Atlanta Drops Blue Jackets With Four
11/6/09
Associated Press
by Richard Jones
(Atlanta, GA) - What seemed to be a win for the Atlanta Thrashers was overshadowed by a vicious hit that left both teams without a player.
"It was a dirty hit. We know it, they know it, and the league has to do something about it" said Columbus head coach Ken Hitchcock.
- Columbus captain Rick Nash.
Blue Jackets forward Krisitan Huselius was hit from behind during the first moments of the third period and was thrown head first into the boards by Atlanta defenseman Boris Valabik. The following moments caused a frenzy on the ice as a fight broke out between Valabik and captain Rick Nash before the other players on the ice joined the melee.
Nash was pulled away from Valabik who was sent to the locker room early with a game misconduct penalty.
As the rumble continued through on the ice, Columbus' head trainer began to check on Huselius who remained on the ground for a few minutes.
He was then taken off the ice from a stretcher and was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.
In a game that saw Atlanta took a 3-0 lead in the first two periods with goals from Colby Armstrong, Nik Antropov, and Todd White, it was taken over by one unfortunate incident.
Armstrong's goal got it started late in the first period on the powerplay at 18:01 with his third goal of the year.
Todd White doubled the lead at 3:25, followed by Nik Antropov's goal at 15:32 for the 3-0 lead in the second period.
But Columbus scored the consolation goal at the start of the third period with Jared Boll scoring at 4:48.
With a 3-1 deficit going into the later moments of the period, Atlanta once again gave up an unnecessary penalty, this time with Bryan Little getting caught on a hooking penalty.
In a last ditch effort to try to get something out of the game, Columbus pulled goaltender Steve Mason for the extra attacker.
But it backfired as tough man Eric Boulton scored on the empty net at 19:26 for the 4-1 lead to Atlanta and the eventual win over the Blue Jackets.
Although no word has been given on whether any action will be taken against Boris Valabik or the Atlanta Thrashers, an investigation is surely to happen within the next few days.
During the post game interview, the Atlanta Thrashers declined to comment on any questions regarding the hit.