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Thrashers will try to continue momentum against red-hot Senators

Nov 1, 2007 - 2:13 PM Atlanta (4-8-0) at Ottawa (9-1-0) 7:30 pm EDT

OTTAWA (Ticker) -- The Atlanta Thrashers hope to continue their momentum on the road when they visit the red-hot Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

Atlanta has won two straight games after a dismal 0-6-0 start, and will play the sixth game of a season-long seven-game road trip.

Ilya Kovalchuk has scored three goals and collected five assists in the six games since general manager Don Waddell took over as coach for the fired Bob Hartley.

On Tuesday, Kovalchuk netted the decisive goal in the shootout of a 3-2 win over Montreal. It was the third win in the last four games for the Thrashers, who are 3-2-0 on the road trip.

Atlanta's turnabout has come despite the lack of scoring from right wing Marian Hossa, who has gone scoreless in five games after recording a career-high 100 points last season. His longest stretch without a point is six games, which occurred when he was a member of the Senators in January 1999.

Ottawa has won its last four games and looks to win five in a row for the second time this season.

The Senators are led by Daniel Alfredsson, who has seven goals and 14 points, and Jason Spezza, who has recorded 12 assists through the team's first 10 games.

Martin Gerber has been stellar in goal, posting a 1.99 goals-against average to go with a 7-1-0 record.

The matchup also features two teams at the opposite end of the spectrum defensively. The Thrashers come into the game tied for last in the league with 3.92 goals allowed per game, while Ottawa has surrendered just 1.90 - which is best in the league.

Ottawa won in Atlanta, 3-1, on October 10 in the previous matchup.