Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec is progressing but there is still no timetable for his return from an injured right wrist.
Chris Mason started in his place Thursday against Ottawa, his third straight start after relieving Pavelec after the first period against Florida Feb. 25.
"He was feeling much better," coach Craig Ramsay said. "I don't think it will be long before he's at least able to be a backup. I'm not sure how long until he actually plays a game but he feels much better."
Peter Mannino has served as the backup goaltender without Pavelec, who has played 47 of 65 games this season.
Other injuries
Rookie center Alexander Burmistrov has resumed skated as he recovers from a broken bone in his foot. Burmistrov skated for 20 minutes on Wednesday and Ramsay said he reported little pain in right foot that has kept him out of the past eight games.
“He’s moving forward quicker than expected,” Ramsay said. “That’s a nice sign.”
Jim Slater hopes to return from a concussion by the end of the month. The forward, who has missed 28 games, has begun light exercise on a stationary bike without any issues, according to general manager Rick Dudley. Once cleared to return to practice, Slater would need time to get in game shape. He was injured Dec. 31.
Deficit limits newcomers ice time in debut
Ramsay limited the play of newly acquired forwards Radek Dvorak (12:29), Rob Schremp (8:27) and Ben Maxwell (6:27) in their Thrashers debut Tuesday against Montreal. Ramsay said was pleased with the newcomer's performances but shortened his bench after falling behind 2-0.
“When you keep falling behind, you’ve got to try to score,” Ramsay said. “You tend to try to get those people who create more offensive opportunities to go out there and play a little more.”
Plenty of shots, few results
The Thrashers have been getting plenty of shots on goal of late, including over 40 in each of the past four games. They have outshot the opposition in each of the past nine games by a total of 96 shots (350-254). However, the Thrashers are 2-6-1 in those games.
“We’ve accomplished half the mission, which is to play well,” Ramsay said. “The other half, the most important half, is you actually have to win. We’ve done so many things we want to do as a team. They look good. They feel good about what they are doing. They just are not getting some results. If you trust it, it works.”
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