Inland Waterways » Tuesday and said while its hard to determine

EDMONTON -- Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish feels optimistic about his teams future despite a last-place finish in the Western Conference standings. MacTavish gave his head coach a vote of confidence Tuesday and said while its hard to determine where the team is in its development stage, he feels most of the "heavy lifting" has been done. "Were closer to the end in my mind than we are to the beginning in terms of the development of this team," MacTavish said Tuesday at a season-ending media availability. Expectations were higher in Edmonton this season but the team struggled from the start and finished with a 29-44-9 record for 67 points, good for a 28th-place finish in the 30-team league. There were a few bright lights for the Oilers. Taylor Hall had a strong year with 80 points in 75 games and fellow forwards Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had productive campaigns. Defensive woes were a constant problem. The Oilers struggled on the blue-line and between the pipes, allowing a league-worst 270 goals. MacTavish has no plans to add anything "middle of the road" to the current defence core and feels the teams younger players can fill those positions. He does plan to target a high-end defenceman in the off-season. "We need a few pieces that can really move this thing along," said MacTavish. The GM added that Eakins -- who completed his first season as an NHL head coach -- has a bright future with the team. "Im convinced this guy is the right coach to lead us into much more successful times ... hes relentless," MacTavish said. Despite the foundation of young, talented offensive players, the Oilers managed only 203 goals. The goaltending situation was unsettled throughout the season as netminder Devan Dubnyk struggled in the starters role. Dubnyk was dealt to Nashville at the trade deadline and the Oilers acquired Ben Scrivens from Los Angeles. Scrivens and fellow mid-season acquisition Viktor Fasth posted decent numbers as Edmonton finished with a 14-13-3 mark over its last 30 games. MacTavish said there is plenty of work ahead and admitted the team did not live up to expectations. But he likes the young core and is confident improvement can be made. "Were building our team around this group," he said. "And you have to have pieces in that locker-room that you view as guys that are going to develop into winners and guys that are going to develop into superstars. "I feel strongly that we have a number of those pieces in there and those are the guys were going to build that team around. I want them to feel the ownership, I want them to feel the loyalty from myself and the coaching staff that we have the confidence in them to drive this team forward." Taylor Gabriel Jersey . The star receiver certainly isnt celebrating it with the Texans mired in a franchise-record 13-game skid. Chicago Bears Jerseys . According to TSN Edmonton reporter Ryan Rishaug, agent Rick Valette met with Oilers senior VP of hockey operations Scott Howson and general manager Craig MacTavish on Monday to kick off the talks. http://www.authenticfootballshopbears.co...ith-jersey.aspx. Al Harrington, another former Knicks forward, scored 22 of his 24 points after halftime for the Nuggets, allowing them to withstand Anthonys attempt to rally the Knicks after his poor shooting had them behind until the final minutes of regulation. Anthony finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, missing 20 of 30 shots in the Knicks sixth straight loss. Cody Parkey Jersey . A veteran of 16 NHL seasons, Prospals career was highlighted by him ranking fourth in points scored, third in assists and sixth in games played among all Czech Republic born players in NHL history. Custom Chicago Bears Jerseys . Bilbaos first victory in four rounds lifted it four points clear of Real Sociedad and kept it in command of Spains last Champions League berth for next season. In contrast, Betis was left 11 points from safety after a dismal performance that at times bordered on self-destruction amid some questionable refereeing decisions. NEW YORK -- Brad Richards shook off second-period frustration to power the New York Rangers offence in the third. The Florida Panthers are still looking for any answer how to bust out of a long losing streak that has already cost one coach his job. Richards snapped a tie in the opening minute of the third period and then set up an insurance goal that became necessary as the surging Rangers handed the Panthers their ninth straight loss with a 4-3 victory on Sunday night. A missed prime scoring chance in the second period prompted Richards to shatter his stick against a goal post. His productivity in the third, had Panthers goalie Tim Thomas expressing similar