; the Football Power Index gave the Titans a game score of

CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Motivation abounds for the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks, who will renew acquaintances on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.Most obviously, its the first meeting between the clubs since they squared off in the Stanley Cup final last spring.That might be a bigger deal for San Jose, which lost in six games as the Penguins clinched the title and skated around with the Stanley Cup on the Sharks home ice.Obviously, it doesnt feel good when you lose to a team in the final, so you take a little pride in wanting to beat them, and you definitely get a little more hyped up for those kinds of games, San Jose center Chris Tierney told the San Jose Mercury News.The Sharks are 3-1 following a 3-2 win Tuesday against the New York Islanders.The defending champion Penguins already have the bragging rights, but they are looking at this as a big game in part on what has happened much more recently.After winning their first two games, the Penguins (2-1-1) have lost two in a row -- including a 4-0 defeat at Montreal on Tuesday that left them largely dissatisfied with their effort and discipline.That puts a bit different spin on the rematch with the Sharks.Theyre well aware of how good San Jose is and what the challenge is going to be, Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said of his players. The one thing about this league is there are no easy games. Youve got to bring your A-game each and every night to give yourself a chance.But certainly, coming off the type of game we had (Tuesday) night and moving forward, there should be plenty of motivation for us to make sure that we respond the right way.That doesnt mean the Sharks come in as a faceless opponent.I think itll be ramped up a little bit, Penguins winger Bryan Rust said. Theyre going to have a chip on their shoulder. And we obviously didnt play great (Tuesday), so were going to have a little chip on our shoulder. I think its going to be a good, physical, playoff-like atmosphere.San Jose coach Pete DeBoer is interested in seeing what the atmosphere will be.I dont know what the emotions will be until I get there, he told the San Jose Mercury News. Its tough to go on that long of a journey and then lose the way we did. I dont think there was any doubt that they deserved to win. But at the same time, for us, its a chance to ... make a statement that we are a different team this year.Pittsburgh returned its team almost completely intact, but there will be at least a couple of missing parts Thursday. Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sidney Crosby has yet to play this season because of a concussion and goaltender Matt Murray is out while he recovers from a broken thumb.In addition, top defenseman Kris Letang (upper body) and winger Conor Sheary (eye) are day to day after leaving Tuesdays game.San Jose was the bigger, more physical club in the final. It added a couple of players during the offseason in forward Mikkel Boedker and defenseman David Schlemko that appeared to be a direct attempt to add the kind of speed that Pittsburgh used to its advantage last spring.The teams meet twice this season, with the second game coming Nov. 5 in San Jose. It just happens that this first rematch comes in the early days of the season.Now that its here, itll be good. Itll be fun, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski told the Mercury News. We would have liked a better result the last time we played that team, but its two points. Its a new year. Its important that we keep building our game and keep trying to get better. (Were) a long ways from getting back to that position, and this is another good team that well be playing. Nike Air Force 1 Pas Cher .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Air Force 1 France Soldes . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. http://www.nikeairforce1france.fr/ . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. Nike Air Force 1 France . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Vente Nike Air Force 1 . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said.Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka revealed he has a fully fit squad to choose from for Friday’s Sky Live clash with QPR at Loftus Road. Spanish defender Daniel Ayala is available again after an ankle problem, while Cristhian Stuani, Dael Fry, and Julien de Sart came through the international matches without picking up any injuries.Boro played a behind-closed-doors friendly with Sunderland during the international break, a fixture Karanka feels helped players on their way back from injury to regain match fitness. The friendly against Sunderland was really good, Karanka told Middlesbroughs official website.We had players who had been injured who played, like Dani Ayala, and players who hadnt played a lot. Dani has also trained with us all this week so hes ready to play. Highlights from Middlesbroughs last Championship game - at home to Hull We have to think of the future and we have an amazing month in front of us.dddddddddddd We have eight games this month and thats the main thing that everyones ready to play.Watch QPR v Middlesbrough on Friday. Coverage begins on Sky Sports 1 HD at 7pm. Or watch live for £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV. Also See: Boro video Boro fixtures Boro stats Bet ￡5 Get ￡20 Free ' ' '