vs. Rangers - 2007/10/18

Here we go - Coach Waddell has evened out his winning record behind the bend and the Thrashers did what hasn't been done yet this season - win. I mean, everything was in place for this night to be a success.

Power play goals? Check.
Penalty killing and even a shorty? Check.
Physical play? Check.
Leads into the second AND third periods? Check.
High energy and passion? Check.
Game-breaking goaltending? Check.

You name it, it was there. Granted, the Thrashers got a little sloppy towards the end of the game with a little goal barrage by the Rangers, but this 5-3 victory was a great one for Le Thrash.

The crowd was into it for the first time all season, which felt so appropriate. After the team went up 5-1 in the third, the "LET'S GO THRASHERS" chants were ridiculous and Philips Arena was rocking for the first time since the puck dropped on October 5th.

What really impressed me this evening was the play of (OMG) Todd White. I'm still not sold on the guy to be our main center, but he played a solid hockey game today. That goal he scored while Sterling was chilling out in the box was just incredible. It seemed like for the past six games, the Thrashers came out flat, without any sense of urgency, and appeared to throw in the towel even when the cards were slightly stacked against them. The heads-up and never-die play that White showed on that goal was great. He took the shot, thought the play was dead, but didn't stop there, where that kind of activity might not have occurred a few games ago. He realized that the puck was not stopped, and made a second effort to flick it into the netting to put the Atlanta team up for a third goal.

The only negative of the experience this evening was the fact that it appears that Kari Lehtonen cannot catch a break. During the preseason, he tweaked his groin that caused him to sit out of play for about a week or two. Then the 0-6 slide began and Kari was looking kinda dismal, even questioning his play and talents. And now, he suffers a groin strain in the game, not even halfway into the first period. Waddell makes it sound awfully similar to the injury that took him out of play for a few months at the beginning of the '05-'06 season. I hope that they are over-exaggerating the severity of it. Tomorrow we'll find out whether Freddy Brathwaite or Ondrej Pavelec get called up from Chi-town to ride the pines for a while.

Would it be beneficial to bring Pavelec up or give the opportunity to Brathwaite, who has several years of NHL experience under his belt? Time will tell, but it'll be quick because the Thrashers will meet the Lightning in Tampa tomorrow evening.

Back to the game, though... it's hard to determine whether this win feels so good because it's the first win OR because the Thrashers actually played well. The Thrashers were still outshot by eight shots, 36-28, so it might be of concern that the Thrashers aren't taking that many quality shots. It shouldn't be dismissed, however, that the team looked more offensive than they have been all season. There were fantastic opportunities all throughout the first period and some of the second. Posts were abused, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was sprawling in the crease left and right, and there was plenty of pressure on the Rangers in their zone.

All things aside, it feels damned good to get two points. It's even a little sweeter because Tampa, Washington, and Florida lost. You see, all is not lost just yet, believers. Up next on the agenda is Tampa and we'll see how the team responds to their first road trip without Mr. Hartley. Hopefully, come November 6th, the team will collect a few more points and gain a new leader.

Everything's about to change.

LET'S GO THRASHERS!

On Waddell, the Rangers, and a Fresh Start!

Tonight is the last night that the Thrashers are in town until November 6th. That's 19 days away from Philips Arena, 19 days away from Blueland, and 19 days away from familiarity. Well, familiarity is kinda tossed aside because there's a new coach in town.

General Manager Don Waddell resumes the pose tonight for another shot at coaching. Don't even begin to think that this is a possible permanent position though. Jennifer at Southeast Shootout provides a list of candidates to take over once everything's been said and done. Waddell is apparently seizing the moment, too. While some might question whether this massive early-season road trip is a prime time to look for a new head honcho, Waddell said that the timing couldn't be better... and he might be right (for a change). During the 19-day absence from Philips Arena, the Thrashers stop in Tampa (one too many times), Nashville, Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa. Traveling to Canada will provide the team's think-tank time and a bunch of miles to come up with great ideas on how to get the team on the tracks for success and who's gonna provide direction from here on out.

As for this evening's tilt against the New York Rangers (remember them?), Blueland Blog's Micah posted Waddell's slotting of forwards to deal with Drury, Gomez, Shanahan, etc. Considering that the Rangers were picked by some to bust out of the gate early and be quick contenders, the Rangers have stumbled themselves (although they do have two more wins than Le Thrash) and are probably looking to come to Atlanta and do what they did best back in April - pwn the Thrash. Hopefully the Thrashers will be able to combat against the Rangers' depth as well as King Henrik and collect their first two points of the season.

I'm planning on going to the game, and hopefully I'll be able to get seats. For every Thursday home game this season, the AJC is offering 2-for-1 tickets in certain sections of the Arena. I'd like to take advantage of this, so please forget I just mentioned anything about it.

Speaking about tonight's game plan (again, here), Marian Hossa stated that the team plans on playing with the puck some more, as opposed to doing the trademark Bob Hartley dump-n-chase game that generated a bunch of criticism throughout his time here. Hopefully the players will respond to some kind of game plan (or create their own - Holik, you're the captain, come up with something!) or everyone will do whatever they want and zhit's gonna get disorganized and out of whack quick. Waddell assembled this squad, and now it's his turn to coach.

It's time to get something started in Blueland and what better time than now? Let's go Blue!

LET'S GO THRASHERS!

THIS JUST IN: Hartley Out, Waddell In?

Well, this is a sight Atlanta Thrashers fans and players won't see anymore:



Just after the noon hour today, various media sources declared that Atlanta Thrashers coach Bob Hartley was relieved of his services to the team. With an oh-and-six start, terrible offensive statistics for his team, and the unforgettable exit from last year's playoff appearance, apparently Hartley was the source of it all and the first to take a hike.

Is this really the right move? Or should there be other measures taken that will improve the team?

More clarity will be revealed when Mr. GM himself (and interim coach, too) steps up to the podium and addresses the media formally about this change of face and what the plans are for the immediate future. Press conference is coming up at 2PM.

Sources: TSN, Blueland Blog, AJC

Lineups-R-Us, or How the Thrashers Determine Their Future

With all of the talk about today's announced lines and changes in the defensive pairings, I figured I'd chime in with my amateurish drivel.

At this morning's practice, the trio that had the most energetic impact on the ice during both the Devils game and this morning's workout was the "kid line", which consists of Haydar/Little/Sterling. Everyone's buzzing about this line and its potential for success. I certainly agree with that. Bryan Little didn't spend much time in Chicago last season, but I'm assuming that while he was there, he did share some shifts with either one of those two gentlemen, if not both. It's certain that Haydar and Sterling have something going on because you can't end up AHL MVP and AHL Rookie of the Year - respectively - without having much help. In all honesty, they tore up the scoring last year with Chicago. All three know each other and two-thirds of 'em have spent significant time playing together. I see no reason to speak out against these three fellas and what they can bring to the table. I don't care that they are "AHL players" or "rookies" or whatever! I'm thinking it's guaranteed that they won't play much against a top defensive pairing of any team that they face. With their talent and what they've brought to the table already, I think that, in time (meaning, in a few games, which I can handle waiting that long), these guys will seriously bring some depth that this organization has lacked for a long time now.

As far as who chills out in the press box for the game, I'm in favor of giving Chris Thorburn a legitimate chance to prove his size and worth. It's no secret that the Thrashers are not in the upper third of the league in terms of dominating figures on the ice. I'm pretty sure that they aren't even in the second third. Everyone's concern entering the season was that the defensemen were small, the forwards were small, and that they wouldn't be able to match up against the more commanding teams of the league. As of right now, that's kinda true. Enstrom has done a great job at being a defenseman, but he's more likely to get knocked around than, say, a Greg deVries. Putting Thorburn out there with Eric Boulton and possibly Bobby Holik is a line that's a good bet on mixing things up on the ice and throwing the body around, something that probably wouldn't hurt (in theory).

But who to bench? First season aside, Jim Slater has been nothing but, well, annoying and frustrating. From watching him play, I can tell that he really has the passion to play in the league. I'm just not sold on his abilities. Even in today's practice, there were some missed passes and some skating errors. This kind of play definitely occurs in high-pressure situations (i.e. penalty killing) and that's not acceptable. I wouldn't have a problem of benching Slater or even Brad Larsen in favor of adding Thorburn.

Defensively speaking, I'm surprised no one has brought up the idea of pairing Mark Popovic with Enstrom. The kids are represented in the forwards, so why not paid them together on the blueline? I think that a pairing like this, with other pairings like the announced pairing of Zhitnik/McCarthy and, say, Havelid/Exelby. Exelby's physical game could be something that Havelid appreciates... but the other announced pairing of Havelid/Enstrom doesn't sound that bad either. With my lines, Klee would sit and that's ok.

Perhaps my rookie pairing is too inexperienced to handle the NHL full-time. I don't know. But at least it's somewhat encouraging that Hartley is willing to change things around. Then again, we all know that he's rather apt to change things at the flip of a switch.

