NHL: Atlanta 3, Toronto 2

TORONTO, March 30 (UPI) -- Nik Antropov's third-period goal proved to be the game-winner Tuesday as the Atlanta Thrashers defeated Toronto 3-2.

Ondrej Pavelec turned aside 27 shots while Maxim Afinogenov and Evgeny Artyukhin added scores for the Thrashers, who stayed within striking distance of the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot with the victory.

With the win, Atlanta moved to 80 points, two points behind Philadelphia, Montreal and Boston -- all tied for sixth place at 82 points.

Toronto got a pair of goals from Viktor Stalberg in the loss while Jonas Gustavsson let in all three goals on 25 shots.