GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NHL: ANAHEIM (1-2) at COLUMBUS (0-0)

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    NHL: ANAHEIM at COLUMBUS

    <div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
    NHL
    ANAHEIM 0
    COLUMBUS 4</div>
     
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    By Dave Holstein
    PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


    COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- Rich Nash wants to change theculture in Columbus.


    Nash had two goals and a pair of assists as the Columbus BlueJackets opened their season with a 4-0 victory over theroad-weary defending Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks onFriday.


    Sergei Fedorov and defenseman Ron Hainsey added power-play goalsfor Columbus, which is trying to end the embarrassment of beingthe only current team never to make the postseason.

    "Tonight is a step in the right direction," Blue Jackets coachKen Hitchcock said. "The Ducks were a little surprised at thestart, but we didn't stretch the lead until late."

    Goaltender Pascal Leclaire also earned his first win of theseason by stopping all 28 shots he faced. He made five saves inthe first period, 10 in the second and 13 in the third en routeto his second career shutout.


    "The shutout is nice, but the most important thing is the teamwinning," Leclaire said. "The Ducks are the defending StanleyCup champions, so it's nice to get off to such a good startagainst such a great team."


    Columbus won its season opener for only the second time inhistory. Its only other opening-night win was a 2-1 triumphover the Chicago Blackhawks on October 10, 2002.


    "We have to remember not to get too high, it is just one game,"Nash said. "We just have to take it one game at a time."

    While this was the first game for Columbus, it was the fourthcontest in six days for Anaheim.


    "We had to come in here after Detroit and practice yesterday,"Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We didn't have the energy thatwas necessary to be at the level Columbus played."

    The club opened the season last weekend in London, splitting twogames with the Los Angeles Kings, before suffering a shootoutloss Wednesday at Detroit.


    Nash, who netted a team-high 27 goals last season, opened thescoring when his sweeping shot from high in the slot went offthe skate of defenseman Shane Hnidy and past netminder IlyaBryzgalov at 6:44 of the first period.


    "It was a good start," Nash said. "I felt good out there. Mylinemates were finding me. Anytime your teammates play well, itshows up on the scoreboard."


    Fedorov extended the lead 2:06 later, when he fired a shot fromthe right faceoff circle that beat Bryzgalov just inside thenear goalpost at 8:50. The Blue Jackets were by far the moreaggressive team in the session, outshooting the Ducks, 16-5.

    "It just seemed like we couldn't get anything going," Carlylesaid. "They got two quick goals. We tried to regroup, put astop to the bleeding, but then took penalty after penalty."

    Overall, Columbus had a 37-28 advantage in shots.


    With Columbus already leading, 2-0, and on the man advantage inthe third period, Fredrik Modin's shot from the point bouncedoff Bryzgalov to Kris Russell. The rookie defenseman made across-crease pass to Nash, who knocked the puck into the net toincrease the lead to three at 7:53.


    The assist was the first career point for Russell.

    Hainsey netted the Blue Jackets' third power-play goal of thegame when he took a pass from Nikolai Zherdev in front of thenet and blasted a shot past the diving Bryzgalov.


    "The way we stayed with it for three periods gave us a chance toplay our hockey," Fedorov said. "The most important thing isthat we didn't have lots of turnovers."


    Nash also assisted on the tally for his career-high fourthpoint.


    "It was a tough game," Bryzgalov said. "It seemed like theywere on the power play a lot, so it was hard for us to come backwhen the game is like that."


    Bryzgalov - who faced 42 shots in the loss to the Red Wings onWednesday - made 33 saves for the Ducks, who won both games herelast season.


    "The Jackets are a good group, we had some tough battles withthem last year," Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf said. "They are agood skating team and have a lot of young guys that last seasongot a year of experience under their belt. They are reallygood."
     

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