Young Thrashers Head West: In Search of Winning October Record

The Thrashers are playing the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center as we speak, but since I'm forced to watch the game on a crappy, streaming internet "pirate" feed, I figured I'd type up some notes and thoughts on the Thrashers' season as the team approaches the 1/8 pole (after 10/11 games) of the season. EDITOR'S NOTE: Finally gave up on trying to sync the Dan Kamal radio call and the "live" feed on the laptop; I have noticed an immense amount of homer-istic whining and bitching about borderline penalty calls. It certainly makes me that much more thankful for Darren Eliot and his balanced and astute commentary when calling a game.

But I digress...the score is currently 3 to 1 Thrashers as we head towards the end of the 2nd period. The boys have had some power-play chances in the last 10 minutes, but have failed to capitalize and widen their lead to the ever-elusive 3-goal lead. But I can't be too critical of the power-play considering they have already scored twice with the man-advantage to get the 2-goal cushion. From what I have seen of the 2nd period, the Thrashers have played well save for one rough 2-minute stretch in the middle of the period. The boys seem to have plenty of "jump" in them against a fast, hard-skating team. They are doing very well in controlling the neutral zone and pressing the play at their defensive blueline to create some transition rushes. Unfortunately, those chances have not produced any goals because of some slight indecision when choosing between the quick, hard shot and the pass to the opposite wing.

Anyway, on to the stats thru 2: the shots are almost even with St. Louis getting one more shot on goal than Atlanta (17 - 16). The shot totals are relatively low for such a fast-paced up and down game so the blueliners are doing a good job in space to get sticks into passing lanes and disrupt shot attempts. Jay McClement has the lone goal for St. Louis, and three different Thrashers have scored for Atlanta: Bergfors with a sweet wrister under the crossbar in transition and two power-play tallies in the first period from Peverley (his first of the year) and then Antropov (a rebound stuff of a Peverley shot on goal) with his second of the year.

Fourteen minutes gone in the 3rd and the Thrashers are still clinging to a 2-goal lead after two successful penalty kills in a row. The game should probably be out of reach, but the Thrashers could not pound the final nail into the Halloween coffin despite four straight power-plays (not all a full 2 minutes of course) including two 5 on 3 opportunities for more than 40 seconds. UPDATE: The Blues just scored to make it a one-goal nail-biter with just less than 6 minutes remaining. McClement with another goal after Pavelec couldn't control the initial shot from the right face-off dot. Time to sacrifice a barnyard animal...PRAY. Shots are now 27 to 22 in favor of St. Louis who has taken a strangle-hold of the momentum of this game after killing 4 Thrashers power-plays in the early stages of the 3rd period. Certainly a case of a young team not playing with a killer instinct and instead with a cavalier sense of ease when they had the long stretch of man-advantage hockey.

UPDATE (MORE FAILURE): Blues tie it up on a deflected wrister in front of Pavelec who didn't have a chance on the Pietrangelo wrister that was tipped in by Jay McClement (yes, him again) with less than 4 minutes left in the game. Less than two minutes to play and the freakin' pirate feed keeps breaking up now that it's a tied game and every time the Thrashers actually move the puck towards the Blues' net. Jesus H this is frustrating! Time to go back to Kamal! UPDATE (ONLY PARTIAL MISERY THIS TIME): Regulation time comes to end -- mercifully -- and the Thrashers "earn" the OT road point after failing to put this game "on ice".

Can they steal the extra point in OT again? So far, Peverley with a near breakaway, but thwarted. Thrashers with early pressure and a few good looks, but no dice. Then Eager with a golden scoring chance only to be stoned by Halak. Following that Pavelec decides he wants to unlock his inner-Halak and absolutely robs St. Louis from in close. Pavelec with another huge save (according to Kamal) after a minute (A FUCKING MINUTE!) of puck possession in the Thrashers' end; the stop gives the boys a chance to change lines and re-load. Less than a minute left...Byfuglien shoots wide after a good set-up by Peverley. Phew...about to have a heart attack with 47 seconds left. Foreshadowing?? Not quite, time expires with another Pavelec save and Ondrej stops hearts in St. Louis with his quick reflexes. Can he better the Blues in the shootout?? Nope. Pavelec gets absolutely abused in SO and Thrashers cough up the "bonus" point in a game they should have won easily. What a freakin' smack to the scrotum!!

Booger, um, I mean Bogey IS BACK & You're Gonna Be In Trouble!

According to Chris Vivlamore, who doth tweeteth this morning, Thrashers' D-man and resident blueline-bully, Zach Bogosian, will make his return to the line-up this evening when the red-clad Thrash clash sabres with the Buffalo Slug-a-nuts at the Bulb at 7:30 EST. The man whose hair is starting to resemble that of actor Curtis Armstrong -- widely known as "Booger" from Revenge of the Nerds -- makes his triumphant and much-overdue return tonite to bolster a defensive corps that has been coming apart at the seams lately due to injuries, tentative play and poor chemistry (outside of the top pairing of Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom). Resultingly (is that a word?), the Thrashers will have their top six defensemen in the line-up for the first time since the Kings' game on October 12. The happiest man in Blueland to celebrate the news of Bogey's return must be Johnny Oduya, who has had what seems like a different defensive partner just about every game since Zach's shoulder injury felled him.

Additionally, tonite marks the return of James "Jimmah Skandalous" Slater to the line-up after a one-game absence. He replaces struggling veteran winger Fredrik Modin, who gets his first visit to the press-box "buffet line" (all rights reserved, Bill "Rawhide" Tiller). I do hope he enjoys the delicious fare in the press-box as I would prefer that he stay there more often than not when injuries are not depleting our group of forwards. I had high hopes for Mr. Modin, but his last game, a disastrous -2 performance in which his passing gaffe led directly to the Rangers' 3rd goal thus sparking their late rally, sealed his fate for the time being as a healthy scratch. The Rangers game marked the 5th straight game for Modin in which he was on the ice for at least one goal against without the benefit of being present when the Thrashers actually score one themselves. Not to mention his slow reactions and poor decision-making of late has contributed directly to several costly goals that have handed momentum to the other team like a charitable gift to a homeless pan-handler outside of Philips.

The return of Slater is the only notable change to the line combinations up front. Slater will assume the role of tenacious, hard-checking right-winger on a line with goal-scoring sniper Evander Kane and pint-sized, puck-handling wizard Alexander Burmistrov, who will play his 10th game of the season at the NHL level, thus making him a full-time Thrasher for the foreseeable future -- by not returning to Juniors, the clock starts ticking officially on the first of his 3-year Entry-Level Contract. And the natural-born center deserves the chance to continue his growth and development in the NHL; his slick skating and deft passing makes him the perfect potential set-up man for the lethal sharpshooting Kane. Hopefully, the addition of the physical force that is Jimmy Slater will help them gain frequent possession of the puck and open up ice in front of the net for the two more-skilled players to operate. The other lines look like this for the rematch against the Sabres: Eager--Antropov--Thorburn, Boulton--Peverley--Stewart, Ladd--Little--Bergfors.

To me, this current line-up is a much more dangerous line-up as it is currently constructed compared to the one that got its collective ass handed to them by the Sabres nine days ago. There is size and speed across all four lines and Nik Antropov seems to be skating much more fluidly and effectively after getting a healthy scratch against Washington and a couple of extra days of rest before Wednesday's game against New York. There is no reason for the Thrashers to play like they did the last time Buffalo visited the Bulb when they were completely out-skated, out-hustled and out-worked the entire 60 minutes. And the thought of revenge for that resounding 4 to 1 (it could have been a lot worse!) thumping will surely be dancing in their heads when they take to the ice tonite. Nothing else matters in my mind, but working as hard as possible to exact revenge. That is the only key to the game that matters when the puck drops at roughly 7:37 "Bulova time". The Thrashers must come out hitting hard and then continue to pound the smaller, less physical Sabres into submission, for if they get the Sabres out of their game early, then the potential for a dominant dismantling of the Sabres is a very real possibility. So without further ado, it's time to strike up the band and sound the "battle cry of (REVENGE!!!)"....so let it be written, so let it be done.

LET'S GO BOYS!!! LET POINDEXTER'S GROOVE MOVE YOU!!!

Berg-force One to the Rescue in Rangers' Romp!

Wednesday nite at the famed and aged Madison Square Garden, the Atlanta Thrashers jumped out to a 3-goal lead early in the third period and then staved off a furious rally by the New York Rangers to come out on top in regulation by a score of 6 to 4. For the visiting Thrashers, it was an all-important road victory to keep pace with division rivals Washington and Tampa Bay. Luckily, Nicklas Bergfors, much-maligned in the internet blogosphere, would give the Thrashers a momentum-stealing, 1-goal lead going into the 2nd intermission. His nifty, top-shelf wrister from the low circle on a 2 on 1 breakaway beat Rangers' goalie Martin Biron, ever mindful of Andrew Ladd on the opposite wing, on the near side over the glove at the 16:07 mark of the 2nd period.

Two early goals, one by grinding winger, Eric Boulton and later D-man Dustin Byfuglien, who wired a wicked slapshot up over Biron's glove hand, proved to be just the insurance cushion the Thrashers would need against a hard-charging Rangers' forecheck and some overly cavalier defensive play deep in their own zone. But on this nite, the Thrashers would respond to the adversity with some steady offensive pressure of their own when the lead was only one before netting an empty-net goal by Andrew Ladd with roughly 30 seconds remaining. Of course, Lady Luck was seemingly on their side as well as a hard slapper from the point richocheted off of the left goal-post after slipping through Chris Mason's gloved-hand grasp. Perhaps had they used a little more muscle and aggression near their own net (see Toby Enstrom above for the teaching demonstration) during the middle stages of the 3rd period, they wouldn't have had to sweat this one out!

More analysis to come on the morrow! Good nite Thrasherville!!

Thrashers By the Numbers...Eight Is...Not Enough?

Originally, I was going to break down the play of the Thrashers in a series of nine 9-game increments (or eight 9-game increments plus one 10-game increment at the end of the season since there are 82 games in all), but since there is a convenient 96-hour break in between games, I figured now is as good a time as any to look at some numbers and provide a little bit of analysis, for what it's worth. Unfortunately, a statistical break-down such as this is limited in its usefulness since the sample size is so small and the early-season kinks of a new system are still being ironed out. However, we CAN juxtapose these numbers with the first 8 games of the 2008-'09 season, which marked the beginning of the John Anderson reign of horror. Beyond that comparison, the numbers provided below will only state the obvious: that the Thrashers' and their coaches have A LOT of work to do to make this team a bonafide contender in the Eastern Conference.

STAT Category ________ 2010-'11 Season _______ 2008-'09 Season

Record thru 8 Gms ________ 3 -- 4 -- 1 OTL ________ 2 -- 4 -- 2 OTL

Goal Differential __________ (-6, 23 vs 29) _________ (-4, 23 GF vs 27 GA)

SOG Differential _________ (-67, 234 vs 301) ________ (-40, 250 vs 290)

Average Shots Diff. _______ (-8.1, 29.3 v 37.4) ________ (-5.0, 31.3 vs. 36.3)

# Times Out-shot ________ (7 times , even 1x) _______ (7 times, even 1x)

Shooting Perctge. _________ 9.40% (22 goals) ________ 8.80% (on 22 goals)

Save Percentage _________ .909 (adj for ENG) ________ .907 (zero ENGA)

As you can see from the presentation above, there are some eerie similiarities between that miserable season 2 years ago and the start of this one under Coach Craig Ramsay. That's not to say that this current team won't improve as the season unfolds; Anderson's team played much better in the second half of the season after the early January acquisition of Rich Peverley off of waivers. JA's crew rallied from ten games under .500 to win 21 of its last 39 games to finish 35 - 41 - 6 overall. Hopefully, Craig Ramsay's system will prove to be much more effective over time so the Thrashers not only compete hard on a nightly basis, but also give themselves a chance to win most games.

The biggest difference for this current iteration of Thrashers' teams is the sheer number of new players from last year to this one. Of the current 22-man roster, only 13 players return from last season. And of those thirteen, two of them -- Johnny Oduya and Nicklas Bergfors -- have a mere 38 games under their belts as Thrashers. So essentially, Ramsay is faced with the daunting task of trying to meld 11 new faces with 11 "old" ones into a single cohesive unit. In addition, Ramsay, unlike Anderson, did not have the luxury of coaching any of the younger Thrash players in the minors as a coach for the AHL affiliate in Chicago. But regardless, the transition to a new coach and new system is always met with its fair share of hiccups. Unfortunately for the 2010-'11 Thrashers, the first 8 games has been marred by a recurring case of acid reflux!!

For example, the Thrashers have yet to finish a game with more shots registered on goal than their opponent. The closest they have come was on Opening Night when their 31 SOG matched that of a befuddled and somewhat sluggish Washington Capitals team. Moreover, out of 24 full periods of action, the Thrashers have failed to record more shots on goal than allowed in fifteen of them. And in those 15 periods, they were out-shot by a whopping 94 SOG!! That number jumps to 100 if you include the 6 shots to zero O.T. domination imposed on them by the Capitals this past Saturday. No matter how you slice it, the Thrashers can ill-afford to get out-shot by an average of more than 6 SOG in 2/3 of the periods they play. Overall, they are giving up an average of almost 2.75 more shots than they are landing on net themselves.

Of course, in order for things to improve, the coaching staff must figure out a way to make this team gel not only defensively, but also on offense. Through 8 games, the forward line combinations have been jumbled like ping-pong balls in the NHL Draft lottery hopper. There have been some flashes of offensive cohesion on a couple of lines, but for the most part, results have been spotty at best. As a result, this general lack of chemistry and cohesion on offense has been leading to more zone time for the other team in the Thrashers' defensive zone. To reverse the startling trend of a lopsided shots-on-goal tally, the Thrashers must improve defensive zone break-outs and take better care of the puck when attempting to clear it out of the zone.

When the puck is in their zone, they must demonstrate a more aggressive pursuit of the puck to prevent the seemingly harmless perimeter shot. Afterall, the more pucks that get to your netminder, the more bad things that can result at the goal crease. Hopefully, a more aggressive mindset inside the defensive zone will develop over time as the players' confidence within the new system framework grows to match and complement the already improved commitment to blocking shots and clogging passing lanes. But no matter how well their goaltenders play, the Thrashers will have a hard time winning more games than not if they don't learn how to be stingier in preventing the number of pucks that are fired toward their net.

In simplest terms, Coach Ramsay's philosophy begins and ends with controlling the puck and occupying the other team's zone more than they occupy your own. Thusly, he is working to to re-program his player's mental approaches and habits so that they keep their shifts short and tidy with crisp line changes to hopefully maintain a cycle of fresh legs on the ice. Too often a line is getting trapped in the defensive end after an unsuccessful rush in the offensive zone or a poor clearing pass inside their own blueline. Ramsay is trying implement a system in which all 4 lines play nearly the same amount of time at even strength to keep the other team off balance and exploit teams that may rely more heavily on only 3 lines. So far, his efforts have been met with mixed results and the next 20 games or so will surely test his coaching mettle and resolve.

Inspiration for Tonight's Game?? Let's Hope So! BEAT THE DOLTS!!

What The Hell Was THAT???

I've thought about sitting down to type out my thoughts about last nite's tragic hockey atrocity committed on Philips Arena ice against the Buffalo Sabres, but honestly, why should I bother? The Thrashers' players certainly didn't bother to show up -- apologies to goalie Chris Mason, forwards Rich Peverley, Chris Thorburn and D-men Johnny Oduya and Toby Enstrom, who scored the team's lone goal -- so I don't see why I should expend the earnest mental energy to put forth my best writing effort. So fuck it! Let's just hope last nite's game ends up being the low-point of the season in terms of the team's collective effort and "give a crap" level.

Aside from that short rant, the best way I can sum up what happened last nite is through song:

Jerry Garcia LIVES!!! In Japan apparently.

Oh yeah, by the way, as if you hadn't heard, Nigel Dawes' ungrateful butt was cut today and he'll likely be shipped off to pay for his transgressions by toiling for the AHL's Chicago Wolves.

Slug Post-Mortem and Gameday Preview Tantalizer

In preparing a gameday preview for tonite's game against the Buffa-slugs, um, I mean Sabres, I would certainly be remiss if I did not include a eulogy of sorts for the recently deposed -- and thank the Lord of all that is good and holy -- "banana slug" logo. Now, the marketing geniuses who work for owner Tom Golisano can sell you their "new", but re-invigorated vintage logo that was relaunched to honor the 4oth year anniversary of the franchise, which was born shortly after my parents relocated from Buffalo, NY to my hometown and birth place, Albany, NY. I came along three winters later and my father made sure that I was steadily indoctrinated into the passionate and rather healthy Buffalo fan-base in Albany. I was a Bills and Sabres fan as far back as I can remember and did not throw off the mantle of "Buffalo fan" until the summer of 2002, when I moved here to Atlanta. However, it took me a little bit longer to adopt the Thrashers as my favorite team since they were so dreadful until 2005.

I do recall going to at least one Sabres game at Philips Arena and secretly pulling for the team in red and black (uggh!). But something happened in those first few forays into Thrasherville, and the allure of live hockey in my back-yard transformed me into a fan of the T-birds. The post-lockout season clinched my allegiance to Atlanta's Thrashers. And in 2006, I then pledged to remain forever steadfast in my support of this underdog franchise -- one that eveyone thinks will eventually defect to Winnipeg or Hamilton in Canada. But I will always look back fondly to my childhood love affair with the Buffalo Sabres, who showcased so many wonderful players, but yet left their fans lusting for more wonderful results in the playoffs. Until 1999 when Eddie "the Eagle" Belfour out-lasted "The Dominator" in a goaltending duel to the death. The sting of that Game 6 Stanley Cup Finals defeat might as well have been death as I sulked for weeks after it ended.

Okay Buffalo, you've had your fun, NOW PICK A DAMN LOGO AND STICK WITH IT!

While the Buffalo Sabres commemorate their expansion team entrance into the NHL franchise fraternity 40 years ago, I have enjoyed looking back warmly to all of the cold winter nites of my youth when I would count the minutes before puck-drop on those rare occasions in which the Sabres would appear on my TV set against the Rangers or Bruins, who were both broadcast locally. As I look back over my 30-something year fascination with the game of hockey, I can only hope that the Sabres organization allows this 40th anniversary season to serve as the beginning of a new era in which the original logo is preserved as the only image to represent the franchise going forward.

That means no more "pissed-off bison" logos like the one from the "red and black" era despite the franchise's solid late 90's run of playoff success and close-call with the Stanley Cup. At least with the "R&B" period, you could still identify the mascot as an actual 4-legged creature that used to roam the western plains in great abundance. A mascot doesn't know that Sean Avery is a prick and shouldn't have a glowing red eye like the Terminator. And those unis were almost as hideous as the ones unveiled in the fall of 2006 when the bizarre lurching horned slug was introduced into the logo lexicon of shame. But alas, that confused phase has come to a close with the re-introduction of the classic logo featuring a stylized, charging bison above two crossed Sabres. Although purists like me would prefer to see the use of the actual original logo, I will settle for this re-engineered version of a uniform adorning classic. It makes me think of Gilbert Perreault and their teams of the early '80s when I lived and died "by the blade" as a child. I hoped and prayed that Perreault, Tony McKegney, Phil Housely, Lindy Ruff and some guy named Craig Ramsay would oust the hated Boston Bruins so I didn't have to hear anymore about how much Raymond Bourque reminded them of Bobby Orr!! But that dream was to become a nightmare as the Sabres lost a gut-wrenching and heart-breaking 7 game series at the famed Boston "Gahden".

Now, here it is nearly 27 years later and I'll be donning not a vintage Sabres jersey tonite, but my cobalt blue, Marty Reasoner Thrashers sweater to rally 'round the flag of Blueland for a game that should prove to be quite entertaining, as most clashes with the Sabres usually are. When the players take the ice tonite, there won't be as much at stake as a Game 7 playoff game, but pride will most certainly be on display on the ice as well as off it when thousands of Buffalo transplants, who refuse to give up the sword, descend upon Philips Arena to party like it's their, well, 40th birthday!! And that's perfectly fine as they bring an unabashed passion that is universally loathed by Thrashers' fans, who always seem to get their dander up for games against the Sabres. Regardless of location, home or away, most Sabres vs. Thrashers games are high-octane, high-energy affairs in which the action moves non-stop up and down the ice.

The Sabres bring their normal cast of characters into the game tonite, but with a few additions both new and old. Coupled with some fresh, young faces like Tyler Ennis and Tyler Myers (I think two Tylers is over the threshhold for good sense though) are older veteran faces like Tomas Vanek, Derek Roy and of course, perennial All-Star netminder, Ryan Miller. They are even recycling one familiar face as Mike Grier returns to the Sabres for his second tour of duty under Head Coach Lindy Ruff. The Sabres still like to get up and down the ice, but seem to be putting a greater emphasis on tightening things up defensively compared to recent years when they've possessed more skill and firepower along the front line. Now they boast more explosiveness from the back line thanks to 2nd year phenom Myers as well as Steve Montador and Jordan Leopold (my g/f K-belle will certainly love to learn this as she loves to hate on this "cat") who can skate as well as any D-man in the league.

However, the Sabres have struggled mightily to find consistency with their offensive attack. They have only scored 12 goals thus far in 6 games and many of their key offensive contributors have found it harder than usual to hit the back of the net. Forward Derek Roy is the only player who has enjoyed a fast start to the season with five of the Sabres' 12 goals. But popular goal-scorer Jason Pomminville is still out with a concussion and the Sabres are having a rough time filling the void with only 4 goals scored in their last 3 contests. Unfortunately, three of them came in a losing effort to Chicago and they were blanked by a struggling New Jersey Devils team that could only ice 16 players for their game a week ago. But they still have one of the league's best goalies in Miller, who has been steady if not spectacular. He comes in scorching hot with only 3 goals allowed in his last two and a save percentage of .952 for those two losing efforts. His teammates let him down in those games scoring just twice in 125 minutes of action. Certainly, the Sabres will be playing with a lot of early fire and determination so they can add a second notch to their win column -- they come in with a record of 1 - 3 - 1 -- and keep from falling further behind the strong early pace of divisional rival Montreal Canadiens.

In all likelihood, tonite's game will be a tightly-contested one in which both teams create good chances from aggressive back-checking and forced turnovers in the neutral zone. I suspect the Sabres will forecheck ultra-aggressively in the early going to get the upper-hand and hope that the law of averages for goal-scoring helps an offensive attack that has succeeded in putting an average of 32.5 shots on goal over their 6 games. If the Thrashers can withstand the early assault and remain cohesive defensively -- thus helping clear the crease of juicy rebounds -- then they should be able to mount plenty of pressure on the Sabres, who are generally a bit smaller and less physical than previous Thrashers' teams. Of course, this year's installment is much bigger and faster thanks to the additons of Ben Eager, Andrew Ladd and Anthony Stewart. Hopefully the success of our bottom two lines will continue against the Sabres' struggling bottom lines and end up being the difference-maker in a close game. Either way I think the outcome will feature a 3 to 2 score.

In the end, I believe the Thrashers will prevail because these Thrashers aren't the Thrashers the NHL has become accustomed to playing in the last couple of years. Surprise, surprise!! Sorry Sabres fans to further spoil your Happy Birthday and blow the candles out on your anniversary cake!! It's time to slam your collective face right into the sheet of icing!!

Then It Comes to Be That the Soothing Light at the End of Your Tunnel

IS JUST A FREIGHT TRAIN COMIN' YOUR WAYAAAAAAAYYYY!!!

Citizens, friends, Bluelanders...."pay no mind to the distant thunder" of hooves you will hear as the congregating herd of Buffalo Sabres' fans attempt to seize your Arena and make it theirs. We're on a "crash course" with the struggling Sabres and it just "feels right this time"; come around tonite and find "new high-lights" of your Thrashers taming these "suckers for the quick reward." Tonite, it shall prove to be a "good day to be alive"...yes it shall. Go Thrashers!!!

There Stands Mason Like a Stone Walll!!

We here at As the Birds Thrash really enjoy a good pun. Well, goaltender extraordinaire, Chris Mason has a name that makes word puns almost as easy as he makes a blocker save on a high wrister to the stick side. In thinking about this past weekend's games and the team's recent accomplisments, the play of Mr. Mason quickly comes to mind. And so does that of legendary Confederate general, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, who acquired his famous nick-name at the First Battle of Bull Run (sorry Southerners, I'm from New York so I'ma gonna call it Bull Run!) when he stood defiantly on his horse in (photo courtesy of Beau Harbin) the midst of a frenzy of fighting and whizzing bullets on top of Henry House Hill.

For a time Saturday nite, the Thrashers' goal-mouth did seem to resemble the "Triple H" in Manassas, VA on the day of the fateful battle that further propelled a shaky Union asunder. Indeed Chris Mason, who probably knows very little about the Civil War seeing as how he is from Red Deer, Alberta in Canada, stood tall and defiant in front of his net and in the midst of flying frozen projectiles whose frequency seemed relentless during a daunting 40-minute assault by San Jose's "Jumbo" Shark brigade. But Chris Mason would not let his troops break and run. He plugged the gaping hole in Atlanta's defensive line and rallied his men like the Virginians rallied around their beloved Stonewall Jackson. If only General Johnston had had (Thearon Henderson, Getty) the services of General Jackson at his disposal to aid his hopeless defense of Thrasherville against a determined Tecumseh Sherman.**

**Editor's Note: Please do not interpret this statement as a reflection of my "rooting" interest in the tragic struggle to save our country from the tyrrany of slavery and a mis-directed cause to preserve a way of life that did not protect the interests and well-being of ALL men & women.

