| VOORHEES Ryan Getzlaf Jersey , N.J. (AP) Ryan Straschnitzki felt at home as he was wheeled into a perch overlooking the ice at the Philadelphia Flyers‘ practice facility.Below him, Flyers prospects in the same age range as the 19-year-old Straschnitzki skated in drills and in a hurry to impress, much like his days as a defenseman for the Humboldt Broncos before the bus crash that left him paralyzed from the chest down.Philadelphia general manager Ron Hextall and other members of the organization came to visit. Defenseman Sam Morin heard Straschnitzki was in the building and popped by for a chat.The hopeful Flyers paused during camp Friday and raised their sticks toward Straschnitzki for a traditional salute.Straschnitzki was right where he wanted to be – at the rink, watching the game he loves.”Just the smell of the ice coming in today brought back so many memories of your first time skating ,” Straschnitzki said.Straschnitzki met the coaching staff and some top prospects during a break in his rehabilitation from the injuries suffered in April when a bus carrying the Broncos to a playoff game collided with a semi-trailer at a rural intersection, killing 16. Straschnitzki was among 13 more injured.Straschnitzki was wheeled on a stretcher into Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia on May 31 and expected to rehab there for six to eight weeks. He has used weights almost daily to work on his arm muscles during physiotherapy sessions and has walked on a treadmill with the help of therapists. Sitting on a massage table, he’s used laser focus for the simple task of tying the laces on his sneakers.”I’ve made quite a bit of progress,” he said. ”The rehab pushed me to my limits.”Straschnitzki needs two hours in the morning just to complete routine tasks like a shower and getting dressed before he starts his exercises. He rehabs for about two hours, breaks for lunch, then has two more rehab sessions before he ends the day in exhaustion. With the same tireless work ethic he used to move up the hockey ranks, Straschnitzki said he was told he could return ahead of scheduled to his Airdrie, Alberta, home for the first time in almost eight months next weekend.His family home is undergoing a $200,000 renovation to make it handicapped accessible and the Straschnitzkis will live in a hotel for the summer until construction is completed.The Calgary Flames have talked to Straschnitzki once he’s settled about a possible job in the organization.”Hockey is my life Womens Ryan Kesler Jersey ,” he said. ”I’ve grown up talking about it, living it, playing it. I think if there’s a job opportunity down the road, I think it’s definitely option. Right now, though, I’m just focused on healing first and getting better. We’ll see what happens.”The NHL has rallied around the survivors and families of the victims. Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald offered the Straschnitzkis use of his home and car when the family was in Philadelphia. Hextall, who stopped to compose himself at times, said the tragedy has brought out the best in hockey.”Ryan’s an inspiring young man. He’s special, he really is,” said Hextall, a former star goalie for the Flyers said. ”He’s not feeling sorry for himself.”Straschnitzki was among 10 survivors at the NHL Awards last week in Las Vegas at the invitation of the league and NHLPA. It was the first time so many Broncos had been together since the crash. They wore Humboldt jerseys and head coach Darcy Haugan, who was killed in the crash, was honored with the inaugural Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award.”They’re your brothers for life now,” Straschnitzki said. ”Just being able to see them Ryan Miller Jersey , it’s like time froze. You’re in the room again, you’re just enjoying the moment being with them. We all heal in our own ways. Just being with them at the NHL awards was amazing.”Tom Straschnitzki said he’s tried to keep his son’s spirits high during the grueling rehabilitation process.”When he’s down, we just try to push him back up and keep him on the straight and narrow,” he said.Straschnitzki dreams of hitting the ice again, this time playing sledge hockey – basically hockey on sleds for players with physical disabilities.”It’s my life, so I’d love to do it,” he said.Straschnitzki has never wanted to distance himself from the sport he’s played since he was a boy. But finding his way back to hockey in any capacity perhaps remains a distant goal.”I know it’s going to take time,” he said. ”I just need to be patient.”— LAS VEGAS (AP) — Andrei Vasilevskiy has a knack for shutouts — and then backing them up.Vasilevskiy followed his first shutout of the season by stopping 29 of 31 shots, J.T. Miller scored his third goal of the season and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 on Friday.The 24-year-old Russian goaltender, who blanked Colorado on Wednesday, went 6-1-1 last season in games following a shutout.“He’s just a good young goaltender. He was in a zone again tonight, you could see he was just tracking pucks,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “Our guys did a good job of letting him see pucks. … If he can see them, he’s usually gonna stop them. He was nominated for the Vezina (Trophy) last year http://www.coyotesproshop.com/authentic-alex-goligoski-jersey , and that wasn’t by fluke. When we have our breakdowns, he’s been a rock for us. Give Vegas credit, they made a big push, but our goalie was there when we needed him and it’s a big win in a tough spot on the road.”Tyler Johnson and Brayden Point also scored for the Lightning, who have not lost in regulation since their second game of the season, going 6-0-1 over that stretch.Shea Theodore and William Karlsson scored for Vegas, while Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves.Ten games into their inaugural season, the Golden Knights were 8-2-0. They didn’t lose their fifth game until Nov. 7. Now, the defending Western Conference champions are 4-5-1 and sixth in the Pacific Division.“Every year is a new year, so what you did the year before means absolutely nothing,” Tampa Bay center Steven Stamkos said. “I’m sure if you ask them they’d say the same thing. Every year you have to go out and prove yourself as an individual, and you have to prove yourself as a team. They’re a still a good team over there. You’re not going to start the year with a great record every time. It’s how you grow as a team. They still got the pieces to be an elite team in this league.”One piece that needs to improve for the Golden Knights is the power play. Though it notched a power play goal on Friday, Vegas still has the league’s worst conversion rate with a man advantage, now 3 for 32. Tampa Bay owns the league’s best penalty kill (35 of 37).Johnson put the Lightning on the board early in the first period when he spotted a rebound in front of the net and chipped a shot past Fleury. Ryan Carpenter used the boards to slide a perfect pass to Theodore Christian Dvorak Jersey , who blasted a one-timer through traffic from the blue line and past Vasilevskiy to tie game a couple of minutes later. Later in the first, Stamkos delivered a pass into the slot for Point, who tapped the puck past Fleury.Miller extended the lead to 3-1 early in the second. He was positioned perfectly in front of net when the puck deflected off him and past Fleury for a power-play goal.Vegas outshot the Lightning 13-1 in the third period but came up empty after Karlsson ripped a wrist shot past Vasilevskiy on the glove side for a power-play goal with 18:13 left.“I think there were some chances,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “We’ve just got to keep executing and work at it.”Tampa Bay blocked 27 shots, including 17 in the third period.“They had a lot of opportunities and they come at you with a lot of speed. It’s tough to contain,” Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “I think our best player, for sure, in the third period was (Vasilevskiy). We had to block some shots. We gotta continue to play with a little more assertiveness in the third, especially with the lead.”NOTES: Vegas’ Max Pacioretty exited the game in the first period and did not return. … Theodore’s goal marked Vegas’ first from a defenseman this season. … Vasilevskiy came into the game having allowed just two goals in first periods this season; his .966 first-period save percentage was tops in the NHL. … Stamkos needs one goal to reach 350 for his career. … Miller will reach the 200-point plateau with his next point. … Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman left in the first period with an undisclosed injury, and Cooper said “there’s a good chance he’s not playing tomorrow” in Arizona. … The Lightning have scored on the power play in four straight games and six of their last seven.UP NEXTLightning: Visit Arizona on Saturday.Golden Knights: Host Ottawa on Sunday. |
