Sport-scan daily brief

The returning veterans are out with something to prove after finishing with a 44-24-0-8 record, only to have the season come crashing down in a first-round playoff sweep.

Borowiecki called the experience "a tough lesson that we can turn into a positive."

Only 24, Borowiecki is a grizzled veteran compared to the young core, with new recruits Cody Ceci and Matt Puempel making the jump from stellar junior careers to the daily grind of pro life.

"They just have to know it's going to be a battle every night," said Borowiecki. "Pro hockey is a grind, and everyone is looking to take that next step, so you can't take any nights off."

STARTING OFF

B-Sens opening night roster

FORWARDS

Shane Prince-Jim O'Brien-Andre Petersson

Mike Hoffman-Derek Grant-David Dziurzynski

Corey Cowick-Wacey Hamilton-Cole Schneider

x-Buddy Robinson, Darren Kramer, Jakub Culek

DEFENCE

Michael Sdao-Chris Wideman

Fredrik Claesson-Troy Rutkowski

x-Tyler Eckford, Ben Blood

GOALTENDERS

Nathan Lawson

Andrew Hammond

x-extras

719599 Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators forward Chris Neil has no plans to join fellow tough guys in media

By Don Brennan ,Ottawa Sun

First posted: Friday, October 04, 2013 07:40 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, October 04, 2013 07:43 PM EDT

To drop by the Buffalo Sabres' house on a game day is to run into a couple of the team's former tough guys.

Both Rob Ray and Andrew Peters now work in the Buffalo media, the former in TV and the latter in radio. Kinda makes you wonder if Chris Neil has similar plans when his NHL days come to an end.

"I think I've got a face for a (newspaper) reporter," Neil joked after the morning skate. "No TV for me."

Neil, who is a hard 34 years old, also has no plans for retirement. The team's career penalty minutes leader has two years left on his contract after this one. As of now, he hopes it isn't his last.

"Hopefully, I've got a lot of years left in me," said Neil. "I'm going to play as long as I can."

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.05.2013

719600 Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators forward Cory Conacher visits younger brother at old college prior to opener

By Don Brennan ,Ottawa Sun

First posted: Friday, October 04, 2013 07:34 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, October 04, 2013 07:39 PM EDT

BUFFALO - Cory Conacher spent the night before the Senators season opener in his old dorm. Not for a video game tournament or anything, but to hang out with his little brother.

Shane Conacher plays hockey for Canisius College in Buffalo, just as his older sibling did.

"I had dinner with the (Senators) team but then I went to visit (Shane) in his dorm room," the Senators' Conacher said Friday. "It was kind of fun to go check out the old stomping grounds."

A Senators game in these parts inevitably ends up as a Conacher family reunion that includes a number of Cory's friends, as well.

While many of his supporters were here Friday, only a lucky few of them will be at Saturday's game against the Leafs.

"It's a lot cheaper to come here than Toronto," said Conacher, who is from Burlington. "I didn't have to get tickets. They already got their tickets ... a bunch of aunts, uncles, brothers. It's a good set up we have here."

While his mother is on a vacation, Conacher's dad had a busy hockey weekend ahead of him. He will be at both Senators games then on Sunday will drive to Canisius to watch Shane play an exhibition for the Golden Griffins.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.05.2013

719601 Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators' veteran defenceman Joe Corvo a healthy scratch for opener

By Don Brennan ,Ottawa Sun

First posted: Friday, October 04, 2013 07:14 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, October 04, 2013 07:23 PM EDT

BUFFALO - Joe Corvo was relegated to the role of insurance policy Friday. Listening to him talk, it may be his primary function with the Senators this season.

While most assumed, from practices during the week, that the veteran defenceman would play alongside Chris Phillips against the Buffalo Sabres, coach Paul MacLean had a different plan.

He had Corvo take part in the pre-game warmup to be ready just in case Eric Gryba's back -- which sidelined him in training camp -- acted up again.

Signed as a free agent in the off-season, Corvo wound up a healthy scratch for Game 1 of his second coming with the Senators.

