{allcanada} DeRozan puts up 40 as Raptors take care of Pacers

 

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TORONTO — DeMar DeRozan was at it again on Friday.

DeRozan scored 40 points for the seventh time this season to help the Toronto Raptors keep up with the congested race for the top of the Eastern Conference while dealing a blow to the Indiana Pacers' post-season hopes with a 111-100 win.

The Raptors have now won seven of their last eight games despite the absence of star Kyle Lowry and sit three games back of Boston for first in the East. But as DeRozan explained after the game, the cerebral point guard's influence still looms large.

"With Kyle out there, we need him for a lot — he thinks for us a lot of times and makes the game come easier for all of us," DeRozan said of Lowry, who's out after right wrist surgery. "Without him, I try to do the same as if I was Kyle — try to think for everybody and try to get easy things going."

Serge Ibaka added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors (46-30), while Jonas Valanciunas dominated just as he did in Toronto's seven-game win over Indiana in the first round of last year's playoffs, finishing with 16 points and 17 rebounds.

Versatile swingman Paul George amassed 28 points and nine rebounds but couldn't halt the recent downward slide of the Pacers (37-39), who have now lost five of their last six as they jostle for one of the last two playoff spots in the East with Miami, Chicago and Detroit.

Despite that desperation, there wasn't much urgency from either side in the first half, with the Pacers holding a two-point lead after a less-than-pretty 24 minutes that saw the Raptors shoot 37 per cent while looking discombobulated at both ends.

Their focus intensified in the third.

DeRozan, again almost impossible to stop offensively, scored nine of the team's first 11 points in the quarter - including a pair of three-pointers - to help the Raptors re-take the lead.

Then Valanciunas went to work, ultimately producing a 12-point, 13-rebound quarter including a picturesque baseline dunk over Rakeem Christmas's outstretched hands. Apparently encouraged, Valanciunas two possessions later decided to pump-fake a three-pointer before driving from 23-feet out and trying to dunk over George, who mercifully fouled the hulking Lithuanian as the bemused crowd cheered.

After that, the Pacers couldn't manage to draw close again as the teams traded baskets in the fourth. Two free throws from Indiana's Jeff Teague cut the Raptors' lead to 104-97 with 1:15 left. On the next play, Ibaka swung the ball to DeRozan, who swished a high-arching three-pointer from 27 feet out to deflate the Pacers.

If DeRozan's excellence has become almost routine lately, the Raptors were grateful for a buoyant boost from second-year guard Delon Wright, who posted 11 points and six rebounds while proving a vexing disruption on the defensive end.

"I thought Delon did an excellent job running the show," head coach Dwane Casey said.

Added DeRozan of the "extremely crafty" youngster: "He's smooth, man."

The Raptors locker-room, meanwhile, was perhaps somewhat less complimentary of Valanciunas's aborted three-point attempt.

"Terrible," teased DeRozan after the game. "And he went for the pump-fake — that's a hell of a pump-fake.

"He gotta come right out of the game after that."

NOTES: Casey sounded an optimistic note on Lowry, who's been out since the all-star break. "Hopefully we can get him in for a couple games before the playoffs start," Casey said. … By some scheduling quirk, the Pacers and Raptors play all three of their games this season in a span of less than three weeks. Toronto won the first matchup 116-91. They play again Tuesday in Indianapolis. … Toronto next plays Sunday against the woeful Philadelphia 76ers.

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{allcanada} Mediation fails to resolve Bouchard-USTA lawsuit

 

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http://www.tsn.ca/talent/mediation-fails-to-resolve-bouchard-usta-lawsuit-1.712038

A private mediation session between lawyers for Genie Bouchard and the United States Tennis Association failed to lead to a resolution on Wednesday. As a result, the tennis star's lawsuit will continue to move forward with a trial potentially starting as early as September, Bouchard's lawyer told TSN.

"Genie does a lot of social media and she looks really good, because she's a beautiful young woman," said Benedict Morelli, Bouchard's attorney, "but I'll tell you, her record doesn't look so good and that lack of winning has a lot to do with her lack of confidence, her emotional and physical injuries, and someone's going to pay for it."

Bouchard's record is 5-6 this season. She's currently 56th in the WTA rankings.

On Friday, an official with the U.S.T.A. said the organization had no further comment to offer on the case.

Bouchard struggled in 2015, but seemed to regain her form at the U.S. Open where, as the 25th seed, she advanced to the fourth round. But after winning a mixed doubles match, she slipped and fell while using the on-site facilities. She suffered a concussion and was forced to withdraw from the event (she was also still alive in the doubles draw). Bouchard hasn't reached the fourth round of a major since.

"The problem that she's having is getting her confidence back, because she could be hitting the ball as well as ever and she can be moving on the court well, but you and I both know that she, in 2014 (when Bouchard reached a career-high ranking of No. 5) and again at the U.S. Open in 2015, was exhibiting a mental toughness that not many players, male or female, had exhibited at that time. So, getting back that form is difficult. Any seasoned player who has been or is on the tour will tell you, 'You just can't turn it on like a faucet. It doesn't work that way,'" Morelli said.

Bouchard is very active on social media. Recently, she made a bet on the Super Bowl with a fan on Twitter agreeing to go on a date with @punslayintwoods if the New England Patriots overcame a large deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons.

"She can look really good on social media, but she's not going out in these tournaments and losing, because she wants to," said Morelli, who also represented actor Tracy Morgan in his lawsuit against Walmart. "So, this situation has affected her in a very, very big way. There are some players where something interrupts their play like this interrupted hers and they never regain the same form and we're hoping and praying that she will."

Bouchard's lawsuit argues that organizers are liable, because her fall was caused by a slippery substance on a tile floor, in a room that was dark and unattended.

"She's putting on a really, really good front in social media," Morelli said. "You look at her and say, 'Oh my God, she's great,' but this isn't about whether or not the physical effects of the concussion have resolved, that's not what the case is about at this point. It's whether or not mentally and emotionally she has recovered her game and we know she hasn't.

"There's nothing that we can sue for other than money. Unfortunately, we can't sue to get her form back."

On Thursday the two sides met with a magistrate, who set a deadline to complete discovery (all depositions, expert reports) by the middle of the Summer, according to Morelli. 

"It's disappointing when I have to tell Genie, 'They're still blaming you in whole or in part for causing the accident.' I think it's ridiculous," the lawyer said. "It's bad form and I hope they will change their mind."

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{allcanada} Jays, Pirates settle for tie in Montreal

 

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MONTREAL — A tie was not the hoped-for result but Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin wasn't disappointed.

A crowd of 43,180 at Olympic Stadium, who saved their loudest cheers for local favourite Martin, watched the Blue Jays play to a nine-inning 1-1 draw with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

It was not the thrilling end many may have hoped for, but that's how it works in pre-season baseball. The teams had used up their pitchers and pinch-hitters and there was no use pursuing it further in a game that doesn't count in the standings.

"I don't know if it's disappointing," said Martin. "You prefer to win the game, but tying is better than losing.

"It can only happen in spring training, but it's not the first time we've gone through it. It's a bit tougher when you're playing in front of a lot more fans but, at the end of the day, we're still getting ready for the season. The guys played with intensity and I hope the people enjoyed it. Maybe people won't go home happy because we didn't win but they won't go home sad because we lost."

The two teams meet again on Saturday afternoon, which marks the end of the pre-season for both clubs.

The Pirates outhit the Blue Jays 9-5.

The Blue Jays got on the board in the third as Darwin Barney led off with a triple off starter Jameson Taillon and scored on Kevin Pillar's groundout.

The Pirates tied it in the fifth off Joe Biagini when Jordy Mercer's two-out single was followed by a triple off the right field wall by Adam Frazier, who was thrown out trying to stretch it into an inside the park home run. Frazier has reached base in 13 of his last 14 games.

Neither side mustered much of a threat from then on.

Jays starter Marcus Stroman allowed five hits and no runs in four innings, but he had a nervy third when Josh Harrison singled but then was caught stealing. Mercer and Frazier followed with singles but Starling Marte flied out to end the threat.

Stroman is coming off an MVP performance for the United States at the World Baseball Classic and was happy with his outing.

And he liked the pro-Blue Jays atmosphere at Olympic Stadium.

"It's more of a feeling like the WBC where I'm coming from," said Stroman. "I love pitching in front of huge crowds.

"I feel like I'm able to feed off those games. The more people the better. I hope there's 50,000 in the Rogers Centre every game I pitch this year."

Aaron Loup, who is battling for a bullpen job, pitched the scoreless sixth and had two strikeouts, while Ryan Tepera got two hitters out in the seventh and was replaced by J.P. Howell.

It is a fourth straight year the Blue Jays have ended their pre-season with a pair of exhibition games at the Big O. They went 3-3 in previous two-game sets against the New York Mets, Cincinnati and Boston.

The announced crowd was down from the nearly 50,000 that turned up in previous years and they were somewhat less animated, except when Martin batted. He went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

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{allcanada} TFC held to draw in home opener

 

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Toronto FC is unbeaten in four games with three clean sheets. But what normally would be cause for celebration comes with a dose of frustration.

Coach Greg Vanney saw goalkeeper Clint Irwin limp off late in the first half and his offence unable to pierce a resilient Sporting Kansas City in a 0-0 tie Friday in a battle of unbeaten MLS teams.

Toronto (1-0-3) had more chances on a wet, windy night — with temperatures around four degrees Celsius at kickoff — but was unable to finish off a resilient Kansas City side before a BMO Field crowd of 27,909.

Kansas City (1-0-3) is now unbeaten in its last eight games against Toronto.

"It's a frustrating night because it's one where you want to take three points, for many reasons," said Vanney.

"We had some good moments in this game and we had some moments that we've got to clean up," he added.

Sebastian Giovinco, yet to score this season, almost broke the deadlock in the 59th minute but his free kick hit the crossbar. The Italian star deserved a goal, deftly pulling the Toronto strings as the game wore on.

