Atlanta (14-23-5) at Florida (19-16-6) 1:00 p.m. EST
SUNRISE, Florida (Ticker) -- Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester is the
Florida Panthers' lone All-Star representative. That doesn't
mean the team is lacking in productive players.
The Panthers will be looking to show off their star power when
they face the lowly Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday.
Center Stephen Weiss leads the team with 27 points and left wing
David Booth sets the pace for the team with 17 goals, but a
crowded field of forwards in the Eastern Conference kept both
off the All-Star squad.
The goaltending tandem of Tomas Vokoun and Craig Anderson has
also been a key to Florida's success, with the tandem combining
for a 2.58 goals-against average and six shutouts.
Vokoun has been in net during the last two games, a pair of 4-2
wins. Bouwmeester and Booth each tallied and Weiss recorded an
assist as Vokoun made 31 saves in Thursday's win over the
Carolina Hurricanes.
The Thrashers will send send Ilya Kovalchuk and his team-leading
42 points to the All-Star Game. The Russian left wing recorded
a goal and an assist in Atlanta's 4-0 win at New Jersey on
Thursday, snapping a two-game slide.
The teams have split a pair of meetings, with Kovalchuk tallying
twice in the most recent game, a 5-3 Thrashers win on November
2.