Information » hara, Iginla and Weaver were assessed pen

VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Canucks acquired a new top-tier goaltender Tuesday, signing free agent Ryan Miller to a three-year deal worth US$18 million. The Canucks needed a proven netminder after trading Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo in the past 13 months and missing the playoffs this season. Miller was seen as the best goalie on the free-agent market. "I felt it was important to get a goalie with experience," said Canucks general manager Jim Benning. "Over the years hes played a lot of games. He gives us that experience that we need." Benning is familiar with the 33-year-old Miller, having worked in Buffalos scouting department when the Sabres drafted the player in 1999. "Hes intense and focused," said Benning. "Our younger players are going to see the way he works in practice, how hard be practises. Its going to make them better players." The St. Louis Blues acquired Miller from Buffalo in February, hoping he could lead them deep into the playoffs. But the club was eliminated by the Blackhawks in the first round after Miller allowed 19 goals and posted a lacklustre .897 save percentage. He posted a 25-30-4 record with a 2.64 goals-against average and .918 save percentage this season. He has 294 wins, a 2.59 GAA with a .915 save percentage in 559 career NHL games. Despite his experience, Miller said he always sees himself as a work in progress. "I think Im still developing into the best player I can be," he said. "I take that part of hockey seriously, finding new things to add my game and taking consideration and coaching from other people." Miller said he has a fondness for Vancouver, especially after playing for the U.S. during the 2010 Winter Games. Sidney Crosby scored on Miller in overtime to lead Canada to victory in the Olympic gold-medal game at Rogers Arena. "Ive had a chance to experience Vancouver over the years and have always been blown away by the amount of support the fans the fans bring out and how great the crowds have been, also how kind the people have treated me over the years, especially during the Olympics," he said. "Its a great city for hockey, a great city to live in," he added. Benning has been busy over the past few days after trading forward Ryan Kesler just prior to the NHL draft. Its all part of a major rebuild for the Canucks, who have a new president in Trevor Linden, a new GM in Benning and a new coach in Willie Desjardins. Jared Goff Rams Jersey . -- The Windsor Spitfires were left with just one goaltender Tuesday after having their starter walk out on them midway through Game 3 of their Ontario Hockey League playoff matchup with the London Knights. Jack Youngblood Youth Jersey .com) - The San Antonio Spurs will try to even their series with the Dallas Mavericks Monday night when the two teams collide at American Airlines Arena for Game 4. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Taylor-Rapp-Jersey/ . Bale has had a successful debut season in Spain, and Ancelotti appears ready to reward him with a starting role on Saturday. Ancelotti says "Gareth had some problems at the beginning (of the season) but when he found good physical condition he scored a lot of goals, he had a good impact on the team. Clay Matthews Youth Jersey .C., has been named Canadas top female official, winning the 2014 SOC Award of Excellence. Cranes career as a figure skating judge has spanned over 40 years. Deacon Jones Womens Jersey . The Canucks figured to be active prior to Wednesdays trade deadline, getting a jump on things the previous day when they dealt goaltender Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers for netminder Jacob Markstrom and forward Shawn Matthias.MONTREAL -- Old rivals Montreal and Boston are going to a decisive seventh game once again. The Canadiens kept up a furious pace and produced their best effort of the playoffs as Max Pacioretty had a goal and an assist and Carey Price made 26 saves in a 4-0 victory over the Bruins that staved off elimination on Monday night. The NHL Eastern Conference second-round series is tied 3-3 going into Game 7 on Wednesday night in Boston, where the Bruins will no doubt be looking for the same boost from their fans that the singing, chanting and generally deafening 21,273 at the Bell Centre gave the Canadiens. "Its sudden death now," said Pacioretty. "Everything in the past will be forgotten once Game 7 rolls around. "They like playing in their building. We have to find a way to come out the same. Were a frustrating team when everyones skating like that and everyones on board. We have to find a way to do that again." Pacioretty, who had only one assist in the first five games, scored and set up Thomas Vaneks goal in the second period. Lars Eller scored in the first for Montreal and Vanek added his second of the game into an empty net with 3:56 left in regulation time. "I was just waiting for my time to pitch in offensively," said Pacioretty. "Obviously you wanted it to happen more often in the playoffs. But I feel confident. You want to feel youre helping the team win and I think I did that." It is the same scenario as the last time the teams met in the post-season in 2011, when the Canadiens won at home to force a Game 7. That year, they lost the decisive first-round game in overtime. It is the 34th time overall the teams have faced each other in the playoffs. The game turned in the second period after the Canadiens, leading 1-0, held off a ferocious Boston attack through a five minute 11 second stretch without a whistle. It included killing a minor penalty to P.K. Subban and was highlighted by a Price stop at the doorstep on Milan Lucic. Defencemen Mike Weaver and Josh Gorges shared a nearly three-minute shift in the midst of it. "Youre just buying time," said Weaver. "I think guys at that point, youve just got to be positionally sound. You cant be chasing all over the ice." Not long after, rookie Nathan Beaulieu threw a pass up the middle that Pacioretty chased down and went in alone to score. Boston coach Claude Julien felt that stretch was his teams best chance to make a game of it. "The second goal probably hurt us the most because we were spending a lot of time in their end and we had some great chances to tie the game, but that kind of turned the tide around," said Julien. "I didnt like the way they got their goals tonight. "But we had more lines going than weve had this whole series. We spent a lot of time in the offensive zone, but if you hit posts and miss open nets. . . Youve got to bury those chances. Tonight they came back to haunt us." Asked what he expects from game 7, Julien said: "I expect us to win." When Montreal coach Michel Therrien was asked the same question, he said: "Anything can happen in a Game 7. Thats the beauty of it." The TD Garden crowd in Boston is especially hostile to Subban, but the flashy Canadiens defenceman denied feeding off it even if he has had some big moments in that rink, including a late goal in a 4-2 loss in Game 5 on Saturday.dddddddddddd. "I dont give them that credit," he said. "I go and play the game. "I play to win, I dont care whos there. I dont care if theres nobody in the stands. Im going there to win. Its irrelevant to me. I hope that its a hostile environment. It makes it all better." Montreals big move was to bring 21-year-old Beaulieu in to replace the slow-footed Douglas Murray on the third defence pair. The teams 2011 first-round draft pick responded to his first-career NHL playoff start with an assist and a plus-2 performance in only 9:36 of ice time. "I never played at a pace like that before," he said. "It was incredible. It was good to get the first period under my belt and I felt I settled down after that." Montreal busted out of the gate after a rousing pre-game show and the teams played at a frantic pace through the first two periods. Despite having the best of the play in the opening 20 minutes, the Canadiens needed a freak play for the only goal. Kevan Miller lost the puck off his stick behind the Boston net and then inadvertently tripped goalie Tuukka Rask as he tried to smother it, leaving Eller free to score unassisted 2:11 into the game. Beaulieu flipped the puck up the centre of the ice and saw it go off Loui Eriksson to Pacioretty, who won a race with Zdeno Chara and beat Rask between the pads at 15:24. Pacioretty kept a puck alive with his feet amidst a crowd in front of Rask during a power play and saw the puck slide to Vanek for a shot into an open side at 17:39. The Bruins came close at 11:05 of the third when a Chara shot went off Price and dropped behind him, but with Jarome Iginla digging in the crease David Desharnais was on his knees to stop the puck with his stick just as it had almost crossed the goal-line. The no-goal call stood up to video review. There were some nasty moments near the end, including a clash that saw Montreals Andrei Markov jab his stick between Charas legs. Chara, Iginla and Weaver were assessed penalties when the skirmish ended. In Game 5, Bostons Shawn Thornton got fined for squirting water from the bench at Subban. Julien said it wasnt all his teams fault this time. "Were perceived as the bad guys and theyre the good guys," he said. "When Markov trips Chara and then puts his stick between his legs and nothings going to be called, eventually somebodys going to react. "Whether its right or wrong. Zdeno reacted and then everything else started. There was a slew foot before, Desharnais on (Brad) Marchand. A slew foot. Those are things we keep talking about that are dangerous in our game. "Its a rivalry and theres some things going on on both sides. Im not portraying ourselves as innocent here. Im just saying it takes two teams to tangle and thats what happened." Notes: Daniel Briere returned to the lineup for Travis Moen. . . Eller scored during Beaulieus first career NHL playoff shift, making him plus-1 only 2:11 into the game. . . Boston made no changes. . . Shawn Thornton played his 100th career playoff game. ' ' '