CHICAGO - All those talented forwards are back. Custom Toronto Raptors Jerseys . Same for Duncan Keith and the bulk of Chicagos solid defence. There is even a group of intriguing prospects waiting in the wings.The Blackhawks are one confident bunch of the eve of a new NHL season.We feel were deep in a lot of areas, coach Joel Quenneville said. Our guys are at a relatively young age and they should be getting better in their individual games and collectively we should be looking to be better than we were.And they have been really good for years.Led by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010 and again in 2013. They made it all the way to the Western Conference final a year ago, where they dropped a classic seven-game series to the eventual champion Los Angeles Kings.The price of that success reached a new level in July, when Toews and Kane each finalized an $84 million, eight-year contract extension that kicks in for the 2015-16 season. The twin deals could force general manager Stan Bowman to make some difficult decisions down the road, adding to the pressure on the current group of Blackhawks for this year.Bowman still has to make at least one more move to pare about $2 million from this years payroll before the Oct. 9 season opener at Dallas.Even with the sticky salary-cap situation, the Blackhawks did manage to sign veteran Brad Richards to a $2 million, one-year contract over the summer. The team is hoping Richards can centre the second line a€” a longtime issue for Chicago a€” and the combination of Richards, Kane and Brandon Saad looked good in the preseason.Here are other things to watch this year for the Blackhawks:THAT THIRD LINE: The top two lines should be among the best in the league, but its the third line that really could separate the Blackhawks from the rest of the NHL. Bryan Bickell was noticeably lighter when he showed up to training camp this year. The bruising winger is hoping for a better start than last season, when he had just one assist in his first seven games and finished with 11 goals and four assists for the year. Kris Versteeg also looked sharp in the preseason, and pesky centre Andrew Shaw set career highs with 20 goals and 19 assists last season. Versteeg prepared himself for this year to get back on track where hes a top forward, Quenneville said. Hes been good for us.THAT POWER PLAY: Chicago converted 19.5 per cent of its power-play opportunities last season, an improvement from 16.7 per cent for the shortened 2012-13 campaign and good enough for 10th in the NHL. New assistant coach Kevin Dineen, who played with Quenneville on the Hartford Whalers and was hired to replace Jamie Kompon in July, is expected to play a prominent role in this years power play. Richards also could help the efficiency of the unit, where any increase in scoring for the already potent Blackhawks could pay huge dividends.FORK IN THE ROAD: Its a pivotal year for defenceman Nick Leddy, who begins the season with 258 regular-season games and another 54 post-season appearances a€” at just 23 years old. Leddy is one of the fastest skating defencemen on the team, but hes also an occasional visitor to Quennevilles doghouse. He was benched for a playoff game last season against Minnesota. The Kings winning goal in Game 7 in June went off Leddys upper body and then past goaltender Corey Crawford. Leddy could blossom into one of the teams top defencemen, or the Blackhawks could decide to trade him away for salary-cap space.BOSS HOSS: Marian Hossa shows no signs of slowing down heading into his 17th NHL season. The rugged winger had 30 goals and 30 assists in 72 games last season, in addition to his terrific defence. But Hossa missed a couple weeks in March with an upper-body injury and turns 36 in January. Any significant injury for the forward could hurt the Blackhawks in the competitive Central Division.ANTTI MATTERS: Backup goaltender Antti Raanta is heading into his first full NHL season. He made his debut last November and went 13-5 with a 2.71 goals-against average in 25 games, including 22 starts. Raanta played sparingly in the last part of the season, and Crawford figures to get the lions share of the action once again. How Quenneville divides the time in goal will provide an indication of how he feels about the 25-year-old Raantas development.___AP freelancer Matt Carlson contributed to this report.___Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Sagaba Konate Jersey . - Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery was so busy in free agency he didnt mind having a few extra weeks to prepare for the draft. C.J. Miles Raptors Jersey . Russia has spent about $51 billion to deliver the Sochi Olympics, which run Feb. 7-23, making them the most expensive games ever, even though as a winter event it hosts many fewer athletes than summer games do. https://www.raptorsrookiesshop.com/Pascal-Siakam-City-Edition-Jersey/ .com)LeBron clearly likes his Italian sports cars, and thats ok with me, so up next up is the 458 Spider.BARCELONA, Spain -- Karim Benzema and Jese Rodriguez scored early to help Real Madrid ease to a 3-0 win at Getafe and restore a three-way tie for first place in the Spanish league on Sunday. Madrids win matched Barcelona and Atletico Madrids victories on Saturday to keep the trio level after 24 rounds, and 16 points clear of the nearest chaser Athletic Bilbao after it lost 2-1 to visiting Espanyol. With leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo serving the second of a three-game suspension, the 20-year-old Jese scored for a third straight round to get Madrid going in the fifth minute at Alfonso Perez Stadium. Benzema made it 2-0 from Angel Di Marias pass in the 27th, and midfielder Luka Modric added another goal from long range in the 66th. "The team played well from the start and the first goal made things easier for us at a ground that has always been difficult," Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez said. "We played in an effective manner knowing we needed to win." Also, Espanyol earned an entertaining win to deal Bilbao its first loss in 12 league games at its new San Mames Stadium, while Granada edged Real Betis 1-0 to leave the leagues bottom dweller 10 points from safety. Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves saved Ivan Rakitics 63rd-minute penalty kick in a 0-0 draw at Sevilla with his team playing with 10 men. Both teams were left level on points with Espanyol and Levante at 12 points from fourth place and the last Champions League spot. Getafe, which never threatened Madrid, remained winless in nine straight rounds and four points from the relegation zone. While Getafe hasnt won in the league since November, Madrid hasnt lost in 14 rounds going back to October. Madrid again proved that even without the reigning Ballon dOr winner in Ronaldo it has more than enough talent in its star-studded squad to keep winning against the Ligas middling teams. Behind Ronaldos league-leading tally of 22 goals, Benzema has scored 14 times in the league for Madrid this season, while Jese has managed five goals in what is becoming a breakthrough season for the young forward. Kawhi Leonard Raptors Jersey. . Jese took Ronaldos spot on the left side of the attack and used his pace to take Gareth Bales pass, move the ball to his right foot, and flick a shot just inside the far post. Benzema doubled the lead when he chested down Di Marias lobbed pass on the break before driving it under goalkeeper Miguel Moya. Modric finished Getafe off by sending a long shot off the turf and past the diving Moya. Espanyol forward Sergio Garcia scored his 10th league goal of the season with a solo effort in the sixth. After Carlos Gurpegui levelled for Bilbao in the 56th, Espanyol defender Diego Colotto used his knee to deflect in Simao Sabrosas corner kick in the 65th for the winning goal. Bilbao striker Aritz Aduriz was sent off with his second booking with three minutes left. "Athletic had more of the ball and pressed us, but we have our own playing style and are comfortable without the ball," Espanyol coach Javier Aguirre said. Aguirre said that with 34 points Espanyol was close to its goal of 42 points for the season, the mark it hopes will ensure it avoids the drop. Granada forward Francisco "Piti" Medina scored what proved to be the winner at Los Carmenes Stadium in the 31st when he controlled a long pass and slotted inside the post. Granada ended a three-game losing streak to move six points clear of the relegation zone. Both teams finished with 10 men after Granada substitute Dani Benitez got a straight red card for a bad foul on Jose "Nono" Delgado in the 79th, and Betis Antonio Amaya received his second booking in injury time. Betis is winless in 12 away league matches this season. It has one win and three losses under coach Gabriel Calderon, its third manager of the season. There were red cards too in the days goalless draw. Valencia defender Ricardo Costa sent off after two yellows in the 50th and Sevillas Denis Cheryshev was shown two yellow cards in injury time. Former Barcelona and Sevilla midfielder Seydou Keita debuted for Valencia when he came on as substitute. ' ' '  |
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