Thrashers' Bogosian playing an improved game

In January, Bogosian was a healthy scratch for three games -- a first of his career -- after uneven play. He was pressed back into action when Tobias Enstrom broke a finger, causing him to miss six games.

“I was relied on a little more,” Bogosian said. “When you play more minutes, you feel more and more comfortable out there. I wasn’t gripping the stick as tight.”

Bogosian fully embraced the ‘go’ system of coach Craig Ramsay in his return to the lineup. A switch to Ron Hainsey as a defensive partner also allowed the team to take advantage of Bogosian’s strengths.

“We tried to focus on getting him the puck with a lot of speed which I don’t think we did enough of in the first half [of the season],” Hainsey said. “He’s one of the few guys when he gets it, with his speed, can work his way right through a team’s trap. We are taking advantage of his speed more than we did in the first half when he was more stationary. To be as effective as he can be, he has to be using his feet and getting up the ice.

“Sometimes, you forget that you have someone who has special ability.”

Bogosian, 20, has averaged more than 23 minutes in the 16 games since he was a healthy scratch with a goal and four assists.

“I’m just thinking go, go, go,” Bogosian said. “Get up the ice, and get back and back-check hard. It’s fun to get up the ice, but you also have to do your job and get back and play defense. For as much as I’ve been going up, I’ve been trying my best to come back just as hard.

"A lot of that has to do with the forwards recognizing that I’m getting up in the play and falling back and taking my place. It’s not just me doing it, there are a lot of other guys helping me play my game.”

While Bogosian was becoming more comfortable and aggressive on offensive rushes, he faced some off-ice distractions. The three games on the bench and a “misunderstanding” with associate coach John Torchetti made Bogosian the subject of rumors as the trade deadline approached. Despite general manager Rick Dudley saying he was unlikely to deal the team’s No. 3 overall pick from 2008, Bogosian’s name repeatedly came up on a national level.

“It wasn’t something I talked about that much,” Bogosian said. “The less you talk about it, the less you think about it. ... A lot of my teammates were patting me on the back the whole time. I felt a very warm embracement by my teammates when all that stuff was going on.”

Ramsay, who said he had several meetings with his young defenseman, sees a more comfortable player. With comfort comes confidence.

The coach points to Bogosian’s assist on a Tim Stapleton goal in the third-period comeback against Toronto on Feb. 27. After the Thrashers won a defensive-zone faceoff, Evander Kane skated the puck up the left side. Bogosian joined the rush and took a pass from Kane for a quick shot. It was saved by the Maple Leafs' goaltender only to have Stapleton pounce on the rebound.

“He was up the ice and in front of their net, beat all there guys up [ice] and helped us score on a rebound,” Ramsay said of Bogosian’s play on the game-tying goal. “That’s the kind of thing we want to see. He can provide that.”

Bogosian conceded that the three-game hiatus was a “different” way to reflect on his play.

“It’s paying off now, but during the time you are sitting, it’s never fun,” Bogosian said. “You want to be out there playing and doing your job. I just tried to do my best to stay positive and keep working hard. It lights a fire under you. You come back more determined. It’s nothing you want to go through, but I had to go through it.”

Etc.

All-Star defenseman Dustin Byfuglien will miss Wednesday night’s game against Carolina with a lower-body injury. Byfuglien, who is listed as day to day, left Monday’s practice and did not skate Tuesday before the team traveled to Raleigh. The Thrashers re-called Paul Postma from AHL Chicago to make his NHL debut.