Kovalchuk upbeat despite stint on injured reserve list

By Chris Vivlamore

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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, as the team announced, Kovalchuk would miss 11 games.

While the franchise will be without its all-time points leader, coach John Anderson does not expect a mailbox full of get well cards.

“I read [Miami Heat President] Pat Riley’s book,” Anderson said. “And he talks about thunderbolts, things you don’t expect to happen. He said the worst thing about it is accepting sympathy. As soon as you think it’s OK to lose, then you’ve lost that game. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We have to pick ourselves up and say, ‘You know what, we are going to be better.’ And that’s what I expect of our team. Not just say, ‘OK, now we have an excuse,’ because that is BS. I won’t accept that and I hope the players won’t accept that.

“It’s not OK to say, ‘Poor us.’ It’s not about that. Because you know what, all those other teams don’t give a rat’s [behind] about us. They are happy this happened. Only us, we are the only ones who care. If we don’t care and we say it’s OK, then we’ve lost every game until he comes back.”

Anderson held a meeting Tuesday with the four alternate captains to make that point clear.

Kovalchuk rode an exercise bike Tuesday, which he will continue to do to maintain conditioning. He will wear a protective boot while not in the gym. He walked without a limp to the shower following the workout.

The Thrashers in the meantime will seek other players to make up for the loss in scoring. Nik Antropov, Slava Kozlov and Bryan Little do not have a goal this season. The trio combined for 85 goals last season.

“No question,” Anderson said when asked if he expected more from the three players. “And now. Right now. We need help right now. I think they realize that.”

The Thrashers (4-3-1) have lost three straight, the last two at home.

Kovalchuk was hit with a shot during the first period against San Jose. It was a shot he’s taken 100 times before, he said. However, he said it felt “weird” on the bench following his third shift. When he went out for his fourth shift, he knew something was wrong. He did not return to the game and had a CT scan on Monday.

“It’s tough, but when you miss one guy, you can’t stop playing,” Kovalchuk said. “We’ve got so many good players on the team that can take charge and be a leader. I trust in my team 100 percent. It’s not a real good time for me because I hate to be in the stands. They are going to win a lot of games without me.”

Notes: The Thrashers recalled forward Jason Krog from their AHL affiliate in Chicago. Krog, the Wolves captain, has one goal and six assists in eight games. ... Antropov missed his second straight practice Tuesday with what Anderson called a “nagging groin injury.” His status for Thursday's game against Washington is unclear.