(My Sportsbook) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to avoid a fourth straight loss when they welcome the Atlanta Thrashers for tonight's matchup at Air Canada Centre.

Before losing three in a row, the Maple leafs had won five of their previous six games. Since then, however, Toronto has been outscored by a 16-4 margin, including an 8-2 loss to Dallas and a pair of 4-1 setbacks to the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals.

The Leafs are kicking off a four-game homestand tonight after losing their past two games on the road. Toronto is just 6-6-4 as the host this year, but had won two straight at the ACC before getting destroyed by the visiting Stars last Tuesday.

Toronto was handed its most-recent setback Sunday in Washington, as Brooks Laich and Alex Ovechkin scored two goals apiece to lead the streaking Capitals to the win at Verizon Center.

Niklas Hagman scored the lone got for Toronto, while Vesa Toskala turned aside 25-of-28 shots for the Leafs.

Atlanta, meanwhile, has lost its last two games and is coming off Sunday's close setback against the powerful Boston Bruins. Michael Ryder scored the game-winning goal with 6:04 to play as the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins continued their tear through the NHL with a 2-1 road win at Philips Arena.

The Thrashers fell to 12-20-4 on the season and are just two points ahead of the New York Islanders for last place in the NHL.

Bryan Little scored the lone goal while Kari Lehtonen made 26 saves in the loss for the Thrashers, who have also dropped three of four and seven of their last 10 games.

However, Little was named the NHL's Second Star for the week ending December 28. He had an NHL-leading six goals in three games the past week, including his first career hat trick in a 5-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. The Thrashers' first pick (12th overall) in the 2006 draft leads the team with 18 goals and ranks fourth on the club in points with 30.

Atlanta is closing out the 2008 calendar year on a two-game road trip and will also visit Carolina on New Year's Eve. The Thrashers are 6-9-2 as the visiting club this season, but have won two straight and three of four away from Georgia.

The Thrashers and Leafs have split the first two of four meetings this year with each club winning a test on the opposition's ice. Toronto has won four of the last five matchups in the series overall, but Atlanta has picked up victories in three of its last four stops at Air Canada Centre.