There was something odd about last night's Thrashers/Capitals game. 

Both sides elected to start their young prospects between the pipes and for the most part, they played well.

Ondrej Pavelec faced a ton of quality chances and remained composed and made some very nice saves to keep the Thrashers in the game. In the end, the Caps proved to be too tough once again and won by a 4-2 margin.

The same could be said about Simeon Varlamov in net for the Caps, who turned aside 29 Thrasher shots in the win. It was almost as if both sides agreed to put on an exhibition and give some of the younger guys a chance to show off. I could be entirely wrong about that, but the game appeared to have a pre-season feel to it for some reason.

The Thrashers trailed 3-1 after the first period, but cut the lead in half just over one minute into the second on a goal by Marty Reasoner. Sadly, that was as close as it would get and the Caps put it away in the third period when Sergei Fedorov found the back of the net to regain the two-goal margin.

Going back to a previous post, I stated that the Thrashers appear to be winning the games in which they can have a direct impact on the playoff picture. The loss last night further confirms that theory which will be tested yet again tomorrow night when the Panthers come to town.

The Panthers currently sit 2 points back of the Rangers and need to win out and get some help from the Broadway Blueshirts if they are going to sneak in. A regulation loss tomorrow ends their season.

I fully expect the Panthers to come out with a furious pace and desperation only seen around this time of year. Tomorrow will absolutely be a playoff environment and I can't wait to see how it plays out. 

If the theory holds, the Panthers will crawl back to Miami with their tails between their legs.

UPDATE:

On a completely unrelated note, it has come to my attention that Jack Edwards may be interested in speaking with me about my thoughts on his controversial call last week. If such is the case, I would very much welcome the opportunity to have a professional discussion and sharing of ideas with Mr. Edwards.

Should such a conversation take place, I feel it would be a big gesture by Mr. Edwards.

Stay tuned.

This weekend was rather hectic for me and didn't allow for much time to write, but it's now Monday and I've got all the time in the world to catch up.

Let's start with the recent roster moves shall we?

The big man Boris Valabik returned to the lineup after missing six games with an “upper body injury.”

The Thrashers also sent goaltender Dan Turple back to Chicago and called up Ondrej Pavelec. The revolving door of backup goaltenders continues as Kari Lehtonen is still sidelined with an injury of his own. I don't expect to see him between the pipes again this season as the Thrashers have no reason to rush him back. 

Despite his absence, Valabik played rather well in just under 17 minutes of ice-time, registering two hits and four blocked shots. He was guilty of a holding penalty in the third period, but for once the penalty kill didn't kill the Thrashers.

The Thrashers only took four penalties in the game and were able to kill off all of them. 

I'll repeat that.

The Thrashers went 4-for-4 on the PK on Friday night against the Panthers. Amazing.

What's even better is that yet again the Thrashers were able to start the hammering of a nail in the coffin of another team's playoff hopes with the 3-1 win. The Panthers' win yesterday over the Penguins pulls them even in points with the 8-seed Rangers, but the Rangers have one more win. Had the Panthers defeated the Thrashers and Penguins, they would be two points clear and tied in wins with three games remaining.

I'm fully convinced that this team is really taking it upon themselves to mess with the playoff picture as much as possible. Has any other non-playoff team crushed the hopes and dreams of more teams in a 3-week span? I wouldn't even know where to look for that kind of info, so the Thrashers win by default.

It also appears as if that they are only getting wins against teams fighting for a playoff spot. Take yesterday for example. The Thrashers went on the road to play the last regular season home game for the Capitals and lost 6-4. The Caps are looking like they will get the 2-seed in the playoffs, thanks in large part to New Jersey's sudden slide. 

Is it a coincidence that the team went into tailspin mode after Marty Brodeur broke Patrick Roy's all-time win record? I think not and given some of the interactions and observations I have had with Brodeur, I think he may need a bigger helmet to keep that ego protected. But I digress. 

The bright spot in the loss yesterday was the Thrashers going 6-for-7 on the penalty kill, meaning over the weekend against a division winner and playoff spot contender, the Thrashers went 10-for-11. I'll sign up for those numbers any day and I think the other 29 teams in the league would too.

The two-goal margin is misleading as Slava Kozlov scored with 44 seconds left to cut the lead to 5-4. Brooks Laich then filled the empty net with his 20th goal of the season to put the game away.

A couple other season milestones were set by the Thrashers:

Colby Armstrong netted his 20th goal of the season in the first period.Bryan Little recorded his 20th assist of the season on Ilya Kovalchuk's 42nd goal of the season.Todd White also assisted on the Kovalchuk marker, giving him 50 assists on the year.Sunday's game was the final road game for the Thrashers this season. The loss dropped them to 17-20-4 on the road this season.

