Bleacher Report - Articles by Peter Bojarinov

Atlanta Thrashers Change Up Goaltending and Lines, Earn Shootout Win

Peter Bojarinov — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:18:28 -0500

On Sunday night, the Thrashers hosted the St. Louis Blues in the Philips Arena.

It’s surprising just a few days ago I had written that the Thrashers needed to change up their defensive pairings, which would guide them to better defense and wins.

The last few games of losses, which included a 6-3 loss on Saturday night from the lowly yet now streaking New York Islanders, lead to Coach John Anderson to switch up his lines.

Most of this season, the Thrashers have had fairly bad defense, and having two young more offensive minded defensemen on the same pairing has puzzled me. Yes, they’ve produced offense, but just offense doesn’t win games.

On Sunday, Coach Anderson finally decided to split up Tobias Enstrom and Zack Bogosian. Enstrom played with Pavel Kubina, and Bogosian skated with Ron Hainsey, as well Mark Popovic was inserted into the line-up putting Anssi Salmela as a healthy scratch.

“Obviously we didn’t play well in our zone last night. We did much better tonight [Sunday],” Kubina said.

Not only did the defense look better, after a couple of shifts, the offense from them was still there.

Down two to zero with only 8 minutes remaining in the game, both Enstrom and Hainsey had potted a goal each to send the game into extras.

Thrashers eventually won in the shootout, with goals from Rich Peverley and Slava Kozlov, and two saves from starter Johan Hedberg.

Who also replaced Ondrej Pavelec, their goaltending this season has had some terrific games, but at the same time, they’ve had some awful ones as well. Hedberg was made starter after a not so memorial performance on the Island from Pavelec.

Look for the Thrashers to keep these lines in the next few games, and for them to take some time to gel. In time, their defense will get more acclimated and play solid, game in and game out.

Note: Thrashers led with 40 shots, the offense with their own line changes worked, but also need more time to get accustomed to each other, Nik Antropov led the game in shots with seven, his previous high three. As well, the Thrashers won their first home game after four straight previous losses.

Atlanta Thrashers and American Hockey Broadcasts: Pros and Cons

Peter Bojarinov — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:05:51 -0500

The Atlanta Thrashers played host to another up and coming team the Columbus Blue Jackets, on Thursday night.

I’ll not go into too much detail, but just bring up what’s been going on.

Con: Another Thursday Home game, another big deficit in the first period.

This has stop, change the third jerseys night, have proper defense, something please.

Pro: The Thrashers attempt a comeback, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Tonight it didn’t, but thanks to Ondrej Pavelec for still making big saves and Pavel Kubina and Bryan Little, for finding their offense.

Con: Bad young defense.

Tobias Enstrom and Zack Bogosian had one of those games, earlier in the season they had mistakes each game, the last little while it was clicking, not tonight.

Seriously, coach John Anderson has to split these two kids, Bogosian might be a great all around defensemen, but right now he’s playing more offensive and less proper defense, and Enstrom’s always been more of the offensive d-man. This team is missing one stop top four defensive defenceman, and it shows each night.

Pro: The offense is still scoring.

Everyone thought there would not be enough offense or powerplay goals with Ilya Kovalchuk out. Well I was right, it’s still there, and this team has depth. Not only is Rich Peverley underrated, others can score as well, and their defense is very offensive then people think.

Con: Where are the fans?

I’ve been watching almost every game; this one was more obvious there aren’t enough fans. There was little to no one there. Why? I don’t know, they have some great value tickets, and the team has always been exciting, now they have a playoff type team. Go to the game Georgia!

I’ll end it on another con.

Con: Americans hockey broadcasts are sub par.

Yes it’s true, if possible just try to catch one NHL game on CBC, It’s incomparable. Tonight, among other nights, the commentators made statistical errors. “Tobias Enstrom scores, it’s his first of the season,” later on in the game “Tobias Enstrom scores, it’s his first of the season.”

Wait, what? Did I just hear that twice? Or was it a replay? First off, Enstrom never did score on the second one, it was deflected, which was easy to tell, but how could they miss that. If Enstrom had scored earlier, it would have been his second goal of the season.

It’s happened many times before, once, both commentators were arguing if a player had one or two goals on home ice, the argument had continued as the game went on, not really concentrating on the play, and not checking their stats. Worst thing was, this on going joke continued into the next game.

If this was football or baseball, it would be a different story, they would do their research, understand the game better and first and foremost they would care about the sport to do the work.

Last but not least, the camera work. How is it that I notice the game play and the puck is not even on TV. I noticed this a few times on the CSN broadcast when Atlanta had played the San Jose Sharks. The camera at times was in the wrong zone during the play.

No wonder Americans don’t care about the game. To enjoy hockey, I recommend trying to catch a game on CBC. If you can’t watch that broadcast, watch games that are nationalized, and in HD. You can see the game that much better, and effort is a better one.

Hey it goes for us Canadians, watch NFL in HD, wow what a beautiful game!

Thrash NewsFlash: Update On Kari Lehtonen

Peter Bojarinov — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:58:43 -0500

First big update on the Thrashers goaltender of the present and future.

Atlanta released news today that Kari Lethonen underwent another back surgery just this past Friday.

The procedure was to remove edges of bone that were applying pressure to nerve roots in his back at two locations. The surgery was performed by Dr. Paul Maurer at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. The locations on the back were different than the location of the surgery he had on July 20 (as told by main media outlets).

The team says he'll be on the shelf for another six to eight weeks.

They can tell him to take his time, as fill-in starter Ondrej Pavelec has looked fairly good this season, with some flashes of brilliance in a few games, such as the game in Ottawa with 51 saves.

NOTE: No update on Ron Hainsey, who missed the last two games. Coach John Anderson says he's "day-to-day," with an undisclosed injury.

Hainsey has been solid in the back-end, and they'll need him as soon as he can get back. The Thrashers can't allow big scoring chances and the 51 and 38 shots that they've allowed in the last two games, which he's missed.

How Can the Atlanta Thrashers Win with Ilya Kovalchuk Out?

Peter Bojarinov — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:57:25 -0500

Thrashers' keys to success while their top sniper is out for a month:

1. Above and beyond Everything Is Strong Goaltending

If you’ve seen even a game or two of the Thrashers early on, each game has been won or lost by their goaltending. Early on, they went on a nice streak where Ondrej Pavelec was solid, they had more shots against during each of those games, and Pavelec was the better goaltender each night.

Even the one game in Buffalo where Johan Hedberg started, it was the same old game, and the same result. Three games before Ilya Kovalchuk was hurt, they played each of those games at home, and goaltending from both was awful and they had put up more shots themselves. Even their offence couldn’t bail them out.

So, continuing with Pavelec’s 51-save performance on the weekend has to continue.

2. Continued Strong Play and Maturation for Their Two Strong Kids

Both Zack Bogosian and Evander Kane have been great so far, and they’ve been looking more and more comfortable as of late.

Kane’s speed, penalty killing, and finishing touch has been terrific. More so to Bogosian’s growth on the blue line, he’s been getting smoother out there with each game. He started off the season with a few errors here and there and lazy penalties, and since then his game has tightened and his offense has picked up.

3. Veterans Need To Pick Up Their Game

So far in this early season, Slava Kozlov, Todd White, and Bryan Little have come out flat. All three have the skill set to put up points and be strong two-way players. None have yet to show it, and this is when they’ll need to.

4. More Offense Finish from Their Other Top Two Russians

Both Maxim Afinogenov and Nik Antropov have shown they can play well offensive, they just need more pucks in the back of the net.

Antropov’s game so far has looked, like the Antropov of four years ago. Looking for the other guy who can put the puck in the back of the net, and just setting up all the plays. Yes, his two-way game is great, but right now he needs to score. Look for Nik to be in front on the net on the power play and hopefully shooting first on open chances.

Afinogenov’s game has gotten better as of late, thanks to an amazing goal in Buffalo. (If you haven’t seen it, check it out on YouTube.) He needs to play with his teammates a bit more, and watch out for losing the puck on a last man in rush. I know I’m asking for too much from Max, but that’s what he needs to fix for the better of the team.

5. Last but Not Least, Keeping the Rest of the Team Clicking

So far the defensive lines have been working well together; the main tandem of Pavel Kubina and Ron Hainsey have been gelling well. Colby Armstrong, with Evander Kane, has been putting out a strong effort every night out, and so far no matter where you put Rich Peverley, he’s been terrific.

Thrasher's Outlook Without Kovalchuk Might Not Be As Bad As You Think

Peter Bojarinov — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:58:03 -0400

News has broke that Kovalchuk is out with a broken bone in his right foot and will be sidelined for roughly four weeks.

With Kovalchuk out at least four weeks or longer, Atlanta will have to, for the first time, play without their superstar sniper for a long duration.

Kovalchuk has missed no more then four games any season his entire career since the Atlanta Thrashers drafted him.

It'll be interesting to see the Thrash play without Kovy; he is the prototypical Russian superstar .

He's fricken amazing with the puck, and probably has the best shot in the league.

The opposing team has to just cover him on the powerplay, and try their best to cover his speed in five-on-five play.

He’s never shown he can’t play without the puck, and his defense has been nothing to be proud of.

I bet if the Thrash play without Ilya, they might be a better team.

It's like the Mats Sundin situation, back when Toronto had a hockey team. They had a great team, and when Sundin did get injured—which was rare, but it happened a few times—the rest of the team played better and the younger players picked up the slack.

I can see Atlanta doing the same thing, and the best thing about is, they'll work towards a very different system.

On the powerplay, they'll use everyone, and not waste time looking to give Kovy the shot.

Guys like Antropov, Slava Kozlov, and Todd White will get better chances to score, and more obviously to shoot.

Then five-on-five, with Kovalchuk, they usually have one less back-checker, or not covering that defenseman on the point. Now they'll have that each and every game.

The most intriguing fact is maybe seeing Evander Kane play on the top line; he's actually been one of the best Thrashers this early season. If given the opportunity to play on the top line, which means more ice time, and playing with room-making dish-master Nik Antropov and highlight reeler Maxim Afinogenov, he'll get an even better chance to show what he can do.

This as well might give Bryan Little a chance to shine. He scored over 30 goals last year, and we've yet to see that from him this year. Moving him back to the Little White Russian line was a great coaching move. I think he should have started the season on there; he’ll also get more ice-time and more opportunities.

Though you could put Little back on the top line now, with Kane, cause Kane is the type of player that does go to the net, and can finish.

All in all, a Kovalchuk injury is a horrible thing, but not might be the worst thing that can happen, and can actually make the team better.

Playing without Kovalchuk for a while,might make this Thrasher team stronger and more experienced, and this is a good thing for the future of this franchise.

Atlanta Thrashers NewsFlash: Ilya Kovalchuk Early Update

Peter Bojarinov — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:13:23 -0400

According to Sportsnet.ca

Ilya Kovalchuk is still to have an MRI done be the end of today (Monday), it will determine the extent of the injury Ilya had received in the loss versus San Jose on Saturday.

The team is stating that Kovalchuk was hit in the foot with the puck, so far in all replays it looks more like he tweaked his foot or lower leg during an almost knee to knee contact with Sharks' Patrick Marleau.

So far X-rays proved negative and the Thrashers are praying the injury is merely a deep bruise that might keep him out of the lineup for around two weeks.

Kovalchuk was first in the league with nine goals in eight game, before Sunday's games.

Bad Bounces, Loss of Kovalchuk Leads Atlanta Thrashers to a Loss

Peter Bojarinov — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:16:55 -0400

Tonight the Atlanta Thrashers played host to the San Jose Sharks in Phillips Arena. After a tough outing by Ondrej Pavelec last game against the Capitals, coach John Anderson had Johan Hedberg starting.

It wasn’t good early as the top line scored within the first minute of the game. A weird bounce and a quick dump of the puck in front of the net from Ryan Vesce (who’s filled in well on the top line) gave a loose gift to Joe Thornton, who finished into the net.

Not even ten minutes into the game, a sore captain Ilya Kovalchuk limps off the ice, after an apparent twisted knee the superstar took him out of the rest of the game. It’s a tough loss for the Thrashers, as Kovalchuk already leads the league in goals with nine.

It took abit of energy out of his team as the Thrashers were looked out of it for the next few shifts, and then Anssi Salmela committed a hooking penalty. On the ensuing powerplay, Patrick Marleau who was a warrior on the ice tonight took a hard shot on net.

Dany Heatley would find the loose puck by Hedberg and empty it into the net.
To start the second period, a Ron Hainsey loose shot would deflect off his teammates Marty Reasoner’s skate and back into their own net, to give the Sharks a huge three to nothing lead.

But a hard working Thrasher team would keep their pressure going. About three minutes later a miscue by the Sharks would give Todd White the puck just in front of their zone. White would enter the zone, and fire a shot by Evgeni Nabokov on the great opportunity.

San Jose would bring the lead back to three again midway into the game on a strong wrist shot from Marleau, who finished the solid night with two goals and an assist as well as finishing Hedberg’s night. Ondrej Pavelec would complete the rest of the game, that's back-to-back outings for the Thrashers where they had to switch goalies for having sub par starts.

The rest of the game seemed like Atlanta put a more sense of urgency into their game. The youthful Thrasher team would make chance after chance, and it would pay off by the end of the period. On a strong Atlanta powerplay, Nik Antropov would dish a perfect cross-ice pass over to Rich Peverley, who would fire a bullet by Nabokov to cut the lead in half.

To start the third, Evander Kane getting more ice time on top line with Ilya out, scored a wrister by Nabokov. It brought the lead to only one.

San Jose seemed to rely more on Nabokov the rest of the night as the Thrashers continued the onslaught, but it wouldn’t matter, as time would run out.

Another close one, other then another bad bounce it was a strong effort by the Thrashers. The youngsters were a positive with Kovalchuk out; the offence was still clicking and almost brought the team back into the game. Thrashers have to get better goaltending and penalty killing then the last two games to have a better chance to win.

ROUND UP:

BRIGHT STARS: Zack Bogosian, Evander Kane, Rich Peverley

DARK STARS: Johan Hedberg, Marty Reasoner

BLUE COLLAR: Pavel Kubina, Zack Bogosian (both brought the puck out of the zone well, and had a solid defensive game)

Thrashers-Capitals: The Russian Roulette Is Not Enough For Atlanta

Peter Bojarinov — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:54:19 -0400

Tonight the Washington Capitals were on the road in Phillips Arena to face off against their divisional rivals, the Atlanta Thrashers.

Atlanta was coming off its tough overtime loss—only scoring one goal in the game in Montreal—and Coach John Anderson decided it was time to add some offensive punch.

Anderson invented the new Russian Roulette line, of Ilya Kovalchuk, Nik Antropov, and Maxim Afinogenov. A proper name given the fact they can produce plenty of offense, yet they're lacking in the turnover and back checking department thanks to the two wingers.

In a night full of offense, the turning point in the game came near the midway point of the game with the game tied two apiece.

Jeff Schultz skipped a dump shot along the ice from his own red line, which bounced at least five times until it jumped right over the left pad of Ondrej Pavelec.

Less then a minute and a half after that, two more goals had gone by the Thrasher goaltender.

A stunned Phillips Arena went quiet, the score now 5-2. Coach John Anderson pulled a lost Pavelec for Johan Hedberg for the remaining of the game.

Atlanta scratched and clawed its way almost back with tons of pressure. They even got a five-on-three powerplay to score late.

They brought the deficit back to one with a late goal on a shot from No. 17.

With Hedberg still out for the extra man, Atlanta attacked even more so, with three close shots from Afinogenov down low, two saves from Sergei Varlamov, and with the third going over the net.

