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Lehtonen, Thrashers aim to keep rolling

Mar 6, 2007 - 3:06 PM Florida (27-26-13) at Atlanta (34-23-10) 7:00 pm EST

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- The Atlanta Thrashers are back in contention in the Southeast Division thanks to Kari Lehtonen's heroics between the pipes.

Lehtonen looks for another strong performance when the Thrashers host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

Atlanta has reeled off three straight victories and is tied with Tampa Bay for the division lead.

Lehtonen led Atlanta to three wins last week, posting a 1.67 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage. He capped his stellar weekend by making 35 saves in Sunday's 3-1 victory over reigning champion Carolina.

Florida captain Olli Jokinen also is rolling. He tied for the league lead with five goals and also registered an assist in pacing the Panthers to three victories last week. The Finnish center recorded his third hat trick of the season in Tuesday's 6-5 victory over Washington.

The Panthers have won four straight and are still alive for the final playoff spot in the East. They have 67 points, six out of the last playoff spot.