Status-
Besucher
| Heute: |
|
1832 |
| Gestern: |
|
1874 |
| Gesamt: |
|
1791763 |
-
Benutzer & Gäste
4924 Benutzer registriert, davon online: 8675 Gäste
|
|
|
| 18575 Beiträge & 12638 Themen in 21 Foren |
Keine neuen Beiträge, seit Ihrem letzten Besuch am 21.10.2025 - 01:55.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Autor |
|
|
|
| , but hes a viable option if Bryzgalov doesnt get his game straightened out. 29. CHICAGO BLAC |
|
|
| 646 Beiträge - Alter Hase
|
|
|
(Sports Network) - After a horrendous beginning to their 2011 campaign, the Minnesota Twins have bounced back and are playing their best baseball of the season. The San Francisco Giants, on the other hand, are trying to recover from one of their poorest stretches of the year at the moment. The resurgent Twins set their sights on an eighth consecutive victory when they pay a visit to AT&T Park to begin a three-game series with the reigning world champion Giants, wholl be taking the field tonight hoping to avoid a season-worst fifth straight loss. Minnesota, which has captured the American League Central title in each of the past two seasons, had a woeful 17-37 record and was 15 1/2 games out of first place in the division race on June 1. The Twins have ripped off 14 wins in 16 contests since, however, and now trail surprising Cleveland by 7 1/2 games for the Centrals top spot. Excellent pitching has carried the Twins during this current hot streak. Minnesota has posted a 2.01 team earned run average thus far in June, tops among all major league teams for the month. Carl Pavano has been particularly good on the mound of late, and the veteran hurler will be out to win a third consecutive decision when he toes the rubber for Minnesota in tonights opener. Pavano has gone 2-0 with a sensational 1.44 ERA in three June starts and tossed his second complete game over that span in Wednesdays 4-1 triumph over the Chicago White Sox. The right-hander yielded just six hits and struck out five in that outing to lower his season ERA to 4.20. That impressive performance came a week after Pavano fired seven innings of one-run ball in a no-decision at Cleveland on June 8. Five days earlier, he went the distance on a nine-hitter to best Kansas City by a 5-2 count. Pavano has had his problems on the road during the course of the year, however, and brings just a 1-4 record with a 5.58 ERA in eight away starts into this evenings tilt. The 35-year-old is 2-3 with a 4.89 ERA in eight lifetime games (seven starts) against San Francisco, though he hasnt faced the Giants since 2004 while then a member of the Florida Marlins. Minnesota heads to San Francisco off an 8-1 homestand capped by a three-game sweep of lowly San Diego over the weekend. The Twins had to rally to prevail in Sundays finale, though, scoring four times in the final three innings to overcome a two-run deficit and record a 5-4 win. The Twins trailed 3-1 after six innings before moving ahead with a three-run seventh in which Rene Tosoni and Matt Tolbert stroked back-to-back RBI doubles to give Minnesota the lead. San Diego rebounded with a run in the top of the eighth to pull even, but the Twins would answer in their half of the ninth. Delmon Young led off with an infield single off Padres reliever Chad Qualls and took second before Tsuyoshi Nishioka drew an intentional walk. Backup catcher Drew Butera then delivered a base hit to left to bring home Young with the deciding run. Thats that never die attitude, Butera said afterward. Thats the way we feel right now. We feel any situation in a game we can come back from. Conversely, San Franciscos confidence seems a bit shaken following their recent results. The Giants have especially struggled on the offensive end, mustering a total of only seven runs and going 0-for-26 with men in scoring position during their four-game skid. Were going to have to get this offense going, manager Bruce Bochy remarked after Sundays 2-1 defeat to Oakland. Its been going like this for a while now. The Giants had only five hits against Athletics pitching in yesterdays loss, with Aaron Rowand knocking in the teams only run with a second-inning double. Sundays anemic showing at the plate spoiled a strong effort from San Francisco starter Matt Cain, who limited Oakland to one run and just three hits through the first seven frames. Jeremy Affeldt was saddled with the loss after surrendering a go-ahead solo homer to the As Landon Powell in the eighth. [Cain] did a heck of a job, said Bochy. What a great game he threw. Madison Bumgarner, who gets the call for Bochys club tonight, has also been victimized by a lack of run support over the course of this season. The talented sophomore has compiled a solid 3.21 ERA in his 14 starts, yet has only a 3-8 record to show for it. Bumgarner was able to get some offensive help in his last go-around, a 5-2 win at Arizona last Wednesday in which he permitted just two runs and fanned six over six innings. The