Kovalchuk broke a bone in his foot on Oct. 24 after being struck by the puck and was expected to be sidelined 3-to-5 weeks. The Atlanta captain missed six games and Atlanta went 3-3 without him.

He skated with the team Thursday morning in New York and then was officially cleared to play that night after taking part in the pregame warmup.

On Wednesday, hours after team spokesman Rob Koch said Kovalchuk did not accompany the Thrashers to New York, Koch then said a weather delay before the flight changed the plan and that Kovalchuk did make the trip.

Kovalchuk was tied for second in the NHL with nine goals when he was injured in a game against the San Jose Sharks.

Rookie left winger Evander Kane (FSY), the No. 4 pick in this year's draft, also was in the lineup despite taking a shot off the foot a few days earlier. He didn't miss any games. Kane assisted on Colby Armstrong's (FSY) goal 19 seconds in against the Rangers.

Enlarge By Kevin Hoffman, US Presswire Atlanta Thrashers captain Ilya Kovalchuk is in the lineup Thursday night for his team's game against the New York Rangers. Kovalchuk has been out since Oct. 24, when he broke a bone is his foot after being hit by a puck.