Kozlov a bright spot for Thrashers

Welcome back the old Slava Kozlov.

That’s the old Slava, as in the pre-shoulder-injury, pre-knee-injury Slava, a player the Thrashers could count on for 20-something goals a season.

And that’s the old Slava, as in the 36-year-old, 17th-season NHL veteran who knows how to get to the right place at the right time to score goals.

Either way you look at him, you see one of the few upbeat stories for the Thrashers, who rank last in the Eastern Conference standings heading into Thursday night’s game against the second-to-last New York Islanders.

Kozlov has scored in three consecutive games, his longest goal-scoring streak in two years. His six goals tie him for the team lead and already give him more than a third of his season total from 2007-08, which was a down year in almost every respect. Summer knee and shoulder surgeries appear to have restored him to the player he used to be.

“My first priority for this season was to get healthy,” Kozlov said. “Now that I’m healthy, I’m going to help this team.”

Thrashers coach John Anderson said Kozlov’s recent success stems from his mental approach to the game more than from physical gifts.

“It’s strictly positioning,” Anderson said. “He’s in the right spot. He’s a pretty smart player. I don’t think he has the wheels that he used to have probably six or seven years ago, but if you’re in the right position and know where to go, you don’t have to do as much skating,”

Anderson has juggled his lines a lot this season, and he appears to have found a good fit for Kozlov. The goal-scoring streak started when he began playing with Todd White at center and Bryan Little on the right wing. Little provides the speed defenses have to worry about, which creates space for Kozlov. White’s passing ability and head for the game get Kozlov the puck in position to score.

“He has great hands,” White said of Kozlov, who also has three assists. “He’s very patient, and he takes very accurate shots. He’s got great moves [on breakaways], and he makes the goalie make the first move.”

Kozlov called White “the brain in our line.”

And himself?

“There’s always room to improve,” Kozlov said. “I know I can play better. I don’t want to watch statistics. It’s a team game, and I appreciate the team winning more than my personal statistics. We’re way behind the playoff contenders, and that’s what we need to focus on right now.”

Lehtonen skates

Kari Lehtonen skated before practice Wednesday and is expected to skate with the team this morning. The Thrashers’ No. 1 goalie has been out sick since before Saturday’s game at New Jersey, and then developed a stiff back, Anderson said.

Team building

The Thrashers met with soldiers on a Tuesday trip to Fort Benning and did some team-building combat exercises, such as forming a convoy. Ilya Kovalchuk apparently can shoot more than hockey pucks. He was a good shot with a tank.

“That’s because the other tank wasn’t shooting back,” Anderson said.

Bench-eye view

SportSouth analyst Darren Eliot will call the Thrashers’ game against the Islanders from between the team benches.Eliot will have in-game interviews with John Anderson and Islanders’ head coach Scott Gordon.