Thrashers shuffle off to Buffalo in desperate need of a win
Tonight the Thrashers will take on the Sabres up in Buffalo and are in desperate need of coming out western New York with a pair of points. Break it down however you like, tonight’s matchup is just the latest verse in this seasons, “Thrashers Need A Win Real Bad” song.
To illustrate this point let’s turn our attention to the Eastern Conference standings, shall we…
Atlanta and Buffalo both find themselves sitting in the ninth and tenth position in the Eastern Conference. Each has 60 points but the Sabres have two games in hand. Right above them are Carolina and the New York Rangers with 65 and 68 points respectively. The Rangers are coming off a shootout win against the Canes last night. And after their 3-2 win in Vancouver last night, Montreal sits in sixth place with 71 points.
Lurking just below is Toronto, Florida and New Jersey. Thanks to a 2-1 win over the Islanders, the Leafs are but a single point behind the Thrashers while the Panthers have 57 points. The Devils are sitting now at 56 points after Johan Hedberg turned aside all 19 Stars shots faced during a 1-0 win in Dallas.
New Jersey is now an amazing 16-1-2 in their last 19 games.
While the Thrashers attempt to rattle the Sabres tonight, Florida will be in Ottawa to play the Senators. Toronto plays in Montreal tomorrow. On Friday, Carolina hosts Pittsburgh, the Rangers are in Washington and the Devils are in Tampa.
It’s Not Easy Being Green in Blueland
Normally when the Buffalo Sabres are our opponents, I find myself with a serious case of goalie envy. I’ve always been a big Ryan Miller fan and have wished we could have someone like that manning the Thrashers nets over the past several years. But today, as the two teams prepare to square off, I find myself turning green because that organization is preparing to begin a new era under the ownership of Terry Pegula.
It appears Sabres fans will have an owner who not only is a huge fan of the team and the sport, but it looks like he has an understanding of what it takes to run a franchise.
Speaking at HSBC Arena yesterday, Pegula stated, “Starting today, there will be no financial mandates on the Buffalo Sabres hockey department”. He later added, “Starting today, the Buffalo Sabres’ reason for existence will be to win a Stanley Cup”.
Wow…imagine that.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had words of praise for the Sabres new owner adding that it was “a dream come true for the league because we know this franchise is in great hands”.
…sigh…
And Speaking of New Owners…
While is seems ownership issues will not be a problem up in Buffalo any time soon, we here in Thrasherville can still only hope for such a day. To help move that process forward, season ticket holder Chris Ciovacco is looking to get the attention of local elected officials in this video which he has asked me to share with you.
Ciovacco is the person who has started up the Keep The Thrashers movement and is planning a gathering at the Taco Mac next to Philips Arena Sunday afternoon. I’ll be there and hope to see you as well.
Where else I hope to see you is in the seats of Philips Arena come game time Friday and Sunday. Voicing concern is great and all that, and I support every fan’s efforts to show their support for the team. But nothing trumps butts in seats when it comes to showing any would-be investor that may be “kicking the tires” exactly what NHL hockey in this town can be again.
If you’re still looking to procure your tickets for this weekend and other upcoming games, again I invite you to click –>HERE<– and use the promo code RAWHIDE.
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234 comments Add your comment
World Be Free
February 23rd, 2011
2:11 pm
Stroz–had 10 years of expereince for not like Max. I was not correct.
You want to take a chance on a player? Kotalik-good shot and good on shootouts from what I remember.
Alan R, Tom and all on the Dudley extension-it is news in Buffalo because the Buffalo papers had Dudely rumored to be going to buffalo at the end of the season – that’s why Buffalo papers have the news first. I did not hear that rumor anywhere else, but my friends in Buffalo said they heard Duds to the Sabres more than once. It is obviously not happening.
Atlanta is #2
February 23rd, 2011
2:15 pm
Boys…………. WTF….. looks like a hot ticket will be in town Friday. Seats still available……. buy them after you get a job.
Section
Row
Seats
Description 118
W
3 – 17
LOWER LEVEL
IN THE CORNERS OF THE RINK
PRICE LEVEL 4 TypeREGULAR PRICEPriceUS $113.30 x 15
Price Details Price Details TypeREGULAR PRICETicket PriceUS $103.00 x 15Convenience ChargeUS $10.30 x 15
SUBTOTAL*US $1,699.50
Tom Lysiak
February 23rd, 2011
2:17 pm
Alan R – I guess those business concepts and successes are locked in that Gaithersburg building. They definitely weren’t used in this abortion.
kracker
February 23rd, 2011
2:37 pm
That article shows that it’s much easier to write brochures and collect/distribute some data than to competently run an NHL hockey club.
Uncle Milty
February 23rd, 2011
2:39 pm
Zherdev is beyond being defensively inept. There is a reason he has gone through so many teams at such a young age. Playing in the NHL these days requires that attention be paid to defense as well, scoring talent or not. He is Robbie Schremp II.
Red Light
February 23rd, 2011
2:44 pm
If you are one of those people enamored by skill, then Zherdev is your man. The guy has great tools but there is a reason he only gets 12 minutes of ice time per game. He does little else for his team, plus he’s going to need a center to get him the puck. Remaining salary is less than $500k, and that’s $40,000 per game. Difference makers, even with a reputation for off-ice issues, don’t get waived unless the Flyers are trying to free up more cap space to add one more player. Pass today, tomorrow and next week!
Max was $800k for an entire season. No correlation except for Russia.
Smoothie
February 23rd, 2011
2:49 pm
Check ze tweets! @ESPN_Burnside says: “Would not be surprised if Atlanta explores Zherdev option. Thrash in Buffalo tonight for monster game.”
Let’s hope so and duh!
Smoothie
February 23rd, 2011
3:00 pm
R/L – he can’t be any worse than Bergfors. Has more goals and a better shot % n’est ce-pas? Beggars can’t be choosers right now. You’re actually worried about $500k for the rest of the season?? We probably need it to get over the cap as Bogo & Modin surely won’t hit many (or any) of their bonuses. Of course, adding Wheeler & Stu may take care of that, but it’d be close I think.
World Be Free
February 23rd, 2011
3:04 pm
Scratch Kotalik-I forgot he has another year on his current deal.
Shane Hnidy gets a tryout with the Broones!
Alan R.
February 23rd, 2011
3:05 pm
kraker – What you’re missing, is this article clearly illustrates that it’s a BS story when the owners say they’re out of money. Levenson and Peskowitz make more than enough money themselves, alone, to subsidize this franchise and its current losses.
If it was so easy for me to find this, imagine how easy it will be for Alston & Bird to find this and other information on the finances of our crappy esteemed ownership group?
Red Light
February 23rd, 2011
3:11 pm
It’s not about adding more problems to your roster, it’s about subtracting them at this point. Sure, Zherdev can play when/if motivated, but he was playing with better players in Philly than he would be here. He’ll play one good game and take two or more games off. He has had two scoring streaks all year, one a 3-gamer and one a two-gamer.
Red Light
February 23rd, 2011
3:13 pm
Alan R. They never said they were out of money, they said they weren’t going to take on another $20 million per year loss. These guys aren’t filing for personal bankruptcy!
Tom
February 23rd, 2011
3:13 pm
I have not opened Alan R’s link but I have a feeling it is going to break my heart…
GaVaHokie
February 23rd, 2011
3:21 pm
Alan R confirmed everything I felt from the start… these guys aren’t out of money, they just don’t want to own hockey… sense of urgency my ass.
GaVaHokie
February 23rd, 2011
3:23 pm
I think the Zherdev issue would be more of a Roster issue, not a money issue. Zherdev would have to stay on the active roster the remainder of the year, which means you absolutely have to trade a player for player in any other situation.
GaVaHokie
February 23rd, 2011
3:25 pm
… to clarify… if we wanted Brad Richards (for example) we couldn’t trade draft picks. We would actually have to make a player for player trade because of roster limitations.
Do you want Zherdev locking up your 23 man roster limit? That’s what Dudley is faced with.
Tom Lysiak
February 23rd, 2011
3:25 pm
Could it possibly happen any other way for us? We get to go to Buffalo and face them the day after their new owner takes over and incites the whole city into a delirium. Tied in points, the Sabres with two games in hand. I wouldn’t exactly expect a letdown for the Sabres tonight. Unless they are all hung over……
Alan R.
February 23rd, 2011
3:31 pm
Alan R. They never said they were out of money, they said they weren’t going to take on another $20 million per year loss
They didn’t say they weren’t going to, they said they couldn’t. Although, I guess this quote can be interpreted different ways…
““I don’t think there is an ability to stomach another $20 million in losses. We just can’t do it.” – http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-thrashers/owner-sense-of-urgency-840692.html
Red Light
February 23rd, 2011
3:37 pm
“can’t” just probably means “won’t” in this case.
GaVaHokie
February 23rd, 2011
3:38 pm
Do I dare point out that we play Toronto on Sunday with just one point between us?
Yep… they caught up to us too.
Joe McGrath
February 23rd, 2011
3:40 pm
Tommy L–Seems every time we play at home against a team we should beat, we lose. However, since Bufalo should win this one and we are on the road, well…
kracker
February 23rd, 2011
3:41 pm
Whatever amount that two of the owners of the Spirit Group earn in unrelated buisnesses has no material bearing on anything concerning the Thrashers. Or the Hawks or Philips, assuming they are not doing buisness w/ each other. For that matter, how much money Levenson and his partner may or may not have isn’t material to making a case on whether or not the Thrashers are losing money.
I saw your point, of course, that Brucie isn’t hurting for money, but so what? Losing millions isn’t fun even if you are rich. And just because Levenson and his partner can afford to lose those millions, perhaps the other partners can’t. I suspect that is the case.
Your article was interesting and I’m certainly not defending the ASG, just pointing out that outside income is just that, outside and non-related to the finances of the Spirit Group. Unless there have been loans or some such…
Alan R.
February 23rd, 2011
3:42 pm
Hokie – We play the “red hot” Devils twice more this year. How embarrassing would it be to get passed by them?
Rawhide
February 23rd, 2011
3:45 pm
To Zherdev or not to Zerdev…didn’t we have this conversation a year and a half ago?
Back then I like the thought of seeing him play here…now I would have to say no. Find me a winger who can back-check like hell and win battles along the boards as well as score, then I’m interested.
Of course, I doubt you’ll find that kinda player put on waivers right now.
Good news regarding the Dudley’s contract extension. C-Viv says the team will have an official announcement tomorrow.
Losing millions isn’t fun even if you are rich.
kracker – Tell me about it. Everytime I do, it stings like hell.
Zombie Steve
February 23rd, 2011
3:50 pm
My girlfriend is from Buffalo and is a huge Sabres fan. We’ve got a bet on the game tonight; loser has to cook dinner. I hope the Thrashers win….for her sake!
jimbo
February 23rd, 2011
3:50 pm
Looks like we’ll end up in the bottom 5. Time to start speculating about the juniors who will be available to us. Would be nice to see Clueless Craig decide to retire. He sure is not the answer.
Iron League 13
February 23rd, 2011
3:52 pm
Congrats to Buffalo, I gotta soft spot for working class towns like that. Too bad we gotta beat em tonight. Dude, why is there egg on my face?
LET’S GO THRASHERS!!!
kracker
February 23rd, 2011
3:59 pm
Alan R. – Don’t want to even think about finishing below the Devils.
GaVaHokie
February 23rd, 2011
3:59 pm
Zombie, come on… you can get a better pay off then that can’t you? Surely you can cook your own dinner.
Iron League 13
February 23rd, 2011
4:00 pm
Joe Friday – That news about available seating Friday does suck. I keep saying it, but whether or not it’s here or anywhere else Miami included, they’ve always seemed to have had the worst attendance. Again, I’m only going by my eyes not the stats. The question is, if it’s as bad as it looks why the Hell are they still there and why don’t I remember anything like this F.A.S.,LLC debacle or the Phoenix ordeal going on down there? I would love to see some stats on they’re away attendance, I’d be they/re the worst draw on average, I’m 100% certain they’re close anyways.
Smoothie
February 23rd, 2011
4:01 pm
Yeah, because the relentless backchecking of Tim Stapleton, Nik Antropov and Chris Thorburn is really helping us control the offensive zone. We’ve been better lately at playing in the other team’s zone because we have exerted better effort (3rd perod excluded), but the fact of the matter is you can’t win hockey games (unless you’re Jacques Lemaire) with a shooting percentage well under 8%.
At least with Zherdev you’ve got a guy who can dent the twine with the puck on his stick. We have some super-fast players who can get Zherdev the puck. Do I want him long-term, no? He’s Kovy-lite, but we NEED SCORING and we’re not gonna get it by grinding and scrapping in front. Cuz you know what? Stewart, Thorburn, Antro & Bergy either aren’t good enough or they’re not getting it done! We cannot get much worse so we might as well inject some offense and life into the line-up with Zherdev.
And it might just help loosen the death-clench on the stick for some of these guys who are getting a taste of playoff stretch hockey for the first time. Picking up Zherdev has very little risk and for those who say he’ll mess up the room, I say to you, so what? It’s 22 games and the key to a good room isn’t always about “kum-by-yah” songs, it’s about getting wins in the standings. Who knows? Perhaps Zherdev will love playing with Kaner & Antro and play his A off trying to get a new contract? I do know this: the answer isn’t Cormier, Stapleton, Thorburn and Machacek.
Smoothie
February 23rd, 2011
4:03 pm
Tough to sell extra tkts to games when the cheapest tkts in the “lower” level are about $54 with fees and that doesn’t even get you in the 100’s. Not saying it should regulary, but when you’re team is sucking fumes and your avg attendance is next to last in the league, perhaps you should run a few more discounts thru tktmaster. Just sayin’.
R. Stroz
February 23rd, 2011
4:08 pm
This team needs a finisher.
My bet is the Thrashers pass on Zherdev, he ends up on the Caps, scores 10 more regular season goals, and the Caps win the Cup.
It’s the Thrasher Way.
Red Light
February 23rd, 2011
4:11 pm
Caps want a center, not a winger.
Hoof Arted
February 23rd, 2011
4:13 pm
Sign Zherdev, waive Modin. We can’t hold a team to under 3 goals a game so we might as well get some scoring in here.
R. Stroz
February 23rd, 2011
4:27 pm
Hoof Arted – That smells like a good plan.
Zombie Steve
February 23rd, 2011
4:31 pm
Zherdev > Modin
Red Light
February 23rd, 2011
4:38 pm
Sure, why not?
Peter Laviolette abotu Zherdev…”I think at times for me it was just the level of play,” Laviolette said. “It wasn’t the skill thing, it was the level and the level that he played. There were other guys that were performing better. So there’s only nine that can go in there — the nine I felt were playing.”
Zherdev, who is sixth on the Flyers with 15 goals, has been a healthy scratch for six straight games and has not played since Feb. 10. He did practice with the team Wednesday before being waived.
Smoothie
February 23rd, 2011
4:54 pm
Hmmm…Bergfors has 14 goals in 49 games and Zherdev 15 in 47 games.
Still, I say use one to motivate the other. We need all the help we can get. And since when is Laviollette always right? He’s been fired too.
Tom
February 23rd, 2011
4:58 pm
Zombie, she still is a girlfriend. I am sure you can make the pot more interesting than dinner. Now if you were married like I am it would be over dishes…
R. Stroz
February 23rd, 2011
5:15 pm
So that’s what sweetening the pot means.
Joe McGrath
February 23rd, 2011
5:20 pm
Nice point Smooth.
Red Light
February 23rd, 2011
5:51 pm
Yes, always defer to Smoothie instead of the 2006 Cup-winning coach who took his team to the Cup Finals last year too.
)
Puckhead
February 23rd, 2011
5:51 pm
If Chic-fil-a bought the Thrashers would they play on Sundays?
Cornbread
February 23rd, 2011
6:00 pm
You can’t complain about defence and goals against only to turn around and clamour for a Zherdev. What do you think the GAA would look like then? Bergfors sits because he is a Zherdev.
Zombie Steve
February 23rd, 2011
6:32 pm
Gentlemen – the pot has been sweetened! (can’t go into detail though) haha
Hockey Biltong
February 23rd, 2011
6:37 pm
We will win with defense.
No other way.
Hell, we’ve been scoring, just gotta clamp down to help Pavs.
Alan R.- Tusentak!
Puckhead – Only if they were deep-fried!
Hockey Biltong
February 23rd, 2011
6:39 pm
Somebody had a comment about 680 reporter milking info for all it’s worth. I expect nothing but the cheesiest from JKincaid.
Hockey Biltong
February 23rd, 2011
6:41 pm
to forecheck and backcheck, that is the question, or to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous goals against…
I can't kill penalities
February 23rd, 2011
6:50 pm
The Thrashers don’t need skilled forwards, they need to trade for penality killers. During this slide if they would have just killed off half of thier penalities……..say no more.