EDMONTON, Alberta -- Thursdays game between the St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers will mark a few homecomings.All eyes will be on Nail Yakupov, who the Oilers traded to the Blues before the start of the season. Yakupov has been widely regarded as a draft bust; the first overall pick in the 2012 draft, the Russian right winger got only 50 goals in 252 games as an Oiler.In four games with the Blues, Yakupov has a goal and an assist.It is weird, Yakupov told Oilers play-by-play man Jack Michaels in a 630 CHED interview. When I was here, I didnt expect that I would stay in a hotel in this city, because I lived in this city. But, its different. But, its really good, now, we have a good team and a good group.He is fitting in, said Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo of his new teammate. Its a different environment coming in -- and new linemates. I think hes playing a pretty hard game. Hes created some really good chances. Its new systems for him ... but hes adjusting pretty well.But its another Russian who is lighting it up for St. Louis. Vladimir Tarasenko is tied for the league lead with four goals.And, Thursday will also mark the final time Ken Hitchcock will coach an NHL game in his hometown.Unless he has a change of heart, Hitchcock, an Edmonton native, is in his final season as a head coach. The Blues visit Rogers Place only once this season.The Blues have started Hitchcocks final season in blistering fashion. Despite losing 2-1 in overtime in Vancouver on Tuesday night, the Blues are 3-0-1. It marks only the second time in team history that the Blues have earned points in the first four games of a regular season.Meanwhile, the Oilers have won three of their first four, and scored 17 times in the process. Thursdays game, though, is the teams fourth home game of the season already -- the Oilers have played just one road date.Because October is filled with so many home games for the Oilers, coach Todd McLellan said a good start to season isnt a want, its a need.Having home games, and needing to put some points in the bank, knowing eventually youve got to go out on the road, weve been able to do that, he said. I dont think anybody is comfortable yet, so we got some things we really need to work on. It keeps us on our edge, maybe Im being too critical of our group.The issue is that the Oilers have scored 17 (most in the Western Conference), but given up 15 (also most in the Western Conference). Each of the four games played so far this season have felt like a return to the Air Hockey Era of the 1980s.But Oilers goalie Cam Talbot turned in his best performance of the season Tuesday, stopping 31 of 33 shots after giving up six goals in a loss to Buffalo on Sunday .I need a big bounce-back game, after the game I had last. As a team, I think that sometimes we let those losses kinda snowball in the past.On Wednesday, Talbot and his wife welcomed twins to their family.Oilers defenseman Mark Fayne left Tuesdays win over Carolina with a lower-body injury. He was placed on injured reserve Wednesday and the Oilers called up defenseman Ben Betker from their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, Calif. The Oilers did not practice Wednesday.The Blues placed Jori Lehtera, who hurt his hip Saturday in a win over the New York Rangers, on injured reserve Wednesday, which opens up a roster spot. Vapormax Plus Womens Sale . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Air Max Plus 97 Sale .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. http://www.airmaxplusstoresale.com/air-vapormax-plus-cheap.html . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. Nike Air Max Plus Tn Ultra Sale . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. Air Max Tn Black .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee.ROME -- Former 100-metre world-record holder Asafa Powell, Jamaican teammate Sherone Simpson and their Canadian physical trainer were formally placed under criminal investigation for allegedly violating Italys doping laws, police said Tuesday. The move came a day after Italian police confiscated unidentified substances in a raid on the hotel where the trio was staying in the northeastern town of Lignano Sabbiadoro after the athletes tested positive for banned stimulants. The trainer is Christopher Xuereb of Toronto. Udine prosecutors believe the trio violated Article 9 of the doping laws, which calls for punishment for whoever administers or consumes banned substances. Police were still analyzing the substances seized to determine if they were legal or not. Being formally placed under investigation is a step up in the Italian justice system from someone simply "informed of the facts," which is how someone can be questioned by police. That occurred after the raid early Monday, when the trio was brought to a local police station. Police told The Associated Press that the raids were executed following a tip from the World Anti-Doping Agency. Paul Doyle, the agent for the two sprinters, said they worked in conjunction with WADA