Bizarre goal the difference in Thrashers loss
Thursday night the Thrashers got a pair of goals from team captain Ilya Kovalchuk. They got a two point night from Maxim Afinogenov, scoring a power play goal and assisting on one of Kovy’s. Nik Antropov was good for a pair of helpers…his fifth and sixth of the season… and Zach Bogosian chipped in with a fine short-handed goal as well.
Atlanta held the Washington Capitals to only 28 shots on goal…the first time all season they’ve held an opponent to under 30, (although they did so in Montreal prior to going into overtime), and the defense kept Alex Ovechkin off the score sheet all night.
The power play produced 2 goals on seven chances.
The penalty kill unit was perfect on all seven of the Caps man-advantages.
And they lost…5-4.
The difference in this game…a one-minute and twenty-eight second stretch in the second period in which Washington scored not once…not twice…but three times.
Tough night for Opie (Curtis Compton/AJC)
It all began harmlessly enough as Washington’s netminder Semyon Varlamov moved the puck out from behind his own goal over to Jeff Schultz. Shcultz then proceeded with it into the back end of the faceoff circle to the goalie’s right and flipped the biscuit up-ice out of the defensive zone….through the neutral zone…bouncing it’s way though the Thrashers end of the ice…toward Ondrej Pavelec who was stationed in front of Atlanta’s goal. Pavs crouched to deflect the puck away from the net and….
Oh no…OPIE!
What in the world….OPIE!!
How did that….OPIE!!!
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…OPIE!!!!
It took a bad hop up off the ice just before reaching him…freaky enough play…but really, if you are a goalkeeper in the NHL you just cannot let that wind up in the net. If a goalie allows goals like that too often…then for him N-H-L will stand for Not Here for Long…with apologies to Jerry Glanville.
OK…fine. It’s 3-2 Caps with half a game to play. Twice before the Thrashers found themselves in a one-goal hole in this game and both times they drew even shortly there after.
Washington had taken a 1-0 lead just after the two-minute mark of the opening period as Eric Fehr took a center ice pass from center ice and broke in of the goal. He beat Ondrej Pavelec with the shot as defenseman Christoph Schubert sprawled in an unsuccessful attempt to make up for being beaten.
However, Atlanta knotted it up via the power play…one that lasted but three seconds. Max took the faceoff win by…what’s this? Nik Antropov…and push it past Varlamov to tie the score at one. After falling behind 2-1, Kaptain Kovalchuk evened things up with 2:58 left before the first intermission.
So, two times already they answered goals by the Capitals. Certainly with the way this offense is clicking they can find a way too….
Oh no…what the….$#%@! …now it’s 4-2 just 72 seconds later!
Alright…two goals down and still half a game to play. We’re still in this game…if we can just….
Oh my Gawd…not again. 5-2 just 14 second after the last one as Chris Clark crams home a rebound off the boards! What in the wide, wide world of sports is a-goin’ on out there?
And with that came the end of the night for Ondrej Pavelec. After 31:48 second and allowing five goals on 14 shots, John Anderson made the Moose call. Actually, it was 13 SOG and that…thing…from 180 feet away, but I digress.
Personally, I would have given Opie the hook 14 seconds earlier, although I’m sure some would have liked for it to have happened after the freak-show goal.
Hedberg did his part as he restored order in the goal…stopping all 14 shots he faced and allowing the team to try and claw their way back into the game. Moose now has a 1.40 GAA and a .964 SV% during the game and a half he’s played in.
To their credit, the Thrashers did indeed make a game of it at the end. Bogosian’s shorty at 4:51 of the third gave some hope…then Kovy’s power play slapper with under a minute to play provided an exciting finish.
Atlanta went on the power play…oh sorry, make that the Coca-Cola Power Play… for the last 30 seconds when Ovechkin took a tripping minor. Afinogenov had a couple of whacks at the puck from the right side of the goal in the dying seconds…but he and the Thrashers came up just short.
