Archive for October, 2010

There was plenty that went wrong in Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to Buffalo. Of all the issues, Thrashers coach Craig Ramsay pointed to bad lines changes as his biggest frustration. He said following the game that it has been an issue all season. It affects the uptempo-style of play he wants. It has also resulted in three too many men on the ice penalties already this season. Two have turned into goals, including Tyler Myers’s goal early in the second period Wednesday that put the Sabres up 2-0.

“Our changes were horrendous,” Ramsay said. “…To me the most important thing was we did not change. We wanted to do it all in one shift by ourselves. We didn’t play like a team. When you don’t think as a team and play as a team you have a night like that.

“You can not play at a pace the way we want to play if you don’t change. We had people out on the ice for well over a minute. We had people play through the next line behind them. So somebody else had to sit on the bench. I don’t know how …

Continue reading Line changes plague Thrashers in loss »

Earlier this week, Nik Antropov told me that he was still not 100 percent as he returns from off-season hip surgery. The forward admitted to being frustrated by his play and the time it is taking to feel healthy.

Antropov has one assist in five games this season and is a minus-3.

I asked coach Craig Ramsay if he was considered sitting Antropov for a time until he is closer to 100 percent.

“Oh, there will be,” Ramsay said. “We did it preseason. We are going game by game with him. I think he is a big body in there and it’s quite nice. I’ve tried to keep his minutes down a little bit. He wants to play all the time. He wants to play more. It’s important that we find what’s best for him as we move forward and not overdo it. If we can keep his minutes down we maybe can get more games out of him. But if he needs a night off, then we will do it.”

Antropov is averaging 13:31 of ice time through five games.

In other notes:

* The Thrashers are trying to open the season by winning their …

Continue reading Rest could be coming for Antropov »

Zach Bogosian will not play Wednesday against Buffalo, marking the third straight game he has missed with a shoulder injury. The defenseman suffered the injury in Tuesday’s loss to Los Angeles.

“He looked much better at practice the other day,” Thrashers coach Craig Ramsay said. “There is no sense trying to force him in. He’s not quite ready. That’s the trainer’s job to let me know and he still has some concerns. We are going to be careful.”

Fredrik Modin will return to the lineup after missing the last game with a lower-body injury.

“Everything feels good,” the forward said.

Ramsay said he anticipates there will be games this season where Modin will not play.

“It’s nice to have a big body back in there,” Ramsay said. “While we knew Freddy might not be able to play all the games, it’s nice to give him a little rest. [Niclas] Bergfors stepped in and did a great job. Now Freddy is going to come back in. When you play three [games] in four nights a lot, maybe you don’t have all …

Continue reading Bogosian to miss third straight game with shoulder injury »

Thrashers coach Craig Ramsay was asked about Tuesday night’s incident where Vancouver’s Rick Rypien attacked a fan while heading to the locker room.

“I don’t understand that at all,” Ramsay said. “Fans bought a ticket, they can say what they want, I don’t agree with that. They should be respectful. They can be loud. They can be vocal. I think that’s wonderful. It’s part of the game. I love busy buildings whether it’s at home or on the road. I coached and played in Philly where they hated me, liked me and hated me again. To reach up and grab someone is dangerous. I’ve seen it before but it’s very dangerous occupation for everybody.”

Continue reading Ramsay on Rypien incident »

There were a few other small items to report from practice despite the large media contingent, including TSN, at the Ice Forum Tuesday to talk to Ondrej Pavelec about his first practice.

* Thrashers prospect Patrice Cormier pled guilty to a charge of assault causing bodily harm Tuesday. He received an unconditional discharge, which means he was convicted but that the court does not believe it to be right to give a punishment. There will be no jail, fine, community service or probation.

The charge, in Rouyn-Norand, Quebec, stemmed from an elbow that Cormier delivered to an opposing player, Mikael Tam, during a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game last year. Cormier pleaded not guilty to the charge last month and Tuesday’s court date was set.

* Zach Bogosian and Fredrik Modint took part in practice without red non-contact jerseys. Both remain listed as day-to-day. Bogosian has missed two games with a shoulder injury. Modin missed the past game with a lower-body injury.

* …

Continue reading Cormier pleads guilty, gets unconditional discharge »

Ondrej Pavelec started breaking in a new chest protector Tuesday.

