Al-Star has had more than his fair share of succ

EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Oilers will feature something old and something new when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.The old: Coach Todd McLellan has reunited NHL leading scorer Connor McDavid (39 points) with Milan Lucic (22 points) and Jordan Eberle (23 points) as the Oilers No. 1 line. That trio was together at the start of the season and has been brought back together. McDavid has just one point in his last three games; Eberle is pointless in his last two. So, this move is about recharging players the Oilers need to score.Hes (McDavid) a fun player to play with, said Eberle. I think were just trying to find some chemistry again. I think we started off the season pretty well and weve played a lot together. We know each others tendencies and it should be good.The new: The Oilers called up Taylor Beck from their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, Calif; Beck leads the AHL in scoring, with 30 points so far this season.Hell probably play in the bottom six, but hes a big body that protects pucks well and, right now, hes got it going offensively at that level, said McLellan. It doesnt always parlay into the National Hockey League level, but he feels good about his game offensively, and the other side of the puck as well.The Oilers have lost five out of their last seven, but three of those defeats have come in either overtime or the shootout. Getting a couple of extra goals into the lineup could mean a lot to a team that plays a lot of close games.The Oilers also had the luxury of three off days since Tuesdays 3-1 loss to the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets.Were fresh, were energized and we got to polish some things up, said McLellan.While the Oilers have had some time to rest, the NHL schedule maker hasnt been kind to the Lightning. The team won in Calgary on Wednesday night. But, instead of making the easy trip north to Edmonton, the Lightning got on the 90-minute flight to Vancouver, lost 4-2 to the Canucks Friday night, then have to jet back to Alberta to face the Oilers Saturday.Zig-zagging makes a tough trip through Western Canada even tougher. As well, Nikita Kucherov is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He missed Wednesdays win over Calgary and Fridays loss to Vancouver. Kucherov leads the Lightning with 30 points. With sniper Steven Stamkos out long-term, the Lightning are piecing together their offensive pieces.Left winger Ondrej Palat also missed the Vancouver game after suffering an undisclosed injury against Calgary.Were on an unfortunate run of late, coming down with our injuries, said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. If theres ever a time for guys to step up, its right now.Weve got to get our strength here, because were playing an Edmonton team that hasnt played since Tuesday.Defenseman Anton Stralman said it will be up to the blueliners to be the ones who do that stepping up.It doesnt matter how good an offense you have unless you have the defense to carry out things in the back. We build a lot of offense from our defending, too. Cheap Throwback Jerseys . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. China Jerseys .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. http://www.cheapjerseysdiscount.com/ .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. Cheap Jerseys . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. SAN FRANCISCO -- Ivan Nova hopes to take a third step toward becoming the next J.A. Happ when the Pittsburgh Pirates conclude a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday afternoon.Nova will be making his third start since being acquired on the cheap -- two players to be named -- from the New York Yankees at the trade deadline.The first two starts were exactly what the Pirates had hoped for in their quest to get back in the National League wild-card race. He limited the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers to a total of four runs in 12 1/3 innings, pitching the Pirates to 5-3 and 5-1 wins, respectively.That was quite a change from the Nova who pitched his way out of New York. That version of the right-hander had recorded the third-worst ERA in baseball (5.31) since the start of the 2014 season.No doubt, the Pirates were willing to take on a resurrection project in part because a similar one worked so swimmingly the previous season.That was when they took the struggling Happ off the hands of the Seattle Mariners in exchange for a minor league pitcher, Adrian Sampson.Happ brought with him the fifth-worst ERA (4.72) since the start of the 2011 season. However, he helped pitch the Pirates into the NL wild-card game by going 7-2 with a 1.85 ERA in 11 starts.He had been 4-6 with a 4.64 ERA in 20 starts for the Mariners last season.Happ pitched himself into a three-year, $36 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays in the offseason, and he hasnt disappointed. The left-hander is tied for the major league lead in wins this season with 16.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says a big difference in Nova is his new defense.He didnt walk guys (and) made us put the ball in play, Roberts said after the loss to Nova and the Pirates on Friday night. Those guys over there, they can defend.That highlight-reel-filling defense was on display in the Pirates first two games in San Francisco.dddddddddddd Pittsburgh has made three errors, but two were unusual (a dropped foul pop fly by pitcher Jameson Taillon and a catchers interference on Francisco Cervelli), and none has cost the team a run.The Giants also have been strong defensively in the series. And they might have to be again with Matt Cain (4-7, 5.47 ERA) on the mound Wednesday.The veteran could use a rejuvenating trade to the Pirates, as he has headed down the same path as Nova and Happ in recent years.Cain has gone just 8-18 with a 5.05 ERA since the start of the 2014 season. The ERA is the sixth worst in baseball over that stretch.The three-time All-Star has had more than his fair share of success against the Pirates in his career, going 3-2 with a 3.04 ERA over 11 starts. The ERA is his second lowest against an NL opponent, with only his 3.00 against the Chicago Cubs being lower.Nova (9-6, 4.68 ERA overall this year) has pitched just twice in his career against the Giants, and both were gems. He allowed just one run in 16 innings (0.56 ERA), going 1-0.Having dropped the first two games of the series to Pittsburgh, San Francisco is out of first place in the NL West for the first time since May 10. The Giants are 9-20 since the All-Star break, 1-4 to open their 10-game homestand.Nobodys happy the way weve been playing, San Francisco second baseman Joe Panik said. We know were not playing the way we should. I dont think were taking it easy. Were just not getting the job done.Pirates manager Clint Hurdle hopes his team can do the job one more time to finish the sweep, and he expects a pain-free afternoon because of the pitching matchup.You know, you look for where you can make a difference, he said. Nova-Cain. Thats good. ' ' '