Kansas City showed its teeth with a couple of good chances in the second half that were stopped by substitute 'keeper Alex Bono.

The visitors' mix of pressing and compact defending gave Toronto some early problems.

"It was definitely part of our plan, keep (Michael) Bradley off the ball and then at the same time limit the space that Giovinco had," said coach Peter Vermes.

Toronto eventually began to make inroads on the Kansas City defence. For a while, however, the home side seemed unable to find a way into the other half with centre backs reduced to low-percentage long-range pass attempts. Giovinco started coming back deeper in an attempt to kick-start the attack.

Toronto finished with 13 shots, only two of which were on target. Kansas City had 15 shots (five on target).

Bradley saw positives in that Toronto is proving hard to beat.

"We played against a good team tonight — a team that was very committed to coming in here and doing anything they could to come away with a point," he said. "And on the night we still had a bunch of big chances. We had a good number of close to 100-per-cent chances."

But he suggested a more adventurous approach may be needed.

"While we can't take stupid risk, in the right moments we still have to have a little more courage. Across the board we have to be a little braver to make certain types of play, to play certain types of passes, knowing that when those types of plays come together they are what help us break a team like this down.

"Look, it's early in the season. It's been as always a little bit of a choppy start — three away games, an international break, first game at home — and we still feel very good about where we are, where we're going and the progress we continue to make."

The connection between Giovinco, Jozy Altidore and playmaker Victor Vazquez is very much a work in progress, given their little playing time together. Altidore, given a reduced role after his international duty, only played the last 28 minutes Friday.

Canadian wingback Raheem Edwards, replacing Justin Morrow (heel), did not look out of place in his first MLS start.

But there was frustration for midfielder Jonathan Osorio, who did some fine buildup work to get into a scoring position only to misfire on several occasions.

Osorio took to Twitter after the game to thank the fans for the evening's atmosphere and "to apologize to all of you for my misses today."

And there will be concern over Irwin, who went down clutching his knee in the 37th minute when his left foot appeared to get stuck in the turf as he came out to make a save. Irwin, who was able to walk off gingerly, is slated to undergo an MRI Saturday.

Bono, who showed last year in Irwin's injury absence that he can handle No. 1 duties, was given the start last time out in Vancouver as a chance to get some minutes. He may get another extended run.

Kansas City was without influential midfielder Benny Feilhaber with a thigh strain ending a string of 22 straight regular-season starts. He remains the only SKC player to score this season — their other score was an own goal.

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{allcanada} QMJHL: Fontaine scores winner, Huskies rally past Mooseheads

 

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HALIFAX — Gabriel Fontaine scored 26 seconds into the third overtime as the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies rallied past the Halifax Mooseheads 6-5 on Friday night in Game 5 of their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League first-round playoff series.

The Huskies lead the best-of-seven set 3-2 and host Game 6 on Monday.

Jeremy Lauzon, on the power play, and Mathieu Boucher had goals late in the third period for Rouyn-Noranda to force extra time. Alexandre Fortin had two goals and an assist with Jean-Christophe Beaudin adding the other.

Maxime Fortier scored a hat trick and Nico Hischier had a goal and two assists for the Mooseheads. Joel Bishop also chipped in.

Samuel Harvey made 38 saves for the win in net as Alexis Gravel stopped 49 shots in defeat.

Both teams went 1 for 4 on the power play.

---

FOREURS 3 CATARACTES 1

SHAWINIGAN, Que. — Mathieu Nadeau had two goals and an assist and Etienne Montpetit stopped 35 shots as Val-d'Or beat the Cataractes to take a 3-2 series lead.

David Noel added insurance on the power play midway through the first for the Foreurs, who host Game 6 on Sunday.

Alexis D'Aoust answered in the second for Shawinigan. Mikhail Denisov started in net but was pulled after allowing three goals on six shots in 10:30. Zachary Bouthillier went the rest of the way and turned aside all 16 shots he faced.

---

OLYMPIQUES 5 SCREAMING EAGLES 3

GATINEAU, Que. — Tristan Berube made 37 saves while Zack MacEwen and Yakov Trenin had a goal and an assist apiece as the Olympiques got past Cape Breton to keep their season alive.

Jeffrey Durocher, Shawn Boudrias and Alexandre Landreville rounded out the attack for Gatineau, which still trails the series 3-2.

Drake Batherson had a pair of power-play goals for the Screaming Eagles and Giovanni Fiore had the other. Kyle Jessiman turned away 21-of-25 shots for Cape Breton, which hosts Game 6 on Monday.

 

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{allcanada} OHL: 67's avoid elimination against Steelheads

 

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MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Leo Lazarev made 51 saves and Artur Tyanulin scored twice as the Ottawa 67's avoided elimination with a 5-3 victory over the Mississauga Steelheads in Game 5 on Friday night in their Ontario Hockey League first-round playoff series.

The Steelheads still hold a 3-2 series advantage with Game 6 on Sunday in Ottawa.

Patrick White, Tye Felhaber and Jared Steege added a goal and an assist apiece for the 67's.

Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian and Spencer Watson replied in the third period for Mississauga. Jacob Ingham kicked out 14 shots.

Neither team scored on two power plays apiece.

---

FRONTENACS 4 BULLDOGS 2

KINGSTON, Ont. — Jason Robertson had a goal and two assists and Jeremy Helvig made 20 saves as the Frontenacs doubled up Hamilton in Game 5.

Ryan Cranford, Stephen Desrocher and Linus Nyman also chipped in as Kingston took a 3-2 series advantage.

Justin Lemcke and Matt Luff scored for the Bulldogs, who host Game 6 on Sunday. Dawson Carty stopped 24 shots.

---

GREYHOUNDS 6 FIREBIRDS 1

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. — Tim Gettinger had two goals and an assist as the Greyhounds downed Flint to win the best-of-seven series 4-1.

Gustav Bouramman, David Miller, Boris Katchouk and Zachary Senyshyn supplied the rest of the offence for Sault Ste. Marie. Conor Timmins and Morgan Frost tacked on three helpers apiece while Joseph Raaymakers made 21 saves.

Kole Sherwood found the back of the net for the Firebirds and Connor Hicks turned away 33 shots.

---

KNIGHTS 2 SPITFIRES 1

LONDON, Ont. — Tyler Parsons made 25 saves and Mitchell Stephens scored the winner in the second period as the Knights avoided elimination by edging Windsor.

Robert Thomas opened the scoring for London, which still trails the series 3-2.

Jeremy Bracco replied for the Spitfires, who host Game 6 on Sunday. Michael DiPietro stopped 27 shots.

---

ATTACK 6 RANGERS 2

OWEN SOUND, Ont. — Petrus Palmu had a goal and two assists to lead the Attack past Kitchener and capture the best-of-seven series 4-1.

Nick Suzuki, Kevin Hancock, Matthew Struthers, Ethan Szypula and Santino Centorame supplied the rest of the offence for Owen Sound. Michael McNiven made 26 saves.

Connor Bunnaman struck twice for the Rangers and Luke Opilka turned aside 32 shots.

---

GENERALS 4 WOLVES 1

OSHAWA, Ont. — Joe Manchurek and Renars Krastenbergs had a goal and an assist apiece to lift the Generals past Sudbury and take a 3-2 series lead.

Jack Studnicka and Mason Kohn, into an empty net, also chipped in for Oshawa while Jeremy Brodeur tuned away 34 shots.

Dmitry Sokolov scored the lone goal for the Wolves and Jake McGrath made 22 saves. Sudbury hosts Game 6 on Sunday.

Michael Pezzetta of the Wolves received a major penalty and game misconduct for cross checking at the end of the third period.

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{allcanada} April 1: Mike Bossy first rookie to get 50 goals

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THIS DATE IN HISTORY: April 1

1978: Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders becomes the first NHL rookie to score 50 goals in a season. Bossy scores No. 50 at 11:52 of the third period, then gets No. 51 with five seconds to play, giving the Islanders a 3-2 victory against the Washington Capitals at Nassau Coliseum.

Bossy goes on to score 60 or more goals five times during his career, and his nine consecutive 50-goal seasons are still an NHL record. The Montreal native wins four Stanley Cup championships with the Islanders during his 10-season career, finishing with 573 regular-season goals and 85 more in the playoffs. He retires at age 30 because of back problems.

"A lot of times, players look up at the clock and say to themselves, 'Well, it's too late to score,'" Islanders general manager Bill Torrey said. "It was never, ever too late for Mike Bossy to score."

 
MORE MOMENTS

1919: The fifth and deciding game of the Stanley Cup Final between the Montreal Canadiens and Seattle Metropolitans is canceled because of an influenza epidemic. It's still the only time that the Cup is not awarded once the Final has begun.

 

1926: Clint Benedict becomes the first NHL goalie to earn three straight playoff shutouts when the Montreal Maroons defeat the visiting Victoria Cougars of the Western Hockey League 3-0 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Maroons lose Game 3, but Benedict helps Montreal to a 2-0 victory in Game 4 for a 3-1 victory in the best-of-5 series. It is the last Final involving a non-NHL team; after the 1925-26 season, the NHL is the only major pro league still in existence and takes sole control of the competition for the Cup.

 

1954: Gordie Howe sets a Stanley Cup Playoff record for the fastest goal from the start of a game by scoring nine seconds after the opening faceoff in the Detroit Red Wings' 4-3 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 of the Semifinals. Howe has two goals and an assist before Ted Lindsay scores the winner after 21:01 of overtime.

 

1980: Mike Liut becomes the first goaltender in St. Louis Blues history to win 30 games in one season, Mike Zuke has three assists and the Blues become the second post-1967 expansion team to win 250 home games. The milestone victory is a 5-2 win against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks.

 

1989: The New York Rangers fire coach Michel Bergeron with two games remaining in the regular season. General manager Phil Esposito takes over, but the Rangers lose those two games before being swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Patrick Division Semifinals. Esposito is fired not long afterward.

 

1993: Pavel Bure becomes the first player in Vancouver Canucks history to score 100 points in a season. Bure reaches the milestone by scoring one goal and setting up another in a 5-3 road win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bure also sets a Canucks record with his seventh shorthanded goal of the season.

 

2004: The Boston Bruins become the first team in NHL history to play 30 overtime games in one regular season. OT game No. 30 is a 3-3 tie against the Washington Capitals at TD Garden.

 

2008: The Buffalo Sabres become the second post-1967 expansion team to win 1,400 games when they defeat the Maple Leafs 4-3 in a shootout at Air Canada Centre. Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller makes his 75th appearance of the season and Maxim Afinogenov scores the winner in the sixth round of the tiebreaker.

 

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{allcanada} John Tavares of Islanders has leg injury

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NEW YORK -- New York Islanders center John Tavares sustained a lower-body injury in the third period of a 2-1 win against the New Jersey Devils at Barclays Center on Friday.

Tavares was battling for control of the puck behind the Devils net and tried to avoid defenseman Steven Santini before falling to the ice while appearing to hold his left leg. He needed two teammates to help him get to the locker room with 3:14 remaining.

Islanders coach Doug Weight said Tavares will be re-evaluated Saturday.

"It didn't look great," Weight said. "He got his foot on the back of the net and kind of jetted out there, so obviously lower-body. I'm always hopeful. I'll let [our training staff] look at it and go from there."

The Islanders (36-29-12) are four points behind the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference with five games remaining. Tavares leads New York with 66 points (28 goals, 38 assists) in 77 games. It is unlikely he'll play against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; SN, MSG-B, MSG+, NHL.TV).

"It's a big blow," Weight said. "Anytime you see your best player go down, and obviously he was in some distress, but these guys have been around. Injuries happen. It's not fun, but it gives somebody a chance, right? It's going to give some more minutes to throw around, some big challenges at a good time of the year. We've got to win a game on Sunday.

"The morale will be fine. It's nothing you want to deal with, but it happens in a game."

Tavares had an assist in the first period when Anders Lee scored his 29th goal of the season. Lee has played on the top line with Tavares most of the season.

"He got his foot caught up a little behind the net," Lee said. "I don't know if he hit the net or what, but it just looked like he knew it right away and he went down. That's all I know. I saw him when I came in after the game, he was getting taken [into the trainers room]. We'll see what happens, hopefully it's nothing too serious."

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{allcanada} U.S. shuts out Canada at Women's World Championship

 

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Nicole Hensley made 18 saves for the United States in a 2-0 win against Canada in the preliminary round of the 2017 IIHF Women's World Championship at USA Hockey Arena 1 in Plymouth, Michigan on Friday.

Brianna Decker scored with 2:06 left in the second period with an assist from Megan Bozek. Gigi Marvin extended the lead on an unassisted goal with 15:11 left in the third period.

Canada goaltender Shannon Szabados made 28 saves.

The United States will play Russia on Saturday at 3:35 p.m. ET. Canada will play Finland at 7:35 p.m. ET.

The top two teams in Group A (United States, Canada, Russia and Finland) will advance to the semifinals. The other two teams in Group A and the top two teams in Group B (Sweden, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Germany) will advance to the quarterfinals.

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{allcanada} Iginla's 625th goal, Quick's 35 saves get Kings past Canucks

 

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Jarome Iginla scored his 625th career goal and Jonathan Quick made 35 saves for his second shutout of the season as the Los Angeles Kings beat the Vancouver Canucks 2-0 on Friday night.

Tyler Toffoli also scored for Los Angeles, which is clinging to slim playoff hopes and now sits eight points behind Nashville for the second wild card in the Western Conference with five games remaining for each team.

Iginla's milestone goal tied Joe Sakic for 15th place on the league's all-time list.

Ryan Miller made 24 stops for Vancouver, which was eliminated from postseason contention last week and was shut out for the 10th time this season.

Iginla got the Kings on the board on the power play with 7:17 left in the second period by deflecting a shot from Alec Martinez past Miller for his 14th of the season and third goal in three games. It was also Iginla's fourth game-winning goal of the season and the 101st of his career.

Acquired from Colorado prior to the NHL trade deadline, the 39-year-old has six goals in 14 games with Los Angeles after scoring just eight times in 61 contests with the Avalanche.

Toffoli doubled the Kings' lead 3:50 later on a 3-on-2 rush, beating Miller high over the blocker with a perfect shot off the crossbar and in for his 19th.

The Canucks - now 2-8-2 over their last 12 games - had a great chance to jump in front less than two minutes into the second on a power play of their own, but rookie forward Brock Boeser, who came in with two goals in his first three NHL games, missed a wide-open net with Quick out of position.

The Kings were coming off a 4-1 victory in Calgary after picking up just one win over their last five (1-4-0), a stretch that helped put the club's playoff hopes on the brink of elimination.

Quick, who missed 59 games earlier this season with a groin injury, picked up his 44th career shutout after going 4-4-0 over his last nine starts, with 16 goals-against over that span.

He made a nice pad save on Canucks defenseman Luca Sbisa from the slot about five minutes into the third.

