The Atlanta Thrashers finally activated goalie Kari Lehtonen on Monday, in time for their game against the Montreal Canadiens, a team the Thrashers need to jump over in order to reach the 8th playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. So, why didn't they let Lehtonen get the start? Michael Garnett may be the best player in the NHL right now.

Who's Michael Garnett, you ask? He was the runner-up for NHL defensive player of the week for the week preceding Dec 19. Ironically, Garnett was beaten out for defensive player of the week by Roberto Luongo, goalie for the Panthers. During the week for which the award was given, Garnett outdueled Luongo for a 2-1 victory by the Thrashers.

Since that week, Garnett has picked up two shutouts, and only allowed 5 goals over the last three games. Both shutouts came against teams that the Thrashers needed to beat in order to get into the playoff hunt. Garnett outdueled future hall of famer Marin Brodeur to a 1-0 victory, and held the Montreal Canadiens scoreless, the team that currently holds the 8th playoff spot, and is just one position above the Thrashers.

What's even more exciting for the Thrashers is that Garnett is doing these things in order to hold on to his job. Kari Lehtonen was the heir apparent to the Thrashers goal coming in to the season, and Garnett was not even in the picture, but because of injuries to Lehtonen and a host of other potential netminders for the Thrashers, Garnett was called upon, knowing his time was likely limited. But he's making the best of it, as he now holds the record for the longest scoreless streak by a goaltender in team history, and has lead the team to a franchise best 8 game point scoring streak. At this rate, the Thrashers are right in the mix for a playoff spot for the first time in team history.

Not to overshadow the rest of the team's play. I should note that this team is playing its best hockey in its sixth seasons of existence. I was at the game last night against Montreal, and the team played with an aggressivenes and pushed Montreal around the ice, while dominating essentially every aspect of the game. The Thrashers penalty kill was fantastic and the power play was great, as it has been all season long. The defenders were always in position to pick up loose pucks in front of the net, and the forwards and pointmen battled hard to keep the puck in their offensive zone all night.

Michael Garnett may not be the starter in Atlanta for too much longer, as he is likely to be replaced by Lehtonen as soon as he faces a tough game, but the Thrashers are becoming a cohesive unit, and with the return of the goalie who was supposed to put them over the top, its amazing to think of where this team is headed.

After a shutout victory by the Atlanta Thrashers over the New Jersey Devils, the Thrashers have now scored 12 out of a possible 14 points in their last 7 games. They have done this by defeating the best team in the league in Detroit, and by beating the teams just ahead of them in the playoff hunt in the eastern conference. This is exactly how this team has to perform if they expect to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, now in their sixth NHL season.

Garnett's goaltending has improved dramatically as the season has progressed, but he is supposed to be playing in the Thrasher's minor league system. Kari Lehtonen is set to return next week, and the excitement about the Thrashers is growing. With Garnett's recent performances, and Lehtonen's ability, the Thrashers could be as good as any team in the NHL, as their offense has shown it can play with anyone, taking the Red Wings to a 7-6 final. The power play is among the best in the league, and Marc Savard may be the most underrated player in the NHL. In fact, I believe Savard may be a lot of the reason Ilya Kovalchuk performs as well as he does. Savard offers a veteran's knowledge along with amazing talent. He knows how to score on his own, but he knows even better when to get the puck to his linemates, specifically Kovalchuk.

If this team is to perform well enough to reach the playoffs, it will fall squarely on the shoulders of the goaltenders. If injuries continue to haunt the Thrashers, they will have no chance at the playoffs, as it is unlikely Garnett will continue to maintain the streak he is currently on, but if Lehtonen can come back in from his groin injury and show that he is as good as the hype, the Thrashers should be in the playoffs for the first time, and could be a seriously dangerous team.

When Michael Vick hit Justin Griffith for a short touchdown pass in the first quarter, the Falcons were rolling on Tampa Bay, and then the defense came out, and Tampa Bay tied the game. The Bucs soon after take the lead thanks to a fumble by the Falcons offense.

Then the Falcons defense creates two turnovers, pro-bowlers Deangelo Hall and Keith Brooking each intercept passes from Chris Simms, setting up 10 points, and the Falcons take the lead.

The defense then held tough, but the offense couldn't put Tampa Bay away. A touchdown early in the second half, and this game gets cemented early. An endzone pass to Roddy White resulted in an incomplete pass after instant replay and the Falcons could not score again until after Tampa Bay tied the game at 17. Now, all the defense has to do is stop Tampa Bay in the final 2:00 minutes from getting into the endzone, but of course, Patrick Kerney's fingertips are not quite enough to tackle Carnell Williams from behind, and the game is tied and overtime ensues.

The Falcons then make a great play, forcing a special teams fumble and getting great field position, only to see their field goal attempt get blocked.

The defense then blows the game by allowing Tampa Bay to march down the field, but after a missed field goal by Matt Bryant, the Falcons seem energized, and Alge Crumpler makes a quick reception for 26 yards, and the Falcons are in business. But then Michael Vick slips and is sacked for a long loss, and the Falcons possession is over. After stopping Tampa Bay once, the offense sputters again, and Tampa Bay gets the ball with great field position on a punt return with under 1:00 to play. A couple quick plays, and Matt Bryant gets another shot at the game winning field goal, and he won't miss this one.

The Falcons were always just one play away from ending this game. A catch in the endzone, Vick protecting the football as he dives forward for a few yards, the defense making a key tackle. This has been the story of the second half of the Falcons season, and that is why they are not going back to the playoffs.

The Atlanta Falcons have as many or more pro bowlers on their roster as every team not from Indiana. This is mostly what I would have expected to see from the Falcons coming into this season, and especially after a week 1 victory over the Eagles, which should have been the anointing of the Falcons as the class of the NFC. However, the performance of the team as a whole has been a serious disappointment and with these six guys (Vick, Dunn, Crumpler, Brooking, Coleman, and Hall), the Falcons should have a record that leads them to a playoff spot, rather easily.

There is a quarterback, a running back, a tight end (receiver/blocker), a defensive linemen, a linebacker, and a defensive back. Only the offensive linemen is missing (however Dunn's and Crumpler's blocking ability nearly makes up for that) and Kynan Forney could not have been far behind in the voting for OL.

Sure, Vick maybe doesn't deserve this trip to the pro bowl, but fact is, he has the ability to dominate any game, any week. The performances he showed in the Falcons first four primetime games earned him quite a bit of votes, as did the early season start for the Falcons.

So, if the Falcons have six pro bowlers on their roster, why are they a lock for a playoff spot? Easy answer is they are underachieving. This team was thought to be the NFC's elite team after knocking off the Eagles on Monday night to start the season, but things just haven't quite clicked for them. Sure, there have been injuries on defense (Ed Hartwell, Brady Smith to name a few), but this team has loads of ability. On both sides of the ball, youth is seen all over the field. But, each of those players were on the roster when this team was 6-2, and each of those players played in the games that lead the Falcons to lose 4 of their next 6 games. Simply, they are underachieving.

Downtown Atlanta has hosted its share of premiere sporting events. The area is commonly considered a prime location for many of these events because of the attractions and accomodations of the local area, which has undergone a major renovation over the past decade.

Among the major tourist attractions of the area include the Centennial Olympic Park (a reminder of the very successful 100th anniversary of the modern Olympic games), and the CNN center, home to the country's largest cable news network. Throw in the newly opened Georgia Aquarium (world's largest aquarium), and the future location of the World of Coca-Cola Musuem, and the entire area is a bustling tourists dream. The Atlanta Chamber of Commerce even sits above the Centennial Park, as if symbolizing the increased revenues that the city receives when major sporting events select this area for its events.

Just north of this downtown area is Georgia Tech's campus, a prime location to see ACC football and basketball. The Varsity, just a block from campus and two blocks from the football stadium is one of the nation's top quick-service restaurants, a sports fanatics dream, fast, greasy food.

The Georgia World-Congress Center is the city's largest convention center, and is a fabulous location to house many fan fest events, like those held for the Peach Bowl, Super Bowls, SEC championships, and all-star games. Even the MLB all-star fan fest was held here despite the fact that Turner Field is miles away.

Phillips Arena, directly adjacent to the CNN Center and a major stop along Atlanta's MARTA west line, is home to both the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers. While both have been struggling franchises for many years, the Arena is first-rate and has recently hosted the NBA all-star game and was selected to host to the lockout-cancelled NHL all-star game.

The Georgia Dome is a large facility that hosts some of the most exciting events in Atlanta. The home of the Atlanta Falcons for over 10 years now, this dome hosted both the basketball and gymnastics events in the Olympics that both resulted in gold medals for the United States. The Super Bowl has been played on the Dome's artificial turf many times and is annually among the finalists for Super Bowl Host contention. The SEC has commonly played both its football and basketball championship events inside the dome, and the Final Four for both Men's and Women's basketball have been played here as well. The Sugar Bowl, a major BCS bowl game is also being played here as a substitute location for the Katrina damaged Superdome in New Orleans.

The major renovations to this local area have made Atlanta one of the premiere cities in the country to host major sporting events. Because of the tourist attractions within walking distance of these sporting venues, the city should continue to be among the many considered to host these events for years to come.