W L OTL Pts.
2 1 0 4
 
Pts. W L OTL
3 1 1 1

3:08 @ Scotiabank Place
FSN Pittsburgh, SportSouth (Atlanta)
 
Inside The Game
Less than a week has passed since former Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen were traded to Atlanta along with a prospect and a pick in return for forwards Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis.  But, already, both teams are without one of their new acquisitions.

Hossa went down with a sprained MCL midway through his debut with the Penguins, while Armstrong left the Thrashers game last night with what appeared to be some sort of head injury.  Ironically, both teams lost their players in a game against the Boston Bruins.

As a result, this afternoon’s game won’t have near the hype that it might have.  Even so, it’s a big game for the Penguins, who could find themselves in a first place tie for the Eastern Conference lead with a win.

While the Thrashers certainly aren’t one of the most talented teams in the league, they do have a few very skilled players in Ilya Kovalchuk, Tobias Enstrom and Kari Lehtonen — and they are capable of pulling out a victory in any given game, as evidenced by their two victories over the Penguins this season.

The Penguins, however, need the win more than the Thrashers do, and after losing two straight, a game against the Thrashers could be just what the doctor ordered.

For Marc-Andre Fleury, the doctor hasn’t necessarily ordered anything, but has given the go-ahead so start a game.  So, after nearly three months without an NHL start, Fleury will man the pipes for the Penguins.

"I’m pretty excited, a little nervous," Fleury said to Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  "It’s been a long time. It will be fun, though, to be back in Pittsburgh."

At the other end of the ice, Lehtonen is expected to get the start.
 
Standings
  GP W L OT Pts Division Conference League
Penguins 66 36 23 7 79 2, Atlantic 5, Eastern 8, NHL
Thrashers 66 29 31 6 64 3, Southeast 13, Eastern 27, NHL
                 
Team Statistics
  GF GA PP% PK% Home Away L 10 Streak
Penguins 195 183 21.5 80.3 18-10-5 18-13-2 4-4-2 2 losses
Thrashers 276 216 17.4 79.9 16-14-3 13-17-3 3-5-2 3 losses
                 
Team Leaders
  Stat Penguins   Stat Thrashers
Goals 37 Malkin Goals 42 Kovalchuk
Assists 50 Malkin Assists 31 Enstrom
Points 87 Malkin Points 71 Kovalchuk
PIMs 112 Ruutu PIMs 91 Boulton
Wins 17 Conklin Wins 13 Hedberg/Lehtonen
 
Injuries
Penguins Injury Thrashers Injury
Hossa, DTD
Whitney, DTD
Scuderi, DTD
Beech, IR
Hall, IR
Crosby, IR
Roberts, IR
Eaton, IR		 Sprained MCL
Groin
Fractured Finger
Broken Right Wrist
Sports Hernia Surgery
High Ankle Sprain
Broken Leg/Ankle Sprain
Torn ACL		 Rucchin, IR Post-Concussion Syndrome
       
Note: Info up-to-date as of 11:25 am, Sunday, March 2, 2008.