Postgame, @ Florida, Mar. 28

Recap – AJC
I sat down to write about the game tonight, and realized that I couldn’t figure out who didn’t deserve a point more in the game. From one perspective, the Thrashers did not play great hockey, missed many great opportunities, and played quite flat and on their heels for long periods of play. On the other hand, Florida scored one off an incredibly weak goal let in by Kari, and their second goal came after a shot from the point hit a Thrashers stick and bounced directly to Jozef Stumpel crashing the net from the weak side. Slava Kozlov also had a goal overturned, but more on that later. Neither team played all that great tonight, but it was an entertaining game overall.

The whole first period the Thrashers played timid and seemed off. Kari in particular was nervous, consistently looking behind him after stops and made numerous awkward saves. 7 minutes in, Florida forward Bryan Allen scored, coming in from Kari’s right side. He shot from the top of the circle, and as Kari was sliding across the crease, the puck slipped through. Kozlov tied the game with 2 minutes left in the period on a beautiful play. Bobby Holik meandered his way through the neutral zone and carried the puck across the blue line. Kozlov faked going into the corner and instead headed for the net. Holik hit him, and Slava put a one timer past goalie Craig Anderson.

The second period was all the Thrashers. The puck was controlled and Atlanta players were aggressive, drawing 5 penalties. Kozlov scored again 13 minutes in on a 4 on 3 power play. Hartley called a timeout when Jay Bouwmeester was called for hooking, and set up an absolutely gorgeous play. Zhitnik, to Hossa, to Mellanby, to Kozlov at the doorstep. Tic, Tac, Toe. Beautiful. The second period was all Thrashers, but you could sense impending doom after the Thrashers had so many power plays and great opportunities and couldn’t cash in on any of them to take a larger lead. It seemed like there were at least four good breakaway chances that were not converted.

The last period was ugly for the Thrashers, and also for the Panthers at times. Jozef Stumpel tied the game at 12 minutes on a lucky bounce off of a blocked shot. The Thrashers were sitting on their heels and did not continue the pressure and forechecking that worked in the second period. Overtime was very similar to the last period, but the Thrashers were able to generate a couple of good chances.

Before tonight, Florida was 1-8 and Atlanta was 6-3 in the shootout. What would happen tonight? Of course, Florida scored on its 2^nd and 3^rd chances against Kari Lehtonen, while Kozlov and Hossa missed their chances. Game over.

Part way through the game Slava Kozlov had a goal reversed. A rebound came to him all alone at the side of the crease. He kicked the puck forward to his stick, and then tried to touch it with his stick making it legal. At first it was ruled a goal, and then later reversed. Slava ends any debate here: ““I saw the puck come to me, my stick was there, I tried to kick it to my backhand and put it in the net. The puck jumped, hit my skate, and I had no chance to catch it,” Kozlov said. “It was a kick.”

Congrats are in order for Kozlov who set a season high in points tonight with his first goal. His previous high was 73, and he now stands at 75.

Also, happy birthday to Keith Tkachuk who turned 35.

So what to make of this game? Craig Anderson started in place of Ed Belfour tonight, and played absolutely amazing. He got the first star and rightfully so. The Thrashers would have liked to have gained two points on their foes tonight, but one is all right. If the team comes out tomorrow against Toronto and is fired up and plays well the entire game, then this game can be overlooked. If the poor play continues, then it was a huge missed point.

Toronto is scratching and clawing for playoff positioning, and they will bring intense playoff hockey tomorrow night. Can the Thrashers match it? It should make for a great game.

(AP Photo/Steve Mitchell)