Thrashers Update-a-roos!

It's been a while since the last Thrashers update, so hopefully I can get back on track a bit. Suddenly, I find myself stuck blogless (in terms of Thrashers-related stuffs) as I did after my Raleigh adventures. Remembering that event, I entered into the wonderful black hole in terms of writing and basically missed out on the trade deadline, where the Thrashers beefed up the lineup to what it is today with Tkachuk, Zhitnik, and DOO-PWEEZ. Now, I find myself struggling to meet the needs when this squad is at the tail end of their great season, still fighting harder than ever. And here I am, still missing out on posts. One excuse that I can make, however, is that, when I wax Thrashers, I usually do it in recap fashion (i.e. after I actually watch a game). For the past few games (since the Montreal game, obv), I've either watched portions of games or haven't watched at all. And who wants to hear someone ramble on about a game that they watched only 10 minutes of, you know?

Meh.

Placement Placement Placement... Just Take Charge!
Currently, the Thrashers sit atop the Southeast Division with a four point lead over Floridian pests Tampa Bay. There are no games in hand here, so if the Thrashers keep up their game, as does Tampa, Atlanta will be sitting pretty come April 7th at Philips. Things aren't that simple, unfortunately. Six of the next eight games for the Thrashers are against legitimate playoff contenders, whereas Tampa plays five of their next eight against similar teams. The home ice advantage also goes toward Tampa as they play 3/4 of their remaining matches at home, as the Thrash do four at home and four on the road. What really needs to be the factor is that the bigger team needs to stand tall right now. Despite however you look at the circumstances surrounding these upcoming eight games, each game day must be met with a clean slate. Focusing too much on extraneous factors will only take a toll on the members of a team, if not the entire team. The Thrashers absolutely must not fold at this point in the season. Hopefully we got all of that garbage out of the way during the February road trip, or February altogether. At least we don't have Mike Dunham as the stalwart goaltender this season. No choking allowed, boys. Worry about where you are in the conference after the season... or don't worry about it at all! Just come to the rink each game day and PLAY - it really is that simple.



Strong Isle REP-RAZENT!
First, he finally jumped the hurdle and made it into camp last summer. Then he got signed. Now, it's Dave Caruso - "hometown" favorite. This was a great story for Jeff Francouer (sp?) with the Braves a few years ago... in a town that's kinda crazy about baseball. But for a hockey goalie to make it... from GEORGIA... IN Georgia? I can't say it enough about this story, and I only hope that it continues to pan out for the guy - but this is so awesome.

Damn, here's where the bias comes into play!

Off the bat, I heard that Caruso was right out of school - I graduated from school last December, so I feel ya on that one, Dave. After I got word that he was originally from Long Island, I found out this guy is officially my homeboy. And then there was this article that hit the presses today, saying he is from not just Long Island, but Hicksville. Instantly, there were tears in my eyes. If only he were Polish, then it would be over. But seriously, this is the ultimate story of someone from my hometown making it, and making it HERE. Anytime there is any word of someone from your hometown, your high school, etc. making a splash, you follow it. Hell, I never even went to the school, but because I'm tied to it by my girlfriend's family (because she went there, as well as her brother, and her mom teaches right by there), I will always follow Calvin Johnson because he's a graduate of Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone.

The moral of this story is that anyone can make it anywhere. There are times when that's incredibly hard to believe, but it's so relieving to know that things like this really do happen. Keep it up, Dave, we're pulling for ya!

Dangerous Fins, Bite?
Tomorrow's matchup at Philips includes a skirmish with a pretty powerful Sharks team from San Jose - second in their division and sixth in the West. In the middle of a four game east-coast trip, these Sharks will also be in the hunt for more. The Dallas Stars are only one point behind them in the division and San Jose is only one point behind fifth place Minnesota. This is still a crucial game for the Thrashers, so there's no need to go into the details about this game for them. This game won't pan out like a typical mid-season game, like how it was when Anaheim came to town back in January. So don't expect San Jose to come out flat. They have one of the best power play units in the league and a great one-two goalie tandem with Nabokov and Toskala. Dominant forwards Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Milan Michalek, and Johnathan Cheechoo stand strong, along with new acquisition Bill Guerin. They also have a great young crop of players, including Steve Bernier, Matt Carle, and recent scoring threat Ryane Clowe. This isn't a team to second guess, that's for sure. It'll prove to be a great game. The Sharks play tonight against struggling Chicago, then get a few zzz's in time for the Atlanta game, which'll feature a Thrashers team that's rested since Sunday's winning performance against Buffalo. While it could take a while for the goalies to get a little warmed up (especially since SJS loves to rotate their goalies), I'm sure the offense will take charge and early scoring should be rewarded come the end of the game. We'll see how this one pans out... hopefully I can get my paws on some tickets and make it up to the Phil for some Thrashin'.