TORONTO - The 2014-15 NHL campaign kicks off with the leagues oldest rivalry, as the Toronto Maple Leafs open the season by welcoming the Montreal Canadiens for Wednesdays clash at Air Canada Centre. [url=http://www.patriotsauthenticshop.com/Patriots-Trent-Brown-Draft-Jer sey/]Trent Brown Jersey[/url]

TORONTO - The 2014-15 NHL campaign kicks off with the leagues oldest rivalry, as the Toronto Maple Leafs open the season by welcoming the Montreal Canadiens for Wednesdays clash at Air Canada Centre. Trent Brown Jersey . The NHL regular season gets underway Wednesday with a four-game slate, beginning with another edition of the leagues signature rivalry. The historic foes met five times in 2013-14 with the Canadiens claiming three of the battles. In addition to winning the last regular-season series against Toronto, the Canadiens also made it to the Eastern Conference finals last spring while the Maple Leafs missed the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons. Being the most decorated franchise in NHL history, the Canadiens once deemed a season to be successful only if it ended with a Stanley Cup title. But times have changed thanks to the onset of the salary cap era, so last seasons surprising run to the conference finals made 2013-14 an unqualified success for the Habs. Montreal swept Tampa Bay in the opening round before pulling off a seven-game upset of the Boston Bruins in the East semis. The party ended, however, when the New York Rangers downed the Habs in six games to win the conference title. Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin didnt fiddle with his roster too much this summer, with his biggest move coming in the trade which sent Danny Briere to Colorado in exchange for fellow forward P.A. Parenteau, who is questionable for Wednesdays game with a lower-body injury. Bergevin pulled off another minor move right before the start of the season, acquiring bulky forward Eric Tangradi from Winnipeg on Sunday in exchange for goaltender Peter Budaj and Patrick Holland. Tangradi will begin the season with Montreals AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. Montreal ended last season without Carey Price, but the clubs No. 1 goaltender is ready to go for 2014-15 and expects to get the start tonight. Price went down with a knee injury in the conference finals and was sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs. The Habs core that is still relatively young, as a handful of its best players -- P.K. Subban, Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher, to name a few -- enter this season at 25 years old or younger. It will be interesting to see if last springs excursion to the conference finals was a sign Montreal is on the right track, or merely an illusion. Its fun to see the guys loose and excited for the start of the season, but there are 29 other teams that are also anxious to start the season, Subban said on Tuesday. Its a fresh start. Its an opportunity to see progress and have success. While Montreal hopes to prove last season was no fluke, Toronto certainly is aiming for a fresh start after ending 2013-14 with losses in 12 of its final 14 games. The late-season swoon cost the Maple Leafs a shot at the playoffs, and front office upheaval followed the disappointing campaign. Shortly after the season ended, the Leafs named Brendan Shanahan as the teams president and alternate governor. The Hall of Fame winger left behind a job as the NHLs director of player safety to try and help his hometown team get back on the right track. While the Leafs havent made major changes to the look of the team since Shanahans arrival in April, the club did hire 28-year-old advanced statistics wunderkind Kyle Dubas to serve as Torontos assistant general manager, a move that could signal the beginning of the end for current GM Dave Nonis. Head coach Randy Carlyle also could be on borrowed time. With Toronto bringing back most of its roster from last season, the 2014-15 campaign could be one of evaluation for the Leafs as the franchise tries to transition out of its recent downturn. Of course, the Eastern Conference seems wide open at the start of the season, so making the playoffs in 2015 should be within the clubs reach. High-scoring winger Phil Kessel returns for the Leafs after leading the club in both goals and points for the fifth straight season in 2013-14, notching 37 tallies and 80 points. While Toronto doesnt need to worry about Kessels production, the