Sport-scan daily brief

It started early.

James Wisniewski, on his first shift, lost his man’s stick in front of the net, and Bobrovsky was beaten on a rebound just 2 minutes, 27 seconds into the season. The Flames led 1-0 and, later in the first, 2-1. The Jackets’ rookies were nervous, Boone Jenner palpably so. Ryan Murray set up the Flames’ second goal with a bad pass that led to a breakaway. So it went.

This, of course, was not a shock. The Blue Jackets had not played in eight days. The Flames had played the night before, in Washington, where they lost to the Capitals in a shootout. The Flames had some rhythm. The Jackets tried to score three goals on every shift.

“Not good enough, it’s that simple,” center Brandon Dubinsky said. “We didn’t take care of the puck. Too many times we were caught cheating. We gave up too many odd-man rushes. We didn’t win enough battles. It’s tough to win a game like that.”

This was not the Jackets team that fans came to love last season. Their aggressive, tight-checking game was virtually nonexistent. Their senses were dull. And Bobrovsky allowed four goals. He was a victim, to some extent, of the way his team played in front of him. Yet, he was not Bob.

“Sometimes it happens, bad games,” Bobrovsky said. “It will be better — and it better be better. I felt … OK. Obviously, I have to be better.”

Richards started mixing up his lines in a strained effort to find combinations that worked. Jenner played five shifts in the second period and two in the third. Blake Comeau moved up to join Dubinsky and Marian Gaborik on the top line. As poorly as the Jackets played, they stayed in it.

The score was the same, 2-2, at the end of the first and second periods. The fat man danced in the middle of the third. Then, the Flames sucker- punched him in the gut. They scored two goals in 42 seconds to take a 4-2 lead. The Jackets cut into the lead with a goal by Artem Anisimov, but a late-game penalty by Jack Johnson sealed their fate.

“Eighty-one to go,” Johnson said.

True, that.

“We have to think forward,” Bobrovsky said. “We don’t have time to be disappointed.”

It would be silly to get too bent over one game. That said, game two can’t get here fast enough for the Jackets. It is tonight, against the New York Islanders in Uniondale, N.Y.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.05.2013

719506 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets notebook: Savard gets call to fill in for Tyutin

By Shawn Mitchell

The Columbus Dispatch Saturday October 5, 2013 5:14 AM

It didn’t take long for the Blue Jackets to tap what is thought to be a deep well of defensemen.

David Savard, who spent most of training camp on the roster bubble, was in the lineup for the season opener last night against the Calgary Flames, filling in for injured veteran Fedor Tyutin (lower body).

It was a mild surprise, considering that Savard appeared to be a strong candidate to open the season with minor-league Springfield, but coach Todd Richards liked what he saw during the exhibition games.

“We all felt as a coaching staff that David had a better camp than Tim (Erixon),” Richards said, explaining his decision to pair Savard, instead of Erixon, with Nikita Nikitin.

Savard, 22, played in only four NHL games last season after playing 31 as a rookie in the 2011-12 season. Erixon played in 31 games for the Jackets last season. But Savard, bothered by a hernia the final four months of last season, had surgery in May and showed up for camp in fine shape.

“It looks like he invested over the summer as far as his training,” Richards said. “It looks like he dropped some weight, which is something it looked like he needed to do. His game was better in the exhibition season.”

Savard’s previous NHL game was one of his most forgettable. He was recalled from Springfield for a game on April 18 at Los Angeles. The Jackets lost 2-1 and Savard struggled. He called it “probably my worst game ever in the NHL.”

“Everything seems way better now,” Savard said. “Last year was a grind. Every day hurt. Some days I could barely skate. But I had to keep going. Once I made the decision (to delay surgery) I wanted to finish it off.”

Savard and Erixon are among eight defensemen on the roster. Richards said before the game that was he unsure if Tyutin would travel to New York for a game at the Islanders tonight. Savard would have to clear waivers to return to Springfield.

Awaiting Islanders

Richards adores big-game atmospheres and said he was looking forward to playing the Islanders, a new Metropolitan Division rival, at Nassau Coliseum despite it being the second game of a season-opening back-to-back.

