field holds up with the Patriots being far mo | Forum
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Nov 10 '17
SAN JOSE, Calif. Radek Faksa Jersey . -- Raffi Torres is making progress but its still unclear whether hell play for the San Jose Sharks in their playoff opener Thursday night against the Los Angeles Kings. Torres missed all but five games during the regular season after undergoing surgery on Sept. 26 to repair a torn ligament in his right knee. The Sharks forward missed the first 59 regular-season games and returned to play the next five of six before sitting out the final 17. Torres said he probably wont know until game day whether hell be in the lineup for the Sharks when the first-round series opens in San Jose. "Today was a better day," Torres said after practice Tuesday. "I feel like were getting on the right track. So I feel good about that. It will probably be Thursday when we make a decision, but today was a better day for sure." Sharks coach Todd McLellan said Torres "looked really good." "He looked fresh and alert and looked like he was Raff, the way hes supposed to look," McLellan said. Torres was injured on Sept. 20 in a collision with Anaheim Ducks forward Emerson Etem during an exhibition game. He underwent surgery six days later. After the NHLs break for the Sochi Olympics, Torres made his season debut on Feb. 28 against the Philadelphia Flyers and scored two goals in a 7-3 victory. He took the next game off then played four straight games, scoring a goal and recording two assists during that stretch as the Sharks beat New Jersey, lost to Carolina then beat Pittsburgh and Montreal. Torres appeared to have made a successful recovery from knee surgery, but that Montreal game on March 8 turned out to be his last regular-season appearance. "I got a few bounces to go my way," Torres said. "At the end of the day I just go by how I feel. Sometimes I feel terrible out there and score a couple goals, kind of how I did in Philly. I know physically I could be a lot better there. It was nice to contribute for five games, for sure, dont get me wrong. I just want to be able to feel good at the end of the game." Last season Torres played in only the first game of the Sharks second-round series against Los Angeles, which they lost in seven games. He was suspended for the rest of that series for a hit to the head of Kings forward Jarret Stoll. That marked the fourth career suspension for Torres. If he does play against Los Angeles, Torres plans to play his typical aggressive, hard-hitting game, but he knows theres a line he cant cross. "I understand that Ive got a little bit more of a target on my back," said Torres, who signed a three-year, $6 million contract extension in June. "Ill have to be careful out there, for sure." Losing Torres after Game 1 against the Kings last season was a huge blow to the Sharks, who had swept Vancouver in the first round. Getting Torres back to face the Kings this year would provide a big boost, Sharks centre Logan Couture said. "I dont know if he is going to (play), but hed bring energy," Couture said. "His style of game, hes hard on the forecheck. He creates momentum for our team. The crowd enjoys when hes on the ice. Hopefully, well get him back." Curtis McKenzie Jersey . Observant Muslims avoid food and liquids from dawn to dusk during Ramadan but can, and often do, skip it if travelling or doing hard physical labour. Some devout Muslim athletes choose to fast during training or competition, but it can create selection difficulties for the coaches in team sports. Jason Spezza Jersey . You can watch the game live on TSN and TSN GO at 3pm et/Noon pt. The Thunder reclaimed the home-court advantage LA took with a Game 1 win on Friday night with a 118-112 road win in Game 3.(SportsNetwork.com) - If you are a fan of foreshadowing, keep an eye on Lambeau Field this Sunday. The New England Patriots, perhaps the AFCs best team, will invade the frozen tundra to take on one of the NFCs top contenders, the Green Bay Packers, in a potential Super Bowl XLIX preview. The Pats have won seven games in a row, including a 34-9 victory over Detroit in Week 12, a triumph that clinched the organizations 14th consecutive winning season. New England is the first to accomplish that since San Francisco did so in 16 straight seasons from 1983-1998. During the Pats current seven-game run, quarterback Tom Brady has thrown 22 touchdowns and posted a 111.7 passer rating. Against the Lions, Brady threw two touchdown passes and carved up the NFLs then-top-ranked defense, completing 38-of-53 passes for 349 yards. LeGarrette Blount had two rushing scores in his first game back with the AFC- leading Patriots, who have won 14 straight against NFC North teams and 15 consecutive at home. I thought our guys did a good job, being ready to go, said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Any time you keep a team out of the end zone like Detroit, thats good. We were able to put some points on the board, make plays in all three phases of the game. The Packers, however, are 5-0 at Lambeau this season, outscoring opponents 219-85 in those games and scoring at least 50 points in each of its past two homes games. Quarterback and leading MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers has thrown 322 consecutive passes and 29 touchdowns in a row without an interception in Green Bay; both NFL record streaks. The Pack wasnt quite as impressive on the road in Minneapolis last weekend but managed to outlast the upstart Vikings 24-21 behind Rodgers, who had two touchdown passes, and Eddie Lacy, who scored twice. This week was a little bit more of a grind-it-out thing, said Green Bay receiver Jordy Nelson. But we needed to see a game like this because if you want to win it all, you have to be able to win all sorts of games. Rodgers went 19-for-29 for 209 yards while Lacy finished the game with 25 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown, along with two catches for 13 yards and a score for the Packers, who have won three straight and now sit atop the NFC North by one-half game after the Lions drubbing of Chicago on Thanksgiving Day. He had a great game and made a lot of huge plays for us, Nelson said of Lacy. He got two touchdowns, and the way him and the O-line finished off the game for us was impressive. The Patriots own a 5-4 lead over the Packers in the all-time series between the two teams and have won two straight, including a 31-27 win the last time they met back on Dec. 19, 2010. New England actually whitewashed Green Bay 35-0 in its last trip to Lambeau behind four Brady TD passes but that was way back in 2006 when Rodgers was a backup. WHAT TO WATCH FOR These are the two top scoring teams in the NFL with the Pats pacing the 32- team league at 32.5 points per game and the Packers a tick behind at 32.2. This is likely the final leg of a four-game stretch against division-leading opponents for New England and so far Bill Belichicks bunch has passed the test with flying colors, winning the first three games by an average of over three TDs per game. The Patriots topped AFC West kingpin Denver 43-21 on Nov. 2 and AFC South stalwart Indianapolis 42-20 on Nov. 16 before disposing of Detroit in Week 12, a development that enabled Green Bay to vault over the Lions. Its not realistic for us to expect to continue to blow teams out like that, or, I dont want to say blow out, but win by a large margin, Belichick said. I cant really put my finger on what it is. I thinkk its a culmination of things and preparation. Johnny Oduya Jersey. After Sundays game, New England travels to San Diego, which could also be tied for the AFC West lead if things break correctly in Week 13. Since losing to Kansas City to fall to 2-2 on the season, New England has been scoring nearly 40 points per game (39.5 to be exact) and Brady has taken off, averaging 315.3 passing yards per game with the 22 touchdowns against just four interceptions. Perhaps the biggest contributor to that has been the health of All-World tight end Rob Gronkowski, who is feeling good after a myriad of injuries in recent seasons and has amassed 27 receptions and five touchdowns in his last four games. The Pats have also begun to mirror their former success with the two-tight end offense when Gronkowski teamed with Aaron Hernandez, before the latters personal life went off the rails. Tim Wright, who was acquired from Tampa Bay before the season, has six TDs on his 23 receptions. If there is one team that can keep up with the Patriots, though, its the Packers, especially at Lambeau. The key to Green Bay at home has been blitzing people out of the starting blocks. The Packers have outscored their opponents by an amazing 66-0 margin in the first quarter of their last four home contests. That number expands to 128-9 at halftime. Foes have been looking up and finding the score 14-0 in the first four or five minutes of a game and that has enabled a flawed Packers defense to excel as teams become more one-dimensional. Were playing Green Bay in Green Bay, Belichick said. Thats where theyve been very dominant, really, in terms of getting ahead and playing from ahead, first quarter. The numbers are staggering. Rodgers has thrown for 18 touchdowns without an interception at home this season. Overall, the All-Pro leads the NFL with a 119.3 passer rating and has thrown for 30 scores against just three INTs. I think Aarons a great quarterback, Belichick said. He does everything well, is very smart, does a great job with his team in situations and seeing things at the line of scrimmage, putting them in good plays and (a) very accurate passer, very good with his feet, hard to sack, hard guy to bring down, has real good awareness. I think pretty much everything with his game is excellent to outstanding. Rodgers favorite target, Nelson, averages over 120 yards receiving per game at Lambeau and has scored at least one TD in the teams five home games this year. Randall Cobb isnt bad either, snaring 20 balls with two TDs in his last three at home. Teams are going to take away what we do best, and what weve done best is get the ball to Jordy and Randall, Rodgers said. Theyve had big statistical seasons so (opponents) try to take them out of the game. Minnesota did that at home and New England is better equipped than most to do it because of star cornerback Darrelle Revis, perhaps the best man-to-man coverage corner in the game. Opponents often assume Belichick will just lock up Revis with their best receiver but the Pats coach is usually a step ahead and he could use Revis to lock up Cobb and then double Nelson. Either way thats where the powerful Lacy comes in. A bowling bowl of butcher knives, no one wants to tackle Lacy in the open field, especially when things gets cold. Hes a workhorse, said Rodgers. We need him in the winter months. OVERALL ANALYSIS Something has to give here because New England has won seven in a row overall and the Packers are a perfect 5-0 at Lambeau. The guess here is home field holds up with the Patriots being far more competitive them most visitors to Lambeau. Sports Network predicted outcome: Packers 34, Patriots 24 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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