Posted by The Atlanta Thrashers welcomed their division rivals the Hurricanes into Phillips Arena on Saturday night, and a crowd of nearly 18,000 fans were entertained to the fullest in a 5-3 victory for Atlanta.
Ilya Kovalchuk had a massive game, scoring two goals and adding three assists, and Rich Peverley also had two goals in the winning effort for the Thrashers. The game featured great defense, sloppy play on both sides, and highlight reels goals in a glorious perfect storm of hockey goodness.
The game started normally enough for Thrashers fans. The Hurricanes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Tuomo Ruutu and Sergei Samsonov. The Thrashers also committed a couple of silly penalties in the first period, with Rich Peverley (we will hear from him later) taking a holding the stick penalty and Erik Christensen taking a penalty for flipping the puck over the glass. Neither penalty resulted in a goal for the Thrashers, but it helped set the tone for the period, with the Canes setting the tempo and controlling the game.
When the second period opened, the crowd really started to get into the game, with the Thrashers controlling the tempo a lot better on home ice and the Hurricanes playing a lot more on their heels throughout the frame. Atlanta had plenty of scoring chances but just couldn’t get the puck to tickle the twine until the 19:26 mark of the frame, when Ilya Kovalchuk launched a strike right over Cam Ward’s shoulder top shelf to make the game 2-1. The prettiest thing about the goal was that Kovie launched the shot in full stride, which shows the kind of skill that warranted him getting the captain’s “C” in January.
The good vibes that were encompassing the masses at Phillips Arena were quickly reversed by a power play goal by the Hurricanes two minutes into the third period, and a lot of people probably thought that the Thrashers were done for the night.
As we have learned repeatedly over the course of the past two weeks, the Thrashers have shed their quitting gene and they fought back.
The final ten minutes of the game featured what could be argued is the ten best minutes of hockey the Thrashers have played all season. Rich Peverley scored a goal with nine minutes left in the game to bring the score to 3-2. He hammered home a rebound that Cam Ward couldn’t quite corral and responded with a celebration that was spontaneous, energizing for the crowd, and a fine example of what Rich has brought to the team since he came over from Columbus mid-season.
Three minutes later, Atlanta was on the attack again, featuring several shots on goal before Kovalchuk banged a shot off the post, which eluded Ward on the rebound. As he was lying face first hoping to God he had covered the puck, Todd White flipped it into the unprotected net to tie the game at three with six and a half minutes remaining. Once again, the building exploded with noise, which was a welcome change from the macabre atmosphere that had been seen at a lot of games in recent weeks.
The Thrashers ‘ dumb penalty woes early in the game suddenly transferred to the Carolina side of the ice, as Tim Gleason emulated the dudes on the “Ax Men” commercials and slashed Colby Armstrong in a way that would have made Jason Voorhees proud.
On the following power play, the crowd rose up and was making a racket when Rich Peverley scored his second goal of the contest to give the Thrashers their first lead of the game. The roar that went up was a headphone-tossing blast of sound, and the team responded with a great celebration.
The game, however, was not over, and Carolina tried like crazy to muster a comeback, but faltered in the final seconds and Kovalchuk emphatically slammed the puck into the empty net at the other end of the ice to seal a 5-3 victory for Atlanta.
It was a beautiful win for the Thrashers, but more so, it was more so a beautiful win for the fans, who contributed mightily to the comeback with their enthusiasm.Perhaps they can ride this wave of momentum forward through the rest of the season, but for right now, Blueland can savor a job well done by its boys.
Authors Note: This will be my final article as the full-time writer for the Thrashers. I will be taking over as the writer for the Blackhawks on the site, but I will continue my Thrashers’ blog “Thrasher Talk Today”, which you can find at http://thrashertalktoday.blogspot.com.
Jim Neveau is a sports blogger and aspiring journalist who has had work featured on various sites, including foxsports.com. He also writes for a Blackhawks blog entitled paintitblackhawks.com. You can email him questions or comments at jamesneveau@hotmail.com.
Some Other Articles That You May Enjoy:
Breaking News: Kovalchuk to Devils
Thrashers 09-10 Season Preview
Edmonton Falls to Atlanta; Thrashers Win Streak Extends
Atlanta Thrashes Hapless Ducks 8-4 in Road Trip Opener
This Day in Thrashers: A Victory, and Ilya’s Status
Let the Ilya Kovalchuk Sweepstakes Begin!
We hope you enjoyed this post. As always, leaving a comment below is both appreciated and encouraged. Thanks!
