Wichtig bitte lesen » he game remained chippy. Garcia got hit in the face

BROSSARD, Que. -- Goalie Carey Price and defencemen Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin werent on the flight when the Montreal Canadiens left Tuesday to face the Blackhawks in Chicago. Coach Michel Therrien said he will give the three players a rest ahead of the NHL playoffs. The Canadiens play Wednesday night in Chicago and return home to face the New York Islanders on Thursday night before ending the regular season Saturday against the New York Rangers. "At this stage, a lot of players are dealing with little bumps," said Therrien. "Markov and Emelin play a lot of difficult minutes against the other teams best players. They kill penalties. They block shots and get involved physically. This will give some young players a chance to play." Therrien did not say whether backup goalie Peter Budaj will start in Chicago. Dustin Tokarski was recalled from AHL Hamilton. Price will start against the two New York teams. Therrien also would not say if other veterans will be rested this week. "Most players would rather play than sit out," he said, adding that there is a fine line between giving players rest and to risking to lose the momentum the team has had in the last three weeks. Markovs team-leading run of 137 consecutive games played will end. P.K. Subban will become the new team leader at 122 games. Subbans defence partner Josh Gorges is expected to return after missing 15 games following surgery on his left hand, and rookies Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi will both play. Despite resting key veterans, Therrien said the team was going to Chicago "to win." The Canadiens have clinched a playoff spot, but are still battling for home-ice advantage in the first round. "It gets downplayed before the playoffs, but if it goes to a Game 7, we prefer to play it at home," said forward Daniel Briere. "With two more wins, we should be OK." Injured forwards Brandon Prust and Travis Moen are also out, as is defenceman Douglas Murray who will sit out the last of a three-game suspension for a check to the head. Cheap Shoes Outlet Stores .Y. - OK, it is done. Cheap Fake Shoes Online . Bring on Freddy Garcia. The well-travelled 36-year-old right-hander earned his second NL victory since 2007, and his first since he joined the Atlanta Braves last month, pitching six innings to help beat Miami 6-1 Thursday. http://www.cheapshoes.us.org/ .C. -- Authorities say the brother of Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White has been shot and killed outside a South Carolina nightclub. Authentic Shoes Wholesale . Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas appeared to be on track to gain election from the Baseball Writers Association of America on Wednesday, and Craig Biggio could join them. Wholesale Shoes China Free Shipping .com) - Colorado may be ahead of the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference standings, but they are a club that the Avalanche may want to avoid in the playoffs. OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook wouldnt say he wanted payback against Patrick Beverley. His play said otherwise. During last years playoffs, Beverley dived for the ball and ran into Westbrooks right knee as a timeout was being called, causing the injury that ended Westbrooks season and cost him about half of this season. In their first meeting since the incident, Westbrook had 24 points, seven assists and four steals to help the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Houston Rockets 106-98 on Tuesday night. Beverley finished with two points and five fouls in 25 minutes while being booed by a spirited crowd. His matchup with Westbrook highlighted a game filled with shoving, technical fouls, talking and even a flagrant foul. "Two great teams that want to win: Its that simple," Houstons James Harden, who scored 28 points, said. "When you get that anytime in the NBA, things are going to get physical." The chippiness started early. Beverley swiped the ball away from Westbrook after a timeout with 6:10 left in the first quarter. Beverley and Westbrook had to be separated, and Beverley issued a technical foul. Beverley and Westbrook got tangled up again about a minute later, but again, Westbrook kept his cool. Durant said Westbrooks ability to turn the energy into a strong performance was impressive. "He just went out there and played to win," Durant said. "Thats how Russell always plays -- with an edge, with that intensity, and tonight was no different." Beverley said he wasnt trying to get inside of Westbrooks head. "Thats how I play against everybody," he said. "No personal battles out there today. I had to go out there and fight and do what I do to try to help our team win a basketball game today." If anything, the intensity initiated by the Rockets worked against them. "I think if we just stick to what we do and do it to the best of our abilities, no matter whats going on, well be good," Harden said. "Sometimes we kind of veer off, kind of get distracted a little bit." Durant scored 42 points and Serge Ibaka had 12 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks for the Thunder, who had lost two straight. Chandler Parsons scored 19 and Dwight Howard had nine points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets. Houston had won five straight, iincluding victories over Miami, Indiana and Portland.dddddddddddd Midway through the second quarter, Harden and backup Oklahoma City point guard Reggie Jackson had to be separated. Westbrook spent the rest of the second quarter dominating Beverley. Westbrook blew past him for a layup, then lost him on a screen and made a 3-pointer to put the Thunder up 49-32. Westbrook drew Beverleys third foul on a 3-point attempt with 2:50 left in the first half. Westbrook scored 11 points in the final 6:19 of the quarter to help the Thunder take a 56-41 lead at the break. Oklahoma City held Houston to 35 per cent shooting in the first half. Howard committed his third and fourth fouls in the first two minutes of the third quarter, and Beverley committed his fourth with 8:52 left in the third as the Thunder maintained control. Oklahoma City led by 18 at one point in the third quarter, but the Rockets chipped away late in the period and trailed 77-67 heading into the fourth. Houston rallied, and a 3-pointer by Francisco Garcia and a dunk by Omer Asik cut Oklahoma Citys lead to 77-72 early in the fourth. Durant answered with five straight points to put the Thunder back in control. The game remained chippy. Garcia got hit in the face by Durant, drawing a technical. Harden hit a 3-pointer with Derek Fisher in his face to trim Oklahoma Citys lead to 97-92 with 2:23 to go. Westbrook drew Beverleys fifth foul on a 3-point attempt, drawing a cheer from the crowd. Westbrook drained all three free throws to put the Thunder up 102-94 with 1:31 to play. Durant said the Thunder closed the game the right way after Houstons surge. "Stay calm," he said. "Stay cool. Try not to panic." NOTES: Thunder coach Scott Brooks said before the game that C Kendrick Perkins (left groin strain) and Thabo Sefolosha (left calf strain) are a ways from being ready to play. Perkins was hurt Feb. 20 against Miami. Sefolosha was injured Feb. 28 against Memphis. ... Durant scored 12 points in the first quarter. ... Oklahoma Citys post players combined to commit seven fouls in the first quarter. ... Howard was called for a technical foul in the second quarter after disagreeing with an offensive foul call. ... Oklahoma City centre Steven Adams was called for a flagrant 1 for making contact with Hardens head. ' ' '