It’s game two of the home preseason schedule for Atlanta as the team hosts the Nashville Predators tonight at 7:30 p.m at Philips. Head coach John Anderson has to feel a little more used to his new home now that he has gotten one game under his belt. (Especially that flaming bird when the team scores, that thing gets hot!)
Wednesday’s game wasn’t a bad showing for the team, minus a few mistakes on defense: giving the puck away and allowing two power-play goals in under 30 seconds with the man disadvantage.
Tonight the team is lucky enough to play an opponent that may be just as unsettled in terms of the lineup as the Thrashers. Nashville has struggled in the preseason as they look to square away their lines and find chemistry.
The possibility for a big offensive showing tonight is much greater than against the Red Wings, as the team has now had two weeks to work together under Anderson’s gameplan along with the starters getting more ice time together in game situations. However don’t expect the scoring to only come from the forwards; the defensemen will be a big part of the offensive attack this year, and playing a team with some questions still unanswered may leave them vulnerable for odd-man rushes from the blueline. Newcomer Ron Hainsey is a player to keep an eye on, especially when he points the power play. He moves the puck very well and will be relied upon during the season to improve Atlanta’s poor power-play performance.
As always the play of Zach Bogosian intrigues me, mostly because he’s a kid playing a man’s game in terms of age, but not in terms of performance on the ice. His performance in the next two games, his first taste of back-to-back action, will be interesting to follow.
I’ll be back after the game with a recap and some quick thoughts as the preseason for the Thrashers continues. Leave your thoughts on the game here until the recap is posted, or thoughts on the team’s chances this year. Or as stated before, I’m always open to restaurant suggestions; all writing, no play makes Jason a hungry boy.
Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com.
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