His old one was cut off at the hospital 11 days ago when he lost consciousness and collapsed minutes into the Thrashers season opener.

“I was so excited to go back [on the ice] and see how it would go,” Pavelec said after taking part in half a team practice. “It was pretty good. It was only 30 minutes but I felt good.”

After a battery of tests, over days, doctors concluded that Pavelec fainted and subsequently hit his head on the ice. The goaltender said Tuesday that doctors have not determined the cause of the fainting spell.

“They did all testing for my brain and my heart,” Pavelec said. “They said I just fainted. It’s nothing serious and hopefully it will never happen again. They said I’m ready to go. I need some practice to get into game shape. This was the first time. Hopefully the last time.

“They said there are so many reasons it could have happened but they couldn’t find it. A lot of times it will never …

Continue reading Pavelec returns to ice for first time after collapsing »

The Ben Eager-Alexander Burmistrov-Chris Thorburn line continues to be one of the better Thrashers line.

Here’s what coach Craig Ramsay said about Burmistrov’s play:

“I think Burmy has played so well with those guys and they are good with him. He’s got two big strong boys around him to make sure that nobody is going to try to pick on him or take advantage of him. I don’t think you could anyway. In the Anaheim game, after we tied it, I put him out against [Corey] Perry, against [Ryan] Getzlaf and I put him out against [Joe] Thornton late in the San Jose game and he went out and won a little battle with this great big man. He has tremendous courage. It is better for him to play with the same people. It’s easy to get that familiarity by playing with people who are good with him. That combination has been very effective.”

Continue reading Ramsay on Burmistrov »

Zach Bogosian and Fredrik Modin practiced on Monday despite being scratched from Saturday’s win in San Jose. Bogosian has missed the past two games after suffering a shoulder injury against Los Angeles Tuesday.

Bogosian said he injured the shoulder on a hit late in the first period, but finished the game.

“It’s getting better,” Bogosian said. “I’m just taking it a day at a time and trying to get back whenever it’s feeling healthy again. It’s moving in the right direction. … I’m just trying to use the trainers to get back as quick and as healthy as possible.”

Modin described his injury as to the lower body, using “sore” as a description.

“I feel pretty good,” Modin said. “I had yesterday off and got some treatment. I felt pretty good on the ice (Monday). We’ll continue treatment and hopefully get ready for Wednesday.”

Ramsay said following practice that it appear Modin is closer to returning to the lineup than Bogosian.

“Freddy would be a littler bit closer than Bogo by the …

Continue reading Bogosian, Modin take part in practice, are day-to-day »

Ondrej Pavelec has been medically cleared to begin practicing with the Thrashers and will do so on Tuesday. Pavelec was at the Thrashers practice facility on Monday but only went through  a workout on an exercise bike.

Pavelec, who lost consciousness and collapsed 2:25 into the Thrashers season opener,  still must pass a concussion test to be cleared to play. The team won’t have the results of those tests before Tuesday’s practice, but Pavelec will participate. He also must get back in game shape after missing more than a week.

Pavelec did not speak to the media, but will do so Tuesday.

“He has to do one more test tomorrow, but that shouldn’t interfere with a practice,” coach Craig Ramsay said. “It’s nice to see him get back out there and it’s one step closer to him playing a game. We are not at that level yet. We are just going to get him on the ice and see what comes of the test and get him started back.”

Ramsay said Peter Mannino will remain with the team until Pavelec is …

Continue reading Pavelec cleared to return to practice »

San Jose – Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien got the best of a former teammate Saturday.

Ladd’s short-handed goal and Byfuglien’s power-play goal were two of four unanswered goals by the Thrashers in a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over San Jose. The win was the second in two days in which Atlanta overcame a two-goal deficit. The Thrashers beat Anaheim 5-4 in a shootout Friday after falling behind. The Thrashers (3-2) finished a three-game West Coast trip with a 2-1 record.

For Ladd and Byfuglien, their goals came against San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi. The three were teammates last season for Stanley Cup winning Chicago.

After the Thrashers fell behind 2-0 after the first period, Ladd started the comeback with a short-handed goal 1:23 into the period. Alexander Burmistrov was serving an interference penalty – infractions were an issue again for the Thrashers. Bryan Little took the puck on a breakaway and Ladd collected a rebound to beat Niemi for his second goal of the …

Continue reading Updated: Thrashers score four straight goals to defeat Sharks »