ATLANTA — Thrashers goalie Ondrej Pavelec was in stable condition at an Atlanta hospital Friday night after collapsing in the early minutes of the season- opening game against the Capitals.
Thrashers general manager Rick Dudley said the 23-year-old Pavelec had regained consciousness at the hospital. The team later released a statement saying preliminary tests failed to determine any serious health problems.
“He’s awake, alert and asking about the score of the game, but will be kept overnight for observation,” the statement said.
There was a whistle at the opposite end when Pavelec tapped his stick on the ice a couple of times, looked toward the Atlanta bench and fell over backward with no one around just 2:25 into the game. His teammates rushed to his aid and immediately called for doctors and a stretcher to be brought to the ice.
Medical personnel worked over him for about 10 minutes before he was wheeled off, appearing to still be unconscious. The game resumed after a delay of about 20 minutes.
Chris Mason took over for Pavelec after a delay of about 20 minutes and gave up a goal less than a minute later. But the Thrashers learned during the first intermission that Pavelec was responsive, and newcomer Dustin Byfuglien urged his relieved teammates to win one for their ailing goalie. Mason made 29 saves — 15 in the final period — and the Thrashers pulled off a 4-2 victory.
Footnotes.
Flyers goalie Michael Leighton will undergo back surgery and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.
• Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson had back spasms and Ducks defenseman Andy Sutton broke his right thumb in Detroit’s 4-0 win over the Ducks. The Ducks plan to evaluate Sutton today to determine how long he will be out, while Ericsson will miss at least one game.
