Pittsburgh (11-4-3) at Atlanta (7-8-2) 7:00 p.m. EST
ATLANTA (Ticker) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins boast the most
prolific offense in the Eastern Conference. They just need to
find it again.
The Penguins will be looking to bounce back from a rare loss
when they face the Atlanta Thrashers on Thursday.
Pittsburgh built a six-game winning streak on that offense,
averaging six goals per game. The attack was stymied Tuesday
against the Minnesota Wild in a 2-1 shootout loss.
Superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were held to a total
of two shots on goal by the Wild.
While Minnesota has allowed the fewest goals in the NHL, the
Thrashers are the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference
when it comes to keeping the opposing team out of the net.
Atlanta has been a team of streaks, following up a six-game
slide with a five-game winning streak before losing at
Philadelphia on Sunday, 4-3.
Even in the good times the back line of the defense has been
suspect, with goaltenders Johan Hedberg and Kari Lehtonen
posting 4.04 and 3.44 goals-against averages, respectively.
Vyacheslav Kozlov has been leading the way for the Thrashers'
offense, scoring seven goals over the last eight games.