12-08-2015, 04:23 PM
WINNIPEG -- Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd thought there was plenty to like about his teams first-period performance Sunday night -- even though they found themselves trailing by two goals. But there was even more to like at nights end, after Ladds late-game equalizer and shootout winner lifted the Jets to a 5-4 win over the San Jose Sharks. Ladd tied the game at 4-4 with 1:43 remaining on a quick shot from the left circle with Blake Wheeler screening goalie Antti Niemi. "We needed a goal at the end," said the left-winger, who notched his fifth goal of the season. "(Bryan Little) made a great play, and I tried to get it off as quick as I could." The Sharks were leading thanks to Dan Boyles second power-play goal of the game. The defenceman finished a precise play when Logan Coutures no-look, backhand pass set him up for an easy goal from point-blank range. Michael Frolik, Dustin Byfulgien and Grant Clitsome added goals for the Jets (8-9-2). Tomas Hertl and Tommy Wingels scored for the Sharks (10-2-5), who lost in a shootout for the third time in their last four games. Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec stopped Couture, Wingels and Boyle as Ladd scored the lone goal in the penalty-shot contest. Niemi stopped 42-of-46 shots for the Sharks, while Pavelec made 30 saves. The Jets, who scored four first-period goals against Nashville on Friday night, were buzzing around Niemi early, but the netminder kept the game scoreless. Winnipeg had a 10-2 lead in shots when Boyles point shot on the power play opened the scoring for San Jose at 14:04. Less than two minutes later, Jason Demers sprung Hertl on a breakaway with an 80-foot pass, and Hertl beat Pavelec with a deke to his forehand for his 10th goal of the season. "The way the game played out, I thought we had a really good first period," Ladd said. "A couple mistakes and were down 2-0. A lot of times its tough to come in and be positive, but I thought we did a good job of that, and a good job of sticking to our game plan." Jets coach Claude Noel thought his team responded well to the early two-goal deficit. "I thought we were resilient in the game," Noel said. "I thought we didnt lose our focus, we didnt lose our hope, and we easily could have after the first period. "To me it was a huge building block for our team." Even after Boyles second goal, as the game started to slip away, Noel said his bench believed it could force overtime. "We still felt there was time on the clock and we could get some stuff done," he said. Patrick Marleau appeared to have scored the overtime winner for San Jose, but the goal was disallowed when Wingels made contact in the crease with Pavelec. "Its a discretionary call that occurs in a game," said San Jose coach Todd McLellan, adding that ones opinion of the call would likely depend on which team they support. Pavelec thought the call was warranted, as he felt Wingels pushed him in the back. "We made stride as far as our competitiveness," McLellan said. "But I still dont think were at our best." The Jets have won back-to-back contests for the first time since the seasons first two games. The Jets drew even in the second period, beating Niemi three times on 17 shots. Frolik scored off a perfect cross-crease pass from Matt Halischuk to make it 2-1, only to see the Sharks restore their two-goal lead 41 seconds later on a high shot from in tight by Wingels. Byfuglien scored his first goal of the season -- on his 64th shot on goal -- to make it 3-2, and Clitsome drew the Jets even with a wrist shot through traffic from 50 feet out. Notes: A pre-game moment of silence was observed for Remembrance Day, and Second World War veteran Len Kropioski, a Jets season-ticket holder, joined anthem singer Stacey Nattrass on the ice. a The Jets struggles on the power play continued as they went 0 for 2. Winnipeg has one power-play goal in its last 14 games. a San Jose plays its next three games in Western Canada before a trip to Chicago next weekend. a Winnipeg plays in Detroit on Tuesday night before returning home to face Philadelphia. Cheap Jerseys . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Cheap NHL Jerseys . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. http://www.cheapjerseyssafe.us.com/ . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. Cheap NFL Jerseys China .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Cheap NBA Jerseys . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter.TORONTO - As Rudy Gay took to the Air Canada Centre court for the first time since being traded, moments after being introduced to a chorus of tepid boos, he approached each Raptors starter, slapping hands with his former teammates. They reciprocated, but none of them initiated the round of pre-game pleasantries. On the teams bench sat a quartet of former Sacramento Kings, but you wouldnt know it. Their focus mirrored that of the starters. They meant business. "We all have friends on that team," acknowledged Patrick Patterson, one of the former Kings that came to Toronto in the seven-player trade completed on December 9. "Going into this game, we have to treat it as if theyre the enemy. We have to treat them like theyre the villain and were the superhero, pretty much. We cant be friendly with them. As soon as the game starts, you have to put your hard hat on." The Raptors learnt that lesson the hard way. A month earlier, the two teams faced off in Sacramento, their first meeting since the early-season swap. "I thought the way that we approached the game last time was too friendly, too cool, too lackadaisical, too laid-back," Patterson said, looking back at his return to California. Emotions were high, on both sides, as players embraced their friends and old teammates prior to tip-off, laughing and joking around, having also shared a meal the night before. Only the Kings were laughing 48 minutes later. Embarrassed, the Raptors - a post-trade feel-good story - left with their tail in-between their legs. Dwane Casey questioned his teams disposition and professionalism, Chuck Hayes called it their worst performance since the trade and John Salmons conducted his entire post-game interview head down after a 109-101 loss. Round two would be different, Casey promised leading up to the rematch in Toronto on Friday. From the moment his club took the floor, coming face-to-face with Gay and the Kings, it was clear that message had been received. "I thought the roles were reversed this time," Patterson after his new team closed out their 99-87 win. "I thought we came out the right way, with the right intensity." "Guys were professional, very professional, workman-like, not disrespecting their friends on the other team, but yet still knowing we had a job to do when you walk out between those lines," Casey echoed. "After the game is over you can shake hands, hug, kiss, whatever you want to do, but once the game starts those guys have a different colour jersey and weve got to have that razor-like focus every time we walk on the floor." Like the Kings had done in Sacramento, the Raptors jumped on the visitors riight out of the gate, taking a 29-19 lead into the second quarter.dddddddddddd Although the Kings dominated the paint and lived at the free throw line once again, Toronto neutralized their best player early. DeMarcus Cousins, who has owned the Raptors over his career, played just eight first-half minutes, saddled with foul trouble. After losing some ground in the second frame, the Raptors came out in the third quarter and - like they did in the first - outscored Sacramento 29-19, effectively repaying their old friends for last months debacle. "I think we let go of the personal stuff," said Salmons, who has been preaching forgiveness over the last couple days. "We thought we were doing that the first game, clearly we didnt. This time we just let it go and played basketball." Returning from an ankle injury, Terrence Ross scored half of his team-leading 18 points, hitting half of his six threes in the third. Patterson also added seven of his 15 points in the quarter. "Ill tell you what, hes been a godsend for us, as far as stretching the floor," Casey said of Patterson, who hit three of his four attempts from long range Friday. "Not only that, just his intensity, his work ethic, how hard how plays. Hes got a reputation around the league of playing hard. Hes one of our best pick-and-roll defenders because he uses his quickness and then he can go down and stretch the floor out. Its a big plus, not a lot of guys can do that and he does an excellent job of doing it. The boos for Gay were faint, mostly, but consistent every time he touched the ball. The former Raptors forward scored 15 points on 5-of-13 from the field, a shooting percentage reminiscent of his time spent in Toronto. Gay has shot 50 per cent or better in 23 of 38 games as a King after doing so just once in 18 contests with the Raptors this season. Again, the Raptors won as a team. They got double-digit scoring from five players and although DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry struggled from the field - shooting a combined 6-for-24 - the Raptors backcourt duo totalled 13 assists, one fewer than the entire Kings team. Salmons added eight points off the bench, Greivis Vasquez chipped in with four and, although Hayes was scoreless in 10 minutes, his defence on Cousins changed the game in the third quarter. "He has that old man stretch," Casey said of Hayes. "Youve got to be strong to hold your ground against Cousins. Hes a beast in there and now they bring Reggie Evans in, two of the strongest guys in the league. So I thought his brute strength helped him hold his position." With their 34th victory, the Raptors matched last seasons win total in just 60 games. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '