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the moment to take those at-bats again

  • July 15, 2019
    BOSTON -- Boston coach Claude Julien said the Bruins had more in their tank and they showed it Saturday night. [b]Bernie Kosar Womens Jersey[/b] . The Bruins got their power play going and got under the Canadiens skin as they won 4-2 to push Montreal to the edge of a playoff precipice. Boston was crisp from the get-go and scored power-play goals 32 seconds apart early in the second period to build an insurmountable 3-0 lead. "I dont think you can look at tonight and say all of a sudden we found our game." said Julien. "I think we were better tonight but theres another game to win and, Im being honest here, its not going to be easy." Game 6 of the second-round playoff series is Monday in Montreal with the Canadiens needing a win to remain alive -- undoubtedly regretting the Game 4 overtime loss at the Bell Centre that rejuvenated the Bruins. Montreal, which outshot Boston 31-30, has trailed Boston three games to two five times before and come back to win three of those series. After a five-year post-season drought with the man advantage against the Habs, Boston broke the power-play hoodoo through back-to-back strikes by Reilly Smith and Jarome Iginla. Tomas Plekanec was in the penalty box for both goals. "I thought we were intent when we started the game but their power play gave them a lot of momentum and confidence," said Montreal coach Michel Therrien. Boston was 0-for-10 in the series on the power play and amazingly had not scored in 39 tries with the man advantage against Montreal in the post-season since Game 2 of their 2009 Conference quarter-final. "Our power play was due," Julien said by way of understatement. After the first period, the talk was of the need for more intensity, winning more battles and making stronger plays on the power play. It worked and Boston had the rare luxury of playing with a lead. The Bruins led for 46 minutes 40 seconds Saturday, some four times the 11:39 they were ahead during the first four games of the series. The Canadiens have held the lead for 106:11 of the series. Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson also scored for the Bruins, who got a strong physical game from Milan Lucic. The hulking winger cruised the ice like a shark, looking for someone to take a piece out of. A late P.K. Subban goal made the score closer than the game actually was. Brendan Gallagher also scored for Montreal. Goalie Carey Price said the Habs are up for the elimination challenge. "You back any animal into a corner, its going to be desperate," he said calmly. "I think were going to be a desperate hockey club coming into next game and I think were excited for the challenge." Game 7, if needed, would be next Wednesday in Boston. The Canadiens will need to take a deep breath before the puck drops at the Bell Centre with their season on the line. "Frustration or not, weve got to make sure we play with some more composure," said a tight-lipped Therrien. Subban complained after the game of being sprayed with water twice from the Boston bench late in the game. After raising the issue in his post-game scrum, he tried to downplayed the antics but it clearly bothered him. "It hit me in the visor. I couldnt even see the last minute and a half out there," he said. "So I was pretty upset about that ... Im sure if that was me that did it, it would be a different story. Id probably be on the news for the next three days." Therrien, who looked like he had sucked a lemon prior to taking the podium, had little to say about hockeys version of Watergate. "Yeah, we saw that," he said when asked about the water spraying. "I dont want to comment on that," he added when pressed on the matter. Julien said he didnt see it and wouldnt condone it. After two games that features a total of five penalties, the referees remembered to bring their whistles with them Saturday and called 11 penalties. Montreal was 2-for-5 on the night with the man-advantage but was 0-for-3 in the first period. "I strongly believe that if we would have gotten a goal on one of those first power plays, it could have been the difference in the game," said Subban. Therrien, meanwhile, said his team had to be better five-on-five. The line of Soderberg, Eriksson and Matt Fraser finished with two goals and three assist and was plus-six. The Bruins third line has now scored three of Bostons last five goals with Fraser accounting for the overtime winner last Thursday in Montreal. Soderberg was awarded the Bruins jacket, a hand-me-down from Boston legend Johnny Bucyk, as the teams player of the game. The capacity crowd of 17,565 at TD Garden had plenty to cheer about. Boston looked focused and physical, outhitting Montreal 39-29. Plus the Bruins managed to plug up Montreals shooting lanes. "It was one of those games where were just on the wrong side of the puck all night," said Canadiens captain Brian Gionta. Smith hit the post before either team registered a shot. The Bruins went ahead at 13:20 of the first period after Eriksson beat the lumbering Douglas Murray to the puck behind the net and sent it straight back to Soderberg, who banged the puck in off Prices pad for his first career playoff goal. It came on Bostons sixth shot of the night. It was a good omen for the Bruins, given the team scoring first won the first four games of the series and the Bruins were 5-0 in the playoffs -- and 41-6-2 during the regular season -- with the first goal. Then came the power play breakthrough as the Bruins dominated the second period. After some good puck movement had the Canadiens running around, a Dougie Hamilton shot from the point deflected in off Smiths foot. Then, after a Bruins faceoff win, a nifty Torey Krug pass from the wall found Iginla all alone and he snapped a shot past Price. Boston was bossing the game and the Habs began to lose some of their composure. But Plekanec made up for some of that time in the penalty box when he snapped a shot from the faceoff dot that went through a Boston defencemans legs before rattling in off Gallagher at 14:39 on the power play to cut the lead to 3-1. The five-foot-nine Gallagher got thumped in the corner seconds before on the play, but picked himself up and got in front of the goal to be in position to tip the puck in. The goal ended Tuukka Rasks shutout streak of 122 minutes six seconds. The Bruins kept up the pressure in the third, coming at the Canadiens. Boston calmly blunted Montreal attacks and then moved the puck up ice with speed and purpose. Erikssons goal, with 5:48 remaining, came on a three-on-two complete with some slick passing. Price denied Fraser but was powerless to stop Eriksson, who skated around him until he had a clear shot at an empty net. With Matt Bartkowski off for holding and Price on the bench, Subban scored from the point to make it 4-2 with 2:29 remaining. Therrien brought back Brandon Prust, who had sat out the last two games. Making way was veteran Daniel Briere who had played under 10 minutes each of the last three contests. [b]Cleveland Browns Jerseys[/b] . The world No. 1 had one of the most dominating performances in a final and was on his way to a possible shutout on Sunday until the third-seeded Berdych broke the super Serbs serve in the 12th game of the match. [b]Ozzie Newsome Browns Jersey[/b] .C. United to a 4-1 victory over short-handed FC Dallas on Saturday night.LAKELAND, Florida – That Ricky Romeros name was even being mentioned as a possibility for the last remaining spot in the Blue Jays rotation is an indication of the uncertainty surrounding the clubs starting corps less than two weeks before opening day. The above paragraph could be rewritten, verbatim, with Marcus Stromans name in place of Romeros. After both men had disastrous outings in Tuesdays 18-4 mauling at the hands of the Tigers, its clear that neither is the best option to begin the season in Toronto. Whats also clear is that it isnt clear who the best option is to join R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Brandon Morrow and, presumably, Drew Hutchison in a rotation that last season posted baseballs second-worst starting staff ERA (4.81.) Romero and Stroman were outsiders at best to break camp with the big league club and for different reasons. There had been cautious optimism surrounding Romero, the reclamation project, who had been showing some signs of emerging from his two-year funk. Stroman, meanwhile, is a projected future star and rotation cornerstone who, along with Drew Hutchison and Aaron Sanchez, has the coaching staff salivating. Given the mediocre-to-subpar performances of J.A. Happ, Esmil Rogers and Todd Redmond this spring, theres been some consideration, however small, given to handing Stroman a rotation spot. After all, how much lesser of an option is he than any of the others? Romero, scheduled to go four or five innings on Tuesday depending on pitch count, instead went two-and-two-thirds, allowing three runs on three hits, a home run, five walks, a hit batter and two wild pitches. It could have been worse. Romero picked off two of his walks and another was caught stealing. Only 23 of Romeros 57 pitches were strikes. He acknowledged falling behind in counts and not following through in his delivery but also took a shot at Mother Nature. "It was a weird weather day, too," said Romero. "The balls were a little slick and it just kept coming out of my hand and whatnot, but I tried to battle." The game time temperature was 20-celcius. It was a sunny day. There was a breeze, but nothing out of the ordinary. Romero also admitted to being too amped up. "I was a little excited," he said. "I think just getting a start and whatnot, that was the first start Ive had since the Triple-A season ended last year. It was a little different, just trying to get used to it again." "Not enough strikes," said manager John Gibbons. "Today, all the way around, it was just a bad day in every phase of the game. Let that one go. Ive got nothing to say. Its tough for me to analyze that. You were watching what I was watching. You analyze it." While theres no doubt the Blue Jays would enjoy getting some kind of return on the $15.6-million still owed Romero through the end of next season, his name started coming up as a rotation option only after general manager Alex Anthopoulos