Thrashers collect themselves then bag Leafs
Wasn’t it about a year or so ago that the Toronto Maple Leafs came to town, built a nice lead after the first period…only to see the Thrashers steam back to win? In fact, I believe that was the game that I asked if alien beings had abducted the players from the home locker room, took over their bodies and returned to the ice in the second period…because the team that played the last 40 minutes plus overtime was not the same one that played the first twenty.
Well, although the Thrashers did not play as bad this time during the first period….they still went into the locker room trailing 2-0, thanks to a pair of goals by Alexei Ponikarovski.
Evander Kane celebrates his game-tying goal against Toronto (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)
However, just like last year, they came out in the second and kicked it up a notch in order to net a win. The final score was exactly the same as last years comeback win…4-3…and just like last January, Ilya Kovalchuk scored twice while Rich Peverley chipped in one himself.
Kovy scored first for Atlanta with a bullet from the left point to cut Toronto’s lead to 2-1. His second goal of the night gave the Thrashers a 4-2 lead in the third after Chris Thorburn intercepted a wayward Leafs pass in center ice. Kovy took Thorburn’s feed into the attacking zone and rocketed the puck past Vesa Toskala from the right circle. They were goals number 29 and 30 for Ilya and his assist on Peverley’s power play goal gives him 56 points on the season.
Assuming he plays in the Thrashers 33 remaining games, Kovalchuk on pace for right at 99 or 100 points.
The captain’s play caught coach Anderson’s attention. “That was the best game I’ve seen Kovy play in two weeks”, Anderson said. “I guess he felt good…he always plays good but that was special”.
As for Kovalchuk, he was more than willing to deflect much of the credit to Ondrej Pavelec, who had another fine start…stopping 37 of 40 Maple Leafs shots. “Pavelec made some unbelievable saves and the penalty kill stopped them in the final minute,” Kovalchuk said. “It was a team effort. If we work like we did tonight, we’re going to win a lot of games”.
Captain Ilya Kovalchuk celebrates the win over Toronto with his teammates (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)
Indeed.
Also scoring for Atlanta was Evander Kane. His nifty wrap-around job halfway through the second tied the game at two. It was his first goal since New Years night in Buffalo.
Atlanta’s penalty kill unit was successful on all five Toronto man advantage opportunities. The Thrashers went 1 for 7 on the power play…however, Kovalchuk’s first goal of the night came just three seconds after Ponikarovski has exited the sin-bin after his hooking penalty 40 seconds into the period.
With the win, the Thrashers leapfroged back over Florida into second place in the Southeast…both teams now having played 49 games. They remain tied with Philadelphia…who thumped Columbus 5-3… in the ninth and tenth spots in the Eastern Conference. Both teams have 51 points, though Philly has played one less game, and they trail the eighth place New York Islanders by one single point…New York having played 50 games.
This was a great win by the Thrashers tonight, one that they really…and I mean realllllllly…needed in a bad way.
Viewing Party at TJs
So…whatcha doin’ Saturday night? Well, how about joining us at TJ’s bar and grill located on Holcomb Bridge Road to watch the Thrashers take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. As they normally do, the Atlanta Thrashers fan Club will be putting on quite the party and Tim, Mark and the entire staff will certainly be providing their normal top-notch service.
Is the opportunity to hang with yours truly and other regular posters around here not enough to persuade you? Well, how about 15% off your food and beverages?
Uh-huh….That’s what I thought. See ya’ll there.
And Finally…
So…I’m walking out of Philips Arena last night and holding the door for me was James Brown.
No…not that James Brown. He’s a self-described “lurker” on this blog and it was very, very nice to make his acquaintance…along with the three lovely ladies he was with.
I guess it’s only natural that I would meet someone with the name James Brown on a night like this, because after such a nice win by the Thrashers….
OWWWWwwwwww….I feel good!
sigh…sorry
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135 comments Add your comment
Smoothie
January 20th, 2010
1:30 pm
TSNBobMcKenzie
“For all asking why trade for Sykora when he was free on waivers, very simple — acquiring team wants to unload a body/contract.”
3 minutes ago from UberTwitter
“While Sykora cleared, at least one team, maybe two, talking to Wild about trade for Sykora. Sykora wants to stay in NHL, not go to Europe.”
Hmmmm, is Waddudley working the phones in Minnie-SO-ta? Perhaps. Doesn’t he have a good relationship with what’s his face of the Wild?
