Sunday March 16th, 2025 6:13PM

Thrashers 3, Lightning 2, SO

By The Associated Press
<p>Jonathan Sim's shootout goal gave the Atlanta Thrashers a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the final regular-season game for both teams on Saturday night.</p><p>Sim's shot past Johan Holmqvist gave Atlanta the shootout advantage. Kari Lehtonen deflected Erric Perrin's shot to clinch the win.</p><p>Atlanta's first-round playoff opponent will be the New York Rangers. As the Southeast Division champions, Atlanta is the No. 3 seed and the Rangers are the No. 6 seed.</p><p>In order to win the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, Tampa Bay needed to beat the Thrashers and have the Rangers lose in regulation to Pittsburgh on Saturday.</p><p>Instead, the Lightning are the No. 7 seed and will face the New Jersey Devils.</p><p>Brad Richards and Vaclav Prospal scored in the shootout for Tampa Bay. Ilya Kovalchuk, who also scored in regulation, and Keith Tkachuk scored for Atlanta.</p><p>There was a delay in the shootout when Atlanta's Eric Belanger missed on a shot and broke the glass behind the net. The glass had to be replaced before Sim could attempt his game-winner.</p><p>Holmqvist stopped 39 shots in regulation and overtime. Lehtonen stopped 34 shots before the shootout for Atlanta.</p><p>Tampa Bay led 2-0 after goals by Vaclav Prospal in the first period and Filip Kuba in the second.</p><p>Prospal's 14th goal came 1:19 into the game after he took a pass from Vincent Lecavalier across the ice and shot from the left circle.</p><p>Kuba pushed the lead to 2-0 by firing a shot between Lehtonen's legs with 12:22 left in the second period.</p><p>Kovalchuk cut the Lightning's lead to 2-1 with a power-play goal with 2:19 left in the second period. Kovalchuk, standing in the left circle, paused before shooting as Holmqvist fell forward, leaving an open net.</p><p>The Thrashers pulled even less than a minute into the third period on Slava Kozlov's 28th goal.</p><p>Marian Hossa assisted on Atlanta's first two goals, giving him 100 points for the first time in his career.</p><p>Atlanta fans chanted "Hossa! Hossa!" after he reached the milestone with his assist on Kozlov's game-tying goal less than a minute into the third period.</p><p>Notes: @Thrashers general manager Don Waddell presented Kozlov with the annual Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy before the game. The trophy is given to the team's unsung hero in honor of Snyder, the former Atlanta player who was killed in a car wreck in 2003. Snyder's parents attended the pregame ceremony. ... Thrashers captain Scott Mellanby, 40, was held out to rest for the playoffs.</p>
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