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Thrashers edge out Minnesota
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Thrashers at Blackhawks

When: 8:30 tonight

Where: Chicago

On TV: SportSouth

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Niclas Bergfors scored the game-winner midway through the third period and the Atlanta Thrashers beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 on Friday night.

Evander Kane and Nik Antropov also scored for Atlanta, which has won two of three. Johan Hedberg made 36 saves and the Thrashers beat Minnesota in regulation for the first time in nine all-time meetings.

Andrew Brunette and Andrew Ebbett scored for Minnesota, which lost its second straight at home, after getting points in the nine previous games at Xcel Energy Center. Mikko Koivu had two assists.

Bergfors took a pass from Bryan Little at the Minnesota blue line and beat Niklas Backstrom at 11:05. The perfectly placed slapshot from the right circle went over the goalie's right shoulder and under the crossbar.

Acquired in the Ilya Kovalchuk trade, Bergfors has goals in three straight games for Atlanta. Bergfors didn't score a goal in his final 16 games as a Devil or first as a Thrasher.

Atlanta has played a league-high 35 one-goal games, going 14-12-9. Minnesota has 34 one-goal games, falling to 19-11-4 in those games.

The Wild were given a power play with 2 minutes remaining, but Martin Havlat was whistled for a cross-check 24 seconds later to squander the man advantage.

Kane gave the Thrashers a 1-0 lead midway through the first period when he took a pass from Colby Armstrong and beat Backstrom with a wrist shot from the right dot.

Brunette tied the game a little over 2 minutes later with a power play goal, knocking a rebound past Hedberg.

An aggressive play by Ebbett made it 2-1 Minnesota.

Koivu intercepted a pass in the Atlanta zone and passed to Cal Clutterbuck, whose shot from the left circle was stopped by Hedberg. However, Ebbett crashed the net for an easy rebound goal.

Antropov tipped in a slapshot by Pavol Kubina to tie the game on the power play with 13.6 seconds left in the first. Antropov has two goals and four assists in the last three games.

Backstrom made 21 saves.

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