connect with players," Farrell said of Nieves. Just like Fa | Forum

LOS ANGELES -- Nothing bothered Seymon Varlamov when the Colorado Avalanche goalie shut out the Los Angeles Kings. Mel Blount Jersey . Varlamov made 19 saves in winning his third straight start, and Jamie McGinn provided all the offence 2:32 into overtime to lift the Avalanche to a 1-0 victory on Saturday night. Varlamovs 12th career shutout and first this season came one day after prosecutors in Denver filed a misdemeanour assault charge against him following a complaint by his girlfriend that he attacked her on Oct. 30. The six-year veteran spent a night in jail before he was freed on $5,000 bond. "You know what? Varlys been like this since the start of the year, and hes been very focused," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said. "In some ways, it was not a big surprise. Those charges were dropped (three of the four), which is good news for him. "He made a couple of big saves at the right moments. Hes having the support of his teammates, and his teammates want to play hard in front of him, as well." The Avalanche, who have allowed an NHL-low nine first-period goals, blocked nine shots during the first 20 minutes and finished with 15. Los Angeles received a 4-minute power play with 77 seconds left in the second period, after John Mitchell cut Willie Mitchell with a high stick, but the Kings got only two shots during that stretch and finished 0 for 4 with the man advantage. "Team defence is something we pride ourselves in, and we try to take away time and space" defenceman Nate Guenin said. "Our forwards and defencemen take pride in the defensive zone, and weve got two rock-solid goalies back there (including Jean-Sebastien Giguere). So if we make a mistake, they are there to bail us out." McGinns fourth goal of the season, and first game-winner, helped the Avalanche (17-5-0) improve the best start in franchise history. They are 15-0 when they score first. Ben Scrivens made 32 saves in his sixth straight start for the injured Jonathan Quick. He got a bad break when a rebound trickled into the net off the elbow of teammate Jarret Stoll after Scrivens made the initial save on McGinn. "Im just trying to drive to the net, get a lot of wood on it, and make sure I hit the net," McGinn said. "I thought Scrivens made a great save on the shoulder, and it was unlucky for them that it hit their guy -- but lucky for us that it hit the back of the net. We worked hard the whole game, so were glad we got rewarded." The Kings, coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to New Jersey on Thursday, were shut out for the first time this season and ended an eight-game stretch in which they recorded at least one point. Scrivens was at his best during the second one, stopping point-blank shots by John Mitchell, Ryan OReilly, rookie Nathan MacKinnon and two more by P.A. Parenteau after Willie Mitchell was off for high-sticking Maxime Talbot with 7 minutes left in regulation. "Its hard to win in this league, so you cant take anything for granted," Scrivens said. "You have to respect Colorado. They are a good team and they find ways to win. I dont think a lot of people at the start of the season had them where they are in the (standings), so you have to give a ton of credit to them." NOTES: The Kings activated LW Kyle Clifford from the injured list after he missed six games with an upper-body injury. C Trevor Lewis was placed on the injured list because of a lower-body injury. ... Colorados Marc-Andre Cliche, who came in with the teams lowest winning percentage on faceoffs (34 per cent) won seven of eight. ... The Avalanche are 5-4 since LW Alex Tanguay sustained a knee injury on Nov. 2 against Montreal. He is the only player left from Colorados 2001 Stanley Cup-winning team. ... MacKinnon, the first overall pick in the June draft and the NHLs youngest player at 18, leads rookies with 65 shots. He has three goals. ... Colorado was 0 for 3 on the power play. Joe Greene Jersey . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Cody Wallace Jersey . PAUL, Minn. http:///...ore-Steelers-Jersey/ . Jay Feely kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime, and the Cardinals edged the Tennessee Titans 37-34 in overtime after blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter.BOSTON - John Farrell failed in his last managerial job. The Boston Red Sox had their worst record in nearly a half century. After a dismal 2012 season for both, theyre together now and that past seems so far away. Its a match made for the World Series. "I try to live out what our team has lived out this year and, that is, not to look back," Farrell said. Why would he want to? The Toronto Blue Jays were 73-89 last season, their second under Farrell, and actually trailed Boston in the standings with 10 games left. Then the Red Sox finally won something — the race to the bottom of the AL East. They lost nine of their last 10 games, dropping to 69-93 and insuring that Bobby Valentines tumultuous term as manager would end after one season. Enter Farrell. He had one year left on his contract with the Blue Jays so the Red Sox had to trade to get their old pitching coach back to run the show as manager. His impact was immediate in spring training, the transition smoothed by his familiarity with many of his players. "He came in there with a presence," pitching ace Jon Lester said, "Came in there with his idea of how he wanted to run this team and stood up there in front of us and told us how he wanted it done. "And I think the 40 guys or whatever that was in that room kind of looked around and it was like, OK, lets go do it. " So they did, with a consistency and clubhouse cohesion missing from Valentines Way. The Red Sox spent an AL-best 158 days in first place, were one of two major-league teams above .500 all year and had no losing streak longer than three games for just the second time in their 113 seasons. And the players bonded long before their beards blossomed. Gone were highly paid disgruntled players like Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. In their place were team-oriented hustlers like Jonny Gomes, Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, Stephen Drew and David Ross. But it took the even-keeled Farrell and his communication skills to bring them all together after Valentines shoot-from-the-lip style failed. "The thing with John is hes so smart. I think it seems like he learns from every single person hes around in baseball," second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. "John this year has been unbelievable with all of us, just the communication." At 6-foot-4, the broad-shouldereed Farrell has a military bearing. Reggie White Jersey. He leads his players and listens to them. He lets them know their roles, explains why theyre not in the lineup and sees them produce off the bench. Before World Series games, he sits at an interview table, rarely blinking as he listens closely to questions. Then he answers thoughtfully, occasionally breaking into a smile. And hes not afraid to admit that hes wrong. With Game 3 tied 4-4 with one out in the top of the ninth, Farrell let Brandon Workman bat with one out rather than have Napoli pinch hit and make a double-switch at first base and pitcher. Workman struck out. Then he left the game with one out and a runner at first in the bottom of the ninth when the Cardinals won 5-4 on an obstruction play. "In retrospect, sure, I would have liked to (use a pinch hitter)," Farrell said. "Still, I wasnt going to pinch-hit for Workman with no guarantee that Napoli drives one out of the ballpark." He also handles critics — there havent been many in Boston — with respect. When he was booed by fans on his return to Toronto with Boston on April 4, Farrell said, "That goes back to how much people care, and thats a good thing. "Unfortunately, over the past couple of years, some things didnt play out on the field as we had hoped." But now hes in Boston where his philosophy is working out just fine. "Theres a relentless approach to play a complete game every night," Farrell said. "That attitude is what has allowed us to come back from so many deficits this year and never give an at-bat away, and certainly play to the 27th out every night." Unlike his predecessor, in Boston he has a strong relationship with his coaches and doesnt call attention to himself by criticizing players. Farrell hired Juan Nieves as his pitching coach then stayed out of his way despite having served in that role with the Red Sox from 2007-2010. The staff ERA of 3.79 was nearly a run less than last seasons and Bostons best in 11 years. "His genuineness as a person to me was the one thing that would allow him to connect with players," Farrell said of Nieves. Just like Farrell. From that first meeting in spring training. "Nobody had any questions," Lester said. "It was our job to go out there and do what he told us to do. And I think weve done a good job of that." 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 Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '