Thrashers Trounce Isles and Bounce into 8th

Well..well..what a difference a few weeks make. Remember that bleak December and January where we saw the fleeting hopes of the club going down the drain? Thinking to yourself that we would have no hope to make the playoffs with the way the team was playing..

Fast-forward to March and we see it's a whole different team (literally) and now it's a whole new ball game (or hockey game). The Thrashers have revamped the team and in turn it seems to have energized the squad. The once 1st period lethargy is gone in favor of a new up beat almost frenetic energy that has buoyed the team back into true playoff relevance.

Last night with the sinking of the Islanders in convincing fashion, mind you, and with the help of the San Jose Sharks disposing of the Habs the Thrashers find themselves in sole possession of 8th place this morning. Yes, we are tied in points with Da Rags at 66, but we have 2 games in hand so we own 8th.

Now I'm not foolish enough to believe that just because we own 8th now it's all over and I'm already counting on post season play, but it's a darn good start. If the Thrashers can continue to play like this they will certainly make it difficult for the other bubble teams to secure a spot, but there is still a lot of hockey to play.

So how about those new guys?!?

With their bags barely unpacked they look like they are fitting in like they've been here all season. They're fitting in so nicely it seems that Artyukhin, MacArthur and Bergfors all potted goals last night. The new blood in the room may be just the spark that is needed to ignite this team and push them into the playoffs.

Next up the Thrashers have Tampa in Tampa on Saturday and then turn around and host the red hot Carolina Hurricanes at Phillips on Sunday. These are both big games for different reasons. The Lightning have been struggling lately and are just 3 points behind us right now in the standings and we can't afford to give up ground to anybody. The Hurricanes have been red hot lately, having won their last 7 games. The Thrashers will need these two games to gain some ground on Montreal, New York and Boston.

Believe in Blueland folks...come out to Phillips Arena and make some noise