on the raid after becoming suspicious that Xuereb, their newly hired trainer, might have given them supplements laced with a banned substance. Doyle also said that Powell and Simpson were aware of the impending raid, but Xuereb was kept out of the loop. "Asafa and Sherone have been tested more than 100 times each through their career ... and never turned in a positive test," Doyle told The AP in a phone interview. "Now they change their supplements and the first time they get tested, they have a positive test? It has to be something in those new supplements that has caused it. Chris is the one that provided those. "Were not trying to throw Chris under the bus and blame him for anything. We know it has to be something in the supplements he gave them. Were not saying he did anything deliberate, but its in those supplements. We need to figure out what it was that caused this and from there move forward." An email to Xuereb by The Canadian Press seeking comment wasnt returned. It appeared that a Linked In profile belonging to Xuereb had been removed from the popular networking website. The profile, accessible on Monday, said Xuereb is from Toronto and "coaches elite and Olympic athletes (past and present) from Canada, U.S.A. and the Caribbean." The profile said that Xuereb specializes in track and field and soccer and is also a speed/power coach, soft tissue massage and treatment specialist and health and nutritional adviser. Under accomplishments, he lists 2009 World Track and Field and the "2012 Olympics (part of winning gold and silver medals)." WADA director general David Howman likened this case to the doping scandal involving the Austrian cross country skiing and biathlon teams at the 2006 Turin Olympics, when Italian police raided athletes residences following a tip from WADA and the IOC. "Theres nothing new in relation to the way we operate," Howman added. Doyle said Tuesdday the athletes had left Lignano but declined to say where they went.dddddddddddd A hotel receptionist said late Monday that Xuereb had checked out. Powell and Simpson tested positive for the stimulant oxilofrine at the Jamaican championships last month, Doyle announced Sunday, and the agent welcomed the investigation. "That must mean they found something. Thats good," Doyle said. "The whole purpose of the raid was to see what products there were there and hopefully find whatever it was that caused this positive test. Asafa and Sherone were under the assumption and led to believe everything they were taking was completely legal." However, Doyle acknowledged that he and the athletes should have been more responsible about what supplements they used. "In hindsight, we shouldve been given a list, made sure we got a list," Doyle said. "The extent of what I did, I said to (Xuereb) in a text message, that all supplements have to be cleared by me first. He never cleared them with me. He did send them in an invoice that had the names of supplements in there that he had purchased. But that was it. I didnt have the ingredient list. "Just looked at it this morning, 19 different supplements (Powell) was given." Tara Playfair-Scott, Powells publicist, said in a statement that the runner handed over to police one bottle of Aleve containing 50 capsules and one bottle of 5-hour Energy, berry flavoured. Doyle added that the athletes would ask for a backup B sample to be tested. Jamaican athletes have made Lignano their in-season training base for years. A local athletics meet was scheduled for later Tuesday in Lignano and Jamaicans had been scheduled to compete as they do most years. However, neither Powell nor Simpson was on start lists released Monday. The news of the positive tests for Powell and Simpson came the same day that American 100-metre record holder Tyson Gay revealed that he also failed a doping test. Also Monday, discus thrower Allison Randall acknowledged that she was one of the five Jamaican athletes who tested positive for a banned substance at the Jamaican championships last month, along with Powell and Simpson. Randall holds the islands record for the discus throw and competed at the London Olympics. Her statement says she was "shocked and surprised" at the findings and hopes her backup sample will clear her name. The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association issued a brief statement Monday saying an anti-doping management process has started for the athletes. It did not identify the two other athletes who tested positive. Powell was the last man to hold the 100-metre world record before Usain Bolt broke it in 2008. He also helped the Jamaicans to the 4x100-metre relay gold medal at the 2008 Olympics. Simpson won Olympic gold in the womens 4x100 relay in 2004 and silver in 2012, along with an individual silver in the 100 in 2008. The findings come a month after another Jamaican Olympic champion, Veronica Campbell-Brown, tested positive for a banned diuretic. ------ AP Sports Writers Pat Graham in Denver and Stephen Wilson in London and reports from The Canadian Press contributed. ' ' '