I'm not a hockey coach and I certainly have no formal education with regard to establishing hockey lines and creating chemistry from scratch. I just wish that we stuck with the opening nite lineups for about three games, determined how well they worked, and then make the necessary changes. Hartley, as I mentioned, makes changes as he sees fit and benches players for whatever reason. Give things a chance and maybe things will develop, and maybe they won't. At least some options were exercised and that's all that matters.

LET'S GO THRASHERS!

Practice - 2007/10/15

I woke up early enough to make the 1+ hour drive up to Duluth this morning to watch the Thrashers practice. The statement about "Moose" Hedberg and practice will always ring true - first on, last off. While he wasn't the last lad on the ice, he was getting his head together and flinging pucks up and down the ice at least 10 minutes earlier than anyone else.

I tried to take some pictures but I realized that I was missing the bigger picture, i.e. the practice. I was kinda surprised to see Mr. Hossa with the squad, but apparently that's a good sign that he made an appearance today. Considering the rumors that circulated about Hossa's disapproval with the ice at the IceForum, I noticed a little slip-up by the boards. I'm sure that didn't win over Hoss.

There was some early work with the power play/penalty killing units. Started with some 5-on-4 action, which led to 5-on-3. The first PP team consisted of Hossa, Kovy, Kozlov, Bryan Little, and Tobias Enstrom and the second unit involved Todd White, Darren Haydar, Brett Sterling, McCarthy, and Zhitnik. While I'm glad that he's getting time on this, Bryan Little's appearances on groups like these is surprising. It's proof that he's ready for whatever comes his way and that he's being rewarded for playing some smart hockey, something that's kinda a rarity these days in Atlanta.

Penalty killers were pretty predictable - Ken Klee, Exelby, Dupuis, Slater, Larsen, Havelid.

It's times like these that make me wonder what's the priority here. Obviously you want both units excelling to the most of their potential. But our power play is terrible, along with the penalty killing. Maybe it's because I'm a more offensive-minded person and I always have a tendency for looking out for plays that generate some kind of goal-push, but it felt like there was more importance when the power play units were doing something right as opposed to the PKers.

What's unsettling is that Kari looked a little shell-shocked. Maybe these games are getting to him, and how can you blame him? When faced with 30-40 shots a nite, you can't save every single one. Sure, Kari has to step up if that's the case, but it really shouldn't be. Those high shot totals are the result of an inept defense. All of these things must be creeping into his head because he just didn't look that into it today.

Then there were some odd-man plays going on in the offensive zone. And some face-off work. And some dump-n-chase tactics.

It's also clear to me how significant the number nine is for whoever is wearing it for the Thrashers. I don't know about earlier in the team's history, but I remember Marc Savard and I certainly remember Glen Metropolit. I seem to remember Savard being a jokester with the team. Metropolit definitely had personality in the few times I saw him up close. And now there's Pascal Dupuis. I'm glad we have him on the team simply because he's a character, plain and simple. Some would take this as immaturity or forgetting about what's really at stake here but I interpret it as someone who's able to lighten up the situation that the Thrashers find themselves in right now. No. 9 was trying to hold people up with his stick while the warm-up skate was going on. He was making remarks to other players in line for drills that would result in some light giggling. And then as he's about to get off the ice at the end of practice, he takes his sticks in both hands and kinda slams 'em into the boards like he's about to lose his balance, only to be met with some laughter and smiles from teammates blocking his way and the fans who are seeking autographs of their heroes. While we're still oh-and-five, you can't hang your head in disgust 24/7. Looking for a pity party doesn't get you out of the basement, it just keeps you there longer. Guys like Dupuis don't necessarily put up the points like others on the team do/should, but his personality goes a long way during stretches like this. I commend him for that.

I don't know if it was contagious either, but I did notice that there were some other players trying to have a little fun out there. Yeah, practice is serious business, but you have to know how to go about it to be truly effective. It's good that some guys on the team have the ability to push out the negatives for a bit and just play.

I surely hope they figure their zhit out before tomorrow's tilt against those damned Flyers with public enemy no. 3, Danny Briere (behind gnat Marty St. Louis and fathead Sean Avery). Last season, the Flyers had us on a leash and we did whatever they wanted us to, which was apparently to play like crap and lose in the worst ways to the worst team in the league. I say a bit of revenge is due in the next couple of games. We either go to Philly and beat the pants off the Flyers and that damned Finn, Antero Niittymaki or we come home on Thursday and beat those effin' Rangers for the first time in a loooooong time. I'm hoping it's not an either/or type deal, too. Derian Hatcher and Elisha Cuthbert, I'm coming for y'all! Taking Hatcher out of Philly's, uh, arsenal means that the physical play gets a little evened out (sigh) and taking Ms. Hottie out of the picture means that Mr. Avery gets a little too retarded for humanity and gets banished from society for doing something way too dumb to mention. I guess it's a good thing that he's out for a while.

