Funkerstation » ally good footy and we do over-run a te

If NHL coaches want to provide goalies quality downtime during a constricted schedule, Martin Biron believes he has an ideal backup plan.Rather than split starts as teams often do when playing on consecutive days, the former netminder suggests it might be more beneficial to have the starter play both and then sit out the next game.If your goalie is going to play Friday, have Saturday off and play the Tuesday game, theres never a time to check out in that time off, said Biron, who spent 16 NHL seasons as a starter and backup. Im of the school that thinks its almost better to play your starter on Friday-Saturday and then not play him until next Friday, and then he has six days of preparation and rest.Its not as if goalies arent accustomed to playing twice in two days.Most of the guys that are young played three (games) in three (days) in the American League. They can handle that, Biron said. I cant speak for (skaters), but as a goalie, once you get your mindset into a game, if you have to extend it for another 24 hours thats fine.The goalie balancing act is never simple.And how much increased playing time backups get will be a pressing issue for a league squeezing in an 82-game schedule in a shortened calendar. The season began a week later than usual because of the World Cup of Hockey and the schedule, for the first time, features each team enjoying a five-day bye week.Capitals goalie Braden Holtby tends to agree with Biron, saying theres too much concern placed on goalies playing on consecutive nights when, in actuality, the entire team is tired.Historically, teams arent as good on back to backs in general, and goalies go hand in hand, Holtby said. Goalie stats are a lot to do with how your team performs. Thats just the way it is. Its a little bit harder, but its a little harder for everyone.And, Holtby added, its also hard on a backup goalie being thrust into action with negligible on-ice time because teams dont normally practice the morning before playing their second game.Holtbys production bears him out.Over the previous two seasons, Holtby is 12-5-2 when playing both nights, including a 6-2-1 mark on Day 2. Hes given up a combined 23 goals on each night.Kings goalie Jonathan Quicks record is even more impressive. In the 14 times hes played back to backs over the past two years, Quick has allowed 20 goals the first game and just 12 the next with a 5-1-1 record.The only straggler of the 10 goalies records analyzed by The Associated Press is Tuukka Rask. The Boston starter is 7-1-3 (plus one no decision) and allowed 18 goals in the first game. He is 2-8-2 with 29 goals allowed the following night.Whats never been up for debate is how critical the backups role is during a busy stretch or when the starter is sidelined.Last year, the Montreal Canadiens unraveled once Carey Price went down with a season-ending knee injury in late November. After opening 19-4-3, Montreal finished 38-38-6. The Canadiens addressed their backup spot this offseason by signing veteran Al Montoya in free agency.The move has already paid off. The eighth-year player is 2-0-2 after Price opened the season sidelined by the flu.On the other hand, minor leaguer Matt Murray led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup championship after being called up in March once starter Marc-Andre Fleury was sidelined by a concussion.This year, the Los Angeles Kings are banged-up in net with Quick and backup Jeff Zatkoff both sidelined by groin injuries. Theyre now leaning on 11-year journeyman Peter Budaj, who won his first two starts.Biron said its not uncommon for minor league call-ups to find their groove because theyre already accustomed to a starters workload as opposed to the primary backup whos had less game action.BY THE NUMBERSLast season, 85 goalies appeared in at least one game. There have already been 60 goalies who have made an appearance through the first 92 games this year.Since 2006, only two goalies have led their team to win a Stanley Cup when playing 60 or more regular-season games.Quick played 69 times when the Kings won title in 2012, and Fleury played 62 for the 2009 Cup-champion Penguins. On the low-end of the scale, Murray played only 13 regular-season games for Pittsburgh last year. Cam Ward played just 28 during his rookie year in leading the Carolina Hurricanes to the championship in `06.Of the 10 netminders who played 60 or more games last year, two missed the playoffs: Rask and Ottawas Craig Anderson. And only two reached the conference finals: Tampa Bays Ben Bishop and Martin Jones, whose Sharks lost the Cup Final to Pittsburgh.SLUMPINGThe Chicago Blackhawks penalty killers. In allowing two goals on five power-play chances in a 3-2 shootout loss to Calgary on Monday, Chicago has allowed 14 power-play goals on 24 opportunities.STREAKINGA year after opening 9-0, the Canadiens are 5-0-1 and the NHLs only team yet to lose in regulation.LEADERSGoals, Auston Matthews (Toronto) and Richard Panik (Chicago), 6; Points, Matthews, 10; Time on ice, Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg), 29:30; Wins, Cam Talbot (Edmonton), 5.GAME OF THE WEEKA showdown of the past two No. 1 draft picks takes place at Toronto on Tuesday, when Edmontons Connor McDavid faces Maple Leafs rookie Auston Matthews.---AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in Arlington, Virginia, contributed to this report.Hydro Flask Belgie Hydro Flask Rietje . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. http://www.belgiehydroflask.com/hydro-flask-coffee.html . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Hydro Flask Bestellen . Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. Hydro Flask 32 OZ Belgie . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres.They deny going from being bullied to being bullies, but GWS Giants are certainly happy to be known for having a physical edge to their AFL game.In last weekends preliminary final upset over Sydney, the relentless Giants laid 32 more tackles than the club which leads the competition in that category.With feisty veterans Shane Mumford and Steve Johnson leading the way, GWS showed they had the aggressive substance to go with their attractive playing styleIt was a far cry from the physically light early GWS teams who suffered losses by 10 or more goals 14 times in each of their first two seasons.The scrawny teenagers from those years are now strong, fully developed athletes, steeled and shaped by five years of strength and conditioning in the AFL system.Fast forward to 2016 and its the Giants dealing out the beatings, with seven wins of over 60 points in the current campaign.Star forward Jeremy Cameron said the physicality his side displayed against Sydney was something they wanted to bring to every game.Its something that weve had to work on a lot over the last few years, Cameron said.From the start it was probably thee last thing; youre just worried about getting a kick at the start.ddddddddddddackling and that sort of stuff, our defensive side of our game is something we really had to work hard on and guys like (Giants assistant coaches) Lenny Hayes and Luke Power really put in the hard time with us.Its great to see that hard work paying off.Foundation players like Cameron and utility Adam Tomlinson are relishing the good times having come through the bad.We were bullied for our first three years and we got used to losing, Tomlinson said.Thats why we probably celebrate wins as well as we do now, because they were few and far between in our first few years.Tomlinson denied it was case of the Giants turning bullies.We try not to bully teams, but we do want to play a contested brand of football, he said.If it does come out that we are playing really good footy and we do over-run a team, then so be it.Giants midfielder Josh Kelly said we want to be known for our toughness, contested footy (and) tackling.[ually good footy and we do over-run a te