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EDMONTON Womens Duncan Keith Jersey , Alberta (AP) — Kailer Yamamoto celebrated his 20th birthday with two goals in the Edmonton Oilers‘ 4-3 preseason victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday.Yamamoto got his second of the game early in the third period, tapping a goalmouth feed from Drake Caggiula behind goalie Mike Smith to complete the scoring. Yamamoto has six goals in six exhibition games.Connor McDavid and Jujhar Khaira also scored and Cam Talbot made 39 saves to help the Oilers improve to 6-1. Johnny Gaudreau, Sam Bennett and Elias Lindholm scored for Calgary.Edmonton will face the Cologne Sharks in an exhibition game Wednesday night in Germany, and open the regular season next Saturday in Sweden against the New Jersey Devils.FLYERS 4, BRUINS 1At Boston, Brian Elliott made 26 saves, and Michael Raffl scored twice in the third period to lead the Flyers.Taylor Leier and Wayne Simmonds also scored for Philadelphia (4-2-1).Ryan Donato scored for Boston, and Tuukka Rask made 20 saves. The Bruins, who open the regular season Wednesday at the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals (5-2-1).RED WINGS 5, MAPLE LEAFS 1At Detroit, Jonathan Bernier made 25 saves to lead the Red Wings over the Maple Leafs.Dominic Turgeon, Vili Saarijarvi, Martin Frk, Libor Sulak and Matt Puempel scored for Detroit (7-1-0).Curtis McElhinney allowed all five Detroit goals on 37 shots, and Carl Grundstrom scored for the Maple Leafs (5-2-0).LIGHTNING 3, PANTHERS 2At Sunrise, Florida, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves to lead the Lightning past the Panthers.Mathieu Joseph, J.T. Miller and Cory Conacher scored for Tampa Bay (4-3-0).Jonathan Huberdeau and Mike Hoffman scored for Florida (3-4-0). Roberto Luongo made 23 saves.SENATORS 3, CANADIENS 0At Ottawa, Ontario, Matt Duchene had a goal and an assist, Craig Anderson stopped 19 shots and Ottawa beat Montreal.Tom Pyatt and Bobby Ryan also scored for the Senators (2-4-0).Carey Price gave up all three goals on 21 shots in two periods, and Antti Niemi stopped all 10 shots he faced in the third period for Montreal (4-3-0).BLACKHAWKS 4, BLUE JACKETS 1In Chicago, Cam Ward made 16 saves to lift the Blackhawks past the Blue Jackets.Brent Seabrook, Artem Anisimov http://www.blackhawksshoponline.com/authentic-gustav-forsling-jersey , Brandon Saad and Patrick Kane scored for Chicago (2-4-0).Jonathan Davidsson scored for the Blue Jackets (3-5-0), and Joonas Korpisalo made 23 saves.COYOTES 4, CANUCKS 1At Kelowna, British Columbia, Michael Grabner and Derek Stepan had a goal and an assist to lead Arizona.Christian Fischer and Brad Richardson added goals for the Coyotes (4-2-0).Nikolay Goldobin scored a third-period goal for Vancouver (1-6-0).Jacob Markstrom made 12 saves for Vancouver and Darcy Kuemper had 15 stops for Arizona.DUCKS 3, KINGS 0At Los Angeles, John Gibson made 32 saves to record a shutout for the Ducks.Troy Terry, Carter Rowney and Ben Street scored for Anaheim, which finished preseason play 3-3-0.Jonathan Quick stopped 34 of 37 shots for the Kings, who went 1-4-1 in exhibition play. WASHINGTON (AP) The sight of Evgeni Malkin on the ice brought a smile to many in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ locker room.Even knowing they wouldn’t have him in the lineup for Game 1 of their second-round series against the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions could glean some optimism that the skilled Russian center won’t be out long with his apparent leg injury.”It’s always nice to see a guy like him out there,” winger Bryan Rust said Thursday after an optional morning skate.”He’s a guy who’s obviously really important to our team and brings so much. Just to see him out there and see him getting closer is nice.”Coach Mike Sullivan said Malkin skating ”means he’s that much closer” to playing, even if the 31-year-old was wearing a white no-contact jersey. Malkin traveling with the team to Washington plus the progress he appears to be making could put him in line to return as soon as Game 2 Sunday afternoon.”It’s great for our team, great for Geno that he’s on the ice and skating,” Sullivan said. ”He’s a big part of this team. He’s a difference-maker and not an easy guy to replace.”Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia in Game 6 without Malkin, who was injured in Game 5 on April 20 and hadn’t practiced since. Absent the 2009 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP, the Penguins rely more heavily on superstar Sidney Crosby and fellow centers Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan and Tom Kuhnhackl.”We have the depth on our roster,” Kuhnhackl said. ”We’ve showed that before. At the end, it doesn’t matter who’s in the lineup and who’s out. Everyone’s capable of playing the right way.”Few in the NHL can play like Malkin, who has three goals and two assists in five playoff games so far. General manager Jim Rutherford acquiring Brassard at the trade deadline certainly helps Pittsburgh’s depth down the middle, but it takes more than one or two players to fill the void without Malkin.”One of the best players in the world, almost 100 points this year,” Brassard said. ”You can’t really replace a guy who scored 40 goals, but I think as a team we can do a better job and are trying to do a better job.”—

HERNING Andrew Ladd Jersey , Denmark (AP) Captain Connor McDavid scored a hat trick to lead Canada to a 5-0 win over Norway on Thursday at the ice hockey world championship, while the Czech Republic beat Russia 4-3 in overtime.Earlier Thursday, Cam Atkinson scored in overtime to give the United States a 3-2 win over Latvia, its fourth straight victory at the tournament.In another tight game, Slovakia kept its hopes alive for a quarterfinal spot by topping France 3-1, with Michal Cajkovsky scoring the final goal into an empty net.Bo Horvat scored the other two goals for Canada while goaltender Curtis McElhinney only needed to make nine saves for the shutout.”We came out and did what we had to again,” McDavid said. ”I think we’ve got a lot better as the tournament’s going on here. We understand what this tournament is about. We have to win all games.”After clinching his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer with 108 points, McDavid has four goals and six assists from four games at the championship.Boston Bruins forwards David Pastrnak and David Krejci only joined the Czech team only on Thursday morning after being knocked out of the NHL playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning and immediately made their presence felt.Pastrnak scored two goals, including the winner with 1:37 left in overtime, and added one assist while Krejci finished with a goal and three assists.Nikita Nesterov, Mikhail Grigorenko and Alexander Barabanov scored a goal each for Russia, which had shut out its previous three opponents.The Americans also won after Atkinson scored his third goal in the tournament 1:23 into overtime on a power play”It’s obviously nice to get that goal,” Atkinson said. ”It wasn’t our prettiest by no means, got to give credit to them. They fought from the start all over to the end,” he said. ”We took the points but we need to be a lot of better.”Chris Kreider gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead when he knocked in a loose puck on a power play, but Latvia defenseman Uvis Balinskis ended goalie Keith Kinkaid’s bid for a third straight shutout with a deflected shot with 2:03 remaining in the first period.Latvia then went ahead in the middle period through Andris Dzerins, but Colin White tied it for the U.S. with a slap shot that went between the pads of goalie Elvis Merzlikins.Captain Patrick Kane and forward Alex DeBrincat finished with two assists.Kinkaid made several key stops in the third period and finished with 17 saves in the game.”I was just trying to keep my team even at 2-2 and they did the rest,” Kinkaid said. ”It took the overtime period to do it but we’ve got the win.”The U.S. and Canada top Group B in Herning with 10 points followed by Finland on nine. Latvia has six points and Norway three.In Copenhagen, Sweden dominates Group A with 12 points while Russia is second with 10. Switzerland is one point back while Slovakia has seven, one more than the Czechs. Auston Matthews got a taste of playoff hockey last season. Patrik Laine has been waiting two years for this.The third pick in the 2016 draft? Well, Pierre-Luc Dubois is taking a surprising star turn in the spotlight of the NHL playoffs, too.Matthews, Laine, Dubois and 2017 top picks Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick look unfazed as they handle significant responsibilities in the postseason. For the first time since 1991, four teenagers have scored a goal in the first round of the playoffs, and all five budding superstars are in top-six forward roles, combining for five goals and six assists.”These guys are young guys,” Toronto coach Mike Babcock said after Matthews’ Game 3 winner against Boston was the 20-year-old center’s first point of the series.”They’re playing against real players and they’re young guys. You’ve got to go through some of these slappings in your life to kind of respond and learn how to respond and do things right.”They’ve been doing a lot of things right all season. Matthews’ 34 goals led the Maple Leafs; Laine’s 43 for Winnipeg were second in the NHL; Hischier’s 48 points were second on the Devils; and Patrick’s 30 and gradual improvement earned him a promotion to the Flyers‘ second-line center spot.Dubois was a bit of a surprise pick by Columbus behind Matthews and Laine at the 2016 draft, and he didn’t break into the NHL right away. Dubois wasn’t expected to mature this quickly and doesn’t get the kind of attention as last season’s top finishers for rookie of the year Anthony Beauvillier Jersey , but he’s used to that by now.”I’ve always been the guy kind of under the radar,” said Dubois, whose 48 points were third on the Blue Jackets. ”All my life it’s been pretty much like that. I don’t really look to impress other people. I just want to play well. I’ve never been the guy that everybody talked about, so it never really fazed me.”Dubois most impressively has earned the trust of old-school coach John Tortorella enough to be the Blue Jackets’ No. 1 center at age 19. Tortorella uses Dubois as an example to show older players how to handle situations, an ultimate sign of respect from a Stanley Cup-winning coach who doesn’t hesitate to put him on the ice against opposing stars.”He accepted it, he excelled,” Tortorella said. ”He has a mental toughness for a 19-year-old kid, to accept that type of responsibility and want more. It’s a different guy. You’ve got to be careful with young kids, but he has showed me tremendous progress and instant mental toughness as I’ve gotten to know him as the season’s gone on.”Laine isn’t tracking the stats of the other players in his draft class, but he knows how they are doing. Similarly, Dubois enjoys watching Matthews and Laine while trying not to compare himself to them.”They’re obviously really great players,” said Dubois, who picked up two assists in his first playoff game and scored a goal in his third. ”I know my game and people that know my game know that we’re all different players. There’s the offensive side of it, there’s the defensive side, there’s everything. Everything’s different about our games.”Production ties them together with Hischier and Patrick, who also don’t look out of place at all in their first playoffs at 19.New Jersey coach John Hynes said Hischier has been one of the Devils’ best players, which is the continuation of a season of learning for the first Swiss No. 1 pick.”I’ve seen every city, every rink and just for me it was a lot of experience this year, and guys helped me a lot,” said Hischier, who scored in Game 2 against Tampa Bay and played more than 17 minutes in the Devils’ Game 3 win. ”Just all around I think I grew as a person and as a hockey player.”Patrick wasn’t putting up a lot of points in the first half of the season but still felt he was playing well. Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol felt good enough about Patrick’s game that he promoted him and has reaped the benefits for the past couple of months and in the first round against Pittsburgh.”It’s nice for your confidence,” Patrick said. ”I think I kind of progressed through the year and kept getting better with every role they put me in.”Big roles aren’t a problem for Matthews and Laine, who are key drivers of play for the Leafs and Jets. Toronto finally got going against the Bruins in large part because of Matthews, who said he felt an earthquake in his feet when he scored in Game 3 and let out a scream to match.After Laine scored the tying goal in Game 1 against Minnesota in what became the Jets franchise’s first playoff victory, he motioned to fans for cheers before jumping into the glass. The Finnish winger is used to scoring goals – and a lot of them – but in the playoffs it’s even more special.”It was maybe a little bit nicer,” Laine said. ”I was saving my goals and celebrations for the playoffs. Now I can celly (celebrate) a little bit harder.”—AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in St. Paul, Minnesota, contributed.—

BUFFALO Troy Brouwer Jersey , N.Y. (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon shrugged off his hot start with the Colorado Avalanche this season by suggesting he can be better.“It’s nice for sure. I think I can play better than I am,” MacKinnon said after scoring twice in a 6-1 rout of the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. “I’m just putting it in right now but I think, overall, it hasn’t been the easiest year so far.”Coach Josh Bednar agrees with his player, who has five goals and extended his season-opening scoring streak to four games.“I feel like he’s just kind of starting to hit his stride,” Bednar said, before turning his attention to the Avalanche’s top line rounded out by Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog.“If they continue to work the way they’re working, and do the right things and pay attention to the process, it’s going to come for them,” he added.Tyson Jost and Colin Wilson scored power-play goals 2:25 apart in a first period in which the Avalanche built a 3-0 lead on Carl Soderberg’s goal with 3:30 left.MacKinnon scored his first of the game 28 seconds after Buffalo’s Nathan Beaulieu cut Colorado’s lead to 3-1 late in the second period.MacKinnon and Alexander Kerfoot then scored breakaway goals in the final five minutes as Colorado improved to 3-1 and bounced back from a 5-2 loss at Columbus.Semyon Varlamov stopped 30 shots to improve to 3-0. And Mackinnon matched the Colorado franchise record for a goal streak to open a season, set by John Mitchell three years ago.Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin , the first overall draft pick this summer http://www.officialhurricanes.com/authentic-adidas-andrei-svechnikov-jersey , got his first career point with an assist on Beaulieu’s goal.Otherwise, very little went right for Buffalo (2-2), which squandered a chance to match last season’s team-best three-game winning streak.Whatever momentum the Sabres attempted to generate were dashed with 22 second left in the first period when Kyle Okposo’s goal was disallowed following a coaching challenge for goalie interference.Officials determined Okposo interfered with Varlamov when he crashed into the crease to convert Jack Eichel’s pass. After redirecting the pass, Okposo backed into the goalie, forcing Varlamov to lift his right pad and allowing the puck to sneak in beneath it.“I knew it was going to be probably a 50-50 one,” Okposo said. “I don’t think me being there really affected it. But they did. And that’s how it goes.”Okposo was more frustrated over how Buffalo started the game.“I think it would’ve been nice to get out of there 3-1, but we deserved to be down 3-0,” he said. “We didn’t play well in the first period. Like, it was bad.”Buffalo’s bad breaks were compounded after Beaulieu scored.MacKinnon scored to regain Colorado’s three-goal edge after a Sabres clearing attempt got caught up referee Francis Charron’s skate. The puck dribbled to Rantanen, who fed a pass through the crease to a wide-open MacKinnon.“Last game we started out a little bit sloppy so it was something we emphasized before the game,” Wilson said. “We answered the bell there and stayed in our mindset the whole game.”NOTES: Colorado converted 2 of 4 power-play opportunities, while Buffalo went 0 for 7. … Avalanche C Vladislav Kamenev made his season debut. Acquired from Nashville in a three-team trade in November Brock McGinn Jersey Kids , he missed 50 games after breaking his arm in his Avalanche debut. … Sabres LW Johan Larsson made his season debut since sustaining a lower body injury during the preseason. D Zach Bogosian (lower body) was placed on injured reserve. … Sabres G Carter Hutton had 24 saves.UP NEXTAvalanche: Return home to play Calgary Flames on Saturday, before heading east for four-game road trip.Sabres: Open five-game road trip at Arizona on Saturday. OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks spoiled the Ottawa Senators‘ home opener with a big finish.Kane scored 38 seconds into overtime to give Chicago a 4-3 victory Thursday night. Alex DeBrincat, Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook also scored, and Cam Ward stopped 22 shots.“It’s kind of a good feeling to be down like that and have a comeback win, especially for the first game of the season,” Kane said. “It gave us a little confidence, so overall I think everyone was pretty pumped up after the game and happy to get the two points for the first game of the season.”Maxime Lajoie scored for Ottawa in his NHL debut, Colin White and Zack Smith added goals, and Craig Anderson made 37 saves.“Obviously, Kane gave it to us to get the game, but overall offensively we had so many chances http://www.officialhurricanes.com/authentic-adidas-elias-lindholm-jersey ,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said. “The key here was we didn’t bury it at the moment when it could have hurt.”Seabrook tied it midway through the third, with Kane finding the defenseman alone in front for a one-timer.“We’ve kind of been talking about being relentless in here and being resilient,” Kane said. “You give up three in the first and Ward really bounced back amazing after that. It’s a good way to start. You never want to be down going into the third, but to have it finish like that where you’re coming back, tying it up and winning in overtime gives everyone a lot of confidence.”The teams combined for five goals in the first period.Chicago opened the scoring when DeBrincat used Thomas Chabot as a screen before firing a shot past Anderson. Ottawa tied it when Smith’s shot deflected off Duncan Keith. The goal was Smith’s first since Feb. 21, also against Chicago.The Hawks regained the lead when Toews came down the wing and fired a shot off Anderson’s shoulder.The Senators tied it in Lajoie’s one-timer, and White made it 3-2 on a power play.“I never thought (Thursday) morning that I would play my first game and have my first goal in the NHL so I’m overjoyed and really happy,” Lajoie said. “The crowd was awesome and all the guys were just awesome about it.”NOTES: Ottawa LW Brady Tkachuk is day-to-day with a mild groin sprain. D Ben Harpur was a healthy scratch. … Chicago recalled G Collin Delia after Anton Forsberg was injured during the morning skate.UP NEXT:Blackhawks: At St. Louis on Saturday night.Senators: At Toronto on Saturday night.

WINNIPEG http://www.canucksshoponline.com/authentic-brock-boeser-jersey , Manitoba (AP) Jonathan Marchessault scored twice and said the expansion Vegas Golden Knights sent a message, bouncing back with a 3-1 series-evening win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference final.”Every time we need a big game as a group, we show up,” Marchessault said. ”We showed the hockey world we earned the right to be here.”Tomas Tatar scored 6:37 into the game for the Golden Knights and Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 30 saves.Kyle Connor scored midway through the third period to pull Winnipeg within a goal. Marchessault restored the two-goal lead 1:28 later.Connor Hellebuyck had 25 saves for the Jets.After losing the series opener, Marchessault told reporters the team faced a must-win game.”If you’re going to talk out there in the media that you have to be better, I think you need to lead by example,” he said. ”I tried to do that.”Game 3 is Wednesday night in Las Vegas.”I don’t think anybody is panicking,” Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba said. ”We like our road game. We like where it was in the Nashville series.”Winnipeg won three times on the top-seeded Predators’ home ice, including Game 7 last week.The expansion Golden Knights appeared to be rusty in the series opener and the Jets scored three goals early in a 4-2 win about 48 hours after advancing out of the second round.It looked like they were going to pick up where they left off.”They came out flying again with a lot of speed,” Fleury said.Fleury, who helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win three Stanley Cups, made key stops early and got help from teammate and a post in the opening minutes to keep the puck out of his net.”Fleury had to make three or four really good saves in the first seven minutes http://www.canucksshoponline.com/authentic-henrik-sedin-jersey ,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. ”We rebounded after that. We got that 2-0 lead and it was a different game for us. When teams are chasing the lead, it’s tough for teams to battle back.”Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele, who has postseason-high 12 goals , got the puck past Fleury in the opening moments of the game and Vegas defenseman Nate Schmidt cleared it from the crease .Vegas generated offense by making plays without the puck, forcing turnovers to set up goals.”We were on them,” Golden Knights forward Erik Haula said. ”That’s our game. We’re a fast team. I think we showed that.”Indeed.After the Jets failed to control the puck out of a corner in their end, Tatar ended up stuffing the puck in the net after hitting the side of the net with a shot.Connor was pressured into turning over the puck near center ice late in the opening period and Reilly Smith set up Marchessault, his former Florida Panthers teammate, at the blue line and he scored on a breakaway backhander.”There was about 57 minutes of that game that was pretty good for us,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. ”Three minutes of it got away from us.The Jets closed the scoreless second period and started the third on the power play and still couldn’t get the puck past Fleury.Yet.Winnipeg kept up the pressure on by relentlessly forechecking and drew another penalty early in the third. Connor took advantage, squeezing a shot between Fleury and the post from the bottom of the left circle 7:17 into the third.That whipped the white-clad fans into a frenzy – triggering jeers of ”Fleu-ry! Fleu-ry!” – and were quickly quieted by another Marchessault backhander that beat Hellebuyck.The Jets pulled their goaltender to add another skater over the last couple minutes of the game, but Fleury didn’t let the puck get past him again.NOTES: Vegas put Tatar and Tomas Nosek in place of David Perron and Oscar Lindberg. Gallant said Perron was not a healthy scratch. ”He wasn’t feeling well Jacob Markstrom Jersey ,” Gallant said. ”I think he’ll be fine.” … The Jets have not lost consecutive games this postseason. … Vegas acquired Tatar from the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline for a first-round pick and he played in just his fifth game of this postseason and scored his first goal. ”What a luxury to be able to put Tomas Tatar into a game in the playoffs,” Schmidt said. ”The guy has been an incredible player in this league and proved it for many years.”— PITTSBURGH (AP) Sidney Crosby crystallized the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ hot run against the Philadelphia Flyers with the kind of goal that he and few others on the planet can create.The Pittsburgh captain then sealed his team’s first season sweep of its cross-state rival in 11 years with a pass that wasn’t nearly as flashy but just as effective.Bryan Rust put his stick down in front of the Philadelphia net just in time to redirect Crosby’s feed past Petr Mrazek 2:25 into overtime to give the Penguins a 5-4 victory on Sunday.Pittsburgh pulled within three points of first-place Washington in the crowded Metropolitan Division and two points clear of Philadelphia after improving to 16-1-1 in its past 18 games at PPG Paints Arena.”We did some good things, especially the second and third, created a lot and found a way to win,” Crosby said of the Penguins, who have won a club-record 11 overtime games at home.The Flyers tied it on Sean Couturier’s goal with 43 seconds left in regulation, but the Penguins controlled the extra period. Rust ended it when his 13th goal of the season gave the Penguins their first sweep of Philadelphia since 2007 in what could be a playoff preview.Crosby’s second otherworldly goal in a week gave the Penguins the lead 17 seconds into the third period. The two-time MVP scored on an intentional double tap against Montreal last Wednesday. That one showcased his exquisite hand-eye coordination.This one showcased his strength.Crosby collected the puck high in the Philadelphia zone, used his left hand to keep Couturier at bay while using his right to dangle the puck before he skated to the left dot and ripped a wrist shot over Philadelphia defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Mrazek’s glove.”I was trying to skate into space, get open and just kind of watching him do his thing,” Rust said. ”I’m not surprised. He is who he is for a reason.”Couturier exacted a bit of revenge when he knotted it late to assure the Flyers of at least a point to pull them into a third-place tie with Columbus.”It’s a big point,” Couturier said. ”We played a pretty good game overall. For sure, it’s disappointing not coming out of here with two points Markus Granlund Jersey , but we can build on this and maybe do a little better in little areas. Overall, I think we can build on this and keep going.”Evgeni Malkin scored his 42nd goal for Pittsburgh, pulling within two of the NHL lead held by Washington’s Alex Ovechkin. Patric Hornqvist and Derick Brassard also scored for Pittsburgh. Justin Schultz had three assists for the Penguins. Matt Murray finished with 41 saves.Rookie Travis Sanheim picked up his second career goal for the Flyers. Brandon Manning and Jordan Weal also scored. Starting goaltender Alex Lyon was pulled early in the second period after giving up three goals on 11 shots. Mrazek made 19 saves, but couldn’t get a glove on Rust’s winner.The erratic Flyers fell to 4-6-3 in March after going 10-1-2 in February and have struggled keeping their cross-state rivals in check this season. Pittsburgh scored five goals in all four season meetings, outscoring Philadelphia 20-12.Considering how crowded the division standings are with two weeks to go in the regular season, a first-round playoff meeting isn’t out of the question.If it happens, it could match the wide-open postseason clash in which the clubs scored 56 goals in six games as Philadelphia pulled off an upset in 2012.Pittsburgh’s play in the defensive end isn’t quite the hot mess it was six years ago, but the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have struggled with consistency of late and had serious issues – particularly backchecking by the forwards – in keeping the puck out of their end at times.The Penguins have allowed an average of 37.4 shots over their past six games, a number they understand needs to go down if they want to have a realistic shot at a three-peat.”We have moments where I thought we were playing the game the right way,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. ”And then there were moments where we weren’t. It’s finding that consistency that’s going to make us a stiffer team or a stingier team to play against.”NOTES: The Flyers went 1 for 3 on the power play. Pittsburgh went 1 for 2. … The Penguins scratched D Matt Hunwick and Fs Carter Rowney and Zach Aston-Reese. … D Robert Hagg and Fs Taylor Leier and Dale Weise were healthy scratches for Philadelphia.UP NEXTFlyers: Continue three-game road trip in Dallas on Tuesday. Philadelphia edged the Stars 2-1 on Dec. 16.Penguins: Visit Detroit on Tuesday. The teams have split their first two meetings, each winning on home ice.—

VANCOUVER Jean-Gabriel Pageau Jersey , British Columbia (AP) Vancouver coach Travis Green did a double take when he saw Alex Biega doing postgame TV interviews.Biega got his first goal in over three years, Brandon Sutter had two goals and an assist and the Canucks beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Tuesday night.”You don’t see that a lot with the Bulldog being interviewed after his game-winner, so I had to get a picture of it,” Green said about Biega with a smile.Biega, who last scored on Feb. 16, 2015, blasted a slap shot from the corner of the blue-line that cleared traffic and found the net, giving Vancouver a 2-1 lead three minutes into the third.”The other (goal) was around the same spot, so I think I’m going to have to shoot pucks after practice around that spot,” Biega said.Sam Gagner also scored for Vancouver, which has won three of four since losing seven straight. Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 shots.Andrew Cogliano scored for the Ducks, who wrapped a four-game trip and are on a 5-1-1 stretch.The loss dropped Anaheim into a tie with the Los Angeles Kings for third in the Pacific Division, though the Kings have a game in hand. The teams play Friday night.”We’ve got probably two of the biggest games of the year coming up, L.A. on Friday night and Colorado on Sunday,” coach Randy Carlyle said. ”That pretty much sums it up, it’s desperation time for everybody and we’re going to have to play to a higher level than we did tonight.”Anaheim’s John Gibson made 26 saves. He has been dominant against Vancouver http://www.senatorsshoponline.com/authentic-mark-stone-jersey , coming into the game 6-1-1 with a 1.37 goals-against average and three shutouts against the Canucks.Vancouver got to him at 9:53 in the opening period. Daniel Sedin’s shot from the faceoff circle bounced off Gibson and right to Gagner, who batted in the rebound.Markstrom made two big saves in the second period. The first off a 3-on-2 with Ryan Getzlaf setting up Andrew Cogliano and the second on Corey Perry shooting from inside the slot.Markstrom later made a gaffe that lead to the Ducks’ tying goal. The puck took an odd bounce off the stanchion during a dump-in, and Markstrom was caught stranded as Cogliano whipped the errant puck in.”If we win 4-1 and that is the goal that beat me I’ll take that any day,” Markstrom said. ”It’s frustrating when it happens, but if we win 4-1, I’ll take that goal any day.”Sutter made it a two-goal lead when he burst out to a breakaway, hit the side of the net, then collected the puck and flipped it in over an out-of-position Gibson.Sutter added his second of the night into an empty net with 16 seconds left.NOTES: U.S. Olympian Troy Terry made his NHL debut for the Ducks. He played on a line with Ondrej Kase and Adam Henrique. … Newly signed Canucks C Adam Gaudette did not dress and is expected to make his NHL debut Thursday against Edmonton.UP NEXTDucks: Host Los Angeles on Friday night.Canucks: Host Edmonton on Thursday night.— LAS VEGAS (AP) The San Jose Sharks made it a priority to get faster following a loss in the Stanley Cup Final to Pittsburgh two years ago.The Sharks looked awfully slow and lost at times in the 7-0 rout at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights in their second-round series opener.Vegas outhit the Sharks, 48-33.Vegas had 15 takeaways, San Jose had six.Vegas blocked 26 shots, the Sharks 13.San Jose was whistled for 10 penalties; Vegas just five.”We had a laundry list of issues,” coach Peter DeBoer said. ”We weren’t good, and they beat us. It’s obviously not pretty and we know we have to be better across the board.”The Sharks don’t have much time, and maybe that’s a good thing. Game 2 is Saturday night.San Jose won’t have forward Evander Kane, who was suspended one game for cross-checking Vegas forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare in the head after a whistle late in the third period Thursday night. He was sent off and Joe Pavelski went off at the same time for slashing,In a video announcing the suspension Youth Matt Duchene Jersey , the NHL department of player safety said Kane’s cross-check ”was not a hockey play” and served no purpose other than to strike an opponent in the head.”I’m not a dirty player. It was just a forecheck that went into a scrum,” Kane said afterward. ”I just cross-checked him in the arm and unfortunately that rolled up when he extended his arm. There was no intent and I’m glad he wasn’t hurt on the play.”The game was out of hand by then.Goaltender Martin Jones, who looked brilliant in the first round by allowing just four goals in a sweep of Anaheim, came into the series with a career .931 save percentage, third best ever among goalies with at least 20 playoff games. He gave up four goals in the first period alone and was pulled after allowing a fifth 3:28 into the second period.”That was on us as a group and it wasn’t on him,” DeBoer said. ”I wanted to give him enough time that he could feel ready for Saturday but at the same time, you know, not have to stand in there and get embarrassed.”The Sharks started the series without star center Joe Thornton, who has been out since Jan. 23 with a knee injury, and there is no timeline for his return.The Sharks must figure out a way to solve Marc-Andre Fleury, who stopped 33 shots for his13th career shutout in the playoffs and third this postseason. Fleury made 17 saves in the first period alone, including 10 on the penalty kill, while his teammates were scoring at the other end. San Jose was 6 for 20 on the power play in the opening round against the Ducks but went 0-for-5 against Fleury.”We have to be better, that’s the message they sent,” DeBoer said. ”And we’ve got to respond to that.”—