LET'S GO THRASHERS!

New Blog Alert - Thrashers Times

George, over at Talking Thrash, decided to create a spot online that automatically records updates to the Thrashers blogroll. It's called the Thrashers Times and, as of right now, this blog isn't a part of it, but will soon be as I've contacted George to include this blog over there.

Thrashers Times

Thanks for doing this, George!

Photos: The Octopus Project, 2007/10/11 (clicky)

Thursday nite I attended a show at Atlanta's Drunken Unicorn to take in some bleeps, some bloops, and a bit of theremin courtesy of Austin band The Octopus Project. They have a new record out and it's a keeper. Considering they won a contest just last year (2006) to open the Coachella Festival and that they were unsigned (that was part of the competition methinks), they've kinda ballooned since then, playing sold out shows across the country and getting more and more recognition on a daily basis. Here are some pics I took of the indietronica spectacular:







More at my flickr >>> GO NOW! :D

SKY IS FALLING?

Let's look at this first, all courtesy of the NHL.com stats section.

Points: 0 (30th in NHL, and only winless, and pointless, team in the league)
Goals per game: 1.8 (Tied for 19th in the league with Chicago, last)
Goals against per game: 4.6 (Tied for 18th in the league with Los Angeles, last)
Power play %: 9.5 (third worst in the league, with only Minnesota and Edmonton trailing)
Penalty kill %: 68.8 (second worst in the league, with only Calgary trailing)
Shots per game: 22.0 (last in league)
Shots against per game: 34.6 (third worst in the league, with only Toronto and Washington trailing)

Well then. Actually, there's no need for these stats and other numbers; just look at the results on the season up to this point.

Is this team as hopeless as they appear on the ice? Absolutely not. In the Thrashers lineup resides premier NHL forwards like Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa. While he isn't exactly premier material, Slava Kozlov definitely has the ability to put up some serious offensive numbers, as noticed last season throughout his 80-point campaign.

After that, however, we kinda drop off the cliff. It was mentioned during the off-season that Coach Hartley, General Manager Don Waddell, and Bobby Holik all expect Mr. Captain (i.e. Holik) to become more offensive this season. Has that happened? One goal and one assist have been added to his career stats, and that means he's played a role in two of the Thrashers' nine goals. Yeah, you don't expect this guy to put up monster numbers, or even rival Kovalchuk, but you do plan on him setting up some guys for the goals. His best offensive season was ten years ago with the Devils (29g, 36a). Granted, he's 10 years older now, but you'd think that with help from some of either the more marquee guys (i.e. Kovy, Hossa, Kozy) or some of the younger fellas (i.e. Little, Sterling, Enstrom, etc.), he'd be able to have more of a say in the point production and set more plays up, especially with his experience.

Then we have players like Todd White, Eric Perrin, Pascal Dupuis, and a few other players who have been around the block for a bit. Now I don't expect massive numbers from any of those guys, but I'm most surprised by the play of White. Considering he was our first signing in the off-season, signaling that he was a priority from the get-go, and the fact that he's locked up for a few more years in Atlanta, I'm not excited about him AT ALL. I know that he has tallied two assists in the 0-5 place that Atlanta is in, but he's been unnoticeable in the games that I've watched. When I think of Todd White, I think of soft and invisible. You don't plan on your "priority" signing during off-season as either one of these two descriptors. He was initially put with Kovy and rookie Brett Sterling to center that line and be the center that Kovy hasn't had since Marc Savard departed before last season. In the five games that we've played (and I've watched most of 'em), I haven't noticed Todd White at all. This is a problem. If he's already this far off the map, I can't dare to imagine how it'll be throughout the rest of the season... forget about the upcoming years he's with us.

And what can be said about the mouth-dropping numbers of grinders like Jim Slater and Brad Larsen? Looking at their offensive numbers is pointless (punnery!), but just glance at their plus/minus rating for five games into the season. I said glance because if you actually look at them for too long, they'll burn into your eyes and you'll never see the same again. Minus six and -5, respectively. Weren't these guys supposed to be the next great penalty killers that the Thrashers had? Well, not exactly that, but that's kinda what they were billed as during the summer and throughout training camp. Larsen's fair at killing penalties, but I'd rather have him out there than Slater. As far as I'm concerned, he's no better than Bambi on the rink, please note:



Now this is turning into pessimism central. I don't want it to be that way, I really don't. I could go on and on - about how the defensive corps looks tiny, frail, and immovable, how the rookies are surprisingly holding their own rather well despite the fact that they certainly didn't want to start out their NHL careers with a team that's oh-and-five. There are other blogs for that (look to the right!).

