More photos » John Amis - AP

3 months ago: Atlanta Thrashers right wing Maxim Afinogenov (61) reacts along with Ilya Kovalchuk after making a tying goal against the Boston Bruins during third period action of their NHL hockey game, sending the game to overtime Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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		v.
Atlanta Thrashers				Pittsburgh Penguins
Philips Arena
7:00PM
TV: SportSouth HD   Radio: 680 the FAN
SBNation: Game page, PensBurgh
TSN Coverage
Johan Hedberg				Marc Andre Fleury
(4-1-0, .923% 2.63)				(11-7-0, .899 2.67)

Jump for game notes.

Slightly abbreviated gameday post today, folks. Half of the BWA-Team have been down here for Blogger Day @ Philips Arena. Hopefully we'll have some excellent stuff up here soon. If you can't make it down to the arena tonight, come back here for live-blogging from high above the ice at Philips Arena. Big shout outs to Big Tex & Frozen Pill over at ongoalanalysis.com, we've been having lots of fun hanging out with some Texan hockey bloggers.

Penguins Notes

Last Game: The Pens are coming off a disheartening loss (6-2) to the Ottawa Senators this past Thursday night. They may just be a little angry about that.

Recent Record: After an 11-3 October to open the season, the Pens have gone 3-5 so far in November. Injuries have played a large part in this slide - Pittsburgh has lost 79 man-games to injury on the season.

Comeback: Tonight marks the return of defenseman Brooks Orpik to the Penguins lineup. Orpik has missed 4 games with a lower body injury. Both Maxime Talbot (C) and Sergei Conchar (D) returned Thursday night against the Senators.

Aaron, Why Are Pens Games Special? I'm so glad you asked. Games against Pittsburgh have taken on a pugnacious tone of late. Watch for things to get chippy early.

Who to Watch Out For: Take your pick: Captain Sidney Crosby has 21 points in 14 games vs. Atlanta; Evgeni Malkin has 20 points in 12 games; Sergei Gonchar has 35 points in 30 games; Marc-Andre Fleury is 7-3-0 with a 2.32 GAA in 10 games. I heard they picked up a little hardware last year.

Thrashers Notes

Last Game: Thanks to a last-minute goal by Maxim Afinogenov, the Thrashers somehow snuck out a point versus Boston, losing in the shootout 4-3.

Recent Record: The loss ended Atlanta's winning streak at four.

Shake It Out: The Thrashers had another slow start on Thusday, with Boston scoring 5:59 into the first period. They are still 7-0 when scoring first.

Who To Watch Out For: Max Afinogenov is riding a four game point streak with that magnificent goal Thursday; Toby Enstrom has 7 points in 7 games; Ilya Kovalchuk is has 11 points in four games.

Let that sink in: eleven points in four games.

Just wait til he's 100%.

I call a Bryan Little slumpbuster tonight. Two goals for Lits paves the way for a 5-3 victory for the Thrashers.

Uh oh, better finish up - laptop is running out of batte