ST. PAUL http://www.mapleleafsshoponline.com/authentic-james-van-riemsdyk-jersey , Minn. (AP) The Minnesota Wild skated to the NHL trade deadline in an enviable position, on track for the playoffs with their lineup almost intact again.Though the top two teams in the daunting Central Division bolstered their rosters on the last day for dealing of the season, the Wild weren’t worried. They’ve won four straight games to surge into fourth place in the Western Conference.”I like what we have and the way we’re playing,” coach Bruce Boudreau said on Monday, about two hours before the trade deadline. ”Obviously to get into the playoffs and to go anywhere, we have to play better.”That’s essentially what they’ve done, though, after stumbling through their first 20 games. They’re 26-12-4 since Nov. 9, and 10 of their next 11 games are against teams currently below the cut for the postseason.”We’re showing that we’re sticking to the game plan,” center Matt Cullen said. ”Early in the year, we may have changed things up a little bit if things weren’t going our way and find ourselves in trouble and dig a hole, but I think it’s been pretty good here lately.”Nashville acquired left wing Ryan Hartman from Chicago and re-signed center Mike Fisher for the stretch run. Winnipeg landed center Paul Stastny in a surprising swap with suddenly skidding St. Louis. The only move the Wild made on Monday was to trade defenseman Mike Reilly to Montreal for a fifth-round draft pick.”I don’t let it bother me,” Boudreau said. ”I’ve always believed if we do the right things, then usually good things happen. I’ve been on both sides.”They’re expecting defenseman Jonas Brodin back from a broken left hand this week, and their forward depth has been sound enough that they let right wing Chris Stewart go in a waiver claim by Calgary. That gives the Wild some more space under the salary cap for future maneuvering.”We pretty well knew he was going to get picked up,” Boudreau said. ”He’s too good a person, too good a teammate for nothing to happen to him.”The Wild, who host the Blues on Tuesday Youth John Tavares Jersey , have displayed an invaluable ability to rally lately. They turned a 2-0 deficit in the final minute of the second period against San Jose on Sunday into a 3-2 overtime victory . They trailed 2-0 at New Jersey on Thursday and charged back to win 4-2.”Lately, we’re getting that feeling that we’re never out of it,” goalie Devan Dubnyk said. ”That’s an important one to have.”Even more critical than this late-season resilience has been the productivity of these victories. Sometimes teams can get hot and still go nowhere in the standings, but the Wild have timed their streak well against slumps by some of their closest Western Conference competitors.”It’s a good sign for us, but it’s still going to be tight,” left wing Zach Parise said. ”We all know there’s not a lot of points separating the teams, so we’ve got to keep improving and worry about ourselves. You don’t want to find yourselves in a spot where you have to scoreboard watch.”— Matt Martin is going back to the New York Islanders.The Toronto Maple Leafs have dealt the feisty forward to the Islanders, who drafted him in 2008. The Leafs get minor-league goalie Eamon McAdam in the deal.Also on Tuesday, the Islanders agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with goalie Robin Lehner. Lehner had a 3.01 goals-against average with a .908 save percentage in 53 games with the Buffalo Sabres last season.The Sabres declined to give Lehner a $4 million qualifying offer as a restricted free agent and relinquished his rights. He will try to improve the Islanders goaltending which allowed a league-high 293 goals last season.Martin signed a four-year, $10 million deal with the Leafs prior to the 2016 season. After playing every game in his first season with the Leafs, Martin suited up for just 50 games this past season and did not dress for Toronto’s seven-game playoff series against the Boston Bruins.In 132 games for the Leafs, the 29-year-old Martin had eight goals, 13 assists and 173 penalty minutes.The 23-year-old McAdam split the 2017-18 season between Bridgeport of the AHL and Worcester of the ECHL. A third-round pick of the Islanders in 2013, McAdam has not played in the NHL.The move comes two days after the Leafs beat out the Islanders for marquee free agent John Tavares, who had been with New York since starting his NHL career in 2009.It marks the first trade between new Leafs GM Kyle Dubas and the man who preceded him in that role – Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello.—

NEW YORK (AP) Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty left during the third period of Friday night’s 6-3 win over the New York Islanders with a lower-body injury.Montreal announced Pacioretty’s diagnosis in the third period on its Twitter feed Mathew Barzal Jersey , saying the forward would not return to the game. Afterward, coach Claude Julien said Pacioretty would join the team for the remainder of its six-game trip.”He’s going to be re-evaluated as we go along,” Julien said. ”We were being cautious in the third period. This isn’t a time for us to be risky. So we’ll see what he’s like tomorrow.”The Canadiens play the Boston Bruins on Saturday.Pacioretty was the subject of trade rumors ahead of last Monday’s trade deadline, and he denied reports this week that he requested a deal to a new team.Pacioretty entered Friday with 17 goals and 20 assists in 63 games this season. The 29-year old has scored 30 or more goals five times in his career, all with the Canadiens. His career high is 37 in 2014-15.— DALLAS (AP) Once the Boston Bruins broke through in the third period, they couldn’t be stopped.David Pastrnak snapped a tie with 12 seconds left and the Bruins scored three straight goals in the third to rally past the fading Dallas Stars 3-2 on Friday night.”We said between periods we just need the one goal,” Pastrnak said. ”If we get the first one, we’re going to get another.”Brad Marchand scored Boston’s first goal and assisted on the other two, including a short-handed goal by Tim Schaller that tied it midway through the third period.With only seconds remaining, a scramble followed a faceoff in the Dallas end http://www.islandersfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-leddy-jersey , and Marchand passed to Pastrnak in front. While falling down, he put the puck past Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen.”I was thinking shoot,” Marchand said, ”but I had a couple guys in my lane and I saw (Pastrnak) drive and I figured if I get it down there, hopefully he can make a play.”Tuukka Rask made a season-high 40 saves for the Bruins.”He made a lot of really big saves, especially early on,” Marchand said. ”He’s been the backbone of our team all year, for a few years now.”The second-place Bruins won for the first time in three games (1-0-2) to move within four points of Atlantic Division leader Tampa Bay. Boston has already clinched a playoff berth.The Stars are winless in their last seven games (0-5-2). They remained four points behind Colorado for the second Western Conference wild card.”I didn’t think we were very good in our own end with the puck,” coach Ken Hitchcock said. ”We had all kinds of opportunities on the first and third goal to get it out.”Dallas led 2-0 on a first-period goal by Esa Lindell and Jamie Benn’s short-handed score late in the second.In the third, Marchand tipped in a shot by Pastrnak before Schaller scored on a 2-on-1 with Marchand.Lehtonen finished