Thrasher Coach Challenges Team

Bob Hartley had seen enough.

The Atlanta Thrashers are in a desperate final push to make their first playoff appearance, yet they came off the Madison Square Garden ice last Sunday night down two goals after a second period in which they were outshot, 18-3, by the New York Rangers.

To say their coach was upset would be an understatement.

“I tried to stir the pot a little bit,” Hartley said.

He challenged his club and it worked perfectly.

Ronald Petrovicky cut the deficit to 2-1 at 7:05 of the third, and Ilya Kovalchuk tied the game with his career-best 42nd goal with 4:41 left in regulation.

Kari Lehtonen, who kept the Thrashers in it by making 16 saves in the second period, didn’t allow another goal. He stopped seven shots in the third and one in overtime before Marc Savard won it on a power play 2:45 into the extra session.

“I told them point blank that if they didn’t think we could be a playoff team then they can stay in the locker room,” Hartley said. “Right now, we are at the stage where a point can be a difference.”

They got two in New York and entered this weekend only one behind eighth-place Montreal in the race for the final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference.

Thrasher General Manager Don Waddell has promised that this is the year they will finally make it. Atlanta slowed down the hard-charging New York Islanders with a 4-2 win on Thursday night that kept New York from moving into a ninth-place tie.

“Right now we control what we do,” Hartley said. “We keep our eyes on what is going on around the league but I like the way my team performs. We never quit.”

That is proven by their success when trailing. In the first 28 games in which the Thrashers entered the third period in a hole, they came out with an impressive five wins and managed a point in two overtime losses.

It’s nice to know they can rally, but the Thrashers don’t want to count on that.

“It’s a 60- or 65-minute game, so if you don’t score the first little while, hopefully you score at the end,” forward Bobby Holik said. “We don’t want to be behind two goals every time. Sooner or later you’re not going to come back.”

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What a week it was for Olli Jokinen. Take that back, what a month the Florida Panther forward is enjoying.

After capturing a surprising silver medal with Finland at the Turin Olympics, Jokinen came back to the Panthers and didn’t miss a beat -- notching seven goals and five assists in his first seven games.

While facing free agency at the end of the season and the distinct possibility he’d be traded away by the non-playoff team he’s spent the past five seasons with, Jokinen didn’t take his troubles to the ice.

Jokinen skated off with NHL player of the week honors after posting five goals and four assists in four games. He capped it off by signing a four-year, $21-million deal that kept him with the Panthers just a few hours before last Thursday’s trading deadline.

“It’s always tough, as a player, you never know where you’re going to end up,” the eight-year NHL veteran said. “I was hoping we could get the deal done, and both sides really worked hard.

“For me it felt like if I would be traded, it would be like I would just throw the towel on the floor as well. I haven’t played in the playoffs in my career and I want to bring Florida to the playoffs.”

But he can’t do it alone.

Jokinen entered the weekend with 32 goals and 39 assists in 65 games, but the Panthers sat in 13th place -- 10 points away from the playoff cutoff.

If Florida is going to build for the future they now have to lock up goalie Roberto Luongo with another lucrative contract. The 26-year-old netminder turned down a five-year contract worth $30 million and can become a restricted free agent after this season.

After another year, he can become unrestricted.

“It’s not just about me or Louie, it’s about overall the people who we’ve got in the locker room,” Jokinen said. “I’m confident that this team can be a playoff team, should be a playoff team, and I’m confident that [General Manager] Mike Keenan and [Coach] Jacques Martin are going to bring the people over here who can help us next year.

“That was a main factor why I re-signed over here. You know, it’s up to us. We’re going to play here the rest of the year, and if we keep winning, I think it’s not going to be a problem for Louie to sign here.”

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Don’t look now, but here come the San Jose Sharks.

A slow start left the 2004 Western Conference finalists four games under .500 heading into December, but a recent rush has them within striking range of a playoff spot.

Joe Thornton has led the way and even caught New York Ranger forward Jaromir Jagr atop the NHL scoring race.

So when General Manager Doug Wilson pulled off two minor deals before last week’s trade deadline -- basically sending forward Niko Dimitrakos to Philadelphia for rugged winger Ville Nieminen -- he did so with the playoffs in mind.

“We are in the race, there’s no question about that,” Wilson said.

Heading into the weekend, the Sharks were riding a four-game winning streak that put them just one point behind ninth-place Anaheim and three in back of the Vancouver Canucks -- who were holding the final postseason position.

The Canucks were lauded around the NHL last week for being the big trade-deadline winners but they went 0-3-1 once the dealing stopped.

“There’s always a transition period,” Wilson said. “We’ve played pretty well for a while. Unfortunately we put ourselves in a bit of a hole earlier in the year and now we’re just trying to play up to our capabilities and see where it leads us.”

It could be eighth place, or as high as sixth. Edmonton sat four places ahead of San Jose, yet the teams were separated by a mere five points.

The Oilers also upgraded significantly by adding goalie Dwayne Roloson and forward Sergei Samsonov but have stumbled to a 2-3 mark since.

With about 20 games to go in the season, the race should tighten as every contest from here on out will be played within each conference.

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Four years before it hosts the Winter Olympics, Vancouver is receiving the NHL spotlight.

Vancouver already was slated to be the site for this year’s entry draft, and two days before the league welcomes its newest players it will reward those who starred this season.

The NHL will hold its annual awards dinner June 22 at the Centre in Vancouver and will hand out the Hart Trophy (MVP), the Norris Trophy (top defenseman), Vezina Trophy (top goalie), Calder Trophy (rookie of the year), Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct), Selke Trophy (top defensive forward), Adams Award (coach of the year), Masterton Trophy (perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey) and the King Clancy Trophy (leadership and humanitarian contribution to his community).

The NHL All-Star and All-Rookie teams also will be announced.

For the 23rd year, the NHL has partnered with the Canadian Diabetes Association. The televised awards show, which started in 1984, has raised more than $3.5 million for the CDA in support of diabetes research and education.

This is the first time the ceremony will be held outside Toronto.