THRASHERS 3, HURRICANES 2: 5th straight win ties team record

Eric Boulton and Eric Perrin broke free for a two-on-one Friday morning, but the pass hit Perrin’s skate, not his stick.

When Boulton and Perrin redid their two-on-one drill Friday night, the results were very different. Boulton threw a fake at goalie Cam Ward, then hit the tape of Perrin’s stick, and Perrin scored.

That’s the way things are going these days for the Thrashers, who extended their winning streak to a franchise-record-tying five games by beating Carolina 3-2. The Thrashers are playing so well that their fourth-line forwards can execute a perfect two-on-one break, complete with the fake that coach John Anderson had been trying to teach.

“When Boults went down on the two-on-one, it put a smile on my face, because now Boults is even getting it,” Anderson said. “At least I know that they’re listening.”

Boulton’s first assist of the season set up Perrin’s first goal of the season on a night when two-thirds of the Thrashers’ offense came from the third and fourth lines. Third-line center Marty Reasoner scored the game’s first goal, his third in the past two games.

The Thrashers have climbed back to .500 at 7-7-2 and try to extend their winning streak to six Sunday at Philadelphia. The atmosphere around the Thrashers has done a 180-degree turn from Nov. 1, when a fifth consecutive loss left the team 2-7-2.

“Confidence is a big thing,” Perrin said. “When you’re on a streak like this, winning is easier. This is huge for us.”

“We’re right back into it, and we’re starting to feel good about ourselves,” goalie Johan Hedberg said.

A week earlier, Hedberg was playing for his job. Friday, he won for the third consecutive time, by stopping 27 of 29 shots. He faced far fewer difficult chances than the Thrashers allowed earlier in the season.

“That’s the way we’ve got to play,” Hedberg said. “It’s a team game, and more than anything it’s a defensive team game. We’re going to get our chances. If we’re playing an honest game and not cheating ourselves, we’ve got enough firepower to score. If we take care of what we’re supposed to do, we’re going to be successful at times.”

The Thrashers debuted their red sweaters, alternate home jerseys to be worn every time a Southeast Division opponent visits Philips Arena this season. But one thing didn’t change with the new look: They still got a power-play goal.

Ilya Kovalchuk didn’t get an assist, but he made the five-on-three goal happen by stretching to keep the puck from crossing the blue line out of the zone. He passed to Ron Hainsey, who passed to Bryan Little, who sent the puck from the left faceoff circle to Slava Kozlov, who put it away at the far post.

Rod Brind’Amour and Tuomo Ruutu scored for the Hurricanes, who lost for the third consecutive game but still lead the Thrashers by two points in the standings.

The Thrashers are 4-0-2 vs. the Southeast Division and have beaten Florida, the New York Islanders, Buffalo and Carolina (twice) on their winning streak.

As well as things have been going, the Thrashers still would miss the playoffs if they began today.

“I wish we had October back,” Anderson said. “It’s still a long season. We’re not earning any rings yet.”