Wow, so THAT was a game! It was apparent that Huet was not even a blip on Montreal's radar tonite. That just goes to show you how crucial goaltending is in this sport. While Huet was struggling before his season-ending injury, he is still a force to be reckoned with, and that was proven when he (and I guess the rest of the Habs, too) dominated the last time the Thrash hosted 'em back in January.
Starting tonite was 21 year-old rookie Jaroslav Halak, someone who the Canadiens suggested would be their man in the net to make their run to the playoffs... over somewhat-seasoned David Aebischer, who really is more successful as a backup. This decision ended up killing the Canadiens' nite as the Thrashers seemed to find ways to score five unanswered goals halfway through the game on only 15 shots. I couldn't help but feel bad for the guy as the fourth Thrashers goal by Belanger just sailed into an open net as a result of a complete defensive breakdown of Montreal. But the rest of the Thrashers' tallies were great marks that, most importantly, stood for an entire 60 minutes.
Two things about the Thrashers really impressed me during this game:
a. After going into the third up by a five goal margin, Atlanta kept their cool and didn't try to outplay Montreal and go for the senseless kill. The kind of play demonstrated in the third was a strong, consistent, and, yes, SMART. There were opportunities that the Thrashers could've started something, but they didn't. There was a realization that, "Hey, we're up huge against a team that we've stumbled against a few times in the past... let's not eff this up, boys!" I never felt this lead was in jeopardy, and that's saying something considering the Thrashers are/were a team that is/was known for blowing any kind of lead going into the third halfway during this season. Three-goal leads weren't any safer than a one-goal margin a month or so ago. Now, there's something about the players in Blueland Blue that eminates the feeling of, well, SECURITY. For once, can I get an AMEN?!
b. At the end of the second period, during a stoppage of play, Kovy was pissed at some comment from (I presume) Bouillon, and that started some skirmishing in the Canadiens' defensive zone. A few pushes and shoves later, it was evident that something else was brewing here and Keith Tkachuk came to Kovy's side and manhandled Bouillon to the ground. I mean, for a player that was acquired less than two weeks ago to come to the aid of a new teammate, I saw it as huge. It's been said over and over again that Tkachuk believes in the Thrashers chances for the playoff push in April. This kind of camaraderie (sp?) was so encouraging and made me feel like that kind of, uh, "brotherhood" would fit in nicely when the free agency window opens July 1. Could Tkachuk make for a great captain of the next, uh, successful wave in Blueland? I'm just sayin' here, kids.
As a whole, I was very impressed with the play tonite. It was a different team on the ice today than what was represented on Tuesday. This team had an objective from the get-go and played until the game's outcome was already decided. This team had no plans of letting go of the stranglehold lead they established at the midway point and never turned back. A little teamwork and "I've got your back" mentality went a long way and some players really proved their value to the rest of the squad as well as the fans in attendance. The next game is Saturday nite in Florida against familiar foes, the Panthers yet again. Here's to hoping that we really show ourselves then, just as we did Blueland proud this evening.
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