Dave Leneveu starts off season like a Pro for Junior Oilers

When it came time for the coaching staff for the Edmonton Junior team to decide on a starting goalie after the pre-season there was no question but to give Dave Leneveu the nod. Leneveu, A 22 year old Fernie, British Columbia native has answered the coaches call for leadership between the pipes with 2 straight wins including 1 shut-out, an amazing .957 save percentage and a 1.00 GAA. The Junior squad has been playing with a lot of confidence with Dave between the pipes which should make for a solid season. It all starts from Goalie out and if this is an earlier indicator of Leneveu's performence it makes Edmonton a definite contender in Junior play.

Rangers Off to Encouraging Start

The New York Rangers won their first game of the season against the the Phoenix Coyotes last night despite missing their premier big man in Alexei Ponikarovsky. There was concern in Rangerland that the hole left by the hulking winger might be two big to fill but into that void stepped young star in the making Martin Erat. Erat made several scintillating plays as he fired 7 shots on net and potted two goals. He added an assist to end the night with 3 points. Big things are expected from the young Czech this season and he's off to a great start.

The Rangers played well as a team but the penalty kill was a concern as the Rangers as they allowed 3 goals on 6 Coyote attempts. In the post game scrum GM Burns said "We're very happy with the effort. I thought our team played a great game. We got in penalty trouble and it almost cost us. We'll address that in practice and tighten up the powerplay. I was glad to see JP Dumont back on the ice and he produced a pretty assist. None of the goals were Dunham's fault particularly and we continue to be pleased with his play. It's a long season and we hope to be in the playoff hunt the whole way through."

Capitals Hammer Hurricanes

The Washington Capitals improved to 2-0 on the young season with a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Day 3. New arrival Zigmund Palffy led the way for the Caps with a goal and two assists.

Washington got off to a great start in the first period when Frantisek Lukes scored from Artem Chubarov at 1:28. The Capitals continued to pressure the Hurricanes, but could not score again in the period. Washington did kill off a penalty midway through the action, but Carolina got on the board late on Wellwood's goal from Friesen at 16:00. A late Hurricanes penalty proved fruitless for the Caps.

The second period opened with a bang as Boris Mironov and Jay McKee dropped the gloves and fought to a draw. The Capitals were able to feed off this energy, and Dan Snyder made it 2-1 at 5:01. Palffy and Petr Tenkrat assisted on the goal. Washington continued to control the play after Snyder's goal, and after failing on one power play the team was able to convert on a second chance. After Draper went to the box for an obvious boarding penalty, Palffy took a Patrick Marleau pass and scored his first of the season to make it 3-1. Both teams killed off penalties later in the period, and Washington ended the action with a 12-7 advantage in shots.

The penalty parade continued in the third period as the teams traded minor penalties in the first two minutes. The action then picked up when Michal Rozsival took a double minor for charging, but Carolina responded with a pair of double minors of their own to lose any advantage. Throughout the penalty-marred period, the Capitals fired shot after shot on the Carolina goal, and Todd Warriner finally made it pay at 16:41 to make it 4-1. Palffy and Dan Boyle assisted on the tally. Washington would outshoot Carolina 16-6 in the period. The Hurricanes finally got back on the board when Friesen scored a power play goal at 19:00, but any hope of a rally in Raleigh was dashed when Draper took another boarding minor for a dirty hit at 19:03.

Tommy Salo made 21 saves to earn the victory. Jose Theodore stopped 31 shots in the loss.

Washington is off on Day 4 before returning to Washington for the home opener against the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning on Day 5.

CAPITALS PREVAIL, CANES NOT HAPPY

CAROLINA

After a hard fought battle, the Carolina Hurricanes left the arena with a bit of a bad taste in their mouths.

"I am not a big believer in being pissy with the refs, but this hard to be one of the most irritating games I have ever played,” said assistant captain Jay McKee. “This Capital team should be wearing speedos instead of jocks the way they play. Every time we went to hit them, they turned their backs and then laid on the ice like the got hit by a semi.”

The Canes were assessed 3 boarding calls, all of which were on simple hits where Captial players turned their backs in order to receive the hit. On one play, Jeff Friesen was also called for goaltender interference after netminder Tommy Salo practically did a back flip when Friesen was about 3 feet from the crease. Head coach Joel Quenneville had this to say.

“Some teams try and take advantage of whatever they can. I cannot say I am impressed by their play and frankly, I find their style embarrassing. We lost the game, I accept that, but when every shift there is a stoppage from one of their players laying on the ice it gets a bit tiring and really takes any emotion out of the game. We got called for chargings and boardings that in my opinion, were phantom calls but I guess the refs felt bad for the Caps tonight. I don’t recall a shift where I saw all Capital players on the ice fully upright.”

Kris Draper alone was assessed two boarding calls.

“On one hit I went in to take the puck from Boris Mironov and at the last second he turned. Next thing I know he’s on the ground, writhing around like I stabbed him in the eye. I looked at the ref and thought ‘you gotta be kidding me’ but I got the call. As soon as I did, sure enough, Boris got up and was smiling. I’ll move on but next time, if he is going to lay on the ice like that, I’ll give him a reason.”

Canes are off tonight but resume the following day.

Preds Start Off Strong in Home Opening

The Nashville Predators opened the season at home against the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Preds/Bolts game proved to be a tight checking affair in front of a sold out crowd in the Nashville Arena.

During a rough first period, the Predators were privy to 4 power play opportunities, including the 2 man advantage they had near the end of the first period where rookie Adam Hall scored his first career CLUTCH goal with helpers from Pronger and Modano.

After that goal, the activity of the game died down significantly as no team was able to net any other goals. Hall's goal proved to be the game winner. Vokoun started the season with a shut out stopping all of Tampa's 21 shots, while Thibault stopped 28 of Nashville's 29 shots.

All eyes were on Thornton as it was his first game as a Predator. Thornton was held off the scoresheet registering only 3 shots and 1 hit in the 23 minutes of ice time he played. Workhorse Chris Pronger led all skaters by playing 30 minutes of the game.

The Predators have the night off tonight, but will host the New York Islanders tomorrow night in another tough battle. The Isles had a convincing 6-2 victory over the Sabres with Sakic, Peca, and Hossa leading the way. Top defensive pairing of Pronger and Hamrlik will have their hands full shutting down those types of stars.

The Preds then go on a 4 game road trip facing tough teams again such as the Habs, Isles (again), and Leafs. The Predators are looking to rebound after a disappointing season last year and are looking to prove themselves early against the tough opponents they face off against at the start of this season's schedule.

Nashville looked strong in their first game and Hall is trying to quiet the critics and show that Nashville's right wing is solid down to the 3rd line as that was an area of concern for Nashville. At the moment, it is way too early to tell. However, things are looking much better for this season's Predators.

Panthers Introduce Newly acquired Eric Daze

The Florida Panthers held a news conference today to introduce their newest acquisition Eric Daze.

The 6'6" - 230 lb rw'er was picked dealt to the Panthers from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Adam Deadmarsh.

Daze will bring a more disciplined game to the Panthers already potent line up and will make his debut tonight against the Penguins.

"I am thrilled to be here and part of the Panthers organization." Daze told reporters. "This team is full of talent and I just want to pinch in and help when and where I can. My role on this team will be different then in Minnesota mostly due to the already talented wingers that are here. I am happy that a trade was made so early in the season. It will give me lots of time to get used to my new surroundings and team mates."

"Eric will help us out with our pk."GM Perrault said. "He has great discipline and good puck control as well as bringing his leadership qualities into the dressing room. He is a proven veteran and gives us a little more depth. We are excited to have him in a Panthers uniform."

Senators and JR Sens Start Season with a BANG

The Ottawa Senators started their season at the Corel Center last night with a big 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. The sens played a great game firing 25 shots on distraught goaltender Chris Osgood. Roman Turek played excellent as he stopped 26 of the 28 shots brought his way.

The big story of the night however was newcomer Brendan Morrison as he had a fantastic start in a Sens uniform. Morrison had 4 shots on net, 3 goals and finished with a plus\minus of +4. The new look of the Ottawa Senators is a promising one if they can remain healthy throughout the season.

Alexei Morozov added 3 assists and another newcomer, Tom Poti, had 1 goal and 2 assists both with a +4 rating as well.

The Jr. Sens started off with an excellent win versus the JR Isles last night as well. The Jr's fired 34 shots on net on route to a 5-3 victory. Goaltender Tobias Stephan saved 20 of 23 shots in the win. The Jr. Sens also had a breakout night with Matt Hendricks scoring his first career hat-trick as well.

Congrats to both Senator teams and we all look forward to a strong season!

Leafs victorious in home opener

The Toronto Maple Leafs Win their home opener in convincing fashion, 6-2 over the Calgary Flames. Thomas Kaberle did it all, getting 1 goal and 3 assists (4 pts) and first star honors. The remaining 2 stars were also Leafs, making it a clean sweep.

Pro Game Stars
1 - Tomas Kaberle (MAP)
2 - Glen Murray (MAP)
3 - Sami Salo (MAP)

With the Flames having no GM, the Leafs wanted to take no chances, playing the Flames hard knowing they had a day off between games. Next up for the Leafs are the Bluejackets. The Leafs hope to take full advantage of the back to back games at home before heading on the road for their tilt against the Canucks.


In the JR's, the team splits the double header winning the second game, and welcoming back rookie David Booth from injury. They also swept the star selections for the game.

Farm Stars
1 - Shane Bendera (Mpl)
2 - David Booth (Mpl)
3 - Jim Slater (Mpl)

The team will be without RW Eric Fehr and C Rob Schremp, who were sent to training camp for the week. Look to see Prucha and Ovechkin to get even more ice time than before.

Capitals Surge Into First Place

The Washington Capitals jumped into a 10-way tie for first place in the Wales Conference after knocking off the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Day 2. Andrew Ference was the offensive hero for the Caps with a pair of third period goals.

Washington got off to a slow start, but after killing off three power plays the boys in blue finally found some momentum. When Montreal's Keefe took a major penalty at 15:53, the Capitals took advantage. Patrick Marleau scored the first goal from Dan Boyle and Jonathan Cheechoo at 19:32.

The penalty fest continued in the second period, but this time it was Montreal finding the back of the net. With Cory Sarich in the box for elbowing, Grier scored the first of his two goals at 5:48. Grier then made it 2-1 for the Habs 2:12 later from Damphousse and Stuart. Washington took two more penalties later in the period, but the penalty killers did a good job keeping Montreal off the board.

Seeking to change the momentum, Boris Mironov dropped the gloves early in the final period. He got beat up by Brad Stuart, but the Capitals found a new energy and tied the game just 34 seconds later. Ference was the scorer from Anson Carter and Michal Rozsival at 2:18. The Washington parade to the penalty box continued in the third as Sarich took a charging minor at 13:47, and Dan Snyder was hit with a major and game misconduct for highsticking at 14:03. The penalty killers continued to dominate for Washington, and shortly after getting back to 5-on-4, Ference scored his second of the game from Zigmund Palffy and Greg Watson at 16:46. Ference then found himself in the box for Elbowing just six seconds later, but once again the special teams did the job and stuffed the Canadiens.

Manny Legace earned first star honors with his 29 saves to take the win. Martin Brodeur had 18 saves for Montreal.

The Capitals are back in action on Day 3 in Carolina.

CANES ROLL OVER FLYERS IN HOME OPENER

CAROLINA

After a long off season full of anticipation and excitement, the Carolina Hurricanes came out victorious in their season opening home game. The Canes, led by gifted sniper Alexei Kovalev, picked up a W by exploding for 5 goals over the pesky Philadelphia Flyers.

“This was a pretty solid game to start the season off with,” said head coach Joel Quenneville. “We try and set up some plays and keep the opposing team in check, but sometimes, a lot of things just fall in the right places. I think it was a solid team effort and kudos to Theodore for making the saves when he had to.”

Jose Theodore, the savvy netminder, stopped 20 of 22 shots faced in the contest. Rugged defender Jay McKee was also a standout blocking 7 shots himself.

“We need to step up like that every game,” said McKee. “Winning games is not just about scoring goals. Tonight, our team came to play and made life difficult in our end as well.”

Slick defender Oleg Tverdovsky, defense partner of McKee, ended with 2 points and had a team high +4 rating at the end of the game. Pascal Rheume and Cory Stillman also added two points each.

Canes next game is against the rival Washington Capitals.

Leafs open Season at home against the Flames

The Toronto Maple Leafs season kicks off with a home tilt against the Calgary Flames. In what has been a hectic and lengthy offseason, the Leafs, like many teams, are anxious to get things rolling.


The Flames are without a GM and from whats been said this is a common occurence. I guess one could say its as common as Carolina drafting a Canadian kid, the Lightning rolling over ALL of their opponents, or the Avs peddling Zubov (thank God Ryan did the league a favor and traded for him..)) That being said, the Leafs can't take them lightly with guys like Naslund, Kolvachuk and the Kipper in goal.

As far as the Leafs go, for many players, this is their first game in a very long time. The layoff is very similar to the NHL strike and I'm sure getting back on track will be easier for some than for others. This is also the start of life without Vincent Lecavalier. Having Eric Lindros will help fill that void, but they wont be able to rely on a guy like Vinny to score so many goals.


Eric will likely aid in setting up others, and in time, that might actually be a good thing for this team. With Ovechkin coming in that deal for Vinny, Alex will need time to be groomed into the star we all know he will be. With that said, the Leafs will need more contributions from others to fill that large gap of goals.

Here we go!

Junior Capitals Fall in Preseason Finale

The Washington Junior Capitals finished the preseason with a 4-3-1 mark after losing to the New York Junior Islanders 3-1 on Day 17. The team will now prepare for the regular season opener at home against Columbus on Day 3.

After Washington failed to convert on a power play, New York opened the scoring through Stewart from Baranov and Lehtonen at 13:21. The Capitals managed eight shots on net in the period, but none got past Kelly Guard in the Isles' net.

The second period got off to a poor start for Washington when Greg Mauldin went to the box for hooking at 1:53. New York didn't score with the man advantage, but the Islanders did net two several minutes later. Perez scored first from Radunske and Guard at 5:06, and Sterling made it 3-0 from Guenet and Kadeykin at 7:20. The Capitals took two more penalties later in the period, but the team managed to kill them off.

Washington finally got on the board in the final period when Ryan MacMurchy netted from Zbynek Novak and Patrick O'Sullivan at 6:37.

Brad Topping stopped 34 shots in the loss, while Guard made 25 saves for the win.

Oilers Can't Get Past Nurminen in Season Opener

The Oilers certainly showed up Saturday vs. The Ducks in their season opener out-shooting the Anaheim Squad 37-24 but Pasi Nurminen kept his team in it with an star performance holding the game to a 2-2 tie. Benysek and Frolov scored in the first period puting the Oilers off to a good start. The Ducks later responded to their goaltenders awesome play and answered with a goal in the 2nd from Perrault and the tieing marker in the 3rd by former Oiler Jani Rita who was dealt as part of the Kariya trade to Anaheim during the Pre-Season.

Brenk shows Early Leadership for the Junior Oilers
In Edmonton Junior play Jake Brenk scored 2 goals in the 1st on their way to a 4-3 win against the Nashville Juniors. The game turned into a full out war and when the dust cleared there was 116 total minutes in penalties handed out, 3 Ejections and Jeff Dwyer of Nashville received a 3 game suspension, This was the first meeting between the Dwyer brothers (Jeff & Patrick) who are known for their agressive play. Both of them ended up leaving the game early after several fights.

Rangers Will Weight for Leadership

The New York Rangers were foiled in their attempt to add some veteran leadership to their team when Doug Weight signed with Tampa Bay. The Rangers were rumored to have had Weight all but inked to a 2 year deal worth 1.1 million with a $500,000 signing bonus when Tampa stepped in and topped it with 3 year 1.6 million deal and a staggering 2 million dollar signing bonus.
"We simply coudn't justify that kind of term or signing bonus," lamented GM Burns of the Rangers. "We feel out team is lacking in the leadership area and Weight certainly could have been a major influence in the dressing room. He still a good set up man and we thought he could be paired with Nash on our third line or perhaps even see duty on our second line. Unfortunately we felt his impact would be limited after this year and, therefore, had to bow out of the running. We think our most pressing needs are at centre and right wing. We could use a stay at home defenceman and will continue to look for veterans to lead this talented young team."

Capitals End Preseason With Win

The Washington Capitals finished the preseason schedule with a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Day 17. With the victory the Capitals finished at 2-3-3 for the exhibition season.

Philadelphia started the game off quickly with a pair of penalties just two seconds apart. Lapointe went to the box first for cross-checking at 1:10, and Hendrickson joined him for goalie interference. Washington was not able to capitalize on the power play time, but Todd Warriner did open the account several minutes later. He scored his fifth of the preseason from Andrew Ference and Artem Chubarov at 6:06. Washington then went shorthanded on Michal Rozsival's elbowing minor at 8:53, and the Flyers made them pay when Hendrickson tied the game from Ruutu and Vandermeer at 10:06. Things took a rough turn after Hendrickson's goal as Philadelphia's Zultek took a major for kicking at 11:02. The Capitals returned the favor after the penalty time was up when Sheldon Souray took a major of his own for head-butting at 17:56. Once again the Flyers took advantage of the man advantage. This time it was Savage scoring from Varada and Hendrickson at 19:38 to give Philadelphia a 2-1 lead going into the intermission.

The rough stuff continued in the second period as the teams came out hitting and fighting. Philadelphia's Hatcher dropped the gloves with Boris Mironov at 4:41, and it was a one-sided affair. The big American beat up the Russian. The Flyers then upped their lead to 3-1 on Lapointe's fourth goal of the preseason from Ruutu and Hendrickson. Trailing 3-1, the Capitals were not looking good, and the situation got even worse when Souray took a double-minor for highsticking at 10:13. Amazingly, Washington turned the game on its head as a pair of shorthanded goals 1:43 apart tied the score at 3-3. Rob Blake scored the first from Zigmund Palffy and Patrick Marleau at 11:04, and Rozsival notted the game from Dan Boyle and Palffy at 12:57. Washington continued the surge just under five minutes later when Mikael Renberg converted from Jonathan Cheechoo and Greg Watson to make it 4-3.

Neither team maanged a goal in the final period, but there was still plenty of action for the fans. First Lapointe and Souray fought to a draw 1:11 into the action. Souray was ejected for his violent play and he also received a five game suspension. Rozsival then earned Washington's second game misconduct of the period when he went to the box 42 seconds later for elbowing. The rest of the period saw five more minors and a ten minute misconduct to Philadelphia's Helenius.

Tommy Salo stopped 17 shots to pickup the win and improve to 1-1. Felix Potvin had 20 saves for the Flyers.

Capitals Fall to Panthers in Preseason

The Washington Capitals lost a tough preseason game 4-2 to the Florida Panthers on Day 15. Washington's record is now 1-3-3 in the exhibition season. Todd Warriner scored a goal and added an assist to lead the Capitals.

Florida got off to a flying start in the first period when Rathje scored from Bondra and Nolan after just 19 seconds. The Panthers then made it 2-0 at 3:53 on Bure's goal from Weiss and Hill. The Capitals couldn't get anything right, and a pair of penalties setup the Panthers for their third of the period. Washington killed the first minor, but when Dan Snyder went to the box for boarding at 6:47, Florida took advantage quickly on Nolan's goal from Hanzus and Bondra just 10 seconds later. The Panthers continued to pour it on, and when Lehoux netted from Johnsson and Nolan at 15:40, it was 4-0.

After falling far behind in the first, Washington turned it on in the second period. The Capitals failed to score on a power play midway through the action, but Warriner opened the scoring for Washington at 14:56 from Frantisek Lukes and Andrew Ference. Artem Chubarov then made it 4-2 when he scored from Warriner and Manny Legace at 18:15. Unfortunately that was the all the goals the Capitals could muster.

Neither team scored in the final period as Washington killed off three minor penalties.

Manny Legace made 28 saves in the loss to fall to 1-2-2. Roberto Luongo made 21 saves in the win, his third of the preseason.

Washington is off on Day 16 before hosting the Philadelphia Flyers in the preseason finale.

Tampa Launches Website for new Season

http://www.chronyc.com/clutch/lightningclutch.htm
Team News - 20/02/2006
(Tampa Bay) - The Lightning are gearing up for another season and look forward to defending the Cup they had won last season. There are a few changes on the team but the core players are back for another run to Cup greatness. Mario is back to lead the team and hopefully he can stay healthy and put up the numbers like he did last season. The defence is the same with stellar players like Kubina, McLaren, Brewer, Jillson and Svehla forming out the top 5. Girard is a capable #6 dman and should get a ton of experience playing a full season for Tampa Bay. Up front, Calder, Hejduk, Lemieux, Sullivan and Williams lead a pack of players that should be able to put the puck into the net. They are all very capable of playing defence too so should be a strong team once again. Daze was recently moved to the Wild for Varlamov. Sergei's two way play was a selling point for Gm Sprackman and with a couple of potential UFA's, it was a move that will help this team beyond this season. Only disappointment was the fact Prospal decided to hold out and not sign right away. We shall wait the 20 games and see if we can work something out to get him back in the line up.
(Jr Report) - The junior team has been one area Gm Sprackman hasn't placed as much importance as the pro. He has decided to trade away a lot of draft picks, young talent to help the pro team win now. There are some veteran players on the team that are going to compete well this season and may get the team into the Jr playoffs but that isn't a major concern for Gm Sprackman. Captain Cibak is ready to go again and hopefully he can play a full season without and serious injuries. Goaltending is a strong point and with 2 or 3 capable goalie's on the team, if one falters there are others that can step in and take over the duties.
(Trade Block) - Tampa has stated a few players are available for trade. In no particular order the Lightning are looking to move: Svehla, Lemieux, Prospal, Brewer, Nylander, Neilsen, Cleary and Thibault.
Now there are some pretty big names up there but I won't be looking for players that have absolutely no value in the league. If an offer comes around that I can not refuse then I will make it but players like Brewer, Neilsen, Cleary and Thibault wont go for a couple of 72ov, 29 year old players. Everyone knows how I am for trading so don't insult my intelligence.

Junior Capitals Fall to Junior Flyers 3-2

The Washington Junior Capitals fell to 4-2-1 in the preseason after dropping a 3-2 decision to the Philadelphia Junior Flyers on Day 14. Patrick O'Sullivan had a pair of assists to lead the way for Washington.

Washington came out jumping in the first period and drew a penalty after just 2:05 when Skoog took a minor for elbowing. Unfotunately, the Flyers shutdown the power play and opened the scoring on Lefebvre's shorthanded tally from Gauthier and Ivanov at 3:35. The Capitals continued to press, and tied the game with their next power play opportunity. Sean Bergenheim scored the goal from O'Sullivan and Brett Carson at 11:56. Washington had even more power play time later in the period, including 1:17 of 5-on-3 team, but the team was not able to score.

The Flyers regained the lead early in the second period when Lefebvre netted his second of the game after just 57 seconds. Ruzicka and Kiser earned assists on the play. After matching minors at 3:45, the Capitals went back on the power play at the 5:41 mark, but once again the Flyers' penalty killers stood tall and kept Washington off the board. The Capitals kept the pressure up and finally tied the game at 12:38 on Ivan Baranka's first goal of the preseason from Branko Radivojevic and O'Sullivan.

With the game tied 2-2, the Capitals took a penalty after just 14 seconds when Siarhei Kolasau went to the box for elbowing. While the Flyers did not score with the man advantage, they did get the game-winner just 14 seconds after the end of the power play. Beauchemin was the scorer and the goal unassisted. Washington took two more penalties later in the period, and the team never mounted a real challenge in the final frame.

Daniel Taylor made 25 saves in the loss, his second of the preseason. Philadelphia's Martin Gerber improved to 7-0 with a 30-save effort.

Washington is off on Days 15 and 16 before hosting Junior Islanders on the last day of the preseason.

Vicious Attack Prompts Inquiry

The New York Rangers finished the preseason on a down note last night in losing not just the game but arguably their best player in Alexei Ponikarovsky. With the Rangers already resting injured star winger J. P. Dumont and defenceman Tomas Kloucek they lost Ponikarovsky in an incident that head coach described as "barbaric."

Ponikarovsky had just levelled 6 ft 2 power fowrward Shane Doan with a hit when Doan responded by dropping his gloves and engaging Ponikiarovsky in a fight. The fight was a see saw battle with both sides landing devestating blows. As they began to tire Doan, who had been cut with a heavy hook from the young Ponikarovsky, suddenly performed a move one could only describe as a "power slam." Doan grappled with Ponikarovsky, picked him up, inverted him, leaped into the air, and drove him into the ice.

The Referees pulled Doan off Ponikarovsky and ejected him from the game while Ponikarovsky lay on the ice in obvious pain. Rangers medical staff rushed to his aid and after 10 minutes he was able to get off the ice with assistance from the coaching staff.