Who would you put in goal Saturday night?
- Pavelec - He's earned the right to be first in the goalie line (60%, 67 Votes)
- Hedberg - Throw some Moose meat at the Sharks (40%, 45 Votes)
Total Voters: 112
Loading ...Obviously, there will now be some debate and discussion in these parts given to the question of just who Anderson should toss into the goal Saturday when the Sharks swim into Thrasherville. Does he return Pavelec to the goal…telling him he’s the number one guy, just shake Thursday night off? Or does he go with the apparent hot-glove by riding the Moose?
In the past, when the goalie in question was Kari Lehtonen, I’ve advocated putting him back in. A goalie is going to have an off night here and there…but if he’s feels as though one bad outing is going to cost him his job, the pucker-factor is gonna get a tad high for the kid. Opie has done well overall and I don’t think one bad game should cost him the starting job…at least not right now.
But I would have a very short leash on him Saturday.
So, I’ll toss the question out to you. Do you think Pavelec should be the man ‘tween the pipes when the Sharks attack Saturday night?
Or is Opie’s returning to the net this weekend…ahem…a long shot?
Drilled For Two Minutes
Ondrej Pavelec wasn’t the only person in Thrasherville having a rough couple of minutes Thursday night.
During the Two Minute Drill…an in-game contest in which a lucky fan wins a prize if the Thrashers score during a specific two-minute time frame…featured a good friend of this blog. I call him “Pinhead” because the hat he wears sports about 13,852 Thrashers/hockey pins on it. He’s the husband of “Libby”, who opines in the comment section occasionally…she would prefer it if I call him “Mr. Libby” here.
Unfortunately for Pinhead, the plan did not go accordingly as the Thrashers did not score during his allotted time frame.
Washington, on the other hand, did score twice…or was it three times, I lost count… during his Two Minute Drill. I believe Jay Bird told him that because of that, Mr. Libby owed him a prize.
Tough night all around, Pinhead! But hey…you still got to sit next to one of the prettiest ladies in the arena last night!
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132 comments Add your comment
R. Stroz
October 23rd, 2009
10:29 am
RiceOwls – Nice bumping into you, chuckle, chuckle. For those of you who aren’t aware, you usually have to have a really high SAT score (1400 or above) to get into Rice, so the guy willn’t qualify for You Might Be Smarter Than A Fifth Grader.
Anyway, whereas many of you from WNY have issues with Mad Max, I actually enjoy his hustle. As far as Mad Max not getting the buscuit in the net at the end of the game, yes, that sucked. However, Kovy missed two open net shots, Little one that hit the upper crossbar, and Kubina missed one wide as well.
That said, my version of Mad Max is Todd White, aka Charmin. White had a very good season last year, however this season, he has gone back to his Charminesque ways. Charmin is getting pushed off the puck too easily and isn’t willing to get his nose dirty in the corners either. Hopefully, Esposito is ready for a call up because Charmin is just playing too squeezably soft again.
Concerning Pavs, I would have pulled him in a New York minute after the fourth goal. After the third goal, the team and fans just fell silent, well maybe except for those of us calling for MOOOOSE. Anyway, give Pavs the start on Saturday, however, Pavs needs to be on a very short leash. Someone needs to explain to Pavs that the blue ice in front of the net is his home. In the words of Happy Gilmore, GET IN YOUR HOME.
Last point, the only Thrasher that I notices not quitting after the three goal clusterflop was KANE. Keep the kid in Atlanta, our veterans could relearn that being in the NHL is a privilege that must be earned by hard work and determination.
Smoothie
October 23rd, 2009
10:29 am
I don’t care how much hockey you’ve played. If you can’t see that Ovechkin has a reputation of taking runs at people then I don’t know what else to say. The gents on On the Fly, including former goalie Kevin Weekes, discussed the play and said it was borderline dirty. He won’t get suspended because he is the “face” – an ugly one at that – of the NHL now. He may not be Sean Avery, but he instigates most of the “incidents” in which he is involved. Take off your Caps colored glasses. Most here took Kozlov to task for his borderline dirty hit on Gomez so don’t give me any grief about being a homer.
j nes
October 23rd, 2009
10:41 am
Rawhide: “Or is Opie’s returning to the net this weekend…ahem…a long shot?”–love it.
Maybe I am reading too much into one loss, but if the Thrashers did indeed make a long term $100 million dollar offer to Kovalchuck yesterday, then Pavelec’s debacle in goal came at the worst possible time. If #17 cannot be confident in our “goalie of the future,” will he really consider signing?
hip czech
October 23rd, 2009
10:45 am
does this sound familiar?
“I’ll keep this simple, Tampa Bay sports fans.
All you ask is for a quality product, right?
The Tampa Bay Rays are doing the same thing my New York Mets are doing right now – golfing – after missing out on MLB’s postseason by a large margin.
The Buccaneers have a legitimate shot at a winless season in the NFL.
And the Lightning are 3-0-1 at home.
As of right now, you have an 87.5% chance of going to a Lightning game and heading home a winner. (And who doesn’t need that vicarious boost in self-esteem???)
I’d venture to guess that there were roughly 8,000 and change, in terms of actual living, breathing souls in the building last night (and 5,000 or so invisi-fans to reach the 13,000+ announced attendance total).
And I don’t get it.
Cheap tickets, a positive atmosphere, a winning team (and cheap drinks! No, really, half-price postgame beers outside, people! There’s your selling point!)
Seriously, no excuses. Get to the rink. You’re missing out.”
(from the Tampa Bay blogger on hockeybuzz)
The attendance at Philips last night was also announced as 13000+, for sure there were more than 8,000, but I don’t know how much more…
J.B.
October 23rd, 2009
10:47 am
Based on his post-game comments, it sounds like Kovy’s opinion was that it was a bad bounce, and not the only one. He seemed pleased with the effort overall. Ilya’s entirely too smart to have one sloppy (and not even necessarily bad) game lost change his mind about playing here. It’s not like he can tell DW, I’ll re-sign but if we lose a game I’m out of here.
J.B.
October 23rd, 2009
10:50 am
By the way, I read on Dmitry Chesnokov’s twitter feed (@dchesnokov) that he looked into the rumor about Kovalchuk’s contract on RDS is not accurate.
J.B.
October 23rd, 2009
10:57 am
…it’s worth noting that the twitter chatter following Chesnokov’s tweet is that “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” and while not accurate, something’s cooking.
Brendan
October 23rd, 2009
11:01 am
Bob Hartley used to tell Kari Lehtonen, “You’d better play BETTER.” And then … he’d sit ‘im for four games. Which always left me to wonder, “How’s Kari supposed to play better riding the pine?”
So, I agree with Sara and the others, start Pavelec against the Sharks. You’ve got to give him another chance to get right back on the horse. But, I’ll add this … if he falters early on … yank him before the game slips away. If you don’t, it could be 3-0, going into the 2nd period. By then, it’s really too late. I think Pavelec will bounce right back and have a great game against the Sharks.
Time to hop over the Jeff Schultz latest Thrashers item and see what he has to say. I joked, last night, that it was time for another Schultz article. Lo and behold! Right on cue!!
I did also comment, last night, on Natalie Taylor’s new look and more “strictly business” approach. I liked her better this way. Have they “freed” Natalie Taylor? I hope so. I hope so. I think she deserves the chance to become the reporter that she wants to be.
HonkyTonkHero
October 23rd, 2009
11:03 am
Besides Opie having an off night I thought our team played well and just because they fell behind 3 goals they never gave up. At the very least it makes for an exciting game. I was extremely impressed by Kubina last night. He shut Ovechkin down….all the way down. He constantly kept agitating and reminding Ovie that he was being watched. Kubina also had some good shots on goal from right above the hash marks in their zone. We will see those going in soon.
Also Antropov really used his size last night. A few good hits and some solid shielding of the puck. I think he has an assist in every game. Not bad at all.
Armstrong looked confused when he got the puck on a few breakaways and tried to do too much with the puck.
Bogosian…..well….he is just the man. There is no quit in him. That shorty was beautiful and well timed. He carried the puck wonderfully last night and made quite a few good incursions into their zone.
Time to bring Salmela back in. Pops is fine but I enjoy watching Salmela play….much more exiting.
J.B.
October 23rd, 2009
11:07 am
I agree.. I definitely want to see Anssi on Saturday night.
hip czech
October 23rd, 2009
11:13 am
agreed on Salmela for either Popovic or Schubert
J.B.
October 23rd, 2009
11:17 am
Honestly, neither Pops or Schubert stood out to me at all last night. I noticed Bogo, Hainsey, Kubina, & Toby alot but those two seemed invisible to me. Did either get any points on the board? (Could have been all the beer, I guess, but I doubt it.)
J.B.
October 23rd, 2009
11:32 am
Interesting. RDS.ca still has the article about Kovy’s contract up but it now reads that he’s close to signing rather than signed. Here’s the text via translate.google.com:
Kovalchuk, the 100 million man?
Ilya Kovalchuk and the Atlanta Thrashers are close to an agreement of nine years would bring more than 100 million dollars.
His salary would average 11.3 million per season.
First-round draft pick in 2001 for the Thrashers, Kovalchuk has recorded 304 goals in 551 career games in the NHL.
This season, the Russian-born player has scored seven times in six games.
Kovalchuk won the Maurice Richard Trophy awarded to the best scorer in the NHL when he scored 41 goals in 2003-04. He had his best season in 2005-06, scoring 52 goals and 98 points in 78 games.
R. Stroz
October 23rd, 2009
11:53 am
Everyone – Go get some pacifiers for the Heatley homecoming game.
Dwayne
October 23rd, 2009
12:03 pm
i CANT skate, i’ve never played hockey, but i know for a fact Ovi slew/skew/leg whipped/tripped Peverley.
ranallo10 (in AT)
October 23rd, 2009
12:11 pm
jason is not arguing whether Ovechkin did or did not slew foot Peverley, but rather that Ovechkin wasn’t doing it purposefully. Or at least that’s how I interpret his statements.
I think there will be no suspension for the slew foot by Ovechkin because it wasn’t similar to Artyukhin’s in the fact that both Peverley and Ovechkin were trying to play the puck, where as Artyukhin hit an unsuspecting Niskanen who no longer had the puck. There is a difference, but I think the two minute minor and the luck that Peverley was uninjured will leave Ovechkin without a suspension, and at most an NHL imposed fine (though I doubt that).
Libby
October 23rd, 2009
12:14 pm
Hi Rawhide and Ranallo 10,
It was all pinhead’s fault. We do need a Boulton time. At first Rawhide would not speak to us. He just shook his head. Jay Bird thought we should pay for the goals being scored. Still enjoyed the game especially seeing OVI not scoring. Hope Pavs will bounce back very fast. Ranallo, are you going to make it to any games this year?
Jim n Buckhead
October 23rd, 2009
12:17 pm
night in and night out Moose is the best goalie the ice birds have but at his age he cant hold up an entire season…i am not sure why a normal rotation is not set up…..moose one of a back to back games and then every third game regardless…so he knows exactly when he will play and the other guy knows exactly when he will get some time off…..
Rawhide
October 23rd, 2009
12:40 pm
It was all pinhead’s fault. We do need a Boulton time. At first Rawhide would not speak to us. He just shook his head.
Libby – I wasn’t gonna say anything…but since you did, OK…it was all Pinhead’s fault.
I hope you sent him to the corner to think about what he had done!
