Neues » confidence with his late-season

(Sports Network) - Now that the business of bronzing franchise icon and international star Teemu Selanne is through, the Anaheim Ducks can finally get down to the business to which they should have been paying attention all along: making a dent in the stacked Western Conference when it counts. Cheap Shoes Sale Online . Bruce Boudreaus club heads into the season having posted a franchise-record in wins (54), and as the two-time defending champions of the Pacific Division and the club which sported the most points (116) in the West. However, theyre going to need to figure out a way to get past the Blackhawks, Blues, Avalanche and rival Los Angeles beyond the regular season to be considered a legitimate threat. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. It was those same Kings who upended Anaheim in a second-round series which went the distance and featured several momentum swings: the Ducks were down 0-2 before rallying to win three straight, then dropped the last two, including Game 7 on home ice to the eventual Stanley Cup champions. Perhaps a little less Selanne worship and better attention paid to things like the carousel in the crease, and Anaheim might have reached the conference finals for the first time since winning it all in 2007. Nonetheless, with a fresh start, a roster stocked with predominantly young talent allowed to grow and experience the pain and frustration of loss under certain expectations, we could see a team using the regular season as a mere testing ground for greater things. That, or Boudreau will have to guide his charges through the proverbial down season after pushing it to the floor the last two years. FORWARDS - The top lines are anchored by the longest-tenured Ducks in Hart Trophy candidate, team captain and center Ryan Getzlaf (team-leading 56 assists and 87 pts.) along with winger Corey Perry (team-high 43 goals). New addition Ryan Kesler from Vancouver brings 25 goals to the mix, solid but well below his 41 of 2010-11, and hell have to maintain that pace and do better than a minus-15 to remain a viable option up front. With Nick Bonino gone up the coast for Kesler, Dustin Penner making pancakes at home, Mathieu Perreault moved on to Winnipeg, and five forwards either UFA or RFA come July, its a spin of the roulette wheel to see who can contribute in a significant manner. Dany Heatley, who saw his playing time diminished significantly in Minnesota, gets one last go-round on a one-year deal. The former 50-goal scorer is already hampered by a groin issue and while no one is expecting his output to match his days with the Senators, he has to remain healthy to justify the expense. Jakob Silfverberg (10G, 13A) needs a breakout season to prove he wasnt just a throw-in on the Bobby Ryan deal; pressures on Andrew Cogliano after a career- high 22 markers; Flyers reject Patrick Maroon (11G, 18A) began to throw his weight around as the season progressed; Devante Smith-Pelly needs to develop his speed and learn how to use his size properly; Kyle Palmieri (14G, 31 pts.) needs to continue to respond well to increased playing time; Matt Beleskey is a dark horse in a contract year and eyes are on Emerson Etem to see if he can handle increased responsibility. Daniel Winnik wont be counted on for his shooting prowess, but the checking- line veteran has proven himself a capable defensive center and his lines have been consistently tough to score against. Nate Thompsons arrival from Tampa adds size and toughness not present in Saku Koivu, while Rickard Rakells foray into NHL time last season will be challenged by the slicker-skating William Karlsson. DEFENSE - A defense which allowed the ninth-fewest goals (203) and goals-per- game (2.48) remains intact for the most part -- with the notable subtractions of Stephane Robidas and promising youngster Luca Sbisa. Francois Beauchemin and Bryan Allen, the Grand Old Men of the Blueline, are 34 years old each and carried a plus-26 and plus-20, respectively through some heavy minutes against some top talent. Ben Lovejoy, 30, was a plus-21, while Mark Fistric played in just 34 games and clocked in at plus-28. Clayton Stoner, 29, fresh from roughly 13 minutes per night in Minnesota, will surely see his numbers rise in that department with similar ice time. At the other end of the spectrum lay 23-year-old Sami Vatanen, 22-year-old Cam Fowler and 20-year-old Hampus Lindholm, all of whom played beyond their years. Vatanen might be Beauchemins heir apparent with puck movement and shooting on the power play, Fowler -- at a touch above 6-foot and 200 pounds -- provides edge that Sbisa couldnt, while Lindholm recorded the best plus-minus (+29) of all during his pleasantly-surprising rookie NHL campaign. The future looks even brighter. Sheldon Sourays 35-plus deal has one more year to run, so Jesse Blacker, Mat Clark, Josh Manson and Shea Theodore have a chance to break through with good years in Norfolk. GOALTENDING - What proved to be a thorny issue despite the clubs overall success last season has been cleared up somewhat. Gone is long-time starter Jonas Hiller to Calgary, whose exit appeared forced by Boudreau due to a season interrupted by injury and inconsistent play thereafter which earned him a seat on the bench in favor of the younger Frederik Andersen, the departed Viktor Fasth and the surprising John Gibson. At just 20 years old, Gibson earned enough confidence with his late-season surge (3-0-0, 1.33 GAA, one shutout) to gain the starting spot in the playoffs, but his brilliance wasnt enough to overcome the combined forces of the battle-tested Kings in an elimination contest. Andersen (20-5-0, 2.29 GAA in 28 games), a native of Denmark, turned in a rookie campaign beyond what anyone could have guessed and will be hard-pressed to repeat the feat. Anything close will be viewed as promising. Both youngsters are likely to have journeyman Jason LaBarbera (1-3-0, 3.28 GAA for the Oilers) serve as a veteran counterpoint-slash-cheerleader if things get tough. WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - Theres enough veteran flair in all three zones to ensure that youth will be served properly, but an unstable situation in the crease could derail what looks like a contender for another Pacific Division title. Selannes new book brought to light that not everyone is enamored with Boudreaus methods and personality, but hes pushed all the right buttons since taking over in November of 2011 and doesnt look like the leaders in the locker room have soured on him yet. The best case scenario, is that the Ducks will use last seasons untimely end to fuel their 82-game schedule as a prelude to playoff success. At worst, it will be an 82-game slog where boredom sets in before another shot at the postseason emerges. Like all great rivalries, Anaheims fans might just settle for their favorite team knocking the Kings down a notch no matter what else happens. Cheap Discount Shoes Online . Wiggins, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward who plays his first exhibition game on Wednesday against Pitt State, was the top prospect in the class of 2013. Wholesale Shoes China Free Shipping .com) - The Chicago Cubs reportedly signed recently-acquired outfielder Dexter Fowler to a one-year contract on Friday, avoiding arbitration. http://www.cheapshoesfastshipping.com/ . The team of Lars Nelson, Daniel Richardsson, Johan Olsson, and anchor Marcus Hellner cruised to victory in the 4x10 km event, winning in a time of one hour, 28 minutes, and 42.ST. LOUIS - Bobby Ryan just missed scoring the winning goal in overtime. Given another chance in the shootout, Ryan came through for the Ottawa Senators.After the Senators rallied with two third-period goals, Ryans shootout tally capped a dramatic 3-2 victory over the host St. Louis Blues that snapped St. Louis two-game skid.I think we came in after the second and really werent down, Ryan said. I thought physically and emotionally we were still invested in the game. Got the ugly one to start rolling. After losing the way we did (Monday) night, this was a big one.The Senators, who got third-period goals from Erik Condra and Alex Chiasson to tie it, had lost two in a row, three of four and six of eight. They were beaten 3-2 by the Blues at home on Saturday and then fell 4-3 in Detroit on Monday.Thought it was a very hard fought, well-played game, Ottawa coach Paul McLean said. We battled through 1-0, 2-0, disallowed goals, some adversity to win in a shootout to a very good team.Its a big win for our group and a real momentum builder on this road trip. We found a way to win a game on the road in a tough building in a tough situation.Robin Lehner stopped 27 shots, including all seven he faced in the third period and all four in overtime. He thwarted all three Blues attempts in the shootout.This was a good win for our team, Lehner said. It was very important for our team to come back here and get two points. We played the right way, tried to get back to a structured game. Its something we needed.The Blues, who lost No. 1 goalie Brian Elliott to a lower-body injury late in the second period, had won two straight and five of seven.Tonight is really disappointing, St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. The loss is one thing, but the way we played at times is disappointing, attention to detail and focus. Coming back, we took a day off to get re-energized.I thought our focus was really inconsistent, poor at times. Execution, not even close to the way we played on the road.Hitchcock didnt know how long Elliott will be sidelined. Elliott, who earned the win against his former team on Saturday, stopped all 16 shots he faced on Tuesday before being replaced by Allen, who made 15 saves. Cheap Shoes Free Shipping. The Blues entered leading the NHL in goals-against average, with 2.0 goals allowed per game.The goalies have been the heart and soul of our team and the biggest reason why weve been winning, Blues forward Alexander Steen said, so its tough to see a guy like Moose (Elliott) go down.The Blues took the lead with 5:37 left in the first period on a long knuckling shot from defenceman Ian Cole that deflected off Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson and got past Lehner. It was Coles first goal of the season.Steen scored during a 4-on-3 power-play with 7:55 remaining in the second period.Elliott left the game with 6:02 left in the second period after his right leg bent backward during a scramble in the crease. The puck went in the net, but the goal was waved off after a review.Condra scored his first of the season with 12:05 remaining in the third when he beat Allen on a redirected shot from the point from Eric Gryba to make it 2-1.The Senators tied it with 40 seconds left in regulation with a rebound goal from Chiasson, his sixth of the season.Ryan had the best scoring chance in overtime when he beat Allen with a wrister, but hit the right post with 2:54 left.He found his mark in the shootout with a low wrist shot to the glove side.I truly just tried to feather that in, Ryan said. I used to shoot a lot on the same move and the same area and I didnt get as much on it as I would have liked, but maybe that was a benefit.NOTES: Blues D Jay Bouwmeester missed his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury. He had played in 737 consecutive games. . D Barret Jackman played in his 745th game for the Blues, passing Brett Hull for third on the franchise list. He trails only Bernie Federko (927) and Brian Sutter (779). . Ottawa LW Milan Michalek and C Mika Zibanejad were healthy scratches for Ottawa. Each had played in all of the Senators first 20 games this season. 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