The Capitals won 5-4.

It was a game where both starting goalies didn’t look like they should be playing, only watching. They had their share of bad goals.

In the micro story of the game, Kovalchuk had won the battle between him and his Russian countryman.

Alexander Ovechkin was held off the score sheet, and Ilya had potted two big goals while playing with his new line. Ovechkin got the last laugh, obviously, with the big win for his team. Round two between these two teams is only a week away, next Thursday night.

I believe you can still take many positives from this game.

Though Pavelec looked puzzled, the top line showed much pomp and circumstance, and the special teams looked sharp again.

As a fan, I can say it was an outstanding game to watch with many great offensive moves and scoring chances throughout the contest.

ROUND UP:

BRIGHT STARS: Russian Roulette line, Zack Bogosian.

DARK STARS: Ondrej Pavelec, Christoph Schubert

BLUE COLLAR: Ron Hainsey and Rich Peverley (Both a strong night on the PK)

Alex Ovechkin-Ilya Kovalchuk: Who Will Win the Battle of the Russians?

Peter Bojarinov — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:53:00 -0400

The face-off between the hottest Russians on the planet will engage tonight.

This evening, The Atlanta Thrashers will play host to the Washington Capitals.

In the red corner we have No. 8, Alexander “The Great” Ovechkin. Standing six foot two, weighing 233 pounds of all muscle, this 24-year-old is coming off a season full of accomplishments. In the 2008-09 season, Ovie received the Maurice Richard Trophy as the league's goal-scoring leader, and both the Lester B. Pearson and Hart Memorial Awards for being the most valuable player in both the minds of the players and critics.

This season, Ovechkin looks to take it another step further. Alex is already at the top of the league; first in goals with nine and points with sixteen. It looks very much like Ovechkin will repeat with his awards.

In the blue corner we have No. 17, Ilya Kovalchuk. Also standing six foot two, weighing 230 pounds of sheer "snipabilty," this 26-year-old is entering a contract year.

Kovalchuk is five seasons removed from his Maurice Richard Trophy. He’s enjoying a season with more Russian teammates he could ever think of since leaving the motherland. He has been centered by Nik Antropov, whom he had a hand in bringing to Atlanta, which has allowed him more room in the offensive zone.

Kovalchuk leads the team and is second in the league with seven goals. Also, his shooting percentage is hitting a 35 percent rate, which is top-ten in the NHL.

Much like the two Russians, their teams are hot right now. Washington (4-2-2) is first in their division, with Atlanta (4-1-1) just a single point behind. Both teams look to lead the Southeast and contend for the Stanley Cup.

In Ovechkin’s mind, his team is going straight for the Cup after last season, when they were defeated by the Stanley Cup Champions in a seven-game series. This year, Ovechkin and his teammates look to take it one step further.

In Kovalchuk’s mind, he looks to take his team to the playoffs and become true contenders. Atlanta has never been labeled as such, but Ilya and his teammates look to change all that and truly start a new age in their city and organization.

It all starts tonight, in the clash of the Russian titans.

The Small Three Defeat The Thrashers in a Shootout

Peter Bojarinov — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:27:35 -0400

Tonight’s game was an intriguing one; the hot Atlanta Thrashers were in the Bell Center to face off against the Montreal Canadiens.

The game was full of action and played more of a run and gun style, which was right in both teams alleys. Much like the last few games for the Thrashers they came out in full force, with strong pressure and many chances within the first ten minutes of the match. But unlike the last few games, they had nothing to show for it.

Slowly the game turned more in favour of the Canadiens, with more shots and pressure as the game went on. Just after the Eric Boulton penalty for tripping, the Canadiens were unstoppable with constant persistence.

Then the “little three” came on the ice, and scored a goal. For the lack of a great nickname the top line of Montreal (Brian Gionta, Mike Cammalleri, and Scott Gomez) for all standing less then 6 feet tall, had scored the first goal of the game. A nice feed from Cammy to Gionta down low, for a quick shot between Ondrej Pavelec’s pads for the goal.

Though it was an up and down game with chances, both teams defense played well, the strongest line for the Thrashers on this night scored the tying goal in the third period. Rich Peverley and Evander Kane cycled the puck behind net and in the corners till they found Colby Armstrong for the centering pass. Colby then fired a wrister by Jaroslav Halak.

The game went into overtime where, Gomez would carry the puck in the zone, he would be cross-checked from behind by Slava Kozlov, who rarely even commits a penalty. Gomez would lie on the ice for two seconds, and then jump up and find Kozlov to quickly throw three punches before anyone else had got there.

After a long break, the referees decided since the hit was a light hit, but from behind and looked ugly going into the boards that Kozlov should get a five minute boarding penalty and a 10 minute game misconduct, and Gomez would get just two minutes for roughing.

In my mind, if you not look at the hit, what Gomez did would defiantly get an two minute instigator penalty and a fighting major for what he did, or even get kicked out of the game. I’m still not sure how Gomez could not get at least a fighting major.

Then somehow, and I have yet to see this, the powerplay started on the next drop of the puck. If there were a two minute penalty on the Canadiens and a five minute penalty on the Thrashers, wouldn’t the powerplay for Montreal start in two more minutes of ice time? Instead the Canadiens had a three minute powerplay with just under three minutes left in overtime.

Ondrej Pavelec would make great save after great save in the final minutes in the game, to force a shootout.

The “little three” were the shooters for the Canadiens, and I knew this would not be good. Ilya Kovalchuk would shoot first for Atlanta, and go backhand, but would be stopped by a nice save from Halak. Then both Gionta and Gomez would score to give Montreal their first home win of the season.

ROUND UP:

BRIGHT STARS: Ondrej Pavelec, Colby Armstrong

DARK STARS: Ilya Kovalchuk (was not to be found tonight, and missed on a few chances)

BLUE COLLAR: Ondrej Pavelec, Zack Bogosian, and Nik Antropov (both with a solid overall effort, good defensive game, and four or more blocked shots)

Atlanta Thrashers Pay Tribute to Fallen Teammate Dan Snyder In Elmira

Peter Bojarinov — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:19:17 -0400

Today, the Atlanta Thrashers were in Elmira, Ontario, to pay tribute to a former Thrasher, the late Dan Snyder.

The entire team rode the bus after the game in Buffalo to Elmira, Snyder's hometown. It was obvious that being at the rink in Elmira meant plenty to this organization.

"He was one of our guys. He's always going to be in our hearts. I'm glad we came here today," said Ilya Kovalchuk.

The only two remaining Thrashers who were on the team with Snyder are Ilya Kovalchuk and Slava Kozlov.

Snyder died six days after sustaining injuries in a tragic car accident on Sept. 29, 2003.

Dany Heatley, who was driving the vehicle, was injured but survived the crash.

Just six years ago, Dan Snyder and his father Graham had talked about having a new arena in the area around Elmira. "Dan at the time told me, 'I'll do whatever you need to help out.' So this day is very special," said Graham.

The Snyder family is invited to Atlanta annually to present the “Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy,” which is awarded to the Thrashers' unsung hero, the player who best embodies perseverance, dedication, and hard work without reward or recognition, so that his team and teammates might succeed.

The Atlanta Thrashers organization might not yet be championship caliber, but the team's class makes you feel like they should be.

Thrashers GM Don Waddell’s NHL club practiced at the new Dan Snyder Memorial Arena rink in front of a packed house of approximately 1,500. Fans were extremely excited to watch the NHL practice and then meet the players during an autograph session.

"For us to be able to come back here today and give back to this community, you know Dan is here today watching over us," Waddell told ESPN.com, his voice barely audible over the frenzied atmosphere during practice. "It means a lot to us being here."

"They're part of our family," said the GM. "It's something that's going to last with us forever."

