Gästebuch » start the second game of the season after staff

(SportsNetwork.com) - Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks will take aim at a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference second round series when they host the Minnesota Wild in Sundays clash at United Center. You can watch all the action LIVE on TSN and online with TSN GO beginning at 3pm et/Noon pt. The defending Stanley Cup champions recorded a 5-2 win in Game 1 on Friday to grab an early lead in the best-of-seven series. Despite the final margin, the game was deadlocked early in the third period before Kane and his teammates took control of the contest for good. Chicago carried a 2-0 lead into the third, but Clayton Stoner and Kyle Brodziak scored under five minutes apart early in the frame to even the score for Minnesota. Thats when Kane kicked his quest for a second straight Conn Smythe Trophy into high gear. Kane scored the first two of Chicagos three unanswered goals in the third period to help the Blackhawks win going away. The 25-year-old American now has five goals in this postseason, tying him for the most in the NHL during the 2014 playoffs. Los Angeles Kings forward Marian Gaborik also has five goals as does Paul Stastny of the Colorado Avalanche, who were eliminated in the first round by Minnesota. Kanes first goal on Friday was of the highlight variety. The Chicago winger carried the disc down the left side and into the Minnesota zone before cutting through the high slot, where he faked a drop pass. Given room to work, Kane held off his defender and worked into the low right circle before lifting a filthy backhand over the short-side shoulder of Wild goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. "It was one of those plays where I was about to drop it to (Patrick Sharp) but I saw both defencemen kind of go to him," Kane said of his tie-breaking goal. "I just tried to get in on the backhand and made a good shot." Kane doubled Chicagos lead at 16:47 when Sharps shot from the right point deflected off Ben Smiths stick in the circle and ricocheted to the low left side, where Kane was waiting to send the puck home for a 4-2 lead. Bryan Bickell added an empty-netter with 2:41 remaining to arrive at the final margin. Bickell had opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first. Corey Crawford registered 30 saves for the Blackhawks and Marian Hossa also scored. Bryzgalov started in net for the Wild in place of an injured Darcy Kuemper, who was forced to exit Minnesotas Game 7 victory over Colorado after sustaining an undisclosed injury late in the contest. Bryzgalov stopped the only shot he faced in relief against the Avalanche, but turned aside just 17-of-21 shots in Fridays setback. With Kuemper expected to miss another tilt, the situation in net will likely remain unchanged on Sunday. John Curry, a 30-year-old journeyman, suited up as Bryzgalovs backup on Friday and could do so again in Game 2. Curry has seen action in six career NHL games and none in the playoffs. The Wild, holders of the first of the Wests two wild card spots, are trying to avoid being eliminated by Chicago for the second time in as many years. Minnesota, which is in the second round of the postseason for the first time since 2003, lost to the Blackhawks in five games during the opening round last spring. Although the Wild appeared to be the better team at times in Game 1, Minnesota head coach Mike Yeo knows his team needs to play a more complete game to pull off an upset of the reigning champs. "There wasnt enough urgency in the details and the little things that add up to make the difference at this time of year," Yeo said. "We slipped a little bit from last game. We didnt bring the same level and so well rectify that." Minnesota was playing Game 1 in Chicago on the heels of winning a road Game 7 in Colorado on Wednesday. On Friday, tHe Wild fell to 1-7 all-time in the first contest of a series and havent won a Game 1 since their first-ever playoff game, a 4-2 win against Colorado on April 10, 2003. On the injury front for Chicago, forward Andrew Shaw left the game in the first period after absorbing a hit from Stoner and did not return. He is day- to-day with a lower-body injury and will not play Sunday. Game 3 of this series is scheduled for Tuesday in Minnesota, with the Wild also set to host the fourth meeting on Friday. JaVale McGee Jersey . -- Canadian freestyle skier Roz Groenewoud isnt letting surgery to both of her knees deter her expectations for the Sochi Olympics. Vern Mikkelsen Jersey . Portuguese sides Benfica and Porto also advanced to the last eight while Basel overcame an early red card to win 2-1 at Salzburg and progress from a last-16 second leg that was briefly suspended because of crowd trouble. Lyon, Valencia and AZ Alkmaar will also be in Fridays draw in Nyon, Switzerland, where the team to avoid will be Juventus -- even though the Italian champions made heavy work of their all-Italian last-16 match against Fiorentina. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/. - Tom Brady was upset that his New England Patriots hardly looked like a division champion in the first half. Shannon Brown Jersey .Y. - Alex Rodriguez paid $305,000 for evidence that could be used in the case involving the Biogenesis of America drug clinic, the Daily News reported Saturday. Zelmo Beaty Lakers Jersey . The Wizards gave up two seldom-used players — forward Jan Vesely and point guard Eric Maynor. Vesely goes to the Nuggets, while Maynor gets shipped to the 76ers. Philadelphia receives two second-round draft picks, one from the Wizards in 2015 and one from the Nuggets in 2016.Ive never been a fan of opt-out clauses in contracts. The Dodgers two-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw who just signed a 7-year $215-million dollar pact, can get out after five years if he so chooses. Japanese star Masahiro Tanaka can escape from his seven-year $155 million dollar deal with the Yankees after four seasons. Zach Greinke and C.C Sabathia both have these kinds of deals as well. Its easy to see why the players and agents want them. If they truly grow to detest a city or an organization they can move on. If the player continues to perform at an optimum level, he can opt out early and get an even better deal, and from the agents perspective can set the market bar even higher for every other pitcher or player in the majors. However, there just seems to be something mercenary, and sort of having your cake and eating it too kind of feel about the whole thing. I can see player option years on contracts or club options or mutual options, but opt-outs just dont feel right. Talking about these kinds of clauses brings back memories of the deal the Blue Jays signed with Roger Clemens back in December of 1996. At the time, the four-year contract looked like an incredible coup for the Jays organization. They had lured one of baseballs all-time great pitchers -- albeit seemingly fading a bit at 34 -- away from the mighty Boston Red Sox. Not only that, but they outbid the Yankees for his services. Paul Beeston actually travelled down to Clemens home in Texas to personally deliver the sales pitch. Initially -- at least based on Clemens stats, over two years -- it was an incredible deal for the Jays. Clemens won over 20 games twice, captured the American League Triple Crown for pitchers both years and won back-to-back Cy Young Awards. Unfortunately, over the ‘97 and ‘98 seasons, the Jays finished a combined 24 games under .500 and attendance never really spiked the way you might have expected when Clemens pitched at home. Then there were stories that Clemens helped pushed for the ouster of Cito Gaston as manager late in the 1997 season, and when Cito was gone campaigned for Red Sox coach Tim Johnson to take over as skipper in 1998. All of that paled in comparison to the news that leaked out late in ‘98 about the exact details of Clemens contract. He had a five-point secret handshake agreement with Paul Beeston and the Blue Jays, as reported by Murray Chass in The New York Times. The key points included Clemens having the right to demand a trade two years into the four-year deal. He also had to approve which team he was traded to. He could also demand a trade to the Houston Astros at any point in the contract. The reason for that was there wwas a chance his agents Randy and lan Hendricks were going to buy the Astros and the “Rocket Man” really wanted to play for them.ddddddddddddNone of that transpired, but when news of this secret deal came out, the commissioners office was not impressed. The Jays were fined for entering into a secret deal that was against major league rules. Oddly enough by that time, Paul Beeston had left the Blue Jays and was working for MLB as the number two official below only the Commissioner himself Bud Selig. On Feb. 18, 1999, the Blue Jays ultimately did trade Clemens to the Yankees for Dave Wells, second baseman Homer Bush and lefty reliever Graeme Lloyd. Clemens went on to get his first World Series ring in ‘99 and got another in 2000, though Clemens embarrassed himself by throwing a piece of a broken bat across the path of the Mets Mike Piazza as he ran towards first base. The next time the Blue Jays offered an opt-clause to a pitcher it was legal, and all the “Is” were dotted and the “Ts” crossed. A.J Burnett signed a five-year deal with the Jays on Dec. 6, 2005 for five years and $55 million dollars. It was nine years after the Clemens signing, but Burnett was nowhere near the pitcher Clemens was and got more term and money. Unfortunately for the Jays, Burnett battled injuries in 2006 and 2007 and finished with identical 10-8 records. Finally in 2008 he pitched like an ace and wound up 18-10. But that was a contract year because in effect, since Burnett had the option to opt out of his deal after three years. He did just that and signed with the Yankees, helping them beat the Phillies in the 2009 World Series. I dont dislike the opt out just because of the Blue Jays experiences. No, its because it simply creates the impression the pitcher or player is just using that club as a springboard to a better deal with a perennial contender when the time is right. I hope this becomes a major battle ground when the next labour deal comes up in a couple of years. The Blue Jays opening home series is a three game set against the Yankees to cap the opening week of the season. Id wager we wont get to see Masahiro Tanaka though. The Yanks open the season in Houston and the best bet would be Tanaka would start the second game of the season after staff ace C.C Sabathia. That would mean Tanakas next turn would be at Yankee Stadium for the home opener against Baltimore. The lowest I could see him being in the rotation is number three. That would put him in line to start the finale in Houston and the second game at home against the Orioles. So well have to wait till later in the season to see Tanaka face the Jays. ' ' '