If your Thanksgiving turkey has no wings, there’s a reason for that

All around Thrasherville today, as family and loved ones sit down to enjoy their Thanksgiving turkey…they will find certain parts of the bird missing. Well…there’s a reason for that. You see, last night the Thrashers devoured the wings.

The Detroit Red Wings, that is, as the Atlanta Thrashers ate them alive to the tune of 5-1.

In yesterday’s blog we discussed how the Thrashers could resists the Big Red Borg’s attack. I mentioned that Atlanta would need to take on some of the characteristics of the visiting Red Wings if they were to be successful.

Chris Thorburn celebrates his goal that gave the Thrashers an early 1-0 lead against Detroit Wednesday night (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)

They would need to continue their recent trend of not committing untimely errors in the defensive and neutral zones…check.

They had to find a way to match the Wings speed and physical play…check.

They needed to skate each shift, from the very first one to the final horn, as if everything rode on it…check.

And the man ‘tween the pipes needed to once again come up big…check.

There, now that wasn’t so hard after all…was it?

Atlanta won battles all night long, they out worked Detroit, They outshot them, they were aggressive in the neutral zone, played sold defense and were as invasive and intrusive to the Red Wings defensive zone as  TSA agents at the gates of Hartsfield-Jackson airport.

After Chris Thorburn and the fourth line staked Atlanta to an early lead, Captain Ladd then converted a great pass from Rich Peverley for a shorty to put them up 2-1. In the second period while on the power play, Bryan Little fed Anthony Stewart with a great pass from the left wing and Stewey put the Thrashers up 3-1. And then when Little snapped home a shot over Jimmy Howard, the home team had taken a 4-1 advantage and it was clear the wheels had come clean off Detroit’s little red wagon.

Dustin Byfuglien’s power play blast in third simply added the icing to cake, providing the final score of 5-1. But he also made sure one Wings fan sitting near glass knew exactly what team had trashed his Red Wings as he tapped his stick on the glass, then turned display the A-T-L-A-N-T-A along his left sleeve to him. Nice.

In goal, Pavelec continued his stellar work of late, turning aside 32 of the 33 shots he faced. Only Todd Bertuzzi’s power play goal beat him. In doing so, Opie improved his record to 4-4-2, lowered his GAA to 1.84 and raised his saves percentage to .942%.

To say the least, this was a huge win for a Thrashers team that seems to be gaining confidence each and every game. In the past three times out, they have defeat the best teams the Eastern and Western Conferences have had to offer…by a combined score of 10-1. I for one could not have had my Thanksgiving holiday started in a finer fashion.

And speaking of Thanksgiving…

I would like to take this opportunity wish each and every one of you the best today as we take time to give thanks for all we have. Among the many, many blessing that I count in my own personal life are each and every one of you who take time out of your busy days to spend here.

Whether you are simply a reader or one to posts comments as well, I cannot convey to you my gratitude for helping to make this little online forum what it is. As I like to tell anyone who’ll listen…the comments posted below here and on Chris Vivlamore’s blog are simply some the best, most intelligent, thoughtful, entertaining, knowledgeable and humorous in the Thrasherville blogosphere.

For those of you who classify yourselves as “lurkers”, I do appreciate it when you stop me inside Philips Arena to introduce yourselves and tell me you are regular readers. I enjoy chatting Thrashers hockey with you and ivite you to join the frey down below too.

For that, I cannot say thank you enough.

If you are traveling this weekend, as my family and I are, please be safe and enjoy your time with family and friends. I look forward to seeing all of you again very soon at future games.

Happy Thanksgiving, Thrasherville!