Tobias Enstrom will miss at least the Thrashers' next two games because of an upper-body injury. The defenseman did not travel with the team for games at Nashville and the New York Rangers this week.
Coach Craig Ramsay would not rule out the possibility that Enstrom could return for the final two games at home. Enstrom was injured in the first period of Saturday night's game against Boston.
With Enstrom out of the lineup, the Thrashers recalled defenseman Andrey Zubarev from AHL Chicago on Monday. He will make his NHL debut Tuesday night against the Predators. Zubarev is the fourth defenseman recalled from the minors this season and second to make his league debut.
“I’m so excited,” Zubarev said. “My plane was late [Sunday] for one hour but I don’t care. I just want to be here. I just want to play my game in the NHL. I want to show all that I have.”
Zubarev, 24, had 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 51 games for Chicago this season. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder missed 26 games this season with a knee injury.
“It’s not easy,” Ramsay said of his expectations for Zubarev. “He’s playing high-end teams. He has to quickly fit in. It’s fairly simple with the way we play. Our overall concept is simple. As a defenseman, you own the middle of the ice, you attack from the middle to the outside, not the outside to the middle."
Also, forward Radek Dvorak did not travel with the team because of an upper-body injury. Dvorak is experiencing concussion-like symptoms suffered last Monday in the first period against Montreal. He has not played or practiced since.
Expanded roles
With four games remaining, Ramsay said he would continue using players in expanded roles. Ben Maxwell saw time on the power play against Boston. Ramsay said he expected to use Alexander Burmistrov on the power play and Tim Stapleton on the penalty kill at some point.
“We are going to see some people do some other things,” Ramsay said.
Preseason game in Newfoundland
The Thrashers play an exhibition game next season against Ottawa in Conception Bay South, Newfoundland. The game will cap Kraft Canada’s national vote for the most passionate hockey town in the country, Kraft Hockeyville 2011. Conception Bay South won by getting 995,368 votes. In addition to hosting the preseason game, the town will receive $100,000 in an arena upgrade and the game will be telecast by the CBC.
About the Author
