Game Preview: Atlanta Thrashers @ Pittsburgh Penguins

Game Time: 7:30pm/ET
From: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
Penguins Record: 19-17-4 (9th in Eastern Conference)
Thrashers Record: 13-22-5 (14th in Eastern Conference)
Last Meeting: December 12th, 2008 @ Atlanta (6-3 Pens)
[Our Recap]

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS LINE COMBINATIONS:
Tyler Kennedy - Sidney Crosby - Pascal Dupuis
Ruslan Fedotenko - Evgeni Malkin - Petr Sykora
Maxime Talbot - Jordan Staal - Matt Cooke
Eric Godard - Dustin Jeffrey - Miroslav Satan

Brooks Opik - Ryan Whitney
Mark Eaton - Phillipe Boucher
Rob Scuderi - Kris Letang

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS PROBABLE GOALTENDER:
Marc-Andre Fleury (11-9-2 / 3.01 GAA / .903 SV%)

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS INJURIES:
Sergei Gonchar (left shoulder surgery) - on injured reserve
Mike Zigomanis (shoulder) - on injured reserve


ATLANTA THRASHERS LINE COMBINATIONS:
Ilya Kovalchuk - Eric Christensen - Jason Williams
Slava Kozlov - Todd White - Joey Crabb
Colby Armstrong - Marty Reasoner - Chris Thorburn
Eric Boulton - Jim Slater - Eric Perrin

Tobias Enstrom - Niclas Havelid
Mathieu Schneider - Nathan Oystrick
Ron Hainsey - Boris Valabik

ATLANTA THRASHERS PROBABLE GOALTENDER:
Kari Lehtonen (4-9-2 / 3.39AA / .903 SV%)

ATLANTA THRASHERS INJURIES:
Garnet Exelby (hairline fracture in right leg) - on injured reserve
Bryan Little (bruised ribs) - day-to-day, expected to miss tonight's game


PENGUINS LEADERS:
GOALS: Malkin (15)
ASSISTS: Malkin (45)
POINTS: Malkin (60)
+/-: Malkin (+17)

ATLANTA THRASHERS LEADERS:
GOALS: Little (19)
ASSISTS: Kovalchuk (26)
POINTS: Kovalchuk (39)
+/-: Havelid (+5)


Not much needs to be said here.

Everyone is aware of the Penguins' struggles. The Pens have lost five games in a row and five straight at home. Their power play hasn't scored in six games. Everyone knows that.

Atlanta is the league's worst defensive team.

This game won't be pretty.

Prediction: 4-3 Thrashers.