"We were very concerened that he may have seriously injured his back but it looks like Poni's going to be ok," fumed GM Burns. "He's got a hip injury and he's out 1-2 weeks which is devestating to our team since he can be out best player on any given night. All I can say to Shane Doan is next time we meet keep your head up. In the mean time we're demanding an inquiry into the event. Nothing will probably come from but we will follow Shane Doan through this league, on any team he plays for, and make him pay the price."

Oilers Top Line Shows What They're Capable Of

The Kayiya-Allison-Tucker line combined for a total of 9 pts in their recent 7-1 blow-out against Colorado. Marc-Andre Fleury and the Avalanche Defenseman were powerless against the highly talented threesome in what was a All-Star game like performance of fancy highlight reel plays. Edmonton GM Schmuck is happy with the huge win and has high expectations of his newly formed Oilers. Recently Acquired Defensman Adrian Aucoin has been contributing to the offense quite regularly as well, He Tallied 2 more points in the Colorado game puting him at 6 points is his first 3 games with his fellow Oilers squad.

In the Junior Oiler game, They moved to a record of 4-3 after sneaking by the Junior Flames 3-2. Jake Brenk and Tony Salmelainen are leading the team in Scoring while tender Dave Leveneau has offically grabbed the Starting Goalie position moving to 4-1 with a 2.54 GAA and .90 Save %.

Capitals Fit to Be Tied; Match Devils 4-4

The Washington Capitals skated to their third tie of the preseason on Day 11, drawing with the New Jersey Devils 4-4. Rob Blake, Zigmund Palffy, and Michal Rozsival all had two points each for Washington.

The Capitals opened the scoring at 8:44 after both teams killed minor penalties earlier in the period. Palffy was the scorer and the goal was unassisted. New Jersey tied the game just 1:21 later on Biron's first of the preseason from Amonte and Satan. The Capitals regained the lead 3:03 later when Mikael Renberg scored from Greg Watson and Rozsival. Washington then killed off a pair of minors late in the period.

With a 2-1 lead entering the second period, Washington continued to pressure the New Jersey goal, and Anson Carter made it 3-1 from Blake and Patrick Marleau at 9:07. The Devils finally got it going after Carter's goal, and Satan pulled New Jersey within one when he scored from Amonte and Biron at 15:04. Feisty center Dan Snyder then took a bad elbowing major at 17:40, and it would come back to haunt Washington in the third period.

New Jersey had an extra man to start the final period, and Devereaux converted the advantage into a goal at 2:21. Legwand and Huselius assisted on the tally. The Capitals regained the lead just 3:11 later when Blake scored from Palffy and Rozsival on the power play, but the Devils tied the game once again on Legwand's goal during a two-man advantage at 10:37. Souray and Rozsival were in the box for charging and roughing, respectively, when Amonte and Satan setup their teammate. Neither team was able to score over the last 9:23 of regulation or during the five minutes of overtime. Washington killed off one penalty when Todd Warriner went to the box for boarding.

Manny Legace stopped 31 shots for the Capitals while Brian Boucher made 17 saves for New Jersey.

Washington is off for three days before hosting Florida on Day 15.

Junior Capitals Continue Good Preseason Showing

The Washington Junior Capitals defeated the Junior Rangers 1-0 on Day 10 to continue their good form in the preseason. Washington is now 4-1-1 on the exhibition slate.

After two scoreless and relatively uneventful periods, the game took off in the third. Washington took three penalties in the first 4:17, but New York was not able to convert on any of the chances. The Capitals then scored the game's only goal at 12:17 when Ryan MacMurchy converted from Sean Bergenheim and Sean Kotary. After the goal, the tide turned on the penalty front. New York took four minors to hurt their chances for a comeback. From 13:32 until the final buzzer, the Rangers were only at even strength for 47 seconds.

Brad Topping made 20 saves to earn the shutout victory and improve to 4-0-1. Terry Denike made 27 saves for the Rangers.

The Capitals are off for the next three days before visiting Philadelphia on Day 14.

Capitals Tie Rangers in Preseason Action

The Washington Capitals skated to a 2-2 tie with the New York Rangers on Day 10 of the preseason. The Capitals dominated the game, but could not find the scoring touch for the winning goal. Washington is now 1-2-2 in the exhibition schedule.

New York started quickly in the first period when Orpik scored from Nash and Kilger at 2:02. Washington fought back and upped the tempo after the goal, and they finally scored at 15:31. Patrick Marleau netted the goal from Mikael Renberg. The Capitals outshot the Rangers 18-11 in the period.

The second period started with an early penalty to the Rangers when Blake ran Manny Legace in the Washington net. The Capitals made New York pay when Artem Chubarov scored from Todd Warriner and Michal Rozsival on the power play at 3:20. Both teams had another power play chance in the period, but neither could score with the extra man.

The action took a physical turn in the third period. First Zigmund Palffy and then Rob Blake took minors for Washington. Blake was also ejected after boarding Ribeiro and injuring him. A penalty to each team midway through the period setup a 4-on-4 situation where the Rangers tied the game. Lukowich was the scorer from Ponikarovsky and Vaananen at 10:31. Both teams took a pair of minors each after the goal, but nobody managed to scored the winning goal.

Legace stopped 23 shots for Washington. Mike Dunham made 36 saves for New York.

The Capitals are back in action on Day 11 in New Jersey.

Senators Fans Hope Break isn't a Bad Thing

The Ottawa Senators were rolling along in the preseason this year. The Senators were 3-1 with 19 goals for and only 8 against. Both of their goalies were boasting 2.00 GAA and both had solid performances to brag about. Dick Tarnstrom, Teemu Selanne, and Rico Fata were leading the team in scoring and down an unexpected path to victory.

However, Ottawa fans are nervous as the recent shut-down of the league for technical reasons has forced the Senators' streak to a grinding halt! Since the Senators are not even predicted to make the playoffs this year by most people's standards, many feel that they were riding a lot of momentum through this preseason and were hoping they would carry this into the early parts of the regular season as well.

When asked if he was concerned about the negative effects the break might have on his team, GM Schmucky replied, "We are not concerned about the break. The guys have been working really hard over the last 9 days and are anxious to get going again. We feel this has given us an opportunity to fine-tune some of our weak points and, of course, add another key defenseman to our lineup".

Junior Capitals Dim Junior Stars on Road

The Washington Junior Capitals skated to a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Junior Stars in Dallas on Day 8. With the win Washington improves to 3-1-1 in the preseason.

Neither team scored in the first period, but the fans did see two fights. First Lance Moynch beat up Dallas' Barinka at 5:25, and later Fabien Laniel and Barinka fought to a draw.

Dallas got on the board quickly in the second period when Sannitz netted from Ott and Blazek after just 10 seconds. The Capitals upped the pressure and Jean-Claude Sawyer tied the game from Sean Kotary and Ivan Baranka at 5:24. Moynch dropped the gloves again 2:35 later in a draw with Blazek. The Capital was ejected and suspended for four games. Continuing to push the play, Washington took the lead on Brett Carson's goal from Sean Bergenheim and Cory Urquhart at 10:54. The Stars rallied to tie the game 3:21 later on Videl's goal, but the Junior Capitals would not be denied. Gennady Stolyarov became the hero of the night when he scored the game-winner from Bergenheim and Carson at 16:02.

Neither team scored in the final period as Washington killed one penalty to preserve the victory.

Brad Topping stopped 28 shots to earn his third win of the preseason. Jason Bacashihua had 22 saves in the loss.

Washington is off on Day 9 before visiting the New York Junior Rangers on Day 10.

Capitals Reserves Tie Atlanta

The Washington Capitals sent out a reserve side against Atlanta on Day 8 and the seldom-used players managed a 3-3 tie in a penalty-filled game. Dan Snyder led the way for Washington with a pair of goals, and Aleksander Suglobov had two assists.

The action started quickly in the first period when Denis Pederson scored for the Capitals from Mike Zigomanis and Andy Sutton after just 36 seconds. After the goal, Atlanta's Backer took a cheap shot against Pederson and went to the box for four minutes for roughing. Atlanta continued its steady procession to the penalty box as Scheffelmeier went for two and 10 at 2:14, Brown for two at 3:27, Heatley for two at 7:24, and Leboutillier for two at 10:12. The Thrashers finally decided to play some hockey during the second half of the period and goals from Backer at 15:57 and Kidney at 17:35 gave Atlanta a 2-1 lead. The Capitals responded very quickly, however, as Snyder netted his first from Alex Henry and Suglobov just 17 seconds after Kidney's goal.

Much like the first, the second period started with a bang as Yakubov and Jason Robinson dropped the gloves after just 22 seconds. It wasn't a smart move by Yakubov as Washington's Robinson pummelled the Russian. Atlanta regained the lead at 4:24 when Leboutillier scored from Petterstrom and Steeves. Another fight excited the fans just 1:23 later, and once again it was a one-sided affair. Sutton was the victor over Bahen and he was ejected. With a pair of fights behind them, Washington re-tied the game late in the second on Snyder's second goal. Alexander Korolyuk and Suglobov assisted.

The final period saw more penalties and another fight. Pederson and Atlanta's Safronov duked it out but neither man came out on top. Neither team scored in the third period or in overtime.

Ratislav Stana stopped 25 shots for the Capitals. Michael Garnett had 23 saves for the Thrashers.

Washington is off on Day 9 before visiting the Rangers on Day 10.

Junior Capitals Dominate, Tie, Junior Penguins

Coming off a demoralizing 7-2 loss to New Jersey, the Junior Capitals dominated the action but could only manage a tie with the Pittsburgh Junior Penguins on Day 6 of the preseason. Washington is now 2-1-1 in the exhibition schedule.

After killing off a three minute penalty, the Junior Penguins took advantage of their own power play to open the scoring at 9:13 of the first period. Pihlman was the scorer and there was no assist. The teams traded minors a couple minutes after the goal, but neither team managed to score for the rest of the period. Washington outshot Pittsburgh 11-5 in the period.

The Junior Capitals continued to outplay Pittsburgh in the second period, but they were not able to score on two power play opportunities despite firing 12 shots on net.

Washington finally tied the game with the man advantage at 6:40 of the third period. Sean Bergenheim scored the goal from Greg Mauldin and Zbynek Novak. Both teams had power play chances later in the period, but neither team was able to score.

Brad Topping stopped 18 shots for Washington, while Brian Finley made 29 saves for Pittsburgh.

The Junior Capitals are off on Day 7 before visiting Dallas on Day 8.

Junior Capitals Sent Down by Junior Devils

The Washington Junior Capitals slumped to a 7-2 defeat at the hands of the New Jersey Junior Devils on Day 5 of the preseason. The loss drops Washington to 2-1 on the exhibition campaign.

New Jersey jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period behind goals from Mirnov and Kubista. Mironov's tally came at 2:18 from Goldade and Clouthier. Kubista scored 12:06 later from Mirnov and Goldade. Washington responded just 11 seconds later when Patrick O'Sullivan scored from Lance Moynch and Siarhei Kolasau. Just over a minute after O'Sullivan's goal Ryan MacMurchy was sent off the ice for a highsticking double-minor. The Devils proceeded to take two penalties of their own, but it didn't stop them from extending their lead as Keith netted with just 50 seconds remaining in the period. Pohanka and Mirnov assisted on the goal.

The second period started with a flurry of penalties and one fight. Mirnov and Greg Mauldin both went off at 1:16, Zbynek Novak was sent to the box at 2:04, and Hale and Mauldin dropped the gloves at 7:22. After all the penalties the Devils continued to score at will. Clouthier made it 4-1 from Goldade and Dececco at 9:30, before Vondrka netted from Mirnov and Kubista just 25 seconds later. The Capitals finally got on the board again at 13:45 when Moynch netted from Igor Shadulov and Novak. There were two more penalties later in the period, but neither team capitalized on the power plays.

Washington took two early penalties in the third period, and New Jersey made them pay. Dececco scored his first of the preseason on the power play from Cook and Clouthier just four seconds after Gennady Stolyarov went to the box for a highsticking double-minor. New Jersey completed the scoring just over four minutes later on Pohanka's goal from Mosovsky and Mirnov. While no more goals were scored, there was another fight to entertain the fans. Demarchi and Shadulov squared off at 9:09 in an entertaining draw.

Daniel Taylor made just 14 saves in a losing effort for Washington. Brad Topping stopped 15 of 17 in relief. Jeff Drouin-Deslaurier had 21 saves for the win.

The Junior Capitals are back in action on Day 6 against the Junior Penguins.

Edmonton Sheds Salary, Releases Vetereans and Signs Jake Brenk to a 2 yr Deal

After acquring Kariya, Edmonton had to made some serious cut-backs in Payroll, The AfterMath resulting in the Oilers Releasing two Solid Verteran Centers, Doug Weight and Espen Knutsen's Salaries were too much for the Oilers payroll and unfortunately with no other choice, GM Schmuck released the two Centers. In another money saving attempt Simon Gagne was traded to the Sabres in turn for Alexander Frolov. Gagne went pointless in the 1st 5 pre-season games and the mix-up may be good for him joining the Sabres first line. On a brighter note, With the additional room at Center made with today's deals, Anaheim GM Signed Junior Center Jake Brenk to a 2 year deal. Brenk was expected to lead the Junior Oilers this year as their Captain, But it appears his JrOiler teammates will have to let him go to start off his Pro Career, Jake Brenk has performed exceptional in the Pre-Season scoring 5 goals and 1 assist in just 6 games, Last season with the Junior Oilers he scored 59 pts in 72 games.

Senators Beef up their Blueline

The Ottawa Senators have had a surprisingly successful preseason so far and things are only looking better in the capital city. Much of this preseason's success can be attributed to the Sens newly acquired GM, Schmucky. After inheriting a team that had dismal hopes for the future, Schmucky is slowly piecing together this team to become a potential playoff candidate.

The offseason trades to pick up Brendan Morrison and back-up goalie, Fred Brathwaite were definitely steps in the right direction. Recently, Schmucky has continued to improve the team by acquiring two veteran defencemen to beef up their young blueline.

The first deal found Tom Poti coming to Ottawa. Poti is a veteran leader on the point for the Senators who were seeking some leadership and defensive prowess to compliment Tarnstrom's strong offensive skill base. Poti gives the Sens a 1st line defender with a long-term contract. AT 6'3" 215 lbs. Tom will be a much needed physical presence in the D-zone and in front of Ottawa's net.

The second player to become a Senator this week was Alexei Zhitnik. Zhitnik was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers for Brad Ference and James Demone.

Ottawa feels they came out on top of this deal as Edmonton was simply concerned with dumping salary to make room for their new franchise player. Zhitnik is also a veteran leader who is defensive minded but possesses offensive skill as well. Alexei is a proven passer and playmaker that will make Ottawa's PowerPlay stand out.

Capitals Run Off Rink by Red Wings

The Washington Capitals dropped its second straight preseason game on Day 5 in a 2-0 setback to the Detroit Red Wings. The Capitals are off the next two days before hosting the Atlanta Thrashers. Fans are not encouraged to attend as Washington will rest as many first team players as possible since the Thrashers are a bunch of hooligans.

Detroit opened the scoring in the first period when Williams netted from Grigorenko and Kuznetsov at 6:59. Washington had to fire up the penalty killing unit just seven seconds later when Cory Sarich took an elbowing minor, and the man-down unit did the job.

The Capitals killed off two more penalties in the second period, but the Red Wings still managed to extend their lead. This time it was Schultz scoring the goal from Hlavac and Grigorenko at 12:21. The penalties were to Artem Chubarov for charging and Sarich for boarding.

Sarich took his third minor in the final period, but neither team scored as Detroit skated off with the victory.

Tommy Salo made 28 saves in the loss. Olaf Kolzig stopped all 26 shots he faced to pickup the shutout victory.

Youngsters Produce in Preseason

Carolina

As the preseason continues to grind away, two notables from the Carolina camp have made local media and fans get a bit more excited than last season. Kyle Wellwood, the crafty playmaker and Robert Gherson, the rookie netminder, have stepped in and shown off their talents.

“Kyle I knew from last year,” said head coach Joel Quenneville. “He has the knack to find the open man and dish the puck with the best of them. He’s shifty and so he rarely takes the big hit and although he is a little smaller than I’d like, he make up for it with his slippery ability to escape hits. His vision is incredible though. He can really see plays develop and that, in the long run, will really solidify him in our lineup.”

Wellwood leads the team with 6 points in 5 games despite being moved around from line to line.

“I try and keep motivated to go out every game and make some things happen,” said Wellwood. “Most of the time, I just try and get open and see what the defense gives me. So far everything has gone pretty well.”

The big story of the camp though is rookie netminder Robert Gherson, who’s sparkling 2.32 goals against average and .917 save percentile have the Canes brass quite happy.

“Robert is steady back there,” said Quenneville. “He plays the puck confidently, and from what I have seen, he does not get riled up by anything. He is a confident kid, that I like.”

Gherson was inured in the last game and is doubtful to make another start this preseason, in order to fully heal his injury. Look for Theodore to start the season opener.

