list and let those numbers do the talking. Gone is the Kovalchuk one-timer show, replaced by the booming shot of Dustin Byfuglien, who leads the way with 14 PP points and several wounded D-men at the end of his booming slap-shots.

#2) Dustin Byfuglien's emergence as a Norris Trophy candidate -- #1 bleeds right into #2 with "Big Buff" stealing the spotlight down at the Bulb with his charismatic persona as well as his top production from the back end. Not only is he leading the Thrashers with 29 points, he is also 13th overall in the NHL as well as the leading point-producer among all defenseman. Not bad for a power forward, eh?

#3) Balanced attack with scoring from all 4 lines -- I kid you not when I tell you Coach Ramsay loves to roll 4 lines. When he says he wants everyone to contribute, he means it as every forward averages nearly 10 mins of ice-time per game, the minor exception being Eric Boulton who is sometimes in the bin serving five minutes for fighting! As a result, the Thrashers have 8 forwards with at least 11 points. Led by captain Andrew Ladd, who has 28 points thus far, the Thrashers have 7 players with at least 15 points and may be the only team in the league with 7 players having scored at least 4 even-strength goals.

#4) Ondrej Pavelec's emergence as a consistently brilliant shot-stopper -- It's still a bit early to announce Pavelec's candidacy for the Vezina Trophy, but the 23 year-old Czech is off to a great start with a gaudy save percentage of .947 in 16 appearances as well as a miniscule goals against average of 1.71. He has put together a sensational run in which he has won 8 of his last 9 starts, allowing only 11 goals and stopping 96.2% of the shots that get to him. If he keeps this up, along with the many dazzling, acrobatic saves of recent memory, then countryman Dominik Hasek may be looking to get HIS autograph!!

#5) Craig Ramsay's coaching influence, calm leadership and effective strategy -- For whatever reason, Ramsay has had to toil, perhaps willingly for the most part, as an assistant bench-boss for way too long before getting a real chance at the head job. He's had two interim stints as a Head Coach, but old pal and GM Rick Dudley realized the time was now for Ramsay to get a serious shot. And so far, despite some rough patches, the impact has been huge. "Rammer" has helped to completely change the dynamic of the locker-room with his quiet confidence-instilling personality while his attention-to-detail teaching approach has yielded undeniable results (which we'll get to in a bit). Lastly, his ability to adjust within a game and get his troops to rally in the face of adversity has been remarkable.

#6) Strong team leadership with a Stanley Cup pedigree -- As a coach, you're only as good as your captain, right? If your captain doesn't have the respect of his peers and control of the room, then the coach's message is undermined. With Andrew Ladd, that has not been a problem. Quiet in demeanor, Ladd is a consummate professional who never takes a shift off. He's not the most talented guy in the room, but his blend of know-how, savvy and experience (even though he's still only 24!) had garnered him the respect of this team as well as 28 points in what's turning into a career year on the ice. Obviously, we know he has been through the rigors of two long Cup runs (winning of course) and that can only further strengthen his presence in the room when Coach Ramsay needs someone to chide the boys.

#7) Lots of youth and potential balanced out by experience -- It is well documented how meaningful it is to have 4 Stanley Cup winners in the dressing room to provide leadership for a young team. But what makes this situation even better is the fact that this team is teeming with young talent and potential for improvement. We already knew Evander Kane was ready to take his game to a new level, and he is. But he's still finding ways to contribute even when he's not scoring. Zach Bogosian still has some puzzling stretches, but his pure, raw skill is undeniable. Luckily, he gets to work and train with blueline partner Johnny Oduya, and that pairing is coming into its own. Lastly, rookie Alexander Burmistrov has been much more effective than anyone ever dared to dream with 12 points and a staunch plus-5 rating on the "checking" line. And his knack for controlling the puck and drawing penalties -- he must be close to the league lead -- has been a boon to a team that wasn't sure if they'd have enough scoring at the start of the year.

#8) TEAM DEFENSE!! Stats in this case do not lie! -- Despite a very shaky start in which the Thrashers gave up a startling 54 goals in 15 games (3.60 per) not counting shootouts, they have finally settled into the new coaching framework and paradigm. Since giving up 5 goals in Ottawa back in early November, the Thrashers have been stingy allowing a mere 24 goals (2 were empty netters) in 13 games. The play of Pavelec has certainly been a huge factor, but he could not be so good without the proper level of support. The Thrashers are 3rd overall in Blocked Shots with 440 (an avg of 15.7 per) as a team and 2nd overall -- behind Chicago ironically -- in the number of Takeaways credited. In fact, they have 7 players in the Top 50 of this category including Byfuglien, who leads all D-men with 30! Others on the list of defensive prowess are: Bryan Little (16th), Burmistrov (18th), Kane (29th), Nicklas Bergfors (35th), Oduya (39th) and Rich Peverley (48th), who is also 10th in the league in total face-offs won (58%). By the way, Byfuglien is 7th overall in "takes".

#9) Character and a will to win that fuels cohesion and winning -- While the Thrashers have been somewhat "dominant" over their most recent 9 games, winning 4 of them by 3 goals or more, they have also demonstrated the ability to come from behind and chase a team down for a win at the end. The Thrashers have succeeded in doing so twice in the last 4 games beating both Colorado (at their house) and Nashville Monday nite in dramatic, overtime fashion. Now when the team gets behind, which is rare as they have scored first in 12 of the last 15 games, there is a calming sense that this team is capable of coming back through hard work and perseverance within the system crafted by Ramsay. They don't panic and they don't try to do too much; they simply keep working and doing the little things that help you win battles and eventually games.

#10) And finally, what's more fun than good hockey in the dead of winter?? -- As I write this novel, the temperature is quickly dropping into the upper 20s here in Atlanta. Winter and its harsh chill (and wind!) has hit Atlanta hard of late. Luckily the Thrashers are heating up. So why not spend an evening down in Blueland warming yourself up with some adult beverages, food, hockey and fun as the Thrashers do their best to get the Bulb rocking like 2007. You have no excuse Atlanta! Great seats, inexpensive to boot, are available by the bushel! ;-) Hockey is wonderful live and everyone likes a team that plays with the heart of a champion. So get your ass down to Marietta St, scalp a cheap ticket and have some fun with Big Buff and the boys. You won't regret it!

Sometimes a Picture is Better Than Words...Damn Right!

Last nite was my birthday. And the Atlanta Thrashers were kind enough to give me a thrilling, come from behind win over the visiting Nashville Predators. The present was gift-wrapped in overtime by the much maligned Zach "where have you been Bogosian around?", who did the honor with a sweet, quick slap-wrister under the pad and skate of Preds' goalie Anders Lindback. Okay, enough words, feast your eyes on this:

What's that? Did somebody say something about a serendipitous puck in the lap?! Indeed, dear Krisabelle isn't speaking code for some kind of crass joke as a hockey puck really did dive-bomb my unsuspecting junk...this Bud's for you!! Check it out y'all!

No junk was harmed during the filming of this video. But a little beer was sacrificed to the hockey gods, and they were apparently paying close attention!

