Dein erstes Forum » and Chris Bosh added 21, leading the Miami H

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings are desperate for wins as they try to get into the playoffs for the 23rd straight time. On a night in which they barely beat the worst team in the Western Conference, coach Mike Babcock didnt diminish the importance of the much-needed victory. Tomas Tatar scored on Detroits third shootout attempt, and Jimmy Howard stopped all three Edmonton attempts to lift the Red Wings to a 2-1 win over the Oilers on Friday night. "Huge," Babcock said. "Howie, obviously, in the shootout, bailing us out was a real positive for us. "It gives us some confidence." Howard finished with 21 saves. Edmontons Ryan Smyth tied the game midway through the third period. Smyth scored on a shot from the slot that was set up by Detroit defenceman Brendan Smiths backhanded giveaway. "I absolutely didnt expect that," Smyth said. "I thought he was going to throw it around the boards. Smith just threw it up the middle." Riley Sheahan put the Red Wings ahead 1-0 late in the first period. They lost the lead and failed to take advantage of power plays late in regulation and midway through overtime. The banged-up Red Wings are missing numerous key players, including Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, because of injuries and that is forcing players such as Sheahan to go from prospects to NHL players. Sheahan, who played only once in the league in each of the previous two years, said playing 26 games for the Red Wings has made him more comfortable. "Every day is a little step further," he said. "The guys have been awesome. Its a fun atmosphere and a great team to play for." Edmontons franchise is far from the greatness it enjoyed decades ago and is close to being eliminated from the playoff race for the eighth straight season. Oilers coach Dallas Eakins, though, has been pleased with how much effort his players appear to be giving despite their place in the standings. "What weve been preaching to them and they understand, down the stretch are the building blocks for training camp," Eakins said. "We dont want to go into full-teaching mode when we hit training camp. We want to hit the ground running and have a foundation on how were going to play. On a lot of nights, were starting to see how we want to play. "We still have such a long way to go to get up to be able to play with the top teams on a nightly basis, but were taking the necessary steps." The last time the Oilers were in the playoffs they beat Detroit in the first round and went on to lose to Carolina in Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup finals. With much less at stake, the Oilers went into the third period with a shot to win at Joe Louis Arena for the first time since 2009. Detroits young lineup didnt generate many scoring chances against Viktor Fasth, who made 22 saves. He was acquired from Anaheim earlier this month for draft picks and won his Oilers debut against Minnesota on Tuesday in a shootout. Each team had only one shot in the opening five minutes of the lacklustre game, which had many more sloppy moments than spectacular stretches. "I didnt think either team was real smooth," Babcock said. "It was kind of a grind." Detroit was up 1-0 after two periods and probably didnt feel comfortable after losing one-third of their previous 27 games when entering the third with the lead. The Red Wings allowed the Oilers to pull into a tie because Smith failed to clear the puck out of their end or at least pass it to a teammate, and Smyth took advantage. "If (Smith) puts it on the guys tape on our team and you skate out through the middle, I like it," Babcock said. "When you turn it over, it doesnt look very good." NOTES: Babcock said he hopes F Darren Helm, who has been out with a concussion since March 4, will play Tuesday night at home against Toronto. ... The Red Wings had lost two straight. ... Edmonton has lost three of four. ... The Red Wings are 13-0-1 in their last 14 against the Oilers, who have lost eight straight in Detroit. Ronde Barber Jersey . His team rose to the occasion Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Sweden in the bronze-medal game. "The sting from yesterday is not something we hid from or pretend didnt happen," Dineen said. Vita Vea Jersey . As the schedule flipped from November to December, they would go on to drop five straight, falling six games below the .500 mark before a franchise-altering trade turned them into an unrecognizable team. http://www.authenticbuccaneerspro.com/Warren-sapp-buccaneers-jersey/ . "Youre next." Hardly. Iguodala tormented his former team with a game better than any he ever played in eight seasons with the 76ers. Lee Roy Selmon Jersey . The kind he has every so often. The kind he has when Dwyane Wade sits. James scored 43 points -- 25 in a bewildering first-quarter shooting display -- and Chris Bosh added 21, leading the Miami Heat to a 100-96 win Tuesday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who played their first game without injured All-Star guard Kyrie Irving. Mike Evans Jersey . Anderson shook off some unusually poor shooting and hit two clutch 3-pointers in overtime that carried the New Orleans Pelicans to a 