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31/10/2019 02:27 | Sujet du message:
SOCHI, Russia – Mike Babcock has to hope | |
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SOCHI, Russia – Mike Babcock has to hope the constant tinkering is just about done. Hunter Pence Jersey . The Canadian head coach has been shuffling his deck of impressive cards from the moment his team touched down here in Russia, searching for the right mixture that will yield a second consecutive gold medal. Babcock will employ his fourth different set of forward combinations at Wednesdays quarterfinal against Latvia. Only one line gained any kind of traction during the preliminary round, a trio that includes Jonathan Toews, Jeff Carter and Patrick Marleau. "Weve changed our lines, in my opinion – same at last Olympics – too much," said Babcock. Stingy in their defensive game in wins over Norway, Austria and Finland, the Canadian squad has not been the potent offensive machine one might expect with such an overwhelming talent base. In fact, the defence, led by the polished Drew Doughty with four goals, actually outscored the forwards – only three of whom have scored – in the preliminary round. All of which explains the continued juggling. And unlike say the American team, who has thrived behind the work of Toronto linemates, Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk, Canada has not yet benefited from any of the NHL pairs it brought to Sochi. Though reunited once more, Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz have failed to establish their Pittsburgh connectivity. Toews and Patrick Sharp landed together for one largely quiet game. And the scary Anaheim duo of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf has just a single goal and will try its third left winger in Jamie Benn against the Latvians. "Were just trying to find some ways to have better execution and generate some more chances," said John Tavares, likely to be paired with a mix that includes Sharp, Rick Nash and perhaps Martin St. Louis. "When we get our chances, weve got to put them in. Were not giving up a whole lot and we are controlling the game so I think those are good signs. I think that will lead to good things, especially with all the talent we have and the ability to create chances that we have." As promised – and perhaps to the recent chagrin of Babcock, based on the above remarks – Canada has not remained patient with any of the combinations it blended up. Carter, for instance, played one subpar game with Crosby and was promptly the 13th forward at the outset of game two. With talent bursting at the seams of the roster, the rationale behind shuffling what doesnt appear to work is understandable. "I think the one thing weve learned over time is if its not there, chemistry-wise, move," assistant coach Ken Hitchcock said before the tournament began. "Dont sit there and wait on it because [if] its not there early it aint there later." The challenge, of course, is that chemistry can take time to develop, but in a tournament that numbers two weeks, waiting really isnt an attractive option, though in some cases may be warranted. Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin, as fearsome a twosome as imaginable, remained together for each of Russias four games despite combining for just two goals. They did, however, see a new left wing in their qualification round match against Norway with Alex Semin replaced by Alex Popov. Whether that patience will be rewarded remains to be seen. In the case of Crosby, who has just two assists with a rotating cast of linemates, part of the fallout would seem to stem from the absence of Steven Stamkos, projected to be Ovechkin to Crosbys Malkin here in Sochi. The Canadian captain has played with eight different line combinations in 11 Olympic games dating back to Vancouver in 2010. "I think youre always aware of who youre playing with and what their strengths are," said Crosby, "but I dont think it changes what you do out there. I dont think you really have a chance to over-think too much. As far as what youre doing individually, its more your game plan as a team is whats going through your mind, rather than who youre necessarily playing with. All the guys here are so good, I think you can just read off each other, no matter who youre playing with." Babcock is betting on that being Kunitz, who rejoins Crosby and Patrice Bergeron against the Latvians. "Obviously I love playing with him," said Kunitz. "I have the tendencies and the chemistries when we play together in the NHL. We still have to go out and execute better … We have to make sure we go out and produce offensively. We have to make sure we go out and produce offensively, but make sure were working every shift, getting that momentum going forward every time somebody else gets on the ice." Outside of re-adjusting various combinations, Babcock is also pushing his group to attack the front of the net and middle of the ice with more regularity. They were largely held to the perimeter by a savvy Finnish squad in the final game of the preliminary round – all part of the ongoing adjustment to the international ice surface. An emphasis among players also centered around more puck possession and less of the dump-and-chase game preferred in much of the NHL. "It hasnt been easy to get to the front of the net, but weve controlled the play," said Tavares. "Theres been some times where teams are trying to slow us down and make it tough for us to get there." Handed just four power plays in three games, the Canadians are also hunting for more opportunity with the man advantage. Unlike the forward combinations, the defence pairings have remained rock-solid thus far and considering how well Canada has played overall defensively, with almost no chances against in the 2-1 overtime win against the Finns, a huge injection of offence might not be necessary to repeat with gold. But with potent obstacles from the U.S. and Russia potentially down the line, an improvement from the present is likely needed. Colby Lewis Rangers Jersey . Pretty good hitting, too. Dan Haren pitched six innings and sparked the go-ahead rally with a single, leading Los Angeles to another win over the skidding Atlanta Braves, 4-2 on Tuesday night. Joe Palumbo Rangers Jersey . Kalish got his first hit since Sept. 11, 2012, when he rapped an RBI triple in the first inning Sunday in the Chicago Cubs 8-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. https://www.cheaprangersbaseball.com/1752h-jesse-biddle-jersey-rangers.html . 22 because of a bruised foot and have added forward Sean Collins to the roster on emergency recall from Springfield of the AHL.Winnipeg Jets 4 Toronto Maple Leafs 2 (Jets 35-34-10, 18-18-4 road) – After getting mathematically eliminated from the playoff race Thursday, the Jets talked about finishing the season playing the right way, establishing good habits and playing for each other. Considering everything, it was a very solid effort and a character win by the Jets. The loss leaves the Leafs out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, in what was their final home game of the season. Jets played without Evander Kane, coachs decision, then lost the services of Dustin Byfuglien late in the second with an upper body injury. Jets got great efforts from pretty much the entire lineup. The Leafs opened the scoring, Phil Kessel with his 37th on a great pass from Tyler Bozak. Bryan Little with his 23rd tied the game less than four minutes later, assists to Michael Frolik and Mark Stuart. Little had his seven game point streak snapped Thursday, but with the goal is 3-6-9 in his last nine. The Leafs took the lead on Nazem Kadris 20th of the year. It was an easy open net tap in power play goal after Ondrej Pavelec misplayed a dump in, had it go off his stick to the front of the net making it 2-1 Leafs. A big goal for the Jets came in the dying seconds of the first as Jacob Trouba out fought James Van Reimsdyk for a loose puck in front of the Leafs net for his 10th of the year. Frolik and Andrew Ladd drew assists. Shots in the first were 12-8 Jets. The second period was all Jets, despite having to kill off two penalties in the first half of the period. On their second power play in the back half of the period, Toby Enstrom with his 10th of the year gave the Jets their first lead of the game. Enstrom walked the line from left to right and fired a screened shot past James Reimer. The goal ties a single season career high for Enstrom, assists went to Ladd and Blake Wheeler. SShots in the second period were14-7 in favour of the Jets. Al Oliver Jersey. When the Leafs did get chances, Pavelec was there to shut the door. Jets continued their strong play in the third, Coach Paul Maurice having to do some juggling with no Byfuglien. The Jets continued to be first on loose pucks and a great play by Wheeler, using his speed to set up Olli Jokinen for his 18th of the year making it 4-2. Jokinen has now scored in back to back games. The Leafs pulled Reimer with 2:45 remaining but a couple key saves from Pavelec and Wheeler using his speed to negate an icing call, helped the Jets close out the game. Shots in the third were 15-10 Jets and 41-25 Jets on the game. Jim Slater in his 499th NHL game, all with this organization, was key in the face-off department, winning nine of 15. Ladd, Wheeler and Frolik all had two point nights. Since December 1st Wheeler has 50 points in 51 games. He has 17 points in his last 14 games. Jacob Trouba at 26:10 again led the Jets in ice time. After missing the net 18 times Thursday, the Jets missed the net another 17 times tonight. The Jets directed a total of 71 shots at Reimer. Coach Maurice was "really happy" for his team. "We competed for pucks, played with tenacity, the bench was great. We got a bad break on their second goal but the bench stayed up beat and kept talking." Coach Maurice would not elaborate on Kane not playing, other than "coachs decision." "With Byfuglien out we had a hole in our forward lines. Eric Tangradi and Eric ODell gave us some good shifts. Key face-off wins for Jim Slater. Our team believed what they said, they would play for each other. One thing about this group, they care." Jets are home to Minnesota Monday and Boston Thursday (both TSN Jets, TSN 1290), then close out the season in Calgary Friday (TSN Jets, TSN 1290). ' ' '  |
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