Off-Topic » Whites squad continued its su

ST. LOUIS -- Coach Ken Hitchcock hopes the combination of a lopsided loss, a day off and a good practice on Monday will result in a better performance when the St. Louis Blues host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.Theres building times and this is it, Hitchcock told NHL.com. Weve got a real opportunity right now.The Blues have lost three games in a row and five of their last seven, including a 3-1 defeat at Nashville and an embarrassing 8-4 loss at Columbus on Saturday night, a game in which they trailed 7-1 at one point.Three of those recent losses came in games in which the Blues allowed five or more goals.Theres spots in games where were doing everything we want to do, then all of the sudden, things turn the other way and its going negative, said defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. Its got to come from within this room. Nobodys going to help us. Everythings getting magnified. Were not being as assertive as we usually are. You identify a check, you know thats youre guy and youre going to play him hard. If someone makes a mistake, youre there to help your teammate out right away.Were getting spread out in our end, were not communicating the way we need to communicate, and thats resulting in glaring opportunities, whereas in the past, if those were there, it didnt seem like they were obvious opportunities. I think when we get more assertive and play teams harder, be tougher to play against, its going to work in a positive direction.Jake Allen, who was pulled in the second period against the Blue Jackets after allowing four goals, will get the start in net against Buffalo.As a team, the Sabres can relate to what the Blues are going through. They are winless in their last four games, including both a shootout and an overtime loss. They have scored a combined four goals in those games.Just like the Blues, the Sabres have had a problem staying out of the penalty box. They have been called for five or more penalties in four of their last five games. The Blues have been called for the most minor penalties in the league (76) while Buffalo ranks 11th with 58 minor penalties.Weve got to stay out of the box, Sabres right winger Kyle Okposo told NHL.com. Thats something that needs to be addressed and needs to be executed. There are some penalties that you have to take and other ones that are just undisciplined penalties. Weve got to stay away from the undisciplined ones.Center Ryan OReilly, who has missed two of the last three games, could play against the Blues, according to coach Dan Bylsma. Buffalo still is expected to recall at least one forward and a defenseman from the minor leagues before Tuesday nights game.The Sabres have fallen to last in the NHL with an average of 1.93 goals per game.Maybe the biggest surprise is we havent got to the power play as much as we need to to get opportunities to score, Bylsma told the Buffalo News. We should be playing the way where teams have to take penalties against us. Given the lineup we have, we need to manufacture goals in a hard and difficult way. Luka Doncic Jersey . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Dirk Nowitzki Jersey . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. http://www.mavericksteamofficial.info/customized/ . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Dallas Mavericks Jerseys . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Dwight Powell Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. TAMPA, Fla. -- Canyon Barry had 17 points and KeVaughn Allen added 14 as Florida beat Belmont 78-61 on Monday night.After the Gators saw a 20-point first-half lead cut to nine early in the second, Barry had three baskets and hit a pair of free throws during a 16-0 run that put Florida ahead 59-34 with 12 minutes to play.I really just tried to be aggressive, said Barry, who came off the bench to play 21 minutes. My confidence kind of increased when I was able to knockdown some shots.Barry had 16 points in Thursdays 73-66 victory over St. Bonaventure.Hes a quick thinker, Florida coach Mike White said. Hes in a good rhythm right now.Florida (4-0) also got 12 points from John Egbunu, while Devin Robinson chipped in with 11.Evan Bradds scored 17 points for Belmont (1-2), which went 3 for 11 in the first half and 7 for 27 overall from 3-point range. The Bruins had made 25 of 75 from beyond the arc in their first two games.Florida scored the first 15 points and took a 38-26 halftime lead. The Gators held Belmont without a 3 for the initial 12 minutes but the Bruins hit three from long range to close out the half and cut into a 24-4 deficit.We got into a really good defensive rhythm against a tremendous offensive team early on, White said. Not that it maintained at that level for 40 minutes but we had enough of it that was at that level during the next 35 or so minutes.BIG PICTUREBelmont: The Bruins shot 22 percent (9 for 41) in their 80-66 loss to Vanderbilt, while shooting 47.dddddddddddd percent (16 for 34) in a 90-69 win over Western Kentucky.Florida: Whites squad continued its successful swing around Florida with the OConnell Center in Gainesville nearing completion of a $64.5 million renovation. The Gators previously won a pair of games in Jacksonville and another in Lakeland.LIMITING DAMAGEBradds took nine shots after averaging 16 in the Bruins first two games. He was the focal point of the scouting report, White said. We threw a bunch of different bodies at him and gave much different looks, and he goes 7 of 9. Evan Bradds is one of the best offensive players in the country regardless of level.NUMBERS GAMEFlorida: The Gators made 5 of 21 from 3-point range.Belmont: After going 11 for 17 from the free-throw line in their first two games combined, the Bruins made 14 of 22 Monday night.UP NEXTBelmont: The Bruins will see how they matchup against a Top-25 team Friday night at No. 23 Rhode Island.Florida: The Gators have a chance to further impress the AP Top-25 voters this week at the AdvoCare Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. In matchup of teams receiving votes in this week poll, Florida opens play Thursday night against Seton Hall. With a victory, the Gators could meet No. 11 Gonzaga in the semifinals Friday night. ' ' '