sing a number of regulars on Tuesday night. Up Next The L | Forum

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Europe captain Paul McGinley selected Sam Torrance and Des Smyth as two of his vice captains on Thursday for this years Ryder Cup against United States at Gleneagles. Tedy Bruschi Jersey . Torrance captained Europe to victory in the 2002 event, when McGinley holed the winning putt at the Belfry. The 61-year-old Smyth has played in the Ryder Cup twice and was Ian Woosnams assistant in the 2006 competition at the K Club. "They first came to mind to me when I was put in position as Ryder Cup captain last January," McGinley said. "These two men have been a sounding board for me, both personally and professionally, and have proved time and again to me with their ability and passion and judgment that they are ideal for the role." McGinley said his other assistants will be announced after the team is formalized in September. The 2014 Ryder Cup is scheduled for Sept. 26-28. Europe will be defending the trophy for the second time after winning 14 1/2-13 1/2 at Celtic Manor in 2010 and by the same score at Medinah in 2012. McGinley has known Smyth since he was a teenager and described his fellow Irishman as a "mentor" during his professional career. "In many ways, he was a natural choice for me," McGinley said. "As a vice captain to Ian Woosnam at the K Club, I found him to be very inspirational, astute, a voice of reason with great clarity of thought." Torrances appointment ensures there will be Scottish representation in the European team at Gleneagles. He has been a close friend of McGinley since the 2002 Ryder Cup, when Torrances decision to stack the top order of the singles with his best players made an impression on the current captain. "I felt, tactically, he made so many right calls, he understood the players, what the Ryder Cup was about," McGinley said. "His ability to motivate the players and communicate with them had a lasting impression on me." Torrance said he and Smyth would act as a buffer between the players and McGinley. "If I could do a tenth for Pauls team of what he did for my team," Torrance said, "we will both be very happy men." McGinley said Smyth will be vice captain to Miguel Angel Jimenez in the Eurasia Cup in Kuala Lumpur on May 27-29. Steve Grogan Patriots Jersey . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Rob Gronkowski Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http:///...a-Super-Bowl-Jersey/ . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win.TORONTO – The Maple Leafs came from behind to win in each of their first three games this season. They were not able to complete such a feat once more with the Avalanche and their youthful swagger in town on Tuesday night. Rushing hard to the crease of Jonathan Bernier in the opening minutes of the third and final frame, P.A. Parenteau tapped in the eventual game-winner, keeping Colorado perfect while dealing the Leafs their first loss of the season. "We just got behind and we werent able to bang that one in to tie it," Tyler Bozak said after the game, which saw his team outshot 33-28. "Were 3-1," he continued of the Leafs record after four games. "Were not too upset. Its a good start to the season. I dont think many [in the media] wouldve called us having that record to start the year." While they managed 11 goals in the opening three games, the Leafs lacked sustenance and punch in their offensive attack on this night, Joffrey Lupul the lone man in blue to beat Semyon Varlomov. Rarely did the previously unbeaten home side sustain pressure down low in the offensive zone, a consistent assault off the rush additionally inconsistent. "We were held in our own zone from their aggressiveness," Randy Carlyle observed afterward. "We didnt seem to be able to handle it, specifically in the second period." Phil Kessel managed the lone shot in the opening eight and a half minutes of that middle frame. The Leafs finished the period with just seven to 15 for the Avalanche. Guided by new head coach and Hall of Fame netminder Patrick Roy, Colorado has stormed out of the gate this season. "Theyre a really good team," Bozak said of the Avalanche, who improved to 3-0-0. "Theyre a lot different than what they were last year. "Theyre all buying in, theyve got a ton of skill up front, [and] theyre a hard team to play against." The Leafs had perhaps their best opportunity to even the score midway through the final frame, with Cory Sarich – who scored the first Avalanche goal – called off for tripping. Though they maintained possession through much of the man advantage, they could not ultimately beat Varlamov, who owns a .967 save percentage in three starts this season. Sturdy once more in his first home start of the season, Jonathan Bernier made 31 saves. Due to injuries, family matters and the ongoing suspension to David Clarkson, the Leafs were short four regulars in their forward group on Tuesday night, essentially leaning on just two lines for offence. Carlyle refused to point the finger in that direction though after the game though. "Youre going to have to deal with adversity throughout the course of the season," he said. "To me they can be built-in excuses and were not going there with this hockey club." Fortunate, in some regard, to scratch together victories in each of their first three games this season, the Leafs couldnt overcome what