Fussball » against stiff competition in the group.

The Edmonton Oilers made a couple of deals, bringing in a new goaltender and taking on a long-term contract for a fourth line forward in the process. Numbers Game looks at the Oilers adding Ben Scrivens and Matt Hendricks, while sending Devan Dubnyk to Nashville. The Oilers Get: G Ben Scrivens and LW Matt Hendricks. Scrivens is a 27-year-old who has played 51 NHL games in his career, so he has a limited track record but, in that time, he has a .917 save percentage, which isnt bad at all. Its certainly good enough to get a chance at some regular playing time in Edmonton and, considering how the Oilers season has gone, there should be plenty of opportunity for Scrivens and Ilya Bryzgalov to compete the rest of the way as they audition for next season. Both Scrivens and Bryzgalov will be unrestricted free agents in the summer, so its entirely possible that Edmonton could be starting from scratch on the goaltending market in the summer, but there is also a real opportunity for Scrivens to seize the opportunity and, if he plays well, earn a contract offer that will make him the likely starter. It cant hurt Scrivens that he has experience playing for Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins (with the AHL Toronto Marlies, where Scrivens had a .923 save percentage in 94 games) and if Scrivens plays well the rest of the way, Eakins could be comfortable moving forward with him as the No. 1 or even as part of a timeshare with another goaltender. Scrivens makes a miniscule $550,000 this season but, provided he plays well, will be due for a decent raise -- maybe something in the neighbourhood of $2.5-million per -- as an unrestricted free agent. Hendricks, 32, is a warrior, who has battled his way into the NHL, finally sticking as a 28-year-old. Theres no denying his toughness -- he has 48 fights in the past five seasons -- his face-off skill or, even, some career shootout success (9-for-17, 52.9%), but to take on a four-year contract, at $1.85-million per, for a player with those skills is highly questionable. Its not that the addition of Hendricks is going to be a backbreaker for the Oilers, but money matters, whether its in relation to the salary cap or an internal budget and paying nearly $2-million for a fourth-line winger is not how the best teams are building their rosters and its the term that is troubling. When we know how hard Hendricks has played throughout his career, who would feel good about his chances of staying healthy and (relatively) productive through age 35? The Oilers needed more toughness on the lower half of their forward depth chart, and thats fine, but making that financial commitment for toughness has not been the typical approach for successful teams, so if Hendricks provides value for the Oilers, more power to them, but it looks like a lot to pay for the role he plays. The Predators Get: G Devan Dubnyk. Part of the reason that the Oilers were expected to compete for a playoff spot this season is that Dubnyk, 27, was a solid, if under-appreciated puckstopper in recent seasons. From 2010-2011 through 2012-2013, Dubnyk had a .917 save percentage. Among goaltenders with at least 100 games in that span, that placed Dubnyk 12th, in the same territory as Sergei Bobrovsky, Kari Lehtonen and Carey Price; pretty good company. Then the season started and Dubnyk couldnt do anything right. In his first eight appearances, he allowed at least three goals seven times, posting an .878 save percentage, and it hasnt been much better since. Dubnyks .894 save percentage ranks 39th out of 39 goalies to play at least 20 games this season. Had he been an average starting goaltender, with a .913 save percentage, that would have saved the Oilers close to 17 goals, which isnt nearly enough to make them competitive, but they might not have been staring at a lottery pick right from the first month of the season. In any case, Dubnyk gets a fresh start, with a track record that suggests he deserves one. With Pekka Rinne injured, and with no timetable for his return, the Predators have been making do with Marek Mazanec and Carter Hutton, and while they have had some decent games, they rank 33rd and 34th, respectively, on that list of 39 goaltenders, both posting .902 save percentages this season. Nashville, currently eight points out of a playoff spot, realizes that theyre not likely to make up that ground with their goaltenders stopping 90.2% of the shots they face, so why not take a chance on Dubnyk rebounding? If he performs closer to his career norms, maybe the Predators can scramble into the playoff picture. If not, no big deal, because the Oilers retained some of the salary on Dubnyks contract (which pays $3.5-million per) and he will be an unrestricted free agent at seasons end, making it a low-risk move for the Predators. The move is even better, from Nashville standards, because they managed to get out from under the four-year term on Hendricks contract. Hes a gritty fourth-line forward, who is paid too much for that role, but the Predators can give Rich Clune more consistent playing time and/or recall Filip Forsberg or Taylor Beck, moving a winger like Gabriel Bourque down the depth chart, if need be. The Kings Get: A third-round pick. When Jonathan Quick was injured earlier in the year and the Kings were forced to recall Martin Jones, the Kings found out that they had another NHL-ready goaltender in the system and with Scrivens heading towards unrestricted free agency at seasons end, there was an opportunity to deal Scrivens, and open up a spot on the NHL roster for Jones, while adding an asset in the form of a draft pick. Jones was spectacular in his first NHL action, going 8-3 with a 1.41 goals against average and .950 save percentage in 11 games. That wont continue, because hes not superhuman, but the 6-foot-4, 24-year-old is a quality prospect, one that has posted a .922 save percentage in 151 AHL games, and is worthy of promotion. Working out the Kings depth chart, Jones promotion also means that Jean-Francois Berube, a fourth-round pick in 2009, should get the bulk of the starts for Manchester in the AHL, but with Quick and Jones in Los Angeles, there is no urgency for more goaltending. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Ecco Shoes Shop Ireland . Blatter, a 75-year-old Swiss executive who has been in office since 1998, was handed a final four-year term as head of footballs governing body in a vote at FIFAs congress. He won 186 votes out of 203 ballots. Ecco Shoes Ireland Online .Voegele will next play Anna Schmiedlova of Slovakia, who saved 10 of 16 break points to defeat Annika Beck of Germany 7-6 (6), 6-4.Also, Marina Erakovic of New Zealand defeated eighth-seeded Caroline Garcia of France 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. http://www.cheapeccoireland.com/ . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. Ecco Shoes Outlet Ireland . However, it wasnt a problem on Monday night. Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for his 56th career shutout in the New York Islanders 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night. Ecco Shoes Sale Online Ireland . Andrews, Scotland - Oliver Wilson fired a final- round, 2-under 70 on Sunday and he held on to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by one shot.Group B kicks off with a rematch of the 2010 World Cup final as Spain will take on the Netherlands at the Arena Fonte Nova on Friday. Follow all the action live on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto, TSN Radio 690 in Montreal, TSN Radio 1260 in Edmonton and TEAM 1410 on Friday at 3pm et/Noon pt. The two countries needed extra time to decide the winner of the 2010 final, which Spain ultimately won thanks to an Andres Iniesta strike. And with the majority of the same pieces in place, Spain will be looking to make history by not only becoming the first nation to claim back-to-back World Cup titles since Brazil achieved the feat in 1962, but also by becoming the first European country to win the tournament in South America. Spains 2010 campaign opened with a narrow defeat to Switzerland, so with a much more difficult opponent awaiting the reigning champions in their 2014 opener, Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez attempted to take some pressure off the team. "In 2010 we showed that if you lose the first game its not all over, but we want to get off to a winning start," he said. "To win the tournament you have to win as many games as possible, but in the last World Cup we showed that even after losing the first game, we wanted to get to the final." While Spain remains among the favorites to win the entire tournament, the Netherlands faces stiff competition to emerge from a cutthroat field in Group B, which also consists of Chile and Australia. The Dutch have plenty of experience in attack with the likes of Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, but the back line is relatively untested, increasing the concern as to whether the 2010 runners-up can even make it out of the group this time around. In order to compensate for the lack of experience in defence, manager Louis van Gaal looks poised to deploy five defenders in the form of three center-backs and two wing-backs. Ron Vlaar, who should feature as one of the nations three central defenders along with Stefan de Vrij and Bruno Martins Indi, is aware of the perception of Hollands weak defence, but he was quick to point out the stout performances in qualifying that saw the Dutch concede just five goals in 10 group games. "We know that. We work hard to get better as a team and we also know we have our best players up front," Vlaar said. "But if you look at all the games we played during qualification and friendlies we didnt concede many goals. "So we have to give confidence to our forwards to accelerate and make a difference for us. You play every game to win. You have to be realistic but I really believe we can achieve something. I look forward to it and I cannot wait." *** Mexico ready to put sloppy qualifying in the past vs. Cameroon After an absolutely dismal qualifying campaign, Mexico will get its first chance to put that struggle in the rearview mirror on Friday against Cameroon in Group A play at the Estadio das Dunas. Follow all the action live on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto and TEAM 1410 on Friday beginning at Noon et/9am pt. Mexico struggled mightily in CONCACAF qualifying, finishing fourth and needing a gift from the United States just to reach Brazil. El Tri was on the verge of staying home before the United States, which had already qualified for the World Cup, scored in stoppage time against Panama in the final round of matches to help Mexico clinch fourth place. A fourth-place finish meant El Tri faced New Zealand in a two-legged playoff, but breezed past the All Whites, 9-3, on aggregate to avert disaster. Head coach Miguel Herrera, who was installed as the teams fourth head coach during qualifying, will be hoping his side can put that difficulty in the past and focus on getting out of a tough group. Herrera has only been in charge for about six months, and he is taking a bit of a gamble by pinning Mexicos hopes on 35-year-old defender Rafael Marquez, who will become the first player to captain his side at four different World Cups. Javier Hernandez is a familiar face up top for Mexico, but the team will also rely on some new blood as well with Oribe Peralta leading the team in goals in qualifying while Carlos Pena carved out a place in the midfield for himself with some strong performances recently. But El Tri will be without a pair of players in Luis Montes and Juan Carlos Medina. Medina, 31, figured to occupy a defensive role in the middle of the field but who will miss the tournament becaause of an ankle injury, while Montes will miss the tournament with a broken leg suffered in a friendly against Ecuador.dddddddddddd Cameroon, meanwhile, will be making its seventh appearance in the World Cup hoping to replicate the success they had 24 years ago. The 1990 team stunned the rest of the world by becoming the first African side to reach the quarterfinals at the World Cup as they were led by the scoring exploits of veteran striker Roger Milla. Head coach Volker Finkes team will be trying to break a streak of four straight group-stage exits. The Indomitable Lions are led by 32-year-old forward Samuel Etoo. Etoo has been in and out of the side in recent years, but enters the World Cup in fine form after scoring nine goals in 21 appearances for Chelsea last season. Etoo has netted three World Cup goals in his career, leaving him two short of Millas record for the national team, and he may need to match that total if the team is going to finish in the top two in Group A. Vincent Aboubakar and Pierre Webo will also be expected to share some of the scoring load, while Alex Song, Stephane Mbia and Jean Makoun make up a quality midfield. With Brazil and Croatia also in Group A Fridays match is crucial for both clubs. Mexico will be hoping to get off to a good start with three points, while Cameroon will also need three points if they hope to escape the group stage. *** Chile has plenty to prove in World Cup opener vs. Australia Chile will have its first opportunity to open the eyes of the football world on Friday against Australia in Group B play at the Arena Pantanal. Follow all the action live on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto, TSN Radio 690 in Montreal, TSN Radio 1200 in Ottawa and TEAM 1410 on Friday at 6pm et/3pm pt. La Roja arrived on the world football scene in 2010 when they showed the can play as beautifully as any team in South Africa. Under Marcelo Bielsa, the team was full of vibrancy and vigor, attacking with a fluidity that not many expected. Chiles squad remains largely unaltered from 2010 and are led by key pieces such as Mauricio Isla, Gary Medel and Alexis Sanchez. Sanchez has made the jump from promising player to global superstar. The 25- year-old enjoyed a banner year with Barcelona, scoring 19 goals in league play. Isla, 25, has gained much more experience since his exploits at the 2010 World Cup, splitting his club allegiances with two seasons at Udinese before making the switch to Juventus in 2012. The same can be said for Medel, who was a key defender for Sevilla in a run of a few impressive seasons. The 26-year-old moved to Cardiff City last summer, and while the Welsh club was relegated from the Premier League, Medel enjoyed a solid campaign on a personal level. On the offensive end, Esteban Paredes, Mauricio Pinilla, Eduardo Varas, Jean Beausejour and Fabian Orellana all have a chance to chip in as Sanchez cannot be expected to carry the team out of a group that consists of Spain, Australia and the Netherlands. The biggest question for Chile will be whether midfielder Arturo Vidal is fit for the opening match. Vidal is one of the most well-rounded central midfielders in the world, but he was a surprising inclusion on the final roster following a recent knee operation. Chile is more than capable of making it out of Group B without Vidal, but its outlook would be much brighter if the Juventus man is able to suit up. Australia, meanwhile, enters the 2014 event as a huge underdog against stiff competition in the group. And facing teams like Spain, Chile and The Netherlands with a vastly inexperienced squad doesnt make the Socceroos task any easier. Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano are the only two members of the team with more than 50 caps, making them two of the countrys most important pieces. Cahill has featured for Australia in 2006 and 2010 and even became the first Australian player to score in World Cup play by netting two goals against Japan on June 12, 2006. Bresciano, also 34, boasts a great deal of experience in Serie A having represented the likes of Parma, Palermo and Lazio, but he has not played in Italys top flight since 2011. Captain Mile Jedinak is another key piece for the Socceroos. He is coming off an impressive season in the Premier League with Crystal Palace and will be tasked with guiding the team from the middle of the park. Australia figures to struggle in Group B, but Fridays match represents the clubs best chance to earn a point. ' ' '