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Final Score: Atlanta 3 - Toronto 2

Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Nik Antropov notched the game-winner early in the third period and Ondrej Pavelec stopped 27 shots as Atlanta clipped Toronto, 3-2, at Air Canada Centre.

Maxim Afinogenov and Evgeny Artyukhin also tallied for the Thrashers, who have won two of three and remained two points out of a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta, with 80 points, still trails Philadelphia, Montreal and Boston, all of whom are tied for sixth place at 82 points.

"This was a good game for us today. We needed the two points to keep up in the hunt," Afinogenov noted. "We did a good job overall and fought hard to keep up in the game."

Viktor Stalberg notched both goals for the Maple Leafs, who have dropped two in a row after winning five of six.

Jonas Gustavsson yielded all three goals on 25 shots in defeat.

Stalberg rippled the net at 3:47 of the third to tie the game, 2-2, but Antropov's tip of Ron Hainsey's point shot only 57 seconds later put Atlanta back on top.

The Thrashers appeared to put themselves in a hole after Jim Slater was called for tripping with two minutes left. Toronto also went with an extra attacker and empty net for the final 1:12 of regulation but failed to net an equalizer.

Following a scoreless first period, Atlanta struck twice in less than a minute to take control. Afinogenov's hard wrister got the visitors on the board at 6:18, then Artyukhin finished off a 2-on-1 break with Marty Reasoner at 7:04.

"On the first goal, I didn't know who was going to shoot with so many people in front of me. The second goal was very quickly right in the back of the net," said Gustavsson of the brief Atlanta burst.

Stalberg tapped in a feed from Ryan Bozak to get the Leafs within a goal at 17:43.