Thrasher's Special Teams Work Their Magic Against The Devils

Peter Bojarinov — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:55:58 -0400

On a night where the Devils came out like a bat out of hell, the Thrashers pecked the Devils out by the end of the night.

An onslaught of offensive pressure from the Devils was all that was in the first period; Ondrej Pavelec had stopped all fifteen New Jersey shots. In scoring opportunities the period had finished with seven to zero for the Devils.

The second period slowly changed the game, as New Jersey knew it would take a lot on this night to beat Pavelec. Finally the score would break open, near the midway point of the game. Two quick long passes from Bryce Salvador to Jamie Langenbrunner to an open Travis Zajac, would give him plenty of room as he wristed a nice shot on the right side of Pavelec. The defense of Zack Bogosian and Tobias Enstrom were no where to be found on the play.

Another night, another turning point made by my favourite enforcer, Eric Boulton. I had a feeling he would fight right after that goal, and he almost did, it was the second shift after Zajac’s goal, and Boulton threw off the gloves. Andrew Peters then took a beating from Boulton on this night, which turned the game in Atlanta’s favour.

On the shift after the fight, the Thrashers were back in charge. By the end of the period they would lead in scoring chances and had almost double the number of shots of the Devils. Finally after a "too many men on the ice" penalty, the Devils had really awoken a sleeping giant. The Thrashers powerplay is one to reckon with this season.

On this opportunity, they posted Nik Antropov in front of Martin Brodeur, so he could barely see a thing, and then threw the puck around till it got to Maxim Afinogenov. He then found a lane and fired a nice low shot on net, and on the other side Rich Peverley found the loose puck and finished it into the net, to tie up the game.

To start the third, Atlanta would keep the pressure coming and would capitalize on every chance. Early in the period, Mark Popovic caught Evander Kane for the pass, and he would blister by the defense for a quick short side shot over Brodeur’s glove to take the lead for Atlanta.

Just two minutes later, Colin White would trip the six foot six inches Nik Antropov, which made it an easy call for the referees. On the entitled powerplay, Antropov was found again posted in front, Peverley would feed Antropov the puck, who then made a move towards the far post, and passed the puck back to Peverley. Rich would have a gapping short side for an easy goal, as Brodeur laid along the opposing side of the net. As the New Jersey commentators would both say “an intelligent and masterful play by Antropov”, there would be no chance for Brodeur to make the save.

The Devils would net a goal with less then seven minutes left in the game, Salvador would have the puck just in front of the Thrasher blueline, and untouched he was as he waited for his teammates to go on side. Kovalchuk would be the nearest to him, and did not apply any pressure or aggression on him to lose the puck. This enabled him to push the puck into the zone, where the puck bounced by the net, and Langenbrunner would tip the bouncer over to an open Zack Parise on the empty side of the net goal.

Two minutes later New Jersey would have a power-play on a penalty against Zack Bogosian for hooking. The Devils would try to pressure, but Atlanta’s defense would thwart any chance of a comeback by taking the puck up the ice, putting three shots on Brodeur and Chris Thorburn would empty it into the net behind a scrambled Brodeur, for a short-handed goal.

All in all, the Thrashers withstood the counter-attack of the Devils, the Thrasher special teams were at the top of their game, and Ondrej Pavelec might have had his best game of this early season.

The Thrashers will have to work on not allowing as many shots or opportunities, but their offense still is clicking.

ROUND UP:

BRIGHT STARS: Evander Kane, Ondrej Pavelec, Nik Antropov

DARK STARS: Zack Bogosian (weak penalties), Ilya Kovalchuk (non-factor in the offensive zone tonight, and only showed his defensive weaknesses)

BLUE COLLAR: Rich Peverley (hard working goals), Eric Boulton (another well timed fight), Tobias Enstrom, Pavel Kubina, Ron Hainsey, Chris Thorburn, and Ondrej Pavelec (great job on the penalty kill by all five)

Atlanta Thrashers Show Who They Really Are This Weekend

Peter Bojarinov — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:01:34 -0400

The beginning of any season is an outlook of what is to come.

The Atlanta Thrashers have yet to play even five games, only three games so far, and have posted two wins and one loss in them.

Most teams in the NHL have played five to seven games already, no games for Thrashers this past week, this early in the season will do that.

Now this weekend, it will all change. A back to back vs two tough and very different teams.

First up Friday night, the Thrashers are in New Jersey to face the space stubborn, and defensive team of the Devils. The Thrashers will have to finish off each and every opportunity they will get, as they will be few and far between. Just like their last match versus the Senators, they will have to watch out for the counter-attack.

Next, on Saturday night, they'll be up against the high flying depth offense of the Buffalo Sabres, who have yet to lose in regulation. If you thought our Thrashers had a deep team of run and gun offense, watch out for the Sabres. This team has all four lines flying in and out of zones, and pucks flying at every chance they get. The Thrashers defence and goaltending will have to prove themselves on this night.

If the Thrashers lose both games, it will be like any other usual season, if they win one game, they might be able to squeak into the playoffs, and if they win both, they might be a real team to reckon with.

All this from two games, but they do tell an important fact. They tell everyone else they can become a strong team, and they tell themselves that they can do it each and every night.

Go Thrashers !

NOTE: I'll be in Buffalo to watch our Thrashers kick some Sabres, I can't wait.

Back Up's and Enforcers Prove They Can Shine

Peter Bojarinov — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:51:14 -0400

In a game where the Predators seemed to be all over the Oilers to start the game (and with a total of 41 shots), the final score sheet had a different result.

Edmonton’s backup Jeff Droulin-Deslauries was the third man in last season, and boy was it cramped there. This season, he’s the only main back up.

In his first start of the season, he proved he could be even better. "He was our star tonight, no question," Oilers coach Pat Quinn said of his goaltender. "Early in the game we had some rough shifts, and he was really sharp and got us a chance to get by the early going."

Nashville had many strong scoring opportunities early, but Deslauries would thwart them all.

After that, the Oilers would score six straight goals, four in the first period, and two in the second. Tough guy Zack Stortini, who had a fight within the first few minutes of the match, looked more like a sniper by the end of the opening period. Stortini would score the final two goals in the period. The first goal was from a great feed by Mike Comrie, the other from a terrific deke move into the zone, and a great shot just inside the far post.

The Predators would have one goal before the game was done late in the 2nd period from Jason Arnott.

The final score was 6-1 for the Oilers, showed they have tons of offensive depth.

ROUND UP

BRIGHT STARS: Zack Stortini, Gilbert Brule, Andrew Cogliano, and Jeff Deslauries

DARK STARS: Sam Gagner

BLUE COLLAR: Ethan Moreau, Dustin Penner

Thrash NewsFlash: Aging Chelios to Join The Team?

Peter Bojarinov — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:12:58 -0400

Three time Stanley Cup and Norris Trophy Winner and Ex-Detroit Red Wing Chris Chelios skated with the Chicago Wolves, the AHL's affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers.

Chelios said he hasn’t given much thought about being called up to his fourth NHL team.

“Right now, my thought is getting ready to play here,” he said. “I haven’t played for a while. Last year I only played 30 games at best. I’ve got a big challenge to prove to myself and a lot of people that I can still play.”

Chelios has played 25 seasons in the NHL and was the NHL's eldest player in the league last season.

I believe that Chelios still has alot to offer. From watching some of his games last season, he can still play well at the age of 47, and provides tons of experience and leadership for anyteam.

Good Luck, Chris.

Atlanta Thrashers Offense Stunned by Ottawa Senators

Peter Bojarinov — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:56:54 -0400

The game started wide open, but then Canada’s capital city clamed down Hotlanta’s offense.

Ottawa jumped on Atlanta early, as it took only 43 seconds for Alexei Kovalev to snap in his first goal of the season and as a Senator. Then, less then two minutes later, Chris Kelly set it up for Jarko Ruttu, who finished off the play by wristing the puck past Ondrej Pavelec.

Finally, the Thrashers would turn it around again thanks to another well-timed fight from Eric Boulton. Though Matt Carkner might have won the fisticuffs, Boulton helped his team.

Right after the fight, Nikolai Antropov would deke past the defenseman and shoot a cross-ice pass to a streaking Ilya Kovalchuk. Another laser of a shot from No. 17 would would cut the lead in half.

With less then two minutes to go in the opening period, Pavel Kubina would pass it over to Bryan Little, who would find Ron Hainsey to wrist it into the net.

To start the second period, Ottawa’s defense would tighten up in the neutral zone, not allowing many scoring chances.

The lone goal of the period would come from a power play, itself a result from Anssi Salmela’s interference penalty. The strong play of Peter Regin would get the puck over to Mike Fisher for the backhand goal for Ottawa.

In the third period, Atlanta would give Ottawa a few chances off small errors. Chris Neil would score the only goal in the period on a wrist shot.

Ottawa’s counter-attacking style worked well against the run-and-gun from Atlanta—which has yet to out-shoot its opponents—and give them their first defeat of the season.

The effort from the Thrashers just wasn’t there.

“I don’t think we showed up for this game” Ilya Kovalchuk said.

He was exactly correct. The team that showed up for this game didn't work nearly as hard as the team that showed up in their prior two outings.

It was also difficult for fans, who had to listen to the game on the radio, as it wasn’t available on television.

ROUNDUP

BRIGHT STARS: Ron Hainsey

DARK STARS: Anssi Salmela (two lack of effort penalties, one of which proved costly) Todd White, Slava Kozlov

BLUE COLLAR: Eric Boulton

Oliers Allow a Second Narrow Loss in A Row to Their Provincal Foes

Peter Bojarinov — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:16:12 -0400

Tonight the Edmonton Oliers lost in a shootout from the Calgary Flames by a score of 4-3.

Edmonton came out fairly strong, and scored two goals in the first period.

Ethan Moreau’s breakaway chance goal, came off a nice set up from Gilbert Brule. Just before the period would expire, The Oliers would score a powerplay goal. Lubomir Visnovski finished off the period with an amazing blast from the point that beat Mikka Kipprusoff.

The Flames played hard in the second period and it led to chance in front of the net for them.

On a tough play, Jarome Iginla would take out Sheldon Souray’s feet, and land right on top of him. This would take Souray out of the game as he was dazed.

A few shifts later, just after the chance, both team captains attempted to duel. Iginla and Ethan Moreau threw down the gloves and faced off. Moreau slightly slipped as they grabbed jerseys, which the referees would then jump in. Iginla had not punched Moreau while he was down, but threw in a few as the referees entered. Overall a draw in a non-real contested fight.

Late in the period, Mark Giordano would pass it over who Rene Bourque, who would set up Daymond Langkow. Langkow backhanded the puck by Nikolai Khabibulin to cut the lead in half.

The third period would be a tightly contested one, and chances would come in bunches back and forth.

Early in the period Staffan Kronwall’s shot from the point would be deflected in to the net by Nigel Dawes, to knot up the game.

The Oliers would fight back. A Shawn Horcoff shot would find Ales Hemsky for a rebound, who then emptied the puck into the net.

The Bulin wall would make big save after big save but it wasn’t enough, with the Flames' net empty Calgary would score with a second left on the clock to take it to overtime. Rene Bourque’s tip in from the Jay Bouwmeester blast on the side of the net would be his second of the season.

Overtime was still close, though Calgary had no shots on net, the game went to a shootout.

It was tie with goals from Calgary’s Nigel Dawes and Edmonton’s Patrick O’Sullivan. Olli Jokinen would then take his opportunity, deking back and forth, he would slide by Khabibulin, but in the last second from the side of the net put it off Bulin’s pad and in the net. From my view it would look as if he put it in from almost behind the net, which in my opinion should not be a goal. (it’s as if he went backward, which is not allowed).

Another tight game in the battle of Alberta, and another tough loss, at least this time the Oliers came up with at least one point.

ROUND UP:

BRIGHT STARS: Moreau, Grebeshkov, O’Sullivan

DARK STARS: Penner (another weak outing)

BLUE COLLAR: Khabibulin, Moreau

Thrash NewsFlash: Valabik Is Out Four to Six Weeks with an Ankle Injury

Peter Bojarinov — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:56:30 -0400

Just before tonight’s match of between the Atlanta Thrashers and The St.Louis Blues, the Thrashers announced they placed defenseman Boris Valabik on injured reserve after surgery to repair a high ankle sprain.

Valabik, a native of Nitra, Czechoslovakia, had surgery Thursday morning. Dr. Scott Gillogly performed the surgery at Atlanta Sports Medicine Surgery Center, the teams head physician and orthopedic surgeon.

- Thrashers activated forward Colby Armstrong from IR and should be in the game tonight.

- Earlier in the day, the Atlanta Thrashers traded prospect Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday for future considerations. Lavallee was a 4th round pick in 2005 draft.

Top Underrated NHL Fantasy Picks

Peter Bojarinov — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:13 -0400

First, we'll start with some top ones.

Pavel Datsyuk: Seriously, how is he not rated in the top 10 in most pre-rated pools? That’s ridiculous. If he’s available after the first five, please take him.

Steve Mason: A real head shaker, not rated in the top 10 goalies in the game. That’s impossible—he won the Calder and was nominated for the Vezina last season. Take him at least in the top seven.

Ilya Kovalchuk: He always puts at least 40 pucks into the back of the net, usually taken just after the top 10. This year, watch him score over 55 goals and even more impressive, his plus/minus—which usually hurts poolies—might not even be a minus by the end of the season.

Alright, so enough with those guys. Let's look at guys you should have taken.

Paul Stastny: Last year, he was injured for most of the season. So for some reason, he’s rated really low. Take him if he’s still available by fifth round. Colorado will have a strong offensive team lead by the young Stastny.

Alex Burrows: Is he still playing on the top line with the twins? Yes, he is. He’ll also give you some extra penalty minutes, and he’ll be better than last year. Take him before the eighth round.

Paul Kariya: Again, just because some players were injured most of last season doesn’t mean they should be ranked low. Kariya will be back with a stronger Blues team. He should be gone by seventh round.

Ray Emery: Yes, he didn't play in the NHL last year, but his stats are solid. What else do you need? The best defense? Well, with Chris Pronger in front of him you got it. Take him before the sixth round.

Pascal Leclaire: Well, here's another one. He was injured most of last season. Also playing on a team like Ottawa last year hurt his rankings. Watch him and Ottawa have a rebound season.

Derrick Brassard: Ok, this is my last one. Another injured player from last season. Brassard is a great offensive kid, and playing with Rick Nash will only make him become the player he can be in less time. Take him late, he should be still available

Players that might be still available.

Brandon Dubinsky: Not sure if the Rangers put him on the first line, but he should be there. Signed a late contract and didn’t play in the preseason. He’s a great two-way player and if he plays with Marian Gaborik, he’ll be gold. Take him, he might be still available.

Michael Del Zotto and Matt Gilroy: Both are offensive rookies who will help take the Rangers into the playoffs—maybe not much further though. Sleepers they are, but if you need defensemen that give you points, these are two kids you should take a look at. I know I did when I saw Boston U. in the playoffs. Go Gilroy!

Matt Stajan: Why do fantasy guides always rate Matty so low? Three straight years, he’s rated scoring about 10 goals. This will be three straight seasons he scores more than the season before. A bit streaky, but he’ll get top-line ice time. Take him the day after he scores a goal.

Tukka Rask: He'll get some ice time, and when he does, look for him to steal more games from Tim Thomas. Thomas can't play too many games.

David Moss: Around the league, they’ve gone back to the old Gretzky rule—though I don’t think Iginla needs it. Put an enforcer or grinder on your top line with your moneymaker. Moss will get points and penalty minutes playing on the top line.

