Begrüßungen » nt in the first tiebreaker.After falling 3-0 beh

HELSINKI, Finland -- Finnish goalie Tuukka Rask attempted to make a glove save, but the puck whistled by him into the top corner and rippled the net.The shooter stood in the high slot and showed no reaction to the goal as he waited for another pass from a teammate during practice. The laser-like shot came off the stick of Finnish prospect Patrik Laine, who was the No. 2 overall pick by the Winnipeg Jets in last Junes NHL Entry Draft.Hes a great shooter, said Rask, who has played eight seasons with the Boston Bruins. A big body and a really, really good shooter.There will be a lot of focus on Laine as the 18-year-old forward displays his talents and his 6-foot-4, 206-pound frame for Team Finland at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, which begins Sept. 17 in Toronto.Hes a natural goal scorer, so if he gets a shot hes pretty much going to score, said Rask. Hes a great threat on the power play. Hes going to score goals. If he doesnt then hell probably get down on himself and might have some issues, but hes going to have an immediate impact for sure.Auston Matthews, the 2016 No. 1 overall pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs, wont be given a major role with Team North America, at least to start the tournament, but thats not the case with Laine. He will be playing on the top line with?Aleksander Barkov?and Jussi Jokinen. Laine will also play on Finlands top power-play unit.With my strengths, you can get more out of me in one or the two top lines, he said. If youre on the third or fourth line, your job is going to be a lot harder with my strengths, so its good that the coaches are counting on me and they know what I can do. Its a huge honor, and I just want to play and have fun on the ice.Competing at the international level is nothing new for Laine (who played for Finland at the 2016 World Junior Championship and the 2016 World Championship) but facing the best in the world on this big of a stage will be a little different.Its a new level for me, he said. Its always nice to be able to play against those top guys in the world. Im excited to play and well see what happens.I just want to be me on the ice and show everybody what I can do, and maybe cant do. I just want to be brave on the ice and show my skills and help my team.Not only is Laine a remarkably talented athlete, his confidence and poise make him a dangerous force on the ice. Nothing seems to bother him. He enjoys the spotlight and wants it shining on him when hes playing. Coaches normally dont like to talk about players on other teams, but everyone is excited to see how Laine will transition to the pro game.Hes got a tremendous skill set, said Sweden coach Rikard Gronborg, whose team will face Laine and Finland in a World Cup exhibition game at noon ET Thursday. The guy can put the puck in the net. He can challenge a player one-on-one. Hes someone we need to be aware of. He can challenge, and he has the shot for sure.Laine is already being compared to former Jets forward -- and fellow Finland native --?Teemu Selanne, who was selected in the first round (No. 10 overall) by the Jets in 1988. Laine does not shy away from those comparisons. Once the NHL season begins and he embarks on his rookie campaign, many believe he has the talent to quickly become his own type of player.A pretty big impact, Gronborg said. Everyone expects him to be a top player on [Winnipeg] and with his age, and his poise and his confidence in himself hell be pretty interesting to see. I expect him to be a top-tier player in the National Hockey League for sure.Finnish team captain -- and Minnesota Wild veteran forward --?Mikko Koivu first saw Laine play last year during the World Championships. During training camp for the World Cup, Koivu has already seen a difference in the young prospect from a physical and strength standpoint.He gained a lot of strength during the offseason and thats usually good for younger players to get better, get stronger. You can see that on the ice, Koivu said. Obviously its different in practice from what its going to be in a game but he looks pretty good so far.Laine is entering a whole new world of talented hockey players and it begins when he steps onto the ice at Hartwall Arena on Thursday night to face Sweden in a World Cup of Hockey preseason game. Star goalie Henrik Lundqvist is not starting that game for Sweden, but it doesnt matter to Laine. I dont care who is in the net, he said. I want to help my team -- and hopefully I can score in my first game. Jim Lynch Jersey . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Lloyd Burrus Jersey . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. http://www.customchiefsjersey.com/custom-dustin-colquitt-jersey-large-2006n.html . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Otis Taylor Jersey . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos. Gary Spani Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. TOKYO -- Former champions Kei Nishikori and Tomas Berdych lost at the Japan Open on Wednesday.Top-seeded Nishikori was forced to retire with a left glute problem in the first set of his second-round match against Joao Sousa.Third-seeded Berdych fell to Gilles Muller of Luxembourh 7-6 (7), 6-1 in the first round.Nishikori was 3-0 up when he received medical treatment on his left glute while lying face down on the court for several minutes.The 2012 and 2014 champ served two weak double faults in the next game, and appeared in pain when chasing the ball. He held serve, but lost the next three games before calling a halt while leading 4-3 in his first matchup with Sousa.Nishikori, ranked No. 5, saw a doctor after the match, and will have a scan on Thursday.Sousa moved on to face fifth-seeded David Goffin, after the Belgian beat Jiri Vesely 6-3, 7-5.Also, fourth-seeded Marin Cilic rallied to defeat Spanish baseliner Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.Berdych captured his first ATP title of the season when he retained his Shenzhen Open crown in China on Sunday, but his first-round defeat in Tokyo dented his bid for the ATP Finals. He lies ninth in the race for the elite eight-man finals, which hes played for the last six years.A weary Berdych, the 2008 champ, squandered three break points in the sixth game then failed to convert a set-point in the first tiebreaker.After falling 3-0 behind in the second set, the Czech called for a trainer to treat a left glute complaint, and was unable to stop Muller, who fiired 12 aces.ddddddddddddAt the beginning of the second set, my body gave me a bit of a sign Ive been playing a little too much tennis in the last couple of weeks, Berdych said.Muller, a two-time finalist this year, next faces Marcos Baghdatis.Berdych and Muller believed Maria Sharapova was lucky to have her two-year doping ban reduced to 15 months.Anyone who gives a positive test should get punished. Should they get a reduction? I dont think so, in general, Muller said. It shows other sportsmen that, at the end of the day, the punishment is not going to be that big.Berdych said players knew they had to be very careful about any medications.Every single time I have to take something, I check many times with many different people, he said.At the end, you are the player, you are the athlete, and you are the one whos going to be tested. I always check whatever I take because Im the one who will go for the (doping) control.Sharapova received a little more sympathy from Cilic, who has been through the same process as Sharapova. In 2013, he had a nine-month doping ban reduced to four months.I was not treated fairly at all, Cilic said. In my case the system wasnt wrong, the people were wrong. Thats behind me. It went to the CAS -- its quite fair whatever they say in most of their decisions. But its tough to comment on these things because every case is different and individual. ' ' '