Thrashers lose Kane, Schubert to injuries

By Chris Vivlamore

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Thrashers have lost two players for at least three weeks because of injuries, the team announced Tuesday.

Evander Kane will miss at least three weeks after a CT scan Tuesday confirmed the rookie forward fractured his left foot. Defenseman Christoph Schubert will miss three to five weeks with a pulled muscle in his hip. Both players suffered the injuries Saturday against Tampa Bay.

Kane, who has 25 points (14 goals, 11 assists) this season, suffered his injury blocking a shot.

It has been a rough two months for Schubert. He had just returned last week after missing 13 games with a knee injury, appearing in only three games before suffering the latest injury.

Both did not play Sunday and could miss 14 games if they out three weeks. Schubert would miss the remainder of the season if he is out five weeks.

According to coach John Anderson there were no immediate plans to call up a defenseman from AHL Chicago. However with three games in four days that is a possibility, perhaps as soon as Wednesday.

Candidates to be called up include Chris Chelios, the 25-year NHL veteran the team signed this month, or Arturs Kulda, who appeared in two games in February.

Timely reminder: The Thrashers did not practice Monday following back-to-back weekend losses, but they gathered for a video session. A message was delivered for the final five weeks of the season.

“We gave out T-shirts at the beginning of the year about making a stand,” Anderson said. “I felt, and our coaching staff felt, that we got off track the last two games. We weren’t making a stand, we weren’t putting our heart and soul into it and making a statement about who we are and what we stand for.”

Durable players: Six Thrashers have appeared in all 65 games this season -- Zach Bogosian, Marty Reasoner, Chris Thorburn, Tobias Enstrom, Rich Peverley and Maxim Afinogenov. Enstrom has appeared in 229 consecutive games, the longest current streak on the team and second all-time to Slava Kozlov’s 251 consecutive.