The All-Star break could not have come at a better time for the Thrashers. Despite staying in the Eastern Conference playoff chase, the team has hit the skids lately by losing seven of their last eight games (at press time). Tampa Bay beat Atlanta for an unfathomable 11th straight time last Sunday.The Lightning poured it on the Thrashers and gave them an embarrassing 7-1 defeat. After earning 46 points through the first three months of the season, Atlanta has just eight points in January.
Injury bug…
The break will also give many Thrashers time to heal some nagging injuries. Tobias Enstrom broke his finger against the New York Rangers on Saturday. He missed the first game of his career on Sunday after playing a franchise record 296 straight contests. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to play in what would have been the first NHL All-Star game of his career. Enstrom will miss two to four weeks.
Evander Kane was wearing a non-contact jersey at practice on Tuesday, meaning he would not play in the next game against Washington. He missed the past four games because of a mid-body injury. It’s possible that Kane could be suffering from a concussion after he took a tough hit against Florida a couple weeks ago, but that is just speculation.
Captain Andrew Ladd missed his first game of the season against Tampa with a lower-body injury. It is unclear when he will return, but it would be no surprise to see him back in the lineup after the break. Ladd is tied for the team lead with 16 goals. The team will definitely need his scoring punch when they return for the second-half of the season.
Forward Jim Slater has missed the past 11 games with a concussion. He was placed on IR and his return is indefinite.
The replacements…
Hopefully the injured players will return soon after the break, but in the meantime Freddy Modin, Nigel Dawes, and Tim Stapleton have filled the void. Dawes and Stapleton have contributed an assist each in the past three games. Defenseman Freddy Meyer was also called up. He tallied his first point of the season with an assist against Tampa on January 20.
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