failed to sign Ervin Santana, a non-move which seems to become more glaring by the day. Gibbons wouldnt commit to whether Romero would get another start. "This ones over," said Gibbons. "It was a bad day all the way around." Stroman was supposed to follow Romero and pitch four or five innings. He recorded only one out before being pulled in the fifth, giving up seven runs on five hits with a walk and a strikeout. "Not enough strikes," said Gibbons. Its pretty simple." Toronto pitchers combined to walk 11 on the afternoon. The Blue Jays need someone to step up, pitch well and take the final rotation spot. Time is running out before the job is awarded to someone by default. Its J.A. Happs turn next. He starts on Wednesday, in Dunedin, against the Phillies. MORROW vs. BUEHRLE IN INTRASQUAD GAME Brandon Morrow, whos being strongly considered to pitch the home opener on April 4 against the Yankees, making him the "fifth" starter, squared off against Mark Buehrle in an intrasquad game in Dunedin on Tuesday. Morrow, who missed the final fouur months of last season with an entrapped radial nerve in his right forearm, has struggled with fastball command this spring. [b]Bernie Kosar Browns Jersey[/b]. In three-and-two-thirds innings, he allowed two runs on four hits, walking two and striking out two. Morrow threw 63 pitches; his fastball ranged in the low-to-mid 90s. "I was getting ahead, throwing it where I wanted to," said Morrow. "I think I had a couple looking strikeouts on it. All in all, it was a good day. I felt really good with my curveball. Slider and split couldve been better, but I made some good pitches with those too." Buehrle threw four-and-third innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits (including home runs by Erik Kratz and Kenny Wilson) and two walks. He struck out three and threw 81 pitches. JANSSEN THROWS LIVE BATTING PRACTICE Casey Janssen faced live hitters for the first time since late February. He threw live batting practice on Tuesday morning in Dunedin. "Another step in the right direction," said Janssen. "Got the heart pumping a little bit, which was nice. Im sure Fridays going to be more of the same, hopefully a little bit more in the velocity department, just because therell be defenders behind me." Barring the unforeseen, Janssen is scheduled to appear in his first Grapefruit League game on Friday when the Blue Jays visit the Rays in Port Charlotte. On Tuesday, Janssen threw his fastball, curveball, slider and changeup. He didnt throw his cut fastball. Janssen has been kept out of spring games due to soreness in the back of his right shoulder. The pain is unrelated to his offseason shoulder surgery of a year ago and the discomfort it caused last year. DETERMINING LINDS ROLE Adam Lind got the start against Tigers left-hander Drew Smyly on Tuesday as the club works toward determining whether hell be a strict platoon player this season. "I always can hit lefties; I just cant hit the Cy Young lefties," said Lind. "I cant tell you how many people probably hit David Price well or Jon Lester well or CC (Sabathia) well but unfortunately all those guys are in the same division. Its the beauty of playing in this division. You know where youre at as a baseball player." Linds career splits dont lie. Hes hit right-handers at a .286 BA/.850 OPS clip and hits a home run about once in every 20 at-bats. Against left-handers, the number dwindles to .219BA/.603 OPS with a home run in 2.6-percent of his at-bats. Right-handed hitting Moises Sierra, whos out of options, is the top candidate at the moment to take those at-bats against lefties. The Jays are still trying to figure out the plan. "Hes been swinging it pretty good against some pretty good lefties this spring," said manager John Gibbons. "Well just see where it goes from there. It all stacks up right now, and Sierras that guy, he would face some of the lefties. But, I think, Lindy and (hitting coach Kevin) Seitzer have been working on an approach to face those lefties and lets see where that takes us." Lind succeeded in his goal of staying off the disabled list last season. Hed missed time with a bad back in each of the previous two years. Last offseason, Lind turned to yoga. He enjoyed it and felt that it helped so he took it up a notch this past winter. "I went personal yoga instructor this year," said Lind. "It was nice. She got to know my body and we got a little more specific instead of just having a class with 20 people in it. She would correct me if I was in the wrong positions and things like that. It was nice to have someone to be there just for me." The Blue Jays will employ a yoga instructor to conduct a session on a weekly basis in an effort to curb the number of muscle-related injuries. Lind likes the benefits. "I loved it," he said. "Ill continue to do it even when Im done playing. The way it makes you feel when you walk out of that classroom, you really get away. Theres so much more into it, Im just doing the physical part of it. Im not lost in the yoga world just yet." Wholeslae Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Cheap College Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap Baseball Jerseys ' ' '