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#1

go, the young Panthers get a goalie who is already establis

in General Chat Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:58 pm
by yyys123 | 1.470 Posts

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. -- Forward Ben Street has been a welcome addition since being sent back to the Abbotsford Heat. Street scored once and assisted on Corban Knights winner late in the third period as the Abbotsford Heat edged the visiting Charlotte Checkers 4-3 on Wednesday in American Hockey League action. Street put a shot on net from the slot and Knight was parked in front of goaltender Mike Murphy to slide the rebound in to break a 3-3 at 16:27 of the third. "Whenever Street has the puck in the offensive zone you know something good is going to happen," said Knight. "I just went to the netaand lucky for me, it was a wrapped present." Street scored for the second straight night since being reassigned by the Calgary Flames and now has 19 goals 37 points in 33 games with the Heat. "Streets such an important part of this team, both on the ice and in the dressing room," said Knight. "He brings a calming presence and veteran leadership a lot of guys look up to. We knew hed be at the top of his game." The line of Knight, Street and Brett Olson - who had three assists in the game - was praised by head coach Troy Ward following the game. "They were our best line the last two games, consistently in all three zones," said Ward. "We threw Ben to the left wing, which he really hasnt done all year here. Hes usually a centre. There was a glimpse a couple months ago when Knight kept finding Street on the power play and he was burying goals. We knew there was some chemistry." With 20 seconds left in the contest, Abbotsfords Olivier Roy made the biggest of his 32 saves after sliding across to rob Charlottes Chris Terry on a back-door play to preserve victory. "That save at the end of the game, the sprawl out, thats a reaction save," said Ward. "Those types of saves he made all night. Its tough to win two in a row against any team in this league, and tonight Roy was a big part of that." Sven Baertschi and Markus Granlund also scored for Abbotsford (30-14-4), which won its fourth game in a row. Dan Biega scored his first two professional goals and Zach Boychuk had the other for Charlotte (22-22-1) while Murphy made 24 saves in defeat. The Heat opened the scoring when Baertschi buried his third goal of the season, taking a feed from Corey Locke and backhanding the puck over the outstretched glove of Murphy at 12:43 of the first period. The Checkers, however, tied the game a few minutes later. Charlotte broke out on a four-on-one rush and Biega finished a give-and-go with Brett Sutter, beating Roy five-hole. Granlund put the Heat back up by one just 1:21 into the second period, finish off a two-on-one with Olson while shorthanded. Granlund beat Murphy for his team-leading 21st of the season and fifth in as many games. The Checkers drew even again at 15:26 of the second. Boychuk skated in and wired a shot past Roy from the top of the circle, blocker side, for his team-leading 22nd of the year. Street put the Heat back up by one at 9:30 of the third. With the puck lost in a maze of skates at the right face-off dot, Street spun around and fired the puck past Murphy. Biega once again, though, knotted the game up for the visitors, driving out of the corner towards the net before sliding the puck under Roy at 11:11. Heat defenceman Tyler Wotherspoon thought he had the winner on his stick with less than six minutes to go when he got open in the slot, but Murphy kicked his left pad up into the air to deny him of the sure goal. "He had a good look, a good release," said Ward. "Thats an old-time save, a throwback, like Tommy Barrasso or Martin Brodeur, double stacking and throwing the pads up. It was a good save." Abbotsford will look to extend its four-game win streak Saturday when they host the Texas Stars. Fake Hockey Jerseys . The 27-year-old hit .209 in 86 at-bats last year after missing the 2010 season following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Replica Jerseys . The result means Atletico Madrid now tops the table, with Madrid level on points in second and Barcelona a point behind in third with nine games remaining as the title race shapes up to be the closest in years. https://www.fakejerseys.us.com/ . The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the league hasnt announced the award. Crawford was the Clippers third-leading scorer and the NBAs top-scoring reserve with 18. Fake NHL Jerseys .com) - Ryan Miller made 28 saves to record his fifth shutout of the season and second in as many nights as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Friday. Fake Basketball Jerseys . -- Creighton apparently has Villanovas number.SUNRISE, Fla. -- When Roberto Luongo learned he wouldnt be starting the Heritage Classic, the disappointed goaltender asked agent Pat Brisson to call Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis just to get a read on his future. When Gillis gave Brisson permission to seek out a potential trade partner for the goalie and his massive contract, the attention turned quickly to the Panthers -- and not just because Luongo calls South Florida home. "It had to be a hockey move," Brisson said. "Roberto wants to play, wants to win. He wants to compete and win. ... When Roberto asked me, I said, I do believe that theres a light at the end of the tunnel for (the Panthers)," Brisson said. "I do believe theres a place where this team is going to go in the right direction." While the Canucks head in the direction of a rebuild, the Panthers look like a team on the upward climb thanks to new owner Vinny Viola and a cadre of young prospects GM Dale Tallon has assembled in the NHLs southernmost market. Through two games with his new team, Luongo has already caught a glimpse of what he and many hockey people believe is a bright future for the Panthers. Luongo sees potential stars in Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad and a handful more young players around the locker-room. At 34 years old, he wants to contribute to the revival of the franchise rather than riding coattails. "Its all about making a commitment to bringing some people in and trying to build a winner," Luongo said Sunday night after facing the Boston Bruins. "Thats what its all about for me. Im not here to fade into the sunset. I want to be part of something special coming here." Something special in the short term might just mean making the playoffs after missing in 11 of the past 12 seasons. Even as the Panthers head toward another early off-season, Bjugstad hopes its just "growing pains" as part of an important learning experience. Thats to be expected for a team whose top players include 18-year-old Aleksander Barkov, 20-year-old Huberdeau, and 22-year-old Erik Gudbranson. Players were on a bus in Boston when they found out Luongo was coming and represented something of a safety valve for mistakes of youth. "Any time you can have a solid goaltender behind you, it gives you confidence that you can make some plays," said 20-year-old forward Vincent Trocheck, who made his Panthers debut the same game Luongo returned. "If you do make a mistake, you know that hes back there to save your butt, basically." Yet in the larger scope, Luongo is not being asked to save a franchise by himself. It is, however, Tallons hope that trading for him "sets the tone" for the organization. The message of taking on the final eight-plus years and over US$28 million of Luongos contract was that the Panthers are willing to spend. Hours after making the move, Tallon said it was about making good on all the talk about wanting to win a Stanley Cup because "talk is cheap." Doing so could be expensive, but its not out of the realm of possibility that Florida has a better chance of winning a Cup in the next four or five years than Vancouver. "You never know," Luongo said. "Its tough to say. You hope so. Thats why Im here. I think the pieces are definitely here, just a matter of making sure that we bring the right piece to complement these young guys that are talented and theyre going to be stars in this league." Tallon has a plan. After already taking the goaltending gamble that was Jacob Marksttrom out of the equation and getting Luongo, he has his sights set on signing, drafting or trading for two power wingers to support Barkov, Huberdeau, Bjugstad and Trocheck.dddddddddddd. The Panthers payroll is the lowest in the league at just over US$50 million, but with Viola in charge, Tallon expects to be "a cap team or close to a cap team" next season. Having almost $30 million of cap space could help the Panthers continue down the path to being a contender, but it also helps to have Luongo as a salesman and a symbol of the clubs all-out push to get better. "Its hard to recruit anybody if they dont think youre doing the right thing," Tallon said. "I think the commitment of making that deal and the commitment that Vinny Violas going to make ... will really influence a lot of decisions as far as players wanting to come here, seeing that were really committed to winning." Luongo didnt keep close tabs on the Panthers rebuild while he was playing for the Canucks because he didnt expect to get traded, let alone back to Florida. But Brisson, who just negotiated a two-year extension for winger Brad Boyes, had a good sense of what was happening. New ownership meant a new opportunity for Luongo. "If it was back to the former ownership where they werent sure what they wanted to spend, what they wanted to do, I wouldnt have recommended it at the time -- absolutely not," Brisson said. "If you look at good ownership and willingness to spend and the right chef, so to speak, the right cook in the kitchen, its an attractive place for Roberto and the players that are there." Tallon is that chef, and he has quite the recipe on his resume. Even though Stan Bowman was the general manager when the Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup, Tallon orchestrated much of the turnaround in Chicago. "It went well for them," Bjugstad said. "Thats kind of what were banking on." For every Blackhawks success story theres another example like the Edmonton Oilers, who are set to miss the playoffs for the eighth straight season despite three straight No. 1 picks and six in the top 10. They provide a cautionary tale for the Panthers, even as Tallon rattles off prospect after prospect who could make a difference. Each one of those young, unproven players represents essentially a raffle ticket for Florida, another chance to hit it big. But theres plenty of risk and uncertainty in that. "Obviously weve got to prove ourselves before we can get too excited," Bjugstad said. "Theres a ways to go." In Luongo, the young Panthers get a goalie who is already established. Even if his play is not Vezina Trophy-calibre, he could instill plenty of confidence on and off the ice. "I think maybe as more of an experienced guy in the locker-room to bring whatever I have learned over the years and maybe help them out along the way as far as just being a pro and all that kind of stuff to help their development," Luongo said. That team-wide development and progression toward a playoff team is still in the "early" stages, according to Tallon. Luongos addition speeds it up, but theres still no set goal on when he figures the Panthers will get over the hump. "I dont put numbers on that," he said. "I just let the players start to develop and see when theyre ready to make a real hit on the team as far as moving forward. And when they all come together as a group, as a team, not just in a group of individuals, thats when you pretty well know when youve got something special." ' ' '

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