Unser Chat » Our guys rallied around that hit

BUFFALO Youth Corey Crawford Jersey , N.Y. (AP) As the son of a journeyman hockey player and eventual coach, Buffalo Sabres newly acquired forward Tage Thompson became accustomed to never staying put in one place for too long.”I’m not sure the amount of states I’ve lived in,” Thompson said Monday, in recalling how he attended nine schools by the time he began his junior year at a high school in Michigan.”Almost a new school every year,” he added. ”So, I’ve moved around quite a bit.”His father is Brent Thompson, who is the coach of Bridgeport in the American Hockey League. His career included numerous stops from playing for the AHL’s Hershey Bears in Pennsylvania to coaching the ECHL’s Alaska Aces.It’s been a similar life of travel for the 20-year-old Thompson in the two years since being selected by the Blues in the first round of the draft following his freshman college year at UConn.Upon splitting last season between St. Louis and the Blues’ AHL Affiliate in San Antonio, Texas, Thompson is headed to Buffalo. He was acquired along with two veteran teammates and two draft picks on Sunday, in a deal that sent center Ryan O’Reilly to St. Louis.Perhaps, now Duncan Keith Jersey , Thompson can finally get a chance to settle down.”I feel like I’ve been living out of a suitcase, honestly,” he said. ”I really do hope Buffalo’s it.”The Sabres are counting on it after Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said Buffalo insisted Thompson be included in the trade. The Sabres also acquired centers Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka, as well as a conditional 2019 first-round pick and a 2021 second-rounder.At just over 6 feet and 205 pounds, Thompson had three goals and nine assists in 41 games as an NHL rookie last season, while playing a limited role on a veteran-laden team.In Buffalo, he’ll get a shot to earn a spot on one of the top two lines on a team rebuilding through youth.”What we see in Tage is a kid who has a great shot, great size, and a really good reach on the ice,” GM Jason Botterill said. ”I think he’s a player that’s going to be able to step into our lineup and grow with our young centermen.”Thompson can’t wait, and recalled how he was with his father when Armstrong called to inform him of the trade.Once the shock wore off http://www.officialblackhawksproshop.com/authentic-adidas-gustav-forsling-jersey , the two discussed the opportunities the Sabres present.”The more we sat and thought about it, we felt it’s a great fit for me,” Thompson said. ”It’s going to be exactly what I’ve been looking for as far as an opportunity to go in and play a lot and produce, and help the team win.”— GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) Jon Gillies looked a bit foolish when he lost sight of the puck at his feet and turned the wrong way as Derek Stepan tucked in a first-minute goal.”I don’t think you say, `Oh, boy,”’ the Calgary rookie said. ”I didn’t know where it went and it ended up on his stick. Just a bad bounce.”Gillies rebounded to make 35 saves in his first NHL start of the season to help the Flames beat the Arizona Coyotes 5-2 on Thursday night.”Little bit of rust to shake off,” he said.Called up from Stockton of the AHL with former Coyotes goalie Mike Smith sidelined by a lower-body injury, Gillies made his third appearance of the season and fourth overall in the NHL. The 6-foot-6 former Providence College goalie started and won his NHL debut last April against Los Angeles.”He was a little nervous in the beginning, but he settled right in John Hayden Jersey ,” Flames coach Glen Gulutzan said. ”What I like about him is he’s a big guy that’s not afraid to challenge, but he’s not overly aggressive in his movements. He doesn’t slide out of the net, he’s real controlled. A great big body that plays big.”Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and two assists, Sean Monahan added a goal and an assist, and Sam Bennett, Mark Jankowski and Matthew Tkachuk also scored.Coming off a 7-3 loss Wednesday night at Vegas with David Rittich in goal, Calgary snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 9-3-1 in its last 13 road games.”I liked our compete level tonight,” Monahan said. ”We were hungry and we weren’t happy with how we performed last night.”Stepan and Kevin Connauton scored for Arizona. Off since beating Edmonton 1-0 in a Saturday matinee at Gila River Arena, the NHL-worst Coyotes had won four straight and were 5-0-1 in their last six.”We didn’t have it tonight and it’s going to be tough to play in this league against teams battling for a playoff spot,” Stepan said. ”You got to come right in and play every single night. That’s what pros do.”Bennett and Gaudreau gave the Flames a 2-1 lead with goals 2:16 apart midway through the first period. Bennett deflected Gaudreau’s pass past goalie Antti Raanta, and Gaudreau came down the open left side and fired a wrist shot that squeezed under the goalie’s right leg pad for his 20th of the season.”Had a good start and two blown coverages Authentic Jonathan Toews Jersey ,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said.Monahan made it 3-1 midway through the second with his team-leading 28th goal, deflecting Dougie Hamilton’s centering pass past Raanta. Jankowski scored a short-handed goal early in the third, and Tkachuk added his 24th of the season midway through the period. Connauton scored with 2:30 left.Arizona’s Zac Rinaldo hammered Matt Stajan with a shoulder check early in the first, and the Flames’ Micheal Ferland retaliated by fighting Rinaldo the next time the Arizona forward hit the ice. Stajan returned to the game for his next shift.”Our guys got physical and we scored right after that,” Gulutzan said. ”Our guys rallied around that hit.”NEW GOALIE, NEW DEALArizona signed Darcy Kuemper to a two-year contract extension, a day after acquiring the 27-year-old goalie from Los Angeles for speedy forward Tobias Rieder and goalie Scott Wedgewood. The 6-foot-5 Kuemper was 10-1-3 with a 2.10 goals-against average and three shutouts in 19 games for the Kings this season. He backed up Raanta against the Flames.NOTES: Smith missed a chance to make his first start in Arizona since an offseason trade to the Flames. Smith spent the previous six seasons with the Coyotes. In Calgary on Nov. 30, he beat Arizona 3-0. He was injured Feb. 11 in the final seconds of a victory at the New York Islanders. … Hamilton and Mark Giordano each had two assists for Calgary.UP NEXTFlames: Host Colorado on Saturday.Coyotes: Host Anaheim on Saturday night.—