Aufgaben » rding to an analysis by ESPN Stats and I

DALLAS -- Being the subject of trade rumours has not slowed down Martin St. Louis. St. Louis scored two goals for the second consecutive game to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday afternoon. The Lightning had lost five of their previous seven games, including a 3-2 loss to Nashville Thursday. Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said he wasnt thinking about that game when Dallas cut a 3-0 second-period deficit to 3-2. The Lightning won despite being outshot 41-21. "Clearly we were under siege for the second half of that second period, but I thought our goalie stood tall. Guys committed to blocking shots and kept pucks out." The 38-year-old St. Louis has been the subject of trade rumours, but with the Lightning fourth in the NHLs Eastern Conference, they might not want to send away their scoring leader. "That kid comes to play, and thats what you want in a player," Cooper said. "And all this speculation of him being moved or asking for a trade, that doesnt come into one spot of our locker room of trying to win a hockey game. "We needed four goals to win tonight, and he had two of them. You need that from one of your go-to guys." Nate Thompson and Sami Salo also scored for Tampa Bay. Victor Hedman and Ondrej Palat each had two assists. Goalie Ben Bishop cooled off Dallas by making 39 saves for his 29th win. Antoine Roussel and Vernon Fiddler each had a goal and an assist for Dallas. "Hes a big man," Fiddler said of the 6-foot-7 Bishop. "He covers a lot of the net. He made some big saves." The four goals allowed by Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen were his most in 12 games, since a 4-3 loss to Colorado Jan. 27. He made 17 saves. The Stars, who had been 7-1-2 in their previous 10 games, remained eighth in the Western Conference. St. Louis scored just 1:25 into the game. Eric Brewer sent a shot from the slot wide right, but the puck hit St. Louis left leg and deflected into the near side of the net past Lehtonen. The Lightning had another chance on a 2-on-1 rush 7 minutes later, but Lehtonen deflected Ryan Malones shot away into the left corner. At 12:09, Thompson gave Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead by deflecting Hedmans drive from the left point over Lehtonens left shoulder. That was the seventh shot on goal, equaling the Lightnings total for the final two periods in Thursdays loss to Nashville. Hedman earned his 100th career assist. "They got a break on the first two," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "One was off the side of St. Louis, and the next shot was about 4 or 5 feet high and probably going wide, but they got a stick on it." Tampa Bay outshot Dallas 11-8 in the period. The Stars dominated the second period, outshooting the Lightning 18-7. However, Tampa Bay scored on St. Louis breakaway for a 3-0 lead at 14:31. Dallas intensified its pressure, and scored twice to go into the final period trailing 3-2. At 15:50, Roussel deflected Kevin Connautons shot from the left wing boards off Lightning defenceman Michael Kostkas skate and past Bishop. Fiddler scored on a wraparound at 18:11. It was only the fourth goal for Fiddler and 10th for Roussel, who play on a defensive line with Ryan Garbutt. They combined for nine shots on goal Saturday. "When the Olympic break ended, we had a fresh start," Fiddler said. "We know weve got to get scoring throughout the lineup." The Stars had chances while on a power play for the periods final 22 seconds, but couldnt score again. "It was good we had the intermission to kind of talk about things," Bishop said. "I think Samis goal (at 7:12 of the third) was big. I think that was what sealed the game and kind of gave us a little more oomph there to finish the third period and kill off a couple penalties." In the third, Fiddlers line continued to pressure Bishop. He stopped good scoring chances by Fiddler and Garbutt early in the third. "We needed to fight back, and we did," Ruff said. "When it was 3-2, we had two or three unbelievable opportunities to tie it up. If Fiddler takes another look and just gets it up, its in the net." Salo extended Tampa Bays lead to 4-2. He took a pass off a faceoff in the neutral zone, skated in to the high slot and sent a slap shot into the top of the net. "I think we kind of burst their bubble when we got that fourth one," Cooper said. NOTES: Before Thursday, St. Louis hadnt scored since a four-goal game Jan. 18. He has scored 29 times, with multiple goals in seven games. He