got great toughness. He runs like Marshawn (Lynch) onc | Forum

WINNIPEG -- It was back to business for the Winnipeg Jets Wednesday, as they skated for the first time since the Olympic break and prepared to resume their quest for the playoff berth that has eluded the franchise for so many years. Authentic Justin Faulk Jersey . With 22 games left and just over a week till they play again, coach Paul Maurice says he wants to get started right away sharpening defensive neutral zone play and forechecking without the puck. "Our sole focus is trying to find ways that we can be more aggressive with it," he said. The Jets were still minus their four Olympians -- forwards Olli Jokinen, Blake Wheeler and Michael Frolik, plus No. 1 netminder Ondrej Pavelec remain in Sochi -- but they made up for that with a healthy Evander Kane, Jim Slater and Matt Halischuk, all back from the injury list. Slater was out the longest after sports hernia surgery in Montreal. The centre and one of the teams faceoff leaders last played Oct. 18 but he says he now feels strong and ready to compete. Its a far different team than the one he left, with the Jets on a roll since Maurice took over from Claude Noel. They now sit just two points out of that coveted playoff spot. Slater says its always tough to be on the sidelines when a new coach comes in. "The slates wiped clean and when you cant get out there and play and show him what youve got, its definitely tough, you dont know where you fit in," he said. But Maurice helped to set his mind at ease. "Ive played against Paul a lot of my career when he was in Carolina, so we had a talk, he knows what kind of player I am and just wanted me to get healthy, come back strong and ready to go." The focus may be on getting his team ready for their first game Feb. 27 when the Phoenix Coyotes visit Winnipeg, but Maurice says hes still arranged practice Friday to let the team watch Canada and the U.S. play in the Olympics. "Weve moved practice so that we can get together and watch that as a team," he said. "Its a big deal so we want to respect that and enjoy it. . . At the end of the day hockey events are what were all about, right, and this is a big game." Its been seven years since the Atlanta Thrashers were swept in the first round of the NHL playoffs in their only appearance. Kane last played Jan. 26 in Chicago. He was out twice with an injured hand, the second time after what turned out to be a premature return resulted in an infection that saw his hand swell to the size of a baseball. He says hes sure hell be ready to go Feb. 27 and he likes where the Jets are now sitting. "We put ourselves in a position now where we can make a push and we have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs and contend," he said. "The last part of the schedule we play the teams that kind of bunched in with us so its going to be an good opportunity for us to make a push and finish off strong." Team captain Andrew Ladd says the time to practice will help the Jets get their pace back up. "I think that was the best part of our game, the last 10 games or so . . We were playing (with) speed and confidence and weve got to find a way to get that back." He said its also good to see players like Slater and Halischuk return after long absences. "Its nice to have some extra bodies." Elias Lindholm Jersey . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. Authentic Noah Hanifin Jersey . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. http://www.hockeyhurricanes.com/noah-hanifin-hockey-jersey/ .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena.RENTON, Wash. -- There is still no definitive date for when wide receiver Percy Harvin will make his Seattle Seahawks debut. And just as much of an unknown is what Harvins role will be when hes finally given the OK to get back in a game for the first time in a calendar year. The analysis of how Harvin would fit with the Seahawks first started when he was acquired in a trade with Minnesota in March, then was put on hold when Harvin underwent hip surgery to repair an injured labrum in early August. Its all restarted this week as Harvin returned to practice for the Seahawks, ahead of the initial timeline that was presented for his recovery. Coach Pete Carroll reiterated Thursday that Harvins return remains a day-to-day evaluation and made no promises about whether his debut would come on Monday night at St. Louis or is still a couple of weeks away. Harvin was not listed on the Seahawks injury report Thursday since he is not on the active roster. "Its a day-to-day, almost a drill-to-drill kind of situation to see if were managing him properly, to bring him back. It would be great to see him play this weekend, but thats not part of what were counting," Carroll said Thursday. When he does return, Harvin will join an offence that will always be based around the run first and spreads the ball to its various pass catchers. Headed into Mondays game -- which will mark the midway point of the season for Seattle -- no receiver has more than Golden Tates 27 catches and six players have at least 10 receptions. The Seahawks leader in touchdown catches is Zach Miller, with three, while Jermaine Kearse is the only other player with more than one TD catch with two of his eight receptions going for touchdowns. How will Harvin fit in? He thinks itll be very similar to his first couple of seasons with Minnesota, when he was working under current Seattle offensive co-ordinator Darrell Bevell. "It should be a lot similar especially dating back to my first two years when coach Bevell was my offensive co-ordinator with the Vikings," Harvin said. Eddie Lack Hurricanes Jersey. "I expect it to be a lot similar. I dont expect pretty much anything to change." Sidney Rice was Harvins teammate during those two seasons with the Vikings, before signing with the Seahawks before the 2011 season. The best season of Rices career was 2009, when he caught 83 passes for 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns and often found himself with single coverage because Harvin was on the field. "Put a package in and let him make plays; that was his role," Rice said. "He mostly played in the slot but he did play on the outside quite a bit depending on what packages we had in for him. Im sure eventually once he gets healthy well start seeing the all-around Percy Harvin, lining up on the outside, on the inside, running back, who knows whats going to come of that." While Harvin is known for his blazing speed, for much of his career it hasnt been used to try to beat defences deep downfield. Harvin has caught 280 passes in his career and 210 of those receptions have come either behind the line of scrimmage or within the first 10 yards of the snap, according to STATS Inc. Whats made Harvin so successful is his ability to turn those short catches into big plays. For his career, Harvin is averaging nearly 7 yards after catch, meaning the many quick screens that were thrown his way with the Vikings were turned into meaningful gains. Last season, before being injured against Seattle in Week 9, Harvin was averaging 8.9 yards after catch. That was the best in the NFL for any wide receiver with more than 10 receptions. "Hes a gifted athlete," Bevell said. "Hes got great quickness, he can make guys miss. Hes got great toughness. He runs like Marshawn (Lynch) once he has the ball. He can run through people, he can run around people. He can make people miss. All those things together help him make those big plays." Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '