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CHICAGO -- The Nashville Predators are on a roll headed to the all-star break. Adidas Superstar 2 Sneakers . Whod blame them if they wanted to keep playing instead of taking some time off? Pekka Rinne made 24 saves for his ninth straight win as the surging Predators beat the injury-depleted Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 Tuesday night. The Predators are now 12-2 in their last 14 games and have beaten the Blackhawks twice in four days in the highly competitive Central Division. And Rinne has played a major role in the run, going 12-1-0 since Dec. 28. "Weve come a long way in the last month or so. We fly under the radar in this division," said Mike Fisher, who had one of the Predators two first-period goals. "But we play solid and consistent. And Rinne, hes been unbelievable. When were playing with leads, he shuts the door." Thats what he did after Craig Smith and Fisher scored in the first to give the Predators an early lead. Rinne had a shutout until Dave Bolland scored on the power play in the third. After Chicagos only score, the Predators turned away two more power plays in the final period before Colin Wilson iced the victory on an empty-netter with 12.8 seconds left. "Theyve made it way easier for me," Rinne said of the games final frantic stretch. "It was all about desperation mode. We did a great job blocking shots and killing the clock." There are six teams in the Western Conference with at least 60 points and four of those are from the Central Division. "Its almost the four best teams in the whole NHL in this division. It shows how good a division we have," said Rinne. "Every year, weve been seventh-eighth-ninth, on the bubble, fighting for a spot. Now, the deeper we go, the more fun it gets." Chicago played without captain Jonathan Toews, who was placed on injured reserve with a wrist injury and will also miss this weekends All-Star game. The Blackhawks, who lost 5-2 to the Predators in Nashville on Saturday night, are also without injured Patrick Sharp. The Blackhawks, now 19-6-4 at home, wont be back at the United Center until Feb. 19 -- they have a nine-game road trip after the All-Star break. "With (Jonathan Toews) case, hopefully he comes out of (the all-star break) fresh, and can start, well see how that goes," said Chicago coach Joel Quenneville. "And (Patrick Sharp) as well, a whole week off is beneficial. And knowing that were going into a tough stretch, in a tough month, but weve got to be better than we were today." The Blackhawks had trouble mustering offence against Rinne, but it was some shaky play on the defensive end that helped the Predators get a pair of first-period goals. The Hawks failed to clear the puck, Smith retrieved it in the left circle then whirled around and shot it past Corey Crawford for a 1-0 lead with 8:11 left in the period. Patric Hornqvist later outscrapped Chicagos Nick Leddy for a puck behind the net and got it to Fisher, who scored from in close to put the Predators up 2-0 with just over 2 minutes to go. "I thought tonight, the first two goals were very generous on our part," Quenneville said. Crawford, whod been pulled in Saturday nights loss, was so frustrated by Fishers score that he slammed his stick and broke it over the goal. "First one I didnt see, the second one, I dont know, they were able to make a good play out in front," Crawford said. "Theyre a team thats on a roll, too. Theyve got a ton of confidence, and a ton of momentum right now, something that we maybe could have broken if we had tied it up at the end there. Tough loss. You look at the other teams in our division, it seems like everyones rolling right now, were kind of up and down." NOTES: New White Sox manager Robin Ventura, in town for the teams winter convention this weekend, participated in a puck shoot between the second and third periods. Adidas Originals Superstar 2 Womens . With the final four being arguably the four best – and most complete – teams from the regular season, picking a winner is not as easy as it sounds. Nike Air Max 2015 Womens Running Shoe . The third-year pro went shot for shot with Knicks star Carmelo Anthony down the stretch before nailing the most important one of the night.ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Cardinals say an MRI exam on right-hander Michael Wachas injured shoulder showed progress, but not enough for him to resume throwing. General manager John Mozeliak said Monday that Wacha, the NL championship series MVP last fall, will be evaluated again in two weeks. He said continued treatment along with weight training to strengthen the area around the stress fracture was in the pitchers best interests. "Its not there yet," Mozeliak said. "Im sure hes frustrated and would like to feel a little better." The 23-year-old Wacha was 4-1 with a 2.64 ERA last post-season. Hes been on the 15-day disabled list since June 18 and is 5-5 with a 2.79 ERA for the defending National League champions. The injury is uncommon for a pitcher, so the Cardinals are "creating our own road map," Mozeliak said. The team has consulted several specialists to help determine the course of treatment. Mozeliak said Joe Kelly, on the DL since April 17 with a left hamstring strain, could return to the rotation Friday at Milwaukee. Kelly allowed a run in 4 1-3 innings and allowed a run on three hits in his third rehab start. "The hamstring doesnt even seem to be an issue with him right now," manager Mike Matheny said. "After that, its what does his stuff look like, and he was prretty happy. New Balance 574 Mens Shoes. " The Cardinals have already counted lefty Jaimie Garcia out for the year with a shoulder injury. Garcia is likely to undergo thoracic outlet surgery to relieve nerve issues in his shoulder soon and has bypassed the teams medical staff in favour of Dr. Robert Thompson of St. Louis. Despite the injuries, Mozeliak believes the Cardinals have plenty of pitching and wont be desperate at the trade deadline. Left-hander Tyler Lyons was recalled from Triple-A Memphis to add bullpen depth with fellow lefty Marco Gonzales optioned a day after he started against the Marlins. Matheny said Lyons could be an option to start Friday but emphasized he wouldnt hesitate to use him right away in relief. Lyons, 26, was 0-3 with a 6.12 ERA in six appearances, including four starts, earlier this season. He went on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain on May 13 and has made three starts since being reinstated on June 19. The 22-year-old Gonzales made his first three career starts after being recalled from Double-A Springfield and was 0-2 with a 7.07 ERA, allowing one run in 4 2-3 innings Sunday while walking five. He was a first-round pick last year and is 5-4 with a 1.89 ERA in 13 starts at Class A Palm Beach and Double-A Springfield, and is at the Triple-A level for the first time. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
