Dein erstes Forum » play.South Africa started the season with a

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Amid speculation about his job security, Vancouver Canucks coach Willie Desjardins insists his future isnt his focus.I really dont worry about it, he said. The thing that bothers me is losing. (Being fired), I dont think about. That part, I cant control. The only thing I can control is how we play. Thats what I have to focus on.Accordingly, Desjardins was concentrating Wednesday on his struggling teams next opponent. The Canucks (6-10-1), who have lost 11 of their past 13 games, will host the Arizona Coyotes (5-9-1) on Thursday night at Rogers Arena.Theyve got some young talent with lots of jump, Desjardins said of the Coyotes following a brief practice. I think (Oliver) Ekman-Larssons one of the best defensemen in the league. Dave Tippett does a good job coaching. They dont give you a lot. Theyre pretty disciplined, pretty structured.Like the Canucks, the Coyotes have struggled for most of the season, especially on the road, and they are the only team with fewer points than the Canucks in NHL. But Desjardins wants to make sure that his club lets sleeping Desert Dogs lie.When you look at them, you see a real solid team, Desjardins said. You see a team thats hungry, thats looking for a win. You know that theyre going to come at you but that youve gotta be patient. You know if you open up, theyre going to capitalize on you. So weve gotta have lots of energy (Thursday), and weve gotta be hungry.The Canucks are looking for a better effort after losing 7-2 to the New York Rangers at home Tuesday night. Vancouver has scored first in only two games this season and has yet to hold a lead after the first period -- a trend the Canucks they hope to change Thursday.We cant put some wins together because were behind for the most part in games, captain Henrik Sedin said.Defenseman Erik Gudbranson added, Weve gotta come out and get that first one and then see how we play with the lead.The Canucks are also aiming to improve on a power play that has scored in just five of 53 chances in 17 games.Its been a real fine line between winning and losing for us, Sedin said. We know a power-play goal here or there is going to make a big difference for us.Many fans have become disenchanted with the Canucks lately, as demonstrated by empty seats on a nightly basis at Rogers Arena which, a few seasons ago, was sold out regularly. The losses appear to be wearing on Desjardins and the players, but they are striving to stick together during tumultuous times.Against the Rangers, the Canucks returned to their offensive struggles. More timely goals could fix many of their troubles, but they are not getting many from players other than Henrik and Daniel Sedin and third-year center Bo Horvat, who have five goals each and have accounted for 15 of the teams 35 goals.Vancouver needs some of its young players to do more offensively. But one offensively gifted youngster, sophomore winger Jake Virtanen, who has struggled to play his usual physical game, will be honing his skills in the minors for a while.Virtanen was sent to Utica of the AHL on Wednesday.The problem with Jake has always been (that) weve gotta do what we feel is the best, Desjardins said. He was (with the Canucks) last year. We felt it was better to stay with us than go to junior. We just felt that hed got what he could out of junior. We felt that he was better off to get what he could out of us, and this year we have the luxury that we can put him in the minors if we need to.Meanwhile, the Coyotes are also looking to develop more consistency, especially on the road, where they have won just two of nine games.I think were a good team, but right now were just losing too many battles and making too many little mistakes, winger Tobias Rieder said.Like the Canucks, the Coyotes are also looking for more offensive consistency, and they have a number of young players who are having difficulty finding their way in NHL. The Coyotes face a difficult test in Vancouver as they play the second of back-to-back games following a 2-1 overtime loss in Calgary on Wednesday.Were turning the puck over too much and bringing trouble on ourselves, not generating very much, and turnovers are making us play too much in our own end, Tippett said.The Coyotes received a boost Wednesday when goaltender Mike Smith returned after being sidelined for 12 games with a lower-body injury. Center Martin Hanzal, who was out since Nov. 1 with a lower-body injury, also returned against the Flames.Smith was really solid in his return here, Tippett said. Hanzal gave us some good minutes -- but we need to be better in a lot of areas.Ekman-Larsson missed part of the Wednesday game as he was checked for a possible concussion, but he returned and is all right, according to Tippett.Former Canucks winger Radim Vrbata, who was not re-signed because his offensive prowess hit the skids last season, will play his first game in Vancouver since rejoining the Coyotes for a third stint. He leads the Coyotes with six goals and shares the clubs points lead (11) with Max Domi.Wholesale Air Force 1 . PETERSBURG, Fla. Nike Sb Shoes Near Me . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. http://www.airforce1nearme.com/sb-shoes-outlet-near-me.html . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. Cheap Wholesale Nike Sb Shoes . 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. Nike Sb Shoes Outlet . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said.In targeting a clean-sweep over Australia, Faf du Plessis has promised South Africa will assert themselves with more than just bat and ball in Cape Town on Wednesday. South Africas stand-in captain wants to see his boys also win the body-language battle ahead of the three-Test series in Australia starting November 3.As a captain, its important the intensity we play at. That does not always mean verbally, its body language and the way you carry yourself on the field, du Plessis said. When there is a battle that asks for another battle to come their way, that will happen. We are a team that will stand up against that. If thats required of us as a team, we will also go into that space, but its a very focused and channeled aggression; more of a body language thing. The only real needle in the ODIs so far came in Port Elizabeth when Matthew Wade and Tabraiz Shamsi had a verbal exchange that earned both of them a a 25% fine of match fee along with one demerit point. Talk became action when Wade took a single and made no effort to avoid running into Shamsi, who protested.Du Plessis took it up with the umpires but was proud of how Shamsi stood up. Its just showing the opposition you are here to play, no matter how many games you have played, du Plessis said. Shamsi has only played three ODIs but he showed he is there to compete, no matter who is on the other side. It was good to see we can also step it up in that department.In the other departments, South Africa have exceeded expectation by dominating against the top-ranked ODI side, which is without their first-choice pace pack. However, du Plessis chose not to dwell on that, instead emphasising on how South Africa have out-batted Australia.I am really impressed with the style of cricket weve played, he said. The first game set the tone for us where Quinton played one of the best oone-day knocks you will see and then out-batting has been a level above what weve seen in the past.dddddddddddd If you compare that to their batting, which is just as strong possibly on paper, maybe even stronger but they havent matched up with our batters at all. We havent allowed them to compete at times and even when they looked like they were going to compete, we stuck in and waited for the opportunity.The third game in Durban was where Australia threatened their biggest comeback. Their only centuries came in that match as they piled on 371 for 6 before reducing South Africa to 217 for 5. Yet, South Africa found a way, which du Plessis was proud of.In Durban, they were all over us and nine times out of ten, you should lose games like that. It took something magnificent for us to win and its happening more regularly in this team that guys are doing amazing things, he said. The style of cricket we have played has been a new level, hopefully thats something we can drive forward. We need to make sure we keep playing like that because thats the style I would like us to play.South Africa started the season with a culture camp that addressed their dramatic slide from No. 1 to No. 6 in the Test rankings last summer and their early exit from the World T20. They decided on what theyve termed a different direction, which is not about individuals but the collective, aiming to go where no other South African team have been.We want to reach higher levels and achieve greater things than anyone else. From that perspective 5-0 is very important, du Plessis said. The fact that the Test series comes straight after this and 60% to 70% of both teams players are the same, the motivation of 5-0 will mean a lot to me. ' ' '