Neues » an eight-game drought.

Hes in great shape and a great team guy. He can really skate and with the kind of team we have, having a guy back there that can skate and move the puck is important." Rutherford is confident the young defencemen in Pittsburghs minor league system will give the Penguins a solid blue line even without Orpik -- the longest-tenured defenceman in team history -- and Niskanen, who cashed in after a career year. Still, Rutherford didnt waste a chance to grab Ehrhoff despite the shortness of the deal. "He loved the opportunity to come with the Penguins," Rutherford said. "He just felt that, lets give it a one-year try with a good team and have a chance to win and then well look at it at the end of the season." Comeau provides depth as a third or fourth line forward. The 28-year-old had five goals and 11 assists in 61 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets last season. Greiss, who went 10-8-5 with a 2.29 goals-against average for Phoenix in 2013-14, will compete with Jeff Zatkoff for the backup spot behind Marc-Andre Fleury. The signings give the Penguins depth, but also leave plenty to address going forward, including who is going to play with Malkin after the departure of Jokinen and James Neal. The Penguins traded Neal to Nashville for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling on Friday, and Jokinen left on Tuesday to sign a four-year deal with the Florida Panthers. Hornqvist is a candidate to fill out a top six spot, and the return of Pascal Dupuis from a knee injury and Beau Bennett from a wrist injury should give the Penguins some options. Rutherford didnt rule out a run at free agent forward Nikolai Kulemin -- who happens to be a good friend of Malkins -- but isnt sure the money will work. "Theres always a chance but it would take someone getting very, very creative to figure out how that contract fits into our cap," Rutherford said. ------ AP Sports Writer John Wawrow in Buffalo, NY contributed to this report. Mark Messier Jersey . The 25-year-old McIlroy, who is from Northern Ireland, was eligible to play for either Ireland or Team GB when golf makes its return to the Olympics in Brazil for the first time since 1904. Boyd Gordon Jersey . -- The Phoenix Coyotes have won three in a row for the first time in 4 1/2 months, and theyve done it just in time for the stretch run to the playoffs. http://www.hockeyoilersshop.com/esa-tikkanen-jersey/ . The Philadelphia left fielder clubbed a tiebreaking, solo home run in the seventh inning, and the Phillies edged the Red Sox, 2-1, in the middle test of a three-game interleague series at Citizens Bank Park.Its gotten to the point where it might be best for the Toronto Maple Leafs to go on the road for a while. The problem - or one of them anyway - is thats where most of the damage has been done on their meltdown, and their next opponent is playing some of its best hockey of the season. The Philadelphia Flyers try for a season-best fourth straight win Saturday night as the Maple Leafs embark on a three-game road trip with an eight-game skid weighing them down. The losing streak is Torontos longest since last seasons fallout from March 16-29, but the Maple Leafs havent dropped nine straight since 1985-86. Theyve also dropped eight straight on the road, and another would be their longest such single-season skid since also losing nine in the 1996-97 season. Were finding ways not to win, said interim coach Peter Horachek, whose team is 1-10-1 in January. Weve got to find ways to win now. It very clearly begins with scoring. Toronto (22-24-4) has been limited to seven goals on the road skid as well as on its overall 0-7-1 stretch, going 2 for 26 (7.7 percent) on the power play. Six of the eight losses have come by more than a goal. The Maple Leafs blew a third-period lead for the second straight game Thursday in particularly ugly fashion, falling 3-1 to Arizona. Jonathan Bernier allowed the fastest short-handed goal in NHL history to begin a period on a flip from nearly the opposite blue line, drawing the ire of the home crowd five seconds into the third. Its tough to stay in, especially when I thought I was playing pretty good and the fans get on you, Bernier said. It gets frustrating, but Ive got to be stronger mentally and stay in it. He didnt have much help, facing 45 shots and losing his sixth straight sstart. Ryan Smyth Jersey. He also allowed every goal in a 7-4 loss Dec. 20 to the Flyers, seeing his goals-against average rise to 4.78 against them - his highest versus any team - with a 2-3-0 career record. James Reimer gets the start tonight. Philadelphia (21-22-7) has won three straight for the fourth time this season, with all three coming to begin a five-game homestand. Chris VandeVelde scored for the fourth time in five games in Thursdays 5-2 victory over Winnipeg. Wayne Simmonds had a goal and an assist to give him goals in consecutive contests after an eight-game drought. Steve Mason continued to shine with 36 saves, going 4-0-0 with a 1.43 goals-against average in his last five appearances. He didnt face the Maple Leafs in the first meeting, but his 3.64 GAA in seven starts against them is his worst versus any opponent. The win over the Jets was his second game back and first start after sitting out six games due to a right knee injury. The injury hasnt been a problem, which is great, Mason said. I thought my game felt sharper than (Tuesdays 4-3 win over Arizona), which is obviously a positive sign as well. The December meeting featured two goals and two assists from Claude Giroux, who has seven points in the Flyers consecutive wins in the series. Toronto points leader Phil Kessel had two assists in the first matchup and scored his first goal in eight games Thursday, but hes been limited to one assist in his last eight road games. Projected Leafs Lines Forwards van Riemsdyk- Bozak - Kessel Lupul- Kadri - Winnik Komarov - Holland - Santorelli Panik - Smith - Clarkson Defence Gardiner - Franson Rielly - Polak Holzer - Granberg Goaltenders Reimer (starts) Bernier ' ' '