Thrashers lose lead in final seconds, game in overtime

By Chris Vivlamore

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Thrashers fell 15 seconds short.

Montreal got a pair of Marc-Andre Bergeron goals in just over three minutes and stole a 4-3 overtime victory Monday night. Bergeron scored with 45 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime and then the game-winner 2:23 into the 4-on-4 session.

“We did exactly what we wanted to do the entire game,” Thrashers coach John Anderson said. “It was just one of those games that the hockey gods weren’t with us.”

Bergeron tied the game 3-3 with a power-play goal 24 seconds after Thrashers defenseman Zach Bogosian was called for hooking. He later slapped the game-winner past Thrashers goaltender Johan Hedberg.

“It was just a one-timer that snuck through,” Anderson said. “There was a screen and it went through, a good hard shot. We’ve got to get in shooting lanes where they can’t get those through.”

Hedberg had 19 saves as the Thrashers outshot the Canadiens 50-23, quite a reversal from the team’s recent shooting habits. Bergeron’s game-winner was reviewed and he needed medical attention after running into the goal post. The team reported that Bergeron's injury was not serious.

“I tried to get my leg over there but I couldn’t reach,” Hedberg said. “[Bergeron] ran into me and got pushed into the post. It felt like it was a good goal.”

The Thrashers fell to 18-13-4 (40 points) and finished with a 2-0-2 record against the Canadiens this season. It marks the first time in franchise history that the Thrashers have earned a point in all four games against Montreal in a season. All four games were decided by one goal. The Thrashers also lost for just the third time in the 14 games when they've score the game’s first goal.

Nik Antropov scored twice in a span of 70 seconds in the third period to give the Thrashers a 3-2 lead, which they held until the final seconds. They were the eighth and ninth goals of the season for the streaking Antropov, who has scored in four straight games. He has five goals in that span and seven goals in the past seven games.

Antropov’s second goal came 1:32 into the third period. He had tied the game 2-2 at 22 seconds into the third period. Pavel Kubina blasted a shot from the point that bounced off Montreal goaltender Jaroslav Halak and Antropov knocked in the loose puck.

“The loss is a loss,” Antropov said. “It’s nothing to be excited about. ... They were typical goals for me. I was front of the net. The guys put the puck on net and it pays dividends."

The Thrashers took an early lead on Ilya Kovalchuk’s 20th goal of the season, the Thrashers captain scoring with 16.3 seconds left in the first period. Ron Hainsey skated in on goal with the puck and waited for a sliding Montreal defenseman Jaroslav Spacek to pass by before finding Kovalchuk in the crease. Kovalchuk knocked the puck past Halak.

The Thrashers outshot the Canadiens 18-3 in the opening period. It was quite a reversal from Saturday’s 5-4 loss to New Jersey when the Thrashers were outshot 42-26 (24-6 in the first period).

“It was probably our best first period of the season,” Anderson said. “We did everything we wanted except score more goals. It was just the way things were going for us tonight. We got a few breaks but apparently not enough.

“Whenever there is a goal, there are mistakes made. But compared to the last game, we were way better defensively, we were tighter, we were smarter with the puck and we put more shots on net. What we’ve asked them to do, they are doing. It’s doesn’t always mean you are going to get the right results.”

The Canadiens responded to the early deficit with two second-period goals. Tomas Plekanec tied the game with a goal 1:32 into the period. Andrei Kostitsyn added a power-play goal just 30 seconds after a hooking penalty to Jim Slater.

The game was the Thrashers' final appearance at Philips Arena for 17 days. The team begins a seven-game road in Boston on Wednesday and doesn’t return home until Jan. 7.