MOSCOW -- Maxim Kovtuns two confident quads gave him a big lead after Fridays short program in the Rostelecom Cup, the last of six Grand Prix events before the final. Taylor Ward Jersey . As the only competitor to try two quads, much less complete them, Kovtun ended the day nearly nine points ahead of Japans Tatsuki Machida, who opened with a clean quad but then stepped out of the triple toe loop that was the second jump in his combination. Javier Fernandez of Spain was in third despite falling on his quad. In the womens short program, Russian Julia Lipnitskaia was in the lead, followed by Carolina Kostner of Italy, the 2012 world champion. American teammates Agnes Zawadzki and Mirai Nagasu were one-hundredth of a point apart at third and fourth, though well behind the two leaders. Kovtun is gunning for the sole Russian mens slot in Sochi, which Turin Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko also wants. Plushenko was to have been part of the Rostelecom field, but withdrew from what would have been his first top-tier competition since back surgery this spring. Plushenko blamed his withdrawal on a knee injury. "I was interested in trying my strength against such a fantastic skater," Kovtun said. "But I hope I will have another chance at Russian nationals." Kovtun was strong throughout his flamenco-themed program, the only notable flaw that he was almost sitting on the landing of his second quad to keep his balance. Machida, who won gold at Skate America, lamented that he was not in good condition in Moscow, but said its not clear whats troubling him. "Actually, I dont know," he said when asked about the specifics. Fernandez, the European champion and world bronze medallist , expressed satisfaction despite his fall. "I think I just had a little problem in the pattern and I just need to keep my mind clear," he said. All four of the top women did triple-triple combinations. But Lipnitskaia landed a more difficult triple lutz-triple toe combo while Kostner, Zawadzki and Nagasu all did triple toe-triple toes. In pairs, four-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy led after the short program, followed by Russians Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov and Canadas Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch. Lipnitskaia, who won gold at Skate Canada, will qualify for the Grand Prix final with a medal of any shade in Moscow. Kostner would qualify with a gold, but Zawadzki, after a seventh-place finish in the Cup of China, is out of contention. The top six skaters in each discipline qualify for the final, which is Dec. 5-8 in Fukuoka, Japan. Lipnitskaias program began on a mysterious note, with her crouched down and drawing figures with her finger on the ice. Asked what thats all about, she chose to keep the meaning hidden. "Everyone can see what he wants to," she said. But once she rose from the crouch, the 2012 junior world champions program was crystal-clear: a clean triple-triple, a precisely landed double axel and a very fast combination spin at the end. The veteran Kostner, who said she is contemplating retirement after the season, said she was soothed by being back on the ice at Moscows Luzhniki Small Arena. The arena was the practice rink for the 2005 world championships, where she won her first world medal, a bronze. "It feels very special," Kostner said. "Its funny to see so much time has passed." The top pairs all struggled, notably Savchenkos hard fall on a throw triple axel, a challenging move that the pair daringly puts almost at the end of their program when their energy has flagged somewhat. "Its a risky element," Szolkowy acknowledged. "We tried it in several positions; we found at the end it is best." Bazarova put her hand down on the pairs opening triple toe loop and landed awkwardly on the throw triple loop, but said it was all an improvement over last weeks Trophee Bompard, where the pair was fourth. "Today, we got the maximum levels," she said. Moscovitch took his fall in stride, saying, "I was working on some yoga positions on the landing." Noe Ramirez Jersey . - Henrik Samuelsson and Curtis Lazar each had two goals and two assists as the Edmonton Oil Kings secured top spot in the Eastern Conference by defeating the host Red Deer Rebels 7-4 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action. Frank Robinson Jersey . The future hall of famers stole the show at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night, with Jagr moving into seventh place in all-time goal scoring and Brodeur stopping 29 shots as the Devils downed the Montreal Canadiens 4-1. https://www.cheapangels.com/2453j-anthony-bemboom-jersey-angels.html . Cilic cruised to victory, beating the seventh-seeded Seppi 6-1, 6-3 in just 72 minutes. He faced only one break point, winning 24 out of 29 points played on the first serve.NEW YORK -- Major League Baseballs average attendance fell 1.2 per cent this year, with the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies experiencing big drops. The average was 30,514, down from 30,895 last year and the peak of 32,785 in 2007. Total attendance of 74.03 million was down from 74.86 million last season but was the sports sixth-highest. There were 37 postponements this year, up from 21 in 2012. "After the challenges posed by poor weather early in the season, our game showed its resiliency with a terrific second half," commissioner Bud Selig said. After cutting payroll ahead of their second season in a downtown ballpark, the Marlins went 62-100 and experienced a 29 per cent drop in home attendancce, from 2. CJ Wilson Angels Jersey. million to 1.6 million. The Phillies were 73-89 in their poorest season since 2000 and watched home attendance fall from 3.57 million to just over 3 million. Milwaukee fell from 2.8 million to 2.5 million in a season when NL MVP Ryan Braun was suspended for the final 65 games after admitting he used banned performance-enhancing drugs. Minnesota (66-96) dropped by 298,000 and Texas by 282,000. Toronto rose 437,000 to 2.5 million after acquiring Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey. The resurgent Los Angeles Dodgers climbed by 419,000 and led the major leagues at 3.7 million. Washington went up by 281,000, Baltimore by 255,000 and Cincinnati by 187,000. ' ' '