The final three games of the season will be played at home, starting with the back-end of a home and home with the Capitals on Tuesday. The Thrashers will also welcome the Panthers on Thursday in what will no doubt be a must-win game for the cats. 

The Thrashers close out the season against the Lightning, who might be trying to tank to get some better odds in the lottery having lost their last six games. They probably won't catch the Islanders, but this upcoming draft appears to be very top heavy and drop off after John Tavares and Victor Hedman.

After the season is over, I'll take a look at some of the potential names that could be drafted by the Thrashers in June. Until then, let's hope they continue to impress and give us something to look forward to next season.

What' that old saying? “If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me,” is it?

The Atlanta Thrashers appear to be improving every day and I'm starting to get excited already for next season to see if this team is actually making strides in the right direction or not.

Last night's 3-2 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres might just seal the deal on Buffalo's season. Currently four points back of ninth place Florida and five points back of eighth place Montreal, the Sabres have a tall order ahead of them.

The schedule doesn't help them either, which makes last night's loss that much more devastating. Here's the Sabres remaining schedule. If you ask me, if they run the gauntlet and somehow win four or five of these games, let them into the playoffs.

Final six games: at Washington, home for New Jersey, home for Detroit, at Toronto, at Carolina, home for Boston.

I'm not going to say I'm not excited about seeing the Thrashers embrace the spoiler role. It's a mentality of, “if we can't make it in, let's just try to impact the playoff picture as much as possible.”

Works for me. If the Thrashers can continue this hot streak for another 10 days or so, they will have a lot to draw on when the puck drops on the 2009-2010 season.

As for the game last night, Ilya Kovalchuk just might have the best wrist shot of anyone in the league. He is playing like a man possessed right now. 

His breakaway goal on an awful giveaway by Thomas Vanek was his 41st of the season. Any time you break the 40-goal mark, it's a good season, but here's the insane part about his season. He has 30 goals in his last 37 games. Are you kidding me? That might rival some of the numbers I put up in NHL 09. The guy is a goal scoring machine.

Vanek opened the scoring just 7:01 into the opening frame on the powerplay. Yes, another powerplay goal against, I know. Think big picture here. You know how the game turned out already so calm down.

Jason Pomminville fired a slap shot from the point through traffic that Moose was able to stop, but he left a rebound in the paint and Vanek slammed it home.

Have no fear, Zach Bogosian is here. Just 1:35 after the Vanek goal, Bogosian tied it up on a pretty wrist shot against the grain over Ryan Miller's shoulder. You don't expect to see a defenseman pick a corner like that, but such was the case. I'm not complaining at all as I think Bogosian is going to be a very good player in this league for many years.

At the end of the first period, the game remained tied at 1-1.

One of the guys who has lifted my fantasy team to the championship round is Slava Kozlov. Everyone in the league started calling me asking if I had fallen down a flight of stairs and suffered brain damage when I picked him up off the free agent list in early December.

Shortly after that I snatched up Todd White and have been cruising ever since. Why am I telling you this?

Guess who broke the tie in the second period?

Yup, Kozlov with his 25th of the season.

This is one of those goals that as a fan you're halfway out of your chair thinking it's a goal, only to slump back into your chair and then pull every muscle in your lower back while leaping out of the chair with your arms raised all in a 0.5 second span. Needless to say I need to go see a chiropractor now.

Here's what happened:

Rob Hainsey received a pass from Colby Armstrong near the top of the right faceoff circle. Hainsey then proceeds to thread the needle to the near side to Kozlov, who has a gaping net staring at him. Kozlov attempts to send the puck to its home, but Miller comes out of nowhere and throws the stick up and makes an absolutely incredible save only to be let down by his defense and have the rebound bounce in.

Full marks to Miller for making the best save of the year that still ends up in the net. Someone should make a trophy and have an awards ceremony for all the weird things that happen in games. Maybe have a little golden hockey player with a jester hat instead of a helmet. I don't know, this is just some of the things I think about from time to time when my cable goes out.

Anyway, back to the game.

Vanek struck again exactly 2:30 after Kozlov's goal to tie it at 2-2 on a 5-on-3 powerplay. Yep, that means both goals the Sabres got last night were on the powerplay. It really boggles my mind how the Thrashers have won 11 of the last 15 games and have given up about two goals a game while shorthanded. It doesn't make sense to me at all.

Side note:

Every time I see a player with the jaw protector, I crack up. I respect the fact that they're out there taking hits and playing the game with a broken jaw. That's a world of pain I hope I never experience, but the jaw protector makes a vivid reference to one of the greatest movie characters of all time. Take into consideration the visor that Vanek wears and you have yourself a less insane Hannibal Lector.

I rather enjoy seeing the Thrashers winning games now, but I can't help but wonder where this has been all season. Maybe it just took this long for the group to come together or maybe it took this long for the team to fully buy into John Anderson's system. I don't know, but I refuse to blame anything on injuries. That's just an easy way out.