club absolutely needs forward David Clarkson to perform at a higher level this season. Clarkson, a 30-goal scorer with New Jersey in 2011-12, signed a seven- year, $36.75 million deal with the Leafs in the summer of 2013 only to put up an embarrassing 11 points (5G, 6A) in 60 games. Clarksons nightmare season began with him serving a suspension for leaving the bench to join a fight in a preseason game. Although Clarkson broke an orbital bone below his right eye following a fight with Buffalos Cody McCormick during this years preseason, he could be ready to go for tonights season opener. Last year was just something I cant explain to you, Clarkson recently told his clubs official web site. It was the toughest thing and Im ready for whats ahead. Toronto forward David Booth, who was signed to a one-year, $1.1 million deal in the offseason, will not be able to make his Maple Leafs debut tonight due to a fractured foot suffered in the preseason. The injury could keep Booth sidelined until late October. Defenseman Cody Franson also will miss the season opener with a bruised left knee. The Maple Leafs expect to go with Jonathan Bernier over James Reimer in net tonight. Bernier enters 2014-15 as the clear top option in Toronto after going 26-19-7 with a 2.69 goals against average and .923 save percentage. Reimer, meanwhile, is in need of a comeback season following a campaign in which he posted a 12-16-1 record and sported a dismal 3.29 GAA. Bernier, who was acquired from Los Angeles in a trade during the summer of 2013, outplayed Reimer for the starting job early on in 2013-14 before suffering a knee injury in mid-March. Reimer and the Leafs lost the next five games and when Bernier returned on March 25, the club dropped three more in a row. Montreal has won four of six and five of the past eight encounters in the series overall and the Canadiens have taken five of the last seven meetings in Toronto. The Leafs were much better at home than on the road last season, sporting a 24-16-1 record at Air Canada Centre in 2013-14. Montreal had a solid 23-15-3 road record last season. Following tonights season opener, Toronto is off until hosting Pittsburgh on Saturday. The Habs, meanwhile, are scheduled to play the second test of a season-opening four-game road trip tomorrow night in Washington. Line Combinations Toronto Maple Leafs Forwards: van Riemsdyk - Bozak - Kessel Lupul - Kadri - Kozun Winnik - Holland - Frattin Komarov - Santorelli - Clarkson Defence: Phaneuf - Robidas Gardiner - Rielly Percy - Polak Goalies: Bernier - starting Reimer Projected Scratches: Leivo, Ashton, Booth (foot), Franson (knee) TSNs Game Notes: Canadiens at Maple Leafs - 7PM 15th all-time season opener between teams (both teams, first game of season) 6th straight year opening season match up, TOR (4-0-1) won 4 straight MTL 3-2-0 vs TOR last season (TOR 2-2-1) 3 of 5 games between teams decided by 1G in 13-14 (one other game 2G with EN) TOR: 5-0-2 last 7 season openers 3/18 on PP vs MTL last season best home PP last season, 25.2% 2-5-0 final 7 home games in 13-14 Kessel (5G, 10A) PTS in 9 of past 10GP vs MTL Bernier 17-9-1 at home last season, 2.77GAA, .917sv% MTL: Lost 2 straight openers on the road (both vs TOR) 4/16 on PP vs TOR last season 6-1-1 final 8 road games in 13-14, 1/25 on PP Pacioretty (3) tied for lead league in hat-tricks in 2013-14 Price 1-2-0 past 3 starts in TOR, 4.65GAA, .855sv% Joe Thuney Jersey . Vinci also beat Dulgheru last week in Bucharest en route to her first WTA final in a year. Vinci next faces sixth-seeded Kurumi Nara of Japan, who beat Czech qualifier Katerina Siniakova 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-2. No. Isaiah Wynn Jersey . -- Jonas Hiller is cautiously confident he has kicked his vertigo. http://www.patriotsauthenticshop.com/Patriots-Lawrence-Guy-Draft-Jersey/ . Griffin scored 13 of his 31 points in the final 7:05 and Dudley got 11 of his 20 points in the third quarter, leading the defending Pacific Division champions to a 112-85 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. "Dud is a shooter.Time to reflect on a wonderful Aintree. Lets start with Cue Card and Thistlecrack. What performances. How highly do you regard the pair and Colin Tizzards achievements with them this year? Colin Tizzard has every right to feel cock-a-hoop after his exploits with his two stable stars. Cue Card is 10 years old now and its fair to say this was/is his season. I dont think its harsh to suggest that they are unlikely to enjoy the same sort of success next term as he rises 11, but to get him back to his best this campaign has shown tremendous skill and patience.You feel gutted for the team knowing what we do now after Aintree and I have to admit to being one of the sceptics regarding his likely finishing position had he stood up in the Gold Cup. It seems though that he would have given Don Cossack a real run for his money and maybe just beaten him. Cue Card was brilliant at Aintree and this was no stroll in the park - he was beating serious competition in Don Poli and Djakadam and they were put in their places convincingly. We now have the mouthwatering prospect of a potential rematch at Punchestown with the possibility of Vautour being thrown into the mix. Its exciting to think that the race of the season may still be to come.Whereas Cue Card beat serious horsepower, the same cant be said for Thistlecrack who landed the odds in the Liverpool Stayers Hurdle in effortless fashion against an inferior bunch, even if Shaneshill and Different Gravey are no slouches.Horses of the calibre of Thistlecrack dont pop up often and neither do they necessarily capture your heart - Cue Card perhaps being a good example, Denman another. This horse is a beast though and I think we (racing fans and professionals alike) already adore him. Rival trainers would love to find a box for him, jockeys would walk over hot coals to get an opportunity to see how many gears he actually has and Im sure every owner in Britain and Ireland wishes they had heard the gavel fall after their final bid of 43,000 Euros at the Tattersalls Ireland Sales back in 2011 when he was a raw three-year-old.Thistlecrack is eight now and as Ive said in a previous blog, I would dearly love to see him sent chasing now with the Gold Cup his ultimate aim. There is an argument for staying over hurdles and trying to become the next Big Bucks, but the pinnacle of jump racing in my eyes is the staying chasing division and the Blue Riband itself, the Gold Cup.The easy option would be to stay over hurdles, but would it feel like an opportunity missed? Bring on Punchestown where he is also likely to appear, but most of all, bring on 2016/17. Incidentally, hes 8/1 with Sky Bet for the Gold Cup next season.Apart from Vautours fall it was another good week for Willie Mullins. How high can Douvan fly and would even the sidelined Faugheen be a match for Annie Power right now?Willie Mullins is in a strong position to win a first British trainers championship and Aintree helped edge him ahead of Paul Nicholls with just a couple of weeks to go. It has certainly added an extra frisson to the title race and Im looking forward to seeing who wins the fight.Douvan was impressive in winning the Grade 1 Maghull Novices Chase as you would expect, winning without much fuss. Yes, his presence scared off any serious competition, but to coin a phrase, he could only beat what was in front of him and he did that with aplomb. If you were to be really critical, his early jumping could have been better, but he has only had five starts over fences and is learning all the time.So, with four Grade 1 races on the bounce and with his only defeat coming on his first start in France almost two years ago, the world appears to be his oyster. The big question is, what route will Mullins take with him next season? The suggestion is he will stay further, so could we see him take the King George/Gold Cup route or will it be the Champion Chase? The two-mile division looks weaker and he would add spice to the mix, but Im sure wed all love to see him up in trip, too.Faugheen and Annie Power have never met on a racecourse and its so difficult to know if Faugheen would be capable of giving Annie Power weight. Im inclined to think that he would be the superior of the pair, but until it happens we wont know.Annie might be 12 months older than her stablemate, but she seems to be getting better with age and as she has been compared to Dawn Run by her trainer then its not a given that Faugheen would come out on top in a match.Lets hope we get the opportunity to see iit happen next term. Cordarrelle Patterson Jersey. This is why we love National Hunt racing!Rule The World did just that in the Crabbies Grand National. What are your reflections on the race?Speaking of love, there was plenty of it for Mouse Morris after his emotional win in the Grand National. He has had to deal with insufferable personal tragedy and even for a race that usually throws up an emotional back story, this was something else. I defy anyone to have maintained a stiff upper lip in the aftermath of the worlds most famous steeplechase.Rule The World has also had to overcome his own serious injuries and the training performance cant be underestimated in light of that. Mouse is the man when it comes to readying a horse for the big occasion, as weve seen more than once of late.As for the race itself, Rule The World was given an inspired ride by a fearless teenager in David Mullins and that could well have been the horses swansong.I was out of luck with my selections, but Im blaming the downpour that turned the ground testing. The Last Samuri was tenacious in defeat for Kim Bailey and they must be proud and disappointed at the same time. Lets hope they get him there in the same sort of form next year.One of my main selections was Ucello Conti who ran with huge credit. His sixth place showed promise for next year, especially given that hes got time on his side and clouted a couple of fences. He ran out of steam on the testing ground and with more jumping experience he should go back to Aintree with a great chance in 12 months time.Can Folsom Blue give Mouse Morris a third national win this spring at Ayr on Saturday?Wouldnt that be something? Its a shame that Rogue Angel cant bid for his third National, having won the Kerry National and then the Irish version at the end of March, but his stablemate ran well to finish fourth in the latter and will doubtless attract money if he gets in.Willie Mullins is throwing everything at his bid to win the UK trainers title and he sends Measureofmydreams over to Ayr.Like Folsom Blue, the horse is owned by Michael OLearys Gigginstown House Stud and has the type of profile you love to see in a Scottish National. Hes a novice, ran well in the NH Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and is relatively unexposed.His Cheltenham form has been franked by the runner-up, Native River, who has subsequently won a Grade 1 at Aintree, and thats why hes 8/1 clear favourite at the time of writing.Paul Nicholls isnt going to give up the title without a fight and he relies on Southfield Theatre who was brought down in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham. He hasnt been given a reprieve by the handicapper, but he did look like he was about to get involved at the time of his departure.Cause Of Causes could line-up for Gordon Elliott. He agonisingly missed the cut for the Grand National and was an impressive winner of the Kim Muir on his last outing. He will have to overcome a 13lb rise in the weights if hes to win this though.2014 Grand National winner Pineau De Re also missed the cut for Aintree and holds an entry on Saturday, but trainer Dr Richard Newland has Royale Knight in the field and he could be the pick of the pair.There would be some reception if Sandy Thomson could win it with Seeyouatmidnight. He was on a roll before running a moderate race in the RSA Chase behind Blaklion but he has been given time to get over that and would be a popular Scottish winner. Hes 14/1 with Sky Bet.Nicky Hendersons Vyta Du Roc has to come into calculations on his recent efforts, in the RSA Chase (5th) and prior to that beating subsequent NH Chase winner Minella Rocco at Ascot. Heathfield is one to ignore at your peril for shrewd trainer Tony Martin, tooIm afraid everything points towards a good run for ante-post favourite Measureofmydreams and hes at the top of my shortlist but if you want something at a price, take your pick from Seeyouatmidnight and Southfield Theatre who offer a bit more each-way value.Anything else catch your eye over the weekend? Well, it would be foolish to discount the Mullins Ayr raiders. In particular, his Ivan Grozny heads the market for the Scottish Champion Hurdle after providing David Mullins with a winner straight after his National triumph. Its a tough ask to come out seven days later to win again, but he eased to victory there and may not have had a hard race... Also See: Live results service Full racecards Get Sky Sports Cheap Chargers Hoodies Cheap Browns Hoodies Cheap Texans Hoodies Cheap Ravens Hoodies Cheap Panthers Hoodies Cheap Jets Hoodies Cheap Titans Hoodies Cheap Chiefs Hoodies Cheap Bills Hoodies Cheap Colts Hoodies Cheap Cardinals Hoodies Cheap Buccaneers Hoodies Cheap Rams Hoodies Cheap Jaguars Hoodies Cheap Falcons Hoodies Cheap Bengals Hoodies ' ' '