Alles Andere » easy tap-in that Kuemper had no chance to

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Surging into and out of the Olympic break, the Minnesota Wild have created a significant cushion between them and their competitors for the two Western Conference wild-card playoff spots. Thats not enough. With five days before they play next, this was still a game they were worried about -- and had to win. Jared Spurgeon and Zach Parise scored in the third period, and the Wild notched their season-high fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Monday night. "You dont want to go a week without getting any points the way things are, even if you have a cushion," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "The cushion to me is nothing ... because its not about where the people are behind you. To me its much more of a race of what you need to get to." The Wild have 75 points, nine ahead of the cut, but they are off until Saturday. Then they will launch their final stretch of 20 games in 37 days. "I dont think we were at our best. I dont think we played at a level we need to play. But it doesnt matter when you look back at the score," Parise said. Kyle Brodziak also scored, rookie Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 shots during his 15th start in a row, and the Wild raised their record at home to 22-7-2 while playing in front of their fans for the first time in 25 days. Captain Mikko Koivu, back from a 17-game absence due to a broken ankle, skated on the second line with Dany Heatley and Charlie Coyle, apart from Parise for the first time. Parise gave the Wild some insurance by camping in the crease and deflecting a shot past Reto Berra with 5:16 remaining for his 21st goal. Just 77 seconds later, Mark Giordano scored to bring the Flames back within a goal. But Kuemper hung on to raise his record to 11-3-2. Kuemper has played so well in place of Josh Harding and Niklas Backstrom that the Wild might not need to trade for a goalie before the deadline. "The confidence he has now, you can see that, and its just kind of the edge hes playing with thats good to see," Koivu said. "Hes playing winning hockey right now, so obviously thats a huge part of the team." Mikael Granlund had two assists while playing in the NHL for the first time against his brother Markus Granlund, who was called up from the AHL last week by the Flames. After a scoreless, sluggish and penalty-free first period, the pace picked up in the middle frame. Matt Cooke swooped in behind the net to poke the puck away from Berra. Brodziak crept toward the crease to corral the puck and knocked it in for the games first goal. "If you make a mistake the puck ends up in the net. I feel bad for the team because they played really hard tonight and we had a great chance to win," Berra said. Mike Cammalleri, playing perhaps his last game for the Flames with the NHL trade deadline looming on Wednesday, tied it 1-1 in the second period when Koivus pass ricocheted across the slot to him for an easy tap-in that Kuemper had no chance to stop. "No moral victories. We know theyre playing well, but wed like to win," Cammalleri said. With Coyle screening Berra on a power play, Spurgeon sent a slap shot through traffic for the lead. "We had to kind of grind that one out. I had a feeling this was going to be a difficult game for us right from the start," Yeo said. The Flames, buried in the Western Conference playoff race, could make some moves this week. Cammalleri scored for the first time since Jan. 6. He missed nine games during that stretch because of a concussion. "Cammi, you always know that hes going to show up to work," coach Bob Hartley said. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, as a guest of Wild owner Craig Leipold, watched from a suite. Leipold took him earlier in the day to Target Field, where baseballs Twins play, and TCF Bank Stadium, the football home of the University of Minnesota, for tours of possible outdoor game venues. The NHL put on six this season. Bettman has assured the Wild they will be awarded an outdoor game but hasnt committed to a timeframe. NOTES: Flames RW David Jones hurt his upper body in a collision against the boards. "It doesnt look very good," Hartley said. ... Koivu missed 17 games, plus the Olympics for his native Finland, because of a broken ankle. ... Markus Granlund posted his first NHL assist, on Giordanos goal. Bob Lilly Jersey .Y. - For once, Clayton Kershaw was glad to see a long shutout streak end. Ibraheim Campbell Jersey . He made that dream a reality Wednesday night. Olt, who grew up in Branford, Connecticut, attended UConn and made a nearly 2 1-2 hour trek to Boston a handful of times to watch the Red Sox, belted a two-run homer, one of four hit by Cubs in a 16-9 rout that completed a three-game interleague series sweep. http://www.officialdallascowboysfootball.com/authentic-byron-jones-jersey-womens . Levante, which had lost five straight including a Copa del Rey game last weekend, fell behind at its Ciutat de Valencia stadium when Ionut Sapanura opened the scoring for Elche in the 26th minute. Rico Gathers Jersey . After all, the No. 8 seed is chasing far loftier goals. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., defeated American Jack Sock 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in Wimbledons second round on Thursday. Michael Irvin Jersey . David Perron had a career high four-point night with two goals and two assists as the Oilers experienced an offensive explosion, blasting the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-0 to record a rare home win for their second victory in a row.(The Sports Network) - When it comes to quarterbacks a lot of people believe either you have it or you dont. Andrew Luck has "it" and the second-year star will show the nation when he leads his Indianapolis Colts into San Diego on "Monday Night Football." Coverage on TSN begins with Monday Night Countdown at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. Kickoff follows at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt. Week 5s impressive 34-28 win over previously unbeaten Seattle was just the latest fourth-quarter comeback for Luck, who is 15-6 as an NFL starter with an amazing nine late-game rallies, the most by any signal caller in his first 21 games since the 1970 merger. Luck threw for 229 yards with two touchdown passes against the Seahawks and guided a 14-play, 86-yard drive in the fourth quarter that ended with Donald Brown barreling in for a go-ahead score. Russell Wilson, taken 74 picks after Luck was selected first overall in the 2012 draft, had a chance to keep the Seahawks from falling into the loss column but was picked off by Darius Butler as time wound down to seal Indianapolis third straight win. Lucks favorite target was TY Hilton, who hauled in five passes for a career- high 140 yards and two touchdowns despite being covered by All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman for a good portion of the showdown. "This is the most resilient team Ive ever been around," an excited Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said. "I cant tell you how proud I am of every man in that locker room." San Diego, on the other hand, is coming off a bad 27-17 loss in Oakland and will hang its hat on Philip Rivers, who is 4-1 against the Colts in his career. Rivers connected on 36-of-49 passes for 411 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions against the Raiders but the Chargers turned the ball over five times. Rookie receiver Keenan Allen hauled in six passes for 115 yards and a score, while Vincent Brown caught eight passes for 117 yards. San Diego running back Ryan Mathews left the game in the second quarter with a concussion, however, and the Chargers finished the game with just 32 yards on the ground. "It doesnt matter what level youre at, when you turn the ball over five times, its tough to win games," San Diego coach Mike McCoy said. The Chargers hold a 15-9 advantage against the Colts in the regular-season series but interestingly enough are just 4-6 in San Diego. WHAT TO WATCH FOR This could be a bit of a trap game for the young Colts and Luck because they host the Denver Broncos, who many consider to be the best team in the NFL, on Oct. 20. "I dont think youll see any of these guys walk around with their chest puffed out like a robin, walking around the yard after a big rain storm," Pagano said. "Were not going there. Well keep reminding them its a short ride from the penthouse to the outhouse." That kind of short ride probably isnt happening any time soon with Luck on hand. The former Stanford star is the first Colts quarterback not named Peyton Manning to lead Indy to sole possession of first place at any point of a season since his former college coach and current San Francisco mentor Jim Harbaugh had the Colts atop the AFC East way back on Oct.dddddddddddd 13, 1996. Luck is quickly turning into the NFLs next true star at the QB position, the kind of pure passer who creates havoc in the back seven of any defense. He is also far more athletic than most think and can extend plays with his feet, a key component in the modern NFL game. For now Luck is handling success well. "I dont think its in the DNA of a Pagano-coached team to hang your head or to get too high when youre doing something well," he said. "His approach is very methodical." Overall the Colts rank sixth in the NFL in points per game and fifth in points allowed per game, one of only three teams (New Orleans and Seattle) this season to rank in the top 10 in each category. Offensively, a big key to the Colts strong start has been the improved running game. Indianapolis ranks fourth in the NFL with 142.0 rushing yards per contest, but Ahmad Bradshaw wont be contributing to that any longer after deciding to undergo surgery on his injured neck. Trent Richardson has taken over the starring role in the backfield and ran for 56 yards against Seattle while backup Donald Brown added 37 and a touchdown. They should be able to get something done against a San Diego defense which is just 24th in the league in rush defense. "Hes a powerful runner that a lot of times doesnt go down with the first hit," Chargers linebacker Larry English said when discussing Richardson. "We have to do a great job this week tackling." The San Diego defense also has forced just two turnovers this season and is among the dregs of the league overall, allowing over 400 yards a game. On the other hand, the Chargers possess the fifth-ranked offense, gaining an average of 401.6 yards per game. Rivers has been spectacular, completing 141- of-191 passes for 1,610 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions for a passer rating of 110.5. Attacking the Colts on the ground, though, is paramount because Indy ranks 30th in football, allowing 129.0 ypg. Mathews concussion could keep him out Monday, leaving Danny Woodhead and Ronnie Brown to handle the backfield load, which would help the Colts. "They play great team defense," Brown said. "They always have that bend-but- dont-break mentality, so on offense we have to go in and not give them any extra possessions." OVERALL ANALYSIS The Colts have outscored opponents by 54 points in their first two road games this season, which is the highest point differential through as many away games in franchise history. Thats unlikely to continue here because Rivers is so explosive but you can certainly envision a big Chargers mistake costing them in the end. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Colts 30, Chargers 27 Blackhawks Jerseys Store Cheap Wild Jerseys Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Penguins Jerseys Store Capitals Jerseys For Sale Blues Jerseys Store Cheap Kings Jerseys Adidas Lightning Jerseys Stars Jerseys For Sale Cheap Predators Jerseys Ducks Store Sharks Jerseys For Sale Cheap Sabres Jerseys Rangers Jerseys For Sale ' ' '