Sport-scan daily brief

New digits

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.04.2013

667757 Columbus Blue Jackets

NHL: Big trading day for Blue Jackets

By Aaron Portzline

The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday April 3, 2013 9:33 PM

NHL trade deadline day started with a hush and ended with a hammer, and the Blue Jackets were a big part of the thunderous final hour.

The Jackets acquired three-time All-Star right winger Marian Gaborik and two minor-league defensemen from the New York Rangers in exchange for center Derick Brassard, right winger Derek Dorsett, defenseman John Moore and sixth-round draft pick in the 2014 NHL draft.

Gaborik, 31, gives the Blue Jackets an elite offensive scorer, something they can use after a languishing toward the bottom of the league in scoring all season. He has five 30-goal seasons on his resume. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said his team now has "an explosive player."

"Very exciting for us, I think," Kekalainen said. "One area we needed to address was getting more offense, somebody who could play the power play, run the power play, score some goals for us. When a player of Marian’s caliber became available we were extremely excited about the opoortunity and we worked on it for quite a while."

Gaborik had to waive a no-trade clause to get the deal completed, which he did with little time to spare.

"We finally got it done," Kekalainen said. "I think we were kind of pushing the limit there at the end with the no-trade clause and the papers that had get sent down."

The Blue Jackets didn't stop with that trade, however.

Goaltender Steve Mason, whose career started with such promise and ended with him being the back-up in Columbus, was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for a third-round pick in 2015 and goaltender Michael Leighton.

"Obviously with the play of (Sergei) Boborvosky, (Mason) has not played as much and his contract is coming to an end," Kekalainen said. "There is a business side to every decision, as well. We were thinking about it and there were a few teams that were interested as well. I thought this was a deal that we had to take to just protect our interest into the future rather than just letting a player walk at the end of the contract."

The Blue Jackets also acquired winger Blake Comeau from the Calgary Flames for a fifth-round pick in the 2013 draft. He scored 41 goals in a two-year span with New York Islanders, but never produced or made much of an impact the past two seasons in Calgary.

"He is something that we needed to add after giving up those players (for Gaborik)," Kekalainen said. "Dorsett obviously is a physical player that we lost in this deal. Blake Comeau hits hard and plays a physical game but he can also score some goals. He’s a guy that’s going to fill an important role for us."

Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson was taking a private aircraft to pick up Gaborik tonight and fly him to Nashville, where he will be in the lineup against the Predators on Thursday. Leighton was expected to arrive in Nashville tonight and back up Bobrovsky against the Predators.

Comeau must first clear immigration and will join the team in the coming days.

The Jackets also acquired AHL/ECHL defensemen Steven Delisle and Blake Parlett from the Rangers. Delisle was drafted by the Jackets in 2008 and was traded to the Rangers in July as part of the deal that sent Rick Nash to New York.

The Blue Jackets announced another move tonight. They acquired minor-league goaltender Patrick Killeen from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for future considerations. Killeen was assigned to AHL Springfield.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.04.2013

667758 Dallas Stars

Sherrington: One head coach from the Stars’ past that I wouldn’t be averse to bringing back…

Kevin Sherrington Published: 03 April 2013 07:40 PM

SportsDay columnist Kevin Sherrington answered reader questions during a live chat Wednesday. Here are some highlights:

I saw that Lindy Ruff (great NHL coach) is suddenly available now. And I wonder if his (and others'?) availability might inspire Newey to seriously think that maybe it's better to have an experienced coach for an inexperienced team rather than the current "newbie" Gulutzan?

Kevin Sherrington: Ruff goes all the way back to the Stars' glory days, which seems like a long time ago now. I have no idea if Ruff would be so inclined, but, yeah, I think he'd be a terrific hire. For that matter, I wouldn't be averse to bringing back Ken Hitchcock. No coach connected with the locals like Hitch. Taught me everything I know about hockey.

Do you think the Stars owner is not willing to spend money on the team because they couldn't reach an agreement with Roy and Jagr?

