Panthers  3    Jets  4

Recap: Atlanta vs. Florida

Sports Network | December 1, 2009

Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Maxim Afinogenov scored the game-winning goal with 5.5 seconds remaining in the third period, as the Atlanta Thrashers edged the Florida Panthers, 4-3, in a Southeast Division matchup at Philips Arena.

With time winding down in regulation, the Panthers failed to clear the puck out of their own zone. Nik Antropov gathered it and made a quick pass from the right circle to Afinogenov, who let a wrist shot go from the middle slot that got by Scott Clemmensen along the ice to the glove side.

Mark Popovic, Ilya Kovalchuk and Chris Thorburn also tallied for Atlanta, which was coming off a 1-0 win over Philadelphia on Saturday. The Thrashers have won four straight and eight of 11 overall. Johan Hedberg turned aside 25- of-28 shots.

"He's been a great surprise for us," Thrashers head coach John Anderson said about Afinogenov. "It's like he has a new lease on life here and were glad to have him."

Michael Frolik and Stephen Weiss each had a goal and an assist, while Rostislav Olesz also scored for the Panthers, who have dropped five in a row after winning the previous three.

Tomas Vokoun stopped 3-of-5 shots before suffering a freak injury. After Kovalchuk's goal at 8:54 of the first period, Panthers defenseman Keith Ballard inexplicably swung his stick at the goal in frustration and hit Vokoun in the head. Medical personnel quickly came out to attend to the netminder, who lay flat on his back for several minutes before being taken off the ice on a stretcher.

"He's a little down right now," Weiss said of Ballard. "We got word Tomas was fine. Not to say it makes it any easier, but we're all there for Bally. You have to put it out of your mind and get back to business."

Clemmensen then took over and stopped 28-of-30 shots.

"It's not pretty," Panthers head coach Peter DeBoer said about the loss. "It's a tough loss and a hard one to swallow. Vokoun is going to be fine. Managing the puck at critical times has been our weakness. The same thing bit us tonight."

Atlanta opened the scoring 3:36 into the contest off a Panthers' turnover. After Kamil Kreps failed to get the puck out of his own zone, Popovic took a feed from Eric Boulton, skated behind the net and squeezed a shot inside the near post from a severe angle.

Weiss responded 45 seconds later when he deflected an aerial pass from Frolik past Hedberg to tie things at 1-1.

Kovalchuk then stuffed home his own rebound to put the Thrashers ahead at 8:54 before Vokoun went down with the injury and was replaced by Clemmensen.

Olesz's power-play tally on a wrister from the right circle knotted the game at 2-2 at 15:47.

Thorburn put Atlanta back in front when he re-directed Boulton's pass from in close 5:28 into the second. Florida then capitalized on a Thrashers turnover with 2:23 left in the middle period. Frolik took a feed from Weiss from behind the net and ripped it high into the net from the slot.

Florida forward Gregory Campbell returned to the lineup after missing five straight games with an upper-body injury and did not register a point in 17:04 of ice time...Boulton and Antropov each finished with two assists...The Panthers won four of six encounters in 2008-09 and despite the loss have won nine out of the last 13 overall in the series...Vokoun reportedly suffered a deep cut on his ear and was alert and responsive before being taken to a local hospital for observation.