Buffalo Sabres Sabres finish preseason with loss to Hurricanes

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1 SPORT-SCAN Anaheim Ducks No one Ducks player rises above rest as destined for a breakout season Well-traveled Yonkman making himself at home with Ducks Boston Bruins Defenseman Kevan Miller to break camp with Bruins Bruins will take another look at younger players Bruins beat Jets 5-0 in preseason finale NHL making moves with major realignment this fall All that s left is the cuts A few decisions left for Chiarelli Bruins evaluating players to the bitter end Buffalo Sabres Sabres finish preseason with loss to Hurricanes Calgary Flames Jay Feaster says expectation will be to win for Calgary Flames Calgary Flames' Matt Stajan front and centre Calgary Flames youngster takes AHL assignment in stride Carolina Hurricanes Canes top Sabres, close preseason Chemistry comes in all sizes Chicago Blackhawks Hossa warms up to idea of favoring his back Marian Hossa s back is back in business Hossa hoping to play in Hawks' opener Preseason finale looms large for some Hawks Hossa feels on track for opener Esposito: Crawford played 'very solid' last year Hossa remains focused on staying strong, healthy CSN hosts 'Blackhawks Day' Colorado Avalanche Postgame Avs-Stars: bad night in Dallas Dallas Stars Getting to know the Stars' Central Division foes: The St. Louis Blues Getting to know the Stars' Central Division foes: The Nashville Predators Getting to know the Stars' Central Division foes: The Colorado Avalanche Getting to know the Stars' Central Division foes: The Minnesota Wild Stars' final preseason game tonight a chance to evaluate depth Getting to know the Stars' Central Division foes: The Chicago Blackhawks Lindy Ruff on Kari Lehtonen's light night: You'd like a goalie to get more work National analysts predictions for Dallas Stars varied Heika: If Thursday was Stars' dress rehearsal, Dallas looks ready to go Ellis makes 20 stops as Dallas Stars blank Edmonton Oilers for preseason win NHL 9/28/2013 DAILY BRIEF Detroit Red Wings Red Wings want to be tough with puck, not just fists Detroit Red Wings' Danny DeKeyser (knee) confident he'll be ready for season opener Detroit 5, Toronto 2: Red Wings regulars help team get back on track Danny DeKeyser out for Red Wings' weekend games Red Wings' second line stars in win over Maple Leafs Wings' Daniel Alfredsson to make Joe Louis debut tonight against Leafs Red Wings recall eight players from Grand Rapids for Saturday's preseason finale in Toronto Red Wings center Stephen Weiss confident he'll be ready for season opener after sitting out third period Detroit Red Wings' power-play clicking in 5-2 preseason victory over Toronto Maple Leafs Blog recap: Three power-play goals help Detroit Red Wings beat Toronto 5-2, end three-game skid Red Wings' Daniel Alfredsson to make home debut as second line finally intact for preseason game Red Wings' Jordin Tootoo skates, but status uncertain; Danny DeKeyser expects to be ready for opener Detroit Red Wings' rash of preseason injuries not necessarily a bad thing, says Brendan Smith Some Red Wings happy to see HBO cameras in town to start filming 24/7, others not so much Alfredsson nets first goal as Wings top Leafs Wings second line gets first change to play together against Leafs Edmonton Oilers Oilers regular season rehearsal ends on sour note Cult of Hockey: Fourth-line NHL units can be looked at for offence Edmonton Oilers set to roll out for final dress rehearsal Former Edmonton Oilers defenceman Ryan Whitney still unemployed after St. Louis Blues say goodbye Last season's struggles behind him, Ryan Smyth starts year on Oilers top line Edmonton Oilers shut out by Dallas Stars farm team Florida Panthers Florida Panthers new owner Vincent Viola: We will win here Viola introduced as owner of the Florida Panthers PANTHERS NOTEBOOK: Final Preseason Game Looms as Roster Is Finalized TAKING OVER IN SUNRISE: Vinnie Viola Purchases Florida Panthers Panthers draw inspiration from new owner, new goalie and returning pieces New Panthers owner 'committed to winning' and ready to ante up Los Angeles Kings Kings lean on stars in 4-1 win over Rangers Postgame quotes: Sutter, Doughty, Kopitar, Nolan With the series extended, Kings weigh in on Frozen Fury experience Friday: Notes, sights and sounds from Frozen Fury Bettman on outdoor game novelty, east coast bias, relocation

