PITTSBURGH -- Matt Calverts first career playoff goal gave the Columbus Blue
Jackets a badly needed boost.
Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 . His second ended
4,493 days of futility for a franchise that is quickly morphing from
laughingstock to something considerably more potent. Calvert banged his own
rebound past Marc-Andre Fleury 1:10 into the second overtime and the Columbus
Blue Jackets earned their first Stanley Cup playoff win with a 4-3 victory over
the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. Fleury stuffed the initial shot by
Cam Atkinson but Calvert stood all alone at the left post. His first shot went
into the goaltenders right pad. He roofed his second into the top of the net to
even the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at one game each. Game 3 is Monday in
Columbus. "You always dream about being the hero in overtime," Calvert said. "We
battled for it and it didnt come easy. We were down a couple goals at different
times. The penalty kill was great when it had to be and its just a great feeling
right now." The Blue Jackets trailed 3-1 after the first period, but Calverts
short-handed goal 7:31 into the second changed the game completely. "It gave
hope to our guys," Columbus coach Todd Richards said. "It was 3-1 at the time
and we scored to make it 3-2. You could feel it on the bench. After that I felt
we played a very strong game." Looked like it. Jack Johnson eventually tied it
with 6:01 left in regulation. Ryan Johansen also scored the first playoff goal
of his career for Columbus. Sergei Bobrovsky overcame a shaky start to finish
with 39 saves. Brian Gibbons scored twice and Matt Niskanen added his second
goal of the playoffs, but Pittsburgh was outplayed for much of the final
three-plus periods. Fleury made 41 stops but was helpless on the game-winner.
"We have to be better," said Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby, who had two assists
but was held without a goal for the second straight game. "Thats really, I
think, the bottom line. Right on through, whether its special teams or 5-on-5 we
have to be better." The Penguins have dropped four straight home overtime
playoff games and blew a chance to take a 2-0 series lead when they failed to
bury the Blue Jackets early on. Pittsburgh, the best power play team in the NHL
during the regular season, went just 1 for 8 with the man advantage, including 0
for 2 in overtime. Even worse, Columbus has two short-handed goals in as many
games. Both teams traded quality chances in the first overtime. Bobrovsky made
an excellent blocker save on Crosby racing down the right wing and got a piece
of Lee Stempniaks rebound. Fleury stuffed R.J. Umberger from point-blank range
earlier in the period. There was no back-and-forth in the second extra session.
Brandon Dubinsky started the winning play by finding Atkinson in front and
Pittsburghs defence offered little resistance until the puck was on Calverts
stick for the winner. "We stuck with it and we just kept playing and kept going
and we got a split in Pittsburgh and thats what we wanted," Calvert said. The
Penguins knew they couldnt afford a repeat of the first 21 minutes of Game 1,
when the Blue Jackets knocked them around while streaking to a two-goal lead
before Pittsburgh rallied to escape. This time, the start wasnt the problem for
the Penguins. It was everything else. Gibbons scored the first two playoff goals
of his career 54 seconds apart -- including a nifty short-handed breakaway in
which he undressed Bobrovsky -- to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead before the game
was 5 minutes old. The giddiness didnt last long, for the Penguins or Gibbons.
Johansen scored before the power play expired and Gibbons, elevated to
Pittsburghs top line midway through Game 1, did not return after colliding with
Johansen midway through the first period. While a Niskanen shot from the point
with 2:08 left in the first restored Pittsburghs two-goal edge, it only seemed
to galvanize the Blue Jackets. The Penguins earned back-to-back power plays
early in the second period and somehow lost momentum. Some lethargic Pittsburgh
passing set up a 3-on-1 short-handed breakaway for the Blue Jackets, with
Calvert beating Fleury to bring Columbus within one. The disjointed effort by
the Penguins deflated the bench and the building. The wave carried over into the
third, with Columbus eventually drawing even on Johnsons power-play goal with 6
minutes to go before Calverts winner gave Columbus a taste of playoff success
after 13-plus years of waiting. "Its a big step for us as a group and an
organization," Calvert said. "It felt great, and Im sure were going to enjoy it
tonight, but its a long series." NOTES: The Blue Jackets scratched forward
Nick Foligno once again with a lower body injury but Foligno is optimistic hell
be able to return for Game 3. ... Crosbys two assists moved him into third on
the teams career post-season scoring list. He now has 108 post-season points,
trailing Jaromir Jagr (147) and Mario Lemieux (172). ... Columbus D Fedor Tyutin
missed the third period and overtime due to an undisclosed injury.
