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If NHL coaches want to provide goalies quality downtime during a constricted schedule, Martin Biron believes he has an ideal backup plan.Rather than split starts as teams often do when playing on consecutive days, the former netminder suggests it might be more beneficial to have the starter play both and then sit out the next game.If your goalie is going to play Friday, have Saturday off and play the Tuesday game, theres never a time to check out in that time off, said Biron, who spent 16 NHL seasons as a starter and backup. Im of the school that thinks its almost better to play your starter on Friday-Saturday and then not play him until next Friday, and then he has six days of preparation and rest.Its not as if goalies arent accustomed to playing twice in two days.Most of the guys that are young played three (games) in three (days) in the American League. They can handle that, Biron said. I cant speak for (skaters), but as a goalie, once you get your mindset into a game, if you have to extend it for another 24 hours thats fine.The goalie balancing act is never simple.And how much increased playing time backups get will be a pressing issue for a league squeezing in an 82-game schedule in a shortened calendar. The season began a week later than usual because of the World Cup of Hockey and the schedule, for the first time, features each team enjoying a five-day bye week.Capitals goalie Braden Holtby tends to agree with Biron, saying theres too much concern placed on goalies playing on consecutive nights when, in actuality, the entire team is tired.Historically, teams arent as good on back to backs in general, and goalies go hand in hand, Holtby said. Goalie stats are a lot to do with how your team performs. Thats just the way it is. Its a little bit harder, but its a little harder for everyone.And, Holtby added, its also hard on a backup goalie being thrust into action with negligible on-ice time because teams dont normally practice the morning before playing their second game.Holtbys production bears him out.Over the previous two seasons, Holtby is 12-5-2 when playing both nights, including a 6-2-1 mark on Day 2. Hes given up a combined 23 goals on each night.Kings goalie Jonathan Quicks record is even more impressive. In the 14 times hes played back to backs over the past two years, Quick has allowed 20 goals the first game and just 12 the next with a 5-1-1 record.The only straggler of the 10 goalies records analyzed by The Associated Press is Tuukka Rask. The Boston starter is 7-1-3 (plus one no decision) and allowed 18 goals in the first game. He is 2-8-2 with 29 goals allowed the following night.Whats never been up for debate is how critical the backups role is during a busy stretch or when the starter is sidelined.Last year, the Montreal Canadiens unraveled once Carey Price went down with a season-ending knee injury in late November. After opening 19-4-3, Montreal finished 38-38-6. The Canadiens addressed their backup spot this offseason by signing veteran Al Montoya in free agency.The move has already paid off. The eighth-year player is 2-0-2 after Price opened the season sidelined by the flu.On the other hand, minor leaguer Matt Murray led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup championship after being called up in March once starter Marc-Andre Fleury was sidelined by a concussion.This year, the Los Angeles Kings are banged-up in net with Quick and backup Jeff Zatkoff both sidelined by groin injuries. Theyre now leaning on 11-year journeyman Peter Budaj, who won his first two starts.Biron said its not uncommon for minor league call-ups to find their groove because theyre already accustomed to a starters workload as opposed to the primary backup whos had less game action.BY THE NUMBERSLast season, 85 goalies appeared in at least one game. There have already been 60 goalies who have made an appearance through the first 92 games this year.Since 2006, only two goalies have led their team to win a Stanley Cup when playing 60 or more regular-season games.Quick played 69 times when the Kings won title in 2012, and Fleury played 62 for the 2009 Cup-champion Penguins. On the low-end of the scale, Murray played only 13 regular-season games for Pittsburgh last year. Cam Ward played just 28 during his rookie year in leading the Carolina Hurricanes to the championship in `06.Of the 10 netminders who played 60 or more games last year, two missed the playoffs: Rask and Ottawas Craig Anderson. And only two reached the conference finals: Tampa Bays Ben Bishop and Martin Jones, whose Sharks lost the Cup Final to Pittsburgh.SLUMPINGThe Chicago Blackhawks penalty killers. In allowing two goals on five power-play chances in a 3-2 shootout loss to Calgary on Monday, Chicago has allowed 14 power-play goals on 24 opportunities.STREAKINGA year after opening 9-0, the Canadiens are 5-0-1 and the NHLs only team yet to lose in regulation.LEADERSGoals, Auston Matthews (Toronto) and Richard Panik (Chicago), 6; Points, Matthews, 10; Time on ice, Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg), 29:30; Wins, Cam Talbot (Edmonton), 5.GAME OF THE WEEKA showdown of the past two No. 1 draft picks takes place at Toronto on Tuesday, when Edmontons Connor McDavid faces Maple Leafs rookie Auston Matthews.---AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in Arlington, Virginia, contributed to this report. Custom Dodgers Jersey China . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. Authentic Custom Dodgers Jersey . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. http://www.customdodgersjersey.com/ . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. Babe Herman Jersey Large . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Dodgers Jerseys China . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. CLEVELAND -- Everything is going the Indians way. Theres no dispute or debate about that. One day after the home run that wasnt, Jason Kipnis, Nick Swisher and Mark Reynolds connected for homers and Scott Kazmir struck out 10 in six innings, leading Cleveland to a 9-2 win over Oakland on Thursday and a four-game sweep of the Athletics. The Indians ended the series with a convincing blowout, only hours after they won 4-3 with the help of a blown call in the ninth inning when umpires, after watching a video replay, ruled that an apparent tying home run by Oaklands Adam Rosales was a double. Major League Baseball acknowledged the umpires made an "improper call," but executive vice-president Joe Torre said the "judgment" decision is final. There was no argument on Thursday as the Indians put a resounding thumping on the As and won for the 10th time in 11 games. "Our starting pitching is giving us a chance to win," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "We have a very good bullpen. Were playing well defensively. A lot of guys are contributing offensively. Thats a good way to play baseball." Kipnis hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Bartolo Colon (3-2) for the Indians, who improved to 13-4 since April 20. They got more good news after the game when centre fielder Michael Bourn was activated from the 15-day disabled list after missing nearly one month with a cut finger. Bourn will be ready for a three-game series against first-place Detroit starting Friday. Kazmir (2-1), who at this time last year wasnt even pitching professionally, allowed one run and five hits. The left-hander has won consecutive starts for the first time since 2010. "Im not thinking about last year or what happened before that," Kazmir said. "Im looking ahead. Im throwing the ball well right now. Im feeling better every time out." Josh Donaldson homered for the As, who fell to .500 for the first time since April 4 when they were 2-2. Oakland is just 6-14 after starting 12-4. "Theyre playing great and cant do anything wrong and were struggling," As manager Bob Melvin said. "Thats what happens. What happened last night shouldnt affect today. They just beat us." The Indians were already leading by six runs when MLB released a statement indicating umpire Angel Hernandez and his crew had erred Wednesday night. After watching a video replay, they failed to reverse a call and gave Rosales a double instead of a homer. TV replays showed Rosales shot off Chris Perez had easily cleared the 19-foot-high wall. "Given what we saw, we recognize that an improper call was made," Torre said. "Perfection is an impossible standard in any endeavour, but our goal is always to get the calls right. Earlier this morning, we began the prrocess of speaking with the crew to thoroughly review all the circumstances surrounding last nights decision.ddddddddddddquot; MLB director of umpires Randy Marsh was sent to Progressive Field for the series finale to inspect the video replay equipment. Marsh did not find any problems and reported his findings to Torre. Francona was pleased with Torres ruling, and understand it can be an imperfect game. "I respect Joe and his statement and Im glad it stands," Francona said. "All you can ask is guys to do the best they can. They went and checked. Obviously, it wasnt conclusive on what they saw, and so you move on. Those things have a way of evening out." Francona disagreed with any assertion the decision should be overturned. "You cant do that," Francona said. "Its not because we won. The rule is in place and you cant change the rules. You do the best you can." The Indians, who came in leading the AL in homers, took a 2-0 lead in the first on Kipnis fourth homer, a two-run shot. Michael Brantley singled to open the first off Colon and Kipnis followed by belting a 2-1 pitch over the left-field wall, not far from where Rosales contested hit landed. "I was happy that it stayed up there and someone caught it just to make sure there was no confusion about it," Kipnis said. He added a sacrifice fly in the second, when the Indians tacked on three runs to open a 5-0 lead. Swisher led off the third by pulling Colons first pitch over the wall in right for his fifth homer and second in two days. Swisher, who played college ball at Ohio State, was typically animated after rounding the bases. He bashed forearms with Jason Giambi and raised arms to give the "O-H" gesture to Cleveland fans. The Indians added three runs in the fifth, two coming on Reynolds AL-leading 11th homer. Colon gave up six runs and eight hits in five innings. The right-hander, who pitched for the Indians from 1997 to 2002, hadnt faced Cleveland since 2005. "I felt good," Colon said. "The only problem is the Cleveland team is hot right now." NOTES: The Indians entered the series having lost eight straight to Oakland. It was the Indians first-four game sweep of the As since 1999. ... To make room for Bourn, the Indians optioned LHP Scott Barnes to Triple-A Columbus. Barnes snagged a hard comebacker for the final out to finish the sweep. ... Kazmir had not posted double-digit strikeouts since Aug. 26, 2009 for Tampa. ... All five of Swishers homers have been at home. ... After playing three against the Tigers, the Indians will return home for a doubleheader Monday against the New York Yankees. The teams were rained out twice last month. ... RHP Vinnie Pestano (sore elbow) is scheduled to resume a throwing program this weekend. ' ' '