PHILADELPHIA -- Say this about the Thrashers, they can play with the top teams in the conference.
Atlanta staved off playoff elimination with a 1-0 victory over Philadelphia on Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center. The win was the third this season over the Eastern Conference-leading Flyers. Add that to their record against Washington, and the Thrashers went 7-2-1 against the top two teams.
The Thrashers (33-32-12, 78 points) remain 11th in the Eastern Conference, nine points behind Buffalo and the New York Rangers with 87 points each. The Thrashers have five games remaining in the regular season and a loss will eliminate them from the postseason.
“There is a bit of fear when you are playing one of the high-end teams that can really crank it up and play at both ends of the ice,” Thrashers coach Craig Ramsay said. “The reality in some ways is they are surprised at the pace that we can generally play at. … It is frustrating when we’ve played as well as we’ve played against the top clubs and we’ve allowed ourselves to be taken out of our game by teams that check us a little tighter and play a little safer.”
Nik Antropov scored the game-winner for the Thrashers with 9:38 remaining in the game. Evander Kane made the play by speeding down the left wing from the defensive zone. After going wide of Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn, Kane slid the puck in front of the net. It hit Antropov’s skate and beat goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky for his 15th goal of the season. The play was reviewed and counted because Antropov did not make a distinct kicking motion at the puck.
“He has so much speed that I just drove to the net,” Antropov said. “Fortunately it hit me. I tried to stop so there was no kicking motion”
Chris Mason stopped 43 shots for the shutout, his first of the season. He made several point-blank saves early to keep the Thrashers in the game.
“I just felt really comfortable and was tracking the puck really well,” Mason said. “The guys did a good job of letting me see shots. I felt I had a good beat on the puck tonight.”
The Thrashers had chances of their own. Anthony Stewart had a prime scoring opportunity in the first period go awry. Dustin Byfuglien and Antropov also had chances before the game-winner
The biggest issue came on the power play. The Thrashers went 0-for-7 with a man-advantage, managing just three shots in 13:36. That made the Thrashers 1-for-27 on the power play over the past eight games, including 0-for-16 over the past four.
The Thrashers won all four games against the Flyers last season and are 7-1-0 over the past two years.
“It’s fun to play in good atmospheres and the intensity level definitely rises.” Kane said. “You get up for those games. … This is a fun building to play in.”
There are good feelings after the victory, but the Thrashers' playoff chances still remain slim. Last year they were eliminated on April 7 with two games remaining in the season
“That’s all we can do is win,” Mason said. “I’ve said it a million times, but we put ourselves in this position. It’s pretty tough and probably unrealistic but as long as there is a mathematical chance, there is still a chance.”
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