Ondrej Pavelec is sharp as Atlanta Thrashers defeat Minnesota Wild
Sometimes, great goaltending is the difference between winning and losing games in the National Hockey League. For the Atlanta Thrashers, the stellar play of netminder Ondrej Pavelec and
the offensive contributions of their forward lines proved to be a winning combination in a 5-1 win over the Minnesota Wild.
How it happened
The Thrashers took an early lead in the first period after a Ben Eager snap shot found the back of the net at 3:24. Jim Slater then beat Niklas Backstrom with a backhand shot at 13:11
to give the home team a 2-0 advantage.
Only one goal was scored in the second period, and it came courtesy of Andrew Ladd. He used a wrist shot to score his sixth goal of the season with only 45 seconds left in the period.
Rich Peverley and Niclas Bergfors each earned an assist on Ladd’s goal.
Antti Miettinen of the Wild put an end to Pavelec’s shutout bid at 3:15 of the third period with a power play goal. He tipped in a shot from Brent Burns to earn his third goal of the season.
Atlanta got that one back with a short-handed goal from Freddy Modin at 6:06. Nik Antropov rounded out the scoring with a snap shot at 14:52, and Thrashers handed Minnesota a 5-1 loss.
What they’re saying
As line changes often lead to the discovery of effective new combinations, Thrashers head coach Craig Ramsay paired rookie Alex Burmistrov, the team’s youngest player, with veteran Freddy
Modin, the team’s elder statesman at age 36. The combination paid off, as Modin had two points in the game. Burmistrov earned an assist on Modin’s short-handed goal in the third frame.
“Yeah, we’ve been playing a few games together, and we’re gradually getting to know each other a little bit, reading off each other,” Modin told
nhl.com after the game.
“Tonight, I thought we played pretty well. Felt good from the start. We had good battles down low. We managed the puck pretty well, I thought, throughout the whole game there, so it was
a good one for us.”
Pavelec added that another reason for Atlanta’s success was the fact that they only took three minor penalties during the game.
“We stayed out of the box – that was a key because they have a great power play. We played great hockey for all 60 minutes.”
Wild defenceman Justin Falk admitted that his team did not play well against the Thrashers, and that he himself did not perform well.
“I don’t want to make any excuses,” Falk said. “We just weren’t good enough in our end. Myself, I was terrible, and I need to be better.”
Atlanta returns to action on Saturday 13 November, when they will host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Minnesota will visit the Florida Panthers on Friday 12 November.
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