Sport-scan daily brief

"There you go. Right there," Glass said Friday after the Penguins practiced at Consol Energy Center.

It was the 12th and final icing call in the Thursday game. There no doubt will be icing plays tonight when Buffalo visits Consol Energy Center.

Glass' take: Play on. Dump the hybrid icing, which was adopted just before the regular season after the NHL and the NHL Players Association voted it in. Glass was firmly on the dissenting side.

"It's a tough call for the linesman," Glass said. "He's on the other side of the ice. He doesn't have the angle to get there. The play happens fast. He's got to go from his position on the blue line down to the goal line to get a good angle on that. He doesn't have the angle.

"He sees it as a tie, but I'm clearly ahead. That's one of the reasons I voted against it. It's too much responsibility for the linesman. I don't blame the guy. He's doing his best. It's just not the right call."

Glass was told that a tie goes to the defenseman, but that didn't console him because he felt he beat Harrold to the dot. He wasn't the only one.

"Our guy got to the puck first, probably was leading at the dot, but the linesman has to make the judgment call at the dot," Bylsma said. "So be it."

The hybrid icing rule is meant to forestall injuries, perhaps major ones, that can or might happen when players chasing the puck at high speeds collide along the end boards. Glass isn't buying it.

"It annoys me. It really does," he said. "There's no reason to change it. A couple of guys got hurt. That's it. We get paid really well to play this game. You can probably count those injuries on one hand or two hands.

"I know it's a dangerous part of the game, but that's the game we play. It's a man's game. We don't need to be putting more responsibility in the linesmen's hands and making unnecessary rules to make it safe."

It's not as if Glass, a fourth-line player, is the type of guy to shy from the physical aspects, either. Grit is high on his job description.

Outside of his disgust over the icing ruling, Glass had a satisfying opener. One accomplishment apparently was getting under the skin of New Jersey's Ryane Clowe, another gritty player.

Late in the first period, Glass hit Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador in the corner -- near the boards, but not into them, a clean hit with no penalty called. That induced Clowe to confront Glass, and the two fought.

"You see a hit. Didn't know if it was clean or not," Clowe said. "I knew who it was. It was Glass, obviously. I don't usually like when guys take liberties or hit that way."

That's OK with Glass.

"Anytime I'm being physical, you're going to draw attention," he said. "I got a good hit on Salvador, and Clowe took exception. He's a good, honest player and a tougher player, too. I don't mind that at all. I think it's part of our game -- a necessary part of our game."

Glass had four hits, two blocked shots and an assist. Last season, his first with the Penguins, it took until the 41st game for him to get a point, an assist. He finished with one goal, one assist in 48 games in the lockout-shortened season.

"That's how it goes," he said. "My game doesn't change much from night to night and from year to year. Two years ago in Winnipeg, I had a point [an assist] in the second game of the season, and this year the first game of the season. It's nice to get that one early, but it's just a number, and nothing changes on my part."

Scouting report

Matchup:

TV, Radio:

Root Sports; WXDX-FM (105.9).

Probable goaltenders:

Marc-Andre Fleury for Penguins. Jhonas Enroth for Sabres.

Penguins:

Won season opener, 3-0, against New Jersey. ... Chris Kunitz had 1 goal, 4 points in 3 games vs. Sabres last season. ... Sidney Crosby has 12 goals, 32 points in 22 career games vs. Buffalo, Evgeni Malkin 9 goals, 31 points in 21games.

Sabres:

Hidden stat:

Dating to last season, the Penguins are 16-2 in their past 18 home games.

Post Gazette LOADED: 10.05.2013

719619 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins notebook: Neal out indefinitely; 3 try to fill his skates

October 5, 2013 12:08 am

By Shelly Anderson / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Throughout Penguins training camp, there was a question of whether Jussi Jokinen or Beau Bennett would earn a shot at playing on the line centered by Evgeni Malkin.

Turns out, they might both be there, at least for a chunk of the season.

James Neal, a fixture as Malkin's right winger, is dealing with an unspecified injury that has rendered his status "more week-to-week than it is day-to-day," according to coach Dan Bylsma Friday, although Bylsma prefaced that by noting that Neal needs further medical evaluation before a firm timetable can be established.

Neal, a sniper who has a 40-goal season on his resume and great rapport with Malkin, missed practice Wednesday and the game-day skate Thursday because of his injury, which, at that point, was considered minor. Neal was in the lineup for season opener, a 3-0 home win Thursday night against New Jersey, but left in the first period after aggravating the injury.

Beginning tonight, when the Penguins meet Buffalo at Consol Energy Center, Jokinen and Bennett are expected to flank Malkin, although speedy Chuck Kobasew also could see time on Malkin's right wing, and Malkin -- a former NHL scoring champion and MVP -- might be used in other combinations at times, Bylsma said.

Bylsma readily admits no one on the roster will flat-out replace Neal.

"When you think about Evgeni's line, [Neal] is a staple on the right," Bylsma said. "They go together, how they play together and what James does in support of [Malkin]. Obviously, that's not going to be there."

Neither does Bylsma want or expect Bennett or whoever plays on that line to try to replicate Neal's game.

"I don't think anybody going into that spot should be thinking about playing or doing what James does," Bylsma said. "They have to play their own game. It's going to be a different dynamic for that line and for [Malkin]."

Jokinen, 30, surpassed Bennett in the preseason competition to play on Malkin's left wing.

"Jussi, as a smart player, has a good understanding of how to play with a real skilled player," Bylsma said. "He's shown that. He's going to continue to get that opportunity."

Bennett, 21, lacks a ton of NHL experience but has skill and has added a measure of physical play this season.

"Beau's going to get an opportunity," Bylsma said. "It may be a mixture of Beau and Chuck Kobasew, who has a different element of speed."

Crosby and faceoffs

Center Sidney Crosby not only tore up the faceoff circles Thursday, winning 15 of 22 draws (68.2 percent), but he also surpassed 5,000 career faceoff wins. He is 5,011-4,648 (51.9 percent).

That wasn't something he was tracking.

"Faceoffs are important, but it's kind of always about the next one that you've got to win," he said. "I don't think it really matters about the ones you have won."

Crosby won 45.5 percent of his faceoffs as a rookie in 2005-06, although he spent a significant amount of that season as a winger on Mario Lemieux's line. For the past six seasons, he has been better than 50 percent, with a high of 55.9 percent in 2009-10. He won 54.3 percent last season.

Crosby sometimes is sent onto the ice specifically to take a faceoff and then exit, particularly in some short-handed situations. He feels strongest when he's taking a draw on his backhand.

While eclipsing 5,000 faceoff wins caught him by surprise, he zeroed in on the fact that he has taken nearly 10,000.

"I think that's the cool part, to think that I've taken that many faceoffs," he said.

Adams one up on Dupuis

There was a time when Penguins wingers Craig Adams and Pascal Dupuis had played the same number of NHL games.

"We were tied until three years ago, but I had a baby," Dupuis recalled of missing a game in the 2010-11 season. Neither has missed a game since.

So, one game after Adams played in his 800th game, Dupuis will do so tonight. He's proud of reaching that round number.

"Sure. Especially with being undrafted, 800 is pretty good," Dupuis, 34, said.

Adams celebrated No. 800 with a goal against New Jersey. It remains to be seen if Dupuis can match it.

Post Gazette LOADED: 10.05.2013

719620 Pittsburgh Penguins

Injury could keep Penguins right winger James Neal out for weeks

October 4, 2013 1:06 pm

By Shelly Anderson / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Penguins right winger James Neal could be out for an extended amount of time because of an injury.

Coach Dan Bylsma said today that while Neal needs more medical evaluation for a firm timetable to be set, he appears closer to being out week-to-week than day-to-day.

Neal missed practice Wednesday and the team's game-day skate Thursday because of the problem but was in the lineup that night in the season opener.

He left the game in the first period, and Bylsma said it was an aggravation of the same issue, which he did not specify.

Neal, who has a 40-goal season on his resume, will likely be replaced by Beau Bennett on a forward line with center Evgeni Malkin and left winger Jussi Jokinen.