Miller kept the Canucks in it midway through the period when he stopped Adrian Kempe all alone in front on a 2-on-1 break before Quick stoned Daniel Sedin moments later.

Vancouver held an early 6-0 lead in shots before Los Angeles forced Miller into a save, but Martinez rang a seeing-eye effort through traffic moments later that found iron and stayed out.

NOTES: Griffen Molino, who signed a two-year contract as a college free agent with Vancouver on Tuesday, made his NHL debut. The 23-year-old forward had 15 goals and 18 assists in 40 games with Western Michigan University this season. ... Canucks F Drew Shore and brother Nick Shore, a forward with the Kings, played against each other in the NHL for the first time. Drew Shore picked up an assist on L.A.'s second goal. ... Vancouver backup G Jacob Markstrom, who hasn't played since injuring his right knee during the team's skills competition in late February, will have surgery next week and is out for the year.

UP NEXT

Kings: Host Arizona on Sunday to open a four-game homestand before visiting Anaheim in the season finale.

Canucks: Host San Jose on Sunday in the opener of a home-and-home set.

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{allcanada} Flames beat Sharks 5-2 to clinch playoff berth

 

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CALGARY, Alberta (AP) Matt Stajan got his first goal in 24 games during Calgary's three-goal second period, and the Flames beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2 Friday night to clinch a playoff berth.

Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Alex Chiasson and Sam Bennett also scored for Calgary, which won three out of the four meetings this season against San Jose. Brian Elliott finished with 36 saves to improve to 14-2 in his last 16 starts.

The Flames pulled one point behind the third-place Sharks in the Pacific Division with four games remaining for each team, including a matchup in the season finale at San Jose.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Melker Karlsson scored for the Sharks, who have lost eight of their last nine. Martin Jones gave uup four goals on 22 shots before he was replaced by Aaron Dell to start the third period. Dell stopped all 12 shots he faced.

Less than five minutes after San Jose cut its deficit to 2-1, Michael Stone's slap shot hit Jones in the shoulder and popped into the slot where the rebound was swatted in by Stajan for his sixth of the season.

Calgary is back in the playoffs for just the second time in eight seasons. After going two rounds in 2015 under coach Bob Hartley, the Flames had a disappointing season last year and finished 26th overall. Hartley was fired after the season and replaced by Glen Gulutzan.

Things didn't start off very well for Gulutzan as Calgary was 5-10-1 in mid-November and had the NHL's worst winning percentage. But since that point, they've been one of the league's best teams.

Elliott was especially sharp in a sloppy first period by Calgary, which was charged with nine giveaways, outshot 12-7 and short-handed twice, yet still emerged with a 1-0 lead.

Elliott's best stop came in the third period. Immediately after Karlsson put Calgary up 4-2 with seven minutes remaining, Elliott whipped out his glove to rob Kevin Labanc from 25 feet out.

NOTES: This is just the second time in 25 seasons both Calgary and Edmonton have made the playoffs in the same season. The other was 2007, the Oilers' last appearance in the postseason. ... Sharks scratches included forwards Joel Ward and Joonas Donskoi, who were replaced upfront by Marcus Sorensen and Labanc.

UP NEXT

Sharks: At Vancouver on Sunday to open a home-and-home set.

Flames: Host Anaheim on Sunday before finishing the regular season with three road games.

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[SurroundSound] Re: Back on the Hub

EoH, 

Hi again I was wondering how to convert your ISO's the app I'm using will not do it also I can't convert any DVD ISO's any suggestions.

Thx, Rockpile

On Saturday, March 25, 2017 at 3:30:16 PM UTC-7, EoH wrote:

Hi all,

After a long time I'm back on the Hub.

Enjoy and please give some feedback on my upmixes !

kind regards,

EoH

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{allcanada} Pavel Bure: 100 Greatest NHL Players

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Pavel Bure made his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 5, 1991, and it didn't take long for the creative right wing with blazing speed and a lethal scoring touch to earn his nickname.

Getting a load of the then-20-year-old Bure's eye-popping acceleration and straight-ahead speed in his first game with the Canucks, Vancouver Sun columnist Iain MacIntyre wrote: "He is the fastest Soviet creation since Sputnik."

Thus was Bure branded "The Russian Rocket."

There were some crucial differences. Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite, was an ungainly hunk of metal launched into space in 1957. Zooming along in an elliptical orbit at 18,000 mph, Sputnik could circumnavigate the planet in 96.2 minutes.

Bure, who appeared to hit top speed from a standing start, only seemed to be going 100 mph in the boarded confines of a hockey rink. But from the instant he hit Vancouver, the Canucks and their fans orbited Bure, not the other way around.

 

PAVEL BURE CAREER TOTALS | View Full Stats

Games: 702 | Goals: 437 | Assists: 342 | Points: 779

 

"Pavel came in with a bang and that's how he played," former teammate and linemate Ryan Walter said in 2012 when it was announced Bure would enter the Hockey Hall of Fame. "His speed was incredible.

"I had a chance to play on the same line with Guy Lafleur and people were the same with Pavel when he got the puck. The fans stood up and they expected something to happen. Pavel was like that. Really an amazing player."