I'm just saying that I, as well as everyone else who has a share in Blueland, am completely baffled at how poorly the team is playing right now.

My parents suggested to me that, after reading about last nite's score, the Thrashers "look like they're turning this around." Sure, getting five goals looks nice, considering they've only scored four in four games prior to last nite's tilt, but compare that to five goals on 17 shots... one goal in threeshots. I don't care how good of a team you have, you cannot anticipate a winning result with opportunities like those. That third period (the one I did not witness, BTW) must've been a screaming fest between yourself and the team/TV.

There's a practice tomorrow morning at 1030AM. I'm gonna see if I can make it. We'll see how things turn out during and after that. Hockey Buzz' Stan Hauseman brought up a nice point about the Thrashers' next game in Philly:

If you remember last year, a stronger Thrashers team lost to Philly in the shootout. You remember the game. It was the one where the Thrashers switched goalies for the shootout. Philly was 1-6-1 entering that game. The Thrashers were 7-1-2 landing in Philly for their first time that season. The Flyers are a strong 3-1 entering this game. So maybe revenge will be a dish best served cold for the Thrashers.

I clearly remember sitting in a parking lot in Tyrone, trying to break through the poor signals of AM radio and listening to the game and the outcome of it and wondering why Hartley was basically "subbing" Kari in for Hedberg, who played a wonderful game (at least that's what came across over the airwaves), for the shootout. Kari's record during the shootout was actually pretty good at the time, so the game was for him to "come in relief" of the Moose and close out the game (i.e. the Yankees' Mariano Rivera, who Hartley actually compared Kari to after the loss). It ended up (as I just mentioned) that the Thrashers blew it and I think that was Philly's only shootout win all of last season.

Something's gotta give. I never knew it would be like this, but it just felt weird and creepy to have a lead last nite, especially when it blew up to a two-goal lead during that second period. Sure, it was awesome, but I felt pretty uneasy about it, basically because of the play of the previous four games, because the team never played with a lead in the previous four games, because who could know how the play would've turned for the worst during that third period that only yielded three shots.

Could a win really kick-start the season for this team that appears to be free-falling? Most definitely! It would be awesome to finally get some points and something to show for in the wins column. I'm tired of every other analyst in the hockey world speaking the truth about the current state of the Thrashers. I'm exhausted from the misery that I constantly put myself through by reading the various Thrashers blogs and media reports from the losing games. I hate to think that I'm going to turn off the TV or question about going to a game because the team is playing so poorly. I don't want it to have to come to that point... ever. But this losing business must stop immediately.

LET'S GO THRASHERS!

Fixation Focus: Radiohead

I mean, really, does anything else need to be said about this band? I just got home after a nite out on the town (i.e. Wal-mart) and discovered that Radiohead's seventh LP, In Rainbows, was emailed to me just as prescribed.

After all of the hub-ub about how they are screwing over the record industry by releasing an album themselves, how they are not charging a thing for a pre-release download, how they are not DRMing it (meaning you can burn it as much as you want, there are no restrictions) - after everything that was said in the past 10 days, the "finished" product is finally here. There was no doubt in my mind that I had to stay awake until it was in my inbox. I was dragging home on the drive, but I never forgot about what potentially waited for me. While I was all sleepy-eyed minutes ago, as soon as the zipped file finished its business and In Rainbows opened in iTunes, I knew I was set for the next hour or whatever it takes for this album to finish playing.

I really feel like I'm a part of something special right now because of the hoopla surrounding this release.

For those who aren't into this, here's the deal. One of the world's mega-bands, without being a "mega-band", Radiohead, announced last week that their seventh album, In Rainbows, was complete and ready for the world. As a result, the band, without a record deal right now, decided to take everything into their own hands. On their website, they let anyone pay whatever they want for the download that would take place 10 days later.

Twenty dollars? Ten? Fifty cents? Nothing?! Any way you want it, you can have it. Completely unprecedented. I mean, we're talking about RADIOHEAD here - like this was really that unexpected. Sure, the concept is just nutty, but leave it to the wackiest band in the universe to do something like this.

Now that October 10th has arrived, the album is here. I'm currently on track five, "All I Need", and with the first four tracks (as well as this one, apparently), I'm taken aback. Maybe it's the drowsiness, maybe it's the fact that I haven't been this excited about a release like this EVER because, actually, there hasn't quite been a release like this, well, EVER. Either way, this is just an incredible listen at 355AM.

