Kritik und Lob » seconds, to trim Miamis lead to 54-47 at the break. Mia

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- With a playoff spot already secured and a journeyman goalie starting, another loss by the Minnesota Wild to the St. Louis Blues seemed inevitable. Not so fast. Kyle Brodziak scored two goals and John Curry made 43 saves in his Wild debut to lead Minnesota over the struggling Blues 4-2 on Thursday night. Nino Niederreiter added a goal and an assist to help the Wild snap a nine-game losing streak against the Blues and win for the sixth time in seven games. "I was obviously very thankful to get the opportunity, no matter how it went," said Curry, whose father was childhood friends with Blues owner Tom Stillman. "But just based on my career, I know you dont get many of these. So its good to have success and to play well when you get the chance." St. Louis dropped its fourth straight and also lost star T.J. Oshie after he was shouldered in the face by Wild enforcer Mike Rupp halfway through a chaotic second period. Rupp was ejected, and Oshie dabbed blood from his mouth as he moved slowly back to the locker room after being down on the ice for 5 minutes. Rupp was assessed a match penalty for intent to injure. Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said Oshie is day to day. "I havent seen it because the bench was up. Ill look at video on the plane," Hitchcock said. "Obviously, Oshies out. Like everybody else at this time of year, hes day to day, but certainly a tough hit to take right now." Kevin Shattenkirk and Jaden Schwartz scored for the Blues. Curry, the fifth goalie Minnesota has started against St. Louis in five games, was called up to make his fifth NHL start. The Minnesota native had allowed 22 goals in his previous five games at AHL Iowa, but turned away four early power-play shots and had 17 saves in the first period to establish himself in his first NHL start since Jan. 11, 2010. "Weve got to find a way to outwork the goalie, get more traffic," Schwartz said. "There were pucks all around the net, all around him and we just couldnt find a way to bang it in. We did a good job of getting it there, but weve got to find a way to outwork these goalies." The way Curry was playing, outworking him might not have been an option. "Im sure one of those saves is going to be on NHL Tonight," Niederreiter said. Minnesota led 1-0 after the first on Niederreiters 14th goal and was controlling play during the first half of the second. Then, Rupp, playing for the first time since Feb. 1, knocked Oshie out of the game, and Shattenkirk tied it with a 5-on-3 goal a few seconds later. Brodziak and Schwartz traded short-handed goals before Matt Moulson buried his 23rd of the season at 17:30 to send the Wild into the second intermission with a 3-2 lead. It took Brodziak only 58 seconds to extend Minnesotas lead to 4-2 in the third period with his eighth goal. "It definitely felt good. But yeah, the whole game felt good," Brodziak said. "Everybody was involved and really focused on what we tried to accomplish, and we got er done tonight." Blues goalie Ryan Miller, who had stopped only nine of 13 shots, didnt leave immediately after Brodziaks second goal, but skated back to the locker room and was replaced by Brian Elliott at 16:22 of the third. Miller has allowed four goals in three straight games. After Brodziaks first goal, Blues centre Steve Ott was given a 10-minute game misconduct penalty for inciting the opponent. "Its frustrating. Its not fun losing," Schwartz said. "These are big, important games for us and its a big time of the year. Were confident in here that we can turn this around and we got two more games to do that." St. Louis entered the game second in the Western Conference, and theres a strong chance these teams could meet in the first round of the playoffs. St. Louis had pushed the Wild around all season, but the momentum appears to be shifting as both teams approach the post-season. In addition to beating the Blues, Minnesota has recently defeated Boston, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. "Our confidence has been starting to grow game-by-game just by the way were playing, the way we come out every night," Brodziak said. "Were not getting down." NOTES: The Blues have been outscored 16-4 during their four-game slide. ... Wild D Christian Folin made his NHL debut and recorded an assist. ... Oshie hasnt scored a point since recording a hat trick against Minnesota on March 27. Brett Favre Womens Jersey . She still remembers the massive roar of the home crowd when the Canadians walked out on the pitch before 47,784 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in 2002. Lang expects a similar reception for the Canadian team as the host nation at this years tournament, which begins Tuesday. Bart Starr Womens Jersey . Carcillo was a little of both for New York in Game 3. Derek Stepan, Martin St. Louis, Dan Girardi and Carcillo scored goals, leading the Rangers to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. http://www.shoptheofficialpackers.com/Elite-Clay-Matthews-Packers-Jersey/ .Former NBA forward Morris Peterson has been added to TSNs Toronto Raptors broadcast