By Alexander Monaghan
President

The Atlanta Thrashers are no more. Atlanta, as a city, could not prove itself to be a strong enough “hockey city” and because of that sold the franchise to Winnipeg, who proved today to be a hockey town. Over their storied franchise, the Thrashers only made the playoffs once from their inaugural season in 1999 to their eventual demise in 2011. Those four fateful games would be a quick memory as the New York Rangers managed to sweep a team who could not find a way to win when it mattered most.

Laura Astorian graced us with an excellent goodbye to the Thrashers. She put her heart and soul into the effort for SB Nation Atlanta and Bird Watchers Anonymous, watching her hometown team leave because it was deemed to be not a hockey town. However, between 1999 and 2011 there were a few good players who passed through the system.

As a less sentimental goodbye to the Atlanta Thrashers, here are their Top 10 players of all time.

Photo Credit: Julian III / Flickr

1. Ilya Kovalchuk — As the captain of the Thrashers during the 2009-2010 season, Kovalchuk tried to put his team on its back and get back into the playoffs. Unfortunately, it seems like whenever he tried to actually step up, his emotions get the best of him and his team failed. He refused a contract extension to remain a Thrasher for seemingly the rest of his career and was then jettisoned to the New Jersey Devils for three players and two draft picks. While with the Thrashers, he became their leading scorer of all-time, potting 328 goals and 615 points. His eight seasons in a Thrashers uniform were the most by any one player as well as he clearly became the face of the franchise. He also gave the team their only Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, leading the League in goal scoring back in 2003-2004. Controversy and inconsistency aside, Kovalchuk will go down in the history books as the greatest Atlanta Thrasher ever.

2. Dan Snyder – As an honorary choice, Snyder gets our nod at number two due to how he tragically died back in October of 2003. As the team prepared for their season opener, they were forced to do so without their friend and teammate. His death led to Dany Heatley needing to leave Atlanta and his number 37 remains the only number to every get retired by the Thrashers. In addition, the team awarded their annual Dan Snyder Memorial Award to the player that “best embodied perseverance, dedication, and hard work without reward or recognition, so that his team and teammates might succeed.”

3. Vyacheslav Kozlov — As a long-time linemate of Kovalchuk, Kozlov enjoyed seven seasons in a Thrashers uniform. He still is one of three players to score 100 in their jersey and the only player outside of Kovalchuk to post at least 400 points. When you think of Kozlov, you likely remember him for his long career in a Detroit Red Wings jersey but after that and a very brief stint with the Buffalo Sabres, Kozlov was all Thrasher, which made his benching/exile last year all the more hurtful.

4. Dany Heatley — Heater gets in at number four basically only because he was a high-end talent that the team grew on their own. His three short seasons with the team, which rendered him an All-Star MVP and a Calder Memorial Trophy winner, puts him in the top five in nearly every offensive category. His reign as a Thrasher will always be memorable whether good or bad, which gives him a slight edge over the player he was traded for.

5. Marian Hossa – Keep in mind the only season the Thrashers actually did make the playoffs, came with Hossa adding supplementary scoring to Kovalchuk. That season the team actually worked incredibly hard, earning the Southeast Division title. Hossa was the third player to ever score 100 goals in an Atlanta Thrashers uniform as he sits third in their all-time points leaders with 248 points in only 222 games.

6. Tobias Enstrom — Similar to Heatley, Enstrom gets a bump up the list since he is a homegrown talent. Unlike Heatley, he is only one of two players to actually remain active members of the team. Last season, the diminutive blue liner surpassed Hossa for the third-most assists in team history. His creativity with the puck put him on the top pairing and top PP unit when Kovalchuk was on the team. His intelligence with the puck and playmaking ability kept him there after the captain left. The team in Winnipeg received a very special player in Enstrom.

7. Eric Boulton — A sentimental choice Boulton is selected for his work dropping the gloves. His 639 PIM ranks first amongst every player as he spent six seasons in a Thrasher sweater. He is the only other member of last season’s Thrashers to make the list as he gets honored for the many shots to the face he took. Don’t believe me? Click here.

Photo Credit: Dave Matos

8. Kari Lehtonen — With bad years come bad goalies and Lehtonen just so happened to be the best of them. His 204 games played ranked first amongst Thrashers’ goalies as they experienced a plethora of below average to mediocre netminders like Ondrej Pavelec, Johan Hedberg, Milan Hlinicka and Pasi Nurminen. Lehtonen for the majority of his time in Atlanta was known as the “goalie of the future” but he never got a chance to prove that due to injuries. Even in their four playoff games, Lehtonen was relegated to the bench in favor of Hedberg due to his inconsistent play.

9. Marc Savard – Savard was mostly known as Kovalchuk’s playmaking center but he did a good deal of damage over those three years posting 63 goals and 196 points in only 184 games. Of the 31 players to dress in at least 164 games, Savard was only one of three to score at least a point-per-game. After a career-high 97 points with the Thrashers, he would opt for free agency and become a Boston Bruin, where he remains (sidelined) to this day.

10. Kelly Buchberger – He may have only played 68 games in the Atlanta Thrashers sweater but he also wore the C for the first time. With so many players on the bubble, we thought it right to mention the first choice to lead this expansion team.

