lossjean
高级会员
注册日期: 2011-10-31
发贴数: 135
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| 发贴日期: 2011-10-31 17:01 | IP 已记录
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Tweet PHILADELPHIA -- Its no coincidence the top six New Jersey Devils forwards have struggled to find a groove against the big four defensemen of the Philadelphia Flyers. Yovani Gallardo Jersey . And, really, it all boils down to the fact the top two defensive pair for the Flyers have been better. The Devils will look to change all that Tuesday in Game 4 against the Flyers at the Wachovia Center (7:30 p.m. ET, TSN). The Flyers lead the series, 2-1. "Having two solid pair of D gives us the match against what I consider two first lines (in New Jersey)," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. "We try and get those guys out there to do their best; to try and play against them and match up when we can. Timmo (Kimmo Timonen) quietly goes about his business in an effective manner, Chris Pronger should be a Norris Trophy candidate in my opinion, Matty (Carle) has done a terrific job in using his positioning and Braydon Coburn has been on the top of his game in the playoffs." Is Kovalchuk pushing too hard? PHILADELPHIA -- Devils coach Jacques Lemaire admitted Ilya Kovalchuk has basically been learning on the fly ever since the five-player blockbuster trade with Atlanta in February. While its something Lemaire expected, hes obviously hoping things will click more sooner than later. "If you could do this in day you would do it," Lemaire said. "To me, its a process and it could take a little time. Hopefully, itll be as short as possible, but weve been talking about his game and were getting there. Hes used to playing a certain way and to change this, you have to be careful. You have to know the person and how hell react to what youre asking. Everyone was maybe disappointed with his game, but what he does on the power-play by moving the puck around, theres not one guy who does what he did. Amen, amen." Kovalchuk had no shots and averaged a series-high 1:11 per shift in Game 3, 23 seconds longer than the next highest player on the Devils roster. "I was disappointed I didnt get any shots, especially when you play a lot of minutes," Kovalchuk told NHL.com. "You have to generate more and I know we all know that. I dont think were creating enough to win the game but we can do better." Kovalchuk doesnt believe its been that difficult an adjustment, despite the fact it may appear that way. "It was more adjustment to meet the guys and the coaching staff; the system is not the hardest part if you know what youre doing," Kovalchuk said. "You just have to listen. Jacques is a man with so much experience. We trust him 100 percent. He always gives me great advice and he just makes me better." In 27 regular season games with New Jersey, Kovalchuk averaged 21:40 of ice time. In three playoff games, hes averaged 23:54. "I just try to be myself," he said. "You dont want to change. Thats why they brought me here, to be myself. Why would I change? I try my best and try my hardest every night." -- Mike G. Morreale "Theyre playing good," Devils coach Jacques Lemaire said. "(Pronger and Timonen) are two really good hockey players who play a lot of minutes and they defend well. Theyre good on the offense, good overall and thats why theyre among the top defensemen in the League." While there is a considerable size discrepancy between Pronger (6-foot-6, 220) and Timonen (5-10, 194), Laviolette finds it hard to distinguish between their rock-solid play in the back end. "I actually dont think theyre that different of players," he said. "They both defend the same way. Theyre very smart and are always in position. Theyre sticks are in the right position and they make the correct reads. Theyre similar a bit in the way they play the game." Through three playoff games against the Devils, the defensive pairs of Pronger and Carle and Timonen and Coburn have been earning their keep while averaging 30-or-more shifts a game. All four players rank among the top five on the team in ice time, with Pronger (29:30), Timonen (25:35) and Carle (25:11) among the top three and Coburn (21:06) coming in fifth. Pronger and Timonen rank first and second on the team in average ice time while shorthanded and on the power-play. There really isnt any situation Laviolette wont think twice about putting them out against either of the top two lines for the Devils, which consists of some combination featuring Zach Parise, Patrik Elias, Ilya Kovalchuk, Travis Zajac, Jamie Langenbrunner and Dainius Zubrus. The acquisition of Pronger has also relieved some of the heavy defensive burden on Timonen. "Obviously we know Chris is a great player and probably a future Hall of Famer, so, sure, its a different situation," Timonen said. "But I just go out there and do my job. I really dont care who plays what. I work on my thing and make sure I do my job as good as I can." Timonen considers the challenge of stopping Kovalchuk similar to that of denying Washingtons Alex Ovechkin. When the Flyers eliminated the Capitals in seven games during the 2008 Conference quarterfinal round, "Ovi" was held to 4 goals at a time when Timonen was called upon time and time again. Kovalchuk has 1 goal this series and was even held to zero shots in the Flyers Game 3 overtime victory. "Its the same kind of player (Ovechkin and Kovalchuk)," Timonen said. "Theyre both great players. They can shoot the puck and make plays and if you give them space and time, theyre going to make plays so the key is to take that away." Still, its interesting to note that Timonen still averages more ice time now than he did during the 08 Playoffs when he didnt have Pronger as a teammate, logging 24:40 in 13 games. The play of the Flyers defense seems to have the Devils second-guessing themselves on offense, which is a direct result of what Timonen was referring to when he noted his keys of taking away time and space. "They do a good job of taking away our time and space with the puck and I just think we all need to support and use our linemates more -- thatll make a big difference," Parise said. The Flyers have allowed the Devils 16 power-play opportunities in the series and the Devils have only connected three times, including a 2-for-8 showing in Game 3. "I think everybody is trying to make things happen in different ways and to say were doing it individually would ... I dont think (playing as individuals) is something we set out to do," Langenbrunner said. "We want to make something good happen and do something to help the team. Sometimes less is more." Follow Mike Morreale on Twitter at: @mike_morreale Cincinnati Bengals Jersey . The team recalled pitchers Matt Albers and Alberto Castillo from Triple-A Norfolk, reinstated pitcher Dennis Sarfate from the 15-day disabled list and selected the contract of outfielder Jeff Fiorentino from Norfolk. Replica Cortland Finnegan Jersey . The two-time Quebec Major Junior Hockey League coach of the year earned his 525th victory as Chicoutimi defeated the Victoriaville Tigres 4-1 on Sunday afternoon. Premier Dallas Clark Jersey . 30. Bahrain International Circuit chairman Zayed R Alzayani issued a statement saying "it has been made clear that this fixture cannot progress and we fully respect that decision." The Bahrain GP was originally scheduled to open the F1 season in March but was cancelled due to political unrest. Hasselbeck Jersey .s race team, but the driver said he has not participated in the talks and isnt certain she will drive for his Nationwide Series team. New Jersey Devils Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings. Though the more dramatic moves happened further down the board, the St. Canadiens Travis Moen Jersey . -- For the Ottawa Senators, they know Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series with the Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p. Brett Keisel Jersey . Brink was drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. He spent parts of the 2008 and 2009 season with the Texans before being released in September. Replica Jahvid Best Jersey . Schumacher, who always did everything he could on the track to win, returns to the grid after three years on the sidelines with a newfound hunger pushing his bid for an eighth world title. Although testing has put his Mercedes GP team in contention alongside favourites Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull, Schumacher only emerged with confidence right at the close of the pre-season.They are not making it easy on themselves, but the Canadian womens curling team is getting the job done just the same with an assist to the fans. Once again Cheryl Bernards rink wasnt at its best, but it was good enough to earn its third straight win with a 6-5 victory over Germanys Andrea Schoepp in front of a huge vocal throng that upset the Germans. The win came in heart-stopping fashion as the Bernard had to draw the button with her last rock in an extra end. The victory kept the Canadians atop the leaderboard, tied with Sweden at 3-0. "The girls in front of me played awesome," said Bernard, whose rink of Susan OConnor, Carolyn Darbyshire and Cori Bartel were in control for most of the game. "Thats the best weve played as a team yet and it was a tough game. You had to make sure you controlled the ends and you couldnt miss much out there." Bernard had a chance to close things out in the 10th end but she was fooled by the tricky ice and left her last-shot draw short of the target, allowing the Germans to score one and force the extra end. In the extra frame, the Canadian skip had another chance to seal the win, once again needing the button. As she came to the hack for the attempt, the crowd, which had been hooting and hollering all day, hushed as many asked for silence by letting out a big, Shhhh! "I could hear them and it was hilarious," laughed Bernard. "Its hard to block that out because everybody was saying it and going Shhhh. I was just trying to think it was like throwing a draw at the Calgary club for practice. The Shhhh! was kind of funny. I had to refocus before that one." With a healthy dose of sweeping from front end Bartel and Darbyshire, and a huge cheer from the fans urging them on, the stone arrived on its target, sliding in inch or two past the button but hanging on for the winning point. For Shoepp, the crowd was definitely a factor in the game and she wasnt pleased with their decorum. "I dont think its really fair the way they behaved today," said the veteran German skip, never one to mince words. "They never clapped when we made a good rock. They were noisy when we had to play important shots. On their last rock? You could hear everything it was quiet like no one was there. I think its not really fair." Both teams battled through some inconsistent play caused mostly by some streaky ice and different rocks. The skips each missed key draws in the contest. Schoepp came short on one in the sixth end that led to a Cannadian deuce, and Bernard failed to reach the rings on an open draw for two in the eighth. Raiders Jason Campbell Jersey. "Draw weight was a little tricky," Bernard stated. "A wide-open draw for two? It doesnt happen very often that I miss. We threw what I thought I should throw and it was just coming across the slide path and getting a little tricky." The German team fell to 2-1 for the event, still very much in the hunt for the medal round and somewhat of a surprise so far. The squad includes17-year-old Stella Heiss at lead, the youngest curler in the competition, and New Brunswick-born, Ottawa-raised Melanie Robillard playing second. Robillard, who is studying law at the University of Brussels, has a German mother, which makes her eligible to play for that squad. A surprise thus far, but for the wrong reasons, are the Americans. The womens team skipped by Debbie McCormick, lost their third straight, a 7-6 decision to Denmark. But McCormick isnt ready to throw in the towel just yet while at the same time acknowledging that another loss will almost certainly eliminate them. "Weve worked hard to get here and were definitely not going to give up," said McCormick. "Theres still a long road ahead and we know that so were just going to keep focused on that and ourselves." The U.S. mens team is also struggling, posting a 0-4 mark so far. Thats led to some chatter among U.S. curling officials who are already talking of changing the qualifying process for 2014, perhaps moving to a player selection system rather than a playdown format that produced the current squads. On the same draw, Great Britain defeated Russia 10-3 in eight ends while China beat Japan 9-5. End 1: Germany hits and rolls out to blank the end and retain last rock End 2: Germany hits and sticks to take the single End 3: Canada throws it through the rings to blank the end End 4: Canada hits and sticks for two and the lead End 5: Germany draws against three for the single End 6: Canada draws for two to regain the lead End 7: Germany converts the hit-and-stick for the single End 8: Canadas draw for two is light; settle for the single End 9: Germany hits and sticks for the single End 10: Canadas draw for one is light, giving up a steal of one to force an extra end End 11: Canada draws to the button for the win Other Draw 4 scores: China (Wang) 9, Japan (Meguro) 5 - FINALRussia (Privivkova) 3, Great Britain (Muirhead) 10 - FINALDenmark (Jensen) 7, United States (McCormick) 6 - FINAL ' ' '
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