During the third period of today's game I got bored/restless and started to catch up on my blog reading as I waited for time to wind down in Boston. I came across this blurb from James Mirtle pointing out that Canada won the 81st Spengler Cup which features a Canadian team made up of non-NHL players pitted against a group of European pro teams from Russia, Switzerland, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Check out the Canadian roster. Anyone look familiar? By my count there are eight former Thrashers listed there, including the captain, Serge Aubin. Congratulations to Team Canada and all of those former Thrashers who have found hockey life outside of the NHL.

A few links form around the hockey world...

Via Talking Thrash comes news that the AJC's Craig Custance was nominated as the mainstream media writer of the year by the AOL Fanhouse hockey panel. Nice job Craig. It's good see him get credit for all of his hard work.

We posted an article on Jim Slater's outdoor hockey experience to coincide with tomorrow's Winter Classic. I know there are some bowl games on at the same time, but this is hockey in a bowl, so it kind of counts, right? Seriously, NBC is airing the game in HD and pulling out all the stops, so it's must-see TV, even if you have to stick it into the rotation as you channel surf.

Jes Golbez asks if we'll see any 60-goal scorers this season. Barring something catastrophic scoring I'd say Ilya is as close to a sure thing in that department as there is. Go let Jes know in his comment section.

Our former fan correspondent Sean Grace has been doing double duty, posting at Blueland Roar as well as churning out some good stuff for MVN.com. Check out his Ilya for MVP article.

Don't forget, today's game is nice and early at 1 pm, so you can get it out of the way before you do whatever you do to ring in the new year. Can the Thrashers enter 2008 with a winning record?

With Stuart's callup come some line changes for tonight's game. Slater will sit this one out and may be ready to practice tomorrow, but don't expect that mean Stuart will be sent right back to Chicago. Don Waddell said today that he likes to reward players for hard work and if Stuart performs well there's certainly roster space to keep him around. This is also the time of year when players tend to get sick or get it with minor injuries from wear and tear so it's useful to have an extra body around. Here's what you'll see to start things off tonight:

Kovalchuk- White- Recchi
Hossa- Perrin- Kozlov
Stuart- Holik- Dupuis
Boulton- Larsen- Thorburn

Havelid- Enstrom
Klee- Zhitnik
Exelby- McCarthy

Lehtonen
Hedberg

Some people may have been expecting to see Moose in net tonight but Kari gets the nod. The feeling is that the team played well in front of him on Thursday and that he was the victim of an unusually high number of bad bounces. We'll see if he can get the job done tonight.

Colin Stuart is understandably excited about his NHL debut tonight. He said he got the call yesterday morning from Chicago's GM, Kevin Cheveldayoff and then talked to Atlanta assistant GM Larry Simmons in person to get his travel arrangements. Stuart ended up getting delayed at O'Hare for 2.5 hours because of all the snow in Chicago but he eventually made it to Atlanta around 11:30 pm.

I asked Stuart how he would describe his style of play for fans who aren't familiar with the Wolves and he said, "I'm more of a high energy checking defensive forward. That's generally my role. A lot of penalty killing and stuff like that. Obviously I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing here yet, but I'll try to use my speed and play hard."

The nerves aren't quite hitting him yet and Stuart is keeping an even keel.

"It's the same game," he said. "Obviously it's a different pace up here and there's a lot more skill. Just got to worry about doing the little things and try to play your game. Go out there and work hard, do the little things and hopefully everything else will fall into place."

And because I didn't do my homework or really think too much about the opposition tonight I completely forgot that Stuart's first NHL game is actually going to be against his brother Mark who plays for the Bruins. Nobody else asked him about the family connection either so I don't feel that stupid.

According to the kind folks at Elias Sports Bureau the last player to make his debut against his brother was Randy Moller (QUE) who debuted against his brother Mike Moller (BUF) on 10/6/82.


Stuart is wearing #49 and has a stall next to Slava Kozlov in the locker room. It's an interesting set up as the rookie comes in and sits next to the veteran who was just celebrated for playing in his 1000th career game.

I asked Slava what advice he had for someone coming in and playing their first game and he said "I think he should be excited. He needs to have fun, and I know it's his first game but it's always fun. There should be no pressure and he should be fresh and ready to go. There's not too many players who get a goal or assist in the first game, but that would be a good start. We'll see how he does. We'll support him and try to do our best for him."

Slava would know about picking up points in an NHL debut. His first game was back on March 12, 1992 in St. Louis and it was a memorable experience for him.

"I was in Detroit and I missed the plane because I had to be in the court. I was part of a Russian hockey club and they sued Detroit. I made the game in an hour and a half instead of two hours and I was always rushing from the airport to the St. Louis arena. Finally I made it and I remember I got two assists. I played with Sergei (Fedorov) and Sergei got both goals so I got two assists. It was very nice."

