Your phrase of the day is “game-time decision.”
We know that Christoph Schubert will miss tonight’s home game against Toronto with a lower body injury. We know that Ondrej Pavelec will get the start in goal. That’s about all that was confirmed at today’s optional morning skate.
Two goalies skated (Pavelec and Lehtonen) along with four defensemen (Enstrom, Valabik, Salmela and Popovic) and five forwards (White, Armstrong, Boulton, Thorburn and Kane).
John Anderson confirmed that White is a game-time decision but didn’t say much aside from that. I think we can assume that the lineup will closely resemble last night’s roster with perhaps a change or two.
I talked to Colby Armstrong about last night’s game and what he expects to see from Toronto and he said the Thrashers liked their overall effort last night- they simply couldn’t get one past Vokoun. A team that has struggled defensively at times has to be happy with holding an opponent to one goal, and a lucky one at that. Looking at Toronto Armstrong said they’re a hard-working team that likes to shoot the puck. The Leafs gutted out a 4-3 win in Nashville last night after giving up a 3-0 lead. Gustavsson got the win for Toronto and it’s expected that Vesa Toskala, who is 6-0-2 all-time against Atlanta, will get the start tonight against Pavelec.
Assuming he’s in the lineup (and he was last night) this will be Garnet Exelby’s first game back at Philips Arena since being traded for Pavel Kubina and Tim Stapleton last summer. The former Thrashers defenseman has played 30 games for Toronto this season an dis -4 with three assists and 40 PIMs.
It will be the second time that Nik Antropov and Pavel Kubina have faced their old squad, the first being a brutal 5-2 loss in Toronto on December 2 in which Pavelec got pulled after giving up all five goals in the second period. Antropov said that his trip back to Toronto was emotional but tonight is just another game for him.
Stay tuned for today’s morning skate videos which will include an update on Kari Lehtonen from John Anderson. In a nutshell, he’s progressing well but is limited by the amount of time they can give him in goal in practice because they want to keep the other two goalies sharp. A conditioning stint in Chicago is probably in the cards in the near future.
**UPDATE**
- VIDEO: John Anderson media scrum (including Kari Lehtonen update)
- VIDEO: Player locker room interviews (Pavelec, Antropov, Thorburn)
Army is right, they played a great game last night despite coming up short. I really hope they focus on the Leafs tonight. Pavs can make a real statement tonight since his perfomance in Toronto was pretty rough. In any case I believe tonight is a must win. With only 34 games left I believe we must nearly double our current point total; lets say somewhere in the realm of 20-8-6 or 22-10-2. Otherwise our hopes of a playoff berth are lost.
It will be interesting to see Exelby at Phillips. I’ve always had a lot of respect for him as a player. Not the most skilled guy, but he did play to the best of his ability while here.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Hey Ben,
Any chance Waddell is keeping an eye on Petr Sykora? He might be a nice replacement for White should he return to his slumping ways.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
The only question is if Sykora could crack one of the top two lines. He couldn’t in Minnesota and that’s why they waived him. He needs quality ice tie to be effective.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Pingback: Tuesday Morning Practice « KARILA, The Epic of Kari Lehtonen
Great game tonight guys. I have been much impressed by the overall efforts as of late and it is paying off. Tonights game was particularly impressive since we kept our cool when down two goals. Pavs never lost his confidence and the guys played well in front of him.
Keep up the great work fellas!!!
Would love to see the addition of Petr Sykora. He is not the player he once was, but certainly could contribute. He would certainly have some instant chemistry with fellow Czech’s Pavs and Kubina. He also brings alot of playoff experience to the table.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Some other observations at tonights game.
1. I believe the Kane-Slater-Little line is really starting to click. They seem to communicate very well and certainly produce a lot of chances. Kane continues to impress and his fearless play on the boards and corners is amazing.
2. Our defense is starting to bring a new level of nastiness to the table. Kubina was very vocal tonight and certainly physical. Hainsey though stands out the most; he is playing in a more physical manner and the last two night showed that he has got some jump in his legs breaking up odd man rushes the other way. Also did anyone take note how long his shift was about the middle of the second period? Toronto was forechecking like BEASTS and Hainsey seemed to be on the ice for eternity. During that time he played his ass off.
3. Antro was certainly more of a presence as well and played his ass off tonight. I like it when we use our size to our advantage. It seems to produce on a consistent basis.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Richard….. HUUUUUGE AFFIRMATIVE on points one + two. I mentioned the same thing to my wife about Hainsey, and I believe it was Little as well during that same stint.
Also, one BIG SHOUT OUT to Slates on Kaners goal! Absolutely superb work by the both of them. Great chemistry between those two on that line.
Want to talk about guys working their collective asses off????
How’s about that PK unit EH? Especially there at the end. I was beaming w/ pride….. great work boys!
Loved Kubina’s nasty edge too! Atta boy! NOBODY takes liberties in our barn!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
After Kovy’s performance last night, I say pay him what he wants. Just put it somewhere in the contract that he has to have at least one game like that for every two the team plays. Then we’ll ask everyone else to fill in the gaps.
I loved how much energy Little played with last night, especially during the 3rd. He was all over the place. As for everyone else, there was a good physical edge to the game, and I loved it. Great game to attend.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
It was a great game last night but the PP needs to be better. I hate when the D, one in particular never seems to be able to get the puck to the net. He should be reminded that his job is set Kovalchuk up as the others down low try to create space. Nice job by Bogosian at the end of the power play in the 2nd. There were a lot of positives from last nights game. Pavelec played a solid game, Antropov had a nice hit on Mitchell and played well at both ends. Other things I think are worth mentioning,,,Thorburn worked hard again and the PK looked pretty good as mentioned above. Does anyone else feel bad for Little? The guy needs a break. Nothing seems to want to go in for him on consistent basis.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
lordstan57, great point; how in the world did I fail to mention that 5 on 3 PP Toronto had that the boys stood on their collective heads to kill I will never know. That was definitely a highlight for sure.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0