What went wrong the last three games?
I’m a little late with the blog this morning, but it was a quick practice and I was doing some research for my next story – a look at what went wrong these last three home games. Let me know your thoughts.
The one piece of news from the practice was that Ron Hainsey left after a few minutes. I’m not sure what the problem is but coach John Anderson described Hainsey as “day-to-day.”
All the fowards were dressed in same color practice jerseys, but the lines looked like they remained the same from Thursday night.
Antropov-Peverely-Afinogenov
Kozlov-White-Little
Armstrong-Reasoner-Kane
Boulton-Krog-Thorburn
I will check back and see what you guys think of the issues the last few games. I can tell you the players all say they can’t fall behind early as they have.
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98 comments Add your comment
J.B.
October 30th, 2009
1:10 pm
This is an easy one. These guys are starting out flat over and over and don’t get in the game until 20-30 minutes in.
There’s no reason for that at all; it doesn’t even make any sense; there’s no logic in it. You’d assume they’d have the most energy right at the begining of the game. PLAY 60 MINUTES!!! I’ll say it again… PLAY 60 MINUTES!!!
There’s no reason why they can’t or shouldn’t start out with guns blazing with 19:59 left in the 1st period and keep it going until the clock reads 0:00 at the end of the 3rd. Like Colby said, it’s like they’re standing around watching… WHY? For the love of God, WHY? PLAY 60 MINUTES!!!
Wouldn’t it be interesting if there was a way to tie how much a player gets paid to the Time On Ice where that player is giving maximum effort (i.e., Give a Crap Level, thank you John Anderson)? You don’t go all out, you don’t get paid for that shift. I know there’s no way to measure that, but it’s an applicable motivating scenario here.
Damn I’m frustrated. Maybe these guys do need a roadtrip; that worked well last time…
Russian
October 30th, 2009
1:18 pm
What’ s wrong with last Three games?
Easy. You can not win a game if you are down by 3 goals.
It is almost imposible to win. If some NHL team make a big come back that Hot News. Simple. You have to score first and keep pressure to other team.
Bob
October 30th, 2009
1:41 pm
I think a large factor is the quality of clubs they faced the last three games, San Jose and the Caps are in the top 3 or 4 teams in the league.
And it seemed that they got away from playing the system and just plain weren’t skating hard. When you’re facing a superior opponent and you are getting outworked, you lose.
Barry
October 30th, 2009
2:03 pm
They are starting to fall into bad habits of having a slow start. They know and coaches know they need to have a better start, but sometimes that sub conscious kicks in and they start doing the same thing automatically. Something needs to change at start of the game to get them out of the funk whether it’s a fight or just everyone telling themselves over and over must outwork the opposition and start putting pressure on immediately. They need to do something to change the culture of the starts of games instead of falling back into the same patterns again.
Smoothie
October 30th, 2009
2:11 pm
Stop trying to be so precise and perfect and make the simple play! (See Evander Kane on almost every time he touches the puck) Hustle after the puck and FREAKIN’ HIT SOMEBODY!! Impose your will early and try to get the other team on its heels. Get some early face-offs in the O-zone and then work on your pretty passing AFTER WINNING THE DRAW.
But early in a game you need to get some pucks to the net when the opportunity presents itself…too many times a Thrasher player pulls up and looks for the cross-ice pass (ahem, cough Max cough) when they could simply drive the net, get the puck deep or get behind the net and look for a streaking forward. The Caps took away the secondary wave by exploiting our tendency to float and look for a play…you get flat-footed and bang! Turnover, breakout, odd-man rush and bad things: goal / penalty / momentum shift.
kuhdfs
October 30th, 2009
2:13 pm
the thrashers have had the same problem for the last 10 years. they need to score at least 4 goals per game to have a chance to win because they always average giving up at least 3+ per game.
kracker
October 30th, 2009
2:14 pm
We owe Ott some payback for losing there already this season. For that matter, we owe the Habs similar payback. Bob made the point that the Thrash just played two top teams in three games, the last two missing Kovalchuk. They lost but we weren’t totally outclassed without Kovalchuk. But it’s just like we say about getting wins in a sloppy fashion – losses are losses.
The next few ages are against lesser teams than the Caps and Sharks. The Thrash simply have to digest losing the Kaptain, get past it and find a way not to fall behind by multiple goals early in the game.
Tony C.
October 30th, 2009
2:46 pm
Also playing ONE game a week isn’t really doing us any favors.
Timmy F.
October 30th, 2009
3:06 pm
Two Answers:
1) Little White Russian is a terrible, god-awful line at even-strength. Really, really bad. No, really.
2) Armstrong and Peverley have the best natural chemistry on our team, apart from perhaps Bogosian and Enstrom. Splitting them up is a bad, bad idea.
I’ll blog about this on BWA over the next few days. These two things drive me bonkers.
Sam
October 30th, 2009
3:09 pm
Its 4 games. We lost in Montreal, plus the home losses to Washington twice and San Jose. A “loser point” is called that for a reason.
1) Inconsistent goaltending. Waddell suspected this in the summer when Kari had back surgery and Pavs had knee surgery, Never was addressed. Never has been satisfactorily addressed in the 10 yrs of the franchise.
2) Shaky 5th and 6th D-men ..primarily Popovic, who made Schubert go from decent to scrambling, just to cover their butts.
3) No team play. Very little chemistry…with the exception of Pevs, Kane and Army. These guys don’t know each other’s tendencies on the ice or don’t trust each other or don’t believe in the system they’re playing. Lots of individual effort. Lots of individual talent. But no flow as 5-man units.
4) Lots of untapped resources: Little last season scored 30 goals (no goals this season). Slava had 26 G, 50 A last season (no goals this season). Nik Antropov 28G, 31 A. (No goals this year) Army 22G, 18 A.(1 goal this season) These guys are all professionals…they all put forth the effort. What’s coaching doing to draw the talent out?
5) Face-offs: In essence, we lost Christensen who rocked the FO circle with a team-best winning FO percentage of 55%..and added Antropov, who’s at a miserable 38.5% wins. White, for all he’s brought to the game this season, is still below his FO avg of last season (51%) , winning only 46% of FO’s so far this season. A puck-possession system requires …er…puck possession….especially in shorthanded situations and late-game FO’s in our zone.
Yankee
October 30th, 2009
3:48 pm
Play 60 minutes! That’s it. Play 60 minutes! Most of the hooking calls that I saw were lazy, oh crap I’m getting beat, let me try to catch-up penalties.
I also agree with Smoothie on Max. He had a breakaway last night, got slightly turned and instead of still shooting at the goalie (he was only a few feet away), he turned to look and passed to someone who had a defender in front of him. I jokingly thought he probably was looking for Kovy. Take the dang shot!
The Earl of Bud
October 30th, 2009
4:02 pm
So who here still thinks Max is a good player to have on our team for only $800 thousand? Will anyone log on now as “Max the Great” and say wonderful things about him?
Now you are starting to understand my rants about him and that its not just World Be Free and I being “biased Buffalo guys” against Afinogenov. This is Max, get used to it. Circles the zone, dangles the puck, makes a bad pass, but doesn’t drive to the net. That’s Max for the last 10 freakin’ years and he isn’t going to change now.
Smoothie
October 30th, 2009
4:03 pm
Yankee – all of the lazy hooking penalties are inexcusable. The one on Slater was near the goal in front of Pavy so it may have been a “good” penalty, but I expect Slater to hustle back and not have to use his stick when he likes to use the body. However, I think that was one of the countless times in the first period when we missed badly on a good look at the other end making it that much easier for Wash to break out.
Smoothie
October 30th, 2009
4:06 pm
EOB – y’all were on point with how frustrating Max can be. I used to watch a lot of Sabres games back in 2005-2007 when MA was at the “top” of his game. Having the right linemates is crucial for this experiment to work. Obviously Kozlov and White don’t gel with him, but I think there might be a chance he could work on the 3rd line with Reasoner and Little. Reasoner knows how to read the play and having him stay high on the rush isn’t a bad thing if Little starts going to the net again.
LTHNHIA
October 30th, 2009
4:17 pm
Easy: Play with some freakin passion. Kovy is not the entire team, so quit acting like it. Those teams that hit more, shoot more, pass more, skate more, save more, and protect the goaltender more usually have excellent seasons. End of story.
A27
October 30th, 2009
4:27 pm
Oh I see now. The reason we are losing is because of Max bad play’s.?…?…………………………………………………. LOL
Alan
October 30th, 2009
4:37 pm
What’s wrong? The team doesn’t wake up from their pre-game nap until somewhere around the 10m mark of the second period. That first period start was the most flat I’ve seen them come out in a long time. In the 30 minutes that makes up the first and first half of the second, they were losing 3-0 and being out-shot. That last 30 minutes was something else. They set up one hell of a trap to keep Washington in their own zone, and started out on what would eventually be out-scoring the Caps in the third period, while out-shooting them by a wide margin.
If they could play the entire game like they did the second half of every game, we would almost assuredly win most games.
IllegalCurve.com » Blog Archive » On the Beat: Penney leaves NHLPA, Zdeno Chara is playing well but needs to play great, Kings very happy with goalie Quick, Looking at why Leafs Viktor Stalberg has struggled.
October 30th, 2009
5:07 pm
[...] Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution wonders what’s gone wrong for the Thrashers the last three games. [...]
The Earl of Bud
October 30th, 2009
5:19 pm
“Oh I see now. The reason we are losing is because of Max bad play’s.?…?…………………………………………………. LOL”
Ah yes, the peanut gallery is defending Max………LOL.
Smoothie, keep in mind, when Max had his only point/game years in the NHL (05-06 & 06-07), the Buffalo Sabres went to the Eastern Conference Finals both those years, winning the President’s Trophy one of those years. They rolled 4 lines that could all score. In Max’s only year he scored more than 65 points, Buffalo had 9 different players who had at least 18 goals and if Connolly wasn’t injured they would’ve had a 10th.
If the only way Max is effective is if he is surrounded by that much talent then you can say that about almost any NHL player.
I am ok with him on the 3rd line for now. But for all the Max apologists that were bashing World Be Free and I, I think you can see we aren’t the “biased Buffalo guys” that we were made out to be. What’s worse is that Max is going to stay in the rotation of these changing lines.
Smoothie
October 30th, 2009
5:44 pm
Those Sabres teams were very balanced indeed and they had 3 lines, even 4 at times, that could all score. But I see some similarities in the Thrashers and that’s why I cited those two years for Max to illustrate how he can be productive. He had over 40 assists in both those seasons did he not? But who were his mates? A young Derek Roy and Pomminville?
Of course, I don’t know if Peverley is in Briere’s class when Briere is at the top of his game, but if he keeps up this PPG pace, then he’s a pretty good carbon copy. Kane needs to become our Vanek, Kozlov needs to start scoring again and Little has the potential to score as well or better than Kotalik or Dumont at their best.
But the line combos have to be just right to produce the kind of synergy we need for each line to score consistently. I don’t think JA has figured that out yet. Regardless of how the lines shake out, I think Coach A needs to realize his best centers are Peverley, White or Little and then Reasoner and go from there. Big Nik probably should have been on the wing all along as he’s played there the last 7 years.
How many folks were hoping to see an opening night lineup of the following:
Kovy – Pevs – Antro
Kozzy – White – Little
Kane – Reasy – Army
Having that 5th RW in Afinogenov is disrupting the chemistry. Unless you move Little back to C or let him play his natural wing, which would be left since he is a RH shot. Of course you could say the same thing about Kozlov playing better from the right wall…have no idea why he has been a LW all these years. Probably due to the lack of speed you would like to have in a RW streaking down the “weak” side (away from the bench).
A27
October 30th, 2009
5:45 pm
EOB Im not a Max apologist. My point is there are other players who are not play that great. But Im a nut for not blaming one guy and your rationing makes all the sense in the world. As Dr Evil would say “RIGHT”……………………… HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Earl of Bud
October 30th, 2009
7:50 pm
A27, my point was not that Max was the only one making mistakes and he is the sole person to blame, my point was that he is making all the mistakes that we (WBF & I) said he would make and the team is hurting because of it. If you’ve read any of my “Max rants” the last week you would see how furious I am with the guy and I am kicking my TV everytime he carries the puck into the zone and circles back with it towards the blue line instetad of driving the net.
Smoothie, nice post. I was very disappointed to find out Peverley wasn’t the #1 center. Only problem now is that I like him so much with Kane & Army that I don’t want that line touched. Why not go with that line, our original #1, and then put Reasoner back on the 3rd line with White & Kozlov.
Kov-Lit-Antro (may switch C & RW positions)
Kane-Pev-Army
Koz-White-Reas (may switch the positions depending who can play RW)
Boult-Slater-Thor
pressbox: Max & Krog
The Earl of Bud
October 30th, 2009
7:55 pm
Smoothie, forgot to say, Kozlov does much better on the right wall on the PP only. In that case he is not streaking down the side, but rather we set up our umbrella and his stick side is closer to the net but due to the man advantage he can work easier with it. At even strength he can’t do that. This is true for most players in the league except the great snipers (Kovalchuk, Ovechkin, etc.) who want the stick side on the inside to get off the quick one timers (which you can do easier on the PP so that’s when Kozlov line up there) as well they are great puck handlers a lot of times.
Old coach used to always say have the stick on the outside so you can shield as well.
jared
October 30th, 2009
10:34 pm
Max needs to finish he looks pretty but then (just as every buffalo fan claimed) he gives up the puck for a turnover. we are playing foolishly.
Smoothie
October 31st, 2009
12:58 pm
EOB – good points about why more forwards don’t play with their stick to the inside. I guess I take it for granted how supremely talented guys like Kovy and Ovechkin are in dangling the puck on the inside off the wall. Even Rich Peverley is pretty good at it but he’s never gonna be a great shooter above the dots / hash.
