Inland Waterways » tournament." But now the

PITTSBURGH -- Coach Dan Bylsma knows that the disappointing finish of the U.S. Olympic mens hockey team in Sochi will linger. But now he has shifted his focus back to the Pittsburgh Penguins and looks to get his first-place team to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs. "I dont think you get rid of the disappointment," Bylsma said Tuesday. "But you have to put it behind you. The task at hand is coming back here and playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and I think thats the best way to put it behind you." The U.S. nearly knocked off Team Canada in Vancouver in 2010, falling just short of a gold medal and instead settled for silver. The Americans wanted to win an elusive Olympic hockey gold for the first time since the "Miracle on Ice," in 1980, and U.S. executives felt Bylsmas team had the right blend of skill, speed, and grit to get the job done. The U.S. offence got off to a strong start through the first four games of the tournament, outscoring the opposition 20-6. Included was the exhilarating, 3-2, eight-round shootout victory against the host Russians, one of the most memorable games of the tournament. "The Russian game was as unique of a game as Ive ever coached," Bylsma said. "The stage in terms of the tournament doesnt mean a whole lot because everyones going to play a fourth game, but trying to compare it to a Stanley Cup or a Game 7 was completely different. It had a different feel." The U.S. cruised past the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals, setting up a semifinal showdown with Canada. "Its a game we all wanted," Bylsma said. "Maybe the biggest disappointment is that it wasnt the gold medal game." Regardless, the U.S. had to get through Canada to win gold, and for the second straight time in Olympic competition, the Canadians topped the U.S. Canada, which went on to win its second straight gold medal, blanked the Americans in a suffocating 1-0 effort that wasnt as close as the final score. Bylsma was criticized after the loss, some drawing comparisons to the Boston Bruins four-game sweep of a punchless Penguins team, which had trouble scoring during the 2013 Eastern Conference finals. "You can draw the comparisons, but I dont know if theyre valid or applicable," Bylsma said. "The one thing we would like to go back to in that game was playing faster and playing quicker, allowing us to be on the forecheck in a better manner." Penguins GM Ray Shero, also the associate general manager for Team USA, credited Team Canada. "That might be the greatest Olympic hockey team ever," Shero said. "You can look at how we wanted to play, but sometimes the opponent doesnt let you get to your game." The Canadians, who never trailed in the tournament, flexed their defensive muscle, allowing just three goals in six games to become the first team in 30 years to go unbeaten through an Olympic tournament. "Canada was very good," Shero said. "We came in with high expectations and theres nothing wrong with setting a high goal." Both wanted to see a different outcome after a humiliating 5-0 defeat the following day against Finland in the bronze medal game. "The bronze medal game was a tough one for us to rebound and get to," Bylsma said. "Thats the biggest disappointment of the tournament." But now the attention shifts back to Bylsmas Penguins where Olympians Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz are back with gold medals from Team Canada, while Jussi Jokinen and Olli Maatta earned bronze with Finland. Bylsma returned empty-handed along with U.S. Olympians Brooks Orpik and Paul Martin, who broke his hand in the quarterfinal round and is out four to six weeks. Russian star Evgeni Malkin is also without a medal, motivation that Bylsma hopes will further fuel a deep playoff run for the Metropolitan Division-leading Penguins. The Penguins return to action when they host Montreal on Thursday. "We have 24 games to get back and focus on this team being the best it can be, getting to the Stanley Cup and winning it," Bylsma said. Discount Nike Free Shoes NZ .com) - No Sidney Crosby, no problem. Nike Free NZ Sale .Lets go back to the Avs, who have become one of the funnest teams to watch in this years playoffs. http://www.nikefreenz.com/ . Only it wasnt the extended right pad of his old teammate Jonathan Bernier early in the final frame, it was James Reimer, who stole a night that was supposed to belong to the former King. Cheap Nike Free NZ . -- Jesse Lussier scored 8:24 into overtime as the Halifax Mooseheads erased a four-goal deficit to beat the host Val-dOr Foreurs 6-5 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action. Nike Free Shoes NZ . The Calgary skip fell 10-8 to Swedens Oskar Eriksson in semifinal action Saturday and will face Switzerlands Peter de Cruz for the bronze medal (Saturday at 10pm et/7pm pt on TSN2).TAMPA, Fla. -- Henrik Lundqvist had a positive return performance to help the New York Rangers pull out a one-goal victory. Lundqvist made 37 saves in his first start in four games, and Mats Zuccarello had a goal and two assists in the Rangers 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night. "Sometimes its a good thing to get a lot of work," Lundqvist said. "Theres been a lot of games where Ive been waiting for shots, and then theres been some odd-man rushes or breakaways, and its been hard to really get the game going. "A game like this definitely helps you to work on your positioning and a lot of different things, so Im pleased with the win and the way I played." Lundqvist watched from the bench as backup Cam Talbot started the previous three games, winning two, after Lundqvist struggled through a 1-4-2 stretch. "He played a real strong game, gave us a chance to win, especially in the third when they had a real strong push and they were tough to handle," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "He had some huge saves to make, and he did." Rick Nash, Chris Kreider and Benoit Pouliot also scored for the Rangers, who had three power-play goals. Ryan McDonagh and Derick Brassard had two assists each. Tampa Bay got goals from Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Valtteri Filppula. The Lightning were coming off a 2-1 shootout loss Saturday night to Montreal. "They earned that victory," Lightning captain Martin St. Louis said. "We got what we deserved." The Rangers went up 4-2 on second-period, power-play goals by Kreider and Pouliot. Kreider beat Anders Lindback with a backhander at 4:35, and Pouliot extended his point streak to seven games with an in-close redirection 3:16 later. Tampa Bay pulled within 4-3 on Filppulas tip-in 8:14 into the third.dddddddddddd It was one of 16 shots the Lightning had on Lundqvist during the period. "Hank was our best player," Zuccarello said. "He played really well for us. They had numerous chances, and we were a little bit nervous there in the third period." After Johnson tied it with a power-play goal at 10:41 of the first, Palat scored a rebound goal from the left circle to make it 2-1 with 3:55 left in the period. Nash snapped his seven-game goal drought to put the Rangers up 1-0 just 4:30 into the game. Derek Stepan set up the goal after stealing a pass by Lightning defenceman Radko Gudas. Zuccarello got the Rangers even at 2 during a power play when his pass into the low slot deflected off Gudas into the net at 18:25. The centre assisted on goals by Kreider and Pouliot. "I dont think Ive seen us mismanage the puck more," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "That was painful to watch, to be honest." NOTES: Lightning star Steven Stamkos, out since breaking his right leg on Nov. 11, did a series of agility drills during a 30 minute on-ice workout. The centre, who hopes to return in February, resumed skating 2 1/2 weeks ago. ... Rangers RW Ryan Callahan (sprained knee) had a limited workout, wearing a no-contact jersey, during the teams morning skate. ... Tampa Bay D Eric Brewer (upper body), Sami Salo (upper body) and LW Ryan Malone (broken ankle) could return during a four-game trip that starts Wednesday at Vancouver. ... New York D Marc Staal (concussion) and D Anton Stralman (left hand and wrist) practiced. ... Tampa Bay D Dmitry Korobov assisted on Filppulas goal for his first NHL point. ... Rangers D Conor Allen played nearly 16 minutes in his NHL debut. 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