This team wasn't expected to be in the playoffs this season, but you can't tell me that teams fighting for the playoffs are looking at the schedule and seeing the Thrashers and aren't worried. This team is hot right now and I don't blame them at all for finishing out the season strong.

When the playoff picture becomes solidified we can all take solace in the fact that a new season is on the horizon and that the playoffs picture was altered ever so slightly by the boys in blue.

Up next for the Thrashers are the division rival Panthers who are just one point back of Montreal for the eighth and final playoff spot. I wonder who the Habs will be rooting for on Friday….

I failed to mention in yesterday's post that the Thrashers made one other roster move recently. As stated previously, Dan Turple has been recalled to back up Johan Hedberg.

He may want to wave to Joey Crabb on the way to Atlanta as the two will probably pass each other in their travels.

The Thrashers have reassigned Crabb to Chicago of the AHL after his second stint with the parent club this season. In 29 games with the Thrashers this season, Crabb has nine points (4G 5A).

It's not looking good for the Wolves' playoff hopes either right now, as they currently sit in 5th in the division.  Early tee times for everybody!

Now onto the main event of this post:

Before I even get into this, I'm sure Jim Mulligan and Joshua Bartle will have comments about this up shortly. However, what I saw last night repulsed me to a point I have never been before and I feel compelled to comment myself.

Jack Edwards is the Boston Bruins announcer on NESN. Let me preface this by saying, I have never been a fan of Edwards. I typically watch games on mute when he's calling the games, just so I don't have to hear him whine and complain that an opposing player breathed on a Bruin and have him question why there was no call.

What he did last night in Philadelphia was inexcusable. If you have not seen this fiasco I implore you to watch this YouTube video immediately.

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If you do not recall the history of why Edwards is calling this incident “irony,” here's the back-story. 

Randy Jones ended Patrice Bergeron's season in 2007 with a similar hit. Honestly, I think Bergeron put himself in a bad spot to begin with. Was Jones in the wrong? Absolutely. He even knew it. Everyone knew it was a penalty that probably carried a suspension with it.

Jones then went on to apologize to Bergeron, due to feeling awful about what happened. As a player, you never feel good about injuring someone. Everyone out there on that ice is a competitor, but you don't go out there looking to potentially end someone's career.

Flash forward to last night. Milan Lucic drives Jones into the endboards in an eerily similar hit to the one Jones dropped on Bergeron. Luckily for Jones, he was able to protect himself and ended up preventing serious injury.

Should it have been a penalty? Yes. Will the league probably review the hit and hand down some sort of suspension or fine? I would hope so, but I'm more concerned about Edwards' actions.

Edwards needs to realize that when he's on the air, he's not in his living room watching the game with the guys. The “irony” comment is something I could see myself making, but the super-villain laugh? Not a chance.

As a journalist by trade, I know I would be out the door in a heartbeat if I ever acted in that manner. It's called ethics. Perhaps Edwards should sit in a corner in time-out and think about what he did. If you're going to act childish on television, you deserve to be treated like a child.

It's inappropriate, sickening and makes you look nothing more than a common fool. The actions Edwards took last night were reprehensible and should not be tolerated.

When Edwards is telling his grandchildren stories about his career, I would be willing to bet that he looks at this as a low point in his career and elects to leave this story untold.

Well, it looks like Kari Lehtonen is probably done for the season.

The “upper body injury” he suffered against the Rangers on Thursday is apparently significant enough to call up Dan Turple from Chicago of the AHL. Turple has a 5-8 record with a 2.94 GAA and .897 save percentage. I've even got better numbers than that in NHL 09 as a goalie. As such…..

It would be a safe assumption that Moose Hedberg will be the main man between the pipes for the remaining 8 games.

There's really no point in rushing Lehtonen back at this point. The Thrashers will most likely finish 13th in the Eastern Conference. The currently sit four points back of Ottawa, who has two games in hand and are five points up on Tampa Bay.

Speaking of the Senators, I'm pretty happy with the result of Saturday's game against them. The 6-3 win effective killed any chance the Senators had of making the playoffs this season. Granted, this was a very very very slim chance, but now that chance got even smaller.

For me, the turning point of the game came with just seconds to play in the first period. Ilya Kovalchuk continued his flair for the dramatic with his 40th goal of the season with just ten seconds to play in the period to tie the game at 2-2.

Last minute goals are always killers and this was the case again. The Thrashers came out in the second period with good pressure and finally broke through when Tobias Enstrom scored with under seven minutes to play in the frame.

This triggered the floodgates to open, as Marty Reasoner and Colby Armstrong added goals of their own 1:54 apart, capping a three-goal rally in 2:58. The Thrashers held a 5-2 lead after two and never looked back.

The Senators cut the lead to 5-3 when Ryan Shannon scored at 1:50 of the third, but it was too little too late. Slava Kozlov added the final goal of the game with a little over 11 minutesleft in the game. The goal was a powerplay goal. The team went 2-for-8 on the powerplay.

The worst penalty killing team in the league was up to it's usual self as well. The Thrashers surrendered two goals on the penalty kill in six chances. For those keeping track, that's a 66% kill rate, which is needless to say, not good. Things will be better next season for sure.

Up next for the Thrashers are the Buffalo Sabres, who are currently four points out of the final playoff spot. With Ryan Miller back in net, if the Sabres have any chance of sneaking in they'll come out hard Wednesday at the Phillips Arena.

Time to crush some more dreams boys! 

I'm just a glutton for punishment for doing these, but it's fun for all involved so I'll do as many of these as possible.

The Thrashers welcome the New York Rangers into town tonight. The Rangers currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference, just two points behind Pittsburgh and three behind Carolina.

Against the Rangers this season, the Thrashers are 1-2. Let's hope they can get back to .500 in some aspect and even the season series. If the Thrashers win out, they would finish 38-38-6!

Grasping at straws? Yeah I know, but what else can I do at this point except look for bright spots and silver linings?

We're just minutes away from the opening draw. This is one the Rangers must absolutely win if they want to sit a little more comfortably in the playoff picture. 

For the Thrashers, it's all about gaining experience and working toward next season. At 7-3 in their last ten games, signs are pointing to a much improved 2009-2010 season….hopefully.

The Rangers are not coming with their “A” lineup tonight. Henrik Lundqvist will be riding the pine and Stephen Valiquette will get the nod. Valiquette is 2-1 lifetime against the Thrashers with a 2.34 GAA and a .921 save percentage. It's not Niittymaki numbers against Atlanta, but respectable nonetheless. 

In net for the Thrashers will be Kari Lehtonen. Here's to hoping he has a better showing than the other night in Montreal.

New coach John Tortorella is 8-4-1 since taking over the coaching duties.

First Period

18:59 – First chance in the game comes by Eric Perrin on a rebound attempt, but Valiquette was equal to the task.

18:30 – Lehtonen faces his first shot and turns it aside easily. Both goalies are in the game early and the pace is pretty quick.

17:52 – Rangers are turning the puck over like it's going out of style and Valiquette is forced to come up with two huge saves on Kozlov to keep the game scoreless.

17:42 – Thrashers go on the powerplay after Paul Mara sits down for two minutes for high sticking.

17:10 – Nothing doing on this attempt as Brian Little rips down Marc Staal. We'll have 1:29 of 4-on-4 hockey.

16:54 – Controversy strikes early! Bogosian fires a tricky backhander on net off the rush and Todd White slams it home, biut the referee had blown it dead for some unknown reason. If I can see the loose puck, how can the ref not? Sign me up and I'll go jump out on the ice and ref some games.

16:14 – Kovalchuk heads to the box for interference. The refs are giving their lungs a solid workout with all this blowing going on.

15:56 – Hainsey launches a clearing attempt into the stratosphere and sits down for two minutes.  There's three Thrashers in the box right now….

15:34 – Rangers take a too many men on the ice penalty. This is getting out of hand.

15:08 – Chris Drury bats one out of mid-air and into the back of the net behind Lehtonen, but will it count? Looked like he hit it with a high stick to me. Smart money is on no goal.

After a lengthy review the call is…… NO GOAL!!!!

13:10 – All penaltes are off the board. Maybe now we can get back to playing some 5-on-5 hockey for longer than six seconds? If this pace keeps up, my fingers will be bleeding by the first intermission.

10:00 – Thrashers are clearly going to be pounding the crease all night long. Not a bad strategy against a goalie who has a collection of splinters in his rear end.

4:59  – Sean “sloppy seconds” Avery crashes the net and throws White into Lehtonen. As a result, Lehtonen goes into the back of the net while a scramble ensues at the top of the crease. Avery will do some time in the box, but Lehtonen was very slow to get up.

3:58 – Enstrom beautifully breaks up a 2-on-1 shorthanded break by the Rangers. Lehtonen appears to be fine and has remained in the game.

2:59 – Penalty over and the Rangers had the better chances.

1:26 – 1-0 Rangers – Zherdev picks up a loose puck in the slot off a blocked shot attempted by Mara and rips it past Lehtonen to break the ice on the scoreboard.

:45 – Reasoner gets robbed by Valiquette from close range. The backup is looking solid early in this game.

:02 – Little attempts a backhander while spinning and Valiquette gets the right pad on it to keep the lead heading to the first intermission.

End Of Period 1

Overall, not a bad period despite the early deficit. The Thrashers outshot the Rangers 14-10 and actually killed two of the three powerplays for the Rangers. Not bad for the worst penalty killing team in the league.

A guy I would keep an eye on in this game would be Bogosian. He's been all over the ice tonight making nice defensive plays and he had a couple of close calls in the offensive end as well. He's got the jump early on.

Second Period

Lehtonen is out and will not return…great.

18:54 – Perrin trots off to the box for holding a stick. Bring out the penalty killing unit.

18:00 – Enstrom draws a penalty with a some nifty skating in the corner. Callahan heads to the box for two minutes for tripping.

15:58 -  The Thrasher powerplay comes to a close with White whacking away on Valiquette, but the puck stays out of the net somehow.

13:32 – 1-1Tie! – Kozlov picks up a loose puck in the high slot off a failed pass attempt and launches a laser to the shelf over Valiquette's glove to tie it up. Peverley and Enstrom get the assists. The goal is Kozlov's 23rd of the season.

13:08 – Talk about a momentum killer. The Thrashers will be on the PK yet again just seconds after the goal. Oystrick hauled down Naslund in front with Moose in the corner.

11:32 – Reasoner attempts to bat a puck out of the air to clear the zone and only catches Mara in the face. A double-minor is called as Mara heads right to the dressing room.This sounds familiar.

10:42 – Slashing call against Naslund will cut two minutes out of this four-minute advantage. These refs are being very liberal with the whistles tonight.

10:04 – Moose comes up with a big save on a one-timer in the slot by Morris on a nice feed by Nik Antropuff.

9:18 – Kozlov heads off to keep the penalty box bench warm after getting an elbow up high on Callahan, who is shaken up on the play.

8:56 – 2-1 Rangers – Drury unloads a one-timer from the left faceoff circle on the 4-on-3 powerplay. The puck goes off Antropuff's skate and in. No review needed. It's Puff's 300th career point.

7:31 – 3-1 Rangers – The Thrashers get caught in a bad change and Drury comes into the zone on the near side and rips a cannon drive past Moose low to the stick side. It's another powerplay goal…. This is eerily similar to the Habs game the other night isn't it?

4:14 – Moose forced to make another solid save. The wheels are coming off the wagon in this one. If they can get one of those goals back by the end of the period, the third should be fun to watch. 

2:01 – 4-1 Rangers – Moose makes a nice save on Drury and holds onto the post to prevent the puck from squirting through to no avail. Naslund follows up on the play and after a couple whacks, the red light comes on. Is this some bizzaro world I'm living in?

1:20 – Exelby and Dubinsky head to the locker rooms early for roughing after a scuffle in front of Moose.

:20- 4-2 Rangers – White hits Kovalchuk in stride in the neutral zone and Kovalchuk does the rest. He dances around a defender and slams home a wrap-around on the flailing Valiquette. Unreal speed, finesse and power by Kovalchuk. The goal is his 39th of the year.

End Of Period 2

Well this awful period comes to an end, but Kovalchuk's heroics late in the period have made the third period worth watching. If they Thrashers can get a quick one, will the Rangers fold it up and play scared? Time will tell.

The Thrashers were outshot 10-7 in the period, but hold a 2
1-20 edge overall. If Moose can lock it down in the third, the Thrashers could come back for sure.

Third Period

Word on Lehtonen is….upper body injury. Shocking, I know.

Congratulations are in order for Valiquette, who is going to be a father in June. He and his wife are expecting their first child.

16:30 – 4-3 Rangers – Colby Armstrong banks one in off of Valiquette from behind the net and we have a on-goal game on our hands here.

15:55 – Kovalchuk sent to the box after he and Avery came together at center ice. Rangers get their ninth powerplay of the game.

14:40 – Another penalty on the Thrashers that results in 46 seconds of 5-on-3 play. A word of advice to the boys in blue. STOP TAKING PENALTIES!!! YOU KNOW YOUR PK IS AWFUL!!

12:40 – Penalties are all over. Very solid kills by the Thrashers, but the Rangers lack of player movement and puck movement was a big help. The Rangers were standing around waiting for something to open up, but it never did.

10:04 – Exelby tees one up from the point that's stopped and covered by Valiquette. Rangers look much different now than when they had a three goal lead and there's plenty of time to tie this game up.

7:00 – Rangers appear to be content to sit back and try and play a trap to lock this one down.

6:50 -4-4 TIE!!!! – Kovalchuk mesmerizes the Ranger defense again. This time he starts to go behind the net and throws it out front to the wide open White who makes no mistake and we are all tied!

4:30 – The Thrashers continue to bring the pressure and the Rangers look sick. Looks like they're trying o just hold on for one valuable point.

1:02 – Avery takes a whack at a loose puck, but the shot gets blocked.

:54 – Moose makes a fantastic save on Callahan in close to preserve the tie. The pace is picking up now.

End of Period 3

Wow, what a period. The effort is there and that big 5-on-3 kill early in the period no doubt sparked the comeback. Time to complete it and send the Rangers home with a devastating loss.

Overtime

The period comes and goes with a few solid chances from both teams, but the red lights stay dark so we head to a good ole fashioned shootout.

Shootout

 Atlanta elects to shoot first in the shootout.

Bryan Little denied by Valiquette.

Markus Naslund tries to out-wait Moose, but he's having none of it.

Slava Kozlov walks in and gets stoned by Valiquette.

Nik Antropov (really?) is denied by Moose rather easily.

Ilya Kovalchuk moves in and rings iron, but the puck stays out! So close!

Chris Drury for the win…..SAVE MOOSE! We're going extras!

Eric Perrin moves in and Valiquette turns him aside. It's on you again Moose..

Ryan Callahan skates in and drills it off the pipe and it too stays out!

Rich Peverley (again, really?) is no match for Valiquette.

Fredrik Sjostrom stonewalled by Moose! We continue on!!

White goes to the shelf to put the Thrashers up! To quote Bill Raftery: “ONIONS!” 

Scott Gomez, to keep the Rangers alive….SAVE BY MOOSE!!! To quote Raftery again: “ONIONS! DOUBLE ORDER!!”

THRASHERS WIN! THRASHERS WIN!

End Of Shootout 1-0 Atlanta

What a game is all I can say. The key moments in the game were Kovalchuk's wrap-around goal with 20 seconds left in the second period and the huge 5-on-3 penalty kill early in the third period.

You could almost see the wind come out of the sails on the Ranger bench. I wouldn't want to be in that lockerroom right about now as I'm sure Tortorella is rather red in the face.

Up next for the Thrashers will be a trip to Ottawa to face the Senators on Saturday night. There won't be a live blog for that game as I've got important plans, but check back Sunday for my thoughts on the game. 

Commenting on games as they happen is some of the most fun I have as a fan. Everyone talks to friends and such during the games and yells at the television when bad calls are made, so that's what these type of posts from me are going to be.

Just as a side note, if none of you checked out the Thrashers' homepage yesterday you missed a gem. You can tell when your team is either A) not good, or B) out of the playoff race when the lead story on the team's site is for cheerleader auditions.

I'm not even kidding, but I did appreciate the scenery of the Blue Crew girls. If you check the site out right now before the game starts it's the second story in the feature box. Good times.

The Thrashers currently sit 13th in the Eastern Conference with a slim mathematical chance of making the playoffs, but in all reality we know the season is over. These final games are just going through the motions and trying o play spoiler.

The Canadiens enter tonight's game amid a massive tailspin that has gotten their coach fired and owner to debate selling the team. The Habs are clinging to the eighth spot in the East with 81 points. The Panthers also have 81 points, but Montreal has less games played and one more win.

The Habs have lost five straight games and the Thrashers have won seven of their last nine. 

Slava Kozlov and Todd White have been on fire lately. Kozlov has 12 points in his last eight games (4G 8A) and White has 21 points in his last 17 games (6G 15A). If the Thrashers can land some people via free agency this offseason, they could contend for a playoff spot no question. There is a semblance of a core developing, which is a good sign.

In net tonight, Kari Lehtonen for the Thrashers and Carey Price for the Canadiens.

First Period

19:08 – Price comes up with a huge save on Colin Stuart after a great pass from Marty Reasoner in the corner. Stuart fired the one-timer and Price robbed him with the glove. Good start so far.

16:13 – 2-on-1 for Montreal that's broken up beautifully by the lone Thrasher back as the boos start from the home fans.

14:42 – After some good offensive zone work by Peverley, the puck finds its way to the point and Bogosian lets it fly into the chest of Price.

13:36 – Kovalchuk launches a one-timer that cleanly beats Price, but the goalpost makes the save for him. The Thrashers have the early jump in this game and Montreal looks very flat and scared.

12:39 – 1-0 Habs – Spoke too soon. Tanguay dances around a sprawled out Hainsey and avoids Stuart who clipped Lehtonen on his way by after losing an edge. Tanguay takes it across the rease and banks the puck off Lehtonen's skate and in. Pretty goal.

9:32 – Powerplay coming to the Thrashers. Time to quiet the house boys. Holding on Plekanec leads to the man-advantage. Thrashers to trot out the 10th best powerplay in the league.

7:32 – Couple of solid chances that were turned aside by Price. One thing I would suggest is to move the puck a little more and have more player movement to create confusion. Thrashers were standing in their assigned spots and making the PK easy for the Habs.

5:59 1-1 Tie! – 3-on-2 with some nifty passing from Exelby and Peverley that left Crabb wide open on the backpost for he easy tap-in goal. Price made a valiant effort, but that was some horrible defense by the Habs there after Hamrlik got caught up ice trying to pinch. Habs fans let out a collective grumble and sigh as the red light comes on. Gotta love it.

4:53 – Kovalchuk springs Little for a one-on-one and Price makes a great pad save to keep the game tied.

2:08 – Komisarek takes an interference minor. Big moment in the game coming up. A Thrashers goal here would be huge.

End Of Period 1 – The powerplay failed to generate a shot on net, but there were a couple chances that just missed. The Habs did a good job of not allowing the Thrashers to set up in the zone though.

All in all it was a good period for the Thrashers. They responded quickly to the goal against and pretty much dominated the period. Lehtonen barely broke a sweat as the shots in the period were 10-4 Atlanta. 

Second Period

19:29 – 2-1 Habs – Awful defensive beakdown leads to a chip and flip by Metropolit. The Thrashers were caught in a bad change and Metropolit was wide open in front of Lehtonen for the quick little flip to the back of the net over Lehtonen's shoulder.

19:03 – Koivu goes off for holding the stick. Thrashers with a chance to tie it up again.

17:19 – 2-2 Tie! – Kovalchuk takes the puck at the left point and takes a couple steps toward the net and lets a wicked wrist shot go. Price gets a big piece of it with the glove, but it trickles through and bounces over the line. The Habs fans start grumbling again as if they've seen that type of soft goal before…

Eric Perrin gets an assist on the goal and it's his 100th career point in the NHL. Congrats Eric!

14:02 – Peverley picks off an outlet pass in the slot and elects to try and pass it to the backdoor instead of shooting it. Habs avoid disaster again. With how the Habs are playing, if the Thrashers lose this game they have no one to blame but themselves. They are absolutely dominating right now.

11:40 – Bogosian takes a hooking call after losing position on Kovalev.

11:23 – 3-2 Habs – Lehtonen makes a great save in close, but the rebound bounces right to Kovalev in the slot and he doesn't miss from there. The Habsonly have a couple of scoring chances, but they're all going in.

9:18 – Lehtonen has a puck flip up on him as he tries to clear it to the boards and sends the puck over the glass. Powerplay coming for Montreal.

7:20 – Lehtonen makes a couple key saves to keep the Thrashers alive after causing them to be short a man. 

6:46 – Kovalchuk screams into the zone on a 2-on-1 and fires a shot to the glove side, but Price makes a rainbow glove save to preserve the lead.

6:44 – Little takes an interference penalty right off the faceoff and gets a unsportsmanlike minor tacked on resulting in a four minute powerplay for the Habs.

6:14 – 4-2 Habs – Tanguay unleashes a bomb from the high slot that beats Lehtonen on the ice through the 5-hole. Thrashers still have to kill the second minor to Little now as well.

4:36 – 5-2 Habs – Kovalev finds another loose puck in the slot and fires it to the shelf over the sprawling Lehtonen. The Habs cash in on both penalties to Little to break this one open. Story of the season really with the lack of a successful penalty kill. I wouldn't be surprised to see Moose Hedberg in net for the third period at this point.

:42 – Price stops Thorburn on the rush to keep the Habs up by three. Not an overly difficult stop, but he's been giving up soft goals all year so why not test him?

:25 – Price gets mauled by Little during a goalmouth scramble and a scrum ensues. In Little's defense, he got shoved into Price. Komisarek starts taking liberties with he defenseless Little and Kovalchuk jumps in to protect his teammate. Little and Komisarek head to the box and we'll play 4-on-4.

End Of Period 2

Well, that was a bad period to say the least. It's likely that the 4-minute double-minor to Little will be the turning point of the game baring a monster comeback in the third. The Thrashers have looked like the better team for most of this game, but the penalty killing aspect has been dreadful. I'm not overly surprised by this, but you have to feel for Lehtonen a little for being hung out to dry.

Third Period

19:36 – 6-2 Habs – Yet another puck squirts through Lehtonen. Koivu finds himself wide open at the top of the crease and tips it home. I give up.This is just one of those nights where you play well and have everything go wrong.

15:51 – White denied nicely by Price with the glove. It looks like both sides are content to just run out the clock at this point.

1
4:18 – Koivu heads off for hooking for his second penalty of the night.

12:18 – Penalty over and Josh Gorges is hurting big time after blocking a blast by Kozlov. He was forced to gut it out and stay on the ice and kill the rest of the penalty.

11:47 – 6-3 Habs – Bogosian picks up a loose puck in the slot and beats Price shortside just inside the post to cut the lead to three.

10:07 – Lehtonen makes a solid save on Koivu from point-blank range. Too little, too late.

8:37 – Metropolit takes a hooking penalty. A goal here would make things a little interesting anyway.

6:37 – Penalty over with barely a sniff around the net.

5:23 – Bogosian heads to the box for hooking. This can't be a good thing with how awful the PK has been tonight….

