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ST. cheap jerseys . PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild found out during the second intermission their spot in the playoffs was secure. Satisfaction came only after they won their way in with a strong finish. Mikko Koivu had the only score in the shootout after Ryan Suters goal tied the game with 65 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Wild beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Tuesday night to clinch a wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoffs. "We wanted to get in the right way," said right wing Jason Pominville, who had two goals and an assist. "We stuck to it and found a way to score one late, and I think its a sign of a good team when you get in the right way against the best team in the NHL right now." Koivu, who had two assists, switched to his backhand to flip the puck past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask in the second round. When goalie Ilya Bryzgalov stopped Brad Marchands try with his pad to end it, he pumped his arms as he skated out of the crease to celebrate with his teammates. The Wild will be the seventh seed and face the division winner with the fewest points. "The message was, Lets not wait for anything. Lets not back our way into anything. Lets not come through the back door. Lets go charging through the front door," coach Mike Yeo said. "And what a better way to do it against a team like Boston." As play was about to begin for the third period, the overtime loss by ninth-place Phoenix at Columbus that guaranteed a place in the post-season for Minnesota was announced to the crowd and received with a hearty cheer. The Wild then went a step further by assuring themselves of the top wild-card slot by rallying for the win. They kept up the pressure in overtime after Suters delivery, outshooting the Bruins 6-2 in overtime. Reilly Smith, Patrice Bergeron and Loui Eriksson scored for the Bruins, who fell to 16-1-3 in their past 20 games. The Bruins, who clinched the No. 1 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs, held leading scorer Jarome Iginla out for the third time in the past four games because of a lower-body injury. Iginla became the biggest threat to the Wild during his days with then-division rival Calgary. His 67 points, including 37 goals, in 71 career games are the most by any Minnesota opponent. "Try to get some rest for certain guys and still try to play good hockey," Rask said. "Theres still something to play for. But its not always easy to find that 100 per cent perfect game in these situations." Late in the second period, Zdeno Chara wound up from the point on a power play. Eriksson and Gregory Campbell were parked just outside the crease, and the puck appeared to deflect first off Campbells stick before Eriksson poked it in for the lead with 3:42 left before the break. That didnt mean they were playing their best, though. "I felt we were a little sloppy tonight. We werent very sharp in our passing and our playmaking," coach Claude Julien said. "We didnt have everybody really playing that well. Some of our big players were just very average." Bryzgalov, the latest unlikely leader to emerge for the Wild, made 44 saves over the past two games to blank Pittsburgh and Winnipeg and put Minnesota on the brink of the post-season. His shutout streak ended at 145 minutes and 15 seconds, when Smith sent in an unassisted power-play goal for his 20th score this season. But Bryzgalov, who took over for Darcy Kuemper when the rookie suffered an upper-body injury last month, improved to 7-0-3 since arriving at the trade deadline. "The quicker you can clinch, the better it is," an impressed Julien said. Last season, the Wild limped to the No. 8 seed by winning their final game to finish 5-8-1 in April. This time, theyll have more momentum. "We played ourselves into the playoffs the way that you want to. It says a lot about the guys in here, and hopefully we can keep this thing going here," Suter said. NOTES: Wild goalie Josh Harding, the winner of the NHLs Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy last year for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the sport, was announced Tuesday as the teams repeat nominee for the award. Harding has been on injured reserve since Jan. 2, continuing to deal with multiple sclerosis, but returned to practice with the Wild last Wednesday. ... Bergeron has 10 goals in his past 11 games. wholesale jerseys . -- An accomplished veteran in open-wheel racing, Alex Tagliani probably could find a full-time ride in the IndyCar series if he wanted it badly enough. cheap nfl jerseys .ca! Hi Kerry, I love the column, keep up the good work! It doesnt make me more sympathetic to bad calls by the refs, but it sure explains a lot! On Tuesday, Zach Bogosian and Lars Eller just went off to the Sin Bin together - Bogosian for interference and Eller for embellishment. NEW YORK -- Torontos DeMar DeRozan will be joining an elite group of basketball players in New Orleans two weeks from now after being named a reserve for the NBA All-Star game on Wednesday. DeRozan, who missed the Raptors last two games with a sprained ankle, leads the team in scoring with 21.8 points per game. This will be his third appearance at the NBA All-Star weekend -- he participated in the Slam Dunk competition in 2010 and 2011, and also suited up for the 2011 Rookie Challenge -- but this years event will mark his first time in the actual game. The Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets each had two players picked as reserves, while the Indiana Pacers had to settle for just Roy Hibbert despite the leagues best record. LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard made it from the Trail Blazers, who have been among the Western Conference leaders all season. Dwight Howard, who was passed late in fan voting for a starting spot, was chosen Thursday along with Houston teammate James Harden. Old reliables Chris Paul, Tony Parker and Dirk Nowitzki round out the West reserves for the Feb. 16 game in New Orleans. Nowitzki earned his 12th selection, tying him for sixth all-time with nine players. "I have been a part of All-Star weekend every year since I have been in the league and not being there last year felt strange," Nowitzki said in a statement. "The Dallas fan base has always been great to me and the Mavericks organization and the city deserves to be represented at the All-Star game." The rest of the East reserves are: Miamis Chris Bosh, Washingtons John Wall, Brooklyns Joe Johnson, Chicagos Joakim Noah and Atlantas Paul Millsap. Wall is the first Wizards All-Star since Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison were picked in 2008, the last time the game was in New Orleans. "I am very proud to represent the Wizards franchise and the city of Washington as an All-Star and to share this honour with the fans who have supported me and stuck by me since I arrived hhere," said Wall, the No. nfl jerseys china. 1 pick in the 2010 draft. The Pacers hoped Lance Stephenson, who leads the NBA in triple-doubles, would also be selected to join Hibbert and Paul George, who was voted to start. The reserves were chosen by the coaches from each conference, who had to vote for two guards, three frontcourt players and two regardless of position. They were not allowed to vote for their own players. The West ones went for veterans with their choices at guard in Paul, last years All-Star game MVP from the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Spurs Parker. That left first-time hopefuls Goran Dragic of Phoenix and Mike Conley Jr. of Memphis home. The starters were announced last week: Miamis LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, New Yorks Carmelo Anthony and Clevelands Kyrie Irving were voted to start along with George. The fans voted for NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City, the Lakers Kobe Bryant, Golden States Stephen Curry, Minnesotas Kevin Love and the Clippers Blake Griffin. Bryant is injured and not expected to play. Adam Silver, who will become commissioner Saturday, will choose replacements for Bryant and any other injured players. Indianas Frank Vogel and Oklahoma Citys Scott Brooks will coach the game. Brooks would determine who replaces Bryant in the starting lineup. Bosh is an All-Star for the ninth time in 11 seasons, while Lillard, Wall, DeRozan and Millsap were all chosen for their first All-Star game. Millsap was the Eastern Conference player of the week last week. "Paul has been an All-Star player and an All-Star teammate for us," general manager Danny Ferry said. "The Atlanta Hawks are very proud to have Paul representing the city of Atlanta and our team." Hometown hopeful Anthony Davis of the Pelicans, and centres DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers and DeMarcus Cousins of Sacramento were among those who missed out. Orlandos Arron Afflalo and Torontos Kyle Lowry didnt make the cut in the East. cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
