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GLENDALE, Ariz. Panthers DeAngelo Williams Youth Jersey . -- The Phoenix Coyotes won one for The Doaner. Playing without suspended captain Shane Doan, the Coyotes beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Thursday night to move into seventh place in the Western Conference and match the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Kings with 86 points. The Coyotes have played one more game than the Kings. Doan was suspended for three games without pay for elbowing Dallas Jamie Benn on Tuesday night. "Guys knew they had to step it up," coach Dave Tippett said. "As a team, we were stronger earlier in the game but didnt make enough plays in the third. We hung on, picked up the two points and now move forward." Mike Smith made 39 saves for his 100th NHL victory, and Daymond Langkow and Kyle Chipchura scored in the first period, and Raffi Torres made it 3-0 late in the second. "This was a gritty win against a very good hockey team," said Smith, 33-18-9 this season and 100-84-28 in six seasons with Dallas, Tampa Bay and Phoenix. "Theyre desperate like us, and with Shane out, guys really picked up the slack." Ryan OReilly spoiled Smiths shutout bid 4:28 into the third, and Paul Stastny added his 20th of the season with 5:39 left. Colorado is ninth in the standings, even in points with eighth-place Dallas at 85. From a goal mouth scramble early in the opening period, the Coyotes struck first. Out of a maze of players, Langkow managed to get his stick on the puck outside of the crease. Goalie Semyon Varlamov fell backward and his momentum pushed the puck over the line 3:24 into the game. With just over 4 minutes left in the period, Chipchura slide the puck under Varlamovs right pad for his third of the season, and his first since Feb. 11 against the Blackhawks. "Once I moved across the blue line, and saw (Ray) Whitney with the puck on the right side, I knew I had to break for the net," Chipchura said. "(Whitney) is so good seeing the ice in front of him and gave me a perfect pass." With the early lead, the Coyotes held back and took advantage of Colorado errors "Phoenix is a team like that," OReilly said. "They wait for you to turn the puck over and then capitalize on their chances. Thats what they did and I dont think we were disciplined with the puck early in the game." The Avs best chance early in the game came in the second period at the end of a power play attempt when Smith stopped OReilly from close range. Torres then made it 3-0 when he drove one-timer into the net from the left faceoff circle with 3:05 left in the second. Torres has two goals in the last three games. In the race for playoff position, the Avs have six games left, three at home. The Coyotes have seven left, four at home. NOTES: Avs D Erik Johnson missed his second straight game because of a back injury. ... Gilbert Brule had two assists for his first multipoint game for Phoenix since being acquired Jan. 10. ... The loss snapped Varlamovs winning streak at five. http://www.panthersstore.us.com/13-nike-limited-kelvin-benjamin-mens-jersey-nfl-carolina-panthers-drift-fashion-blue.html . -- Minnesota Twins slugging prospect Miguel Sano will have Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm and miss the 2014 season. Panthers Cam Newton Grey Jersey . The investigators said they have ruled out problems with his skis, trail conditions or signage. Although they would not estimate Schumachers speed, they said it was not considered a significant factor in the Dec. 29 crash at Meribel in the French Alps. "His pace was completely normal for a skilled skier," said Lt.PARIS -- Nothing came easily for Maria Sharapova in the French Open final. Serves hit by her surgically repaired shoulder often missed the mark, resulting in 12 double-faults. Shots that would be winners against most opponents were retrieved by Simona Halep and sent right back. Leads that usually hold up vanished in a blink. On a muggy afternoon, with the temperature in the high 70s (20s Celsius), points were lung-searing struggles. Sharapova was up to the task. In an entertaining and undulating championship match -- the first womens final at Roland Garros in 13 years to go three sets -- Sharapova showed that shes as tough as they come, particularly on the red clay that used to flummox her. She edged Halep 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4 Saturday to win a second French Open title in three years. "This is the toughest Grand Slam final Ive ever played," Sharapova said. It is her fifth major trophy in all. Remarkably, Sharapova owns twice as many from Paris as the one each she won at Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006, and the Australian Open in 2008. "If somebody had told me ... at some stage in my career, that Id have more Roland Garros titles than any other Grand Slam, Id probably go get drunk," Sharapova said with a chuckle. "Or tell them to get drunk. One or the other." The 3-hour, 2-minute tangle featured too many momentum swings to count, filled with lengthy baseline exchanges, and terrific defence and shotmaking by both women. Not bad for someone who once famously described herself as feeling like a "cow on ice" when it came to playing on clay, a slow, demanding surface that requires excellent footwork. Now Sharapova knows how to move on clay, and can stretch points when needed. Since the start of 2012, Sharapova is 54-4 with seven titles on clay. Shes also won 20 consecutive clay three-setters, including four in a row this week. "It says that shes very fit. It says that shes very determined," said Sven Groenefeld, Sharapovas coach. "And it says that she never gives up." Sharapova broke into a huge smile while hoisting the trophy overhead, then shaking it with both hands and scanning a stadium that, improbably, has become hers. This was her third final in a row in Paris: She won the 2012 title to complete a career Grand Slam, then lost last year to Serena Williams, who bowed out in the second round this time. Sharapova is 20-1 the last thhree years at Roland Garros -- which is nothing compared to Rafael Nadals 65-1 career French Open mark heading into Sundays final Sunday against Novak Djokovic, but certainly quite impressive. Bene Benwikere Panthers Jersey. "Youre not just born being a natural clay-court player. OK, maybe if youre Nadal. But certainly not me," Sharapova said. "I didnt grow up on it; didnt play on it. I just took it upon myself to make myself better on it." Plus, Sharapova had an operation on her right shoulder, the one she uses to swing her racket, in October 2008. That joint troubled the Russian again in 2013, when she played one match from July to December. She now travels with a physiotherapist, Jerome Bianchi, and told him during the post-match ceremony, "Thank you for keeping me healthy." This was the ninth Grand Slam final for the No. 7-seeded Sharapova, and the first for Halep, a 22-year-old Romanian seeded fourth. Supported by a dozen folks in her guest box wearing red T-shirts saying "Allez Simona," and fans that chanted her first name, Halep acquitted herself well, showing off the scrambling baseline style that carried her to six straight-set wins until Saturday. "I will not forget this match," said Halep, who wiped away tears afterward. Each time it appeared Sharapova was ready to pull away, she was forced to do extra work. At 4-3 in the second set, Sharapova held two break points, but Halep saved both with gutsy groundstrokes. In the tiebreaker, Sharapova got within two points of victory at 5-3, but Halep took the next four to claim the set. Thats when Sharapova left for the locker room, taking an 8-minute break during which she changed out of her sweat-soaked outfit -- and let Halep stew for a bit. Sharapova went ahead 4-2, but Halep broke back to 4-all. It turned out that was her last stand, though. Sharapova wouldnt lose another point, gritting her teeth and shaking her fists after breaking at love for 5-4 with a backhand winner, then holding at love by forcing a backhand error from Halep on match point. When it ended, Sharapova dropped to her knees, caking her shins with clay, and folded her body forward, burying her face in her hands. "I had good tactics today. I opened the angles. Also, I was hitting the ball strong," Halep said. But Sharapova, Halep continued, "was moving really well." Cow on ice? More like Queen of Clay. ' ' ' |
