Gästebuch » Toronto D Igor Ozhiganov returned

DETROIT — Controversy abounds for the Columbus Blue Jackets as they prepare to open the 2018-19 NHL season against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena.There had already rampant speculation about the future of Columbus goaltender and two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky and left winger and 2017-18 team leading scorer Artemi Panarin. Both are in the final season of their contracts and failed to sign extensions during the summer.And on Wednesday http://www.mapleleafsshoponline.com/authentic-patrick-marleau-jersey , coach John Tortorella told Columbus radio station 97.1 The Fan that he will start backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo on Thursday night instead of Bobrovsky, who struggled during the preseason.Article continues below ...Tortella said Bobrovsky will play in the Blue Jackets’ home opener against Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night at Nationwide Arena. .Columbus, which was eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, will also be without star defensemen Seth Jones, who will miss six to eight weeks because of a sprained MCL suffered during the preseason.But defenseman Zach Werenski returns from shoulder surgery, which he underwent on May 3.“I worked hard this summer, I’ve rehabbed it a long time and it’s finally coming together,” Werenski said on the team’s website.The Blue Jackets activated defenseman Ryan Murray off injured reserve and placed defenseman Scott Harrington on injured reserve on Wednesday.Detroit, which has missed the playoffs for the past two seasons, is injecting youth into what had been a veteran-laden roster. Five players could make their NHL debut on Thursday night.Defensemen Dennis Cholowski, 20 and Libor Sulak Noah Hanifin Jersey Womens , 24; and forwards Michael Rasmussen, 19; and Christoffer Ehn, 22, will definitely be in the lineup against Columbus. Defenseman Filip Hronek, 20, could be called up from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League and play, depending on injuries to veteran defensemen Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson.Defenseman Joe Hicketts, 22, could also be called up. He played five games for the Red Wings in 2017-18.Cholowski was the most impressive of the rookies during the preseason. He averaged more than 20 minutes in six games, including considerable power play and penalty kill time. Cholowski had two goals and four assists for six points and was plus-5.“I’ve liked him lots, I like his skill set William Nylander Jersey , I like what he’s good at, we need what he’s good at it,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said on www.mlive.com about Cholowski. “Pro experience matters, but so does talent. So if he’s good enough and can make an impact, he should be here.”This is Cholowski’s first pro season after being Detroit’s first-round pick (20th overall) in 2016.Red Wings defenseman Mike Green will be out for more than a month, according to Blashill, as he recovers from a virus that attacked his liver during the preseason.With the retirement of captain Henrik Zetterberg because of a bad back at the beginning of training camp, Detroit named two more alternate captains on Wednesday. Center Dylan Larkin will wear an “A” during home games and center Frans Nielsen will be the third alternate captain for road games. They join Kronwall and left winger Justin Abdelkader as alternate captains.Larkin, 22, led Detroit with 63 points last season and signed five-year, $30.5 million extension during the offseason.“I think his basic leadership skills are on the ice Womens Zach Hyman Jersey ,” Nielsen said about Larkin. “The way he brings it and the way he competes every night.”Larkin is expected to be the Red Wings’ next captain. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Toronto Maple Leafs looked like a well-rested team coming off a five-day holiday break. They were fast and opportunistic in handling the Columbus Blue Jackets, who were playing the second night of a back-to-back.John Tavares scored two goals, and backup goalie Garret Sparks had 27 saves to lift the streaking Maple Leafs over Columbus 4-2 on Friday night.“Sometimes after a few days you can feel a little flat, just out of rhythm and just timing and everything, so I thought overall we played a pretty solid game,” Tavares said. “Sparky was solid and made some big saves when we needed him to, our penalty kill, I thought, was really sharp, so it was good to start the way we did and build on it and not give them a whole lot.”Tavares’ two first-period goals nicely set up a return to Toronto on Saturday Bo Horvat Jersey , when he will face his former team, the New York Islanders. He played there for nine seasons before joining his hometown Maple Leafs in a seven-year, $77 million deal last summer.Tavares’ linemate, Mitch Marner, had a goal and assisted on both his tallies, and Frederik Gauthier also scored to power the Maple Leafs to their fifth straight win, matching the longest streak of the season. They are a distant second to Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division.Nick Foligno and Artemi Panarin scored for Columbus, and Sergei Bobrovsky had 25 saves. The Blue Jackets, playing on consecutive nights, saw their five-game winning streak snapped as they try to stay close to Washington at the top of the Metropolitan Division.But coach John Tortorella wasn’t overly critical of his team’s play.“We had some zone time, generated some chances Youth Brandon Sutter Jersey , their goalie played well,” Tortorella said. “Give him some credit. But some of our chances, especially from our back end, were shot wide.”Toronto took advantage of a power play early in the game when a shot by Nazem Kadri from slot was deflected in off Tavares’ skate . Foligno tied it up shortly afterward when he snapped a shot between Sparks’ pads from the right circle.Tavares second goal in the first period didn’t require puck luck. He rifled a shot from the left circle that went top shelf over Bobrovsky’s glove and gave Toronto a 2-1 lead.Marner gave Toronto a two-goal lead halfway through the second on a 4-on-4, when he raced ahead of Pierre Luc-Dubois on a rush, took a beautiful pass from Auston Matthews and swept it past Bobrovsky.Late in the third, Par Lindholm shoveled the puck out from the back of the net to set up a finish by Gauthier . Panarin got his 100th NHL goal with 1:28 left in the game.Columbus came up empty on a pair of power plays and has scored just once in 33 attempts with a man-advantage in the last 11 games.NOTES: Tavares’ 26 goals lead the team. He has seven goals and four assists in his last six games. … Toronto D Igor Ozhiganov returned after missing three games because of an illness. Justin Holl was a healthy scratch to make room. … Toronto F Patrick Marleau played in his 1,613th NHL game, giving him sole possession of 10th place on the all-time list. … With an assist on Foligno’s goal, Seth Jones has 13 points in the last 15 games.UP NEXT:Toronto: Hosts New York Islanders on Saturday.Columbus: Hosts Ottawa on Monday night.