Justin Williams knows from missing the playoffs twice with defending Stanley Cup
champions just how difficult it is to make it to the postseason, which is why
the Metropolitan Division standings have his full attention.
C.J. Mosley Jersey .I see our division, I see
everyone winning, the Washington Capitals right winger said. The top eight in
the East is going to be tough to get in this year. We plan to be at the top.Even
for the Capitals, who ran away with the Presidents Trophy last season, thats
easier said than done. They are on pace for 112 points, which would leave them
in third place because the Metropolitan is home to five of the top eight teams
in the NHL.Since Dec. 3, Metro teams are an astounding 29-7-3, led by the Cup
champion Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, red-hot Philadelphia Flyers and
Columbus Blue Jackets, and streaking Capitals. The Flyers have won a league-best
nine in a row and the Blue Jackets and Penguins six, so the Capitals four-game
winning streak doesnt have them moving up the standings.Win them all if you can,
coach Barry Trotz said. You have a bad day, you could fall like three or four
spots. You could go from being a wild-card team to not being in the playoffs to
being second in your division if you win.The competition is so hot that the New
York Islanders are still in last place despite winning six of their last 10, and
the New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes are five and seven points out of
the last playoff spot in the East. At the top of the division, the Penguins,
Rangers, Flyers, Blue Jackets and Capitals have combined to win their last 28
games.Everyones playing at a high level, Rangers center Derek Stepan said.
Theres no room. Were in our playoff push.No team has pushed toward the playoffs
harder than the Flyers, who were 13th in the East before their run began Nov.
27. Philadelphia has risen to fifth in the East behind Jakub Voracek, goaltender
Steve Mason and strong special teams.Coach Dave Hakstol said the Flyers are
finding different ways to win games, as evidenced by them beating the Edmonton
Oilers 6-5 and then a few days later the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 in overtime.I
think were playing better defensively as a team, said Voracek, who has 32 points
and trails only Edmontons Connor McDavid in the NHL scoring race. When were
making mistakes, Mason is playing unreal ... I think as an overall game we got
better not only over the winning streak but in the games before. We lost the
games when we shouldve won earlier in the year and now were winning them. Its a
good sign.The Penguins have avoided the dreaded Stanley Cup hangover thanks to
Sidney Crosbys league-leading 21 goals in his first 23 games. As Henrik
Lundqvist sits, Rangers backup goalie Antti Raanta has won three consecutive
starts with a 0.33 goals-against average and .984 save percentage.After losing
four of its first six games, Columbus is rolling under coach John Tortorella.
Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is among the league leaders with a .932 save percentage
and 1.98 GAA this season, and forward Cam Atkinson has 27 points in 26
games.Everybodys bought in, said Columbus center Brandon Dubinsky, who also
played for Tortorella in New York. I would venture to say hes probably the most
fair coach as far as time off and days off and treating the players with respect
and giving them their space and just allowing them to focus on one thing and one
thing only, which is the 60 minutes ahead of them and the game. Its a two-way
street with him, and I think its allowed us to excel.Meanwhile, the Capitals
shrugged off some early malaise, and Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Braden
Holtby said, Were realizing a little bit more who we are. Three-time Hart Trophy
winner Alex Ovechkin snapped a seven-game goal drought Sunday, but Nicklas
Backstrom and others are picking up the slack.Defenseman Karl Alzner isnt
surprised by the Metropolitan might.We all knew that when the divisions got made
that ours was going to be really hard and it wasnt as hard as it couldve been, I
think, the last few years, Alzner said. I think were finally getting to see what
the Metropolitan is all about.Asked if Washington getting tested by a tougher
division could help come playoff time after running away with it last year,
Williams simply shrugged and said, Maybe. His coach definitely thinks so, or at
least that the Metropolitan being this good isnt a bad thing for any team that
makes the postseason.I think competition makes you better, Trotz said. I think
the quality in the Metro this year is terrific. Thatll make all the teams
better, not only ours. Its a good challenge, and I think it prepares you just to
have some consistency in your game. If you dont, then youll fall out.---AP
Sports Writers Vin A. Cherwoo in New York and Dan Gelston in Philadelphia
contributed.---Follow Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno .
Eric Weddle Jersey . Ouellette, from
Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999.
Joe Flacco Womens Jersey . Two pressure
cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area
packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more
than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs.
http://www.footballravensstore.us/authentic-terrance-west-ravens-jersey/
. 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from
Vaughan, Ont. DALLAS -- Chandler Parsons swished a 3-pointer just a few feet
from Dallas owner Mark Cuban and turned in the direction of his former
boss.Maybe that was Parsons simply trying to say, `Thats what I can do when Im
healthy.Parsons scored 12 points in his first game against his former team,
helping the Memphis Grizzlies to an 80-64 victory Friday night over the
injury-plagued Mavericks, who flirted with franchise worsts for scoring and
shooting percentage.Cuban waited out Parsons postgame TV interview before
sharing a brief moment with a player who had both his seasons in Dallas
shortened by knee surgery, part of the reason he landed in Memphis on a max
deal.He just said, glad Im playing and good to see me back out there, Parsons
said. Obviously, hes frustrated with how their seasons going, but theyll bounce
back.Parsons is on a minutes restriction, just as he was a year ago with the
Mavericks. He was 3 of 5 from 3-point range and added a couple of rebounds in 23
minutes.I wish I would have played more, honestly, if it wouldnt have been a
little out of hand there, Parsons said. I feel like every game Im getting
better, Im getting more legs.Dallas was without Dirk Nowitzki (strained Achilles
tendon) and its top three options at point guard in Deron Williams (left calf
strain), J.J. Barea (torn left leg muscle) and Devin Harris (right toe
sprain).The Mavericks avoided the franchise low of 62 points from 1997 when
Argentine rookie Nicolas Brussino made a 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining.
Dallas (2-9) matched its worst start since going 2-9 during Nowitzkis rookie
season in 1998-99.If youre looking for me to make some kind of a crazy statement
about how bad things are, thats not how I do business, coach Rick Carlisle said.
Im going to keep stressing the positives, and were going to keep working to get
them better.Harrison Barnes led the Mavericks with 15 points on 5-of-17
shooting. Seth Curry, the starting point guard because of all the injuries,
scored 11 while shooting 4 of 14 from the field.Marc Gasol scored 11 for
Memphis, as did Tony Alleen after missing four games with a right groin injury.
Justin Tucker Womens Jersey. FLIRTING WITH
DISASTERThe Mavericks were shooting 25.4 percent through three quarters -- the
franchise low is 27.4 percent from the expansion season of 1980-81 -- after
going 8 1/2 minutes without a field goal in the second quarter and adding a 6
1/2-minute drought in the third.Dallas, which matched a franchise low for the
second quarter with 10 points, shot 43 percent in a 23-point fourth to finish at
28.8 percent.A FRIENDLY REMINDERThe Mavericks led 27-23 in the second quarter
before a 17-minute stretch in which they scored just six points. The Grizzlies,
who have another former Dallas player in Vince Carter, led 51-33 at that point.
They were sluggish early two nights after handing the Los Angeles Clippers just
their second loss, and in the finale of a four-game road trip.We stopped being
friendly, Memphis coach David Fizdale said. If you watched the first quarter,
everybody was having conversations with the other team like they were all pals.
And we dont have the luxury to be buddies.TIP-INSGrizzlies: Zach Randolph scored
10 points, and JaMychal Green had a game-high 12 rebounds. ... Point guard Mike
Conley had a season-low eight points but led the Grizzlies with two
blocks.Mavericks: Jonathan Gibson, a training-camp cut who re-signed Friday
because of the injuries at point guard, had 11 points and a team-high three
assists. ... Barea told a Spanish-language newspaper that he expected to miss
four to six weeks with a muscle tear. He said he feared he had a more serious
Achilles injury.UP NEXTBoth teams are in a stretch of playing six out of seven
games on the road. The Mavericks just had their only home game and are headed to
Orlando for the second night of a back-to-back before visiting San Antonio on
Monday. The Grizzlies get their only home game in the stretch against Minnesota
on Saturday night before a trip to Charlotte and Philadelphia.
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