Handel » n Conference Finals: Heat over Bulls in 7 - To

The Swedish mens hockey team capitalized on a quick start and some shaky opposing goaltending to skate to a 4-2 win over the Czech Republic in their opening game of the Olympic tournament at the Bolshoy Ice Dome on Wednesday. Ottawa Senators star defenceman Erik Karlsson scored two goals while his defensive partner Oliver Ekman-Larsson added two assists. Henrik Zetterberg and Patrik Berglund had the other two goals for the Swedes, who jumped to an early 3-0 lead thanks to some suspect goaltending by Czech starter Jakub Kovar. Head coach Alois Hadamczik made the surprising decision to not even dress the teams only NHL goaltender for the teams stiffest test of the preliminary round. Winnipegs Ondrej Pavelec was scratched in favour of KHL goalies Alexander Salak and Jakub Kovar. Kovar got the start, which backfired horribly when he let in three questionable goals before being pulled early in the second and replaced by Salak, who let in the Swedes fourth goal before the Czechs got on the board. Salak settled down after that and kept the Czech Republic in the game, and Marek Zidlicky and Jaromir Jagr scored two quick goals midway through the second period to spark the Czechs. But the Czech Republic couldnt put any more past Swedish goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who kept the lead intact while the Czechs outshot the Swedes 15-5 in the third. Lundqvist made 23 saves for the win, while Kovar and Salak combined for 25 stops in the loss. Swedens next game in Group C is against Switzerland, while the Czech Republic faces Latvia, both on Friday. Quick start from Swedes Sweden carried the play for most of the first period, capitalizing on a couple miscues by Kovar to go ahead 2-0 after 20 minutes. Karlsson scored the opening goal of the Olympic tournament from the point on a delayed penalty halfway through the period, as Kovar struggled to deal with the traffic in front of his net and saw the Swedes shot go through his glove. Berglund made Kovars opening 20 minutes worse by scoring Swedens second goal from a bad angle at 13:17, firing a shot right through the Czech goaltender from outside the left faceoff dot. It didnt get any better for Kovar in the second. Zetterberg scored on another shot that went through the Czech goalie only 51 seconds in. That goal ended Kovars night after Salak came in to replace him. But the switch didnt matter. Karlsson scored his second of the game with a laser from the point with little over three minutes after Salak made his debut. The Czechs clawed their way back into the contest with goals from Zidlicky and Jagr two minutes apart midway through the second, and pushed the Swedes hard for the remainder of the period. Cheap Air Max Plus Wholesale . 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The incident was not seen by match officials at the time but the FA charged Wilshere retrospectively after a study of video footage.MY 2013-14 NBA PREDICTIONS MVP: (LeBron James, Heat): Simply put, hes the best. He gets better every year and hes a wonderful team player. Hes the most impactful guy night in and night out; he does it all. I love his development with his low post game. Hes a gym rat and loves to play. His leadership skills are growing with his maturity. Most Improved: (Anthony Davis, Pelicans): Injuries were an issue last year for Davis but this guy is the real deal and I think well see significant growth in all aspects of his game this season. Hes a top-notch rebounder and shot blocker and his overall offensive skills will take a big step as he gets stronger. The year under his belt around the league will benefit his perspective. Rookie: (Cody Zeller, Bobcats): Hes likely not the most talented rookie but hell get significant playing time in Charlotte and teaming with Al Jefferson in the front court with him will give him a top-notch back-to-the-bucket post player to settle into a nice role. He runs and jumps and has the skill set. He plays hard and will get lots with his effort. Hes ready for the next level and his polish will help him. Theyre committed to him and hell get loads of chances to shine. Coach: (Rick Adelman, Timberwolves): A healthy Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio and the addition of Kevin Martin is huge for this team. Hes a creative offensive coach with the right temperament to help players take the next step in their development. Hes one of the most underrated coaches in the NBA that weve seen over the years. His experiience and calm demeanor will bring out the best in this squad.dddddddddddd Eastern Conference Playoff Teams 1-8: Heat, Bulls, Pacers, Nets, Knicks, Hawks, Wizards and Raptors. Western Conference Playoff Teams 1-8: Clippers, Thunder, Spurs, Rockets, Warriors, Timberwolves, Grizzlies and Mavericks. Eastern Conference Finals: Heat over Bulls in 7 - Too much of the King. Western Conference Finals: Clippers over Spurs in 6 - Chris Paul gets to the promised land; Doc Rivers leadership shows the other LA team how its done. NBA Finals: Heat over Clippers in 6 - Experience, savvy, three-point shooting, defence, role definition, and that guy that wears No. 6 make it all happen. Toronto Raptors (8th Place in East/39-43): They must get through the month of November in respectable shape and the Top 8 guys have to stay healthy. Bottom line, this is a good to very good starting unit and theyll have to play major minutes and limit the exposure of the bench to have a chance. I see lots of close games on the horizon but I feel confident that they have the role definition and increased talent level and maturity to pull out some of the ones that got away last year. I really liked how Dwane Casey coached his team in the last three weeks of the season last spring and more of the same is needed. Ride those starters every minute you can, keep the rotation tight and develop a sixth sense amongst the prime guys with complete understanding in crunch time what each guys job is. That minimizes late game issues. Decisive and sharp. Less is more. ' ' '