Vorschläge » ing them up down the stretch in a 78-71 vict

WINNIPEG - For centre Olli Jokinen, one loss does not a confidence-shaking setback make despite the Winnipeg Jets falling back into the Central Division cellar following a 4-3 loss to Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.Its not going to be our last game we lose, were not going to win every game, Jokinen said Wednesday, joining most of his teammates taking the day off to rest or work out in preparation to face the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.I think as a team were moving in the right direction and we just try to get our energy levels up and try to get a win Friday, he added.The Jets coaches and a handful of players were on the ice Wednesday but things will get more serious Thursday as the squad gears up for another important game against a Western Conference rival.Although theyve gone 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and lost 4-2 to Edmonton on Monday, the Canucks (27-18-9 before playing Chicago on Wednesday) are at least currently where the Jets want to be — holding down the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.The Jets stand 12th, eight points behind the Canucks before Wednesdays action. They have plenty of distance to cover and not much time to do it as they head into the Olympic break. After Fridays game they play four more road contests before the Olympics, then return Feb. 27 at the MTS Centre.But with the hiring of new coach Paul Maurice, the Jets have already done some surprising things in a relatively short period of time. They earned road wins over both the league-leading Anaheim Ducks and defending Stanley Cup-champion Chicago Blackhawks have won six-of-eight games with Maurice behind the bench.And neither Jokinen nor Maurice viewed Tuesdays loss as a step backwards from the kind of defensive zone game hes trying to teach.This defensive zone concept, its not like you write it on the board you get it and you go and theres your defence for the rest of your life, its a work in progress, Maurice said. There wasnt a letdown (Tuesday night).They werent running out of position, getting away from what they were trying to do to break a game open.Maurice said players are starting to see things and there are fewer questions coming back. Hes pleased with the compete level of one of the NHLs youngest teams.The biggest thing hes instilled in us is play for each other in every game, said centre Mark Scheifele.That approach seems to be working for the 20-year-old Scheifele, who had a goal and an assist against Nashville and is third in scoring among NHL rookies.Four Jets are heading to the Olympics: goalie Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Frolik for their native Czech Republic, Jokinen for Finland and Blake Wheeler, currently tied for Winnipegs scoring lead, for the U.S.The others will have a long layoff and while Maurice says hes had experience with Olympic breaks, with a young team like the Jets it might be different.The last time I went through an Olympic break that I remember, we ended up going to the final (2001-02 with Carolina) and came out fast and quick, Maurice said. We had a bunch of guys . . . that were older, fit men who used that break to rest but came back roaring.Maurice said veterans like former Carolina Hurricanes captain Rod BrindAmour and Martin Gelinas had the experience to know how to use the break.The concern is there will be a bunch of these guys that havent gone through an Olympic break, he said. Theres not much we can do in terms of structuring anything that is mandatory for our players.Maurice isnt worrying about the four Jets heading to Sochi, Russia.Theyre going to go and play at a really, really high level and theyre going to get better from it, he said. Id prefer to have more guys going than not.Meanwhile, Maurice said left-winger Evander Kanes hand was cleaned up by doctors after he was sidelined again by an infection that caused it to swell up.Everything finished the way we hoped, he said.Kane cut his hand in a fight with Tampa Bays Eric Brewer on Jan. 7 and initially missed four games. He returned Jan. 21 to register a goal and three assists in the next four games but isnt expected back until after the Olympic break. Cheap NFL Jerseys .S.