Those three practiced together today.

Post Gazette LOADED: 10.05.2013

719621 San Jose Sharks

Sharks' Justin Braun ends goal-less drought

By David Pollak

dpollak@mercurynews.com

Posted: 10/04/2013 03:37:13 PM PDT

Updated: 10/04/2013 10:04:57 PM PDT

SAN JOSE -- Justin Braun has developed into one of the Sharks' top shutdown defensemen, so it wasn't as if he had been fixating on the 85-game goal drought that ended in San Jose's 4-1 opening night victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

But, yes, there was a sense of relief.

"It was good to get that out of the way early," the 26-year-old defenseman said Friday, whose drought included 16 playoff games. "I didn't want to go another 20, 30, 40 games to get that off my back."

The goal ended up being the game winner Thursday, and if more come, that's fine. But Braun has had other priorities.

"I just wanted to play good defense and shut guys down," he said. "That's what I want to continue to do. If goals keep coming, they'll keep coming, but strong defense first."

Braun had surgery during the offseason to repair a hand injury suffered a year ago when he played in Finland during the lockout. He said he didn't think that had an impact on his ability to shoot the puck, but coach Todd McLellan thought otherwise.

"Last year he had great legs and was really well positioned," McLellan said. "But there were moments when the puck and stick didn't agree all the time. ... I think that part of his game is getting better, the ability to get the shot through and not blocked; crisper, cleaner passes coming out of our end."

Braun was drafted 201st overall in 2007, then spent three more years at UMass-Amherst. He was paired last season with Marc-Edouard Vlasic, the blue-liners McLellan relied on most heavily to shut down the top opposing scorers.

"He's grown so much," Vlasic said. "He's strong, he plays hard, he's a fast skater, he's getting shots through. The poise with the puck as well -- not saying he didn't have it at the beginning, but the evolution, the growth has been there, and I see it now."

McLellan wasn't ready to rearrange his power play before Saturday night's game against the Phoenix Coyotes despite the fact the Sharks were 0 for 7 with a man advantage.

"The 0-for is not a good thing," the coach said, "yet when we looked at it today, there were some really good looks. A couple posts and that kind of stuff, but the puck still has to find its way in."

Midgame, he added, there was talk of mixing up the second unit of Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl, Tyler Kennedy, Jason Demers and Matt Irwin.

"But, no, it was let them work through it. Give them some time," McLellan said. "They have to get familiar with each other and understand what each other's tendencies may be."

Rookie Matt Nieto didn't let his NHL debut be spoiled by the fact he was whistled to the penalty box for interfering with Canucks forward Alex Burrows.

"It rolled off me," Nieto, 20, said Friday. "I'm not a guy that ever gets in penalty trouble, so I'm not worried about that."

And the overall experience?

"I thought it was awesome," the California native said.

Injured defenseman Brad Stuart is getting closer to the lineup, but McLellan stopped short of saying the veteran would play Saturday night.

There is at least one change coming for Saturday, as Matt Pelech was reassigned to Worcester and John McCarthy was called up to San Jose.

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 10.05.2013

719622 San Jose Sharks

San Jose Sharks defenseman feels relief after he scores

By David Pollak

dpollak@mercurynews.com

Posted: 10/04/2013 02:19:32 PM PDT

Updated: 10/04/2013 02:58:37 PM PDT

SAN JOSE — Justin Braun has developed into one of the Sharks top shutdown defensemen, so it wasn't as if he had been fixating on the 86-game goal drought that ended in San Jose's 4-1 opening night victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

But, yes, there was a sense of relief.

"It was good to get that out of the way early. I didn't want to go another 20, 30, 40 games to get that off my back," the 26-year-old defenseman said Saturday. "It's nice to get that, and help the team win."

The goal ended up being the game winner, and if more come, that's fine. But Braun has had other priorities.

"I just wanted to play good defense and shut guys down," he said. "That's what I want to continue to do. If goals keep coming, they'll keep coming, but strong defense first."

Braun had surgery during the off-season to repair a hand injury suffered when he played in Finland during the lockout. He played down the impact that had on his ability to shoot the puck last season, but Coach Todd McLellan thought there was an effect.

"Last year he had great legs and was really well positioned," McLellan said. "But there were moments when the puck and stick didn't agree all the time. . . . I think that part of his game is getting better, the ability to get the shot through and not blocked, crisper cleaner passes coming out of our end."

Braun has come a long way after being drafted 201st overall in 2001, then spending four years at UMass-Amherst. Paired last season with Marc-Edouard Vlasic, the two became the blue-liners McLellan relied on most heavily to shut down the top opposing scorers.

"He's grown so much," Vlasic said. "He's strong, he plays hard, he's a fast skater, he's getting shots through. The poise with the puck as well -- not saying he didn't have it at the beginning, but the evolution, the growth has been there and I see it now."

Braun credits hall-of-fame defenseman Larry Robinson's presence as an associate coach for some of that growth.

How has Larry helped?

"He's a great guy to have on the bench," Braun said. "He's not going to come down on you too hard, he's going to work with you. You're not intimidated to go talk to him. It's a good relationship I think he has with all the D."

In his case, Braun said, Robinson improved his on-ice posture.

"Just getting my chest up when I get the puck," Braun said, "so I have more vision."

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 10.05.2013

719623 San Jose Sharks

Fight debate starts early this season

Ross McKeon

Updated 10:34 pm, Friday, October 4, 2013

As quickly as the first gloves dropped in the NHL season, the debate about whether to ban fighting began.

We're not hearing anything new, and it's hard to judge whether today's undercurrent is strong enough to trigger change. Ultimately and quite simply, money will decide the issue - whether the league can make more with fighting in the game or more by removing it.

Meanwhile, the league added a rule this year mandating that players wear a helmet or risk a two-minute penalty for removing the lid before fighting. Any player who enters the league now is also required to wear a face shield - a rule the players' association agreed to - so draw your own conclusion about where all this is headed.

Yet, leaving his helmet on didn't prevent Montreal enforcer George Parros from being knocked out when he hit the ice face first Tuesday. Nothing like the scary visual of Parros getting carted off on a stretcher on Opening Night.

"Looking at that a number of times, it's strange because it seems he even had a chance to turn his head a bit and let the helmet absorb it," Edmonton Oilers scout Dave Semenko said. "That could happen to two players wrestling on the top line. Or one guy trips over another and has a freak accident."

Semenko knows something about fighting. He was one of the most feared enforcers in the NHL from 1979 to '88, commonly referred to as Wayne Gretzky's bodyguard. Semenko was credited with 61 regular-season scraps by HockeyFights.com during his nine NHL seasons.

And he definitely has an opinion on fighting.

"To ban fighting might allow an uglier element to creep in," Semenko said. "A lot of guys could become a lot braver, or a lot dirtier without repercussions. They're going to get away with fooling the officials. Who knows what that will lead to? It's something I'm totally against."

Semenko, who played without a helmet, like most during his era, said this kind of talk always spikes when fighting becomes the focus, and he's right.

"How do you reverse it and say fighting is good, which no one really wants to say," Semenko asked. "Until it's gone, no one can determine how the game is going to go."

Good news, bad news: The fact that every team will visit each city at least once this season is great for the fans - the New York Rangers come to San Jose on Tuesday for the first time since 2010-11 - but the added travel comes at a price for the Sharks. In fact, no other team will log as many air travel miles as San Jose's 57,612 this season.

Ex-Shark Ryane Clowe noticed the difference after getting dealt to the Rangers late last season and now skating for the New Jersey Devils.

"Out West, you're flying into nice cities with hot weather, but you don't get back until late (2:30 a.m.)," Clowe said. "But here, you are in and out, you're home and in your own bed most of the time. I think San Jose has the toughest schedule in the NHL this year."

The Sharks' angle: Nathan MacKinnon was the first player drafted in June, and it didn't take Colorado's super-teen long to make an impact. His two assists Wednesday during the Avalanche's season-opening win made MacKinnon (18 years and 31 days old) the youngest NHL player to record two or more points in a game in 71 years. MacKinnon is the youngest player to skate for the Colorado/Quebec franchise since Owen Nolan in 1990, beating the ex-Shark by 204 days.

NHL's frequent fliers this season

1. Sharks 57,612 miles

2. Coyotes 52,633 miles

3. Avalanche 49,007 miles

4. Flames 48,970 miles

5. Ducks 48,568 miles

Less frequent fliers

1. Rangers 29,839 miles

2. Islanders 29,933 miles

3. Devils 33,151 miles

4. Sabres 34,812 miles

5. Senators 34,850 miles

San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 10.05.2013

719624 San Jose Sharks

Braun makes no excuses as goal drought ends

SAN JOSE -- Sharks defenseman Justin Braun wasn’t making any excuses for going 85 straight regular season and playoff games without a goal. But, he probably could have made at least one.

The 26-year-old dealt with a broken hamate bone in his left hand last season, getting hurt while playing in Finland during the NHL lockout. He wore a cast and bone stimulator for five weeks beginning in December, and although he was able to play in the Sharks’ season opener on Jan. 20, the injury hindered Braun’s play with the puck.

[Instant Replay: Sharks open 2013-14 with 4-1 win]

“I felt a little uncomfortable. If the puck was a little farther out, to shoot it, you really didn’t have that wrist strength,” Braun said on Friday. “Now, I can push it out, pull it in, and feel a little stronger doing stuff like that and getting good velocity on it.”

Todd McLellan said: “I thought last year he had great legs and was really well positioned, but there were moments when the puck and stick didn’t agree all the time, and that was due to an injury that he had.”

Minor offseason surgery was required, and in the Sharks’ 4-1 win over Vancouver on Thursday, Braun’s second period goal broke a 1-1 tie and ended up being the game-winner. The shot deflected off of a Canucks player, through Logan Couture's legs, and past Roberto Luongo.

It felt good to get that monkey off of his back. Braun’s most recent goal before that was on Feb. 10, 2012 against Chicago.

“It was good to get that out of the way early. I didn’t want to go another 20, 30, 40 games to get that off my back,” he said. “It’s nice to get that, and help the team win.”

Of course, offense isn’t the primary reason why Braun is in the NHL, or why he’s been able to cement his position in one of the Sharks’ top two pairs on the blue line. Partnered with the steady Marc-Edouard Vlasic for much of the second half of last season, that tandem was routinely seeing the best opposing forwards down the stretch and into the postseason.

That was no different in Thursday’s season opener, as Braun and Vlasic skated primarily against either the Sedin twins and Ryan Kesler’s second line.

“He’s grown a lot,” Vlasic said. “Now he’s a regular, playing 20 minutes a game. He’s grown so much. He’s strong, he plays hard, he’s a fast skater and he’s got a great shot, too.”

Vlasic continued: “Last year was the first year together, and it was great. Throughout training camp and even last game, we complement each other pretty well. I like playing with him.”

Braun, who has 30 points in 136 career NHL games, knows that his overall performance won’t be judged in terms of goals and assists.

“I just want to play good defense and shut guys down,” he said. “That’s what I want to continue to do. If goals keep coming, they’ll keep coming, but strong defense first.”

* * *

Fortunately, the injury had nothing to do with Higgins' skate blade, but it was still a significant blow.

"The visor did what it was supposed to do," Vlasic said. "That’s why I have a scrape, basically. It’s just like you fell off your bike and scrape yourself. I’m going to say it’s no big deal, but it still hurts today."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.05.2013

719625 San Jose Sharks

Sharks not panicking over game one power outage

SAN JOSE – No, the Sharks aren’t gnawing on their fingernails just yet when it comes to the power play, after taking an 0-for-7 on Thursday night against Vancouver and failing to score on a full two minute, two man advantage.

But they don't want to make that power outage a habit.

“I thought we had some really good looks,” Dan Boyle said. “Obviously, at the end of the day it’s all about the result, and I guess it was [0-for-7]. I thought we looked dangerous on a couple of them. The five-on-three, obviously you want to score there."