Montreals Brandon Prust slashed and cross-checked from corse178's blog
Andy Murray returns to action at Indian Wells, and Barry Cowan has answered five key questions about the ATP World Tour Masters event. Troy Niklas Jersey . The British No 1 could pave the way for another showdown with Novak Djokovic, but first he must negotiate a competitive field which includes Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori.Sky Sports expert Cowan discusses the big talking points at Indian Wells... Is Murray well prepared? Murray guided Britain to a Davis Cup win over Japan I think Andy Murrays leading role in Britains Davis Cup win over Japan is perfect preparation for Indian Wells. I must confess going into it, I thought the match with Kei Nishikori was 50-50, because Nishikori had won a title, while Andy had been away from playing competitively because of the birth of his first child.But for Andy to dig deep and be physically and mentally strong in that fifth set was extraordinary. That kind of match was the best thing for him, going into Indian Wells, because he needed a tough test ahead of a crucial period of the season. Murray did well on the clay last year, but hes a better hard court player and these next couple of tournaments are important. A kind draw for Murray? The world No 2 will face Marcel Granollers in his opening match Obviously now there is less importance on the draw than there was over a year ago, when he was ranked a little lower. It was always is he going to be in Djokovics half or isnt he? Hes always in the opposite half to Djokovic now and its favourable early on.Juan Martin Del Potro plays Tomas Berdych in the pick of the second round matches. Thats going to be a real test for both and will tell you where Del Potro is at and how Berdych is playing. There are a few questions marks about Tomas at the moment. I think these two tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami are great, because you can learn so much about a players form. Youve had the first major, generally some of them had a bit of a break, and these two events can set the tone for the next few weeks. Davis Cup concerns about Djokovic? Novak Djokovic was made to work for a win over Mikhail Kukushkin in Serbias Davis Cup victory Novak was taken to five sets in last weeks Davis Cup win over Mikhail Kukushkin, but it was simply another match that Djokovic won. It was the same thing when he came through a five-set match against Gilles Simon at the Australian Open. There was a feeling that Djokovic was vulnerable, but he is only vulnerable if he loses those matches. History says that if Djokovic comes through a match like that, then it makes him even stronger.Just like Andy, Novak will benefit from a challenging match ahead of the tournament. What is a realistic aim for Rafa? Rafael Nadals confidence was dented by two semi-final defeats on clay I thought last year that Rafa could get back to his very best, but what I witnessed in South America, where he suffered two semi-finals defeats on clay, was alarming. I think there is a player who is playing with fear, that is almost putting too much pressure on himself on his best surface. Hopefully we will see him play the sort of tennis that he played at the end of the last year, which was very, very good. Barry Cowan on Rafael Nadal If you look last year, I think he played better on quicker surfaces where it forces him to be aggressive. He knows there is no compromise. He has to stand on the baseline to return serve and Indian Wells makes you do that. Hopefully we will see him play the sort of tennis that he played at the end of the last year, which was very, very good. Who else can challenge for the title? Stan Wawrinka won a recent hard court tournament in Dubai Stan Wawrinka has always performed poorly at this time of the year, but Ive got a feeling that he will do well. Nishikori is another player who has really struggled here, because there are totally different conditions, and the ball gets up high and is more difficult to control for the smaller players like Kei.But these conditions will certainly favour the big-serving players such as Milos Raonic, John Isner and Nick Kyrgios. Those types of players will become very dangerous. Watch Andy Murrays match against Marcel Granollers as part of tonights live coverage from Indian Wells, which starts at 7.15pm on Sky Sports 3. Also See: Murrays road to Masters glory WATCH: Dodig gives himself black eye A.Q. Shipley Jersey . "Rob brings a wealth of coaching experience, having worked both in Canada and overseas in player development," Canada Soccer technical director Tony Fonseca said in a release. Patrick Peterson Jersey . Radulov scored the lone goal in the shootout, and the Predators edged the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Tuesday night to reach 100 points for the second time in three seasons and fourth in seven.BROSSARD, Que. -- Without Carey Price, the run for a first Stanley Cup in 21 years got steeper and longer for the Montreal Canadiens. Coach Michel Therrien looked grim and even angry as he delivered the news Monday morning that the goaltender who backstopped Canada to gold at the Sochi Olympics will miss the rest of the NHL Eastern Conference final. He gave no details of the injury, a suspected right knee problem, but suggested Price would be back if the Canadiens can get past the New York Rangers and reach the Stanley Cup final. "Carey Price wont be able to play, not only for tonight but for the rest of the series," said Therrien. "Really disappointed. Hes our best player. "We need to rally around Carey. We need to give him a chance to play again this season." According to Bodog, those words sent betting money went flying off the Canadiens bandwagon and onto New Yorks as Montreal pondered the notion of winning with either backup Peter Budaj or third stringer Dustin Tokarski in goal. The coach would not say which of them would start in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series on Monday night. Budaj has been with the NHL club all season, but has a terrible career playoff record that includes an 0-2-0 record and an .843 save percentage. Tokarski had never played an NHL playoff game, but the 24-year-old has excelled at every level, winning a Memorial Cup with Spokane in 2008, a world junior championship with Canada in 2009 and an AHL title with Norfolk in 2012. He was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2008 and acquired by Montreal Feb. 14, 2013 for Cedrick Desjardins in a swap of minor-league goalies. He spent most of the season with AHL Hamilton, but played three games for Montreal this season and posted a 2-0 shutout against Buffalo. Price clutched his right knee when Rangers forward Chris Kreider crashed into him skates-first at 3:15 of the second period of New Yorks shock 7-2 win in the series opener on Saturday afternoon. The Canadiens goaltender got up and finished the period, but didnt look comfortable as he allowed two goals in the final 1:01. He was replaced in the third by Budaj, who allowed three goals on eight shots. After the game, Therrien said he took Price out not because of an injury but because there was no use leaving him in with the team playinng poorly. Deone Bucannon Jersey. He was angrier the next day when it became clear the injury was worse than first suspected, saying Kreider could have tried to avoid the collision. And he was simmering on Monday, pointing out Kreiders history of hitting goalies. Kreider left Ottawas Craig Anderson with a knee injury when he crashed the crease during the regular season and he also elbowed Marc-Andre Fleurys head in Game 6 of the conference semifinals, although the Pittsburgh goalie was not hurt. "Looking at the incident, its a reckless play," said Therrien. "Thats the truth. "And Kreider, thats not the first time hes going at goalies. So we end up losing our best player. But our group faced a lot of adversity throughout the course of the season. We have the attitude to respond really well and thats what Im expecting, starting tonight." Kreider said his main regret was that he missed the net with his shot as he went in on a breakaway and lost his footing. "Obviously, I was trying to score a goal," the speedy six-foot-three, 226-pound forward said. "Im here to play my game and play hard and I think Im a clean player. "I dont go out with the intent to hurt anyone, ever, so Im going to continue to try and get to the net and score goals." In the third period, Montreals Brandon Prust slashed and cross-checked Kreider, earning two minor penalties and a misconduct. But Therrien said the Canadiens were more concerned with trying to win the series than with vengeance. "We know what happened with Kreider, we know his history, we know a lot of things," said Therrien. "But our main focus is to make sure we play a solid game. "Make sure we play hard, we play with passion, that we be disciplined, and play the way we are capable of playing." The Canadiens are now in the same predicament as Tampa Bay, their first round opponent that was missing injured starting goaltender Ben Bishop. Montreal swept the series. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said it wont change their game plans against Montreal. "Prior to the series, we had prepared for three possible goaltenders, obviously, spending more time on Price," he said. "Its very unfortunate what happened to him. "But for us, its business as usual." 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