Vostand » vier Paul and Jack Hannahan were lookin

NEW YORK – A pall loomed over the tight quarters of the New York Rangers dressing room Tuesday afternoon, mere hours after their hopes of capturing Lord Stanleys mug dimmed to the very faintest light. A third straight loss has them staring dead in the eye of elimination and try as they might, belief of some valiant comeback was difficult to summon on this day. The faces were long, sour and glum ahead of Game 4 at MSG on Wednesday night, to be expected in light of a gaping 3-0 series hole. "Im not going to lie to you, its a tough day today," said a particularly downcast Brad Richards, the 34-year-olds dreams of a second Cup fading dramatically after a 3-0 loss in Game 3. "I mean, the goal is to get through today and [Wednesday] will be a Stanley Cup playoff game-day and Im sure everybody will be in a lot better mood, a lot better outlook to try to get in and win a game." "Belief is everything," Martin St. Louis said, his beard speckled with grey in the final days of the postseason. "Right now, its a big mountain to climb but once you get into battle … first shift you get into battle, get into the game, win a game and now its 3-1 and you go from there. You cant look at trying to win four. Youre trying to win one." Despite the appearance of a one-sided series, the Rangers know full well that this Cup Final has been anything but; two overtime games that couldve gone either way followed by Jonathan Quicks brilliance in a Game 3 during which they controlled puck possession. But as Rangers coach Alain Vigneault put it – his mood predictably sour – none of that matters now. One game is all that counts. One more loss and hope of adding the first Cup in New York in 20 years dies a quiet death. "Whatever talk you might use, at the end of the day for us right now, its about one game," Vigneault said. "Thats as simple and logical and realistic as I can put it for you. We have to focus on one game and thats what were going to do." Though it matters little at this point, as stressed by Vigneault, the even nature of the series does offer the slightest bit of belief for the Rangers. Heavy underdogs coming into the series, theyve stood toe-to-toe with the Kings, felled by their opponents will under duress, unmatched depth and an unfortunate bounce or two. "Its not like weve been outplayed here – thats not been the case," said Henrik Lundqvist, appearing most at ease amongst a tense New York group. "Theyve been good, but I think weve been playing pretty good, as well. It comes down to a couple plays here and there. Thats been the difference in these games. But it starts with your belief and it starts with how you approach this game and the games after that. But they know its possible and we know its possible." Only four teams have ever rallied from a 3-0 series deficit, including L.A. in the opening round against San Jose. New York dug out from a 3-1 deficit itself in the second round against the Penguins, winning Game 7 on the road in Pittsburgh. This task, however, opposite maybe the most complete and mentally-tested team in the league, is almost beyond comprehension. Felled by Quicks 32 saves in Game 3, adjustments for the next one are simple for the head coach. "Score," said Vigneault, hopeful that the 28-year-old Kings goaltender wasnt locked in again on Wednesday night. A power play goal for a group thats managed one in 14 opportunities might be of help as well. "You keep repeating the process," added Richards, the Rangers centre held without a point through three games, "firing more on net, and youd expect eventually something is going to go in. For sure, you can always will words and battle and all that, you can talk about it, be better. The third period of Game 1, the ice was tilted, but overall the ice hasnt felt that tilted in this series. Theyre a calm, cool, collected team that doesnt get rattled and it just seems that theyre scoring at the right times and getting big saves at the right times." At their darkest point, the sky notably cloudy in midtown Manhattan, the Rangers were simply trying to summon some kind of light. "Its the waiting and thinking thats the tough part," Richards said. "Weve gotta get back in the battle and see where it goes." Dario Saric Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Marc-Andre Fleury, Penguins (3) - Surrendered a tough first goal against on a deflection through the body short side. Anthony Tolliver Jersey . "Its embarrassing what were doing here," leading scorer Phil Kessel said Wednesday. The most recent failed season came with even more pain than the six that preceded it. There was no hint of an impending implosion when the Leafs came roaring out of the all-star break with back-to-back games against Pittsburgh -- a 5-4 shootout loss followed by a 1-0 win the next night. http://www.timberwolvesgear.com/authenti...ves-jersey/.com) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to play spoiler as the Los Angeles Kings will try to match their longest winning streak in over four years in Thursdays battle at Staples Center. Minnesota Timberwolves Jerseys . Interestingly, the culprits were not rookies, but well paid, experienced pros. The first gaffe came in the 24th minute of arguably the biggest early season MLS game in history between Seattle and Toronto. Sounder newcomer Marco Pappa, (with over 100 MLS games, and 39 Guatemalan Caps to his name) attempted a back pass to one of his central defenders. Karl-Anthony Towns Jersey . -- Theres been so much talk about Mike Moustakas at the plate that the third baseman ignored the conversation Wednesday -- even after doing something positive.CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Xavier Paul and Jack Hannahan were looking for opportunities to redeem themselves after making mistakes that helped cost the Reds a game on Saturday. They didnt have to wait long. Paul came off the bench to hit a game-tying home run in the eighth inning and Hannahan scored the winning run on Joey Vottos sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 13th to give Cincinnati a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Paul committed one error and made a terrible baserunning blunder on Saturday. Hannahan was charged with a career-high three errors and grounded into a double play in that loss. "Live to fight another day," Hannahan said. "One of the best things about baseball is you can put a bad day behind you and show up the next day ready to win." Hannahan drew a one-out walk from Tim Stauffer (1-1) and Shin-Soo Choo snapped a 0-for-16 slump with a one-out double to right field. Ryan Hanigan, pinch-hitting against a drawn-in, five-man infield and shallow two-man outfield, was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The Padres went back to three outfielders with everybody drawn in, and Votto hit a fly to left field to drive in Hannahan from third base. Paul tied the score with a two-run, pinch-hit homer off Ian Kennedy in the eighth and the Reds overcame two more errors for their fourth win in five games. They finished their eight-game homestand with five wins after starting 1-2 against St. Louis. "After last night and making a few mistakes that some people say cost us the game, to be able to come back today late in the game and help put the team in position to win makes me feel good," Paul said. The Padres, whove lost four of their last five games, were 1 for 17 with runners in scoring position and left 15 men on base. "Were just having a bad stretch," second baseman Logan Forsythe said. "Were still playing good, fundamental baseball. Theres just a couple of things we need to get better at, and one of them is good situational hitting." Sam LeCure (2-1), Cincinnatis seventh pitcher, pitched 1 1-3 innings for the win. Kennedy was positioned to improve his career record against the Reds to 4-0 in four starts. Kennedy, in his second start for San Diego after being acquired from Arizona in a July 31 ttrade, allowed one hit -- pitcher Mike Leakes leadoff single in the third -- in 7 1-3 scoreless innings and retired 16 consecutive batters before pinch-hitter Zack Cozart reached with an infield single.dddddddddddd "Kennedy was dealing," manager Dusty Baker said. "I dont know if it was more him or us. We had to persevere. They threatened a bunch of times. It looked bleak for a while. Every time you turned around we were in trouble. It really taxed our bullpen heading to Chicago. We had to bear down to our last man today." Paul tied the game with his seventh homer of the season, a 422-foot shot into the right-field seats on a 1-2 pitch. Paul has three pinch-hit homers this season and five in his career. Leake allowed one earned run in seven innings, giving up six hits and two runs with three walks and four strikeouts. He also committed an error, the Reds sixth in the last two games. Manny Parra and J.J. Hoover pitched a scoreless eighth before Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth. "We didnt get it done," San Diego manager Bud Black said. "Its a topic we talk about all the time. We got some good pitches to hit, but we didnt advance runners." The Reds, who were charged with four errors in their 3-1 loss to San Diego on Saturday, committed another to help the Padres take a 2-0 lead on Rene Riveras bases-loaded sacrifice fly to centre field with one out in the second. As Yonder Alonso scored from third, backup shortstop Cesar Izturis cut off Choos throw, but Izturis quick throw to second trying to get Forsythe going back sailed past Brandon Phillips into foul territory down the right-field line, allowing Forsythe to score. Notes: Cedenos second-inning single was his first hit in six at-bats since being called up by San Diego on Wednesday. Cedeno now has hits with each of the six major league teams for which hes played since breaking in in 2005. ... Votto went 0 for 4, ending his eight-game hitting streak. ... RHP Mat Latos (11-3) is scheduled to start Monday for the Reds at Chicago in the first game of a three-game series and seven-game road trip. ... San Diegos brief five-game road trip is scheduled to continue Monday at Colorado with RHP Edison Volquez (8-9) scheduled to start for the Padres. ' ' '