Avalanche Has Familiar Look in Beating Penguins, 3-1

The Colorado Avalanche does not have Ray Bourque. It doesn’t have Peter Forsberg. It didn’t have a good preseason. What the Avalanche has is the Stanley Cup and, for at least the first night of a new season, it showed exactly why.

Vaclav Nedorost had a goal and an assist in his first NHL game and Patrick Roy, as dominating as he was at the end of last season, shut down the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Avalanche’s 3-1 victory Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.

Roy, the playoff MVP last season as Colorado won its second title in five years, turned aside 32 of 33 shots and was working on his 53rd career shutout until Robert Lang scored with 6:59 remaining.

Mario Lemieux had a quiet night for Pittsburgh in his first season opener in five years, setting up a couple of good scoring chances but getting few of his own.

The Penguins played their first game since 1989 without five-time scoring champion Jaromir Jagr on their roster. He was traded to Washington during the off-season.

The Avalanche was without Bourque, the star defenseman who retired after finally winning the cup in his 22nd season, and Forsberg, who is taking a medical leave of absence. But it was the Penguins who seemed to miss their former star the most.

Asked whether the Penguins missed Jagr’s scoring touch, Lemieux cut off the question and said, “Don’t even start with that.”

Roy didn’t want to hear about who wasn’t there for Pittsburgh when scorers such as Lemieux, Alexei Kovalev, Martin Straka and Lang are around.

“A lot of teams have lost good players and there will be a period of adjustment, and our team knows that,” Roy said of the Avalanche.

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Ottawa 5, Toronto 4--Wade Redden, Marian Hossa, Andre Roy, Radek Bonk and Todd White scored as the Senators began the post-Alexei Yashin with a victory over the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

Alexander Mogilny, signed as a free agent, scored twice in his debut with the Maple Leafs.

Ottawa defenseman Karel Rachunek was taken from the ice on a stretcher after being checked into the boards by Darcy Tucker in the first period.

The game was delayed for about 10 minutes as paramedics attended to Rachunek, who was motionless on the ice.

Calgary 1, Edmonton 0--Roman Turek made 24 saves in his Calgary debut and Marc Savard scored as the Flames beat the Oilers in Calgary.

Savard broke through at 6:13 of the third period. Derek Morris’ slap shot from the blue line deflected off the foot of a sliding Mike Grier and caromed across the slot to Savard, who had an empty net with goaltender Tommy Salo trapped out of position.