he first time I have had to say that we got turned over. But some very good teams have come into this stadium and bee

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings want to improve their play at home and theres no better time to start than Friday, when they begin a five-game homestand -- their longest of the season -- by facing the Columbus Blue Jackets at Joe Louis Arena at 7:30 p.m.Detroit (13-11-3) is 2-6-2 on home ice after beginning the season 4-0 at JLA. The Red Wings tallied only 19 goals in their past 10 home games.I wouldnt say theres big things missing, coach Jeff Blashill told mlive.com. Obviously, that record says that there is, but really to me theres just minimal, little things. We found a way to win a couple games on the road when they were tight, we found a way to lose a couple games at home when they were tight. We seem to be in a tight game every night.Detroit won its last two games on the road, 4-3 in overtime over the New York Islanders on Sunday and 4-3 in a shootout over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.Columbus is one of the NHLs biggest surprises this season with a 15-5-4 record and won four in row.Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella says improved discipline has been a big reason for his teams improvement.It has been a real change for our team, our discipline, not sitting in the box, Tortorella told the Columbus Dispatch. Thats been a huge improvement from last year as far as how many offensive-zone penalties we took. We were sloppy. Thats concentration on the night of the game, being disciplined with your detail.Columbus is third in the NHL in both goals per game (3.17) and goals-against per game (2.17). They rank first on the power play (24.6 percent).A key addition for the Blue Jackets is rookie defenseman Zach Werenski, who owns six goals and 17 points to lead rookie defensemen in that department.They added a guy on defense (Werenski) who was great in the American League playoffs, now you got another impact player, Blashill said. Its a team that we could see coming from a long way away, they were going to be a real good team this year.That said, there arent big differences between teams. It still comes down to little things and they found a way to be better than anybody else on the power play, theyre structurally sound. (Tortorella) is a really good coach and hes got them playing good hockey.Werenski is from the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, played at the University of Michigan and is a good friend and former Michigan teammate of Detroits Dylan Larkin.The Red Wings will get two players back from injury for the game. Forward Andreas Athanasiou, who missed 12 games with a sprained knee, is expected to return and goaltender Jimmy Howard will be back. He has been activated from the injury list after missing about a week and a half with a groin injury.There is no word on whether Howard or Petr Mrazek will start in net. Anthony Stolarz Jersey . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. Ron Hextall Jersey . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. http://www.officialflyersfanstore.com/authentic-scott-laughton-flyers-jersey/ . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. Bobby Clarke Jersey . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Dave Schultz Jersey . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week.Carson, CA (Sports Network) - Toronto FC and Chivas USA will square off at the StubHub Center tonight as both clubs seek a much-needed victory. Neither club has had much to celebrate this season as they occupy spots in the bottom-three of the overall MLS table. Chivas sits at the bottom of the Western Conference on 14 points while Toronto, on 13 points, is second from bottom in the East. You can see all the action on TSN2 and TSN Mobile TV beginning at 10:30pm et/7:30pm pt. Even while Chivas has managed one more point than Toronto this season, things appear to more dire for the Goats ahead of Wednesdays clash. The clubs winless streak was extended to 14 games after Chivas surrendered a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park on Friday, the first time since June 19 that the Goats have conceded more than one goal in a league game. The final result was made even more disappointing by the fact that Chivas held a one-goal lead on the road and was level with Philadelphia heading into the 82nd minute. "For me, its not easy to talk about the final result because Chivas USA, for 70 minutes, was very good," said Chivas head coach Jose Luis Real. "For the last 20 minutes, Philadelphia did very well. We had a little bit of problems at the end of the game." Chivas horrid run without a win is one game shy of the club record and tied for the third-longest winless run in MLS history. It also matches the longest ever such streak contained within a single season. Torontoo, meanwhile, is four games without a win after it was upended by Sporting Kansas City in a 3-0 loss at Sporting Park on Saturday.dddddddddddd Ryan Nelsen, head coach of the Canadian club, stated prior to the match that he was happy with the progress his side had made, saying that despite Torontos numerous losses that they were never really out of a game. The same could not be said after the resounding defeat at the weekend. "We had a bad day at the office and that is the first time that I have had to say that," Nelsen said. "Its the first time I have had to say that we got turned over. But some very good teams have come into this stadium and been turned over even worse than what we have." But for all of Nelsens optimism, Toronto certainly appears to be in the midst of a downslide. The Reds have conceded a season-high three goals in consecutive games and have been blanked on the attacking end in three of the last four games. "It was a disappointing night for everybody and the players know it," Nelsen said after the defeat at Sporting. "We have the standards that I have set and that they try to adhere to and we didnt get there tonight. "I think this is the first time we can all hold our hands up. This is when you really measure the true character of guys. It is very easy when things are going well. It is when your backs are against the wall that you have to find out the steel of a player and a person. These are all tests." ' ' '