Clan-Members » ints this season.25.? (29) Buffalo Sabres

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Joey Logano was initially unrepentant, insistent he had done nothing wrong in a feud with Matt Kenseth that ultimately cost Logano a chance to win his first Cup championship.A year later, Logano has a new perspective about the soap opera that fueled the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. He returns to Martinsville Speedway on Sunday with a maturity about him that could put Logano in position to win that elusive title.I learned some valuable lessons last year, Logano said. I learned a whole new level I didnt even know I had. Now I know how to reach that level mentally inside a racecar to make things happen and be a great leader for my team.Logano was en route to NASCARs championship race last year as perhaps the driver to beat for the title. Hed swept the three-race segment of the second round of the Chase, and was dominating at Martinsville, headed toward a win that would have advanced him to the season finale.Then Kenseth intentionally wrecked Logano as payback for a spat that started during the second round of the playoffs. Logano had already won at Charlotte to secure his spot in the third round, and Kenseth was closing in on a must-win victory at Kansas that would have extended his playoffs.But Logano, who only had a trophy on the line that day at Kansas, raced Kenseth hard in the closing laps and spun his rival. Kenseth was livid at how hard Logano had raced him. Logano didnt care.The hard feelings simmered for two more weeks, then with Kenseth out of the playoffs, he exacted his revenge.Looking back, Logano knows now his shoulder-shrug attitude toward Kenseth flamed the fire. Had he picked up the phone, called Kenseth or sent him a text, it might have changed the entire season. Kenseth might have let it go, Logano would have won at Martinsville, maybe would already have a Cup championship.Thats all in the past as the third round of the playoffs begins Sunday at Martinsville, and Logano and Kenseth are both still in play. Logano scored a must-win victory last week at Talladega to advance , while Kenseth used consistency and a play-it-safe strategy at Talladega to ensure Joe Gibbs Racing got all four of its Toyotas into the round of eight.Logano is the only Ford driver still in the playoffs. Hes got to face the entire JGR organization -- the team he raced for before they let him go and he was scooped up by Roger Penske -- as well as six-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who leads 2014 winner Kevin Harvick and a trio of Chevrolets.Penske believes Sunday is a critical race, for his driver and his team, in this Chase.Its a level playing field. Were satisfied where we are, he said. I think we need to get through what happened last year at Martinsville and get some good success there so we can move on hopefully to the next round.Logano, who starts second Sunday, very much wants this do-over. He had a bulls-eye on his back last year, in part because of that three-race sweep in the playoffs, in part because of his supreme confidence. But he had to deliver last week to get to this round, and hes not yet stamped himself as a favorite in this Chase.I think were a little bit more under the radar than we were last year, he said. Weve just got to go out there and fight, do what we know how to do. Dont need to change anything. Weve just got to keep the intensity up, keep realizing we like the pressure; I think were better under pressure. Thats kind of our motto this year. I look forward to those moments. I looked forward to this weekend.Other drivers to watch:JOHNSON: His quest to win a record-tying seventh championship begins in earnest at Martinsville. An eight-time Martinsville winner, Johnson failed to make it to the third round of the Chase in the first two years of this format. This is a good round of track for Johnson, who has 23 career top-10s at Martinsville and has won the last four Chase races at Texas.DENNY HAMLIN: He squeezed into this round of the Chase on a tiebreaker, but hes a five-time Martinsville winner and feels like his shot at the championship race comes Sunday. I think every time I come here that anything less than a victory is a disappointment, Hamlin said.HARVICK: A poor qualifying effort has Harvick starting 20th on Sunday. But he has the best average finish among drivers on short tracks this year at 7.0, and he led 72 laps at Martinsville in the spring. No one is very concerned with how Harvick runs on Sunday, though, because he owns Phoenix, where the final four will be decided.JEFF GORDON: Martinsville is his eighth and final scheduled race as the replacement driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr., and its presumably the last of his career. Hes the defending race winner, and hes been to victory lane at Martinsville nine times in his career. Last years win was one of the biggest of his career, and Gordon would love one last victory celebration.MARTIN TRUEX JR: He was the Chase favorite just a few weeks ago after winning two races in the first round of the Chase. Then a blown engine knocked him out of Talladega, and out of the playoffs. Truex responded with a pole-winning run for Martinsville , and hes determined to close out the season with a string of wins to replace his championship disappointment. Cheap Titans Jerseys China . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. Cheap Tennessee Titans Jerseys . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. http://www.cheaptitansjerseyselite.com/ . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. Cheap Titans Jerseys . Los Angeles star goalie survived those perilous gymnastics with no problem, and he eventually backstopped the Kings to a skid-snapping win. Quick stopped 27 shots in his return from a 24-game injury absence, Jeff Carter scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:55 to play, and the Kings snapped their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. Cheap Titans Jerseys Authentic .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. My colleagues Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun had control of the power rankings for the first two months. Now its my turn to let the masses disagree with my choices -- and that means theres plenty of movement this week.1. (Last week: 2) Montreal Canadiens, 17-6-2During their five-game road trip (during which Montreal has gone 2-2-0), the Canadiens posted a 5-4 shootout victory over the Kings on Sunday. Forward Andrew Shaw has three goals in his past five games. Captain Max Pacioretty had two goals and one assist for three points, while goalie Carey Price recorded his league-leading 14th win.2. (3)?New York Rangers, 17-8-1Rick Nash has two goals and one assist in the past three games. Hes going into the dirty areas and has been an offensive force of late while also helping to mentor rookie linemate Jimmy Vesey.3. (1)?Chicago Blackhawks, 16-8-3Goalie Corey Crawford had an appendectomy Saturday and will miss two or three weeks. He is 12-6-2, has a 2.27 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. The Blackhawks now need to play better overall defense in front of backup Scott Darling during Crawfords absence.4. (5) Pittsburgh Penguins, 15-7-3Captain Sidney Crosby has two goals and five assists for seven points in the past four games. Overall, he has 26 points (16 goals, tied for the league lead, and 10 assists) in 19 games.5. (6) Ottawa Senators, 15-8-2With goalie Craig Anderson on personal leave to be with his wife who is battling cancer, fellow netminder Mike Condon made his second consecutive start. Condon is 3-1-1 and had 24 saves to help the Senators to a 2-0 win over the Panthers. It was his second shutout in five games since the Senators acquired him via trade from the Penguins on Nov. 2.6. (9) Columbus Blue Jackets, 14-5-4The Blue Jackets set a franchise record with a 60-shot performance during Saturdays 3-2 shootout win over the Coyotes. It was Columbus third straight victory, and the Blue Jackets improved to 8-1-2 in their past 11 games. Columbus five regulation losses are the fewest in the league.7. (4) Washington Capitals, 13-7-3The Capitals have lost three consecutive games (0-2-1) -- falling to the Maple Leafs, Islanders and Lightning. Washington will attempt to snap its skid against the rejuvenated Sabres on Monday night.8.? (14) San Jose Sharks, 15-9-1The Sharks had an emotional 4-1 win over the Kings on Wednesday. San Jose has dealt with a busy schedule of late, including a stretch of 10 games in 18 days, and is 6-3-1 during that span.9. (7) Tampa Bay Lightning, 14-11-2Tampa Bay has gone 4-5-1 in its past 10 games. Forward Brian Boyle scored the shootout winner to help the Lightning snap a four-game losing skid with a victory over the Capitals on Saturday.10.?(23) Philadelphia Flyers, 14-10-3The Flyers had a pair of character wins over the Blackhawks and Predators, and have won five straight to match the franchises longest winning streak since 2013-14.11. (8) St. Louis Blues, 14-7-4Alexander Steen scored his 200th goal in his 765th game during Saturdays 3-2 overtime loss to the Jets.12.? (15) Edmonton Oilers, 14-10-3The entire hockey world held its breath when Oilers captain Connor McDavid left Sundays game in the second period against the Wild because of the leagues concussion protocol. Fortunately, he returned in the third period and showed no ill effects. It would be devastating to Edmontons hopes to lose its best player for any amount of time.13.? (12) Los Angeles Kings, 13-10-2The Kings are 6-2-2 in their past 10 games but dropped a 5-4 shootout decision to the Canadiens on Sunday.14.? (11) Minnesota Wild, 12-8-4Eric Staal?-- who has five ggoals and 10 assists for 15 points in 20 games -- has added so much to the Wild both on and off the ice.dddddddddddd And?Charlie Coyle is starting to heat up.15.? (18) Boston Bruins, 14-10-1Who knows where the Bruins would be this season without goalie Tuukka Rask? He made a season-high 35 saves en route to a 2-1 win over the Sabres on Saturday and is 13-4-1 with a 1.60 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage.16.?(22)?Winnipeg Jets, 13-13-2After missing 23 games because of injury, forward Bryan Little has four points in four games while logging plenty of ice time. The Jets had a huge 2-1 win over the Blackhawks on Sunday during which Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves.17.?(25) Calgary Flames, 13-13-2After breaking his finger, forward Johnny Gaudreau was expected to miss six weeks. It took him only three weeks to get back, and he wasted no time having an impact, scoring a goal and adding an assist against the Ducks on Sunday in his first game back.18. (10) Nashville Predators, 11-9-4Filip Forsberg needs to produce more. He only has two goals after scoring 33 in 2015-16.19.?(13) Anaheim Ducks, 12-9-5The Ducks dropped an embarrassing 8-3 loss to the Flames on Sunday. Ryan Kesler scored two goals in that game and now has 21 points in 26 games.20.?(16) New Jersey Devils, 11-7-6Even goalie Cory Schneider needs a day off. So backup Keith Kinkaid took advantage of his opportunity and led the Devils to a 5-4 overtime win over the Predators on Saturday. Hes 3-1-2 with a 2.59 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.21.?(17) Florida Panthers, 12-11-2A week after making a coaching change, the Panthers are 1-1-1 under new coach Tom Rowe. Florida will face the Bruins and Flyers on back-to-back nights on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.22. (19) Dallas Stars, 10-10-6Goalie Kari Lehtonen made 23 saves to lead the Stars to a 3-0 win over the Avalanche on Saturday. It was his first shutout of the season.23. (20) Carolina Hurricanes, 10-10-5Goalie Cam Ward was outstanding in his 30-save performance to lead the Hurricanes to a 1-0 win over the Lightning on Sunday. It was his 25th career shutout.24.?(21) Toronto Maple Leafs, 10-9-5Rookie Auston Matthews has five goals and one assist for six points in his past five games. Overall, he has 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points this season.25.? (29) Buffalo Sabres, 9-10-5The return of Jack Eichel has paid instant dividends for the Sabres. He missed the first 21 games with a high-ankle sprain and has three goals and one assist for four points in three games. His presence adds an entirely different level of speed and finesse.26.?(24) Detroit Red Wings, 12-11-3Red Wings forward Frans Nielsen had an assist against his former team in a 4-3 win over the Islanders. He spent 10 seasons with the Islanders before signing a six-year deal with the Red Wings on July 1.27.? (26) Vancouver Canucks, 11-12-2The Canucks finally showed some emotion in a 3-2 shootout win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday.28.?(27) Arizona Coyotes, 8-11-4Despite a 3-2 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets, Coyotes goalie Mike Smith recorded 58 saves to set a franchise record.29.?(28) Colorado Avalanche, 9-13-1Defenseman Erik Johnson will be sidelined 6-8 weeks after breaking his leg while blocking a shot during Saturdays 3-0 loss to the Stars.30.? (30) New York Islanders, 9-10-5Anders Lee recorded his 100th point, while Josh Bailey extended his points streak to five game during Sundays 4-3 overtime loss to the Red Wings. ' ' '