Thrashers LW Kovalchuk suffers back injury Tuesday

Nov 7, 2007 - 4:21 AM ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Atlanta Thrashers left wing Ilya Kovalchuk left Tuesday's 2-1 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals midway through the second period with back spasms.

After recording hat tricks in each of his previous two games, Kovalchuk scored less than 6 1/2 minutes into the middle session to give Atlanta a 1-0 edge. With the tally, his 13th of the season, the 24-year-old Russian passed Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg for the league lead.

Kovalchuk left the game following his next shift and did not return. He is expected to undergo an MRI on Wednesday.

"I started feeling it when I took a shot (on my goal)," Kovalchuk said. "We'll see tomorrow, when I get an MRI. I can't really move or get up, but I hope it's going to loosen up and I hope to be ready for the next game."

The Thrashers, who have won four of their last five contests, visit the Florida Panthers on Friday.

"We think he'll be OK," Atlanta coach Don Waddell said. "We're going to do an MRI tomorrow to be safe."

The leading scorer for the Thrashers, Kovalchuk has recorded seven assists and 20 points in 15 games this season.