News » let alone the same period. Pacioretty redeemed

CHICAGO - The Chicago White Sox have a dynamic power hitter in Jose Abreu. They have one of baseballs best pitchers in Chris Sale and a pesky leadoff man in Adam Eaton. Then there is the rest of the roster. Led by Abreu, the favourite for AL Rookie of the Year, Chicago posted a 10-game improvement this season compared to its 99 losses in 2013. It closed the season by dropping three of four against playoff-bound Kansas City in the final series for slugger Paul Konerko, who retired after 18 years in the majors. With Abreu, Sale and Eaton, the White Sox have three of the most valuable commodities in baseball, but there are several areas of concern heading into another important winter, namely an injury-riddled bullpen and the rest of the rotation behind Sale and Jose Quintana. I think we are pleased with a lot of the progress weve made in the last 15 months, but were by no means, first satisfied, nor operating under the belief that were by any means finished, in terms of assembling a core and a unit that can contend on annual basis, general manager Rick Hahn said. Thats absolutely the goal as we enter the off-season here. Another off-season like the previous one, and Chicago will be in prime position to improve again in 2015. The White Sox landed Abreu last October, handing over a $68 million, six-year contract to the Cuban slugger. He responded with one of the best rookie seasons in major league history, batting .317 with 36 homers and 107 RBIs in 145 games. Abreu turns 28 in January and could be anchoring Chicagos lineup for years to come. I think we see great things, manager Robin Ventura said. Any time a guy gets into his first year and has the impact that he had, youre very excited to see what comes of it. The White Sox also acquired Eaton from Arizona in a three-team trade last December. He hit .300 in his third year in the majors with 10 triples, tying Clevelands Michael Bourn for the AL lead. He also played fearless defence in centre field, becoming a fan favourite for his willingness to crash into the wall while tracking long flyballs. We werent expected to win, but I think we played better than most people thought, Eaton said before Sundays 6-4 loss to Kansas City. But like I said, you dont want to get into that mindset of were not expected to win so we dont have to win. I think we need to come every day knowing that were going to win, knowing that were going to compete, and I think well do that next year. Sale was his usual brilliant self, going 12-4 with a 2.17 ERA, and Quintana had another solid year. But the rest of the rotation was inconsistent, and the bullpen was even worse. Hurt by injuries to Nate Jones and Matt Lindstrom, Chicago had a major league-high 32 losses by relievers, and its 4.38 bullpen ERA was 28th in the league. It also had 21 blown save opportunities, tied for seventh-most in the majors. When you look at our bullpen, you wish that was better, Ventura said. You dont know if its going to be guys that are improving or different people. Thats just the way the game goes. You look at what youre weak at and try to figure out a way to improve it. Carlos Rodon, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft, could help the rotation or bullpen next year, and Hahn said the team has some economic flexibility heading into the winter. Chicago also could look to upgrade its outfield after the position group produced just 37 homers this year, tied for eighth-fewest in all of baseball, according to STATS. You look back at a lot of games you lost; see how you lost them, why you lost them, Ventura said. I think defensively for us, theres way to improve. 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Cheap Jordans For Sale Wholesale .com) - The Carolina Hurricanes hope to remain perfect at home in January on Friday night as they welcome the Vancouver Canucks to PNC Arena.MONTREAL -- If the Montreal Canadiens had lost the game, Max Pacioretty would have been kicking himself for a long time, despite scoring a hat trick. With the Canadiens leading the Vancouver Canucks by only one goal midway through the second period on Thursday, a game Montreal would eventually win 5-2, Pacioretty was awarded two penalty shots in a two-minute span. He missed them both. For the first, Pacioretty was hooked on a breakaway by recently-acquired defenceman Raphael Diaz at 11:47. After the referee pointed to centre ice, the Canadiens leading goal-scorer walked in all alone, but shot high and wide. "I thought a little bit too much before the shot," said Pacioretty, who had already scored Montreals first goal earlier in the game. "That didnt help me." Less than two minutes later, Alexandre Burrows took Pacioretty down on another breakaway, and the decision on the ice was the same. "I couldnt believe it," said Pacioretty. "I was just trying to catch my breath, wipe down my visor, buy myself a little extra time. Thats the last thing I would expect to happen so quickly after my first one." This time, Pacioretty lost control of the puck, bobbled it, and then took a weak backhand shot on Roberto Luongo, who made the pad save. Pacioretty has taken three penalty shots in his career - two on Thursday, and another on Oct. 12, 2013, in Vancouver. Luongo, who made 25 saves on Thursday, got the better of him on all three occasions. "Hes a big goalie, hes a good goalie," said Pacioretty of the Canucks netminder. "When it comes to penalty shots, hes in my head." Despite missing both, Montreals leading scorer became the first Canadien in team history to take two penalty shots in the same game - let alone the same period. Pacioretty redeemed himself at the start of the third, though, beating Luongo glove-side for his second of the game, the game-winner, and team-leading 25th goal of the season. He also added an empty-netter for his second hat trick of the season. "He stuck with it," said P.K. Subban of his power forward. "It says a lot about his character. Its tough, especially for a guy like him who wants to score so badly. He scored two goals afterwards. It shows how mentally tough he is and determined he is. Kudos to him." The Canucks have lost six consecutive games for the first time in five years. The team is still winless (0-3) since coach John Tortorellas return from a 15-day suspension. After the two missed penalty shots, the Canucks (27-23-9) started the third period down 2-1, but couldnt beat Carey Price for the equalizer. Price frustrated Vancouvers shooters all night, stopping 42 shots for Montreal (31-21-6). Tortorella calledd the game an "uphill battle.dddddddddddd" "Our first period was okay," he said. "We played really well in the second. We just couldnt carry it. We needed momentum early in the third period, and maybe score a goal to keep us going." The Canucks did get one back in the third when Alexander Edler beat Price far side with a wrist shot while the Canucks played 5-on-4. But it wasnt enough. Stuck on 63 points, Vancouver is holding on to the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. But Tortorella doesnt think his players have the wrong attitude. "Thats the only thing we can do as a club, right now, is stay positive," said Tortorella. "Why lose that battle? The bench was alive, they played hard. That wont be a problem. We need to continue working at this." After Paciorettys first goal of the game at 14:59 of the first period, Ryan White fired home his first goal of the season. White couldnt have asked for an easier first goal, taking advantage of a sprawled-out Luongo, who thought he was covering the puck, to fire a backhand shot into the roof of the net and give the Habs a 2-0 lead. "I was making sure I put that one in, for sure. I saw the empty net, and I just wanted to make sure I didnt give (Luongo) any opportunity to make the save. He was down and out, and I had to make sure." Dale Weise, in only his second game with Montreal, got an assist on the goal. Former-Hab Chris Higgins made it 2-1 for the visitors at 2:31 of the second period, beating Price on the power play with a redirected shot off his shin for his 16th goal of the year. Montreal had killed off 28 straight penalties prior to Higgins power-play goal. The Canadiens added a fourth goal when Edler kicked the puck into his own net at 8:14. Tomas Plekanec, the last Montreal player to touch the puck, was credited with the goal. The Canadiens had lost four in a row in January, but have since gone 4-1-1. "Were a more confident group," said White. "When you lose, youre second-guessing yourself. Youre maybe not making the right plays all the time, they come back to haunt you. "When were confident, when were playing as a group, those mistakes tend to slide sometimes." NOTES: Henrik Sedin (rib) and Dan Hamhuis (leg) were not in the lineup for the Canucks. The injury even forced Sedin to withdraw from the Olympic Games earlier in the day. ... Weise and Diaz both faced their former teams after they were traded on Monday. ... Travis Moen (lower body) did not dress for the Habs, and is listed as day-to-day. ... This was the second of two games between Montreal and Vancouver this season. The Canadiens beat the Canucks 4-1 on Oct. 12, 2013. ' ' '