November 7
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It's a question for which Thrashers coaches and players simply don't have an answer. Why does this team get winning results on the road (5-1-1) and not at home (1-4-0)? "It's still early in the season," Thrashers coach John Anderson said. "It's a bounce here, a bounce there. ... Also, when you are a fragile team thinking about this all the time, I bring this up, there is no point in burying your head in the sand. Maybe it's gotten to them. I don't know." In an effort to gain a little perspective on the issue, we delve inside the statistics to see if they can shed any light. 23 The number of goals scored by the Thrashers away from Philips Arena. They have scored 19 goals at home in two ..."
November 6
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Bill Tiller
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Ever get that strange and unexplainable feeling that you seen this before? Thrashers playing at home…come out of the locker room in the red third jerseys…get down by two or three goals…mount a comeback…end the game with a final furious rally in front of the visitor's goal…but fall just short. Now, was that the Thrashers last game I just described? Was it last Thursday versus Washington? Maybe it was the Thursday before that against, again, Washington? Or was it the Saturday game against San Jose in between the two Capitals game?"
November 6
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The trend continues -- and it's not a good one. The Thrashers again fell behind early, this time by two first-period goals, en route to a 4-3 loss to Columbus on Thursday at Philips Arena. The Thrashers have lost four consecutive at home, each time surrendering first-period goals that put the team in an early hole from which it could never fully recover. The Thrashers (6-5-1) are just 1-4 at home this season. All four losses have come by one goal. Welcome back to Bluesland. "This is the same press conference as the last games at home, and it's disappointing," Thrashers coach John Anderson said. "It's not like we are playing horrible. I think we don't initiate. We wait to see how the game ..."
November 5
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Kari Lehtonen underwent another back surgery on Friday. The procedure was to remove edges of bone that were applying pressure to nerve roots in his back at two locations. The surgery was performed by Dr. Paul Maurer at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. The locations on the back were different than the location of the surgery he had on July 20. The team says he will be sidelined for 6 to 8 weeks. Thrashers had a late optional skate on Wednesday. They start at 1 p.m. We'll need to check the status of Ron Hainsey, who missed both games in Canada. He left last Friday's practice with an undisclosed injury that coach John Anderson said was "day-to-day." I will let you know if I find ..."
November 1
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Bryan Little is one of several Thrashers who will need to pick up his scoring while Ilya Kovalchuk is out with a foot injury. Little had 31 goals last season, but had no goals this year (before Thursday). Coach John Anderson gave the following account as a reason for Little's slow start. "Max [Afinogenov] had [a slow start] a little bit," Anderson said. "I'll give you an example. Max scored that goal [against Buffalo] and then he got on a little bit of a roll. Consequently with [Little], he's had a couple great chances, and some big saves were made against him. This is what confidence does for you. [Against San Jose last Saturday], he had a great chance in front of the net. Instead of ..."
October 31
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Thrashers begin a two-game road trip in Canada on Saturday, losers of four straight games (0-3-1), the past three coming at home. The team returned from a five-game road trip with a 4-1-1 record and leave with a 4-4-1 mark. They have slipped to third in the Southeast Division behind Washington and Tampa Bay and 11th in the Eastern Conference. Here's a look at what has gone wrong during the four-game slide. Early deficits The Thrashers have been outscored 7-2 in the first period in the past four games. Both first-period goals came against Washington on Oct. 22, and the Capitals went on to score three unanswered goals in the second period. "We had horrible starts all three games at ..."
October 30
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Yes, Alexander Ovechkin is that good. The Washington forward scored two first-period goals to lead the Capitals to a 4-3 victory over the Thrashers on Thursday at Philips Arena. Ovechkin, the NHL's leading goal scorer this season, just might be on track for his third straight MVP award. He scored his 12th and 13th goals to put the Capitals ahead to stay. "You can see he can score two goals every single game," Thrashers goaltender Ondrej Pavelec said of Ovechkin. "It's very hard to play against him. Every time he's on the ice, he's a danger. Well, a little bit more." Ovechkin also assisted on the Capitals' third goal, a power-play tally by Brendan Morrison in the second period. Mike Knuble ..."
