Offtopic » goaltending and scoring picked up, offs

BALTIMORE - The Baltimore Orioles activated right-hander Tommy Hunter from the 15-day disabled list on Sunday. Hunter, sidelined with a left groin strain, is 1-1 with a 6.06 ERA and leads the team with 11 saves in 14 opportunities. He hasnt pitched for the Orioles since May 20. Hunter had one rehab assignment, throwing 11 pitches in a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and a hit batter for Single-A Delmarva on Saturday. "I felt good," Hunter said. "I was able to throw the ball over the plate for the most part except for the last guy. I was happy with it. Was able to throw some pitches where I wanted them. It was good." To make room, Baltimore optioned right-hander Evan Meek to Triple-A Norfolk. Meek was 0-2 with a 6.39 ERA in 13 appearances. Discount Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys . Lawries batting helmet hit an umpire during his ninth-inning outburst in the Jays 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. The 22-year-old threw his helmet to the ground and it bounced up and hit home plate umpire Bill Miller on the right hip after Lawrie was called out on strikes for the second out. Cheap Los Angeles Chargers Gear .com) - Devan Dubnyk stopped all 30 shots fired his way and made several big saves down the stretch for his third shutout of the season as the Minnesota Wild beat the Calgary Flames 1-0 on Tuesday. http://www.cheapchargers.us/ . The seventh-ranked Berdych wants to focus on the ATP Tour after helping the Czechs beat the Netherlands in the first round. Seeking their third straight Davis Cup title, the Czechs will rely again on veteran Radek Stepanek. Wholesale Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys . Here at TSN.ca we will take a look back at the season by bringing together a panel of experts to help pick the best 50 players of the season. Los Angeles Chargers Drue Tranquill Jersey . The move - the latest twist in Greeces nearly three-year financial freefall -- is the first such action by any of the countrys major sports bodies. It immediately halts all domestic track and field competitions, including track meets May 12-13 in several Greek cities.With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up are the Minnesota Wild, looking to build on last seasons playoff appearance. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Central GM: Chuck Fletcher Head Coach: Mike Yeo 2013-14: 43-27-12 (4th in Central) Playoffs: Lost in Conference semifinals to Chicago Blackhawks Goals For: 207 (23rd) Goals Against: 206 (7th) Powerplay: 17.9% (16th) Penalty Kill: 78.8% (27th) That Was Then: The Wild arena€?t really known to be high scorers. To make matters worse some of their top scorers were unable to complete a whole season due to injuries. Captain Zach Parise was only available for 67 games while Mikael Granlund was dressed for 63. The injuries and unfortunate illnesses extended to the crease as well, with Minnesota using five different goaltenders. Josh Harding, Darcy Kuemper, Niklas Backstrom and John Curry all saw time in the Wild net. They found some success with Ilya Bryzgalov, who had an impressive 7-1-3 record good for a 2.12 goals-against average and .911 save percentage in 11 regular season starts. But, after sharing playing time with Kuemper in the playoffs, he became an unrestricted free agent. The 30-year-old Harding posted a league-best 1.65 goals-against average and .933 save percentage, but he was limited to 29 games due to his battle with multiple sclerosis, his last game of the season was Dec. 31. He has dressed at camp and is being monitored closely but the team to see if he can surpass the 29 games he played in last year. Kuemper, the youngest of the three at the age of 24, was the 161st overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft and seems to be the Wilda€?s future. He was more-or-less forced into playing last season after Niklas Backstrom was injured in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarter-finals. The pressure of playoffs didna€?t get the best of him, in his six games he was 3-1-1. Kuemper, however, is a restricted free agent and hasna€?t signed a contract as of yet. Backstrom, 36, may have past his prime, especially since last season was a career-worst for him with a 3.02 goals-against and .899 save percentage. Minnesota is hoping for a speedy recovery since he underwent hip surgery after being injured during the post-season. However, he remains