Look no further than goaltenders for Thrashers' recent success

By Chris Vivlamore

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

There is no secret to the Thrashers’ recent success.

It’s all about the goaltenders.

The Thrashers have won three straight, two by shutout, with Johan Hedberg and Ondrej Pavelec minding the net. The two of them have stopped a combined 106 of 110 shots in wins over Detroit, Carolina and Philadelphia. That’s a save percentage of .964.

“When they are on top of their games and they feel good about themselves, they want to play,” Thrashers coach John Anderson said. “We are blessed with two real good goalies right now.”

Remarkably, both rank in the top 10 in the NHL in save percentage. Hedberg, who earned his 12th career shutout Saturday against Philadelphia, is tied for second in the league with a .932 save percentage. He trails Buffalo’s Ryan Miller by just .001 point. Pavelec, who posted his second career shutout Wednesday in Detroit, is tied for eighth with a .921 percentage.

“We lost three games [in a row] and it’s great to be back on a roll,” Pavelec said Sunday. “We’ve shown that if we lose a couple of games, we can get on a winning roll again. That’s a great thing. A lot of teams, if they lose a couple games, it can snowball.”

The Thrashers are 13-7-3 (29 points) and have recorded points in nine of their last 10 games (7-1-2), which included a three-game losing streak. They enter Monday’s game against Florida in second place in the Southeast Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference. The Thrashers trail division leading Washington (36 points) by seven points with three games in hand.

“If you look at the save percentage this time last year and now, I bet you it’s way up at least 15 points for each guy,” Anderson said. “That stems from, A, them being a little sharper and, B, us [as a team] being a little sharper. They have ramped their game up and so have we. We are a little tougher around the net. [The opposition] may get a quality shot, but they are not going to get two or three.”

The Thrashers continue to give up plenty of shots. They are last in the NHL in shots allowed per game (35.6), although they stand fifth in the conference with goals allowed (65). They were out-shot in all three games in the current winning streak and in 19 of their 23 games this season.

Still, the  goalies have handled the action. Hedberg (5-2-0) is ninth in the NHL in goals-against average at 2.33. Pavelec (8-5-3) is 32nd at 2.84.

Pavelec said the goaltending has been helped by the never-say-die attitude of the entire team this season. The Thrashers have fallen behind early and battled backed several times. Eight of their 10 losses have been by a single goal. The Thrashers also lead the NHL in third-period goals.

“It’s more comfortable for the goalie,” Pavelec said. “If we are down, you know you have a team in front of you that never quits and still fights all 60 minutes. That’s a great thing.”

The Thrashers have needed quality work from both Hedberg and Pavelec. The NHL schedule makers have made the Thrashers play three games in four nights four times already this season and they will do so five more times.

“You need another goalie,” Anderson said. “You need a guy who wants to be the guy that night.”

Note: The Thrashers officially recalled defenseman Boris Valabik from AHL Chicago on Sunday. Valabik was on a two-week rehabilitation assignment following ankle surgery earlier this season. Thrashers general manager Don Waddell said the team would not initially make a roster move and will carry 23 players for the immediate future.