Kariya Progresses During Rehab Trip

Paul Kariya’s trip to Vancouver to rehabilitate his abdominal injury is going well, and General Manager Jack Ferreira said he wants Kariya to continue training there.

“As long as things are going well, let him stay right there,” Ferreira said, adding that Kariya has been able to skate at near 100% for the first time. Ferreira won’t guess when Kariya will play, but Wednesday’s home opener seems doubtful.

*

The Coyotes’ Oleg Tverdovsky and Chad Kilger, traded to Winnipeg from Anaheim last season, are finding Phoenix a better place to play. “Big time better,” said Tverdovsky, whose parents still live in Anaheim. Another former Duck, Bob Corkum, joined the Coyotes from Philadelphia via the waiver draft. “Small world,” Tverdovsky said. “He’s doing really well here.”

*

Left wing Ken Baumgartner is expected to miss about a week because of a separated right shoulder after being injured during a fight Thursday against Colorado’s Brent Severyn. Valeri Karpov took Baumgartner’s spot in the lineup. . . . Defenseman Adrian Plavsic returned to the lineup after missing one game because of a sore knee. Plavsic was scratched against Colorado because of the injury, not performance, Ferreira said. Plavsic replaced rookie Ruslan Salei in the lineup Saturday.