Loss To Habs Makes It Official
And…that’s it. It is finished. It’s official. The Atlanta Thrashers have been officially and mathematically eliminated from the playoffs this season. Thanks to the 6-3 loss in Montreal, Atlanta can now finish no higher than 82 points in the standings, which would be one less than the Habs have now, and they hold the eighth playoff position at this time.
As the Thrashers skated off the ice I could have sworn that I heard the slow, soft, melodic sound of taps being played somewhere in the distance.
Much like last Friday’s 6-3 loss to Detroit, this was a close game deep into the second period…Joey Crabb tied the score at one during the first period. Kovy tied it again early in the second after Glen Metropolit…remember him?… had put the Canadians up 2-1 just 32 seconds after the first intermission. So for a while, it looked like Atlanta was going to have a chance to slip another one into the win column.
How-EV-errrRRRrrrRRRRrrr…..
Zach Bogosian takes a hooking call at 8:20 of the second…seventeen seconds later Alexei Kovalev scores.
Kari Lehtonen plays a puck over the glass at 10:42…Atlanta kills it.
BUT…
34 seconds after killing it off, Bryan Little takes an interference call at 13:16. He then takes issue with the ref’s call, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct call as well…double minor…30 seconds later Alex Tanguay scores his second of the game…1:38 later, Alexei Kovalev also scores his second of the match. Badda-Boom, badda-bing… just like that, a one-goal deficit swells to three.
Three power play goals in 6:47…game over!
Alex Tanguay finished with 2 goals and 3 assist and Alexei Kovalev had 2 goals and 1 assist. Yup, Montreal “Alex-ed” us to death Tuesday night.
Bryan Little performed a really neat trick late in the second period by drawing a two-minute roughing call. He did this by allowing Andrei Markov to shove him across Carey Price who was covering a puck…then, while trying to get up off of the Habs goalie, Little roughed up Mike Komisarek’s stick with the back of his shoulder blades.
Kari had a less-than-memorable outing. For the record, he allowed six goals on 22 shots…but really it was worse than that. When Saku Koivu netted Montreal’s sixth goal of the game only 23 seconds into the third, it was on only the Canadians’ 15th SOG. The Habs got their four second period goals on only 10 shots.
Kari Couldn't Stop The Metro (AP Photo)
After playing so well and being hard to beat for several games, Lehtonen simply hasn’t risen to the challenge in his past two starts having given up 12 goals on 60 shots combined, (.800 SV%).
The Thrashers can continue to be of help to Montreal this week as the New York Rangers are in town Thursday night. The Blue Shirts are currently battling with, amog others, Montreal for playoff position. After beating Min-EE-Sooo-TAH 2-1 Tuesday night, the Rangers are tied with Pittsburgh with 86 points, just three ahead of the Canadiens.
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69 comments Add your comment
Tony C.
March 26th, 2009
4:00 pm
Glove-
I would’ve agreed with you a month ago, but the last few Canucks games I’ve seen, outside of the Sedin Sisters the other 3 lines have been going to the net.
I could see where Detroit might out-skate them, but I think Luongo has the ego and the skills to shut them down long enough for his forwards to pot the winning goal. However, the longer the series goes, the better Detroit’s odds IMO.
Glovesave29
March 26th, 2009
5:22 pm
Yeah, but remember, the refs will spallow their whistles in the playoffs and the Detroit defenders will get even more physical. I see Vancouver’s style playing right into the strength of the Wings D.
JAmes_kovyboy
March 26th, 2009
5:37 pm
I say go Preds
(and for real)
I love the underdogs
I hate Detroit as much as i hate MTL
so I say Nashville breaksout from the bottom with Sullivan back and Rinne good as hell
In the East I love NJ cause I related to Brodeur
anyways I love their team and I hope they give Havelid a ring
So Nashville vs Devils probably wont happen, but id love it
stendec
March 26th, 2009
8:16 pm
Kari Letemin hurt? Out? Boo hoo. I guess there is some damn justice in sports sometimes. Every once in a miserable while. Must be a painful hangnail! Excuse me while I shed a tear. Too bad his exit did not occur prior to his allowing the only marshmallow goal of the evening. I know, apologists have a zillion reasons why it was freaking unstoppable! Hope Moose has a decent outing. He should have been between the pipes to begin with!
stendec
March 26th, 2009
8:40 pm
Moose Nuts picked up where Kari Letemin left off! Who is next in the goalie rotation? PUT EM IN! Secure a damn volunteer from the stands if necessary. Absolutely pitiful pi## poor uneffort tonight on home ice. Against the untalented Ranjerks! What else is new? How completely nauseating. (X) em all the betches! The Ranjerks have.
stendec
March 26th, 2009
8:48 pm
Toiletlids score to make it 4-2 after two periods. How many will home group have to tally to win? A half dozen? More? Sorry apologists, not that many goals in these quitters! Another loss to an extremely marginally talented team. ON HOME ICE! Truly sad and pathetic! All those Ranjerk jerseys in Atlanta arena look so sweet. Pardon me while I throw up!
Steely Dan
March 26th, 2009
9:39 pm
Meanwhile, as Stendec is puking his guts out, the Thrashers rally to tie the score at 4 all. Hey Stendec, do us all a favor and continue to lean over the toilet and puke! Seems to being doing our team some good! Seems to be just about the only thing you’re good at, too.
Brendan
March 26th, 2009
9:49 pm
Glovesave29, Boston vs. Calgary works on many levels. USA vs. Canada, especially with Olympics in Vancouver looming in 2010. Two “traditional” hockey markets. East Coast vs. West Coast. I’m not sure, but geographically, Boston and Calgary are about as far apart as it gets. And, above all, two teams who are Cup-starved. Bruins last won in ‘72 and the Flames in ‘89.
NASCARDave, anyone who picked 83-points or higher is eliminated. The Thrashers just earned point #67 tonight. They’re still in overtime, as we speak. Perhaps point #68 will be earned. LAC has 69-points, R.Stroz has 70, along with Sage of Bluesland, and then, NASCARDave is next with 72-points.
Bob has 73-points. Russ and ThrasherNY have 74-points. 12345 and Brickhouse have 75-points. Don and Glovesave29 have 76-points. Sharon and Smoothie have 77-points. Polskidawg, PJ and Brendan have 78-points. Buzilla and Jarndyce have 80-points. Michael B. Shapiro, sweetlew, and Thrashers27 all have 82-points. All other guess are eliminated. If you didn’t your name, you’re eliminated.
But hey, it was fun playing. And that was the point. I wish I could tell we all get a “participation trophy.” But it doesn’t work that way.
We’re in the shootout!
Brendan
March 26th, 2009
9:54 pm
Todd White’s goal tied it. Now he’s added one in the shootout. Will it be the winner??? Yes!!! Thrashers win!!! 5-4, in the shootout.
Rangers led this game, 4-1, with 21-minutes left to play. No way the Rangers should have lost this game. This is point #68 on the season, for Atlanta.
stendec
March 26th, 2009
10:05 pm
The Thrashers swiped two points on home ice! A 4-1 deficit became 4-4. Moose was truly phenomenal in the shootout! Only negative is the point to Ranjerks. Do not consider Kari Letemin injury a negative! Ilya Kovalchuk carried this team on its back tonight. He absolutely refused to let this become a defeat. The turning point came on his goal with less than a minute to play in second period which trimmed huge 4-1 margin to 4-2. Team displayed some grit down stretch. Sure was nice to see. Been missing all season! Getting set to view late night replay. Especially third period, overtime and shootout. Nice character triumph. Congratulations to all the guys with birds on their uniforms except one. Good night everyone. God bless.
Tony C.
March 26th, 2009
10:09 pm
WOW!
What a finish!!!
NYR officially now listed as the weak sister of all playoff teams in the east. They had everything going their way to begin the 3rd-Avery got Kovy to overreact AGAIN… after the boys killed off that 5-on-3 I knew they’d win-wish they didn’t have to be so darn dramatic about it, but I know that’s got to be one rockin room right about now…
Glovesave29
March 26th, 2009
10:18 pm
Brendan – you been hearing the rumblings from the eurpoean teams about the olympics being played on NHL sized rinks instead of the international? Sure plays into the hands of the home team.
Let’s hope they have all the power issues worked out in Beantown. Last time they hosted the cup all went dark at the Gah-den. Of course, it took a heckuva lot more than that to beat those Oilers in their heyday.
Great comeback. Especially after a listless effort against Montreal, having your goalie run down and a ridiculous 10 penalties against you. Is Ed Hochuli now overseeing NHL officials?
Hey stendec…perhaps you can wait until the game is over to begin your incessant whining. If ya hate the team that much, we’d all be quite happy for you to leave for one of the other blogs (where they despise you equally). I’ve never met anyone who says so much that contains so little. Take a decade off and learn the game.
Brendan
March 26th, 2009
10:25 pm
Two shots on goal for a Tortorella-Coached team in the 3rd period. Whatever happened to his mantra, “Safe is death.” Torts should be rippin’ ‘em a new one for not coming away with 2-points.
Hey Rawhide, what’s the Thrashers record in shootouts? It’s gotta to be pretty decent. Darren Eliot said Moose upped his record to .500 for the season. I think it’s his 10th win. So many people love to rag on Moose, but for a backup goalie, with one of the most pourous defenses in front of him, he’s actually put up some decent numbers, once you take all the “mitigating factors” into consideration.
stendec
March 26th, 2009
10:27 pm
Love all the hate directed towards me. Oh well. This is to all apologists after hearing John Petrino post game remarks. Carrie Letemin blew him off between first and second periods. Just told coach he would not be back. No reason why, no apology not even a kiss my a##. Just a quitter reframe from an immature crybaby! Do I sense a glass groin recurrence? Who cares? All I know is that if Moose had started as he should have it would have been 4-3 Thrashers in regulation. With no mercy point to Ranjerks! That is a fact not a fancy. How many goals would the blue haired wonder thug have allowed? Conservately, four. Realistically, six. Not even Ilya Kovalchuk could have overcome that!
Rawhide
March 26th, 2009
10:47 pm
Stendec – Seriously dude…Kari went off with an “upper body injury” that happened during the collision in the first period. That’s “upper body” as in…NOT groin. As in..did NOT just quit.
He had stopped 9 of the 10 shots he face in the 20 minutes he played. Moose allowed 3 goals on the exact same amount of shots in the second. By your logic…if Moose started, it’s would have been 6 to 2 Rangers after the second.
We know you hate Kari…we all get it…but it’s just getting old.
R. Stroz
March 26th, 2009
11:26 pm
Can anyone tell me if the refs for the Rangers game were the same two morons that officiated the Canadians game?
Rooney and Pollack make McGeough look like a genius.
R. Stroz
March 26th, 2009
11:34 pm
SAVE THE WORLD
Exterminate Avery!
smoothie
March 26th, 2009
11:48 pm
So true Strozzy, avery shouldve gotten 2 mins for kneeing. Good to see Kovy deck him. Where is Boulton tho?
Brendan
March 27th, 2009
12:17 am
I hadn’t heard that about rink size, Glovesave. But I imagine the pressure on Canada to win the Gold, as the Host country, is tremendous. The last Olympics held in North America ended a very long drought for Canada, from the Gold Medal. And, they defeated the United States, 5-2, to get it. Mike Richter was in net for Team USA.