Dein erstes Forum » an remains out with an undisclosed injury

DUBLIN -- Ireland will hit the tackle bags again this week knowing that they only have themselves to blame for doing so without the boost of a first home win over the All Blacks. There may still be grumblings from their supporters about the validity of New Zealands second try, but the fact is the men in green paid the price for a lack of penetration in their opponents 22.Joe Schmidts side spent the lions share of a brutal Test match in the All Blacks half -- and a quarter of it playing against 14 men -- but were unable to turn possession and territory into points. Even when it seemed they had breached that impenetrable black wall, the vital pass or offload failed to find its intended target.But while Ireland have plenty to work on as they prepare for Australias visit to Dublin next weekend, they also know there were positives to take from their second encounter in three weeks with the world champions.It is not every week that New Zealand are forced to work as hard in defence as they did here, and the yellow cards for Aaron Smith and Malakai Fekitoa can be taken as proof of the pressure that the hosts were able to exert.As in Chicago, the penalty count was overwhelmingly in Irelands favour, while the All Blacks were forced to make 99 more tackles than their hosts. That Schmidts side were able to put in such an intense performance as injuries wracked up will be an antidote to the frustration.Robbie Henshaw lasted less than 11 minutes before a clash of heads with Sam Cane forced him to depart on a stretcher, while Johnny Sexton followed him down the tunnel before the end of the first quarter. CJ Stander did not last much longer.Test match rugby is a squad game, though, and it was therefore heartening for those in green that the intensity did not drop as Garry Ringrose, Paddy Jackson and Josh van der Flier entered the fray. Those players will be better for this experience.The coaching staff and senior players lead by example and have the subs prepped and demand the most out of you during the week, a bruised and battered Ringrose said afterwards.Whether you have one cap or 100 caps the same is expected from everyone.Moving forward that attitude will be key in driving this team on as they target regaining their Six Nations crown from England next year.Ringrose, Jackson and Van der Flier have just 24 caps worth of Test experience between them, but they now know they can go toe to toe with the All Blacks. That confidence could prove invaluable in the years ahead.Every facet of the trios game was tested on Saturday evening, and little was found wanting. Jacksons kicking kept the Irish in striking distance, Ringrose put in 10 tackles in defence, and Van der Flier made 51 metres with the ball in hand.Ringrose described the performance of Leinster colleague Van der Flier as incredible after the game. Its cool for me sitting back and seeing him do that.The Dublin-born flanker with the Dutch name has now played 114 minutes against the All Blacks, and with him on the field, the score in those two games is 25-27 to the world champions. Van der Flier now knows that he can mix it with the very best.And, as Ireland turn their attention to Australia and ultimately the Six Nations, so do they -- Schmidts squad will prepare for those challenges with confidence rather than fear.When frustration is the overriding emotion following a defeat to the All Blacks, you know youre on the right path.Fjällräven Kånken Sverige . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Kånken Big Sverige . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. http://www.fjallravenkankensverige.com/kanken-big-ryggsack.html . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. Klassisk Fjällräven Kånken Ryggsäck . 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. Fjällräven Mini Kånken . 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.Since we last checked on goaltender timeshares a month ago, three of the four teams we discussed are no longer relevant as we have the same discussion again. The Winnipeg Jets have clearly chosen Connor Hellebuyck as their go-to starter, though his resultant fantasy value is debatable behind the clubs run-and-gun offense. The Dallas Stars are still in a full-blown timeshare, but have shown absolutely no ability for either goalie to maintain even short bouts of fantasy relevance, due to horrible ratios and a lack of wins. The Philadelphia Flyers had their decision made for them by an injury, but Steve Mason has struggled to find consistent footing since Michal Neuvirth was hurt, and should be on fantasy benches -- if on rosters at all.Well check in on the Tampa Bay Lightning again, who appear to be in the exact same position they were a month ago, and three other teams that have landed on the timeshare radar:Tampa Bay Lightning: Ben Bishop has the advantage in starts, leading Andrei Vasilevskiy 12-7 in that category. But in November, that advantage has been only 5-4, as Vasilevskiy is coming on stronger with his play. In fact, the younger goaltender is the owner of a two-game shutout streak and has won three straight in the crease. Vasilevskiys play has pushed coach Jon Cooper into forcing close to a 50-50 timeshare. The Lightning are still a very good team without Steven Stamkos, and should win enough games to give the captain a chance to return for the playoffs. Between now and then, Bishop and Vasilevskiy are going to combine for excellent numbers, but if you dont own them both in fantasy, this is going to be frustrating.Pittsburgh Penguins: Were still calling this a timeshare, though Matt Murray seems to be pulling away from Marc-Andre Fleury very quickly. Fleurys 3.09 goals-against average in October was forgivable because he went 6-2-1 in the crease. Since Murray returned from a wrist injury, Fleury still has a GAA north of 3.00, but hasnt posted a win this month. Meanwhile, Murray has won five of his six starts, and posted a 1.68 GAA. Given the numbers, its only Fleurys years of service to his club that is keeping this a timeshare for the near future. But if both players continue their current trends for stats, Murray will have a stranglehold on the crease sooner than later. For fantasy purposes, Fleury isnt droppable -- even if Murray starts getting 80 percent of the starts. He has too much potential to be a game-changer for fantasy in the right situation.Anaheim Ducks: We may be jumping the gun in calling this a timeshare right now, but John Gibson owners better be wary of what Jonathan Bernier is up to. In seven November starts, Gibson is 3-3-1 with a 2.63 goals-against average and .908 save percentage. Those numbers arent horrible, but theyre not good by any means. After we saw Bernier just twice throughout the entire month of October, his workload has increased quite a bit this month. Through three starts and two relief appearances of Gibson in November, Bernier has a 3-0-0 record with a 1.70 GAA and .936 save percentage. For a coach who had Bernier as his starter for two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Randy Carlyle wont hesitate to play the hot hand more often. Right now, that hot hand belongs to Bernier. Gibson owners will want to add Bernier if another owner hasnt already beaten them to him.Calgary Flames: With Brian Elliott still bumbling in the crease a full month into the season, it appears coach Glen Gulutzan has finally seen enough for now. Backup Chad Johnson has started four consecutive games, winning three of them, and sports a goals-against average a full goal lower than Elliotts. Thats all well and good, but Johnson has played seven NHL seasons with six different teams, only showing somewhat of a starters workload last season for the injury-riddled Buffalo Sabres. One scenario going forward is that Elliott gets his head right and returns to a respectable form in the crease sometime during the next month. Another is that Johnson holds the reins and continues to be the starter for the Flames. Of those two possibilities, it feels more likely that Elliott, who led the NHL in save percentage last season, finds his form. But neither of those scenarios looks all that likely at this point, with the most likely outcome being the relegation of the Flames to the same category as the Dallas Stars or New York Islanders as untouchable for fantasy goaltending.However, we will quickly point out here that another possibility exists. The Flames signed a 24-year-old Czech goaltender during the offseason, who currently sits second in the AHL with a 1.60 goals-against average and third with a .939 save percentage. David Rittichs numbers are made all the more impressive because his partner in the Stockton Heat crease has ratios of 2.98 and .901 behind the same team, giving the impression that at least some of the major difference has been the raw skill of Rittich. Because of the contracts for Elliott and Johnson, Rittich wont get a chance in the NHL unless there is an injury, but its almost as if he can smell the blood in the water at the NHL level -- hes posted two shutouts in the past 10 days.Forwards rising and fallingTyler Johnson, C, Tampa Bay Lightning (up 86 spots to No. 56): Stamkos missing the upcoming four to six months makes us hearken back to when Johnson truly broke out in the 2013-14 season. Stamkos was out with a broken leg and the team needed a new No. 1 center. Johnson joined Martin St. Louis and Ondrej Palat to help lead the Bolts down the stretch. Even when Johnson had his career-best season in 2014-15, he was playing as the Lightnings No. 1 center while Stamkos slumped. In last seasons playoffs, Johnson stepped up with Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov to help lead the Lightning to within a goal of the Stanley Cup finals when Stamkos was out. What we are establishing here is a pattern of exceptional production by Johnson whenever Stamkos is out of the lineup, which will be the case for the bulk of the remainder of this season. Johnson was already back with Killorn and Kucherov on Saturday night, scooring the game-winning, power-play goal.ddddddddddddPatrice Bergeron, C, Boston Bruins (down nine spots to No. 42): Torey Krug eventually broke out of his funk to start the campaign, so we think Bergeron can do the same sooner than later. Just like Krug, Bergeron is doing all the right things without the requisite results. Although his time on ice per game is down a smidgen, its not out of line with his career norms and he is actually on a pace for a career high in shots on goal. As we said, Bergeron should get back to being Bergeron soon, but we cant keep ranking someone with five points this high forever.Alexander Radulov, RW, Montreal Canadiens (up 24 spots to No. 52): Dont make the mistake