MINSK, Belarus -- Joel Ward knows who he is and who he isnt. [url=https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/]Cheap Penguins Jerseys[/

MINSK, Belarus -- Joel Ward knows who he is and who he isnt. Cheap Penguins Jerseys . "Im not going to go out there and be Ovi," he said. "I know what Im doing. Its not complex." Its not complex: Ward is just Team Canadas leading scorer through three games at the world hockey championship. With three goals hes actually tied for the tournament lead and has the same amount as Russian star and Washington Capitals teammate Alex Ovechkin. Ward doesnt have Ovechkins release or his accuracy, but the 33-year-old is no slouch, either. His 2013-14 NHL season included a career-high 24 goals, which was just the ticket to get him his first-ever international experience for Canada. Brad Pascall of Hockey Canada said assistant general manager Ron Hextall watched Ward play this past season and the group deciding on this team figured hed be a nice fit after the strong season he had. It was good for Ward to get noticed but even better for him to find some more self-appreciation of his offensive game. "Ive always believed in my abilities and never told myself I couldnt," the Toronto native said Tuesday. "My first year in Nashville I had 17 and I had some power-play time there, so I knew I could be a 20-goal scorer in the National Hockey League. It was just finding that spot and the right atmosphere and environment. This year I kind of got my spirits back up, my confidence back up to do so." Ward called it a season of "rejuvenation," crediting Capitals coach Adam Oates for changing the curve and length of his stick blade and teaching him more about how to play in front of the net. The reward was 24 goals and 25 assists, and those 49 points were third on Washington behind only Ovechkin and Swedish Olympian Nicklas Backstrom. Ward was never ever close to being considered for the star-studded Sochi team, but when he got the call to represent Canada at the world championships, he was thrilled just to have the chance. "When I first got the call, I said this was like my Olympics," he said. "First time to ever put a Canada jersey on. I grew up as a kid watching international hockey my whole life. When I got the call I was pretty excited to just be part of it. Im trying to make the most of it." So far, so good. Ward scored twice against Slovakia and then once against the Czech Republic. His three goals and four points lead Canada, which is 2-0-1 going into Thursdays game against Denmark. "Hes really come along as a player, and even in this tournament, too," Capitals and Team Canada teammate Troy Brouwer said. "Hes very opportunistic." What coach Dave Tippett likes about the six-foot-one, 221-pound right-winger is that he scores the kind of goals that are necessary in international play. "He scores hard goals -- hard goals in front of the net, good quick shots," Tippett said. "Hes a hard player. Everybody thinks this is the big ice and its all flow and away from (the net). You look where our goals are being scored right now: A lot of them are right in front of the net. Hes a player that can get in there and muck around a little bit. ... Go hard to the net and be willing to get into a battle to score. Thats what he does." Wards first goal of the tournament was a perfect tip of a point shot by Jason Garrison. His two others were sharp shots that Washington linemate Jason Chimera didnt think many goaltenders in the world could stop. But its not necessarily his shot but how he gets those opportunities that makes Ward fit for the big ice surface. Hes admittedly not the swiftest guy but takes pride in creating space and not making mistakes. "I just try to play good, two-way hockey, and if I get a chance on the offensive side, try to make plays for my linemates," Ward said. "Just keeping it simple is something key for me and try not to be no hero and be something Im not. I just want to get pucks down deep and puck possession is very key. Fortunate to get a couple good bounces and playing with some good linemates." Ward is likely to continue playing on Canadas fourth line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Sean Monahan moving forward, but he could get some better scoring chances on the power play. Even though only six of his 24 goals this past season came in that role, getting that extra ice time is why he thinks hes a better scorer than he was even two years ago when he had a 40-game drought. "You get more opportunity to play, right? So the more you play, the more opportunity you get," he said. "If you can kind of get that opportunity and capitalize a bit, then you get more positive results, obviously, and you get more ice time and you get rewarded." Being at the world championships is Wards reward for such a strong season in Washington. Its also his first trip to Europe. "Im usually just a beach guy," Ward said, smiling. "I like to sit in the sand a little bit and have a pina colada, so this is kind of a new experience, new territory for me. Thank God Im here, and Im thankful for being here and getting an opportunity to do this." Along the way, hes giving Canada the opportunity to win games and move past an opening shootout loss to France. Count at least Brouwer and Chimera among those not surprised and also pumped to see Ward playing and producing like this. "It couldnt happen to a better person," Chimera said. "Hes a great human being and everyone likes him. When he has success, the team has success, too, because the team just feeds off that kind of guy." Pittsburgh Penguins Shirts . They say things like "stress is when you dont know what youre doing" and "I wasnt hired to motivate players, I was hired to coach motivated players." They ring as true now as they did when Mularkey heard them the first time playing tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame coach 25 years ago. Pittsburgh Penguins Gear . Halak did not get the start in the Washington Capitals Tuesday night game against the St. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/ . The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the league hasnt announced the award. Crawford was the Clippers third-leading scorer and the NBAs top-scoring reserve with 18.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Cleveland Cavaliers are rolling and will try to extend their season-best winning streak Monday night when they visit the Barclays Center to face the Brooklyn Nets. LeBron James and company have won six in a row, including two straight on the road. After a victory in Madison Square Garden over the New York Knicks on Thursday night, the Cavs knocked off the Toronto Raptors, 105-91, at Air Canada Centre on Friday. James had 24 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds in the victory over the best team in the Eastern Conference. His 13 assists were a season-high. He showcased his game in front of NBA legends Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and Dikembe Mutombo who were among those at Air Canada Centre to honor Nelson Mandela on the one-year anniversary of the former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize winners death. The celebration was put together by Raptors president and general manager Masai Ujiri. To have legends here and see Charles and Magic in the crowd was spectacular, said James. For me I just try and do whatever it takes to win and being able to get my teammates involved, assists to me mean more than anything. Kyrie Irving, who scored 37 in the win over the Knicks, scored 15 in this one, including the bulk of Clevelands points in a key third-quarter run after Toronto had gone ahead for the first time. Tristan Thompson added 21 points and 14 rebounds off the bench for the Cavs and Kevin Love scored 15 with 13 boards. The Cavaliers shot 45 percent from long range and hannded out 28 assists on 41 made field goals. Custom Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys. Cleveland returns to Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday for a rematch against the Raptors. King James is expected to play this game in front of fellow royalty. Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton are scheduled to take in the game from the Barclays Center. The Nets had a two-game winning streak snapped very abruptly on Friday night in a 98-75 home loss to the red-hot Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta ambushed Brooklyn in the second quarter, winning that period, 36-13. The Hawks turned their two-point deficit after one into a double-digit lead with a 21-4 run over the first eight minutes of the quarter thanks to poor Nets shooting. Brooklyns second field goal did not come until there was 3:47 remaining before halftime. Brook Lopez paced Brooklyn with 20 points and seven boards as the Nets have dropped two of their last three at the Barclays Center. Joe Johnson totaled 12 points with six rebounds and four assists for Brooklyn in his 1,000th NBA game. The opponent had the hot hand and we couldnt do anything about it, Johnson said. Atlanta only shot 43.2 percent and 38.2 percent from 3-point range, but the Nets were just dreadful offensively. Brooklyn shot 37.5 percent from the field and 3-for-18 from beyond the arc. These two teams split four meetings last season, although the Nets are 6-2 in their last eight versus the Cavs. The Nets have won five straight in this series as the host and the Cavaliers have never won in Brooklyn in four attempts. ' ' '