Allgemeines zur Nutzung des Forums » the all-star guard said with

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Thankfully, there will be no labor disputes or Winter Olympics disrupting NHL action this season, as the league tries to get back to normal in 2014-15. After suffering through a lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign, the NHL saw last season halted for nearly a month while the league went on hiatus for the Sochi Olympics. However, no such interruptions are expected this season and hockey fans will even get to see the return of the NHL All-Star Game, an event that hasnt been held since January of 2012. Dynasty is a word being thrown around quite a bit these days thanks to the recent success experienced in Chicago and Los Angeles, a pair of franchises with two Cup victories over the past several seasons. Neither team is worthy of the dynasty label yet, but the race is on to see if either club can add to its title haul in 2015. The Blackhawks won their second Cup title in four seasons in the spring of 2013 and the Kings made it two championships in three years back in June. The clubs battled in the Western Conference finals in last seasons playoffs and theres a good chance that both the West crown and the Cup could go through Chicago or L.A. yet again. The realignment plan instituted at the start of the last season has set the West up as the stronger of the two conferences, with the East lagging far behind. In addition to Chicago and L.A., Anaheim, Colorado, Minnesota, St. Louis and San Jose also have legitimate Cup dreams, but theres a solid chance theyll need to upset either the Blackhawks or Kings in order to reach the promised land. The top contender in the East, meanwhile, is the Boston Bruins, who won last seasons Presidents Trophy before getting knocked out in the second round by Montreal. The defending conference champion New York Rangers also figure to be among the Easts top teams, while the Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning also could be in the mix at seasons end. Odds are the 2015 champion will come from the West. If that happens it would mark the conferences fifth title since 2010, with only the 2010-11 Bruins claiming a Cup for the East so far during the stretch. Once again the top three clubs from each of the leagues four divisions will earn automatic bids to the playoffs, while wild card spots account for the remaining two postseason spots in each conference. The second- and third-place teams from each division will meet in the first round of the playoffs. The remaining opening-round series will feature one matchup between the division winner with the most points against the wild card with the lowest point total and another featuring the other division winner and wild card representative. Without further ado, its time to make predictions on which teams are bound for the playoffs. Here it goes: EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC Boston Bruins (champion) Tampa Bay Lightning (automatic bid) Montreal Canadiens (automatic bid) METROPOLITAN Pittsburgh Penguins (champion) New York Rangers (automatic bid) Columbus Blue Jackets (automatic bid) WILD CARDS New Jersey Devils New York Islanders EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Boston Heading into the 2014 playoffs, the Bruins were billed as the only East team with a real chance of beating one of the Wests elite clubs in the Cup Finals. However, Claude Juliens club didnt get the chance to test its mettle against the representatives from the NHLs power conference as Boston fell in seven games to the rival Montreal Canadiens in the East semifinals. The Habs downed Boston with speed in the playoffs before the Rangers beat Montreal at its own game in the conference finals. Both clubs obviously have the skaters to take down the Bruins again, but Boston shouldnt be counted out due to one shaky postseason performance. The Bruins, after all, have shown the ability to rebound from poor playoff appearances in recent years under Julien and it could be time for them to prove it again. Boston won the Stanley Cup in 2011 just one year removed from a monumental 0-3 collapse against Philadelphia in the 2010 playoffs. Then after getting bounced by Washington in the first round of the 2012 playoffs, the Bs went on to face the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2013 Cup Finals before ultimately falling in six games. Juliens system, which puts an emphasis on responsible team defense, is the major reason Boston is still a threat. Steady on-ice leaders like star defenseman Zdeno Chara and versatile centerman Patrice Bergeron make sure the team sticks to the plan, and having reigning Vezina Trophy winner Tuukka Rask between the pipes doesnt hurt either. The Bruins may not be able to stop the trend of Western Conference dominance in the end, but a return to the Cup Finals is well within Bostons reach. WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL St. Louis Blues (champion) Chicago Blackhawks (automatic bid) Minnesota Wild (automatic bid) PACIFIC Anaheim Ducks (champion) Los Angeles Kings (automatic bid) San Jose Sharks (automatic bid) WILD CARDS Colorado Avalanche Dallas Stars WESTERN CONFERENCE/STANLEY CUP CHAMPION: Chicago Blackhawks No team has been able to claim consecutive Cups since Detroit pulled off the repeat in 1997 and 98, but the Kings are a serious threat to supplant the Red Wings as the most recent back-to-back champions. Of course, the Blackhawks figure to be the biggest obstacle standing in the way of a second straight L.A. title. Chicago not only pushed the Kings to the limit in last springs classic Western Conference finals battle, it also carried a 4-3 edge into the third period of Game 7 before L.A. rallied for a 5-4 OT victory in the Windy City. The Blackhawks and Kings are similar in many ways. They boast two of the NHLs deepest rosters with star players littered throughout and both clubs are used to dominating the opposition when it comes to puck possession. Chicago seems to own a slight edge in overall defensive depth, but Kings blueliner Drew Doughty appeared to be the biggest difference maker during last years playoff battle. L.A. goaltender Jonathan Quick also is a better regarded goaltender than Chicagos Corey Crawford, but both players have proven themselves capable of anchoring a Cup-winning team. When two teams match up this closely with one another, intangible factors can often tip the balance in one clubs favor. What L.A. did in last years playoffs was amazing, but the Kings did receive their share of puck luck along the way and theres a good chance it could run out in 2015. Darryl Sutters resilient club deserves credit for rallying from down 3-0 to beat San Jose in Round 1 last spring and coming back from a 3-2 deficit to eliminate Anaheim in the conference semis before outlasting Chicago, but a few bounces the other way easily could have ended L.A.s title hopes prematurely. After the Kings magical run to the Cup in 2014, it isnt crazy to think the Blackhawks will have luck on their side this time. One thing is clear: as hockey fans, wed all be lucky to see another Western Conference battle between Chicago and L.A. The race to claim a dynasty is on, and in 2014-15 it could be Chicagos turn to take another lap with Lord Stanleys Cup. Anfernee Simons Jersey . Players suspended during the season for a performance-enhancing drug violation will not be eligible for that years post-season. In addition, discipline will increase from 50 games to 80 for a first testing violation and from 100 games to a season-long 162 for a second. A third violation remains a lifetime ban. Caleb Swanigan Jersey . -- Center Max Unger and tight end Zach Miller are both probable for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday against the New York Giants and Percy Harvins recovery continues to be slow. http://www.cheapblazersjerseys.com/.Stanton suffered fractures in his face and other injuries when he was hit by a pitch Sept. 11. The Marlins are confident hell fully recover and be ready for spring training, and they hope to reach a long-term agreement with him. Moe Harkless Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, the Green Bay Packers have re-signed the cornerback to a four-year, $39 million deal with a $12. Zach Collins Jersey . General manager David Poile called signing Ribeiro a great opportunity to add a talented, experienced and creative centre Tuesday when he introduced the veteran at a news conference. Ribeiros contract is worth $1.05 million after being bought out of the final three years of a $22 million contract by the Coyotes recently.BROOKLYN - With just over four minutes to go in the third quarter, Amir Johnson sat on the bench, wincing in pain as he watched the game and, in effect, his teams season slip away. That seemed like an appropriate time to get a head start on the Raptors playoff obituary. Their first-half onslaught had evaporated, the 17-point lead was no more and Johnson, like Kyle Lowry, was battling foul trouble and a myriad of ailments. At that point the momentum, if you believe in such things, belonged to the hosting Brooklyn Nets. This upstart Raptors team had been in similar situations throughout the season - fighting for their lives, backs up against the wall - but, tied going into the fourth quarter of a critical Game 4, this would be their biggest and most revealing test yet. They had a new audience, a brighter spotlight, a bigger stage and 12 minutes to prove something that they themselves already knew. "Everybody has something on their body that definitely hurts," said Johnson, who injured his knee in a failed attempt to draw a charge on the Nets Paul Pierce, "but we keep playing, we keep fighting. Its not the time to hold back now. Weve got to keep going." The Raptors held Brooklyn without a field goal for the final six minutes, without a point for the last five and in doing so they showed more character than they had at any point in this series. "Thats just us, man," DeMar DeRozan said after scoring a team-high 24 points in the Raptors scrappy 87-79 win on Sunday, tying their best-of-seven opening round series up at 2-2. "Were definitely resilient, were not going to give up until the games over. Were going to fight through." Just as things were at their most bleak - Lowry had picked up his fifth foul and Johnson, still on the bench, was also saddled with five - the Raptors got serious. Slightly out of character, DeRozan drew a charge, then he took another. Was that a first? "Nah, I dont think so," the all-star guard said with a smirk on his face as Lowry, sitting next to him, chuckled. "I hope its not." Then Lowry, throwing caution to the wind, reached in and poked the ball away from Pierce. Johnson followed suit and in a familiar scene - one that earned him his fifth foul and a sore knee earlier - stepped in to take the charge. Both Lowry and Johnson were one foul away from spending the rest of the game watching from the sidelines, one hit to the knee away from spending the rest of the night on the trainers table. Neither player seemed willing to allow his team to lose. "Theyre fighters," said Jonas Valanciunas. "Theyre soldiers. They go on the court anyway. So its good when you have those types of guys on your team." Everyone is dealing with bumps aand bruises to some degree at this point in the season.dddddddddddd Who wasnt limping out there tonight, Valanciunas was asked. "Julyan Stone," the young centre said with a smile. But there was Lowry, limping up and down the court between possessions, lying next to the bench to stay loose when he wasnt in the game. He had tweaked his reoccurring right knee injury early in Game 3, on top of all the nicks hes accumulated over a long season, but he gutted it out again. Where would his team be without him? "We would have probably got in a fight if I tried to take him out of the game," coach Dwane Casey joked. "Hes dealing with a lot right now and he came through with flying colours. He fought through foul trouble, a little bit of adversity throughout the game and still came through.” Lowry scored 12 of his 22 points in the second half and once again, with the game on the line, his team resembled their point guard, their leader, their best player. "I am not surprised at all that Kyle was limping around, hes a warrior, hes everything to this team," said Chuck Hayes. "The guy gives it his all, we just feed off of him. Then we tease him about it after, hes going to have probably every ice bag in here on his body." "We dont give up man, were some fighters," Hayes continued. "We play like the underdog, we were the underdog probably all year, including this series. I dont know, we just go out there and play for each other." Go ahead, underestimate them, disrespect them and count them out. They feed off it. If respect is earned in the postseason, perhaps the Raptors are starting to turn heads. "We understand that this is a group thats not going to back down, thats not going to give up," Pierce said after the game. "Theyve earned a lot of peoples respect around the league. Just because you dont have a lot of playoff experience doesnt mean youre not a good team. You can learn on the fly." Theyve done just that, now its a whole new ball game. The Raptors will return to Toronto and their raucous crowd at the Air Canada Centre after reclaiming home-court advantage for what has become a best-of-three set, beginning with Wednesdays Game 5. Have they played their best basketball? "No," Lowry and DeRozan answered in unison, but there is a growing sense of belief in the room coinciding with an ambiance of nervousness that spread throughout Barclays Center as Toronto hit back on Sunday. The Raptors may not be in over their heads after all. "Were on a mission," Casey said. "Were not just here trying to win a game. We want to make sure we stay poised, stay focused on our business. Thats what weve been about all year." ' ' '