2 Minnesota Wild Wild loses finale after Harding leaves game with illness; Dumba staying for now Wild lose preseason finale in St. Louis; last roster cut coming Dowell, Steckel cuts leave Wild with options Wild bringing skilled lineup to St. Louis; Dowell on waivers, Steckel released Minnesota Wild release David Steckel Montreal Canadiens What s new in the NHL this season Look for improving Subban to anchor a fantasy blueline Questions remain as Montreal s preseason comes to a close New Jersey Devils Devils believe still room on roster and in NHL for enforcers Devils will let Martin Brodeur take his time to return Devils like what they see from Jaromir Jagr Tom Gulitti: Centers are key to Devils' success New York Islanders Islanders Coach Is Tough on Himself and His Team Tavares Helps Islanders Beat Predators Donovan, Islanders look to enjoy fast times Grabner's versatility gives Islanders options New York Rangers Brad Richards remains in NY Rangers mix September 28, :22 AM Vigneault: Rangers fighting for roster spots in Las Vegas, roster cuts coming Sunday, notes on Callahan, Hagel Rangers drop preseason finale, lines not set yet Rangers prospects have to step it up for roster spot Ottawa Senators Conacher wraps up wing spot with strong pre-season O Brien clears waivers, likely headed for minors Lazar thrilled to play first game Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk likes look of team this season Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk not ready to reunite with former captain Daniel Alfredsson Ottawa Senators almost ready to make call on final roster Senators' Jim O'Brien clears waivers, is bound for Binghamton Philadelphia Flyers Flyers: Breaking Bad Flyers juggling salary-cap situation Vande Velde not just a long shot for Flyers Capitals light up Flyers in exhibition Flyers Notes: Flyers demote Raffl and Lauridsen Trade in works for Flyers? Flyers cut Raffl, Lauridsen Holmgren still has some tough decisions Scoring drought not setting off alarms...yet Flyers' preseason ends with yet another loss Holmgren after preseason: 'Got to be better' Holmgren talks roster moves, what's to come Flyers Notes: Laviolette disappointed with effort VandeVelde hoping to make the cut Ovechkin helps Capitals beat Flyers 6-3 Phoenix Coyotes Phoenix Coyotes beat San Jose Sharks to end preseason Pittsburgh Penguins Agent: Penguins goalie Vokoun feels better after surgery Penguins notebook: Vokoun not pondering retirement, agent says Vokoun cleared for workouts San Jose Sharks San Jose Sharks' 2-1 loss to Phoenix offers promise, questions San Jose Sharks to start Alex Stalock in goal against Phoenix Sharks' Stuart 'optimistic' for opening night Sharks assign defenseman Petrecki to Worcester Niemi to play full game vs. Ducks Saturday Two rookies battle for final roster spot St Louis Blues Oshie scores in Blues' 4-1 victory over Minnesota Bernie: Is this the year? Eastern Conference Preview Western Conference Preview Size, skill and substance on defense 'A heavy burden' for Backes Blues stress 'accountability' on offense Three-headed monster in goal New ownership has 'seismic' impact NHL scout's take on the Blues top nine forwards Realignment arrives this season Blues release defenseman Ryan Whitney from tryout Tampa Bay Lightning Bolts face choice regarding top draft-pick Drouin Bolts notes: Preseason finale gives last looks Johnson, Palat, Panik bring chemistry to Lightning Who should be captain of the Lightning? Toronto Maple Leafs Filling the final vacancies in Maple Leafs solid lineup Mirtle: Liles looking like Leafs odd-man out Maple Leafs fall to Daniel Alfredsson, Red Wings Leafs GM Dave Nonis survives MLSE purge and looks forward: Cox Maple Leafs schedule Maple Leafs preview: Leafs may be poised to establish respectability: Cox Maple Leafs preview: James Reimer always the underdog: Feschuk Maple Leafs preview: The goalies Want to make the Leafs? Even a good training camp doesn t guarantee a spot Maple Leafs preview: The defence Maple Leafs preview: The forwards Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings set to renew old rivalry Leafs drop exhibition tilt in Motown Daniel Alfredsson a rivalry expert Red Wings won't try to match Maple Leafs' fight factor Red Wings prefer to beat Maple Leafs with skill Maple Leafs get a rough ride from Henrik Zetterberg, Red Wings Writing is on the wall for Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman John-Michael Liles Salary cap forces Toronto Maple Leafs to get creative NHL realignment is a good thing, depending on which teams you ask Vancouver Canucks Jamieson: 5 ways to improve NHL hockey Botchford: Canucks lack of depth the only reason Horvat and Shinkaruk still around Canucks try something different shootout practice Pressure on Luongo to deliver early for Canucks Washington Capitals Five thoughts from the Capitals 6-3 win over the Flyers Capitals projected lineup against Flyers

3 Websites ESPN / Look for the kid to push the vet in Ottawa FOXSports.com / Kings, Ducks take Freeway Faceoff to Dodger Stadium USA TODAY / Top 10 American prospects to watch for 2014 NHL draft YAHOO SPORTS / After another playoff flop, Marc-Andre Fleury takes slow, steady approach to saving his game an Winnipeg Jets Jetcetera: Players pick collector pins Bruins blank Jets in final pre-season tilt Three Jets facing huge disappointment Jets beware: Western Conference full of carnivores Kid looks ready to fit right in on Jets' blue-line Jets fans can pin hopes on players Jets fall to Bruins in pre-season finale SPORT-SCAN, INC

4 Anaheim Ducks No one Ducks player rises above rest as destined for a breakout season Lance Pugmire In a debate over which Ducks player has the greatest upside this season, the answer is not a given. Center Nick Bonino could be the guy after a fluke in-season injury shortened a strong start last year. Maybe it's Long Beach's Emerson Etem, who scored three playoff goals at age 21, or new acquisition, wing Jakob Silfverberg, even though both start the season with nagging injuries. Right wing Kyle Palmieri might be the safest choice, given his breakaway speed that contributed to a 10-goal, 11-assist performance in 42 games last season. "I don't want to put a whammy on any one guy saying he's ready for a breakout year," Coach Bruce Boudreau said after a two-hour practice Thursday. The Ducks conclude their preseason schedule Saturday night at Honda Center against the San Jose Sharks and open the regular season Wednesday at the Colorado Avalanche. Palmieri rotated throughout lines last season and expects to do the same this time. "I know I'm not really looked to for penalty killing or my defensive zone play, but I hope this year to settle into being more responsible, a more complete player," Palmieri said. "I've come into camp working my hardest, to put myself into a position to start well. Coming from the success I had puts me in a good spot to continue that this year." Injury update Defenseman Luca Sbisa conceded Thursday it "might be a stretch" for him to play Wednesday. Sbisa, wearing a boot over his sprained left ankle, worked out without the boot for the first time since his injury. He said he'll try to skate Sunday, something imperative for him to do to play in the opener. "It's still possible, but if it's not Colorado, I still have three days" to play in the second game, versus Minnesota on Oct. 5. Boudreau said he expects Silfverberg (lower body injury) to skate Saturday and added that the injured Etem (lower left leg) probably will not play Wednesday. LA Times: LOADED:

5 Anaheim Ducks Well-traveled Yonkman making himself at home with Ducks ERIC STEPHENS :54:01 Colorado are slim. Boudreau said the Ducks second game against Minnesota is more realistic. Wingers Emerson Etem and Jakob Silfverberg are still nursing lower-body injuries. Silfverberg appears closer to returning and could skate Saturday while Etem appears to be out for the opener. Orange County Register: LOADED: ANAHEIM Nolan Yonkman s journey as a professional hockey player can be summed up in four words: Have suitcase, will travel. The Ducks represent the fifth NHL organization for Yonkman. While his extensive resume consists of only 74 contests at hockey s highest level, the possibility still exists that the towering defenseman could break training camp with them. His 6-foot-6, 245-pound frame and accompanying mean streak is something that isn t in deep supply within the Ducks defense corps and his play along with the club s injury issues there has warranted a longer look. He s been surprising, Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. He s a big guy that wants to get better. He s working really hard to try and make this team. And when he plays within himself, good things always happen. From the first day of camp, Yonkman has thrown his weight around and even ruffled a few feathers. Left wing Matt Beleskey didn t take kindly to his eagerness to battle physically and the two nearly dropped the gloves during a scrimmage. That is merely part of the territory for a player who has had to scratch out a living as an American Hockey League veteran attending NHL camps over the last decade. His stops include Portland (Me.), Washington, Hershey (Pa.), Nashville, Milwaukee, Phoenix, San Antonio and Florida. I ve got to play my game, Yonkman said. I don t care who it is. But in today s game, you have to be careful with penalties. You can be assertive and you can be aggressive but you can t hurt your team. You take a penalty and that only hurts the team. It s a different game with different rules. You can only play hard to a certain point. There s a fine line. Yonkman signed a one-year deal with the Ducks in July and is thrilled with the opportunity he is getting in camp. He has appeared in four of the six exhibition games and even chipped in a rare goal in the opener against Phoenix. The Ducks need to pare their roster to the league s 23-player limit by Monday. Each day his equipment bag isn t packed is a victory for Yonkman but he isn t carrying the attitude of someone merely happy to be in Anaheim. Every day, I come to the rink like I m going to be here, Yonkman said. My attitude is I keep myself in the mindset of belonging here and I m not going to go anywhere. I don t have the luxury to have a bad day in a way because there s always eyes on you. Competition is always high. You ve got to be at your best. That s what you trained all summer for to give yourself the best shot to make the team and don t look back. ROSTER DECISIONS The team s recent rash of injuries has left Boudreau unable to ice his desired lineup for Saturday s exhibition finale against San Jose. But the contest should help make some final decisions with eight cuts still to make. For instance, Peter Holland is dealing with a sore left knee but he practiced Friday with the intent to play against the Sharks as he tries to win a job. For his sense, this is a really important game for him, Boudreau said. Other players such as Yonkman, Hampus Lindholm, Devante Smith-Pelly, Patrick Maroon and John Kurtz could also be in the lineup to make their final case for a roster spot. There has to be decisions probably Sunday and Monday, Boudreau said. Sometimes it comes down to the one game. OTHER INJURIES Defenseman Luca Sbisa is still wearing a protective boot on his left foot and acknowledged the chances of him playing in Wednesday s season opener at