111-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.Brian ODriscoll believes Olympics fever can eventually catapult Rugby Sevens onto a par with the 15-man game. Former Ireland and British and Irish Lions captain ODriscoll has tipped Sevens to one day sit alongside rugbys traditional format.Sevens will make its Olympic debut in the summers Rio Games and a new report highlighting rugbys future predicts rapid growth for the sports short format incarnation in the next 10 years. Banking giants HSBC and strategic planning consultancy The Futures Company have published The Future of Rugby, a report predicting the sports global participation to double in the next decade.With the market and the eyes that will see Sevens for the first time because of the Olympics, the sport has the potential for exponential growth, said ODriscoll.Sevens should grow into new areas, places in Asia like China, to grow far more in the United States as well.It can grow alongside the 15s game, I dont think it will replace it, but I definitely think it has the scope to be as big as the 15s game is currently. Simon Amor looks ahead to the Hong Kong stop of the HSBC World Sevens Series Global governing body World Rugby rates rugby unions current worldwide participation figures at 7.2 million. This new report projects that figure climbing to 15m by 2026.Women are also expected to account for 40 per cent of the worlds active rugby players in 10 years time.The coaching mastermind of Englands 2003 World Cup triumph Sir Clive Woodward has branded Sevens as rugbys sleeping giant in the report, while former dual-code star Jason Robinson predicted rugby league players may in future convert specifically to Sevens as opposed to simply rugby union.ODriscoll won 141 Test caps across 15 years with Ireland and the Lions but despite his numerous accolades he now admits pangs of jealousy seeing current top stars chasing the Olympic dream.The report claims Sevens could even boast franchise-based short tournaments in 10 years, creating rugbys answer to crickets Indian Premier League (IPL) or Australias Big Bash. Could Sevens become rugbys answer to Twenty20? ODriscoll believes Sevens must still prove its global appeal in Rio before realising such lofty aims, but admitted to excitement at the notion of a fast-growing discipline that ccould offer rugby an equivalent to crickets increasingly popular Twenty20 concept.ddddddddddddIm not a cricket connoisseur by any stretch but its hard not to like Twenty20, its exciting and fast, said ODriscoll. Its exactly what Sevens rugby is delivering - its fast, its exciting and it creates a huge party atmosphere.I think theres definitely potential for that. We have to get by the first Olympics first though.Im very excited about seeing rugby in the Olympics, but we have to just allow it to evolve afterwards. Quade Cooper scored his first Sevens try against England in Las Vegas New Zealands World Cup-winning centre Sonny Bill Williams and Australia fly-half Quade Cooper are just two superstars from 15s bidding to make the Sevens switch in time for the Olympics.Assimilating into Sevens lung-busting fitness and tactical nuance have not proved plain sailing for the Test stars aiming to make the conversion, and ODriscoll believes that only underscores the formats strength.The carrot of an Olympic gold later this year, thats luring a number of players from the 15s game, said ODriscoll. Sonny Bill returns for NZ All Blacks star is fighting fit after a knee injury Sonny Bill is unique in trying to cover every sport and medal going. So you wouldnt bet against him being in the mix with the All Blacks come August.Not all of those players coming from 15s have slotted in seamlessly. Its a different type of athlete, fitness and skill set and understanding of how the game works.Probably a lot of Sevens players have had a wry smile on their faces when theyve seen some 15s players not having a seamless transition across. The big names arent certainties within their national squads because of the quality of players who are already there. And thats a great thing too.The profile of players coming from 15s is brilliant. But it puts in perspective just how good these Sevens players are.Watch the Hong Kong Sevens live on Sky Sports this weekend, starting on Friday at 5.50am on Sky Sports 2 HD. Also See: WATCH: Amor eyes Hong Kong success Williams back for New Zealand England Womens travel blog Rugby on Sky Authentic Bills Jerseys Dolphins Stitched Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Wholesale Jets Jerseys Wholesale Texans Jerseys Cheap Colts Jerseys Jaguars Jerseys Store Authentic Titans Jerseys Authentic Broncos Jerseys Authentic Chiefs Jerseys Cheap Raiders Jerseys Chargers Jerseys Store Cheap Ravens Jerseys Wholesale Bengals Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys Steelers Jerseys Store Wholesale Cowboys Jerseys Wholesale Giants Jerseys Authentic Eagles Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Authentic Falcons Jerseys Panthers Jerseys Store Wholesale Saints Jerseys Authentic Buccaneers Jerseys Wholesale Cardinals Jerseys Cheap 49ers Jerseys Seahawks Jerseys Store Wholesale Rams Jerseys Wholesale Bears Jerseys Authentic Lions Jerseys Cheap Packers Jerseys Vikings Jerseys Store ' ' '