Honorable Mention: Ray Ferraro, Patrick Stefan, Bryan Little, Jim Slater, Garnet Exelby, Shawn McEachern, Steve Staios, Scott Melanby, Bobby Holik, Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien, Jeff Odgers, Chris Tamer, Chris Thorburn, Niclas Havelid, Rich Peverley, Frantisek Kaberle, Todd White, Andy Sutton, JP Vigier, Yannick Tremblay

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to sound off in the comments section.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Photo Credit: Cheryl Lemanski

Every year the formula changes.

After last season, general managers around the League believed they could cut costs with their netminder since rookie Antti Niemi and journeyman Michael Leighton backstopped their respective teams into the Finals. The season before that, we thought every championship team needed two elite centers (still valid) and the year before that the League emphasized skill and puck possession.

The winning formula changes every season whether it be a high-tempo offense with a blue line full of puck movers (Carolina Hurricanes) or a gritty team from the back end out full of high-end skill (Anaheim Ducks).

Once again, the formula will change.

Take this year’s combatants — the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks.  Both teams have strong depth up front and on D. Each team also has an elite-level goaltender in Roberto Luongo and Tim Thomas. However, the Canucks and Bruins play a completely different style as Head Coach Alain Vigneault features highly skilled offensive players who are defensively responsible and Claude Julien is more comfortable keeping the games tight and relying on his Vezina Trophy winner and a couple of All-Star defensemen and elite two-way forwards.

Of the two, only the Canucks really compare to the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks when you consider their sheer top-to-bottom depth. Considering after their salary cap purge the current Blackhawks team almost defeated the heavily favored Canucks, they could be the most dominant team to win a Cup in the post-lockout era.

But how do the two compare?

How they got there:

The Canucks almost blew a 3-0 series lead, allowing the Blackhawks to force a Game 7, and then force an overtime within the game. Less dramatically, they would defeat the Nashville Predators in six games (but could have clinched in five) and made short work of the San Jose Sharks in five. Now, against the Bruins they hold a 1-0 lead in the series with hopes of going back to Boston with a two-game lead.

By comparison, the Blackhawks took the Predators in six, Canucks in six, swept the Sharks and then took the Cup in six games against the Philadelphia Flyers. While the Predators and Canucks both proved to be worthy adversaries, they never pushed the team to the brink of elimination — something the ‘Nucks came face-to-face with in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. They seemed to be the most dominant team in the playoffs, which is something both this year’s tournament lacked as the Bruins faced Game 7 twice as well.

In terms of ease, the Blackhawks take this round.

Photo Credit: Matt Boulton from Vancouver, Canada

Head Coach:

Prior to last season, Joel Quenneville never won a Stanley Cup. After successful campaigns with the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche, the grizzled Head Coach made his way to Chicago in order to push them over the top. His success in the postseason gave him appeal to a young, up-and-coming team as he captured the game’s greatest trophy after only two seasons with the Blackhawks organization. His lowest winning percentage for any full season he coached was over 53 percent, making him a highly regarded bench boss.

Vigneault now enters his fifth season in charge of the Canucks and has won the Northwest Division four out of those five years. Unlike Quenneville, four of his nine years he missed the playoffs and he came to Vancouver after four relatively poor seasons in Montreal (missed playoffs three of four seasons). He was nominated for the Jack Adams Trophy while with the Canadiens but was fired the season after since the team once again missed the tournament.

Considering both coaches never won the Cup prior to their current teams, neither typically has an advantage. However, Quenneville held more past success which gives him the slight nod here again.

Photo Credit: Iwona Erskine-Kellie from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Forwards:

Depth, depth and more depth. Not the kind traded for at the deadline like stopgaps Maxim Lapierre or Christopher Higgins.  This Blackhawks team had the high-end talent in Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews and the complementary players in Kris Versteeg, Dustin Byfuglien, Troy Brouwer, Dave Bolland and Andrew Ladd. Couple them with gritty defensive forwards like John Madden, Tomas Kopecky, Adam Burish and Ben Eager and we can determine that this could be one of the strongest groups of forwards assembled in the post-lockout era. Even with an implosion which severed ties with Versteeg, Byfuglien, Ladd, Madden, Burish and Eager the Blackhawks still clawed their way back into the playoffs which emphasizes just how good this team was last year.

Similarly, the Canucks have elite talent in The Sedin Twins and Ryan Kesler. Alex Burrows might even be able to force his way into that equation considering just how affective he has been in this year’s show. They also boast some tough defensive forwards like Jannik Hansen, Raffi Torres, Tanner Glass and Lapierre. Their calvary has been adequate in Higgins, the now-injured Mikael Samuelsson and regular season whipping boy Mason Raymond but the bottom end is one of uncertainty and inconsistency. Vigneault has rotated Victor Oreskovich, Jeff Tambellini, Alex Bolduc and Cody Hodgson in an attempt to find a perfect medium. Perhaps the return of Manny Malhotra could alleviate this issue.

Regardless, the Blackhawks take this by a mile as the top-end talent is there but the depth is simply not comparable.

Defensemen:

Photo Credit: CANUCKS HOCKEY BLOG

Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith set the tempo as a perfect combination of ying and yang last season. Both mobile defenders, Seabrook’s intelligence allowed Keith to pick his spots in the offensive zone. Their stability allowed the second pairing of Niklas Hjalmarsson and Brian Campbell to flourish and make up for the third pairing of Nick Boynton, Brent Sopel and Jordan Hendry. When all of these guys were on their game, they had Keith at over 28 minutes, Seabrook 24 and Hjalmarsson 21 with no other blue liner surpassing 20 minutes.