6 Boston Bruins Defenseman Kevan Miller to break camp with Bruins Amalie Benjamin SASKATOON, Saskatchewan With the preseason schedule completed with a 5-0 win over the Jets on Friday night, the Bruins got on a plane back to Boston with decisions to make as they attempt to whittle their roster to the 23 players they ll keep to start the season. General manager Peter Chiarelli confirmed the team will keep eight defensemen, which means Kevan Miller, 25, makes the club in addition to all three young players, Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug, and Matt Bartkowski. Miller was a bit of a surprise, with Chiarelli calling him a strong, physical D-man. As for the third line, it appears set with Chris Kelly centering Carl Soderberg and Reilly Smith, what Chiarelli had envisioned. The trio has been playing together most of training camp. It s nice to see there s a little bit of chemistry there, Chiarelli said. The only spots still open are the extra forward and the backup goaltender, both jobs that have come down to the wire. The extra forward seems likely to go to either Jordan Caron or Nick Johnson, both of whom scored in Friday s win. Caron s goal came on a rebound, and Johnson scored on a blast from just inside the blue line. Although Ryan Spooner has played well, it would seem the center who played OK against Winnipeg while centering the top line, according to coach Claude Julien will be ticketed for Providence. The results were better for Caron and Johnson. I thought they played well, Julien said. Even as a line, they did a good job. When there s a battle going on like that, you like to see those guys respond the way they did tonight. When asked about the most important factor in deciding on the final forward, Chiarelli said, There has to be an element of versatility. We ve seen that in a few guys. It s a tough decision because there s three or four guys that had good camps. But versatility, first and foremost. Overall it s gone well, Johnson said. Did what I could. Didn t worry about too much, just tried to play. What they do, they do. It s a lot easier to play when you re not thinking about that. Caron echoed that sentiment. The last few games I think I ve stepped up, he said. I think I m feeling more confident. I think they know I really want this. Been working really hard for three years now. This is my fourth. I m just hoping the chips are going to fall into place. As for the goaltenders, it would be easier for the Bruins to go with Chad Johnson over Niklas Svedberg. Johnson carries a lower cap hit ($600,000 to Svedberg s $1 million) and would have to clear waivers to get to the AHL. Svedberg would not, and the 24-year-old could probably benefit from more minutes at the AHL level. They both had strong camps, Chiarelli said. Just on a per minute played basis, Nik played better, but Chad played well. That game in Detroit [a 2-0 shutout], he played well. It gives me comfort that they ve played well over the course of the camp. We have some depth there. There will be some transactions before the season starts to ensure the Bruins are cap compliant. Chiarelli said the roster might change slightly in the next week. Rask in top form Tuukka Rask had a shutout in his final tune-up for the regular season, stopping 20 shots. It was nice to see that he got more than 12 shots, that s what he wanted, Julien said. Rask said he is ready for the regular season. But, as Julien said, He seems to be in top form right now.... David Krejci was scratched with back spasms. Julien called the injury minor... Soderberg suffered a minor injury in the game, but Julien said it wasn t an issue. Let s get started The players are, clearly, ready for the regular season to start. Yes, Milan Lucic said. It s been a long camp after what we went through last year, just a week of practicing, and right into regular-season games, but it s been nice. It s been good to get comfortable with the new guys on the team, get to know them. But getting a little restless and can t wait for next week to start.... The Bruins will head to Waterbury, Vt., for team-building activities Monday and Tuesday. The team will hold a practice at the Waterbury Ice Center Tuesday, which will be open to the public. Johnny Boychuk, Kelly, Marchand, Dennis Seidenberg, and Shawn Thornton are scheduled to sign autographs after the session. Boston Globe LOADED:

7 Boston Bruins Bruins will take another look at younger players Amalie Benjamin September 27, :07 PM SASKATOON, Sask. The plan for the Bruins was to unveil their regular season lineup tonight vs. the Jets. But that won't happen, with the team still anxious to see some of the young players fighting for a roster spot again. "We ve got some decisions to make," coach Claude Julien said. "So it ll be close to it, but I don t think it ll be necessarily the lineup. [Dennis] Seidenberg is not in tonight. [Daniel] Paille, [Shawn] Thornton aren t in tonight. We need to see some of those guys, and we ll go from there." That means big pressure for guys like Jordan Caron, Nick Johnson, and Ryan Spooner. Johnson and Caron will play with Gregory Campbell tonight, and will be the focus of the decision makers on the team. "Those two guys we have to make decisions on," Julien said. "Other guys we have a pretty clear [idea]. Again that doesn t mean they re not going to be on, but we know exactly what we get from some of those other players." Spooner might actually center the top line tonight, because David Krejci may not be able to skate because of back spasms. That would give Spooner a good opportunity to continue his impressive preseason. The area the brass has had the most trouble with has been the goalies. Tuukka Rask, who is still scheduled to play all of tonight's game, is set in stone as the starter. But behind him Niklas Svedberg has made a good bid to be the backup. "It's not easy," Julien said. "It hasn't been easy, especially in the goaltending area. That s where it s been the toughest. It doesn t take much to sway one way or another. Let s be honest here, Svedberg s played well. So did Johnson in that Detroit game. What maybe tarnished I guess his camp a little bit was that game in Montreal where he just had an average half-game. "So at the end of the day we re going to have to make some decisions. It ll go into a lot of discussions about a lot of things. As you know it s not just hockey, it s about development, sometimes about cap. There are a lot of things that come into play. So those are decisions that we ll certainly make along the way." Boston Globe LOADED:

8 Boston Bruins Bruins beat Jets 5-0 in preseason finale Staff Writer SASKATOON, Saskatchewan Tuukka Rask made 20 saves and the Boston Bruins beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-0 on Friday in the final preseason finale for both teams. It was Boston's second victory over the Jets in as many nights, following a 3-2 win at Winnipeg. The Bruins grabbed control with two goals in the first six minutes. Carl Soderberg opened the scoring, assisted by some slick passing from linemates Chris Kelly and Reilly Smith. Johnny Boychuk then beat Al Montoya on his glove side from inside the blue line. Winnipeg failed to generate much of an attack, generating only four shots in the second period and three in the third. Jordan Caron scored 13 minutes into the second, and Nick Johnson and Patrice Bergeron added third-period goals for the Bruins. Some 12,500 of the 15,190 seats at Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre were filled, with the crowd cheering overwhelmingly for Boston. The Bruins looked potent on offense despite the loss of Jaromir Jagr, who joined the New Jersey Devils on a one-year contract during the offseason. Boston captain Zdeno Chara and longtime Calgary Flames star Jarome Iginla displayed some good chemistry on the power play, setting up multiple scoring chances but failing to produce a goal. Boston Herald LOADED:

9 Boston Bruins NHL making moves with major realignment this fall Staff Writer Hockey fans in Detroit and Columbus have grown accustomed to the inconvenience. When the Red Wings and Blue Jackets are on the road, they've usually had to stay up well past most bedtimes to watch, or wait until morning to find out how their teams did way out West. With the NHL's first significant realignment in 15 years, everybody can sleep a bit easier this fall. "It's definitely a lot better for us for rest, economically for our team," Columbus center R.J. Umberger said. "It just makes a lot of sense." The NHL is altering its conference lineups, dropping two divisions and changing the makeup of its schedules in both the regular season and the playoffs. The biggest change sends Detroit and Columbus to the 16-team Eastern Conference, while the Winnipeg Jets head to the 14-team West. Those uneven numbers are the subject of some concern, but there's no doubt they add up splendidly for the three teams on the move. "I think the travel sometimes takes years off all our lives," Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard said. "I think (moving East) will be great for us from the travel, even though we're all used to it now. It will be a lot of fun to play a lot of games in the Eastern time zone. It will be great for our fans, too, not having to stay up until all hours of the night to watch us." The moves are the culmination of years of debate and maneuvering. Detroit, which has been in the Western (originally Campbell) Conference since 1981, has desired a return to the East for years. Columbus, an expansion team in 2000, also jumped at the chance to shorten its list of road games starting at 10 p.m. or later back home. The Red Wings are joining the reconfigured Atlantic Division along with fellow Original Six franchises Toronto, Montreal, Boston and, in the quirkiest part of the realignment, Florida and Tampa Bay. Columbus is in the cleverly named Metropolitan Division alongside Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the three New York City-area teams. "It's going to be great for our fan base to be able to see us play in the Eastern time zone a lot more," Umberger said. "All of our away games used to be in different time zones. For us, a chance to grow some close rivalries with different teams like Buffalo and Pittsburgh, maintain Detroit, I think we're just excited." Winnipeg, the erstwhile Atlanta Thrashers, will no longer spend the bulk of its road time in the American South. The Jets are grateful to be in the Central Division with Minnesota, Chicago and the rest of the NHL's Midwestern teams. It's too soon to tell whether Detroit, Columbus and Winnipeg will gain a significant competitive advantage from the switch. The Red Wings weren't exactly struggling to win while making the playoffs in each of the past 22 seasons out West, while the Blue Jackets wouldn't suggest the only reason they've never won a playoff game was all those road games in Phoenix. "I think it's a great time for our fans," Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "They'll be able to watch our games in prime time a lot more than they have. Playing Montreal, Toronto, Boston more often, I'm hoping it's going to spark that (excitement) even more. I know it will for us." But the three moves are just part of a competitive restructuring that will affect every NHL team. The league is back to a four-division format, dropping the six-division setup introduced in The NHL also went back to a version of the divisional playoff schedule used from 1982 until The top three teams in each division get postseason berths, and two wild-card spots go to the two remaining teams with the best records in either division. The first two rounds of the conference playoffs will be within the division, which means the last wild-card team could be required to face the teams on the other side of the conference for a spot in the conference finals. "I love the four-division format," said Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau, whose Ducks won the Pacific last season. "I really think for the fan, it's easy to understand. It keeps more teams involved, and with the crossover, if you're in a stronger division than others, you're not necessarily done, because you can always move to the other division." The NHL Players' Association initially objected to the uneven conferences, saying it would be tougher to make the playoffs with two more teams in the East. The union dropped the objection after the lockout. "This going to the East in the new divisional concept, it's going to be a difficult time for any of these teams to make the playoffs," said John Davidson, the Blue Jackets' director of hockey operations. "It's going to be a real battle. We have to understand that. I think we do." The schedule matrix also has been tweaked after several years of emphasis on divisional rivalries. Every team in the league faces everybody else twice this season, giving fans in every city a chance to see every star. "If I was sitting in the stands, I would tend to think that I'd like to see the Ovechkins come into my building and the Crosbys come into my building," Boudreau said. The change benefits West Coast fans, but some West teams aren't looking forward to long Eastern trips on their already mind-numbing travel schedules. "Miles-wise, teams in California don't get a break, for sure," Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter said. Boston Herald LOADED:

10 Boston Bruins All that s left is the cuts Staff Writer SASKATOON, Saskatchewan The Bruins finished their preseason schedule on a high note, blanking the Winnipeg Jets, 5-0, at Credit Union Centre last night to finish the slate at 6-1. And the players vying for jobs made their respective cases right down to the bitter end. Both Jordan Caron and Nick Johnson, vying for the 13th forward spot, potted goals, as did Carl Soderberg, Johnny Boychuk and Patrice Bergeron while Tuukka Rask stopped all 20 shots he saw. On the long flight home, general manager Peter Chiarelli planned to make the final cuts and reveal them this morning. He did say he expects to keep 23 players with two extra defensemen and one extra forward, meaning blueliner Kevan Miller will break camp with the big club. It would seem, at least, like the decision for the last forward would be between Caron and Johnson, though centers Ryan Spooner and Matt Lindblad had good camps, too. What s Chiarelli looking for in that extra forward? There has to be an element of versatility and we ve seen that with a few guys, he said. It s a tough decision because we ve had three or four guys who ve had good camps. I know there are two guys you ve been focusing on in Johnson and Caron and I think they ve both played well. Defensive responsibility? They both have that. Size? They both have that. Experience? One guy has more than the other. Style of play? They re a little bit different. That s tough. That player doesn t play often, but with injuries, he may have to get in there. Spooner last night got a chance to play between Jarome Iginla and Milan Lucic and, in turn, saw the Jets top line as well. Spooner played well (in camp). (Last night) was more average than most but he was matching up against better lines, said Chiarelli. He had a real good year last year and average playoff. I expected more from him in Florida at the rookie camp, but he had a real good camp here. With his pedigree, I would have expected it, but it was nice to see after the playoffs. The backup goaltender position is another tough decision between Niklas Svedberg and Chad Johnson, though it would be more convenient to keep Johnson. Yeah, it would, but we ll have that discussion (on the plane), said Chiarelli. Chad needs waivers, Nik doesn t. Both have had strong camps. Nik played better but Chad played well. That game in Detroit (a shutout win) he played well. It gives me comfort that they ve played well over the course of the camp. Would it be better for 24-year-old Svedberg to see 40-plus games at the AHL level than see 20 games at the NHL behind Rask? Generally speaking, yeah, at his age, though he probably wouldn t want to hear that, said Chiarelli. Chiarelli did sound quite pleased with his third line of Soderberg, Chris Kelly and Reilly Smith. The third line looks how I envisioned it. It s nice to see a little bit of chemistry there with Soderberg and Smith and Kells in the middle, said Chiarelli. Chiarelli did stress that the roster is fluid and there are some machinations to be done to become cap compliant Sept. 30 before they put Marc Savard on long-term injured reserve. Krejci hurting Center David Krejci left the morning skate early with what Julien termed back spasms and did not play in the game. Nothing serious, said Julien of Krejci s injury. Soderberg also was a bit hobbled in the third period with what looked like a lower body injury, but Julien termed that minor. Ready to get going The Bruins were scheduled to fly back to Boston after the game and have today off. They ll practice at the Garden tomorrow and then travel to Vermont for a couple of days of team-building exercises. Opening night is Thursday at the Garden against Tampa Bay. The veterans were glad to have training camp something they didn t have last year after the lockout behind them. It s been a long camp after what we went through last year, with just the week of practices and right into regular season games, said Lucic. It s been nice. It s been good to get comfortable with the new guys on the team and get to know them. But we re definitely getting restless for the season to start. Said Rask: As soon as we boarded a plane for Winnipeg and Saskatoon, I think everybody was ready for the season to start. Boston Herald LOADED:

11 Boston Bruins A few decisions left for Chiarelli Steve Conroy SASKATOON---The Bruins finished up their preseason schedule on a high note on Friday night, blanking the Winnipeg Jets at Credit Union Centre to finish the slate, 6-1. And the players vying for jobs made their respective cases right down to the bitter end. Both Jordan Caron and Nick Johnson, vying for the 13th forward spot, potted goals, as did Carl Soderberg, Johnny Boychuk and Patrice Bergeron while Tuukka Rask stopped all 20 shots he saw on the night. On the long flight home to Boston, GM Peter Chiarelli planned to make the final cuts and reveal them in the morning. But he did say that he expects to keep 23 players to start, with two extra defensemen and one extra forward, meaning Kevan Miller will at least break camp with the big club. It would seem like the decision for the last, extra forward spot would be between Caron and Johnson, though centres Ryan Spooner and Matt Lindblad had good camps, too. What's Chiarelli looking for in that extra forward? There has to be an element of versatility and we've seen that with a few guys, said Chiarelli. It's a tough decision because we've had three or four guys who've had good camps. I know there are two guys you've been focusing on in Johnson and Caron and I think they've both played well. Defensive responsibility? They both have that. Size? They both have that. Experience? One guy has more than the other. Style of play? They're a little bit different. That's tough. That player doesn't play often, but with injuries, he may have to get in there. Spooner last night got a chance to play between Jarome Iginla and Milan Lucic and, in turn, saw the Jets' top forwards as well. Spooner played well (in camp). (Last night) was more average than most but he was matching up against better lines, said Chiarelli. He had a real good year last year and average playoff. I expected more from him in Florida at the rookie camp, but he had a real good camp here. With his pedigree, I would have expected it, but it was nice to see after the playoffs. The backup goaltender position is another tough decision between Niklas Svedberg and Chad Johnson, though it would be more convenient to keep Johnson. Yeah, it would, but we'll have that discussion (on the plane), said Chiarelli. Chad needs waivers, Nik doesn't. Both have had strong camps. Nik played better but Chad played well. That game in Detroit (a shutout win) he played well. It gives me comfort that they've played well over the course of the camp. Would it be better for 24-year-old Svedberg to see 40-plus games at the AHL level than see 20-plus games at the NHL behind Tuukka Rask? Generally speaking, yeah, at his age, though he probably wouldn't want to hear that, said Chiarelli. Chiarelli did sound quite plaeased with his third line of Soderberg, Chris Kelly and Reilly Smith. The third line looks how I envisioned it. Its nice t see a little bit of chemistry there with Soderberg and Smith and Kells in the middle, said Chiarelli. Chiarelli did stress that roster is fluid and there are some machinations to be done to become cap compliant on September 30 before they can put Marc Savard on long term injured reserve on Oct David Krejci left the morning skate early with what Julien termed back spasms and he did not play last night. Nothing serious, said Julien of Krejci's injury... Soderberg also was a bit hobbled in the third period with what looked like some sort of lower body injury, but Julien termed that minor... The Bruins were scheduled to fly back to Boston after the game and have Saturday off. They'll practice at the Garden on Sunday and then travel to Vermont for a couple of days of team-building exercises. Opening night is Thursday at the Garden against Tampa Bay. The vets were glad to have training camp something they didn't really have last year after the lockout behind them. It's been a long camp after what we went through last year, with just the week of practices and right into regular season games, said Lucic. It's been nice. It's been good to get comfortable with the new guys on the team and get to know them. But we're definitely getting restless for the season to start. Said Rask: As soon as we boarded a plane for Winnipeg and Saskatoon, I think everybody was ready for the season to start. Boston Herald LOADED:

