And in what’s been coined (by me) as “The Battle of the Bottom Feeders” I bring you the Avs fan point of view for this live blog.

1st period:

• Yay!  Paul Stastny is finally back!  We’ve missed him and his gap-toothed grin.
• Mike Haynes, Avalanche play-by-play guy starts by saying “Watch for #17 for Atlanta.”  Really? Duh!
• Toby Enstrom!  Short handed goal?  I can’t help but get excited.  It’s Toby!
• Ilya! Scores on a fantastic tip.   My fantasy! (On my Yahoo! Fantasy team.  Geesh, get your mind out of the gutter).
• Oh, Darcy Tucker.  He went to the wrong penalty box.  It was definitely a LOL moment.
• I’d pay Ruslan Salei to hold me as long as he’s holding Colby Armstrong.
• Ugh, but I wouldn’t pay him to throw me into the boards like that!  Ouch!
• Uh….Reasoner?  Wow.  The Avs don’t look so hot.
• I’m wondering why Budaj hasn’t been yanked.
• They guys are mentioning that John-Michael Liles has been out and will return later this road trip.  I hadn’t really noticed he was gone, to be honest.  Yes, that’s the kind of year the Avs have been having.
• Ilya loves playing the Western teams.  It suits his run and gun style.  I think he’d be quite at home on a team out here ;)
• Milan!  Hejduk!  He’s been a bright spot all year.
• I’d love to say something nice about Kozlov but haven’t found a way to yet.  Not that there’s anything bad, just nothing outstanding.
• Awww, little Toby. It just had to be said again about my little friend
• And the period ends 3-1

2nd Period:

• Ilya is so fast.  So very fast.  I think I was that fast at one point. And then I woke up.
• I’m actually almost missing the Thrashers’ play-by-play guy and his strange affinity for calling the guys by their first names.
• Oh no!  Laperriere blocked a shot from Kovalchuk and went down.  I think it got the side of his knee.  Aww, and Ilya asked him if he was OK.  Love!
• Ouch!  Guite!  Shoulder pain is certain to follow that crash into the boards.
• Oh, Laperierre and Ilya spoke before the face off.  I wonder what was said. “Ilya, can you *not* shoot right into me when I’m clearly not in direct line of the goal?”
• Wrong team, Slava.  This has not been your best game.
• Thrashers have won 6 of last 7 faceoffs?  Wow.  Colorado seriously needs to look at a faceoff man in the off-season.
• Toby almost scored again!  He’s having a splendid night!
• Milan part 2!  3-2 now.
• OMG! So many posts are being hit!  There have been a good 4 “almost” goals in the past 2 minutes of this game.
• Peverley goes and …. uh, yeah.  Yank Budaj!
• Melee!  Gotta love a good scrum, although not much came of it.
• And the second period ends 4-2.

Third Period:

• Oh goody. Let’s start the period on a penalty kill, Avs.
• Now a power play.  Looks like we might get out of those tonight without giving up another shorthanded goal.
• Oops.  Spoke too soon.  Another powerplay.
• Five minutes into the period and there has been hardly any even strength play.  Like no more than a few seconds.
• Fact:  Atlanta only has 9 home wins this year.  I think they’re on their way to 10 tonight.
• When did I become such a pessimist?  Couldn’t be the fact that the Avs are last place in the Western Conference, could it?
• If I had a dollar for every time Smyth  hit the boards behind the net I’d be rich … or I’d at least I’d be able to buy a nice dinner at Russia House.
• Slava Kozlov?  In the box?  I know one goddess who isn’t going to be happy….
• The skating in this game is crazy!  Crazy good.  Wow!
• Empty net already?  This is sad indeed.
• Wait!  Wow!  One goal game now.  Stewart has been good for us.
• Salei has been a much more dirty player lately.  And I like it.
• Oh!  Almost!  So close!  Yet…..yeah.  :-(
• Final score: 4-3, Atlanta.

1st period, Colorado Avalanche at Atlanta Thrashers (2-24-2009)

• Paul Stastny is back. Now I need to decide who to drop from my fantasy team.
• PP already for Colorado is not good. Only hope is that Budaj is in net.
• Enstrom has a shorthanded goal? What?! Very nice. A bizarre looking goal, but awesome nonetheless. (First career shorthanded goal.)
• It’s very interesting how the Thrashers have all of a sudden been able to score shorthanded.
• I really think it’s time to pick up Rich Peverley in one of my fantasy leagues.
• Ilya looked fantastic vs. Adam Foote.
• Nice to see Darcy Tucker back in the ATL — and still taking penalties.
• It’s getting good baby. Another nice goal.
• Kovalchuk credited for tip in. Not that I saw it, mind you …
• I am absolutely cursing Comcast. F*** YOU for having such horrible service. This entire year I’ve had to watch all of the hockey games on the Center Ice package through pixelating and stuttering and freezing on the feeds. You pay 150 bucks, you should get crystal-clear reception. One day of bad reception I can understand. EVERY night is so not acceptable. Sometimes I think I’d better off just listening to it on the radio.
• I am going to call them now, damn it. Damn them for interrupting my game watching — and making me sit on hold. And messing up my first Blog-Along since November. Grrr…
• OK So I just spent the last 15 minutes on the phone with Comcast begging them to solve our problems. I have a “job number” now and an appointment with the cable guy. You know how it goes, you have to sit there for a five hour window and wait for them to fix something that shouldn’t be a problem in the first place. Double grrr…
• So no blogging from about 13:00 – period end. Thanks Comcast!

Intermission 1, Colorado Avalanche at Atlanta Thrashers (2-24-2009)

• I scrolled back through to see that the team had scored again. Marty Reasoner looking gorgeous scoring there. Plus Slava Kozlov assist.
• What the hell has gotten into this team? Why, now that they are practically mathematically eliminated from playoff contention are they suddenly winning — and racking up goals?
• Peter Budaj is one of my favorite goalies.
• Natalie Taylor, the little cheeseball who does intermission reports, subtracts, rather than adds to broadcasts. I am a female journalist and feel ashamed of her every time I see her. STOP SMILING! You look like a deranged Cheshire cat. It was so much nicer when they made Darren Eliot hustle downstairs for the intermission interviews on that West Coast roadtrip. SportSouth, I am begging for mercy here. STOP NATALIE TAYLOR. She’s a twit. Get a female journalist — a real one. Not one who looks like she’s two seconds from jumping the guy she’s interviewing. The Southern accent isn’t helping either. She’s just not professional at all.
• I absolutely love this year’s Thrashers’ marketing piece — that little 30-second clip. “It is the moment of impact … it is making a stand when it’s needed most…” I totally dig that. I wish I could find it on YouTube. For years I thought their TV ads weren’t as good as they could be — or should be — this year’s is really, really good. I think it does a good job of conveying the intensity and toughness of the game, while showcasing the players. I find it somewhat intriguing that they used Johan Hedberg and not Kari Lehtonen as the goalie in that spot.
• I’d still like to see a little more selling of the personalities on the team. Exelby would do a fabulous job at this. But while I hold my breath for that, I’ll take this very well done ad.
• Speaking of selling the game in Atlanta, I would love to see Anson Carter, not just back in the league, but on the Thrashers. He’s good looking, he owns his own hip-hop music label, he’s personable and funny, he’d just be a great marketing piece to appeal to a hugely important demographic in Atlanta — black fans — a demographic that really is overlooked. He’s a talented player that I think could fit in in Atlanta. I’ve thought that for a long time. And with this management’s penchant for penny-pinching, bringing in an aging NHLer who is out of the league and playing in Switzerland right now — well, that sounds right up their alley. On the other hand, let’s remember, too, he’s not that far from a few glorious seasons playing on a line with the Sedins. I’d wager he’s just as good as anyone on our third or fourth lines, but, unlike most of them, he has the potential to appeal to and intrigue a whole new group of fans. Maybe. Just a thought.

2nd period, Colorado Avalanche at Atlanta Thrashers (2-24-2009)

• I predict the Avs will lock it down now. The Thrashers will get frustrated and fall behind.
• I was a cheerleader back in the day. I love real cheerleaders. The Blue Crew are NOT real cheerleaders. So cheesy. Give me a break.
• Let me tell you, the last truly great cheerleading squad I saw was in Denver — the Nuggets cheerleaders are FANTASTIC! Real cheerleading and hot girls. I don’t mind the girlies, but make them have some damn talent other than looking good in the uniform. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be nicer to have little kids shoveling snow? Just a thought.
• Ouch! Ian Laperriere hit by a Kovalchuk slapshot. I do like him very much. He seems like a cool dude.
• I was on a roll before my call to Comcast. Then my husband wanted to watch the first period. So I watched it a second time. Now I’m out of the flow. A little remark on the Marty Reasoner goal in the first period. Slava made the prettiest pass to set it up. He’s so awesome.
  
• I find myself torn. I want the Thrashers to win. I do. But I sure would love for them to get a high draft pick. At this point going on a winning streak doesn’t do them all that much good in the long run.
• Clink! Milan Hejduk scores! Typical Thrashers, just kind of mentally losing it.
• The Little-White-Russian Line lives — except the Russian is Ilya Kovalchuk now. Not Slava.
• Milan Hejduk is one of those players that you forget about. I’m not sure why because he’s so good.
• John Anderson looks thrilled with that Todd White penalty. The Thrashers love to give away leads. They’re so generous.
• Another shorthanded goal? Wow. Go Rich Peverley.
• OK. I am even more convinced that it’s time to pick up Peverley for my fantasy league. But I have so many good centers already. Hmm…
• White could have had a goal right out of the penalty box and it would have been a gorgeous one.
• I enjoy fights. I don’t want us all to just get along.
• Kozzie had a nice blast on the PP.
• Shooting gallery, but no score by Thrash.

Intermission 2, Colorado Avalanche at Atlanta Thrashers (2-24-2009)

• Aren’t intermissions so much nicer when they don’t involve Natalie Taylor?

3rd period, Colorado Avalanche at Atlanta Thrashers (2-24-2009)

• Ryan Smyth is one of my favorite players in the league. He’d be awesome on the Thrashers. He’s got guts.
• Budaj has a great goalie mask. Kari, not so much.
• Good clear Marty.
• Kind of off topic, but damn it’s good to see John Tortorella back in the league. I’m just sorry he’s out of the Southeast and we won’t see him as often. Oh the thought of him versus the New York media makes my mouth water.
• Another Thrashers penalty. They are begging for the Avalanche to step up and take the game from them.
• Zach Bogosian could have had a good one, so could Kovy.
• Clark tackled Kovalchuk.  Penalty.
• I looked at the score and know the result. Way to go Thrashers! You tried to give it away at the end, but hung on.
• Enstrom had a good game.
• Slava does this hilarious congratulate-the-goalie move.  Look for it next time you watch the Thrashers — and see them win.  (Good luck with that!)

In case you were wondering, Goddess Kaatiya was visiting this weekend and we watched a couple of games to give you a unique perspective.  Here are my observations:

Thrashers at Sabres 11-7-08 , 3rd period

- Hedberg in net.  Kari still “under the weather.”  Someone on the Thrasher’s forum said they wondered when he’d be “above the weather.”
-  Kotalik fanned on the rebound. I’m glad I’m not the only one that does this.
-  Which Kovy is a smoother stick handler?  That’s what I want to know.
-  Oystrick who?
-  Kovy is working on a creepy molester moustache today
-  Why does the color guy call Enstrom “Tobi?”
-  Does everyone have a man crash on Hainsey?
-   Slava Kozlov. Dirty Russian.  ;)
-   4-4 Now.
-   Wow. Let’s state the obvious, guys. I think it’s pretty obvious you’d like the Thrashers score next.
-   Left buttock.  What is this?  A medical physical?
-   “Tobi.”  I am beginning to wonder what kind of relationship they have.

Calgary at Chicago 11-9-08

-  Patrick Kane scores.  He is such an adorable young man
-  Ouch, Kiprusoff.  Need I say more?
-  Double ouch.
-  Frost and Brouwer going at it. Who? Yeah, that’s what I was wondering.
-  Ouch, Sharp.  Are you ok?  Sarich – you should know better.
-  Can I say Patrick Sharp is cute without sounding like a puckbunny?  No?  Ok, well I’m going to say it anyway.
-  Oh, linesman hit dead on with a puck.  No sign of life yet.
-  Prust and Walker now go at it.  Hey boys, lets stop the dancing.  Start throwing them or stop torturing us.
-  Oh, Kipper.  I even feel sorry for you tonight.
-  Patrick Kane is so diminutive.  But awesome all the same.  Second star of the game.  First star personality.

3rd period -Atlanta Thrashers at Carolina Hurricanes (11-07-2008)

- Johan Hedberg is so tiny … and cute with his moose mask

- Not a big fan of Darren Eliot. He was kind of a jerk when we called him on the Thrashers post-game show a few years ago. Total homer who refused to allow a negative opinion.

- “Pinching” — the word makes me laugh.

- Ilya and Afinogenov look very similar when they skate.

- There’s a whole lotta spitting going on!

- Darren Eliot calling Enstrom “Toby” throughout the game seems so unprofessional.

- Hainsey is such a weird last name.

- Slava is not a dirty Russian!

- Slava is so cute. I can’t stand it

- Oh the Little-White-Russian line is on fire!

- I think the Thrashers need to take a weekly trip to Fort Benning.

- Way to go Johan! Getting the left buttock on the puck!

- I flunked my first blog-along.

- Yay Thrashers.

2nd period – Calgary Flames at Chicago Blackhawks (11-09-2008)

- I like Cristobal Huet’s mask.

- Patrick Kane just had a great goal and an even greater goal celebration.

- Facewashes rule.