This may be where the Canucks first hold an advantage as they boast six quality defenders and three others capable of playing decent minutes. Their top pairing of Christian Ehrhoff and Alexander Edler fits very well with the Sedins while Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Bieksa have formed a formidable shutdown pairing. The bottom set features some combination of Sami Salo and either Keith Ballard or Aaron Rome with mean d-man Andrew Alberts waiting to get into games. If Vigneault opts for a more mobile substitute, rookie Chris Tanev seemed up for the challenge in his limited playing time.

While the Blackhawks arguably have a higher end, the Canucks feature a more well rounded attack with the option of choosing mobility or snarl. Nobody has a more established top six in the League at this moment which gives the Canucks their first edge in the comparison.

Starting Goalies:

Niemi won the backup job from now-current starter Corey Crawford and then overtook Cristobal Huet for the starting gig in late March. As a veritable unknown, the Finnish rookie managed to get the job done despite what was considered a sub-par performance in the Finals. His success was questioned after winning as his arbitration reward earned him a ticket out of Chicago and into San Jose, where he would once again flourish. Due to his rookie status, the Blackhawks were able to win with a very tight budget which spawned the “don’t pay for goalies theory.” With two Vezina Trophy finalists vying for a championship, that theory has been debunked.

Luongo happens to be one of those finalists as he attempts to prove he can be the best goalie in the world. After toiling on the awful New York Islanders and Florida Panthers, Luongo was expected to win quickly and often in Vancouver. So far he somewhat disappointed fans after losing consistently to the Blackhawks in the playoffs but his ability to step up in big games like Game 7 of this year’s first round and in the Olympics last year has given him the confidence to try and take Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Elite netminder vs. raw rookie? Luongo and the Canucks take this one.

Photo Credit: Matt Boulton from Vancouver, Canada

Special Teams:

The Blackhawks got the job done with a 22.5 percent success rate on the powerplay and a 83.3 percent penalty kill. Their PP ranked fifth in the League but only second in the Western Conference while the PK ranked fourth but first amongst their Conference peers. While not necessarily dominating, the special teams was not a problem on either end which allowed them to continue their winning ways.

On the other hand, the Canucks PP has been a strength as they rank third in the League with a 25.8 percent success rate. The powerplay has been able to adapt from the hard-working Predators to the shot-blocking Sharks with ease making it a force to be reckoned with. Their penalty kill, however, has been a bit worse, succeeding at a 82.3 rate. Considering they lack actual shutdown forwards, players like Kesler and Burrows are forced to take on even more minutes.

The Canucks hold a better PP but the Blackhawks could shut them down better. Push.

The Bottom Line:

As both Jeff Quirin and Dave Strehle predicted, the Canucks should wrap up this series. Of course, we likely counted the Bruins out of the playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens, the Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightning so anything can happen. As far as comparability to last year’s formula, the ‘Nucks are the closest thing to last year’s Blackhawks but the latter takes the small edge due to depth up front, more experience behind the bench and ease in getting to where they need to go.

Feel free to post in the comments your thoughts on the matter as this article is merely the tip of the iceberg, not a definitive conclusion.

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Philadelphia Flyers Correspondent

The Philadelphia Flyers set a franchise record with their 25th road win on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh.  With a 25-9-4 record away from the Wells Fargo Center, only the Vancouver Canucks mark of 26-9-4 is better in the entire NHL.  But a very disturbing trend continued for Philadelphia, and that is their play at home.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

After dropping a 1-0 decision to Chris Mason and the Atlanta Thrashers – and yet another game of failing to score despite taking 40+ shots as Mason stopped all 43 Philly offerings – the Flyers have now lost seven of their last eight tries at home (1-4-3), and just 2-4-5 in their last 11 home contests.  Their overall home record now stands at just 21-12-6.

The Thrashers got all of the offense they would need midway through the third period.  Evander Kane, who has hurt Philly several times with his speed this season, broke down the left wing side and skated around the corner.  As he got towards the back of the net, he threw a pass into the crease area.  The puck banked off of Nik Antropov’s skate and bounded past starter Sergei Bobrovsky and into the net.

Bobrovsky played very well.  He made 21 saves on 22 shots, many of them of the difficult variety.

“They only had 22 shots, but Bob (Bobrobvsky) made five or six real good saves,” defenseman Sean O’Donnell said.  ”It was unfortunate that the one they got went in the way it did but both goalies played real well tonight.”

Bobrovsky definitely deserved a better fate.

If you go back to February 13th in a Sunday afternoon game against the Los Angeles Kings, Jonathan Quick shut Philadelphia out in Philly – also a 1-0 count – and the Flyers threw 40 unsuccessful shots on goal that afternoon as well.

Philadelphia is now just 7-6-2 this season in games where they’ve had 38 or more shots on goal, and five of those six losses have been via shutouts.

And the 43 shots were the most the Flyers have taken in a game in which they were shut out since December 21, 1980, when they took 44 shots in a 6-0 loss to the Washington Capitals.  That game was also at home (the Spectrum).

Philadelphia had a chance to get a measure of revenge on a team that had left a very bad taste in their mouth after beating the Flyers twice within a five day period earlier this month.

If you remember back three weeks ago to when Philadelphia had one of their most infuriating losses of the season at home against Atlanta.  Leading 3-0 after two periods and 4-2 with just three minutes left in regulation, the Flyers gave up two goals – including the game-tying goal to Andrew Ladd with goaltender Chris Mason pulled for an extra attacker with just 45 ticks remaining on the clock.

Atlanta would win that contest in overtime, basically stealing a sure point away from Philadelphia.  Just five days later, the Thrashers took a 4-3 decision from the Flyers in a shootout in Atlanta.

A win tonight by the Orange-and-Black would officially eliminate the Thrashers from qualifying for the playoffs.  In addition to having a chance of getting their own game back on track, it was just one more added incentive for Philly Thursday.

Early on in the action tonight, it looked like Philadelphia would run Atlanta right out of the Wells Fargo Center.  Recording the game’s first six shots in the first five minutes, the Flyers mounted a ferocious attack on Thrashers’ starter Mason.

But a particularly telling sequence of just how the night would proceed was when the Dan Carcillo-Mike Richards-Kris Versteeg line dominated Atlanta.

Both Versteeg and Richards would have glorious scoring chances in tight while outnumbering the Thrashers in a two-on-one down low, but instead of either shooting they both attempted to return a pass back to the other.  The play fizzled without a shot on goal as they overpassed and fumbled the puck away.

A bit later, Danny Briere would have an opportunity of his own, as the puck came to him at the right of Mason.  With the empty net staring back at him, Briere’s shot was stopped, as Mason kicked out his right pad.

Even though Philadelphia poured on the shot totals – including 19 in the third period – they really didn’t come that close until the final 10 seconds of regulation.

With Bobrovsky pulled for an extra attacker, Richards teed up a shot from the slot.  Mason made the save and the rebound kicked out to Jeff Carter just to the left of Mason.  Carter flipped the puck past the fallen netminder, but it hit the post and stayed out of the net.

It was just that kind of night for the Orange-and-Black.

“We were just trying to get pucks to the net as much as possible and tried to create that second and third opportunity,” Richards said after the game.  ”They did a good job of clearing house, knocking pucks into the corner and clearing them.  We just didn’t seem to find them around the net.”

One common theme among the players was that the high number of penalties on both sides made it difficult to sustain any type of offensive flow to the game.

“We have to stay away from the penalty box if we want to win the game,” said defenseman Andrej Meszaros.

Richards put in his viewpoint.  “Whenever we take penalties it impacts the game, it tires out the killers and the flow on the bench,” the captain explained.  ”Once we get momentum and then take a penalty, we have to regroup and almost start from scratch and try and build momentum.”

It all amounted to yet another frustrating night for the Flyers.  After Tuesday’s big step forward, it was hoped that they could build on that the rest of the way in the remaining regular season games.  Instead, they took another couple backwards tonight.

That seems to be the way it goes here lately.

Holmgren Transcript

GM Paul Holmgren addressed defenseman Chris Pronger’s setback in his rehab from surgery on his broken hand with the media after the game.

Q:  Can you clarify what is going on with Chris Pronger?

“Well nothing really.  We probably pushed it a little bit too quickly in rehab.  I would classify it as a minor setback.  We were kind of hoping that he would be able to play some games here at the end of the regular season, but that’s probably more than likely out of the equation.”

Q:  Are you just going to shelve him as a precaution?

“You know, Chris was…we felt and he felt that if he was going to get in.  We are not going to be real aggressive at this point.  Obviously the playoffs are more important right now.  We will see how it goes.  We still have 5 games in 10 days.  We will monitor on a daily basis.  He hasn’t done much, in terms of rehab on his hand, in the last few days and continues to do his off-ice conditioning.  We will take it a day at a time here.”

Q:  Do you expect him to be at 100% during the playoffs?

“Yeah, we believe he will be.  The doctors seem confident that he will be okay by then.“

Q:  Did he seem at the beginning of his rehab that he was scheduled to come back a little early?

“That’s what we were all hoping.  Chris wants to play.  Maybe we got caught a little bit ahead of the horse there.”

Copyright David Strehle 2011

Barber Honored

Flyers’ Hall-of-Fame left winger Bill Barber was honored in a pre-game ceremony, where he was presented with the #7 banner that hung from the Spectrum rafters when his jersey was officially retired by the club.

Barber holds the mark for most goals scored by a Flyer in a career with 420, and was part of the famous LCB Line with Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach.  He was a member of the two Stanley Cup-winning Philadelphia teams in the mid-70′s.

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If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle.

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Philadelphia Flyers Correspondent

“We have only seven games left, and we can’t go into the playoffs playing up and down hockey.  It’s not going to work,” defenseman Kimmo Timonen said after Sunday night’s loss to the Boston Bruins.  “Hopefully in these last seven games we can find consistency and play two or three games like that and build on it.  The last few games we haven’t been able to do that, so hopefully we can regroup and do it in Pittsburgh.”

Even though the Philadelphia Flyers had been 5-1-4 in their previous 10 games prior to Tuesday night’s meeting with the Penguins, each of the players acknowledged that they weren’t performing at anywhere near the level they will need to attain when the postseason begins in two weeks.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Philadelphia did regroup in a 5-2 victory over Pittsburgh, and it was a tremendous step mentally for the Orange-and-Black.  Not only was it a win over an arch-rival, they were also in need of the victory in order to stave off a furious Pittsburgh charge for the Atlantic Division lead.

They did play the style of game that will be key to repeating any kind of long playoff run this year.

At the crux of the team’s recent up-and-down play, as Timonen called it, has been the inconsistency of their efforts.  Whether it be on a game-to-game or period-to-period basis, Philadelphia has adopted an almost Jekyll and Hyde-type persona for the better part of a month now.