Check around the league, there are a lot of other players like Moss who will get top line ice time. Byfuglien, Huselius, Antropov, Michalek, Knuble, and so forth.

Oh my god, did I just see Steve Downie with Vinny Lecavalier?

There are more out there, keep your eyes open, and good luck.

Ilya Kovalchuk, Thrashers Make St. Louis Sing the Home Opener Blues

Peter Bojarinov — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:12:57 -0400

The visiting Atlanta Thrashers came into the Scottrade Center to face the hot St. Louis Blues, who were coming off two strong wins against the Detroit Red Wings in Sweden.

The home opener would be a great night for the visitors, as they would win by a score of 4-2, led by Ilya Kovalchuk’s two goals, which included his 300th career goal, and Evander Kane’s first career NHL goal.

To start the game, the Blues came out strong with a few powerful shifts, and then Keith Tkachuk would get a opening after Tobias Enstrom pinched slightly into the offensive zone, which gave the Blues a two on one.

With the speed of Maxim Afinogenov, he came back in time to make the chance an even one, but Walt (Tkachuk’s nickname) would snap the shot along the ice inside the far post by Ondrej Pavelec.

About a minute later Atlanta’s bruiser line came on and set a different tone. After they dumped the puck into the offensive zone, Chris Thorburn came up with the puck and centered it to Eric Boulton. Boulton would then quickly finish it into the net behind Chris Mason.

This changed the tempo for rest of the first period. Later on in the period on the power play, Atlanta moved the puck around till the puck came to the dazzling Kovalchuk. He deked himself just inside the right circle and rifled the puck by a screened Mason.

St. Louis would come out with a more complete second period but could not get enough strong opportunities to put the puck by Pavelec, who made 14 saves in the period. The only goal in the period would come when the Thrashers' third line gave themselves a three on two. Rich Peverley would center the puck to a speeding Kane, who potted it into the gapping side of the net.

The third period was more of a back and forth period, but not many strong chances from either side. The score would tighten late when Tkachuk carried the puck towards the center of the offensive zone, being chased by both Bryan Little and Kovalchuk, and passed the puck back to the point. There Roman Polak would have an open lane to the net, and he wristed a top corner shot past Pavelec.

Late in the game, with the score only a difference of one, the Blues would pull Mason for an extra man, but it would result in only an easy opportunity for Kovalchuk, who would score his fourth goal in only two games on the season.

Tonight showed a strong effort from Atlanta on the road and again how deep their offense is, though I can already see some bad habits, which I’ve seen before.

Things that some players need to work on are:

Kovalchuk: Defensive zone coverage, stay closer to your man, and have a smarter breakout pass, not a hard fast one, which only he himself could accept.

Nik Antropov: Stop looking for Ilya to pass the puck to; back to really old habits from two years ago, where he would rarely shoot.

Enstrom: Weak defense, take your man out from the goalie, and don’t pinch as much.

Pavelec: Despite a great overall game, the first goal was still weak; those need to be saves.

ROUNDUP

BRIGHT STARS: Peverley, Kane, Kovalchuk

DARK STARS: Enstrom (too weak in his own end)

BLUE COLLAR: Pavelec (great overall road game), Anssi Salmela (another solid defensive game), Pavel Kubina (great job on the PK)

Thrash NewsFlash: Hotlanta's Upcoming Season

Peter Bojarinov — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:58:49 -0400

The Outlook on this year Atlanta Thrashers looks brighter then most fans think. Let’s take a closer look at the line up.

One of the NHL’s new and top forward lines, lead by Kovalchuk and Little, with a great versatile two way forward in giant Nik Antropov, to leave the talent room to do their damage.

A second line of offense with Kozlov, White and a nice addition of Afinogenov; though you’ll have to watch out of his turnovers. Also more depth with the likes of Evander Kane, and currently injured Colby Armstrong, great role players in the bottom six in Marty Reasoner and the often pugilists that are needed in Eric Boulton and Chris Thorburn, who each had a fight and added tenaciousness to the game.

The offensive defense is lead by a young Zack Bogosian, with help from a wealth of experience in Pavel Kubina (who has won a cup in 04 with the Lightning) as well as an under-rated Tobias Enstrom and Ron Hainsey to round out the top four. The likes of Anssi Salmela and Boris Valabik have the skills, to grow into a top four defenseman. They might need to add one very defensive defenseman to make it well rounded.

Current starter Ondrej Pavelec, who still can become a number one goaltender, though I don’t believe right now, is his time. The presently injured Kari Lehtonen, who should be a number one, and can be a top goaltender in the NHL, has yet to put all the pieces together; hopefully he can. If not it might be a long season in net.

This team still has a few interesting prospects as well, Angelo Esposito (who could join the team mid season), and Daultan Leveille (who will probably finish his college career before coming to the NHL).

Overall, this team is full of optimism, and brimming of confidence, which now have more tools to take them to the playoffs and maybe do some real damage. Keep an eye on these Thrashers; they’ll be a team to reckon with.

Atlanta Thrashers Reign on Tampa Bay Lightning in Home Opener

Peter Bojarinov — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:41:00 -0400

On Wednesday Oct. 7, the Atlanta Thrashers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning by a 6-3 score.

In the Home Opener in Philips Arena, the native team gave fans an insight into what is to come in this upcoming season. An Explosion of offense, a run and gun exciting game by more then one line of forwards, and a bigger and badder defensive team.

Atlanta jumped to a four to nothing leads with a beverely of goals, from the usual loaded gun Ilya Kovalchuk, cannon of defense Antti Salmela and Zack Bogosian, and the under-rated Rich Peverely.

Then the weaknesses of the young Thrashers were pointed out by the diminutive yet still amazing Martian St.Louis with two goals of his own and Andrei Meszaros.

Hotlanta’s juggernaut of offense showed up again in with two strong goals from Peverley and Kovalchuk with each of their 2nd of the night.

In net tonight was Ondrej Pavelec, who made 36 of 39 shots, most shots were from the perimeter, which made shots easier to play.

This game could sum up a lot of what I feel the Thrashers will be bringing this season. Look forward to this fans, it should be an interesting season.

ROUND UP

BRIGHT STARS: Peverley, Little, Enstrom, Kovalchuk

DARK STARS: None

BLUE COLLAR: Antropov (who played more defensive, gave room for his teammates and let his skilled forwards to the damage), Boulton (who initiated and won a fight with Fedoruk after Tampa had just scored three goals, this turned the game back in Atlanta’s favour).

This New Atlanta Thrashers Fan's Problem

Peter Bojarinov — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:26:36 -0400

I eagerly wait to cheer on the Atlanta Thrashers.

I check the schedule, and look at the map to notice one big dilemma.

I do not live in the Atlanta Area, not even in Georgia, nor even remotely close to anywhere in the Southeastern area of North America.

I as well check the NHL TV schedule to notice that I get to only watch roughly three games a month in the regular season.

I digress, and I look at what I can do. I will do the best I can to get as much Thrasher information that I can get.

I will watch every game that I can, even if they are few and far between. I will make sure I get to see as much video and highlights of each game. I will also read all Thrasher related articles and comment as much as I can.

I'll take one more step and drive two hours to Buffalo and watch the Thrashers in HSBC Arena.

So Let's Go Thrashers. I have a good feeling around this team.

I can't wait to go see the Thrashers in less than two weeks.

P.S. If anyone knows how I can get more games, or videos of the Thrashers, please let me know, thanks.

Peter Bojarinov Signs a Big Contract with the Atlanta Thrashers

Peter Bojarinov — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:11:11 -0400

Being a free agent is tough.

What do you do? You have no family, you look left and right, and there’s no one to back you up, no one to lean on and no one to talk to.

You work as hard as you can to sharpen your skills, figure out what your next moves are, and look for further employment.

You’re basically looking for the right fit, an organization that is going where you want to go.

After that faithful day five years ago, I've always still been huge a Leaf fan, but I've chosen not to live and die about it. I've probably become a bigger NHL fan, and still just cared and followed my Leafs slightly more.

I became more of a fan of certain players. Cheering for an awful Leaf’s team means, you have to find ways to care. I chose to care about Kaberle and Antropov.

Being part Russian and living in Canada, I've always followed Russian (and Canadian) players the most. I loved the Red Army line in Detroit in the 90's, and players from Sergei Makarov to Alexander Ovechkin. I once in awhile cheered for players I had a connection with, Pittsburgh Penguins since Mario Lemieux and I share the same birthday and yes the Detroit Red Wings having many strong Russian players.

Then the straw broke, last season when the Leafs traded one of the few Leafs that I truly like, Nik Antropov.

In the off-season, Nikolai Antropov then signed with the Atlanta Thrashers.

I then looked at the opportunities in the organization, the direction of the team, their goals and accomplishments.

This looked and felt very much like my own.

So I've moved on, I will always still hold a place in my heart for the Leafs, but will now cheer for the Atlanta Thrashers.

I genuinely feel that the Thrashers are moving in the right direction, and the addition of former Maple Leafs in Antropov and Kubina will only help this.

They have a great core team, with Ilya Kovalchuk, the great producer and leader that he is, and have great members in the likes of Todd White, Slava Kozlov, who as well provide great leadership.

Then they have a great future in Bryan Little, Kari Lehtonen, Zach Bogosian, and the newest member Evander Kane.

I have signed a big contract with the Atlanta Thrashers, and will bring all my skills, experience and teamwork to this organization.

I myself will help in anyway I can.

Someone once said "if anybody else wants to come with me, this moment will be the ground floor of something real and fun and inspiring and true in this godforsaken business and we will do it together! Who's coming with me besides...”Flipper" here?"

Anyone else?

Peter Bojarinov Enters Free Agency

Peter Bojarinov — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:47:13 -0400

Having an NHL entry contract means you have to shut up, work your way up the ranks, and you will get your chance to show your stuff when it matters.

Being a fan of the Maple Leafs, I have the usual upbringing.

Kid grows up in Canada, plays hockey, watches hockey, basically eats, sleeps, and breathes hockey. Same goes for growing up in the Big Smoke. You bleed blue and white as soon as you're born.

I can recite every single player since I was two years old, and many from before I was born. From Lou Franceschetti to Mikhail Grabovski to Bill Barilko.

I went to every hockey signing (growing up in the GTA, there was almost one every weekend), shook hands with everyone from Dave Andreychuk to my favourite Bobby Hull. And I have more than one room full with Leafs and NHL paraphernalia. I have almost every NHL McFarlane figurine, and more than a closet full of NHL jerseys.

Then about five years ago when the Carolina Hurricanes took out my beloved Toronto Maple Leafs, everything changed. I was shocked at that moment when it happened.

Being in my early 20's the Leafs were one of the main things I cared about, and that moment was a turning point in my life. I knew that I shouldn’t care so much about a team that does not care about me. I grew up.

It's not just the losing; it's about the heart of the team. I realized it's more about business than anything else and each year it only gets worse. Ever since I can know, Leafs tickets for the whole season get sold in less than an hour, even though they are the most expensive tickets in the NHL.

Then five years ago, they added Leafs TV, which you can only get if you have the super digital cable package, with the additional price a month of the channel itself. So you can't watch about 15 games each season unless you have that separate channel.

Last but not least, the organization will try everything and anything not to have another franchise within an hour of the team, even though they will always sell out. And they will never be even second best in the final amount made each and every year.

In the New York area, there are four teams within less than an hour-and-a-half of each other—Rangers, Islanders, Devils, and Flyers.

MLSE has just become more and more of a business, not caring about its personal relationships and its fans.

The organization of this team was moving in a different direction, and I had finally had my eyes wide open. I am now a free agent.

I have become a man.

Roy Halladay and Another Cy Young Season

Peter Bojarinov — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:48:57 -0400

Yet another Cy Young caliber season posted by Roy Halladay; the ace of the Toronto Blue Jays.

How many seasons is The Doc going to have that are capable such dominance, so far almost each and every year. Though he only has one Cy Young Award to show for it.

Has Halladay played even close to his potential this season? probably not.

Roy was injured for over two weeks in early June, then Roy struggled through mid June to mid August.

It was obvious the many rumours, offers, and potential opportunities of Roy going to another franchise took it's toll.

Even though Halladay being the professional he is, would tell you that is far from the truth.

Halladay has been fighting many outings since June with no offensive support to speak of.

Wells and Rios's offense disappeared this season, as well as there were no closers to speak of in the Jays bullpen.

The team witnessed the possible the end of BJ Ryan, and countless missed opportunities to be a closer from Jeremy Accardo, Jason Frasor, and the oft injured Scott Downs.

This years Cy Young nominees don't look that outstanding either, it's been a tough year as an AL pitcher and the new Yankee stadium hasn't helped much either.

Doc stats show that though it's been a tough year with many distractions, he has still proven himself to be the best up and down pitcher there is.

Roy Halladay is 3rd in the AL with a 3.01 ERA, has two shutouts, leads the league with the lowest amount of walks in the top 20, seven complete games, walks per nine innings, strikes to balls ratio, and lowest amount of pitches per inning. Sometimes total wins doesn't tell you the whole story; just ask Zack Greinke (another deserving Cy Young candidate).

P.S. Dont blame Halladay that JP Riccardi didn't trade him to a contender. Where he would have had offensive support.

Is It Time to Trade Vernon Wells ?

Peter Bojarinov — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:52:54 -0400

Mired in a huge four out of 45 at-bats to hit ratio is Mr.Vernon Wells, or as most of us Torontonians call him, V-dub.

Still currently hitting out of that four spot, the slugger position, Wells has earned it with his on and off talented bat and defensive seasons. He currently hits .238, with a measly five home runs, and a high left on base total. Comparing our slugger to our small ball second basemen, Aaron Hill, who has 14 home runs tells you something.

Yes, he's always been an up and down player, but it's getting worse. Yes we know this is an awful year, which means last year should have been a great one; well he did eclipse the .300 mark, yet barely eclipsed 20 home runs. The year before that in '07, V-dub hit a low .245 average and only 16 home runs.

Is it time to trade our franchise slugger ? NO. Well, at least not yet. We're in no way sure about the full direction on this year's Toronto Blue Jays; things could easily turn around for Wells, Rios, and some of our pitching. We do have many great pros surrounding this team, while still struggling with a full load of starters on the DL.

But with the salary of Wells, it doesn't compare to his output on the field, though I do love his intangibles.

Is Cito Gaston helping wells along? Has he pushed him in the right direction?

I love Gaston, but I haven't been a big fan of many of his moves: taking out strong starting pitching a bit too early, leaving some relievers in a bit too long, not playing small ball in some vital games in the interleague play games (come on...that's what they do there, when in rome...).

Maybe Wells needs just a bit of a break. Put him in where he can succeed and not be overshadowed by Lind and Hill. Rios and Wells are starting to look like the Laurel and Hardy show at the plate.

Give him a rest versus some strong lefties, maybe a game or two off at night or at home. Might I say it, take him out of the fourth spot. Oh no. Baseball is very much a numbers game. Cito please follow that rule.

P.S. V-dub, stop chasing those breaking balls

Playoff Predictions, The Bojarinov Way- Part One A: Western Conference

Peter Bojarinov — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:24:54 -0400

Here are my predictions, and the reasons why I believe the Bruins will be beaten in the finals, and the Canucks will be hoisting the Stanley Cup come this June. (I wrote this a week ago, but wanted to post it after my playoff pool draft, so no one would know who I was taking, and could then prepare or steal my picks).

The Western Conference:

No. 1 San Jose Sharks vs No. 8 Anaheim Ducks

This series is too hard to predict. The Sharks have all the tools to win a cup, and though they have never shown they can be a really playoff team, this year they have a real shot. Then there are the Ducks, a team who is a playoff type of team, but they are coming in as an eighth seed.

I had the Ducks going far last year, and they ruined me. I still say the Sharks come out of this series after a tough battle, and hopefully they find themselves in this one. I don't know if Jonas Hiller can really be ready for his first playoffs as well.

San Jose in Seven.

No. 2 Detroit Red Wings vs. No. 7 Columbus Blue Jackets

Welcome to the NHL playoffs Columbus.

Thanks for showing up.

Detroit in four.

(Sorry, did I need to go into detail here? If yes, ask and I shall tell).

No. 3 Vancouver Canucks vs. No. 6 St.Louis Blues

How in hell did the Blues even make the playoffs, and they even got in as high as sixth seed. Well, congrats Blues for making it to the playoffs, they've overcome so much this year.

Though the core of this team is just too young to do much in their first NHL playoffs in years, they should be a great team next year. Luongo himself will be too much for the Blues. Expect the Sedins to really show up to this years playoffs, watch out everyone.

Vancouver in five.

No. 4 Chicago Blackhawks vs. No. 5 Calgary Flames

This is a tough one, but I think people will be a bit shocked. The Flames have many tools that a playoff team needs: great goaltending, physicality, strong defense, and great top offense. Thanks to Cammalleri, the Flames have a strong one-two punch.

The Blackhawks have too much top line young talent to not be taken lightly. Havlat has been looked over, thanks to Kane, and Toews, not to mention Versteeg, and the rest. Then goaltending, Khabibulin is just too great of a goaltender and even if somehow he falters, which I can't see happening, Huet is a strong goaltender, with playoff experience as well.

Chicago in six.

EXTRA:

Again, I'll go more into predictions when the second round begins, but this is how I can see it going, if it goes as I believe.

No. 1 SJ vs. No. 4 CHI - San Jose in six. If the Sharks can finally realize what they have, they'll have too much depth to be beaten by a younger Hawk team.

No. 2 DET vs. No. 3 VAN - Vancouver in seven. This will be a great series to watch. The Canucks depth will help them win this series. They'll win a few in OT, and with the Red Wings not being able to get pucks by Luongo, it will be Vancouver in the end.

No. 1 SJ vs. No. 3 VAN - Vancouver in six. If San Jose can get this far, which I think they might be able to, this next round will be their demise. The Canucks will be able to physically beat the Sharks.

No. 1 BOS vs. No. 3 VAN - Vancouver in 7. Canucks will have stronger leadership and goaltending to beat the younger core of the Bruins.

NHL Playoff Predictions, the Bojarinov Way

Peter Bojarinov — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 01:59:05 -0400

Here are my predictions, and reasons why I believe the Bruins will be beaten in the finals, and the Canucks will be hosting the Stanley Cup come this June. (I wrote this a week ago, but wanted to post it after my playoff pool draft, so no one would know who I was taking, and could then prepare or steal my picks.

First off we start with the Eastern Conference:

1. Boston Bruins vs 8. Montreal Canadiens

The Habitans are just too shook up right now to possibly do anything in this years playoffs. I'll be talking about this the most, and it's goaltending. Price hasn't been the same since playing in the rookie and sophomore game at the All-Star break, nor should I believe Halak can fill that role either.

Then there are the Bruins with just too many weapons. I can see this series being done quickly.

Bruins in five.

2. Washington Capitals vs 7. New York Rangers

Should I say it again? Where is the goaltending, Caps don't have it right now, Theodore will not be able to stop everything the Rangers will put at him.

Then there's the Rangers Henrik Lundqvist who is still a great goaltender, and with already a few playoff years under his belt, I can see he now has the experience to win one or maybe even two rounds. Rangers are only lacking (somehow) offense, their leaders will step up, and adding Antropov at the deadline will some of that need.

Not to mention Avery is a well, Avery, a player you would love to have in the playoffs to push and agitate the other team into errors and losses. Caps have the offense, but it will have to explode four seperate nights to win this series.

Rangers in six.

3. New Jersey Devils vs 6. Carolina Hurricanes

This is a tough one, but I'll have to go with the Devils. Devils have too much top line power, and a defense that can put a team to sleep. There ain't any defence that can stop Parise this year, and he's got some other great teammates for support.

Carolina has a well-rounded team who will be difficult, watch out for them in Overtime. They have a team that can turn a game around with one switch.

New Jersey in seven.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs 5. Philadelphia Flyers

A amazing talented group of players versus a team who can grind and beat you up into errors.

This will be a great series to watch, everyone should check it out. Flyers actually have a chance to win this series, if their goaltending can steal a game or two (which I can't see Biron doing), and if they continue to forecheck and punish the Pens, they need to just not go over the edge enough to give the Pens power play chances.

I still believe Pens offense is too strong, the powerplay, skill and a still underestimated Fluery is too much for the Flyers.

Pittsburgh in six.

EXTRA:

I'll predict more in the next round. But if it were to continue this way.

1. BOS vs 7. NYR - Boston in six, too much depth and hard work from Boston.

3. NJ vs 4. PIT - New Jersey in seven, if the Devils can get past the first round, Brodeur will really start to shine, and then nothing will be able to get past him, not even the likes of Malkin, Crosby, or Gonchar.

1. BOS vs 3. NJ - Boston in six, this is where Thomas will show you what he can do, he'll steal a game, with a few athletic (or as I like to call it Wacky) saves.

How Are the Blue Jays Doing It ?

Peter Bojarinov — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:30:55 -0400

Shocked, ecstatic, and scared are all the core feelings that are coming out of my body these days.

Watching the Toronto Blue Jays so far this season has been a great experience. Amidst my long road trip (Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland, which I will write more about later), I attended a great game in Cleveland, with terrific seats just behind Rod Barajas.

I watched Doc Halladay have one of his classic prime performances. He led the team to a 5-1 lead going into the ninth. Not to mention the continued strong play from Lind, Snyder, and the rest. BJ Ryan then, the teams closer came in to close the deal, with the strong lead.

Some how, BJ brought us to a 5-4 game, with two outs.

Cito Gaston, the Jays manager, had to come out and bring in Jason Frasor. Frasor came in, and sealed the deal.

Whew...that was a close one! Thank you Frasor, and thank you Cito (even for just coming back...)

That's how you can some up the season so far, the offense looks good especially from the younger guys.

The consistent pitching from Halladay and some of the bullpen is there, and Ryan looks sporadic in the early going.

Then there are the other starters, Ricky Romero, David Purcey, Scott Richmond, and yes now Brian Tallet. They all actually look alright so far.

Romero is pitching well, and the rest pitching about OK.

First off, how well do we even know these starters? That's right, we don't.

The Jays have their whole starting four pitchers out of five, on the disabled list. Shawn Marcum, Dustin Mcgowan, Cam Janssen, and now Jessie Litsch are all out.

That scares me, not to mention our second best starter of last season has joined the evil pin-strips (NY Yankees) for the 2009 season.

I was just watching or listening to the radio for at least a part of each game so far this season, and I slowly realized this, where have our pitchers gone?

The team is doing so well in the early season, that it took me this long to notice.

Listening to the other games, I hear about Batista, Carpenter, Lilly, and yes Burnett. All pitchers who we've recently had. All who are doing well, and had the potential here.

That was how I realized the team were missing our real starters. But just think of a team with just two of these guys.

I've always felt that Riccardi was a good GM, but maybe he keeps looking too far in the future, maybe the Jays actually have what they need, and they just need to stick with them longer. Hopefully they do that with this group.

If they don't, it will be a few years down the road, and I'll be thinking about how it would have been nice if the Jays kept Halladay, Mcgowan, and the others.

The Jays actually have a strong skilled team, and should be able to make a good impact. If the Jays stay off the disabled list, the east could be had, and a pennant could be won, if not this year, then in the near future.

I just need to have one feeling; joy.