Capit(al) Hill Sessions End Early, Atlanta Leaves with Winning Legislation

In a town famous -- or is it infamous? -- for the perfected art of staunch, hard-lining legislative opposition, Atlanta Thrashers goaltender Ondrej Pavelec doled out his own special brand of stubborn opposition on the goal line with 45 saves, many of which were wondrous in their splendor, against the vaunted Washington Capitals offense. The 23 year-old Czech-born cage protector demonstrated for the Hockey Republic on Saturday nite just why he has earned the nickname "Pavelectric". In what was his 9th consecutive start, Pavelec earned his 7th win the "hard way", making many marvelous saves against a Capitals team that passes the puck as well as politicians pass the buck!

Assisting Pavelec in the winning endeavor were teammates Rich Peverley, Alexander Burmistrov and captain Andrew Ladd, all of whom each tallied a key goal to get the all important road-game advantage on the scoreboard. Twice the Thrashers converted on set-pieces or plays in which they first won a face-off and then connected on a pre-conceived series of passes. First, it was Peverley using some deft stickwork to re-direct a picture-perfect shot-pass from D-man Dustin Byfuglien, who launched a hard, low slapper from the right point. Later in the 3rd, Andrew Ladd purchased some insurance near the net when he put home a pretty cross-crease feed from the "Pevs Dispenser" at the right side of the cage. But it was the industrious Russian teen-phenom Burmistrov, who scored what is becoming a seemingly requisite hi-light goal just 92 seconds after Peverley. After the "Burmise Python" helped squeeze the puck off a Capital stick along the boards, he cycled to the goal line where Nik Antropov slipped him the biscotti for a close-range forehand wrister that not only went right over the top of a semi-hunched, cheating Semyon Varlamov, but also went so high into the "top shelf" that not even "momma" could find the cookies, let alone hide them.

After the game, Caps' Coach Bruce Boudreau, complained in the press about how his team did not show enough drive and fortitude in "paying the price" to score goals from the high-traffic areas, pointing out that the Caps settled for too many perimeter plays and shots rather than working harder to drive the net and find rebounds after juicy rebounds. While that may be true, such is often the difference between winning and losing on a given nite. On this nite, the Thrashers skated with a lot more energy and "jump" en route to their 7th win in eight games to close out a short road trip that saw the Thrashers take 4 out of 6 points in the tightly contested Eastern Conference standings. In Pittsburgh the other nite, the Penguins did a magnificent job of slowing down an already road-weary Thrashers team, denying them the second-chance scoring opportunities of which Boudreau spoke and so longingly covets apparently.

Yes, there were several times when the Capitals carried the play and had the Thrashers' defense scrambling in their own end without much effective filibuster to speak of -- the lone Washington goal resulted from a puck possession sequence lasting well over a minute before culminating in a patented Ovechkin one-timer from below the left circle. But Boudreau failed, at least in that press conference snippet, to either give any credit to Pavelec for preventing grade-A rebound chances or the Thrashers defense for reacting to loose pucks quickly and clearing them from danger areas at almost every turn. In addition, the Thrashers blocked a whopping 20 would-be Capitals' shots, which certainly contributed to the success of Pavelec, who also read plays brilliantly all nite. When loose pucks did dangle treacherously close to the goal-mouth, Pavelec's mates supported him alertly with active sticks to tie up Capitals forwards. And finally, Thrashers D-men received fabulous support from their wingers and centers to aid in the effort to break the puck out of the defensive zone into transition.

That last sentence reminds me of the previous game against Washington in the loud, red-ablaze Verizon Center when the Thrashers tripped all over the puck and themselves trying to move the hot potato out of their own end. Atlanta yielded a six-pack of goals that nite, but several were the direct result of mental lapses and puck-handling gaffes by a unit not quite polished in its ability to execute such plays. Moreover, the contrast between the two games illustrates just how far the Thrashers have come since that high-scoring affair nearly three weeks ago. Since that game, the team has improved dramatically in how it handles and cares for the puck in dangerous areas on the ice. Fueling their stretch of 7 wins in 8 games, in addition to Pavelec's sensational goaltending, has been a wonderfully refreshing commitment to detail and execution of "little", seemingly innocent hockey plays, which good teams execute effectively and consistently on most every nite. The 6-game win streak may have been vetoed on Thursday nite, but "Speaker" (of hockey wisdom) Craig Ramsay had his boys come back with a strong counter-proposal that would swing the winning vote in their direction against the mighty Capitals.

Don't Believe the Hype??! Are Thrashers for Real?

As the first winter-like Nor-easter roars up the Atlantic seaboard, leaving behind a trail of wind-blown debris and tornado wreckage in north-metro Atlanta, the Atlanta Thrashers fly out of Denver with yet another victory notched in its hockey hip pad. Here in the ATL, sports fans are either buzzing about the exploits of Matt Ryan and the NFC leading 9 - 2 Falcons, or blathering on about the fairness of the NCAA's decision to let Cam Newton play in the SEC Championship game -- I guess even Bulldogs fans can only gripe so long about a season of unrealized expecations. But very few have caught wind of the fact that the resident professional hockey team -- no, the one that plays at Philips Arena downtown! -- has been leaving in its path a wake of destruction of another kind as it blows through win after win over some the NHL's elite teams at the end of November.

Apparently a five-game win streak wasn't enough for this plucky bunch of precocious lads (apologies to the handful of Thrashers who are above the age of 25), who decided to take their show on the road into the Rockies, where they produced an avalanche of a comeback to down a potent Colorado team in dramatic overtime fashion, 3 to 2. Just when you thought the party was over last nite, the boys managed to summon one last burst of sustained energy to overcome both altitude and time-change weariness. Not surprisingly, new Thrashers ring-master, Dustin Byfuglien, initiated the rally late in the 3rd period when his lethal slapshot felled a would-be defender, thus scaring off any further resistance on the part of Colorado's defense. As the sea of defenders parted, and an eclipse by the "planet Antropov" swallowed goalie Peter Budaj whole, "The Buffinator" (courtesy Bill "Rawhide" Tiller of the ajc.com Fan Blog) picked his target carefully and rocket-launched his puck-projectile into the back of the cage to tie the game at two.

But more adversity would come the Thrashers' way before the super-human D-man could finish his mission. Luckily for Byfuglien and the Thrashers, a loyal sidekick by the name of Brent "The SopeStar" Sopel would save the team's collective hide in OT by almost single-handedly thwarting a 59 second 4 on 3 Avalanche power play. Truthfully, I thought the run of good fortune would surely end with Byfuglien's blast, but this team surprised me again with their indomitable courage and determination in the face of adversity. After watching Byfuglien for 25 games in Thrashers blue, I am no longer surprised by his heroics. And the work of Sopel was just the lift Big Buff needed to lead his team to victory again. Only this time he opted for the heavy lifting when he destroyed his target with a crunching check against the boards, leaving behind the puck for a hard-charging Anthony Stewart to scoop up and eventually slip through the wickets of Budaj on a "failed" wrap-around pass attempt. Game. Set. Hero.