October 29
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Life without Ilya Kovalchuk begins now. The Thrashers host Washington Thursday, their first game without their star captain Kovalchuk, who is expected to miss four weeks with a broken bone in his right foot. The obvious first question is who will pick up the scoring slack. Kovalchuk has accounted for nine of the team's 28 goals (36 percent) as well as three of the team's nine power-play goals (33 percent). "You've got to score one [goal] to win a game," Thrashers coach John Anderson said. "We've got to pick it up collectively. Hopefully Kozy [Slava Kozlov], Lits [Bryan Little] can score more for sure. Whitey [Todd White] can score more. ... That should help." Nik Antropov, Kozlov and White ..."
October 28
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Ilya Kovalchuk was upbeat, especially for someone with a broken bone in his right foot that will cost him four weeks of the season. "It's very disappointing but it's part of our game," the Thrashers captain said Tuesday. "Injuries happen and I just have to stay positive. That's going to help me recover faster. "I have to be in a good mood. I don't want to bring any negative stuff. I'll cry on my pillow back home but here, I'm fine." Kovalchuk suffered the injury in Saturday's loss to San Jose when he was hit with a shot. He has been placed on injured reserve. When he went down, Kovalchuk was tied for the NHL lead with nine goals and tied for the team lead with 10 points. If out four weeks, ..."
October 27
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The big question was: How good are the Thrashers? The bigger question is: How good are the Thrashers without Ilya Kovalchuk? The high-scoring forward suffered a broken bone in his right foot Saturday night and is expected to miss four weeks, the team announced after its star player underwent a CT scan Monday. The team captain who was tied for the NHL lead with nine goals, Kovalchuk was hit in the foot by a shot during the first period of the 4-3 loss to San Jose. "It's never good when you lose your best player, top scorer, captain," defenseman Zach Bogosian said. "There is not much we can do about it. We just have to come together as a team and step up. That's the bottom line. Everyone ..."
October 26
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It will be at least Monday until the Thrashers know the extent of Ilya Kovalchuk's foot injury. Kovalchuk left Saturday's game against San Jose after being hit in the foot with a shot in the first period. Thrashers coach John Anderson said following the game that Kovalchuk would be further examined by doctors on Monday and the team said Sunday no further information was available."
October 25
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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For Johan Hedberg, every game is a chance to make an impression. Hedberg made his second start of the season, and third appearance, in goal Saturday for the Thrashers against San Jose. He won his first start, against Buffalo last Saturday, and came in for Ondrej Pavelec in Thursday's loss to Washington. He didn't fare as well against the Sharks. He was pulled with the Thrashers trailing 4-1 with 10:41 to play in the second period. "My whole career, I treat every game like an audition," Hedberg said before the game. "You want to play the next game and the game after that. To be able to do that, you have to play well every game." Hedberg had a .964 save percentage, second in the NHL, and a ..."
October 25
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Thrashers lost more than a game Saturday. They lost Ilya Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk took a shot off his foot in the first period and did not return in a 4-3 loss to San Jose. The exact nature and extent of the injury was not immediately known. Thrashers coach John Anderson said Kovalchuk would visit a doctor Monday to determine the next course of action. "He'll have a scan and an X-ray, and we'll figure out what it is," Anderson said. "He was walking, but tentatively, otherwise he would have come back and played." The Thrashers' captain, who entered the game tied for the NHL lead with nine goals, played only 3 minutes, 54 seconds in four shifts. It was another slow start that led to the ..."
October 24
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Goaltender Kari Lehtonen is no closer to returning to the Thrashers than he was soon after offseason back surgery. According to Thrashers general manager Don Waddell, Lehtonen again experienced pain in his legs while rehabbing from July surgery to repair a herniated disc. He recently received another epidural injection to reduce inflammation, and he has stopped skating. Waddell said Friday that Lehtonen is scheduled for another examination by doctors to determine the next course of action. Waddell said he would not label the current situation a setback. "When you are dealing with the back, everyone heals at a different rate," Waddell said. "He is progressing very slowly." Lehtonen signed a ..."
October 24
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It's your Friday morning check-in from Thrashers practice. I'm here way early for the 11 a.m. practice. Another rookie mistake, very light traffic on a Friday. Noah Welch is on the practice ice alone as I type. Some leftover notes from last night's game: - The Little White Russian line were all minus-1. Kozlov had the line's one point, an assist. - The Thrashers were outshot, but only two, 28-26. - The penalty kill did not allow a goal in seven situations. They are now No. 1 in the NHL with a 90.6 kill rate. - The power play converted 2-of-8 chances. They are now in a three-way tie for No. 1 in the NHL - with Calgary and Colorado - with a 28.6 success rate. - Coach John Anderson on the ..."
October 23
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Thursday night the Thrashers got a pair of goals from team captain Ilya Kovalchuk. They got a two point night from Maxim Afinogenov, scoring a power play goal and assisting on one of Kovy's. Nik Antropov was good for a pair of helpers…his fifth and sixth of the season… and Zach Bogosian chipped in with a fine short-handed goal as well. Atlanta held the Washington Capitals to only 28 shots on goal…the first time all season they've held an opponent to under 30, (although they did so in Montreal prior to going into overtime), and the defense kept Alex Ovechkin off the score sheet all night. The power play produced 2 goals on seven chances. The penalty kill unit was perfect on all seven of the ..."
October 23
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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First place will have to wait. The Thrashers allowed three goals in a span of 88 seconds in the second period en route to a 5-4 loss to Washington on Thursday. A win would have moved the Thrashers past the Capitals and put them atop the Southeast Division standings. To make matters worse, the go-ahead goal came from 178 feet away. With the score tied 2-2, Washington killed a Thrashers power play, and defenseman Jeff Schultz sent a clearing pass down the ice from the faceoff dot inside the Capitals' zone. The puck appeared to bounce off a Thrashers player and then take another skip past goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. Washington was up to stay at the 10:20 mark."
October 23
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Little White Russian line is back. Thrashers forward Bryan Little was moved to the second line, joining Todd White and Slava Kozlov, for Thursday's game against Washington. Little, who has no goals and five assists, was skating on the first line with Ilya Kovalchuk and Nik Antropov. The first line is now the Russian trio as Max Afinogenov joined his fellow countrymen. "We are just trying to get everybody going," Thrashers coach John Anderson said. "A couple guys don't have any goals yet, guys that can score. We've been scoring enough goals but you want to have all your assets running at the same time. Maybe a little switch will be a breath of fresh air. Lines aren't set in stone. If we ..."
October 22
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Thrashers return home Thursday -- their first game at Philips Arena in 18 days -- with a 4-1-1 record. It's their best start since the 2006-07 season, when the Thrashers made their only playoff appearance. Here's a quick look at the season so far. *Captain Ilya Kovalchuk is backing his own words. Kovalchuk wanted to see the franchise move in the right direction. He was outspoken about the connection between that and his contract negotiations. So far, Kovalchuk has seven goals through the team's first six games. Last season, Kovalchuk didn't score his seventh goal until the Thrashers' 20th game. *The special teams have excelled. The team's penalty-kill unit has gone from a liability to ..."
October 22
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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You don't just see Ron Hainsey play hockey so much as you hear him. The Thrashers defenseman is vocal, on and off the ice. Quick with a joke or a good-natured jab at a teammate, he is also good for the well-timed word of advice from a veteran player. It's what makes him a leader. There are different kinds of leaders in sports. Some lead by talent. Some lead by example. Hainsey leads by dint of personality."
