yards in catches to hit 1,000.Im not a big stat g

PITTSBURGH -- Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is relishing his first opportunity to play against boyhood idol Sidney Crosby but hes not going to let that get in the way of doing his job.Tonight is going to be cool for me to play against Crosby, against someone I grew up idolizing and kind of followed along his career, so definitely excited about that, McDavid said Tuesday after the Oilers morning skate at PPG Paints Arena.But, McDavid added, he cant afford to be spending time watching what Crosby is doing on the ice for the Penguins.If you get caught watching for a second hes going to beat you, the 19-year-old said. So youve got to be able to kind of put that away and forget all about that.McDavid was the first overall draft pick in the 2015 draft and is considered the most talented prospect to come into the NHL since Crosby, 29, was the first pick in the 2005 draft.A shoulder injury cost McDavid almost half of his rookie season in 2015-16 including two games against Pittsburgh. The parallels between the two stars are striking beyond being highly touted first overall draft picks.Through their first 58 games as NHL players Crosby held a slight edge in goals scored, 28-21, while McDavid has more assists through the same time period, 41 compared to 37 for Crosby.Since 2015-16, Crosby has the second-most points per game in the NHL behind defending scoring champ Patrick Kane of Chicago at 1.10; McDavid is third at 1.07.Crosby said on Monday that he is impressed with McDavids speed and his hockey sense, while McDavid said hell have to figure out a way to try and get the puck away from Crosby who has eight goals and 10 points in just six games this season.Just how strong he is on his skates, said McDavid. I think when hes down low he just protects the puck so well makes it hard to get it off him. For someone like me Im not sure Im going to be able to go through him so Ill have to figure out different ways to try and maybe get him the puck off him or something like that hes so good at protecting it.Both the Penguins, the defending Stanley Cup champions, and the Oilers, who have not qualified for the playoffs since reaching the 2006 Stanley Cup finals, are off to impressive starts to the season, with a combined 17-5-3 record through the first month.Its a big game for both teams, McDavid said. Both sitting at pretty good records. Two pretty good teams. Its going to be a good challenge for both teams. Marquise Blair Seahawks Jersey . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. Phil Haynes Jersey . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. http://www.seahawksfansofficial.com/russell-wilson-jersey/ . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Richard Sherman Youth Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Cody Barton Seahawks Jersey . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Central Michigan coach John Bonamego confessed he had some homework to do when it was announced that the Chippewas were playing Tulsa in the Miami Beach Bowl.I dont know much about Tulsa yet, he said, but I know well face a high-powered offense.Indeed, the Golden Hurricane (9-3) will bring the nations sixth-most productive offense in the country to Marlins Park in Miami to face the Chippewas (6-6) at 2:30 p.m. Monday with ESPN handling the telecast.In just his second season, coach Philip Montgomery has guided his Tulsa crew to churn out yardage at a 522.6-yard-per-game clip, which ranks No. 6 in FBS statistics nationally. Not only that, the former Baylor offensive coordinator has the Golden Hurricane on the verge of becoming the first FBS program to feature a 3,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and two 1,000-yard receivers.Tulsa already is the just the fifth team with a 3,000-yard passer (quarterback Dane Evans with 3,044), two 1,000-yard rushers (running backs James Flanders with 1,529 and DAngelo Brewer with 1,330) and a 1,000-yard receiver (wide receiver Keenan Lucas with 1,108).Wide receiver Josh Atkinson goes into the game needing just 73 yards in catches to hit 1,000.Im not a big stat guy, Montgomery said. But this is one thats out there. Its never been done. To have the opportunity to do itt just doesnt come along very often.ddddddddddddMontgomery said he wont alter his approach to the game to go for the mark -- Dont let the horse buck you there. Lets stay in the saddle and finish this thing up, is the colorful way he put it -- because getting to the 10-win level for the 10th time in program history takes priority.Thats what our focus is, Montgomery said. Weve talked about it. Teams that are excited about bowl season, that are fired up about going to the bowl, those are the ones that usually play well. And our guys are excited about it.The Chippewas have a little motivation of their own. They will be playing in their third consecutive bowl, but they have lost their last two postseason appearances, including a 21-14 loss to Minnesota in last seasons Quick Lane Bowl, Bonamegos first at CMU.We want to win, get a bowl ring, hold a trophy -- something we havent been able to do, senior quarterback Cooper Rush said. Its definitely on our mind.Rush figures to play a key role if that is to happen. He has passed for nearly 275 yards per game and 23 touchdowns with junior wide receiver Corey Rush accounting for 1,028 yards and nine touchdowns on a team-high 69 receptions. ' ' '