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Roberto Luongo will looking to erase some painful memories as he leads the Vancouver Canucks against the Bruins tonight. Corey Liuget Jersey . Luongo will be making his first start at the TD Garden since Game 6 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final when he surrendered three first period goals in a potential Cup-clinching game for the Canucks. The Canucks will try to avoid matching their longest winless streak of the season on Tuesday night as they visit the Atlantic Division-leading Bruins. The Canucks have lost four straight in regulation, one setback shy of their longest stretch without a win this season done twice before. Vancouver was able to earn some points over those earlier droughts, going 0-3-2 from Nov. 9-19 and 0-2-3 from Dec. 30-Jan. 7. Vancouver is holding on to the eighth spot in the Western Conference by just a single point over the Phoenix Coyotes and were unable to get a spark from the return of both coach John Tortorella and captain Henrik Sedin on Monday. Tortorella returned to the bench after serving a 15-day suspension for his actions in a game versus the Calgary Flames on Jan. 18, missing six games. Sedin was absent for each one due to a rib injury that halted his consecutive games played streak at 679 and was held off the scoresheet in last nights 2-0 setback to the Detroit Red Wings. Eddie Lack made 28 saves in the second contest of a five-game road trip, but Detroit got eight saves from Jonas Gustavsson in the first period before he exited due to dizziness. Jimmy Howard stopped all 16 Vancouver shots he faced the rest of the way. "We cant buy a win right now," Lack said. "Im trying to do my job and keep us in every game. Its tough." After Detroit scored the games first goal early in the second period, David Booth was hooked on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot. However, Howard turned his chance aside to leave the Canucks and Tortorella frustrated. "We need to change the complexion of our hockey club, either with our play or with different people, because we looked like a slow hockey team tonight," noted Tortorella. "Were going to keep on banging away to try and get better, but its very frustrating to see the same looks. It worries me. Ill leave it at that." One change that could happen tonight is the insertion of defenseman Raphael Diaz into the lineup. He was acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on Monday for forward Dale Weise. Diaz could make his debut with the Canucks tonight after notching 11 assists and a minus-4 rating in 43 games with the Habs this season. Hell help fill a void on the back end left by injuries to Kevin Bieksa (foot) and Christopher Tanev (thumb). The Bruins will host the Canucks to close a four-game homestand and are 6-1-1 in their last eight games. That stretch includes a disappointing and lackluster 4-1 loss to Montreal on Thursday, but Boston rebounded to secure a 4-0 triumph over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Chad Johnson made 22 saves in his first shutout of the season and second of his career, while Boston scored three times in the third period to break open a close game. Dougie Hamilton started the burst 6:43 into the frame before Carl Soderberg and Torey Krug followed with goals. David Krejci also lit the lamp and Zdeno Chara added a pair of assists for the Bruins, who posted 19 of their 41 shots in the third period. "Well, I think so -- a much better game tonight in all aspects of it," said Bruins head coach Claude Julien comparing the game to Thursdays loss to Montreal. "Thought that goal by Dougie kind of made everybody relax a little bit more and our game seemed to get better after that too." Boston leads the Tampa Bay Lightning by four points for the top spot in the division and will have Chara in the lineup tonight for the last time before the Olympic break. The hulking defenseman will not play on Thursday in St. Louis or Saturday versus Ottawa as he had earlier been selected to carry Slovakias flag during the Opening Ceremonies on Friday for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The Bruins have lost three of their last four versus the Canucks, including a 6-2 setback on Dec. 14 that marked the first time the two clubs met in Vancouver since Boston won Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. Tuukka Rask got the start for the Bruins, but was pulled early in the second period after allowing four goals on 23 shots. He fell to 0-1-1 with a 3.38 goals against average in his career versus the Canucks. Sedin had a goal and an assist in the victory, while Roberto Luongo posted 39 saves to improve to 12-10-3 in his career versus Boston with a 2.38 GAA and four shutouts. Eric Weddle Chargers Jersey . Louis Cardinals in todays finale of a three-game set at Busch Stadium. Milwaukees Yovani Gallardo came into yesterdays start with an 8.89 earned run average over his past 26 1/3 innings, but carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning and ended up allowing just one hit over eight frames in a 4-0 victory. Ryan Carrethers Chargers Jersey . Ernests Gulbis of Latvia upset defending champion Del Potro 6-3, 6-4. . The Argentine is recovering from a wrist injury and it wasnt clear whether it may have been bothering him. He took a medical time-out after the first set, but decided to continue.Just two weeks after the LA Galaxy lifted the MLS Cup, the Major League Soccer off-season merry-go-round is in full swing and the Vancouver Whitecaps are certainly playing an active role. The Caps kicked off the week by trading goalkeeper Jay Nolly to Chicago Fire in exchange for