“I’m excited that we get to go to New York and it’s their home opener,” Richards said. “It should be another great environment. They have a lot of momentum and things to build off of there.”

The Islanders finished eighth in the Eastern Conference last season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Slap shots

Last night’s game was the 600th in the NHL career of left wing R.J. Umberger, who has played 372 for the Blue Jackets. Flames left wing Curtis Glencross played in his 400th game. He played 43 of those for the Jackets in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. … The Blue Jackets added radio affiliates in Cambridge and Mansfield, Ohio, and announced that former play-by-play voice George Matthews will return to the booth for 12 games this season.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.05.2013

719507 Dallas Stars

Gosselin: Stars defenseman Sergei Gonchar ranks all-time Russian team; Zubov makes cut

Rick Gosselin

Published: 04 October 2013 11:41 PM

Updated: 05 October 2013 01:01 AM

FRISCO — The eyes of Stars defenseman Sergei Gonchar provide a window to Russian hockey.

Gonchar grew up watching Vladislav Tretiak, Valeri Kharlamov and the KLM line win world championships and Olympic gold medals. Gonchar himself became a first-round NHL draft pick in the 1990s and went on to play against the next generation of Soviet greats: Pavel Bure, Sergei Zubov, Alexander Mogilny and the Russian Five in Detroit.

Gonchar, 39, has seen his countrymen enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He’s seen them capture league and playoff MVP honors. He’s seen them win NHL scoring titles and rookie of the year acclaim. Name a Russian great, and he’s in Gonchar’s mental Rolodex.

So I asked Gonchar the other day to pick his all-time Russian team. I gave him a list of a top five at each position and another list of the top 15 Russian scorers in the NHL.

“Wow,” Gonchar said, studying the lists. “Tough choices. They’re all great. You’d have to put together two units. How can you choose between … say a [Sergei] Fedorov and [Pavel] Datsyuk?

“And what about [Evgeni] Malkin? He’s just getting into his prime’ and he’s already a great player. How can you judge him now? Same with [Alexander] Ovechkin. It’s unfair to judge those guys because they are so young and haven’t achieved as much yet as, say, a Fedorov. They still have some great years ahead of them.”

But, when pressed, Gonchar did choose. He gave me his starting lineup, and he’ll be playing against one of them Saturday night — Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. Gonchar gave him the nod over Mogilny at right wing. Ovechkin was the NHL’s rookie of the year in 2006 and has won three league MVP awards and a scoring title.

“Great shot, great power,” Gonchar said. “He has an ability to go through a defense with his energy and power.”

Over at left wing, Gonchar chose Kharlamov over Ilya Kovalchuk, who ranks fifth all-time among Russian scorers with 417 goals and 816 points. Kharmalov never played in the NHL, but he is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was the best player on either side in the historic Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union in 1972.

“The guy could win games by himself,” Gonchar said. “He was doing things with the puck that no one else could do.”

Center was another tough call. Pittsburgh’s Malkin has been feted as the NHL’s rookie of the year, leading scorer, MVP and playoff MVP. And he didn’t even make Gonchar’s final two at the position.

Gonchar mulled a pair of legendary Red Wings, Fedorov and Datsyuk, because of both their offensive creativity and completeness of their games. Gonchar pondered this position the longest and then gave the nod to Fedorov, the NHL’s all-time leading Russian scorer and another former league MVP.

“He’s probably the best pure skater we’ve ever sent over here,” Gonchar said.

On defense, Gonchar talked himself through the merits of three players and wound up choosing Viacheslav Fetisov and former Star Sergei Zubov, leaving former Red Wing Vladimir Konstantinov behind. That was difficult because the “Vladinator” was the best defender of the group.

Fetisov also is in the Hockey Hall of Fame despite spending his prime in Russia. He didn’t arrive in the NHL until he was 31.

“Fetisov changed the game back home with the way he jumped in and created offense by joining the rush,” Gonchar said. “That was tough for him, because not every coach liked that style from a defenseman. He was doing something different that people weren’t used to. You have to respect him for that. He belongs at the top of this list.”

