Is the coachs defence-first mindset th

Posted in IYH Forums by lavender123456 at 00:43, Jul 04 2014

It was a classic mismatch on paper. The 11th-ranked Latvians pitted against the powerhouse Swedes. The 2006 Turin gold medallists versus the last-place finishers from the 2010 Vancouver Games. But Team Sweden had its hands full in booking its spot in the quarter-finals of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Saturday, earning a hard-fought 5-3 win over the pesky Latvian side. Erik Karlsson, Daniel Alfredsson and Alex Edler each had a goal and assist for Team Sweden at Shayba Arena. Sweden (3-0), which finished its round-robin atop Group C, was also fuelled by goals from Patrik Berglund and Jimmie Ericsson. The Swedes were spectacular with the man advantage, going 4-for-5 on the power play. Karlsson now has five points (three goals, two assists) in three games in Sochi. Janis Sprukts had a goal and assist, while Lauris Darzins and Zemgus Girgensons – the only current NHLer on the team – also scored for Latvia (0-3), which went 2-for-4 on the power play. Sweden came into the game as heavy favourites, boasting much more NHL and international experience. But Latvia, coached by Buffalo Sabres bench boss Ted Nolan, found a way to level things out on the ice, never quitting with some energetic and feisty play. Latvian netminder Kristers Gudlevskis didnt look like a goalie making his first Olympic appearance, either. He was poised, calm and collected in making 25 stops on 30 shots. Perhaps his best came off the stick of Loui Eriksson in the third period. Gudlevskis was seemingly at the mercy of Daniel Sedin, who sent a cross-crease pass to a wide-open Eriksson. But the Latvian goalie was up to the task and stretched out to steal what looked like a sure goal from the Bruins winger. Latvia kept the Swedes on their toes throughout the game, trading scoring chances and forcing Lundqvist to make several tough stops throughout the game. The New York Rangers netminder finished with 20 saves and helped keep the Latvian attack at bay. The Swedes broke through and opened the scoring on a power play at 15:50 of the first period while Krisjanis Redlihs was in the penalty box, with Berglund redirecting a Karlsson point shot into the back of the net. Latvia tied it 1-1 on a spectacular passing play fuelled by Janis Sprukts. From his own blue-line, he did his best Chris Pronger impression and sent a tape-to-tape long pass to Kristaps Sotnieks, who found a streaking Lauris Darzins. The 29-year-old showed excellent patience in outwaiting his world-class counterpart Lundqvist, beating him with a sneaky backhand move. The short-handed Swedes were already without the services of one of their top snipers in Henrik Zetterberg, who was forced to pull out of the Winter Games with a herniated disc in his back. The Swedish Ice Hockey Federation announced the injury after Swedens 4-2 victory over the Czech Republic Thursday. But it was just another in a list of star forwards to drop out of the Games with health issues. Vancouver Canucks captain Henrik Sedin pulled out of Sochi on the eve of the Olympics with a rib injury. The normally durable 33-year-old had his National Hockey League ironman streak snapped at 679 games last month, a franchise best in Vancouver. Detroit Red Wings workhorse Johan Franzen, a key presence in front of the net unafraid to get physical, is also on the injury list for Sweden with a concussion. wholesale nfl jerseys .5 driving championship, an important feeder series for Formula One. The 22-year-old Toronto native went into the final race in Barcelona on Sunday with a nine-point lead over Carlin Motorsports teammate Jean Eric Vergne of France. cheap jerseys . It appeared that Roussel had completed a hat trick 2:37 into the third period during a power play, but his shot from the right circle was redirected into the net by Colton Sceviour. Roussel, who netted seven goals last season as a rookie with the Stars, scored less than five minutes into the game when he deflected in Trevor Daleys shot. http://www.cheapjerseysnflchina.us/.Y. -- High hopes have given way to high anxiety in New York. wholesale jerseys . Then they cracked down on defence and found a hot hand off the bench in Jordan Hamilton. Hamilton hit three straight 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter to help Denver overcome a slow start and the absence of Ty Lawson for a 103-92 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. cheap nfl jerseys . St-Gelais, from Saint-Felicien, Que., finished with a time of 44.069 seconds. She won silver in the same event four years ago in Vancouver. South Koreas Seung-Hi Park won the heat in 43.611 and Italys Arianna Fontana also qualified with a time of 43.The Toronto Raptors are having one of the best seasons in franchise history - in a year when nobody expected it. Many believed sneaking into the final playoff spot would be a success for the Raptors this season, but even that wasnt guaranteed. But with only 11 games remaining in the regular season, Toronto (40-31) sits in third place in the Eastern Conference, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets for tops in the Atlantic Division and a postseason spot all but official. This will be the first time since 2008 that the Raptors will play in the NBAs second season. With all of the good fortunes the Dinos have seen this year, who has been most integral to the teams success? DeMar DeRozan is the face of the franchise and is one of the longest tenured members of the Raptors. The 24-year-old made his first All-Star Game this season and is leading the team in points scoring 22.7 per game. This is DeRozans fifth year in the Association and he signed a four-year deal last season to stay north of the border for the foreseeable future. Will the team only go as far as DeMar will take them? Kyle Lowry has quickly become a fan favourite in only his second season in Raptors colours. The rugged point guard has shown bulldog-like toughness on a nightly basis, playing considerable minutes and being the man the team has looked to when they are in need of a spark. Analysts and fans alike thought the 28-year-old should have been in New Orleans for the All-Star Game. Averaging 17.6 PPG (scoring over 20 points in eight consecutive games) along with 7.7 assists per game makes a good case for that argument. His future is uncertain in Toronto with Lowry hitting the free agent market this summer, but the Raptors are glad to have him for the time being.dddddddddddd Is he the one to thank? Then theres Amir Johnson. At only 26, he can be considered a veteran, already playing in his ninth NBA season and is an important part of the Raps front court. He averages 11.1 PPG, 6.9 rebounds per game and is a strong force on the defensive side of the ball. Maybe the key success is coming from the sidelines. Head coach Dwane Casey is in his second year in charge of the Raptors and seems to have finally gotten through to his players. Toronto has gotten much better defensively only allowing 97.6 PPG, good enough for fifth in the NBA. Is the coachs defence-first mindset the reason the Raptors are headed to the post-season? The success could be attributed to General Manager Masai Ujiri. The Nigerian hasnt brought in a lot of highly touted talent since he took the job last off-season. Instead hes used the method of addition by subtraction to improve on the court. First, he shipped the much-maligned Andrea Bargnani off to the New York Knicks followed by sending Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings during the season. Toronto is 34-19 since Gay was traded out west. With the offence no longer going through Gay, the Raptors have been able to score more efficiently. Not to mention the players coming back to Toronto - namely Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez – have helped the Raptors to get where they are today. Do we have to look to the front office for the reason behind the sudden improvement? So, who do you think is the most integral to the Raptors success this season? As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '