Chat-World » hockey sense, Babcock said. The other thing is he want

TORONTO -- The Latest on the World Cup of Hockey (all times local):5:55 p.m.Sweden should be as healthy as it can be when it opens the World Cup of Hockey on Sunday against Russia.Marcus Kruger is expected to play after missing time with an upper-body injury. Kruger practiced Thursday at Air Canada Centre, reported progress and got a vote of confidence from coach Rickard Gronborg.My expectation is hes going to be ready to go when were dropping the puck in the first game, Gronborg said. He should be ready, and he obviously is filling a very important spot on our team. Weve got some stability in one of the lines because hes a very smart player, especially when it comes to defensive situations from defensive face-offs to penalty kills. Hes a pretty important part of our team.Coming off allowing five goals on 22 shots, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist wasnt happy Thursday.If you would be fine with giving up five goals, I mean, I think its not a good thing, Lundqvist said. I tried to last night analyze it and learn from the game. I watched some tape and tried to have a good practice today. But I feel like we still have some time here to correct a few things personally and as a group.---4:30 p.m.Former Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson will get his Canadian citizenship next week in a ceremony being held during World Cup of Hockey festivities.The native Swede, who spent most of his career with Ottawa, will be among 102 people to become citizens Tuesday in a Toronto ceremony attended by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association executive director Donald Fehr.---3:55 p.m.Alex Ovechkin says he will play in the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, regardless of whether the NHL agrees to participate.Several Russian players made that stance clear before the 2014 Sochi Olympics, but Ovechkin is continuing it. Ovechkin says hell wait and see, adding I will go there.Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Wednesday that it was radio silence on the topic of negotiating an agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation and International Olympic committee. The league and Players Association will meet with IIHF officials in Toronto over the next two weeks during the World Cup of Hockey.---2:50 p.m.Sergei Bobrovsky is Russias starting goaltender to begin the World Cup of Hockey.Coach Oleg Znarok said through an interpreter Thursday that Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets will be in net against Sweden on Sunday in Russias first game of the tournament. Znarok made no commitment to Bobrovsky long term over Semyon Varlamov of the Colorado Avalanche.Bobrovsky appeared to have the inside track on the job when Russia started him in its exhibition finale Wednesday against Canada.---2 p.m.Connor McDavid doesnt think hed make Canadas World Cup of Hockey team if eligible.McDavid is playing for Team North America, which is made up of players 23 and under from Canada and North America. He wasnt eligible to be selected by Canada.Some around hockey consider McDavid one of the best players already at age 19, but he said Canadas roster was a hard one to crack.---1:30 p.m.Mike Babcock says hes close to finalizing Canadas lineup for its first World Cup of Hockey game Saturday night against the Czech Republic.Theres plenty of fluidity in the lineup, but Babcock seems to have found linemates for captain Sidney Crosby in Boston Bruins forwards Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. The coaching staff decided on that line in advance, and it clicked well in exhibition play.He likes to play with guys with speed and guys with hockey sense, Babcock said. The other thing is he wants to be on offense, so if you play him with one really intelligent defensive player as well like Bergy, it helps him out.Crosby said before the tournament hed love to play with Marchand. He knows Bergeron because the two were linemates on the way to gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.I think hes just good in every area, Crosby said of Bergeron. Hes reliable at both ends of the ice, hes got really good hockey sense. I think his hockey sense is probably what sticks out the most, playing in all situations.Defensively hes pretty tough to go up against and offensively he can hurt you. Hes really an all-around player.---NoonFinland coach Lauri Marjamaki still wont name his starting goaltender for the first game of the World Cup of Hockey.Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators appears to be the front-runner to start Sunday against Team North America based on exhibition action, but Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins isnt a bad second option.Rinne says hes preparing to play Sunday but that the coaching staff hasnt told him the plan. He started Finlands final exhibition game Tuesday against the United States and stopped 26 of the 29 shots he faced.Most teams have their starters figured out by now. Jonathan Quick will be in net for the U.S., Carey Price for Canada, Matt Murray for North America, Jaroslav Halak for Team Europe and Henrik Lundqvist for Sweden. Swell Black Friday Sale . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. Hydro Flask Cyber Monday Sale . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . http://www.waterbottleblackfriday.com/ . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. Cheap Hydro Flask . PETERSBURG, Fla. Swell Cyber Monday . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. NEW YORK -- A foreboding matchup Monday night resulted in a surprising and euphoric win for the New York Mets. Now the Miami Marlins are hoping their fortunes can change in an instant.The resurgent Mets will host the slumping Marlins on Tuesday night in the second game of a four-game series at Citi Field. New York won Monday nights opener 2-1 when Yoenis Cespedes hit a long solo homer in the bottom of the 10th inning.With the win, the Mets (67-64) tied the Marlins for second place in the National League East. Both teams are 2 1/2 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the second NL wild card spot.The Mets victory came on a night in which the Marlins had the decided edge in starting pitching. While Miami sent All-Star Jose Fernandez to the mound, New York countered with right-hander Rafael Montero, who was promoted earlier in the day from Double-A Binghamton to make his first start in the majors since April 2015.But Montero threw five scoreless innings despite allowing three hits and six walks. A quintet of Mets relievers combined to allow just three hits in the final five innings and Jose Reyes built the tying run in the eighth when he doubled, took third on a flyout and scored on a wild pitch.Its got to be a team effort, Mets manager Terry Collins said. Everybodys got to pull on their end of the rope. We cant turn to just one entity and say This is how were going to win. This is how were going to get back in this. Its got to be both sides of the ball, its got to bbe pitching, defense.dddddddddddd Weve got to come up with some big hits.The Marlins could use some big hits in the worst way. Miami has scored just two runs during a three-game losing streak and is 3-6 in its last nine games, a stretch in which it has only been outscored 21-20.In this type of situation that were in, no matter (what), this cloud looks pretty dark, and it changes in three days or it changes in two days, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. You put some runs up and you (get) momentum going in that direction and then youre hot.Were going to come out of that and put some runs on the board.Mets right-hander Seth Lugo is scheduled to oppose Marlins right-hander Tom Koehler.Lugo, who is making his third big league start, posted his first career win last Thursday, when he threw five shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in New Yorks 9-4 victory. He has allowed just three runs in 11 2/3 innings in his first two starts.Koehler had his six-start unbeaten streak snapped in his most recent start last Thursday, when he gave up four runs (three earned) in six innings as the Marlins fell to the Kansas City Royals 5-2. The 30-year-old right-hander, who grew up about an hour north of Citi Field in New Rochelle, N.Y., will be making his 10th appearance and ninth start at Citi Field, where he has pitched more often than any other road ballpark. ' ' '