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Thrashers topple Maple Leafs
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Thrashers
at Capitals

When: 7 p.m. tonight

Where: Washington, D.C.

TV, radio: SportSouth
(Charter channel 36); 680-AM

Web site: www.atlantathrashers.com

TORONTO Todd White scored two goals and Johan Hedberg made 32 saves in the Atlanta Thrashers’ 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.

Colby Armstrong, Chris Thorburn, Ilya Kovalchuk and Mathieu Schneider also scored for Atlanta (8-10-2).

Nik Antropov, Jeff Finger and Niklas Hagman had goals for the Maple Leafs, who lost for the eighth time in 10 games.

That certainly won’t sit well with Brian Burke, who appears to be on the verge of signing a deal to become the Maple Leafs’ new general manager.

Toronto has surrendered an NHL-worst 78 goals, and backup goalie Curtis Joseph didn’t do much to help improve that. Making his third start of the season, Joseph allowed the first three goals. The Maple Leafs were never able to get out of the hole.

Armstrong opened the scoring at 6:50 of the first period when he raced in on the right wing and lifted a wrist shot over Joseph’s shoulder. The goalie made up for it later in the period by stopping Kovalchuk on a breakaway.

White and Thorburn scored less than three minutes apart during the second period to give the Thrashers a 3-0 lead. White received a nice pass from Slava Kozlov and scored at 4:17, and Thorburn got a couple whacks at a loose puck before putting in his first of the season at 7:04.

That prompted Leafs coach Ron Wilson to shake up his top line, and the decision paid immediate dividends. Lee Stempniak, in his first game since being acquired from St. Louis, joined Antropov and Matt Stajan. The trio got the Leafs on the board at 7:31.

Antropov scored his eighth when his intended pass glanced off defenseman Ron Hainsey’s stick and behind Hedberg. Stempniak was given an assist on the play.

Kovalchuk buried a hard wrist shot to make it 4-1 at 13:05 and later engaged in an ongoing battle with Toronto’s Ian White — first taking a four-minute penalty while going after the Leafs defenseman and later fighting him.

Finger and Schneider traded third-period goals before White scored his second of the night at 15:09. The building was more than half-empty when Hagman made it 6-3 with 2:43 to play.

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