Panthers Host Flyers / GM Denies Loungo Trade Rumors

The Floriday Panthers will host the Philadelphia Flyers today in pre-season play.

Roberto Loungo will be in net in what will be his first appearance at home this year. Loungo played his first game the other night in a 3-2 Panthers win against the Rangers in NY. The win brought the Panthers pre-season record to 2-2.

"I was a little off in the first period last game but settled in after that." Loungo told reporters. "It was nice to be back on the ice competing and I am looking forward to playing for our fans again."

Owen Nolan and Petr Bondra have been on fire this pre-season. Something the GM hopes continues all season.

"Production wise Nolan and Bondra are doing what we expect of them. It is good to see them getting in a rythem early." GM Perrault said after the morning skate.

Q. Is there any validity to the rumor in Long Island that Loungo is heading there?

"NONE. I have no idea where you guys come up with these rumors. Mr. Long would like nothing more then that but the reality is Loungo is a Panther and will continue to be a Panther not only this year but for many years to come. Roberto is and will continue to be a big part of our teams success. He is only 26 and is already one of the best goalies in the league and the best in his age group. He is the Panthers."

Well there you have it. Loungo is staying put and will be in net to lead his team against the Flyers later today.

Kariya goes to Oilers

In a blockbuster deal this afternoon, GM Schmuck of the Edmonton Oilers announced the acquistion of star Left Winger Paul Kariya. Anaheim obviously in a rebuilding mode decided to take on the likes of young Center Mike Comrie, young Left Winger Jani Rita and Oilers Junior team's top defensman Lynch. Kariya is expected to start on the 1st line with Allison and Tucker, A combination most are only accustomed to seeing the in All-Star game will now be together side-by-side game after game. Kariya scored 98 pts last season with the Ducks and is the biggest addition yet to the Oilers line-up.

Junior Capitals Down Junior Panthers on Home Ice

The Washington Junior Capitals outgunned the Florida Junior Panthers to claim a 5-4 victory on Day 3 of the preseason. Lance Moynch scored a pair of goals and had an assist to lead the Junior Capitals to the win, their second in two games.

After failing to capitalize on an early power play opportunity, Washington scored a pair of goals late in the first to take control of the game. Cory Urquhart scored the first from Peter Pohl and Igor Shadulov at 15:20. Matthew Hansen then made it 2-0 from Moynch and Sean Kotary 1:20 later.

The Junior Capitals' offensive onslaught continued in the second period. Moynch netted his first of the game from Ivan Baranka and Shadulov at 3:38. Jean-Claude Sawyer made it 4-0 when he scored from Patrick O'Sullivan and Gennady Stolyarov at 5:56. Florida finally got on the board 3:16 later on Paetsch's goal from Tallackson and Rouleau. Washington had another late power play but failed to score and regain the four-goal lead.

The third period began with an early penalty to Ryan MacMurchy, but the Junior Capitals killed it off successfully. Unfortunately Florida scored two goals at even strength to make it 4-3. Tallackson scored the first at 9:44, and Korovkin netted the second from Enstrom and Bochenski at 12:08. With the lead down to one goal, Washington struck back quickly as Moynch scored his second of the game from Kotary and Zbynek Novak just 27 seconds after Korovkin's goal for Florida. The Junior Panthers fought to comeback in the game, but Rouleau took it a little too far and he was ejected for a charging major at 16:08. Despite being a man down for the rest of the game, Florida scored a late goal at 19:26. Koivisto was the scorer from Enstrom and Richardson, but that was the last goal of the game and Washington held on for the win.

Brad Topping stopped 30 shots to earn the win. Lukas Mensator made 15 saves in a losing effort for Florida.

The Junior Capitals are off on Day 4 before returning to action on home ice against the Junior Devils.

Capitals Fall on Day 3 of Preseason

The Washington Capitals dropped a tight 3-2 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes on Day 3 of the preseason. Washington outshot the home side, but it wasn't enough as the Hurricanes scored two quick goals in the third period to take the victory.

The Capitals opened the scoring in the first period when Todd Warriner netted from Frantisek Lukes and Andrew Ference at 5:47. Washington controlled the action in the first, outshooting Carolina 12-8 and killing off one penalty after Jonathan Cheechoo went to the box for highsticking.

Washington killed another highsticking penalty, this time a five-minute major by Cory Sarich, in the second period, but Carolina tied the game shortly thereafter. Kovalev was the scorer from Wellwood and Niedermayer at 15:43.

With the game level at 1-1 entering the final period, the Hurricanes took control. First Dwyer scored an unassisted goal at 9:51 to make it 2-1, and then Brent tallied from Colaiacovo just 45 seconds later to open a two-goal lead. Mikael Renberg brought the Capitals back to within one when he scored from Michal Rozsival at 13:45, but it wasn't enough.

Manny Legace stopped 23 shots in a losing effort for Washington. Robert Gherson made 26 saves to pickup the win for Carolina.

Washington is off on Day 4 before visiting Detroit on Day 5.

More Changes In Edmonton

GM Schmuck has continued making changes in Edmonton after a very slow start in the Pre-Season.

Players Coming In:	Players Leaving:
Goaltender Nikolai Khabulin, Expected to be a Key to Edmonton's Success. Khabulin had a 2.95 GAA in 72 games with the Blues last year.	Goaltender Brent Johnson; After a Shaky start in the Pre-Season Johnson finds his new home in St. Louis
Adrian Aucoin comes from the Sharks Organization, Aucoin a very solid defensman who also tallied 58 pts and scored a +/- of +28 with San Jose last season playing in all 82 games	Wade Redden goes to the St. Louis Blues after scoring a disappointing -10 rating in 82 games last season with the Oilers
Keith Primeau a much needed power forward is welcomed to Edmonton as well, Primeau led the Canadiens in scoring last season tallying 72 points in 80 games.	Defensive Forward Ethan Moreau is shipped off to St. Louis, Moreau finished last season with a disappointing -9 rating and just 15 points playing in all 82 games
Tough-Guy defensman Chris McAllister is shipped to Edmonton from San Jose, McAllister towers at 6'7" weighing 238lbs, Last season he finished with a +16 rating, 14pts and 241 penalty minutes	Andrei Markov was also shipped off San Jose, Markov had a -3 rating and scored 36pts in 70 games with the Oilers last season
Espen Knutsen & Todd Harvey were added to fill out depth on the 3rd and 4th lines as well	Edmonton Farm Player Scott Thornton was sent to St. Louis along with a 3rd Round Draft Pick in 2009, While upcomer Shaun Horcoff found a new home in San Jose

When all the dust cleared it appears that a lot of great new faces have joined the oilers this off-season, If you include the previously acquired Darcy Tucker into the mix the NEW Edmonton Oilers should be a top 5 contender in their conference. A lot of toughness have been added to the Oilers line-up, Their penalty killers will be crucial as they will find themselves down a player more then once in a while, Opposing squads will find themselves overwhelmed, injured and frustrated with the size and toughness. This will be key to their style of play and be a big problem for contenders in the playoffs.

Leafs start out preseason giving depth players a close look

The preseason started and everyone around the league cheered.

The Leafs were just happy to get things started and both the pro and junior teams have responed well going undefeated in a combined 6 games.

The pro recently tied the Bruins 3-3 and have gone 2-0-1 so far. Not bad considering they are playing their 3rd and 4th liners for a majority of the ice time along with their back-up Jamie Hodson. Guys like Bob Wren (3 goals), Russ Bartlett( 3 pts), Petr Svoboda (3 pts) are your typical fill in guys on this talented squad. If one thing the Leafs worried about last season, it was depth, and thats what this preseason really is used for.



The Juniors on the other hand are there for the best talent to prove themselves every game possible and so far, guys are stepping up, showing they may have what it takes to make to the pro squad. The first overall pick in last years draft, Alexander Ovechkin (4 pts) has been helping this team to a quick 3-0 start. Petr Prucha's start(7 pts) has management taking a serious look to perhaps giving him a shot on the pro team perhaps later in the season.

For now, we remind ourselves this is just the preseason, and as I can write about how well the teams are doing today, the next article could be about how poorly they are doing.

Capitals Sell 2 Juniors to San Jose

The Washington Capitals sold a pair of junior defenders to the San Jose Sharks recently. The acquisition adds $1,000,000 to the Washington bank account.

Heading to San Jose are Mark McRae and David Johansson. Both players are 25 and not likely to make it to the pro ranks in the future. As extra players in Washington, they were on the market and San Jose needed players to facilitate another trade.

