For the first time in the Atlanta Thrashers’ seven-year history, they have made the NHL playoffs and will play the New York Rangers in round one. Atlanta Thrashers coach Bob Hartley thinks that the playoffs birth for the Thrashers will bring an air of excitement to Atlanta.

“I think we’re going to generate lots of energy in this great city with the playoffs, there are lots of faithful hockey fans who have waited a long time for this, and now we’re going to be able to thank them by giving them the NHL playoffs. That will create an extra buzz for this city and hopefully create new hockey fans.”

Though new to the playoffs, the Thrashers do have experience on their team which will help when the pressure is on. Acquisitions Keith Tkachuk, Alexei Zhitnik, and Pascal Dupuis each bring experience to the Thrashers. The veteran influence should positively affect young goalie Kari Lehtonen, who although lacking experience, was above average this year in save percentage - .912.
The Rangers may have an upperhand in this series after coming off of a dominant stretch in the latter half of the season, going 17-6-6 and outscoring their opponents in every period this season, not including overtime. Jaromir Jagr will look to continue his scoring in the playoffs, after scoring 30 goals and 96 points this season and being 11th on the all-time scoring list with 1,528 points.

The two teams will lock up on Thursday night at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Even with the home advantage, the Rangers will be a challenge to hold off in this first playoff game for the Thrashers.