Vostand » squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period

John Tortorella was contrite with the media in his first public statement since being handed a 15-day suspension by the National Hockey League. "I apologize first and foremost to the players, to the organization and to the league," Tortorella told reporters in Detroit Monday morning. "It hasnt been a great two weeks." Tortorella is slated to make his return to the Canucks bench tonight against the Detroit Red Wings after the League suspended him for his actions against the Calgary Flames on Jan. 18. Angered by a game-opening brawl, Tortorella tried to confront Flames coach Bob Hartley – who iced his fourth line to start the game -in the Calgary locker room between periods. Tortorella wasnt allowed to have any contact with his team during the suspension. As for his teams performance of late, Tortorella was adamant that the Canucks will get better. "Were off the rails on a lot of different aspects," Torotrella said. "Every aspect of our game is off. This team can and will play the right way. "We had meetings this morning, we have a long list of things we need to improve at. We need to start over on the mental side." The Canucks – who were seventh in the Western Conference before the now-infamous Calgary game – are now in eighth with just a one-point lead over the Phoenix Coyotes for the Conferences final wild card playoff spot. They have lost three in a row and are just 3-7 over their last 10 games. "Weve let a lot of teams back into the picture here, weve got a job to do and were going to face it head on," Tortorella added. "Were in a tough spot right now. Its up to me to do my job and get this team back." Adidas Shoes China Free Shipping .com) - The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies have finalized their agreed-upon trade that sends former National League MVP Jimmy Rollins to the West Coast for a pair of minor league pitching prospects. Cheap Adidas Shoes Wholesale . Off-season additions Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley did not train with the club today, prompting Nelsen to declare its too early to tell if either will be ready for Saturday. http://www.adidasshoesdiscount.com/. The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. Adidas Shoes Wholesale China . - Veteran Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr, sidelined since Game 1 of the Anaheim series, says hes close to returning. Discount Adidas Shoes Online . 11 Ana Ivanovic and American Sloane Stephens, and former world No.Spokane, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - Seeking their 20th win of the season, the third-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs take on visiting Pacific on Saturday in West Coast Conference action at the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs, who trail only undefeated Kentucky and Virginia in the Associated Press Poll this week, were pitted against their toughest conference foe on Thursday night, the Saint Marys Gaels. Entering the bout with a WCC mark of 7-0, the Gaels figured to give Gonzaga a real test, but it wasnt even close as the Bulldogs ran away with a 68-47 home win. After 20 games, the only loss for Gonzaga was a 66-63 overtime affair versus third-ranked Arizona in Tucson back on Dec. 6. Since then, the Bulldogs have rattled off 12 consecutive victories. The team owns the nations longest home winning streak at 35 in a row. The Tigers are an even 10-10 on the campaign after dropping four of the last five outings in conference play. The program was in action just two nights ago at Portland and was turned away in a 72-69 final. With a mark of 2-6 versus the rest of the WCC, Pacific finds itself tied with San Diego for next-to-last in the standings heading into the weekend. In terms of the all-time series, the Bulldogs have won all but one of the previous six encounters, losing a 70-60 decision back in 1977. Gonzaga has won three straight since then, posting a pair of victories in 2014. The largest lead of the game for Portland on Thursday night came in the second half, but the team needed a 3-pointer by Alec Wintering in the waning moments to break a 69-69 tie and provide the margin of victory versus Pacific. The Tigers had four players score in double figures in the setback, with Dulani Robinson coming up with 17 points off the bench. David Taylor tacked on 13 points, T.J. Wallace a double-double consisting of 11 points and 10 boards and Eric Thompson a double-double of his own with 10 points and a team-best 11 rebounds, to go along with three blocked shots.dddddddddddd Wallace leads the team in both scoring and rebounding after 20 games, producing 13.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest, not to mention handing out 2.7 apg which makes him an all-around threat whenever he gets his hands on the ball. Robinson accounts for another 10.4 ppg, but his 36.0 percent shooting from the field still leaves a lot to be desired for a program that is netting 66.4 ppg, but giving up almost an identical number (66.3 ppg). The meeting with the Gaels was close after 20 minutes of play on Thursday night, with Gonzaga ahead by just six points at intermission. But then the hosts broke it wide open in the second half in order to cruise to the comfortable victory. Kevin Pangos led the way with 14 points and five assists, followed by Przemek Karnowski and Kyle Wiltjer with 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Domantas Sabonis accounted for 13 rebounds to give the Bulldogs a 36-28 edge on the glass. Defensively, Gonzaga held the Saints to just 2-of-15 shooting behind the 3-point line and 36.0 percent from the floor overall. What makes the Bulldogs such an exemplary team is the fact that nearly anyone, given enough playing time can lead the team in scoring on any given night. In the last four outings, the team has had a different top scorer each time out, but overall the squad still looks to Wiltjer and his 16.3 ppg to shoulder much of the load. Pangos, responsible for 12.6 ppg, has been tasked with keeping the offense on track, having handed out 100 assists in 20 starts. Against SMC, Gonzaga came up short of the 81.2 ppg the squad is currently putting up, but at the same time the tally by the Gaels was also considerably lower than the 60.8 ppg being surrendered by the Bulldogs. ' ' '