Advance box for Thursday's Atlanta-Carolina matchup at Philips Arena.
When: 7 p.m.
TV; radio: SPSO; 680
-- The NHL’s worst team makes its first trip to Philips Arena this season. The Thrashers won both games in Raleigh this season, including Saturday’s 5-3 win.
-- Heading into Wednesday’s games, the Thrashers were tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference (51 points) with Philadelphia, one point out of the eighth spot. They are five points behind Ottawa, which holds the fifth spot.
-- Ilya Kovalchuk has nine points (five goals, four assists) and is a plus-7 in the past five games. Kovalchuk leads the Thrashers in goals (30), points (56) and is tied for the team lead in assists (26). He is tied for third in the NHL in goals.
-- Ondrej Pavelec is 3-0-1 in his past four starts. He has a .933 save percentage and a 2.25 goals-against average in the span.
-- Evander Kane scored his 11th goal of the season Tuesday. He is tied for fourth among NHL rookies in goals.
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