Last Night's Presesaon Performers (Sep 25)

Steve Mason made 19 saves in a full 60-minute effort on Sunday afternoon against the Buffalo Sabres, as the Blue Jackets came away with a 4-1 win. Mason will be relied upon as heavily as any goalie has before, if the Jackets are going to make the playoffs this year and an effort like this will go a long way to get there. Also having a good night for Columbus, forward Dane Byers, who had a goal and 2 assists and defenseman Grant Clitsome, who had a goal and an assist.

Cam Ward was the star of the Hurricanes' 4-0 shutout win over the Jets in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday afternoon. Ward made 36 stops in the game for the displaced home team, while the team in front of him managed to string together some solid offense for a convincing win. Ward will be a very good pick for your hockey pool team, but I imagine he'll be going quite high this year.  I don't think it would be crazy to pick him a little earlier than expected.

The Red Wings and Blackhawks went head to head in a Central Division clash on Sunday afternoon, where it was a pretty even game from both sides and it ended in a 4-3 shootout victory for Detroit. Valtteri Filppula led the winning side during regulation with a goal and 2 assists, while Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg each had a goal and an assist in the game.  The Red Wings already look to be a force in this preseason and are seemingly just warming up.

On the losing side of the equation, rookie Brandon Pirri gave a good argument as to why he should be sticking around a little bit longer in Blackhawks camp, after scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist in regulation time, not to mention a goal in the shootout, for a pretty good showing.  Also having a good game for the visiting side, forward Jimmy Hayes, who had a goal and an assist in the game.

In Halifax, Nova Scotia on Sunday night, the defending Cup champs laid a lickin' on their long-time rivals, as the Boston Bruins trounced the Montreal Canadiens, 7-3.  Zdeno Chara was the only notable player on the score sheet for either team on the night, coming up with a goal and an assist, but the boxscore wasn't great, to say the least.  Nevertheless, the Bruins did a good job of filling the net and that should be taken into account when you're looking at players for your draft.

On back-to-back nights, the Edmonton Oilers got the best of their provincial rivals in preseason action, taking the second half of a home and home series, 3-0 on the road on Sunday. Devan Dubnyk made 30 saves for the shutout, really giving Nikolai Khabibulin a run for his money in net this year. Jordan Eberle and Linus Omark each had a goal and an assist in the win, while rookie defenseman Taylor Fedun had a couple of assists.  The Oilers are coming around in this preseason, especially since the kids are seeing a lot of ice-time to get started.

Another shutout was put in the books on Sunday night, as J-S Giguere made 16 saves for his new team, the Colorado Avalanche, in a preseason victory over the Dallas Stars. The Avalanche won the game, 3-0, thanks to a 2-goal game from forward Ryan O'Reilly and a pair of assists from Kyle Quincey.  The Avalanche are going to be an interesting team to watch this season, as they have some good players in place, but will they be able to find the chemistry to string together wins?

The Sharks continued to roll in preseason action, travelling to Vancouver and taking on a very preseason team, laden with lots of tryouts and AHL players. Thomas Greiss picked up another win in this one, as his Sharks picked up a 4-3 victory.  If there were any concerns about the goaltending for the Sharks, all of these wins should settle those fears down.  The offensive star for the Sharks on Sunday was Tommy Wingels, who scored a pair of goals in the victory, as he pushes for one of the few spots left on the roster.

Finally, the Ducks beat their cross-state rivals, the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night, 3-1, and the only player worth mentioning in this one is Jeff Deslauriers, who made 32 saves for the victory, as he fights for a chance to back-up Jonas Hiller this season.  Deslauriers is up against Dan Ellis for the honour, but likely won't have the inside track going in, but a win like this should give the coaching staff some confidence to get it done.