Dein erstes Forum » Even though they got back

NEWARK Patrik Laine Jersey , N.J. (AP) — Even though they got back on the winning track, the Columbus Blue Jackets have a lot to figure out if they want to make the playoffs.Cam Atkinson and Artemi Panarin scored in a shootout and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped both New Jersey attempts as the Blue Jackets posted a 2-1 win over the Devils on Tuesday night in a game in which they were outplayed.“Other than our first couple shifts of the game, they absolutely dictated the pace of the game,” Atkinson said after Columbus snapped a two-game losing streak. “We got out-battled and lost all the 50-50s and it’s unacceptable and obviously without Bob, they would have had a lot more goals. We’re lucky to come away with two points, let alone one.”The Blue Jackets made big moves at the trade deadline, acquiring Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel and Adam McQuaid, but the team now built to compete for the Stanley Cup has not looked good.“Very important points but certainly some struggles,” said coach John Tortorella, whose team has been sliding in and out of playoff position. “No matter what it looks like or no matter what the reason is, we’ve been inconsistent and we just got to go each day at a time and find a way to get better.”Atkinson also scored the Columbus goal in regulation. Bobrovsky had 29 saves as the Blue Jackets swept their four-game season series with New Jersey.Travis Zajac scored for New Jersey in regulation and Cory Schneider had 17 saves as the Devils lost their fourth in a row.“Overall with the amount of firepower they have I thought we did a tremendous job defensively, making them work Vladimir Sobotka Jersey Womens ,” Schneider said. “Offensively, I thought we had a couple of chances to get the go-ahead goal and just missed or Bobrovsky made a big save. Not good enough to get a win, but you know, that’s kind of how it goes.”After Bobrovsky stopped Blake Coleman’s attempt with his shoulder, Atkinson scored on a backhander.Schneider said Atkinson’s top move is a forehand shot.“Every goalie knows my tendencies and went with my B and it worked,” Atkinson said.Bobrovsky poke-checked the puck away from Drew Stafford on the Devils’ next try, and Panarin ended the game by slipping one between Schneider’s pads.The Devils had two great chances to take the lead late in the third period on a power play. Bobrovsky stopped a tip by Nick Lappin and Michael McLeod hit the post in a bid for his first NHL goal.The Devils had the better scoring chances in the first two periods and they finally capitalized with three minutes left in the second period.Coleman, who had not had a point in 13 games, set up the goal by carrying the puck into the Columbus end and slamming on the brakes. He faked a shot and sent a cross-ice pass that Zajac put into an open net.“Like I said, we are not scoring as much as we need to but we are a really hard team to play against right now,” Coleman said. “Our forecheck and our effort is very obvious. A lot of guys are starting to show they can play in this league.”Atkinson had given the Blue Jackets the lead less than a minute after the opening faceoff with the help of a fluky bounce off the end boards. Defenseman David Savard took a shot from the left point that hit the boards and came out the other side to a wide-open Atkinson for his career-high 36th goal.The Devils’ injuries continued to mount. Forward Jesper Bratt left the game early in the second period after being hit in the leg by a shot. Nico Hischier, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft, was hurt in Boston on Saturday and missed his first game since Nov. 18 with an upper-body injury.Devils coach John Hynes had no update on Bratt’s injury after the game.NOTES: Columbus made one lineup change Carter Hutton Jersey Womens , scratching C Lukas Sedlak and dressing F Markus Hannikainen. … The Devils activated F Stefan Noesen off injured reserve. He was out almost a month with a lower-body injury. … Former Devils G Keith Kinkaid, who was shipped to Columbus at the trade deadline, was the Blue Jackets’ backup. The Devils showed a video with highlights of his career in New Jersey. … Devils D Sami Vatanen was out with an illness.UP NEXTBlue Jackets: At Pittsburgh on Thursday.Devils: Open a six-game road trip at Washington on Friday. WASHINGTON (AP) James Neal has become a source of leadership and inspiration for the Vegas Golden Knights during their improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final.So, it came as no surprise that the 11-year veteran made a point of seeking out teammate Alex Tuch, a 22-year-old rookie who missed a chance to score the potential tying goal late in Game 2 against the Washington Capitals”I talked with him a little bit today,” Neal said Friday. ”It’s all good. He’ll get a bigger one for us later in the series. He’s been great for us so far, so no reason to think about that anymore. At the end of the day, it’s a great save and you move forward.”Braden Holby snuffed the shot with his goalie stick in a 3-2 victory that evened the series heading in Game 3 on Saturday night.Vegas snagged a winner when they selected Neal from Nashville last June in the expansion draft. They got a skilled forward who scored 20 goals in 10 straight seasons (now 11) and a player who turned out to be perfect for a team that had to mesh immediately to be successful.”He’s a natural leader,” Golden Knights right wing Ryan Reaves said. ”He likes leading the boys into battle. When he has something to say he’s going to say it, and people are going to listen.”Neal reached the Stanley Cup Final last year with the Predators, who lost to Pittsburgh. Now here he is again, with another crack at winning it all.”It’s a special team and a special group of guys,” Neal said. ”I’ve been to the finals before Chris Kunitz Jersey Womens , so just try to give them little tips. I try to lead by example, do the right things on the ice. We’ve got a group that responds well.”Neal seriously wants to win, but he isn’t always serious. And that’s the way his teammates like it.”I’m not going to pump his tires too much because I don’t want to hear about it, but he’s definitely one of those guys that keeps it loose,” Reaves said. ”You need guys like that around the team. You can’t be 100 percent business-like all the time. You’ve got to have fun.”Vegas goaltender Marc Andre-Fleury is the only other player on the club who’s played in the Stanley Cup Final, so he and Neal have been taking turns doling out advice.”In the locker room he’s a big voice,” Fleury said of Neal. ”He’s been to the finals, so it’s good to have someone else who can share that experience.”Although Neal is a rarity in that he’s been to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with two different teams, his most emphatic message is: Don’t take this ride for granted.”You see how badly he wants to win,” left wing David Perron said. ”To go through that last year and not come out on top, he’s got a huge chip on his shoulder and really wants to get it this time. He’s talking to guys, telling them you never know if you’re going to get another opportunity, so you’ve got to find a way to bring your best.”Toward that end Brandon Manning Jersey Womens , the 30-year-old Neal has helped carry the team with his stick. He has five goals and five assists in 17 games during the playoffs, including Vegas’ first goal in Game 2 on Wednesday.Asked whether Neal is more valuable as a player or a leader, Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant replied, ”On the ice is the major thing for me. When he scores goals like he did the last game, he makes our job a lot easier as coaches. James has been outstanding for us. He definitely helps our room with the young players, for sure.”Most notably, Tuch.”He’s been a mentor to me. He brought me aside today and told me what I could have done better on that shot but also that I have to move on,” Tuch said. ”Everyone knows how good a hockey player he is. I don’t know if people knew he was that much of a leader. Maybe it was a different vibe in Nashville. But this year he’s been a huge leader for us, one of our (six alternate) captains, and it’s been great.”—More Stanley Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/StanleyCupFinals