About the Thrashers - 11-13-10
A preview of the Thrashers.
When and where: 7 p.m., Philips Arena.
TV: FSN Pittsburgh. FSN South.
Record: 7-6-3, 17 points. The Thrashers are are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and third place in the Southeast Division.
Leading Scorer: Andrew Ladd (right), 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists).
Last Game: 5-1 home win against the Wild, Thursday. Ladd and Fredrik Modin each had a goal and an assist for the Thrashers.
Last Game against the Penguins: 1-0 home win, April 10. Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves for the Penguins.
Thrashers Player We Would Bet Money On Scoring: Niclas Bergfors. As a rookie last season, he had eight points in six games against the Penguins.
Ex-Penguins on the Thrashers: Chris Thorburn, RW.
Ex-Thrashers on the Penguins: Jason Botterill, assistant general manager; Pascal Dupuis, RW; Todd Reirden, assistant coach.
Useless Thrashers Trivia Vaguely Related to the Penguins: Former Penguins forward Marian Hossa holds the Thrashers single-season record for shorthanded goals. He has seven in 2005-06.
Best Thrashers Video We Could Find: Former Penguins forward Billy Tibbetts helping former Thrashers forward Darcy Hordichuk to his seat on the bench:
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Probable goaltenders: For the Penguins, who knows. Either Marc-Andre Fleury (2-6-0, 3.23 GAA, .860 SV%) or Brent Johnson (6-2-1, 2.11 GAA, .927 SV%). For the Thrashers, Ondrej Pavelec (1-1-2, 2.34 GAA, .931 SV%).
Injuries: For the Penguins, forward Jordan Staal (hand) and defenseman Alex Grant (wrist) are on injured reserve. For the Thrashers, forward Jim Slater (undisclosed) is probable. Forward Bryan Little (concussion and facial lacerations) is day to day. Forward Patrice Cormier (foot) is on injured reserve.
Potential lines and defensive pairings:
-The Penguins' primary lines and defensive pairings in last night's game against the Lightning were:
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Pascal Dupuis
Matt Cooke - Evgeni Malkin - Arron Asham
Chris Conner - Mark Letestu - Tyler Kennedy
Mike Rupp - Maxime Talbot - Craig Adams
Zbynek Michalek - Paul Martin
Kris Letang - Brooks Orpik
Alex Goligoski - Deryk Engelland
-According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Thrashers primary lines in practice yesterday were:
Ben Eager - Nik Antropov - Fredrik Modin
Andrew Ladd - Rich Peverley - Niclas Bergfors
Evander Kane - Bryan Little - Anthony Stewart
Eric Boulton - Alexander Burmistrov - Chris Thorburn
-Their primary defensive pairings Thursday against the Wild were:
Dustin Byfuglien - Tobias Enstrom
Johnny Oduya - Zach Bogosian
Ron Hainsey - Brent Sopel
-Byfuglien is used as a forward in a lot of situations.
Notes:
-Arron Asham has 99 career assists.
-Little is expected to return to the lineup after being sidelined for six games.
-As of 1:30 a.m., tickets were still available.
-If you're going to the game, feel free to send photos to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
-Our live blog begins at approximately 7 p.m.
(Photos: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)