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(SportsNetwork.com) - A pair of teams that have gone in opposite directions in December will meet Wednesday, as the Columbus Blue Jackets host the Minnesota Wild in a New Years Eve battle at Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets entered this month with a 6-15-2 record on the season, but Todd Richards club has greatly improved its fortunes by posting a 9-1-1 mark so far in December. Despite the surge, Columbus still finds itself nine points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Minnesota, meanwhile, sits five points removed from the Wests final wild card spot after recording a 4-4-3 mark since the start of December. The low point of the rough month came during a 0-2-3 losing streak, a skid the Wild was able to snap with Mondays road victory in Winnipeg. After dropping the home part of a home-and-home series with the Jets in Saturdays 4-3 overtime loss, the Wild answered with a close win two days later in Winnipeg. Ryan Carter, Justin Fontaine and Marco Scandella all scored in the second period to help Minnesota notch the 3-2 decision at MTS Centre. Darcy Kuemper. who missed the opener of the home-and-home due to an illness, was back between the pipes Monday and helped stopped the skid with a 28-save performance. The Wild picked up the victory despite allowing Winnipeg to score twice on three chances with the man advantage. Minnesota went 0-for-4 on the power play. Our guys did a great job staying with it. Im real happy with the way we played the game, the contributions from everybody, Wild head coach Mike Yeo said. The win pushed Minnesotas road record this season to 8-9-0. Yeos club is capping a brief two-game trip tonight before opening the 2015 calendar year by playing four of five games on home ice. The Blue Jackets are 2-1-1 at the start of a five-game homestand after beginning December on a seven-game winning streak. The club had an 8-0-1 point streak snapped with a 5-1 loss to Nashville on Dec. 22, but rebounded from that setback with a resounding win its first tilt following the Christmas break. Columbus emerged from the holiday hiatus on Saturday and recorded a 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins. Scott Hartnell led the offense by scoring twice in his return from injury, while Kevin Connauton added a goal and two assists. Hartnell came back after a five-game absence due to a broken finger and picked up his third multi-goal effort of the season and first since Nov. 8 against Tampa Bay. He scored his teams first two goals on Saturday. Nick Foligno, Matt Calvert and Jeremy Morin also lit the lamp for the Blue Jackets. Jack Johnson and Brandon Dubinsky each chipped in a pair of helpers to back a 26-save effort from Curtis McElhinney. He made some big saves ... especially at the start of the third period, Calvert said of McElhinney. McElhinney started Saturday in place of No. 1 netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, who was unable to suit up for the game due to an illness. However, Bobrovsky is expected to start tonight and owns a 3-1-0 record and 1.68 goals against average in four career games against the Wild. Saturdays win pushed the Blue Jackets home record to 8-9-2. Columbus will head out on the road after tonight, as it will begin a four-game swing Saturday in Arizona. Columbus has won three straight and five of the last seven meetings against the Wild. The clubs have split the last four encounters at Nationwide Arena. Cheap Nike Shoes Wholesale .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Nike Air Zoom Outlet . Arsene Wenger reportedly wants to convert the player into an attacking force, much like he did with Robin Van Persie. http://www.nikeshoesoutletwholesale.com ... -sale.html. Mesoraco hurt his hamstring while scoring from second in Friday nights 5-4 loss at Atlanta. Chapman was hit by a line drive during an exhibition game on March 19, breaking his nose and a bone above his left eye. The left-hander looked strong while throwing 43 pitches in batting practice before Saturday nights game against the Braves. Air Max 97 Outlet .Y. -- Kristen Gillman rallied to win the U. Nike Shoes Outlet Wholesale . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period.BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Belgium coach Marc Wilmots picked Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj for his World Cup squad on Tuesday, three weeks after the teenager had chosen to play for the countrys national team. The 19-year-old Januzaj was born in Brussels with Balkan heritage and has played for United since 2011. He was able to pick several nations for international duty, including Albania and Kosovo. "He is a top talent and has such exceptional qualities. He can play several positions," Wilmots said. The coach also included another 19-year-old, forward Divock Origi of French team Lille, for the biggest surprise on his squad.dddddddddddd Wilmots included Origi after Aston Villa forward Christian Benteke ruptured his Achilles tendon last month. "He has great potential," Wilmots said. "He has Bentekes profile. It is easy to target him." Wilmots announced a 24-man team, but said the number of goalkeepers would be reduced from four to three based on the availability of Koen Casteels. Januzaj joins other talented youngsters in the squad, including goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and playmaker Eden Hazard. At the World Cup, Belgium will face Russia, South Korea and Algeria in Group H. ' ' 'nd-forth duel this week on sunbathed slopes at Lenzerheide. Svindals fifth-place finish moved him only 41 points ahead and extended a series of results since the Sochi Olympics opened which left him just off the podium. The Olympic downhills proved a reliable guide Wednesday with mens champion Matthias Mayer of Austria repeating his gold-medal success in another tight race. Olympic silver medallist Christof Innerhofer tied for second with Ted Ligety of the United States, the Olympic giant slalom champion. They finished 0.11 seconds behind Mayers winning run of 1 minute, 29.99 seconds. Lara Gut of Switzerland, the downhill bronze medallist , delighted her home crowd with victory in 1:32.31. Runner-up Elisabeth Goergl of Austria was 0.05 back, and third-placed Swiss Fraenzi Aufdenblatten was 0.57 behind in her final World Cup race before retiring. Pre-race favourite Fenninger, trailing 1.07 behind Gut, failed to repeat her speedy training runs but 40 race points could yet be enough to clinch the sports most prestigious honour. "I hope Maria can race again," Fenninger said before the extent of her rivals injuries were known. "My focus is on the next two races. What she is doing, I cant change." Hoefl-Rieschs bitter-sweet day started atop the standings and got better minutes before entering the start house. Fenningers failure to lead assured the 29-year-old German of her first season-long downhill title after six years of domination by Lindsey Vonn, the injured and absent American. Hoefl-Riesch crashed midway down the bumpy course when her skis slipped beneath her at a sharp right-hand turn, sending her sliding off course. The downhill trophy ceremony was staged immediately after the race with an empty top step on the podium and the German anthem playing as the helicopter landed nearby. Hoefl-Riesch was driven to a nearby hospital for checks. Fenninger now leads Gut, a six-race winner, by 235 points and defending champion Tina Maze of Slovenia by 287. A maximum of 300 points are available in the final three races. Fenninger can secure the title outright by finishing first or second on Thursday in the super-G, in which she is Olympic champion. She also won Olympic silver in giant slalom, which is the World Cup season-ending race on Sunday. Svindal and Hirscher will both start in the mens super-G also scheduled Thursday. "If I had to put money on someone I have no idea who it would be," said Svindal, a two-time overall champion, of his contest with the two-time defending champion. "I used to be 1-2-3 every race, and now Im 4-5-6. But Marcel is too." Ligety is the super-G world champion and will be a contender on a steep slope that produces sharp-turning corners which suit his technical skills. "This is a hill I know I have a good chance on," said Ligety, whose career-best result in downhill improved on his fourth here in 2007. Bode Miller had seemed poised for victory Wednesday until going wide near the end of his run. He placed eighth, 0.62 behind Mayer, who got his first World Cup win. In a rare choice by World Cup race organizers, the men and women raced through the same gate-setting down the 2.3-kilometre (1.43-mile) Silvano Beltrametti course. Mayers time was 2.32 seconds ahead of Gut, who raced two hours later on a warm day. Gut had the 18th best time and was faster than two men who completed the course: Johan Clarey of France and Canadas Erik Guay. However, the woman who did not finish safely, Maria Hoefl-Riesch, left the most significant mark on the day. Jon Stinchcomb Jersey . GQ Lundqvist quite well.Three rounds, and nearly two months later, will the Kings have the strength to reach the summit of the Empire State to claim the cup?Truer words have never been spoken. Jared Cook Jersey .5 million. 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Bjoerndalen, who had failed to win any major race for two years before Sochi, writes in a Facebook entry that he is "full of energy and inspiration" after winning the 10-kilometre sprint and mixed relay at last months Olympics.NAPLES, Italy -- Andy Murray completed a straight sets victory over Andreas Seppi as Britain levelled the Davis Cup quarterfinal against Italy 1-1 on Saturday. Murray won 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in more than three hours for a sixth straight victory over Seppi as he kept alive Britains bid to reach the Davis Cup semifinals for the first time since 1981. The match had been suspended Friday night due to fading light, with the British No. 1 leading 6-4, 5-5. When play resumed, Murray immediately broke and then held his serve to take a commanding lead. Seppi appeared to be getting back into the game with an early break in the third set. But the Italian immediately relinquiished his advantage with a double fault to allow Murray to break back.dddddddddddd The two-time Grand Slam champion won five games in a row to seal the match. Seppi will rue his missed opportunities in the second set where, after wasting two chances to take a 5-2 lead, he also had four set points saved before a double fault handed Murray the decisive break. Murray will return to the court later Saturday for the doubles match with Colin Fleming against Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli. Italy has not lost at home to Britain since 1926 and will be hoping the vociferous home support can help it reach the final four for the first time in 16 years. ' ' '