Guerin Returns to Burn Devils

Bill Guerin didn’t turn the boos into cheers in his first game back in New Jersey since being traded. He just redirected them at the New Jersey Devils.

Guerin had two goals and an assist in his return to East Rutherford, N.J., leading the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-2 victory over the Devils on Saturday night.

“This was pretty nerve-racking,” said Guerin, a member of the Devils’ Stanley Cup winner in 1995. “I spent a lot of years here. When I was in New Jersey, I really felt that I would be here my whole career.”

That all changed last year when Guerin got into a heated contract negotiation with General Manager Lou Lamoriello. He eventually signed in mid-November but was traded to the Oilers less than two months later.

Guerin played against the Devils at Edmonton last year, but this game was special, even for the fans. Every time Guerin touched the puck early, he was booed. By the end of the game, it was the Devils who were hearing it.

Guerin scored the first and last goals for the Oilers and barely missed a hat trick in the closing seconds.

Vancouver 4, Toronto 1--Mark Messier scored the 599th goal of his career and set up two others as the Canucks spoiled Pat Quinn’s return to Vancouver.

The loss ended Toronto’s three-game winning streak at the start of the season, and ruined Quinn’s return after taking over as Maple Leaf coach last summer. Quinn spent 11 years in the Vancouver front office, including stints as coach, before he was fired from his post as president and general manager last November.

Quinn earned a standing ovation from the crowd of 17,315 when a picture of him standing behind the Maple Leaf bench--with a caption, “Welcome back, Pat”--was broadcast over the video scoreboard.

Buffalo 4, Montreal 3--Vaclav Varada scored midway through the third period as the Sabres overcame a three-goal deficit at Montreal.

Dixon Ward tied the score at 2:46 of the third, beating goalie Jocelyn Thibault on a wraparound move from behind the goal. Varada scored his first goal of the season at 10:23 after Thibault failed to cover up a loose puck.

N.Y. Rangers 3, Pittsburgh 3--Todd Harvey scored his second goal of the game late in the third period at Pittsburgh to help the Rangers end their season-opening four-game losing streak.

Harvey scored during a two-man advantage at 13:35 as the Rangers earned a point despite giving up three consecutive goals after taking a 2-0 lead into the last four minutes of the second period.

Wayne Gretzky’s pass deflected off a Pittsburgh stick to Harvey, who beat goaltender Peter Skudra. The assist gave Gretzky his 2,800th point.

N.Y. Islanders 1, St. Louis 0--Tommy Salo stopped 23 shots to earn the 11th shutout of his career and Bryan Berard scored the game’s only goal at St. Louis.

Salo was not strongly tested by the Blues, who were shut out in a home opener for the first time since 1973.

Ottawa 3, Nashville 1--Wade Redden scored once and set up two goals to lead the Senators at Kanata, Canada.

Carolina 1, Philadelphia 1--Sami Kapanen scored his first goal of the season for the Hurricanes, who spoiled the Flyers’ bid for a 4-0 start at Greensboro, N.C.

Chicago 4, Dallas 3--Ethan Moreau’s goal at 5:38 of the third period broke a tie as the Blackhawks twice battled back from two-goal deficits at Chicago.

NFL Notes

Scotty Bowman said that he expects to be back as coach of the Detroit Red Wings, but won’t know for sure until final results of his medical tests come back on Wednesday. “What else would I do?” he told the Detroit News. “It would be a pretty long winter. [Retirement] has got to happen sometime, but not until it has to happen, the way I look at it.” Bowman, 65, underwent 10 hours of testing Friday. He said the early results look “perfect.” The stress test--administered two months after Bowman had his left knee replaced and three months after balloon angioplasty unclogged a partially blocked heart artery--was considered the final barrier to his return as coach of the Red Wings.