Kevin Sherrington: In any professional sport, here's the maxim: If you're not a winning team, and it doesn't appear like you're going to win for a couple of years or more, never keep high-priced, older talent. Trade it for what you can get and rebuild. I applaud Tom Gaglardi's decision to bring in young talent. This team isn't physical enough, which is why Lehtonen is getting killed back there. Remember: Build first, then pay for the final pieces.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.04.2013

667759 Dallas Stars

Stars send Jordie Benn, Colton Sceviour back to AHL

MIKE HEIKA

Published: 03 April 2013 03:00 PM

Confusing morning in Anaheim, but Stars want these players ready for AHL playoffs.

Here is the press release:

DALLAS STARS ASSIGN JORDIE BENN AND COLTON SCEVIOUR TO TEXAS STARS; ACTIVATE RYAN GARBUTT FROM INJURED RESERVE

FRISCO, Texas - The Dallas Stars announced today that defenseman Jordie Benn and forward Colton Sceviour have been assigned to the Texas Stars, Dallas' development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team also activated forward Ryan Garbutt from injured reserve.

Benn, 25, has skated in 23 games for Dallas this season, registering six points (1G-5A), including his first career NHL goal on March 23 against the Colorado Avalanche. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound defenseman returns to Texas with 21 points (7G-14A) in 40 games for the AHL affiliate this season. A native of Victoria, B.C., Benn went undrafted and was signed by Dallas on July 25, 2012 to a one-year contract extension.

Sceviour, 23, has skated in two career NHL contests, most recently on Jan. 26, 2013 against St. Louis. The 6-foot, 196-pound forward ranks second on the Texas Stars in scoring this season with 44 points (18G-26A) and is second with a plus-17 rating. The native of Red Deer, Alta., was Dallas' fourth-round selection (112th overall) in the 2007 NHL Draft.

Garbutt, 27, has missed the last nine games with a wrist injury and was placed on injured reserve retroactive to the March 14 game against Anaheim. The 6-foot, 190-pound forward has earned five points (3G-2A) in 23 games for the Stars this season and has registered eight points (5G-3A) in 43 career NHL contests.

The Dallas Stars faceoff against the Anaheim Ducks tonight at 9:00 p.m. at Honda Center (TV: FOX Sports Southwest; Radio: 1310 The Ticket).

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.04.2013

667760 Dallas Stars

Heika: Stars' youngsters get chance, but youthful mistakes hurt in loss to Ducks

MIKE HEIKA

Published: 04 April 2013 12:27 AM

ANAHEIM, Calif. _ The new look Stars had many of the same problems as the old look Stars Wednesday night.

With five new players in the lineup after a remodel at the trade deadline, the Stars still couldn’t solve Anaheim goalie Viktor Fasth and took a 5-2 loss at the Honda Center. The remade Stars had more physicality and jump after sending away Jaromir Jagr, Derek Roy and Tomas Vincour in separate trades and assigning Reilly Smith and Francis Wathier to the AHL, but they still couldn’t keep up with the Pacific Division leader.

Anaheim moves to 25-7-5 (55 points) with the win, while the Stars drop to 16-17-3 (35 points). The dream of the playoffs seems more distant than ever for Dallas, which will probably have to go something like 9-2-1 in the final 12 games if they want to get to the 54 points that will probably be needed to contend for the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

Dallas voiced optimism before the game, as some of the younger prospects off the Texas Stars (AHL) joined some of the prospects who have already been working in the NHL this season. Winger Alex Chiasson, 22, made his NHL debut, while winger Matt Fraser, 22, played his fifth NHL game. Recently acquired winger Lane MacDermid, 23, played in his ninth NHL game.

While the Stars didn’t get the results they wanted, players and coaches were still enthusiastic about the energy that will be brought by the younger players.

"It’s tough to find the good stuff in a loss like that,’’ said veteran defenseman Stephane Robidas. "There are a lot of new faces, young guys that had their first experience with us and I thought they did really well. That’s the positive sign. They worked hard and did their part. I think we can defend a little harder and be a little more physical in our zone, especially against a team with that much skill. We have to be hard on them and finish our checks whenever we can. That’s something that we didn’t do as well tonight."

Bottom line, the energy didn’t carry the play against the veteran Ducks. Instead, a couple of key breakdowns led to open players just feet away from Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen, and Anaheim was in control for most of the game.

In a twist of sports poetry, former Stars winger Radek Dvorak scored against his old team to start things off. Dvorak was not signed by the Stars in the summer and played this season in the Swiss Elite League. However, the Ducks signed him as a free agent March 24, and he was wide open in front of the net in the first period. Ryan Getzlaf found him with a pass, and Dvorak scored in his third game as a Duck.

Anaheim added to that in the second period, as Teemu Selanne scored the 673 goal of his career. He ranks 11 all-time, just behind the now-departed Jagr. Selanne found open space about 15 feet out and flipped a shot over Lehtonen.

Kyle Palmieri then made it 3-0 in the second period when he walked around several Stars defenders and jammed a shot past Lehtonen.

The Stars finally scored on Fasth, who had shut them out for 102:48, when Vernon Fiddler made a great pass from behind the net to Erik Cole driving to the goal. It was Cole’s seventh goal of the season.

Dallas had a few chances to draw within one, but Fasth was solid in keeping the cushion. Then, Ryan Getzlaf, who had appeared to suffer an injury earlier in the game, sprung off the bench on an odd-man rush, and lifted a backhand into the net for his 13 goal of the season and a 4-1 lead.

"We worked,’’ said Stars coach Glen Gultzan. "What I didn’t like was our battle level on the walls. I thought our ‘D’ needed to win more battles on the boards. We let them get to our net a couple times a little too easy in my opinion. But we worked hard and we were direct. We just didn’t capitalize on our opportunities.’’

MacDermid got his first NHL goal with 1:24 left, and that allowed for some optimism for the future.

"I thought all of the guys had a lot of energy and tried to do all of the little things right. We did that for the most part but they made some good plays,’’ he said. "There’s a lot of chatter and a lot of energy and everyone builds on that.

Despite the loss, the Stars know it will be a process to get to where they want, and they believe the best way to attack that process is attempting to win.

"We’re not giving up, we’re never giving up,’’ Nystrom said. "This is a great opportunity for a lot of these guys, and even for a guy like me who might get more of a chance than he usually does. We’re not out of this by any means, so we have to play our hardest and see what happens.’’

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.04.2013

667761 Dallas Stars

Stephane Robidas having tough time finding 'good stuff' in Stars' third straight loss

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: 03 April 2013 09:11 PM

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Although the Dallas Stars traded two of their top four scorers in the two days since their last meeting with Anaheim, the Ducks didn't take them less seriously in the rematch.

The departures of Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy actually made the Stars look more dangerous to the Ducks, and the Pacific Division leaders responded accordingly.

Captain Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and two assists, and Teemu Selanne scored his 673rd career goal in the Ducks' 5-2 victory over Dallas on Wednesday night.

Viktor Fasth made 23 saves and Radek Dvorak scored his first goal for Anaheim in the second of three straight meetings in five days between the first-place Ducks and the last-place Stars, who lost 4-0 in Dallas on Monday. While the Stars are young and improving, the Ducks are sitting on a double-digit lead atop the division with 11 games to play, closing in on a postseason berth and just their second Pacific title in two decades of existence.

"Teams that make trades and do the sell-off are so tough to play down the stretch," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Experience tells me when you bring in a lot of new guys, young guys especially, they play with so much energy. ... To beat any team three times in a row is difficult, but we're going to try."

Kyle Palmieri snapped a 13-game goal drought and Andrew Cogliano scored an empty-net goal as the Ducks improved the NHL's third-best record to 25-7-5 and closed within two points of the league-leading Chicago Blackhawks.

Getzlaf had the fourth three-point game in his outstanding season for Anaheim, which is 3-0-1 since a four-game losing streak last month.

Getzlaf briefly left the ice after bending his right leg awkwardly while tied up with Jamie Benn in the third period, but returned to score his 150th career goal on a perfectly placed backhand set up by Corey Perry. Boudreau then gave the rest of the night off to his leading scorer.

"He's one of the best passers in the league," Dvorak said of Getzlaf, who assisted on his first-period goal with a pinpoint pass from the far boards. "As soon as I see he has the puck, I just try to get open. ... We knew it was going to be a tough game. They were coming hard tonight. They made a lot of changes and had a lot of young guys, and they had a lot of energy."

Lane MacDermid scored his first NHL goal in his Dallas debut, and Kari Lehtonen stopped 22 shots in the Stars' first game since trading Jagr to Boston and Roy to Vancouver. Erik Cole also scored for the Stars, who have lost three straight.

With the departures of Jagr and Roy, Alex Chiasson made his NHL debut for Dallas and center Ryan Garbutt returned from a nine-game absence with an injured wrist. High-scoring left wing Loui Eriksson also played center for the Stars.

"It's tough to find the good stuff in a loss like that," Dallas defenseman Stephane Robidas said. "There are a lot of new faces, young guys that had their first experience with us, and I thought they did really well."

Fasth, who shut out Dallas earlier this week, blanked Dallas through the first 42 minutes Wednesday before Cole scored. MacDermid, acquired from the Bruins in the Jagr deal, got his first NHL goal with 1:24 to play.

"I thought all of the guys had a lot of energy and tried to do all the little things right," MacDermid said. "We did that for the most part, but they made some good plays."

After adding veterans Dvorak and David Steckel last month, the Ducks made only two moves at the trade deadline, acquiring center Matthew Lombardi from Phoenix and shipping out third-string goalie Jeff Deslauriers in separate deals.

Anaheim showed little fatigue in its 22nd game in 39 days, controlling early play and going ahead on the goal by Dvorak, a 17-year NHL veteran who signed with Anaheim on March 24. The Czech forward had been playing in Switzerland this winter after scoring 21 points in 73 games for Dallas last season.

Selanne scored his 251st power-play goal in the second period when a drop pass by Getzlaf deflected to him for a nasty wrist shot. Selanne endured a nine-game goal drought in March, but the 42-year-old Finnish Flash has scored at least 10 goals for the 20th consecutive season.

Palmieri added his added his eighth goal of the season five minutes later, easily moving past stationary defenseman Aaron Rome. The Ducks' promising scorer hadn't found the net in his last 13 games since getting a hat trick Feb. 27 against Nashville.

NOTES: The 6-foot-4 Chiasson was a second-round pick in 2009 before playing three seasons at Boston University. Chiasson hit Anaheim's Matt Beleskey squarely in the face with his stick blade early in the third period, but wasn't penalized while Beleskey went to the dressing room. ... The Ducks traded C Brandon McMillan to Phoenix for Lombardi, who wasn't in town to face Dallas. McMillan never solidified a spot in the Ducks' lineup over the past three years despite numerous chances to stick in Anaheim. He played in six games with Anaheim this season, spending most of the last two years in the AHL.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.04.2013

667762 Dallas Stars

Stars' Eric Nystrom still hoping to come to terms on a contract extension

MIKE HEIKA

Published: 04 April 2013 12:05 AM

Stars winger Eric Nystrom was a player who could have been traded Wednesday. He can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. Nystrom and the Stars were unable to come to terms on a contract extension before Wednesday. He said that’s just part of being a pro athlete.

“Yeah, sure you worry, but there was nothing I could do about it,” he said. “I’m just glad I’m still here.”

Nystrom was rescued somewhat by the Stars when they acquired him from the Minnesota Wild after he had been sent to the minors last season. He said he hopes to still get a contract extension with the Stars.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.04.2013

667763 Dallas Stars

Stephane Robidas having tough time finding 'good stuff' in Stars' third straight loss

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: 03 April 2013 09:11 PM

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Although the Dallas Stars traded two of their top four scorers in the two days since their last meeting with Anaheim, the Ducks didn't take them less seriously in the rematch.

The departures of Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy actually made the Stars look more dangerous to the Ducks, and the Pacific Division leaders responded accordingly.

Captain Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and two assists, and Teemu Selanne scored his 673rd career goal in the Ducks' 5-2 victory over Dallas on Wednesday night.

Viktor Fasth made 23 saves and Radek Dvorak scored his first goal for Anaheim in the second of three straight meetings in five days between the first-place Ducks and the last-place Stars, who lost 4-0 in Dallas on Monday. While the Stars are young and improving, the Ducks are sitting on a double-digit lead atop the division with 11 games to play, closing in on a postseason berth and just their second Pacific title in two decades of existence.

"Teams that make trades and do the sell-off are so tough to play down the stretch," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Experience tells me when you bring in a lot of new guys, young guys especially, they play with so much energy. ... To beat any team three times in a row is difficult, but we're going to try."

Kyle Palmieri snapped a 13-game goal drought and Andrew Cogliano scored an empty-net goal as the Ducks improved the NHL's third-best record to 25-7-5 and closed within two points of the league-leading Chicago Blackhawks.

Getzlaf had the fourth three-point game in his outstanding season for Anaheim, which is 3-0-1 since a four-game losing streak last month.

Getzlaf briefly left the ice after bending his right leg awkwardly while tied up with Jamie Benn in the third period, but returned to score his 150th career goal on a perfectly placed backhand set up by Corey Perry. Boudreau then gave the rest of the night off to his leading scorer.

"He's one of the best passers in the league," Dvorak said of Getzlaf, who assisted on his first-period goal with a pinpoint pass from the far boards. "As soon as I see he has the puck, I just try to get open. ... We knew it was going to be a tough game. They were coming hard tonight. They made a lot of changes and had a lot of young guys, and they had a lot of energy."

Lane MacDermid scored his first NHL goal in his Dallas debut, and Kari Lehtonen stopped 22 shots in the Stars' first game since trading Jagr to Boston and Roy to Vancouver. Erik Cole also scored for the Stars, who have lost three straight.

With the departures of Jagr and Roy, Alex Chiasson made his NHL debut for Dallas and center Ryan Garbutt returned from a nine-game absence with an injured wrist. High-scoring left wing Loui Eriksson also played center for the Stars.

"It's tough to find the good stuff in a loss like that," Dallas defenseman Stephane Robidas said. "There are a lot of new faces, young guys that had their first experience with us, and I thought they did really well."

Fasth, who shut out Dallas earlier this week, blanked Dallas through the first 42 minutes Wednesday before Cole scored. MacDermid, acquired from the Bruins in the Jagr deal, got his first NHL goal with 1:24 to play.

"I thought all of the guys had a lot of energy and tried to do all the little things right," MacDermid said. "We did that for the most part, but they made some good plays."

After adding veterans Dvorak and David Steckel last month, the Ducks made only two moves at the trade deadline, acquiring center Matthew Lombardi from Phoenix and shipping out third-string goalie Jeff Deslauriers in separate deals.

Anaheim showed little fatigue in its 22nd game in 39 days, controlling early play and going ahead on the goal by Dvorak, a 17-year NHL veteran who signed with Anaheim on March 24. The Czech forward had been playing in Switzerland this winter after scoring 21 points in 73 games for Dallas last season.

Selanne scored his 251st power-play goal in the second period when a drop pass by Getzlaf deflected to him for a nasty wrist shot. Selanne endured a nine-game goal drought in March, but the 42-year-old Finnish Flash has scored at least 10 goals for the 20th consecutive season.

Palmieri added his added his eighth goal of the season five minutes later, easily moving past stationary defenseman Aaron Rome. The Ducks' promising scorer hadn't found the net in his last 13 games since getting a hat trick Feb. 27 against Nashville.

NOTES: The 6-foot-4 Chiasson was a second-round pick in 2009 before playing three seasons at Boston University. Chiasson hit Anaheim's Matt Beleskey squarely in the face with his stick blade early in the third period, but wasn't penalized while Beleskey went to the dressing room. ... The Ducks traded C Brandon McMillan to Phoenix for Lombardi, who wasn't in town to face Dallas. McMillan never solidified a spot in the Ducks' lineup over the past three years despite numerous chances to stick in Anaheim. He played in six games with Anaheim this season, spending most of the last two years in the AHL.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.04.2013

667764 Dallas Stars

Stephane Robidas having tough time finding 'good stuff' in Stars' third straight loss

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: 03 April 2013 09:11 PM

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Although the Dallas Stars traded two of their top four scorers in the two days since their last meeting with Anaheim, the Ducks didn't take them less seriously in the rematch.

The departures of Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy actually made the Stars look more dangerous to the Ducks, and the Pacific Division leaders responded accordingly.