frustration with his equipment. Richards snapped a shot past Thomas 46 seconds in, and punched the glass in celebration of his first goal in nine games. Richards then assisted on Mats Zuccarellos power-play goal that made it 4-2 and guided the Rangers to their third consecutive win and sixth in seven games. "It seemed like one of those nights where you wonder if something was against you. But we got a clean sheet of ice and I put one into the net," Richards said. "Weve been winning lately, which brings the mood of everybody up." The Panthers know nothing of that lately. They have lost nine in a row (0-5-4), and show no signs of breaking out of it, even with strong performances on back-to-back days in road losses to Ottawa and New York. Defenceman Brian Campbell scored his second of the game -- and the season -- to cut Floridas deficit to 4-3 with 7:03 left, but the Panthers couldnt get over the hump, even with a late power play after Thomas was pulled for an extra skater. Florida let a one-goal lead get away in the second, committed a crucial turnover that led to Richards go-ahead goal, and then took two penalties 53 seconds apart that led to Zuccarellos 5-on-3 tally that made it 4-2 at 6:16 of the third. "I dont know what to say," Campbell said. "It deflates you, but youve got to keep pushing. Thats how teams lose hockey games. "Its tough getting down 5-on-3. Sometimes you have to be a little more careful and not let that happen." Interim coach Peter Horachek, who took over for the fired Kevin Dineen on Friday, took a more pointed approach after dropping to 0-2. "You are not going to win games if you turn pucks over," he said. "We are not going to get better until we decide we are going to manage the puck better. These are unforced errors. You cant win hockey games that way." After a sluggish start during a season-opening, nine-game trip, the Rangers have found their stride. J.T. Miller and Derek Dorsett also scored for New York (9-8), which went over .500 for the first time this season. Henrik Lundqvist made 24 saves, but the Rangers had their nine-game streak of holding opponents under three goals broken.dddddddddddd "Even though theyve been struggling a little bit lately, its still a tough game to play," Lundqvist said. "The second goal for us when we tied it up was a big, big goal, going out and getting that confidence, knowing that we can do this." Aleksander Barkov had the other goal for the Panthers. Thomas, in his second straight start after returning from injury, stopped 25 shots. He also took a roughing penalty when he punched Miller in the head after Miller crashed into him. He said the hit wasnt dirty, but probably crossed a line. "I was just frustrated because I really wanted to help us to win and turn that corner," Thomas said. "I wanted to be able to be that difference to help us to break out of this." Much of the second period was played at a chaotic pace with chances missed at both ends. Campbell notched his 400th NHL point on his first with the help of a fortunate bounce. Campbell took a pass at the left point and fired a drive that struck the left post, caromed off Lundqvists backside, and went in with 9:01 left in the second. "Were doing so many good things, saying the right things. I believe guys have bought in," Thomas said. They want to turn this corner so bad, it just hasnt happened yet. Its going to, we just have to stick with it. "Its kind of equal right now in the luck category. If we keep working hard, the bounces will all go our way in one game." The Rangers tied it 2-2 when Dorsett pushed the puck into Thomas at the left post, and then put in the rebound with 6:02 remaining in the second for his second of the season. "I dont think we played that well," Zuccarello said. "At the same time we pushed the pace a little bit extra when they went up 2-1." New York grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first after forcing a turnover in the neutral zone. Defenceman Ryan McDonagh took a pass from Miller and handed it off to Chris Kreider, who quickly found Miller alone on the left side for a shot into the open net at 9:49. Thomas played well, allowing Florida to get even in the closing seconds of the first with a rare power-play goal. Two shots in close were stopped by Lundqvist, but the second by Kris Versteeg rebounded over to the 18-year-old Barkov, who scored inside the right post with 26.1 seconds left in the first. Barkov, the No. 2 pick in this years draft, has four goals in his first 18 NHL games. NOTES: Barkovs power-play goal was just the sixth for the Panthers this season in their first 61 chances, the worst percentage in the 30-team NHL. ... Florida C Scott Gomez missed his second straight game and third in four because of a groin injury. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '