Der Fremde » This decision was made a long time ago

The Rangers force Game Six and the Wild even the score; notes on Zuccarello, St. Pascal Dupuis Jersey . Louis, Cooke, Toews and more. RANGERS ROCK PENGUINS Facing elimination, the New York Rangers invaded Pittsburgh, earned a first-period lead and never let the Penguins back into it, winning 5-1 in Game Five, forcing Game Six back in Manhattan. Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello each had three points for the Rangers, while LW Chris Kreider and D Ryan McDonagh each contributed a goal and an assist. Brassard, who was a point-per-game player for the Rangers in a dozen playoff games last year, now has six points (3 G, 3 A) in 12 playoff games this season, while Zuccarello is up to eight points (3 G, 5 A). Zuccarello also had the best possession stats for the Rangers, with 16 shot attempts for and seven against. The Blueshirts had 69.6% of the attempts with Zuccarello on the ice and 48.6% when he was off the ice. This was only Kreiders second game of the playoffs, and he was effective on a line with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash. Both Kreider and Brassard tied for the Rangers team lead with six hits. McDonagh, who only had one assist in 11 playoff games prior to Game Four, had a goal and an assist, with both points coming on the previously beleaguered Rangers power play. After scoring two goals on three attempts with the man advantage, maybe the Rangers are ready to leave that PP slump in the rearview mirror. After getting annihilated by Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Game Four, the Rangers (led by McDonagh and Dan Girardi) were much more effective against that duo in Game Five. While Malkin scored a goal, Crosby was on for 13 shot attempts for and 18 against. The inspirational story for the Rangers was veteran RW Martin St. Louis, playing a day after his mother died suddenly. St. Louis didnt have his best game, but the Rangers rallied around him and G Henrik Lundqvist stopped 31 of 32 Pittsburgh shots to keep the series going. The Penguins line of James Neal, Jussi Jokinen and Brandon Sutter didnt fare too well in the possession game. Neal, in particular, was on the ice for 28.6% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts when he was on the ice, while the Penguins had 54.0% of the shot attempts with Neal off the ice. In a must-win game, the Rangers played with an urgency that they havent shown in this series and are rewarded with a home date for Game Six. Theyre not out of the woods, by any means, but deserve credit for a big road win. WILD AT HEART The Minnesota Wild dominated play against the Chicago Blackhawks and won Game Four by a 4-2 score, evening the series at two games apiece. Wild defencemen Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter each had two points. Spurgeon, who had a goal and an assist, now has five points in the playoffs. Suter is up to seven. Wild LW Matt Cooke returned to the lineup, after serving a seven-game suspension and replaced Matt Moulson, who is out with a lower-body injury. Cooke was an impact player for Minnesota, playing a physical game (a game-high five hits), and chipping in an assist on the first goal of the game. He set the tone. Wild forwards Mikael Granlund, Erik Haula and Jason Pominville were all on for better than 70% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts, while Blackhawks RW Ben Smith had a game to forget, on for zero 5-on-5 shot attempts and 13 against. Smith spent the first half of the game on a line with Jonathan Toews, who was on for seven attempts for and 21 against, his 25% Corsi% was his lowest of the year. Toews faced the Wilds top defence pair, Suter and Jonas Brodin, for most of the night. Blackhawks RW Marian Hossa had two assists and D Brent Seabrook had one; they are tied for Chicagos playoff scoring lead with 10 points. Neither goaltender, Chicagos Corey Crawford or Minnesotas Ilya Bryzgalov, looked sharp, but with the Wild controlling play, they had more opportunities to take advantage against Crawford. In front of a rowdy home crowd, the Wild continued their winning ways, now 5-0 at home in the postseason. If theyre going to pull off the upset, though, they are going to need to win at least one in Chicago. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Carl Hagelin Jersey . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U. Jean-Sebastien Aubin Jersey .J. -- Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch deservedly draw the attention for what theyve done in getting the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/2041q-troy-loney-jersey-penguins.html . -- The Minnesota Vikings have signed Jerome Simpson, the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver recently convicted on a felony drug charge.LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears insisted all along that quarterback Jay Cutler would get his job back once he was ready, no matter how well Josh McCown was playing. On Thursday, they stuck to their word. Coach Marc Trestman said Cutler will start Sunday at Cleveland after missing four games because of a high left ankle sprain. McCown goes back to a reserve role after excelling. "I dont think that risk was part of this decision," Trestman said. "This decision was made a long time ago. That was that when Jay was ready to play, that he would play. Thats how we planned to do it, so I dont look at it like that. I look at it, Jays our quarterback, and when he was ready to play, he was going to play, and thats the same words I used a month ago and theres no change today." Cutler worked with the receivers following Wednesdays walkthrough. Trestman said there was no swelling or any "residual issues" from that, and he was a full participant in Thursdays practice. He also said Cutler is "100 per cent or certainly close to it if not." The news on linebacker Lance Briggs wasnt quite as promising. He participated on a limited basis and Trestman wasnt optimistic about him returning this week, meaning he could miss his seventh straight game because of a broken shoulder. Cutlers return comes on the heels of a blowout win over Dallas on Monday night that vaulted the Bears back into the NFC North race after back-to-back losses at St. Louis and Minnesota. Theyre tied with Detroit at 7-6, but the Lions beat them twice. That includes the game at Soldier Field on Nov. 10, when Cutler returned after sitting out the previous week because of a groin injury only to hurt his ankle when a defensive player rolled up it. He stayed in until the Bears final drive, even though he was labouring, when McCown led them to a touchdown and the potential tying two-point conversion failed. Cutler was hoping to return against Dallas. Instead, hell face the Browns, a team thats 4-9 after losing four straight but boasts one of the leagues top defences. Theyre seventh overall and tied for eighth against the pass. Lurking not too far beneath the surface is that Cutler has an uncertain future with an expiring contract. "Cant worry about it," he said. "Were trying to win football games. Whatever it takes to win that game, thats kind oof my mindset. Tom Barrasso Jersey. Itll take care of itself. It always does." When healthy, Cutler has played as well as he has since he arrived from Denver before the 2009 season. He has thrown for just over 1,900 yards, and his 88.4 rating is his highest as a Bear. More than anything, he appeared to be clicking with Trestman, which was one of the main reasons Lovie Smith was fired after last season. The Bears wanted to get the most out of their quarterback, so they switched to an offensive-minded head coach. McCown has also excelled in Trestmans system, and there were at least some calls to stay with the hot hand. Cutler insisted hes not paying attention to that debate, saying hes simply focusing on Cleveland. McCown provided plenty of fuel through his play even if he and Trestman did their best to squash any controversy, saying all along that the job still belonged to Cutler. "There is not a debate in this building so that is kind of where my concern lies," Cutler said. If nothing else, the Bears know they can count on McCown if they need him again. Considering he was coaching high school football in North Carolina when they first signed him during the 2011 season, thats not bad. McCown has thrown for more than 1,800 yards and completed nearly 67 per cent of his passes in seven appearances. He has 13 touchdowns and just one interception, and his performance against Dallas might have been his best. He became the first player in franchise history with three straight 300-yard passing games, throwing for 348 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. He also ran for one, getting spun like a helicopter as he leaped into the end zone, but hes headed back to the sideline. "Ill do everything I can to help him," McCown said. "And hes going to study, hes going to work hard and hes going to put himself in a position to be successful. Before he got hurt he was playing some of the best ball of his career. So theres no reason to think that wont continue." If Cutler struggles this week, could he get a quick hook? "I wouldnt be prepared for any of those hypotheticals," Trestman said. "We plan on him playing and playing well and those situations come up game by game with anybody. But I wouldnt go near that one other than the fact that I expect Jay to play efficiently and play well and thats why hes going to be up." ' ' '