Thrashers 3, Rangers 0
Ondrej Pavelec turned aside 29 shots for his fourth shutout of the season as the Atlanta Thrashers played the spoiler role to perfection Thursday, blanking the host New York Rangers 3-0.
Pavelec had his strongest outing in what has been an otherwise dismal second half of the season. The veteran netminder came in just 3-10-2 since the break, but held New York at bay for his sixth career shutout and first since Jan. 26.
The loss was a devastating one for the Rangers, who remain just two points up on the Carolina Hurricanes for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. The Hurricanes have a game in hand, with the teams are even in the first tiebreaker with 34 regulation wins apiece. New York (43-33-5) has four more victories overall.
Rob Schremp had a goal and an assist to pace Atlanta (34-34-12), while Andrew Ladd and Eric Boulton also scored. Schremp and Ladd tallied 15 second apart in the second period to give the Thrashers all the offense they would need.
Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves for the Rangers, who finish their regular season Saturday afternoon against the New Jersey Devils.