with 33 saves.”We had the game. We just need to keep going Brady Skjei Jersey ,” Lehtonen said. ”It was a broken play, that (first) goal. Shot that got tipped. I thought it was going to come faster to the net.”Lindell scored 2:26 into the game. Jason Dickinson tried to deflect a shot from the right point into the net but the puck went wide right. Curtis McKenzie picked it up behind the goal line and passed to Lindell high in the left faceoff circle. His wrist shot went in off Rask’s right arm.Benn missed two good scoring opportunities early in the second period, but connected at 19:22. He took a pass from Tyler Seguin at the Dallas blue line and had a breakaway when Matt Grzelcyk fell down. Benn slid a backhand under Rask.NOTES: The Bruins have won their last five games in Dallas. … Stars D Marc Methot returned after missing four games because of a hand injury. … Three of Schaller’s 11 goals have come short-handed. … Benn’s short-handed goal was his first this season, the Stars’ fifth and the ninth allowed by Boston. … Dallas gave up eight goals in 22 opponent power plays on its winless six-game road trip but returned home and killed off all three against Boston. The Bruins’ penalty killers are 12 for 13 in the last five games, including 4 for 4 on Friday. … Marchand has 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in his last 11 games.UP NEXTBruins: Visit the Minnesota Wild on Sunday, the third stop on a four-game trip.Stars: Play the second of three straight home games Sunday against Vancouver.—

The NHL said Thursday it is investigating Philadelphia Flyers forward Jori Lehtera after a report he is being questioned in connection with a drug bust in his native Finland.Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league is investigating the situation. Lehtera’s lawyer Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Jersey , Ari Nieminen, said he expects police to release a statement clearing up some things that came out of the report.“Police is giving this brief statement about this because this is getting out of hand,” Nieminen said by phone. “They are going to clear some things up because there’s some kind of misunderstanding about his case.”Finnish news agency MTV reported Wednesday that Lehtera is connected with an investigation into a cocaine ring. Nieminen said no charges have been filed against Lehtera.“He’s only suspected,” Nieminen said. “In my opinion, very minor things. It’s wrong to say that he’s involved with this kind of thing what they are really investigating, the police.”Nieminen said he could not comment on specific details of the case. He expects the police briefing to come Friday. A spokeswoman for the police department did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.Lehtera, 30, is entering his fifth NHL season and is in the last year of his contract with Philadelphia. He has played 280 regular-season and 39 playoff games for the St. Louis Blues and Flyers.“We have spoken with Jori Lehtera and the league office regarding the reports out of Finland, and will reserve any further comment on the matter at this time,” Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said. DALLAS (AP) Jamie Benn turned another tying goal late in regulation into the extra point for the Dallas Stars in the tight Western Conference playoff race.Benn scored 3:04 into overtime after Alexander Radulov’s tying tally in the final three minutes of regulation, and the Stars rallied to beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Saturday.The win came two days after Dallas salvaged a point with a goal in the final seconds of regulation against NHL-leading Tampa Bay before losing in the extra period.”We put so much work into it we just don’t want to give up a point or we’re just fighting and scratching for everything Ryan Strome Jersey ,” Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said. ”And you know what? We’re going to have another dozen to 15 games like this. It’s just the way it’s going to be.”Benn’s winner from the high slot came after Radulov chipped a shot pass Carter Hutton on a pass from Tyler Seguin after a shot from Benn went over the net and caromed off the end boards. Seguin had two assists.The Stars thought they had gone ahead 35 seconds later when the puck slid past Hutton from a pile in front of him, but the goal was overturned when replay determined the shot went in off Devin Shore’s skate.”I didn’t know where the puck was,” Shore said. ”When I watched the video it looked borderline. Tough to see it turned back, but it’s no biggie. We responded really well, especially getting the win in overtime. It’s like it never even happened.”The Blues took a 2-1 lead with less than eight minutes remaining when Jaden Schwartz skated full speed past Antoine Roussel as the Dallas forward came off the bench on a line change and beat Ben Bishop, who stopped 35 shots.St. Louis lost for the eighth time in nine games, and the Stars strengthened their hold on the top wild-card spot in the West. Dallas won the season series 3-2, with the home team winning each time.”I’d say it’s a familiar feeling,” Blues coach Mike Yeo said. ”We get the lead and late in the game we have to play with a lot of more confidence, a lot of more assertion, a lot more aggressiveness. We need more of a killer instinct.”Tyler Pitlick scored the game’s first goal when he took a pass from Roussel while alone at the blue line Womens Wayne Gretzky Jersey , skated in and beat Hutton easily on the stick side seven minutes into the second period.Hutton had 31 saves after stopping 35 of 36 in a win over Detroit that stopped a season-high seven-game losing streak.”We’ll take one point over nothing, but it’s still not good enough,” Hutton said. ”We’re chasing guys in the standings. We needed two.”The Blues got even when Ivan Barbashev tapped a rebound into an open net on Vince Dunn’s shot off Bishop’s pads. Vladimir Tarasenko had his 30th assist on the goal.The first period was scoreless despite the teams spending six of the first seven minutes on special teams.It started with St. Louis on a power play when Chris Thorburn and Roussel dropped the gloves 11 seconds into the game. Both were given five-minute fighting penalties and 10-minute misconducts, and Roussel got an instigating penalty that gave the Blues the man advantage.Near the end of the penalty, Esa Lindell was called for delay of game, but the Blues failed to convert again. The stretch wrapped up with a 4-on-4 after a slashing call against St. Louis’ Patrick Berglund and an interference penalty on Brett Ritchie.NOTES: St. Louis F Scottie Upshall and D Jay Bouwmeester left with lower-body injuries and didn’t return. … Brett Hull, who scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for Dallas in 1999, did the ceremonial puck drop. The Stars are celebrating 25 years in Dallas this season.UP NEXTBlues: Four days off before the start of a three-game West Coast swing Thursday at San Jose.Stars: Finale of a five-game homestand Monday against Ottawa.—

COLUMBUS Authentic Mats Zuccarello Jersey , Ohio (AP) Seth Jones scored twice in the second period and Sergei Bobrovsky returned from an illness to make 22 saves as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Friday night.Matt Calvert also scored for the surging Blue Jackets, who have won four in a row and remain firmly in the Eastern Conference playoff picture with 13 games to go. Columbus swept a back-to-back, surpassed New Jersey to grab the first wild-card spot and moved to within two points of Philadelphia for third place in the Metropolitan Division.Darren Helm and Andreas Athanasiou scored, and Jared Coreau, in just his second start of the season, had 33 stops for the reeling Red Wings, losers of six straight.STARS 2, DUCKS 1DALLAS (AP) – Devin Shore and Jamie Benn scored power-play goals in the third period and the Dallas Stars beat the Anaheim Ducks.With the game tied at 1, Benn tipped John Klingberg’s shot from the top of the slot past Anaheim’s Ryan Miller for the go-ahead goal with 5:37 remaining.Ryan Getzlaf scored Anaheim’s goal in the first period.Both teams entered with 80 points, but Dallas increased its lead for the first wild card from the Western Conference to three points over Los Angeles. Anaheim remained one point ahead of the Kings for third place in the Pacific Division.FLAMES 2, SENATORS 1OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) – Sam Bennett and Matt Stajan scored and David Rittich made 29 saves to lead the Calgary Flames past the Ottawa Senators.The win was the second straight for the Flames, who ended a four-game losing streak with a victory in Buffalo on Wednesday night.Jean-Gabriel Pageau spoiled Rittich’s bid for his first career shutout by scoring on a penalty shot with 7:05 left in the game.Mike Condon made 35 saves for the Senators, including a breakaway stop on Johnny Gaudreau with the score still 1-0 in Calgary’s favor early in the third period.WILD 5, CANUCKS 2VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Eric Staal scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and the Minnesota Wild surged past the Vancouver Canucks.Staal has 11 goals in his last nine games, giving him 37 for the season – just three behind Washington’s Alex Ovechkin for the league lead.Zach Parise, Matt Cullen, Marcus Foligno and Charlie Coyle, with an empty-netter Mika Zibanejad Jersey , also scored for the Wild, who have won three straight and eight of their past 10. Minnesota leads Dallas by three points for third in the Central Division and trails Winnipeg by six points for second. Devan Dubnyk made 30 saves.Michael Del Zotto and Jussi Jokinen scored for the Canucks, who wrapped up a five-game homestand with a 1-2-2 record.— GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) Alexandar Georgiev is set to make his NHL debut for the New York Rangers when they visit the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.The 22-year-old Russian was 12-11-2 with a 2.97 goals-against average and .908 save-percentage in 31 games with Hartford of the AHL before being called up by the Rangers on Feb. 10.”Everything I hear about that young man is positive,” coach Alain Vigneault said Wednesday at the team’s practice facility in suburban New York. ”I hope our team in front of him is going to play real hard. We got to come out with energy.”Article continues below ...Starting goalie Henrik Lundqvist has appeared in 27 of the Rangers’ last 30 games – twice when he came off the bench to replace backup Ondrej Pavelec, who is currently injured. The Rangers have lost 11 of their last 14, and Lundqvist has given up 18 goals on 128 shots during their current four-game skid. That includes a 7-4 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday.”That first period we came out with energy, we were ready to play,”Vigneault said. ”Obviously toward the end there wasn’t much left in the tank. We’ve had a full week to regroup here and I want us to play a good game in front of a guy that’s going to play his first game in goal for us.”Georgiev’s chance comes in the front end of a back-to-back, as the Rangers return home to host Minnesota on Friday night.After dealing with injuries to several players, the Rangers are starting to get healthier. Veteran defenseman Marc Staal, out since Feb. 3 with a strained neck, will return against the Canadiens and be paired with Tony DeAngelo. Vigneault said forward Chris Kreider (blood clot) is also close to returning, but will not make the trip to Montreal. The coach said defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk (knee) and Ryan McDonagh (upper body) and Pavelec have all started skating as they work their way back and will also remain in New York.Defenseman Rob O’Gara, acquired from Boston on Tuesday in the deal that sent Nick Holden to the Bruins, will make his Rangers debut against the Canadiens. The 24-year-old will be paired with fellow rookie John Gillmour.The deal was the first of what could be several made with Monday’s trade deadline approaching. It came about two weeks after general manager Jeff Gorton announced the Rangers’ moves at the deadline would be with an eye to the future and ”not trying to save this season.”Vigneault acknowledged the announcement has made things ”a little awkward,” but added that players and coaches ”all got to focus and we all got to be pros.”The Rangers, who have missed the postseason just once – in 2010 – since the lockout wiped out the 2005-06 season, are six points behind Columbus for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.—

MOSCOW (AP) Alex Ovechkin is bringing the Stanley Cup to the World Cup.Fresh off winning the NHL title Anthony Duclair Jersey , the Washington Capitals forward is continuing his summer-long victory tour by taking the trophy to Moscow on Saturday, where it will be exhibited at a ”fan fest” public viewing site ahead of Russia’s quarterfinal game against Croatia.Ovechkin wrote on Instagram, ”Dear friends, I’ll be happy to see everyone who wants to take a photo with the Stanley Cup.”Ovechkin was in his native Moscow on Sunday to see Russia beat Spain on penalties in the round of 16 following a 1-1 draw after extra time.The NHL veteran is hugely popular in Russia, where it’s not uncommon to see fans wearing Capitals hats and other gear. He led the team to its first Stanley Cup in his 13th season after nine consecutive playoff appearances ended in disappointment.The victory was emotional for Ovechkin http://www.blackhawksshoponline.com/authentic-artem-anisimov-jersey , who brought the cup back to Washington for an entertaining days-long celebration that included a keg stand, shirtless swimming in a fountain and posing with the cup in bed alongside his wife, Nastya.He also threw out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals game – asking for and receiving a do-over – and greeted hundreds of thousands of fans during a parade along the National Mall.— NEW YORK (AP) The New York Rangers have waived defenseman Brendan Smith, less than eight months after re-signing him to a four-year, $17 million contract.The move Thursday came on Smith’s 29th birthday. He has one goal and seven assists in 44 games this season. He was acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline last year and totaled three goals and six assists in 51 games with the Red Wings and RangersSmith Brandon Saad Jersey , a left-handed shooter, has 17 goals and 62 assists over 353 career games spanning parts of seven seasons.New York has lost 11 of its last 15 games and began the day in last place in the tight Metropolitan Division, three points behind Columbus and the crosstown Islanders for the last wild card in the Eastern Conference.Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is out indefinitely while recovering from knee surgery Jan. 22.New York recalled defenseman Neal Pionk from Hartford of the AHL, where he has one goal and 16 assists in 48 games.