team. Elgton Jenkins Womens Jersey . -- Creighton apparently has Villanovas number. Clay Matthews Womens Jersey .com) - Blake Griffin led five Clippers in double figures with 24 points and the LA Clippers got back on track with a 101-97 win over the Utah Jazz.OKLAHOMA CITY -- LeBron James sat silently in front of his locker with a towel draped over his head, not wanting to reveal the effects of a hit to his nose that prematurely ended his night. His Miami Heat teammates finished off a 103-81 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder without him on Thursday night. Miamis star forward went down with 5:50 remaining after he was struck by Oklahoma Citys Serge Ibaka on a drive to the basket. James finished the dunk, but he was bloodied and he left the court with a towel over his face. "Im like everybody else, youre used to seeing him like Superman, get up and sprint back even after tough hits and tough falls," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "So we knew something was up." James landed the hardest blow long before that. He scored 16 of his 33 points in the first quarter to put the Thunder in a bind, and the Heat rolled to a lopsided win. James passed a concussion test, but some damage was done. "He has a swollen nose right now. Its bleeding," Spoelstra said. "Well evaluate him when we get back to Miami, but its sore." The Thunder were the ones shaken up after James made his first five shots and scored 12 points in the first 4:11. "It was flawless," Wade said. "He was aggressive defensively, he was able to play passing lanes and be who he is. That was a great start on the road by our leader. It was something that we needed." Wade had 24 points and 10 assists, and Chris Bosh added 24 points for Miami, which won its fourth straight and avenged an earlier loss to Oklahoma City. It was a good step for the Heat, who are trying to catch Indiana for the top record in the Eastern Conference. "You can see the resolve," Wade said. "You can see the chemistry. You can see a team thats gearing up for the second half of the season." Kevin Durant scored 28 points for Oklahoma City, which lost at home for the first time since Jan. 5. Durant has been the popular favourite to win the NBA MVP award, but Wade said James is still in the hunt. "Its not decided," Wade said. "I dont think that was a message. That was LeBron James being LeBron James. He loves the matchup, just like KD loves the matchup. The MVP is long, long from over." Russell Westbrook, who had missed the previous 27 games after having surgery on his right knee, started and scored 16 points in 24 minutes. He made 4 of 12 shots. "Im just going to keep getting him better, and as the season goes along, as he gets more comfortable in game shape, were going to see a better Russell every night," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.dddddddddddd The Thunder overcame an early 18-point deficit on Jan. 29 to roll past the Heat 112-95 in Miami, and the home fans hoped for a regular-season sweep against the team that beat Oklahoma City in the 2012 finals. Instead, they saw a rare inefficient game from the Thunder. "When you dont have good rhythm, normally the three-ball can get you back into the game," Brooks said. "We didnt have shot makers tonight. Weve had them for a while now. We didnt have them tonight." The crowd erupted as Westbrook was introduced as a starter. His first minute of action was furious and had the fans on their feet. His first basket was a two-handed, fast-break dunk 37 seconds into the game, and he got a steal 17 seconds later. The excitement quickly evaporated. James scored 10 points in the first 3:11 and Miami made 13 of its first 14 shots to take a 28-13 lead. The Heat were ahead 34-17 at the end of the first quarter. They extended their lead to 19 points in the second quarter before the Thunder rallied behind Westbrook. He scored nine points in the final 1:55 of the first half, including a dunk in the closing seconds, to trim Miamis lead to 54-47 at the break. Miami took control early in the third quarter. James scored six points during a 10-0 run that helped the Heat take a 64-49 lead. The advantage grew to 75-53 on a 3-pointer by James with just over five minutes left in the frame. Durant scored seven points in the final 2:46 of the quarter to trim Miamis edge to 76-65 heading into the fourth. Miami reasserted itself in the opening minutes of the final period. Bosh hit a 3-pointer to bump the Heats lead to 19 with just under 10 minutes to go. The Heat won for the fifth time during their six-game road trip. Miami beat the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix, Golden State and Dallas before closing with a win against the team with the leagues best record. "Its good to finish it this way," Spoelstra said. NOTES: Thunder G Reggie Jackson, who started while Westbrook was out, entered the game in the first quarter. ... Durant scored just two points on 1-for-5 shooting in the first quarter. ... Miami shot 76 per cent in the first quarter but made just 7 of 17 shots in the second and was outscored 30-20. ... Oklahoma Citys Kendrick Perkins left the game in the third quarter with a left groin strain and didnt return. ' ' '