"I've had good discussions with Paul," Corvo, at 36 the oldest player on the team, said following the morning skate at First Niagara Center. "We've discussed what he expects of me this year, and where I fit, and I have a total understanding about that. I'm not surprised, no.

"It could go either way every night. I'm just supposed to be ready."

Gryba, who didn't play a single pre-season game, faced the Sabres as Phillips' partner on the Senators' third pairing.

"We're looking forward to having him in the lineup," MacLean said hours prior to puck drop. "He's worked hard since early in training camp and we feel we need him in the lineup tonight."

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.05.2013

719602 Philadelphia Flyers

Laviolettes sue Bank of America alleging fraud in mortgage proposal

FRANK SERAVALLI, Daily News Staff Writer seravaf@phillynews.com

Posted: Sunday, October 6, 2013, 3:01 AM

FLYERS COACH Peter Laviolette recently filed a $3 million lawsuit alleging fraud against Bank of America.

The lawsuit, filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, alleges that Bank of America convinced Laviolette and his wife, Kristen, to mortgage three of his properties in an "investment scheme that would build great wealth with minimum risk."

The suit was first reported by Courthouse News. Through a Flyers spokesman, Laviolette declined to comment to the Daily News last night.

According to the suit, Laviolette was first approached by Banc of America Securities - a Bank of America subsidiary - shortly after winning the Stanley Cup as coach of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. At the time, and currently, the Laviolettes owned their house in Raleigh, N.C., and two properties in Florida.

Bank of America's 12-page proposal presented to the Laviolettes advised them to "leverage all of the available equity in their properties" through "several high-interest loans and then to invest these proceeds in other purportedly sound, but ultimately, high-risk investments."

The proposal was projected to increase the Laviolettes net worth from $8.1 million to $22.0 million in a span of 30 years, the complaint states.

According to the suit, the bank's projections included additional monthly fund injections, but relied on "artificially inflated values for their properties" and "not only failed to produce the projected high rate of return needed to cover the loan interest, they utterly collapsed, resulting in a loss of the principal as well."

In addition to seeking $3 million in damages, the Laviolettes are seeking rescission of all three loans.

Laviolette, 49, has been the coach of the Flyers since December 2009. He signed a "multiyear" contract extension on Aug. 1, 2012, that is expected to take him through the 2014-15 season.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.05.2013

719603 Philadelphia Flyers

Briere preparing to face his former Flyers teammates

FRANK SERAVALLI, Daily News Staff Writer seravaf@phillynews.com

Posted: Sunday, October 6, 2013, 3:01 AM

DANIEL BRIERE has come to appreciate modern technology.

It is the one thing that will allow Briere, 35, to keep in touch with his three hockey-mad sons while he is in Montreal with the Canadiens. Briere's sons, Cameron, Carson and Caelan, will continue to live in South Jersey with his ex-wife while he forges a new chapter in his career.

There is Apple's FaceTime and even Skype to shorten the distance between visits.

"Playing in Europe last year during the lockout gave me a little taste," Briere said. "We're making it work."

Modern technology has also allowed Briere one Canadiens record: He is the first player in Montreal's 104-year history to have his last name correctly accented on his jersey with Briére.

(By the way, he prefers to be called "Daniel" now instead of "Danny," as he was known in Philly.)

Yet, it is the Canadiens' old-world charms that drew Briere to the franchise he grew up cheering for in Quebec. Minutes before the puck dropped in Tuesday night's Bell Centre opener against Toronto, Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur passed the torch to Briere first - before it moved to the rest of his teammates - to represent the Canadiens' next French hope.

Briere signed a 2-year, $8 million deal with the Habs just days after being bought out by the Flyers last summer. Tonight is his first game against his former team, which features two players (Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier) whom Briere invited to live with his family as rookies.

"It's kind of a weird feeling," Briere said before practice yesterday. "I'm facing guys I was with for a lot of years. You're excited to see them, but it's also weird to have to face them. They're tough games, mentally, to get ready for. On the ice, you have to shut off the fact that they're your buddies and you have to move on for that 3-hour span."

His toughest adjustment to Montreal? Interviews in both French and English, which he said would have been tough to deal with as a 21- or 22-year-old. He was booed almost every time he returned to Montreal after spurning the Canadiens in 2007 to sign with the Flyers. Now, he is revered.

When he takes the ice tonight, it will also mark the first time the Flyers are paying a player they're playing against. The Flyers will pay Briere $833,333 each year until 2017.

The Flyers got their money's worth with Briere. He was the marquee free-agent signing of 2007, a player who helped usher in a new era in Flyers hockey. In his six seasons with the Flyers, they won at least one round in the playoffs five times - advanced to the conference finals twice and the Stanley Cup final once.

Briere produced 283 points in 364 games with the Flyers, an average of 0.77 points per game. He was even better in the playoffs, with 72 points in 68 games. Briere is one of 34 players in NHL history to score better than a point per game player in the Stanley Cup playoffs with a minimum of 50 games played.

Actively, only Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, Martin St. Louis and Claude Giroux are better playoff performers.

"He was a great player for us, the whole time I was here," coach Peter Laviolette said. "Certainly in the playoffs, he made his noise. And he made his noise really loud."

Bryz Vegas

The Flyers' other offseason buyout victim, Ilya Bryzgalov, will be back playing hockey for the first time since being let go by the team last June.

Bryzgalov, 33, signed a tryout contract with the ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers yesterday. No NHL, Russian, or even AHL team was willing to give Bryzgalov a shot after the Flyers paid him $23 million to leave.

Las Vegas, which is one of the few ECHL teams without an NHL affiliation, doesn't start its season for another 2 weeks. Bryzgalov was still living in South Jersey as recently as last week, while his two children attend school.

In a statement, he said he will not be giving interviews, to allow the Wranglers to focus on training camp.

"I intend to return to the NHL, and to be ready for game action when an NHL opportunity opens up," Bryzgalov said. "I intend to work hard while I am here in Las Vegas, and to return the support I have received from my family, the many fans who have reached out to me with words of encouragement, and the Wranglers organization with actions, not words. This is a unique opportunity for me to be an example to my own children, to the young fans who have supported me, to my new teammates, and eventually to the NHL teammates who will come to rely on me again."

Slap shots

With Chris Pronger on the long-term injury list, the Flyers have approximately $4 million in bonus cushion room to add a player if they choose. Scouts from 13 of the 14 Western Conference teams were at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday . . . Twenty of the Flyers' 72 attempts at the net against Toronto missed the net, something Laviolette would like to see change this weekend . . . Sidney Crosby's goal in Thursday's Penguins opener was his 666th career point - and it came against the Devils. By the way, Cory Schneider ended Martin Brodeur's streak of starting 18 consecutive openers in that game . . . In an ESPN poll of 30 anonymous NHL players, 80 percent responded and said they did not believe they had a teammate who took performance enhancing drugs

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.05.2013

719604 Philadelphia Flyers

Inside the Flyers: Success should come with better even-strength play

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: Sunday, October 6, 2013, 3:01 AM

MONTREAL - The Flyers, hoping the new campaign brings them redemption, would be wise to use last season as a blueprint for what to avoid.

For the Flyers, the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign was, in a word, bizarre.

It seems almost incomprehensible for a team to have the NHL's best overall special teams and still miss qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs, but that's what happened to the Flyers.

You don't have to be a descendant of the late, great Fred Shero to understand the reason for their failure: lousy even-strength play.

The Flyers' lack of five-on-five success negated the fact they finished third in the NHL on the power play (21.6 percent success rate) and fifth on the penalty kill (85.9 percent success rate).

They were the only team in the top five in each of those categories.

But they also were near the bottom in five-on-five situations, scoring just 0.86 goals for every one allowed in five-on-five play. Only Colorado, Calgary, and Florida - three teams that also missed the playoffs - were worse.

By comparison, Chicago scored 1.52 goals for every goal it allowed in five-on-five spots.

On paper, the Flyers should be much improved in even-strength situations. Adding 6-foot-4, 215-pound Vinny Lecavalier gives them some much-needed size up the middle and will help them in matchups. They should also be helped by the addition of puck-moving defenseman Mark Streit, who should jump-start the offense.

Another difference: They have beefy defensemen Braydon Coburn, Nick Grossmann, and Andrej Meszaros back in the lineup after injury-filled 2013 seasons. Their size will help in board battles.

The Flyers are also better in an under-the-radar area - puckhandling by their goaltenders. Steve Mason and Ray Emery are much better than Ilya Bryzgalov in that facet of the game, and it should help the Flyers exit their zone much quicker than last season.

Again, these improvements look good on paper, but that doesn't mean they always translate on the ice.

Take the Flyers' season-opener, for instance. In that 3-1 loss to Toronto, the Flyers had many more scoring chances and had the puck in their offensive end at least 60 percent of the night. Problem was, they had a couple of even-strength defensive breakdowns - and couldn't get the puck past nearly flawless goalie Jonathan Bernier in five-on-five situations.

The results looked like last season: The Flyers' goal was on the power play, and they were outscored, 2-0, in five-on-five situations.

You could argue that the Flyers were actually better than the Maple Leafs when the teams were at even strength, but just fell victim to a hot goaltender.

That said, the Flyers need to be vastly improved from last year in five-on-five situations. It's no coincidence that two of the NHL's best five-on-five teams in 2013 - Chicago (1.52 ratio, tops in the NHL) and Boston (fourth at 1.30) went to the Stanley Cup Finals.

"It's all about winning more battles," captain Claude Giroux said when asked what the Flyers needed to do to improve their even-strength play. "When you go in the corners and win battles, that's when you get scoring chances. . . . You can make plays, move the puck around."

Or as the late Shero, who led the Flyers to consecutive Stanley Cups in the 1970s and will be inducted into the hockey Hall of Fame next month, once said: "Take the shortest route to the puck carrier and arrive in ill humor."

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.05.2013

719605 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers coach suing Bank of America

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: Saturday, October 5, 2013, 2:02 AM

MONTREAL - Peter Laviolette is seeking at least $3 million in damages for fraud from Bank of America, it was confirmed Friday night by a Florida attorney whose firm is representing the Flyers coach.

Contacted in Montreal, where his team is getting ready to play the Canadiens on Saturday night, Laviolette said he did not want to comment.

In court last week, Laviolette claimed Bank of America convinced him to mortgage his properties and invest the proceeds in high-risk funds that "utterly collapsed," Courthouse News (CN) reported.

The investments were apparently made shortly after Laviolette led the Carolina Hurricanes to the 2006 Stanley Cup.

According to the lawsuit in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, Bank of America laid out the plan in a 12-page brochure that included projections of real-estate values and investment values to substantiate its return on investment claims.

One such document projected that by leveraging the properties, the Laviolettes would increase their net worth resulting from these assets from $8.1 million after 30 years to almost $22.1 million - a gain of nearly $14 million, the complaint states, according to the Florida attorney.

At the time, Laviolette and his wife, Kristen, owned a home in Raleigh, N.C., and two homes in Florida. They still own all three.

The Laviolettes, CN reported, said they later learned that the high-return investment projections relied on "artificially inflated values for their properties and an unreasonable rate of return."

The couple is seeking seeks at least $3 million and rescission of the three loans, according to CN.

Laviolettes is represented by Eric Horbey of Lazer, Aptheker, Rosella and Yedid in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Reached Friday, a representative from the firm confirmed the CN report and said he would not have any further comment at this time.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.05.2013

719606 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers coach experimenting with lines

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: Saturday, October 5, 2013, 3:01 AM

MONTREAL - Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said he put high-scoring Jake Voracek on the third line Wednesday partly because he wanted him to help jump-start center Sean Couturier and partly because of the winger's recent back injury.

"We're trying to get balance throughout the lineup," Laviolette said after Friday's practice in Voorhees.

The Flyers, trying to rebound from Wednesday's 3-1 opening-night loss to visiting Toronto, play in Montreal on Saturday night.

Laviolette didn't reveal whether Voracek will return to Claude Giroux's top line Saturday, but he sounded like he would still experiment with him on the third unit with Couturier and Max Talbot - and that Brayden Schenn will remain on the No. 1 line.

"There was a lot of success" when Voracek, Talbot and Couturier played together two years ago, Laviolette said. "It gives us a little bit of balance, but nothing is set in stone. We're just looking at things."

Voracek, who led the Flyers with 22 goals last year, said he is fully recovered from injuring his lower back in a preseason game, but that he is still rounding into shape because of the time he missed.

"I hadn't skated for a week, so I feel can still work on things to get to my level," he said.

In Wednesday's defeat, the Flyers fired 73 shots (32 on net), compared with Toronto's 43 (25 on net).

"I'd be a lot more concerned if we weren't getting the opportunities," general manager Paul Holmgren said. "I think we played a good game, certainly well enough to win it, but the bottom line is we didn't. Now we have to find a way to get back on the winning side. I think we made a couple of mistakes in key times that cost us. We have to eliminate those."

"We're not happy with the result," Giroux said of the loss, "but there were a lot of positives out there."

Breakaways

Goalie Steve Mason was the loser in the opener, and Laviolette is expected to turn to Ray Emery on Saturday. . . .Former Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov signed a tryout contract with Las Vegas of the ECHL, hoping it leads to an NHL job. . . .The #hartnelldown Foundation, a charity established by Flyers winger Scott Hartnell, is holding an event at Spasso Italian Grill in Old City on Nov. 3. Hartnell will attend what is being called "#chowdown" and will have dinner with guests and hold a question-and-answer session. For more info, call 218-340-7696.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.05.2013

719607 Philadelphia Flyers

Hockey doesn't need fighting

Bob Brookover, Inquirer Columnist

Posted: Saturday, October 5, 2013, 3:01 AM

Professional hockey is not alone in its pummeling of common sense. It's just that hockey's long disregard for what's so obviously wrong leads the pack among this country's major professional sports.

Fighting, an ice hockey tradition that dates to the 19th century, received some unwanted attention on opening night in the NHL when Montreal's George Parros suffered a concussion after falling face first into the ice during a Tuesday altercation with Toronto's Colton Orr. That's the same Colton Orr who once knocked former Flyer Todd Fedoruk unconscious.

As hockey fights go, this one wasn't overly violent. Only a few punches were thrown, which is often the case for scuffles on skates, and none landed flush. At the conclusion of the exchange, Orr slipped as each man held onto the other's jersey. The 6-foot-5 Parros crashed to the ice with the force of a giant Oak. His face bloodied, Parros was removed on a stretcher.

He will not play Saturday night against the Flyers at the Bell Centre and is out indefinitely.

Concussions, of course, happen in all sports and hockey is not the only professional sport with fighting. It is, however, the only one that condones it and fears its removal. It has been argued that if you take away fighting, you take away the sport's fan base. If that's the case, then it's a weak sport to begin with.

It is not the case. Hockey is good enough to stand on its own without fighting. No more proof than the Olympics is needed, but if you want more, look to college hockey. It's a quality product without the fisticuffs.

So much happens away from the puck that it's not the best made-for-TV sport, but attend a live game and you are likely to fall in love forever. Attend a live playoff game and you're sure to fall in love forever because no postseason is played with more pace and passion.

Look up the word tough and you'll find a photograph of a hockey player. Not because they fight, but because they play without fear of injury and with injuries that would sideline athletes in other sports. NFL players have been conditioned to practically skip the preseason, but NHL players are right in the mix during their final preseason games as they get ready for a season that will not end for some until the beginning of summer.

Hockey players always give their fans an honest effort. They shouldn't have to give them boxing on ice, too.