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CALGARY, Alberta -- The Calgary Flames struggled to win with Johnny Gaudreau. Now they face a long stretch in which they must win without him.The Flames play their second game without their injured star on Friday, hosting a Chicago Blackhawks squad that is infinitely better than the team they defeated in their first game without Gaudreau on Wednesday, the Arizona Coyotes.Every guy recognizes that we lost a really good player and now collectively we have to play a certain way to get ourselves in a position to get points in this league, Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan said. Its certainly hurt us as a hockey club, but we look at it as something we can rally around and try to find a true identity here.Gaudreau underwent surgery Wednesday afternoon after breaking a finger the night before when slashed by Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter. He is expected to miss about six weeks, Calgary general manager Brad Treliving said.The Flames (7-10-1) beat the Wild 1-0 on Tuesday on Gaudreaus goal and followed it up the next night by eking out a 2-1 overtime victory over Coyotes, who are last overall in the 30-team league.Up next, however, is one of the leagues elite squads, Chicago, which is third overall entering Fridays play. The Blackhawks (11-4-2) began a seven-game road trip with a 4-0 loss in Winnipeg on Tuesday, which ended their seven-game winning streak and marked the first time they failed to gain at least a point in 11.Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville is very conscious that the chasing teams arent far behind.Theres a real big pack in the middle; everybody seems to be just around the .500 mark, he told the Chicago Tribune. The way weve been playing, were fortunate where we are in the standings. Its a tremendous pack where everybodys in the mix and there are no easy games.The Flames took Thursday off from both skating and answering questions about how they were going to overcome the loss of Gaudreau, who after struggling to start the season appeared to be rounding into form. He had three goals in his last two games.Were sort of working around a six-week timeframe (for his absence), Treliving said. Hopefully its shorter. ...We dont have time to feel sorry for ourselves. We have to come together. ... Everyone has injuries. You deal with them.The Blackhawks began their 13-day road trip unhappy with their play despite not having lost in regulation since Oct. 21 prior to the Winnipeg setback. Expectations certainly are higher for a team chasing first place overall than they are for someone like the Flames, who are just trying to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot.Its not how you want to start (the trip) at all, Quenneville told the Chicago Sun-Times. We have tougher games as we keep going. They keep getting tougher and tougher and tougher. Theres no easy games on the road anymore. Weve had a favorable schedule here, and we know we have to play much better.Jeff Garcia Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Jim Nance Jersey . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. http://www.custompatriotsjersey.com/custom-randy-moss-jersey-large-261f.html .com) - Following a late-game loss to the reigning NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors will look to sustain their recent high-level play as they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers. Junior Seau Jersey . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Steve Bono Jersey . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators.HOUSTON -- When 7-year-old Will Erickson penned a letter to Jeff Luhnow imploring the Houston Astros general manager to not trade George Springer, he never dreamed hed get a response.The reason was simple.Because hes busy, Will told The Associated Press on Wednesday.Will decided to write the letter when he heard the Astros could be looking for pitching this offseason and might need to trade a player such as Springer to get it. His letter was straightforward. With a few spelling errors, it said: Please dont trade George Springer these are the reasons 1. He is my favorite player 2. I get my hair cut like his 3. He is a team leader.It turns out that Luhnow wasnt too busy to take some time to get back to the second-grader.?Will said it took him about 15 minutes to write the letter. He decided after a recent letter-writing project at school that it would be cool to write instead of sending an email. He wasnt nervous about reaching out to a baseball executive, despite being in elementary school.No, because it was just a letter -- not like talking, Will said.He has been to quite a few Astros games and loves the work of Springer, who is an outfielder.I like how he robs homers and hits home runs, Will said.During the week, Wills bedtime is 8 p.m., so he isnt able to watch much of Astros games live, as they begin at 7:10 p.m. But he DVRs every game and watches his beloved Springers work from the night before after school each day.As for the haircut, Will decided to change his hairstyle after sseeing Springers cool do, which has shaved sides and is longer on top.dddddddddddd It was supposed to be for only a little while, according to Wills parents, but now they cant get him to change it and say its part of his personality.Theres no curls [on mine], but its the same, Will said.After Luhnow tweeted Wills letter, it got a lot of attention on the internet, with scores of people retweeting it and dozens of news stories written about it. Wills father discussed the letter in a segment on the local news in Houston, and Wills teacher played the segment in class Wednesday.They called me famous, Will said of his classmates.Will hasnt met Springer but is a little worried about how hell respond if he ever gets the chance.If I saw him, I would faint, he said.When he isnt talking trades with baseball executives, Will is a typical elementary school boy. He plays little league baseball and fit his first interview in between school and a trip to see Santa Claus at a nearby Christmas village.Its not much of a surprise what he planned to ask Jolly Old Saint Nick for on Wednesday. He wants real snow or a baseball lesson from Springer at Minute Maid Park.Both are a tall order, but considering Will lives in a place where temperatures in December can soar into the 70s, his parents arent sure which wish is more unlikely.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '