December 31
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Nik Antropov was placed on injured reserve before Thursday's game against Boston. He continues to battle what coach Craig Ramsay described as a lower-body injury related to a fall into the net he took last week in Toronto. However, the coach admitted the team is being careful with the forward who had offseason hip surgery. "It's just a little longer recovery than we hoped," Ramsay said. "He's feeling better each day but he had some surgery during the summer. We want to make sure there is nothing going on with that and that he's feeling healthy when he comes back into the lineup." In 35 games, Antropov had 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists). Tim Stapleton was re-called from AHL Chicago to"
December 30
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Nik Antropov will likely miss Thursday's game against Boston and Evander Kane's availability could come down to a game-time decision, according to Thrashers coach Craig Ramsay. Both forwards are battling recent injuries. Antropov missed the past two games after suffering an unspecified injury crashing into the net in a game at Toronto on Dec. 20. He played the following game, but missed last week's game at Boston and did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh for Tuesday's game. Antropov took part in the first 18 minutes of the team's practice Wednesday. Kane was hurt in Pittsburgh after being checked by the Penguins' Aaron Asham early in the third period. He left the game, in which he"
December 22
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Nik Antropov was a game-time decision but the forward was in the Thrashers lineup on Tuesday night against St. Louis. Antropov crashed into the net in Monday night's game against Toronto. He missed several shifts, but finished the game. Antropov and Niclas Bergfors, a healthy scratch in five of the previous six games, took part in the pre-game warm-up before a final decision was made by Thrashers coach Craig Ramsay. With Antropov able to play, Ramsay went with the same lineup he's used in recent games. Ben Eager and Bergfors were the healthy forward scratches. Despite Monday night's 6-3 victory over Toronto, Ramsay is concerned with the mental fatigue of his team. The Thrashers struggled"
November 22
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Nik Antropov must be feeling better. Off-season hip surgery had limited the forward's workouts and slowed him down a bit. But Antropov now has seven points (four goals, three assists) in his last eight games, including a power-play goal in Sunday's win over the New York Islanders. The past two games, Antropov has played at right wing on a line centered by rookie Alexander Burmistrov. "It's only two games,' Antropov said. "We played a little bit better today than we did against Washington [Friday]. We made some plays in the offensive zone and kept the puck. It's still a long way to go to call it chemistry, but we are going to work on it." Under new leadership Since Andrew Ladd was named"
November 2
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Nik Antropov is getting it. The Thrashers center has goals in the past two games – his firsts of the season – and it's all about timing. The big center, coming off a career-high in points, said he is getting more comfortable after being slowed by off-season hip surgery. More importantly, he is also getting a better sense of where he should be in coach Craig Ramsay's system. Antropov cites his goal Saturday in St. Louis. "I have been trying to help guys in the corners instead of being in front of the net or opposite the play," Antropov said. "That goal in St. Louis was a good example. I went into the corner but realized that the play was to pass the puck up top. I stopped, went back in"
September 30
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Nik Antropov doesn't have lofty goals for his first NHL game in nearly six months. The Thrashers center made his exhibition debut Wednesday against Nashville as he continues to return from offseason hip surgery. "Just get my legs back," Antropov said of what he hopes to accomplish in his first action. Antropov dealt with a hip injury much of last season. He finally missed the last two regular season games once the Thrashers were eliminated from playoff contention. Hip surgery and an offseason of rehabilitation followed. "Practice is a practice. You can skate as fast as you can or score 100 goals, nobody cares," Antropov said. "Just get myself back into game situations, the speed, the"
March 25
Toronto Sun
columnist Mike Zeisberger
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You are Nik Antropov. Last summer you were heavily recruited to sign a free-agent deal with the Atlanta Thrashers, a franchise that has never won a playoff game. The man wooing you to Dixie is none other than star forward Ilya Kovalchuk, who calls you singing the virtues of the Thrashers franchise and the direction in which it is headed. You buy the sales pitch. Having been Kovalchuk's teammate with Ak-Bars Kazan of the Russian elite league during the lockout of 2004-05, you ink a four-year, $16-million US deal with the Thrashers. Within days of putting pen to paper, you are being wined and dined by Kovalchuk. Better yet, you are on his line when the '09-10 season kicks off, a harbinger of"
March 18
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Nik Antropov signed with the Thrashers as a free agent last July with the plan to center the team's top line alongside Ilya Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk is gone, traded to New Jersey at midseason, but Antropov, in his stead, is putting up career-best numbers. Antropov had a goal and an assist in Tuesday's win over the Buffalo. Entering Thursday's game with Ottawa, he leads the Thrashers with 59 points, which matches his career-high set last season with Toronto and the New York Rangers. His team-high 40 assists are 10 better than his previous high. His current plus-17 rating is also the best of his career. In the 14 games since Kovalchuk was traded, Antropov has 17 points (six goals, 11 assists)"
December 22
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Thrashers fell 15 seconds short. Montreal got a pair of Marc-Andre Bergeron goals in just over three minutes and stole a 4-3 overtime victory Monday night. Bergeron scored with 45 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime and then the game-winner 2:23 into the 4-on-4 session. "We did exactly what we wanted to do the entire game," Thrashers coach John Anderson said. "It was just one of those games that the hockey gods weren't with us." Bergeron tied the game 3-3 with a power-play goal 24 seconds after Thrashers defenseman Zach Bogosian was called for hooking. He later slapped the game-winner past Thrashers goaltender Johan Hedberg. "It was just a one-timer that snuck through,""
July 3
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The text message might have been the best part. After Thrashers general manager Don Waddell signed unrestricted free agent Nik Antropov on Thursday, his cellphone buzzed with a message from Ilya Kovalchuk. Great job" it read. A whirlwind week in the Thrashers' offseason continued with the signing of Antropov to a reported a four-year, $16 million contract. The Thrashers did not disclose terms of the contract. Antropov gives the Thrashers a top-6 forward, an offseason priority. They also traded for top-4 defenseman Pavel Kubina on Wednesday and drafted nine players last weekend, including forward Evander Kane. The No. 4 overall pick could make the NHL roster next season. "Antropov really"