News » After wasting a 4-2 lead in Game 1

ST. Wholesale Giants Jerseys . PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild were denied at the net by Semyon Varlamov time after time, a 44-shot barrage in regulation that resulted in, alas, zero goals. Coach Mike Yeo jokingly wondered aloud at the third intermission whether his team was "psychotic" to put itself through such angst. After all, the way this sport often goes, the next score in the scoreless game had the strong potential to be one of those bad-bounce goals that make a night of domination go for naught. Mikael Granlund made sure that didnt happen. Granlunds diving goal 5:08 into overtime gave the Wild a 1-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 on Monday. Minnesota pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series after Varlamov stopped 45 of 46 shots, a franchise playoff record for shots on goal by the Wild. "You see it so many times where teams do so well and get chance after chance after chance and then a fluky one goes in against you. Luckily. that wasnt the case," said Wild left wing Zach Parise. Granlund, who had a career-high seven shots on goal, sliced toward the crease and moved parallel to the net with some slick stick work. Avalanche defenceman Erik Johnson, who saved Game 1 by racing to swat away a shot on an empty net, lost his balance and tried unsuccessfully to dive at Granlund, who then began to fall forward. Granlund extended his stick to knock the puck in, and the celebration ensued. "We were playing really good. We were creating chances. We got rewarded. We need to just keep playing like that," Granlund said. Game 4 is at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday, when the Avalanche will be without defenceman Tyson Barrie. He took a knee-to-knee hit in the second period that yielded a penalty for Matt Cooke and a medial collateral ligament injury for Barrie. Coach Patrick Roy said hell be need four to six weeks to recover. "Knee on Tyson Barrie is without a doubt the play of the game. We lost our best offensive defenceman," Roy said, expressing confidence the NHL will suspend Cooke. Darcy Kuemper made 22 saves, and the Wild goalie in his first career playoff start was just as good as Varlamov. He said he had a feeling this would be a one-goal game. "I just tried to stick with it and make the saves I had to," Kuemper said. "My teammates were obviously playing unbelievable and making it easy on me. I was just trying to do my job and stay sharp." After the Avalanche line of Nathan MacKinnon, Paul Stastny and Gabe Landeskog combined for 17 points and seven goals over the first two games, the Wild kept them from doing any damage. The Wild shuffled their lines, with veteran Dany Heatleys move off the scratch list the most notable change, and played their style. They didnt get enough guys to the net for long rebounds Varlamov has a tendency to produce, but they completely controlled the flow, even if there wasnt much to show for it. "We were a little on our heels. We couldve been a little bit better, played a little more simple," MacKinnon said. After wasting a 4-2 lead in Game 1, giving up the tying goal with 13 seconds left to Stastny, as well as the overtime winner, the Wild badly needed to recapture some energy. They did from the opening faceoff, firing up a crowd thats been waiting 11 years for a playoff series victory. The Wild finally figured out how to contain the super-fast MacKinnon, forcing the 18-year-old wonder to have to stay in his own zone. They had the Avalanche on their heels for the majority of regulation. Cooke was all over the ice in his 100th career playoff game, colliding with just about every white Colorado jersey. "We didnt play up to what were capable of, theres no doubt. But Id rather give them credit. They played well. They were sharp. They were the better team on the ice," Roy said, adding yet more praise for Varlamov. Thanks to Granlund, the Wild avoided the huge hole. "Lets not kid ourselves. This is a huge win for us, not only to get the win but the way that we played the game, the way that we played our game," Yeo said. "We know that next game is going to be even bigger and a tougher test, and were going to have to be real good. But theres no question that we needed this one." B. J. Hill Jersey . -- With Tony Allen back, the Memphis Grizzlies were able to turn up their defence pressure and hold off the Los Angeles Clippers down the stretch. Giants T-shirts . It has been eleven years, eight months, and 261 days since I played my last CFL game. http://www.cheapnewyorkgiantsjerseys.com/will-hernandez-jersey/ . The incident occurred at 6:28 of the first period in Anaheims 6-3 home win over Dallas on Sunday. Garbutt left the penalty box and skated at Penner before leaving his skates to deliver a check.DETROIT - Three times he went to the playoffs with Pittsburgh, once with Florida when he won the World Series and this is the fourth time to the postseason managing the Tigers. Jim Leyland, in his eighth playoffs, has never had a starting rotation he trusts as much as the grouping of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister. "We had a very good rotation in Florida in 97 when we were fortunate enough to win the World Series but it wasnt as good as this one," said Leyland. "This is the best that Ive had. Im not talking about other teams, other organizations, but for me, yes, its the best postseason starting rotation Ive ever had." It could be that Leyland recalls fondly the guys he had on that Marlins team. That starting staff, which prominently featured the likes of Kevin Brown, Alex Fernandez, Al Leiter, Tony Saunders and the emergence of then-rookie Livan Hernandez, pitched to a 3.76 ERA for the regular season as the Marlins won 92 games and the National League wild card. In the postseason, however, Florida didnt win the World Series on the strength of its rotation. The group combined to allow 56 earned runs over 93 1/3 innings for a 5.40 ERA. What that rotation was able to do was work deep into games despite giving up runs. Brown and Hernandez each had a complete game in the NLCS against the Braves and on nine occasions in the playoffs Leylands starter pitched at least six innings. Compare the numbers of Leylands 1997 playoff rotation to those of his 2013 Tigers and its an understatement to suggest his staff is the best hes had. R. J. McIntosh Jersey. Detroits starters have allowed 13 earned runs in 59 2/3 innings over nine playoff games so far. Thats a 1.96 ERA. Only Sanchez, in Game 3 of the ALDS against Oakland, has failed to pitch at least six innings. In the ALCS against Boston alone, Tigers pitchers have struck out 53 Red Sox hitters, allowing three runs on 14 hits. Yet the series is tied, 2-2. Blame the Tigers bullpen, or credit David Ortiz depending on your perspective, for Bostons Game 2 comeback and offer a tip of the cap to John Lackey for working pitch for pitch with Verlander in Game 3. The Tigers rotation is on a potentially historic playoff pace and it still may not be enough to vault the club into its second consecutive World Series and third in eight years. "Just how things go this time of year," said Scherzer. "This is postseason. This is what happens when the two best teams face each other. Youre going to face a battle. Series is going to be tied." Sanchez and the Red Sox Jon Lester are set to square off in Game 5. There is no mathematical must-win for either team but the starting pitching, for what its been worth, leans in favour of the Tigers. Lose Game 5 and the Red Sox, despite being home, face the prospect of having to beat Scherzer and Verlander in back to back games on Saturday and Sunday. 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