Perhaps they need to move Max over to left wing to minimize his dangling and to stress to him getting pucks deep and not taking chances at the blueline. I’d almost prefer see Kozzy on the RW since he’s a good enough stick handler and more conservative than Max in his decision making. Let’s hope the boys find some good chemistry on the road again. They really need a win.
Dwayne
October 31st, 2009
1:43 pm
Having never seen Max play hockey, unless the team he was on played Atlanta, anyone bashing him for turnovers, bad passes, not shooting and generally screwing up is justified. I see it, you see it, and so does everyone else. My question is, if he is soooo fast, WHY, for the love of JESUS, does he not drive to the net?? scared of getting rode into the post? the wall? WHAT??? WHAT I SAY!!!???? He is not a point guard on a basketball team….SHOOT the puck!!! Everyone at the Bulb next time the Thrashers are home should carry signs….MAX…SHOOOOOOOT the PUCK. OK, having said that, if his line mates are not fast enough for him, and thats why he pulls up, he should use his speed to carry the puck all the way around the back of the net. It was just a thought…15 minutes till puck drop time.
Hockey Biltong
October 31st, 2009
2:18 pm
Ok we have spoken about offense towards the opposing net, now lets look at how the puck is brought out from behind our net.
We look like slugs, with people holding the puck waiting for other players to position themselves. Which sets up tons of pick offs from the bad guys.
Over and over we would get near our blue line or the red line only to lose possesion with predictable and poorly timed passes. We are intimidated and frankly, playing without the proper connectivity that was there last year.Guys are looking lost with no anticipation for a pass up the middle or a bounce pass off the boards.
Hopefully more games will put a salve on this malaise, before rot sets in……
Smoothie
October 31st, 2009
2:48 pm
And I “child” shall lead them…Zach Bogosian taking this team on his shoulders. Zach gives Thrashers their first lead in 2 weeks (hadn’t lead a game since 10/17 vs the Sabres) on a sly wrister.
Peverley and Antropov with some decent chances before and after the goal, at least from what I can tell listening on the radio. Hopefully the boys will continue to pressure Leclaire and get some rebounds now that they have a 1 goal lead…might take some of the pressure off and get them playing looser.
Dwayne
October 31st, 2009
2:59 pm
Thrashers look pretty good, not slow start like games past, played a full 20 minutes. Leclaire robbed Salmela. Opie looking ok too. Commentators say Armstrong is borderline dirty, leaves feet when hits and always catches head. Said Boulton lost fight with Neil first game…anyone remember?
Smoothie
October 31st, 2009
3:11 pm
Dwayne, thanks for the report, are u watching it on CentreIce or NHL Gamecenter Live?
Don’t think anyone remembers Boults v. Neil since the game wasn’t even televised in Canada. Too bad Salmela couldn’t get that two goal lead. We’ve played really well with 2 goal leads on the road. Fingers are double crossed!
The Earl of Bud
October 31st, 2009
4:01 pm
Smoothie, I think it was you said it earlier though, Kozlov doesn’t have the speed anymore to go blazing down the side.
Dwayne, we have been asking that question in Buffalo for 10 years. Literally, we thought we had the next Pavel Bure on our team. But Max just doesn’t drive to the net.
Ok, for obvious reasons I don’t want to talk about some things going on in the game now. But I will say this. JA has got to put the Greek gods line out sooner. We were outshot 10-1 at one point in the 2nd period. White came down the side with a good shot but that was it. Then the gg line comes out, it totally changed the momentum and we picked up the only goal of the period. Antropov might not score goals right now but he is racking up assists. Peverley had a great tip-in but he was bailed out earlier for making a bad mistake – never make a cross ice pass in your own zone. Although he put it right on the stick of Michalek (who made a nice play to jump up and read the play) Peverley was bailed out. More on that later.
Canadian tv giving good pub to the Thrashers. Nice bit on Peverley and his parents in the stands and his multi year deal.
The Earl of Bud
October 31st, 2009
4:29 pm
WHAT A STUPID PENALTY BY MAX!!!
The Earl of Bud
October 31st, 2009
4:40 pm
I guess we need Max to be completely by himself to get one like that!
Smoothie
October 31st, 2009
4:47 pm
EOB – how strange that it would be Mad Max with the game-sealing breakaway goal? It’s gonna be very manic – depressive watching Crazy Legs in Thrashers blue this year. Perhaps playing with Peverley will be good for him though. Wow, what a performance by Pavelec today…50 freakin’ saves…are you kidding me??
Zach
October 31st, 2009
4:49 pm
Pavs 50 saves! are you kidding me. I bet waddle is on the horn right now taking calls for kari
The Earl of Bud
October 31st, 2009
4:51 pm
Ok, now that I can’t jinx the guy (although the shutout was already ruined awhile ago) I can say now that there is only 1 reason we won today – Ondrej the Giant
It is a shame this game was blacked out here because he stood on his head and only a few people got to see it. Even the commentators were saying how good he was and that it wasn’t just that he was making saves, but it was all kinds of different shots: bombs from the point, tipped shots, breakaways, you name it. I said earlier at one point in the 2nd we were outshot 10-1, it got up to 13-1 I think, and he kept us in the game. We had no business being in the lead 2-0 at the 2nd intermission, we should’ve been down 3-1 at least.
I just looked at the scoresheet and we were outshot 18-5 in the 2nd and 25-3 in the 3rd after outshooting the Sens 13-8 in the 1st. We still can’t play 60 minutes. We just switched which period we play well in while getting it handed to us the other period(s).
The only goal that Pavelec let in was while we were giving up a 5-3 powerplay and when it went in even the commentators sarcastically said “gee, he couldn’t stop that one too?”
No goalie can play like that every night so we need to change something fast.
The Earl of Bud
October 31st, 2009
4:56 pm
Smoothie, if you saw that goal he finally did exactly what he was supposed to do, GO TO THE NET MAX!!! But the only reason I think he did it instead of dangling the puck in the zone was because Peverley set him up on such a wide open breakaway that he had no choice but to go to the net.
Oh yeah Smoothie, I forgot to say earlier since we were talking about which side wingers should play on – I thought of you last night because I was watching the Sabres game on reply and Vanek is a LW but shoots right. But since he has averaged about 40 goals/year outside of his first year in the league (where he still got 25 as a rookie), I think he qualifies as “sniper” too. Now I am going to look at this all the time.
Smoothie
October 31st, 2009
4:58 pm
Tough to be positive despite the win after that pathetic effort in the early part of the 2nd period and total prevent defense approach in the 3rd. I hope to God that doesn’t mean the psyche of the team is so fragile at this point that JA felt he had no other choice but to tell his troops to play it tight to the vest and sit on the lead. Of course, starting the period a man down always sets a bad tone. Eliot said the hook on Peverley at the end of the 2nd was utter BS and from his unusually slanted opinion, the refs were awful today and every call just about was through red and black colored glasses. Eliot said there were several missed picks and interference plays by the Sens which would certainly help them keep the puck in our zone so much. Who knows? I just hope the hell getting two points gets this team off the mental schnide and carries over for a complete, 60 minute effort against the Habs in Montreal.
Smoothie
October 31st, 2009
5:00 pm
I hear ya, I’m gonna be looking at the left and right wings like a hawk eyes prey every time I watch a hockey game now. And yes, Vanek has definitely entered the rarified air of dangerous sniper in the NHL. They made a good decision in making sure they matched that offer sheet!
Dwayne
October 31st, 2009
5:06 pm
awesome game..Opie was awesome, 2 bad penalties, Max’s and Kubina, with Opie in a zone, no reason to panic, as those 2 did. causing Opie not to get the shutout. Actually waiting on Stendecs post now. Atlanta played 60 minutes, even tho Sens peppered Opie, no one gave up, didn’t do a good job of clearing the puck, Max looks like he picked his nose alot as a kid, those nostrils are really big, does he wear make up?? He has great skin if not. Lets defer the rest of our home games to road game, or maybe play on nuetrul ice(field), kinds like the dawgs and gators do
The Earl of Bud
October 31st, 2009
5:12 pm
Sadly Smoothie I thought they should have taken that money and given it to Drury or Briere who are both way over paid now. I’ll admit I was way off on that one in that they kept the right guy.
Yeah we only had I think 1-2 PPs today which is low. There was a time or two which I thought they missed one. Antropov was given another assist in addition to the 2nd goal, so he has 10 points in 10 games. I don’t think we can complain that he hasn’t scored a goal. And Peverley had another multi-point game giving him 13 points in 10 games.
The Earl of Bud
October 31st, 2009
5:17 pm
“Actually waiting on Stendecs post now.”
Classic. The greatest game by a goalie all year and he doesn’t get to see the blacked out game. No one can keep up that pace like Pavelec played at today so Stendec will be back for sure.
Smoothie
October 31st, 2009
5:22 pm
What more can we say about Peverley? Wow, he’s the re-manifestation of Marc Savard without the bad penalties and bad attitude. I almost feel bad that he didn’t hold out for more money, but I appreciate him even more for being so selfless by signing for $1.3 M per season. Makes Colby A look catastrophically overpaid although I know how invaluable Army is when it comes to the little things and intangibles etc.
I kinda thought Drury would be the type of guy to take less money and give the Sabres the home-town discount, but being from CT, perhaps the lure of playing at the Garden in NYC was too much for him to pass up. It worked out for the Sabres I think as Roy has proven to be a better offensive player (not bad at both ends of the ice really) and a healthy Connolly is more than adequate as a 2nd line C. Do you think Regier would entertain a trade in which we give them Hainsey, White and Lehtonen for TMyers and Pomminville to play RW? j/k
Can you imagine a blueline of Bogey / Myers and Enstrom / Kubina? Problem is that 3rd pairing needs some stability. Postma will help eventually, but how about Chelios and Schubie for now? Did I just type that? The man is amazing when you think about it…outskating all the young whipper-snappers down in Chicago…great for Postma, Lewis and Oystie to learn from.
Brendan
October 31st, 2009
5:32 pm
Good thing Max got the insurance goal, huh?
The Earl of Bud
October 31st, 2009
5:37 pm
Schneider tutored Bogosian, now Chelios can tutor Postma. As much as I still follow the Sabres, the one thing that makes me sick about Tyler Myers is how easy he “gets it” and Boris doesn’t. Look at them, they are the exact same player on paper. But Myers is the missing piece to that team this year. He actually beat out Evander Kane for the MVP in the juniors last year so we shouldn’t be surprised, and look how great Kane is doing already.
I hope that Little-Kovalchuk will be here for years to come, and if we can get Peverley-Kane to reach their potential, that would be a great 1-2 punch. With all the young studs on D and if Pavelec can play like he did today, I won’t be so gloomy. Lots of ifs for a team not doing too well now.
The Earl of Bud
October 31st, 2009
5:44 pm
“Good thing Max got the insurance goal, huh?”
Yeah, we covered that, but here’s why it won’t happen that often in the future. He was so wide open from Peverley’s set up play that he had no choice BUT to go to the net instead of dangling the puck in the zone like he loves to do.
Also, a big reason why he was able to get behind the defense like that off of Peverley’s feed was because there was less than 2 minutes left in a one goal game and Ottawa had both defensemen pressing hard in the zone. For the rest of the game or if we don’t have the lead, Max won’t get behind the defense that easy because the defense won’t be pinching in so much like how they got caught today with 1:30 left in a one goal game.
What did Max do for the other 58 minutes? The only other time he will show up in the highlights was for that extremely stupid penalty that put Ottawa on the PP and got them back in the game.
Smoothie
October 31st, 2009
5:49 pm
I agree totally EOB. The future of the Thrashers lies with those 4 players on offense and the quartet of D-men we have now and eventually, I hope, Bogosian, Enstrom, Postma and ??? Actually the Hainsey / Kubina pairing is perfectly fine, but not sure about the $9.5 M / year pricetag. At some point, one of them has to go. It will be interesting to see if we opt to trade Hainsey and re-sign Kubina once Postma is deemed ready.
As for the future line combos, I agree with those pairings as a starting point. Who will be the guy or guys out of Chicago to make an impact in the next 2 seasons? Kozek? Machacek? Espo? Gotta hope Esposito can realize that potential.
Kovy – Little – Antropov
Kane – Pevs – Armstrong
Machacek – Esposito – Max??
I think Rylan Kaip has the “edge” to challenge Boulton next year in camp. Boulton is getting up there in age and Kaip seems to be fitting in nicely there in Chi-town.
Max the Great
October 31st, 2009
5:58 pm
I score insurance goal. I make up for bad game.
Earl of Bud is broken record. He must be Sage Of Blueland brother.
Viking
October 31st, 2009
6:20 pm
Even after this win it still feels a little gloomy after a game with such awful shot stats and the loosing streak in mind we just have endured. However, I bet it is even gloomier in other places. How about 8 losses in a row for Hurricanes? Thrashers still have more wins, in spite of less games played than Detroit and Anaheim, whose fans have been spoiled by success in the past.
Dwayne
October 31st, 2009
6:52 pm
Viking….great point, lets go the Detroit blogs and demand they move to Winnipeg.
The Earl of Bud
October 31st, 2009
10:55 pm
“Earl of Bud is broken record.”
No duh! Of course I’m a broken record. Every time Max does one of his stupid plays I come on here and post about what a dumb play he made. So of course I am posting the same thing over and over and over again to the point of being a broken record. Can you see the cause and effect here?
Viking, you are correct. With the win today we are in 8th place and games in hand.
Smoothie, I think we cut Kubina after his deal is up. But Hainsey is only in his 20’s, along with guys like Salmella & Popovic. So there is time to let Postma and maybe Kulda develop in Chicago and then come up here. Not sure if Kulda is going to make the jump but he had the potential.
Also Smoothie, while I am worried about Esposito ever making the jump, O’Dell & Morin look like the real deal in juniors at least. I am going to try to see them play this year. Antropov is also only in his 20’s so he could be here for another 1/2 decade, Army is a good role player, so I am hopeful. We also have another goalie who is leading the juniors in GAA right now so the system has some depth to it.
But we have to fix what we are doing now or will never have a chance.
scottbravesfan
November 1st, 2009
1:26 am
Pavelec was sick today for the Thrashers. Would have been nice if Thrashers fans in the south could have actually seen the game without center ice.
Brendan
November 1st, 2009
10:37 am
Scottbravesfan, but this is why everyone should have Center Ice. First, it’s well worth $40 a month for four months. Second, this game, and more games just like it, justifies the expense. You cannot otherwise see the Thrashers, absent boarding a plane, with a passport, to Ottawa. And it’d probably be a good idea to have your ticket bought and paid for prior to boarding that flight. Have fun catching the taxi from the airport to the Arena. And I hear concessions prices in Ottawa are even worse than what they are at Philips Arena. Total price for transportation to Airport, flight, taxi to and from the Arena, concessions, and ticket equals? Don’t answer! The moment any of that exceeds $160, it’s too much. Those with Center Ice sat in their comfy homes, with a beverage of their choosing, and maybe ordered a pizza. Probably muttering to themselves, “I’m so glad I have Center Ice.” Then they stood before a mirror, pointing to their brains, smiling … while saying, “Another great decision.”
Sadly, I believe, the “early bird” special is now over. I don’t know what the full-price will be. My guess is $170. In late December/early January, Center Ice will run a “half-year” promo for $119-$129. Again, well worth it. But … know that your billing cycle will run January to January. And next January, that is January 2011, your Center will shut off in mid-season. And you’ll have to re-order it then.
Speaking of January evaluations, segue to Max Afinogenov. My policy on Max is to evaluate him on January 2nd. By then, we’ll know if he’s bust who should be stashed in the minors, subjecting him to a waiver claim, or re-entry waiver claim, banished to the pressbox for the balance of the season, or outright released, to go play in Russia. Or, I suppose, Atlanta could opt to trade him, if a willing partner could be found. And yet, there are more options. Like? Like keeping him, if he’s doing well. Which, again, is an assessment reserved for January 2, 2010. And not before then. That’s how we avoid being a broken record. January 2010.
Brendan
November 1st, 2009
10:41 am
Ondrej Pavelec was the NHL Network’s “Performer of the Night.”
Joe
November 1st, 2009
1:32 pm
It’s not an excuse, but the Thrashers’ sparse early schedule might mean too much “down” time between games.
Brendan
November 1st, 2009
1:51 pm
I’m not sure, but the Thrashers may have played the least amount of games of any team in the NHL. Some teams have already played 14 times. For Atlanta, out of 20 possible points, the T-birds got eleven (11). That’s not dazzling anyone, but it’s not that bad, either. Seven roads games, right? That’s a lot of down time, like Joe just said.
Dwayne
November 1st, 2009
2:01 pm
Look at yestersday’s win thru Thrasher blue colored glasses. It’s all good. First 10 games, what’s good and what’s bad. A few good points, 5-4-1, Pevs, Antro, road record, Opies GA and save %…Bad, shots on goal, home record, Ilya’s out(but we are 1-1, which is good), attendence, (which might be connected to slow starts, my fault too, I have not made it up there this year), Little, Kozzy and White…..what are yalls thoughts?? Got some time to kill before Tuesday.
a bush league
November 1st, 2009
3:18 pm
“Which, again, is an assessment reserved for January 2, 2010. And not before then. That’s how we avoid being a broken record. January 2010.”
Brendan, for someone promoting Center Ice as the end all problem solver, haven’t you seen Max before in all these Center Ice games you’re watching? Some of us don’t need to wait until January 2010, we have been watching Center Ice for the last 10 years. Every mistake that Max is making right now we have predicted that he would make since we too have Center Ice and have seen him do these things many times before. Perhaps Center Ice would be better for you if you actually watched the games like we do instead of just using your “broken record” line.
Also, 2 out of 3 of Max’s goals have been after the game was won. There is a very important stat in the NHL called “game winning goals”. but there is no such stat call “game sealing goals” or “game cementing goals”. If we are winning 3-1 and a player adds an empty net goal, I would not signify that as a “game sealing goal” because the game was won without that goal. This is why the NHL and the Elias Sports Bureau track “game winning goals”.
Of the 5 games the Thrashers won this year, Peverley has 3 game winning goals, Kane has 1 and White has 1.
If you think that a goal Max scored with the Senators d-men collapsing deep will be scored in the middle of the first period against Ottawa when their d-men are not pressing, then you are sadly mistaken. They were playing back and Max wasn’t able to get behind them that easy. Thus he doesn’t add value when we need it most, and that’s to get the lead during the first 58 minutes of the game.
Joe
November 1st, 2009
3:20 pm
Attendance would be better if we did what Phoenix did- drop ticket prices. Too many people are hurting for money. They could raise prices again if we get in the playoffs. Incentive to win for ownership. What a thought that is.
The Earl of Bud
November 1st, 2009
3:20 pm
A bush league is my sign on for a fantasy league, I did a virus scan and it left that in the box…
ranallo10 (in AT)
November 1st, 2009
4:56 pm
Looks like my post got caught in purgatory…to summarize:
Stop complaining about Afinogenov. We all know you don’t like him. If he makes a good play, you point out the negative, and if he makes a bad play you point out the play as if it was game deciding.
So, let’s come to a conclusion…you don’t like Afinogenov. We know it, you know it, so what’s the point in saying it over and over again? The more you come on to write post after post about Afinogenov the more we see you becoming a less abrasive version of Stendec. I’m sure you’re able to look PAST Afinogenov during games, so maybe you should try to do so.
The Earl of Bud
November 1st, 2009
6:16 pm
ranallo10 (in AT) – let’s come to another conclusion here. World Be Free and I were hammered on this blog for saying things about Afinogenov. People continue to take pot shots at me by signing on under anonymous names saying “Earl of Bud is broken record”.
Why don’t you go after all the people taking potshots at us? What about all the abrasive people who continue to make up these idiotic statistics that Afinogenov is doing oh so well?
If Brendan is going to come on here and put in bold letters that he is dictating to us when we are allowed to make an assessment about Max, I am going to point out the obvious that I have watched the guy long enough and also that I have predicted all these things that I don’t have to wait until January 2010. Outside of his getting injured everything I have said has been true anyway.
So go ahead ranollo10 (in At), keep talking about Afinogenov and keep telling me what I am and am not allowed to complain about, and I will keep talking about Afinogenov and how we were right and you were wrong. Let’s here what you have to say about the people taking potshots at me. Or do you only look in one direction?
Max the Flop
November 1st, 2009
6:18 pm
Earl of Bud correct. Max play bad. Ranollo10 not know. I understand what right now. Bench Max from team. Brendan no watch hockey.
Brendan
November 1st, 2009
7:30 pm
EOB, did Max Afinogenov play for the Atlanta Thrashers for the past 10 years? In the Thrashers systems? With the Thrashers roster that he’s playing with now? That’s why I’m waiting a reasonable period of time to make an assessment of him.
Imagine if I dissected Kovalchuk on a shift-by-shift basis, game-in and game-out? I’d be sitting here saying, “That’s the SECOND goalpost he’s hit this game. He coughed the puck up at center ice, making too many moves, while skating too quickly, trying to do too much by himself.” For the thirteenth game in-a-row.
And then, someone would correctly point out, something HYPOTHETICALLY like, “Brendan, he’s leading the league in goals, on pace for 60.” That’s why … I’m not assessing players on a game-by-game, shift-by-shift manner. As a free speech advocate, I say, “Let EOB evaluate Max on his every hiccup.” If that’s really what you want to do, have at it. In fact, I’ve had a change of heart. I demand, no INSIST, you evaluate Max each and every game. From here on out. I can’t get enough of that.
Get The Puck Out
November 1st, 2009
7:39 pm
I live in north central Ga. and can’t get Center Ice. Cable doesn’t carry. But if it did i’d be glad to have it. Sportsouth has been terrible carrying October games.
R. Stroz
November 1st, 2009
8:48 pm
People continue to take pot shots at me by signing on under anonymous names saying “Earl of Bud is broken record”.
Well, Earl of Bud sounds like an anonymous nickname as well.
Maybe, you should try signing in as Brian, which seems a little less anonymous, considerably more accurate, and would show less cowardice than continuing the facade of The Earl of Brian. Man Up.
Brian, being a former Thrasher employee and being banned on the official Thrasher Boards should tell you something. I don’t see anyone on the official Thrasher Boards begging for the return of Lalalafontaine.
The Earl of Bud
November 1st, 2009
9:10 pm
Brendan,
It seems pretty straightforward though, outside of his getting injured, we predicted all his mistakes, so I don’t see the need for another 2 months of him dangling the puck and turning it over when he has the opportunity to drive to the net.
R. Stroz, LMAO. For your information, The Earl of Bud was a name that 2 people gave me on these very boards, so your “anonymous nickname” cowardice claim is way off. As for your other claims, you are wrong on those as well but that is quite creative. Finally, if “The Earl of Bud” is cowardice due to it’s anonymous nature, then what kind of coward signs on with “R. Stroz”? Not exactly a descriptive name there, eh? WAY TO MAN UP “R. Stroz”
The Earl of Bud
November 1st, 2009
9:26 pm
R. Stroz, in addition to being this other person, I am also known as “Eklund” on even another blog. Click here to read my latest rumors.
You can refer to me as “Mr. Eklund” if you like.
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/
R. Stroz
November 1st, 2009
9:27 pm
Earl of Brian – I hope the Thrashers organization finally took away your employee discount.
Brian you have degenerated into a troll. But please, do tell us every time Max ticks you off, it’s as entertaining as stendec complaining about Lehtonen.
The Earl of Bud
November 1st, 2009
9:52 pm
R. Stroz, I don’t know why I replied comically, because this is actually cool that someone thinks I’m some high ranking official in the NHL. Clearly I am the smartest guy on the blog because afterall, I have an employee discount! This is awesome.
And when I tell everyone when Max ticks me off, should I say something like:
“Why didn’t Afinogenov get an assist on Ovechkin’s second goal?
Oh yeah, different team.”
Oh wait, you already used that line
The Earl of Bud
Director of European Scouting
ranallo10 (in AT)
November 1st, 2009
10:18 pm
I’ll keep my response simple because honestly it’s not worth the effort to type anything ornate.
I understand your opinion of Afinogenov. I would enjoy reading opinions of everyone more if they weren’t continual statements of what has already been made abundantly obvious (you dislike Afinogenov, Stendec hates Lehtonen, etc) and were more constructive towards “dialogue” and not “diatribe”.
As for the potshots I don’t care, because I ignore them. I think you should do the same.
The Earl of Bud
November 1st, 2009
10:27 pm
ranollo10 (in AT), fair enough, I have been going off on the guy but please understand how flippin’ mad I am not just that we picked up a player from my old team that I hate, but now he has been put into our top 6 and we start losing. Imagine moving to Philly, rooting for the Eagles even though you still follow the Falcons, and they pick up Michael Vick. Not that I hate Vick that much but I’m trying to give you an idea of what I am going through.
On the good side, I apparantley have an employee discount and am some sort of member of the front office so this exchange was pretty cool for me. I want a really cool title though and I don’t know if I am settled on director of scouting. If I could only get R. Stroz to float some rumor that I am also dating 3 members of the blue crew, now that would really boost my image around here
R. Stroz
November 1st, 2009
10:31 pm
Well Earl of Brian, I only made ONE negative Max comment on an egregious error. Unlike you, I’ll commend a player when he performs well and diss a player when he performs poorly.
However, I’m flattered that you keep up with every one of my posts. Don’t you have anything better to do than paste every blog entry on your wall. LMAO.
BTW, you were no high ranking official, just a bean counter. I’ll shoot my Thrashers contact an email tomorrow and remind him that you have been receiving an employee discount even though you no longer work for the company. But since you contend that you aren’t a former Thrasher employee, you shouldn’t mind at all.
Clearly, you are nothing more than a troll seeking to be the center of attention. I’m sure the bloggers on the official Thrasher Boards are glad Ben Wright banned you.
The Earl of Bud
November 1st, 2009
10:43 pm
“Don’t you have anything better to do than paste every blog entry on your wall. LMAO.”
You are absolutely correct. So if I am wasting my time by pulling up a quote that was from the previous entry a few days ago, what does that say about someone like yourself who is going through multiple different blogs on entirely different websites and analyzing multiple different names and making accusations that I am another person from another time banned under another name? How long did it take you to do all that?
“I’m flattered that you keep up with every one of my posts.”
Well if you are flattered that I remembered something from a few days ago, then I should be really flattered that you are following me around from website to website and tracking my career and keeping tabs on my various names over a span of what, months, years, a decade?
I am also curious, what was I banned for and why do you think it was me?
The Earl of Bud
November 1st, 2009
10:54 pm
“I’ll shoot my Thrashers contact an email tomorrow and remind him that you have been receiving an employee discount even though you no longer work for the company”
I’m sorry, but if I was some front office employee who raised to the level high enough that I not only have an employee discount but that I kept it even though I have not been working for the company for a long period of time, what makes you think that you can make a phone call to some low level sales person and have it taken away from me. You make absolutely no sense at all.
I am still curious, what makes you think I am another poster under another name and what would I have been banned for?
Brendan
November 1st, 2009
11:25 pm
EOB, I don’t know what to tell you. Max does tend to make those mistakes. And he should have scored in that game (was it Capitals game?) as the final seconds were ticking down. He does have “crazy legs” and he turns the puck over with frequency. But, on the other hand, he’s got 7 points in 10 games and is on pace for sixty (60) or more points for the season, where half of that (30-points) would justify his salary.
So? Does any of this make Max suddenly less likely to turn the puck over or be caught out of position? Probably not. But it is, at least ‘early on,’ a good return for $800,000. If you ask me, ‘what are the expectations for a player making $800,000?’ I’d answer, “32-35 points. 10G, 25A.” And that’s a truthful answer. Insofaras goals are concerned, he’s 30% of the way there, with 72 more games to play. If Atlanta brought up a prospect, for the same salary, could 35-points for the season be anticipated? Could, for the same salary, a prospect deliver 60 or more points for the season? Is Don Waddell dumb as a tack? I would think the answer, insofaras this signing is concerned, is “no.” Would Nikki Zherdev, at $3.1 million, have been a better option? My thought is, “probably so.” But for whatever reason, it never materialized. I say, “bygones.” It cannot be undone. Max is here. Nikki isn’t. Is it Waddell’s fault? Is it the ownership’s fault? Is it both of their faults? Was the sun in anyone’s eyes? Were Bruce Levenson and Don Waddell blinded by Megan Fox’s beauty in “Transformers, Rise of the Fallen” during the offseason? I can’t rightly tell you. They do… frankly … whatever they jolly well want. And seem quite content to live with the consequences.
Personally, I don’t think Max Afinogenov is a top line forward. I’m not entirely comfortable with Max as a 2nd line forward. But I’m not Head Coach John Anderson. Which brings me to this next point. It is an incontestable fact that the NHL does not keep statistics on goals that “salt away games” or “cementing game” goals, or let’s just call them, “insurance goals.” But the Coaching staff takes notice of them. They determine where talent is placed, and regulate their ice-time. If the timeliness and imporance of Max’s three (3) tallies have struck a chord with John Anderson and his staff, I suppose they will act on it.
It does seem like “fair game” to attack Waddell for the signing and/or John Anderson for the placement of Max within the line configurations. Or attacking ownership for not finding BETTER than Max, during the three month-long offseason, in terms of signing free agents. I don’t seem to hear you making that argument, however. I didn’t mean to preempt that. Maybe you were just getting around to that point. In which case, I won’t steal your thunder. Have at it. Curse Waddell and JA and Bruce Levenson up a ‘blue streak.’ If you feel they deserve it.
Changing gears, Carolina has lost AGAIN. I think they’re stuck on seven-points. For some “perspective,” the Toronto Maple Leafs now have six-points. Yeah, that’s how badly Carolina’s start has been. And keeping something else in mind. Their playoff-run ended in the Conference Finals, where they were ousted in four-straight. If they’re 2-8-3 right now, they’re 2-12-3, going back to the Spring. Hey, it’s good news for us! Speaking of good news for us, Washington got up, 4-3, with about 3 minutes left in regulation time, to Columbus. The Blue Jackets got a PP off a slashing call, and Columbus converted on the PP, to force overtime. In OT, the Capitals took yet another penalty. And yes, thank you Columbus!, the Blue Jackets won the game, to deny the Capitals another point. That’s a familiar theme, now, for the Caps. They’ve left a few points on the table. They just lost to the Islanders in overtime, now Columbus, and earlier this season, they dropped a few more in the extra session or shootout, where they couldn’t hold a late 3rd period lead. Hope that trend continues for them.
The Earl of Bud
November 1st, 2009
11:46 pm
Yeah Brendan, you just have to understand the bitterness which only World Be Free can understand and maybe some of the other Buffalo posters. If the guy would just drive to the net he would easily be a 40 goal scorer. You saw the breakaway goal on Ottawa, why doesn’t he do that in the middle of the 2nd period instead of circling back to the blueline???????
I think Waddell’s 1st option was Manny Malhotra. But he had the chance to play with the Sharks and I can’t blame him for taking that opp. Who does that leave us with? I wouldn’t be so bitter if Max was on the 3rd line, but sticking him with Kovalchuk and Antropov and bumping Little down just drove me more nuts. Little and Kovalchuk should be paired together, that’s that. He is the 2nd coming of Savard, then Peverley can develop with Kane and that gives us quite a 1-2 punch.
ranallo10 (in AT)
November 1st, 2009
11:51 pm
$800k for a dangler who doesn’t drive the net sounds about right. If he drove the net and scored 40 goals he’d still be in Buffalo netting $4M annually instead of his “measly” $800k.
The Earl of Bud
November 2nd, 2009
12:00 am
Fair enough, just put Little back up on the top line instead of the measly $800 thousand winger. Little is going to be one of our workhorses for years to come and instead we are, well you know how I feel.
Jimmy Slater is only worth about $800 thou and you guys should know that I love him on this team. But if he was promoted up to the first line ALL of us would be irate because he is only a 4th line center, nothing more, nothing less, but good at what he is called to do.
Brendan
November 2nd, 2009
12:13 am
I can’t blame for Malhotra, either. If Manny really wanted to play here, he would have signed here. When that offer was left on the table for longer than 2 weeks, you know there are problems/issues. I look at a guy like Saku Koivu, who AGREED to a 1-year deal with Anaheim, as a missed opportunity. If Koivu, who is admittedly advanced in age, was willing to forego a “final contract” that would see him through to retirement, I want to know why Atlanta didn’t approach him. Koivu is no longterm solution. But for one-year?? Why the heck not? We had the cap room. Okay, maybe the answer really is, “he wouldn’t return our phone calls.” And I’m fine with that. If that’s the truth of the matter. GM’s can’t make players come here that don’t want to be here. Zherdev “seemed” to be willing to accept a one-year deal. And he would have come cheaper than Koivu. (And is ‘may’ have pleased Kovalchuk.) I didn’t catch the terms of Malhotra’s contract in SJ. I think MM probably agreed to whatever SJ was offering, just because it represented such a good chance for him to win the Cup.
I agree with you about Bryan Little being the top line Center. In my view, Bryan Little is the team’s best center. Though, clearly, he is NOT off to a great start. Peverley, arguably, is the team’s #1 center. I loved the contract Waddell gave him. $1.3 million per season, for a guy who is performing between a point every other game to nearly a point a game. I think Peverley will go down as one of Waddell’s Top 10 moves. I give Waddell credit for the things that I think he’s done right. I criticize him for the things I think he’s done wrong.
If Kovalchuk, God forbid, does not re-sign here. I’m sure there’ll be a poster or two who will come out of the woodwork to defend the organization thusly, “The guy can’t play defense. Wanna hear a shocker? Kovalchuk is standing on the ice when the other team scores. He’s a -86 in his career. He shoots too much. He tries to do it all by himself too much. He’s a defensive liability. Good riddance. He’s not worth $11 million.” I can hear it now. Surely as day follows night. It won’t be me, though. And if there weren’t such a thing as a salary cap, Kovalchuk might make $15-17 million in a truly free market. Even at -86, as a plus-minus stat. I’m sure Max is a career minus player, too. Probably not as bad as -86. But I think there’s a bigger picture out there, when it comes to signing players and utilizing players in their best roles, as it relates to the overall team performance.
