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shushu
Joined: 26 Feb 2019
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23 Mar 2019 04:23 |
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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Mike Smith stopped 30 shots and the Phoenix Coyotes became the first team to shut out the Chicago Blackhawks this season with a 2-0 victory Friday night. Coming off a disappointing loss to Dallas, the Coyotes charged at the Blackhawks following a pregame ceremony honouring the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. Keith Yandle scored 69 seconds in and had an assist on Radim Vrbatas goal late in the second period. Smith made it stand up with some tough saves late in the third period, closing out his second shutout of the season after rocker Alice Cooper played a three-song set during intermission. Antoine Vermette extended his career-high point streak to nine games on Yandles goal in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd. Chicago had impressive victories in sweeping the two Southern California teams this week, but struggled offensively without leading scorer Patrick Kane, who left to attend his grandfathers funeral. The Blackhawks allowed two power-play goals after killing off 32 of 33 penalties the previous 10 games. They couldnt solve Smith and now head into the Olympic break off their first shutout since Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals against Boston last June. The Coyotes have been agonizingly inconsistent, playing well against good teams and struggling against teams further down the standings. Phoenix beat rival Los Angeles 3-0 in one of its best games of the season and followed that with a loss to Buffalo, which has the leagues worst record. The Coyotes bounced back to beat Pittsburgh, then lost on Tuesday to Dallas, a team they are jostling with for a playoff spot. They got off to a fast start against the Blackhawks, which came to the desert with 84 points, second-most in the NHL. Yandle triggered it. He was fired up by the 1980 U.S. Olympic teams appearance, fist-bumping every player as they went by the bench. Yandle, left off the current U.S. Olympic team, used that energy to score a power-play goal 69 seconds into the game on a hard slap shot from near the blue line. After one shot in the opening 14 minutes, the Blackhawks turned up the pressure late in the first period and early in the second. Smith stood his ground during Chicagos flurries and had stellar sequence late in the second period, when he slid over to stop a redirected shot by Jonathan Toews, then stopped a point-blank shot by Patrick Sharp, who stood in disbelief for a few seconds before looking back at the Coyotes goalie. A few minutes later, Smith ended up on his backside in the net with his mask lying in front of him after being run over by Brandon Saad. Defenceman Michal Rozsival was called for an unsportsmanlike after the play to give Phoenix a 5-on-3 and Vrbata capitalized quickly, beating Corey Crawford with a wrister from the slot. Cooper kept the vibe going during the second intermission with "Im 18," "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and "Schools Out," and Smith made the shutout stand with some tough stops, including a nifty glove save on Saad after Chicago pulled Crawford for an extra attacker. NOTES: Ten members of the Miracle on Ice team were present for the pregame ceremony and current Olympians on the Coyotes and Blackhawks also were recognized. ... Coyotes C Martin Hanzal missed the game due to an illness. ... Chicago D Johnny Oduya missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. ... Vermette has eight goals and four assists during his point streak. Hoodies China . Its been two seasons in one for both parties and neither will look back on the first 18 games fondly. "I think I took the fall for a lot of things," said Gay, reflecting on his short time in Toronto ahead of Wednesdays game against his former club. Wholesale Authentic Hoodies . 15 in Hamburg. The fight was originally slated for Sept. 6 but had to be postponed after Klitschko tore a bicep in sparring and was forced to miss four weeks of training. http://www.hoodiescheap.com/ . With the Pirates in the thick of the race in the NL Central, the timing couldnt be better. Liriano struck out a season-high 11 in seven innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season and Pittsburgh beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 on Tuesday night. Stitched Hoodies . How foolishly wrong I was. Forget the now inherent corruption and back handed favours that plague the beautiful game. Goal Line Technology? Youre having a laugh. As for them penalty cheating bandits, footballs lawmakers upend them by awarding the penalty to the opponent each time a player attempts to con the referee into awarding ghost penalties. Wholesale Hoodies .com) - Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett is active for Sundays matchup with the Miami Dolphins.Canadian bantamweight Mitch Gagnon looks to prove people wrong Saturday night in Brazil. So does American middleweight C.B. (The Doberman) Dollaway.Both are heavy underdogs in the marquee bouts of the UFC Fight Night card in Barueri.The UFC lists former light-heavyweight champion Lyoto (The Dragon) Machida, currently ranked No. 4 among 185-pound contenders, as more than a 6-1 favourite to beat No. 10 Dollaway in the main event at the Jose Correa Arena.Ive been the underdog in my last five fights, said an unconcerned Dollaway, who won four of those with the fifth a controversial split decision loss to Tim Boetsch.Renan Barao, the No. 1 contender and former champion at 135 pounds, is more than a 7-1 favourite to defeat No. 14 Gagnon, in the co-main event. Some bookies have Barao a 10-1 favourite.Gagnon, a prickly fighter in the cage, is unfazed by the odds.Youve got to treat every fight the same, said Gagnon (12-2). Im not trying to put more stress on me than theres always been. Youre still in a fight.The 30-year-old from Sudbury, Ont., can expect a motivated opponent in Barao (34-2 with one no contest). The 27-year-old Brazilian lost his title to T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 173 in May. And he was forced out of their August rematch at UFC 177 last August due to health issues during weight cutting.Gagnon sees the plus side of fighting a former champion. Theres plenty of video of him.The five-foot-five Canadian arrives on a roll, having won his last four bouts since dropping his UFC debut to Bryan Caraway in a bout that earned both men US$65,000 fight of the night bonuses. Three of his recent wins came via first-round submissions.Im on the up-and-up, Im riding a four-fight win streak and Im healthy, said Gagnon.Given Baraos recent problems, its perfect timing to fight him, he added. I wouldnt want it any other way.Gagnon has covered a lot of territory in preparing for the fight. He trains in the Toronto area, commuting between gyms in Oshawa, Toronto and Oakville.He stays with a coach in Toronto during training camp, with his fiancee coming down to visit every second weekend.ddddddddddddhe Arizona-based Dollaway (16-6) is no stranger to travel himself. He has won twice in Brazil and once in Germany since January 2013.Its nothing new for me, he said of fighting in hostile territory. I know what Im walking into. It is what it is. Im going to feed off the crowd. Itll be a great night.Its awesome to be able to go out and do what I do, and be able to make that kind of emotion for so many people and so many fans.Being part of the main event in Brazil kept him from taking part in the UFCs debut card in Phoenix last weekend. The 31-year-old Dollaway watched from the stands, before arriving in Brazil 10 pounds lighter than he normally does for fight week.I knew I had to get a little leaner, he said. The fight was going to be a much longer fight — five rounds, two extra rounds than Im normally used to going. I cant be having a bad weight cut and I just need to feel good.The 31-year-old former Arizona State star wrestler has come a long way since losing to Amir Sadollah in the final of Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2008. He has survived hip and ankle surgery and founded his own gym — Power MMA and Fitness in Gilbert, Ariz. — with fellow fighters Ryan Bader and Aaron Simpson.Bader lost to Machida (21-5) in 2012 so he has plenty of insight into the elusive Brazilian. The injuries behind him and the right people around him, Dollaway (9-5 in the UFC) has made major advances. His submission arsenal includes everything from guillotine chokes to the rare Peruvian Necktie and his striking is more dangerous each time out. And his elite wrestling skills have resulted in 29 takedowns, third most in UFC middleweight history.Ive been able to be consistent for a while, getting the right coaches, the right trainers, the right atmosphere, the right sponsors and managers, he said.Running his own gym gives him another reason to be there.Like people say if you stay ready, you dont have to get ready, he said.———Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter. ' ' '
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