Lanschaften » Customized Oakland Raiders Jerseys

TAMPA Sam Reinhart Jersey , Fla. (AP) Tampa Bay hasn’t played in a week, while Boston is coming off a hard-fought, seven-game playoff series.Neither the Lightning nor the less-rested Bruins expect that to mean anything when their second-round playoff series begins Saturday.A single point separated the Atlantic Division rivals in the standings after the race for the top seed in Eastern Conference came down to the final night of the regular season, and there’s every reason to believe this best-of-seven matchup will be just as tight.”Obviously, these were the top two teams in the division, and it was a close call until the last game on who was going to finish first and second,” Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said.”It’s going to be a tough matchup. They are great team, so are we,” the Norris Trophy finalist said. ”It’s going to come down to the small detail in the game. We have the skill and depth up front to score goals, but we have to keep the puck out of our net.”Boston won three of four meetings between the teams the regular season.The Bruins won their opening round playoff series against Toronto in seven games. Tampa Bay, led by Nikita Kucherov’s 10 points (five goals, five assists) eliminated New Jersey in five games after going 0-3-1 against the Devils.”I think you learn that the regular season means nothing,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. ”We know how they play. Very competitive group, very well structured, especially that top line. … We’re expecting a very tight series against a very good hockey team.”The Bruins are bracing for a tough test, too.”It’s going to be a battle,” Bruins forward Brad Marchand said. ”They were a top team all year. They compete very hard, have a ton of skill, and they have a lot of depth.”THEY ALL COUNTThe Lightning earned home-ice advantage for the series by finishing one point ahead of Boston in the standings. In fact Womens Zemgus Girgensons Jersey , it all came down to the final night of the season, when the Bruins were playing Florida in a makeup game for a Jan. 4 game postponed by a snowstorm.The Panthers won 4-2, leaving Boston with 112 points to 113 for Tampa Bay.”We’re not going to allow one game to define us, yet we understand the meaning,” coach Bruce Cassidy said then. ”We let one get away, an opportunity lost to have home-ice advantage, and we’ll see if that haunts us down the road. I think it’s too early to tell that right now.”NOT THE FIRST TIMEThe Lightning and Bruins are facing each other in the postseason for only the second time. The other meeting was in the 2011 Eastern Conference Final, won by Boston in seven games.FALLING IN LINEIn the four playoff games the Bruins won against Toronto, the trio of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand had a combined 30 points. In the three games they lost, they were held completely scoreless.”They’re our most important line,” defenseman Torey Krug said after they tallied three goals with four assists in Game 7. ”They’re the best line in the NHL, and when they’re going it’s hard to stop.”TONGUE LASHINGMarchand will do whatever it takes to get under the skin of his opponents, and in the first round that meant skating up to Toronto forward Leo Komarov and appearing to lick his face. (In November, he appeared to kiss Komarov on the cheek.)”I thought he wanted to cuddle. I just wanted to get close to him,” Marchand explained after the playoff game. ”He keeps trying to get close to me. I don’t know if he’s got a thing for me or what. He’s cute.”Several news organizations reported this week that the NHL sent a message to Marchand to knock it off, but he said he has received no such message. ”This is false,” he tweeted in response to a Boston Globe story that picked up on the original report, from Sportsnet.I KINDA LIKE HIMLightning coach Jon Cooper was asked how he views Marchand.”To be honest http://www.officialflames.com/authentic-adidas-jaromir-jagr-jersey , what I have seen of him, what goes on out on the ice, he’s a competitive you know what and I love that. I think some of the greatest comments you can give a player is I hate that kid but I do wish he was on my team,” Cooper said.”I was fortunate enough during the All-Star game to meet him … and off the ice to spend a little time. It actually was disappointing, I was hoping he was going to be an idiot. I was hoping I wasn’t going to like him,” Cooper added. ”But he was unreal, and it’s amazing that a guy who is that kind and nice and outgoing and friendly is the same guy who jumps on the ice. You have to respect that about him. And when that kids jumps on the ice, he comes to play.”—AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen in Boston contributed to this report.— The Vegas Golden Knights were not only the top story in the NHL last season. They were a top story across the entire sports landscape, and arguably the history of all sports.Now, the expansion team from a year ago has the main objective of avoiding a hangover from their magical season, which extended all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Washington Capitals.Article continues below ...Their second season starts Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Golden Knights go into the season full of expectations, and they must do so after settling on new talent because of free agency and trades.“It’s not like the situation we had last year,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “It’s a whole different scenario.”Veteran goaltender Marc Andre-Fleury, whose efficiency sparked the Golden Knights last season, added, “I think there’s more expectations from the players, the staff and the fans.“I think everybody expects us to do as well. At the same time, though, if you want to have success Johnny Gaudreau Jersey Kids , we can’t be thinking about all that stuff (from last season). You’ve just got to be worrying about playing your game the way you can and success will come.”Can Vegas continue its production from last season? Twelve returning players set NHL highs for points in 2017-18, including the top line of William Karlsson (78), Jonathan Marchessault (75) and Reilly Smith (60). Second-line forward Erik Haula (55) and defensemen Colin Miller (41), Nate Schmidt (36), Shea Theodore (29) and Deryk Engelland (23) are also included on that list.Fleury’s 2.24 goals-against average and .927 save percentage were the best of his 14 NHL seasons.The second line has new faces with the Golden Knights signing center Paul Stastny and acquiring right wing Max Pacioretty in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens during the offseason. They replace forwards David Perron and James Neal, who left in free agency.Perron led Vegas in assists last season with 50 and Neal scored 25 goals.The Flyers, who lost in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to Pittsburgh, were one of the youngest teams in the league last season, but that youthful talent was significant to their success.Travis Konecny, 21, is one of the team’s top players and will join captain Claude Giroux and Selke finalist Sean Couturier on the first line. Nolan Patrick is part of a formidable line that includes Wayne Simmonds and Jacob Voracek.One of the main objectives for Flyers coach Dave Hakstol is deciding on the vacant third-line center role that was occupied last season by Valtteri Filppula, who signed with the New York Islanders.Jordan Weal and Scott Laughton are top candidates. Weal is playing at his original position after skating on a wing in recent years. Laughton may open against the Golden Knights on left wing if he does not play in the middle.“I think playing in the league a couple years now, I kind of have more confidence with the puck,” Laughton said. “I work with an elite skills coach back home and try to work on the little things that I wouldn’t work on — a lot of stuff with your head up. “Goaltending remains a major concern for the Flyers. The tandem of oft-injured Michal Neuvirth and Brian Elliott was ranked in the bottom 10 of the NHL last year in save percentage. Elliott posted a .909 save percentage in the last two seasons, and Neuvirth has been at .912 when healthy.