Thrashers end road swing with point at Chicago

By Bud L. Ellis

Down two goals on the road against one of the top teams in the NHL, the Atlanta Thrashers dug deep and entered the Olympic break with momentum.

The Thrashers scored three times in the second period, fought hard through overtime and eventually lost in a shootout Saturday night at Chicago, 5-4. Despite the loss, Atlanta wrapped up a difficult Midwestern road trip with four points in three games.

The burst to close the pre-Olympic part of the schedule moves the new-look Thrashers to within two points of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta traded franchise all-time leading scorer Ilya Kovalchuk and former No. 1 goaltender Kari Lehtonen in separate deals last week.

In Chicago to face the Blackhawks, who are third in the NHL with 85 points, Atlanta fell behind 3-1 in the first. Jim Slater scored at 3:41 of the first before the Blackhawks ripped off three goals in six minutes against Ondrej Pavelec.

But the Thrashers fought back in the second, getting goals from Evander Kane, Max Afinogenov and Tobias Enstrom to take a 4-3 lead entering the final period.

Chicago beat Pavelec early in the third on a Dave Bolland goal to tie the game. In the shootout, Jonathan Toews scored the only goal to give the Blackhawks the win.

Still, it was a strong finish to the pre-Olympic break for Atlanta. The Thrashers resume pursuit of their second playoff berth in franchise history on March 2 at home against Florida.

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Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 11:30 am by bud

Tags: Atlanta Thrashers, Chicago Blackhawks, Dave Bolland, Evander Kane, Florida Panthers, Ilya Kovalchuk, Jim Slater, Jonathan Toews, Kari Lehtonen, Max Afinogenov, National Hockey League, Ondrej Pavelec, Tobias Enstrom

Thrashers turn on power in win over Ducks

By Bud L. Ellis

Fighting to stay afloat in the crowded bottom two-thirds of the Eastern Conference, a power outage was the last thing the Atlanta Thrashers needed.

A three-game, 0-for-13 stretch on the power play hasn’t done anything to enhance the Thrashers’ playoff chances. But Tuesday night, locked in a 1-1 game in the third period with Anaheim at Philips Arena, Atlanta got what it hopes to be a goal that didn’t just win a game, but jump-starts its special teams.

Max Afinogenov popped home a power-play goal 4:03 into the third, breaking a 1-1 tie as the Thrashers won 2-1. The victory keeps the Thrashers on the edge of the eighth and final playoff spot in the East heading into Thursday’s road game at Philadelphia.

Colby Armstrong scored Atlanta’s first goal in the second period. Anaheim lit the lamp later in the second, but Johan Hedberg stopped the Ducks from there, recording 34 saves for the victory.

Starting with the game at Philly, the Thrashers play six of their next eight on the road leading into the Olympic break.

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Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 5:46 am by bud

Tags: Anaheim Ducks, Atlanta Thrashers, Colby Armstrong, Johan Hedberg, Max Afinogenov, Philadelphia Flyers, Philips Arena

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 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

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