Information » Tavares all figure to make the team. Wit

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Scottie Upshall and the Florida Panthers have had little to celebrate this season. But four unanswered goals to secure a 5-3 win over the New York Islanders was reason enough to savour the moment. Upshall scored twice in the third period as part of the four-goal outburst as the Panthers snapped a four-game losing streak and sent the Islanders to yet another discouraging loss Sunday. Upshalls 11th of the season broke a 3-3 tie at 10:31 of the final period. The goal came on the rebound of shot by Shawn Mattias, who also scored two goals for the Panthers. Upshall tapped the loose puck past backup goaltender Anders Nilsson, who started in place of Evgeni Nabokov. He scored again at 15:26 on the power play to make it 5-3. Tim Thomas made 35 saves for the Panthers (23-31-7). "We came out determined in the third," said the 30-year-old Upshall, a first-round pick by Nashville in 2002 who almost completed a natural hat trick with two minutes left. "We needed a spark and we found it. And we played with an edge." The Islanders entered the third with a 3-1 advantage after Thomas Vanek scored twice in the first and Ryan Strome added a goal late in the second. But Floridas Marcel Goc and Matthias scored early in the third to tie the game at 3 before Upshalls late scores. Vanek opened the scoring at 6:41 with his 20th of the season and added his 21st on the power play at 7:39. The goals were his first since Jan. 25. Vanek was a major acquisition by the Islanders from Buffalo on Oct. 27 and has 17 goals in 47 games for New York. The Austrian left wing said he wants to test free agency this summer. Thus, the Islanders might try to trade him before Wednesdays deadline while they can still garner assets in return. The Islanders lost for the ninth time in 11 games. And it was the 12th time in their disappointing season in which they surrendered a two-goal lead, winning only two of those contests. "We seem to find ways to lose," said Andrew MacDonald, also a pending free agent who could be traded. "Its tough to see games slip away. When you get the lead, you should be able to hold it, most of the time. Its discouraging." MacDonald also addressed the idea he could be leaving the only NHL organization he has known. "I thought about it today, it weighs on your mind," the 27-year-old defenceman said. "You try not to let it get to you." After Matthias scored for Florida to make it 2-1 at 18:15 of the second, Strome restored the two-goal margin for the Islanders 59 seconds later with his second of the season. Gocs 11th of the season at 3:16 of the third came on a 40-foot floater from just inside the left point to make it 3-2 early in the third. Matthias scored his second of the game and ninth of the season at 4:18. The afternoon matchup was chippy from the start. Rival tough guys Krys Barch of the Panthers and the Islanders Eric Boulton squared off 2:25 into the game. Eight seconds later, a skirmish ensued between Brian Strait of the Islanders and Jonathan Huberdeau of Florida. "We didnt quit, we stayed involved," added Matthias. "We played a real gritty game and were glad to get the two points." The Islanders beat Toronto in overtime last Thursday in their first game back following the Olympic break. But they were drubbed 6-1 on Saturday by the New Jersey Devils as Jaromir Jagr scored his 700th career goal. The Islanders played without defenceman Travis Hamonic, suspended one game for instigating a fight near the end of Saturdays loss. NOTES: The Islanders activated forward Frans Nielsen before the game and sent Mike Halmo to AHL Bridgeport. Nielsen, who has 18 goals, suffered a broken hand when he was slashed against Colorado on Feb. 8. ... The Islanders (23-32-8) head out for a four-game Canadian road trip -- Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver before returning home to face San Jose on March 14. ... The Panthers have played 30 one-goal games this season, with a 12-11-7 mark. ... Florida was without forwards Alex Barkov (knee) and Tomas Kopecky (upper body) while the Islanders also missed forward Matt Martin (lower body). ... Florida scratched captain Ed Jovanovski and forward Scott Gomez. Authentic Air Max Wholesale . Hes just beginning to get similar results. The right-hander struggled after winning the honour in 2008 and 2009, but a retooling of his game has begun to pay off and has the San Francisco Giants thinking about the Lincecum of old. Cheap Air Max Authentic .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at LeBron James and the Miami Heat winning their second straight NBA championship. http://www.cheapairmaxchinafreeshipping.com/ . Make the extra pass, take care of the ball, play defence and get more out of his bench. Cheap Air Max Online . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Darcy Kuemper, Minnesota (5): He was calm, poised, and looked comfortable all game. Wholesale Air Max Free Shipping . But this time, the Gunners weathered the storm. Arsene Wengers team was on the ropes in the early stages of a lively FA Cup tie, until Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored a goal against the run of the play.With Hockey Canadas Olympic orientation camp underway in Calgary, the NHL on TSN took an early look at which players should make the final roster and represent the country in February in Russia. There was no lock in net, but Vancouver Games starter Roberto Luongo is considered a favourite to make the team. "It doesnt seem like anyones way out in front but its hard to believe, given the comments Mike Babcock made, that Robert Luongo wouldnt be on this team," said NHL on TSN analyst Ray Ferraro. "Babcock talked about how hes proud of the way Luongo has handled this past year and that hes a winner. Hes won before (in Vancover)." Experience appears to be a big factor in determining which three goalies coaches will ultimately go with. "You do also have some World Championship experience in Mike Smith and they believe that Carey Price is going to find a way to have a better year for the Montreal Canadiens," added TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger. "The top three would be Luongo, Price, and Smith." Duncan Keith, Drew Doughty, and Shea Weber were considered locks on defence by the panel while four players favoured to make the team included Alex Pietrangelo, PK Subban, Kris Letang, and a potential surprise in Jay Bouwmeester. "Even though Bouwmeesters game isnt as dynamic as Subbans, even though it doesnt have as much bite as Letangs game, he plays really well on the big ice," said NHL on TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie. "When hes played in the World Championship, hes fared very well. He defends very well and when youve got the wheels and the ability to move the puck the way that Bouwmeester does, I think its natural that he is one of the favourites to slot right in behind Keith, Doughty, and Weber. Ferraro added another potentially surprise candidate to make the team in Vancouver Canucks blueliner Dan Hamhuis. "When Kevin Lowee was talking about what theyre looking for in their defencemen, he talked about guys that can defend the big ice, are good skaters, and can quickly move the puck.dddddddddddd Hamhuis answers a lot of those questions. I believe Hamhuis has a real good chance of pushing his way onto this team." Dreger also mentioned that Team Canada coaches will be putting an emphasis on defencemen who are responsible in their own zone, cautioning against too many offensive defencemen making the squad. "There is a lot of gamble defensively in Subbans and Letangs game but youre looking at a Norris Trophy winner so I think Subban has the edge." Up front there were a number of locks, especially at the centre position where Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Ryan Getzlaf, Claude Giroux, and John Tavares all figure to make the team. With so many centres, line combinations could pose a problem for coaches. "As much as Babcock would like to play players in their comfortable position, I dont see any way around the fact theyre going to have to move centres to the wing." Wingers Eric Staal, Rick Nash, Steven Stamkos, and Patrice Bergeron were also considered locks by the panel while Corey Perry and Martin St. Louis were added to the depth chart as favourites. As for the few positions up for grabs, McKenzie said players whose games are tailored towards the big ice could hold the advantage. "Its going to be interesting. The decisions that were made last time – Mike Richards played the wing last time and was really effective – this time around, does the big ice work against Richards and in the favour of Jeff Carter who was effectively the last cut for Team Canada up front last time around? The first three months of the NHL season will be the final audition for the players but it appears there may be a lot players competing for few positions. ' ' '