<p>One year ago, when the young Atlanta Thrashers ended their season on an upswing, optimism was so high that general manager Don Waddell proclaimed, "I wish we had another month left."</p><p>Another season ended Saturday night with Atlanta again left out of the playoffs, and this time the Thrashers wish they could give one month back.</p><p>"What cost us is that bad month," goaltender Pasi Nurminen said.</p><p>In a January that will haunt the team through the offseason, the Thrashers were 2-9-3. Suddenly a team that had been 19-14-3-1 and in first place in the Southeast Division on Dec. 26 fell out of first and out of the playoff standings, derailing the momentum that began with the strong finish to the 2002-03 season.</p><p>"The wheels came off the wagon and it seems we couldn't stop it," said Coach Bob Hartley. "Obviously, that cost us a spot in the playoffs. Momentum is a very big thing and we lost it. By the time we got back to it, we were out of the picture."</p><p>The Thrashers missed the playoffs for the fifth straight year but again posted their best record, setting team highs with 33 wins _ two more than last season _ and 78 points.</p><p>The season ended with a 2-1 win over Tampa Bay _ the team that shot past the Thrashers in the Southeast Division standings to finish with the best record in the Eastern Conference.</p><p>The Thrashers were in the playoff race until late in the season, but the fifth-year franchise no longer can take solace in making a run for the postseason. Instead, the Thrashers will look back at the month that crushed their playoff hopes and attempt to avoid similar troubles next season as they again try for their first playoff appearance.</p><p>"What cost us that bad month?" Nurminen asked. "Was it are we getting satisfied? Are we getting tired? Are we getting injured?"</p><p>Said Hartley: "I think we hit the wall more than we got satisfied. I think we faced adversity and we could have been better, but still I think it's a learning process. I think that maybe in the first part of the season, maybe we got more from those players than we could possibly expect."</p><p>The defining moment of the season may have been the Sept. 29 car wreck that killed center Dan Snyder and left star Dany Heatley with a broken jaw and torn knee ligament. Heatley missed 51 games before returning in late January when the team already was engulfed in the devastating slump.</p><p>Heatley played well after his return and teams with Ilya Kovalchuk to give the Thrashers two of the top young scorers in the league.</p><p>With his 41st goal of the season against Tampa Bay, Kovalchuk tied Rick Nash of Columbus for the NHL lead. Jarome Iginla of Calgary had 40 goals entering Sunday's final regular-season game at Anaheim.</p><p>Kovalchuk and Heatley are the foundations of the franchise. The team also believes it has made goaltending a strength with the play of Nurminen and the late-season play of Kari Lehtonen, who made 29 saves in the win over Tampa Bay.</p><p>Lehtonen won all four career starts for Atlanta after being recalled from the minors March 12, and he matched Nurminen's team record of four straight wins set in November.</p><p>"I think we have to give the kid a chance," said Hartley of Lehtonen. "The kid still has a lot of learning to do, and he's only 20 years old. I think he has a lot to offer, also. He's just a baby, and I think with Pasi we're going to be set for many years to come, and things are looking bright for us."</p><p>The death of Snyder cast a cloud over the season. The players paid tribute to their teammate by keeping Snyder's locker all season and hanging his jersey in the locker even on road games. The players also wore patches with Snyder's number.</p><p>Also, the team will present the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy each year to the Thrashers' unsung hero. Defenseman Garnet Exelby won the first Snyder Trophy in a pregame ceremony before the team's final home game Friday.</p><p>Even though a year ago he said there would be "no more excuses" for not making the playoffs, Waddell said, "this is the proudest I've ever been to be associated with a team."</p><p>Said Waddell: "For all the adversity we've had this year, I can't say enough about the character they showed all year."</p><p>The Thrashers were 7-5-2-2 in their final 16 games.</p><p>"We're learning," Nurminen said. "Last year we had a great run at the end. This year we had a great start, and I think we had a pretty good ending, too."</p>