The odds of Stuart setting up Holik or Dupuis for a pair of goals probably aren't great, but you never know.

As for the Bruins, they've lost five straight and have only won once since beating the Thrashers back on Dec. 12. They've been hampered by injuries and it's showing on the back end and in net where the Bruins have given up four or more goals in four straight games. If they give up four tonight I like the Thrashers' odds. I'll be in the stands for this one with family and friends so hopefully we put on a good show. Enjoy the game.

The NHL's Winter classic is just around the corner (1 pm on New Year's Day on NBC) and today's trivia question follows that theme. Get it right and you cold win tickets to tomorrow night's game against Boston. If you don't win you can always take advantage of the Shane's Rib Shack Family Pack.

Just to recap, here's a quick refresher on how trivia works. Read the question below, go searching for the answer and then send in your best response. We'll sift through the responses, weed out all of the ones that are wrong and then randomly draw a winner from the correct responses. Trivia closes at 2 p.m. and the winner will be notified by email before we post the result.

Please read the official rules and regulations for the contest before entering and be aware that you will have to sign and return a form or two if you are selected. You also must be 18 years of age to win Submit your answers (thrashers.mailbag@atlantaspirit.com), and check back at 2:00 p.m. for the answer and to see if you've won.

Thank you to The Thomas Eye Group for sponsoring this year's trivia contest

Abbreviated rules:
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The Blueland Blog Trivia Contest sponsored by Thomas Eye Group (the "Contest") is open to legal residents of the U.S. and Georgia who are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry, reside within 75 miles of Philips Arena and have Internet access as of the date and time the Contest was first made known to the public. Subject to additional terms and conditions of the Official Rules. Click here for Official Rules . One (1) entry per person per Entry Period. Entry Period is from 10AM EST to 2PM EST each Thrashers home game day. Odds of winning depend on number of correct entries received. Total AMV of prizes: $2,378. Void wherever prohibited. Entry forms must be filled out in full. Contest ends April 5, 2008 at 2:00 PM EST.

Just to recap, here's a quick refresher on how trivia works. Read the question below, go searching for the answer and then send in your best response. We'll sift through the responses, weed out all of the ones that are wrong and then randomly draw a winner from the correct responses. Trivia closes at 2 p.m. and the winner will be notified by email before we post the result.

Please read the official rules and regulations for the contest before entering and be aware that you will have to sign and return a form or two if you are selected. You also must be 18 years of age to win Submit your answers (thrashers.mailbag@atlantaspirit.com), and check back at 2:00 p.m. for the answer and to see if you've won!

Thank you to The Thomas Eye Group for sponsoring this year's trivia contest

Abbreviated rules:
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The Blueland Blog Trivia Contest sponsored by Thomas Eye Group (the "Contest") is open to legal residents of the U.S. and Georgia who are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry, reside within 75 miles of Philips Arena and have Internet access as of the date and time the Contest was first made known to the public. Subject to additional terms and conditions of the Official Rules. Click here for Official Rules . One (1) entry per person per Entry Period. Entry Period is from 10AM EST to 2PM EST each Thrashers home game day. Odds of winning depend on number of correct entries received. Total AMV of prizes: $2,378. Void wherever prohibited. Entry forms must be filled out in full. Contest ends April 5, 2008 at 2:00 PM EST.

How do you like them apples? Four straight. 4-0-0 when outshooting the opponent. 8-1 in games going to extra time. 4-0 in overtime. The highlights from the PR department are below and the actual video highlights are right here.

* Marian Hossa found the back of the net just 19 seconds into overtime to send the Thrashers to their fourth-straight victory, 3-2 against the St. Louis Blues … Hossa tallied an assist on Mark Recchi’s third period goal for his 13th multiple-point effort of the season.

* The Thrashers improved their record to 18-17-1 (37 points) on the season and climbed into a second-place tie in the Southeast Division with the Florida Panthers … Atlanta is now 8-1 in games that extend past regulation time, including a 4-0 mark in overtime.

* Ilya Kovalchuk tied the game at 1-1 at the 16:22 mark of the second period with his NHL-leading 29th goal of the season … Kovalchuk has recorded six points (five goals, one assist) in his last five contests and leads the Thrashers with 47 points (29 goals, 18 assists) in 36 games this season.

* Mark Recchi extended his point-scoring streak to five games with one goal and one assist tonight … Recchi has registered six points (two goals, four assists) during his current streak and has eight points (four goals, four assists) in his first seven games as a Thrasher … It was Recchi’s second multi-point game with Atlanta.

* Rookie defenseman Tobias Enstrom tallied two assists tonight for his second multi-assist game of the season and led the Thrashers with 25:34 TOI … The 23-year old has recorded 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) during his first NHL season.