"We would have preferred draft picks, but cash had to do in this case," GM John Henry said in a press conference. The money will go into the bank and be used to further strengthen the organization in the future. Mr. Henry continued, "you can never really have enough money, so we were happy to get something for these two kids who really have no future in the league."

Stay tuned for more news from Washington as the preseason continues.

Hrdina joins Blues RW

After todays 4-2 win over the Predators the Blues announced that they had aquired Jan Hrdina from the Chicago Blackhawks. In exchange the Blues give up solid defencemen Bryce Salvador who was not likely to see much time on the Blues blueline as well as prospect Craig Switzer as well the 2 teams swaped picks and the Blues will be sending some cash to the cash straped Hawks. Gm Foley had these comments about the trade, "When you get a chace to add a top 3 RW to your team and not have to give up any of your roster players it is a deal I just could not pass up. The Blues are looking to be a strong contender and with this trade we should have a solid 4 line attack. Our biggest flaw last season was that after our top line we really had noone to step up and score the big goal. The main reason for that was Lindros's huge contract which prevented us from adding any depth to the team cause we hovered at the cap all season. Now we are able to bring in some depth players and even pick up a few FA's on the open market."

With this trade the Blues still have about 5 mil in cap space to work with. And while it is unlikely the Blues will go right to the cap speculation is the Blues GM does have another deal in the works. No Details have been released but some rumours swirling around the locker room include star net minder Nikolai Khabibulin Being moved rather trying to resign him in the next offseason. Also rumored to be on the move is Espen Knutsen who had fallen out of favour last season with both the Blues coaching staff and management. Names rumored to be comming back to the Blues include Ethan Moreau and Brent Johnson. More detail to follow.

Rangers happy with rebound win

Rangers GM David Burns was pleased to see his team rebound from an ugly opening loss in the preseason to win a close hard fought game. In the openener against Minnesota the Rangers looked out of synch and completly self destructed in the third period getting out shot 18 - 9 and out scored 2-1. In the game last night the Rangers played a tight team game against a very derermined Flyers team and won 1-0. "Dunham has been outstanding the last two games. He only gave up 3 goals on 37 shots the first game and none last night," mused Burns. "That's very encouraging. We're tinkering with the line up... putting left winger Polcik right wing on the third line with Nash for instance. The lines played well but we'll continue to look for chemistry." When asked if any trade talks were happening Burns replied "Nothing at the moment but our # 1 priority continues to be to upgrade our defence."

Junior Capitals Skate, Fight to 4-2 Victory

The Washington Junior Capitals earned a hard-fought 4-2 victory over the Colorado Junior Avalanche on home ice on Day 2 of the preseason. Three players recorded two assists each for Washington while Cory Urquhart had a goal and a helper to lead the offense.

The teams wasted little time to get going in the first period as Colorado's Viitanen and Lance Moynch dropped the gloves after just 43 seconds. The Capitals then were shorthanded at 3:13 when Patrick O'Sullivan took a hooking minor, but another fight just nine seconds later took the focus away from the power play. This time it was Oduya for the Avs and Greg Mauldin duking it out. Later in the period the Capitals had a two-man advantage for 1:29 but failed to score on the Colorado goal. Shortly after the end of the power play, Washington went back on the penalty kill after Moynch's goalie interference minor. Once again Colorado failed to score, but there was still more action for the fans. Mauldin dropped the gloves again, this time with Flood, with just one second left in the period. Mauldin was ejected for his trouble-making.

Washington finally opened the scoring at 6:00 of the second period when Gennady Stolyarov lit the lamp from Urquhart and Jean-Claude Sawyer. The Capitals failed to score on another power play just minutes later, and the Avalanche capitalized with a pair of goals to take the lead. Reid tied the game from Morrow and Marjamaki at 14:15, before Klyazmin netted from Graham and Beller at 16:07 to make it 2-1. If Washington was stunned by the quick double-strike, they didn't show it. Moynch scored from O'Sullivan and Zbynek Novak just 48 seconds later to tie the game again.

The final period started quickly as Colorado's Flood took a double-minor for boarding at 1:18, and the Capitals wasted little time to regain the lead. Igor Shadulov made it 3-2 from Novak and O'Sullivan just 17 seconds after the penalty. Washington then killed off nearly four straight minutes of penalties before Urquhart put the game away from Sawyer and Brett Carson at 15:59.

Brad Topping stopped 27 shots to earn the victory. Maxime Ouellet had 27 saves in the loss.

The Junior Capitals are back in action at home on Day 3 against the Junior Panthers.

Garbage pileup delays Blues

After sending several players to there farm system for a conditioning stint the Blues called up such notables as Richards Hamhuis and Pyatt to take on the Hawks last night but an unfortunate accident involving a garbage truck and a small airplane delayed there arival for several hours and they where unable to play in the 1st preseason game of the season. Team Captain Radek Dvorak had these comments, "We saw it happen right in front of us. Brad was driving his hummer to the game from Worcester and we could see the plane was in trouble. It was losing altitude fast and it appeared to be heading for a nearby field. I guess the garbage truck saw it too cause all of a sudden it went strait into the ditch right in from of us. It rolled over and ended up on its side with garbage flying everywhere. Brad slamed on the brakes and we got out just in time to see the plane land in the field."
While the driver of the truck received a few cuts on his face and the pilot of the airplane dislocated his shoulder no serious injuries occured in the incident. Unfortunately for the Blues players a trafic jam insued and they where unable to drive threw it.


In the game Michel Riesen who is expected to star on the Blues farm team in Worcester scored the 1st goal of his career with the big club which was coincedently the first goal scored by any Blue this season. His goal tied it up after the Hawks scored in the 1st. The Hawks then went ahead agian near the midpoint of the 2nd and a late period goal by Mike Leclerc who was a free agent signing this offseason once again tied it up. In the 3rd period defencemen Mike Commodore scored his first which would put the Blues ahead by 1. Then once again the Hawks tied it up near the midpoint of the 3rd. Then late in the 3rd Todd Harvey scored his first to put the Blues up for good. An empty netter by Nicolas Corbeil sealed the deal late in the 3rd and the blues skated to a 5-3 victory.

Michel Riesen was named the 1st star in the game with his goal and 2 helpers. Nicolas Corbeil was named the 2nd star and while he only scored 1 goal had 7 shots on net and was a dominant factor in the win. Petr Sykora of the Hawks was named the 3rd star for his 1st period goal and his 5 shots on net including a third period shot in which Tuomas Nissinen absolutely robed the Hawks on a sweet attept on net. Next up for the Blues is the Nashvile predators in Nashville. The Blues are expected to field there full lineup in the game and will be looking to stretch there preseason unbeaten streak to 8 games going back to the last preseason.

Panthers Pre-Season Starts 1-1

The Pre-Season didn't start very good for the Florida Panthers When they hosted the Nashville Predators.

Florida started rookie goalie Donald Choukalos and he was chased out of the net at 19:41 of the first period after letting in his 5th goal in 10 shots. Choukalos was replaced by veteran back-up Milan Hnilicka.

Hnilicka stopped 11 of 13 but the damage was already done and the Predators handled the Panthers easily 6-0.

The Panthers second game of the Pre-Season was in Atlanta and Florida decided to do some thrashing of their own.

Floridas power play was on fire going 5-10 and the Panthers outshot the Thrasher 41-16. The first period saw the Panthers score 5 times and outshoot Atlanta 15-3. It was also the Owen Nolan show as he assisted on two power play goals and scored the 4th goal of the period for three points in the period. Then the Petr Bondra show started at the end of the first when he scored his first of the pre-season at 16:28. Sean Hill, Patrik Stefan and Yanick Lehoux also scored in the first.

The second period started with the Thrashers scoring at 6:43 before the Bondra show started in the second. The Panthers scored 5 more times in the second starting with Mike Rathje with Bondra and Johnsson assisting. Stephen Weiss scored his first of 2 power play goals in the period at 15:32.

The Panthers then scored 3 goals in just over a minute starting at 18:35 by Mike Cirillo. Then Bondra scored his second of the game and his first power play goal at 19:28. Petr then assisted on Weiss's second power play goal of the game :10 seconds later taking the Panthers into the dressing room with a dominating 10-1 lead and outshooting the Thrashers 32-7.

The third period was the Thrashers best but it was a case of way too little ....way tooo late...the shots in the period were even at 9 and Atlanta's Ryan Steeves scored his second of the pre-season at 13:19 making the final 10-2 for Florida.

The Panthers now travel to New Jersey later today to play the Devils.

Flyers look to make an impact

The Philadelphia Flyers are looking to rebound from a terrible season last year. A reasonably healthy team through the 82 game schedule will be a must for the team if they expect to go anywhere. Last years losing was mainly based on the departure of long time captain Joe Sakic and sniper Jaromir Jagr the season before because of salary cap issues. Philly may not be as powerful as they were earlier in CLUTCH history, but they should be in contention this season and could sneak in playoffs as the underdog team.

After this off-season the Flyers have picked up a much needed #1 goaltender in Chris Osgood. Goaltending has always been an issue here in Philadephia, and hopefully now that issue can be put to rest. The team also went out and aquired steady defencman Derian Hatcher, and hope for productive seasons from current players. The Flyers made the move to aquire Hatcher two days after the team traded Adam Foote to Colorado for Chris Osgood and John-Michael Liles. A move that needed to be done for Philly, and will have a huge part in their season this year.

The Flyers have a lot to look forward to with Junior stars Matthew Stajan, Hugh Jessiman, Brandon Nolan, Francois Beauchemin and in goal Martin Gerber. There is a bright future for a team that did not have a whole lot to look forward to just 1 year ago. They seem to have a secure spot on all positions for the future and have some talented young stars playing this year for the big club in Philly. Dennis Seidenberg tops this list of young stars who will be suiting up for the Pro team this year.


If the Flyers can get solid goaltending from Ozzy this season, then expect them to rebound after what was the worst season in franchise history in CLUTCH. Osgood has some talented defenders helping him out on the back end, but he will be called upon to steal some games for the team if they hope to go anywhere this season.

Capitals Roll in Preseason Debut

The Washington Capitals opened the preseason with a bang on Day 2 with a 5-1 victory over the New York Islanders at the MCI Center. Todd Warriner scored a pair of goals, and Mikael Renberg had two assists to lead the way for the home team.

The game started with a bang as New York's Webb and Washington Cory Sarich went to the penalty box on minors just 1:45 into play. Webb was caught elbowing while Sarich retaliated with a high stick. Neither team scored during the ensuing 4-on-4 action, but the Capitals did get on the board shortly thereafter when Artem Chubarov connected from Mikael Renberg and Andrew Ference at 7:24. Chubarov went to the box just over three minutes later for a cross-check, but Washington killed off the penalty and then made it 2-0. This time Zigmund Palffy was the scorer from Sheldon Souray and Anson Carter. Less than a minute after Palffy's goal, the Capitals went on the power play. Gauthier was the offender as he took a roughing minor at 15:07, and Warriner made New York pay with an unassisted tally just 51 seconds later. The Islanders finally got on the board late in the period on Ehrhoff's goal from Petrovicky and Shishkanov at 18:44.

Much like the first period, the teams wasted little time for the rough stuff in the second. Once again Sarich was involved for the Capitals as he fought back after a Torres charge. Both men went to the box for two minutes at 0:38. Washington extended its lead to 4-1 at the 7:03 mark on Warriner's second goal of the game. This time Frantisek Lukes and Dan Boyle tallied assists. With all the momentum behind them, the Capitals scored again just 1:08 later to complete the rout. Peter Tenkrat notched the goal from Renberg and Sarich. Washington went on the power play just 14 seconds after Tenkrat's goal, but the man advantage lasted just eight seconds as Greg Watson took a cross-checking minor. The penalty kill had to work again just over 4:30 later when Dan Snyder went to the box for charging, but once again the Capitals were up to the challenge and killed off the penalty.

The third period was scoreless as both teams killed penalties.

Manny Legace made 30 saves to pickup the victory. Martin Prusek stopped just six of 11 shots to take the loss for New York.

Washington continues its preseason schedule on Day 3 in Carolina against the Hurricanes.

CANES PRE SEASON ACTION

CANES WIN FIRST IN PRESEASON

Pre season is upon the mighty Hurricanes and the breeze is starting to pick up. With the Devils in town, the Canes knew that the game at hand would be no easy task.

“We had to step it up a bit, it is pre season, but these games still mean something to us,” said head coach Joel Quenneville. “It is a time to try new lines and experiment with different schemes but the guys don’t want to lose and I especially don’t want to lose.”

Pre season gave the Canes a chance to start rookie net minder Robert Gherson in nets. This would be his first game in a professional uniform as the youngster is making the jump directly from junior. A former member of both the Ontario Hockey League’s Sarnia Sting and Owen Sound Attack, Gherson was acquired by the Canes via trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a deal which saw Eric Daze leave the Eastern coast. Also acquired in the deal by the Canes was power forward Gordie Dwyer and two Tampa Bay first rounders, the first of which was used on University of Minnesota defenseman Alex Goligoski.

“It was pretty exciting to get a chance in the very first game of the year,” said Gherson. “I think a lot of my focus was just making the club so this was a great opportunity to show what I can do. I never really felt out of place at camp this year so I think all and all it went well.”

The first started off with a bang and the Canes were all over their conference rivals. Carolina fired 13 shots, but none were able to find the twine and the momentum stick seemed to be changing.

“We had seen a lot of chances disappear early,” said captain Shane Doan. “When the second hit, all hell broke loose.”

Rookie center Kyle Wellwood snagged the puck in his own end and started up ice when Karel Pilar ran the young pivot and drilled him. Wellwood would be shaken but was able to gain his composure. Doan went at the Devil’s defender but Pilar was ushered to the box before anymore could happen. Pilar was assessed a major for the charge. The atmosphere picked up a bit as the fans knew this would not go unanswered.

Less than two minutes into the major for charging, a familiar player made his assaulter pay. Carlo Colaiacovo sent a pass down low to assistant captain Mike Fisher who cycled the puck to Wellwood. The slick centerman sent a hard return pass to Fisher who fired the puck on net but could not beat the blocker of Devils goalie Brian Boucher. The rebound, however, came out into the crease and Wellwood drove to the net and buried his first of the preseason. Doan immediately went over to the penalty box to taunt the disgruntled defenseman Pilar.

The Canes could not capitalize on the remaining minutes of the power play.

“The tide had turned,” said Doan. “I knew what to expect.”

Once Pilar was out of the box, it didn’t take any time. He and Doan were put out on the faceoff together and they dropped the gloves immediately. Unfortunately for Pilar, Doan knows how to fight and proceeded to pound the defender with rights until Pilar lost his balance and collapsed to the ice. Doan easily wins the fight and Pilar was in obvious discomfort. Doctors report he had hurt his jaw, but x-rays revealed no fractures.

“Maybe two seasons ago a guy could go running around like Pilar did,” said assistant captain Jay McKee, “but that was then and this is now. We have a lot of boys who aren’t afraid to give a little love tap here and there. Looks good on Pilar, he’s a punk.”

The Devils responded in the third off of a goal by former Cane Alexei Zhamnov, eluding the rookie netminder. The goal set up for an over time.

Smelling blood, the Canes went right for the jugular. Tverdovsky picked up the puck and spotted a streaking Alexie Kovalev and sent him off. With Pilar out for the game, the Devils lacked that shut down type of defenceman and Kovalev blew by the New Jersey players. With a quick fake left, Kovalev slid a fancy backhander through Boucher’s legs and ended the game 58 seconds in.

“It was a great game to start off pres season,” said Doan. “The guys really rallied around one another and I think this shows that we have the stuff to compete. Great showing by our goalie too. Gherse was spectacular most of the game and the goal that did get let in was more or less a break down by the guys in front of him. I think we have a keeper.”

The Canes next game is Thursday against the Washington Capitals.

Blues preseason Gameday

The Blues fired up after a long offseason today get to vent there frustration as they open up the preseason with a games against the Blackhawks. After last seasons disappointing lose to the Oilers in the 1st round the Oilers will be looking to reinstate there dominance in the league. A lot of new faces will be in the Blues lineup today as Coach Maurice has opted to allow some of the young farm players and new faces take one last shot. Some notables who will likely sit out game 1 include Richards, Pyatt amd Hamhuis. As of yet no lineup card could be found but speculation is the Blues will difinitely be mixing up there lines ingame to give everyone an opurtunity to showcase there skill.

The Blues will be facing the Blackhawks today who won there 1st preseason matchup 2-1 against the Red Wings yesterday. Rumours of upheaval in the Blackhawks camp should make this a fiesty game as some players try to keep there jobs by showing management that they can compete at this level. IIt is expected the Blues will have a sellout for this first preseason matchup and hope that the fans enjoy the new look Blues.