The Left of Center channel on Sirius (channel 26) has been prepping this record for the past week, saying that throughout this week, they will feature tracks from In Rainbows. Well, sorry LoC and Sirius - as much as I love ya, you're taking a backseat for a few days, possibly weeks.

Certainly there is more to come on this topic. Let's face it, it's all I'll hear and read about for the next few days/weeks/months, so I'm definitely gonna write my fair share on the matter. This blog was once devoted to my indie music after all!

Photos: vs. Caps - 2007/10/05 (clicky)

Here are a few pics I snapped from section 317 of the opening stuffs, mainly the raising of the banner:







More @ flickr!

vs. the Caps - 2007/10/05

Of course, of course, the game result wasn't desired, but I loved being back in Philips for Opening Night last night. The banner raising ceremony was fantastic. All of the festivities for the celebration were great and got the crowd riled up for sure. Even the handing out of miniature banners to every fan was a nice touch, and I instantly know that it's going up on the mirror of my car. Really, win or lose though, it was definitely important to revel in the success of the performances of the previous season. While our showing in the playoffs wasn't exactly ideal, we still got there, we got a city ready for some playoff action, and the city, as a result, caught on and recognized that another professional sports team in the Atlanta area was ready to take charge.

Unfortunately, the banner provided the main reason for Blueland to "get on their feet". We just saw this with a bit of frequency:



I'm sure that Nylander enjoys pwning us some more after how he kinda man-handled us during the playoffs (with his old team, the New York Rangers). Here are my takes on the game.

• Offensively, we couldn't get anything started. Things weren't meshing and pucks were going everywhere, except it was a rare occurrence that these traveling pucks ever met their intended target - whether that be the back of the Capitals net or to another Thrashers player. Honestly, it was sloppy play that dominated the evening for the Thrashers. Sure, some players had strong showings, but they were brief and too abrupt.
  
• Defensively, things weren't tied together either. Players like Enstrom and Zhitnik were all over the place. This kind of play is expected from Mr. Zhit as he is a seasoned player, but with Enstrom, this was surprising that he could handle the load. If I had a defenseman of the game award for the Thrashers though, I'd give it to Havelid. I didn't notice him too much during the 5-on-5 action, but he was marvelous during the two 5-on-3's that the Thrashers had to endure. I also spotted him trying to move the puck around whenever he was in possession of it in the Caps' zone. I thought he did a great job.
  
• Despite three goals against, I still feel that Kari played well. I liked his movement, I liked his reaction time, and I loved his confidence. Maybe it was just me, but I could tell that Kari was ready to redeem himself after his last NHL action (the blowout at the Garden during game three last season). Even on the smallest of saves that me made, he steered the puck away with his blocker with authority. He meant business and that's great to have in a goalie. The first goal was spotty and Kari couldn't do much against it. The second goal, he was pretty much hung out to dry because of a defenseman's strong desire to hit behind the net, and that obviously left someone open for a good shot (which, I believe was the Nylander goal). But the third goal Kari could've seen, but I think there was too much of a screen going on in front of him to have enough vision of the play. As a whole, though, I'm still pleased with how Kari played. I hope he gets the start tonight in Tampa.
  
• The rookies were kinda unnoticed. Sterling did some nice things here and there, but he quickly got dumped in favor of Bryan Little. For some reason, Hartley changed his preseason lineups almost immediately. This was one example of that. Maybe it was Hartley rewarding Little for some good plays that caused him to go on the line. I even noticed that toward the end of the game, Little was put on the main power play unit. But back to Sterling... he created some turnovers that were admirable, but, as I mentioned earlier, things never set in and these turnovers would be for naught when there was an errant pass in the neutral zone. Enstrom was all over the place, was put in the "quarterback" position on the power play from the start and (let this theme ring again) couldn't get much together to create anything legitimate. I thought he played well in the Thrashers end (and he should!) and created a few hassles for the Caps in the corners that I liked. And then there was Bryan Little...
  
• For a while in the second, I forgot where Little was. I spotted him on the ice during the first period, but for some reason, I couldn't see him playing at all for a while. I was wondering if he was benched. Thinking about this silently to myself, I notice that he's back on the ice and with Kovy. Then, before you know it, he scores a die-hard (but flukey) goal with Kovy for his first NHL tally EVAR. As a whole, I was pleased with Little's performance, especially coming from someone as young as he is. Throughout the third, he was a fixture on the ice and that was something. However, aside from his goal, I think he was like every other Thrashers rookie and worked, but it wasn't enough.
  
• Twenty-eight shots against Brent Johnson isn't enough. We needed more pressure on him because there were a few times throughout the game that he didn't make the best decisions or the best saves. He was sloppy and questionably came out of the crease on occasion, and as a result, the Thrashers should've capitalized on this and potted a few goals to make the game interesting.

Those are my opinions of the game. I had a great time returning to Philips for some real game action and the banner ceremony was an awesome way to kick off the season. It's a shame that the team kinda came out a little flat, but I don't expect that to last for too long because we all know that every single game matters.

< 24 hours!

Can you feel it? I mean, really? Does that question even apply anymore? The reality of it is if you're reading this blog, you're super-saturated in everything that is Blueland. For a few minutes (hopefully an evening!), the predictions are thrown out the window. All questioning regarding the Baby Thrashers (enter Little, Sterling, Enstrom, and Popovic) is silenced. The pressure that's weighing on the newcomers' shoulders (i.e. White, Perrin, Thorburn, Klee) is lifted. Every little minute (well, that's debatable) detail that's been brought up over the off-season will be forgotten.

The only thing that will matter, for a matter of minutes, is that the '07-'08 Thrashers are taking the ice for the first time. The scene within the Arena will be electric.

And then, before you know it, THAT takes a backseat to remember what was accomplished last season - Southeast Division Champions. A banner will rise to the Philips Arena rafters in the name of the Atlanta Thrashers. Finally, a Widespread Panic banner will take a backseat and hopefully get buried in future accolades of the Legends of Blueland. This will be a great start to something fantastic for this franchise.

Once again, fans will lose it. Tears will simultaneously fight with celebratory yells to the heavens, all in the name of victory, in the name of one cause, one team - our Atlanta Thrashers.

What was brought up today by Stan over at Hockey Buzz was a dedication for Dan Snyder, who passed away four years ago. Hopefully this will be addressed, and it really should be. A couple of big milestones in the history of the Thrashers will coincide for one evening and I really feel that one would not happen without the other. Sure, division titles might've occurred with Snyder still in the lineup, but they never would've been as significant as this title. It's really like tomorrow will be reason enough to celebrate his life and his heart and his passion for the hockey he played, the organization he played for, and the city he called his home. I'll never forget the day I heard about the tragedy and Dan will always live on in the hearts and minds of Thrashers fans, players, and hockey supports all over.

We'll never forget you, Dan, and we know that you still play a tremendous role in the team we support.

Regarding the actual game tomorrow night, it's going to be a battle. The Caps are nothing to take lightly. We all know that the Caps love to play spoiler and Friday night should be no exception. You take that, the unspoken rivalry between Ovechkin and Kovy, and the brawls and you've got one hell of a matchup. Washington has possible rookie phenom Nicklas Backstrom and new center Michael Nylander - we all know that they have something to prove in their new roles with their team. And you better believe that AO wants to erase all memories of his "off" year last season. What better time to start a new campaign than game one, right?

The Thrashers better have their A-game. We learned last season that, down the stretch, there are no "gimme" games in terms of relaxing/coasting/etc. Every game matters. Every game should feature everything on the line for the most success possible.

Two points or nothin'. That's what the Thrashers should have on their minds tomorrow evening. Forget about the critics who are denouncing them. Forget about the last four games. Forget about attempting repeat performances and winning big in April. We need to focus on the now.

I absolutely cannot wait for the game. I'll get there super early and be right by the Thrashers bench for the warmups, cheering for each and everyone of 'em as they take the ice. There's no holding back for the Thrashers and there's no holding back for myself or any other believer in Blueland.

I'll be in 317, row E. Come and say hey! I'd love to meet new fans. I've always been hesitant about it but now I know I'm part of a community. I'd love to meet each and every one of you and discuss our common bond, the Thrashers.

My jersey's ready. My Blueland scarf is out. My blue shoes will be worn ALL DAY. My tickets will stare me in the face for hours once I get off work tomorrow afternoon.

Seriously, let's get this started already!

LET'S GO THRASHERS!

Do you believe?! Because you better!

vs. Panthers - 2007/09/28

No pics, but don't worry. My annual preseason trip up to Philips wasn't too late as I made it up there last Friday for the preseason finale against the Ice Cats, er, Panthers.

All day, I was thinking about the game. I couldn't help myself from going, really. So I ended up doing the 40+ minute drive up north, strolling casually up to the box office, and securing a $10 ticket in 413.

It was oddly comforting returning to the Arena. The sights, the sounds, the smells - it really is such a relief to come back to something so familiar. Even looking around, you could tell that I wasn't the only one reveling in this sentimentality. Season ticket holders were reuniting in their usual seats and meeting locations, some discussing their summers with their families, with conversations eventually leading to what really mattered inside the Arena - the hockey.

I decided to make the trip because I knew this was it. The players on the ice Friday were the players who were going to dress on October 5th. There was no questioning anyone's play, no high pressure situations leading to big mistakes (that really had no consequence anyway), and no one was scared to walk into the locker room afterwards because everyone on the ice had a guaranteed spot on the roster. This included rookies Bryan Little, Brett Sterling, Tobias Enstrom, and Mark Popovic. And because of these players, I was definitely chomping at the bit to see exactly what they were about in a game situation.

Usually preseason games are sloppy. Kids are joining the big guns of the team/league for however long the ride will last, leading to poor plays, questionable decisions, and comments to alleviate the pain, like, "He needs time in the minors, but he's gonna be great in x-amount of years!" Players are also sluggish from their summer break. These games just leave a lot to be desired, and they also have zero ramifications on the future (i.e. standings). The only thing players are playing for is practice, and the new guys are trying to deal with the pressure of trying to make the team. Missed passes, whiffed shots, and goaltending blips occur with frequency. Did any of that occur on Friday?

There are ways to interpret that. The Thrashers ended their preseason run with a 1-0 win over a division rival who was still trying to work out their own kinks with their roster. Scoring was infrequent, but that is not to diminish the quality of play. Sure, there were sluggish times as players were still attempting to acclimate themselves to the elevated style of play. Jim Slater was one who stood out with regards to this. There was a fanned shot that happened early in the first period that was courtesy of "AC" Slater and there were some other times during the matchup that Slater was witnessed stumbling down to the ice because of skating errors. There were also some plays that occurred with the rookies that demonstrated some mistakes that could've yielded goals from the opposition. Brett Sterling and Bryan Little demonstrated this a few times, passing through highly congested areas with the hopes of reaching their desired target and ending up turning the puck over.

However, with the "eh" comes the pretty good. Sterling made some fantastic moves with the puck and clearly demonstrates some puck-handling skills. There was one play in particular that really got me jazzed (yeah, I said it). In the third, when I moved down to 119, I had an excellent viewing position behind the Panthers' goal, which featured the great Tomas Vokoun. The puck was dumped into the Florida zone and Sterling was chasing it down. As he came around the net, Vokoun got there first and had possession. While Vokoun was going to steer the puck aside by lightly flicking it in the air to his right, Sterling noticeably caught up with the action, put his stick in the air, and took advantage of Vokoun's lack of strength here. Sterling plucked the puck out of the air, gained possession in an excellent spot in front of the net, and, with little threat around him, he took the shot and instantly wowed me with that kind of play. It was remarkable, actually.

It cannot go without mention that Kari Lehtonen returned to form... well, at least for that evening. Even though he had 30+ shots against him, I felt like he was barely tested throughout. That's definitely indicative of the defenders in front of Kari, and they definitely did a great job steering the action away from our franchise goalie. Kari had excellent movement, temporarily putting to rest the groin talk that always plagues him.

Was Kari's shutout against the Panthers noteworthy though? Absolutely. He's only played two to three preseason games and had nothing short of success throughout his time on the ice. The 1-0 victory he could log was also an excellent goalie duel because Vokoun is nothing to sneeze at (hm). While the Thrashers were outshot, I felt that our scoring opportunities were more, eh, "legitimate" and threatening. Note the Sterling play I mentioned earlier.

During training camp and the earlier preseason tilts, all I kept hearing about was the passing skills of Enstrom and his time on the power play. While his passing does look crisp, I didn't notice anything worth mentioning. He needs some more time, in my eyes, to really form an impression. He also displayed swift and quick movement on the ice, and also dispelled a bunch of scoring opportunities the Panthers might've had in the scoring lane.

The game was enough to bring me back to hockey, which really wasn't in doubt to begin with. Almost everything I love about the sport was on display Friday evening in Philips. The sounds of the National Anthem, the skate blades digging into the ice to gain another ounce of speed to create that breakout, the crowd rumbling "SHOOT IT!", the smell of a fresh sheet of ice in between periods, the last time I'd see three banners on the Thrashers side of the Arena (two of which are LOGO banners).

I'm so ready for this coming Friday though. The Arena was probably 1/2 full (if that) for the Panthers game and you could tell. Nothing will compare to the energy inside for the opening night. Well, there were those playoff games last season. This will come close to that, for sure. But it'll be the most intensity in that arena since those games that occurred so long ago. Bring it on already!