Oct 6, 2008 - 12:58 AM
0 shoutsBy PA SportsTicker
DETROIT 3, BUFFALO 0 --------------------
DETROIT (Ticker) -- Ty Conklin signed as a free agent with the Detroit Red Wings in the summer, knowing he wouldn't get the same amount of playing time as he did with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. That hasn't stopped him from shining in the preseason with his new club, though.
Conklin made 21 saves and Johan Franzen scored twice as the Red Wings recorded a 3-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
In the absence of the injured Marc-Andre Fleury, Conklin stepped in and served as a stalwart as the Penguins rolled to an Atlantic Division crown and eventually an Eastern Conference title in 2007-08. The Anchorage, Alaska native went 18-8-0 with a 2.51 goals against average in 33 games.
Counterpart Ryan Miller was just as impressive on Sunday, turning aside 23 shots.
Franzen, who netted 13 goals in the playoffs en route to leading Detroit to a Stanley Cup championship, snapped a scoreless tie 2:54 into the third period and Ville Leino added another just 1:52 later.
The Red Wings open the regular season at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 9, while the Sabres host the Montreal Canadiens the following night.
CAROLINA 2, NASHVILLE 0 -----------------------
RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Ray Whitney scored in his preseason debut and Cam Ward made 31 saves, pacing the Carolina Hurricanes to a 2-0 exhibition victory over the Nashville Predators.
Whitney, who had been nursing a knee injury, scored off a rebound of Patrick Eaves' shot at 7:19 of the final period to snap a scoreless tie.
Nashville's goaltender Dan Ellis failed to secure Eaves' backhander, and the puck trickled into the high slot to Whitney, who ripped a wrister to make it 1-0.
Whitney's goal was more than enough for Ward, who turned aside 14 shots in the first period, nine in the second and eight in the third. The 2006 Conn Smythe Trophy winner improved to 2-2-0 this preseason.
Carolina's Eric Staal provided the final margin with an empty-net goal at 19:56 of the third.
Tim Gleason added an assist for the Hurricanes, who saw veteran center Rod Brind'Amour make his preseason debut. Brind'Amour, who is recovering from offseason knee surgery, played just over 15 minutes.
Ellis stopped 26 shots over the final two periods after replacing starter Pekka Rinne, who turned aside all nine shots he faced in the opening session.
BOSTON 5, WASHINGTON 4 (SO) ---------------------------
WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- David Krejci scored two goals in regulation and Phil Kessel and Patrice Bergeron both tallied in the shootout to lift the Boston Bruins to a 5-4 victory over the Washington Capitals in the final preseason game for both teams.
Shawn Thornton and Chuck Kobasew also scored for the Bruins, who finished the preseason with a 3-4-1 record.
Alexander Ovechkin scored his fifth goal in his fourth preseason game, while Chris Clark, Chris Bourque and defenseman Mike Green also tallied for the Capitals, who dropped to 5-1-1 in the preseason.
In overtime, Washington goaltender Jose Theodore made a sprawling glove save on Kessel's shot from point-blank range with 18 seconds left.
After Boston goalie Manny Fernandez made a save on Michael Nylander in the shootout, Kessel redeemed himself by scoring first for the Bruins. Ovechkin responded with a tally for the Capitals but Bergeron answered right back for Boston.
Fernandez then cemented the win by denying Alexander Semin's attempt.
COLUMBUS 5, TORONTO 4 (SO) --------------------------
TORONTO (Ticker) -- Right wing Nikita Filatov scored the decisive goal in the second round of the shootout to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Filatov was the only player on either side to connect during the shootout, approaching the goal slowly before drilling a bullet over goaltender Vesa Toskala's shoulder just inside the top right corner. Toronto defenseman Tomas Kaberle misfired on a wrist shot moments later to seal the win.
The Blue Jackets (3-4-0) needed late heroics to even get to overtime, much less come away with a victory. With less than three minutes remaining in the third period, Jakub Voracek and Jason Chimera scored goals within 14 seconds of each other - both during 4-on-4 play - to tie the game at 4-4.