Adidas Superstar Shoes Womens . "Maybe, we
were too comfortable," he told TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie. "It looked to me
that - the year before we had a lot of injuries and a number of the key guys
didnt play very much - we came to camp with a full group, maybe we thought we
were going to be better than we were going to be and, certainly, we didnt
compete at the same level.
Adidas Superstar Shoes Black . Coach Jorge
Luis Pinto resisted naming any major surprises in the lineup and is using the
same core of players who helped Costa Rica to qualify as the top team from the
CONCACAF region. Pinto said he was happy to stick with his proven players and
valued continuity in the team.NEW YORK, N.Y. - The NFL may be on the hook for
more money than it expected if a federal judge cant be convinced that its $765
million concussion settlement with more than 4,500 former players will be
adequate to pay out benefits over the 65-year life of the agreement. The deal
hit a snag Tuesday when a federal judge asked both parties to back up their
assertions that the agreement negotiated over several months is appropriate.
U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody denied a motion that was meant to serve as a
preliminary approval for the settlement, seeking more information from the
parties. She wrote that she was "primarily concerned that not all retired NFL
football players who ultimately receive a qualifying diagnosis or their
(families) ... will be paid," and that the lawyers for both parties have not
addressed those concerns. Given the judges ruling, the two sides will need to
offer more evidence the fund will be sufficient or possibly have the NFL add
money to the pot. Otherwise, they may be left to start over. "We are confident
that the settlement is fair and adequate, and look forward to demonstrating that
to the court," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. Meanwhile, former players looking
to receive assistance for the injuries they sustained while playing in the
league will have to wait to be compensated. The two sides agreed in late August,
just before the season kicked off and the issue largely went to the back burner,
awaiting Brodys decision. The weekly accounting of brain injuries on the field,
despite efforts to reduce them, continued to make headlines. Brody pointed out
that the class of approximately 20,000 could overwhelm the fund, even if only 10
per cent of its members file claims against the $675 million set aside to pay
claims, working out to $337,500 per player. The maximum payments in the
settlement include $5 million for a yoounger retiree with Lou Gehrigs disease,
$3 million for serious dementia, and $25,000 for an 80-year-old with early
dementia.
Adidas Tubular Shoes Pink. Sol Weiss, a lead
lawyer for the ex-players, remained confident the class-action settlement will
ultimately be approved. "I am very confident that the (actuarial) people we used
are right, and that there will be enough money to cover these claims for 65
years," Weiss said. The remainder of the $765 settlement is being earmarked for
neurological testing and education. Lawyers will be paid on top of that by the
NFL, meaning the suit would cost the league $900 million — or about 10 per cent
of one years annual revenues. Brody also took issue with another part of the
original agreement, writing in a footnote that she was concerned that the
agreement prevents participants from suing the NCAA and other amateur football
organizations. "Im not sure why the NFL would insist on that," said Gabe
Feldman, a law professor who directs the sports law program at the Tulane
University Law School. More than 4,500 former players filed the suit, some
accusing the league of fraud for its handling of concussions. They include
former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett and Super Bowl-winning
quarterback Jim McMahon, who suffers from dementia. Brodys hand-picked mediator,
former federal judge Layn R. Phillips, led several months of negotiations last
year and has called the deal fair to both sides. If and when the parties can
satisfy all of Brodys concerns, she would then give preliminary approval to the
settlement. Following that would be a hearing at which people with objections
can speak and have their issues addressed before final settlement and payments.
___ Follow Rick Freeman at http://twitter.com/RWFreeman ___ Associated Press
writers Barry Wilner and Maryclaire Dale contributed to this report.
Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From
China Authentic China
Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys
China Cheap NHL Jerseys
Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '