SB Nation Atlanta - Atlanta Thrashers Schedule: Atlanta Thrashers Back In First Place After Defeating The Toronto Maple Leafshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46601/atlanta-fave.png2010-12-20T21:56:54-05:00http://atlanta.sbnation.com/rss/stream/16518602010-12-20T21:56:54-05:002010-12-20T21:56:54-05:00Atlanta Thrashers Final Score: A Wild Third Period Challenges, But Thrashers Defeat Leafs 5-3
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<p>The mood set at the start of the game wasn’t sustained by the Thrashers like it was on Saturday night, but the Thrashers still managed to fight their way back up into first place in the Southeast Division. Three players had two goals each tonight and goaltending was solid, but a sustained 60 minute effort didn’t look to be there.</p>
<p>The first goal for the Thrashers came 2:24 into the first period courtesy of Fredrik Modin. Modin tipped in a re-direct by Jim Slater of a Ron Hainsey slap shot for his fifth goal of the year. Only twenty-eight seconds later, Tobias Enstrom fired a pass from Dustin Byfuglien past Toronto goaltender Jonas Gusavsson.</p>
<p>The second period was the period that the Thrashers chose to take off. John Mitchell scored his first goal of the season on a power play wrist shot. The PP was on Dustin Byfuglien for tripping – a call that the Toronto announcers disagreed with and chalked it up to Buff being big and able to knock others off the puck easily.</p>
<p>The Thrashers got that goal back during the last minute, as Freddy Modin tipped in a Tobias Enstrom slap shot for his second goal of the night.</p>
<p>The third period was a wild one, with the Maple Leafs hunkering in and fighting to come back after Anthony Stewart scored his tenth goal of the season and just a minute and fifteen seconds later, Tobias Enstrom scored his second of the game, angering the Leafs fans and prompting another tossing of waffles, apparently to symbolize the team’s awful play – I’m guessing waffles over pancakes since the former’s a lot easier to by frozen than the latter.</p>
<p>The waffles thrown on the ice at the <span class="caps">ACC</span> apparently gave the Leafs super powers, because they managed to score two powerplay goals within fifteen seconds of each other (Mikhail Grabovski at 12:55 and Nikolai Kulemin at 13:10). This is where the Leafs’ comeback ended, because even with an empty net and six attackers, they weren’t able to crack Pavelec. An empty net goal by Andrew Ladd (his team-leading 12th of the year) sealed the deal.</p>
<p>Ondrej Pavelec stopped 37 of 40 shots, ending the night with a .925 save percentage. Chances are very good, being an out of conference game tomorrow night against St. Louis, that Pavelec will not start again until Thursday against Boston.</p>
<p>Tomorrow night’s game against the Blues will not be televised in either market, so no Center Ice. You can catch it on AM 680 in the Atlanta market, or if you are outside of the broadcast area, chances are very good that you will be able to hear it on 1120 AM <span class="caps">KMOX</span>, St. Louis’ flagship station.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2010/12/20/1888634/atlanta-thrashers-final-score-a-wild-third-period-challenges-butLaura Astorian2010-12-20T16:05:37-05:002010-12-20T16:05:37-05:00Line-up Remains Unchanged Tonight For Thrashers Against The Maple Leafs
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<p>The lines are the same from Saturday night, and honestly, why in the world would you change them after winning 7-1. Ondrej Pavelec is also starting in net against the Leafs. Pavs has a 1.44 <span class="caps">GAA</span> over the past 12 games, and still sits second in the league behind Tim Thomas in both save percentage and goals against average.</p>
<p><a href="http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-thrashers-blog/2010/12/20/bergfors-frustated-by-being-healthy-scratch/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_thrashers_blog" target="new">Niclas Bergfors is a healthy scratch yet again</a>. Bergie has seven goals so far this season, but has been scratched five times in the last six games in favor of Tim Stapleton. Thrashers Coach Craig Ramsay has been emphasizing Stapleton’s defensive play and play without the puck when asked about him, telling the AJC’s Chris Vivlamore:</p>
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<p>“Stapleton is very good without the puck. He’s going to score, but he’s been good defensively. He made a couple of solid plays the other night. You look at him and know he’s going to score goals, but if he’s good the other way that gives [the line] more opportunities. I thought as a line, that was Burmy’s best game in awhile. That line was very effective and they played quality minutes for us."</p>
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<p>Bergfors had this to say about his recent scratching:</p>
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<p>“They haven’t said anything,” Bergfors said. “I know I haven’t played my best hockey. I’m trying to focus to do my best and do the small details and everything that will help the team win the game. That’s what I’m trying to accomplish my next chance.”</p>
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<p><a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/2701/weekend-wrap-fehrs-influence-on-cba-nabokovs-future-salos-return-to-canucks" target="new">Speculation is starting to rise</a> on if the team has been holding Bergfors out of the line-up to protect him from injury incase of a potential trade. I won’t go as far as to guess what’s happening in the locker room, or with the coaching staff, or guess if Bergfors fits on the team or whatnot, because I frankly do not know. If traded, Bergfors could yield a healthy return, but the former rookie star and highlight of the Ilya Kovalchuk deal is probably more than likely not going anywhere.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2010/12/20/1887916/line-up-remains-unchanged-tonight-for-thrashers-against-the-mapleLaura Astorian2010-12-20T15:54:16-05:002010-12-20T15:54:16-05:00Atlanta Thrashers Schedule: Atlanta Thrashers at Toronto Maple Leafs - Thrashers Visit Old Friends
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<p>The Southeast Division's tighting up. The Washington Capitals managed to climb out of a 2-0 hole to defeat the Ottawa Senators last night, putting them back into first place by a point. Of course, a win by the Thrashers over another Ontario team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, will put Atlanta right back on top. It's been a significant amount of time since there's been a legit battle for first place in the Southeast Division, and it's appropriate that the see-saw continues against two Canadian teams who are having issues - and are well outside the realm of the playoff bubble. The Thrashers would take great pride in knowing that not only is their attendance increasing and their fan-base is getting energized with their recent play, but also in knowing that they could re-take first place in front of a sold-out crowd at the ACC. There's something quietly hilarious in that.</p>
<p>The Thrashers' Nik Antropov played in Toronto for almost eight full seasons before being traded to the New York Rangers, and then signing with the Thrashers as a free agent in 2009. The last time he came to Toronto, he said hello to his old team by scoring a goal and an assist against them. Chances are pretty good that Antropov will not be the only Thrashers scoring against Jonas Gustavsson tonight. While Monster has been playing reasonably well, the Leafs allow 2.94 goals a game, while only scoring 2.19. They've only won one game when they've been held to less than three goals, and that's happened eighteen times already this season.</p>
<p>The Thrashers, obviously, can score and <a href="http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-thrashers/boulton-hat-trick-provides-781995.html" target="_blank">can get that scoring from anywhere</a>. It's a team effort every night. The Maple Leafs, though, experience team frustration every night. Sometimes it seems that only former Thrasher Clarke MacArthur is having a solid season, and the fact that he's their top scorer (9-16-25) either says something about how well he fits in up there, or what an awful season the Leafs are having - or both. The other former Thrasher on the team, Colby Armstrong, is continuing his frustrating play that he exhibited last year in Atlanta. Instead of truculence, the Leafs have gotten a player who is severely under-performing, scoring just one goal and one assist.</p>
<p>Despite the problems, <a href="http://www.torontosun.com/sports/hockey/2010/12/19/16612711.html" target="_blank">both Armstrong and MacArthur say that they're happy to be in Toronto</a>. While saying anything else might get a waffle thrown at them, both seem firm in their belief that Toronto can eventually turn things around. Said MacArthur about his split with the Thrashers:</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; padding: 0px;">"Definitely I was upset (at the outcome of his arbitration process)," he said. "Anyone would be. But it was a decision they made as a team. There’s nothing you can do about it. I was only there 21 games. It was a tough finish (9-13 after March 1) and for that to happen (not re-signing) made it a tough second half.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; padding: 0px;">"They’re obviously off to a great start. They have some new guys in there, changed the coaching staff up. Whatever they did there has sparked the team and we’ll have our hands full with them tomorrow."</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.1em; padding: 0px;">He makes a good point - 23 games and getting a too-high price tag on your head for a player that made little impact isn't going to make Thrasher fans nostalgic. Neither is two points and sixteen games played from someone who was more noted for being a cheeseball than an effective hockey player. Thrashers fans could care less about meeting up with these two former Birds. They have their eyes on a bigger prize - a playoff spot and home-ice advantage come April - about the same time that Armstrong, MacArthur, and the rest of the Leafs might very well be shopping for new golf clubs.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2010/12/20/2326687/atlanta-thrashers-schedule-atlanta-thrashers-at-toronto-maple-leafsLaura Astorian