on the Wilda€?s payroll for another two seasons at $3.4 million per year. The Minnesota Wild made it to the playoffs for the second straight season, but were taken out by the reigning 2013 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks in the second round. Even with the loss they were able to win their first series in eleven years by trumping the Colorado Avalanche in seven games. Scott Cullens Analytics Wild 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 2.60 2.10 7.2% .947 52.7% .700 21-41 2.19 3.14 6.5% .913 46.8% .405 42-62 2.71 2.14 9.3% .944 45.4% .714 63-82 2.90 2.75 9.1% .928 49.7% .575 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Solid possession and exceptional goaltending from Josh Harding. Games 21-41: Possession, scoring and goaltending all fell off, with predictable results. Games 42-62: Darcy Kuemper revived the goaltending and scoring picked up, offsetting sinking possession stats. Games 63-82: Percentages remained strong, possession improved and Wild earned a playoff spot. Key 2014 Additions: D SStu Bickel, D Justin Falk, C Jordan Schroeder, C Brett Sutter, LW Thomas Vanek Key 2014 Subtractions: LW Matt Moulson, D Clayton Stoner, C Cody McCormick, RW Dany Heatley This Is Now: One of many things that work in the Wilda€?s favour this year is their depth; with additions to the team they are able to move players around.dddddddddddd The Wild have an abundance of power forwards, where they have an oppourtunity to pair different players together to see who has chemistry. Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu and Jason Pominville are productive veterans that drive the Wild attack. The chemistry between Parise and Pominville is evident last season the tandem generated 116 points in 149 games of the regular season. Pominville lead the team with 30 goals and 30 assists in 82 games, while Parise was a close second with 29 goals and 27 assists in 67 games. Thomas Vanek is an incoming veteran scorer and the Wild have young forwards Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter taking on more prominent roles. Granlund, in particular, has room for further improvement since he was limited to 63 games due to injuries. When he returned to the ice during the playoffs he was there for all 13 games adding 4 goals and 3 assists for his first NHL playoff appearance. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Zach Parise Mikko Koivu Jason Pominville Thomas Vanek Mikael Granlund Charlie Coyle Matt Cooke Kyle Brodziak Nino Niederreiter Jason Zucker Erik Haula Justin Fontaine Brett Sutter Jordan Schroeder Stephane Veilleux Michael Keranen Cody Almond Brett Bulmer Defence Left Right Ryan Suter Jonas Brodin Marco Scandella Jared Spurgeon Keith Ballard Mathew Dumba Justin Falk Jonathon Blum Stu Bickel Christian Folin Goaltenders Darcy Kuemper Niklas Backstrom Josh Harding Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Mathew Dumba TSN Scout Craig Button on Mathew Dumba: Mathew can leave a mark, literally and figuratively, on the game. With a proclivity to step up and make bone jarring hits, opponents will have to be aware when hea€?s on the ice. With a booming shot, a real jump in his skating and the desire to make a difference on the scoreboard, teams will have to pay attention to him. The trying to do a€?too mucha€? label became a thing of the past when he was traded and played for current Pittsburgh Penguinsa€? coach Mike Johnston in Portland of the WHL last season. Mathew became at ease and wasna€?t forcing plays and subsequently his contributions became more significant and his impact greater. Just part of his maturing process and you have to be patient because he has the potential to be a unique and special player. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Mikael Granlund A diminutive playmaker, Granlund has taken some time to adjust to the North American game, but finished strong last season, scoring 19 points in his last 25 regular-season games, before adding seven points in a dozen playoff games. With more ice time, Granlund showed that he can be a productive scoring centre in the league, generating more shots on goal and the depth of Minnesotas talent on the wing virtually assures that he will have quality linemates this season. If Granlund can stay healthy, hes skilled enough for a big jump in production from last seasons 41 points. Something in the 55-to-60-point range shouldnt be out of the question. 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