So much for the tank.

Thank GOD. Sorry, but I disagree with Sam McCaig over at THN - we don't NEED to tank. Why, with all of the young kids that we've gotten together on this Thrashers squad, would we want to lose every last game? Why would we want to humiliate ourselves and alienate the dwindling fan base for a #1 or #2 draft pick that while excellent in their own right might not work with the team?

We have someone far more important than Tavares or Hedman to worry about - we have Kovy. He's a UFA at the end of next season, and there's a push to re-sign him. Who would he rather sign with - a team that rolls over and fails when he's hurt and out for basically 2 games, or a team that steps it up and wins those 2 games by putting in an excellent team effort? Last night could have been horrible - no Kovy, and Slater gets taken out (again). We blow a 1-0 lead in the 2nd thanks to the awkward pairing of Hainsey-Bobo, who don't seem to understand what the other's doing (on the upside, our new guy, Samella, looked sharp). All of a sudden we decide to come back and WORK in the 3rd. Perrin goes after Connolly, earning 12 minutes of penalties, because of the elbow to Jimmay's head. It sparked the team (thank GOD we didn't mess up when Perrin was in the box, b/c he's one of our best PKers) and helped get us going. Reasoner scores with about 6 and a half minutes to go.

Weeeeeee! Again!

We pull Kari with a minute and a half left - that whole "last minute push" to score. Out of nowhere, with 3.5 seconds left, comes The Todd to tie it. Shootout? Multi rounds, you ask? Of course! So many rounds that the call-up for Kovy, Brett Sterling, gets a chance? Sure! And who wins it? Sterling. Why was he in there?

"I had him for a couple of years in (the AHL with) Chicago," Anderson said. "I saw him score 55 goals and go about 60 per cent on shootouts. When he gets around the net with a little bit of time, he's usually pretty deadly."

Oh, ok - makes sense. I guess it's helpful to have a coach who understands the abilities of not only our current guys but also our AHLers.

We have a chance to set the franchise record for wins in a row tomorrow night against the Caps. I always enjoy those games - Ovy's so much fun. I'm just hoping that Kovy's back and that Slater's ok. And that people show up and HAVE FUN at this one. This team's playing soooo well right now it's unreal. They need a bit of support from the fans right now to show them that we notice.

Oh, and here's something interesting... an article from the Edmonton Journal emphasizing how Kovy wants to stay here. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeird.