Off Topic » McClement is useful if

Sunrise, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Sean Bergenheims goal with 6:52 remaining in the third period lifted the Florida Panthers to a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Jonathan Huberdeau and rookie Aaron Ekblad both scored in the second period for the Panthers, who got 30 saves from Roberto Luongo. Florida ended a 10-game losing streak to the Blue Jackets, a six-game home skid and a five-game slide overall. Jack Johnson and rookie Alexander Wennberg had second-period goals for Columbus, which has dropped six of its last nine games. Curtis McElhinney gave up three goals on 31 shots. I thought we had some energy and some jump ... we gave ourselves an opportunity, McElhinney said. Bergenheim deflected in Dmitry Kulikovs wrister from the left point to break a 2-2 tie. The goal proved to be painful as Bergenheim was struck in the face by Johnsons stick. Lucky I got the puck first, then I took the stick on the mouth, Bergenheim said. The Panthers failed to score on the subsequent power play and then withstood a late charge from the Blue Jackets, who lost for the first time in the series since Nov. 21, 2007. Cam Atkinson dished to Johnson, who fired a one-timer from the point past Luongos glove for the games first goal 68 seconds into the second period. Huberdeau tied it 1:41 later as he scored off his backhand from in front of the net, and the Panthers grabbed a 2-1 lead when Ekblad scored on a shot from the right point with 8:24 remaining. McElhinney made a right pad save to deny Brandon Pirri on a breakaway two minutes earlier. Columbus pulled even when Wennberg used a cross-checking motion to direct a floating puck into the net with 1:26 left. Game Notes Columbus forward Artem Anisimov returned to the lineup after missing 23 games with a torn triceps muscle ... Florida forward Shawn Thornton was back after a groin injury sidelined him for 20 games ... Blue Jackets rookie forward Josh Anderson picked up his first NHL point with the secondary assist on Wennbergs goal. Troy Tulowitzki Jersey . Harris has played in six games since joining the Argos in 2012, completing 17-of-35 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown. Garrett Hampson Jersey . Minutes before the final whistle of Sporting Kansas Citys 3-0 victory over a shorthanded Montreal Impact squad on Saturday afternoon, Saputo tweeted: "Our fans deserve better. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/.com) - The Toronto Blue Jays will look to snap a three-game skid Friday night when they continue their road trip in the opener of a three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Phil Diehl Jersey . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson. Fake Rockies Jerseys ." The tournament was set to be held Sept. 15-21 and would have been the first ATP tournament held in Israel since 1996. But amid Israels military campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, ATP President Chris Kermode said "we do not feel we can proceed as planned given the situation in the region.TORONTO – Randy Carlyle entered the dressing room of the Maple Leafs practice facility Monday morning to an unusual and almost eerie silence. There was no music pumping from the stereo system, nothing but the uncomfortable quiet of a team in midst of another memorable late season collapse. "Thats a sure tell-tale sign," he said of a group in shock, down in the dumps from a losing streak numbering eight games, one that has the clubs playoff hopes dangling from the thinnest of threads. Carlyle took the day to inject a little life into what remains of those hopes. He also did a fair bit of teaching, directing, and informing, tweaks to "things that we think that are very easily correctable". He implored his forwards to "turn your [butt]" to protect the puck and adjusted the positioning of Jay McClement and Tim Gleason during one particular defensive zone drill. Carlyle may be coaching for his job in these final six games of the regular season, but beyond the uncertain question of the head coach and his status for next season is the roster retooling that seems likely to take place under the direction of GM Dave Nonis and his management team this summer. With 10 players up for free agency – including half the forward group and two top-four defenders – and the core deserving of some scrutiny after another collapse, plenty of change could and probably will be coming to the Leafs. Forwards James van Riemsdyk Tyler Bozak Phil Kessel Joffrey Lupul Nazem Kadri Nikolai Kulemin** Mason Raymond** Dave Bolland** David Clarkson Troy Bodie** Jay McClement** Jerry DAmigo* Colton Orr Defencemen Carl Gunnarsson Dion Phaneuf Jake Gardiner* Cody Franson* Tim Gleason Morgan Rielly Paul Ranger** Goaltenders Jonathan Bernier James Reimer* Note: *Restricted Free Agent | **Unrestricted Free Agent Phil Kessel, James van Riemsdyk, Dion Phaneuf, David Clarkson, Joffrey Lupul, and Tyler Bozak are all locked up until the summer of 2017 and in some cases beyond. They constitute the Toronto core along with Morgan Rielly and Jonathan Berrnier and the far less secure but high upside duo of Nazem Kadri and Jake Gardiner.dddddddddddd Considering their place in three straight collapses – all of varying degree – and ongoing struggles to defend, adjustment to the group has to be considered with only Kessel, van Riemsdyk, Bernier and Rielly seemingly off the table this offseason. Luke Schenn, once a cornerstone of that group, was jettisoned after the meltdown in 2012. Mikhail Grabovski faced the same fate via compliance buyout after Game 7 last spring. Will the summer ahead bring with it more change to the building blocks of the organization? Is a 1-2 centre punch of Bozak and Kadri strong enough to be a force in the East or are upgrades needed down the middle? Is there enough two-way stability to the current top-six (all signed long-term, save for Kadri) with little in the way of youth on the way? Can Clarkson be redeemed in year two of a whopping seven-year contract? Might the organization buy him out? Is a trade even possible? Can Lupul be a part of the solution at age 30 and beyond that? Is the core, generally speaking, good enough to win as constructed or is a major or perhaps minor tinkering required? Beyond that core is the looming free agent bunch, of which Bolland figures to be the most intriguing. The 27-year-old began his Leaf career with a bang, posting six goals and 10 points in October. But a serious ankle injury kept him out nearly five months and muddled his status in the process. Theres value there, but at what price and what term? Can he stabilize the club at centre ice or is there a better fit elsewhere, perhaps 28-year-old Paul Statsny, also entering unrestricted free agency for the first time? Then there are the likes of Mason Raymond, Nik Kulemin, Jay McClement, Troy Bodie and Paul Ranger, all also unrestricted. McClement is useful if employed in a fourth line role, and Bodie has certainly earned himself another contract with an energetic presence. The others all have question marks with price point and fit among the concerns. Thats the entire group of bottom-six forwards, all in question to return next season. None of the three restricted free agents are certain or maybe even likely to come back next year with Jake Gardiner the likeliest of a bunch – by a good margin – that includes Cody Franson and the all-but-gone James Reimer. Torontos defence should be the top priority for upgrade followed by a forward complement that has plenty of holes in the bottom ranks (size, strength, defensive commitment among the issues) with question marks up top and down the middle as well. Nonis would be hard-pressed to bring back Carlyle if the Leafs do definitively fumble away their once certain playoff chances, but hell also have to give a long, hard look to a roster thats proven (in conjunction with that coaching staff) to be flawed and in need of improvement. ' ' '