-Cuba relations means baseball prospects get off the island and into the major leagues without payoffs to smugglers and threats from kidnappers, its hard to see the downside. Stitched Jerseys . "Weve given ourselves now a tougher task," said Carlyle after the Friday practice, the Toronto head coach notably chipper and upbeat throughout. "But the bottom line is we just have to win our share of games [and] not worry about what anybody else is doing.RALEIGH, N.C. -- After turning Tobacco Road into "Raleigh Top," Tennessee is headed to the round of 16. Tennessee denied Mercer a second straight upset in decidedly one-sided fashion, routing the Bears 83-63 in the third round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday night behind 17 points and a career-high-tying 18 rebounds for Jarnell Stokes. Josh Richardson had a career-high 26 points and Antonio Barton had 18 for the 11th-seeded Vols (24-12), who are making the most of their first tournament appearance since 2011. "NIT two straight years, I guess thats what youd call starting from the bottom," Stokes said. "A lot of people doubted us, and that just makes the ride much better." The Tennessee band had plenty of chances to blare their beloved "Rocky Top" during this rout, which followed the same script as their 19-point thumping of Massachusetts two days earlier: The Voles outrebounded Mercer 41-19 to keep the Southeastern Conference perfect in the tournament. They joined Florida and Kentucky in the regional semifinals -- the first time three SEC teams made it that far since 2007. "Ive been hearing that the SEC has been a football conference for a long time but I dont know how you can still say that when youve got three SEC schools in the Sweet 16," Tennessee guard Jordan McRae said. Tennessee will face second-seeded Michigan (27-8) in a Midwest Regional semifinal Friday night in Indianapolis. Stokes broke his 2-day-old school tournament record for rebounds. Langston Hall had 15 points to lead the 14th-seeded Bears (27-9). They knocked off Duke in the signature upset of the tournament but couldnt answer Tennessees size. "I think hopefully by the time (reality) sets in, well all be able to put a smile on and realize that what weve been able to do at our school, and for the city, has been phenomenal," forward Jakob Gollon said. "Its kind of hard to see right now." Mercer trailed by double figures for the entire second half before the Bears threatened another fantastic finish. They had the ball down 12 with about 2 1/2 minutes left when Gollon -- one of the heroes of the Duke upset two days earlier -- threw the ball away in the lane, then fouled out a few seconds later. McRae hit two free throws, and Richardson added a ffast-break layup to push the Tennessee lead to 77-61 with 1 1/2 minutes left.dddddddddddd McRae finished with 13 points for the Volunteers, who have won eight of nine with the only loss coming to the top-ranked Gators in the SEC tournament. They are in the round of 16 for the fourth time in eight years, and the third team to go from the First Four to the Sweet 16 since the introduction of the extra round in 2011. They also got a bit of payback: Mercer ended Tennessees season last year with a 75-67 win in the first round of the NIT. Ike Nwamu scored 12 points, Anthony White Jr. had 11 and big man Daniel Coursey added 10 for Mercer, the plucky Atlantic Sun Conference school trying to match Florida Gulf Coasts run last year to the regional semifinals. The Bears drew a perfect matchup for their first game -- and couldnt have had a worse one for their second. "Any time we have Jeronne (Maymon) and Jarnell wearing Tennessee orange," McRae said, "we always feel like we have the advantage." They were bigger, more experienced and more precise than a Duke team loaded with high school All-Americans and a leaky defence, carving them up down the stretch in a 78-71 victory that ranks among the top upsets in the history of the tournament. Mercer starts five seniors and has seven on the roster -- but the Bears were down one with 6-foot-11 Monty Brown out with a possible concussion. Even with him, a Tennessee team with Stokes -- who set the schools short-lived tournament record with 14 rebounds in that 86-67 rout of UMass -- was going to be a challenge. Without him, it was nearly impossible. "Its hard to match up with them, but at the end of the day, mainly it was probably my fault towards the end," Coursey said. "They had a lot of rebounds, and I should have boxed them out." Tennessee never trailed and held a 24-4 rebounding advantage in the first half. Richardson scored 10 straight points midway for the Volunteers to turn a tight game into a double-figure lead. His 3 from the right wing made it 29-18 with 6 1/2 minutes left. Meanwhile, Stokes and Maymon effectively turned Mercer into a jump-shooting team: The Bears managed just one offensive rebound in the first half and didnt attempt their first free throw until there was just 8:40 left. ' ' '