Ilya Kovalchuk is in a New York state of mind.
Wow, what a day in Thrashersville.
For those of you who have not been keeping up with the Kovalchuk situation, here’s a quick refresher.
The Atlanta Thrashers’ left wing broke a bone in his right foot in Atlanta’s 4-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks on October 24.
He was expected to be sidelined anywhere from three-to-five weeks.
Almost always a quick healer, Kovalchuk began practicing with the team on Tuesday, but cut practice short on Wednesday after experiencing some pain in his broken right foot.
And then he didn’t make the flight to New York City for Atlanta’s Thursday matchup with the New York Rangers (7:00 PM, SportSouth, 680 "The Fan").
That was before the flight was delayed due to weather.
Kovalchuk felt better, and according to team spokesman Rob Koch, got on that delayed charter to the Big Apple.
Thrashers fans can breathe easy now that Kovy may be back in uniform at the Garden tomorrow. The Atlanta captain remains day-to-day, or as Ben Wright of the club's Blueland blog aptly put it, "hour-to-hour," which is welcome news to Thrashers coach John Anderson.
“We’re a little fragile right now, we’re not playing our best hockey,” Anderson told Thrashers TV on Tuesday. “He gives us a ray of light, a little bit of hope. Hopefully, he plays well. … We kept our head above water, we kept in there. We get our superstar back and hopefully we go from there.”
The Atlanta captain was on one heck of a tear prior to his injury, tied for the league lead with nine goals entering that October contest where that puck off the stick of Devin Setoguchi glanced off of the top of his skate.
The Thrashers have held their ground without Kovalchuk, posting a 3-3-0 record in six games, but enter play on Thursday with 15 points, three behind a trio of teams for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
“It’s tough to watch from upstairs because you can’t help,” Kovalchuk told the team’s official website on Tuesday. “I think it’s tougher to sit upstairs than to play. “They played real well. Every game we had a chance to win. We just need to prepare ourselves differently for home games. We’re still over. 500. It’s a pretty good start, we’re going to get better and we’re going to improve.”
Kovy’s possible return could not come at a better time for the Thrashers, who may be without rookie Evander Kane in New York.
Kane injured a leg in Sunday’s contest against the St. Louis Blues and is a game-time decision on Thursday.
Should both Kane and Kovalchuk be unable to go, the Thrashers will likely recall a forward from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
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