The seventh overall pick of last year's draft, Voracek skated into the slot and drilled a shot in between Toskala's pads to pull the Blue Jackets to within one. Moments later, Rostislav Klesla's backhand attempt deflected off Toskala and Chimera lunged forward to tip in to tie things up.
COLORADO 4, CHICAGO 3 (OT) --------------------------
CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Ryan Smyth scored with less than two minutes left in overtime as the Colorado Avalanche overcame a late loss of a lead for a 4-3 exhibition victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
In the preseason finale for both teams, Colorado finished up exhibition play at 4-1-1 while Chicago dropped to 5-1-2.
The Avalanche had looked like they would wrap up the win in regulation until the Blackhawks made a late push, collecting a power-play goal from Martin Havlat with just a second remaining. Smyth proved to be the goat on the score, getting whistled for hooking just 25 seconds earlier.
However, the veteran Smyth made up for his penalty with 1:53 remaining in extra time, putting home a pass from Paul Stastny from the left wing.
Wojtek Wolski scored twice and assisted on the goal by Brian Willsie that gave Chicago a 3-2 lead just 1:37 into the third period.
Patrick Sharp scored a power-play goal in the opening stanza and Kris Versteeg gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead 9:57 into the second.
EDMONTON 3, DALLAS 2 --------------------
DALLAS (Ticker) -- Jason Strudwick scored a key goal in the third period and Mathieu Garon made 39 saves as the Edmonton Oilers moved past the Dallas Stars, 3-2, in preseason action.
Strudwick beat Marty Turco by converting passes from Dustin Penner and Ethan Moreau 5:47 into the final session to snap a 2-2 tie and ease the pain of blowing an early two-goal lead.
Andrew Cogliano got Edmonton on the board first 71 seconds into the opening period, and defenseman Sheldon Souray extended the advantage with a power-play goal 7:33 later.
However, the Stars got a goal from B.J. Crombeen with 8:59 left in the first and then struck even just under four minutes later when defenseman Stephane Robidas fired a wrist shot past Garon from the bottom of the right faceoff circle.
Dallas outshot Edmonton, 41-14, but scored once in eight opportunities with a man advantage.
SAN JOSE 3, LOS ANGELES 1 -------------------------
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (Ticker) -- Brad Lukowich and Patrick Marleau scored within 53 seconds of each other in the second period to lead the San Jose Sharks past the Los Angeles Kings, 3-1, in a preseason game.
The exhibition match was the first in Utah in 10 years and was played at the E Center, which was the site of the 2002 Olympic gold-medal game.
Lukowich snapped a 1-1 tie by beating Jason LaBarbera with 2:57 left in the second, and Marleau then converted a pass by Devin Setoguchi on a power play to secure the victory.
Joe Pavelski gave the Sharks an early 1-0 advantage just 54 seconds into the contest, but Kyle Calder netted the only tally of the game for the Kings early in the second to forge a tie.
San Jose, which finished the preseason 3-4-0, opens the regular season under new coach Todd McLellan on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks.
It played without center Joe Thornton, who is nursing a groin injury, and defenseman Rob Blake, who spent the last two years with the Kings before signing as a free agent.
ANAHEIM 4, VANCOUVER 3 (OT) ---------------------------
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Ticker) -- Nathan McIver scored on a breakaway 22 seconds into overtime, lifting the Anaheim Ducks to a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in preseason action.
Corey Perry had one goal and two assists, while Travis Moen had a goal and an assist and Brendan Morrison also scored for Anaheim.
McIver beat Roberto Luongo after coming out of the penalty box and taking a feed from Samuel Pahlsson.
Mason Raymond had a pair of goals and Henrik Sedin tallied for Vancouver. Luongo stopped 24 shots, while his counterpart Jean-Sebastien Giguere turned away 27.
