Atlanta Thrashers @ Washington Capitals
Tonight, 7:00 p.m. ET
Sportsbook odds: Thrashers +260, Capitals -320

Game 1 of the post-Ilya Kovalchuk era goes tonight for the Thrashers and the test could not be bigger. The downtrodden Thrashers travel to the Verizon Center, now one of hockey’s toughest buildings to visit, and face the Washington Capitals, who are riding a franchise-record 12-game winning streak.

In covering Flames and Leafs games earlier this week, we got a taste of what a major trade can do for a franchise’s immediate success. The Leafs were totally energized – because they got the star player in the deal. The Flames looked flat, perhaps defeated mentally after losing a cornerstone. Even though you can’t win much on Washington tonight at -320, I just don’t see Atlanta having a snowball’s chance in hell. The Thrashers have lost the face of their franchise and the message to the team is “we’re starting over.” How, then, can Nik Antropov and company muster the effort needed to topple the league’s most explosive offense on the road? I think the streak reaches lucky 13 for the Caps.

Pick: Capitals -320