think were looking at an undefeated seas
think were looking at an undefeated seas
VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks spent the pre-season learning new head coach John Tortorellas system. Now that the games count in the standings, theyre taking part in some on-the-job training. Tortorella has implemented a more aggressive, puck-pressure style with Vancouver and he watched the Canucks succeed at it for stretches in Thursdays season-opening 4-1 loss to the Sharks in San Jose. "Our goal as coaches is that you want (the system) to be instinctive eventually. That will take some time," Tortorella said after Fridays brief practice at Rogers Arena. "(Against San Jose) I think we had some good minutes of how we wanted to play. So I think (the players) know how to play. "Its just a matter of doing it consistently." Canucks centre Ryan Kesler said the team needs to get a grasp on the system quickly, beginning with Saturdays home opener against the Edmonton Oilers, if its going to compete in the realigned and more competitive Pacific Division. "We have to learn fast. Weve got to get these points. These points are going to be important for us and the end of the year," Kesler said. "I thought we did a good job for a large part of the (San Jose) game." He added its not simply understanding the system, but believing in it. "I think weve got to trust each other, thats the big thing. Weve got to trust each other that were going to work hard," Kesler said. "We can only be aggressive if that happens. "As a group we have (the system) locked down, its just a game of mistakes. Sometimes you make the wrong read and its an outnumbered rush. Things like that are going to happen." Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa said no one in the locker-room expected the change to Tortorellas style from that of former coach Alain Vigneault to be seamless. "You cant think that its going to be perfected in the first game of the season. Itll take some time but we showed some good strides there," Bieksa said. "Were happy with how we played at times (against San Jose). Other times wed like to maybe play a little different." Bieksa said theres going to be instances early in the season where the system breaks down, especially at the end of shifts or when players are hurt. "When youre not thinking clearly you kind of revert back to old habits," he said. "I think thats going to take a little bit of time to set in where its just second nature, but right now I think everybody has a good grasp of how (Tortorella) wants us to play." Among the positives from the San Jose loss was goaltender Roberto Luongo, who is back as the undisputed No. 1 after Cory Schneiders off-season trade to the New Jersey Devils. Luongo finished with 31 saves on the night, including a stellar first period that saw him stop all 16 shots he faced. The penalty killing unit also had a good night, holding the Sharks power play scoreless on eight chances. "I think we did a lot of good things," Canucks captain Henrik Sedin said. "I think we showed that if we play the right way for 60 minutes were a tough team." The Canucks know the young Oilers will be hungry on Saturday after a 5-4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets in their opener Tuesday. "Its team that weve obviously developed a little bit of a rivalry with. They usually play us very tough at the beginning of the season," Bieksa said. "We know theyll be fast, theyll be skilled and well be looking to play in their face." Note: Canucks right-winger Alexandre Burrows missed practice with an undisclosed injury suffered against the Sharks. Tortorella said the forward is "banged up" but added he expects him to play against Edmonton. Taron Johnson Jersey .5 million, two-year contract that runs through 2015. Venable, the son of former big leaguer Max Venable, will make $4. Jeremy Kerley Bills Jerseys . -- Tony Finau won the Stonebrae Classic on Sunday for his first Web. http://www.officialauthenticbillsshop.c ... ersey.html. -- DeMarcus Cousins had 29 points, nine rebounds and six steals to lead the Sacramento Kings to their third straight preseason win, a 107-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. Phillip Gaines Bills Jerseys . Van Slyke drove in a career-high four runs with two homers off struggling left-hander Tony Cingrani, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled away to a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night, a rare comfortable win in their pitching-dominated series. Custom Buffalo Bills Jerseys . He just didnt expect them to be this good. Darrun Hilliard scored 19 points to lead No. 6 Villanova to a dominating 77-59 victory over Georgetown on Saturday, preserving the Wildcats hopes of a No.WICHITA, Kan. -- Southern Illinois coach Barry Hinson couldnt hear himself amid the roar in Koch Arena, so he kept stomping on the floor in a fruitless attempt to get his teams attention. Hed say later that the crowd was the biggest factor in the game. The Salukis hung tough for all but about 3 minutes Tuesday tonight, finally falling 78-67 to fourth-ranked Wichita State. It put an end to Southern Illinois four-game winning streak, its best in more than four years, while leaving the Shockers still unbeaten. "Gosh, that crowd," Hinson said. "I hate them -- and I love them. Its an oxymoron." Make no mistake: Hinson loves the passion of Missouri Valley Conference fans. He just wishes he could have better communicated with his players down the stretch, when the game hung in the balance. Instead, the Salukis (10-16, 6-7) starting turning it over on offence, the Shockers (26-0, 13-0) started getting easy baskets at the other end, and Hinson was left standing on the sideline with his hands on his hips, watching mirthlessly as the final seconds ticked away. Anthony Beane scored 25 points to lead the Salukis. "Theres a reason theyre 26-0. Theyre damn good," Hinson said, "but they made shots and that crowd just went nuts, and we came down and said, Hey, its close to April 15! Well just give you the ball and well get a tax deduction!" Ron Baker scored 19 points and Cleanthony Early had 18 for the Shockers, who became the first team to start 26-0 since Memphis in 2008. Five games stand in the way of Wichita State becoming the first team since Saint Josephs in 2004 to have a perfect regular season. The Hawks didnt lose that year until the Atlantic 10 tournament. "Just survive," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. "That was not our best effort, obviously. They get a lot of credit for that. They had a great game plan. They packed it in and we didnt make any shots from the arc. It was a good strategy. Finally we made some in the second half and pulled away slowly, but give them credit..ddddddddddddThey played well." The Shockers trailed at halftime for the ninth time during their unbeaten run, though the 33-32 deficit could have been a whole lot worse the way they were shooting the ball. Wichita State was just 2 of 14 from 3-point range in the first half, most of them missing just about everything. In fact, the only shots the Shockers seemed to make outside of 3 feet were a series of free throws that Early made to keep them within striking distance. It didnt help that the Shockers were in foul trouble, too. Baker, Early and Fred VanVleet -- their top three scorers -- were on the bench with two fouls apiece late in the half. Once they returned after the break, the Shockers started to pick up steam. Early converted a three-point play with 15:47 to put them ahead 44-43, the seventh lead change in the game. Baker added a silky-smooth jumper, then knocked down his first 3 moments later as Wichita State took control and Koch Arena suddenly got rocking. Beane refused to let the Salukis wilt under the pressure. The sophomore guard kept slicing through Wichita States man-to-man defence for baskets near the rim, more than once drawing contact along the way. When the Shockers finally clamped down on him, he deftly found the open teammate for wide-open looks. Jalen Pendletons three-point play pulled the Salukis to 69-64 with 2 1/2 minutes left, but Baker answered with his third 3-pointer. The Shockers turned up the pressure and forced Sean OBrien into a turnover that led to a run-out by Baker, who was fouled and made both free throws. Still with a chance to make it a game, Southern Illinois promptly turned it over again, and this time the Salukis allowed VanVleet to go for an uncontested layup that made it 76-64. Wichita State merely had to coax the final seconds off the clock to remain undefeated. "Its cool, you know?" Early said. "But we take it game by game, day by day. I dont think were looking at an undefeated season because you have to beat the team thats in front of you." Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '