DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche are off to a soaring start, even if they pretend theyre nothing more than an average team.
Steve Grogan Patriots Jersey . Little mind games in order to keep winning them. "Were playing like were a .500 hockey team and not a 14-2 team. Thats the key," Matt Duchene said. "You stay grounded and you stay humble and hungry." Semyon Varlamov stopped 33 shots and Nick Holden scored his first NHL goal to break a second-period tie, lifting the Avalanche to a 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Sunday night. Patrick Bordeleau, P.A. Parenteau and Gabriel Landeskog also added goals for the Avalanche, who are off to a franchise-best 14-2 start under new coach Patrick Roy. Before this season, the best mark through 16 games was 13-3 by the 1994-95 Quebec Nordiques, a season before the organization relocated to Denver. "Theyre one of the upper echelon teams, in regard to skating," Capitals forward Brooks Laich said. "They have a quick group." Not too bad in goaltending, either. Varlamov once again came up big against his former team, especially on a 5-on-3 early in the final period to preserve the lead. Varlamov also made 40 saves in a 5-1 win at Washington on Oct. 12. Asked why Varlamov seemed to play so well against Washington, coach Adam Oates said: "Hes been in a zone against everybody so far." The turning point of the game was early in the third period when Cory Sarich was called for hooking to give Washington, the top power play team in the league, a man advantage. And then the Avalanche were whistled for too many men on the ice, setting up a 5-on-3 situation for 56 seconds. But Varlamov turned back shot after shot, the crowd serenading him with "Varly, Varly" over and over. "The guys did an unbelievable job for me," Varlamov said. "This team, theyre unbelievable right now, on the (penalty kill) especially. I appreciate what theyre doing for me. We start this game very well, the guys give me confidence and scored a couple of good goals." Joel Ward had the lone goal for the Capitals as they lost for a second straight night. Alex Ovechkin thought he had a goal late in the third, but it was disallowed when replay showed he kicked it in with his left skate. "We played a decent hockey game," Oates said. "We let it get away at the end, but it was a decent game." Ward tied the game at 1 in the second period when a puck caromed off the boards on a faceoff and right to his stick. With no defenders near him, Ward faked Varlamov one way and then shot it in for his eighth goal of the season. Just 28 seconds later, Holden gave the Avalanche back the lead when the defenceman took a pass from Landeskog and lined a shot past a screened Braden Holtby. The Capitals received a scare late in the second when Ovechkin slipped while chasing a puck and crashed into the boards, with Jan Hejda falling on top of him. Ovechkin stayed down on the ice for several minutes, before skating to the bench and dabbing at his head with a towel. He also began yelling at the officials. "It was a trip. Hit my head in the board," Ovechkin said. "It was a clear two minutes (penalty) and a dangerous play." Hejda didnt quite see it that way. "He fell and then I fell over him," Hejda said. "This is an elite (player). I was going to step (on) the brakes." Colorado got on the board early in the opening period when Cody McLeod lined a backhand shot toward the goal that Bordeleau redirected past Holtby. The officials reviewed the play to see if Bordeleaus stick was below the level of the crossbar and then announced to the crowd the call on the ice stood. The Capitals struggled to generate much offence in the first period and didnt take their first shot until halfway through, when Ovechkin laced a slap shot that Varlamov turned aside. Roy has a good thing going in goal these days, with Varlamov and backup Jean-Sebastien Giguere both playing well. The duo entered the game with a league-best 1.79 goals-against average. "We trust our two goalies," Roy said. "We have a lot of confidence." NOTES: Unhappy with an offside call, the Capitals argued with officials and were assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which was served by F Jason Chimera. ... The Avalanche were without F Alex Tanguay (knee) and D Ryan Wilson (back). ... Colorado is 8-1 against the Eastern Conference this season.
Rob Gronkowski Jersey . -- Manchester United thrilled a record crowd with a brilliant opening goal -- and even Cristiano Ronaldos unexpected entrance proved futile for Real Madrid.
Donta Hightower Patriots Jersey . I kept my eyes focused up on the camera during each approach. I just tried to stay focused on my form, as I didnt know what the ball reaction was. I was quite emotional at the end. I did not actually see any of the shots in the game until I got home and watched the video.LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Former NFL All-Pro safety Darren Sharper surrendered to Los Angeles police after being named in a warrant involving a rape case in New Orleans. Sharper, 38, also is under investigation in sexual assault cases in Florida, Nevada and Arizona and has pleaded not guilty to rape charges in Los Angeles. Sharpers surrender Thursday night had been arranged in advance, LAPD Officer Bruce Borihan said. He was being held at the downtown Metropolitan Detention Center. In a bail motion filed in the California case, Los Angeles County Investigator John Maccharella described a pattern in which the former football star met women at clubs or parties and lured them to a hotel room, where they were allegedly drugged and raped. Lawyers for Sharper, who played in the NFL from 1997 to 2010 primarily with the Green Bay Packers, have said they would prove that any sexual contact Sharper engaged in was welcomed. The motion says the incidents happened in the past five months, with two occurring within a day in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Maccharella said he was told a woman went to a New Orleans bar with Sharper, consumed an alcoholic beverage provided by him and blacked out. She awoke the next morning while being sexually assaulted, the bail motion stated, noting that an exam later showed Sharpeers DNA was present.
Jabaal Sheard Jersey. Another man facing rape charges in the New Orleans case turned himself in to police there on Friday. Erik Nunez, 26, was booked on two counts of aggravated rape stemming from alleged assaults last September in New Orleans, police said. Police issued warrants on Thursday for Sharper and Nunez. They face charges in the alleged rape of two women at the same location Sept. 23, police spokeswoman Remi Braden said. Sharpers New Orleans-based lawyer, Nandi Campbell, and lawyer Leonard B. Levine, who represents Sharper in the California case, did not return telephone calls seeking comment. Braden said she did not know whether Nunez had a lawyer. The assault investigation in New Orleans is ongoing and additional arrests are possible, Braden said. If convicted in the California case, Sharper could face more than 30 years in state prison. If convicted of aggravated rape in Louisiana, both Sharper and Nunez could face life imprisonment. Sharper was selected All-Pro six times and chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. He played in two Super Bowls, one with the Green Bay Packers as a rookie and a second with the New Orleans Saints. Sharper retired after the 2010 season. He is an analyst for the NFL Network, which has suspended him indefinitely without pay.
Cheap NFL Jerseys nfl jerseys china ' ' '