a first round pick in the 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft. They also re-signed veteran goalkeeper Joe Cannon and midfielder John Thorrington to new deals. Its no surprise that one of the Whitecaps two goalkeepers has left the club. As new Vancouver Head Coach Martin Rennie looks to strengthen the squad, a starting goalkeeper is probably high up his priority list after a season where Nolly and Cannon split the duties between the posts. It wasnt possible to keep the status quo if the Caps were to upgrade the position and Nolly was the player to depart. Whitecaps fans will remember his contribution fondly. Hes a great character who gave a lot to Vancouver during his four years with the club and was rewarded by twice being named the clubs MVP. Nolly had so many outstanding moments in a Whitecaps jersey during his time with the team, but I will never forget his performance at BMO Field on Canada Day when Vancouver beat Toronto FC 1-0 in the first ever meeting between the two teams. Martin Nash scored from the penalty spot to give the Whitecaps the win in the Canadian Championship on that day, but the victory was every bit as much down to Nollys heroics between the posts. By renegotiating deals with Cannon and Thorrington, the Whitecaps keep two experienced MLS players who have excellent leadership qualities. Cannon is now 36 years old, but the two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year still has plenty to offer both on and off the pitch. Thorrington can make a valuable contribution to the Whitecaps midfield although much of that depends on whether he can stay fit. The 32-year-old was restricted to just 740 minutes of action for Vancouver in 2011 due to injuries. Martin Rennie has a busy few weeks ahead as he continues to shape his new-look squad. South Korean defender Lee Young-Pyo arrived in Vancouver on Sunday and is expected to put pen to paper on a deal with the Whitecaps very soon. At 34 years old, Lee Young-Pyo would bring a wealth of experience to a defence that looked shaky throughout the 2011 season. He has played the game at the very highest level, representing his country at the World Cup and spending time with big European clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and PSV Eindhoven. He also brings versatility as he is capable of playing at full back on either side of the pitch. Heading Indoors Toronto FC are close to being able to announce the venue for the home leg of their Champions League Quarter Final against Los Angeles Galaxy next March. Although nothing has been confirmed just yet, Im hearing the game will be moved indoors to the Rogers Centre. De Ro the DP? There seems to have been a shift in philosophy withhin Major League Soccer regarding who can become a Designated Player in the league. Kellen Clemens Chargers Jersey. . New England Revolutions 33 year old midfielder Shalrie Joseph signed a new deal over the weekend and assumed Designated Player status. Less than a year ago when Toronto FCs then captain Dwayne De Rosario stated he wanted to be rewarded for his play by being given a new DP contract, the fact that he had been a long-time player in the league seemed to be a stumbling block between him and that upgraded status. The Designated Player rule was brought in to MLS to allow teams to sign players such as David Beckham who would normally not even consider moving to North America under the confines of the salary cap. The rule has worked because the league is a much better place five years on. I have nothing against Shalrie Joseph being rewarded by New England for his years of service and contribution to their team. However, if Joseph is now an MLS Designated Player, De Rosario is certainly deserving of the status, and other players across the league may also be knocking on the door of their General Manager. The Stage Is Set Following Fridays EURO 2012 Final Draw at the Palace of Arts in Kiev, Ukraine, we now know the match-ups for the Group Stage of the tournament. The gasp from the gathered crowd when Germany was drawn as the final team in Group B was mirrored around the globe. Germanys presence in the group along with the Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal ensures an early exit for a team that would expect to progress. I had the pleasure of sitting with Toronto FC Head Coach Aron Winter and Assistant Coach Bob de Klerk at a dinner last weekend and understandably the two Dutchmen had plenty to say about the draw. Despite the magnitude of the task ahead of the beaten 2010 World Cup finalists, Winter was in confident mood when talking about the Netherlands chances of progressing from the Group Stage without too many problems. de Klerk was also keen to point out that Germanys impressive win over the Dutch in a recent international friendly was just as much down to his countrys poor performance as a quality display from Germany. Toronto FC is a microcosm of the country as a whole when it comes to importance of the European Championships here in Canada and the rivalries that will exist between different cultures for three weeks next June. Take Group B for example. While Winter and de Klerk will be wearing their Orange with pride, their Captain Torsten Frings will be rooting for Germany. Throw in the two members of the front office who are from Denmark and Portugal and it will certainly make for some feisty discussions leading up to the tournament. People across our nation will have more than a passing interest in UEFA EURO 2012 due to the magnificent multiculturalism of this country, and it will be a privilege to bring you all of the action on TSN, TSN Radio and TSN.ca. Roll on June 8th! ' ' ' |
