Six out of seven ain't bad!

The Atlanta Thrashers are 3-0-1. Yes, that's right. It's really the first time in their history that they have come out playing this well. Only does the start to the '03-'04 season mildly compare. And I even recall people in major media outlets (namely ESPN) name-dropping the Thrashers and questioning their play. Now granted, that decent start really fell to pieces come the New Year, but they played from the get-go. But this year looks different, it feels different. After the questionable preseason (which is always up in the air), the Thrashers are hitting their early season stride. Two things have been critical for this to take shape... and they are both rather difficult to come out of my mouth, mainly because these two elements have always been the hardest to come by for the team and their fans. Can you actually believe that their goaltending and defensive corps has been the strongest aspect of the team?! The away game against Tampa Bay (a one-goal nailbiter in which the Thrash prevailed) is proof of how their backlines are holding up. And after watching the Boston game from last nite, I have to dish out some credit to blue-liners Steve McCarthy and Vitaly Vishnevski for some absolutely solid play. And of course, do I really even need to mention the effort put forth by Kari Lehtonen? Leading the league in just about every goalie stat imaginable, this guy is getting it done. The fact that I'm gushing right now is representative of my excitement for the early get-go.

What's more amazing about the start is that things are still questionable. Ilya Kovalchuk has yet to provide anything representative on the scoresheet about his offensive play. But his defensive play is starting to come into effect and that, to me, is really more valuable than having him win the Richard trophy two out of the past three years. Also, there's still the pink elephant sitting there in the room about the position of center and who will emerge to actually lead lines. Metropolit's goal last nite made me proud in the fact that he's making his presence known to the team and the fan base. But there's also the veteran Rucchin and the durable Kapanen who definitely have the opportunity to go ahead and seize a spot on a line with a Kovalchuk, with a Hossa.

So while things have yet to be worked out, everything is starting to look rosy in the Thrashers corner. But could this really be young, naive excitement at something that should've happened years ago to this team? Absolutely! Personally, I am thrilled at the prospect of knowing that this team is getting things done and attending to the problems that have plagued them in the past. Am I still hesitant about what's to come? C'mon, why shouldn't I be? As I said above, there are still lingering concerns this team needs to address. Thrashers fans know that anything could happen at any point during the season. We're all used to the constant 180s that occur to anyone at any position. But with the way things are looking right now, this team is only going to get stronger, faster, more productive, and flat-out better.

Tomorrow nite they face the almighty Carolina Hurricanes, a team out of Raleigh that somehow (well, not really) captured hockey's ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup, last season. Quite the opposite of the Thrashers, Carolina has only mustered up a single point in four games. Is that cause for concern in 'Canes country? Not yet, but things are appearing kinda hazy for 'em at this point in time. We'll see if they can get out of their funk... NOT! Of the games I saw last season, the Thrash OWNED the 'Canes. Hopefully this matchup will be no exception as Carolina looks a little out of focus with the ambivalence of Cam Ward's goaltending (sophomore slump, perhaps?) and the seemingly lack of production. But it can easily be said that the Hurricanes are getting to the point that they are due to have a win, as the Thrashers are due to come back down to Earth. Regardless, tomorrow's battle will be well-fought and of course well-deserved. We'll see what happens.

See you there!