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000-yard milestone for the f
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The Edmonton Oilers reputation precedes them. For offseason acquisitions, defencemen Mark Fayne and Keith Aulie and wingers Benoit Pouliot and Teddy Purcell, that reputation includes two top-30 point producers and three top-50 goal scorers from last season and three former No. 1 overall picks. It also happens to include eight consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance. Its no secret which part of the see-saw reputation the new guys are focusing on heading toward the upcoming campaign. "The rebuild is pretty far on its way now with some of the guys they have, and especially this offseason with some of the other guys theyre bringing in," said Fayne, who was signed as a free agent on July 1. "I dont think its so much at the beginning stage anymore and I think thats only going to help." "Its a young group that desperately wants to win," Aulie, also a July 1 signing, added. "Just playing against them in the past, theyre hard working. Its an exciting team."If the Oilers do have the ability to be one thing, its exciting. Taylor Hall finished seventh in league scoring during the 2013-2014 season with 80 points, including 27 goals. Jordan Eberle and David Perron collected 28 goals each while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins set career highs in goals (19), assists (37) and points (56). Theres also former No. 1 pick Nail Yakupov, who has shown flashes of brilliance more than once in his first two seasons. "Im looking forward to actually being able to get the puck up to some of those younger guys and just let them fly," Fayne said. Star players are clearly not the problem in Edmonton, but what has been an issue in the past is complimenting those players and adding stability beyond the big names on the roster. Aside from the top four scorers on the club, no other player reached forty points last season. Only one of 28 players to appear in more than 10 games and five of 37 in total managed to avoid a minus rating. And thats a small sample size of a much larger problem. There are holes to fill and the new guys appear ready and willing to get their hands dirty. "Were not going to come in here and save the day, but we think were going to come in here and add some depth and make the team a better team," said Purcell, the returning player in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning for Sam Gagner. "Were not putting unrealistic expectations on ourselves, but we think we can help these guys." Reaching the post-season for the first time since a Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Final in 2006 may be an unrealistic expectation. What is likely more attainable is improving beyond the basement of the Pacific Division, where the club has finished in four of the last five seasons. "I think theres lots of work to be done, obviously," Aulie said. "Theres nowhere to go but up, so as young guys, myself and these other guys here with me, we just want to come in and make a positive impact; just help this team out because its exciting to be a part of a team thats on the upswing." "We understand how much pride this city has in the team and we just cant wait to make a positive impact." Marcus Davenport Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Saints Youth Jerseys . In this space, I will be writing new and unique pieces about the team that you wont be able to find anywhere else.  So naturally, in an attempt to come up with a fresh topic about the Ottawa Senators, I am going to start with a piece about their goaltending. http://www.authenticsaintsshopnfl.com/.Y. -- Sore nose and all, Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists to help Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 5-3 on Friday night, snapping the Penguins mini-slump and slowing the Sabres late-season surge. Cheap Saints Jerseys . Algeria led 3-0 at halftime, but withstood a stronger South Korean second half performance to claim its first World Cup win since 1982 and move into second place in Group H with one match left to play. Defeat for South Korea means it must now beat already-qualified Belgium to stand a chance of progressing to the knockout stages. Saints Official Jerseys . Colorado came up big against Chicago last spring, and repeated that performance Tuesday night. Varlamov stopped 36 shots and Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks.MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - When the woeful New York Jets gave up a 97-yard touchdown run to fall behind by 10 points Sunday, Rex Ryan cursed and hollered and angrily swung his arms and stomped along the sideline.Nearly 30 minutes remained in the season, and Ryan wasnt done coaching yet.With a breakout performance by Geno Smith, the Jets rallied to beat the Miami Dolphins 37-24, and Ryan ordered a fake punt with four minutes left that sealed the victory. It left the coach in a jovial mood, even though the comeback probably wont be enough to save his job.I think we all expect whats going to happen is going to happen, Ryan said. Im not afraid of what lies ahead, I can tell you that.Smith had his best game in a rocky season, throwing for a career-high 358 yards and three touchdowns. That more than negated a 97-yard run by Lamar Miller, the longest play from scrimmage in Dolphins history.The game was entertaining but mostly meaningless because it involved two teams out of the playoff chase. And with the Jets sitting out the post-season for the fourth consecutive year, owner Woody Johnson is widely expected to fire Ryan, and perhaps general manager John Idzik.The Jets (4-12) finished with their worst record since 2007.This is a great team — just, we havent had a great record, Ryan said. But as far as how you build a team, its there.Ryan is 46-50 in six seasons — not including 4-2 in the post-season — but remains popular with his players, and they dumped a bucket of sports drink on him when the game ended.We love coach Ryan, Smith said. Id love to play for him my entire career.Ryan continually tried to deflect postgame questions about his future, saying Johnson will talk to him at the appropriate time. They met briefly after the game.I said, Hey, boss, Im going to give the whole team a game ball. Sorry. And thats exactly what we did. Hes good with it, Ryan said.The Dolphins (8-8) missed a shot at their first winning season since 2008, which is the last time they made the playoffs. Owner Stephen Ross has said coach Joe Philbin will be back for a fourth season in 2015, and hell have disharmony to address after benching star receiver Mike Wallace for the entire second half.Wallace was punished for arguing with the coaching staff at halftime. He declined to talk to reporters after the game, and instead had teammate Brandon Gibson speak on his behalf, which made for a bizarre scene as they stood side by side at their lockers.Why was Gibson doing the talking?I just dont wwant my dog to say anything wrong, Gibson said.ddddddddddddDifferences in opinion led to Mike not playing in the second half, so thats what were going to say about coaches. ... Things that were communicated probably were misunderstood.The half-empty stadium and also-ran status of the teams created the atmosphere of an exhibition game, and with the stakes modest, Ryan threw in an occasional frill. The Jets ran a reverse out of the wildcat, with receiver Jeremy Kerley throwing incomplete to Smith.The fake punt came when New York clung to a 27-24 lead. Punter Ryan Quigley lobbed a 38-yard pass to tight end Zach Sudfeld on fourth-and-12.Somebody had the guts to call it, Ryan said. I dont know who, but hes probably standing in front of you.On the next play, Smith hit Jeff Cumberland with a 23-yard pass for the clinching touchdown.New York came in ranked last in the NFL in passing, but Smith went 20 of 25 and had a passer rating of 158.3 — the only perfect rating this year by a quarterback throwing at least seven passes, according to STATS. The South Florida native helped the Jets achieve a season-high points total.Even so, the game might have been Smiths final start for the Jets. Theyre expected to seek quarterback help in the draft or free agency.I have complete confidence in myself, Smith said, but consistency is the thing that Im searching for and Im getting better with.Eric Decker caught 10 passes for a career-high 221 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown, the longest play by the Jets this year. David Harris had 2 1/2 of the Jets seven sacks of Ryan Tannehill.Miller ran for a career-high 178 yards and reached the 1,000-yard milestone for the f000-yard milestone for the ffirst time. His touchdown was the longest run allowed by the Jets, and the longest play from scrimmage in the NFL this season.NOTES: Jets DT Sheldon Richardson left the game in the second quarter with a head injury and didnt return. WR Percy Harvin (ribs) and Pro Bowl C Nick Mangold (ankle) were inactive. ... Miami LB Koa Misi left with a right knee injury in the third quarter. ... Jets QB Michael Vick played for first time since Nov. 24, making a brief appearance in the first quarter. ... Tannehill became the first Miami player since Dan Marino in 1994 to throw for 4,000 yards. Tannehill finished with 392 completions this season to break Marinos 1994 franchise record of 385.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve_Wine Cheap Chargers Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys Cheap Texans Jerseys Cheap Ravens Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Titans Jerseys Cheap Chiefs Jerseys Cheap Bills Jerseys Cheap Colts Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap Rams Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Falcons Jerseys Cheap Bengals Jerseys ' ' '
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