ST. Chandler Jones Youth Jersey . LOUIS -- The secret is out on T.J. Oshie, who showed the world at the Sochi Olympics hes perfected the art of the shootout. Hes among nine Olympians whove rejoined a top contender that doesnt overly rely on razzle-dazzle. The St. Louis Blues are in prime position for the NHL stretch drive. They lack star power, with no one among the top 25 scorers, but are second overall in the Western Conference and atop the Central Division entering the re-start Wednesday at Vancouver. "Weve played awfully well. Weve been really resilient all year, weve responded to challenges all year," coach Ken Hitchcock said before the break. "But its going to really get dialed up when we get back and our players recognize that. "I think some guys are really looking forward to it." So far, theyve done the franchise proud. The next few months, theyll be working on solidifying their position and proving they belong against other powers in the conference. Theyre 3-0 against the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks, but 1-2 against the Kings, 0-3 against the Sharks and 0-2 against the Ducks. The Sharks have outscored them 16-7, the Ducks 8-4. "I told the players when we come back in March and April, its for them," Hitchcock said. "They have to really grab it coming back." The blueprint for success is a defence thats allowed the second-fewest goals. Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott have combined for seven shutouts aided by strong support and willing shot blockers throughout the defensive rotation. Oshie and Alexander Steen are tied for the team scoring lead at 46 points, Steens total coming in 46 games due to a lengthy concussion-related absence. Theres plenty of depth with six players scoring at least 14 goals and Alex Pietrangelo is the first defenceman in franchise history and first in the NHL since Dion Phaneuf (2005-08) to record 40 or more points in each of his first three seasons. Theyve been dominant without much of a power play lately, entering the break in an 0-for-20 skid that included numerous failures with the two-man advantage. The Blues must regain their stride quickly after the break with 12 games in 22 days and never more than one day of rest. Theyve played the fewest games in the Western Conference and have three games in hand on the Ducks, first overall, and Blackhawks, who like St. Louis have 84 points. "Its really going to be like coming out of the lockout where everybody is full-tilt and every point means something down the stretch," defenceman Barret Jackman said. "Its going to be about the mental focus coming back and being the team that doesnt crack in those one-goal games." The Blues got a taste of the pressure going to overtime the last four games prior to the Olympics. They won three of them, with Oshie providing a preview of his Sochi show with four shootout goals to drive the United States past Russia in a preliminary round game. Stateside, Oshie scored in overtime to beat the Bruins, scored in the shootout to help beat the Jets and had a goal and assist against the Senators and then scored again in the shootout in a 5-4 loss. "We came through some injuries, sickness, like a lot of teams have gone through," Jackman said. "But were still one of the top teams in the league and thats a pretty good feeling." Byron Murphy Jersey . Kansas City became the first team in baseball history to win four extra-inning games in a single postseason on Friday, as Alex Gordon crushed a leadoff homer in the 10th and Mike Moustakas added the deciding two-run blast in the Royals 8-6 win. Arizona Cardinals Jerseys . DArnaud hit one of three doubles for the Mets as they took a 4-0 lead in the first. Then the catchers seventh home run of the season broke the game open in the fifth. The 41-year-old Colon (10-8) retired the first 20 batters in his last outing Wednesday against Seattle, eventually allowing two runs on three hits in 7 1-3 innings in a 3-2 win.AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Kyle Lowry picked up his fifth foul at around the midway point of the fourth quarter -- then was called for his sixth 20 seconds later. It was the type of mistake that could prove costly for Toronto in the playoffs, but this time the Raptors were able to overcome it. DeMar DeRozan scored 14 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, and the Raptors tied a franchise record for victories with a 116-107 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Lowry scored 28 points before fouling out with 5:51 remaining. "I was just glad the guys won it without me," Lowry said. "DeMar was rested going into the fourth quarter, and he really took over down the stretch. Thats what happens when he is aggressive -- he can take over a game." The Raptors (47-33) had already clinched the Atlantic Division, and the victory over Detroit was their 10th in 14 games. Toronto has reached the 47-win mark for the third time. The Raptors went 47-35 in 2001 and 2007. Andre Drummond had 14 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons in the final home game of their dismal season. Detroits Josh Smith missed a fourth straight game with tendinitis in his left knee. Detroit trailed by as many as 18 in the first half but rallied to take the lead late in the third quarter. But no matter what the Pistons did, DeRozan always seemed to have an answer in the fourth. "I understood if we were going to win the game, then I had to step it up," DeRozan said. "I just tried to make plays for us and get a couple of easy baskets." DeRozans three-point play put the Raptors ahead 97-95 and started an 11-2 run. His emphatic, right-handed dunk made it 107-99 and thrilled the vocal contingent of Toronto fans who were in attendance. "The fanss were unbelievable," Lowry said. Haason Reddick Womens Jersey. "Ive never heard anything like that, especially not here." The Raptors shot 74 per cent from the field during a brilliant first quarter and looked headed for a blowout. A three-point play by Terrence Ross put Toronto up 20-5, and an alley-oop to DeRozan made it 28-12. It was 42-26 at the end of the quarter, and DeRozans four-point play early in the second made it 46-28. "We had no rhythm early on and we didnt guard. You give a team 42 points in the first quarter, I dont know what your chance of winning is, but I would think in this league its pretty low," Pistons interim coach John Loyer said. "Then you really have to fight uphill the whole way. But to our guys credit, they fought an uphill battle." The Pistons trailed 63-49 at halftime but made a game of it by outscoring Toronto 37-24 in the third. Detroit dominated the boards, finishing with 21 offensive rebounds. Greg Monroe had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Lowrys fifth foul came with 6:11 remaining. He then fouled out going after a rebound on a missed shot by DeRozan. The Pistons couldnt take advantage, though. After a free throw by Drummond cut Detroits deficit to two, Jonas Valanciunas answered with a free throw and Ross made a 3-pointer for the Raptors. A layup by Patrick Patterson made it 105-97. NOTES: Detroits Tony Mitchell had four fouls in 6:16 of playing time in the first quarter. Then he didnt play again until the final minute of the fourth. ... The Pistons werent thrilled with the officiating early. Monroe was called for a technical foul in the first, and Detroit was charged with a team technical in the second. ... Toronto has scored at least 100 points in six straight games. ' ' '
