Neuigkeiten » Roethlisberger only went

Scott Cullen looks at the Brent Seabrook suspension (and wakey, wakey), the Habs putting the Lightning on the brink and the Sharks smacking down the Kings, while the Flyers and Bruins both got back to even ground. Cheap Lakers Jerseys . SEABROOK SUSPENSION Blackhawks D Brent Seabrook was suspended for three games as a result of his Game Two hit on Blues C David Backes. While Seabrook knows how long his sentence will be, the Blues dont know when Backes will be cleared to return to action. Let me start by saying this: both Seabrook and Backes could play on my team any day. They are both really good players who play hard hockey and I like the way they play, a lot. Seabrook is a physical defenceman that has accumulated 475 hits over the past three seasons, with only 67 penalty minutes, in 207 games. If anything, Seabrooks rep, to some degree, has been that hes been a high-profile victim of nasty hits, including this one by James Wisniewski and this one by Raffi Torres. So when Seabrook unloaded on Backes in this manner, it wasnt exactly something that was part of his standard operating procedure. There are a few elements at play that I think lead to this hit. First of all, the stakes are extremely high for the Blackhawks and Blues. Both teams are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders and one of them will be done after the first round. To that end, its been a physical series and when the Blackhawks see captain Jonathan Toews get crunched with a big hit by Blues enforcer Ryan Reaves in Game One, that fuels the fire. (Note, in the aftermath of Seabrooks hit that Toews is front-and-centre with some words for Backes. They do have some history.) Thats not to say that the Blackhawks were on a mission to exact revenge, only that when the Blackhawks captain is getting rocked, theyre not likely to let up if they catch an opponent in a vulnerable spot. My guess about the play is that Seabrook anticipated that Backes was going to pick up the puck as it ringed around the boards, and Backes tried to handle the puck but lost it, and Seabrook saw an opportunity to deliver a big hit in the corner (maybe even knowing it was Backes), committed to it, and then when Backes didnt have the puck, he followed through anyway. Seabrook certainly didnt seem bothered by the result of the play. Now, whatever Toews said to Backes, it appears to be someone else weighing in that has really raised the temperature. As an obviously groggy Backes was struggling to stay on his feet, leaning on the boards, it sounds like one of the Blackhawks (Duncan Keith has been the prime suspect for video sleuths) taunts the Blues centre, saying, "Wakey, wakey, Backes." That Keith was slashing his way through the game doesnt add anything positive to what is possibly the second Norris Trophy-winning season of his career. Its unseemly to taunt an injured player, not least of all when the injury is highly likely to be a concussion, and Blues LW Alexander Steen was suitably ticked off in response, but my suspicion is that this isnt the first time an injured player has been on the receiving end of verbal jabs. Theyre just not always picked up by rinkside microphones. What makes the NHL playoffs the best part of the sports calendar is the intensity, how much the players really care about winning and losing, but that isnt always reflected in courageous moments worthy of promotion. Maybe Im holding NHL players to a lower standard, and in no way am I suggesting its a cool boys-will-be-boys situation, but I think its more about insanely competitive people in an emotionally-charged atmosphere losing sight of where the lines are drawn for good taste and acceptable behaviour. Ive long maintained that an X-rated NHL channel, one that includes audio from the benches and players miked up on the ice, would be amazing, yet dont imagine that the league would ever do it. Not because players start every third word with F, rather, its the other talk that goes so beyond socially acceptable behaviour, that it would be a PR nightmare. For as much as increased access can add flavour, sometimes you dont really want to know how the sausage is made. FLYERS EVEN Flyers G Ray Emery was a standout, stopping 31 of 33 shots by the New York Rangers, helping Philadelphia to a 4-2 win in Game Two, tying the series at one game apiece. In a game that saw the New York Rangers dominate possession rather handily, with nearly 60% of the five-on-five play, the Flyers rallied from an early 2-0 deficit, getting goals from Jakub Voracek, Jason Akeson and Luke Schenn before Wayne Simmonds hit the empty net to ice the game in the final minute. Akeson, who was something of a goat for his costly double-minor penalty in the first game of the series, scored a power play goal and was the Flyers best possession player (77.8% Corsi%) while skating primarily with Sean Couturier and Matt Read and Akeson started in the offensive zone only once in a dozen shifts that started with 5-on-5 face-offs. At the other end of the spectrum for the Flyers, D Andrew MacDonald -- who recently signed a six-year, $30-million contract extension -- was destroyed at even