FINDING GOOD GUYS: All eyes

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- One day after Kyle Okposo was left off the U.S. Olympic team, the New York Islanders forward added another clip to his highlight reel. Okposo scored 58 seconds into overtime to lift the Islanders to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night after they blew a two-goal lead to the Stanley Cup champions. Barring injuries to others, Okposo will likely be home during the Sochi Olympics. Yet he didnt hang his head after being passed over. "Youre giving me chills right now," Okposo said during an on-ice interview as the Nassau Coliseum crowd chanted "U-S-A! U-S-A!" "Sometimes you get tough bounces in life," Okposo added. "You dont always achieve your goals. Tonight I thought I left everything out there." Casey Cizikas scored in his 100th NHL game, and Thomas Vanek added a goal for the Islanders. Defenceman Andrew MacDonald had two assists, and Evgeni Nabokov made 37 saves. Okposo ended it with his 16th goal. "He was probably a little disappointed," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said of the Olympic snub. "He is just excited that we won the game." The Islanders have won three straight, building off a pair of comeback road victories against Minnesota and Boston -- Chicagos opponent in last years Cup finals. "Right now, were competing and were winning some battles we werent winning earlier this season," Capuano said. "With Boston and Chicago, you can see the skill level. We had to be on our toes, we had to be sharp, we had to execute." Brent Seabrook scored in the second period, and Ben Smith early in the third scored to help the Blackhawks rally for a standings point. Patrick Kane was held without a point for the second consecutive game after recording at least one in a career-best 14 straight. Crawford returned from a 10-game injury absence and improved as the game went on, shining after his club got even. He finished with 31 saves and was superb in the third. "The energy was definitely there. I was seeing the puck pretty well," Crawford said. "There were maybe some rebounds I gave up that usually I take care of but I felt pretty good." The Islanders have a four-game winning streak on the road, but havent had recent success at home. Since their last regulation win at Nassau Coliseum on Nov. 12 against Nashville, the Islanders are just 2-5-4 there. "I definitely hope something is brewing," Nabokov said. "We have to stick with the moment and our game plan. The defence did a great job clearing rebounds. That was the key. "We have put three together," Nabokov said. "Now we have to for the fourth one." Chicago is 8-1-3 in its last 12 games. "They attacked," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "They have some quickness and speed and they make plays. It was nice to get it to overtime, but it didnt last very long." Several inches of snow piled up in the parking lot and on cars during the game. The Islanders offered all ticket-holders, whether they came to the game or not, the opportunity to exchange tickets for any weekday home game this season. Also, hot dogs and sodas were discounted to $2. Though the crowd thinned after the second period, many seats were filled despite the ominous forecast that called for upward of 10 inches of snow by Friday. Many of the 13,618 in attendance were decked out in Blackhawks red, but when cheers of "Lets Go Hawks!" went up, they were met with boos and counter calls of "Lets Go Islanders!" Smiths tying goal 1:50 into the third elicited a loud celebratory cheer that wasnt answered by home team supporters. After a turnover in the Islanders end, Patrick Sharp brought the puck from behind the net and tried to jam it in. A scramble in the crease ensued, and Smith poked in his fifth of the season. Cizikas made a quick impact in the first period when he knocked the puck free from Blackhawks forward Bryan Bickell and then beat Bickell to the loose puck at the Chicago blue line. Cizikas corralled the puck, skated in alone on Crawford and scored his fifth of the season with 4:36 left in the period after shifting from backhand to forehand. Outside of that, the Blackhawks had the better of the play in the opening frame, holding a 12-5 edge in shots. The Islanders doubled their lead 8:09 into the second when Vanek netted his 14th goal with a backhander in front off a rebound of MacDonalds shot. New York took the first penalty of the game when Matt Carkner was sent off for tripping with 2:34 remaining in the second, and Chicagos potent power play took advantage. Kris Versteeg sent a crisp, cross-zone pass to the left circle to Seabrook, who ripped a one-timer as he crouched to a knee past Nabokov for his fifth of the season with 1:24 left in the period. Sharp took the Blackhawks first penalty, cross-checking with 24.5 seconds to go in the second. The Islanders started the third with 1:36 left on the advantage but couldnt convert. NOTES: The Blackhawks entered with the NHLs third-best power play and the top road unit. New York has the worst penalty-killing unit at home. ... Chicago D Michael Kostka played his sixth game. Fellow defenceman Sheldon Brookbank and Michal Rozsival were out. Mike James Youth Jersey . For the second game in a row, the Athletics won despite squandering a 4-0 lead. They also overcame a blown save by Sean Doolittle, whose streak of 26 2-3 innings ended when Miami scored the tying run in the ninth. Alterraun Verner Jersey .J. Dillishaw as the new main event at UFC 173 on May 24, according to John Morgan of USA TODAY Sports. http://www.footballbuccaneersofficial.com/women-alterraun-verner-jersey/ . The six-time PGA Tour winner, who closed with a final-round 75 on his way to a fourth-place finish last week, will have the opportunity to show what he learned from that disappointing finish at this weeks Houston Open. Donovan Smith Youth Jersey ... thanks to every "buddy" that was involved. Gerald McCoy Youth Jersey .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N.SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The way things have gone for the San Francisco 49ers recently with issues off the field, general manager Trent Baalke finds himself being questioned about the importance of drafting for character. The Niners top three selections from the 2011 draft have been involved in off-the-field situations in recent weeks, resulting in a negative hit for the teams image. Most notably, star linebacker Aldon Smith was arrested at an airport last month and authorities say he used the word "bomb." Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was linked to a Miami police report involving a woman who passed out in a hotel and later woke up in a hospital not knowing how she got there. Kaepernick has strongly denied any wrongdoing. Cornerback Chris Culliver -- who made anti-gay remarks before the 2013 Super Bowl -- has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanour hit-and-run charges and felony possession of brass knuckles from a March 28 arrest. "Its a risk-reward business," Baalke said. "And we try to take chances -- calculated chances -- and it has worked in a lot of cases. There are other times when the character of an individual coming into the NFL was sterling. But they end up being guys who get in trouble. "Its not always the guys that come into the league with a checkered past that leave the league with a checkered past. It can be the opposite. And if anybody in here has the answer about who is going to end up doing what, give it to me. I could use it." Here are five things to watch for in the draft for the 49ers, who pick 30th: FRONT-OFFICE TEAMMWORK: For anybody wondering whether Baalke and coach Jim Harbaugh will be duking it out in the draft room about which player to take, the GM says enough already. He insists the issue has been "misrepresented" since news broke that the Browns tried to trade for Harbaugh after San Franciscos loss in the NFC championship game. "To say that its always two rams butting heads is so false and misleading. To say theres no tension would also be false and misleading. Its good tension, its creative tension. It couldnt be better," Baalke said. "I feel good about where were at. If you want us to hug and mug for the cameras and do all that, youre looking at the wrong two guys." TRADING UP: Dont put itt past this team to move up the board.dddddddddddd And Baalke just might look to make a splash with a player who could have an immediate impact for the Niners as they begin a new era at Levis Stadium next to team headquarters. He has done so before. "A lot of its spontaneous, happening as the drafts unfolding," Baalke said. DEPTH AT LINEBACKER: San Francisco will be without All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman for a while as he recovers from torn ligaments in his left knee sustained in the post-season loss to the Seahawks. Baalke knows Smith could face a suspension from the NFL, too. The 49ers went 5-0 during Smiths five-week stint in rehab for substance abuse last season following his DUI arrest. While Dan Skuta and rookie Corey Lemonier emerged as solid replacements for Smiths pass-rushing presence on the edge, San Francisco is expected to search for depth at linebacker. Michael Wilhoite also became a reliable reinforcement, and Baalke says the team is "very confident in being able to replace guys when they go down." "We saw it in play last year," Baalke said. "Sometimes when you lose a player, you cant replace him with just one. Sometimes it takes multiple people, it takes other people stepping up to the challenge." THE CORNERBACK NEED: Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown joined the Raiders on the other side of the bay. With Culliver working to come back from a serious knee injury, drafting a cornerback will be a top priority to complement Tramaine Brock. FINDING GOOD GUYS: All eyes will be on Baalke, who has a successful run of draft picks who have produced right away, including first-rounders Anthony Davis, Mike Iupati and Eric Reid. But now, at least some fans will be counting more than ever on the 49ers finding just the right player. Baalke points to the locker room and roster as a whole, because only a few are affecting the franchises reputation. "We just have to do a better job. And thats the mentality of this group and thats the mentality of this ownership. To think that we dont care? I take offence to classless or lawless, because thats far from the truth," Baalke said. "Respect the masses because the masses are doing it right, and well get the other things fixed." cheap jerseys cheap jerseys china cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '