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TORONTO -- As the puck gently trickled over Finlands goal line for an empty-net tally with 2.6 seconds remaining in regulation, Team Sweden goaltender Henrik Lundqvist raised his arms in celebration and gave a fist pump like no one was watching him.Truth be told: All eyes are on the 34-year-old netminder.This game, this 2-0 win symbolized more than just a World Cup of Hockey victory. So many questions have surrounded Lundqvist since the end of the 2015-16 NHL regular season. Many wondered if hes nearing the end of an incredible career. The offseason was unlike any he had experienced in the past. He spent it preparing for this best-on-best tournament in the hope that he could rejuvenate his career for the New York Rangers.Well, Lundqvist proved on Tuesday that he should still be considered a world-class goalie. He was outstanding in a 36-save, shutout performance over Finland.Obviously, it was an important game for me, Lundqvist said. You try to build your game, but at the same time, you have to make sure youre helping your team. Its an important game. You cant just go out there and try to feel good and start building your game. Its too late for that. I had two [preseason] games to do that, and now its for real. You just try to be really focused and do your best out there.During the last World Cup preseason game against Team Europe in Washington, D.C., Lundqvist struggled, allowing five goals on 22 shots before he was pulled midway through the third period. Even though it appeared to be a terrible performance, Lundqvist maintained afterward that he was able to accomplish a lot in that game to prepare for the tournament. It didnt help when he did not play the first official game against Russia on Sunday because he had the flu. Instead, backup Jacob Markstrom played and led Sweden to a 2-1 victory with a 27-save performance.Lundqvist participated in the teams full practice on Monday and said afterward that he would be ready for Finland. There was no way he would miss what could be his last chance to face Swedens rival in international competition. On Tuesday, he flashed the pads and dazzled with his glove en route to a victory over the Finns -- and Sweden improved to 2-0 in this tournament.He was just awesome out there,?Loui Eriksson?said. Made some really good saves for us. He looked like the Hank weve seen before. Great game. Important for us.Like his teammates, Lundqvist takes a lot of pride in playing for the national team. He has won Olympic gold (2006) and silver (2014) and hopes to lead his country to another international victory in this tournament.Thats why hes one of the top goalies in the world, said Sweden coach Rikard Gronborg. He played an excellent game and gave us a chance to win. We knew coming into the tournament hes a top goalie, a piece of the puzzle for us to advance. If we are going to advance in the tournament, he has to be on. He gives a certain kind of stability. As coaches we know we can count on him.Before the tournament, Finnish prospect Patrik Laine, who is considered a pure goal scorer with a laser-like shot, said it didnt matter which goalie was in the net because all he wants to do is score goals. He fired five shots at Lundqvist on Tuesday, but the veteran netminder stopped them all.We had many good scoring chances, but he was playing awesome in the net, so we couldnt score, Laine said. When you dont score any goals its hard to win a game. We were playing pretty well, but the right team won.Laines best scoring chance of the game came with 40.2 seconds remaining in the second period. Finland was on the power play when Laine unleased a one-timer from the top of the left faceoff circle. It was a precise shot to the top right corner, but Lundqvist snared it with a highlight-reel glove save.The puck was bouncing, so it was good I got a shot off from that pass, but I think I had a pretty good shot. Hes a good goalie and he got it and thats the deal, Laine said.Since Lundqvist is likely still not 100 percent, the question will be: Should he play on Wednesday against Team North America? Its not a throw-away game for Sweden. If it was, especially given the way Markstrom played on Sunday, then Lundqvist could be given the day off, but thats not the case now. Lundqvist needs to play. Itll be interesting to see how he responds to playing two games in less than 24 hours.Lundqvist said after Tuesdays game that he felt better both physically and mentally, and that he had more energy before the game than hed had the last few days because of the flu. Lundqvist admitted he felt a bit rusty in the first period against Finland but was able to settle in as the game progressed -- so yes, hell be ready to play against the high-powered young guns on Wednesday. Will he get to?I hope so. I havent talked to the coach yet, but I want to go, he said. Its an important game. Were not in [the semifinals] yet. But he makes the call.Plus, hell likely face a ton of shots given Team North Americas high-paced play so far.Were playing a team with a lot of skill, and they move the puck more side-to-side than maybe the Finns do, Lundqvist said. The Finns go pretty straight to the net and try to create rebounds and chances like that, so its going to be a great challenge for me and for the team tomorrow.No matter how this tournament ends for Sweden, if Lundqvist can continue to play like he did against Finland and build his game in preparation for his season with the Rangers, itll be interesting to see if he can regain his Vezina-worthy ability.Hes had a great career in the NHL, and hes a great goalie, said Finland goalie Tuukka Rask, who also played well and finished with 28 saves in the loss. Hes been at the top for many, many years, so hopefully I can do the same.Theres only one thing missing from Lundqvists resume and thats a Stanley Cup. His performance on Tuesday showed he still has the ability to compete at an elite level. It was the type of performance that could lead to great things during the 2016-17 season.Its good for your confidence when you play a game like this, Lundqvist said. Deryk Engelland Jersey . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. Shea Theodore Jersey . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. http://www.cheapgoldenknightsjerseys.com/?tag=adidas-clayton-stoner-jersey . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Adidas Reilly Smith Jersey . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Adidas Marc-Andre Fleury Jersey . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. When Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber suffered major damage to two of the four primary ligaments of his left knee this spring, his season was officially declared over.And yet, there was Schwarber in Games 1 and 2 of the World Series, back in uniform as a designated hitter, even notching two RBIs in Game 2.The Cubs organization had been pleasantly surprised when Dr. Daniel Cooper, the orthopedic surgeon who reconstructed Schwarbers ACL and repaired his LCL, gave clearance for Schwarber to participate in the Fall Classic as a DH. After all, multiligament knee reconstructions are complex; depending on the extent and location of the damage, the typical window for returning to play post-surgery starts at nine months. But, when Schwarber had his six-month checkup with Cooper, the surgeon was impressed by the stability of the knee and Schwarbers strength. Cooper gave the go-ahead for the outfielder to begin hitting and running the bases. Schwarber proved he could do both, and suddenly found himself in the lineup.After he exceeded expectations by not only returning for the start of the World Series but also by delivering at the plate, perhaps Cubs fans assumed it was only natural Schwarber would be cleared days later to play in the outfield.He was not.Team president Theo Epstein announced Thursday that Schwarber did not receive medical clearance to resume playing in the field. Just days after the social media world responded with admiration for Schwarbers work ethic and determination, there were some who expressed disappointment in the decision to keep Schwarber relegated to a potential pinch-hitting role as the series resumes at Wrigley Field.What could possibly keep someone out of the lineup when the World Series is at stake?Well, theres a reason medical decisions are left to the medical personnel familiar with the athlete and his injury. No one knows better than Cooper the detail of what was involved in reconstructing Schwarbers knee. And, since Cooper is considered one of the leading experts in multiligament knee reconstruction, his recommendations are probably worth following.For those looking for the rationale behind the decision to hold Schwarber out of playing the outfield, here are some things to consider:1. ACL grafts continue to strengthen over the first year. At six months, the ACL has not yet achieveed its maximum strength.dddddddddddd2. The ACL helps control deceleration and rotation at the knee; movements that combine the two are the most demanding on the ligament and therefore the riskiest (for example: planting and cutting laterally or jumping and landing while twisting).3. The addition of uncontrolled variables increases the level of difficulty for the athlete, thus increasing injury risk. Uneven terrain (from the outfield grass to the warning track), change-of-pace running (speeding up or slowing down while tracking a ball) and obstacles (the outfield wall or other outfielders, which is how Schwarber was originally injured) are all examples of uncontrolled variables in a game setting.4. Recent research shows that reinjury rates following ACL reconstruction decrease significantly when a return to full sports occurs at a minimum of nine months after surgery.5. A second injury would not only potentially cause Schwarber to miss another full season, but there is no guarantee his recovery would match what he has already accomplished. In other words, it could be career-threatening.Schwarber incurred some risk simply by returning to hit, run the bases and slide, but that risk was far less than what he would face playing the outfield. An athlete can practice hitting, running and sliding and can repeat the effort in virtually the same manner both when practicing and playing. There is no way to simulate every scenario an athlete would encounter in the outfield. Additional months of training -- and recovery -- are warranted before returning to the most complex activities.Decisions about returning to play following an injury are always informed by medical evidence, along with considerations of risk versus reward. Clearing Schwarber to do as much as he has already done did not come without these discussions. It is perfectly reasonable for him to have been cleared for hitting and not cleared for fielding.Schwarber is a competitive athlete. Of course he would love to be playing at full capacity in the ultimate competition. But he appears to have accepted his role and is, as he said, going to embrace it.If Schwarber and the Cubs can live with the decision, maybe everyone else should, too. ' ' '