Bure burned to score goals, his passion expressed with his speed, skill and on-ice body language that clearly signaled he had one thing in mind. Fans love players like that, and the Vancouver faithful took to Bure in a collective eyeblink.

About 2,000 fans attended Bure's first practice with the Canucks on Nov. 3, 1991, one of the first manifestations of what came to be called Pavel-mania.

With his boyish good looks and on-ice brilliance, Bure was Canucks fans' first hopeless crush. He didn't score in his first NHL game, but he delivered an electrifying preview of coming attractions, with three end-to-end rushes that lifted fans out of their seats at the dowdy old Pacific Coliseum.

"Obviously, it was my first game and I was a little bit nervous," Bure said years later. "We had a great team and a great coaching staff and those guys made me really comfortable.

"So that was before the game. As soon as the puck dropped, I felt really comfortable."

He played with such furious intensity that night that his being kept off the scoresheet in the 0-0 tie with the Winnipeg Jets didn't seem to matter.

"He was unbelievable," Brian Burke, then the Canucks assistant general manager, told Sports Illustrated later that season.

Finally, a true superstar by any measure had landed in Vancouver, a player whose talent was commensurate with the city's spectacular physical setting.

"Pavel was doomed to a life of celebrity," Burke swiftly concluded.

Bure, selected by Vancouver in the sixth round (No. 113) of the 1989 NHL Draft, was ahead of schedule in jumping from CSKA Moscow in his hometown to the NHL; he had another year to go on his contract and it was still a few years before talent from the Soviet system would flow freely into the League following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

After Bure, his father, Vladimir, and his brother, Valeri, left their homeland and flew to Los Angeles, he had to negotiate his release from CSKA Moscow and the Soviet Ice Hockey Federation.

That intense, time-consuming bit of wrangling, in which Bure kicked in $50,000 to help secure his release, delayed his NHL debut.

But Bure, who had starred for the Soviet Union at the 1989 World Junior Championship on a line with Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov, came as advertised. He scored 60 points (34 goals, 26 assists) in 65 games in 1991-92, winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.

Then Bure got serious, finishing with 60 goals in '92-93 and '93-94, the latter total leading the League, and scoring more than 100 points in each of those seasons. Bure led the Canucks on an unforgettable Stanley Cup Playoff journey in '94, one that took them to Game 7 of the Final against the New York Rangers. He had 31 points, including a League-high 16 goals, in 24 playoff games that season.

One of those goals was among the most memorable in Canucks history; it eliminated the Calgary Flames in double overtime of Game 7 of the first round.

Defenseman Jeff Brown fed Bure a tape-to-tape outlet pass the wing collected as he accelerated to split the Flames defense and zoom in on goalie Mike Vernon on a breakaway. Bure faked to his backhand before tucking the puck past Vernon on the forehand while Flames defenseman Zarley Zalapski, chasing frantically, tried to hook Bure to the ice. As Bure veered off to the left of the goal, Zalapski slid hard into Vernon like a bowling ball, upending the goalie and leaving both of them tangled up in the goal as Bure scored to give the Canucks a 4-3 victory.

That's the way Bure played. He was so gifted that he made the sublime seem easy, and had opponents tripping over themselves trying to defend him.

Sadly for the adoring Canucks fans, Bure's Vancouver tenure turned out to be frustratingly brief. After seven seasons with the Canucks, Bure, who had been at odds with management for years, sat out to start the 1998-99 season in an attempt to force a trade.

He got his wish when Vancouver sent him to the Florida Panthers on Jan. 17, 1999.

In Florida, Bure he got to play with Valeri, a right wing. He also was able to live something approaching a normal life in Miami, with far less daily scrutiny and no Pavel-mania.

His scoring touch remained intact; he scored 58 goals in 1999-2000 and 59 in 2000-01, winning the Maurice Richard Trophy each time as the League's leading goal-scorer. In '99-00, Bure also had 94 points, finishing second to Jaromir Jagr for the Art Ross Trophy, given to the NHL's scoring leader, and did it despite coming off knee surgery.

The Panthers traded Bure to the New York Rangers on March 18, 2002, and, for a time, "The Russian Rocket" lifted off on Broadway. Bure scored 12 goals and had eight assists in 12 games for the Rangers to finish the 2001-02 season.

But it wasn't enough to propel the Rangers into the playoffs. The next season, Bure's final one in the NHL, he was limited to 39 games because of more knee issues. In December of 2002, Bure had surgery on both knees, and another injury to his right knee in March of 2003 effectively ended his NHL career. He played his final NHL game March 15, 2003, 16 days before his 32nd birthday.

On Nov. 1, 2005, in Moscow, Bure announced his retirement and was named general manager of Russia's men's Olympic hockey team. He certainly had international portfolio.

In 1998, Bure scored five goals in a 7-4 win against Finland in the Olympic semifinals to help Russia advance to the gold-medal game, where it lost to lights-out goaltender Dominik Hasek and the Czech Republic 1-0.