strength, with a 16.7% Corsi%, yet he played the most even-strength minutes of any Flyers blueliner. Theres nothing wrong with the end result -- take the split on the road any way you can get it -- but the Flyers will need to be better when they return home for Game Three. They cant bank on Ray Emery outdueling Henrik Lundqvist on a consistent basis. BRUINS BOUNCE BACK The Boston Bruins started quickly in Game Two, jumping out to a 2-0 first period lead while outshooting the Detroit Red Wings 18-10 in the first period, on their way to a 4-1 victory, which evened the series 1-1. Bostons second and fourth goals came on the power play and there was a time late in the first period that the Red Wings appeared to be getting lured into the Bruins rough-and-tumble game. In the overall game, the Red Wings had strong enough possession numbers, but the Bruins carried leads of two-plus goals for more than 44 minutes, so score effects negate the value that Detroit might wish to take from those stats. Bruins G Tuukka Rask stopped 34 of 35 shots for the win. RW Jarome Iginla and D Torey Krug each contributed a couple of assists for Boston, who got goals from LW Justin Florek, RW Reilly Smith, LW Milan Lucic and D Zdeno Chara. Florek, the 23-year-old, 6-foot-4 rookie out of Northern Michigan, has been filling in for Chris Kelly at left wing on the third line, with Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson, and hasnt looked out of place. Guess its not just the Red Wings that can take an unheralded young forward and seamlessly slide them into the lineup. LIGHTNING IN TROUBLE A disallowed goal proved to be the difference as the Montreal Canadiens held on to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. For the second straight game, Canadiens LW Rene Bourque was force, scoring once and registering eight shots on goal as part of a dominant possession game when he was on the ice, his most shots on goal in a Montreal uniform. Canadiens RW Brendan Gallagher had a goal and an assist, giving him four points in three games in this series. Gallagher, playing with C Tomas Plekanec and LW Brandon Prust, has also been strong in possession terms, so his point production is backed by solid underlying numbers. Montreal D P.K. Subban added a pair of assists, playing more than 28 minutes in Game Three, to give him four points in the series. Its too early to go assigning blame, but one player that the Lightning could use more from is RW Ryan Callahan, who has no points, three shots on goal and a minus-4 rating, with a 47.4% Corsi, while his ice time ranks fourth among Tampa Bay forwards in this series. Lightning C Steven Stamkos, who left the game for a bit after taking a knee to the head from Canadiens D Alexei Emelin, assisted on both Tampa Bay goals, giving him four points in three games, but it hasnt been enough for the Lightning, who need a miracle if they are going to rally from a three-games-to-none deficit. SHARKS BITE KINGS After losing 6-3 to the San Jose sharks in Game One, the Los Angeles Kings needed a good start to Game Two, and they got it, leading 2-0 before the game was 10 minutes old. From that point on, however, it was all Sharks, as San Jose scored seven unanswered goals, with several more close calls, as the game turned into a rout. The Kings could have known they were in trouble by the nature of the players that got the Sharks on the board. San Joses first two goals were scored by RW Mike Brown, a winger who has five goals in 145 games over the past three seasons, and LW Raffi Torres, with both goals set up by Andrew Desjardins (incidentally, those three forwards had the worst possession numbers for San Jose in Game Two). Add in a goal by D Justin Braun, and suddenly the Kings were losing without any of the Sharks big guns firing. San Jose rectified that in the third period, as Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Joe Thornton all tallied. Pavelski finished with three points, while rookie RW Matt Nieto and D Dan Boyle each added two assists. Kings G Jonathan Quick was in net for all seven goals against, on 40 shots, and while that is a tough night in the cage by any measure, it also stood out that none of the goals were on deflections or rebounds. There were screens, sure, but every goal came on an initial shot and to have that happen seven times in one game is rare for any goaltender, let alone one that has played as well in the playoffs as Quick had prior to this season. After being outscored 13-5 in two games, Los Angeles will return home licking its proverbial wounds, but until a team gets a crack on home ice, its too soon to write them off entirely. What the Kings need, in addition to some semblance of a possession game, is that they need Quick to be far better than hes shown through the first couple games. Without goaltending, its going to be virtually impossible to knock off a team as strong as the Sharks. 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 Jamaal Wilkes Jersey . The mood in Seattle was electrified as the parade featuring the NFL champions began near the Space Needle and made its way to CenturyLink Field, the home of the team. At a ceremony inside the stadium, the team thanked its loyal followers -- the 12th Man -- capping a day of boisterous celebration that drew an estimated 700,000 revelers to Seattle. Cheap Kurt Rambis Jersey . The Yankees made the moves before Tuesdays game against Baltimore. Robertson was listed retroactive to Monday. Robertson posted two saves in three games as the replacement for retired Yankees closer Mariano Rivera before getting hurt. http://www.cheaplakersjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-sviatoslav-mykhailiuk-jersey . Smith has spent the last three seasons with the Rockies, playing both left and right field, and has a .275 batting average with 51 homers and 181 RBIs in 487 major league games. PITTSBURGH -- Victor Cruz strolled into the end zone and thought for a moment about putting on his salsa dancing shoes. Two unenthusiastic steps later, he chucked the idea. "I didnt want to give it the full gamut," Cruz said. "Its the preseason." Besides, after missing organized team activities and minicamp during a contract dispute, the New York Giants wide receiver is a little rusty on the celebration thing. The catching touchdown passes from Eli Manning thing, however, remains just fine. Cruz pulled in a rainbow from the New York quarterback and ran by the Pittsburgh secondary for a 57-yard score in an 18-13 victory over the Steelers on Saturday night. Cruz lined up in the slot then sprinted past William Gay and Troy Polamalu as Manning lofted a perfect strike that seemed to put any lingering resentment over his holdout to rest. "You kind of feel like youre still in the swing of it, you still have your footing, you still have what it takes to be successful in this offence," Cruz said. "I think (Eli) read my body perfectly and put the ball where it needed to be. It felt good to be in midseason form so early on." Manning completed 2 of 5 passes for 73 yards but produced scores in both series he was on the field. "Good and bad," Manning said. "Hit a couple nice things. Sometimes that first game you just have to get back to getting used to knowing the defence can hit you now." Not that Pittsburghs starters came close on the games biggest play. Manning had plenty of time to find Cruz, taking only a small nudge from outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley after the ball was in flight. Playing behind a reconstituted offensive line, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wasnt quite so fortunate. He was sacked once and knocked down a couple of times during his two series of work. Roethlisberger completed 4 of 8 passes for 36 yards, leading the Steelers to a field goal on his second possession. "I thought we came out and ran the ball well," he said. "We want to establish an identity early of running the ball and I think we did a good job of that." LaRod Stephens-Howling, returning to the town where he was a star in college, russhed for 40 yards on seven carries for the Steelers. Cheap Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jersey. Rookie running back LeVeon Bell -- Pittsburghs second-round pick in April -- did not play due to a sore left knee, though coach Mike Tomlin stressed it was only a precautionary measure. Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer, who are fighting Bell for the starting spot, didnt exactly separate themselves from the field. Redman ran twice for seven yards while Dwyer had 15 yards on six carries. Tomlins bigger concern were the wave of unusual mistakes in a game the felt like an extended scrimmage that happened to have over 50,000 people in attendance. Pittsburghs special teams gave up a blocked punt and a botched handoff in the end zone in the second half turned into a safety. The Steelers also committed seven penalties -- compared to just three for New York -- and generated little after Roethlisberger when to the sideline to trade his helmet for a baseball cap. "Just the Steelers beating the Steelers," Tomlin said. "Dont get me wrong, sometimes it can be characterized as part of August football but Im not buying that. I think we can set the bar higher than that for the first time out." Roethlisberger and offensive co-ordinator Todd Haley spent a portion of the off-season searching for middle ground after a somewhat bumpy 2012. Pittsburgh kept it conservative against the defence that finished a woeful 31st in the league last fall. Roethlisberger only went down the field once, but Antonio Brown was unable to keep his feet inbounds on what could have been a 20-yard touchdown pass. While Bell sat out, Pittsburgh first-round pick Jarvis Jones made a splash. The rookie linebacker and heir apparent to James Harrison recovered a fumble in his first game as a pro. New York, unlike Pittsburgh, has some definition on the depth chart at running back. The Giants gave the starting job to David Wilson when they let Ahmad Bradshaw leave in free agency. Wilson did little in two series of work, carrying five times for 16 yards. The Giants sat several regulars due to injury, including defensive stars Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul. Rookie offensive tackle Justin Pugh also missed the game because of a concussion. ' ' '