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Geregistreerd op: 05 Nov 2016 Berichten: 208
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Geplaatst: 07-11-2016 03:52:49 Onderwerp: A crucial battle in the Eastern Conference playoff race is |
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A crucial battle in the Eastern Conference playoff race is on tap Wednesday at Air Canada Centre, as the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Tampa Bay Lighting in an Atlantic Division showdown. Brett Hull Red Wings Jersey . Catch the game on TSN starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. Tampa Bay currently holds the last of the Atlantics three automatic bids to the playoffs, but the Maple Leafs are just one point behind. Toronto is also in postseason position at the moment, occupying the first of the Easts two wild card berths. James Reimer is expected to get the call in net again for the Leafs. This is the first time the same goalie will start both games in a back-to-back for the Leafs this season. Reimer hasnt started back-to-back games since Games 6 and 7 in the playoffs last spring. Goalie Jonathan Bernier returned to the ice Wednesday and went through some light work for the first time since suffering a groin injury last week in Los Angeles. Toronto is 2-0 against the Lightning this season and has won three of four and seven of the past nine meetings in this series. Tampa Bay also has lost four in a row at Air Canada Centre. The Bolts dropped a 3-2 regulation decision in Toronto on Jan. 28 and were handed a 4-1 setback at home on Feb. 6. The clubs are set to meet once more in the regular season when the Leafs visit Tampa Bay Times Forum on April 8. The Lightning began their recent homestand with three straight losses before beating Florida, New Jersey and Vancouver to post a solid 3-1-2 mark during the stay in Central Florida. The brief surge has seen Tampa Bay log at least a point in five straight games and the Bolts would like to make it six-game point streak with another win on Wednesday. "Weve got points in five straight games at a time when we really need them," Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper remarked. "Hopefully this is good momentum for us going on the road." Tampa Bay is kicking off a three-game road trip on Wednesday and also will visit Ottawa and Pittsburgh during the swing. The Lighting are 17-16-2 as the visiting team this season. The Lightning were last in action on Monday when they notched a 4-3 regulation win over the Canucks. Ondrej Palat continued his five-game point streak with a goal and an assist to help Tampa down Vancouver. Palat, a 22-year-old Czech winger, has four goals and five assists during the run and has been a pleasant surprise for the Bolts this season, posting 18 goals and 46 points through 68 games. Steven Stamkos also registered a goal and an assist in the Lightnings third straight victory. Valtteri Filppula and Tom Pyatt also scored while goaltender Ben Bishop made 25 stops in the win. Bishop expects to start tonight for Tampa, but the former Ottawa Senator is just 2-4-0 with a 3.05 goals against average and .884 save percentage in seven career games against Toronto. Toronto has struggled of late, losing two straight and three of its last four games. The Leafs hope to get back on track Wednesday when they play the first test of a two-game homestand. The residency also includes Saturdays important divisional tilt against the rival Canadiens. The Maple Leafs are 22-11-1 as the home team this season compared to a 14-15-7 mark on the road. Toronto wrapped a five-game road trip on Tuesday with a 3-2 regulation loss in Detroit. Gustav Nyquist scored a pair of goals to lead the Red Wings to the close victory at Joe Louis Arena. Jake Gardiner and James van Riemsdyk had one goal apiece for the Maple Leafs, while James Reimer allowed all three goals on 31 shots. "It was average. There was some good and bad throughout the five games," Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri said of the teams five-game road trip. Jonathan Bernier sat out his second straight game with a strained groin and the clubs No. 1 goaltender is considered day-to-day. Reimer could get the start on back-to-back nights and is 2-3-0 with a 2.94 GAA in five career games against Tampa Bay. Drew MacIntyre, who has been serving as the backup with Bernier sidelined, has not seen action in an NHL game since making two appearances with Buffalo during the 2011-12 season. After winning the final three tests of a six-game homestand, the Lightning hope to carry some momentum on the road for tonights important clash. So far in 2013-14, however, Tampa Bay has come up empty against the Maple Leafs. Jonathan Ericsson Red Wings Jersey . Liriano pitched in and out of trouble in his duel with Josh Beckett, and Ike Davis homered to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 Friday night. Ted Lindsay Red Wings Jersey Authentic . He learned about pressure and expectations at the 2010 Games in his hometown of Vancouver. His next mission is to build on that experience at his next Olympic appearance in Sochi, where he plans to ride the momentum from the teams strong start to the season. http://www.redwingshockeyauthentic.com/petr-mrazek-jersey/ . 15-23, the Ottawa Senators will by hoping to avoid going five straight games without a victory for the first time since a 0-3-2 drought from Oct.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca! Hi Kerry, Early in the second period of Mondays game between Los Angeles and Vancouver, Kings player Jake Muzzin hit Canuck Daniel Sedin with a high stick, knocking a tooth out. Sedin clearly showed the tooth to the referees, yet Muzzin received only a two-minute minor. Why was this not a double minor? Thanks,Shaun from Vancouver --- Hi Kerry, As I watched Daniel Sedin take a high stick to the mouth and broke a tooth (at least now people can tell the two apart), shouldnt that be a double minor? My understanding of rule 60.3 regarding a double minor is that it is any injury should warrant a double minor and blood does not have to show. When a player carries or holds any part of his stick above the shoulders of the opponent so that injury results, the Referee shall assess a double-minor penalty for all contact that causes an injury, whether accidental or careless, in the opinion of the Referee. Could you explain why the referees didnt give Muzzin a double minor? Thanks,GarethRichmond, BC Shaun and Gareth: Based on the physical evidence presented by Daniel Sedin to Referee Steve Kozari and the calm and accepting demeanor coach John Tortorella demonstrated in the explanation that followed, its most obvious that a replacement crown became unglued as a result of the high stick committed by Jake Muzzin. The solid cap Daniel pulled out of his mouth does not constitute an injury. On the other hand, if Sedin had spit out broken fragments of a tooth (crown) or even withheld solid evidence in his glove revealing a broken chiccklet, short of checking dental records the referee would have legitimate cause to assess a double minor penalty. Niklas Kronwall Red Wings Jersey Authentic. I found myself in this very situation in two different games played within a week of each other. Both times they involved Matthew Barnaby and his missing tooth. I wasnt aware that Barney had a capped front tooth. A stick came up near Barneys face and he immediately bent over and covered his mouth. By the time I got to him Matthews big smile revealed a broken front tooth. I assessed a double minor penalty as a result of the apparent injury.The very next week I worked another game involving the Buffalo Sabres player. During the National Anthem I noticed that Matt Barnaby was sporting a shiny silver crown. As good luck would have it, this time around I was in perfect position to see an errant stick clearly missed Barnabys face and head. Once again, Matthew doubled over, grabbed his face and yanked the silver cap out of his mouth which he immediately concealed inside his glove. Barney then approached me and pointed to the same filed down remnants of a front tooth as he appealed for a double minor penalty to be called. I now had legitimate reason to suspect I had been duped in the previous game. I told Matthew he had two problems with this attempt to sell a penalty call this time around. For one, the stick never touched him and two, his memory was obviously fuzzy since I was the same ref he pulled this on a week earlier. Matthew didnt dispute my claim and instead fished the shiny cap out of his glove, stuck it back in his mouth and gave me the smile of a choir boy! Fortunately for Referee Steve Kozari, Daniel Sedin didnt take a bite out of Barnabys play book. Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' ' |
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