October 21
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Bill Tiller
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Just gotta be honest with ya, the Thrashers can thank their lucky stars they got out of Montreal with a point…those stars, of course, being Ondrej Pavelec and Colby Armstrong on this night. For most of the game they just seemed out of sync, not the same type of energy and drive they possessed in the previous five. This is especially true on the power play where they were able to produce one whole shot on goal during 6 power play tries…thank you Evander Kane. But, sometimes a team has to find a way to be successful when they are not at their best and the Thrashers worked their way through it to bring home a point via a 2-1 shootout loss to Montreal. That point brings the total to 7 earned ..."
October 20
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Thrashers signed center Rich Peverley to a two-year contract extension Tuesday. The deal is for an average salary of $1.3 million a year. Peverley, 27, is second on the Thrashers in scoring, heading into Tuesday's game in Montreal. He has seven points, including four goals -- second only to Ilya Kovalchuk in both categories. Peverley also leads the team in power play goals (3) and game-winning goals (2) and is tied for the team lead in plus/minus-rating (plus-3)."
October 20
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Thrashers are working on a contract extension for forward Rich Peverley, according to a person familiar with the situation. The new deal is expected to be announced in the next several days."
October 20
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It's not often that Kovalchuk doesn't get a shot on goal but that was the case in the Thrashers' 4-2 win at New Jersey on Friday. The Thrashers captain was shut out. That was not the case , however, in the Thrashers' 4-2 win at Buffalo on Saturday. Kovalchuk took five shots and scored twice. Kovalchuk has seven goals in the first five games and trails only Washington's Alexander Ovechkin for the NHL lead. Ovechkin has nine goals but has played in three more games. Kovalchuk's fast start is in stark contrast to last season. It took him 20 games, until Nov. 25, to reach the seven-goal mark. Both of Kovalchuk's goals in Buffalo were set up when passes found him untended in front of the net. ..."
October 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Thrashers are working on a contract extension with forward Rich Peverley, according to a person familiar with the situation. A deal is expected to be announced within the next several days. Peverley, claimed off waivers from Nashville last season, is second on the team in scoring this year with seven points, including four goals. He trails only Ilya Kovalchuk in both categories. Peverley had 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 39 games after the Thrashers claimed him last season. Kovalchuk's fast start It's not often that Kovalchuk doesn't get a shot on goal but that was the case in the Thrashers' 4-2 win at New Jersey on Friday. The Thrashers captain was shut out. That was not the ..."
October 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The tears still flow when LuAnn Snyder talks about her son, even on this, such a happy occasion. In a tiny town in south Ontario, the Thrashers visited the Dan Snyder Memorial Arena on Sunday. The rink is the fruition of a dream that Dan Snyder never got to see realized: a new community center and ice hockey rink in his hometown, remarkably completed 18 years ahead of schedule. Story continues below ? Six years after the Thrashers forward died in an automobile accident, the rink has been raised and named in his memory. The Thrashers spent an off-day helping to christen the building, officially opened Sept. 11, with a public practice and autograph session. "I think it was cathartic [for our ..."
October 18
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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I made it to Buffalo. No snow on the ground, but it's cold. Plenty of people waiting to see Max Afinogenov when he arrived for the team's optional morning skate. He talked to former teammates and a (very) small media contingent waited for him after practice. He said it was a weird feeling being back in Buffalo. "It was definitely a weird feeling," Afinogenov said. "This was my home for a long time. … I would be a liar if I said I was not [going to be nervous]. Hopefully it will just be at the start of the game and everything will calm down." He will be the top item to my game notes. I also talked to Evander Kane about the goal Friday against Martin Brodeur. Here's what he had to say."
October 18
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Bill Tiller
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The Thrasher won Saturday 4-2. They won Friday 4-2 in New Jersey. They lost 4-2 in Ottawa the game before that and won 4-2 in St. Louis the time before that. Anyone sensing a trend here? Another trend with the Thrashers…beating the Buffalo Sabres. Picking up where they left off last season, when the Thrasher went up against the Sabres four times and came away with two points all four times, Atlanta traveled to western New York and came away with a win. However, unlike last year, this time they didn't even do Buffalo the courtesy of allowing them the consolation point that comes with losing to us in overtime. Like the Thrashers, Buffalo was playing on the tail end of back-to-back games…the ..."
October 17
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Atlanta rookie Evander Kane scored 1:36 into the third period to snap a tie, and Rich Peverley had two power-play goals against Martin Brodeur in the Thrashers' 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night. Doing damage without any contributions on the score sheet from captain Ilya Kovalchuk, the Thrashers shook off a 1-0 deficit in the second period. Ondrej Pavelec made 28 saves in his fourth straight start in place of injured Kari Lehtonen. At this rate, backup Johan Hedberg might not get a chance to play anytime soon. Peverley tied it with his first power-play goal of the night, and pushed the lead to two 5:55 into the third with another man-advantage tally. Peverley has four ..."
October 16
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Christoph Schubert returned to Thrashers practice Thursday while Ilya Kovalchuk and Nik Antropov missed the morning session. Schubert missed the team's past three practices after he returned to Ottawa to gather some personal belongings and get his immigration papers in order. The process was delayed by holidays in the United States (Columbus Day) and in Canada (Thanksgiving) on Monday. The Thrashers claimed the defenseman off re-entry waivers from Ottawa following the start of the season. "It took forever," Schubert said. Schubert said he rode an exercise bike to stay in shape while waiting for his work visa. He plans to play Friday in New Jersey and Saturday in Buffalo. “No one said ..."
October 13
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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One of the biggest reasons for the Thrashers' improved 2-1 start this season has been the goal scoring of star Ilya Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk has five goals through three games. Entering Monday's play, he was tied for second in the NHL with Dany Heatly, Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Patrick Marleau, all one goal behind Mike Richards. All of those players have played two more games than Kovalchuk. Last season, it took Kovalchuk 12 games to reach five goals. He did so with a two-goal effort Nov. 2 against Florida. "I talked to him before he left [at the end of the season] last year and one of the things we talked about was his slow start last year," Thrashers coach John Anderson said. "He ..."
October 12
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It was a nearly perfect night for Eric Boulton. In the Thrashers' season-opening victory Oct. 3, the fourth-line forward made a beautiful pass to set up the team's second goal for a first period assist. Later, with Atlanta clinging to a one-goal lead, Boulton sparked a rally by making quick work of Tampa Bay's Todd Fedoruk in a third period fight. Welcome to the new world of the NHL enforcer. The days when a team kept a player on the roster strictly for his fighting ability are over. The new breed of enforcer better have some offensive skill, too. It's the cause and effect of the rule changes and salary cap instituted by the league following the lockout year of 2004-05. An emphasis was ..."
October 10
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Two games. Two souvenir pucks. It hasn't taken Thrashers rookie Evander Kane long to start collecting mementos of his NHL career. Kane scored his first NHL goal Thursday in the Thrashers' 4-2 win at St. Louis. The No. 4 overall pick in this year's draft, Kane registered his first career point, an assist, in the team's 6-3 season-opening victory last Saturday. Not a bad start for the 18-year-old. Kane's first career goal came with 17:43 gone in the second period. He trailed a play into the St. Louis zone and was the recipient of two crisp passes from Colby Armstrong and Rich Peverley. Kane got the puck on the move in front of Blues goalie Chris Mason and beat him with a quick shot. "It was ..."
October 9
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Thrashers traded prospect Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday for future considerations. The forward, a fourth-round draft pick of the Thrashers in 2005, was sent to the team's AHL affiliate in Chicago during training camp. He appeared in four NHL games for the Thrashers, over two seasons, with one goal and one assist. He recently changed his last name from LaVallee to Smotherman."