OT goal gives Thrashers win over Dallas

By Bud L. Ellis

One night after a disappointing loss at Florida, the Atlanta Thrashers kept battling.

In the end, the effort paid off. Rich Peverley scored the game-winning goal 1:16 into overtime Thursday night, the Thrashers rebounding to knock off the Dallas Stars 6-5 in overtime at Philips Arena.

Peverley led the offense with a goal and an assist for Atlanta, which moved into fifth place in the Eastern Conference with the victory

Twenty-four hours after giving up a late third-period goal in losing at Southeast Division rival Florida, the Thrashers took advantage of their few chances in the offensive zone. Outshot 47-25, Atlanta got goals in regulation from Peverley, Max Afinogenov, Nik Antopov, Ilya Kovalchuk and Jim Slater.

The win marks the first time in franchise history the Thrashers have beaten the Stars at Philips Arena.

Faced with an onslaught of shots, Ondrej Pavelec was just good enough to earn his first victory in net since late November. Pavelec allowed the game-tying goal to Loui Eriksson with only 72 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, but turned away plenty of good scoring chances for the Stars.

Atlanta plays host to New Jersey Saturday, then welcomes in Montreal on Monday to wrap up a three-game homestand.

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Saturday, December 19, 2009 at 12:01 am by bud

Tags: Atlanta Thrashers, Dallas Stars, Ilya Kovalchuk, Jim Slater, Max Afinogenov, Montreal Canadians, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, Nik Antopov, Ondrej Pavelec, Philips Arena, Rich Peverley

Thrashers struggling on road, lose at Calgary

By Bud L. Ellis

For all their early-season success on the road, the Atlanta Thrashers have found some rough sledding away from Philips Arena.

Atlanta dropped to 1-2 on its current four-game road swing, losing 3-1 Wednesday night at Calgary in a game where the Thrashers couldn’t generate any offense.

Colby Armstrong scored his fourth goal of the season for Atlanta at the 12:27 mark of the third period, scoring off assists off Rich Peverley and Boris Valabik. Armstrong’s goal cut a 2-0 deficit in half, but Atlanta couldn’t draw any closer.

Following a scoreless first period, Calgary posted two goals in the second to grab a 2-0 advantage. Nigel Dawes beat Atlanta goaltender Johan Hedberg 2:09 into the second for the game’s first goal, and Olli Jokinen scored at the 14:28 mark.

Rene Bourque added an empty-net goal with 40 seconds left.

For the Thrashers, who started the season by winning eight of their first 11 road games, Wednesday’s loss followed an ugly 5-2 defeat Monday at Toronto. Atlanta opened the roadtrip with a shootout victory Saturday in Florida.

The Thrashers end the road trip Thursday at Vancouver. The game marks a homecoming for Evander Kane, the Thrashers’ first-round draft pick this season who hails from Vancouver.

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Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 9:29 pm by bud

Tags: Atlanta Thrashers, Boris Valabik, Calgary Flames, Colby Armstrong, Florida Panthers, Johan Hedberg, Philips Arena, Rich Peverley, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks

Thrashers continue road dominance, rally to beat Panthers in shootout

By Bud L. Ellis

For most, there is no place like home. For the Atlanta Thrashers, there is no place like away from home.

The Thrashers improved their stellar road record to 9-2-1, earning a 2-1 shutout victory at Florida to open a four-game road trip.

It looked like Atlanta, which saw its three-game winning streak snapped by the Islanders Thursday night at Philips Arena, was heading to a second-consecutive loss. Stephen Weiss beat Johan Hedberg early in the third period, snapping a scoreless duel between Hedberg and Florida netminder Tomas Vokoun.

But Ilya Kovalchuk found the net with 64 seconds left in regulation, off assists from Max Afinogenov and Toby Enstrom, Kovy’s 16th of the season tying the game at 1-1.

After a scoreless overtime, Rich Peverly scored the game winner in the shootout for Atlanta, which won for the fifth time in its last six outings.

Encouraging for Atlanta is the fact the Thrashers outshot the Panthers 38-31

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Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 11:13 pm by bud

Tags: Atlanta Thrashers, Florida Panthers, Ilya Kovalchuk, Johan Hedberg, Max Afinogenov, National Hockey League, New York Islanders, Philips Arena, Rich Peverly, Stephen Weiss, Toby Enstrom, Tomas Vokoun

Thrashers’ win streak ends with loss to Isles

By Bud L. Ellis

Playing from an unfamiliar position early Thursday night, the Atlanta Thrashers ended up in an unfamiliar position.

Staked to a 1-0 lead midway through the first period, the Thrashers couldn’t build on the quick start as Matt Moulson’s hat trick led the New York Islanders past Atlanta 4-1 at Philips Arena, ending the Thrashers’ three-game winning streak.

The Atlanta offense, averaging nearly 3.5 goals per game so far this season, got the Thrashers out to an early lead. Slava Kozlov scored his fifth, off assists from Bryan Little and Todd White at the 9:01 mark.

Used to playing from behind and starting slow, the Thrashers didn’t handle their reversal of fortune well. In the second, Moulson scored his first goal 1:47 into the period. He then broke the tie with a power play goal with four minutes left in the period.

The Thrashers couldn’t capitalize on a power play midway through the third, and shortly after the Isles killed off the power play, Moulson tipped in a shot to make it 3-1.

John Tavares scored an empty netter with one second left, as the Thrashers ended a three-game homestand on a down note.

Now Atlanta hits the road for a four-game swing, starting Saturday night at Florida. The Thrashers then play Monday at Toronto, Wednesday at Northwest Division leader Calgary, and Thursday at Vancouver.

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Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 9:09 pm by bud

Tags: Atlanta Thrashers, Bryan Little, Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, Matt Moulson, National Hockey League, New York Islanders, Philips Arena, Slava Kozlov, Todd White, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks

Recent surge sparks playoff hopes for Thrashers

By Bud L. Ellis

After losing three games in a row, it appeared maybe the Atlanta Thrashers would revert to their normal form.

But instead, the Thrashers have responded in a way that is atypical of the franchise’s woebegone history.

Atlanta has ripped off four consecutive wins, including a shutout win at Detroit, a furious comeback at Carolina, and a thrilling win against Florida during which Max Afinogenov scored the game-winning goal with five seconds left.

And now, as December dawns, the Thrashers find themselves just seven points behind Washington in the Southeast Division. Atlanta, which takes on the Islanders on Thursday at Philips Arena, looks every bit like a team that wants to stay in the postseason hunt long past Christmas.

The combo of Ondrej Pavelec and Johan Hedberg in goal has been solid (Pavelec posted the shutout win at Detriot; Hedberg shut out the Flyers Saturday night in Atlanta). First-round draft pick Evander Kane has played well beyond his 18 years of age. And of course, Ilya Kovalchuk continues to do his thing on the offensive end.

The Thrashers look like a playoff team. Yes, it’s early December, but this team is played well and getting things done on both ends of the ice.

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Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 10:26 pm by bud

Tags: Atlanta Thrashers, Detriot Red Wings, Evander Kane, Florida Panthers, Ilya Kovalchuk, Johan Hedberg, Max Afinogenov, National Hockey League, New York Islanders, Ondrej Pavelec, Philadelphia Flyers