* Kari Lehtonen turned away 18 of 20 shots in his fourth-consecutive win … Lehtonen has posted a 4-0-0 record, with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage during his current streak.

* The Thrashers will enjoy a two-day holiday break before returning to action on Wed., Dec. 26 when they travel to Columbus (7 p.m.) … The team will return home on Thurs., Dec. 27 when the Florida Panthers make a visit to Philips Arena (7 p.m.)

Next up- the Columbus Blue Jackets. They've been struggling lately and Rick Nash is absolutely killing my fantasy team. He has 18 goals overall but only has two in his last 13 games and they both came on the same night, seven games ago. The Jackets are 4-6-2 in their last 12 and haven't won consecutive games in a month. They've scored three goals in their last four games and are struggling to find the back of the net. Don't take them for granted though, because they can be explosive when they're on their game. The Thrashers aren't very familiar with them and they can't afford to take them lightly. And my cousin works in their game ops department so they have that going for them (hey Scotty!). Tune in Wednesday night at 7pm on SportSouth or 680 The Fan to take in the action.

Right now the Thrashers are firing on all cylinders. The defense and Kari have combined to hold opponents to two goals in each of the four straight wins. Kovalchuk, Hossa, Kozlov and Recchi are all getting points consistently and the guys like Eric Perrin and Todd White are scoring their share as well. The third and fourth lines are contributing when they get the chance and their wearing down the opposition by keeping the puck deep in their end with their relentless forechecking. This is exactly how the Thrashers should be playing each and every night.

Here's how I see it.

A lot of people are going to be out of the office over the next week and plenty of people will step away form their computers over the holidays. That means they won't be voting for the NHL All-Star Game. that means this week is a key time for Ilya to gain some ground on Lecavalier and Alfredsson. Vote like you've never voted before and he could make it close heading into the final week. Need soemthing to motivate you? How about this video from FrenchKheldar?

Or this one? Great music choice by the way.

Your daily links:

• Atlantathrashers.com: View From The Press Box | Photo Gallery | Video Highlights
• AJC: Lehtonen stays strong for win
• AJC: Penalty kill coming alive
• AJC Blog: What's Hossa supposed to say?
• Ottawa Citizen: Thrashers' true big shot (great read)
• Ottawa Citizen: Thrashers end Senators' win streak
• NHL.com: Nightly roundup
• AOLSports: Putting the hot in Hotlanta (highly recommended)

My favorite moments from last night's game:

• Slater, Thorburn and Boulton combining for Atlanta's first goal. Those guys can crash and bang with the best of them, but that was a skill play. Slater carried the puck in and got a good shot off. Thorburn picked up the loose puck and took it behind the net and dished out to Boulton who was driving hard. He banged it in. that's a set play and it worked perfectly.
• Kovalchuk talking to the refs. After the scrum in the third period Pascal Dupuis and captain Bobby Holik were sent to the penalty box as were two Senators. Daniel Alfredsson skated over to the refs to get the rundown and with the Thrashers captain in the box Don Waddell sent Ilya Kovalchuk over the boards to represent Atlanta. It might not be the first time it's ever happened, but it's a heavily symbolic gesture. It means Kovalchuk is being given more and more leadership responsibilities and he's clearly rising to the challenge.
• The Kari chants. Kari wears his heart on his sleeve in the locker room and he seemed genuinely touched by the outpouring of support from the fans.
• Kovalchuk talking about his back-hand goal after the game. He laughed that it was his first of the year and that it would be his first of many. He's a lot funnier than people give him credit for, but it doesn't come across well in print. It's a shame there no TV cameras there to pick it up.

It's trivia time. Tonight is an AJC 2-for-1 Thursday so if you don't win tickets here you can still get a good deal. The Thrashers played a perfect road game on Sunday to get the win in St. Louis and then they let Columbus play a perfect (yet boring) home game last night. Ken Hitchcock's teams have a way of lulling the opponent (and fans) to sleep once they have a lead and his Blue Jackets executed perfectly last night. Here's hoping for a more exciting game against the Panthers tonight. There's no morning skate because of last night's matchup, so there will be no update this afternoon.

Just to recap, here's a quick refresher on how trivia works. Read the question below, go searching for the answer and then send in your best response. We'll sift through the responses, weed out all of the ones that are wrong and then randomly draw a winner from the correct responses. Trivia closes at 2 p.m. and the winner will be notified by email before we post the result.

Please read the official rules and regulations for the contest before entering and be aware that you will have to sign and return a form or two if you are selected. You also must be 18 years of age to win Submit your answers (thrashers.mailbag@atlantaspirit.com), and check back at 2:00 p.m. for the answer and to see if you've won!