young lefty gave up only three runs -- two earned -- over a combined 14 innings in his two previous starts, but lost both games because the Giants managed only a single run. The 21-year-old will also be seeking his first victory at home in 2011, having gone 0-4 with a 3.74 ERA in six AT&T Park starts this season. San Francisco won two of three bouts with the Twins when these teams last met at the Metrodome in 2005. Minnesota took two of three matchups from the Giants in their only prior trip to AT&T Park, which occurred in 2003. wholesale jerseys .J. -- Canadians Karina LeBlanc and Candace Chapman are headed to Sky Blue FC of Womens Professional Soccer. cheap nfl jerseys china . For his star power, he still ranks ahead of any other athlete. Woods, whose last win came 18 months ago at the Australian Masters, will drop to at least No. http://www.cheapjerseyschina.cc/ . - Green Bay Packers cornerback Casey Hayward, who led NFL rookies last season with a team-high six interceptions, may miss two weeks of training camp because of a hamstring injury. cheap jerseys . MARIE, Ont. cheap jerseys from china ." The 30-year-old from Mont-Tremblant, Que., overcame a near-crash to race to a second-place finish Saturday in a World Cup downhill on the same course where he claimed his world championship title last year.At this stage of the NHL season, its becoming evident what teams have and what they need. Scott Cullen ranks team goaltending for all 30 NHL teams. When it comes to evaluating team goaltending, obviously the starter is the most important factor but, since this is a ranking of team goaltending -- and not individual goaltending -- the performance of backups has to be taken into account. Where some teams have improved, in fact, is that they have better backups after injuries or demotions forced roster changes. While the common refrain these days is that goaltending is an easy commodity to find, its also clear that there is a decided difference in the performance between the teams at the top and the teams at the bottom. It may not be easy to predict which teams will land at either end of the spectrum from one year to the next (ask Jimmy Howard and Corey Crawford, for example, about the fickle nature of the position), its not too surprising that the teams that are getting strong goaltending this season are generally faring well in the standings. If they arent, it isnt because of the work from the guys in the custom painted masks. It goes without saying that, like any rankings, these could change as performace changes, but it should give a decent idea which teams ought to be satisfied and which teams ought to be looking to improve their goaltending. 1. NEW YORK RANGERSGoalies: Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Biron. Shots Faced Per Game: 29.4Save Percentage: .933 Comment: Not only has Lundqvist been great -- hes currently the top-rated player in the TSN.ca NHL Player Rankings -- but Biron has been outstanding in the backup role, posting a 1.95 goals against average and .924 save percentage, both of which are career-bests for him. 2. BOSTON BRUINSGoalies: Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask. Shots Faced Per Game: 31.2 Save Percentage: .931 Comment: Theres nothing wrong with the Bruins tandem either, but Lundqvists slight advantage over Thomas and a recent decline from Rask over his last three appearances is enough to leave the Bruins goaltenders in second spot. 3. ST. LOUIS BLUESGoalies: Jaroslav Halak, Brian Elliott. Shots Faced Per Game: 26.0Save Percentage: .927 Comment: Certainly the Blues defence plays a role in their success, allowing a league-low 26.0 shots per game, but Halak and Elliott have little wiggle room considering the limited offensive support they receive, so they are integral to the Blues success. 4. VANCOUVER CANUCKSGoalies: Roberto Luongo, Cory Schneider. Shots Faced Per Game: 30.3Save Percentage: .922 Comment: Since a miserable October, Roberto Luongo has posted a .930 save percentage, facing more than 40 shots in four of his last six starts, so hes in fine form. Schneider and Rask may be the two best backups in the game, capable of starting for the majority of teams in the league, but stuck behind elite starters. 5. LOS ANGELES KINGSGoalies: Jonathan Quick, Jonathan Bernier. Shots Faced Per Game: 29.1Save Percentage: .929 Comment: The Kings offer even less offensive support and Quick has been sensational this year, but the team goaltender ranking is hurt somewhat by Jonathan Berniers subpar (.896 save percentage) results in the backup role. 6. MINNESOTA WILDGoalies: Niklas Backstrom, Josh Harding, Matt Hackett. Shots Faced Per Game: 32.4 Save Percentage: .924 Comment: With Harding healthy after a season on the sidelines due to a torn ACL, the Wild have a strong tandem, which has been necessary since Backstrom hasnt been entirely healthy this year. In a short stint, Hackett offered some promise, stopping 84 of 86 shots in three appearances. 