November 20
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Max Afinogenov could be the Thrashers' biggest offseason acquisition. Afinogenov helped the Thrashers earn a point in Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to Boston. The speedy forward scored with 41.4 seconds remaining in the third period to force overtime. However, the Thrashers had their four-game win streak snapped when Boston's Patrice Bergeron scored the lone goal of the shootout. The game-tying goal was Afinogenov's eighth of the season, not bad for a player who made the Thrashers' roster on a pro tryout. "I don't know about that," Afinogenov said when asked if he was the team's biggest offseason pickup. "I just try to do my job and play my best." In the shootout, Rich Peverley, Slava ..."
November 20
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It took the Thrashers most of last season to adjust to coach John Anderson's system. While Anderson admits the team still isn't "firing on all cylinders," the Thrashers are off to a much better start this season and are 10-6-2 after Thursday's shootout loss to Boston. Last season the Thrashers were 7-9-2 through 18 games, which included a five-game win streak. "It's one thing [for players] to do what the coaches say, but it's another to do it in a natural way, so that one- or two-tenths of a second can mean the difference between scoring a goal or blocking a shot," Anderson said Thursday morning. "Little things like that. ... It takes a little bit of time to get hitting on all cylinders. I ..."
November 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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As the Thrashers continue to use their two-goalie rotation of late, Ondrej Pavelec will start Thursday against Boston, and Johan Hedberg is scheduled to start Saturday against Pittsburgh. "It makes tough decisions, but that means that's a good thing," Thrashers coach John Anderson said Wednesday of the goalie rotation. "You've got a tough decision to make on two good players. If you see our schedule, they'll both get time." The Thrashers have won four consecutive games, with Hedberg (4-1) starting three of them. Hedberg is tied for sixth in the NHL with a .923 save percentage (entering Wednesday's games) and has a 2.63 goals-against average. Against Pittsburgh, he will face the team for ..."
November 18
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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There has been an adjustment period for Nik Antropov. The forward was moved to the center position, after playing right wing the past several years, when he signed with the Thrashers as a free agent last offseason. But once there, he encountered a convenient truth: centering the top line with Ilya Kovalchuk and Max Afinogenov can make the transition easier. Antropov has 16 point this the season, all of them on assists. He has set up five of Kovalchuk's 12 goals and three of Afinogenov's seven. Four assists have come on Rich Peverley goals. He has also set up goals by four different defenseman. However, Antropov is without a goal himself. He is one of three Thrashers - all of them forwards ..."
November 16
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It took Slava Kozlov 17 games to get his first goal of the season. It couldn't have come at a better time. Kozlov's tie-breaking goal with 8:01 remaining gave the Thrashers a 3-2 victory over Edmonton on Sunday. It was Atlanta's fourth straight win and third in the last four days. "It's very exciting," Kozlov said. "First one for me and game-winning for the team. It's a huge win for us. It was a slow start for me and hopefully I'm going to pick it up." The Thrashers (10-6-1, 21 points) moved into second place in the Southeast Division, behind Washington, and are tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference. More importantly, the Thrashers improved to 4-4 at home, winning three straight at ..."
November 16
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Pavel Kubina missed Sunday's game against Edmonton with what the team announced as "lower body soreness." The defenseman missed time at the end of Friday's win over Los Angeles after he was hit by a shot. Thrashers coach John Anderson said following the game that Kubina was "day-to-day." Forward Bryan Little was the Thrashers other scratch. He missed his second straight game with a groin injury. *The Thrashers first two captains were in town with Edmonton. The Thrashers first captain, Kelly Buchberger, is in his second year as an assistant coach with the Oilers. Buchberger, who scored the Thrashers' first franchise goal, was captain for the inaugural 1999-2000 season. Steve Staios ..."
November 15
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It wasn't the original plan to put Max Afinogenov with his Russian speaking counterparts on the Thrashers' top line. But he earned his way there -- quickly. The castoff from Buffalo, who made the Thrashers' roster on a pro tryout, has six goals and 10 assists this season. Three of the goals were highlight-reel worthy, prime examples of Afinogenov's speed and puck-handling skills. Along with Ilya Kovalchuk and Nik Antropov, the trio has developed into a potent scoring line for the Thrashers. Kovalchuk (17 points) and Afinogenov and Antropov (16 points each) are second and tied for third on the team in scoring. They have combined for six goals and seven assists in the past two games since ..."
