Thrashers switch line pairings in effort to offense

By Chris Vivlamore

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Faced with another deficit on Sunday, Thrashers coach John Anderson switched some of his line pairings in the third period against Tampa Bay in an effort to generate some offense.

Among the moves, Ilya Kovalchuk skated some shifts with Todd White and Byran Little. Slava Kozlov moved to skate with Nik Antropov and Max Afinogenov.

"We tried some different things," Anderson said.

The Thrashers scored three third-period goals to force overtime.

“Coach changed up the lines to get something going,” Thrashers forward Colby Armstrong said. “I guess it worked for the most part as we were able to come back and get a point.”

Etc.

Evander Kane scored his seventh goal of the season in the third period. He is now second in the NHL in goals for rookies. He trails only the New York Islanders’ John Tavares, the No. 1 overall pick, by two goals. ... Antropov added two more assists Sunday. He has a team-high 19 assists and is tied for sixth in the NHL. ... Tobias Enstrom scored a goal and now has nine points (three goals, six assists) in the last eight games. ... After a five-game homestand ended with three straight losses, the Thrashers may get well on the road. Atlanta (10-7-3) is 6-2-1 away from Philips Arena this season. The Thrashers play at Detroit Wednesday and at Carolina on Friday.