- and surviving as a Michigan man in Columbus from corse178's blog
It didnt seem that long ago that the Montreal Impact were among the top teams in MLS and in the hunt for the Eastern Conference championship. Germany Thomas Muller World Cup Jersey .Three losses in a four-game winless stretch, however, sunk the Impacts title hopes and has forced the club to scramble for playoff spot. Montreal will look to alter its recent fortune on Wednesday when the reeling San Jose Earthquakes pay a visit.The Impact (9-10-11, 38 points) are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with four matches remaining, just one point ahead of D.C. United and two in front of New England as the three teams battle for the conferences final two postseason spots.A win could help Montreal move closer to surpassing Philadelphia for the No. 4 seed, which comes with a first-round home playoff game.San Jose (7-9-13, 34 points) is in ninth place in the Western Conference with five matches to play.One of the keys to success for Montreal is finding a way to get striker Didier Drogba on track. The Ivory Coast national had 11 goals in 11 appearances in 2015 for the Impact but has just 10 in 21 games this season.Drogba, who signed with the Impact in the summer of 2015, had only one shot in 46 touches in Montreals 1-0 loss at the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.The second year, its always a more difficult one, Montreal coach Mauro Biello said. Opposing defenders are getting ready to face him. At the end, hes having chances at home to score goals. Its about finding that bounce and hopefully it will turn for him.The Earthquakes are still eligible to earn a playoff berth but will have to drastically reverse a trend that has seen them win only once in the past 10 matches. San Jose has three losses and three draws since a 2-1 win at Vancouver on Aug. 12 and is just 1-3-6 since July 16.San Jose likely will be without starting forward Quincy Amarikwa, who suffered a leg injury on Saturday in the Earthquakes 2-1 loss at home to Sporting Kansas City.The midweek match is a quick turnaround for San Jose after Saturdays loss. After a cross-continent trip to Montreal, the Earthquakes fly back home to face Real Salt Lake on Oct. 1, a third match in eight days.It is a very important game, Earthquakes defender Andres Imperiale said. Montreal is a team that plays very well, especially at home, so for us it is going to be difficult. It is going to be a long flight. It is not easy when you play three games and have to fly so we have to recover, we have to be honest with ourselves and be 100 percent.Germany Bernd Leno World Cup Jersey . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Germany Julian Draxler World Cup Jersey . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. http://www.cheapworldcupgermanyjerseys.com/ . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Auston Matthews naturally slowed down a bit after scoring four goals in his phenomenal NHL debut.The Maple Leafs first overall pick is still on top of a league-wide youth wave thats only picking up speed.From Toronto to Arizona, teenagers and rookies had a major impact throughout hockey during the first month of the season.As November began, 19-year-old Edmonton captain Connor McDavid was tied for the league lead in points, while Matthews and 18-year-old Winnipeg sensation Patrik Laine both had a share of the leagues goal-scoring lead. Toronto forward William Nylander was similarly prolific, winning the NHLs rookie of the month award.Two straight bumper crops of youngsters are changing the game with precocious speed and skill. Theyre also bringing hope to frustrated fan bases across the continent -- particularly north of the border, where some of the best talent is taking flight.The generation thats taking over is a new one, in my opinion, said Oilers coach Todd McLellan, who coached McDavid, Matthews and several other top youngsters at the World Cup of Hockey. They havent played under the old clutch-and-grab rules. They never were exposed to it. Theyve always played free hockey. ... Theyre fast, and they like playing that way.Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr were in attendance when McDavid and Matthews had their first head-to-head meeting Tuesday night in the biggest showcase yet for the leagues young stars. While neither No. 1 pick scored in Torontos 3-2 overtime win over Edmonton, its clear they could be fighting for Art Ross trophies and Stanley Cup titles for years to come.Its not just Auston, and its not just Connor, Gretzky told reporters in Toronto. Theres some good young players on both teams, and expectations go up with that.Indeed, the 2015-16 campaign produced a banner crew of rookies league-wide, including McDavid, Buffalos Jack Eichel and Philadelphia defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. Chicago left wing Artemi Panarin, who turned 25 this week, scored 77 points in 80 games to beat out McDavid for the Calder Trophy.The new group appears to be equally promising. Matthews, Laine and Nylander appear to be ready for immediate stardom, while several other rookies have stepped into big roles.But for clear star potential, nobody tops McDavid and Matthews, who could be at the start of parallel career paths with similarities to the roads traveled by Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, who broke into the NHL together as No. 1 picks in 2005.McDavid is no longer a rookie despite missing nearly half of last season with a broken collarbone, but hes still a teenager until January. Matthews just turned 19 after spending last year playing pro hockey in Switzerland, and he spent plenty of time with McDavid at the World Cup.Hes a good guy, McDavid said of Matthews. I get along with him. I definitely dont consider him a rival. ... Hes definitely not a guy that needs advice. Hes got a good head on his shoulders, and hes got a lot of confidence as well, so you dont really need to tell him anything.Signs of this youth explosion were obvious in September, when that 23-and-under Team North America captivated the World Cup with its up-tempo, exciting brand of play.It was a fun time playing with a bunch of guys who were kind of your age and really competing hard, Matthews said.While McDavid has the yooung Oilers off to a promising start, no city has more blue-chip talent than Toronto, the epicenter of hockey and the home of the perennially frustrating Maple Leafs. Germany Mario Gomez World Cup Jersey. Although the standings still dont look great, coach Mike Babcock is giving significant playing time to six rookies -- including two of the highest-scoring newcomers in the game.Nylander, who had four goals and seven assists in his first nine NHL games, got a jump-start on this fall with 22 games for the Leafs last season. Matthews is probably the most tantalizing player in the sport, and he had the top-selling jersey in the NHLs online store last month.Three more Toronto rookies -- defenseman Nikita Zaitsev and forwards Mitch Marner and Connor Brown -- already look comfortable in the league. The gifted Marner would be the most talked-about player in Toronto if it wasnt for his two teammates lighting up scoreboards ahead of him.Laine was a 7-year-old Finnish kid when Ovechkin broke in with Washington, and he grew up idolizing the Russian star. The No. 2 overall pick last summer is off to a fantastic start in North America, scoring six goals in his first nine games with ferocity and flair.A surprising name was right behind Laine early on the rookie scoring lists: Travis Konecny, the smallish first-round pick who made the Flyers opening-night roster along with teenage Russian defenseman Ivan Provorov. Both rookies have stuck in Philadelphia, and Konecny had seven points in his first 10 games.Youre playing against men out there, Konecny said. Its definitely a little bit of an adjustment, but Im slowly getting used to it. The first few games, I felt like there was no time for me on the ice, but Ive been making room for myself and allowing myself to make more plays.BY THE NUMBERSA remarkable nine rookies averaged at least 0.67 points per game while playing in at least five games in October. Some of the kids making a major impact include:- Jimmy Vesey, the New York Rangers forward who signed as a free agent out of Harvard and immediately backed up his Hobey Baker Award credentials with five goals in October.- Michael Matheson, the 22-year-old Florida Panthers defenseman taking key roles on both ends.- Jakob Chychrun, the 18-year-old Florida native getting a regular role on the Arizona Coyotes blue line.- Zach Werenski, the 19-year-old Blue Jackets defenseman with six points in his first seven NHL games -- and surviving as a Michigan man in Columbus.STREAKINGArtem Anisimov has a career-high point streak of eight games after getting a goal and an assist in Chicagos 5-1 win over Calgary on Tuesday night.SLUMPINGThe Los Angeles Kings havent scored a goal in three straight games after their 4-0 trouncing by Anaheim in the Freeway Faceoff on Tuesday night.LEADERSGoals, Anisimov (Chicago) and Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay), 7; Points, Anisimov, 13; Time on ice, Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg), 28:49; Wins, Cam Talbot (Edmonton), 7.GAME OF THE WEEKThe rematch of the Stanley Cup Final is Saturday night when Pittsburgh visits San Jose at the Shark Tank. Both conference champions are off to strong starts again this fall.---AP sports writers Dan Gelston and Stephen Whyno contributed to this report. Cheap Jerseys 2020Cheap NFL Black Jerseys China NFL Jerseys White Discount NFL Jerseys Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2020 ' ' '
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