has a five-game point streak (four goals, three assists, seven points). ... Palat has at least a point in four consecutive games. ... Dallas had outscored its previous 10 opponents 31-13. ... The Lightning have a 5-0-2 record in the past seven games against the Stars. The teams hadnt met in more than 2 years, since Tampa Bays 2-1 victory Jan. 20, 2012, in Dallas. ... A puck sent into the Stars bench hit Ruff in the head, cutting him between his eyebrows. "Ive been hit harder. I have a small cut and a little headache," he said ... The Stars are 1-5-3 this season in games when theyve had 40 or more shots on goal. . Dallas defenceman Brenden Dillon was inactive because of a lower-body injury. Robert Woods Womens Jersey . At this point, even he isnt sure when it is going to stop. The right-hander dropped his fourth straight decision in Los Angeles 6-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night, leaving his status very much in doubt as the Dodgers prepare for the stretch drive. Clay Matthews Rams Jersey . -- The top-seeded Alberta Pandas set up of an all-Canada West final against arch rival UBC at the CIS womens volleyball championship after a 3-0 win over the No. http://www.laramsfootballshops.com/clay-matthews-jersey/ . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins (5) – He was locked in all night, made huge stops on Benoit Pouliot, Raphael Diaz, Ryan Mcdonagh, Carl Hagelin, Rick Nash (twice) but none better than the three saves on Mats Zuccarello. Robert Woods Youth Jersey . In the last race before the Sochi Olympics, Bjoergen followed up her win in the 10-kilometre classical race on Saturday by beating World Cup sprint leader Denise Herrmann of Germany by 0.43 seconds for her fifth victory of the season. Eric Dickerson Jersey . Pinch-hitter Tommy Medica singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their first home game since Gwynn died of cancer Monday. METAIRIE, La. -- The NFL Players Association confirmed Wednesday that it filed a grievance on behalf of Jimmy Graham concerning the Saints tight ends franchise tag designation. At issue is whether the NFL was correct to apply the tight end tag to Graham or whether Graham should have received the more lucrative wide receiver tag, a difference of $5 million. The NFLs current collective bargaining agreement states that a player should be tagged according to the position at which he lined up most often. Graham and his agent, Jimmy Sexton, are contending that the frequency with which Graham lined up split out from the line merits the $12.3 million receivers franchise tag, not the $7 million tight end tag. No date for a grievance hearing has been set, but the filing alone could provide Graham with a measure of additional leverage as he seeks to have his franchise tag designation removed in favour of a long-term extension. July 15 is the final day a team can sign 2014 franchise players to long-term extensions. Grahams agent, Jimmy Sexton, did not return a message seeking comment on the matter. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said Wednesday there had been no progress to report on negotiations with Graham. The Saints have asserted that lining up split from the line is a significant part of every tight ends job descripttion.dddddddddddd When asked in January whether the Saints viewed Graham as a tight end under the leagues CBA, Loomis responded: "Isnt that what we drafted him as? Isnt that what he made the Pro Bowl as? Thats what we see him as -- a tight end. "The tight end has always been part of the passing game," Loomis continued. "Hes part of the running game. So hes part of both. So are receivers. So are running backs." According to an analysis by ESPN Stats and Information, Graham lined up split out from the line on 67 per cent of his snaps -- 45 per cent of the time in the slot and 22 per cent out wide. Unless the Saints and Graham pre-emptively agree on a long-term deal, an arbitrator may have to decide whether those numbers alone, under the language of the CBA, would require the league to apply the receiver designation to Graham. If so, it likely would set a precedent for negotiations involving other tight ends who figure prominently in their teams passing games, and could substantially lower the franchise tag number for tight ends who more often line up next to offensive tackles. It could also affect other positions in which players have varying roles, most notably some outside linebackers in a 3-4 defensive scheme, who could argue their right to receive the higher defensive end tag. ' ' '