tle bit when you hit a ball hard, and it gets caught in left-center field or you square a ball up and the second baseman is there. Maybe a little bit of over-swinging, but hell be fine.UP NEXTPhillies

CALGARY, Alberta -- Brian Elliott was eager to get back in the rink on a hot summer day. After years of fending off challengers in St. Louis, the goalie has big expectations entering next season as the unquestioned No. 1 in Calgary.This is a big one for me, so Im really looking forward to it, Elliott said when introduced to the media on Wednesday at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Sometimes you want that extra bit of summer to relax and enjoy your downtime, but now Ive gotten really excited to get the pads back on and ready to get back at it.The?Flames?acquired the 31-year-old Elliott from the?Blues?on the night of the NHL draft for a second-round pick. Elliott and his wife, Amanda, were on vacation in Croatia at the time.When I got the news, it was 2 oclock in the morning and I saw my phone lighting up, Elliott said. I didnt go back to sleep after that, I was so excited.Elliott has the second-highest save percentage in the league among goalies who have played at least 50 games over the past five seasons at .925, just behind New Jerseys Cory Schneider (.926).Yet as well as he performed over that five-year period in St. Louis, he never seemed to fully gain the trust of the coaching staff that kept trying other options. He gave way to Jaroslav Halak in one postseason, and?Ryan Miller was brought in to be the guy in another. Two years ago, the Blues turned to Jake Allen in the playoffs.To have that good of numbers and not get the opportunity to be the No. 1 guy, sometimes its frustrating, Elliott said. But Ive always believed if you worked hard, put your head down and plowed through it, opportunities will pop up for you.Last year, the Flames trio of Jonas Hiller, Karri Ramo and Joni Ortio collectively ranked last in the NHL in goaltending.Calgary will turn to two new goalies, as veteran backup Chad Johnson?also was signed as a free agent.Elliott was selected by 291st overall by Ottawa in the 2003 draft. He has played 323 career games (165-99-32) with the?Senators,?Colorado Avalanche?and?Blues.He said hes ready for this next chapter.Its talked about a lot with goaltenders. It just takes longer to develop. You have to go through those experiences just to be able to be that consistent player and not really feel the ups and downs and the roller coaster of a season, he said. Just stay calm. Trust your game, trust your work and just go out and play. It takes time to learn that.Calgary general manager Brad Treliving said that while Elliotts on-ice performance was important, the Flames also really liked the fit off the ice.The numbers speak for themselves, but a big part of us going out and getting Brian is also the person, Treliving said. We talked to players that played with him, teammates that have had him, coaches that have coached him. The work ethic, the type of person that he is in the locker room, the teammate stood out as much as the goaltender stood out.Also on hand at the Saddledome was Elliotts wife, who is pregnant with the couples first child, due at the start of the season.A little cowboy on the way, Elliott said.Wholesale Hockey Jerseys . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. Custom Hockey Jerseys . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. https://www.fakehockeyjerseys.com/ . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Cheap Hockey Jerseys . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. Cheap Hockey Jerseys China .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable.LOS ANGELES -- Corey Seager gave the Dodgers quite a scare Wednesday in a 6-2 loss to the Phillies when he was hit by a pitch in the right wrist area and fell back in obvious pain.Fortunately for the Dodgers, Seager is expected to be OK. He has a bruised arm and will have X-rays as a precautionary measure.It hurt, Seager said. You dont ever really want to get hit. It hurt.Seager was hit by Elvis Araujos pitch in the sixth inning. Seager went down was attended to by a trainer, but stayed in the game. He doubled in his next at-bat, a shot to center in the eighth.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about his heart rate when he saw Seager go down.Not good, Roberts said. Thats as quick as Ive come out of the dugout in a long time. Im happy to see he was fine.Seager was 2 for 3 with a double. The Dodgers were rolling with Scott Kazmir on the mound, but the Phillies got to the bullpen to avoid a series sweep. Freddy Galvis hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning, and Ryan Howard had a bases-cleaning pinch double in the ninth against Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, who was pitching to get in work even though the Dodgers trailed by one run.That was a situation where in talking to Kenley before the game, he really wanted to pitch regardless, Roberts said. Two days off and with the off day (Thursday), he wanted to pitch. In that situation, you get him work and also to keep them within one. I felt good about it.Jansen didnt want to give the ball up when Roberts went out to get him in the ninth.Hes a closer. He feels thats his inning and understandably so. For me, after giving up that double to Howard and throwing 26 pitches, I felt theres a certain point where theres not really much benefit ... You have him ready for Friday.Araujo (2-1) pitched one inning for the victory.Kazmir (9-6) struck out six and allowed four hits. He left after 100 pitches with two runners on and no outs in the seventh inning. The Dodgers bullpen wasted his quality start.I was able to make pitches when I needed to and had the changeup today, Kazmir said. That was good. Its a tough one. We wanted tto pull this one out and have a good off day.ddddddddddddn the seventh, Carlos Ruiz singled to left and Jimmy Paredes was walked on four pitches. Roberts opted to go to the bullpen. Grant Dayton struck out Tyler Goeddel, then gave up the home run to Galvis.If you look at what happened, it was a broken-bat hit and a couple of close pitches for a walk, Kazmir said. Still felt great out there, even late in the game like that.In the sixth inning, Seager and the newly acquired Josh Reddick botched a double-steal attempt. Reddick took responsibility for the miscue.It was supposed to be the patented double steal, and its been a long time since Ive attempted one of those, said Reddick, acquired from Oakland. It was kind of uncomfortable for me, but Ive got to make an adjustment and be better at that. Once I see him throw the ball to second Ive got to be able to go. Its a matter of learning and adapting and adjusting to that kind of play. Ill get my work in on it, and I wont make that mistake again.REDDICK UPDATEReddick is 5 for 32 with the Dodgers since being acquired from Oakland.Before the game, Roberts said about Reddicks slow offensive start: I have seen him as a very productive player for a long time. I think you can see the body language a little bit when you hit a ball hard, and it gets caught in left-center field or you square a ball up and the second baseman is there. Maybe a little bit of over-swinging, but hell be fine.UP NEXTPhillies: On Friday, RHP Jake Thompson (0-1, 12.46) will make his second major league start in a home series with the Colorado Rockies. In his debut last Saturday, Thompson allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings against the San Diego Padres.Dodgers: RHP Ross Stripling (3-3, 3.79) will make his second straight start Friday in place of Bud Norris, who is on the 15-day DL with a back strain. He threw five scoreless innings against Boston on Saturday. Prior to that, the rookie right-hander hadnt started a game since May 19. ' ' '