Subject :ST. Vans Old School . PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild were denied at the net by Semyon Varlamov ti
ST. Vans Old School . PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild were denied at the net by Semyon Varlamov time after time, a 44-shot barrage in regulation that resulted in, alas, zero goals. Coach Mike Yeo jokingly wondered aloud at the third intermission whether his team was "psychotic" to put itself through such angst. After all, the way this sport often goes, the next score in the scoreless game had the strong potential to be one of those bad-bounce goals that make a night of domination go for naught. Mikael Granlund made sure that didnt happen. Granlunds diving goal 5:08 into overtime gave the Wild a 1-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 on Monday. Minnesota pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series after Varlamov stopped 45 of 46 shots, a franchise playoff record for shots on goal by the Wild. "You see it so many times where teams do so well and get chance after chance after chance and then a fluky one goes in against you. Luckily. that wasnt the case," said Wild left wing Zach Parise. Granlund, who had a career-high seven shots on goal, sliced toward the crease and moved parallel to the net with some slick stick work. Avalanche defenceman Erik Johnson, who saved Game 1 by racing to swat away a shot on an empty net, lost his balance and tried unsuccessfully to dive at Granlund, who then began to fall forward. Granlund extended his stick to knock the puck in, and the celebration ensued. "We were playing really good. We were creating chances. We got rewarded. We need to just keep playing like that," Granlund said. Game 4 is at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday, when the Avalanche will be without defenceman Tyson Barrie. He took a knee-to-knee hit in the second period that yielded a penalty for Matt Cooke and a medial collateral ligament injury for Barrie. Coach Patrick Roy said hell be need four to six weeks to recover. "Knee on Tyson Barrie is without a doubt the play of the game. We lost our best offensive defenceman," Roy said, expressing confidence the NHL will suspend Cooke. Darcy Kuemper made 22 saves, and the Wild goalie in his first career playoff start was just as good as Varlamov. He said he had a feeling this would be a one-goal game. "I just tried to stick with it and make the saves I had to," Kuemper said. "My teammates were obviously playing unbelievable and making it easy on me. I was just trying to do my job and stay sharp." After the Avalanche line of Nathan MacKinnon, Paul Stastny and Gabe Landeskog combined for 17 points and seven goals over the first two games, the Wild kept them from doing any damage. The Wild shuffled their lines, with veteran Dany Heatleys move off the scratch list the most notable change, and played their style. They didnt get enough guys to the net for long rebounds Varlamov has a tendency to produce, but they completely controlled the flow, even if there wasnt much to show for it. "We were a little on our heels. We couldve been a little bit better, played a little more simple," MacKinnon said. After wasting a 4-2 lead in Game 1, giving up the tying goal with 13 seconds left to Stastny, as well as the overtime winner, the Wild badly needed to recapture some energy. They did from the opening faceoff, firing up a crowd thats been waiting 11 years for a playoff series victory. The Wild finally figured out how to contain the super-fast MacKinnon, forcing the 18-year-old wonder to have to stay in his own zone. They had the Avalanche on their heels for the majority of regulation. Cooke was all over the ice in his 100th career playoff game, colliding with just about every white Colorado jersey. "We didnt play up to what were capable of, theres no doubt. But Id rather give them credit. They played well. They were sharp. They were the better team on the ice," Roy said, adding yet more praise for Varlamov. Thanks to Granlund, the Wild avoided the huge hole. "Lets not kid ourselves. This is a huge win for us, not only to get the win but the way that we played the game, the way that we played our game," Yeo said. "We know that next game is going to be even bigger and a tougher test, and were going to have to be real good. But theres no question that we needed this one." Vans Sk8 Hi Slim . After two months of mediocrity, perhaps the Washington Nationals have turned the page. Strasburg struck out 11 in seven innings Wednesday night and the Nationals kept the Philadelphia Phillies bats quiet yet again in an 8-4, rain-interrupted win. Vans Sk8 Hi Reissue . Thaddeus Young scored seven of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Evan Turner added 22 points, and the 76ers hung on for their first road win since Nov. 1, beating the depleted Los Angeles Lakers 111-104 on Sunday night.TORONTO - Toronto Raptors centre Jonas Valanciunas was arrested for impaired driving in Wasaga Beach, roughly two hours north of Toronto, early Monday morning. According to an Ontario Provincial Police release, Valanciunas was charged with "Exceed 80" after an investigation revealed he had been in control of his vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. OPP officers were responding to a report that open beer bottles had been spotted in a silver vehicle going through a drive-thru at approximately 2:30 a.m. Police traced the alleged vehicle to a residence nearby and Valanciunas, the driver, was placed under arrest. Its unclear whether he was alone at the time. "I hold myself to a high standard and take my role as a member of the Toronto Raptors very seriously," said the 21-year-old in a statement released by the team Monday evening. "I apoologize to the organization, my teammates, my family and my fans, and regret any negativity this incident has brought upon them. Vans Sk8 Hi. " The Raptors were in between a pair of days off at the time of the incident. "We were made aware this morning of the incident involving Jonas Valanciunas and are disappointed he has put himself in this situation," the Raptors added in a release. "We take this matter very seriously as we have high expectations for all members of this organization." Valanciunas is scheduled to appear in court in Collingwood on April 22, in the midst of Torontos first-round playoff series. If the Raptors second-year centre is convicted of the charge he will likely face supplementary discipline from the NBA. League precedent suggests he could face a one or two-game suspension, issued following a conviction. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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