Infos & Interessantes » those games where nothing went our way, R

It feels like the hockey seasons been underway for, well, weeks. And thanks to the World Cup of Hockey, some of the NHLs best players should be starting the regular season in midseason form, which isnt a bad thing. So, without further ado, we bring you episode one of the ongoing drama of the Power Rankings. Bring it on.1.?Pittsburgh PenguinsThe defending Stanley Cup champions always start the season in the top perch. Its tradition. Now, Sidney Crosbys concussion diagnosis?certainly casts a pall over the start of the season. So how long the Penguins remain on top will depend on how quickly Crosby comes back and on how veteran Marc-Andre Fleury, who will start the season as the Pens starting netminder due to postseason star?Matt Murray?being injured, holds down the fort in goal.2. San Jose SharksIts not necessarily tradition, but well put the Sharks in the second spot, given that theyre coming off their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals. They shouldnt have too much of a drop-off thanks to some nice offseason work by San Jose general manager Doug Wilson.3. Washington CapitalsWin now or bust is pretty much the slogan for the Caps, who tore through the regular season in 2015-16, but were dumped in six games in the second round of the playoffs by Pittsburgh. Washington is still a force from top to bottom.4. Tampa Bay LightningTheres lots to like about the Eastern Conference finalists. Can GM Steve Yzerman continue his magic and get Nikita Kucherov under contract and on the ice? And what, ultimately, will become of goalie?Ben Bishop as he enters the last year of his contract?5. Chicago BlackhawksA rare one-and-done playoff run last spring should mean that the Blackhawks are well rested. This team is still loaded up and down the lineup. We love the repatriation of defenseman Brian Campbell?and cant wait for Marian Hossa to get career goal No. 500. The future Hall of Famer enters the season one away from the milestone.6. Dallas StarsDoes anyone expect GM Jim Nill to finish the season with Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen as his goaltenders? With an upgrade between the pipes and some good luck when it comes to the health of stars Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin,?the Stars could be headed to the finals.7. Nashville PredatorsIs this the season Nashville gets over the hump? How big of an impact will P.K. Subban have -- and will they miss longtime captain Shea Weber more than they think? This might be the best lineup from top to bottom that the Predators have ever iced. Now can they take advantage of it?8. Montreal CanadiensThe Habs are coming off a train wreck of a season that saw Carey Price miss all but a month or so of action. Price is back and in terrific form thanks to Canadas run at the World Cup of Hockey. Weber brings a whole new level of seriousness to the proceedings -- and how about the potential impact of former bad boy Alexander Radulov?9. Florida PanthersTheres a weird dynamic in Florida, where ownership shook things up after the Panthers won their division. So well have to see how the changes affected the karma. We love the addition of Keith Yandle but wonder about?Roberto Luongos durability. Its possible that goalie?James Reimer may be the Cats most important offseason addition.10. Anaheim DucksRandy Carlyle is back behind the bench, and this is still a dangerous team capable of winning the Pacific Division. But the Ducks need to get Hampus Lindholms and Rickard Rakells respective?contracts sorted out. The reality is that time is running out for Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler et al.11. Calgary FlamesIf Brian Elliott can rise to the challenge of being the man in Calgary, this isnt just a playoff team but a potential division winner. The Flames are deep defensively and given their plentiful great young offensive parts they are on the cusp -- assuming, of course, they get?Johnny Gaudreaus contract resolved sooner rather than later.12. St. Louis BluesIts a year of transition for the Blues, as Ken Hitchcock prepares to bow out in favor of assistant coach Mike Yeo. The losses of David Backes and Troy Brouwer will mean new leaders need to step up in St. Louis. Its now?Jake Allens bus. Can he drive it back to the playoffs?13. Minnesota WildBruce Boudreau is one of the most successful regular-season coaches in the game. We expect the Wild to get back to the playoffs with Eric Staal enjoying a nice bounce-back season in Minnesota.14. Carolina HurricanesWe dont mind saying we werent sure what to make of the bottom end of the Metropolitan Division, but we do love the