Of course, it does seem a bit trifling and pathetic to compare an historical American tragedy with a hockey game that took place in San Jose, CA some 150 years later. But the play of Chris Mason has certainly injected a sense of inspiration into my hockey-rooting soul and it is obvious that his tremendous play in the face of adversity has helped to foment a growing sense of belief and confidence among his teammates and coaches. The recently conquered Western Conference foes would probably express much of the same shock and dismay as Union General McDowell, who arrogantly proclaimed victory before the "Stonewall Brigade" took that hill and won the day. We can only hope that Chris Mason will remain steadfast (and healthy) in his fearless quest to bring a new outlook of hope to the city of Thrasherville and its hockey-loving denizens.

Sharks Sniff Bait But Can't Catch Thrashers Ridin' Dirtay!

Earlier tonite, okay, this morning, the Thrashers somehow managed to play their best period of hockey of this young season on their way to shocking the Sharks and their San Jose faithful with a 4 to 2 victory on Opening Night in the Silicon Valley. The win marked their first ever triumph at the "Tank" in San Jose, and they even did it without any scoring contributions by the red hot Chris Thorburn, who saw his 3-game goal-scoring streak chomped by the Sharks. They certainly were "ridin' dirty" on the bus from Oakland to San Jose as whatever drugs they took before the game finally kicked-in and jump-started their legs for a dramatic and dominant 3rd period performance against the Sharks.

Early on it seemed as if the boys from Blueland would drown in shark-infested waters, but the goaltending of Chris Mason would prove to be the life-preserving force they would need on a night in which nothing seemed to go their way in the early going. Working to overcome an early two-goal deficit, the boys must have been uplifted by Mase's superlative stone-mason efforts as they rallied to score an early 2nd period goal on a short-handed bid by Andrew Ladd (set up by a whirling Bryan Little), and a mid-period goal on a blast by Anthony Stewart from the lower right circle. And I'm not sure who was more stunned: the Thrasher faithful or Sharks' netminder, Antti Niemi!

After two miserable, yet fortuitous, periods in which the Thrashers were blitzkrieged by a battery of Shark-shots -- San Jose outshot Atlanta by a whopping 30 to 13 margin in the first 40 minutes of action -- Coach Ramsay's charges came out of the locker room with their guns a-blazin' and opened up a powder keg of intensity to besiege the Sharks' goal with an onslaught of shots. However, Niemi would prove impregnable until the Thrashers earned their first man-advantage of the nite. On the ensuing power-play, Dustin Byfuglien would swoop down into the heart of the slot to prey upon a loose puck that resulted from a timely Toby Enstrom point shot. "Big Buff" took dead aim and flicked a hard wrist-shot that would easily elude a scrambling Niemi, who could not recover in time after the initial save.

Just prior to that key PP, the Thrashers nearly lost the ground they worked so hard to conquer in the early stages of the third when one of their D-men fell down at the blueline. Sharks' forward Logan Couture would escape his end with the loose puck and a break-away into the Thrashers' zone. But Mason would again save his team by stopping the streaking Couture as he attempted a quick move to his fore-hand only to be thwarted by a pin-balling pad. Later, after the PP goal and momentum was recaptured, Rich "the Pevs Dispenser" Peverley would connect with a hard-charging Evander Kane on a perfect pass through the slot for a slam-dunk deposit of the frozen disc into the Shark net. From there, the two-goal margin would stand as the Thrashers dug in deep to stymie a desperate Sharks' surge over the final 3 minutes of the game.

Now it's back to the bus so they can get on down the road to the airport and a triumphant return to the ATL. Something tells me that a lot of the boys will be hummin' this tune in their heads as they shuffle off from the Shark Tank in San Jose. Can you hear it? I can.

If We Only Had a Marty Reasoner!! "The Party" Doin' Work...

A lot of folks in Thrasherville, as well as fans in parts unknown, have been complaining and teeth-gnashing over the fact that the big piece (literally) acquired in the early summer trade with Chicago has been playing defense and not power forward for our hockey club. Indeed, the Dustin Byfuglien blueline experiment is a slow-dripping titration too tedious for many fans, but the largest tragedy purported by many is the fact that we gave up a potential 30-goal scorer in Jeremy "Scorin'" Morin, who was drafted in the 2nd round by then GM Don Waddell in the spring of 2009.

But to me, that sort of talk is just a bit premature. It is well-documented that Jeremy is not much of a skater, and in watching him play a couple of pre-season games for Chicago, I saw this to be very true. Morin is a very unpolished hockey player, who possesses extremely good hands as well as a bit of "nasty" in his game that caused GM Rick Dudley to describe him as a "miserable SOB" to play against. However, as astute hockey observers like to point out, only roughly 15-20% of 2nd round selections ever make it to the pros for any significant length of time -- more than 100 games played. And in trading for a potential game-changer like Big Buff, you have to give some to get some, although some think we should've played our hand a bit more stubbornly before giving in so graciously to GM Stan Bowman of the 'Hawks.

And that train of thought brings me to the conclusion that perhaps we did give up too much for Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, prospect Akim Aliu and, of course, Byfuglien. But not because we gave up Jeremy Morin; he has plenty of time to prove himself a bust (but I do hope to see the young lad make good for himself in the NHL one day). No, you see, the reason I didn't jump for unmitigated joy the day of the trade is because we were forced to give up a guy by the name of Martin Reasoner, whom I believe would have been the perfect leader and captain for our currently very green roster of kids. And to top it all off, Marty is having his best start to a season since his first year with Atlanta in 2008.

Believe it or not, after three games, Marty Reasoner would be leading our team in scoring as he has already potted two goals to go along with two primary assists (for linemate Radek Dvorak) in three west coast road-trip games, two of which were against perennially stingy foes Vancouver and Calgary. Marty's 4 points leads the Panthers and his +2 rating is tied with current linemates Cory Stillman and Dvorak for team best. In fact, Marty has already been elevated to the 3rd line and even plays occasional 2nd line minutes on a line that is a combined +6 with 4 goals and 4 assists in 3 games. Of course, he is still money in the face-off circle ("Say what?! You neeeed ME??") and is relied upon heavily as one of the Panthers penalty-killing experts. By the way, the Florida PK is perfect thus far, although they have only been short-handed six times.

I realize that Marty is a role-player and not the secret elixir to cure our team's somewhat impotent offensive attack, but there is no doubt that Reasoner would further help cement the foundation of the Thrashers bottom six where there seems to be confusion as to which trio comprises our lock-down checking line. Judging by the stats -- plus/minus and Corsi -- I would have to say its the trio of Ladd - Little - Bergfors. However, most observers think Bergie is being wasted on the Thrashers' third line when he should be playing more minutes with Nik Antropov and perhaps Dustin Byfuglien instead of Fredrik Modin, whom Coach Ramsay seemed to prefer early on as a pairing partner for Antropov. Regardless, Reasoner seems to be playing with a renewed energy and thriving in a place where he is being counted on for more in an average of 3 or 4 more minutes per nite.

Just think how things might be different if Marty Reasoner were still in the line-up for the Thrashers. It would free up a player like Bryan Little to play the pivot on one of the top two lines instead of Nik Antropov, who continues to struggle in the face-off circle, thus hurting puck possession for his more plodding line. Or it might allow a guy like Andrew Ladd, who has top six potential and the skill-set to thrive alongside mates like Rich Peverley and say, Evander Kane playing the off-wing. Then you could reunite Bergfors with Little (at center though) and Antropov as they were, without a doubt, our most effective offensive threat in the final 22 games last season.

No offense to Nigel Dawes, Anthony Stewart or even Jimmy Slater, but Marty Reasoner would provide more veteran leadership and on-ice savvy to a line-up that is struggling to find its identity. The only line to have gelled just yet is the 4th line, but that is more a by-product of superior players (Eager and rookie Alex Burmistrov) playing against weaker players in favorable match-ups. Chris Thorburn deserves much of the credit as well, but that's a separate entry for another day. After seeing Freddy Modin play 5 games so far in person or on TV, I'm not convinced he should be blocking guys like Ladd or Little, and especially Bergfors, from playing more minutes on a "scoring" line. And right now, having a 32 year-old Marty Reasoner looks a heckuva lot better than an aging Freddy Modin, who recently turned 36 and hopefully received a clean bill of health -- for the first time in 3 years -- as his birthday present.

