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Maxim Afinogenov celebrates his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the Atlanta Thrashers 3-2 win Tuesday. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

Nik Antropov picked the perfect time to get his first career goal against his former team, scoring the winner Tuesday in Atlanta’s 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs to keep the Thrashers’ playoff hopes alive.

The large forward, originally from Kazakhstan, tipped a shot past Jonas Gustavsson at 4:44 of the third period, putting Atlanta back ahead just 57 seconds after Viktor Stalberg had tied the game.

Atlanta remained two points behind Boston for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after the Bruins defeated New Jersey 1-0 in overtime.

Antropov played his first nine seasons with the Maple Leafs and hadn’t recorded a point in three games against his former team. He finished with a goal and an help on Tuesday. Maxim Afinogenov and Evgeny Artyukhin also scored for Atlanta.

Viktor Stalberg had both goals for the Maple Leafs.

With the Thrashers playing for the second time in as many nights, there was very small sense of urgency in the first period. Both teams were sloppy with passes and failed to make many quality scoring chances.

But, Atlanta got the break it needed early in the second period after Leafs defenceman François Beauchemin failed to clear the puck from the defensive zone. Afinogenov was able to wheel around untouched and beat Gustavsson with a wrist shot at 6:18.

Artyhukin extended the lead to 2-0 just 46 seconds later, taking a perfect pass from Marty Reasoner and roofing the puck.

Leafs come out hard in final period

Suddenly, the Leafs were reeling. Afinogenov had the chance to place the game away after jumping off the bench and taking a long breakaway pass, but Gustavsson managed to stop him.

It proved to be an vital save when Tyler Bozak and Stalberg went back up the ice on a 2-on-1 break. Bozak appeared to hold the puck too long but managed to find his fellow rookie, who banked a shot in off Ondrej Pavelec’s skate to make it 2-1 at 17:43.

The Leafs came out hard in the final period, and Stalberg scored his second to even the score. He corralled the puck in the high slot and beat Pavelec high to the glove at 3:47.

But, Antropov responded less than a minute later, tipping a Ron Hainsey point shot home to help secure an vital win.

Toronto had plenty of opportunities to tie the game with a final power play in the final two minutes, but Pavelec stood tall.

That sent Gustavsson to his first loss since before the Olympic break. The rookie goaltender entered with a seven-game win streak and was hoping to join exclusive company — the last Leafs goalie to win at least eight straight was Felix Potvin in October 1993.

Senators goalie Brian Elliott blocks a shot by Capitals left-winger Alex Ovechkin in the first period. (Nick Wass/Associated Press)

A playoff berth can wait. The Ottawa Senators will take a win in the NHL’s toughest arena against the league’s best team.

The Senators outperformed Washington’s lethal offence by making them pay when down a man, scoring three power-play goals including once in overtime for a 5-4 victory.

After Capitals’ star forward Nicklas Backstrom was whistled for tripping, Erik Karlsson’s slide pass from the point was redirected by Alex Kovalev and past goaltender Jose Theodore with 19 seconds left in the extra period.

Jason Spezza, who won the draw on the winning goal, had four points for the Senators, who won their fifth straight but failed to clinch a spot in the post-season because playoff contenders Atlanta and the New York Rangers also won Tuesday.

The loss was Washington’s third straight and just their 10th on home ice in 37 starts this season.

More to come

Blue Jays hopeful Jeremy Reed was hitting .431 this spring before he was reassigned to minor league camp on Tuesday. (Brian Blanco/Associated Press)

Jeremy Reed sat in the silent of a near-empty clubhouse with a half-dozen baseball bats and an open gym bag at his feet, still slightly stunned he had been one of three players banished to the fringes of spring training by the Toronto Blue Jays.

The 28-year-ancient was reassigned to minor league camp on Tuesday, while pitchers Jesse Carlson and David Purcey were reassigned to Toronto’s AAA affiliate in Las Vegas. Reed, an outfielder who broke into the huge leagues six years ago, was hitting .431 this spring.

“When you play well and you feel like you’re opening eyes, you just try to stay away from thinking about the negative side of the way the game can be,” Reed said. “These last few days, everybody’s packing up and getting ready to go, one way or the other. So you reckon about both sides of it — I just tried to stay away from thoughts of the other side of it.”

The other side of the business will continue this week as Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos works to cut his roster down to the mandated 25-player limit in time for opening day April 5 at Texas. Toronto has 29 players on its active roster, not including three players listed on the disabled list.

Reed’s demotion would seem to suggest utility man Mike McCoy has made the team, along with infielder Randy Ruiz. The Blue Jays were still carrying three catchers on Monday, and will have to choose whether Jose Molina or Raul Chavez will serve as veteran John Buck’s backup.

Anthopoulos and manager Cito Gaston also have to iron out the team’s starting rotation and bullpen. Shaun Marcum and sophomore Ricky Romero are the only pitchers guaranteed a spot in the starting five, leaving Marc Rzepczynski, Brandon Morrow, Brian Tallet, Brett Cecil and Dana Eveland to compete for the remaining three staff jobs.

Starter Dustin McGowan is in the middle of a two-week rest period or his tired arm, and is likely headed for the DL.

Eveland has said he would accept a go to the bullpen. Jason Frasor, Scott Downs and Kevin Gregg are assured three of the seven spots on the relief staff, with Josh Roenicke, Casey Janssen, Shawn Camp, Merkin Valdez and Jeremy Accardo fighting for work.

‘Players on pins and needles’

“We know the players are on pins and needles,” Anthopoulos said. “I don’t like taking it as long as it has, but again, we can’t rush the decisions that we do make. And we have to be prepared to make the right choice when the time comes.”

The Blue Jays have two games remaining in Florida before they glide to Houston for a back-to-back exhibition set on Friday morning.

“I don’t want to say it’s set, because there’s other things that can happen,” Gaston said of the roster. “A lot of things could happen. Trades, anything.”

Carlson appeared in 73 games with the Blue Jays last season, a year after making 69 appearances as a rookie.

“That was a tough go, just because of everything he’s done for us the last two years, what he means to this team and just the way he carries himself,” Anthopoulos said. “We expect him to be back very soon.

“He’s healthy, he feels excellent. It’s just a matter of getting more work in and being a small more sharp relative to the other guys we have in camp right now.”

Anthopoulos said Reed would be the first position player recalled if the need arose.

“I’m always going to play hard, I’m never going to stop playing hard,” Reed said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, I don’t know where this is going to take me. I don’t know, it’s a tough thing to deal with.”