12 Boston Bruins Bruins evaluating players to the bitter end Steve Conroy SASKATOON, Sask.--It was hoped that tonight's final preseason game would close to the Bruins' opening night lineup as possible, but there are going to be a few exceptions. One reason is that David Krejci took himself off the Credit Union Centre ice this morning with what coach Claude Julien termed "back spasms" and he's questionable for tonight. Another reason is that the B's brass is still evaluating players for as long as they can. Jordan Caron and Nick Johnson, one of whom will most likely be your 13th forward, are in the lineup skatng on Gregory Campbell's wings. That'll give Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille the night off, and Dennis Seidenberg will be in civilian clothes as well. Ryan Spooner, who has been the most impressive player in camp who doesn't have a regular spot on the team, would get the chance to center Jarome Iginla and Milan Lucic if Krejci can't go. Julien said that Tuukka Rask will "probably" get the full game tonight, but that doesn't mean the decision on the backup goal, Niklas Svedberg or Chad Johnson, has been made. "It hasn't been easy, especially in the goaltending. That's where it's the toughest. It doesn't take much to sway it one way or the other," said Julien. "Let's be honest here. Svedberg's played well. So did Johnson in that Detroit game. The only thing that tarnished his camp a little bit was that game in Montreal where he had an average half game. At the end of the day, we're going to have to make some decisions and it'll go into a lot of discussions about a lot of things. As you know, it's not just about hockey. Sometimes it's about development, it's about the cap. A lot of things cmoe into play." Johnson requires waiver clearance while Svedberg does not. Svedberg is also more expensive against the cap ($1 million NHL salary) than Johnson ($600,000). Puck drop here is at 9 p.m. Eastern. Boston Herald LOADED:

13 Buffalo Sabres Sabres finish preseason with loss to Hurricanes Staff Writer September 28, :29 AM RALEIGH, N.C. The Buffalo Sabres final dress rehearsal before the start of the new season wasn t a triumphant experience. Patrick Dwyer s short-handed goal early in the second period gave the Carolina Hurricanes the lead for keeps as the Sabres closed their preseason schedule with a 1-0 loss Friday night at PNC Arena. Ryan Miller got the start in goal for the Sabres and was very sharp, turning aside 29-of-30 shots. Buffalo finishes the preseason and opens the regular season on Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena against Detroit at 8 p.m. in an Atlantic Division matchup. The Sabres went with an experienced lineup Friday night with Thomas Vanek, Cody Hodgson, Drew Stafford, Steve Ott, Tyler Ennis and Christian Ehrhoff among the regulars suiting up. It didn t matter as Buffalo got off to a slow start. The Sabres managed only seven shots on goal through the first 40 minutes and finished with 18 against Cam Ward. Buffalo went 0 for 4 on the power play and gave up the game winner while on the man advantage. Dwyer scored at 2:39 of the second period off assists from Jordan Staal and Ron Hainsey. Rookie Nikita Zadorov reportedly suffered a hand injury in the game; his status is not yet known. Buffalo News LOADED:

14 Calgary Flames Jay Feaster says expectation will be to win for Calgary Flames RANDY SPORTAK Friday, September 27, :59 PM MDT Day after day, the Calgary Flames are being told their destiny is they ll sleep with the fishes. At every turn, the predictions are always the same, the Flames are pegged to end up at the bottom of the NHL ocean during the coming season. It s fair to say hearing those prognostications becomes tiring and could possibly wear them down. Flames GM Jay Feaster is well aware what pundits are saying about his team, but once again, he reiterated Friday the organization won t stand for a losing attitude to permeate throughout. I don t think we ll win 82 this year. Yeah, I don t think we ll win all 82 games. It s a hard league, Feaster said asked of the number of victories he believes his squad will compile. We re going to play an 82-game schedule. We re going to play hard. We re going to compete hard. We re going to go out there with the expectation of winning. We are not going to go out there with the expectation of Oh, we re young. Oh, we re rebuilding, therefore results don t matter. Results do matter. In terms of what do we expect? This is a hard league. It s a hard league to win in. It was a hard league and a hard league to win in for the veteran-laden club that we had when we were a salary-cap team that didn t win a playoff round since The Flames are certainly an easy target for detractors heading into their season opener Oct. 3 in Washington. Their young, up-and-coming talent is likely too young to have a major impact. Their goaltending situation is unproven. Their offensive talent won t evoke fear in defenders. It s easy to see why expectations elsewhere are so low. From an expectation standpoint, we expect that we are going to battle and compete hard every night, Feaster said. We expect that the whole is going to be greater than the sum of its parts and we ll be known by our work ethic. We re going to get some young kids into the lineup. We re going to put guys in different situations. We expect our younger kids to play well. We expect our veterans to play well. There are a lot of question marks about this hockey team. But, again, we re going to battle. We ll be known by our work ethic. Guys that don t want to work hard won t be part of it. Only time will tell whether the Flames rebuild is a success, and we all know it will take years to be back in the Stanley Cup chatter. The test during it all will be the club s resolve to remain committed to the plan. If this team struggles out of the gate and reacts by mortgaging its future for some short-term gain, then it deserves criticism during the process. Will it be difficult to resist such temptation? It s been a very difficult past three seasons here, Feaster said. The fact is that we re going to be younger and we ve acknowledged a rebuild, but I m not sure it can be any more difficult than what it has been the last three years. It has been maddening the last three years here. It has been a case where we don t make the playoffs, we don t win enough games, we fall short, and we draft in the middle of pack. We re excited about this group that we ve assembled. We re excited about the fact, I think, that through this training camp... we ve had everybody buy in. The energy level, the pace, the passion, the enthusiasm, the competition in this camp has been outstanding. It s been great. That s part of what happens when you can get 23 guys ultimately, that s what we ll carry on the same page and 23 guys committed to the team concept. We re in a results business we re about winning. Certainly, there s never any patience for losing, and we will not approach regardless of what people think and the experts think from the standpoint, Oh, the results don t matter. They do matter. We re getting ready to start the season Thursday in Washington, and I m confident the 23 we keep will be ready to compete and commit to the team concept. Calgary Sun: LOADED:

15 Calgary Flames Calgary Flames' Matt Stajan front and centre RANDY SPORTAK September 27, :33 PM MDT Sure, it s the pre-season, but the offensive production can t be overlooked. Matt Stajan, the oft-maligned Calgary Flames centre collected two goals and six points in five pre-season games. Adding to his performance was the way Stajan looked during the exhibition slate. He was confident. He was assertive. He was a leader for the crew of young centres. While much of the talk around the Flames this fall has been about the youngsters, notably centres such as Sean Monahan, Roman Horak, Ben Street and Corban Knight who s been sent to the minors Stajan quietly went about his business on all avenues. We have a lot of centremen here and seen a lot of young guys and fresh faces to the organization who are natural centres being tested on the wing. There are a lot of centres, just not a lot of experience with NHL games at centre, Stajan said. My job is to come here and play my game, play the right way and be an example for those younger guys and talk to them. It s not easy as a young guy coming into that position. You need to have guys to go to and be good support. I m trying to be that guy. Considering where it appeared Stajan s career was headed two years ago, it s quite the turnaround. Remember how things were for him leading into the campaign? Stajan started on the fourth line, was even a healthy scratch for a game then-coach Brent Sutter opted to dress seven defencemen and had zero confidence when he hit the ice. Now, as the team readies for the Oct. 3 season-opener against the host Washington Capitals, he couldn t be feeling better about himself. Everyone can have their opinion, but I never played any differently two years ago, Stajan insisted. My mind-set wasn t any different coming to the rink. It was to work as hard as I can and try and help my line be the best line we can be out there. (Flames head coach) Bob (Hartley) and his coaching staff have given me a lot of trust. Obviously, confidence grows when coaches show their trust in you like this staff has, and I m trying to build on that and be an effective player on this team. I don t have much to say about two years ago. I was where I was, and I didn t change much. I just tried to be myself, work hard and get through it. Fortunately, I was able to turn things around, but it wasn t anything I did. I didn t go out one night and reinvent my game. I ve been a pretty similar player in my career going back to my early days. A big season is certainly in his best interest, being a pending unrestricted free-agent. But Stajan, who s in the final season of a four-year, US$14-million contract, says he s not worrying about it. I ve always been an it ll-take-care-of-itself guy, Stajan said. My focus is on Game 1 and making sure our team is ready to go, and I m ready to go to be a big part of it. As a hockey player, if you start thinking too much about stuff beyond your control, it s going to figure into your everyday life, the way you play and the way practice. That stuff will take care of itself. This game has been great to me, and I feel I still have a lot to give. We ll see what happens. Ice chips LW Sven Baertschi and LW Michael Cammalleri both didn t practice. Beartschi s status is day-to-day with a lower-body ailment, according to Hartley. He should be a couple of days we think. It s minor, Hartley said. As for Cammalleri, who has a hand injury, the time is quickly coming when he ll have to be practising if he will play in the season-opener. I m starting to be a little bit like you guys. I m anxious to see him, but the medical staff is on top of it. I always listen to those guys. When they give me the green light on a player on the ice, he s going to be on the ice. Until then, we re not going to gamble. Calgary Sun: LOADED: