Saturday with a power-play goal midway through the opening period. Fleury sprawled to cover a rebound at the top from zgr123's blog
Its a case of same again for Vancouver Whitecaps. Mateen Cleaves Pistons Jersey . After a successful switch in formation for last weeks home win over Houston Dynamo, Caps head coach Carl Robinson is expected to keep the same lineup for their match against Colorado Rapids at BC Place (Saturday at 3:30pm pt live on CTV BC). We have seen many good qualities from Robinson in his opening months as a rookie head coach, the latest being just last week when he showed a willingness to change. The Whitecaps had played his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation in the opening three matches, but needed to find a way to get the best out of forward Kenny Miller and also Chilean midfielder Pedro Morales. So Robinson made a switch, and the diamond midfield worked well as the Whitecaps won 2-1 against the Dynamo to keep their unbeaten start to the season alive. Theres little doubt about the star of the show last week - Morales was magnificent, especially in the first half. The Designated Player was everywhere, making the most of the freedom afforded him as a central attacking midfielder, showcasing his full range of ability, highlighted by his sublime passing. A cross-field ball driven between three Houston players was the top moment for me, but his first-time cross to the head of Andy OBrien, who then set up Jordan Harvey for the first goal, was very close behind. Morales is a difference maker that the Whitecaps have been craving for some time. He excites the crowd and makes those around him more effective. His influence on games will be key to deciding how successful the Whitecaps will be this season. Another big factor will be the depth of the Caps squad. They have assembled a quality group of players that gives Robinson plenty of options and will be extremely valuable as the season progresses. It also gives him the flexibility to change both personnel and formation within games, something he has already shown he is not afraid to do. One of the positives of the 4-4-2 diamond is that Darren Mattocks and Kenny Miller are both able to play in their favoured positions up front. Miller was less effective when playing wide as one of the three attacking midfielders in a 4-2-3-1, but his experience alongside the youth of Mattocks is important for the Whitecaps and against Houston, the partnership worked well. Other positives last week included a strong performance from goalkeeper David Ousted, more excellent work from young Argentine Matias Laba in his role as a defensive midfield destroyer, and solid displays from both fullbacks Jordan Harvey and Steven Beitashour. Everything seemed to work against Houston. Now the Whitecaps look for similar success against a Colorado side that is 1-1-1 through its first three matches. They have scored five goals, but all of them have been a result of penalties, four scored by Vincente Sanchez, and one rebound after Deshorn Brown saw his spot kick initially saved. Being awarded five penalties in just three games sets a new MLS record, but finishing chances from the run of play is something the Rapids have been struggling with through the first three matches (1-1 at New York, 2-0 win home to Portland, 3-2 loss home to Kansas City). Colorado are expected to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, but Pablo Mastroenis team will be missing some key pieces in Vancouver. Former Toronto FC defender Marvell Wynne is suspended after a sending off in the loss at home to Sporting Kansas City a week ago, regular left back Chris Klute is injured, and there is also a question mark about whether veteran players such as Sanchez and Edson Buddle will play on the BC Place turf. Colorado finished three points ahead of Vancouver last season, beating the Caps to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, although the Rapids exited at the first hurdle, losing their Knockout Round match against Seattle, 2-0. The Rapids have kept many of the same players who got them to the postseason. Spanish defensive midfielder Jose Mari is one of the new names likely to play in Vancouver as he returns from a one-match suspension picked up in just his second game in MLS as the Rapids beat Portland 2-0 at home a fortnight ago. Thomas Piermayr could make his MLS debut in defence after signing with the Rapids this week following a trial spell with the club. While most of the players are the same, there is, of course, a new coach. Mastroeni had a long and successful MLS career as a player and is now embarking on a new challenge. With two rookie coaches on the sidelines at BC Place, it will be an interesting tactical battle. The Whitecaps have equaled their best start to a season since joining Major League Soccer with eight points from their opening four matches, a win against Colorado would set a new high standard, and also lay a strong foundation ahead of back-to-back matches against LA Galaxy. Ben Wallace Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors reserve centre Ognjen Kuzmic is expected to miss at least six weeks after undergoing surgery on his fractured right hand. Grant Long Pistons Jersey .J. -- New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is going to start the off-season training program with a surgically repaired left ankle.PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma wanted to send a message to his team, putting Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin exclusively on the same line. Consider it received. Attacking on offence early and often, the Penguins topped the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Saturday night as Jussi Jokinen scored the go-ahead goal in the third period to help give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference playoff series. Pittsburgh peppered Sergei Bobrovsky with 50 shots on goal, keeping the Blue Jackets goalie busy all night. "We competed hard," Crosby said. "We played desperate and really aggressive. Thats the game we have to play. Its not always going to result in 50 shots, but its our style of play." Chris Kunitz had a power-play goal and Kris Letang scored into an empty net for Pittsburgh, which has the upstart Blue Jackets on the verge of elimination with an opportunity to close out the series Monday during Game 6 in Columbus. "Their coach challenged them and they responded," Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said. "Now, we have to do the same thing on Monday." It hasnt been easy for the Penguins, a team considered by many a Stanley Cup contender. Columbus, which began the series searching for its first playoff win in franchise history, twice rallied to stun the heavily favoured Penguins and outshot Pittsburgh three of the previous four games this series. Boone Jenner scored the lone goal for Columbus, which played its first Game 5 in franchise history. "I dont think anybody in this room would say theyre uncomfortable going into the next game," Blue Jackets forward Ryan Johansen said. "Like weve been saying, all the guys, we believe we can get this done." Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury recovered from a game-changing gaffe in Game 4 for the victory on Saturday, making 23 saves. Fleury is 4-1 in his last five games after a playoff overtime loss. "He was solid," Crosby said. "He showed his experience tonight." Bobrovsky stopped 48 shots for the Blue Jackets. "They were going to the net hard and obviously it was something they talked about, to make it hard on Bobrovsky," Richards said. "Its how they wanted to play the game." Crosby and Malkin, despite playing on the same line and combining for eight shots, still havent scored through five playoff games, but the message was sent. "I think we went into the game with a good idea that we were going to see that," Bylsma said. "With the matchup, we were able to give those guys a good opportunity to play together and be a force." Crosby, who led the league in scoriing with 104 points, hasnt scored in his last 10 playoff games overall, while Malkin has gone nine without a goal. Bill Laimbeer Jersey. Richards hopes to extend the goal-less drought another game. "I have the last change, so its something I can possibly control a little bit better," Richards said. "But it makes for something different when you see (Crosby) and (Malkin) on the same line." The teams were tied at 1 entering the third, but Jokinen touched a backhand rebound past Bobrovsky along the far post 6:16 into the period. Letang scored an empty-netter with 1:01 to play to seal it. A 3-1 lead appeared to be a kiss of death for the team leading in the first four games of the series. Not on Saturday. Both sides endured wild momentum swings through the first four games, all decided by a 4-3 margin where the winning team rallied from a 3-1 deficit every time for the first time in league history. The Penguins twice had an opportunity to take a two-game lead in the series, while Columbus put Pittsburgh in a two-goal hole two times, only to come up short. The Penguins were seconds away from taking a 3-1 lead during the best-of-seven series in Game 5 when Fleury misplayed a puck behind the net, leading to Brandon Dubinskys tying goal that forced overtime and Nick Folignos innocent-looking wrist shot from the blue line that evaded Fleury and evened the series. Fleury, who was benched during Pittsburghs run to the conference finals last year, responded Saturday. "I think dealing with the pressure that he has, he was able to turn the page pretty quickly," Crosby said. "Thats what he needs to do, especially in the playoffs." Jenner helped the Blue Jackets score first Saturday with a power-play goal midway through the opening period. Fleury sprawled to cover a rebound at the top of the crease, but the puck came loose and Jenner jammed a shot home along the near post. Kunitz tied it with a second-period power-play goal, corralling a bouncing rebound in front of the net and backhanding it past Bobrovsky. Jokinens goal in the third put the Blue Jackets on the brink. "I expect nothing other than what theyve done all year, to respond," Richards said. NOTES: The NHL announced a 7 p.m. start for Game 6 in Columbus. ... Penguins D Brooks Orpik missed the game with an undisclosed injury. ... Penguins F Brian Gibbons (undisclosed) was out for a third straight game. ... Marcel Goc returned to the lineup for Pittsburgh after missing four games with a foot injury. ... Blue Jackets D Fedor Tyutin (lower body) played after missing two games, while D Ryan Murray (lower body), who missed Game 4, was also back in the lineup. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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