Sonstige » one anywhere close to what we were thinking.

The Pittsburgh Penguins got one of the top free agent defencemen on the market and didnt have to give up big money or term to get it done. Numbers Game looks at the signing of Christian Ehrhoff. The Penguins Get: D Christian Ehrhoff. Ehrhoff, 31, was surprisingly bought out of his contract by the Buffalo Sabres and became one of the most appealing free agent defencemen on a thin market, yet decided to accept a one-year deal with a championship contender. While Ehrhoffs possession numbers werent great in Buffalo, thats no surprise playing for the worst team in the league, and Ehrhoff has consistently posted very strong relative possession numbers, so even though the Penguins may not be a possession powerhouse, they are a better team and have a supporting cast that should allow Ehrhoff to thrive. Since 2008-2009, he has 223 points, which ranks 13th among defencemen and hes averaged better than 23 minutes per game in each of the past four seasons. In Pittsburgh, Ehrhoff effectively takes over for Matt Niskanen, which should include some power play time, but this will allow the Penguins to be a little more judicious as they bring in their young defencemen. Simon Despres is due to move into he lineup and both Olli Maatta and prospect Derrick Pouliot are coming off shoulder surgery, so having Ehrhoff, Paul Martin and Kris Letang gives them a core around which they can anchor their defence. This isnt to suggest that Ehrhoff is a saviour, but hes capable of handling top-pair minutes, so getting that calibre of defenceman without having to give up term or significant money is a virtual gift for the Penguins. Additionally, signing for one year and $4-million, Ehrhoff sets himself up for another big contract next season, should he be so inclined. From the Sabres perspective, they already know that they arent going to be good next year and, apparently, had concerns about Ehrhoff retiring before the end of his contract and the recapture penalties that would go with it. Theyre decidedly worse without Ehrhoff, but being worse when your team finishes 30th still means finishing 30th. 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. Frank Vatrano Jersey .com) - SirDominic Pointer posted career highs of 24 points and seven steals to lead No. Adidas Patrice Bergeron Jersey . Yet heading to New York, the Habs remain positive as it all comes down to the one main ingredient that the organization has built its team on - character. http://www.cheapbruinsjerseys.com/?tag=a...-debrusk-jersey. (AP) -- The head of the committee that developed Major League Baseballs plan to expand instant replay says he is optimistic the system will be in place this season, even though owners and unions for players and umpires have yet to approve. Patrice Bergeron Jersey . -- Scottie Wilbekin sat on the bench for the final minute, holding a bag of ice against his left knee. Torey Krug Jersey . Campbell, playing on loan with Greek club Olympiacos, found the net with a left-footed shot in the 44th minute off a pass from second-half substitute Jorge Rojas to open the scoring at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica.(SportsNetwork.com) - Minnesota Vikings fans would surely concede Teddy Bridgewater is not Peyton Manning. But the Vikings rookie can soothe himself by recognizing that hes also not Geno Smith. Unlike his signal-calling counterpart for Sundays game at TCF Bank Stadium, the youngster from Louisville is not only playing well as the 2014 season reaches its final stages, but theres also a very good chance - unlike Smith in New York - that hes already penciled in for a starting job next year. Bridgewater has four touchdowns against a single interception in his last two games, and played perhaps his best game of the season last week against Carolina - completing 15-of-21 passes for 138 yards, two scores and a 120.7 passer rating in a 31-13 defeat of the Panthers. Im better at just making quicker decisions, he said. Earlier in the year, I talked about getting rid of the ball faster. That wasnt the issue. I think I just made quicker decisions, and if Im able to make quicker decisions Im able to get the ball out faster. One of his prime targets, wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, should be around for the full 60 minutes against the Jets after having just one pass thrown to him last week. He only played three snaps against Carolina after attending a funeral during the practice week and dealing with a knee injury. He caught six passes for 86 yards in Minnesotas Week 8 defeat of Tampa Bay, but has caught just five balls since for 51 yards. Hes got 30 catches for 350 yards and one touchdown this season, after arriving as a rookie in 2013 and catching 45 passes for 469 yards and four TDs. I have high hopes for him. Im in his corner. I want him to be a good player, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. It would help this football team. It would help me. It would help everybody around that he becomes a great player. It may be not right away. Meanwhile, though history shows the Jets last lost to the Vikings when Gerald Ford was president and Joe Namath still played at Shea Stadium, it doesnt do a lot of good for modern-day Rex Ryan. A 16-13 loss to Miami on Monday night plunged New York to 2-10 in Ryans sixth season and added another layer of certainty that the last four games of 2014 will be his last four at Gang Greens helm. Im embarrassed for myself, absolutely, he said. Its an embarrassment. Its definitely embarrassing to me. I feel like Ive let my owner down. Ive let our fan base down. The year hasnt gone anywhere close to what we were thinking. Im going to focus on beating Minnesota. Im not worried about anything else but that. I dont think that way. My job is not to worry about myself. My job is to get this team prepared to the best of my ability, and thats what I plan on doing. Ryans teams reached the AFC Championship Game in his first two seasons on the job in 2009 and 2010, winning four road playoff games with Mark Sanchez at the helm.dddddddddddd Theyve not had a winning record since, however, and Sanchez was let go in the offseason after Smith became the rookie starter last year. Sanchez is now quarterbacking the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles, while Smith, backup Michael Vick, Ryan and even general manager John Idzik are on a collective hot seat with the Jets. Smith completed only seven of 13 passes in the loss to the Dolphins, a game in which New York led by 10 points in the first half. The Jets ran the ball 49 times, but when they were forced into rally mode on a final drive, Smith was intercepted - which led to talk that the game plan reflected an absence of faith in the quarterback. Ryan insisted, though, that the run/pass ratio was not a reflection on Smith. The second-year man, who was benched in favor of Vick before regaining the job, is last in the league among full-time quarterbacks with a 65.8 passer rating. Hes thrown 11 interceptions and has averaged 5.91 yards per pass attempt, and hasnt thrown a TD pass in three games. Incidentally, the Vikings are sixth in the league in defending the pass, but have allowed 123.8 yards per game on the ground for the season and 157.0 per game over their last three outings. I understand the fact that we didnt win and the passing attempts werent there, Ryan said. But it had nothing to do with us not having confidence in Geno Smith. Thats completely false. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Awakening Johnson Running back Chris Johnson was among the symbols of the Jets ineptitude in the early season as he tried to regain his 2,000-yard form from his days in Tennessee. But hes started to pick things up in the second half and has amassed 305 yards on his last 58 carries - a 5.3-yard average per attempt. Minnesota is 24th of 32 teams against the run, so it could be another showcase for the veteran. Strength against Weakness The Vikings are by no means a scoring juggernaut when compared to the rest of the NFL, as an average of 19.4 points per game accurately indicates. But theyre facing an even more impotent outfit in the Jets, who are 30th in the league with a 15.8-point average. Minnesotas defense has held offensive powers like New Orleans, Detroit and Chicago to less than 21 points, and has a real chance to do it again. OVERALL ANALYSIS Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us two, three or four times, shame on us. While its true Ryan got more than he should have from an 8-8 team last year and true that hell probably land another NFL job and succeed after this season, the reality for 2014 is that hes pretty much out of tricks. The Vikings are not the Packers and the Jets could out-mediocre them, but the default setting is lose from here on out. Sports Network predicted outcome: Vikings 17, Jets 7 ' ' '