"The Thrashers had a chance to get back in the thick of the playoff race. It was gone in less than a period. Buffalo scored three first-period goals en route to an 8-2 victory over the Thrashers on Saturday night at HSBC Arena. The Thrashers' chance to pull within two points of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference also was lost. The Thrashers (30-30-12, 72 points) fell to 11th in the Eastern Conference and are now six points behind Buffalo (35-28-8, 78 points) for the eighth and final playoff spot. Toronto pulled ahead of the Thrashers with a victory over Boston on Saturday and has 74 points. Idle Carolina is ninth with 76 points. With 10 games remaining in the regular season the Thrashers took a giant step backward. It came after a giant step forward with Thursday's win over Philadelphia that set up Saturday's showdown with the Sabres." Read more: http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-thrashers/thrashers-fall-flat-in-878724.html