Thank you to The Thomas Eye Group for sponsoring this year's trivia contest

Abbreviated rules:
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The Blueland Blog Trivia Contest sponsored by Thomas Eye Group (the "Contest") is open to legal residents of the U.S. and Georgia who are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry, reside within 75 miles of Philips Arena and have Internet access as of the date and time the Contest was first made known to the public. Subject to additional terms and conditions of the Official Rules. Click here for Official Rules . One (1) entry per person per Entry Period. Entry Period is from 10AM EST to 2PM EST each Thrashers home game day. Odds of winning depend on number of correct entries received. Total AMV of prizes: $2,378. Void wherever prohibited. Entry forms must be filled out in full. Contest ends April 5, 2008 at 2:00 PM EST.

There's not a whole lot to report from today's morning skate, which is becoming a theme around here. sorry for the delay, but if there had been anything important I would have let you know. INo surprises today though. Wins don't spark change and with only one extra healthy player (Mark Popovic) on the roster there isn't going to be a lot of lineup shuffling in the near future. You'll see the same lines as Tuesday night and Kari Lehtonen gets the nod in goal again, marking back-to-back starts for a Thrashers goalie for the first time in a while. Does someone want to look that up for me? You might have to go back to November.

I like that the Thrashers are playing a top opponent after the big win over Tampa. If they were facing a lesser team I might be worried that they'd be a bit overconfident after a strong performance but there's no way they're overlooking the Senators who have beaten them three times this season (how weird is it to be playing Ottawa for the last time in December?). As pretty much everyone pointed out, the Thrashers have been losing to the Sens because Ottawa has been scoring early, and once they get a lead they force you to gamble to come back which in turn leads to more scoring on their part. If the Thrashers can keep the game close (tied or within a goal) heading into the second period I think they stand a pretty good chance of beating Ottawa.

Comments I overheard in the locker room:

• Marian Hossa doesn't miss Ottawa winters but wouldn't mind having some snow for Christmas. The Ottawa media says this is the most snow they've seen in Ottawa in a long, long time, and it's only December.
• Mark Recchi says he has never played with anyone that can shoot the puck like Ilya Kovalchuk, and that's saying a lot. The man has played with Lemieux, Jagr, Stevens, Lindros, Malkin and Crosby.
• Steve McCarthy is excited to be reunited with Garnet Exelby who has been his defense partner for most of his time in Atlanta.
• Todd White hasn't beaten the Sens as a member of the Wild or Thrashers.

Don Waddell had plenty to say today, covering everything from line combinations to defensive pairings to the prospect of a rising salary cap. Note that you can now open the video right in your browser, a la YouTube. Just hit the play button.

 

Daily Links:

• AJC: Plus please McCarthy
• AJC Blog: Can Lehtonen steal one against Ottawa?
• Ottawa Sun: Georgia on Hossa's mind
• Ottawa Citizen: In Gerber they trust
• Vancouver Sun: Senators to start Gerber in Atlanta
• Hockey News: Eastern Conference rumor roundup
• CNNMoney: Ticketmaster and NHL team up for tickets resale service

And just because it's too entertaining not to read, here's a Washington Post blog post about Alexander Ovechkin and some of his teammates driving around DC on Segways.

Just to recap, here's a quick refresher on how trivia works. Read the question below, go searching for the answer and then send in your best response. We'll sift through the responses, weed out all of the ones that are wrong and then randomly draw a winner from the correct responses. Trivia closes at 2 p.m. and the winner will be notified by email before we post the result.

Please read the official rules and regulations for the contest before entering and be aware that you will have to sign and return a form or two if you are selected. You also must be 18 years of age to win Submit your answers (thrashers.mailbag@atlantaspirit.com), and check back at 2:00 p.m. for the answer and to see if you've won!

Thank you to The Thomas Eye Group for sponsoring this year's trivia contest.

Abbreviated rules:
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The Blueland Blog Trivia Contest sponsored by Thomas Eye Group (the "Contest") is open to legal residents of the U.S. and Georgia who are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry, reside within 75 miles of Philips Arena and have Internet access as of the date and time the Contest was first made known to the public. Subject to additional terms and conditions of the Official Rules. Click here for Official Rules . One (1) entry per person per Entry Period. Entry Period is from 10AM EST to 2PM EST each Thrashers home game day. Odds of winning depend on number of correct entries received. Total AMV of prizes: $2,378. Void wherever prohibited. Entry forms must be filled out in full. Contest ends April 5, 2008 at 2:00 PM EST.

Your daily links:

• Atlantathrashers.com: View From The Press Box; Thrashers 6, Lightning 2
• Video: Game Highlights
• AJC: Everyone plays part in victory
• AJC: Thrashers Notes
• AJC Blog: