XRAY - Model racing cars

With a 2-0 series deficit and no Carey Price, Michel Therrien expects nothing less than a positive response when his club takes on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. While the team lost 3-1 on Monday night - a relative improvement from their 7-2 drubbing in Game 1 - the Montreal Canadiens head coach was impressed with the effort his players gave against a tough Rangers squad. "I want to give credit to the Rangers for what they did well," he told reporters in a conference call on Tuesday. "The Rangers defence did a good job of boxing players out, blocking shots and preventing second chances. We just need to keep working the way we did yesterday. Things can change very fast if we keep creating chances. The most important thing is that players follow the game plan and stay alert. If we keep doing that, things will turn around." The Canadiens - trailing by two games for the first time in these playoffs - have held the lead for just 17 seconds over the first 120 minutes played. Henrik Lundqvist made 41 saves in Game 2, including 19 in the third period. "I liked the engagement level of our team in Game 2," Therrien added. "The first game was emotionally and physically tough for us, but we regrouped really well. On Monday, we played with energy and we pushed the pace. Im anxious to see the guys tomorrow and I feel optimistic for the rest of the series because of the way we competed." The Canadiens will now try to become the 20th team in Stanley Cup playoff history to win a series when losing the first two games at home. Fittingly, the Habs and Rangers have been a part of last three instances its happened - Montreal lost 4-2 to Carolina in 2006 after winning the first two games in Raleigh, the Washington Capitals beat the Rangers 4-3 after New York took the first two games at the Verizon Center in 2009 and Montreal won the first two games at Bostons TD Garden before losing 4-3 in their 2011 series with the Bruins. Still, Therrien is a full believer that his team can win once theyre reset in a couple of days. "Its a challenge to play in New York, but weve won many games throughout the years at Madison Square Garden," he explained. Therrien did not say which goaltender - Dustin Tokarski or Peter Budaj - would start in Game 3. . It was the start of one nice night for the goalie and the Minnesota Wild. Backstrom made 33 saves in his first win of the season and the Wild defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 on Saturday in a rematch of their first-round playoff series. . -- Arizona came out of its last meeting with California a bit discombobulated, hurting from its first loss and the loss of forward Brandon Ashley for the rest of the season. http://www.officialjacksonvillejaguarsp ... rs-jersey/. Sizemore, who turned 29 on Jan. 4, has been limited to six games over the past two seasons because of an injured left knee that twice required surgery. He originally got hurt on Feb. 25, 2012, during a fielding drill in Oaklands first full-squad spring training workout and had surgery that March 21 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. . A rainy day saw the former champion Djokovic handle 14th-seeded Frenchman Jo- Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) under the roof on the famed Centre Court. .com) - John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day.KONIGSSEE, Germany -- Tristan Walker and Justin Snith reached the World Cup podium Saturday and made Canadian luge history in the process. Walker, from Cochrane, Alta., and Snith, from Calgary finished third to become the first Canadian duo to win a medal in mens doubles. Earlier, Calgarys Alex Gough won her fourth medal of the season by taking bronze in the womens event. It was the first time that Canada has won two individual medals on the same day at a luge World Cup. "It was a fantastic day for our team and a rock-solid week," said head coach Wolfgang Staudinger. In the womens race, Germanys Natalie Geisenberger earned her sixth victory in as many tries this season. She rallied in the second heat to beat teammate Tatjana Huefner by 0.105 seconds, winning with a two-run time of 1:40.591. Gough was 0.331 seconds off the lead in third place. Kim McRae was fifth and Arianne Jones, also from Calgary, was 12th. In the mens race, Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt won gold in 1:39.956 for their fifth win in six races this season. Fellow Germans Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken slid to silver in 1:40.253 and Walker and Snith were third in 1:40.709. Walker and Snith, both 22, have finished fourth on four occasions, including at the 2013 world championships. "It is awesome and especially to do it here in Konigssee which is a home away from home for us," said Walker. "We spend a lot of time here, and it is always the first place we go to after Christmas. I had a feeling when wed finally do it that it would be either here or in Canada. "It was pretty tense watching the splits come down the track. Standing in the leaders box it was a feeling of relief and excitement." They were in fourth place after the first trip down the 11-corner Konigssee track. IIn a sport that demands consistency, the Canadian duo clocked nearly identical times of 50.dddddddddddd59 and 50.350 to move up to third. "I just cant believe it," said Snith. "Im at a loss for words. It is so nice to see the hard work that we have put in pay off. Its just huge for us to get a podium before Sochi. We knew we could be there, but to actually do it is nice confirmation." In the womens singles, Gough reached the podium despite sitting in fifth spot after her first run. Gough, who is preparing for her third Olympic appearance, now has 15 career World Cup medals. "I didnt have the best first run, but I did put it together on the second run," she said. "That has been kind of the theme of the year for me. But it was such a good day for our team. Its so exciting and awesome to see that everyone can be there and fantastic to see the doubles team finally do it." With the win, Geisenberger is on the cusp of wrapping up the points title with three races remaining. She has 600 points, 199 better than Gough with three races left. Staudinger, who is from Konigssee, was recruited to the Canadian program nearly eight years ago from the German program. He was thrilled with the teams progress. "It was great for Alex to get back on the podium and it was even better to see Kim continue to grow and show she can be there with the best at the start and finish," he said. "The doubles finally did it. They were overdue. To be fourth over and over again, you know it is just a matter of time and great to see it happen. "Wow -- it was a great day for us." Wendl and Arlt lead Eggert and Benecken by 140 points in the mens doubles season standings. Walker and Snith are seventh. Competition continues Sunday. ' ' '