om the lineup Friday, had a cortisone shot | Forum

When we last saw the San Jose Sharks, they were getting skated off the ice in the Stanley Cup finals by a Pittsburgh Penguins team that was faster, deeper and more than San Jose could handle in a long series. Wholesale Air Max 95 Mens .The sour ending overshadowed a remarkable run by the Sharks, one that saw them return to Western Conference power status. That was further underlined by the strong presence of San Jose players on Canadas World Cup team, where Joe Thornton, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Logan Couture all played important roles.NHL history hasnt been kind to the Stanley Cup runner-up. Its hard to climb that mountain, get knocked off and then begin that long climb again.The Lightning did well to get to the Eastern Conference finals last year, but they certainly had their regular-season issues along the way.Guys are excited to get back and get this season started, said Couture. There was a sense of disappointment once it ended. Throughout the summer, talking to guys, everyone is just excited to get back and get going again.They have a full season under coach Peter DeBoer, so there should be a heightened comfort level in his system. They also will be playing with the confidence that comes on the heels of a long playoff run, one that included a payback series against the rival?Los Angeles Kings.The Pacific is wide open, and the Sharks are best built to take advantage.Best new facesThe Sharks used team speed to beat the?St. Louis Blues?in the Western Conference finals but didnt quite have enough to match up with the Penguins. The addition of Mikkel Boedker helps address that. Boedker is a great skater who adds to an already-deep group of forwards in San Jose.We got better this summer, Couture said. [Boedker] is a quick guy. We played against him a lot in our division. Hes going to help our power play. Hes going to add speed and depth. Hes going to push guys down in the lineup where we can have an edge in matchups.It was a nice signing by GM Doug Wilson, similar to the unheralded additions of Joel Ward and Paul Martin the previous offseason.The addition of David Schlemko on defense was another quiet but effective addition. Hell bring mobility and puck-moving to the bottom end of the Sharks defense.Biggest unknownsLike the Lightning -- runners-up in 2015-16 -- before them, the Sharks have contract issues to resolve, and you just know how thats going to impact play on the ice. Defenseman Brent Burns?is a dynamic defenseman who has emerged as one of the best in the league -- but he needs a new deal and is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.?Wilson has traditionally gotten his core players to stay in San Jose at a discounted rate and very reasonable terms. As other general managers were giving out crazy, decade-long deals to their players when that was allowed under the previous CBA, guys like Thornton and Patrick Marleau instead signed team-friendly deals to keep the Sharks competitive.Both Marleau and Thornton are also entering the last years of their contracts. The expectation is that Thornton wont be going anywhere, but Marleaus status isnt quite as clear.Sure thingsLets make this section a Marc-Edouard Vlasic appreciation. He got some love during the Stanley Cup finals and occasionally his game was highlighted during the World Cup, but when you play with a wildman like Brent Burns, you tend to get overlooked.Vlasic is a sure thing. DeBoer knows what hes getting every night from Vlasic and sends him out on the hardest assignments every game. Vlasic and Justin Braun face the toughest competition and still control the play a majority of the time. The Sharks controlled 52.7 percent of the even-strength shot attempts when those two were on the ice together last season.Vlasics presence frees up Burns to play against slightly easier competition, usually starting in the offensive zone. Vlasic, meanwhile, started just 42.8 percent of his even-strength shifts in the offensive zone. Hes invaluable to the Sharks.Hes, in my mind, the best shutdown guy in our conference and I think the NHL, Couture said. Hes just a quiet player and he plays that effortless quiet game.PredictionThe Sharks are going to win the Pacific and enter the postseason as a favorite to represent the Western Conference again in the Stanley Cup finals. Joe Thornton is winding down his career and this is a team capable of giving him a real shot at finally hoisting the Stanley Cup. First in the Pacific;?Stanley Cup finalists. Air Max 97 Womens Sale . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. Air Max 95 Womens Sale .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. http://www.wholesale95airmax.com/air-max-97-mens-sale.html . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . TORONTO -- Josh Donaldsons mad dash moved the Blue Jays into the next round of the playoffs.Donaldson raced home from second base after Rougned Odor bounced a double-play relay in the 10th inning and Toronto beat the Texas Rangers 7-6 on Sunday night to sweep their AL Division Series.Donaldson, the reigning AL MVP, led off the 10th with a double into the right-center field gap and Matt Bush intentionally walked Edwin Encarnacion.After Jose Bautista struck out, Russell Martin hit a grounder to shortstop Elvis Andrus, who tried to start a double play with a feed to second base. After making the turn, second baseman Odor short-hopped his throw to first baseman Mitch Moreland and the ball skipped away, allowing Donaldson to sprint home and beat Morelands throw with a dive across the plate.I was at third base when the throw was being made, Donaldson said. Once I saw (Moreland) miss the pick, I felt like I had to take a chance right there.The wild-card Blue Jays are headed back to the AL Championship Series after beating Texas in an ALDS for a second straight year and will face the winner of the Cleveland-Boston series. The Indians lead 2-0, with Game 3 scheduled for Monday following a postponement Sunday.Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro, who spent 24 years with Cleveland before joining Toronto last fall, said hed already reached out to one former Indians colleague about a potential ALCS meeting.Its something Ive tried not to think about, Shapiro said, but I texted (Indians GM) Chris Antonetti a two-word text about 10 minutes ago: Your turn.Torontos bench emptied and swarmed around Donaldson near home plate after his dramatic dash, while Bush kneeled in the infield and watched the celebration. The umpires huddled to review the play at second base, but after a brief delay, the crowd of 49,555 went wild as crew chief Joe West signaled the run counted.Youre like `Oh gosh, lets not have a technicality ruin this moment for us right here, Martin said. It was a little bit of a buzzkill at the time.Donaldson had two doubles among his three hits and is batting .538 through four postseason games, all wins for the Blue Jays, who had to beat Baltimore in a wild-card game to get to the ALDS.We definitely feel good about where were at, Donaldson said. Were pitching well, were playing good defense and right now weve been able to hit the homer. Thats a big positive for our offense.The Blue Jays now get four ddays off before the ALCS begins Friday, and theyre happy to get it. Air Max 97 Off White Cheap. ome people like to say a couple of days off might throw our timing off, Martin said. I really dont believe in that. At this point in the year, a couple of days off can do wonders.Bautistas homer and emphatic bat flip in Game 5 was the lasting image from Torontos ALDS win over the Rangers last season. On May 15, Odor famously punched Bautista to spark a brawl in Texas, and the broadcast of Sundays game showed a fan-made sign declaring I would rather get punched in May than get knocked out in October.Bush had thrown two scoreless innings in relief prior to beginning the 10th. It was the longest career outing for the 30-year-old rookie, who was crucial in the bullpen while Texas finished with the ALs best record.Closer Roberto Osuna threw two perfect innings to get the win. His appearance capped 4 1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball by Torontos bullpen after starter Aaron Sanchez allowed six runs.Encarnacion had a two-run homer and Martin a solo shot in the first inning for Toronto, which swept a postseason series for the first time.Unfortunately we didnt click at the right time, Andrus said. They hit the ball well and never let us feel comfortable.Andrus hit a solo homer in the third and Odor added a two-run shot in the fourth. They were the only two homers of the series for Texas.We got cold at the worst moment, Rangers slugger Adrian Beltre said.Moreland gave Texas a 6-5 lead with a two-run double off Joe Biagini in the sixth, but Toronto responded in the bottom half when Troy Tulowitzki scored on Jonathan Lucroys bases-loaded passed ball.Colby Lewis allowed five runs in two innings for Texas.Texas has lost six straight postseason games, all to Toronto. The Rangers hadnt lost on a game-ending play since June 30 against the Yankees.SELECT COMPANYEncarnacion has four career home runs, the second-highest total in Blue Jays history. Bautista and Joe Carter each have six.TRAINERS ROOMBlue Jays: 2B Devon Travis (right knee) sat out his second straight game but was available off the bench. Travis, who was scratched from the lineup Friday, had a cortisone shot Saturday. ... LHP Francisco Liriano (concussion) exited the ballpark several hours before the game because he wasnt feeling well. ' ' '