Zubov is the second-highest scoring Russian defenseman in NHL history. Only Gonchar is ahead of him.

“Zubov controlled the puck on the breakouts and power play,” Gonchar said. “He had the rare ability not only to see everything but to control the pace of the game. He could slow it down or speed it up. That’s not easy to do, especially at this level.”

There was only one choice in nets — Tretiak, another member of the Hockey Hall of Fame despite never having played in the NHL. The first Russian so honored, in fact.

“I’m told he was one of the game’s greatest workers and one of its greatest

students

Even though Gonchar is the only Russian defenseman to score 200 goals in the NHL, he declined to assign himself a place on this team.

“We’ll talk about it in a few more years,” he said.

Honors to Russians

Hall of Fame: G Vladislav Tretiak, RW Valeri Kharlamov, C Igor Larionov, D Viacheslav Fetisov, RW Pavel Bure

MVP: C Sergei Fedorov (1994), RW Alexander Ovechkin (2008, 2009, 2013), C Evgeni Malkin (2012)

Playoff MVP: Malkin (2009)

Scoring champion: Ovechkin (2008), Malkin (2009, 2012).

Vezina Trophy (top goalie): Sergei Bobrovsky (2013)

Rookie of the Year: RW Sergei Makarov (1990), Bure (1992), LW Sergei Samsonov (1998), G Evgeni Nabokov (2001), Ovechkin (2006), Malkin (2007)

TOP RUSSIAN SCORERS

The top 15 Russian scorers in NHL history:

Rank, Player

Seasons

G

A

1990-2009

1,179

483

2, Alexander Mogilny

1989-2006

1,032

559

1992-2013

1,029

430

4, Slava Kozlov

1992-2010

853

497

2001-2013

816

417

6, Alexei Yashin

1993-2007

781

444

1991-2003

779

437

8, Sergei Gonchar

1994-2013

775

558

1992-2009

771

152

10, Pavel Datsyuk

2001-2013

767

512

2005-2013

735

371

12, Alexei Zhamnov

1992-2006

719

470

1989-2004

644

169

14, Sergei Samsonov

1997-2011

571

336

2006-2013

560

217

2013-14 games not included

With the Stars

Defenseman Sergei Gonchar is the third all-time Russian great to play for the Stars. Defenseman Sergei Zubov played 12 seasons for the Stars between 1996-97 and 2008-09. Sergei Makarov, who was a member of Russia’s famed KLM line with Igor Larionov and Vladimir Krutov, played four games with Dallas in 1996-97.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.05.2013

719508 Dallas Stars

Friday practice update: Rich Peverley ready to return

By Mike Heika

2:18 pm on October 4, 2013

Cody Eastwood captures the excitement of today’s practice in Frisco. Check it out here.

If you want some insight into Washington’s bright young coach Adam Oates, check out his daily media scrum from Friday.

Stars center Rich Peverley took the red safety jersey off at practice on Friday and looks ready to return to the lineup. Peverley received treatment for an irregular heartbeat following his pre-camp physical and has not been able to participate in full contract drills until Friday.

But he said he’s ready to play Saturday against Washington.

“I think I’m good to go,” Peverley said.

Peverley is a talented player who should become an important part of the Stars’ lineup. The 31-year-old plays mostly center, but also can play the wing. He will be slotted in on the fourth line in the center position. However, he’s right-handed and is great at faceoffs, so he could be scaled up at times just to help with draws.

“I don’t think it’s fair to expect him to do it right off the start, but he makes good plays and he has good hands,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. “It would have been nice to get some games in, but that wasn’t available to us.”

Peverley said coming in with no pre-season action and little live action in practice will be a challenge.

“Just the repetition of a game, you can’t simulate the intensity of a shift,” Peverley said when asked what his biggest challenge will be. “If I am in, I’ll just have to keep my shifts short and try to get in the pace as quickly as possible.”

Ruff put Peverley as the fourth line center and dropped out Chris Mueller. Otherwise, he didn’t change his lineup after Thursday’s 4-2 loss to Florida.

It should look like this Saturday against the Capitals:

Jamie Benn-Tyler Seguin-Erik Cole

Ray Whitney-Cody Eakin-Alex Chiasson

Shawn Horcoff-Vern Fiddler-Valeri Nichushkin

Antoine Roussel-Rich Peverley-Ryan Garbutt

Alex Goligoski-Sergei Gonchar

Brenden Dillon-Stephane Robidas

Trevor Daley-Jordie Benn

Kari Lehtonen

“That would be an early shuffle,” Ruff said when asked about a possible change. “The patience is going to be at a minimum, I can tell you that. I expect more out of some of the players than the type of game they gave us last night.”

Asked about the performance, where the Stars allowed 39 shots on goal, Ruff said he wasn’t happy.

“I hate 39 shots,” Ruff said. “For me, there’s no excuse for that. Our puck management, some of the things we did with the puck, we didn’t do even in camp. Some of the high-risk stuff, you’re not going to win games playing like that. We know that. The good part is that the players know that. They’re angry today, as well they should be.”

He said he expects the team to fix a lot of things on Saturday.

“Our support with our defense with the puck in our own end wasn’t very good,” he said. “We had a couple breakdowns obviously that cost us goals, breakdowns that we really hadn’t seen. I think we got excited to get ahead of the play a few times. The biggest thing for me was our forwards were getting 50-60 feet ahead of our defensemen, and our attack wasn’t coming together. If we come deep and we come together we played really good hockey.”

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.05.2013

719509 Dallas Stars

Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff: There's no excuse to give up 39 shots

MIKE HEIKA

Published: 05 October 2013 12:13 AM

Updated: 05 October 2013 01:05 AM

One of the key stats for Dallas in recent seasons has been allowing too many shots on goal. So when the Stars allowed 39 in Game 1, tied for worst in the NHL, Ruff said he was concerned.

"I hate 39 shots," Ruff said. "For me, there's no excuse for that. Our puck management, some of the things we did with the puck, we didn't do even in camp. Some of the high-risk stuff, you're not going to win games playing like that. We know that. The good part is that the players know that. They're angry today, as well they should be."

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.05.2013

719510 Dallas Stars

There are no plans to shuffle line combinations, Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff says

MIKE HEIKA

Published: 05 October 2013 12:11 AM

Updated: 05 October 2013 01:06 AM

Ruff said he does not plan to shuffle his line combinations after Thursday's 4-2 loss to Florida. Peverley will replace Chris Mueller, but the lines will otherwise stay the same.

Ruff said shuffling after the first game would be pretty early in the season, but he added that he's ready to change if Saturday's game doesn't go well.

"The patience is going to be at a minimum, I can tell you that," he said. "I expect more out of some of the players than the type of game they gave us [Thursday] night."

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.05.2013

719511 Dallas Stars

Stars defenseman Sergei Gonchar ranks all-time Russian team; Zubov makes cut

Rick Gosselin

Published: 04 October 2013 11:41 PM

Updated: 05 October 2013 01:01 AM

FRISCO — The eyes of Stars defenseman Sergei Gonchar provide a window to Russian hockey.

Gonchar grew up watching Vladislav Tretiak, Valeri Kharlamov and the KLM line win world championships and Olympic gold medals. Gonchar himself became a first-round NHL draft pick in the 1990s and went on to play against the next generation of Soviet greats: Pavel Bure, Sergei Zubov, Alexander Mogilny and the Russian Five in Detroit.

Gonchar, 39, has seen his countrymen enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He’s seen them capture league and playoff MVP honors. He’s seen them win NHL scoring titles and rookie of the year acclaim. Name a Russian great, and he’s in Gonchar’s mental Rolodex.

So I asked Gonchar the other day to pick his all-time Russian team. I gave him a list of a top five at each position and another list of the top 15 Russian scorers in the NHL.

“Wow,” Gonchar said, studying the lists. “Tough choices. They’re all great. You’d have to put together two units. How can you choose between … say a [Sergei] Fedorov and [Pavel] Datsyuk?

“And what about [Evgeni] Malkin? He’s just getting into his prime’ and he’s already a great player. How can you judge him now? Same with [Alexander] Ovechkin. It’s unfair to judge those guys because they are so young and haven’t achieved as much yet as, say, a Fedorov. They still have some great years ahead of them.”

But, when pressed, Gonchar did choose. He gave me his starting lineup, and he’ll be playing against one of them Saturday night — Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. Gonchar gave him the nod over Mogilny at right wing. Ovechkin was the NHL’s rookie of the year in 2006 and has won three league MVP awards and a scoring title.

“Great shot, great power,” Gonchar said. “He has an ability to go through a defense with his energy and power.”

Over at left wing, Gonchar chose Kharlamov over Ilya Kovalchuk, who ranks fifth all-time among Russian scorers with 417 goals and 816 points. Kharmalov never played in the NHL, but he is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was the best player on either side in the historic Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union in 1972.

“The guy could win games by himself,” Gonchar said. “He was doing things with the puck that no one else could do.”

Center was another tough call. Pittsburgh’s Malkin has been feted as the NHL’s rookie of the year, leading scorer, MVP and playoff MVP. And he didn’t even make Gonchar’s final two at the position.

Gonchar mulled a pair of legendary Red Wings, Fedorov and Datsyuk, because of both their offensive creativity and completeness of their games. Gonchar pondered this position the longest and then gave the nod to Fedorov, the NHL’s all-time leading Russian scorer and another former league MVP.

“He’s probably the best pure skater we’ve ever sent over here,” Gonchar said.

On defense, Gonchar talked himself through the merits of three players and wound up choosing Viacheslav Fetisov and former Star Sergei Zubov, leaving former Red Wing Vladimir Konstantinov behind. That was difficult because the “Vladinator” was the best defender of the group.

Fetisov also is in the Hockey Hall of Fame despite spending his prime in Russia. He didn’t arrive in the NHL until he was 31.

“Fetisov changed the game back home with the way he jumped in and created offense by joining the rush,” Gonchar said. “That was tough for him, because not every coach liked that style from a defenseman. He was doing something different that people weren’t used to. You have to respect him for that. He belongs at the top of this list.”

Zubov is the second-highest scoring Russian defenseman in NHL history. Only Gonchar is ahead of him.

“Zubov controlled the puck on the breakouts and power play,” Gonchar said. “He had the rare ability not only to see everything but to control the pace of the game. He could slow it down or speed it up. That’s not easy to do, especially at this level.”

There was only one choice in nets — Tretiak, another member of the Hockey Hall of Fame despite never having played in the NHL. The first Russian so honored, in fact.

“I’m told he was one of the game’s greatest workers and one of its greatest students — plus that natural talent,” Gonchar said. “Put those three things together, and you’ve got a great mix.”

Even though Gonchar is the only Russian defenseman to score 200 goals in the NHL, he declined to assign himself a place on this team.

“We’ll talk about it in a few more years,” he said.

Honors to Russians

Hall of Fame: G Vladislav Tretiak, RW Valeri Kharlamov, C Igor Larionov, D Viacheslav Fetisov, RW Pavel Bure

MVP: C Sergei Fedorov (1994), RW Alexander Ovechkin (2008, 2009, 2013), C Evgeni Malkin (2012)

Playoff MVP: Malkin (2009)

Scoring champion: Ovechkin (2008), Malkin (2009, 2012).

Vezina Trophy (top goalie): Sergei Bobrovsky (2013)

Rookie of the Year: RW Sergei Makarov (1990), Bure (1992), LW Sergei Samsonov (1998), G Evgeni Nabokov (2001), Ovechkin (2006), Malkin (2007)

TOP RUSSIAN SCORERS

The top 15 Russian scorers in NHL history:

Rank, Player

Seasons

Pts

A

1, Sergei Federov

1,179

696

1989-2006

1,032

473

3, Alexei Kovalev

1992-2013

1,029

599

1992-2010

853

356

5, Ilya Kovalchuk

2001-2013

816

399

1993-2007

781

337

7, Pavel Bure

1991-2003

779

342

1994-2013

775

217

9, Sergei Zubov

1992-2009

771

619