7. NASHVILLE PREDATORSGoalies: Pekka Rinne, Anders Lindback. Shots Faced Per Game: 31.4 Save Percentage: .918 Comment: Rinne has been typically great -- Sundays loss to Vancouver ended his 11-game winning streak -- but Lindback hasnt been as effective as he was during his rookie season. 8. SAN JOSE SHARKSGoalies: Antti Niemi, Thomas Greiss. Shots Faced Per Game: 28.5Save Percentage: .919 Comment: Niemi has been good, maybe even very good, but Thomas Greiss has been a revelation in the backup role after spending a year in Sweden. Getting a 1.98 goals against average and .925 save percentage out of the backup is pretty sweet. 9. DETROIT RED WINGSGoalies: Jimmy Howard, Ty Conklin, Joey MacDonald. Shots Faced Per Game: 27.5Save Percentage: .913 Comment: Obviously this is with a healthy Howard. Right now, with Howard nursing a broken finger, the Red Wings are in trouble, hoping that 31-year-old journeyman Joey MacDonald can hold the fort because Ty Conklin has struggled, allowing three or more goals in seven of his last nine games. 10. CALGARY FLAMESGoalies: Miikka Kiprusoff, Henrik Karlsson, Leland Irving. Shots Faced Per Game: 30.6 Save Percentage: .913 Comment: Kiprusoff has bounced back, with a .920 save percentage and, as usual, hes handled a heavy workload, with backups Irving and Karlsson combining to play in 10 of 53 games with less-than-stellar results. 11. PHOENIX COYOTESGoalies: Mike Smith, Jason LaBarbera. Shots Faced Per Game: 31.5Save Percentage: .918 Comment: Its possible that the Coyotes system works well for goaltenders because Smith is enjoying success while last years starter, Ilya Bryzgalov, is enduring a disastrous year in Philadelphia, yet only four teams have allowed more shots per game, so Smith deserves a measure of credit too. 12. DALLAS STARSGoalies: Kari Lehtonen, Richard Bachman, Andrew Raycroft. Shots Faced Per Game: 31.6Save Percentage: .910 Comment: Lehtonen continues to play well when healthy -- the story of his career, for the most part -- and the Stars upgraded their backup situation when they replaced Raycroft with Backhman. 13. MONTREAL CANADIENSGoalies: Carey Price, Peter Budaj. Shots Faced Per Game: 28.3Save Percentage: .909 Comment: Price has been good, but not as good as he was a year ago so even if Budaj has been a little better than expected, the Canadiens goaltending ranks only a little above average. 14. NEW YORK ISLANDERSGoalies: Evgeni Nabokov, Al Montoya, Kevin Poulin, Rick DiPietro, Anders Nilsson. Shots Faced Per Game: 29.9 Save Percentage: .906 Comment: Now that Nabokov is healthy and capable of fulfilling the starters role, the Islanders are in much, much better shape between the pipes. Montoya has played well, when given the chance and Poulin offers promise for the future. The injury to DiPietro actually helps matters, since the Islanders cant feel obligated to play their highest-paid goaltender, even though 2006-2007 was the last season that he posted a save percentage over .902. 15. COLORADO AVALANCHEGoalies: Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Semyon Varlamov. Shots Facedd Per Game: 29.dddddddddddd.2Save Percentage: .904 Comment: Considering the first-round price they paid to get Varlamov, the Avalanche cant be thrilled that his subpar play has forced them to give Giguere more time in the cage. Fortunately, Giguere has excelled, posted a career-best .923 save percentage. 16. WASHINGTON CAPITALSGoalies: Tomas Vokoun, Michal Neuvirth. Shots Faced Per Game: 30.1Save Percentage: .909 Comment: Aside from his November slump, Vokoun has posted a .931 save percentage in all other games this season, so hes playing at a high level, which cant be said for Neuvirth, who was splitting time for a while, but has had his performance tail off. 17. FLORIDA PANTHERSGoalies: Jose Theodore, Scott Clemmensen, Jacob Markstrom, Brian Foster. Shots Faced Per Game: 31.4Save Percentage: .912 Comment: Theodore was surprisingly good before he got hurt and is ready to return to the lineup, but the Panthers received solid work between the pipes from Clemmensen and Markstrom in Theodores absence. 18. WINNIPEG JETSGoalies: Ondrej Pavelec, Chris Mason. Shots Faced Per Game: 30.5Save Percentage: .909 Comment: Pavelec struggled early, but has been terrific (more or less) since the beginning of January, posting a .926 save percentage in his last 24 games. Mason has also rebounded to provide better than average performance in a backup role. 19. PITTSBURGH PENGUINSGoalies: Marc-Andre Fleury, Brent Johnson. Shots Faced Per Game: 26.5Save Percentage: .905 Comment: Fleury has played well enough, with a .913 save percentage, but Johnson has struggled. Considering they face the second-fewest shots per game, the numbers could be better. 20. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFSGoalies: James Reimer, Jonas Gustavsson, Ben Scrivens.Shots Faced Per Game: 30.7Save Percentage: .907 Comment: Reimer appears to be rebounding, winning his last three starts, and recapturing the starters role that he had surrendered to Gustavsson at times due to his concussion and ensuing subpar play. Gustavsson played well when given the starters job in January after uneven results pretty much throughout his NHL career. 21. EDMONTON OILERSGoalies: Nikolai Khabibulin, Devan Dubnyk. Shots Faced Per Game: 30.6Save Percentage: .907 Comment: Khabibulin started the season spectacularly, but has an .894 save percentage since the beginning of January, giving Dubnyk the chance to take over. It doesnt help playing behind the Oilers defence corps, that has also been hit hard by injuries, but some blame has to fall on the goaltenders too. 22. ANAHEIM DUCKSGoalies: Jonas Hiller, Dan Ellis, Jeff Deslauriers, Iiro Tarkki. Shots Faced Per Game: 30.2Save Percentage: .902 Comment: Hiller was a mess all season until he rattled off a .944 save percentage in 11 January games, but overall the Ducks goaltending just hasnt been good enough and it shows how much better he was last year before he was sidelined by vertigo. 23. CAROLINA HURRICANESGoalies: Cam Ward, Brian Boucher, Justin Peters. Shots Faced Per Game: 31.9Save Percentage: .907 Comment: Ward went through a rough stretch in November and December (.885 save percentage), but hes rebounded since and has been as good as any goaltender in the league since the start of January. 24. BUFFALO SABRESGoalies: Ryan Miller, Jhonas Enroth, Drew MacIntyre. Shots Faced Per Game: 31.5Save Percentage: .907 Comment: This season can only be described as a disappointment for Miller, who has played better very recently (3-0-1, 1.17 GAA, .959 SV% in his last four games), but unless that holds for the rest of the season, its probably too little, too late, which is unfortunate for the Sabres because Jhonas Enroth has played well in the backup role. 25. OTTAWA SENATORSGoalies: Craig Anderson, Alex Auld, Robin Lehner. Shots Faced Per Game: 32.2 Save Percentage: .904 Comment: Anderson may collapse under the workload -- hes played a league-leading 51 games -- but January was really the only month in which hes put up better than average numbers. Given Aulds mediocre play, the Senators could look for a better backup to bolster their playoff chances. 26. NEW JERSEY DEVILSGoalies: Martin Brodeur, Johan Hedberg. Shots Faced Per Game: 27.3Save Percentage: .899 Comment: Brodeurs season overall has been poor, but hes allowed a total of 17 goals in his last nine starts, possibly an indication that hes poised for a strong finish. He had a good second half last year too. Hedberg remains one of the better veteran backups in the game. 27. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETSGoalies: Curtis Sanford, Steve Mason, Allen York. Shots Faced Per Game: 29.3Save Percentage: .892 Comment: The Blue Jackets decided they would give Mason another chance as the starter and he just hasnt been able to perform at that level. Mark Dekanich was expected to be the backup, but has been injured all year, leaving journeyman Curtis Sanford to take the reins and Sanford has been very good; so good that he might have some value on the trade market as the deadline approaches. 28. PHILADELPHIA FLYERSGoalies: Ilya Bryzgalov, Sergei Bobrovsky. Shots Faced Per Game: 29.0Save Percentage: .901 Comment: The Flyers decided to spend big money on a free agent goaltender to solve one of their longstanding problems and it hasnt gone well. Looking for positives, Bryzgalov has allowed one or zero goals against in five of his last seven starts, but hes allowed four or more goals in 14 of his 38 appearances. Bobrovsky has been okay; not quite as good as he was as a rookie, but hes a viable option if Bryzgalov doesnt get his game straightened out. 29. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKSGoalies: Corey Crawford, Ray Emery. Shots Faced Per Game: 29.5Save Percentage: .899 Comment: Crawfords second NHL season hasnt been nearly as solid as his rookie year, so the Blackhawks have been inclined to give Ray Emery several chances to take the ball and run with it, only Emery hasnt been able to perform consistently either. If the Blackhawks dont look at external options before the deadline, they could hope that Alexander Salak plays well enough in the AHL to warrant a shot, but for a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations, the Blackhawks need better play between the pipes. 30. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNINGGoalies: Mathieu Garon, Dwayne Roloson. Shots Faced Per Game: 30.7Save Percentage: .889 Comment: No team has been undermined by their goaltending quite like the Lightning and, even if Mathieu Garon has won five of his last six games, the Bolts arent likely to gain ground on playoff teams without markedly better performance. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '
|
| Beitrag vom 13.12.2014 - 05:01 |
|
| Beiträge
| Autor
| Datum
|
|
| qian1993 |
13.12.2014 - 05:01 |
|
|
