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Ladd, "Buff" too tough as Thrashers score OT win over Panthers

Mar 6, 2011 - 3:20 AM Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Andrew Ladd scored just 25 seconds into overtime to give the Atlanta Thrashers a much-needed 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers at Philips Arena.

In the extra session, Dustin Byfuglien carried the puck into the zone and from the right side he fired it over to the left where Ladd whacked it home for the win.

Ladd finished with two goals and an assist, Blake Wheeler had two goals and Byfuglien added four helpers for the Thrashers, who came into the game having lost seven of their last eight. Chris Mason stopped 31 shots for the victors.

"You've gotta use the good feeling and the energy that comes with that," said Ladd. "We have the day off tomorrow and will come back Monday with lots of energy. We have to keep the pace up and go from there."

Stephen Weiss and Sergei Samsonov each had a goal and an assist for the Panthers, who have dropped four straight and six of seven. Tomas Vokoun made 32 stops in the loss.

"We got down and took some penalties in the second half of the game," said Vokoun. "Obviously when we got down 3-1, we pushed back and scored a couple of goals. It's tough and we've lost a bunch of our regular players. It's not easy in this league, you just try to do the best you can."

It was a tie game heading to the third, but Atlanta took the lead 68 seconds in on the power play when Ladd grabbed a bouncing puck at the right side of the net and wrapped it in before Vokoun was able to recover.

The Thrashers then made it a 3-1 game at the 6:30 mark as a shot from Byfuglien was stopped by Vokoun, but the whistle never blew to end the play and Wheeler jammed it home for his second of the night.

However, Florida rallied to tie the contest.

The first came just under a minute and a half later on the power play when a slow wrister from Weiss in the high slot made its way through traffic.

With 9:02 to play, the Panthers tied the game as a rebound at the left side was buried by Booth into the back of the net.

Samsonov got the first goal of the game just 5:46 in when he jammed in a wrapround attempt from the front of the net.

However, Atlanta tied the game just 43 seconds into the second as Wheeler snapped home a rebound from the right side.

Game Notes

Atlanta plays in Carolina on Wednesday...The Thrashers took four of the six games against Florida this season. Three of those wins came on the road as this was the first game that the home team won this season...Florida hosts Washington on Sunday...Florida was 1-for-4 on the power play while Atlanta was 1-for-5.