Thrashers re-call MacIntyre to replace Pavelec

With the status of goaltender Ondrej Pavelec uncertain, the Thrashers recalled Drew MacIntyre from AHL Chicago on Saturday. MacIntyre joined the team hours before their game Saturday at Tampa Bay to back up Chris Mason.

MacIntyre, 27, was in training camp with the Thrashers and was re-assigned to Chicago shortly after the start of the exhibition season without appearing in a game.

MacIntrye started in goal Friday in the Wolves’ season opener. He stopped 25 shots in a 6-3 loss to San Antonio. He spent all of last season with Chicago after signing with the Thrashers as a free agent. He had a 2.54 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. MacIntyre has appeared in two NHL games. He went 0-1-0 with Vancouver in 2007-08.

Kubina back home

Pavel Kubina chose Tampa Bay -- it's where his heart was.

While the Thrashers offered Kubina a three-year contract and more money, the free-agent defenseman decided to return to the Lightning, where he spent the first eight seasons of his career.

While Kubina spent the off-season negotiating with the Thrashers, he received a phone call from Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman on July 1, the start of the free-agent signing period. That's all it took.

“When he called, I knew right away I wanted to come back here,” Kubina said. “I have so many memories here, still a lot of friends here. I spent almost 10 years here. It’s a special place for me. I call Tampa my second home after Czech Republic. That’s how I felt. I wanted to come back here. It was a good year for me last year in Atlanta, fighting for the playoffs all year. It was a good year, but I felt inside I wanted to be here.”

Kubina didn’t need to go house shopping when he moved back to Florida. He had kept his home in Tampa and always spent a month of his off-seasons there.

Kubina had 38 points (six goals, 32 assists) in 76 games for the Thrashers last season after being acquired in a trade with Toronto. The 32 assists were the second most of his career, and the 38 points were the third most. He had an even plus-minus rating while averaging more than 22 minutes per game. Still, the Thrashers finished five points out of a playoff spot as Kubina missed the final five games of the season with a shoulder injury.

Etc.

• The Thrashers used the same lineup, with the exception of Mason in goal, for Saturday's game against the Lightning as they did Friday. Forward Eric Boulton and defensemen Freddy Meyer and Boris Valabik were the healthy scratches.
• An 0-5-1 exhibition season meant little to the Thrashers after opening the season with a 4-2 home win over Washington on Friday.