of selling high on Radulov, as he can keep up this pace. We know he has the talent, as the best hockey player outside the NHL for the past few seasons, but hes not even getting full opportunity with the Canadiens yet. Yes, hes forced his way up the depth chart at even strength to the top line with Alex Galchenyuk, but you may not realize hes not sniffing the first power-play unit yet. Hes eighth on the team in power-play time and playing on the second unit -- if at all some games. Guess where a sniper around the net like Radulov can do even more damage? Even if Radulovs points pace slows down at even strength, hes got room to grow on the man advantage.Patrick Eaves, RW, Dallas Stars (up 68 spots to No. 139): Just about everyone is back for the Stars now. Cody Eakin, Jason Spezza and Patrick Sharp returned to action during the past week, and yet there was Eaves, right where hes always been this season, next to Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. If the Stars were looking for someone different to play there, they would have done so. Even better, Eaves was still on the power play with those same players, too. We are starting to buy into the idea that Eaves will stick around with these superstar linemates for the long term, but just remember that his fantasy stardom comes from his linemates and a change in that personnel would make him irrelevant in most leagues.Defensemen rising and fallingRoman Josi, D, Nashville Predators (down 10 spots to No. 55): Like Bergeon above, Josi is still doing the right things but not getting results. His shooting percentage, which is usually a clockwork 7.5 percent, is down at 4.0 percent so far this season. Hes taking a similar number of shots, playing a similar number of minutes and even has a similar number of power-play points compared to last season, so one would expect the points return to a similar pace at some point soon. Last season may go down as his career high with 61 points, but theres no reason not to expect a consistent 50 points from Josi. Try to stay patient.Hampus Lindholm, D, Anaheim Ducks (down 15 spots to No. 180): While he finally had a good showing on Sunday, playing more than 22 minutes against the Los Angeles Kings, the fact remains that the Ducks defense has a different look this season. While Lindholm is back with his defense partner Josh Manson, Sami Vatanen and Cam Fowler have formed a power couple in Lindholms absence at the start of the season. That dynamic is going to keep Vatanen and Fowler on the top power-play unit and eat into Lindholms team-leading time on ice from last season. Unless Fowler is dealt at some point sooner than later, Lindholm might be stagnant in his fantasy growth for this season.Goaltenders rising and fallingSergei Bobrovsky, G, Columbus Blue Jackets (up 24 spots to No. 40): This is what happens when Bobrovsky is healthy and focused: Hes one of the games best keepers. His peripheral numbers are exactly in line with his best campaigns in Columbus between 2012 and 2014, as he spots a .934 save percentage at even strength, and a .903 save percentage on the penalty kill. While the productivity of the Blue Jackets offense is surprising this season, Bobrovskys play isnt a huge shock. Hes done this before and sustained it for the better part of two seasons. Im buying.Quick hitsThe Sabres are within weeks of getting their season back on track. Somewhat lost on offense of late, the Sabres are expecting Ryan OReilly to be back in action this week and Jack Eichels timetable for his ankle sprain could have him back at the end of next week (albeit thats on the optimistic side). While Eichel and OReilly remain owned in most leagues, Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart are not. Both players could become fantasy factors depending on how the team finally settles on its lines.We mentioned Anthony Manthas debut for the Detroit Red Wings last week. Now he appears to be playing on the teams top line with Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist. He scored his first goal of the season on Sunday. You know what to do.There is still no word on what has Anze Kopitar down and out for the Los Angeles Kings. In the meantime, Jeff Carter will continue to put up increased numbers as the Kings stack the top line in Kopitars absence.The Ottawa Senators are running out of top-line forwards. Mike Hoffman remains out with an undisclosed injury and now Bobby Ryan has a broken finger. For now, Mark Stone is leading the charge with Derick Brassard and Zack Smith. The pressure on this line to produce could help break them all out of a funk.Josh Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle are both proving to be exemplary scoring rookies in the AHL with Bridgeport so far this season. We only mention this because the Islanders will be getting increasingly desperate for some offense unless something changes soon, and the youngsters could get a shot.Top 250 rankingsHere are the updated rest-of-season, top 250 rankings of forwards, defensemen and goalies, including position ranks.Note: Sean Allens top 250 players are ranked for their expected performance in ESPN standard leagues from this point on. ESPN standard stats include goals, assists, power-play points, shots on goal, plus/minus, penalty minutes and average time on ice for skaters, and wins, goals-against average and save percentage for goalies. ' ' '