World Be Free
January 20th, 2010
1:33 pm
Biltong-The Cincinnati Swords!?! That’s going back, Swords were the Sabres’ farm team in the 70’s. Saw them win the Calder Cup in Buffalo. They had to move the finals from CIN to Buffalo because somebody had the arena booked. Floyd Smith was their coach.
One of my favorite all time AHL players was on their squad; Keke Mortson. Talk about an old time minor leaguer that would have played if he was born just a little later. He was just a little dirty, probably kicked Don Cherry’s ass at some point during his career.
The old days.
Hollywould
January 20th, 2010
1:38 pm
Hey World, Is that the same KeKe who played for the Macon Whoopee in the 70’s. I used to go to those games at the macon Coliseum.
Hollywould
January 20th, 2010
1:40 pm
World, After racking my feeble brain I think Keke Mortsen was the player coach of the Macon Whoopee
in the 70’s. for a couple of years. Man, those guys were tough. We would have a blast going to see them at the Macon Coliseum. And yes, they were the WHOOPEE.
Rawhide
January 20th, 2010
1:48 pm
Maybe the real Rawhide was abducted by aliens because I know the he would have said he was glad James and JB got a handle on that problem.
Paminski – Well played!
GaVaHokie
January 20th, 2010
1:54 pm
Smoothie… would we send White to Minney? Would Minney take him? After all, they let him go and signed Belanger to replace him.
…hmmm.
Eileen
January 20th, 2010
2:19 pm
The attendance remarks are legit. It is a double edged sword. I just hope we are not on the losing end of a relocation due to attendance. It would be such a shame to lose hockey in Atlanta. I really feel for the players. Overall, they give it their best. I think they would be even more motivated by more LOUD fans like last night.
Hey Rawhide, I saw you through the glass from another section. I will give my 2 tax exemptions your best. Thanks.
Wayne stuck in AL
January 20th, 2010
2:21 pm
I’m still trying to figure out what “The Hockey Way” is…
Dwayne
January 20th, 2010
2:29 pm
Wayne….isn’t that a cluster of stars in our galaxy?
Alan R.
January 20th, 2010
2:30 pm
Several teams had attendance issues in the late 80s and early 90s. Vancouver immediately comes to mind, as does Calgary and Edmonton.
Atlanta isn’t going to relocate. Not due to attendance alone, anyway.
World Be Free
January 20th, 2010
2:36 pm
Keke played for the Whoopees in 73-74.
He also played for my beloved Buffalo Norsemen of the North American Hockey League in 75-76. The guy played pro hockey from 1952-1978 for 19 different teams, not counting the number or teams he left and came back to.
Jimbo
January 20th, 2010
2:46 pm
Am I seeing things but is Valabik starting to look like he belongs? Put Kozzy on the Milk Carton to get him going.
Smoothie
January 20th, 2010
2:52 pm
Hokie – I doubt Minny would want Whitey back because they are prolly looking to shed some salary. Before PMB went on LTIR, they were right up against the Cap with very little wiggle-room. That’s why I was so surprised they even went after Sykora in the first place. They might be interested a defenseman for depth, but I doubt it. I don’t really see how we’d be a good trading partner unless Minny is already looking to shed some additional salary in an early pre-deadline firesale trade. But they are barely alive in the West so I don’t think they’ll do anything until after the Olympics.
Rawhide
January 20th, 2010
3:03 pm
Taking a look at tonight’s schedule…we have Florida playing NJ and Montreal hosting St. Louis. Both the Habs and Panthers are 1 point behind us and Philly. Rooting for
MontrealSt. Louis is a no-brainer…so too is pulling for the Devils.In fact, unless they are playing the Thrashers or a Western Conference team, I’m gonna be pulling for New Jersey and Buffalo…and maybe even Washington… from here on out.
Why?…you ask. Simple. The caps are going to win the SE, (DUH5)…someone has to win the NE and Atlantic, and I think NJ and Buffalo will take those two divisions…so go on and let either of those teams win if they play someone else in the conference.
Basically, the Thrashers are battling both New York teams, Philly, Boston, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Florida, Ottawa and the Bolts…even Toronto. Carolina is out of it.
Pittsburgh could catch NJ, given there is only a 2 point difference right now, but whomever does not win that division is probably the 4th seed. So, in all reality, the Thrashers “best case scenario” is landing anywhere from 5-8.
Still really think we finish around 88 points and just out of the playoffs…but hey, I’d love to be wrong.
TableHockey
January 20th, 2010
3:12 pm
Will be interesting to see how we do against the Canes tomorrow night. Wonder if Staal’s new captaincy will have any effect on how they have been playing. Probably a sign of the end for Rod.
Smoothie
January 20th, 2010
3:21 pm
And why should I ever pull for the Habs?
Trix – I think Bill forgot to proof-read again.
Rawhide
January 20th, 2010
3:31 pm
Smoothie – Yeah, yeah, yeah…I fixed it, thanks. Trixie had me…distracted…when I was typing.
GaVaHokie
January 20th, 2010
3:44 pm
Rawhide… agreed… Atlanta and Montreal have the most favorable schedules ahead. So look for us to battle it out with them for the 8th spot.
Smoothie
January 20th, 2010
3:51 pm
Yes, the dangers of the workplace are indeed many.
Guess who the most efficient forward is when it comes to not only goal scoring, but also preventing goals at ES?
I’ll be right back with the answer in a few minutes.
Smoothie
January 20th, 2010
4:24 pm
Top 3 Efficient Players (first forwards then defensemen):
1) Antropov
2) Kovalchuk
3(t) Reasoner & Thorburn
1) Enstrom
2) Kubina
3) Salmela
Keep in mind that this does not factor in Quality of Competition, which would surely affect things. Looking at Desjardins numbers from http://www.behindthenet.com, which does factor in QOC, the rankings aren’t too much different meaning the above players are doing their jobs well and performing their roles effectively.
The worst three forwards? Little, White and then Kozlov. No surprises there. Although I would say White & Kozlov were dragging Little down earlier in the season. If Bryan were scoring a bit more (say 5-10 goals more), very few would be criticizing him. He will need to catch fire down the stretch if the Thrashers are to make the playoffs.
Somaatl95
January 20th, 2010
4:34 pm
Happy they came alive last night. Hope December was just a bad dream.
Red Light
January 20th, 2010
5:16 pm
Sutton got a two-game suspension.
Brendan
January 20th, 2010
5:25 pm
I gotta tell ya, it felt GOOD to see Kane and Peverley score in the same game. While I’d bet that’s happened before, it needs to happen more OFTEN.
Someone look it up. How many times have Kane and Peverley scored in the same game?
Brendan
January 20th, 2010
5:31 pm
Maybe Dupuis “stiffed ‘im” on a lunch tab in Mid-town? Those places can get pricey?
rob
January 20th, 2010
5:42 pm
Glad to get the win, don’t get me wrong, but if that was Kovy’s best game…… How awesome would it be to see Kovy come back on defense with his skating ability, take the puck away and then go end to end? Kozlov obviously is having a lot of difficulty concentrating on the PP and I would expect someone of his stature who has nothing to prove anymore to ask someone else take his place there until he can figure it out. Liked Kubina playing PP w Kovy on the point, mostly because a few times he went away from Kovy who was begging for it, and went to the net after dishing it just for a different look. Keep the momentum and let’s see more PHYSICAL HITS like against the Leafs. Good to see Kane get the goal for his hard work.
NASCAR Dave
January 20th, 2010
5:54 pm
Is that R. STROZ with the annoying bullhorn that bleeds thru on the TV and Radio broadcasts? I can’t tell because I don’t go to games anymore. But that will definitely change after they FIRE WADDELL…
Red Light
January 20th, 2010
6:28 pm
Staal replaces Brind’amour as captain in Carolina. An interesting take on the situation…
http://hurricanes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=514357
World Be Free
January 20th, 2010
6:33 pm
I think Rod is on his last legs in Carolina. Too bad, good player, great guy.
Mr. Heat Miser
January 20th, 2010
6:49 pm
Eric Staal=Still not daddy’s favorite
World Be Free
January 20th, 2010
8:42 pm
Now Eklund has Kovy going to the Leafs. I think Cherry must have told him to say that one.
James Brown
January 20th, 2010
9:22 pm
Relocation?……just don`t see it…Atlanta is the 8th or 9th largest TV Market in the league. This is not 1980 Atlanta. It is a whole different animal since the Flames left town. Nobody was as sad as me when they left. It was a well run framchise from day one and sellouts were the norm. Cliff Fletcher would have already put a Cup here if he had DW`s job in 1999!! What these Canadiens don`t understand is advertising numbers and expectations are always built on potential. Bettman wants to set the league up for the next TV contract and you don`t trade a top ten market for a small city full of rabid fans in Canada that would be 20-25th in the NHL in local TV numbers. Granted the Thrashers are an afterthought for the current ownership but you always look to what can happen when the right group runs this team. The team is tied to the rights of the arena and the longevity of this deal in years is “multiple” per DW……………… So folks…..we aint going anywhere……
Miami Screaming Eagle
January 20th, 2010
11:18 pm
I had a future dream last night-DW was still GM of the Trashers.
I guess you could call that a nightmare.
Brendan
January 20th, 2010
11:35 pm
Marty Brodeur breaks his own shutout record, and now stands at 108 career shutouts, including 7 this season. He also got his 30th win, which makes the 13th time in his career that he’s won 30 or more games. That ties him with Patrick Roy. And the hits just keep comin’ for Brodeur. But better than that, Florida got ZERO points, to go along with their zero goals. Which is important, considering the Cats only trail Le Thrash by one-point.
Segue, the St. Louis Blues did not do us any favors tonight. They were up, 3-1, going into the 3rd period against Montreal. And, with Carey Price pulled from the net, they got the equalizer in the final 20 or so seconds of regulation time. That gave the Habs a point, dagnabit. But the Blues did prevail in overtime, for the win, denying Montreal the other point. A regulation time win would have really helped the Thrashers, by St. Louis.
Thrashers27
January 21st, 2010
1:26 am
WBF, yeah, what a crock…what does Toronto even have left to offer up? They have jack. Unless, they want to give up their first round pick for the next ten years. Pfftttt…whatev…Go Blue!
World Be Free
January 21st, 2010
6:31 am
Brendan-no idea what happened to the Blues this season. I looked to them to challenge in the West, 5th maybe even 4th spot. Lots of young talent, maybe it’s the lack of a real #1 center. That’s the only part of the puzzle they don’t have.
Thrasher27-Canadian media makes me laugh. They act as if everyone wants to play in Toronto, for nothing! Truth is nobody was to be in that situation, unless you get overpaid or have nowhere else to go. Toronto is not a preferred NHL destination anymore.
I watched Luke Schenn the other night; he’s supposed to be Toronto’s rock on defense for the next 15 years. Trust is he’s OK, way behind Bogo or the other defensemen drafted high last year. He has the Leafs’ curse of trying to be the next Tim Horton.
Florida likes to block shots as they did against us on Monday. I have the remedy for any team that likes to stand in from of shots-SHOOT HIGH! That will get them out of the way.
The Real Thrash
January 21st, 2010
7:36 am
Kovy, third in goals scored in the league. And this while yahoos say the Thrashers would be a better team without him. Yeah, that’s hockey sense.
GaVaHokie
January 21st, 2010
8:45 am
Unless Burke wants to trade us Kessel, I don’t see how Toronto has enough assets to get the deal done.
Ponikarovsky, Kadri and Kaberle, maybe? But they’ve got no draft picks to offer up.
GaVaHokie
January 21st, 2010
8:49 am
Kovy, third in goals scored in the league. And this while yahoos say the Thrashers would be a better team without him. Yeah, that’s hockey sense.
Again, you’re confusing talent with money… the team is better “off”… financially… without him.
GaVaHokie
January 21st, 2010
8:50 am
Unless, they want to give up their first round pick for the next ten years. Pfftttt…whatev…Go Blue!
I think the Bruins already have all those.
KovyRules
January 21st, 2010
9:11 am
Yes, I’ve been as absent in January as Kovy’s competitiveness, but with a nickname like this I just couldn’t post again until Kovy was really playing again…
In returning, I felt I needed to bring some gifts, so here’s a couple for Dwayne (What was White’s, Kozlov’s and Little’s numbers at this point last year compared to this year???) and Brendan (Someone look it up. How many times have Kane and Peverley scored in the same game?)
Dwayne (or should I say ++DWAYNE++), the real answer is too much trouble for me to figure, especially when it will just be depressing, but projecting this year’s productivity and comparing to last year, Little will be down 36%, Kozy down 49%, and White will be down a pathetic 57%. Any chance we can get 57% of his salary back?
Brendan, that was a little easier to find. Citizen Kane and the Dispenser have tallied in the same game 4 times (TO 1/19; Canes 11/27; SJ 10/24; NJ 10/16), and we’ve won three of those. It’s a solid observation that with the waning of the Little White Russian, we need those two participating on the score sheet if we’re going to make it to the playoffs.
I am liking the sprinkling of the Greek God line on to three separate lines, and I think it has really helped Slats. Not sure any of the new lines have a lot of chemistry or familiarity yet, but I think it will come. See ya at the bulb tonite!
Schroeder
January 21st, 2010
9:27 am
WOW,White’s production off 57%,I know this horse is sufficently dead but I will repeat,Sykora has a drastically better chance of recovering from a concussion, than #12 suddenly becoming a tough-in-the-corner,hard to ride off the puck,clog up the crease kinda forward.Sorry,I just think that he filled a need last year,but that need has passed.TRADE OR CLAIM FOR SYKORA AND WAIVE #12!!!!!!!
Paminski
January 21st, 2010
9:28 am
Maybe Dupuis “stiffed ‘im” on a lunch tab in Mid-town? Those places can get pricey?
Brendan – Thanks for the laugh.
GaVaHokie
January 21st, 2010
9:41 am
Maybe Dupuis “stiffed ‘im” on a lunch tab in Mid-town? Those places can get pricey?
Or maybe Dupuis was the one who told Sutton and Kari that “the whole team is going to dye their hair blue for the playoffs, be sure you go home and do it tonight.”
Rawhide
January 21st, 2010
9:58 am
WOW,White’s production off 57%,I know this horse is sufficently dead but I will repeat,Sykora has a drastically better chance of recovering from a concussion, than #12 suddenly becoming a tough-in-the-corner,hard to ride off the puck,clog up the crease kinda forward.Sorry,I just think that he filled a need last year,but that need has passed.TRADE OR CLAIM FOR SYKORA AND WAIVE #12!!!!!!!
Schroeder – While that drop off is surprising…it also reinforces the argument some of us were making that White’s trade value was at it’s highest last summer. Now…seeing that Waddell could only hope to get little more than a coupon for 6 cheese Krystals for a player with his stats and another year left on a $2.4 million per year contract…waiving #12 is about all DW can do with him right now.
Oh brother…seeing that I’m going to be in the press box Tuesday, I’m sure I’m gonna get another frosty scowl from Whitey.
Smoothie
January 21st, 2010
10:03 am
Schroeder – Amen brother! Preach it from the mountain tops!
Popovic still has AHL options, along with Salmela I’m pretty sure. Plus, if Opie doesn’t maintain his recent level of play AND Lehts comes back with a vengeance, then Opie can go back down to Chicago as well.
We should’ve sent Pops down (needs conditioning anyway) and claimed Sykora. If Sykora plays well, then you can investigate trading White if anyone is crazy enough to take a chance. If nothing else, waiving White would make room in the press-box for Slava Kozlov. Hell, I’d much rather see Joey Crabb or even Brett Sterling over both of them. Sterling may not score like he does in AHL, but he hustles more and draws more penalties than Slava does.
KovyRules
January 21st, 2010
10:03 am
Take the Sykora story a step further – let’s say we’re buyers at the trade deadline. Which UFAs would be good to pick up off one of the non-playoff teams?
IMO, no one from the Canes or Oilers. I still like Eric Belanger and I think his skating fits JAs style. Perhaps Raffi Torres if the Blue Jackets become sellers. On D, Johnsson or Zidlicky might be worth the money…
h
January 21st, 2010
10:21 am
Hokie- I’m a big fan of Ponikarovski (although he’s a UFA next year), but you “could” add in Schenn, Hagman (RFA next year), and Komisarek (locked up for 3 more years)….but still……
Smoothie
January 21st, 2010
10:28 am
The Iceman Bloggeth well. I would’ve loved to see a checking line of Stuart – Reasy – Crabb! But then we wouldn’t have Kubina I suppose. But I’ll be damned if DWad shouldn’t have thrown in Slater (grittier than White certainly) who might have actually had a snowball’s chance in hell to play in TOR. Stuart never got a serious shot in TOR. Calgary needs offense eh? White & Salmela for Stuart and Moss?
Schroeder
January 21st, 2010
10:30 am
KovyRules: I agree 1000% on your choices,I don’t think we have any choice but be buyers.Any hint of being sellers would be tatamount to waving a white flag at #17 and with him being unsigned we should all wave bye-bye to him come July. Eric Belanger would also be a great fit on Offense,and Johnson on D.I love what Slava has given to LeThrash,But I think his play paired w/White’s disappearance justifies a move on both NOW!
J.B.
January 21st, 2010
10:30 am
Belanger isn’t coming back here again. Much like Recchi, if i recall correctly, I believe he was pretty open about not liking playing in Atlanta during his brief stint here. However, I did see an interview with him where he considered one of his most memorable shots the one where he broke the glass during the marathon shootout the last game of the regular season.