Fussball » OK, so what impressed him about Costa Ricas defe

Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) - Roberto Luongo was victorious in his return to Vancouver as he turned aside 32 shots to help the Florida Panthers to a 3-1 victory over the Canucks on Thursday. The veteran netminder, who set franchise records with 252 wins and 38 shutouts over eight seasons with the Canucks, tied Sabres great Dominik Hasek for 11th on the NHLs all-time win list with 389. Jonathan Huberdeau posted two goals and an assist and Aleksander Barkov scored for the Panthers, who rebounded from a 4-3 loss to Washington on Sunday. Daniel Sedin lit the lamp and Ryan Miller allowed all three goals on 30 shots for the Canucks, who won their previous two games. After Luongo was honored with a video tribute prior to the game, Sedin welcomed his former teammate back to Rogers Arena with a snap shot from the high slot 3:39 into the contest, but the Panthers backed their netminder with three straight goals. Huberdeau fired a quick shot off a feed from Brad Boyes behind the net, but was stopped by Miller. Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler knocked the rebound into his own net for a tie game at 9:33 of the first period. Barkov tipped Aaron Ekblads low shot past Miller for a 2-1 Florida lead 7:10 into the second. Huberdeau quieted the Vancouver crowd with his second of the night as he took a stretch pass from Dmitry Kulikov and beat a stationary Miller with a quick wrister that went off the pipe and into the net with 3:17 left in the middle stanza. Past the midway point of the third, Vancouver had a two-man advantage for 39 seconds after David Bolland was assessed a double minor for high sticking, but was unable to convert on the extended power play. Luongo even got involved with the physical side of the game during a scrum after the whistle as he threw punches at Derek Dorsett, who pushed Willie Mitchell into the Florida goaltender with over three minutes to play. The Canucks pulled their netminder with under two minutes left, but were unable to pull even. Game Notes Luongo has now defeated every NHL team ... Barkov scored his first goal since Nov. 11 against San Jose ... Vancouver went 0-for-6 on the power play ... The two teams will meet again on Jan. 19 in Florida. Willie Stargell Jersey . It led to his downfall on Tuesday. The Major League Soccer club fired Rennie after a second straight up-and-down season that saw the Whitecaps start strong before limping across the finish line. Jameson Taillon Jersey . And though his comeback night didnt quite go to script, Bryant couldnt help reflecting on the work necessary to get back on that court -- and all the months of steady labour ahead to reclaim his game. Bryant had nine points and eight rebounds in his season debut, but Amir Johnson scored a career-high 32 points in the trade-depleted Toronto Raptors 106-94 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday night. http://www.piratesrookiestore.com/Pirates-Adam-Frazier-Kids-Jersey/ .J. -- John Elway says Peyton Manning cannot stamp himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history even if he wins the Super Bowl on Sunday. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . -- First baseman Carlos Pena and outfielder Brennan Boesch have signed minor league deals with the Los Angeles Angels. Starling Marte Jersey . Top-seeded Djokovic, who is making only his second appearance this year after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 54th-ranked Istomin of Uzbekistan. "It wasnt as easy as the scoreline indicates," said Djokovic, who has won in Dubai on four occasions.RECIFE, Brazil -- Mario Balotelli couldnt care less if hes mentioned in the same breath as Neymar or Lionel Messi at this World Cup -- as long as he comes away with the trophy. Having scored the winning goal in Italys 2-1 victory over England and now getting ready for Fridays match against Costa Rica, the temperamental forward has gained more attention than any other Azzurri player in Brazil. "I hope this is Italys World Cup, not Marios. Im not really interested in being compared with the big stars," Balotelli said Thursday. "In the end its the squad that wins. I dont want to be a big star. I want to win the World Cup." "Personally, I want to score as many goals as possible," he added at the official pre-match news conference. "But the important thing is that the squad wins and advances." Wearing a black cap turned backward and a total of three diamond earrings -- two on his right ear, one on the left -- Balotelli was his usual candid self. Asked if he minds being the lone forward in coach Cesare Prandellis 4-1-4-1 formation, Balotelli snapped back: "As long as I play." This is a first World Cup for Balotelli, who helped lead Italy to the 2012 European Championship final. "This is the biggest event of my career and I want to give my all," he said. "The World Cup is more important than the Golden Ball, the Champions League or the scudetto (Serie A title), so its only normal that it creates a spark inside of you." Balotelli has made headlines almost from the moment he landed in Brazil, first by proposing to his Belgian girlfriend on a moon-lit beach in the week leading up to the England match. "The proposal had nothing to do with the World Cup," Balotelli said. "The proposal would have occurred even without the World Cup." Balotelli is coming off an up-and-down club season with AC Milan and has been the subject of rampant transfer speculation in recent weeks.dddddddddddd There have been reports that Arsenal is offering Milan a (euro)30 million ($40 million) transfer fee, and a contract for Balotelli worth 180,000 pounds (more than $300,000) per week. "My focus is 100 per cent on the World Cup," he said. "I dont know what will happen afterward. I dont know anything." While he does appear focused, Balotelli was not prepared for questions about Costa Ricas players. For example, what does he think about Keylor Navas, who had a strong season with Levante and is considered one of the top goalkeepers in the Spanish league? "Honestly, Im unprepared for this question because I havent seen the Costa Rica goalkeeper," he responded. OK, so what impressed him about Costa Ricas defence in a 3-1 win over Uruguay? "I saw the match but to be sincere I didnt study the players," Balotelli said. "Ill watch them tonight." That was the point when Prandelli butted in and offered help. "If you want, I can answer about all of the players," the coach told a Costa Rican journalist with a smile. Costa Rica defender Giancarlo Gonzalez, however, wasnt amused. "We will let the world know that we are here," Gonzalez said. Sitting right next to Balotelli, Prandelli managed to analyze his prized players hot and cold streaks as if he were there alone. "If you look at Mario in these four years there have been moments of alarm," Prandelli said. "One moment hes the man whos going to bring you to the top of the world and then a moment later he shouldnt even be at the World Cup." "The important thing for us is for him to stay focused and play like he did in the last match," Prandelli added. "If he does that for 90 minutes he could be decisive. He needs to give 100 per cent." ' ' '