TORONTO - The 2014-15 NHL campaign kicks off with the leagues oldest rivalry, as the Toronto Maple Leafs open the season by welcoming the Montreal Canadiens for
Wednesdays clash at Air Canada Centre.
Anthony
Steen Dolphins Jersey . The NHL regular season gets underway Wednesday
with a four-game slate, beginning with another edition of the leagues signature
rivalry. The historic foes met five times in 2013-14 with the Canadiens claiming
three of the battles. In addition to winning the last regular-season series
against Toronto, the Canadiens also made it to the Eastern Conference finals
last spring while the Maple Leafs missed the playoffs for the eighth time in
nine seasons. Being the most decorated franchise in NHL history, the Canadiens
once deemed a season to be successful only if it ended with a Stanley Cup title.
But times have changed thanks to the onset of the salary cap era, so last
seasons surprising run to the conference finals made 2013-14 an unqualified
success for the Habs. Montreal swept Tampa Bay in the opening round before
pulling off a seven-game upset of the Boston Bruins in the East semis. The party
ended, however, when the New York Rangers downed the Habs in six games to win
the conference title. Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin didnt fiddle with
his roster too much this summer, with his biggest move coming in the trade which
sent Danny Briere to Colorado in exchange for fellow forward P.A. Parenteau, who
is questionable for Wednesdays game with a lower-body injury. Bergevin pulled
off another minor move right before the start of the season, acquiring bulky
forward Eric Tangradi from Winnipeg on Sunday in exchange for goaltender Peter
Budaj and Patrick Holland. Tangradi will begin the season with Montreals AHL
affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. Montreal ended last season without Carey
Price, but the clubs No. 1 goaltender is ready to go for 2014-15 and expects to
get the start tonight. Price went down with a knee injury in the conference
finals and was sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs. The Habs core that
is still relatively young, as a handful of its best players -- P.K. Subban, Max
Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher, to name a few -- enter this
season at 25 years old or younger. It will be interesting to see if last springs
excursion to the conference finals was a sign Montreal is on the right track, or
merely an illusion. Its fun to see the guys loose and excited for the start of
the season, but there are 29 other teams that are also anxious to start the
season, Subban said on Tuesday. Its a fresh start. Its an opportunity to see
progress and have success. While Montreal hopes to prove last season was no
fluke, Toronto certainly is aiming for a fresh start after ending 2013-14 with
losses in 12 of its final 14 games. The late-season swoon cost the Maple Leafs a
shot at the playoffs, and front office upheaval followed the disappointing
campaign. Shortly after the season ended, the Leafs named Brendan Shanahan as
the teams president and alternate governor. The Hall of Fame winger left behind
a job as the NHLs director of player safety to try and help his hometown team
get back on the right track. While the Leafs havent made major changes to the
look of the team since Shanahans arrival in April, the club did hire 28-year-old
advanced statistics wunderkind Kyle Dubas to serve as Torontos assistant general
manager, a move that could signal the beginning of the end for current GM Dave
Nonis. Head coach Randy Carlyle also could be on borrowed time. With Toronto
bringing back most of its roster from last season, the 2014-15 campaign could be
one of evaluation for the Leafs as the franchise tries to transition out of its
recent downturn. Of course, the Eastern Conference seems wide open at the start
of the season, so making the playoffs in 2015 should be within the clubs reach.
High-scoring winger Phil Kessel returns for the Leafs after leading the club in
both goals and points for the fifth straight season in 2013-14, notching 37
tallies and 80 points. While Toronto doesnt need to worry about Kessels
production, the club absolutely needs forward David Clarkson to perform at a
higher level this season. Clarkson, a 30-goal scorer with New Jersey in 2011-12,
signed a seven- year, $36.75 million deal with the Leafs in the summer of 2013
only to put up an embarrassing 11 points (5G, 6A) in 60 games. Clarksons
nightmare season began with him serving a suspension for leaving the bench to
join a fight in a preseason game. Although Clarkson broke an orbital bone below
his right eye following a fight with Buffalos Cody McCormick during this years
preseason, he could be ready to go for tonights season opener. Last year was
just something I cant explain to you, Clarkson recently told his clubs official
web site. It was the toughest thing and Im ready for whats ahead. Toronto
forward David Booth, who was signed to a one-year, $1.1 million deal in the
offseason, will not be able to make his Maple Leafs debut tonight due to a
fractured foot suffered in the preseason. The injury could keep Booth sidelined
until late October. Defenseman Cody Franson also will miss the season opener
with a bruised left knee. The Maple Leafs expect to go with Jonathan Bernier
over James Reimer in net tonight. Bernier enters 2014-15 as the clear top option
in Toronto after going 26-19-7 with a 2.69 goals against average and .923 save
percentage. Reimer, meanwhile, is in need of a comeback season following a
campaign in which he posted a 12-16-1 record and sported a dismal 3.29 GAA.
Bernier, who was acquired from Los Angeles in a trade during the summer of 2013,
outplayed Reimer for the starting job early on in 2013-14 before suffering a
knee injury in mid-March. Reimer and the Leafs lost the next five games and when
Bernier returned on March 25, the club dropped three more in a row. Montreal has
won four of six and five of the past eight encounters in the series overall and
the Canadiens have taken five of the last seven meetings in Toronto. The Leafs
were much better at home than on the road last season, sporting a 24-16-1 record
at Air Canada Centre in 2013-14. Montreal had a solid 23-15-3 road record last
season. Following tonights season opener, Toronto is off until hosting
Pittsburgh on Saturday. The Habs, meanwhile, are scheduled to play the second
test of a season-opening four-game road trip tomorrow night in Washington. Line
Combinations Toronto Maple Leafs Forwards: van Riemsdyk - Bozak - Kessel Lupul -
Kadri - Kozun Winnik - Holland - Frattin Komarov - Santorelli - Clarkson
Defence: Phaneuf - Robidas Gardiner - Rielly Percy - Polak Goalies: Bernier -
starting Reimer Projected Scratches: Leivo, Ashton, Booth (foot), Franson (knee)
TSNs Game Notes: Canadiens at Maple Leafs - 7PM 15th all-time season opener
between teams (both teams, first game of season) 6th straight year opening
season match up, TOR (4-0-1) won 4 straight MTL 3-2-0 vs TOR last season (TOR
2-2-1) 3 of 5 games between teams decided by 1G in 13-14 (one other game 2G with
EN) TOR: 5-0-2 last 7 season openers 3/18 on PP vs MTL last season best home PP
last season, 25.2% 2-5-0 final 7 home games in 13-14 Kessel (5G, 10A) PTS in 9
of past 10GP vs MTL Bernier 17-9-1 at home last season, 2.77GAA, .917sv% MTL:
Lost 2 straight openers on the road (both vs TOR) 4/16 on PP vs TOR last season
6-1-1 final 8 road games in 13-14, 1/25 on PP Pacioretty (3) tied for lead
league in hat-tricks in 2013-14 Price 1-2-0 past 3 starts in TOR, 4.65GAA,
.855sv%
Dallas
Thomas Dolphins Jersey .ca. The NHL Play of the Year showdown kicks off
with some slick moves going head-to-head with a combination of soft hands and
endless patience.
Danny
Woodhead Chargers Jersey . - Andre Drummond had his best night on the
boards.
http://www.nflauthentic.us.com/San-Diego-Chargers_Brandon-Mebane-Jersey-gw-29/ . Consider it received. Attacking on offence early and often, the Penguins
topped the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Saturday night as Jussi Jokinen scored
the go-ahead goal in the third period to help give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead in the
Eastern Conference playoff series.LAS VEGAS -- Webb Simpson opened a four-stroke
lead Friday in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, taking advantage of
perfect scoring conditions at TPC Summerlin. Making his first start since
helping the U.S. win the Presidents Cup, the 2012 U.S. Open champion shot an
8-under 63 to reach 15 under. He had nine birdies and a bogey -- on the par-5
16th in his opening nine. "The ball is really going far," Simpson said. "I was
wondering why the scores were so low yesterday morning because I thought the
ball might go a little shorter. But the ball was getting out there and the golf
course played a little shorter than I thought it would, and I just putted well
and kept going. The 63 matched the lowest round of his PGA Tour career. "Theres
no wind, no clouds in the sky and its really quiet, so its easy to kind of
daydream," Simpson said. "Youve really got to focus on what youre doing and talk
to your caddie, at least for me. I talk to him about what were trying to do
here, where were trying to hit the ball." The four-stroke lead broke the
tournament second-round record of three set by Lon Hinkle in 1984 and matched by
Rich Fehr in 1996 -- both when the event was 90 holes. J.J. Henry followed his
course-record 60 with a 71 to join John Senden, Jeff Overton, Chesson Hadley and
Jason Bohn at 11 under. Bohhn had a 64, Senden and Hadley shot 66, and Overton
had a 68.
Mychal
Kendricks Eagles Jersey. "I need to keep on making birdies out there,"
Senden said. "Its not as much building a score, its just about doing a great job
on making birdies, and if thats good enough to do it, well, hopefully itll be
me." Hadley, the Web.com Tour Championship winner last month, is making his
fourth career PGA Tour start. He tied for 72nd last week in California in the
season-opening Frys.com Open. "It was a great day," Hadley said. "Its been a
fantastic start to the week, and to be at 11 under and to have a chance going
into the weekend is awesome. Ive been in this position before as far as Web.com
Tour, and certainly a little bit different stage out here on the PGA Tour. Just
looking to manage the nerves tomorrow and just realize its just golf, and lets
just go have some fun." Henry had three bogeys and a birdie on his first four
holes. Defending champion Ryan Moore and Russell Knox were 10 under. Moore shot
63, and Knox had a 65. Argentinas Andres Romero, second after a first-round 61,
had an 81 to miss the cut. Zach Johnson, the highest-ranked player in the field
at No. 11 in the world, made a cut on the number at 3 under after a 70.
Jimmy Walker, Frys.com Open last week in California, also was 3 under after a
68.
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