Power Rankings: Thrashers now get Ilya-free preview

Updated Oct. 27

As hard as it is to imagine a team being in a make-or-break period this early in the season, that's the situation the Atlanta Thrashers find themselves in these days.

Think of it as kind of a Rorschach test for the team. Or perhaps more accurately for its captain Ilya Kovalchuk, who will spend the next three to five weeks on the shelf with a broken foot. How the rest of the players respond to his absence could go a long way toward determining whether one of the league's most dynamic players will remain with it after this season.

Kovalchuk, with nine goals already this season, can become an unrestricted free agent next July and so far has declined to sign a new contract with the team that drafted him first overall in 2001. More important, he has expressed his frustration several times over the last few years at the organization's failure to make any real progress. But Kovalchuk has been sounding positive notes this season after Atlanta added veterans Nik Antropov, Maxim Afinogenov and Pavel Kubina.

The newcomers and some strong play by youngsters Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian helped the Thrashers get off to a quick start. Atlanta stumbled last week, dropping three games in a row including one to San Jose when Kovalchuk was injured. Now the issue is whether the Thrashers can keep their heads above water and stay in the playoff race while missing their superstar for a dozen games or so.

If they do, it would go a long way toward convincing Kovalchuk that the team really is on the right track and worth the commitment of a new contract. If not, well ...

"That's why they call it a team," Atlanta coach John Anderson said. "We're not based just on one player. As much as Kovy is a great player and we need him, other guys have to play well too. We need to play like a team."

More than ever.

Here are the power rankings through Monday night's games:

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Blackhawks · Trends	1
	Not many questions these days about goalie Cristobal Huet or Marian Hossa, who is picking up a point a game since coming off shoulder surgery.
	2	Sharks · Trends	2
	Goalie Evgeni Nabokov has been outspoken on a few subjects lately and not making many friends on his team or elsewhere as a result.
	3	Penguins · Trends	4
	Sidney Crosby's groin is the only thing stopping him now. He has picked up 19 points in three weeks to jump back into the scoring race.
	4	Devils · Trends	3
	Hard to beat in regulation or when games go long. New Jersey is 5-1 in shootouts so far.
	5	Flames · Trends	5
	Calgary is 6-1-1 over its past eight games and has allowed two goals or less in seven of them.
	6	Capitals · Trends	6
	Those poor Caps had to go two games without Alex Ovechkin and all the offense could manage was 14 goals.
	7	Bruins · Trends	9
	Boston's latest lifer, Marc Savard, has been lighting it up since coming back from a broken foot, and not coincidentally, so have the B's.
	8	Sabres · Trends	7
	The Sabres are tough to come back on. Buffalo is 12-2-2 when scoring first and unbeaten when leading after two periods.
	9	Coyotes · Trends	13
	Doing it the hard way. Phoenix has won four in a row without zero power-play goals in 13 tries during the run.
	10	Thrashers · Trends	10
	Pavel Kubina has stabilized the blue line in Atlanta and his own game as well. He was minus-15 with Toronto last season, and is plus-16 now.
	11	Kings · Trends	16
	Wayne Simmonds has stepped up with eight points in six games, but the Kings are having trouble holding leads these days.
	12	Predators · Trends	8
	The Predators have been turkeys at home since Thanksgiving, going 1-3 and losing the past two by a combined 10-3 score.
	13	Avalanche · Trends	17
	All of a sudden things seem to be clicking for rookie Matt Duchene, who had his ice time cut for a night and then had five goals in his next three games.
	14	Red Wings · Trends	14
	Detroit has won just one of its past six at home after losing just nine there last season. Overall, the Red Wings are 5-6-2 in Detroit.
	15	Canucks · Trends	18
	Ryan Kesler isn't helping his case as the Team USA roster announcement approaches. He hasn't scored in 14 games for the underachieving Canucks.
	16	Wild · Trends	28
	Playing their best hockey of the season of late and suddenly back in the playoff picture. Andrew Brunette is catching fire.
	17	Stars · Trends	19
	Losing a lot of valuable extra points in shootouts. Dallas is 1-6 in the skills challenges this season.
	18	Senators · Trends	11
	The road hasn't been kind to the Senators, who went 1-3-1 on their most recent trip and allowed 20 goals.
	19	Blues · Trends	27
	Coach Andy Murray turned over responsibility for the league's worst power play to his assistants at Thanksgiving. The Blues are 3 for 18 with the man advantage since.
	20	Flyers · Trends	12
	Ray Emery has had a 5.36 goals-against average and an .814 save percentage in his past five starts, and was yanked in two.
	21	Rangers · Trends	20
	Forget about his quick start. Ales Kotalik has gone ice cold offensively, now at 11 consecutive games without a goal.
	22	Islanders · Trends	23
	Matt Moulson continues to be one of the season's best stories for the Isles. Meanwhile, rehabbing Rick DiPietro is seeing game action in the minors.
	23	Lightning · Trends	15
	Something doesn't add up when Ryan Malone has as many goals as Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Alex Tanguay combined.
	24	Canadiens · Trends	22
	Tomas Plekanec is having a big season, leading the team in scoring and closing in on his point total for all of last season.
	25	Panthers · Trends	21
	Third periods continue to be nightmares for the Panthers. The good news? Stephen Weiss is enjoying a breakout season.
	26	Oilers · Trends	29
	Baby steps in the right direction. Edmonton won two games in a row last week, the first time they've done that since mid-October.
	27	Maple Leafs · Trends	25
	Some signs of progress lately, but still several concerns because the power play has been awful and the goaltending erratic.
	28	Ducks · Trends	24
	Losing Teemu Selanne until January hurts. Anaheim's power play is one of the team's few bright spots, and Selanne's a big reason why.
	29	Blue Jackets · Trends	26
	When teams fade as fast as the lifeless Jackets have of late, the future of the coach has to come into question.
	30	Hurricanes · Trends	30
	The four-game road trip this week should take Carolina out of the playoff race for good and set the stage for a shakeup that could be worth a lot at next spring's draft.