ATLANTA — Thrashers captain Ilya Kovalchuk will not play tonight at Buffalo after aggravating an upper-body injury during an overtime victory against Edmonton.

Kovalchuk leads Atlanta in scoring with 36 goals and 42 assists. He left the ice during the first period of Thursday night’s 4-3 victory over the Oilers, the Thrashers’ fourth straight win.

"Ilya Kovalchuk aggravated a lingering upper body injury that he has skated with in recent games," general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. "It’s not serious but he is returning to Atlanta for rest and will be re-evaluated on Monday before determining his status" for Monday’s home game against Washington.