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The irony was lost on Bobby Holik, who nonetheless made sure the game wasn’t, too. What was proven, however, is that Larry Robinson isn’t afraid to keep ruffling feathers, even if he was stung by the reaction last time.

This time, Robinson removed Jason Arnott from the Devils’ top line. Holik, benched controversially less than three weeks ago, took over Arnott’s usual place. Holik responded with a goal and an assist in the Devils’ third period comeback for a 3-2 victory over the Thrashers at the Meadowlands yesterday. Then he seemed to back his coach.

“I don’t compare people’s situations,” Holik said. “I was pretty surprised. Obviously, Larry had a good feel for what was going on, and it worked out for us.”

“Nothing was happening the other way. I was hoping that by switching a few guys around, I could maybe get something going,” Robinson said.

Arnott, the team’s nominal No. 1 center, responded calmly to what amounted to a demotion.

“Larry just wanted to change it up a bit, and it’s the coach’s decision,” Arnott said. “We got changed last year for three or four games. It happens.

“If that’s what it takes to win hockey games, by all means . . . He switched us up and we won. That’s the bottom line.”

Arnott had already been moved between Randy McKay and Sergei Brylin when the Thrashers took the lead 28 seconds into the third, with Arnott’s new threesome on-ice. Arnott played only 2:54 in the first period, 5:13 in the second and 4:41 in the third, more than three minutes less than his average of 15:50 total.

Robinson said he has noticed a difference in Arnott lately.

“When he first came here, he was happy to be out there, enjoying the game,” Robinson said of Arnott. “The last few games, he doesn’t look like he’e enjoying the game. He doesn’t seem to be his happy self.”

Arnott disagreed.

“I’m having a great time,” he said. “The bounces aren’t there, but I’m trying to work as hard as I can. A couple of times I’ve been caught out of position. I’m trying to clamp that down.”

Arnott was still with his old line when Petr Sykora put the Devils in front with the first of two goals 7:38 into play. Sykora stole a telegraphed cross-point pass from Patrik Stefan and beat Damian Rhodes’ stick on the breakaway.

Atlanta tied the score on a fluke goal with 18.3 seconds left in the first, when Steve Staios’ right point shot bounced down and in off Scott Niedermayer, who had just been jostled by Jarrod Skalde at the front of the crease.

After a scoreless second, Atlanta shocked the crowd of 18,026 by taking the lead on Yves Sarault’s second of the year 26 seconds into the third. Just recalled with Skalde Friday, Sarault was left alone behind Scott Stevens in the right flat, where Ray Ferraro’s left circle rebound materialized for the open net.

Sykora brought the Devils back even with his second of the afternoon at 4:54. Patrik Elias centered from behind the net and Sykora popped his 15th, and eighth in 10 games, over Rhodes’ waffle. Holik notched an assist on that goal, then scored the winner on the power play, with Arnott on the bench.

Turner Stevenson, who has been making things happen on the power play, went to the front of the net to create the winner. While Rhodes was otherwise occupied, slashing the back of Stevenson’s legs, Holik whirled and fired from the slot, past Rhodes’ glove. Holik’s goal at 9:41 was his ninth.

“The sacrificial lamb,” Stevenson said. “It must be frustrating with my big butt in the way all the time.”

So the Devils managed to remain unbeaten (6-0-1) all-time against last year’s expansion team. Now Robinson must decide whether to stick with his switch, or return to the familiar threesomes.

“We’ll see,” Robinson said. “Nothing is permanent in this league.”

Except the Devils playing down to lesser teams.

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Word has a three-way deal for Eric Lindros involving the Coyotes and Leafs. Keith Tkachuk would end up in Philly, and Lindros in Toronto, while the cost-cutting Coyotes get a pack of whelps, and perhaps Nik Antropov.

In addition to Larry Brooks’ report that the Devils are back in the Rob Blake hunt, another name has joined Eric Weinrich as a likely Devil quarry, that of Minnesota defenseman Sean O’Donnell.

Devils visit O’Donnell and Wild this afternoon, their first meeting with the expansion team coached by Jacques Lemaire.

Devils scratched Jim McKenzie, Steve Kelly and Ken Sutton, as Sergei Nemchinov returned to lineup.

Thrashers’ 22-goal man Donald Audette served the third game of his four-game suspension, which he completes today against the Isles in Atlanta.

For more on the Devils, read Mark Everson’s Devils Plus in New York Post Sports Week.