Yay! Ron Hainsey Is About to Have a Bab-ey!

Per super-supreme beat writer, Chris Vivlamore, Ronald S. (for Slick) Hainsey has left the team from L.A. to head home due to his wife, well, being due! Congrats to Ron and his lovely wife (well, I'm guessing she is since she married such a stud!)....warmest wishes for a complication-free, short and easy labor. We all hope the baby is healthy and born with strong skating legs as well as a thick coiffe of curly brown hair, regardless of sex! Instead of a link, here is the announcement in Viv's blog (actually the link is above in bold blue):

Hainsey leaves team as wife goes into labor
2:49 pm October 14, 2010, by Chris Vivlamore

"Thrashers defenseman Ron Hainsey left the team Wednesday night after his wife went into labor. Hainsey did not travel with the team to Anaheim for Friday’s game against the Ducks. He returned to Atlanta. It’s the couple’s first child. I will update with more details and who might take his place in the lineup as they become available."

Thanks Chris for all your hard work reporting on the truly important matters in the world of Atlanta hockey players! :-)

A Thrashers Hang Over...

Goodness gracious I am tired after staying up late last nite to watch (and live-blog) the Thrashers game against the LA Kings. I have a splitting sinus headache and wish I was home in bed. But instead I'm on this blog trying to kill some time with a few odds and ends about last nite's game. After sleeping on it, my feelings in the wake of last nite's less than inspiring losing effort are somewhat negative, yet tempered by the comfort of knowing that a) the Kings are a really good team with a better blueline than ATL and b) we didn't get to see the Thrashers' best effort as they are still in the process of working out some early season / team chemistry kinks.

First and foremost, our power play has pretty much sucked worse than a vacuum cleaner with a busted belt! Thus far into the new campaign the Thrashers are a measly 1 for 14 with the man-advantage. Last nite was particularly galling as they struggled to gain entry into the offensive zone let alone maintain possession within it. As Coach Ramsay pointed out, the PP units did not show enough commitment to gathering the necessary speed with which to penetrate LA's stack of players on the blueline. And beyond that problem there wasn't much else good about the PP as they managed just 2 shots in 5 opportunites. Oh yeah, and they shot themselves in the foot twice with bad penalties to negate the advantage. But you gotta give a great deal of credit to the Kings' men for doing everything possible to frustrate and disrupt the Thrashers on the PP.

Secondly, the T-birds could not muster, nor sustain, a high enough level of energy for this game. They knew going in that the Kings would be amped up for their home opener and they should have been ready for a physical affair. However, the boys didn't seem up to matching neither the Kings' intensity nor their overall aggressiveness. The Thrashers were good at times, but extremely erratic in both executing transition break-outs and establishing any semblance of a sustained forecheck. But a lot of that was due to the Kings simply out-hustling and out-working them; in short, the Kings just seemed to possess more pep throughout the contest and as a result, won the majority of puck battles along the boards and in front of the nets.

Lastly, the Thrashers seemed to lack any cohesive chemistry whatsoever beyond that of the "4th line", led by the efforts of RW Chris Thorburn and buoyed by the slick skating of C Alex Burmistrov and hard-nosed efforts of grinding LW, Ben Eager. Although the other three lines seemed out of sorts and suffered many fits of the "foops", the efforts of the 4th line were nearly enough to pull out a win last nite! The "Thor-Burm" line provided the lone goal (Thorby's 2nd of the season and second goal in a row for the team) as well as two power play opportunities, if not three, for their mates. But alas, the power play wasted the chances it was given. At some point Coach Ramsay is going to have to shake things up, but outside of moving Dustin Byfuglien back to a power forward role, I'm at a loss right now as to how I think this shake-up should occur. Not to mention I feel breaking up the 4th line at this point would be a big mistake, even if C/W Jimmy Slater is ready to play Friday nite. Then I came across this gem on the Thrashers' team site message board, posted by Brice Zimmerman, who goes by "Zim" on zee twitter:

"As far as line tweaks, Ramsay has said he likes players in pairs. Judging by his line combinations, I my guess is that Ramsay's pairs are Peverley/Kane, Antropov/Modin, Burmistrov/Thorburn, and Ladd/Little. Keeping that in mind, here would be my line tweaks:

Modin - Antropov - Bergfors -- Bergfors and Antropov simply have to be significant pieces of the offensive puzzle for the Thrashers to be successful this season. Bergfors does not to appear to be on the same page as Ladd and/or Little through three games and the two Nic(k)'s had great chemistry together last season.

Kane - Peverley - Slater/Stewart -- Similarly, Rich Peverley needs to be creating offensive chances for Atlanta to generate goals and scoring chances on a nightly basis. Evander Kane is playing like a man possessed to start the season, but Peverley has been non-existant. Slater looked better on the wing last season than in the middle and his speed, grit, and hustle might help this line win loose pucks (a specific concern of mine for the team through the first three games).

Ladd - Little - Dawes -- Where, oh where to put Nigel Dawes? Ladd and Little seem to have some good chemistry, but surprisingly the duo has not really done much work on the cycle. Personally, I haven't witnessed much out of Dawes along the boards either. This line may not be a great puck possession line, but could be effective on the rush. Atlanta's chances on the rush were poor against L.A. and Tampa. (Side note: I'd much rather see Pettersson on this line's RW than Dawes).

And your editor concurs wholeheartedly about Freddy P!!

Eager - Burmistrov - Thorburn -- If it ain't broken, don't fix it... especially when everything else is spare parts. This is the only line that has consistently generated scoring chances, established a cycle, and gained offensive zone entry on a regular basis (both by chip-and-charge as well as carrying the puck in). I'd rather see this trio get more ice time than be broken up.Also, I wouldn't mind seeing Eric Boulton get into the mix in favor of Dawes or Stewart, which might give Thorburn a chance to move up (wouldn't look bad on the RW of Kane and Peverley...eh?)."

Editor's Commentary: If you're not already following Zim on twitter, shame on you!!

I had been wracking my brain all morning long and well into lunch wondering what would be the best course of action for Rammer (perhaps the real cause of my aching head!!), and this by far makes the most sense AT THIS JUNCTURE. My gut tells me that eventually Big Buff will have to move back to forward out of necessity. Freddy Meyer is too good for this style of play (speedy puck mover with a great shot from the point) to be rotting up in the press-box! And Arturs Kulda -- currently with AHL affiliate Chicago -- is more than capable of stepping into the 3rd pairing role with Brent Sopel or Ron Hainsey. And the results from last spring's playoffs don't lie: Byfuglien is a big-time difference-maker (to piggy-back on what Kevin Weekes of the NHL Network told us last nite) who is too valuable on the front-end clogging up the middle of the ice where games are won and lost.

Can Thrash-Kings Hold on to a Precarious 1-goal Lead?

THIRD PERIOD about to begin here in a few moments...'tis now 12:25 am on the east coast and the typing fingers are starting to get a little weary...hopefully the Thrashers legs don't stop working here in the 3rd. We can only hope the jet-lag isn't too bad just yet. C'mon boys, you got all day Wednesday and Thursday to rest before Anaheim on Friday...let's go steal two points!

-- GAME ON!! Remember the Thrashers will be going on the penalty kill shortly so this could get very interesting quickly. Man this FS-West analyst is very chatty, but he's usually right on point...Kopitar shot wide. Oh shit, phew, I think Laddy got away with a hook on Doughty. DD is definitely the better (well, at least more dangerous offensive) player tonite. So much for Armenian pride! ANOTHER POST SAVE by the goal apparatus...sheesh!

-- Penalty summarily killed by the skin of the goal post as Mason was screened on a point shot that was just wide enough for the Thrashers. Here we go back to full strength and Hainsey fans on a point shot, but the Thrashers retreat is an alert and effective one so far. Gotta get this puck out and it is cleared by guess who, Thorburn!

-- Big Buff boxing out in front as Dawes and Enstrom go to work...puck cleared but no real offensive attack as the Thrashers make a line change. GOAL KINGS as Ryan Smyth gets an easy back-hand put-back since Bogey was busy tying up Dustin Brown. Support from the wing was non-existent and Mason hung out to dry. 1 to 1 now with 16 mins left.

-- Little and Oduya with back to back one and done bids, but Quick calmly redirects the puck out of harm's way. Looked as though the tempo was going to get ratcheted up but Kings love to slow it down. Thorburn overskates a pass and the Kings go back the other way...fingers crossed! Who the hell is Jake Muzzhin? Shit, another scrum in front of Mason but he scoops it up.

-- One thing is sure: both me and the Thrashers will be quite tired after all of this non-stop action...GOAL KINGS as Mason allows his first real softy of the season...I think Hainsey got a piece of the puck which turned the wrister into a fluttering, wounded duck that quacked its way to the right of Mason who was moving left. I guess that was Lady Luck paying back the Kings for all of their pipe-shots. Damn. Now the Thrashers will need to raise their game, if they can.

-- 13 minutes left in this tilt and the Thrashers will need to check their guts once again in the middle of the final period. Problem is they can't seem to hold onto the puck very long as the Kings are aggressively pursuing the puck at every turn. Little tries his best to gain an advantage but can't muster much of a shot on the backhand side. Mason with another tricky save and pucks are barely missing LA sticks and goal posts. Christ our goose appears to be cooked!

-- Who will step up and be our Chris Thorburn??! Why Chris Thorburn of course! He creates a chance for Burmy in the slot whose stick is chopped in half by a would-be Kings defender. The referree did not approve of this tactic and has whistled play dead for a Thrashers PP!! Oh boy, here is the litmus test for your early season coaching adjustments...will they get some looks?

-- Kings outshooting Thrashers 9 to 3 in the 3rd period as my battery is about to die...good nite folks! Check back tomorrow to see if we won!! Okay, just kidding as I'm back in business. Thrashers got a couple of decent looks but Ladd was stopped on the doorstep and Buff's big blast went wide...sound familiar? God bless hit the net son for a rebound! PP killed by Kings and the Thrashers need a miracle down one with 8 minutes left. Johnny Burma, come save us please!!

-- Thrashers finally mount some offensive pressure and get a great look on a 2 on 1 break with Bergie waiting and waiting before feeding a streaking Little who tried to one-time the puck, but didn't catch it cleanly and Quick was able to get there in time sliding to his right. Then all hell brooke loose in front of the net as the puck was dancing around the offensive zone with Thrashers swooping in from the point to keep it alive and attempt to score the equalizer. But to no avail the puck just wouldn't cooperate and the Thrashers will have 5 minutes to get it done.

-- Well, the Thrashers come up empty despite a frenzied and furious offensive attack in which they had several grade-A looks from the slot and close range. Burmy had a wrister from the high slot that was deflected just high over the crossbar; Kaner had a sweet rush in which he adeptly snapped a wrister through a D-man's legs only for Quick to trap it between his legs. Later, Kaner would re-direct a Toby Enstrom wrister from the left point that would take a big hop down onto the ice but alas, the hop was too big and it bounced right into Quick's belly rather than through his legs.

-- The Thrashers did not relent and kept coming in waves, but their final goalie-less push could not deliver as a loose puck was pushed out of the zone into the neutral zone where Toby Enstrom could not corral the bouncing bean which shuttled down the ice into the Thrashers' empty net.

-- Thrashers lose 3 to 1 as the Kings rally in the 3rd period to win their home opener. An empty feeling for sure as the team defense was very good for the most part, but it could not hold completely in the face of staunch Kings pressure in the middle portion of the final stanza. Now it's onto, well, bed first, and then down the road to Anaheim for a showdown with their feathered friends, the Ducks Friday night.

The Black Kings V. Thrashers: Second Period

What the hell is going on now? The NHL Network is now carrying the game live and the computer feed is behind the TV!! What in tarnation are they doing? Just killin' time because Weeksie has run out of things to say!? Okay, that was annoying...stop taunting us!

-- Bryan Little with a nice burst of speed (what else?) and a slick wrister that is staved off by Jon Quick...Doughty regroups with token pressure.

-- I hope the Thrashers are as re-fortified as me after my bowl of cereal...apparently not as another close call post-ringing save by the goal apparatus!

-- GOOOOAAAAALLLL CHRIS THORBURN!!! Off his own shot, the rebound comes right to his stick and he swipes it home!! I guess Craig Ramsay was right as he looks like our best player.

-- More pressure from the Thrashers as a shot from the blueline is bobbled by Quick but Stewart can't find the loose puck between his pads. Peverley with the one-timer. Now the Thrashers carrying the play in the Kings zone with more pucks in front, but no payoff.

-- Heavy pressure from the T-birds as they have amped up their intensity thanks to the goal...line change gives LA a chance to regroup, but they're offside on the play. Something puzzling me is the fact that the statman for the game has us winning 74% of the 1st period F/O, HUH?? Seems like we lost every offensive zone F/O when we did force a draw. Oh well, we're winning them now and now the Kings look a bit stunned. Early shots are 6 - 2 ATL thru 5 mins.

-- Buff with a good hit behind his own net, but Thrash struggling with break-out once again and it nearly costs them...luckily Mason was there to stymie the shot.

-- Hey boys! When you chip the puck off the boards and try to gain the zone, go to the inside and not the outside! Guys are getting plastered by Doughty & Johnson when they try the outside along the wall, which is un-good for Burmy's health. Good pressure from Kaner & Pevs but again, nothing but weak shots on net.

-- Thrash elude disaster as Dustin Brown shoots wide from the low left circle on a pass from behind the net...too much standing around watching on that one by the D. Thrashers can't seem to mount much of an attack now as the Kings have recaptured some momentum.

-- 10 minutes left and the Kings are dictating again...thankfully, Mason seems very sharp and has made several good saves in the last five minutes...Thrash seem to be tempting fate here. Need the TV timeout in the worst way!!

-- just got to see a guy puke in a recruitment commercial for the Marines! Yeah, I'm sold! Speaking of things that rhyme with Modin, it would be nice if both Antropov and Modin were kind enough to join the fray tonite...they have been conspicuously absent so far.

-- Kings commentator is sounding the fans' lament about needing some goals! Welcome to our pre-season LA!! How do you like being stuck in the past?? Enjoy our former misery. Of course, the Kings have struggled to score so far this season, but I'm not sure how...they seem more than capable to me!

-- the Kings seem to be having way too much open ice with which to operate as they keep crusing into our zone without little duress or resistance. Here comes Bogosian! Not really.

-- Good hustle play by Oduya to chase down a deflected shot that got loose in the neutral zone...saved an odd-man rush opportunity. Thrashers are having no luck getting their forecheck going right now and ice the puck.

-- Somehow shots are now in favor of Thrashers by the count of 20 to 17 with 5 minutes remaining in the 2nd...Kopitar and the boys trying to get the cycle going...no luck. Kane with a rush the other way but no one home on the doorstep as he flings the puck through the crease. Kings back the other way and a long wrister is deposited into the belly of Chris Mason. TV T/O.

-- Mace with a good save on a bid by Handzus off the clean F/O win for the Kings...Burmy now throwing his 175 lbs around and the Thrashers get out of their zone only to turn it over...Kings are tough in the neutral zone...long shot by Burmy is blockered away. Here comes big Wayne Simmonds! Blocked by the D...we are blocking a lot of shots...practice makes perfect!

-- Another good save by Mason at the 2:45 mark as the boys are getting pressed pretty good by the Kings again...icing ATL. Sopes & Hains stuck out on the ice? Antro loses the draw, again. Sopes Star working his tail off and the Thrash get the puck out for a line change. Here comes the Little Ladd Nicky line, but just not very much in the way of shooting lanes right now.

-- Mason stones Smyth and keeps his team in the lead...Kaner trying to do to much on his own and the puck is stripped along the boards...35 seconds left and Scuds accidentally flips the puck out of the "playing domain" and the Thrashers get an abbreviated POWER-LESS PLAY!

-- LA commentator making a good point about the Thrashers generally playing good positional hockey and with discipline...until Kane retaliates on Doughty and gives Drew the Randy Orton TKO takedown! What was that about discipline?? Can't really blame Kane as it looked like interference when Kane chipped the puck and tried to go around DD...guess Murray did a nice job on the scouting report. Gonna have to kill the short PP in the early 2nd and hopefully cling to this one-goal lead as I don't see the offense creating many chances in the 3rd.

L.A.'s Fine, Sunshine Most of the Time...But You Know I Keep Thinking About...

A live hockey blogging bonanza!!! Bam! Here we go folks, time to do battle with the up and coming Kings. Let's hope we get the Kings from the last two meetings in which they yielded a total of 14 goals (7 in each) to your Thrashers. A win tonite would be huge and give us some serious momentum and confidence going into the game with Anaheim on Friday. But that's Friday. Tonite the Thrashers try to get back onto a winning track after unsuccessfully shaking a first-game hangover that led to a 4 - 0 2nd period hole from which they couldn't claw out. Tonite, as mentioned previously, is Armenian Heritage Night as well as Opening Night for the Los Angeles Reyes. Let's hope the Thrashers learn from Friday vs. Tampa and weather the early storm should the waters get choppy in the first ten minutes.

Nothing like a little vintage Neil Diamond to get you pumped up during pre-game, right!? Ha! I never said I had conventional tastes did I? Then again you already knew that seeing as how I'm a Thrashers fan and all. Didja hear that Slash is performing the National Anthem tonite before the game?? How cool is that? Well, at least I think it will be, but can he sing that well? Or will he do the instrumental thing instead? Perhaps we'll find out. Anyway, the nite started out well as the Detroit Red Wings went down in OT to the Colorado Avalanche...I'll settle for the lost point if not the outright loss. I have no love-loss for the Detroit Dead Things.

FIRST PERIOD OF ACTION:

-- Coverage on NHL.com's GameCenter Live is starting up and a chill went down my spine! Man I love the first few weeks of the hockey season! Just hate we're on the road again to start the season...sked makers hate us with a passion I think.

-- Announcers said that the Kings are the youngest team in the league. Maybe so, but I think it would be the T-birds if not for the fact that we lured Freddy Modin away from them in the off-season. He and Mason raise our avg age up to around 26 y/o I bet.

-- Kings players are being announced (Wayne "don't call me Brady" Simmons got a rousing round of applause and cheers) as they bust through a faux wooden castle door in their tunnel...kinda funny, but dizzope for sure!! Okay, honestly, my loins are tingling with anticipation...oh nevermind, I need to pee.

-- Time for Slash (instrumental) to shred the audience's ear drums with some heavy metal Anthem rock!! Go you bad ass mutha trucka! Slash still rockin' a serious fro, he doesn't look any different than 20 some odd years ago! Guess all that hard livin' is good for ya! ;-) Wooo!

--Time. To. Drop. The. Puck! Get hype y'all! Refs are Walkom and St. Pierre. Hope they don't suck as bad as Friday nite vs. the Craps. Antro loses the face-off to Handzus. Dawes and Modin out there with Hainsey and Sopel?

-- Bogosian and Oduya with a mix-up on the D to D pass, can't get the forecheck started yet and a problem along the wall for Johnny O leads to a bad angle chance for the Kings, save Mason.

-- Kings seem to be pressing hard with an aggressive 2 - 1 - 2 forecheck...Thrashers having trouble getting out of their own zone...Kane's line did nothing.

-- Burmistrov with first attempted shot for his team, puck deflected out of play. A little scrum in the corner ensues involving Chris Thorburn. Crowd getting amped...nice centering chance by Thor leads to a hooking call against the Kings! Time for the Power Play! It was Buff cheating up into the slot for the chance...Smyth with the hook and gets the hook.

-- Little, Ladd and Bergie with Tobes and Bogey...having a hard time getting set up again. Sorry, make that Kane with Little and Bergie. No Ladd. Bergie along the right wall, Bogey with an errant drive off a skate...Enstrom with a weak slapper that is gobbled up by Quick's glove.

-- Nothing doing off the F/O from the left circle and the PP is waning...10 seconds. One last shot from the blueline is side, still possessed by Pevs, but play broken up and Kings changing lines.

-- Burmy's line out again...Thorbs with a shot from the right wall steered away by Quick, scramble along the left wall is won by the boys in white and their hard work leads to yet another penalty by the Kings in front of the net...nice early forechecking by the Thrashers' "best" line?

-- perhaps Burmy, Thorbs and Eager should be on the PP as they can't seem to get the play started in the O-zone, Kings clear and press leading to a dumb hooking penalty by Bergfors to negate the man-advantage...wooo! Lovin' this power play! Buff with another charge up the right side in 4 on 4 action, shot saved betwixt the pads.

-- Thrashers are awful in the F/O circle so far and their puck possession is suffering because of it; Kings D is too good to force a lot of turnovers with the forecheck. Doughty's wrister from the high slot is gloved by Mason. Another won F/O for the Kings...Doughty shot blocked by the kid, Burmistrov as he shows good quickness again. Kings still moving the puck but high and wide shot by Williams leads to a "clear" and Bergie is free!

-- after a weak Thrashers shot at the offensive end, Kings quickly transition to the Thrashers zone and their hard work leads to a choice chance for Wayne Simmonds who luckily hits the post and the rebound is handled by Brayden Schenn, but Mason is there to thwart the challenge. Thrashers need to take a deep breath and re-group as they look very sloppy and a bit sluggish.

-- boys bunching up big time in the offensive zone and it leads to an easy transition for the Kings, but not much there for Kings. Little with an offensive charge and a look for Ladd in the slot but it goes under his stick...a little behind him. What's this? Yet another PP for the Thrash! Just saw the replay for the Simmonds post-shot and the rebound hopped over Brayden Schenn's stick, nearly a goal...dodged a huge bullet there. Penalty to Jack Johnson, but for what I'm not sure.

-- Power play is power-less once again as they can't penetrate the Kings' zone...it's almost like the Kings are on the PP instead. Christ Almighty let's go!! Get Bergie off this unit and put Kane with Antro and Little! Crikey! Horrible "PP" has not produced an actual shot on goal yet, for the second of three times.

-- once again, the "Thor-Burm" line is our most effective as they are the only ones who seem to be in any kind of sync whatsoever! Ramsay is gonna have his work cut out for him between periods that is for sure! 5:55 left and still no score.

-- Mason's glove hand is getting a workout tonite! He melts it down and we go to break. Prior to the break, Kane busted into the zone with speed and got off a sneaky wrister through the D only to be stoned by an aggressive Quick at the top of the paint. Only real good chance so far. Is it time for a Kane - Burmy - Thorbs line??

-- Burmy line back out and forechecking its heart out in the corner, but to no avail this time as the Kings scoop up the puck off the wall and bust out. Enstrom with a near T/O leading to a bad angle shot, but disaster averted...so far. Geez Buffy and Tobes look shaky. Perhaps the team would have benefitted from a morning skate afterall??

-- Another lost F/O and the Kings control the zone in our puck, but it's taken away and off to the races we go with Dawes and Bergie! Dawes gets off a weak shot around the left D-man but Quick is there...Bergie gets the 10th shot for the Thrashers, but it seems more like 5.

-- Dawes working hard as he was out there for the end of the shift with Bergie...Bogey with a hell of a play to thwart Mr. Anze Fancy Pants Kopitar who got too fancy for his own good. Kane starting to get his legs, but Antro is flagging...why is he still out there? Kings dictating and we can't make full, clean changes I guess.

-- Final 38 seconds of play didn't really bear any action of note and to the intermission we go! Thrashers with the advantage in SOG: 12 to 9. I reckon things would've been different had it not been for early penalty trouble for the Kings. Should we get more PP in the 2nd, hopefully they will make the neccessary adjustment and flip the puck deep over the line of 4 Kings players at the blueline...it's like they were just begging us to carry the puck into the zone and we seemed to accommodate them nearly every time. Oh, and we need to do some wrist-curls in the locker room so we can actually win a damn face-off! Snack time!!

Thrashers Make a Rare Visit to Los Armenians, I mean Los Angeles

Except when it's the corner of your blog entry and it calls for a floating head to deliver a resounding message! A message about what you ask? About how amazing Zach Bogosian's eyebrows are...I mean, just look at their glorious curvature!! And yes, I am okay with admitting how jealous I am of his sensational brow features; I should be so lucky! So why am I writing about this? Because it's Armenian Heritage Night at the Staples Center where Zach and his mates will take the ice to feud with Drew Doughty and his Kings-men at 7:30 p.m. west coast time. Obviously, in light of the festive affair taking place at the rink tonite, the biggest question begging to be asked is which one of the shamlessly over-exposed Kardashian women will be attending the game tonite?? Surely one of these air-headed trollops will make the trek over to Staples to be seen on Armenian Heritage Night, right? Ding dong!!

Bogooo-sian Eyes! They're watching you!! And you and you and you...better watch it Kardashian clan, Bogey doesn't like L.A. glam whores and vapid actresses who really have no business being on televsion. Thusly, he plans on slapping Lamar Odom if he sees him wandering around the tunnels within the bowels of the Staples Center before the game. You've been duly forewarned. Now get back to that poor sap father of yours because Bruce is looking a bit leathery and probably could benefit from a very thorough moisturizing facial and skin scrub!!