While the Thrashers didn't play their best hockey last nite in Colorado, they did something even more impressive: win on the road against a very good team when the mountain seemed way too steep to climb. Such a win is just the kind of validation a fan and blogger like me was hoping for as I try to convince myself, and the reader, that the Thrashers are for real. But why is this different than last year when the bottom quickly fell out of a season that started with such promise and hope (see my previous article about tempering expectations as a traumatized fan of an abusive team)? Before I break out a boat load of statistical evidence as to why this team might be (okay, they ARE, I wrote it!) for real, keep in mind that stats only illustrate the underlying paradigm shift that has occurred in Atlanta. Now that it has taken hold, the stats seem even more impressive than the actual turn-around that has occurred on the ice and in the players' collective confidence.

Most notably, the Thrashers have gone from being the most porous defensive team in the league -- next to Edmonton -- to one of the stingiest. Starting out the season, Atlanta struggled to execute Coach Craig Ramsay's unfamiliar system and the players, who were plagued by chronic brain-freeze turnovers, struggled to react instinctively on the ice. Resultingly, they were gouged for a total of 54 goals (less shootout "goals") in 15 games. Luckily, the Thrashers were scoring goals in bunches as well, denting the twine 45 times themselves. But more alarming was the number of shots they were giving up and the large disparity between shots allowed and shots taken.

The Thrashers were failing miserably at their attempt to play an aggressive, puck-control game as evidenced by their Corsi stats through the first 15 games. By the time the Senators finished their full and complete domination of the Thrash in Ottawa, the total shots disparity had reached a jaw-dropping minus-245!! Averaged out over the course of 15 games, that is A LOT OF FREAKIN' SHOTS!! Not only were the Thrashers giving up too many shots on goal (37.2 thru 15 gms), but they were getting out-hustled, out-worked and out-classed on several nites. Simply put, the Thrashers were lucky to be a .500 team after 15 games; they showed glimpses and teased you with good stretches, but chronic breakdowns and lapses lead to fitful results and an explosion of pessimism within the fan-base.

Slowly but surely, the Thrashers started to show signs that things were finally starting to click. First was a dominant first period against the visiting Minnesota Wild and a surprising 5 to 1 win. Then there were close-calls in the form of hard-fought, resilient efforts, albeit losing efforts, against Pittsburgh and Washington. Then came the seminal moment of perhaps the entire rest of the season. The Thrashers flat gave up in the 2nd period against Florida on home ice. Despite a tongue lashing and a heated exchange amongst players during the intermission, the result couldn't be salvaged in the 3rd despite the 18 shots thrown at Tomas Vokoun. The boys went down swinging in a 2 to 1 loss, but then used that failed 2nd period as a heartfelt, motivational wake-up call. Since then, the Thrashers have gone on an absolute tear winning 6 straight, but doing so in eyebrow-raising, convincing fashion. Twenty-two goals scored to only five allowed. But it's more than just hot scoring and even hotter goaltending. The system started working on all cylinders and the Thrashers started using the system to work their opponents into stunned submission.

Over the recent winning stretch, the Thrashers have outshot their opponents by 25 shots on the SOG clock. Over the last ten games, they have 30 more SOG. The Corsi rating disparity has stopped growing and the Thrashers have actually attempted 12 more shots than their opponents over the last 10 games starting with Minnesota. Through their first 15 games (and 49 periods), the Thrashers only managed to outshoot their opponent by more than 3 shots in nine out of 49 frames! Their opponents registered more than a 3-SOG advantage in 23 of those 49 periods by comparison. Since then, the shot-counts have been a lot more even and, when adjusted for power play and short-handed time, the overall SOG margin is a plus-40 for the Thrashers in the last 10 games.

So while Ondrej Pavelec has been absolutely sensational during this stretch, the results on the ice are as much a product of the collective team defensive effort and a greater committment to the execution of the system on both ends of the ice. Your opponent can't score on you as easily if they don't have the puck in your end as much, and that is precisely why the Thrashers are winning. They are asserting early control of the game's tempo and imposing their will in the first period, often scoring the first goal and building on it. Their play at even strength has been nothing short of remarkable recently as they have scored 15 more ES goals (not counting empty netters) than their opponents. And it certainly helps that they have only given up an average of 31.6 SOG over this period compared to the 37.6 they were surrendering earlier in the season.

The recent turn-around really has been astounding, but can be traced back to a point before the captain's hat was awarded to Andrew Ladd. Yes, Ladd is 6 - 0 so far with the 'C' on his chest -- and Byfuglien's 'A' might as well be an 'S' -- but the changes started to take root before that decision by Ramsay. Even though they were blitzed for 5 goals by Ottawa, there were signs that things were starting to change. The boys put 37 evenly distributed shots on net in that game, but poor goaltending on their own end is what hurt them more than any semblance of poor effort. Of course, there are several more reasons for this sudden turn for the better, both tangible and intangible, but I'll let you provide those reasons in the comments section below. So assuming I haven't put you to sleep with my mind-numbing shower of statistics, go ahead and tell me why you think this team is, or isn't for real! But I'm warning you, "The Buffinator" might take issue with you should your offer your opinion in a less than flattering manner.

After 24 Games, Thrashers in Flight to Greater Heights, BUT WAIT!!!

Who is that guy to the right you ask? Why it's Maxim-um"Thrills, Chills & Spills" Afinogenov, erstwhile winger and human hi-light reel of the Atlanta Thrashers, circa November 30, 2009. But J.C., you do realize Max isn't coming back to the Thrashers right? Of course I do! Then why must you open old wounds by dredging up painful memories of a season lost?

In short, because the timing could not be better. It has been exactly one year to the day since the Thrashers were riding high off their dramatic win over the Florida Panthers in which "Fins for the Win" banged home a feed from Nik Antropov with only 6 ticks of time left on the clock. The breathtaking win gave the Thrashers their 4th win in a row to close out a scorching hot November, a month in which they put together two 4-game winning streaks in a span of 3 weeks to assume one of the top-6 rungs in the Eastern Conference standings. Alas, the seemingly lofty perch would prove too dizzying for this bird with faulty wings and they would plummet back down to earth with a resounding thud to the frozen December landscape. See, before Thrashers fans let their imaginations run wild in the tantalizing wake of this current 5-game winning streak, I feel it is my duty to offer up this cautionary tale of warning so any grandiose dreams of a date with playoff-berth "Dustin-y" (as in Byfuglien) are exploded into a smoking, pile of regret-strewn wreckage.

Speaking of regret, somwhere in the suburbs of Tampa, FL, former Thrashers' D-man Pavel Kubina is probably still muttering in his sleep as nightmares of last season's tragic demise rattle around in his pysche. Perhaps his deep slumber ramblings sound something like this:
“...it starts with the goalies...they’ve been unbelievable. Pavs and Moose have made unbelievable saves in unbelievable performances...We’ve been better at reducing turnovers in our own zone and we’ve been working on it in practice. The penalty-killing has been awesome. Guys are diving to block shots, and it’s a great team effort. It’s fun to be around.” -- excerpt gleaned from Tom Saladino's Associated Press recap of the 11/30/09 contest vs FLA

Well, doesn't that post-game refrain sound eerily familiar? As the blogospheric media buzz revs up into a full-tilt frenzy over the "Thrashawk" led T-birds, who just completed an impressive 9-day span in which 4 of their 5 straight wins came against the likes of Washington, Detroit, Montreal and Boston, fans must fight the temptation to think this team has suddenly arrived as a bona fide Stanley Cup contender. While the recent run of success has been incredibly fun, we must remind ourselves that this team is still a work in progress. And lest we overlook the fact they find themselves in a very similar position to last year's team, which choked it's season away during a disastrous December by effectively losing 9 straight games to finish the month. So why am I sounding the alarm of tempered expectations?? Because I'm a Thrashers fan silly, of course!

But seriously, the statistical similarities between this season and last are quite striking when juxtaposed. After surveying the numbers, any seasoned fan worth their salt would tell you to rein in your expectations, especially when dealing with such a young team not totally familiar with the treacherous effects of random injuries, winter travel and mid-season fatigue that can quietly erode any player's mental state. Before last year's late-December tumble into the doldrums, the Thrashers were sitting pretty with a record of 14 - 7 - 3 after winning 8 of 11 games, ten of which followed the return of Ilya Kovalchuk from injury. This season, the Thrashers struggled to a 6 - 6 - 3 record before winning 6 of their next 9 games to move into sole possession of 7th place in the Eastern Conference. Even more interesting is how these two very different teams arrived at very similar points after 24 games.

To wit:

2009-'10: 79 GF vs. 65 GA on 845 shots* allowed with a save percentage of .9231

2010- '11: 75 GF vs. 65 GA on 843 shots* allowed with a save percentage of .9224

*goals scored and shots allowed adjusted to remove both shootout goals & EN goals

I told you the statistical similarities were striking!! Did I mention both teams started the season with a record of 5 - 4 - 1? And get this, each team scored goals at a very similar rate during their aforementioned hot streaks, both of which preceded the 25th game on their respective schedules. The 2009 Thrashers, sparked by the Russian-born "Comrade Connection", crinkled the twine 38 times in 11 games during an 8 - 1 - 2 stretch. And the 2010 edition, featuring former 'Hawks Andrew Ladd and "Big Dusty Buff" as catalysts, have recently completed a 37 goal onslaught over their last 11 games for a 6 - 4 - 1 mark going into game #25 versus Colorado later tonite. Lastly, both teams had similar goal differentials during their November streaks: plus-14 in 2009 compared to a plus-12 (adjusted for shootouts) during this most recent tear.

So as you can see, such a statistical comparison would give any earnest fan pause. But before you start stuffing hate mail into my comments "inbox", please know that this particular fan, who has been duped by fool's gold before, does harbor some seriously strong optimism with respect to this newest installment of Thrashers' teams. Perhaps I'm just being foolhardy again, but I do have more statistical fodder for my grist mill of cautious optimism. For that, you must tune in again on Wednesday when I present my case as to why this team is different. See you then!

Thrashers Treat Bruins Like B's, Win 5th Straight

Led by the heroics of forward-in-defenseman's clothing, Dustin Byfuglien, the Atlanta Thrashers snapped an 0 - 8 - 2 streak of futility against the visiting Boston Bruins with a resounding 4 to 1 win. Byfuglien, who tallied a goal and two assists on the evening, sparked his mates to another convincing win on home ice. This time, the boys in blue decided to not wait until the 2nd period to seize control of the game scoring 3 successive goals in just over 6 minutes during the middle stages of the opening stanza. Goals by Evander Kane, the charismatic Byfuglien and Jimmy "I can't believe he scored on a breakaway" Slater helped flip the script on a Boston Bruins team that is quite accustomed to pushing the Thrashers around like school-yard bullies. But this time the Thrashers would not give up their lunch money as Byfuglien used Philips Arena ice to dole out his unique brand (photo courtesy of AP, yahoo.com) of punishment under the watchful eye of towering Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara.

Also critical to the Thrashers' success against the Beantown Bullies was the steady and sometimes spectacular play of goalie Ondrej Pavelec, who made several critical saves in the 2nd period to make sure the Thrashers maintained a comfortable margin. Not long after Blake Wheeler beat Pavelec with a hard wrister from the right face-off dot to cut the lead to two, the Czech known to Blueland faithful as "Opie" thwarted Brad Marchand's point-blank snap-shot with his deft glove-hand. On the ensuing face-off, Pavelec would make another key save with his lightning quick blocker, steering aside a hot shot hammered by Johnny Boychuk from the right point. Boston elevated their level of play after resident tough guy Shawn Thornton dominated a willing and scrappy Eric Boulton in what was the second "tete a tete" of the period. The B's were buzzing after the Thornton "TKO" and Wheeler goal, but they would not find the back of the net again thanks to the stellar play of Pavelec between the pipes.

With the victory, the Thrashers won their 5th straight on home ice and third in a row over a playoff team from last season. But for the fifth consecutive time, the stingy Czech netminder would not allow more than a single goal to raise his season-to-date save percentage to .949, just shy of the mark set by league leading Tim Thomas of the Bruins who sports a sparkling .951% on the year. Thomas has led the Bruins to 11 wins in 15 starts thanks to his microscopic 1.56 goals against average, but on this nite, "back-up" Tuukka Rask would get his chance to extend his dominance over Atlanta (3 wins and a sub-one GAA in three starts). However, the Thrashers would not take kindly to the thought of getting victimized by a Finnish goalie's exploits once again. Instead, they dominated the neutral zone in the 1st period forcing two key plays that would lead to goals at the other end.

After Kane would help the Thrashers stake their claim to an early lead, Byfuglien, who lost an edge deep in the Bruins' zone on the previous sequence, took control of a pass from Alex Burmistrov through the neutral zone that Big Buff would corral just in time at the blueline to avoid an offsides call. From there, Byfuglien would use his speed and laser-like wrist shot to score through a screen past a helpless Rask. Later in the period, Byfuglien would break up a Marchand rush at the red line to feather a soft pass to a streaking Jimmy Slater at the blueline. Slater, mustachioed in a way that would make a barber shop quartet proud, would skate in on Rask with a D-man dogging him, but his speed and strength would help him shield the puck before chopping it over Rask's stick-arm for the all-important 3-goal lead. The Thrashers would later add an insurance goal by Nicklas Bergfors, who "fooped in" -- Swedish for accidental contact as in "Berg-foops"-- a heeled slap-shot by Byfuglien on the power play late in the 2nd period. Byfuglien would later have a chance at a 5 point night, but his overly fancy stick-handling on a break-in would foil his chance on Rask.

TASTY MORSELS & NUGGETS: Despite getting out-shot for the first time in 6 games, the Thrashers would win the SOG race in the 1st period out-shooting Boston 12 to 10, or 21 to 17 if you include misses and blocked shots....Kane's goal was his 9th of the year, but his brief team lead was neutralized by Big Buff's 9th goal right after Kane got his....In the last 9 games, the Thrashers have completely reversed a goal differential deficit of -9 (not including S/O goals) to now boast a +6 goals scored advantage by scoring 15 more goals than their opponents....Lastly, during the recent 5-game winning streak, the Thrashers have scored a PPG in the last four raising their record to 6 - 0 - 3 when scoring more PPG in a game than their opponent.

THIRD PERIOD -- B's Start Off with a PP

But the Thrashers are up to the task on the penalty kill. Boston really gets nothing started with the man-advantage after Peverley commits an absolutely stupid penalty with a silly hack of Zdeno Chara's stick in the offensive zone. Pavelec makes a very good save after the penalty expires and now the Thrashers are deep in the zone, but dropping back into a trap hybrid D.

-- Zach Bogosian with a strong rush up the right side from the blueline off a pass from Stewie but he can't thread the pass thru the D-man to a waiting Andrew Ladd, who was in position on the doorstep to bang one home.

-- a flurry of action by the Thrashers Greek gods after a Slater F/O win and a Sopel wrister that gets deflected up into the air. The Thrashers batted at the puck and eventually Thorburn got control for a couple of ill-fated wristers into traffic. Much like the Thrashers, the B's do a good job of clogging up the area in front of the crease when there is a scramble. Stewie just misses Eager on a cross-ice feed for a re-direct and the B's have been on their heels after their PP nets not even a shot on goal.

-- huge backcheck by Peverley on a loose puck scramble from in front of his own net saves a potential goal then produces a break-out for a streaking Byfuglien who gets loose for a shot in tight on Rask, but he fumbles the puck trying to go back to his forehand on the F/H, B/H back to F/H deke move. Perhaps a bit too fancy but fun nonetheless!!

-- good forechecking pressure by the Kaner-Litts-Stewie line after Little made a scintillating end to end rush from behind his own net through the neutral zone and to the high circle where he wheeled and tried to thread a tricky pass to a streaking Kane. I reckon Little would have been better off just firing the puck to the cage on the whirling spin move so Kane could crash the cage hard with a full head of speed.

-- another dumb, ill-advised penalty taken by the Thrashers by Ladd, who should know better in this situation. No sense in using your stick extra-aggressively and risk drawing a silly hooking penalty. Thus far, the Thrashers PK unit has been very solid with several clears and denials of the offensive zone at the B/L. Chara to Seidenberg for a drive and rebound but B's can't find the rebound before Peverley, who's been quite good defensively, clears the puck.

-- Pavelec with another great positional save on a hard shot from the left circle by Campbell that ends up tucked away under Pavelec's shoulder. I've been very impressed with Pavelec and his rebound control on point-blank chances and any long shots that he has had a clear line of sight on. If he keeps up this kind of play, the Thrashers will be hard to beat no matter who they play. Make no mistake, the B's haven't been bad, they just haven't capitalized on chances and have had two or three costly breakdowns early that will ultimately cost them this game. 5 mins left.

Bruins vs Thrashers - 4 - 1 After Two

Not much has happened in the way of scoring chances thus far but there have been some very hot tempers erupting into fisticuffs this period. Already Matt Hunwick and Evander Kane have mixed it up as the the undercard for heavy weights Shawn Thornton and Eric Boulton, who have fought many times before. In the first bout, Kane got the early upper hand, but Hunwick caught Kaner with a good right before EK re-asserted his boxing prowess and slipped several quick rights into Hunwick's mush. In the Thornton v. Boulton tilt, Boulton couldn't get completely free to do much damage after the inital flurry of rights, most of which missed, and sustained a bit of damage at the fists of the imposing Thornton. So at the 9 minute mark, it is still 3 to 0 Thrashers and five for fighting has been the theme in the 2nd period. The best scoring chance so far has been that of Nathan Horton who tried to go top shelf from a stationary postion in the slot, but may have caught the butt-end of Pavelec's stick which caused it to ricochet up into the mesh.

-- Blake Wheeler's left-handed wrister from the bottom of the right circle beats Pavelec who was dead to rights after the Thrashers overcommitted on the puck in the neutral zone leading to a wide-open break-in for Wheeler. Pavelec just thwarted another choice opportunity with his deft glove-hand and then his right pad on a hot shot hammered from the right point. Boston has seemed to pick up the level of their play and they are getting the majority of the zone time. Thrashers have had a couple of rushes but can't get any sustained pressure. They need to get back to playing their game and work harder to cycle the puck and keep the B's in their end. Boston is swarming with less than 5 minutes left and Pavelec has been swimming in his crease. Luckily the B's can't come up with the handle and several pucks have trickled just wide of the crease. Pavelec with another big save to stop the onslaught and force a F/O with just over 4 minutes left in the period. Phew. Thrashers need to gather themselves and get back to out-working their opponent. Luckily for the Thrashers, Burmy draws yet another penalty and the boys convert with the man-advantage as Nicky Bergfors "foops" one in off the muffed slap-shot attempt by Byfuglien. Kane and Little did yeoman's work in the opposite corner to keep the puck in the offensive zone and then two crisp tape to tape passes got the puck to Big Buff who heeled his shot attempt, but it was true enough for Bergie to chip it in past Rask for the restoration of the 3-goal lead. In the third, the Thrashers must do a better job of taking care of the puck and keep it deep in the B's zone when they get it in. Boston dominated the 2nd after Wheeler's goal and reeled off 17 shots on goal to the Thrashers measely 8. Probably the worst period for the Thrashers since the infamous 2nd period debacle against Florida.

Boston Bruins vs. Thrashers Live-blog!!!

Thanks to NHL.com and the wonderful feature known as GameCenterLive, I am able to bring a live blog to those of you who are once again blacked out by CenterIce or just can't make it down to Philips for whatever reason. And who could blame you with what is sure to be horrible traffic after the Falcons game. Luckily, your Atlanta Falcons disposed of the Green Bay Packers in yet another nail-biting thriller in which Matty "Ice" Ryan moved the team into FG position for the game-winning kick by Matt Bryant. Now, on to the hockey!!

-- "top" line of Ladd-Pevs-Bergie start the game with Big Buff and Enstrom on the blueline.

-- what's this? All-star Chara flips the puck up over the boards and we go to the power play!!

-- well, a server error wiped out my furious typing to give you some play by play on the PP; Thrashers got a few shots on net, but couldn't come up with any rebounds to penetrate Rask. B's kill the PP and now Thorburn goes down blocking a shot...what else is new?

-- Jack Edwards, who does a great job calling the game, says Thorbs needed help getting on down the tunnel...not good. B's are tough enough when at full-strength and now we're gonna have to mix up the lines to compensate for the loss of an important presence defensively on RW.

-- damn, Stewie loses his stick and is forced to hold to break up a streaking Bergeron...Thrashers going on the PK with Ladd and Pevs to start out the kill unit

-- Thrashers PK looks lively and clears several times before Kane carries puck deep down the right wing to drive the net hard before Seidenberg runs over his own goalie...good play by Kaner, but no real scoring chance on the play; Slater with another clear and we're down to :20 secs

-- Hunwick's drive gets through but Pavelec sees it the whole way and Pevs clears the rebound easily to kill off the PP for good

-- Rask is sharp but he's giving up rebounds on just about every shot on goal, hopefully Thrashers can recognize this and get to the greasy areas to score some goals

-- Thrashers survive some good pressure by the B's after Pavs coughs up a rebound leading to a scramble in front and one failed clear attempt leads to a point-blank chance that is snuffed out by Pavelectric!! Oh yeah, 12:11 left at the TV timeout. No score.

-- I spoke too soon!! THRASHERS STRIKE FIRST ON A GOAL BY KANE!! Anthony Stewart finds a streaking Evander Kane in front after Big Buff carried the puck deep and drew the defense out of position leaving Stewie all alone on the right half-wall to survey and flip the puck to Kane who re-directs the puck into an empty net. Now the B's with some pressure...no damage, phew.

-- Andy Brickley, the B's color guy, who also does work on VS for the NHL is one chatty guy on their NESN broadcast. He is very astute but I just do not care much for his gravelly voice.

-- Sopel with an easy flip on net to force an offensive zone face-off, Ramsay will surely try to take advantage of the match-up. Commercial break-time under 9 minutes.

-- well I'll be, Mr. Thorburn has returned and Rammer puts the Greek gods out for the offensive zone F/O...to no avail. B's win it and take it into the Thrasher zone for some pressure and a near miss by call-up James Arniel who was given the puck in front by a hard-working Greg Campbell. T/O in the corner by the D leads to the chance but Pavs makes an easy save. Another defensive zone F/O coming up.

-- Pevs' line with some good forechecking pressure leading to a chance at the point by Big Buff, but I think they're deferring to Byfuglien too much as the B's do a very good job of covering the points. And just as I type that, Dustin Byfuglien rips a wrister through a screen on a rush to beat Rask on the stick side and put the Thrashers up 2 to love!! Wooo hoooo! Right through the legs of #45 who I think is Stuart. Play was started in the defensive zone by an adroit stick-check by Johnny Oduya I believe.

-- HOLY SHIT!! SLATER SCORES ON THE BREAK-AWAY off a neutral zone turnover. Greek gods exploit the call-up Arniel and the Thrashers take a commanding 3 goal lead!! Was that a quick release flip over the pad and arm of Rask by Slater?? Another 2 on 1 break but Pevs loses the puck trying to move the puck to his back-hand in front of a scrambling Rask.

-- Thrashers now on the PP, as if Boston didn't have enough of a hill to climb. Buff misses Ladd on the slap-pass. Buff shoots wide on the glove side but Birds keep the puck, no they don't. Toby Enstrom re-sets and brings to the blueline but offside. C'mon guys, get a greasy one!

-- PP expires with no further damage and then Pavelec makes a very good save -- standing tall on his knees -- to thwart Seguin on a loose-puck wrister from the right circle. Thrashers now with an offensive zone F/O which they win. But Ladd and the boys can't come up with the puck behind the net, B's break-out. Clock ticking down and we're under 10 as B's go offsides.

-- as the clock expires on the 1st period, Andy Brickley scolds Atlanta for not showing up to watch the "best hockey this team has ever played!"...well that's certainly nice to hear but we did have some winning streaks last season and a 14 - 7 - 3 start that turned out to be Fool's Gold. Oh yeah, Milbury is an asshole.

-- after one period of play, shots are 12 to 10 (21 - 17 if you like Corsi stats) in favor of the T-birds, who take a stunning 3-goal lead to the intermission. Keep talkin' that trash Milbury!

-- LAUNDRY BREAK: GOTTA FINISH FOLDING SO CHECK OUT ZEE TWEETS TO KEEP UP WITH THE SECOND PERIOD ACTION!!

Thrashers HABS-olutely Dominate 2nd Period for PRICE-less Win

Somewhat rare in these parts is the extended winning streak, especially that of the homestand variety. What's even more rare in this hockey humble town of Thrasherville are homestand winning streaks that feature the following: 1) lopsided shot margins, 2) dominating goaltending performances and 3) full, 60-minutes of consistent effort. Well, that's exactly what the Thrashers' faithful have been treated to at Philips Arena over this recent 4-game winning tear on home ice. During this span of success, the Thrashers have outscored their opponents by a combined margin of 15 to 2 and staked claim to a dominant edge on the shots-on-goal clock with a compelling margin of +40 (156 to 116). Did I just type that? And last nite's dominating 2nd period performance against a Carey Price-less Montreal team left Ondrej Pavelec with lots of uninterrupted time for deep, introspective thought about just how amazing his play has been over the last couple of weeks. In a word -- from the mind of his twitterring agent, Allan Walsh -- Ondrej has been PAV-ELECTRIC!!

Last nite's 2nd period was a well-deserved reward for Pavelec's magnificent play over the previous 13 periods of action in which Pavelec had stopped 134 of 138 shots that found a way to his equipment. But in last nite's game, his inspired teammates decided to give him a respite of sorts by controlling just about every second of the middle frame with a relentless barrage of 23 shots on goal and two timely, if not a bit lucky, goals. Of course, Pavelec's outstanding twine-tending would have made a 1-goal margin stand up for the win. The Thrashers tried their darnedest to riddle back-up goalie Alex Auld with shots, but could only penetrate his paraphenelia 3 times in 47 attempts. Center Rich Peverley was finally the beneficiary of some good puck luck in this game when he knocked home a loose puck amidst a scramble in front of the Habs' net that somehow eluded Auld's arm and right pad. Later, Peverley's patience and perserverance would be rewarded with time and space on the power play, and he would exploit the situation by firing a wicked wrister from the left face-off dot that pinged off the far post behind a helpless Auld.

Alas, goal-scoring heroics and sensational, hi-lite reel goals were not the order of the evening. Instead, the most memorable aspect of last nite's performance was the way in which the team supported each other in consummate team fashion. The picture to the left -- apologies for the crappy resolution, but what do you want from a Blackberry cell phone?! -- featuring Nik Antropov and Alexander Burmistrov illustrates just how far the Thrashers have come when the right-wing is dropping down to the goal line to support the center in the defensive end. Coach Ramsay must be grinning from ear to ear as his teachings and instruction have been paying off in the form of a concerted, nearly seamless team effort FOR ALMOST AN ENTIRE 6O MINUTES in which every player is playing the same way. No longer is it unusual to see the 5-man team playing as one cohesive unit in which they support one another on the puck and along the boards without fail.

On top of that, we are seeing this team take extra care and pride in executing all of the little plays that add up over the course of 60 minutes. Plays like getting a puck on net to force a face-off when your blueline is struggling to complete a change during the 2nd period; racing down the ice to negate a potential icing of the puck in the late 3rd period so the opponent doesn't get the all-important offensive zone face-off; and chipping the puck along the boards to allow a teammate to get to the wall for support instead of trying to force a "willy-nilly" pass to a "hot zone" near your own blueline. For once, we are seeing the emergence of a team that does not resort to the selfish, extra-fancy play at the expense of the overall gameplan and team philosophy. While this team may know they have enough skill to convert chances and pull off the titillating hi-lite play, they also realize they are not talented enough to stray from the blueprint laid out by Coach Ramsay. Even Ondrej Pavelec, who's sterling .946 save percentage and miniscule 1.68 GAA is worthy of a little self-praise, keeps insisting that it isn't about him and that the recent success is only the by-product of a full team effort: "I said so many times, you're winning as a team and losing as a team. I said it five times in the last five games it was a team effort. I don't know what you guys want me to say."

Okay Ondrej, we get it, we'll stop asking you. Just don't hesitate in reminding your teammates of this mantra of "win as a team, lose as a team" the minute any of them start to resort to some of their old, all-too-familiar bad habits. But don't you just get the feeling that something is different this year and the word "team" isn't just a trite descriptor for a collection of 20 individuals wearing the same uniform? I know it's still early, but I'm seeing a collective team pride that has not been a consistent characteristic of the many previous collections of players in this team's frustrating 10-year history. That pride seems to be the result of a firm belief in knowing that team success is in the individual execution of little details; and now that belief is being manifested in the form of a thorough execution of the gameplan as well as dominance on home ice. And isn't THAT a refreshing sight to behold?

Thrashers Dismantle Winged Wheel & Quarter-Pole Teaser

Good afternoon and a belated Happy Thanksgiving to you all! For the citizens of Thrasherville, "Thrash-a-Turkey Day" was an extra special one as the T-birds blitzed the visiting Detroit Red Wings with their special brand of aggressive, attacking hockey in a 5 to 1 pre-holiday rout of the Wings on Thanksgiving Eve. Led by their Czech-born cage protector, Ondrej Pavelec, who stopped all but one of the 33 shots slung towards his net, the Thrashers sent a resounding message to the several thousands -- and by several, I mean 7,000 or so -- of Red Wings supporters in attendance at Philips Arena.

Sparked by the tenacious play of the "Greek gods" line, who tallied the first marker of the game just 2 minutes and 39 seconds in, the Thrashers put on an exhibition of the type of hockey that Coach Craig Ramsay has been demanding since day one of his tenure as head coach. Hard skating, dogged determination on the forecheck and active stick-work are all hallmarks of Ramsay's philosophy, and for the 2nd time in less than a week, the Thrashers schooled a league-leading team at Ramsay's Institute of Basic Hockey Tenets & Applied Hockey Theory. On Wed nite, Professor Ramsay was surely extolling the work of several star pupils including Bryan Little (1 G, 1 A and a relentless puck-hounding effort), Andrew Ladd (1 SHG, 1 A and flawless application of the Ramsay principles), Chris Thorburn (who opened the scoring but seemed to be skating with a renewed vigor) and Dustin Byfuglien (who's late 3rd period PP tally punctuated a complete and methodical "how 'bout dem apples?" kind of performance).

After such a "statement game" -- apologies for the trite, overused cliche -- Thrashers fans are surely giddy about the prospect of their team gelling into a bona fide playoffs contender. Afterall, 5 of their 10 wins have come against the likes of Detroit, Washington (twice), San Jose and the normally stingy Minnesota Wild, who were treated to the first taste of how relentless and suffocating the Thrasher attack could be. But alas, we've seen a similar script play out before us with a sobering and disappointing series of tragic acts. Last year, the Thrashers found themselves sitting pretty at the end of November with a 14 - 7 - 3 record only to implode from within during a dismal December in which they dropped 9 of their next 14 games in regulation. So please be advised of this cautionary tale before letting your expectations run away to dizzying heights. I would hate for us all to end up totally deflated from another fall from such a lofty perch.

Anyhoo, it's already 5:45 -- I started typing this way too late for anyone to read it before the game! -- and I've got to get my shit together to head down to the Bulb pour le match du hockey avec les Habitants. I was hoping to blog in grandiose fashion about the good, the bad and the ugly of this season thus far. Or as I like to call it during the T'giving holiday season: the Hamtastic, the Medi-Okra and the Cran-cid-berry. I introduced the Turkey Day themed series last fall and I hope to keep the tradition going as long as my fingers can still blog it up. So please come back tomorrow when you will hopefully find a link to my new blog over at the Hockey Independent website, where I will sling ham and rancid cranberry sauce all over the page! Have a good nite and let's freakin' go Thrashers!! Beat los French!!

As We Head Into the Future, Young Thrashers Must Lean On Each Other

Tonite at Philips Arena we welcome in a rare visit from the mighty Red Wings, who fly in from Detroit with the top record in the tightly bunched Western Conference and, mathematically, the best points-earned percentage in the entire NHL. Obviously, this will be the sternest test for a Thrashers team that is still in the process of establishing, and hopefully, maintaining an identity that breeds more wins than losses. At 13 - 3 - 2, the Red Wings boast a league-leading goals against average of 3.67 and have won 7 of their 9 games in November. Usual suspects Pavel Datsyuk, Hank Zetterberg and Nik Lidstrom have had great starts, but their success has been buoyed by the surprising starts of Danny Cleary (9 G, 14 pts) and Todd Bertuzzi (15 pts & a +11 rating).

If there IS anything negative one can point out, then it would be that the Red Wings' record MAY be a bit inflated due to 4 of their 7 November wins coming against Edmonton and Calgary, both of which have struggled mightily this season. Also, the Wings played their last 6 games at home and have only ventured out on the road a total of 6 times. But Detroit has certainly taken advantage of the recent home cooking to the tune of 27 goals and 5 wins on the homestand. Unfortunately for the Thrashers, the Detroit road record of 4 - 2 - 0 is hardly any consolation for what will surely be a difficult game against one of the league's best. While two of their three regulation losses have come on the road, that is hardly evidence that Detroit is vulnerable, but it does give this humble writer hope that Coach Craig Ramsay can exploit the right match-ups at home and give the boys in blue a chance to win.

If that is to happen, the Thrashers would be wise to score first and hopefully maintain pressure on the Red Wings in the 1st period, forcing them to play in their own end more than they would like. Also important is for the Thrashers to limit their penalties and try to win the battle for power play opportunities. On the season, the Thrashers are 9th overall in penalties drawn -- thank you Alex Burmistrov!! -- but are tied for 4th in PP vs PK differential at +11. However, just earning more penalties is not enough; the T-birds must convert at least one of their PP to have a chance. More than one, of course, would simply be sublime.

Lastly, the scorching hot Ondrej Pavelec could have a big say in who wins as he has stopped 89 of the last 92 shots that have reached his net. And keeping Detroit to 30 SOG or less would certainly help so Ondrej doesn't have to pull out all the stops to stymie 40+ shots like he did in last year's shutout of the "Big Red Borg" (all rights reserved by Bill "Rawhide" Tiller). As for Detroit's netminder, Jimmy Howard, he has been solid if not spectacular this year. He has 11 wins on the season, but hasn't had to be Dominik Hasek for the Wings to win as he normally only sees about 27.75 pucks per nite. Thus, it is imperative for the Thrashers to get pucks on net and crash the cage to hopefully get Howard out of his comfort zone (easier said than done eh?). BUT, Howard has been a bit suspect in his last 184 minutes of play yielding 11 goals on 90 shots faced. Can Ondrej be "Pavelec-tric" once again and help put the Thrashers back above .500??

EDITOR'S NOTE: This blogger is a-movin' on to whiter hockey rinks (and loftier press-box heights perhaps?) as he has been tapped to blog on the Thrashers for the on-line hockey magazine known as Hockey Independent.com!! If you've been a faithful reader of this humble little blog, I do thank you heartily from the bottom of my, well heart! And I do hope you'll continue to support me and the Thrashers as their singular, dedicated hockey voice. Please tweet your friends, family and neighbors, and point your speakers out the window with the Neil Diamond jams a-pumpin'!! Cuz WE'RE HEADED FOR THE FUTURE!!

