Thrashers Today: A Preview of Avs-Thrashers, and Some Links to Enjoy

To kick off the links portion of the blog, we will start with some trade rumors involving the Blueland Baddies. As you can see from my Twitter update from earlier today, the Atlanta Thrashers are rumored to be shopping a couple of their key defensemen.

According to the Ottawa Sun (not exactly the most reliable source of information) league sources are indicating that the Thrashers are looking to move Niclas Havelid and Ron Hainsey before the trade deadline. There isn't any more really listed on the site in terms of details, but if you want to check out some of the other rumors, feel free to check out the full article.

-The Thrashers are getting ready to play five games in their next six in the cozy confines of Phillips Arena. This should be good news for a team getting back from a long road trip right? Well, maybe not. A couple of good articles deal with this issue.

First, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, we have Mike Knobler's take on the return of the Thrashers to Atlanta ice. He cites some scary stats and gives the players' perspective on the situation as well.

Second, from The Hockey Writers, we have, well, my take on the situation. This was inspired by the AJC article, and I included a lot of stats to back up the assertion that the Thrashers are better off away from Atlanta this season, and I also threw in a little of my sarcasm for effect.

-Finally, the Avalanche are coming a-calling to Phillips Arena to take on the Thrashers. According to the game preview on the Thrashers' website, Peter Budaj is expected to be in goal for the Avs, and he is a terrible 0-7-1 in his last 8 road starts. Hopefully Atlanta can get on him early.

For all the news regarding this game (including whether Paul Stastny will play), go right on ahead and click here.

Well, that's that for now. If any news breaks on the Thrashers, be sure to check back for my take, and a game recap will be up within an hour of the final horn at Phillips tonight, so stay tuned for that. Go Thrashers!

Thrashers Lose to Sharks 3-1 in Duel in Tank

The Atlanta Thrashers wrapped up their four game West Coast road trip with a game against the West-leading Sharks, and they put up a fight that even the Sharks weren't expecting.

Unfortunately, the team went down 3-1 to the Sharks, but in the process, they showed some true grit.

Bryan Little scored a power play goal in the contest, and Kari Lehtonen made 28 saves in the loss. Ilya Kovalchuk's goal streak also came to an end in the contest.

The game featured several questionable calls and no-calls that went against the Thrashers, including a bogus hooking penalty against Bryan Valabik that led to the Sharks second goal of the third period and ended up being the game winner.

The first Sharks goal also came on a no-call, with a Thrasher catching a wicked cross check in the back that wasn't called and enabled Ryane Clowe to score. Aggravating all around for Thrasher faithful.

If you want a more complete recap of the contest, and also are interested to know my opinion as to what we learned about the Thrashers on this trip, feel free to check out my piece on The Hockey Writers. I always appreciate feedback, so feel free to email me.

The Thrashers are next playing Tuesday night against the Avalanche in Atlanta. The game starts at 7pm and can be seen on Sports South. Until then, enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I'll keep you updated.