t of anxiety, a lot of close games, Blues head coach Ken Hitch

Gordon Hayward is not the first name that comes to mind as a potential first-time All-Star this year.The unassuming forward, playing for the small-market Utah Jazz, has quietly posted strong numbers while toiling in seeming anonymity. He has come a long way from the bright-eyed leader of the upstart Butler team that reached the NCAA championship game in 2010.Hayward, who missed the first six games of the season with a fractured finger, did not take long to get into his All-Star form. He scored 28 points in Sundays win over the New York Knicks and then scored 29 points in Wednesdays loss to the Charlotte Hornets.Entering Fridays game against the Orlando Magic, Hayward is averaging 25.7 points and shooting 47.2 percent from the floor in three games.Gordons been very important to us, Jazz coach Quin Snyder told Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. It helps anytime you have a good player in your lineup. Having Gordon back is certainly better than having him out. And Gordons ability to handle the ball takes some pressure off the other guys who are playing the point for us.Hayward is not quite the picture of a superstar to many, but he certainly helps galvanize and draw together a team with high aspirations for the season.But Hayward is not the only one the Jazz rely on. Utah is off to a 5-4 start this season and their vaunted defense is starting to get into high gear, 10th in the league giving up 101.6 points per 100 possessions.This is a team that relies on Hayward, along with shot-blocking savant Rudy Gobert and steady veteran hands in George Hill, Boris Diaw and Joe Johnson. They are an average offense by all measures and even with Hayward dropping in big numbers they rely on each other as much as anyone.Hill has blossomed after his trade from Indiana to average 20.4 points and 5.0 assists per game. Rodney Hood continues his maturation, making 46.2 percent of his 3-pointers on his way to 17.9 points per game.This kind of balanced approach is something the struggling Orlando Magic are still looking to establish.The Magic lack that potential All-Star player and are instead relying on each other to produce offense. The team has struggled mightily on that front, posting the worst field goal percentage in the league so far this season.Collectively, we need to come together and play as a team. One through 15 need to be on the same page in order for us to get wins and for us to compete at a high level. We need to trust each other and trust our coaching staff.The Magic are fifth in the league in assist rate, getting an assist on 63.8 percent of their made field goals. That would typically be a good sign of an offense moving the ball. But the teams 98.3 offensive rating is the sixth worst in the league.The Magic struggle to score, but do have pockets where the offense flows. Most of that occurs when the team gets stops and is able to get out in transition where they have plenty of athletic players who can finish around the basket.They have not put the puzzle pieces together, though. After winning three straight, the Magic fell to 3-5 with a second straight blowout loss, this time at home Wednesday to the Minnesota Timberwolves.Without the star, many Magic players said their margin for error is small offensively. And their struggles to generate consistent opportunities in the half-court is still a major concern.In many ways, the Magics rebuild this summer was done to try to emulate what the Jazz have built. A balanced squad, based on defense and size without a clear superstar.With Hayward beginning to emerge at a new level offensively, Utah seems set to knock down that door. Meanwhile, Orlando is still figuring itself out. Elite Patriots Jerseys . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. Pink Patriots Jerseys . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. http://www.officialpatriotsnflauthenticshop.com/ . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. Throwback Patriots Jerseys . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. Camo Patriots Jerseys .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. NEW YORK -- The New York Islanders have spent the last week proving they can play with the best teams in the Eastern Conference. On Thursday night, the Islanders will get a chance to see how they stack up against the red-hot St. Louis Blues, who are the second-best team in the Western Conference.The Islanders will host the Blues for the only time this season when the two teams square off at Barclays Center. Both clubs won Tuesday, when New York extended its point streak to five games with a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers while St. Louis kept rolling with a 3-2 overtime win over the East-leading Montreal Canadiens.The Islanders (10-10-5) have gone 4-0-1 in their last five games -- a stretch in which theyve beaten the Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, all of whom currently occupy a playoff spot -- to climb out of the NHL basement and move to the fringe of the East playoff race.It gives our guys a little bit of confidence that we can play with some of the top teams, record-wise, in the East, Islanders head coach Jack Capuano said.Despite the recent surge, the Islanders still have a long road ahead if they want to reach the playoffs for the third straight season. New York is eight points behind the Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers, who are tied for the two wild card berths.Means weve got a lot of work still to do, Islanders center and captain John Tavares said. Weve had some ups and downs and some frustration to start the year, some results we didnt get and some things maybe not go our way.dddddddddddd Certainly playing a lot better hockey and we know we can still be a lot better.Results-wise, its hard to fare much better than the Blues (15-7-4) have lately. St. Louis is 8-1-1 in its last 10 games dating back to Nov. 15 to move within three points of the Chicago Blackhawks, who lead both the Central Division and the Western Conference.Much like the Islanders, the Blues are looking to see if their recent play is sustainable. The game Thursday begins a four-game road trip for St. Louis, which is just 3-6-1 away from Scottrade Center. Six of its final nine games before the Christmas break will be on the road.Its going to be a real test for us, Blues goalie Jake Allen said. Obviously, things havent gone great for us on the road this year. Its a great opportunity to keep this thing going we had on our homestand.The Blues would like to keep it going without the drama that accompanied the 4-0-1 homestand that concluded Tuesday. Four of the five games went to overtime.My biggest fear is weve had to put a lot of energy into these games. a lot of overtimes, a lot of 3-on-3 stuff, a lot of anxiety, a lot of close games, Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock said. Well see where our energy is. Weve got to be really careful with ourselves right now. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '