Kovy's two goals lead Thrashers to 4-3 win over Maple Leafs

Ilya Kovalchuk continued his excellent play by scoring two goals and assisting in Tuesday's win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The star winger's two goals put him at 30 goals for the season, tying him with Washington's Alexander Ovechkin for third in the league. To learn more about Ilya's great game, please visit this link.

Why There Is No Excuse For Atlanta Not To Keep Ilya Kovalchuk

The Atlanta Thrashers have been in this position before.

Two years ago, Marian Hossa was closing in on unrestricted free agency. And when it became obvious that the team would be unable to come to an agreement on a long-term contract extension, they dealt him to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline for Erik Christensen, Colby Armstrong, Angelo Esposito and a first-round draft pick (used on Daultan Leveille). It ended up being a disaster of a trade for Atlanta. Christensen no longer plays for the Thrashers, Esposito's stock continues to plummet as a prospect and Armstrong is still the likable, hard-working offensive enigma he's always been.

Fast forward to 2010, and the Thrashers are closing in on a potential doomsday scenario with the best player the franchise has ever known, who happens to be in the exact same situation as Hossa was two years earlier.

Continue Reading: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2010/01/13/why-there-is-no-excuse-for-atlanta-not-to-keep-ilya-kovalchuk/

Thrashers 7-2-2 since Kovy's return

Ian Busby explains the successes of the Atlanta Thrashers in the season before Ilya Kovalchuk becomes a Free Agent. In the Edmonton Sun article, Busby details the 2009-10 season so far for Atlanta and the effects of trading and injury on the team's performance. The article also touches on Olympics, Free Agency and NHL playoffs.

Thrashers goaltending on a roll

Why are the Thrashers doing so well? Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution attributes recent success to Atlanta's netminders.

PuckAgency client Johan Hedberg, as well as Ondrej Pavelec of the Atlanta Thrashers are on a three-game winning streak with two shutouts. "Hedberg, who earned his 12th career shutout Saturday against Philadelphia, is tied for second in the league with a .932 save percentage."

Thrashers defeat Hurricanes 4-2 in preseason opener

Ilya Kovalchuk, Bryan Little and Nik Antropov played in their first game Monday night in a preseason exhibition game against Carolina. The Thrashers won 4-2 and PuckAgency's Kovalchuk had an assist in the third period. An article about last night's game can be found at ajc.com.