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  July 31, 2019

  TORONTO -- The road to Sochi doesnt necessarily start in Raleigh, N. Fake Air Max For Sale .C., but the competition for spots is hot with the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina doesnt have half a dozen no-brainer Olympic selections like the Boston Bruins or Detroit Red Wings, but Hurricanes games should become must-see events for management teams over the next couple of months. They feature a roster that includes potential Canadian Olympians Cam Ward and Jordan Staal, potential U.S. defenceman Justin Faulk and a handful of others. "Theres a lot of guys on our team that are potentially candidates for their countries," coach Kirk Muller said. "Its a double added pressure, I think, on a personal note for those guys that theyre thinking about it because of when the teams going to get selected." Alexander Semin is a good bet to make Russias team. Former Maple Leafs winger Nik Borschevsky, a scout for Russia, was set to be in attendance for Carolinas game in Toronto on Thursday night. Jiri Tlusty could represent the Czech Republic, Tuomo Ruutu might suit up again for Finland and defenceman Andrej Sekera could be there for Slovakia. And thats not even counting captain Eric Staal, whos a lock for Team Canada as long as hes healthy. "I think your focus has to be on Carolina first, and then you kind of let those things happen," Staal said before the season. "Obviously its a goal of mine to defend that gold medal and be in Russia for Team Canada, but first and foremost Ive got to take care of the way I play, and thats with the Hurricanes." Almost five months before the tournament begins, thats a common refrain for Olympic hopefuls. "Thats always in the back of your mind, but I wouldnt say the guys in this room think about that a whole lot," centre Jordan Staal said. Faulk, who attended U.S. Olympic orientation camp outside Washington in August, said he and his teammates dont talk much about Sochi. That was more popular a topic during the pre-season and will be in January once the rosters have been announced. But until then, the Hurricanes will be watched. They face Team Canada general manager Steve Yzermans Tampa Bay Lightning twice before rosters must be finalized, including two days before the deadline. Ward, who went into Thursday nights game 0-2-3 with a 2.98 goals-against average and .913 save percentage, probably has the most to gain from strong play early in the season, considering Canadas question mark in goal. "Hes a guy that he always seems to make big saves at key times and hes a big-game player," said Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf, who played in front of Ward with the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL. "Hes won a Stanley Cup and hes right in that mix of those top goalies in the league." Canadas depth at forward could make it difficult for Jordan Staal to crack the roster. But the idea of playing on an Olympic team with brothers Eric and Marc, a defenceman with the New York Rangers, certainly is an attractive idea. "It would be really cool," he said. "Obviously Ive got to keep getting better and keep working harder and try to get that opportunity to play on that team. But obviously watching Eric winning the gold, you want to do it yourself. Hopefully I can keep improving my game and try to find a spot on that roster." Time to do that is limited. "If youre off to a slow start, youre thinking, This team doesnt get picked at the end of the year," Muller said. "So they know theres a countdown clock going on." Its also counting down for management staffs, which are constantly evaluating talent. For Canada its coaches Mike Babcock of the Red Wings, Claude Julien of the Bruins, Ken Hitchcock of the St. Louis Blues and Lindy Ruff of the Dallas Stars, general managers Yzerman, Ken Holland of the Red Wings, Peter Chiarelli of the Bruins and Doug Armstrong of the Blues and Edmonton Oilers president of hockey operations Kevin Lowe. The United States has coaches Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Todd Richards of the Columbus Blue Jackets and general managers David Poile of the Nashville Predators and Ray Shero of the Penguins watching, along with an extensive advisory board of GMs. "Theres a big group of people that are doing the role of picking the team," Faulk said. "I think theyre all kind of scouting on a daily basis, whether its Poile from the stands or whoever it is." It gives Muller some natural curiosity about players psyches. "Itd be interesting to talk to other coaches as the season goes along and see early on guys are off to a really good start, some guys on teams are not and how that definitely is in their minds like, Geez, I thought this was the year Id be able to make the Olympic team," he said. "Anyone whos off to a slow start, hes going, Geez Ive got to (improve)." Either way, being in the middle of so much Olympic conversation tells Eric Staal that the Hurricanes have "elite" players. Carolina came away with four medals from the 2010 Games in Vancouver: Staals goal, U.S. defenceman Tim Gleasons silver and bronzes for Finlands Ruutu and Joni Pitkanen. "I think our focus is going out there and playing a team game right now, and I think if we do that then it helps our chances to make that team," Faulk said. "I think when you have that, guys having the opportunity to make Olympic teams, I think obviously its fun to be around because theyre good players, which just helps your team." Buy Fake Air Max .com) - Manchester City will face a steep test in the Champions League knockout stage as the English champions were drawn with Barcelona on Monday. Fake Air Max 720 Cheap . Leverkusen said on Friday it signed Schmidt on a two-year contract. He guided Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian championship this season.PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma wanted to send a message to his team, putting Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin exclusively on the same line. Consider it received. Attacking on offence early and often, the Penguins topped the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Saturday night as Jussi Jokinen scored the go-ahead goal in the third period to help give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference playoff series. Pittsburgh peppered Sergei Bobrovsky with 50 shots on goal, keeping the Blue Jackets goalie busy all night. "We competed hard," Crosby said. "We played desperate and really aggressive. Thats the game we have to play. Its not always going to result in 50 shots, but its our style of play." Chris Kunitz had a power-play goal and Kris Letang scored into an empty net for Pittsburgh, which has the upstart Blue Jackets on the verge of elimination with an opportunity to close out the series Monday during Game 6 in Columbus. "Their coach challenged them and they responded," Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said. "Now, we have to do the same thing on Monday." It hasnt been easy for the Penguins, a team considered by many a Stanley Cup contender. Columbus, which began the series searching for its first playoff win in franchise history, twice rallied to stun the heavily favoured Penguins and outshot Pittsburgh three of the previous four games this series. Boone Jenner scored the lone goal for Columbus, which played its first Game 5 in franchise history. "I dont think anybody in this room would say theyre uncomfortable going into the next game," Blue Jackets forward Ryan Johansen said. "Like weve been saying, all the guys, we believe we can get this done." Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury recovered from a game-changing gaffe in Game 4 for the victory on Saturday, making 23 saves. Fleury is 4-1 in his last five games after a playoff overtime loss. "He was solid," Crosby said. "He showed his experience tonight." Bobrovsky stopped 48 shots for the Blue Jackets. "They were going to the net hard and obviously it was something they talked about, to make it hard on Bobrovsky," Richards said. "Its how they wanted to play the game." Crosby and Malkin, despite playing on the same line and combining for eight shots, still havent scored through five playoff games, but the message was sent. "I think we went into the game with a good idea that we were going to see that," Bylsma said. "With the matchup, we were able to give those guys a good opportunity to play together and be a force." Crosby, who led the league in scoriing with 104 points, hasnt scored in his last 10 playoff games overall, while Malkin has gone nine without a goal. Wholesale Fake Air Max. Richards hopes to extend the goal-less drought another game. "I have the last change, so its something I can possibly control a little bit better," Richards said. "But it makes for something different when you see (Crosby) and (Malkin) on the same line." The teams were tied at 1 entering the third, but Jokinen touched a backhand rebound past Bobrovsky along the far post 6:16 into the period. Letang scored an empty-netter with 1:01 to play to seal it. A 3-1 lead appeared to be a kiss of death for the team leading in the first four games of the series. Not on Saturday. Both sides endured wild momentum swings through the first four games, all decided by a 4-3 margin where the winning team rallied from a 3-1 deficit every time for the first time in league history. The Penguins twice had an opportunity to take a two-game lead in the series, while Columbus put Pittsburgh in a two-goal hole two times, only to come up short. The Penguins were seconds away from taking a 3-1 lead during the best-of-seven series in Game 5 when Fleury misplayed a puck behind the net, leading to Brandon Dubinskys tying goal that forced overtime and Nick Folignos innocent-looking wrist shot from the blue line that evaded Fleury and evened the series. Fleury, who was benched during Pittsburghs run to the conference finals last year, responded Saturday. "I think dealing with the pressure that he has, he was able to turn the page pretty quickly," Crosby said. "Thats what he needs to do, especially in the playoffs." Jenner helped the Blue Jackets score first Saturday with a power-play goal midway through the opening period. Fleury sprawled to cover a rebound at the top of the crease, but the puck came loose and Jenner jammed a shot home along the near post. Kunitz tied it with a second-period power-play goal, corralling a bouncing rebound in front of the net and backhanding it past Bobrovsky. Jokinens goal in the third put the Blue Jackets on the brink. "I expect nothing other than what theyve done all year, to respond," Richards said. NOTES: The NHL announced a 7 p.m. start for Game 6 in Columbus. ... Penguins D Brooks Orpik missed the game with an undisclosed injury. ... Penguins F Brian Gibbons (undisclosed) was out for a third straight game. ... Marcel Goc returned to the lineup for Pittsburgh after missing four games with a foot injury. ... Blue Jackets D Fedor Tyutin (lower body) played after missing two games, while D Ryan Murray (lower body), who missed Game 4, was also back in the lineup. ' ' '

  TORONTO -- The road to Sochi doesnt necessarily start in Raleigh, N. Fake Air Max For Sale .C., but the competition for spots is hot with the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina doesnt have half a dozen no-brainer Olympic selections like the Boston Bruins or Detroit Red Wings, but Hurricanes games should become must-see events for management teams over the next couple of months. They feature a roster that includes potential Canadian Olympians Cam Ward and Jordan Staal, potential U.S. defenceman Justin Faulk and a handful of others. "Theres a lot of guys on our team that are potentially candidates for their countries," coach Kirk Muller said. "Its a double added pressure, I think, on a personal note for those guys that theyre thinking about it because of when the teams going to get selected." Alexander Semin is a good bet to make Russias team. Former Maple Leafs winger Nik Borschevsky, a scout for Russia, was set to be in attendance for Carolinas game in Toronto on Thursday night. Jiri Tlusty could represent the Czech Republic, Tuomo Ruutu might suit up again for Finland and defenceman Andrej Sekera could be there for Slovakia. And thats not even counting captain Eric Staal, whos a lock for Team Canada as long as hes healthy. "I think your focus has to be on Carolina first, and then you kind of let those things happen," Staal said before the season. "Obviously its a goal of mine to defend that gold medal and be in Russia for Team Canada, but first and foremost Ive got to take care of the way I play, and thats with the Hurricanes." Almost five months before the tournament begins, thats a common refrain for Olympic hopefuls. "Thats always in the back of your mind, but I wouldnt say the guys in this room think about that a whole lot," centre Jordan Staal said. Faulk, who attended U.S. Olympic orientation camp outside Washington in August, said he and his teammates dont talk much about Sochi. That was more popular a topic during the pre-season and will be in January once the rosters have been announced. But until then, the Hurricanes will be watched. They face Team Canada general manager Steve Yzermans Tampa Bay Lightning twice before rosters must be finalized, including two days before the deadline. Ward, who went into Thursday nights game 0-2-3 with a 2.98 goals-against average and .913 save percentage, probably has the most to gain from strong play early in the season, considering Canadas question mark in goal. "Hes a guy that he always seems to make big saves at key times and hes a big-game player," said Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf, who played in front of Ward with the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL. "Hes won a Stanley Cup and hes right in that mix of those top goalies in the league." Canadas depth at forward could make it difficult for Jordan Staal to crack the roster. But the idea of playing on an Olympic team with brothers Eric and Marc, a defenceman with the New York Rangers, certainly is an attractive idea. "It would be really cool," he said. "Obviously Ive got to keep getting better and keep working harder and try to get that opportunity to play on that team. But obviously watching Eric winning the gold, you want to do it yourself. Hopefully I can keep improving my game and try to find a spot on that roster." Time to do that is limited. "If youre off to a slow start, youre thinking, This team doesnt get picked at the end of the year," Muller said. "So they know theres a countdown clock going on." Its also counting down for management staffs, which are constantly evaluating talent. For Canada its coaches Mike Babcock of the Red Wings, Claude Julien of the Bruins, Ken Hitchcock of the St. Louis Blues and Lindy Ruff of the Dallas Stars, general managers Yzerman, Ken Holland of the Red Wings, Peter Chiarelli of the Bruins and Doug Armstrong of the Blues and Edmonton Oilers president of hockey operations Kevin Lowe. The United States has coaches Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Todd Richards of the Columbus Blue Jackets and general managers David Poile of the Nashville Predators and Ray Shero of the Penguins watching, along with an extensive advisory board of GMs. "Theres a big group of people that are doing the role of picking the team," Faulk said. "I think theyre all kind of scouting on a daily basis, whether its Poile from the stands or whoever it is." It gives Muller some natural curiosity about players psyches. "Itd be interesting to talk to other coaches as the season goes along and see early on guys are off to a really good start, some guys on teams are not and how that definitely is in their minds like, Geez, I thought this was the year Id be able to make the Olympic team," he said. "Anyone whos off to a slow start, hes going, Geez Ive got to (improve)." Either way, being in the middle of so much Olympic conversation tells Eric Staal that the Hurricanes have "elite" players. Carolina came away with four medals from the 2010 Games in Vancouver: Staals goal, U.S. defenceman Tim Gleasons silver and bronzes for Finlands Ruutu and Joni Pitkanen. "I think our focus is going out there and playing a team game right now, and I think if we do that then it helps our chances to make that team," Faulk said. "I think when you have that, guys having the opportunity to make Olympic teams, I think obviously its fun to be around because theyre good players, which just helps your team." Buy Fake Air Max .com) - Manchester City will face a steep test in the Champions League knockout stage as the English champions were drawn with Barcelona on Monday. Fake Air Max 720 Cheap . Leverkusen said on Friday it signed Schmidt on a two-year contract. He guided Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian championship this season.PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma wanted to send a message to his team, putting Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin exclusively on the same line. Consider it received. Attacking on offence early and often, the Penguins topped the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Saturday night as Jussi Jokinen scored the go-ahead goal in the third period to help give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference playoff series. Pittsburgh peppered Sergei Bobrovsky with 50 shots on goal, keeping the Blue Jackets goalie busy all night. "We competed hard," Crosby said. "We played desperate and really aggressive. Thats the game we have to play. Its not always going to result in 50 shots, but its our style of play." Chris Kunitz had a power-play goal and Kris Letang scored into an empty net for Pittsburgh, which has the upstart Blue Jackets on the verge of elimination with an opportunity to close out the series Monday during Game 6 in Columbus. "Their coach challenged them and they responded," Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said. "Now, we have to do the same thing on Monday." It hasnt been easy for the Penguins, a team considered by many a Stanley Cup contender. Columbus, which began the series searching for its first playoff win in franchise history, twice rallied to stun the heavily favoured Penguins and outshot Pittsburgh three of the previous four games this series. Boone Jenner scored the lone goal for Columbus, which played its first Game 5 in franchise history. "I dont think anybody in this room would say theyre uncomfortable going into the next game," Blue Jackets forward Ryan Johansen said. "Like weve been saying, all the guys, we believe we can get this done." Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury recovered from a game-changing gaffe in Game 4 for the victory on Saturday, making 23 saves. Fleury is 4-1 in his last five games after a playoff overtime loss. "He was solid," Crosby said. "He showed his experience tonight." Bobrovsky stopped 48 shots for the Blue Jackets. "They were going to the net hard and obviously it was something they talked about, to make it hard on Bobrovsky," Richards said. "Its how they wanted to play the game." Crosby and Malkin, despite playing on the same line and combining for eight shots, still havent scored through five playoff games, but the message was sent. "I think we went into the game with a good idea that we were going to see that," Bylsma said. "With the matchup, we were able to give those guys a good opportunity to play together and be a force." Crosby, who led the league in scoriing with 104 points, hasnt scored in his last 10 playoff games overall, while Malkin has gone nine without a goal. Wholesale Fake Air Max. Richards hopes to extend the goal-less drought another game. "I have the last change, so its something I can possibly control a little bit better," Richards said. "But it makes for something different when you see (Crosby) and (Malkin) on the same line." The teams were tied at 1 entering the third, but Jokinen touched a backhand rebound past Bobrovsky along the far post 6:16 into the period. Letang scored an empty-netter with 1:01 to play to seal it. A 3-1 lead appeared to be a kiss of death for the team leading in the first four games of the series. Not on Saturday. Both sides endured wild momentum swings through the first four games, all decided by a 4-3 margin where the winning team rallied from a 3-1 deficit every time for the first time in league history. The Penguins twice had an opportunity to take a two-game lead in the series, while Columbus put Pittsburgh in a two-goal hole two times, only to come up short. The Penguins were seconds away from taking a 3-1 lead during the best-of-seven series in Game 5 when Fleury misplayed a puck behind the net, leading to Brandon Dubinskys tying goal that forced overtime and Nick Folignos innocent-looking wrist shot from the blue line that evaded Fleury and evened the series. Fleury, who was benched during Pittsburghs run to the conference finals last year, responded Saturday. "I think dealing with the pressure that he has, he was able to turn the page pretty quickly," Crosby said. "Thats what he needs to do, especially in the playoffs." Jenner helped the Blue Jackets score first Saturday with a power-play goal midway through the opening period. Fleury sprawled to cover a rebound at the top of the crease, but the puck came loose and Jenner jammed a shot home along the near post. Kunitz tied it with a second-period power-play goal, corralling a bouncing rebound in front of the net and backhanding it past Bobrovsky. Jokinens goal in the third put the Blue Jackets on the brink. "I expect nothing other than what theyve done all year, to respond," Richards said. NOTES: The NHL announced a 7 p.m. start for Game 6 in Columbus. ... Penguins D Brooks Orpik missed the game with an undisclosed injury. ... Penguins F Brian Gibbons (undisclosed) was out for a third straight game. ... Marcel Goc returned to the lineup for Pittsburgh after missing four games with a foot injury. ... Blue Jackets D Fedor Tyutin (lower body) played after missing two games, while D Ryan Murray (lower body), who missed Game 4, was also back in the lineup. ' ' '