GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NHL: NY RANGERS (2-3) at ATLANTA (0-6)

NHL: NY RANGERS (2-3) at ATLANTA (0-6)

<h3>New coach Waddell hopes to snap Thrashers' 10-game skid</h3>

<div class="pre">NY Rangers (2-3-0) at Atlanta (0-6-0) 7:00 pm EDT</div>

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- The defense of the Southeast Division titlehas not gotten off to a good start for the Atlanta Thrashers.Bob Hartley paid the price.


General manager Don Waddell will take over the coaching dutiesand hope to get the Thrashers into the win column when they hostthe New York Rangers on Thursday in a playoff rematch.

Despite guiding Atlanta to its best season in franchise historyin 2006-07, an uninspired showing in the playoffs coupled withan 0-6-0 start to this season apparently was enough to costHartley his job. One day after absorbing a 4-0 loss to thePhiladelphia Flyers, Hartley was fired on Wednesday.

"This is always a very difficult decision to make, but we feelthat this is the best thing for our team right now," Waddellsaid at a news conference. "We thank Bob for his service overthe last four-plus seasons."


"It's something that no matter how many times you go through it,it's somewhat - not surprising, but it's an uncomfortablesituation," Thrashers captain Bobby Holik told the AtlantaJournal-Constitution after Wednesday's practice. "It's notBob's fault, it's everybody's fault."


Though assistant coach Brad McCrimmon ran Wednesday's practice,Waddell will take over coaching duties on an interim basis.

The Rangers started the Thrashers' 10-game slide when they sweptthe Southeast Division champions from the postseason in theEastern Conference quarterfinals last year.


New York, however, is not off to the kind of start it expectedeither. Expected to be an offensive juggernaut after signingcenters Chris Drury and Scott Gomez in the offseason, theRangers have managed just five goals in their last fourcontests.


Drury has just one goal and three assists and Gomez has beenheld to a goal and an assist since coming to the Big Apple.Captain Jaromir Jagr leads the club with five points on theseason.


Ilya Kovalchuk has tallied three of Atlanta's nine goals thisseason and Marian Hossa, who has been hampered by a groininjury, has registered just one point in three games.

It will not get any easier for the Thrashers as they will embarkon a seven-game road trip following the contest with theRangers.

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL AT ATLANTA
STARTING GOALIES: NYR - HENRIK LUNDQVIST
ATL - KARI LEHTONEN

OFFICIALS: REF - DEAN WARREN, JUSTIN ST. PIERRE
LIN - DON HENDERSON, JONNY MURRAY</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 0 19:03 LEFT, 1ST PRD</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NY RANGERS VS ATLANTA - SCRATCHES

NY RANGERS ATLANTA

M STRAKA HEALTHY E BOULTON HEALTHY
M MALIK HEALTHY M POPOVIC HEALTHY
M HOSSA HIP INJURY C THORBURN HEALTHY</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 0 16:30 LEFT, 1ST PRD</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 1
1ST PRD: ATL - PASCAL DUPUIS 1 (BRAD LARSEN, BOBBY HOLIK) 4:21</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 1 13:48 LEFT, 1ST PRD</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 2
1ST PRD: ATL - (PP) VYACHESLAV KOZLOV 2 (MARIAN HOSSA, TOBIAS ENSTROM)
6:20 (TWO-MAN ADVANTAGE)</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 2 12:22 LEFT, 1ST PRD</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 2 10:38 LEFT, 1ST PRD</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 2 9:00 LEFT, 1ST PRD</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL AT ATLANTA
ATL GOALIE CHANGE
JOHAN HEDBERG, 12:30 1ST PRD</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 2 7:26 LEFT, 1ST PRD</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 2 5:54 LEFT, 1ST PRD</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 2 3:00 LEFT, 1ST PRD</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 2 0:00 LEFT, 1ST PRD</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL END OF THE 1ST 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
NY RANGERS 0 0
ATLANTA 2 2 END OF THE 1ST

GOAL SCORING:

1ST PRD: ATL - PASCAL DUPUIS 1 (BRAD LARSEN, BOBBY HOLIK) 4:21
ATL - (PP) VYACHESLAV KOZLOV 2 (MARIAN HOSSA, TOBIAS
ENSTROM) 6:20

SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
NYR 14 14
ATL 13 13

GOALIES: NYR - HENRIK LUNDQVIST
ATL - KARI LEHTONEN, JOHAN HEDBERG (12:30, 1ST)</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">------------------------
Ny Rangers 0 --0
Atlanta 2 --2
------------------------

FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Atlanta, Pascal Dupuis 1 (Brad Larsen,
Bobby Holik), 4:21. 2, Atlanta, Vyacheslav Kozlov 2 (power play)
(Marian Hossa, Tobias Enstrom), 6:20. Penalties: P Prucha, Nyr
(interference), 4:52; R Callahan, Nyr (hooking), 6:12; G Exelby, Atl
(slashing), 9:22; V Kozlov, Atl (elbowing), 14:06.

Shots on goal:
-----------------------------
Ny Rangers 14 --14
Atlanta 13 --13
-----------------------------

Goalies : Ny Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist (13 shots, 11 saves). Atlanta,
Kari Lehtonen (8 shots, 8 saves), Johan Hedberg (12:30 of 1st period,
6, 6). Referees: Dean Warren, Justin St. Pierre. Linesmen: Don
Henderson, Jonny Murray.</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 2 19:55 LEFT, 2ND PRD</div>

 

NHL: NY RANGERS at ATLANTA

<div class="pre">NHL NY RANGERS 0
ATLANTA 2 18:53 LEFT, 2ND PRD</div>