“Every point is important,” said defenseman Andrej Meszaros after Sunday’s loss to Boston.  “We want to make sure that we finish 1st in the conference.  It’s going to be tough.  It’s going to be a battle until the end. We have to be ready and get focused for the next game and go from there.”

That’s why it is so important to see what version of the team shows up tonight when the Flyers take on the Atlanta Thrashers at the Wells Fargo Center.

While Philadelphia has posted a 1-0-2 record against Atlanta this season, they have fallen to the Thrashers in each of the last two.  Both were within the last three weeks, with one in overtime and the other via the shootout.

The worst part is the way in which they dropped the one played in South Philly.  Leading 3-0 heading into third period and 4-2 in the last three minutes on the strength of Ville Leino’s first career hat trick, the Flyers gave up a tying goal to captain Andrew Ladd in the last 45 seconds of regulation.

The resulting loss after defenseman Ron Hainsey’s overtime goal should still sting the players, as it was one of the most-crushing defeats Philadelphia has experienced the entire season.

Atlanta hasn’t been mathematically eliminated from the postseason as of yet, but they are very close.  With six games left, they are 11 points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  So to say they will be desparate is likely an understatement.  They need to win every remaining contest, and hope that they can nose past either the Buffalo Sabres or New York Rangers.  But any combination of the Thrashers losing two points or either Buffalo or the Rangers gaining two and Atlanta will be destined for the golf courses in two weeks.

Plagued by bad turnovers and poor defensive zone coverage for weeks, the Flyers have struggled to maintain the level of play that had the club on pace to break the franchise record for points.

One of the reasons is that this campaign has been much different than last season.  Having cruised through much of the regular season at or near the top of the overall NHL standings, the desparation needed at this time of year just hasn’t been there.  Until last Tuesday against the Washington Capitals, that is.  It also reappeared this past Tuesday against the Penguins.

It seems sometimes like Philadelphia needs to have their backs up against the wall before their intensity level rises to the position necessary for them to acheive postseason success.

If there was any time during the course of the season that the Flyers’ hand was forced, it was Tuesday night with Pittsburgh nipping at their heels and the division crown at stake.

And they delivered.

If they can put forth an effort tonight like that of Tuesday’s, it will do wonders in calming the fears of the team’s fan base.  The Philly faithful have found the great fluctuation in the Flyer’s amount of determination and results as of late to be troubling, to say the least.

Tonight’s contest can be effectively used as a good barometer as to where the club is heading.

Time to Start Talking “Magic Numbers”

With the win against the Pens, Philadelphia’s magic number is at six points.

The Penguins sit at 98 points with five games remaining, so if they win out the rest of their schedule, the most points they can accumulate is 108.  Philadelphia currently has 102 with six games left, so any combination of the Flyers gaining and Pittsburgh losing points that add up to six from here on out will give Philly the Atlantic Division title.

Timonen “Probable” for Tonight

Timonen has been dinged up with a hip flexor issue for much of the season and aggravated it Tuesday.  He sat out the third period against the Penguins, and Paul Holmgren told CSNPhilly.com’s Tim Panaccio yesterday that the 36-year-old defenseman is “probable” tonight.

It is of the utmost importance for the Flyers to have a healthy Timonen and Chris Pronger (recovering from surgery on his right hand) if they have any chance of a long stay in the postseason.

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If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter - @David_Strehle.

Atlanta Thrashers fans are conditioned to panic when the team strings together a few losses. Who can blame them? The team had two stretches of ten game losing streaks last season, costing them a playoff spot. This year, the losing streak was up to just four games, but when a team is 3-5-2 in their last ten and has a one point hold on either place in the Eastern Conference, concern is warranted. “Sky is falling” pessimism isn’t necessary, but you have to step back and look at what in the world is going on.

The team has been starting games well, but have been losing momentum after a period to a period and a half. Certainly part of this has to do with a December that saw, in 31 days, the team having to play sixteen games. January’s schedule’s a bit lighter with eleven games, but the December grind is apparent, and is playing into the slump. It is nice to know that part of this is something that the team can’t control. The Thrashers’ second best faceoff man, Jim Slater, has been out for six games with a concussion. Winning face-offs in your opponents zone sets up scoring chances for you, and without Slater that’s a problem. Another problem without Slater is that you don’t win as many shorthanded faceoffs in your own zone. Lose those, and your penalty kill’s in trouble.

Which, well, that it is, and that is something that the team’s been having problems with. During the trouncing by the Dallas Stars on Saturday night, the Thrashers allowed three powerplay goals.

The penalty kill, once one of the top in the league, is now 29th. The AJC’s Chris Vivlamore points at the stumbles as a reason that the team’s lost four in a row and has only won three of its last twelve games. It’s a very viable reason. Not only are you allowing goals shorthanded, but any goal allowed is damaging to the team in general.

Also damaging is the fact that the shots on goals allowed, both on and off the power play, has increased recently. With Ondrej Pavelec not playing as well as he was before, for whatever reason, that leads to a higher probability of a goal – or six – going in. Coach Craig Ramsay has said in the past that the Thrashers have won games that they might not ought to have won thanks to goaltending, and it’s caught up to the team.

Also catching up to the team is the fact that Freddy Modin has not played for three games. As Tim from Birdwatchers Anonymous pointed out, has been the Thrashers’ best even strength scorer. During the four game losing streak, the team’s only scored nine goals. Evander Kane is back from injury now, so that should help, but before fans get too worked up regarding recent play you do have to look at who the team has been missing and how it impacts play.