Injuries limited Bure to 702 NHL games, during which he scored 437 goals -- 254 of them for the Canucks -- and had 342 assists for 779 points. He had 35 goals and 35 assists for 70 points in 64 Stanley Cup Playoff games, all but four of them with Vancouver. Bure played in one Stanley Cup Final.

By consensus in Vancouver, Bure easily remains the best and most exciting player to don a Canucks jersey. The Canucks and Bure repaired their relationship over time, and Vancouver retired his No. 10 on Nov. 2, 2013.

It was well deserved. With his blinding speed and offensive flair, Bure was a rare player who consistently delivered art on ice, when he was healthy.

"I loved to score, but I was trying to do something creative, to beat the guys with different moves," Bure said in 2012 upon his induction into the Hall of Fame. "Then, you didn't have [the] Internet, or so many cameras. You had to go on the ice and do something there so that people would go talk to their friends and say, maybe it's fun to go watch that team or that player.

"That's something I wanted to do."

In his prime, the "Did-you-see-what-Bure-did-last-night?" word of mouth traveled almost as fast as he did. So, mission accomplished, and then some.

 

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{allcanada} KINGS (36-33-7) at CANUCKS (30-37-9)

 

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KINGS (36-33-7) at CANUCKS (30-37-9)

10 p.m. ET; SN360, SNP, FS-W, NHL.TV

 

Kings team scope

The Los Angeles Kings trail the Nashville Predators by 10 points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. Los Angeles has six games remaining and the Predators have five games left. "We need to win every game," forward Nick Shore said. "The goal of this team is to stay in the fight and right now we're still in it." The Kings are coming off a 4-1 win against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, their second win in the past six games (2-4-0). Los Angeles had an optional morning skate Friday and based on practice in Vancouver on Thursday there could be some new forward lines. Jonny Brodzinski, who played his first NHL game March 25, replaced Jarome Iginla on right wing of the top line, with Iginla moving to the second line and Tyler Toffoli dropping to the third. "We're fighting for our lives so we're going to do that tonight," said left wing Kyle Clifford, who moved from the fourth to the second line. "It's not over until it's over." Jonathan Quick, who is 4-4-0 in his past nine games having given up 16 goals in that stretch, will be in goal after Ben Bishop made 25 saves against the Flames.

 

Canucks team scope

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Troy Stecher will return from injury and forward Griffen Molino will make his NHL debut. Molino was signed to a two-year contract as a free agent Tuesday after his season at Western Michigan University ended. The 23-year-old had 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 40 games this season and will make his debut on the fourth line. "My best asset is my speed," he said. "I try bring that every shift and my hockey IQ and play-making ability. Forward Loui Eriksson is a game-time decision after missing 11 games with a knee injury. "We haven't really decided yet if I am going to play," Eriksson said Friday. "We'll see how it progresses through the day. It's still not quite there." Stecher missed one game with a shoulder injury sustained Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets but wanted to come back even though the Canucks, who are 2-7-2 in their past 11 games, have been eliminated from the playoffs. "I want to show these guys I am willing to put my body on the line to help compete and win hockey games with them," said Stecher, who leads Vancouver defensemen with 24 points.

 

Kings projected lineup

Marian Gaborik -- Anze Kopitar -- Jonny Brodzinski

Kyle Clifford -- Jeff Carter -- Jarome Iginla

Dustin Brown -- Nick Shore -- Tyler Toffoli

Tanner Pearson -- Adrian Kempe -- Trevor Lewis

Derek Forbort -- Drew Doughty

Jake Muzzin -- Paul LaDue

Brayden McNabb -- Alec Martinez

Jonathan Quick

Ben Bishop

Scratched: Nic Dowd, Andy Andreoff, Jordan Nolan, Kevin Gravel

Injured: Matt Greene (back)

 

Canucks projected lineup

Daniel Sedin -- Henrik Sedin -- Michael Chaput

Sven Baertschi -- Bo Horvat -- Brock Boeser

Reid Boucher -- Brandon Sutter -- Nikolay Goldobin

Griffen Molino -- Drew Shore -- Alex Biega

Alexander Edler -- Troy Stecher

Luca Sbisa -- Christopher Tanev

Ben Hutton -- Nikita Tryamkin

Ryan Miller

Richard Bachman                                                                            

Scratched: Philip Larsen

Injured: Loui Eriksson (knee), Joseph Cramarossa (lower body), Jack Skille (ankle), Jayson Megna (upper body), Markus Granlund (wrist surgery), Brendan Gaunce (hand), Jacob Markstrom (knee surgery), Anton Rodin (knee), Erik Gudbranson (wrist), Derek Dorsett (neck)

 

Status report

Andreoff likely will be a healthy scratch after playing 2:10 and having 34 penalty minutes against the Flames. … If Eriksson plays, it will be on left wing of the Sutter line, with Boucher moving to right wing and Goldobin likely a healthy scratch. … The Canucks sent Joseph Labate to Utica of the American Hockey League on Wednesday to make room for Molino.

 

Who's hot

Kopitar has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his past 10 games. … Boeser has two goals in three games.

 

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