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Thrashers-Bruins Preview

Dec 22, 2009 - 9:39 PM MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Atlanta (18-13-4) at Boston (17-11-7), 7:00 p.m. EDT

The Boston Bruins don't want to get too excited about their last victory, but getting two goals in the third period is an accomplishment for the league's lowest-scoring team.

Boston looks continue its push up the Northeast Division standings Wednesday night when it goes for its eighth straight victory over the Atlanta Thrashers.

Coming off Saturday's 2-0 loss to Toronto, the Bruins' fourth shutout defeat of the season, Boston (17-11-7) snapped an 0-2-2 slide with a 2-0 victory at Ottawa on Monday. Patrice Bergeron and Marco Sturm scored for the Bruins, who are last in the NHL with 85 goals.

Boston scored seven times during its four-game skid.

"We knew we weren't quite there yet," coach Claude Julien told the Bruins' official Web site. "There's some things that we weren't doing.

"And when you don't score much or you haven't won in a while there's always a little bit of fear that sets in."

Facing the Thrashers hasn't caused much fear for the Bruins, winners of seven in a row in the series.

In the teams' only meeting this season, Boston snapped Atlanta's four-game winning streak with a 4-3 shootout victory Nov. 19. Bergeron, who scored the only goal in the tiebreaker, got his first goal in eight games Monday.

"It was a good game for us," Bergeron said after the Bruins moved past the Senators for second place in the division. "To get that goal finally in the third period was huge and then we kept the lead."

Tim Thomas made 29 saves for his NHL-leading fourth shutout and 16th of his career. He went 3-0-0 with a 2.27 goals-against average in his last three starts against Atlanta.

Teammate Tuukka Rask, among the league leaders with a 1.97 GAA, made 32 saves in the Nov. 19 victory.

Atlanta (18-13-4) opens a season-high seven-game trip as it tries to regain its successful road form. The Thrashers, losers of four straight in Boston, went 9-2-1 in their first 12 road games but are 1-4-0 away from Philips Arena since.

Despite firing a franchise-record 50 shots on goal, Atlanta lost 4-3 in overtime to Montreal on Monday. Ilya Kovalchuk's team-leading 20th goal late in the first period was the Thrashers' only score in the opening 40 minutes.

"We did exactly what we wanted to do the whole game. It was just one of those games," coach John Anderson said. "The hockey gods weren't with us."

Kovalchuk, who leads Atlanta with 20 goals and 37 points, has four goals and six assists during a seven-game point streak. He had a goal and two assists against Boston last month.

Thrashers center Nik Antropov scored twice Monday, giving him goals in four straight games.

Bruins center David Krejci has scored in seven consecutive games against Atlanta. He matched a career high with three assists in the Thrashers' most recent visit to Boston \2013 a Bruins 4-2 victory last Dec. 13.

Johan Hedberg stopped 25 shots in losing his fourth start in a row to Boston.

The Thrashers' Ondrej Pavelec, 1-4-0 with a 4.77 GAA in his last five starts, made 39 saves in the Nov. 19 defeat.

Boston's Michael Ryder has seven goals and three assists during a seven-game point streak against the Thrashers.

Atlanta's last victory in Boston was 3-2 on March 31, 2007.