It’s not an all encompassing excuse (it doesn’t excuse Zach Bogosian’s lost demeanor on the ice of late, or the fact that the team can’t kill off a powerplay to save its life), but it is helpful to take injuries and “the grind” into effect. If the team were more firmly ensconced in a playoff position, perhaps the response to the team’s slide would be to automatically chalk it up to it just being halfway through January. But when circumstances are what they are right now for the Thrashers, it’s legit to wonder if their playoff position’ll still be there tomorrow.

I’d give the team a little time to work its way through this before worrying too much. If the slump continues at the end of the month, then there’s legit cause to get worked up. As of right now, be as concerned as you need to, but don’t forget to look at the calendar and at the injuries. Missing Slater, Modin, Chris Mason, and for a while Kane isn’t exactly like you’re out your usual healthy scratch.

When it comes to winning in the NHL every team needs not only a few top tier players, but also a handful of complimentary players that are willing to do the small things that can affect the outcome of a hockey game. These tasks often go unnoticed on the scoresheet, as do the players.

The Boston Bruins have had relatively good luck in the past with these types of players, with the likes of Rob Dimaio, P.J. Axelsson and most recently Shawn Thornton, but a new challenger has emerged in rookie Brad Marchand. In his first full season with the Bruins, Marchand has posted seven goals for 16 points in 38 games. He played in 20 contests with the team last season, but only notched one assist.

At a whopping 5″9′ this small statured forward has no qualms with mixing it up with opposing players that tower over him. Whether it’s grinding it out in his own end or battling in the offensive corners, Marchand always plays much bigger than he is. Being a pest is what got him to the NHL level and every game he shows he has the will and determination to be a regular in the Bruins lineup. Marchand was drafted in the third round, 71st overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Quickly becoming a fan favorite while playing on the Merlot line, consisting of Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton and Marchand, the trio are an effective bunch that get plenty of ice time. It’s not unusual to see the start and finish the game, although sometimes it can be ineffective (see 1.8.11 in Montreal) the group is an in your face bunch with grit and lots of speed. Marchand has also been playing along side Patrice Bergeron which has allowed him to show off his offensive prowess. In 2006-07 while playing for Val d’Or in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League the 22-year-old Nova Scotia native posted a career high 33 goals for 80 points in only 57 games, while notching 108 penalty minutes.

During his two seasons with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League, Marchand enjoyed success offensively with 92 points in 103 games, before getting called up to the Bruins during the 2009-10 campaign. He has also enjoyed some international success with team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship helping the team bring home gold back-to-back in 2007 and 2008.

Every team has their top tier players which are instrumental in putting up points in the standings, but it’s the depth players that grind it out and make way for the skill guys to do their job. Just look at the Vancouver Canucks, who after failing once again in the playoffs, added Manny Malhotra and Raffi Torres to shore up their bottom two lines and it has done wonders. It allowed their skilled guys to score, while Malhotra seemingly wins every face off he takes and Torres plays his relentless style. These moves, including the defensive additions, has allowed the Canucks to reign supremacy on the NHL standings.

The defending champs are another example, they did have ton of skill players in Marian Hossa, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, to name a few, but they were also led by grinders like Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien and David Bolland. This mix of skill and complimentary players allowed the Chicago Blackhawks to capture their first Stanley Cup since 1961.

The style of hockey that Marchand and company play, doesn’t often receive the appreciation they deserve outside of their home arena. However, opposing teams always know when Marchand is on the ice, and if they don’t he makes sure they are well aware by games end.

Brandon Macdonald
NHLHS Editor-in-chief
bmacdonald@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter @bMacdonald8

There has been much ink spilled over the disaster which has been the NHL expansion plans. Going into unconventional markets was supposed to expand interest in the great game and bring fans together far and wide. Only problem is that most of the expansion cities dont know an ice rink from a rodeo.

The NHL (aka Gary Bettman) continually denies there are significant problems instead convincing the masses that everything is hunky dory and that we should all stop worrying. There are no problems in Phoenix, that’s absurd to say that. Nashville? Classic hockey market. Tampa Bay and Miami? Wasn’t the sport invented around there? Atlanta, well they had a team before, so they must know whats going on right?

The NHL has had more expansion in the last 20 years than any other sports league and also have had the most “relocation” chatter among the big sports. The fact they have hung on to some of these lame duck frachises is preposterous and the owners of the richer clubs are sure to make their opinions known at the next CBA.

We are now getting rumblings that the Atlanta Thrashers are in need of a new owner. The current group have decided it is just not worth it go forward anymore with this money loser. There have been games with under 4000 fans in attendance, that is less then some Junior A teams in Canada bring in.

The rumblings continue that the Thrashers could find themselves in Winnipeg possibly as early as next season. It would signal the end of a franchise in that city twice and moving back to one that should never have left in the first place. Would that not put egg on the commissioners face? Truth is probably not, as he would deny the financial concerns right up to the day the Thrashers change to the Jets and then once they did it would be his idea and in the leagues “best interest”.

As much as I’d love to see a team back in Winnipeg or Quebec or anywhere in the Great White North, this also will pose a certain dilemma in itself. Although Atlanta is not a prime city for hockey, players seem to enjoy playing there (except for the losing the last few years). It is a huge city in the U.S. and offers a lot of anonimity to players who want to play hockey and go home to their family.

