Slater trying to make most of opportunities

By Chris Vivlamore

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Doesn’t it just figure that Jim Slater’s goal was nearly lost in all the drama?

Slater scored his first goal of the season in Thursday’s 6-5 overtime victory over Dallas. The Thrashers won the back-and-forth game, taking a third-period lead on Rich Peverley’s short-handed goal and winning it on his tally in extra time.

You see, Slater has played sparingly this season. The forward has been a healthy scratch in 19 of the Thrashers’ first 33 games. Six of his 14 appearances came when Ilya Kovalchuk was out with a broken foot.

“You play two games and get sat for four, it’s tough,” Slater said Friday. “You have to stay ready. I feel like I’ve been real positive throughout all of this. I just have to live with it right now. I think every time I go on the ice I’m going to give it my all. I work hard in practice. It’s one of those things that happen. It happens in a lot of guy’s careers. You have to stay positive. I’m probably going to get out of it and play in some more hockey games. One thing that matters is putting the best lineup out there for the Thrashers.”

Slater’s goal, his first point of the season, came in the second period and tied the game at 2-2. Seven more goals were scored. Each threatened to make the goal little else but a line in a hockey box score. However, the goal sparked the Thrashers’ play, especially after they were outshot 17-6 in the first period.

“It really sparked us,” Thrashers coach John Anderson said. “Jimmy is a good player and he doesn’t deserve to sit out, but I’ve had to make some tough decisions along the way.”

Slater, who signed a qualifying offer with the Thrashers in the offseason, averaged 64 games a season in the previous four years since making the NHL roster out of Michigan State. He scored 31 goals over that span, averaging 10:27 a game of playing time.

Anderson has inserted Slater into the lineup when he felt his team needed a spark.

“I hustle on every shift I play,” Slater said. “I’m not afraid to play the body at all, get some good scoring chances and create some offense, try to get the puck out of our end. Hopefully I can bring a spark to this team and help them win. I’ve always been an energy guy, and that’s the best place to use it out there [on the ice].”

Slater’s goal Thursday was an example of his hustle-style of play. He raced for a loose puck after the Stars had turned it over in the neutral zone. He took control of the puck along the boards and raced in on Dallas goaltender Alex Auld with a defender giving chase. When it appeared as if he got around the net for a wrap-around, Slater put the puck on net. With Chris Thorburn crashing the net, the puck hit behind Auld’s pad and went into the net.

“It felt good,” Slater said. “I had some real good chances in the games that I played. I don’t want to say I was snakebitten, but I had some really good shots on net, some really good chances. I still feel like I can put the puck in the net. Hopefully [Thursday] night’s goal will get me on a streak and help this team win some hockey games.”

The goal quickly resulted in Nik Antropov’s power-play goal when Dallas’ Brad Richards was called for a slashing penalty 12 seconds after Slater scored. The Thrashers took a 3-2 lead, but there were plenty more goals to be scored.

Slater’s play will make Anderson’s job more difficult. His playing status will be decided on a “game-to-game basis,” Anderson said. “Obviously, I can’t take him out of the lineup when he plays like he did [Thursday]. It just makes my decisions harder, and that’s OK.”