Thrashers’ ‘Kahlua Line’ has gone cold

Nobody ever shouted “last call,” but sometime in January the Kahlua Line got cut off.

Bryan Little last scored on Jan. 17. Todd White hasn’t put the puck in the net since Jan. 14. Slava Kozlov’s most recent goal came Jan. 2.

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Scott Cunningham /Getty Images

Celebrations between Bryan Little (10), Todd White (12) and Slava Kozlov (center) have been few and far between recently.

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The Little White Russian trio carried the Thrashers offensively the first three months of the season and still features three of the team’s top four goal-scorers. But none of them has scored since George Bush was president. It’s unlikely Atlanta can get going again as a team without the threesome getting going again as a line.

There are two signs that might be about to happen.

Little and Kozlov both beat New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist Tuesday night in the shootout portion of the Thrashers’ 2-1 victory at Madison Square Garden. Those goals don’t count in the statistics but do count as confidence boosters.

More significantly, the line generated some scoring chances. In the second period, Little almost knocked in a puck that had been on Rangers defenseman Marc Staal’s stick. Minutes later, White fed Little in tight but the puck ramped off a Rangers player’s stick.

“I thought we played a pretty good game. We had a lot of good shifts in their end,” said Little, who shares the team lead with 21 goals and also has 13 assists. “If we have games like that, the puck’s going to go in. We don’t want to worry too much about it.”

Little’s five shots on goal against the Rangers were the most he has had in a game since December.

“The main thing is you try and create as many opportunities as you can. Lately we haven’t created as many as we’d like to,” said White, who has 14 goals and 34 assists. “I try to get them the puck as much as I can in shooting spots, and I’ve got to shoot a little more myself.”

White said he and Little and Kozlov can improve their on-ice spacing. They’re more successful, he said, when they work closer together.

Kozlov agreed.

“It looks like right now, we’re playing a little bit separate,” said Kozlov, who has 16 goals and 27 assists and is 3 for 3 in shootouts this season. “We have to play very close and play for each other. It’s very hard to beat players one on one. The last couple of games we played better together.”

Almost half the Kahlua line’s 51 goals have come on the power play. A lot of the others came when the action was wide open, end to end. The Thrashers haven’t been playing that way as much lately. They’re getting a bit more sound. The result has been fewer goals for and against but might eventually mean more victories.

“You have to play good defensively,” Kozlov said. “If we have to win 1-0, that’s what we’ll do. If we have to play a 0-0 game and have a chance to win in overtime or a shootout, lots of teams play like that. I know fans want to see goals, but it looks like the team that plays defense has a chance to win the game. … If we’re going to play open hockey, I think we have no chance.”

There’s no question the Thrashers need to tighten up a defense that allows more goals per game than any other NHL team but Toronto. Still, they need some offense, and the Kahlua Line needs to play a leading role.

“We need them to score,” Thrashers coach John Anderson said. “They’re our No. 1 scoring line according to the stats. If they’re not scoring, our production drops dramatically.”