Thrashers Reach New Heights

The Atlanta Thrashers have been playing like winners all month. Now they have the record to prove it.

Damian Rhodes made 30 saves and Ray Ferraro had a goal and two assists as the Thrashers earned their first winning record in team history with a 4-1 victory over the slumping New York Rangers on Thursday night.

“I don’t think that anybody really thought that we would be as successful as we’ve been over the first part,” Ferraro said. “We knew we were going to be a better team.”

The second-year Thrashers (15-14-6-1) reached .500 last week for the first time and matched it two games later. Atlanta, 10-4 in December, defeated the Rangers for the first time after five losses.

Yves Sarault and Steve Staios added goals for Atlanta.

San Jose 2, Edmonton 2--Daniel Cleary scored on a rebound with 1:02 left as the Oilers skated to a 2-2 tie with the Sharks at San Jose.

The game’s quiet end contrasted its violent beginning. San Jose defenseman Bryan Marchment put a knee-to-knee hit on Edmonton captain Doug Weight only three minutes in, and Weight got a game misconduct a few minutes later for retaliating with a vicious cross-check on Marchment, the Sharks’ notorious agitator.

Tampa Bay 4, Philadelphia 3--Martin St. Louis and Fredrik Modin each had two goals at Tampa, Fla., as the Lightning snapped the Flyers’ eight-game unbeaten streak under new Coach Bill Barber.