In Winnipeg it is a cold frozen city where a hockey player would be recognized as quickly as Charlie Sheen at a liquor store. It begs the question if it would be a wise move? You see though the franchise shift North would be wonderful for the fans who deserve one more shot, who would play there? Would Dustin Byfuglien resign with the team knowing they’d be heading to Winnipeg? Would Andrew Ladd? Would anyone really. In Atlanta they have everything you could want, the weather is great 12 months of the year and despite the sad state of the team since its inception the city itself has a lot to offer.

Winnipeg not so much.

Would this be a team without a team? For instence would anyone with any name recognition sign there? Think about it. If you were a five million per year athlete would you want to live in Atlanta or Winnipeg? No contest.

The NHL surely has a  lot of mess to clean up as we go forward and with yet another lockout on the horizon it seems we may be in for yet another prolonged fight. Expansion aside from some franchises such as Minnesota, Ottawa and San Jose has been a terrible idea. Now it seems that we have another bad idea, allowing players to see what they could have then moving it somewhere else. Its a never ending cycle. Lets hope it leads to the right decisions.

There’s no denying that the addition of some former members of the Chicago Blackhawks to the Atlanta Thrashers this off-season was one of the big moves in hockey.

The acquisition of playoff star Dustin Byfuglien overshadowed that of Brent Sopel and Ben Eager, and that makes sense. Big Buff was explosive for Chicago in the playoffs, scoring 11 goals and five assists after a season where he scored 17 goals. He scored six fewer goals in 22 games in the postseason than he did during all 82 regular season games. So far for the Thrashers, he’s the team’s impact player and go-to guy, scoring six game winning goals (three in overtime) and with his move back to defense is now leading the league’s defensemen with 16 goals and 41 points.

It’s justifiable that Byfuglien is hogging the attention, and there’s a good chance that Atlanta’s turn around this season has a great deal to do with him, but there’s someone else who is just as deserving of attention: the Thrashers’ newest captain, Andrew Ladd.

Ladd came from Chicago as well, though later than the rest, on July 1st. He was expected to be a solid role player, a locker room leader, and to add a bit of a scoring depth – probably at a higher rate than he did in Chicago. What he wasn’t expected to do was come in and give the team motivational spark like they hadn’t had for quite some time, but that’s exactly what he did.

The Thrashers needed a captain to replace Ilya Kovalchuk, who played his last game with the Thrashers on February 2nd, 2010. The team had gone captainless since then, and Ron Hainsey, Nik Antropov, and even Rich Peverley’s names were suggested as replacements since practically the end of that season.Kovalchuk was thought to be an irreplaceable player, but though the team was viewed by some as “Kovy’s team,” he wasn’t necessarily an irreplaceable captain.

Ladd being named as the replacement was surprising, but looking at the two captains, there might be some similarities. There might even be a bit of improvement in motivating factors for the team.

Kovalchuk, while he was with Atlanta, was the identity of the team. The team’s hardship was obviously  reflected in his own frustrations and he worked to carry the team through it. Nowhere is that more obvious than the spark that the team felt after he was named captain at Casino Night on January 12, 2009. For whatever reason, making his leadership official helped the Thrashers to a second-half turnaround, helping them go 21-17-1 and finishing with a winning record in the second half (though not on the season – the first half of the year was an unsalvageable train wreck).

Keep in mind that the team’s 21-17-1 record took three months to amass. Andrew Ladd’s captaincy (he was named team captain on November 18th) has already seen a record of 14-6-3 in a third of a time as Kovalchuk’s. Also, during Kovalchuk’s time as captain in 2009-2010, the team put together a losing record of 24-26-7 in what was very nearly a playoff season for the team. Total as captain, Kovy’s record was 45-33-8, which is a respectable total for about a season’s worth. It’s a playoff record, good for 98 points at the very least. While I’m not going to predict that this year’s Thrashers team hits 98 points – the team’s broken me of trying to predict anything after last season  - it is still a very strong possibility. They’re already nearly halfway to that total already, and it’s the mid-point of the season.

I can’t comment on leadership styles – neither individual is particularly vocal in the press, and their locker room persona is all speculation and hearsay, which is something that I don’t encourage. Kovalchuk took an arguably less talented team than the one that the Thrashers are now and rallied it around his offensive skill even as just an initial motivator; Ladd seems to be able to do the same thing in a shorter period of time with a more talented team. Yes, the team’s talent is going to factor in to both captains’ records, so it’s unfair to compare them in a way. But looking at the two players’ styles, Kovalchuk’s motivating factor to the team was his output. As it shrank through December while the contract talks were getting hammered out, the team’s shrank too. Ladd is on pace for a career season no doubt, but that doesn’t seem to be why the team woke up and went for a solid stretch of play after his captaincy was announced. It has to be more than offense with Ladd, which is a good thing. As we’ve seen with Kovalchuk this season, scoring comes and goes.

In a season full of breaking traditions, the Minnesota Wild are looking to continue one facing off against the Atlanta Thrashers. The Wild are 6-1-2 lifetime playing against Atlanta and look to add another win to this 4 game road trip when the go into Phillips arena.

Coming into this game the Thrashers are 6-6-3 with 15 points on the season and currently on a 3 game skid. Atlanta has a 3.00 GG while sitting at the bottom of the league giving up 3.60 GAA. Their power play and penalty killing are complete opposites. While ranking 4th in the league on the PP at 26.1% they are killing 75.5% of their penalties putting them at 27th.

Minnesota on the other hand is 7-4-2 with 16 points and coming off a great road win in Columbus 3-2. The Wild are scoring 2.46 GG and 4th in the league in goals against at 2.15. Their power play has been where they have won games ranking 2nd at 27.1% while 8th in the league killing 86.4% of their penalties.

The goalie matchups for the game are looking like Chris Mason for the Thrashers and Niklas Backstrom for the Wild. Mason, after having a rough game against Ottawa where he was pulled after giving up 4 goals on 18 shots and was replaced by Ondrej Pavelec, has a 3.66 GAA and .903 SV%. Backstom on the other hand is playing lights out with a 1.80 GAA and .941 SV%. It is easy to say that Backstrom is playing his best hockey and is a big advantage for the Wild.

This game will feature 3 of the NHL’s biggest defensive talent in Atlanta’s Dustin Byfuglien, Tobias Enstrom, and the Wild’s Brent Burns. Byfuglien and Enstrom have amassed a combined 26 points putting them in the top 3 for the team in total points. Brent Burns has 8 points on the season and had his first multi goal game of his career scoring twice against Columbus. Byfuglien and Burns sit at the top of the board with 5 goals each among the league’s defensemen. Both teams will rely heavily on these players to step up big in this game. While Atlanta’s 2 are more of a scoring threat Burns has been able to shut down the league’s top talent and will look to do so again.

Although Atlanta has a big scoring threat in Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien, Tobi Enstrom, and Evander Kane they are not without holes. Evander Kane and Nik Antropov have a combined plus/minus ranking of -21. The Wild will look to exploit this by the play of their second line with the skill of Martin Havlat and the awareness of Matt Cullen.

Staying out of the box for the Wild and capitalizing on the man advantage will be key for them to win. Atlanta’s power play and the Wild Penalty kill should be a great matchup but one I don’t wish to see. Playing physical Minnesota will look to put their highly rank power play on the ice against the Thrasher 27th ranked penalty kill.

My keys to the game for the Wild to win are:
- Mikko Koivu who has been a solid 2 way player for the Wild so far this season notching a point in 11 out of 13 games. Look for him to be very physical and test the goaltending of the Thrashers.
- Niklas Backstom will look to continue is quietly amazing season. If Backstrom can keep the Thrashers to 1-2 goals the Wild have a strong chance to come out with a win.
- Matt Cullen on the power play for the Wild this season has been what this team needs. A strong leader and decisive decision maker his play at point has made the Wild a force on the man advantage.

Game notes: Martin Havlat has only 1 goal on the season which makes him tied now with Derek Boogaard…..ok that might be a small cheap shot. Antti Miettinen seems to have the green light to play but don’t expect him back on the first line, Coach Todd Richards seems to like having Cal Clutterbuck playing with Andrew Brunette and Mikko Koivu. The Wild have recalled Cody Almond from their AHL affiliate the Houston Aeros. Guillaume Latendresse, Chuck Kobasew, and Marek Zidlicky are reported to be out this game with injuries.

Josh Sargent

NHLHS Minnesota Wild Correspondent

Twitter: @Josh_Sargent

Central

• Andrew Ladd fielded questions regarding his fight with Ryan Kesler on Sunday. Kesler called Ladd a coward following their bout.  Ladd seems to handle it in stride.  ”We all got a pretty good laugh at it,” Ladd said.
• The writers at The Columbus Dispatch decided to gage fan interest for the remainder of the year.
• The famous Joe Louis Arena should be on its way out. As the building turns the 30 year mark, it becomes more and more of a fossil.
• Pekka Rinne will receive his second consecutive start, which could mean coach Barry Trotz decided on a full-time starter.  John Glennon of The Tennessean has the full story.
• The Blues defeated the Calgary Flames last night by the narrow score of 2-0.  As Jeremy Rutherford of The St.Louis Post-Dispatch points out, both teams combined for 37 shots before Patrik Berglund began the scoring.

Northwest

• According to Ian Busby of The Calgary Sun, the boo birds are out in Calgary and appear pretty vocal.  The players understand the movement and the need to improve.  ”It’s tough but rightfully so,” said winger Brandon Prust.
• Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson received third star of the week honors after notching two shutouts in three games.
• Lots of exciting information regarding a new arena in Edmonton.
• Andrew Brunette took to the broadcasting booth during yesterday’s skills competition.  As the author points out, Brunette will play another couple of years and continues to produce.
• The game story appeared to be all about Olympic goaltenders Roberto Luongo and Ryan Miller, leaving NHL leading scorer Henrik Sedin out to dry.  To no one’s surprise Sedin made a huge difference as he scored on a breakaway.  ”I rarely get a breakaway — it might have been four years ago,” Sedin said.

Pacific

• Saku Koivu began skating with the Ducks in hopes of returning shortly. He handled conditioning drills with ease, skating alongside Dan Sexton and Bobby Ryan.
• Despite Stars owner Tom Hicks selling the Texas Rangers, the teams budget should look eerily similar.  ”It is challenging, but I think it’s been challenging for every GM in the league,” GM Joe Nieuwendyk said.
• Kings forward Wayne Simmonds will face his hometown Maple Leafs tonight.
• Lauri Korpikoski scored two goals against the Capitals despite the eventual 4-2 outcome.  ”It was a long time since I last had a couple of goals, so it was good. It creeps into your head when you’re not scoring, it’s a mental thing,”  Korpikoski said.  He looks to continue his scoring tonight against the Red Wings.
• David Pollack of The Mercury News describes the success of all four Sharks penalty kill units noting their different styles.

Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Editor
amonaghan@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @NHLHotStove