3:19 – Penalty killed! However, another penalty coming to the Thrashers for tripping. Kovalev picks himself up and blast a one-timer off the crossbar for good measure. Luckily, it stays out of the net.

2:30 – Fans chanting the Thrashers to the bus. As if there's a need. If I'm a Habs fan, this is a game you have to win. Period. These are two teams heading in different directions. One is a playoff team, the other is heading to the lottery.

:43 – Thorburn drills Gorges into the boards and Kostopolous feels the need to stick up for his teammate by attempting to jump Thorburn who has having none of it. Thorburn sees him coming and tackles him to the ice like a linebacker. Linesmen jump in and separate the two and the clock runs out on this bad game for the Thrashers.

The Habs get a big two points in the standings to pull them two points clear of idle Florida. Both teams now have the same number of games played.

Up next for the Thrashers are the Rangers on Thursday at home. The Rangers are another team in need of as many points as possible to secure their place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Following Is The First In A Series Of Game Recaps That Will Be Posted In The Coming Days Before I Get Fully Caught Up 

Who would have thought that the Atlanta Thrashers would be on a six-game win streak? Certainly not me.

I just checked the papers and pigs aren’t flying, so this must be legit.

Kari Lehtonen stood on his head tonight to stonewall the high-powered offense of the Capitals. He was 1:15 away from getting his third shutout in five starts, but Eric Fehr slammed one home to play spoiler.

Colby Armstrong got the home team on the board halfway through the opening frame after Rich Peverley fended off several Caps players. Peverley made some nifty moves in the slot to get some space and rifled a backhander on goal. A goalmouth scramble ensued and Armstrong was able to find the puck and bury it for his 17th of the season.

Just over five minutes later, the Thrashers were set up on the powerplay and Slava Kozlov went to work in a big way.

Tom Poti fired a puck around the boards in an attempted clear, but Kozlov picked it off. After a give-and-go with Tobias Enstrom, Kozlov took a couple strides toward the net and ripped a wrister to the shelf over Theodore’s glove and off iron to put the Thrashers up 2-0. Theodore had no chance whatsoever to stop that laser.

The Thrashers had a 2-0 lead after one and never looked back.

Just over seven minutes into the second period, Alexander Semin tried to lead a shorthanded rush up ice, but lost control of the puck and Anssi Salmela picked it up and took off the other way.

Salmela entered the Caps zone and knifed his way into the slot and fired a low wrist shot around Shaone Morrison and by Theodore for a 3-0 lead. The goal was the first in the young career of Salmela.

The Thrashers weren’t done on the powerplay just yet.

Five minutes after Salmela’s goal, Enstrom strikes gold on a bomb from the point.

Kozlov and Enstrom pass the puck back and forth a couple times before Kozlov frees up Enstrom with a pass around the pressure of Brooks Laich.

Enstrom takes a couple strides toward the middle of the blueline and unloads a missile that found its way through traffic and to the back of the net for a 4-0 lead. The goal ended Theodore’s evening. He didn’t necessarily play poorly, but there’s no reason to leave him in to get shelled.

Most of the third period was spent in the Thrashers end with Lehtonen facing a shooting gallery. The Caps got 20 shots in the period to the Thrashers’ four. Yes, the Thrashers were outshot 20-4 in the final frame with a 4-0 lead. If Lehtonen didn’t stand tall, who knows how this would have turned out.

The final backbreaker for the Caps was seeing Eric Perrin get one of those four shots to find twine off a horrible turnover by Poti.

The Caps were trying to break out of the zone around the one-man pressure by the Thrashers. Poti tried a long pass out of the zone that Perrin picked off easily at the blueline and fired a shot on Simeon Varlamov who made the save, but left a juicy rebound.

Perrin pounced and buried it for the 5-0 lead to put a capper on the night’s performance. It would have been a perfect evening, if not for Fehr’s antics.

Milan Jurcina let one fly from the point that Lehtonen saved, but was unable to control the rebound. Fehr was able to get to the rebound, but didn’t get a whole lot on it. Lucky for him, he didn’t need to as he easily chipped it into the empty cage behind Lehtonen to break the shutout.

I would have liked to see the Thrashers play a little better team defense in this game. The Caps are not a team you want to let up off the mat. They are fully capable of scoring four goals in a period and had Lentonen not channeled Patrick Roy, they very well may have done so.

Alex Ovechkin decided to do most of his talking with his hits when he couldn’t put points on the board. I will say this, every time I see him play I respect him more and more. He gives 110% all the time and isn’t afraid to play the physical game at all.

The win is a franchise record sixth in a row and the Thrashers will put that streak on the line against the hottest team in the NHL tomorrow night on the road in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins are coming off a 6-4 comeback win against the Boston Bruins on Sunday and are looking to solidify their place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.