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Islanders looking for three straight wins vs. Thrashers

Nov 6, 2008 - 11:25 AM NY Islanders (4-7-1) at Atlanta (3-7-2), 7:00 p.m. EST

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- The New York Islanders and Atlanta Thrashers are fighting it out to avoid the basement in the Eastern Conference. But things are starting to look up for at least one of them.

The Islanders will go try to put together their first three-game winning streak of the season when they face the Thrashers on Thursday.

After coming up with one point - an overtime loss - during a six-game stretch, New York has begun to turn things around of late. Despite squandering a three-goal, third-period lead for a second straight time, the Islanders posted an overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday and followed with a 2-1 triumph at the rival New York Rangers a day later in which they scored a pair of shorthanded goals.

The poor stretch mainly was a result of some terrible defense, as they allowed nearly four goals per game.

Without top goaltender Rick DiPietro due to knee surgery, the Islanders have let Joey MacDonald handle the bulk of the duties. The third-year netminder allowed 23 goals over his first seven starts but has cut that down in the two victories, stopping 66 of 70 shots.

Atlanta snapped an 0-5-1 slide of its own on Sunday, getting a pair of goals from Ilya Kovalchuk in a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers. The outburst snapped a string of three straight games without a point for the star left wing.

Like the Islanders, the Thrashers have had trouble in the defensive end, allowing a staggering 29 goals during their six-game skid. Atlanta has yielded 46 tallies in 12 games overall this season, tied for the most in the East.

The Thrashers, with eight points, currently are last in the conference, one point behind the Islanders and Panthers.