skilled, speedy, youthful Hurricanes. And its time, isnt it, for some good news in Raleigh? We have them third in the Metro.15. New York RangersThe Rangers could finish anywhere in the Metro, but we like them here. GM Jeff Gorton has done a nice job of getting younger up front without giving up too much. Now, can the aging defense come together after a miserable end to the season against Pittsburgh?16. Los Angeles KingsAnze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick can pretty much carry this team into the playoffs by themselves. They may have to.17. Arizona CoyotesWill the Yotes soon be putting shovel to ground on a new home? Will the on-ice product reflect the nice work done by young GM John Chayka? The playoffs arent out of the realm of possibility for coach Dave Tippetts young charges.18. Boston BruinsWe think the Bruins are going to be better than most people think theyre going to be. In short, we dont think they stink. In fact, we kind of like them as a playoff team. At least right now we do.19. Philadelphia FlyersThe Flyers were a surprise part of the playoff tournament last spring and Dave Hakstol is going to be even more comfortable in his second season as an NHL bench boss. But we have to think a slight correction is in store for the Flyers.20. New Jersey DevilsThe playoffs could be in the cards for the Devils if Taylor Hall?properly channels his inner anger at being traded and if Cory Schneider is aces once again. That defense, though, needs to be better than the sum of its parts after the departure of Adam Larsson.21. New York IslandersLots of teams got better in the Metro and in the Eastern Conference overall. We dont think the Islanders were one of them. Its time to ramp up sale of those John Tavares to Toronto T-shirts.22. Winnipeg JetsA big season for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and head coach Paul Maurice begins with a big dilemma: what to do about disgruntled, restricted free-agent defenseman Jacob Trouba. All else that follows for the Jets this season flows from what happens with him.23. Edmonton OilersWho knows just how great new teenage captain Connor McDavid is going to be? As for the Oilers, how big a jump will they need to make this season to consider the corner turned? Theyre not quite ready for the playoffs, but they cant be out of it by November either.24. Buffalo SabresWe want to believe in the Sabres. We really do. And we love the addition of Kyle Okposo. But lets see if Robin Lehner is the real deal, and lets see if Evander Kane has learned anything about being a pro over the past few months.25. Detroit Red WingsFrans Nielsen was terrific during the World Cup of Hockey. So was Tomas Tatar. Thomas Vanek? Not so much. Vaneks play was kind of like the Wings -- some good, some bad but not enough to make you stop and pay attention. Detroits playoff streak is definitely in jeopardy.26. Ottawa SenatorsNew head coach Guy Boucher will have his hands full trying to forge an identity for the Senators, who seem to have lost their way the past couple of seasons. Theres no reason the Sens cant still be in the playoff hunt. But weve said the same things the past couple of years.27. Colorado AvalancheWere going to find out pretty quickly whether the Avalanche really do stink or whether it was just their head coach who did. There will be lots of pressure on Jared Bednar, the minor pro coach who replaced Patrick Roy after Roy bolted in August -- but the Avs have little place to go but up.28. Columbus Blue JacketsThe Blue Jackets could be a playoff team. We dont think they will be, but they could be. Watch for Sergei Bobrovsky to get off to a great start and make this placement look silly.29. Toronto Maple LeafsOh, the optimism in Toronto is almost nauseating. Sure, theyll be fun to watch, but if anyone expects the 30th overall team from last season to be anything but a stones throw from 30th overall again this season, they havent been paying attention.30. Vancouver CanucksEveryone else seems to be moving forward while the Canucks, most charitably, seem to be going sideways -- or is that in circles? Cheap NCAA Jerseys . The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. Wholesale NCAA Jerseys China . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. https://www.chinajerseysncaa.us/ . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. Custom NCAA Jerseys . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. Clearance NCAA Jerseys . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. LOS ANGELES -- After pulling even with San Francisco for first place in the NL West this week, the Los Angeles Dodgers have hit a bump in the road and are chasing the Giants again.Andrew McCutchen and Jordy Mercer homered to lead newcomer Ivan Nova and the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-1 victory Friday night that kept the Dodgers a game behind San Francisco.The Giants lost 5-2 to Baltimore.Los Angeles has dropped consecutive games, with an off day sandwiched in between. This time, the Dodgers failed to take advantage of their opportunities against Ivan Nova.Handed a three-run lead before he threw a pitch, Nova (2-0) has won both starts for the Pirates since they obtained him from New York at the Aug. 1 trade deadline. The right-hander scattered nine hits over 5 1/3 innings in his first outing against the Dodgers and improved to 9-6 overall this season.He didnt walk guys, made us put the ball in play, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Those guys over there can really defend.I thought we had some good at bats against Nova, hit some balls hard, got some hits, hit some other balls that they made plays on. Defensively, they can track it down.Ross Stripling (3-4) went seven innings for the Dodgers, giving up six hits and five runs -- including two homers.Ross has had a great opportunity and really seized the moment, Roberts said. I think that now and going forward it has been a great learning process for Ross. I think his growth has been exponential.Ross threw really well tonight. He gave us seven innings and his pitch command was real good.Stripling (3-4) started in place of Rich Hill, on the disabled list with a middle finger blister on his pitching hand. After a rough first inning, Stripling retired 17 of 19 hitters but gave up five runs, including solo homers to McCutchen and Mercer.Those were probably the two worst pitches I made all night, Stripling said. They definitely punished me for them.Pittsburgh, which had lost eight of 10 road games, extended its recent dominance of the Dodgers. The Pirates have beaten Los Angeles in four of five games this year and improved their record to 14-4 against the Dodgers since the beginning of the 2014 season.Pittsburgh jumped on Stripling for four hits and three runs in the first. McCutchen and David Freese stroked RBI singles, and Mercers RBI fielders choice made it 3-0.I think I threw the ball really well, Stripling said. The first inning was obviously frustrating, when really one ball makees it to the outfield and you give up three runs.ddddddddddddI was able to kind of calm down and bounce back from that.Howie Kendricks two-out RBI single in the second cut the lead to 3-1. Kendrick finished with three hits.McCutchen continued his torrid hitting at Dodger Stadium with a third-inning solo shot, his 16th homer of the season. In his last seven games at Dodger Stadium, the slugger is 8 for 16 with four doubles and two home runs.I love Dodger Stadium and LA. Its Paradise, and the weather is always great, McCutchen said. When we come out here, I seem to get more down time and Im more relaxed.McCutchen also made an outstanding, over-the-shoulder catch near the warning track in left-center in the second inning to take an extra-base hit away from Yasmani Grandal.Los Angeles outfielder Josh Reddick robbed Josh Harrison of a home run when he reached over the low right-field wall to make a grab.Nova twice struck out Stripling to end a rally. Antonio Bastardo got the final two outs in the sixth before Felipe Rivero, Neftali Feliz, Juan Nicasio and Tony Watson followed and shut down the Dodgers.Watson came on with runners at the corners and retired Corey Seager for his fifth save.It was just one of those games where nothing went our way, Roberts said. I dont think it is an indication of where we are at, scoring one run tonight.TRAINERS ROOMDodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw, on the 60-day DL with a mild disk herniation, is scheduled to play catch Saturday. No target date has been set for his return. ... RHP Joe Blanton was reinstated from the bereavement list, and the Dodgers optioned LHP Luis Avilan to Triple-A Oklahoma City. ... The Dodgers plan to activate LHP Brett Anderson (herniated disk surgery) off the DL to start Sundays series finale.HOCKEY NIGHT AT CHAVEZ RAVINELos Angeles Kings players Kyle Clifford, Trevor Lewis, Brayden McNabb and Tyler Toffoli threw out the ceremonial first pitches.UP NEXTPirates: RHP Gerrit Cole (7-7) pitches Saturday. His last time out, Cole gave up four hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings and lost 7-3 to the Reds. He is 3-0 against the Dodgers in four career starts.Dodgers: RHP Brandon McCarthy (2-2) felt healthy during workouts this week and is expected to pitch Saturday. In his last outing, McCarthy went 3 2/3 innings, gave up two runs and walked five against Boston. ' ' '