kluttz13
01-07-2006, 10:31 PM
Savard's winner sweeps Penguins
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (http://www.ajc.com/news/content/sports/thrashers/stories/0108thrashers.html)
Published on: 01/07/06
Pittsburgh — Playing for the fifth time in seven days, the Thrashers moved into seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings under difficult circumstances Saturday.
The 4-3 win over the Penguins came thanks to a power-play goal with 3:25 left in regulation by Marc Savard, who has points in eight straight games, and the stellar performance of goalie Kari Lehtonen.
The victory at Mellon Arena moved the Thrashers two games above .500 in their 44th game of the season – the latest in franchise history — and pulled them ahead of Tampa Bay in the standings.
Lehtonen provided the kind of goaltending the Thrashers had hoped for this season when they believed he would be their No. 1 all season.
After missing 38 games with groin-related problems, Lehtonen played in all five games this week and coach Bob Hartley elected to start him for the first time in back-to-back situations since Lehtonen's return on Dec. 30.
Hartley has promised to be cautious with Lehtonen, so as not to risk re-injury. Lehtonen has not practiced all week but gave Hartley the signal that he felt well enough to play twice in two days.
A penalty kill with 3:19 left in regulation was integral in preserving the win. That's no small task considering the Penguins scored 11 power play goals against the Thrashers in their four games this season.
Lehtonen particularly bedeviled two Pittsburgh Slovaks, Ziggy Palffy and Tomas Surovy. Over the two games against the Penguins this weekend, Lehtonen robbed Surovy of goals as many as five times and twice he blanked Palffy on quality chances from close range.
The game lacked the intensity that might have been expected following the Thrashers' 6-4 win Friday over the Penguins at Philips Arena, in which Ilya Kovalchuk taunted Penguins rookie phenom Sidney Crosby after scoring a power play goal.
Kovalchuk, the league leader in goals, scored twice, his 31st and 32nd, and was booed throughout the game. After Friday's game, Kovalchuk criticized Crosby for yapping too much and taking "stupid penalties."
On Saturday, Crosby was penalized four times, including once for diving which he compounded with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for yapping.
A key power-play goal for Pittsburgh came with 10.3 seconds left in the second period when rookie Michel Ouellet converted his second goal of the game — and 10th in 10 games — on a feed from Crosby.
The Penguins went on a 5-on-3 after Serge Aubin took a hooking call and defenseman Andy Sutton received a questionable holding call on Crosby.
At that point, the Thrashers hardly seemed pleased with the officiating. Pittsburgh tied the game 2-2 on a goal by Ryan Malone when earlier in the shift Marian Hossa carried the puck into the offensive zone and thought he'd been fouled. He was slow getting back up ice, as he argued with the official.
Then when a rebound came out to Malone, Hossa dived too late to defend the play.
The Thrashers started the first period strong, then began to fade as time wore on.
The Thrashers went up 1-0 4:34 into the game when Scott Mellanby won a puck along the boards behind the net and passed to Savard, who found Kovalchuk with a wide open net.
After looking listless early on, the Penguins threw nine shots on Lehtonen in the final 11:40 of the period, forcing Lehtonen to make several difficult saves, including two on Palffy on separate power plays.
In fact, the power play was how Pittsburgh evened the game at 1. Crosby made a nice, back-hand pass through the legs of Thrashers defenseman Greg de Vries and the play was finished by Oullet, who beat Mellanby to the puck and got it through several open inches between the post and Lehtonen's outstretched right leg.
Ouellet, a rookie, has nine goals in his last 10 games
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (http://www.ajc.com/news/content/sports/thrashers/stories/0108thrashers.html)
Published on: 01/07/06
Pittsburgh — Playing for the fifth time in seven days, the Thrashers moved into seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings under difficult circumstances Saturday.
The 4-3 win over the Penguins came thanks to a power-play goal with 3:25 left in regulation by Marc Savard, who has points in eight straight games, and the stellar performance of goalie Kari Lehtonen.
The victory at Mellon Arena moved the Thrashers two games above .500 in their 44th game of the season – the latest in franchise history — and pulled them ahead of Tampa Bay in the standings.
Lehtonen provided the kind of goaltending the Thrashers had hoped for this season when they believed he would be their No. 1 all season.
After missing 38 games with groin-related problems, Lehtonen played in all five games this week and coach Bob Hartley elected to start him for the first time in back-to-back situations since Lehtonen's return on Dec. 30.
Hartley has promised to be cautious with Lehtonen, so as not to risk re-injury. Lehtonen has not practiced all week but gave Hartley the signal that he felt well enough to play twice in two days.
A penalty kill with 3:19 left in regulation was integral in preserving the win. That's no small task considering the Penguins scored 11 power play goals against the Thrashers in their four games this season.
Lehtonen particularly bedeviled two Pittsburgh Slovaks, Ziggy Palffy and Tomas Surovy. Over the two games against the Penguins this weekend, Lehtonen robbed Surovy of goals as many as five times and twice he blanked Palffy on quality chances from close range.
The game lacked the intensity that might have been expected following the Thrashers' 6-4 win Friday over the Penguins at Philips Arena, in which Ilya Kovalchuk taunted Penguins rookie phenom Sidney Crosby after scoring a power play goal.
Kovalchuk, the league leader in goals, scored twice, his 31st and 32nd, and was booed throughout the game. After Friday's game, Kovalchuk criticized Crosby for yapping too much and taking "stupid penalties."
On Saturday, Crosby was penalized four times, including once for diving which he compounded with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for yapping.
A key power-play goal for Pittsburgh came with 10.3 seconds left in the second period when rookie Michel Ouellet converted his second goal of the game — and 10th in 10 games — on a feed from Crosby.
The Penguins went on a 5-on-3 after Serge Aubin took a hooking call and defenseman Andy Sutton received a questionable holding call on Crosby.
At that point, the Thrashers hardly seemed pleased with the officiating. Pittsburgh tied the game 2-2 on a goal by Ryan Malone when earlier in the shift Marian Hossa carried the puck into the offensive zone and thought he'd been fouled. He was slow getting back up ice, as he argued with the official.
Then when a rebound came out to Malone, Hossa dived too late to defend the play.
The Thrashers started the first period strong, then began to fade as time wore on.
The Thrashers went up 1-0 4:34 into the game when Scott Mellanby won a puck along the boards behind the net and passed to Savard, who found Kovalchuk with a wide open net.
After looking listless early on, the Penguins threw nine shots on Lehtonen in the final 11:40 of the period, forcing Lehtonen to make several difficult saves, including two on Palffy on separate power plays.
In fact, the power play was how Pittsburgh evened the game at 1. Crosby made a nice, back-hand pass through the legs of Thrashers defenseman Greg de Vries and the play was finished by Oullet, who beat Mellanby to the puck and got it through several open inches between the post and Lehtonen's outstretched right leg.
Ouellet, a rookie, has nine goals in his last 10 games