Okay, on to more serious discussions! Like the keys to tonite's game against Los Reyes. The first key for tonite's game is the grooming of the eyebrows. Bogosian will lead his team to victory if his brows are properly and carefully tweezed so that the apex of their curvature is as high as humanly possible. Secondly, Zach must make an indellible impression during the pre-game Armenian Heritage festivities by being extra nice to the lovely Armenian ladies who come to meet him, but at the same time give a frosty reception to any male chumps who try to come off as God's gift to Armenians. Thusly, Zach must give himself ample time in the mirror to practice the execution of his icy, cold glare in the event someone tries to stare him down...certainly an unwise choice given his unique aptitude in this area as evidenced by the picture featured here. Lastly, the man who wants to be called "Bogey" must be certain to do several sets of push-ups before the "meet and greet" begins as to give off the most intimidating appearance possible. When people get a gander at how stacked Mr. Bogosian has become in just two short years since Draft Day 2008, word of his imposing size will surely ripple through the arena corridors and hallways like doppler waves in a fish pond. Please take notice, city of Los Armenians, that the true Armenian king-fish has entered the building! Step aside and make ample way for his astounding Armenian eminence!

Alright, alright, you got me! That was hardly serious at all! But what is serious is my sincere respect and admiration of this impressive hockey man-creature. Zach Bogosian is a credit to his profession as he has worked hard and tirelessly in order to craft himself into a striking frame of twisted steel and sinew. After a rough sophomore campaign in which Zach gritted his teeth and played hurt for the last 3/4 of the 2009-2010 season, Bogosian is back stronger and "fiercer" than ever before. Tonite is the nite that Bogey sends a stern, reverberating message to not only his Armenian compatriates in attendance at Staples, but also the entire circle of NHL media, who have quickly annointed Drew Doughty the king of his defensive draft class. But something tells me that Mr. Bogosian is ready to take that next step in his development, not only physically but mentally as well, towards becoming the player that both Ray Bourque and Bobby Orr envisioned in their documented praise of the young Bogosian. In my estimation, he's on the precipice of greatness and ready to take his game to a whole new level. And it begins tonite, "La Parka!" He's watching your every move and you can't escape his "Bogosian eyes". But in this case, there's no wearing of any disguise because #4 will be an image that haunts your eyes.

For more Zach Bogosian and media impressions of his potential, here are a couple of old articles extolling the talents of this Armenian hockey prince:

-- Friend of The Blueland Chronicle, Rory Boylen, wrote this glowing piece in the Hockey News about Zatchel's promising potential.

-- A wonderful post-draft article written by NHL.com correspondent Aaron Bell, who high-lights Zach's tremendous hockey pedigree and connections.

-- Finally, a well-written account of Zach's recent trials and tribulations by former Thrashers' beat writer and current Fox Sports and NHL.com operative, John Manasso.

Thrashers Charge Runs Out of Juice Against Bolts

Saturday night in T-pizzle by the Bizzle, a Thrashers' furious mid-game rally would fall just a bit short in the team's second divisional tilt in as many nights. Despite an early 4-goal deficit, the Thrashers did not give up, but instead demonstrated a good bit of steadfast determination in trying to claw their way back into the game. In fact, the Thrashers were merely a Toby Enstrom mis-fire away from making up the entire 4-goal lead they spotted the Lightning in the first 25 and half minutes of play. But the hole from which to climb was simply too deep for a slightly road-weary team playing in the wake of an emotional home opener in which their starting goalie was lost to a mysterious fainting spell.

Although the box score would indicate differently, the Thrashers actually started out pretty strong in their first road test of the season. Unfortunately, Nigel Dawes' quick release from the high slot wasn't quick enough to beat goalie Mike Smith in the early going and a botched line change gave the Bolts their first real opportunity to score with a man-advantage. The bench minor for "too many men on the ice" cost the Thrashers in the form of an early 1 - 0 deficit just five minutes into the game. On the goal play, Zach Bogosian was guilty of trying to corral the loose puck rather than mark the pesky Steve Downie, who was there on the door step to deposit the loose change with relative ease. Goalie Chris Mason tried his best to take away the open net but Downie deftly slid the puck through his legs to give Tampa an early lead as well as the momentum.

That lead would quickly go to 2 goals when free-agent acquisition Dominic Moore would become the beneficiary of a loose puck in front of the Thrashers' cage. This time, a defensive breakdown off a face-off, would cost the Thrashers as D-man Dustin Byfuglien got caught taking a poor angle off the draw leaving Toby Enstrom to fend for himself in front of the net as Lightning forward Teddy Purcell got free to put a puck on Mason's pad. Unfortunately, the rebound would carom right to an unmarked Moore, who easily wristed the biscuit into a gaping basket. However, Byfuglien wasn't the only Thrasher guilty of a poor decision as both wings drifted too far up the ice in anticipation of a would-be breakout when Rich Peverley's won draw took a weird bounce off the heel of his skate.

The 2-goal deficit at the end of one period quickly grew to four as a sluggish Thrashers team gave Tampa's lethal power-play another opportunity to do damage just a 1:21 into the 2nd period. And damage they would do as two failed clearing attempts by Fredrik Modin and rookie Alex Burmistrov would lead to yet another choice chance for the Bolts. This time Vinny Lecavalier would slip one just inside the post past an unwitting Chris Mason who was screened on the play because Ron Hainsey was busy checking his hair in the reflection of the glass nearby. Seriously though, a flat-footed D-man would once again contribute directly to a goal allowed. Three and a half minutes later, Steven Stamkos would get his first goal of the game re-directing a Pavel Kubina shot from the point. But it was Downie who "earned" the goal with his efforts along the wall where he outworked both Dawes and Nik Antropov to free up the puck for Kubina's shot.

After the 4th goal, Coach Craig Ramsay called a time-out to calm his troops. And the simple, direct message he delivered of "play your game" was taken to heart by his loyal subjects, who slogged mightily through an irascible 1 - 2 - 2 Lightning trap to find open ice and rare scoring opportunities. But alas, the Bolts would be their own worst enemy and their careless and sloppy play would afford Atlanta several power-play chances and over 8 minutes of man-advantage hockey. Finally the Thrashers would break through on a Toby Enstrom rocket launch that was strategically fired to the right of Mike Smith, who was screened effectively by Andrew Ladd. The puck rang off the pipe and it was "game on!" It only took another 1:42 before Atlanta would cut the lead to 2 when Ben Eager beat Smith on the blocker side with a deft wrister that also "ting-ed" off the right-side post.

Eager's goal was the immediate by-product of tireless work by he and his trio-mates, Chris Thorburn and Burmistrov, who was a perpetual thorn in Tampa's side the whole game. Burmy's fleet-footed rush up the right-wing side, coupled with his proper read of the play in the corner, paid off handsomely in the form of a bad pass off the stick of D-man Brett Clark, whom Burmy unceremoniously planted in the glass. And Eager did not hesitate to feast on the loose table scraps at the top of the circle. In a span of less than 2 minutes, Atlanta had recaptured the momentum as well as a ton of positive energy, energy that they would carry into the final stanza of play.

The Thrashers relentless pursuit of Tampa bore early fruit in the 3rd period when Lecavalier was charged with a high-sticking infraction during a battle along the wall with Ben Eager. Unfortunately, the resulting power-play was squandered when Enstrom's attempted wrister into an open net would instead fly errantly towards a helpless Smith and into his backside. But the Thrashers did not back off. The "Eager Thor-Burm" line would strike again as Ben Eager made an adroit pass to himself off the left boards around a hapless defender. Once he regained control, Eager shoveled the puck through the crease to a streaking Thorburn, who used a full-extension reach of his stick to redirect the puck up over the outstretched glove and leg of Smith. The goal was surely a satisfying reward for Coach Ramsay, who had been hammering into his charges' heads the execution of such a play throughout training camp.

The comeback was nearly completed a little over 3 minutes later when the scrappy Burmistrov would find himself loose in the mid-slot with a chance to tie the game, but his quick wrister along the ice to the left of Smith, who was sliding to his right, would betray him as the puck slid just wide of the goalpost. On the ensuing rush down the ice, Tampa would regain a choke-hold on the game's outcome with a crafty deflection off the stick of Stamkos. The 5th goal would prove to be the final nail in the proverbial coffin for a Thrashers team that had more than its share of chances to steal a point in Florida despite an erratic and sometimes very sloppy effort, especially in the defensive zone. Overall the effort was constant and the attitude was that of a winner as the team did not allow its collective "chalupa to lose its crunch!"