adversity they faced on Tuesday night, and were thus dealt their first loss this season. Five Points 1. Lacking punch with regulars out Clarkson sat out the fourth game of his 10-game suspension, Nik Kulemin (ankle) and Frazer McLaren (finger) remained out with injuries and Jay McClement was with his wife Tuesday for the birth of their first child, a baby boy. The result was a group short on much depth offensively. Beyond Nazem Kadri in fact, the remaining five forwards on the Leafs bottom two lines Tuesday had combined for exactly 21 career NHL goals. It was no surprise then that Carlyle would shorten his bench considerably in the final period with his team down a goal. PLAYER 3rd Pd Ice Time Colton Orr 2:35 Carter Ashton 2:35 Jamie Devane 1:24 Trevor Smith 1:25 Troy Bodie 1:16 2. Sturdy once more Bernier stopped all but two from the Avalanche, a second-period marker from Sarich the lone one of question. "He made a good shot, but thats definitely a save that Ive gotta make," Bernier said afterward. "Its a routine save. Thats a goal that I want to take back." Sarich burst downn from the right point, surprising Bernier with a shot, the puck sailing rapidly over his glove and just under the bar. Danny Amendola Patriots Jersey. "There was a guy back-door so I was expecting more pass than a shot like this, but, like I said, thats a save Ive got to make for my team and try to keep them as long as possible in the game." Competing for the No. 1 position, he and James Reimer have rotated the first four games of the season, with the Predators up next on the docket Thursday night. Where Carlyle leans next will be curious. Bernier holds a 7-1-0 career mark against Nashville with a 1.88 goals against average and .932 save percentage. "Hes given us a chance to win every time hes been in there and been spectacular at some points," Lupul noted of Bernier, who has a .963 save percentage so far this season. "We cant ask anything more of him." 3. Speed adjustment Paul Ranger is predictably requiring some time to shake off four years worth of rust. The 29-year-old defender left the Lightning in the fall of 2009, finally returning to the NHL this season with the Leafs. Of his re-adjustment to the league, Ranger said the greatest challenge was catching back up to the speed. "I think thats probably the biggest thing," he observed before Tuesdays game. Spending last season in the AHL with the Marlies, Ranger explained that the challenge lied in the ability to read and anticipate plays at the high speeds of the games top level. One such example of that recent adjustment saw him holding the puck on the offensive blue-line with intentions of firing it through to the net. "Its a split-second [decision] in real time," he said, "but to me it seems like I have a little bit more time to really get the puck through versus before when Id get the puck Id look up and thered be a guy right in front of me already. So you just learn to move quicker." In perhaps a fitting instance of his re-adjustment, Ranger was beaten to a puck in the neutral zone by Jamie McGinn early in the third period, McGinn storming wide and beyond Ranger before feeding Parenteau for the eventual game-winner. 4. Special Teams One of the more crucial elements of the Leafs success in 2013, strong special teams will remain high on the agenda of Carlyle this season. "Our goal is to have our special teams try to be in the top 10 per cent of the league," he said. "Thats what your goal is every year. You try to make sure youre amongst the elite in the league with both specialty teams because it definitely does improve your chances of having success if youre able to accomplish that. And its not an easy feat. Theres good teams, good players that play in those situations and good coaches that devise schemes so its an ongoing battle." The Leafs had terrific special teams a year ago, boasting the leagues second-best penalty kill and 14th ranked power-play unit. While still early, both units have remained strong through the first four games this season though the power-play came up empty in two opportunities on Tuesday night. 5. Long-time fan makes debut Trevor Smith was born in Ottawa and spent much of his childhood in Vancouver, but grew up a Leafs fan, even sporting a personalized Toronto sweater as a kid. He made his debut with the club against the Avalanche on Tuesday, totaling about five minutes on a fourth line with Jamie Devane and Troy Bodie. "Its awesome," he said of the opportunity to play for the Leafs before the game. "To put that jersey on for the first time in the regular season, itll be a true honour." Stat-Pack 27-67 or 40 per cent – Leafs on the draw against the Avalanche. 14 – Shot attempts for Phil Kessel. 31 – Shifts for Cody Franson, leading the team. 5 – Leafs with fewer than 10 minutes of ice-time. 20:03 – Ice-time for Jake Gardiner. 5 – Points for Joffrey Lupul through four games to lead the team. 34.5 – Average shot attempts for Toronto opponents so far this season. 13:00 – Ice-time for Nazem Kadri. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-2 PK: 3-3 Quote of the Night "To me they can be built-in excuses and were not going there with this hockey club." -Randy Carlyle on missing a number of regulars on Tuesday night. Up Next The Leafs visit Seth Jones, Shea Weber and the Predators in Music City on Thursday night. 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