Nate
October 23rd, 2009
12:42 pm
Yeah, it wasn’t so much the “fluke” goal as it was the two after that. Kovalchuk said in his NHL Live interview the other day how much he liked Pavs’ ability to shake off goals allowed. Well, it was obvious to everyone he didn’t shake that one off. He was shaky to begin the game, settled down, and then the wheels came off midway through the second. That was the Pavelec everyone was fearful of seeing. Hopefully we don’t see that version again anytime soon. I guess we’ll find out Saturday night because I vote for giving Pavs the start to see if he can shake it off for real this time. I assume Coach will feel the same.
ranallo10 (in AT)
October 23rd, 2009
12:43 pm
Not this year Libby, unless the team is playing in June. Current vacation plans do not leave room for a trip into Atlanta during the hockey season, unfortunately. Have you been introduced to David’s lovely wife?
Nate
October 23rd, 2009
12:47 pm
By the way, the numbers being thrown out there about Kovalchuk’s contract are accurate according to my friend Nathan. I know, I know…but here me out on this one. Nathan works as an elevator serviceman. He installed and has worked on repairs for Ilya’s home elevator for years now. His boss is good friends with Ilya’s Russian agent. The 11 mil per year figure is exactly what Ilya’s Russian agent told Nathan’s boss four weeks ago before the season started. And Nathan relayed this info to me when we went to the home opener. I didn’t share because I thought it was bogus. No way 11 mil is accurate, right??? That’s more than Ovie and Crosby make. It could be bull, but the numbers match up. Just what I heard. Take it with a grain of salt.
Libby
October 23rd, 2009
1:00 pm
Ranallo 10, we have met David’s wife several times. She is very nice. We will miss you for the games.
Rawhide, Pinhead’s boss was at the game last night. He also gave him a lot of trouble.
Ilya Kovalchuk
October 23rd, 2009
1:03 pm
Just so you know, as of this afternoon, Nathan is fired. I don’t need elevator servicemen spreading confidential information about me and my family around town.
OmniFan
October 23rd, 2009
1:08 pm
Schubert looked like he was channeling an Andy Sutton pylon on Fehr’s goal and he and Pops were out there for 3 of WA’s 4 non-monkey puck goals. Agree, Salmonella needs to come back in for one of them tomorrow night.
On the plus side, Kane continues to demonstrate that he is a ready out-of-the-box NHL player. Mad Max’s greatest value may be using his speed to win races to the puck to maintain possession in the offensive zone. Thrashers have not had a comparable asset in recent memory.
Let’s hope OP can shake off those 88 seconds if he’s in there tomorrow.
Rawhide
October 23rd, 2009
1:09 pm
Not this year Libby, unless the team is playing in June.
ranallo10 – OK, well that just settles it. The Thrashers will just have to win their way into the Stanley Cup Finals so you can see a game in person this season!
Schubert looked like he was channeling an Andy Sutton pylon on Fehr’s goal and he and Pops were out there for 3 of WA’s 4 non-monkey puck goals
OmniFan – Very good points. That 3rd defensive pairing din’t look gooad at all. Schubie was slow to react on that first one by the Caps and left Opie hangin’ out to dry.
DWTOO – hey buddy…didja see how Mrs. DWTOO said g’morning to me first…snicker, snicker
Sara
October 23rd, 2009
2:00 pm
Jason you don’t get out much on the interwebs if you’ve haven’t seen all the internet chatter about Ovie being a dirty player. Honestly I think some of it’s exaggerated but not all of it. He might not intentionally try to hurt other players, but his reckless physical style does cause a lot of trouble.
DWTOO
October 23rd, 2009
2:08 pm
Yeah Rawhide – saw where Mrs DWTOO spoke, or typed, to you first. See where I rank in the peckin’ order. But she did call me “darling”.
h
October 23rd, 2009
2:12 pm
$11M a year???? I hope that is not true……that would be horrible for the team. Kills the cap. Yikes. Want him signed, but $11M is nuts!
Trixie (Rawhide's Secretary)
October 23rd, 2009
2:26 pm
For those of you joining Mr. Rawhide and his band of Rowdies on the TJ’s Party Bus & to the game tomorrow…please remember to be at TJ’s at about 4:00 pm. The bus is scheduled to depart at 5:00.
Spud Webb
October 23rd, 2009
2:42 pm
Like tom skerrit (?Spelling) said in Top Gun, get em back up there. One game, he’ll be fine. We need to take a deep breath & get ready to kick the sh&t out of the sharks!!!!!!!
Sara said it, cannot make whole sale changes when the other team is in full posession of the puck like that. I saw it numerous times.
Sara
October 23rd, 2009
2:49 pm
BTW, Ovechkin was fined but not suspended for the slew-foot. Shocked he even got that much of a reprimand. http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2009/10/23/ovechkin_slew_foot_thrashers/
Hockey Biltong
October 23rd, 2009
2:59 pm
apparently everyone calls willy tilly, ‘darlin’!!!!
ranallo10 (in AT)
October 23rd, 2009
3:06 pm
With phrases like “Sources tell sportsnet.ca [...]” and “It is expected the league will [...]” the article you linked is far from anything official.
Waffleboy
October 23rd, 2009
3:51 pm
Since no one else mentioned it, I want to say I enjoyed the “Blazing Saddles” reference Rawhide. Absolutely have to get Opie back out there. If Moose gets a big roll going, Opie could ride the pine for a while and we all know that we need a great number one all year to get to the playoffs. Moose isn’t playing 60 games and Kari isn’t playing for a while. That means Opie is the man we’re going to ride to the playoffs, if we make the playoffs at all. Get him back on the horse and tell Moose to be ready.
stendec
October 23rd, 2009
4:09 pm
Thrasher fans, as usual, miss the point! It is not just important to perform well at home it is damn mandatory! A time tested proven formula for success. Champions are tough in their own back yards. The Thrashers are marshmallows at Loseland! The heartless ones had an opportunity to make a positive home statement. First place was on the line against a despised rival. The Thrashers choked. Big time! It was over after the deficit ballooned to 5-2. I knew the quitters did not have three more goals in them. I was so right. Spare me the close loss bullshet! I have been hearing that crap from Thrasher fans for years. What do a 1-0 defeat and a 5-4 choke job have in common? They result in no points. Zero. Zilch. El zippo. Do ANY of you understand what I am saying? Do not be surprised by an extended losing streak. I will not be! ++STENDEC++ Should have left Canada with that extra point. Will damn sure need it!
Rawhide
October 23rd, 2009
4:29 pm
Reminiscent of last night’s “freak” goal that got by Opie…check out the 95-yard goal scored by SMU frshman Ryan Rosenbaum in the soccer field.
stendec
October 23rd, 2009
4:34 pm
Just ran across the following. This is why I will never cheer for the Thrashers with this (TOO MANY SWEAR WORDS TO FIT IN THIS SPACE) quitter on ice! My thanks to guy who wrote piece.
Goaltender Kari Lehtonen (Sori Letemin) is no closer to returning to the Thrashers than he was soon after (alleged) offseason back surgery (what a damn surprise).
According to Thrashers general manager Don Waddell (still an idiot), Lehtonen again experienced pain (like the kind he causes me?) in his legs (more likely his head) while rehabbing (with plenty of elbow bending) from July surgery to repair a herniated disc. He recently received another epidural injection (of medicine?) to reduce inflammation, and he has stopped skating (when did he ever start?).
Waddell said Friday that Lehtonen is scheduled for another examination by doctors (or facsimilies thereof) to determine the next course (probably golf course) of action (as paychecks keep rolling in to worthless Finn). Waddell said he would not label the current situation a setback (not as long as the quitter is not on ice).
“When you are dealing with the back, everyone heals (or feigns continued injury) at a different rate,” Waddell said. “He is progressing very slowly (nothing like getting paid for not doing a job).”
Lehtonen signed a one-year qualifying offer (theft of the highest degree) with the Thrashers during the offseason.
I would say more but I would drop straight into Hell for commenting on what needs to be said. ++STENDEC++
R. Stroz
October 23rd, 2009
4:47 pm
I hope Kovy understands, to some extent, that he can’t have his cake and eat it too. In other words, if Kovy goes for the maximum salary allowed, the Thrashers will be a revolving door of young talent going elsewhere to procure their fair market value, and as such, the Thrashers will NEVER have an elite team for more than two years.
If I were Kovy and his agent, I would demand an out clause of some sort stating that the ASG must maintain a payroll 6 to 8 million over the salary minimum. If the ASG drops salary, then Kovy can drop the ASG.
hip czech
October 23rd, 2009
5:15 pm
Stendec, check out the Ottawa game last night…they also gave up a couple soft goals (a d-man giveaway, one off of a d-man) at home. You can go to the Ottawa blogs and do the doom and gloom routine there too.
So the question is, will the Thrashers or Ottawa finish in 16th place in the East?
Brendan
October 23rd, 2009
8:12 pm
R.Stroz, I think the line of demarcation is Ovechkin’s $9.5 million cap hit. Wasn’t it $124 million spread across 13 years? I think Sid’s deal was 5 years/$43.5 million, for cap hit of $8.7 million. Remember, Crosby’s deal will surpass whatever Kovy makes on his … just because he’s still a few years away from being eligible to earn that higher salary.
If you ask me, I think Kovy would come at $10.1 to $10.3 million-per-year in cap hit. I know that seems high. And I know that Kovy really doesn’t need the money. He made $32.5 million off this current 5-year deal, and several million more off his capped rookie year contract.
Stop. Imagine you hit the Friday night MegaMillions Jackpot. That might be the reward, either before or after taxes. Do you really ever need to work again, ever in life? I’ll be brazen … and advance that you don’t need to work. You need a butler and a chauffer. And, perhaps, a masseuse. While I understand that this is a matter of pride and respect for Kovalchuk, he’d be tossing us a bone at $9.6 million-per-year. That’d free up $1.4 million for a depth signing. Hopefully, Kovy realizes that.
Hey, Florida’s up, 2-0, on the defending Stanley Cup Champions. That game is being played in Pittsburgh. At 9PM, the Carolina Hurricans play at Colorado. We need to root against the division rivals.
Viking
October 23rd, 2009
8:52 pm
Niclas Hävelid, now playing in Sweden, used his head to block a shot and got his ear severely cut.
Alan R.
October 23rd, 2009
9:10 pm
My best to Havelid, and I really hope he has a swift recovery.
Brendan
October 23rd, 2009
10:07 pm
Hope it’s not serious, Viking. The Pittsburgh Penguins have come back on the Florida Panthers. Sidney Crosby had a PPG and a “shorty” to get it equalized at 2-2. Regulation time has just expired. Florida will get at least one-point. Hopefully, that’ll be all they get. Overtime is about to start. Channel #773 on Comcast, on Center Ice. If you want to hear the Panthers announcers cry, tune to channel #774.
Brendan
October 23rd, 2009
10:08 pm
Carolina and Colorado are still tied at 2-2, with 15:00 left in the 2nd stanza. Go Aves!!
HookyBob
October 23rd, 2009
10:12 pm
All goalies, most notably those in the hall-of-fame, have had really bad nights,..and let in super-soft goals on other nights.
It is how they come back from the bad outing that made some of them hall-of-famers. (Anyone who recall’s Roy’s gaff in play-offs 6-8 years ago would also recall the he came back with a fine shut-down effort.)
Pavlec must start Saturday evening. Goalies aren’t disposable,…..you don’t sit a guy who has carried the team for several games then has a bad outing. Even after a horrendous 5 goals on 15+/- shots he still has over a .90 save %. Could any other goalie in the league have a had night like that and still be over .9? Maybe Moose, who’s had his share of bad-karma goals, should have a talk with Opie.
Russian: The thought of Slater on line 2 is most intriguing. Since Slater has been sitting, none of our other lines would be affected. I am of the opinion that we don’t want to change anything in lines 1,3 & 4.
Kubina’s effort last night was excellent. I’m thinking his addition has had a much bigger impact than noticed. Ovie was frustrated to the point that he was a nonfactor.
I like Max’s work too. Seems to do well until he tries to get too fancy with the puck. I’m willing to give him more chances.
Ovetchkin is a beast of a player,…and plays with soooooo much heart. However, it is in the NHL’s best interest to keep him from crossing the line with “over-ambitious” play.
Stroz,…I hope Ilya realizes what the Thrashers forego (your cake and eat it to) when he insists on bargaining for a high salary. Those who put a priority on winning now need to put less money where their mouth is. Still I could go $10 M a year cap hit for Kovy.
Brendan, if I won megamillions,…a lot of these bloggers would get season tickets in the same section. Wish me luck tonight.
Rawhide: Are the “busriders” sitting in section 121 tomorrow night?
Viking
October 23rd, 2009
10:18 pm
Hävelid’s head is fine, but his ear got cut badly by the helmets ear protector!!!
His comment later, was something like “the ear is still located where it should be” (very losely translated). 15 stitches and lots of lingering pain.
Brendan
October 23rd, 2009
10:30 pm
W2G, Penguins! Sidney Crosby added the only shootout goal to give the Penguins the win over Florida. Man, what a 3rd period and extra session for Crosby! One PPG, one short-handed goal, and a shootout tally, to give Pittsburgh the win. I think this makes the Penguins the #1 team in the NHL for points. What are they now, 9-1?
Hey, hey, whattaya say Colorado!! The Aves have scored four straight goals after trailing the Hurricanes 2-0. It’s 4-2, Colorado, with 9:00 left in the 2nd period. Come on, Colorado! Hold on for the win!! Lots of time left, however. It’s on Channel #776 and #777 on Comcast’s Center Ice. I think Comcast has the free preview until October 28th.
Brendan
October 23rd, 2009
10:53 pm
Good luck, Hookybob! I hope you win it all! The most I’ve ever won in MegaMillions was $7. Anytime I play it, I just consider it a donation to the Hope Scholarship. Though, people are tellin’ me that’s not really the case.
But I digress.
Carolina has tallied to make it, 4-3, still in favor of the Colorado Avalanche. The 2nd period is over. I much prefer watching this game on “Altitude” than listening to the Carolina broadcast crew, on Fox SportsSouth Carolina.
Confession time. I’m getting a little tired of this “early bird” Center Ice commercial repeating ad nauseum. I thought it was cute-n-funny the first few times around. The Chicago guys upset over the lack of Deep Dish pizza in Boston. The Maple Leaf fan who misses his old high school girlfriend, now that he’s in Akron, Ohio. The two relatively cute Sabres girls, living in Ocala, FL. But enough, already!! I’ve seen this commercial 400 times now.
The second period intermission interview is with Matt Duchene, the 3rd overall pick in the draft. Duchene said Sakic was the idol of his life, growing up an Avalanche fan. He felt very prideful watching Sakic’s number being retired to the rafters earlier this season. Duchene would have been awesome here. But hey, we still did well to get Evander Kane. I think Colorado got a “perfect fit” player in Duchene. They’re KEEPING him, too. He’s not getting the 9-game audition. He’s here for the duration. I suspect Kane is, for Atlanta, as well. If I were Tampa, I’d keep Viktor Hedman. And the Isles would be stupid not to keep Tavares. How is Braydon Schenn doing in Los Angeles?
js
October 24th, 2009
12:20 am
100th – Thrashers 6 – Sharks 3 Once the Thrashers score the first goal the place will go crazy!!