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Western Conference Finals: Clippe
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Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork. Joe Montana Jersey .com) - Kari Lehtonen turned away all 27 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season as Dallas shut down Vancouver, 2-0, at Rogers Arena. Colton Sceviour and Antoine Roussel provided the offense for the Stars, who have won three of their last four. Eddie Lack was the hard-luck loser for the Canucks, making 27 saves in his clubs fifth consecutive defeat. Sceviour put the Stars on the board just shy of the three-minute mark of the second. He carried the puck along the left wing during a 3-on-2 rush and slid a backhander across the crease which Lack couldnt sweep up with his glove before it headed into the net. We were controlling the first and beginning of the second, and I gave them momentum and its a weak goal, what else can I say? said Lack. Lack was lifted for an extra skater with just over a minute to play but the hosts couldnt find an equalizer. Roussel put the clincher into an empty cage with 26 seconds remaining, after blocking a Kevin Bieksa point shot, skating around him on the left wing and scoring untouched. The best scoring chances in a scoreless opening 20 minutes came from the hosts. Radim Vrbata was robbed by Lehtonen on the doorstep on the games first shift, then Chris Higgins missed an open net on a breakaway in the latter stages. He (Lehtonen) gave us a fighting chance in the first period to win a hockey game, and the second period we answered the bell by going after them pretty good, said Dallas coach Lindy Ruff. Game Notes Wednesdays victory was the first by shutout for the Minnesota/Dallas franchise in Vancouver in 88 regular-season appearances stretching back to the Canucks 1970 inception ... Lehtonen was the first Stars goaltender to blank the Canucks since Marty Turco did so in a 3-0 win on March 18, 2004 in Dallas. Dak Prescott Jersey . Although head coach Randy Carlyle jokingly wondered how much actual training Bolland got done while in London. "I dont know how much training goes on when you go back to the junior team that you played for so I wouldnt read too much into that," laughed Carlyle after the Maple Leafs were put through an up-tempo practice that concluded with a 10-minute bag skate on Thursday. Khalil Mack Jersey . - Joao Plata scored twice in the final 24 minutes, including the winner in stoppage time, to help Real Salt Lake remain unbeaten with a 3-2 victory over the winless Chicago Fire on Saturday night.MY 2013-14 NBA PREDICTIONS MVP: (LeBron James, Heat): Simply put, hes the best. He gets better every year and hes a wonderful team player. Hes the most impactful guy night in and night out; he does it all. I love his development with his low post game. Hes a gym rat and loves to play. His leadership skills are growing with his maturity. Most Improved: (Anthony Davis, Pelicans): Injuries were an issue last year for Davis but this guy is the real deal and I think well see significant growth in all aspects of his game this season. Hes a top-notch rebounder and shot blocker and his overall offensive skills will take a big step as he gets stronger. The year under his belt around the league will benefit his perspective. Rookie: (Cody Zeller, Bobcats): Hes likely not the most talented rookie but hell get significant playing time in Charlotte and teaming with Al Jefferson in the front court with him will give him a top-notch back-to-the-bucket post player to settle into a nice role. He runs and jumps and has the skill set. He plays hard and will get lots with his effort. Hes ready for the next level and his polish will help him. Theyre committed to him and hell get loads of chances to shine. Coach: (Rick Adelman, Timberwolves): A healthy Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio and the addition of Kevin Martin is huge for this team. Hes a creative offensive coach with the right temperament to help players take the next step in their development. Hes one of the most underrated coaches in the NBA that weve seen over the years. His experiience and calm demeanor will bring out the best in this squad. Russell Wilson Jersey. Eastern Conference Playoff Teams 1-8: Heat, Bulls, Pacers, Nets, Knicks, Hawks, Wizards and Raptors. Western Conference Playoff Teams 1-8: Clippers, Thunder, Spurs, Rockets, Warriors, Timberwolves, Grizzlies and Mavericks. Eastern Conference Finals: Heat over Bulls in 7 - Too much of the King. Western Conference Finals: Clippers over Spurs in 6 - Chris Paul gets to the promised land; Doc Rivers leadership shows the other LA team how its done. NBA Finals: Heat over Clippers in 6 - Experience, savvy, three-point shooting, defence, role definition, and that guy that wears No. 6 make it all happen. Toronto Raptors (8th Place in East/39-43): They must get through the month of November in respectable shape and the Top 8 guys have to stay healthy. Bottom line, this is a good to very good starting unit and theyll have to play major minutes and limit the exposure of the bench to have a chance. I see lots of close games on the horizon but I feel confident that they have the role definition and increased talent level and maturity to pull out some of the ones that got away last year. I really liked how Dwane Casey coached his team in the last three weeks of the season last spring and more of the same is needed. Ride those starters every minute you can, keep the rotation tight and develop a sixth sense amongst the prime guys with complete understanding in crunch time what each guys job is. That minimizes late game issues. Decisive and sharp. Less is more. ' ' '