November 14
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Thrashers proved two things Friday night. They can score and they can fight. The Thrashers scored four times - on four straight shots -- in a span of 5:04 of the second period en route to a 7-0 victory over Los Angeles at Philips Arena. A mere 42 seconds after the fourth goal a fight erupted that saw all 10 skaters - in five pairings - squaring off. The two biggest battles were won by Thrashers. Chris Thorburn landed several big blows on Raitis Ivanans, and Jim Slater pummeled Brad Richardson. Ilya Kovalchuk, Max Afinogenov and Evander Kane all scored twice for the Thrashers (9-6-1, 19 points), who won for the third straight time. It was also their second straight home win after losing ..."
November 14
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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All Ilya Kovalchuk needed was proof that he had not re-injured his foot. After that, he was on the Thrashers' plane bound for New York. Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Rangers, his first game in nearly three weeks after breaking a bone in his right foot. After skating Monday for the first time since suffering the injury, and again Tuesday, Kovalchuk appeared ready to return. However, he left before Wednesday's practice after experiencing pain. He made a trip to the doctor and the team announced that his return to the lineup would be delayed. Good thing the team charter was delayed. Kovalchuk had an X-ray and was assured by doctors he had not re-injured ..."
November 11
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Ilya Kovalchuk will not be in the Thrashers lineup Thursday against the New York Rangers. The Thrashers captain experienced soreness in his right foot warming up prior to practice on Wednesday, according to head coach John Anderson, and left the ice. After calling Kovalchuk's return to the lineup a "game-time" decision following the practice, the organization made the decision hours later that he would not travel to New York. His return for Friday's home game against Los Angeles has not been ruled out. The organization said the soreness was not considered a setback. Kovalchuk has missed nearly three weeks with a broken bone near the top of his foot. He skated for the first time since the ..."
November 11
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Ilya Kovalchuk is indeed a fast healer. The Thrashers' captain appears ready to return to the lineup less than three weeks after breaking a bone in his right foot. Coach John Anderson told the AJC that he is "95 percent" sure that Kovalchuk will play Thursday against the New York Rangers. Kovalchuk went through a full team practice Tuesday. The forward skated Monday, an off-day for the team, for the first time since the injury. "We'll see how it feels [Wednesday] and take it from there," Kovalchuk said. "If it's sore, I'll take it easy. If it's going to be good, I'll skate with the team again." Kovalchuk said he would consult with team trainers Wednesday about his status. He participated ..."
November 10
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Thrashers are getting goals in Ilya Kovalchuk's absence - most of it from their defensemen. The team's last seven goals have come from blueliners. Kovalchuk, the franchise leader in goals, assists and points, has missed the last two weeks with a broken bone in his foot. In the six full games without their captain, the Thrashers are 3-3. During that span, the team has 12 goals from defensemen and seven from forwards -- which means 63.2 percent of the offense has come from the defense. After forward Bryan Little scored in the second period against Columbus on Thursday, the Thrashers have gotten goals from: Tobias Enstrom and Pavel Kubina against the Blue Jackets; Zach Bogosian, Kubina ..."
November 9
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Thrashers have been waiting almost three weeks for the puck to bounce their way. It finally did on Sunday. Ron Hainsey knuckled in the game-tying goal, and the Thrashers went on to a 3-2 shootout win over St. Louis. The victory snapped a four-game home losing streak that dated back to Oct. 22 against Washington. In that game, the Capitals scored on a 178-foot shot that took three bounces before ending up in the back of the Thrashers' net. "Remember I said that three weeks ago when Washington scored that goal," Thrashers coach John Anderson said. "You hope it evens out. Thank goodness it was tonight." As has been their recent history, the Thrashers fell behind early. They trailed 2-0 ..."
November 9
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Thrashers were willing to try anything to break their four-game home losing streak. Coach John Anderson shuffled his offensive lines and defensive pairings in Sunday's 3-2 shootout win over St. Louis. Evander Kane was moved back to the line with Marty Reasoner and Colby Armstrong. Rich Peverley centered a line with Nik Antropov and Max Afinogenov. The line of Slava Kozlov, Todd White and Bryan Little was also reunited. The fourth line of Eric Boulton, Jim Slater and Chris Thorburn remained intact. On defense, the duo of Zach Bogosian and Tobias Enstrom were split. Bogosian skated with Ron Hainsey, and Enstrom was paired with Pavel Kubina."
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 ..."