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Pair of Thrashers shining after first week of NHL action

A week into the season, there are bound to be a few surprises like Kyle Wellwood and David Vyborny tied for the NHL lead with six points. Or how about Alexander Semin of the Capitals leading the NHL with four goals, including a hat trick, in two games?

Or how about Marc-Andre Fleury posting a .970 save percentage after two starts for the Penguins? But, as they say, the cream will always rise to the top, and as the season progresses we will get a better read on whether or not those who jump out to the early lead can sustain their pace over the course of the long NHL season.

At this point in the season it’s tough to write anything without getting way, way ahead of ourselves. That’s why I have no problem anointing the Atlanta Thrashers as my new favorite to be the 2006-07 Stanley Cup champions.

OK, perhaps I won’t quite go that far, but the Thrashers have early-season momentum and history on their side. It’s true.

But right now the biggest thing the Atlanta Thrashers have going for them is the second-year goaltender, Lehtonen. He logged his first full NHL season in 2005-06 and went 20-15-0 with a 2.94 goals-against average and .906 save percentages. Decent numbers for a rookie on a developing club, but there were some worries that emerged from the effort.

Lehtonen continued his seemingly chronic groin issues, missing two significant stretches of games in the first half. The worry of his groin problems lingered and will continue to be there until he proves he can remain healthy over a long season.

Thus it appears as if the Southeast is going to be a force again. And the Thrashers might have as good a chance as anyone in the bunch.

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