Thrashers Overcome Both Deficit and Isles' Desperation on Way to Overtime Win and .500 Record

Tonite, as I drove home from my weekend-long visit to the Twin Cities of Winston and Salem to see my family and friends, I considered myself lucky that the radio signal of the Thrashers' flagship station, 680 The Fan, was not strong enough to carry beyond the Atlanta bedroom community of Suwanee. Fatigue was seeping in to my bones and my eyes were becoming increasingly bleary from the constant, insidious glare of obnoxiously bright headlight lamps of the speeding SUV's and 18-wheelers I was forced to pass in order to maintain a consistent and safe rate of speed. Had we been able to listen to the radio call of Thrashers' radio voice, Dan Kamal, I most surely would have been nerve-wracked to the point of danger since I was already on the edge of losing my battle with the sensory terror of traveling southbound on I-85 at night.

By the time we were able to get a clear signal just south of the Suwanee exit, the Thrashers game was about to go into overtime. I knew, from twitter updates on the phone, that the Thrashers had managed to secure the tying goal against a desperate and frenzied Islanders team that had dropped all but 1 of a possible 24 points over their last 12 games. I was also acutely aware of the fact that both starting goalies, Rick DiPietro and Ondrej Pavelec, had each made breath-taking and game-saving stops to keep their teams locked in a tie late in the 3rd period. For the Isles, the game was a furious struggle to earn the turning point win they so desperately coveted. For the Thrashers, it was an anxious battle to not only earn a precious two points in the standings, but also validate their status as a team that is capable of overcoming the inevitable emotional let-down that follows a shutout win against a perennial powerhouse like Washington and disposing of a weaker opponent to keep pace in a playoff race that is starting to see some separation between the "haves" and the "have-nots".

As Coach Ramsay would discuss later in his post-game press conference, this game was about building on the recent success and learning to win when the team you're facing may be more scared to lose than even you are. When queried about the importance of this win and overcoming the anxiety of losing a tight game to a more desperate team, he related these thoughts: "We had a good start, we looked good. Then our neutral zone play was not good enough. And you just get some bad feelings once in a while against a team that hasn't won in a long time. You're controlling the play in the offensive zone but not scoring, not getting anything out of it. And their goalie is capable of a great game and they're team is capable of winning, so it's tense on the bench and that's with the kind of game though that you grow with as much as the win against Washington...we had to fight through it, it was a tight game the whole way and we got the key save at the right time."

Listening to the press conference, the relief in Ramsay's voice was palpable and unmistakable. Losing to the Islanders, with all due respect, would have surely caused some degree of mental anguish after enjoying the emotional high of dominating a better opponent on home ice Friday nite. Especially on the heels of naming Andrew Ladd team captain, which created a bigger sense of gravity around the team that the time to turn the season for the better was now. Losing to the Islanders would have been two steps backwards after a huge step forward was taken, and taken with a demonstrative swagger and reinforced belief in themselves. Like Ramsay said, it's one thing to raise your game against a better opponent, but it's an entirely different story to take care of a struggling team who's on the brink: "We've been able to elevate our game against good teams...I think winning this tight game can really be important for us as much as that five (to) nothing win."

Indeed, a dramatic, come-from-behind win such as this can be vital to the process of building confidence in what they're doing as a team and further validate their hard work to overcome some recent struggles. A win like tonite's OT thriller can certainly help to cement good work habits that must be employed to win tight games. Ramsay went on to say that the team must continue to "recognize that when we do our detail work correctly, we're tough. And its not about (worrying about) what just happened, although that builds within you, it's about facing a good team (and) playing our game against them."

Ramsay knows that a young team must learn to deal with adversity and overcome frustrations when things don't go according to plan. If this team is to keep evolving in a positive fashion and contend seriously for a playoff spot, games like this are important stepping stones in creating the right mind-set that helps players to focus on things they can control rather than the results. As an example, Ramsay pointed out how the frustration of dominating play in the 1st period without any results started to set in later on: "In the 2nd period, we got frustrated a little bit and now we started turning (the puck over) and they were runnin' up the ice. We don't want to just throw the puck away...we get frustrated and we start looking for something unique and special instead of just stayin' with the plan."

One player who most definitely received the gravitas of Ramsay's message of sticking to the plan was overtime hero, and burgeoning blueline sensation, Dustin Byfuglien. In addition to scoring the game-winning goal, Big Buff turned failure into positive motivation and eventually success: "He (Byfuglien) wants to be a difference-maker all the time and that's the biggest asset a hockey player can have, said Ramsay. "The want to be a difference-maker, (the) want to be THE guy; I say 'be the man' and he puts his hand up. Now he also took the blame for their goal (late in the 2nd period also during a 4 on 4 situation). He held himself accountable and told his teammates he'd get it back, and he did."

Obviously, not all games are going to have a fairy-tale ending, but it's more about the commitment to the process of learning how to deal with and conquer adversity through doing the right things, especially the little things. "It's composure" said Ramsay. "We talk a lot about composure and you see it from some of our guys under pressure (in how) they keep the puck. For a goalie (Pavelec) not to lose track of where he is and to understand his only play, and he took it; he couldn't have climbed up and he couldn't have done anything else...but he put himself in a position and he battled, that's the key issue, he battled to get there...to take a chance."

Recently, Pavelec's play has been brilliant -- some might say, "Pavelec-tric" even -- and he really seems to be benefitting from the extra attention to detail as well as a better execution of fundamentals, so that when things don't go according to plan, you remain composed and you give yourself a chance to battle and make a daring play. The sort of daring, and amazing play Pavelec made when he sprawled out to his left to snag a sailing puck with his outstretched glove-hand to stymie what looked like a sure goal. That sort of play is only possible if a player has the right level of composure and calm. Ramsay went on to say about his young netminder Pavelec: "He's been alright I guess (said with tongue firmly planted in cheek). When we had the good start I thought, 'we just need to get ahead'...but (after the goal) he just looked like he wasn't gonna let anything else in. He was big, he looked big (in his crease) and his positioning was great, and his commitment was wonderful."

And that, my friends, is a salient point about commitment. The players seem to be buying in to what the coaches are selling and the level of commitment is starting to manifest itself in the ability to win tight games as well as surprise a seemingly superior opponent (like Washington). There is always going to be adversity and there is always going to be "off" nights, but without a commitment to the plan and the overall team program, then outcomes like tonite's are not possible. If you remain committed, then the frustration can't beat you as easily. Ramsay used tonite's game as the perfect illustration: "We had some instances when they ran us ragged. I had to call the timeout on the one instance because our guys were so exhausted....But after the timeout, we fought back through it, we got it done....so, the things we need to do we're doing and we did fight through some difficult situations and those are the things you build on."

And build, and build and build they must. They need to keep building on the foudation of teachings that Ramsay and his coaches are laying down. One shift, one period, one game at a time. Hopefully this win over the Islanders isn't just any old win. Let's hope that this win is the kind of win that helps to shape a young team into a winning team that believes in what it is doing every nite they take to the ice. From what I've seen, and considering some of the adversity this team has already overcome, I am just silly enough to believe this team is starting to win because it believes that it should. Leadership is coming not only from the bench, but also from guys on the ice who are totally committed. Guys like Byfuglien, Captain Ladd, hard-working Bryan Little, tiny, but big-hearted Toby Enstrom, unsung, but steady Brent Sopel, unrelenting Chris Thorburn and knuckle-scarred warrior Eric Boulton.

Blessed are the committed hockey souls with indomitable spirit and positive attitude, for they shall foster a winning mentality and experience that is rich with success and reward even in the face of difficulty. Blessed are your Thrashers?