A-ha! It seems as if the Thrashers have returned to their winning ways, collecting two points against the Pittsburgh Penguins last nite at Philips Arena. For the first time in much too long, I was actually able to catch the entire game via the television broadcast. It's been fairly difficult to balance hockey with everything else going on and, needless to say, the girl and I haven't been to a game in, like, forevers. So when we realized that we had a free evening ahead of us to sit down, relax, and pay attention to the game, it was nice to return to normalcy for a change.
Personal things aside, I thought that the Thrashers played a great game. I don't think I can really add any more positive words about Kari's performance last nite. Seriously. It seemed like he was in the right place at the right time for every shot on him. The "no-goal" was a good call with all of the added examination, but I wasn't too happy about the defensive positioning during that play. If that Pens rookie would've made some "stick-and-puck" contact, it definitely would've been a different story. Zhitnik's rear got to see more of the action on that play than Kari, which clearly wasn't beneficial at all. Fortunately we caught a break and an off-ice ruling went in the Thrash's favor.
It's definitely unfortunate about the Kovalchuk injury. Initially, I thought Kovy was hamming it up to influence the severity of the call against Ruutu. I figured that the so-called "knee-on-knee" injury wasn't that much of a big deal and that Kovy would return later on in the period and continue to wreak havoc. Apparently I was incorrect when I made those assumptions... kinda. While Kovy did return later on (something that I expected), it was apparent that the injury he suffered was more of a bigger deal than both he and I envisioned. I'm sure it was more noticeable in the arena, but it was made clear to me when Malkin tried to take advantage of Kovy's lack of speed and attack the net. Kovy wanted to correct the situation and go after Malkin, but he just didn't have the extra "umph" that he normally possesses to continue on with the play. He subsequently left the ice after that play and wasn't to return again.
Don Waddell provided the news to the media this morning that Kovy would be out for the games against Buffalo and Washington this weekend and that he would hopefully return to action next week. This news absolutely affects the Thrashers as Kovy has been the player that has carried the team basically all season long. Early on when the Thrashers would go down four-too-many goals in a game, it was Kovalchuk who rallied the troops and potted a few to start momentum. The power play was looking incredibly weak in the first few games, then Kovalchuk's ridiculous slapper from the point often burned holes into the back of the net and between his goal-scoring and the amazing passing of rookie Toby Enstrom, the power play (before last nite's game) was ranked very close to the top 10 in the league.
When Kovalchuk disappears from the lineup, it's huge. Remember when he was out for that suspension against the Rangers immediately prior to the All-Star break and how the team responded? The score was 2-1, Rangers. Granted, Kovy's goal-scoring was staying a bit in the games leading up to that point, but I'm sure that it's a safe bet to assume that when Kovy is absent from the Thrashers lineup, the offense struggles to either gain control of the puck or create any kind of offense, often both.
Even though the struggling Sabres are in town tomorrow nite, they are nothing to take lightly. Recall when the Sabres didn't have a victory in the New Year... that is, not until they crossed paths with the Thrashers in Buffalo, which regrettably resulted in a 10-1, uh, thrashing of our beloved birds. Since then, Buffalo has still struggled and is nothing close to the team that they were last year. It will be interesting to see how the Thrashers (along with Moose Hedberg, who will get the start tomorrow) respond to such adversity as no Kovy.
Let's not forget about a crucial divisional tilt against the surging Caps in Blueland on Saturday. AO and Kovy are virtually neck-to-neck in the scoring race and when these two teams pair up against each other, it's a treat to watch two of the best players in the game battle it out because you know they both love the spotlight. This game is an even bigger deal as I just mentioned, they are divisional rivals. The playoff race within the Southeast Division has been quite the tag-team affair lately. Three to four teams all want the top spot because, in reality, it looks like that will be the only Southeast representation in the Eastern Conference when the playoffs arrive. Carolina is barely holding on, with the Thrashers, Caps, and Panthers all wanting to have their say in the battle for number one. Right now, Washington is pushing hard for it and we all know what the Thrashers have dealt with in the past couple of weeks. Everyone knows what's at stake and this game will be a crazy one. It must kill Kovy to be in the position that he's in and to watch such a highly competitive game from the press box as a non-factor.
Let's hope this Thrashers squad gets it in gear and keeps the greater end in focus. While every member of the Thrashers roster will tell you that it's best to concentrate on "one game at a time", they all know what they are aiming for and what is the common goal. Concentrate on the wins against Buffalo and Washington - yes - but collecting four points in those games is essential for gaining any ground in the playoff race.
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