NHL: Atlanta 4, Buffalo 0

BUFFALO, N.Y., Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Two goals by Ilya Kovalchuk and some tough penalty killing in the second period helped power Atlanta past the Buffalo Sabers 4-2 Saturday.

Todd White and Maxim Afinogenov each scored a goal for the Thrashers and Johan Hedberg made 40 saves and chipped in with an assist on Afinogenov's goal in the third period.

Clarke MacArthur and Drew Stafford scored for Buffalo. Patrick Lalime gave up four goals on 27 shots for the Sabres, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.

Kovalchuk scored the game's first two goals in the first period.

MacArthur made it 2-1 on a slapshot at 6:56 of the second period but White knocked a rebound off a shot by Tobias Enstrom less than a minute later to give the visitors a 3-1 edge.

Buffalo had two minutes of a 5-on-3 advantage in the period but failed to capitalize.

Stafford and Afinogenov scored in the third period.