Forum » olley so hard, Fernandez could only block it away. Sadly

At some point, youll get tired of hearing about how great Pedro Morales is. The plaudits have been justified, if not understated, and the $1.3 million salary actually seems like a bargain given the wide manner in which one of Vancouvers most talented athletes expresses himself on the field. Another Morales masterclass was in session Sunday at BC Place, as the Chilean maestro waved his wand producing 40-yard switches, five-yard combinations...even a keep-me-up sequence that had the crowd squealing with delight. He also pulled out a new one from his tool belt, a turn at the edge of the box followed by a cut-back that left Dallas defender Stephen Keel bewildered. The subsequent strike low and to the left was beaten away by Keeper Raul Fernandez. That was after the 29-year-old unleashed a 25-yard rocket to the top left hand corner that was again foiled by the Peruvian shot stopper. And as the game dwindled down to its final seconds, Morales smashed a full volley so hard, Fernandez could only block it away. Sadly, none of the speedy Whitecaps forwards anticipated the spilled shot...and the juicy rebound was cleared. While Morales has to accept some responsibility for not hitting the target on a couple of long drives, one does wonder whether his performances...particularly at home, are being squandered. Whats amazing about Morales at the 20-game mark of the season is opposing coaches cant seem to stifle him. No formation...no specific instruction seems capable of thwarting the Whitecaps DP from conducting his business. When Dallas coach Oscar Pareja set his team up with five in midfield, you would have bet the mortgage that someone would have been tasked with either shadowing the midfield magician, or kicking lumps out of him for 90 minutes. Instead, Morales was allowed to operate...switching from side to side and rarely putting a foot wrong. If Morales turned in those kinds of performances on an Eastern team, he would have been inked in as an MLS All-Star. His exclusion at the hands of a Will Johnson is laughable given the Portland captains 2014 form, but understandable given the games location. The week off may also be a blessing in the long run. Still, Morales will be measured on where the Whitecaps finish in 2014, not where he sits on the goals and assists table or any other personal accomplishments. All that good work on Sunday, and his role in the two goals for was only good enough to earn a single point. Two defensive blunders and a boatload of missed chances left the Caps with just five points from the last four games at BC Place, and one win in eight games. Therein lies the mounting pressure facing the organization over the next two weeks, as they look to either shore up the back end, or acquire a proven goal poacher to seal games off. Easier said than done on both fronts. Its ironic that the acquisition of Pedro Morales has set the transfer expectation bar even higher, because the club has now proven it can land the prize catch at a decent age, and for an appropriate sum. Imagine what the conductor could do with a slightly better orchestra. Texas Rangers Jerseys . The Goldeyes (10-7) lost 4-1 to the Saltdogs (8-9) Sunday afternoon before 5,834 sizzling fans at Shaw Park. The loss drops Winnipegs record to 3-4 during this past weeks seven-game homestand. Ferguson Jenkins Jersey . The 41-year-old Northern Irishman has proved a perfect fit at Liverpool since taking over from Kenny Dalglish in the summer of 2012 and steered the team to an unexpected title challenge in the Premier League last season. http://www.texasrangersshop.com/rangers-rougned-odor-jersey/. -- Jerry Rice Jr. Adrian Beltre Jersey . As for regular Olympic spectators, theyre being warned that most travel insurance policies wont cover acts of terrorism or war. The Games in southern Russia, which run from Feb. 7-23, are being staged amid unprecedented security and under global warnings of danger. Ivan Rodriguez Jersey . Nowitzki scored 28 points, Harris had a season-high 14 for the second straight game and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Detroit Pistons 116-106 Sunday night.Given the depth of the Toronto Maple Leafs struggles, its somewhat surprising they still have an outside shot at a wild-card spot. The New Jersey Devils are five points behind the Leafs, but they look like the team thats more eager to make a playoff push. The Leafs return from the All-Star break looking to snap a six-game losing streak when they visit a Devils club thats earned points in five of seven Wednesday night. Toronto (22-23-3) scored more than one goal for the first time in six games last Wednesday but lost 4-3 at Ottawa. The Leafs trailed 3-0 after the first period in suffering their 14th defeat in 17 contests - all the losses coming in regulation. Thats left them 10 points out of the second wild-card spot with three teams to pass. We just have to keep trying to move forward, said center Nazem Kadri, who scored for the second straight game. Thats really all we can do is try and stay positive. We just have to play with that desperation through 60 minutes instead of 40 or 45. Toronto held a 40-26 shot advantage over the Senators - 17-6 in the third period - but exceeded the two-goal mark for just the second time in 10 contests. The Leafs havent been much better defensively, allowing 3.10 goals per game to rank near the bottom of the league, and theyll be without defenseman Dion Phaneuf on a week-to-week basis due to injury. Well definitely miss our captain, Kadri told the teams official website. He also logs a lot of minutes against (opponents) top guys so thats definitely a big hole to fill. Toronto has gone 5-10-3 without Phaneuf since he joined the Leafs in January 2010. They have a .517 winning percentage in the 359 games hes played. Toronto will get forwards Leo Komarov and Peter Holland back in the lineup for tonights contest. Joffrey Lupul (lower body), Stephane Robidas (upper body) and Dion Phaneuf (hand) will all sit out. The Leafs will start with Korbinian Holzer in Phaneufs place on the top pairing with Cody Franson, but head coach Peter Horachek said he may try others in that spot as well. Jonathan Bernier gets the startt between the pipes for tonights contest.dddddddddddd New Jersey (17-22-8) would need to pass six teams to capture the final wild-card berth, but the Devils have certainly appeared more motivated than the Leafs of late. New Jersey defeated San Jose 5-2 on Jan. 19 to complete a 2-1-0 California road trip, giving it a 4-2-1 mark in the past seven. Cory Schneider made 34 saves and five players scored for the Devils, who went 4 for 9 on the power play during the three-game swing. We can feel good about ourselves, Schneider said. We just have to capture this and realize this is what we have to do night in and night out. New Jersey, near the bottom of the NHL with 2.23 goals per game, has scored four or more three times in the past seven contests. Its likely to get more help offensively Wednesday from second-leading scorer Jaromir Jagr and Tuomo Ruutu, who both missed the last three games before the break due to the flu. You go in feeling good but you cant feel too good, general manager and interim co-coach Lou Lamoriello said. You just have to realize what you did to have success and take that from the game and just pick it up when you get back. New Jersey has won the last two meetings with Toronto and is 2-0-2 in the past four. The Devils took the first matchup of the season 5-3 on the road Dec. 4, getting goals from five players and 29 saves from Schneider. Those last four meetings represent all of Schneiders career starts against the Leafs, and hes posted a 1.93 goals-against average. Wednesdays Projected Lines vs. Devils: Forward Komarov - Kadri - Kessel van Riemsdyk - Bozak - Clarkson Winnik - Holland - Santorelli Booth - Smith - Panik Defence Holzer - Franson Rielly - Polak Gardiner - Granberg Game Notes: NJ is 1-0-0 vs TOR this season, winning in TOR TOR has gone 3-1-0 past 4 games in NJ (lost last) Devils: 4-2-1 past 7 games, 4GF or more in 4 of the games, 5/16 on PP Havlat (2G, 1A) 3 game PT streak Maple Leafs: lost 6 straight, outscored 20-5, 2/18 on PP Kadri (2G) has scored in back to back games Cheap Buffalo Sabres Gear Wholesale Calgary Flames Jerseys Cheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche Jerseys Montreal Canadiens Outlet Store Wholesale New Jersey Devils Jerseys Adidas Arizona Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Adidas Boston Bruins Jerseys Cheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys Chicago Blackhawks Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys Dallas Stars Shop Free Shipping Cheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings Jerseys Anaheim Ducks Jerseys China Wholesale Edmonton Oilers Jerseys Florida Panthers Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Los Angeles Kings Jerseys Minnesota Wild Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Nashville Predators Jerseys Cheap Adidas New York Islanders Jerseys New York Rangers Winter Classic Jerseys Cheap Adidas Ottawa Senators Jerseys Cheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys Wholesale Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys Cheap Adidas San Jose Sharks Jerseys St. Louis Blues Winter Classic Jerseys Wholesale Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys Toronto Maple Leafs Outlet Store Vancouver Canucks Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Adidas Washington Capitals Jerseys Cheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '