Johan Hedberg News

Defenseman Martin Skoula scored two goals, and the Pittsburgh Penguins held off the Atlanta Thrashers in a 3-2 victory on Saturday night.

The Thrashers will get an indication of how far they've come as a hockey team Saturday.

Ondrej Pavelec #31 of the Atlanta Thrashers is congratulated by Johan Hedberg #1 after the game against the Los Angeles Kings at Philips Arena on November 13, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia.

As the Thrashers continue to use their two-goalie rotation of late, Ondrej Pavelec will start Thursday against Boston, and Johan Hedberg is scheduled to start Saturday against Pittsburgh.

Given that the Thrashers are 10-6-1 and currently riding a four-game win streak, there have been quite a few pleasant surprises seen so far.

Slava Kozlov has had one of the more frustrating beginnings to the season of any player in the league: grand larceny by goaltenders, countless shots off of the post and a disallowed goal or two.

If Ilya Kovalchuk plays this well with a gimpy right foot, how much better will he perform when he's 100 percent? Kovalchuk hardly seems to care.

Ilya Kovalchuk made a successful return to the lineup with a goal and two assists and Johan Hedberg turned in a strong 33- save performance, as Atlanta defeated the New York Rangers, 5-3, at Madison Square Garden.

WEDNESDAY'S ROUNDUP: Will he or won't he? The details around the expected return from injury of Thrashers star Ilya Kovalchuk are getting confusing, depending on who you listen to.

The 22-year-old Thrashers goaltender made his coach look toward the opposing bench Saturday.

Defensemen Tobias Enstrom and Ron Hainsey forced overtime with third-period goals, and Rich Peverley and Slava Kozlov scored in a shootout to give the Atlanta Thrashers a 3-2 victory over the St.

Atlanta suffered the same defensive lapses that it did in their 4-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night at Philips Arena, allowing way too many shots by the once-offensively challenged Islanders.

We are back! Now with some breaking news: Kari Lehtonen underwent another back surgery on Friday.

Also on the active roster : D Anssi Salmela, G Johan Hedberg. Live Scoreboard Puck-rakers Blog Dispatch Blue Jackets beat reporters Aaron Portzline and Tom Reed keep you up to date with news and notes from on the ice and off.

Atlanta Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen, right, is on the mend. Atlanta Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen, yet to play this season, will be out an additional six to eight more weeks.

's two-goal performance last week against the Capitals wasn't enough to keep the Atlanta Thrashers from losing a third straight to Washington.

The Atlanta Thrashers have been lost since losing their leader Illya Kovalchuk over a week ago, and their play has resembled a team in total disarray.

A pair of struggling teams will meet today in Canada's capital city, as the Ottawa Senators host the Atlanta Thrashers at Scotiabank Place.

The surging Washington Capitals will aim for a sixth consecutive victory when they host the sliding Atlanta Thrashers in tonight's Southeast Division battle at Philips Arena.

Is it time to sell high on Anze Kopitar ? Kopitar leads the NHL in points with 21 entering Monday, which is pretty impressive for the only native of Slovenia in the league.