The Earl of Bud
November 2nd, 2009
12:36 am
Brendan, I hear what you are saying about someone coming out of the woodwork about Kovalchuk. Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that. But the only thing that makes any sense whatsoever is that he will stop us from signing other players (Bogosian, Kane, all the young studs). But if you look at Kubina, Kozlov, White, Lehtonen all having multi million $$ contracts that I think either won’t be renewed or renewed for significantly less, I think we are actually in good position to resign all our young studs.
Zach
November 2nd, 2009
1:28 am
wow, -86 is terrible!
I’m going to attribute that to three things:
1. Kovy actually does not play defense
2. Kovy surrounding players haven’t always been the best quality
3. Kovy plays on the powerplay a lot and scores a good bit of his goals there, when the plus minus stat does not count.
Brendan
November 2nd, 2009
1:36 am
I don’t see the loss of Kovalchuk as the death knell for hockey, the way so many doomsday sayers might. But I do see it as a substantial blow to what the organization was trying to do. At least, if winning a championship was ever the objective.
If Waddell winds up paying the league max, or close to it, I won’t grumble about the COST. Other fans will. I understand how the free market works, even housed within a salary cap. $11.36 million is the highest cap hit allowed. And when Crosby’s deal comes up for renewal, he’ll make whatever the league max is. To surpass whatever Kovy signs for in this offseason.
I’ll listen to an argument that says, “Kovy doesn’t need the money.” Well, he doesn’t. But just because he doesn’t need it, doesn’t mean he should be disrespected, in terms of his free market value. I’m sure, in Kovalchuk’s mind, he’s thinking, “I’m worth the league max. I’m worth MORE than the league max. I’m going to lead the Thrashers to a Stanley Cup.” Shrugs. If those are the actual results, (1) a league max contract and (2) a Stanley Cup victory, then I doubt fans would complain. Maybe the owners would complain. But the fans shouldn’t. And the fans have to know that the Stanley Cup, generally-speaking, isn’t won on a small budget. Ticket prices will have to rise. The good news would be … that the on ice product would correspondingly rise. Kovy’s best years … are still AHEAD of him. That’s amazing to ponder. But it’s true. He may have a 70-goal season. He ‘may’ have a positive plus-minus stat, one of these years. His best … is still yet to come. He’s what? 26? Even at 36, Kovalchuk will still be a Tier I player, worth the money.
In Russian culture, he wants to be the highest paid, highest achieving, most respected, most important player to his team and his league. These are, apparently, the goals. It’s not gonna come cheap. And we have to pay for what we get. And if we don’t pay it, someone else will.
J-man
November 2nd, 2009
9:48 am
What on earth is this fascination with Manny Malhotra? I don’t get it. Career best in goals – 12. Career high in assists – 24. Take away his back to back games against Atlanta (1 assist) and Philly (2 goals) this season and the guy is pointless in 13 games. It is no loss that he did not come here.
hotrod
November 2nd, 2009
3:08 pm
Any Kari update?
Lee
November 2nd, 2009
9:00 pm
Hotrod- there is a guythat works at my hospital named dr goloski and he is the guy workin on karis
back. He said things are coming along and that Kari just needs some rest.
Lee
November 3rd, 2009
6:56 am
If the Thrashers dont make the playoffs, I dont want any complaints from kovy because he was out a good while of the season!
Hotrod
November 3rd, 2009
7:44 am
Thanks Lee.
Cranky
November 3rd, 2009
5:43 pm
Lee, are you sure it’s not Dr. Giloggly? He is the team’s physician.
MB
November 3rd, 2009
10:17 pm
Wow…what an exciting game and good victory for the T-Birds.
Peverley continues his strong play, despite one of the worst turnovers you’ll ever see that gave Camallieri his goal. Another very good game from Pavelec. Thought he came out a little far on the 4th goal and got out of position, but those of you who’ve played goal before are better judges of that.
Though I’d like to see him be more aggressive with his shot, Antropov makes some of the sweetest passes you’ll see…as evidenced by his assist on the Kubina goal. Speaking of, Pavel again played a solid game.
On the down side, gave up too many shots and good chances again, especially in a weak second period. Kozlov…don’t know what to say about him. To me he was the worst player on the ice. Really want to see him turn it around. And Laperriere…what a little bee-atch he is.
Brendan
November 3rd, 2009
10:56 pm
On Channel #773 “replay” of the Les Thrashers contre Les Canadiens starts at 11:30PM. First off, it was a lucky, fluky type of goal, but Bryan Little got off the schneid. I think he also picked up a helper. Antropov has two assists. And how about that Thrasher D getting on the stat sheet? Kubina and Popovic had goals. It was Pops’ first-ever NHL goal, I believe. Colby Armstrong scored a biggie. And Peverley, two more points! That’s just another day at the office for him. Peverley had a goal. It looked like he was hurt in this game. But he came back. Unfortunately, he did have that “whiff pass” that led directly to the Cammalleri goal. Are the Thrashers really 5-1-1 on the road??
MB
November 3rd, 2009
11:49 pm
Give that man another point, Brendan…Peverley also assisted on the Kubina goal, giving him three points for the night. And you’re right, B. Little did assist on the Peverley goal.
Was definitely worried about Peverley after the knee-on-knee hit (unintentional, in my eye) and thrilled to see him back on ice and immediately making tight turns.
Brendan
November 4th, 2009
12:12 am
Good catch, MB. Here’s the boxscore from tonight’s game: http://www.nhl.com/ice/boxscore.htm?id=2009020200
Other notes to take away from it … Kane, White, and Afinogenov ALL had assists. Mark Popovic played 16:17 tonight. In Montreal. That’s some confidence JA has in Pops. Now, Pops was a -1 tonight, but he had a goal. John Anderson continues to have confidence in Max Afinogenov, who got 16:45 in ice time, had an assist, and wac “even” for his plus-minus rating.
The following players were +1 tonight: Little, White, Enstrom, and Peverley. Our -1 guys were: Slater, Armstrong, Popovic, and Antropov.
Peverley played 22:34. Those are Kovy-like minutes played.
Our ice time leader was Zach Bogosian, at 24:04. But check this out! Enstrom only played six seconds more that C. Schubert. Enstrom’s TOI was 21:38 and Schubert played 21:32. Kubina played 23:32. And rounding it out was Anssi Salmela, at 13:02. So, that’s how they handled Hainsey being out. I’m sure Hainsey wanted to play against his former team.
lee
November 4th, 2009
7:01 am
cranky-OHHHH you are exactly right my bad!! And yes, I do know him, he works at St. Josephs will me!
OOOH baby, WAT A NIGHT!!! Oh i almost jumped out of the car.
Wendell
November 4th, 2009
9:41 am
The Thrashers won two out of the last three.
WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT??
kracker
November 4th, 2009
10:49 am
Help Chris Viv!!! Post a new blog please. This one got very tedious. My list of people to mostly skip over has grown.
Smoothie
November 4th, 2009
12:05 pm
Where art thou Vivlamore??
Lee
November 4th, 2009
3:39 pm
Probably checkin out the new blue crew!!!