vs. Slugs - 2007/02/06

What really drove me crazy about this game was, a. seeing too much of the above, only sub out Kotalik for Briere, and, b. yeah, the crowd.

I do initially regret the timing of this post because this is happening two days after the game and my memory of how things played out is kinda fuzzy. About the game, since I've apparently started a trend here, two things really stick out: a. how much Daniel Briere is a tool (in a purely competitive way), and, b. how the third Sabres goal was just karma acting against us... for some reason unknown to me or the team at this point.

The stuff about Briere that gets me the most is the ridiculous, over-the-top fist-pumps after the goals he scored. I know, I know - it's all out of passion and I won't deny that. And, believe me, I love it when I see Kovalchuk go nutty after scoring a crucial goal. As a matter of fact, I've envisioned myself doing one of those knee-to-the-ground, fist-in-the-air kinda poses... well, that would happen after I get a powerful strike in bowling, but that never seems to happen when I plan out the celebration. Regardless, I love seeing passion in the game and Briere had it. If he were on the Thrashers, he'd be a savior. As a member of the Sabres, he's a tool. That's just how it is.

And about that third Buffalo goal - total crap. Granted, I saw the "penalty" against deVries from the other side of the rink, but it definitely did not look like a clear hook on Max (if that's who it was, which I'm pretty sure it was him)... or much of a hook at all. You know, I would've settled for an old-fashioned penalty kill and it was looking just like that... until the blunder by Sutton that basically cost us the game. Without much around him and a puck that was not obstructed in the slightest, he attempted to push the puck out of the zone or just away from the opposition. Instead? He completely whiffs at it, it magically goes into Buffalo's possession, and Briere takes care of the rest. And cue the previous paragraph.

That goal made me so mad at just about everything in the world. It's probably a good thing for you readers (if any!) that this post is delayed only because it would've been a rant fest that would've featured a pissed-off blogger. Yeah, we all want that.

Uh, what?

A few words with regard to the crowd from that night, too... seriously, where did all of those fans come from? During that first period, I forgot where I was because there was soooo much Buffalo support there and they definitely made their presence known. An assortment of jerseys (confused team, I say), signs, and rampant Buffalo-themed chants were all over the place and stayed that way until the third when the Thrashers fans could finally have the energy (and getting over the shock) to at least even out the so-called "home ice advantage". Early on, it was very scary, as I've never encountered an arena that was filled with so many fans from the opposition before. As we got through the game, though, I really felt like were were at, like, game five of the playoffs... with all of the back-and-forth fans had with each other, as well as the scoring and playmaking. It was ridiculous. I heard talk that some of those fans were actually bussed in - from where?

I mean, if all of those bandwagoneers were from the Atlanta area (probably transplants, but whatevs), seriously why go into an arena where you live and openly be jerky and ass about being a fan of the visiting team? Sure, I'm a New York Mets fan. But when they come to Turner, I don't become overtly pricky about where my allegiances lie. I don't have a need to seek safety in numbers - I do all of the celebrating to myself, or it spills over to my family members. More often than not, the Braves own the Mets, so I really don't have much celebrating to do in the first place! But with saying that, I just don't see how all of those Buffalo fans at the game were from out of town, were into Buffalo for yearrrrrs, and safely went to their North Atlanta home after the game, had a nice night of victory sleep (the best kind!), and further continued their lives IN GEORGIA the next day. This mentality spilled out everywhere after the game and it really blew my mind. From almost seeing a fist-fight in the food court to reciprocating chants while killing time waiting for a MARTA train (that took FOREVERRRR, BTW), I've never witnessed more punkish behavior from a specific group of fans before. While it was nice to see the crowd feeling the game and really getting into it, let it die soon afterwards. When the Thrash tore it up on Long Island back in November, yeah, I won't lie, I let out a few "Let's Go Thrashers" chants in the parking lot that weren't too over-the-top (subjective there). But I let my jersey do the talking the rest of the night. There's no need for opposing fans to have continual knives in their back as they leave their HOME arena. Ridiculous.

Let's just hope it isn't as vicious on March 18 when the Slugs return to the Phil for what is sure to be an important meeting for these two teams.

vs. Flyers - 2007/02/03

Wow, so that was another miserable effort by a team that looks like it's losing some of it's mojo, and for sure some of its lead in the standings. After trying to deal with terrible traffic and an even worse parking situation, I missed the entire first period. The first goal sounded like it was primiarily Kari's fault and we ended up catching the Kovalchuk tally and then somehow made our way through maze-esque parking lots and meandering through thousands of cars and other misled cattle, err, people.

I mean, we were able to score some pretty amazing seats for the game, but I just wish that the Thrashers gave us reason to celebrate. This game was mediocre, mildly stated. The power play is in shambles, any kind of special teams that we have really appears non-existant, and our defense seems to be more effective at planting roots into the ice at Philips than actually moving around and trying to work the opposition. What comes to mind with these problems is not the players - I really feel that there is something that isn't being activated by Coach Hartley. I just don't see how we have all of the talent in the world and we cannot do a damned thing on the power play, ESPECIALLY on the 5-on-3 opportunities that should be no-brainers. Luckily for us, we only took three penalties last night, so who knows how well the penalty kill units would've worked if they were actually put to the task. But the issue with the power play is mind-boggling.

It really does appear that the team is disintegrating or becoming disabled. We're not being figured out by the worst teams in the league, we're just not playing to the potential that we know we have. The last thing the Flyers are concerned about is watching hours of tape to try to figure out the first-place Thrashers and how to topple their system. If it was a legitimate playoff race, I could see the sense of urgency for the Flyers squad. Seeing how they are the WORST IN THE LEAGUE in terms of standings/points, the Flyers had nothing to lose, didn't care about what happened, and actually played. I'm sure if they were down a few goals, morale would've dipped and the game would've been our's. But then again, who knows, considering we have little evidence that the Thrashers know the definition of what a "comfortable lead" is!

Yes, I'm very frustrated. I'm neither a coach nor a trained hockey-wiz, but I know that something needs to be done to light a fire up the collective ass of the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team. Last night, I saw very little emotion brought to the ice and lack of spirit brings lack of drive. Why push for anything more if you don't feel it inside? All of the mistakes and mishaps this team has endured this season are purely mental errors. Maybe getting rid of Hartley and bringing in someone more qualified like, say, Dr. Phil would have more of an effect on the Thrashers mindset than what Hartley is currently exuding.

While it is hard to believe that there were any positives to the evening, GM Don Waddell's appearance to the crowd (regardless of how big/small) for the 680 post-game show was a bold move... commendable, even. A lot of fans would love to get their chance with DW and just put him up in front of a firing squad and the chance was there last night. Granted, I also missed a bunch of the post-game show due to the five-mile trek back to the core of the earth for my car, but what I did hear sounded like the situation was neutralized. DW mentioned that something needs to happen to bring either more defensive aspects to the team or a notable center to get this team moving in the direction that it should be. Funny, because I really thought the rotation of Kapanen/Rucchin/Metropolit at center was working for a while... hmm... right.

I did notice this morning that the great Thrashers Talons site analyzed some figures after the Islanders debacle from Thursday night. There are a couple of entries that bring attention to different aspects of the team and, as always, are very interesting and especially enlightening. This is good for someone like me who doesn't have the time to plug in numbers into my so-called "correlational calculator" and make connections from that. Another post looms on the horizon has The Falconer aims to be coach for a minute and make suggestions for the team that would not address any trade/player-movement issues. Sounds good to me! Keep your eyes tuned there as I'm sure that's coming up later on tonight.