Associated Press
10/23/2006 10:26:13 PM
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) - Ilya Kovalchuk scored three power-play goals Monday night to help the Atlanta Thrashers continue the best start in franchise history with a 6-3 victory over the Florida Panthers.
Atlanta (7-1-1) has 15 points, the most ever for the Thrashers in October.
Marian Hossa and Steve Rucchin also scored on the power play for the Thrashers, who also got a goal from former Florida captain Scott Mellanby. Vyacheslav Kozlov had four assists.
Atlanta finished 5-for-7 on the power play. The Thrashers entered the game 4-for-31 with the man advantage.
Florida, which entered the game first in the league in power-play efficiency at 27.9, was 0-for-6.
Joel Kwiatkowski, Bryan Allen and Jozef Stumpel scored for Florida, which lost at home for the first time in five games.
Atlanta is 3-0 against Florida this season. The Thrashers beat the Panthers 4-2 at Atlanta on Saturday night.
Kari Lehtonen, who has started every game for Atlanta, made 25 saves.
Florida goalie Alex Auld (3-3-1) gave up five goals on 19 shots before being pulled after the second period with the Panthers trailing 5-2. Ed Belfour stopped seven of eight shots in the third.
Atlanta trailed 2-0 before Kovalchuk scored his first goal at 17:55 of the first period on a one-timer from the slot.
The Thrashers then took advantage of a 5-on-3 to score twice in 36 seconds in the second.
Hossa tied the game 2-2 with his sixth goal in four games when he took a pass across the crease from Mellanby. Kovalchuk then stopped a clearing attempt by Florida in the slot and beat Auld with a wrist shot just under the crossbar.
FULL STORY
10/23/2006 10:26:13 PM
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) - Ilya Kovalchuk scored three power-play goals Monday night to help the Atlanta Thrashers continue the best start in franchise history with a 6-3 victory over the Florida Panthers.
Atlanta (7-1-1) has 15 points, the most ever for the Thrashers in October.
Marian Hossa and Steve Rucchin also scored on the power play for the Thrashers, who also got a goal from former Florida captain Scott Mellanby. Vyacheslav Kozlov had four assists.
Atlanta finished 5-for-7 on the power play. The Thrashers entered the game 4-for-31 with the man advantage.
Florida, which entered the game first in the league in power-play efficiency at 27.9, was 0-for-6.
Joel Kwiatkowski, Bryan Allen and Jozef Stumpel scored for Florida, which lost at home for the first time in five games.
Atlanta is 3-0 against Florida this season. The Thrashers beat the Panthers 4-2 at Atlanta on Saturday night.
Kari Lehtonen, who has started every game for Atlanta, made 25 saves.
Florida goalie Alex Auld (3-3-1) gave up five goals on 19 shots before being pulled after the second period with the Panthers trailing 5-2. Ed Belfour stopped seven of eight shots in the third.
Atlanta trailed 2-0 before Kovalchuk scored his first goal at 17:55 of the first period on a one-timer from the slot.
The Thrashers then took advantage of a 5-on-3 to score twice in 36 seconds in the second.
Hossa tied the game 2-2 with his sixth goal in four games when he took a pass across the crease from Mellanby. Kovalchuk then stopped a clearing attempt by Florida in the slot and beat Auld with a wrist shot just under the crossbar.
FULL STORY
