Frederik Andersen

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The NFLs injury epidemic began even before any preseason games were played, with the likes of Sean Lee and Kiko Alonso going down.Since then, big-name players (RG3, Robert Mathis, Knowshon Moreno, Sam Bradford, B.J. Raji, DeAngelo Hall, Chris Long, Ike Taylor) have been sidelined, and entire units such as Atlanta and Philadelphias offensive lines and Carolinas backfield have been ravaged.What gives? ACLs, Achilles tendons and shoulders, among other things.Consider what has happened to the Vikings, who lost quarterback Matt Cassel (broken foot), and right guard Brandon Fusco (torn pectoral muscle) for the season. Tight end Kyle Rudolph (sports hernia surgery) will miss about six weeks.That almost makes linebacker Chad Greenways hand and rib problems from which he will soon return seem tame. Almost.I never envisioned that, but its a part of football, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said after all of those injuries occurred in one game. Last year in Cincinnati we lost our best defensive tackle, our best corner, one of our best linebackers, a very good defensive end. Things happen in the NFL, so this is a survival of the fittest game, its always a marathon.Marathon or sprint, its difficult a€” sometimes impossible a€” to stay on track with so many players getting hurt. Although injured reserve numbers are not significantly different at this point from recent seasons (39 in-season through four weeks last year, 41 this year), they remain alarming.Going back to the summer, a total of 262 players have gone on injured reserve, with only 21 of them designated to return this season.Many of those players who went on IR before the season might not have made teams anyway.Judging only by IR numbers, according to STATS, linebacker far and away is the most vulnerable spot to injuries with 54 already in 2014.That includes such critical members of their defences as Lee in Dallas, Alonso in Buffalo, Sean Weatherspoon in Atlanta, Derrick Johnson in Kansas City, Jarvis Jones in Pittsburgh, Nick Roach in Oakland, Danny Trevathan in Denver, and Zach Brown in Tennessee. Not all of them are on IR, but their lengthy absences are damaging.Detroit saw LB Stephen Tulloch suffer the weirdest of all injuries, tearing his ACL while doing a mocking celebration after a sack of Aaron Rodgers.More troubling is when the likes of Hall and Johnson are sidelined with Achilles tendon tears even though they are not involved in contact when they get hurt.There are like 14 of these in the National Football League right now, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of Achilles injuries. Three teams are in double digits with them (players on IR). So its out there and people are examining it to try to figure it out.Running back and wide receiver have the next highest numbers on IR, 34 and 33.Injuries are unavoidable in such a violent sport, and football on all levels has been criticized for how head trauma and concussions were handled for years. The NFL has instituted some rules, particularly those protecting defenceless players, that it hopes will cut down on injuries.Still, with the players bigger, faster and in better shape than ever, and with equipment that, at times, can become weapons, football never will be injury free. Or anything close.So teams try to adapt. But when they get racked at the same positions or units, it often is a critical blow to their chances for success.Under the salary cap, and with the large gap between starters and backups a€” particularly outstanding starters and inexperienced backups a€” injuries often are decisive.Carolina won the NFC South last season and got off to a 2-0 start in 2014. But with their backfield a wreck, the Panthers were drubbed the past two weeks as Pittsburgh and Baltimore could concentrate on stymieing QB Cam Newton.The injuries that have plagued our running backs is almost hard to believe, says tight end Greg Olsen, referring to losing for the short term DeAngelo Williams (ankle), Jonathan Stewart (knee), and Fozzy Whittaker (hamstring), and for more than half the schedule, Mike Tolbert (hairline leg fracture, on IR/designated to return).You talk about having four active running backs on Day 1 of the season and every single one of them gets injured. I mean, what are you going to do? Its a crazy thing. You can go years without having a running back get hurt and we have our top four guys out.But thats the NFL. There are a lot of teams banged up and we have to find a way to get through.Yes, thats the mentality. The season is a battle of attrition, and it might not always be the most talented teams that prosper, but the healthiest.With health being relative, measured perhaps by having the fewest major injuries.I think you want to be at full strength, Broncos coach John Fox says. Unfortunately in this league not everybody is, and so I mention it every year: You need some good breaks and injuries are part of those good breaks a€” being healthy. Like I mentioned a year ago, we had seven guys on IR that were starters and we made it to the Super Bowl.So you just knock on wood and try to remain healthy.___AP Pro Football Writers Dave Campbell and Arnie Stapleton and Sports Writers Steve Reed and Dave Skretta contributed to this story.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Yeezy 350 V2 Australia . Notes on Bergeron, Marchand, Gorges, Vanek, Gaborik, Doughty, Hiller and more. BRUINS STORM BACK TO TAKE GAME TWO The Boston Bruins rallied from a 3-1 deficit, scoring four unanswered goals, to win Game Two, 5-3 over the Montreal Canadiens. Cheap New Balance Australia . - David Tomasek had two goals in regulation time and was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Belleville Bulls upset the Oshawa Generals 6-5 on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.discountaustraliashoes.com/., climbed from seventh to fifth spot in womens competition Sunday at the ISU world junior figure skating championships. Balenciaga Outlet Australia . McCutchen was cut before the series opener against Seattle on Monday night, when Lewis was set for his first start for Texas since July 18, 2012. Texas selected Lewis contract from Triple-A Round Rock. Discount Shoes Australia . The hard-serving 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., became the first Canadian to be ranked in the Top 10 on the ATP World Tour thanks to his runner-up performance at Rogers Cup in Montreal.Buffalo, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Zemgus Girgensons scored the winner in the shootout to lead the Buffalo Sabres in a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. In the third round, Girgensons deked back to the forehand and lifted the puck into the left corner of the net. Michal Neuvirth preserved the win by not biting on Henrik Zetterbergs fake and making the stop. Brian Flynn and Chris Stewart scored in regulation for the Sabres, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Neuvirth stopped 36 shots in the win. Pavel Datsyuk had a goal and an assist and Tomas Tatar also lit the lamp for the Red Wings, who had a two-game winning streak stopped. Jimmy Howard finished the contest with 19 stops. Final Score: Carolina 3, Los Angeles 2 Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Elias Lindholm scored the deciding goal and the Carolina Hurricanes continued their recent winning ways with a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. Chris Terry and Lindholm each finished with a goal and an assist and Victor Rask tallied his first career goal for the Hurricanes, who were coming off their first win of the season against Arizona on Saturday. Cam Ward, who posted a 25-save shutout against the Coyotes, surrendered just two goals on 32 shots in the win. Mike Richards and Alec Martinez both lit the lamp and Jonathan Quick stopped 29 shots in Los Angeles fourth straight loss. Final Score: Calgary 6, Montreal 2 Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) - Rookie Josh Jooris scored twice and six Calgary Flames players had at least two points in a 6-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. Markus Granlund, Curtis Glencross, Lance Bouma and Mark Giordano also scored for the Flames, who returned the favor after losing 2-1 in a shootout to the Canadiens last Tuesday in Calgary. It was Montreals first loss in five home games this season. TJ Brodie had three assists for Calgary and Jiri Hudler and Johnny Gaudreau added a pair of helpers each to back 18 saves by Jonas Hiller. Max Pacioretty and Rene Bourque scored for the Canadiens, who have lost three of their last four (1-2-1). Carey Price gave up five goals on 35 shots. Final Score: Arizona 6, Washington 5 Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - Tobias Rieder scored the game-winning goal in his NHL debut and the Arizona Coyotes held off a fierce Washington surge to snap a string of three straight losses with a 6-5 victory on Sunday. Shane Doan finished with two goals and an assist, Antoine Vermette supplied a goal and a helper and Samm Gagner and Mike Stone also scored for Arizona, which won its first road game of the season after starting out 0-4-1.dddddddddddd Devan Dubnyk turned aside 32 shots in the win. Alex Ovechkin tallied a goal and three assists, Tom Wilson had a goal and an assist and Nicklas Backstrom contributed with three helpers for the Capitals, who have been outscored 8-2 in the third period during this current four-game losing streak. Troy Brouwer, Joel Ward and John Carlson also scored, while Justin Peters allowed all six goals in defeat. Final Score: Anaheim 3, Colorado 2 Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Corey Perry netted his NHL-leading 11th goal of the season and the Anaheim Ducks held off the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Sunday night. Colorado led 2-1 heading into the second period, when Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm notched goals. Jason LaBarbera stopped five of his 16 shots in the third to preserve the win for Anaheim, which has won three of its last four games. LaBarbera, recalled from AHL Norfolk earlier in the day, started in net for the Ducks after a sudden lower-body injury to John Gibson during warmups left them in a pickle. Because their other goaltender, Frederik Andersen, is day-to-day with a leg injury, the Ducks turned to goaltending consultant Dwayne Roloson as their backup in an emergency substitution allowed under NHL rules. Roloson, 45, played 14 NHL seasons for six different teams, last taking the ice for Tampa Bay during the 2011-12 season. Nathan MacKinnon and Dennis Everberg tallied for the Avalanche, who have dropped four of their last five games. Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves in defeat. Final Score: Winnipeg 1, Chicago 0 Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Winnipeg Jets had some weekend to wrap up a four-game road trip. In two wins, they scored just one goal. It came 20 seconds into Sundays 1-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks off the stick of Michael Frolik. Following Saturdays 1-0 shootout win over the Rangers in New York, the Jets scored on their first shift against the Blackhawks and Michael Hutchinson made 33 saves to earn his first career shutout in his sixth NHL game. The Jets went 3-0-1 on the trip, the only loss coming against New Jersey in a shootout on Thursday. They extended their points streak to five games (4-0-1), with the other two wins being decided by one goal. Corey Crawford was a hard-luck loser, making 26 saves for the Blackhawks, who fell to 2-5-0 in their last seven games after opening the season on a five- game point streak. ' ' '