tart to develop and see when theyre ready | Forum
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Dec 8 '17
BOSTON -- Montreal coach Michel Therrien wanted to continue his teams drive to the playoffs more than to snap Bostons 12-game winning streak. Darryl Strawberry Jersey . The Canadiens accomplished both. Alex Galchenyuk scored the only shootout goal, and the Canadiens got their fifth win in six games, 2-1 over the Bruins on Monday night. "Its not about their streak," Therrien said. "Its more about getting those two points and trying to qualify for the playoffs." Montreal tied Tampa Bay for the third-most points in the Eastern Conference, but has played one more game. The Bruins fell one game short of their longest winning streak since 1970-71 and two shy of the club record set in 1929-30. But their one point from the shootout loss moved them ahead of Western Conference-leading St. Louis for the most in the NHL with 104. "You cant win 12 in a row and lose one in a shootout and say, Im really disappointed in my team, " Boston coach Claude Julien said. Boston was uncharacteristically undisciplined for the two periods then tied it at 1 with just two seconds left on its sixth power play of the game. Dougie Hamiltons slap shot from the centre of the blue line deflected off Patrice Bergeron and past goalie Peter Budaj with 5:26 left in the third period. It was Bergerons 23rd goal of the season. Budaj also stopped a four-game Bruins winning streak with a 4-1 victory in Boston on Jan. 30. "We are very confident with him back there," Montreal forward Brian Gionta said. "That first period he made some huge saves and even in the second he made some big saves where they could have been back in the game real quick." Bostons last loss came March 1, 4-2 to Washington. Montreal grabbed the lead on Alexei Emelins third goal of the season at 6:39 of the first. Emelins shot from the blue line deflected off Bruins forward Chris Kelly about 30 feet from the net and rose over the glove of goalie Tuukka Rask. In the shootout, Bergeron, Jarome Iginla, Brad Marchand and David Krejci missed for Boston while Thomas Vanek, David Desharnais and Daniel Briere failed for Montreal. Then Galchenyuk went in close to put the puck between Rasks stick and the post to the right of the goaltender. "I was excited and all the moves were playing in my head," Galchenyuk said. "They were on a roll and we are happy that were the team that ended that roll." The Bruins had three power plays in the first 11 minutes of the third period but were outshot 5-1 as the Canadiens picked off errant passes and cleared the puck from their zone. "Hopefully, next time when we get that many (power-play) opportunities well get more than one (goal)," Bruins forward Milan Lucic said. The Canadiens won despite losing two forwards, Dale Weise and Travis Moen, early in the first period. Bruins defenceman Kevan Miller sent Weise sprawling into the boards 4:50 into the game then fought with Moen, who challenged him after the hit. "I felt bad about it. I just kind of bumped into (Weise)," Miller said. "I stood there just trying to make sure he was OK for a second and Moen asked if I wanted to (fight)." Montreal had an excellent opportunity with a two-man advantage for 44 seconds late in the second period when Johnny Boychuk was called for roughing P.K. Subban and joined Iginla in the penalty box. The Canadiens took four shots on goal before Iginlas penalty ended and none during the rest of the power play. Budaj came up with a big glove save when he stopped Zdeno Charas slap shot from the blue line with 5 seconds left in the second period. NOTES: Montreal C Lars Eller missed the game with a lower-body injury. He has played in 71 of his teams 73 games. ... Former Bruins defenceman Ray Bourque dropped the ceremonial first puck. ... Rask is 3-11-2 in his career against Montreal. Budaj is 5-2 in his career against Boston. ... The Canadiens are 31-0-3 when leading after the second period. Travis dArnaud Jersey . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson. David Wright Jersey . The agreement comes a little more than one week after the video game manufacturer agreed to a $40 million settlement in a similar but separate case, bringing the total payout planned for athletes to $60 million, said Steve Berman, an attorney for the plaintiffs, and the NCAA.SUNRISE, Fla. -- When Roberto Luongo learned he wouldnt be starting the Heritage Classic, the disappointed goaltender asked agent Pat Brisson to call Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis just to get a read on his future. When Gillis gave Brisson permission to seek out a potential trade partner for the goalie and his massive contract, the attention turned quickly to the Panthers -- and not just because Luongo calls South Florida home. "It had to be a hockey move," Brisson said. "Roberto wants to play, wants to win. He wants to compete and win. ... When Roberto asked me, I said, I do believe that theres a light at the end of the tunnel for (the Panthers)," Brisson said. "I do believe theres a place where this team is going to go in the right direction." While the Canucks head in the direction of a rebuild, the Panthers look like a team on the upward climb thanks to new owner Vinny Viola and a cadre of young prospects GM Dale Tallon has assembled in the NHLs southernmost market. Through two games with his new team, Luongo has already caught a glimpse of what he and many hockey people believe is a bright future for the Panthers. Luongo sees potential stars in Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad and a handful more young players around the locker-room. At 34 years old, he wants to contribute to the revival of the franchise rather than riding coattails. "Its all about making a commitment to bringing some people in and trying to build a winner," Luongo said Sunday night after facing the Boston Bruins. "Thats what its all about for me. Im not here to fade into the sunset. I want to be part of something special coming here." Something special in the short term might just mean making the playoffs after missing in 11 of the past 12 seasons. Even as the Panthers head toward another early off-season, Bjugstad hopes its just "growing pains" as part of an important learning experience. Thats to be expected for a team whose top players include 18-year-old Aleksander Barkov, 20-year-old Huberdeau, and 22-year-old Erik Gudbranson. Players were on a bus in Boston when they found out Luongo was coming and represented something of a safety valve for mistakes of youth. "Any time you can have a solid goaltender behind you, it gives you confidence that you can make some plays," said 20-year-old forward Vincent Trocheck, who made his Panthers debut the same game Luongo returned. "If you do make a mistake, you know that hes back there to save your butt, basically." Yet in the larger scope, Luongo is not being asked to save a franchise by himself. It is, however, Tallons hope that trading for him "sets the tone" for the organization. The message of taking on the final eight-plus years and over US$28 million of Luongos contract was that the Panthers are willing to spend. Hours after making the move, Tallon said it was about making good on all the talk about wanting to win a Stanley Cup because "talk is cheap." Doing so could be expensive, but its not out of the realm of possibility that Florida has a better chance of winning a Cup in the next four or five years than Vancouver. "You never know," Luongo said. "Its tough to say. You hope so. Thats why Im here. I think the pieces are definitely here, just a matter of making sure that we bring the right piece to complement these young guys that are talented and theyre going to be stars in this league." Tallon has a plan. After already taking the goaltending gamble that was Jacob Marksttrom out of the equation and getting Luongo, he has his sights set on signing, drafting or trading for two power wingers to support Barkov, Huberdeau, Bjugstad and Trocheck. Norichika Aoki Jersey. . The Panthers payroll is the lowest in the league at just over US$50 million, but with Viola in charge, Tallon expects to be "a cap team or close to a cap team" next season. Having almost $30 million of cap space could help the Panthers continue down the path to being a contender, but it also helps to have Luongo as a salesman and a symbol of the clubs all-out push to get better. "Its hard to recruit anybody if they dont think youre doing the right thing," Tallon said. "I think the commitment of making that deal and the commitment that Vinny Violas going to make ... will really influence a lot of decisions as far as players wanting to come here, seeing that were really committed to winning." Luongo didnt keep close tabs on the Panthers rebuild while he was playing for the Canucks because he didnt expect to get traded, let alone back to Florida. But Brisson, who just negotiated a two-year extension for winger Brad Boyes, had a good sense of what was happening. New ownership meant a new opportunity for Luongo. "If it was back to the former ownership where they werent sure what they wanted to spend, what they wanted to do, I wouldnt have recommended it at the time -- absolutely not," Brisson said. "If you look at good ownership and willingness to spend and the right chef, so to speak, the right cook in the kitchen, its an attractive place for Roberto and the players that are there." Tallon is that chef, and he has quite the recipe on his resume. Even though Stan Bowman was the general manager when the Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup, Tallon orchestrated much of the turnaround in Chicago. "It went well for them," Bjugstad said. "Thats kind of what were banking on." For every Blackhawks success story theres another example like the Edmonton Oilers, who are set to miss the playoffs for the eighth straight season despite three straight No. 1 picks and six in the top 10. They provide a cautionary tale for the Panthers, even as Tallon rattles off prospect after prospect who could make a difference. Each one of those young, unproven players represents essentially a raffle ticket for Florida, another chance to hit it big. But theres plenty of risk and uncertainty in that. "Obviously weve got to prove ourselves before we can get too excited," Bjugstad said. "Theres a ways to go." In Luongo, the young Panthers get a goalie who is already established. Even if his play is not Vezina Trophy-calibre, he could instill plenty of confidence on and off the ice. "I think maybe as more of an experienced guy in the locker-room to bring whatever I have learned over the years and maybe help them out along the way as far as just being a pro and all that kind of stuff to help their development," Luongo said. That team-wide development and progression toward a playoff team is still in the "early" stages, according to Tallon. Luongos addition speeds it up, but theres still no set goal on when he figures the Panthers will get over the hump. "I dont put numbers on that," he said. "I just let the players start to develop and see when theyre ready to make a real hit on the team as far as moving forward. And when they all come together as a group, as a team, not just in a group of individuals, thats when you pretty well know when youve got something special." Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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