GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Phoenix Coyotes gave Dave Tippett his 450th career victory with just the kind of game the coach loves: gritty defensive play, strong goaltending and a bit of resiliency. Martin Hanzal had a goal and an assist, Mike Smith stopped 32 shots and the Coyotes held off the New Jersey Devils 3-2 on Saturday night, handing Tippett another milestone win. "If youre going to win in this league, you need that (gritty play) every night," said Tippett, who also notched his 100th home victory in Phoenix. "It was nice to see us come through with a couple wins like that." Coming off a shutout victory in their last game, the Coyotes got off to a strong start with a pair of goals from their fourth line. Jeff Halpern had one and Jordan Szwarz had the other before playing the third period with stiches in his chin after being cut with a skate late in the second. Hanzal gave the Coyotes a two-goal cushion, but they had to hold on against New Jerseys big push to earn their first winning streak since beating Colorado and the New York Islanders on Dec. 10-12. "One of our key points coming in was getting off to a fast start and I felt like we did a good job doing that," Szwarz said. "We put a lot of pucks behind their defence and we were able to block some shots early to get off to a good start, then finish it off." New Jersey got off to a sluggish start at the end of a four-game road trip before rallying to make it close. Ryane Clowe had a goal and an assist and Jaromir Jagr scored his 696th career goal with 2:14 left in regulation. Jagr had another good chance with just over a minute left, but was stopped by Smith to end the Devils point streak at six games. "We got off to a slow start and that was disappointing, inexcusable really for not having played yesterday," Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. "We cant spot anyone two goals. Thats the bottom line." Phoenix got back to its defensive roots in its last game Thursday night, beating Vancouver 1-0 behind Smiths first shutout of the season and the return of defenceman Zbynek Michalek after he missed 13 games with a hip injury. Before that, the Coyotes had been erratic in their own end and lost 12 of their previous 16 games. New Jersey has had the opposite problem. The Devils have been solid behind the blue line lately, allowing six goals over the past five games. The problem has been scoring: New Jersey has scored 117 goals, 25th in the league. The Coyotes were sharp in the first period. Kyle Chipchura tracked down the puck behind the goal and sent a pass out front to Szwarz, who one-timed it past Martin Brodeurs stick side for Phoenixs first even-strength goal in more than 184 minutes. Halpern made it 2-0 by taking a feed from Moss and beating Brodeur to the glove side from the left circle for his second of the season. Phoenix dominated most of the opening period, but New Jersey got on the board when Clowe punched in a power-play rebound for his second of the season at 18:44. Hanzal put the Coyotes up 3-1 late in the second on a power play, tipping a shot by Keith Yandle then muscling it past Brodeur for his 14th of the season. Jagr cut the lead to one after New Jersey pulled Brodeur for an extra attacker, but Smith made some tough saves in the final minute. "If we would have had at least two lines going, it would have been a different story, but we only had one line doing anything," Jagr said. NOTES: The Coyotes have scored a power-play goal in seven straight games. ... New Jersey had killed off 16 of 17 penalties before Hanzals goal with the man advantage. ... The Coyotes and Devils had not played since Oct. 27, 2011, a 5-3 win by the Coyotes in Glendale. ... The Devils have lost four straight in Arizona, dating to 2003. . The redshirt freshman finished the regular season with nearly 3,500 passing yards, and 35 touchdowns with another three on the ground while leading the Seminoles to the top of the BCS Rankings. . The question all fans want to know heading into this light heavyweight affair is will Rua display his true potential. Working with UFC welterweight fighter Demian Maias team in Sao Paulo Brazil and having training partners such as fellow UFC stand outs Fabio Maldonado and Daniel Sarafian, the 32-year old feels very well prepared for Friday nights encounter.
http://www.cheapuscjerseys.com/?tag=usc ... ege-jersey. 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. .Y. -- Kristen Gillman rallied to win the U. . -- Desperate to stop Tom Bradys latest comeback bid, the Miami Dolphins sought help from a reserve safety making his NFL debut after being signed Tuesday off the San Francisco 49ers practice squad.NEW YORK – These are busy times for Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis. Theres the upcoming draft in Philadelphia, a coaching staff to round out and a roster requiring some alterations and likely upheaval following another late season collapse. First up is the draft. The Leafs hold the eighth overall pick in a class thats more or less unpredictable – especially at the top. Nonis, attending the GM meetings in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, reiterated what was first reported in the Toronto Sun, that his club would be open to moving up from their current perch or staying put if the price was too high. "Youve got a pretty good chance of getting a good player at eight or four," he said. "For us to move up the price tag would have to reflect that fact." Panthers general manager Dale Tallon is reported to have been actively shopping the first overall pick in a 2014 collection that lacks any clear-cut top prospect; defenceman Aaron Ekblad, as well as centres Sam Bennett, Leon Drasaitl, and Sam Reinhart are among the names in contention. Nonis went with a hulking, defensively-aware centre in Frederik Gauthier a year ago – his first draft as the Leafs boss – but is almost certain to add skill with the eighth pick this time around. "I wouldnt say its a priority that were going to go for the most skilled player," Nonis explained, "but I think the players that are going to be available in the top eight by and large are skill players so because of that fact theres a good chance thats what you end up with." Lacking in high-end deptth organizationally down the middle, the Leafs are likely to miss out on the top-end centres (Bennett, Draisaitl, Reinhart) if they stick with their current pick, but could lean in the direction of Sault St.dddddddddddd Marie pivot Jared McCann or a promising bunch of big, high-scoring wingers – Michael Dal Colle, Nick Ritchie, Brendan Perlini, Jake Virtanen – not to mention speedy, skilled types in Nikolaj Ehlers and Willie Nylander. "I think all those guys have ability," Nonis said. "Its not one [of those drafts] where youre going to get a hard-nosed plugger or shutdown defenceman; I think even the guys who are more rugged theres some pretty good players there." The search for a coaching staff to surround incumbent Randy Carlyle continues additionally. Opting to keep Carlyle as the lead bench boss in early May, the Leafs fired assistants Dave Farrish, Scott Gordon and Greg Cronin. Nonis declined to say how many candidates had been interviewed for jobs on the staff nor how many would interviewed in the future. "Id like to have it done sooner rather than later, but theres still quite a few people to go through and were not going to rush it," he said. As far an impending pack of free agents that includes Mason Raymond, Nik Kulemin, Dave Bolland and Jay McClement, Nonis hadnt ruled any out from a return to the club next season; the Leafs have had preliminary discussions with the Bolland camp. Nonis wouldnt rule out a return for former Leaf Leo Komarov, who plans to return to the NHL, though only at the right price-point. ' ' '
