There seems to be a power shift underway, with dominant franchises such as the Detroit Red Wings and Phiadelphia Flyers possibly giving way to new top dogs in both conferences. Just as the Anaheim Ducks have emerged as the best in the West, perhaps pushing aside the Red Wings as the conference powerhouse, the Buffalo Sabres and Atlanta Thrashers are looking more like the beasts of the East. The Sabres lead the league in goals per game (4.15) and top the conference with 44 points in the standings. The Thrashers rank fourth in the league with 3.41 goals a game, and they have two of the NHL's top four goal scorers in league leader Marian Hossa (21) and Ilya Kovalchuk (18). Slava Kozlov has 11, and a total of nine Thrashers have at least five goals on the season. What could make a key difference in Atlanta's 2006-07 fate is the club's goaltending. The Thrashers have budding star Kari Lehtonen and a solid backup in Johan Hedberg. Lehtonen endured a poor start, but he's turned things around with shutouts in two of his last four starts. The Thrashers have won five straight games and look to set franchise records for longest win streak and most consecutive games without suffering a regulation loss on Thursday, when they play the Lightning in Tampa. The Thrashers have also won four of their last five road contests to improve to 10-3-3 away from home. Atlanta has moved seven points ahead of the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes in the Southeast Division, and Carolina may face a season-long battle with the up-and-coming Thrashers.