Gildenregeln » VP Bret Saberhagen threw out the first pitch

TORONTO -- Joffrey Lupul knows he shouldnt have pushed it. Stitched Golden Knights Jerseys . When the Toronto Maple Leafs winger with a history of lower-back issues felt the area tighten up before training camp started, he acknowledged rest would have been the best approach. When he tried to skate through it, the spasms cost him a week of time on the ice with teammates. But after Lupul got through his first practice Wednesday, he was confident that mistake wont set him back too much as he tried to prepare for the start of the regular season. "Obviously not the way I wanted to start the camp, but just happy everythings feeling better now," Lupul said. "Were taking it slow. Its obviously not the same way youd probably treat an injury in the regular season. Its good that way. I guess times on my side." Barring a flare-up of back problems, Lupul is expected to get some pre-season games in before the Leafs visit the Montreal Canadiens for opening night Oct. 1. Starting with Thursdays game at the Ottawa Senators, they have six left, so there are plenty of opportunities. But Lupuls focus is on getting ready for games that matter. In that regard, Wednesdays practice -- which lasted almost two full hours -- shed some light on what Torontos forward lines could look like. He skated on left wing with centre Tyler Bozak and right-winger Phil Kessel, a line that spent limited time together last season because the 29-year-old Lupul played just 16 games due to a broken arm and concussion. James van Riemsdyk and David Clarkson skated together, though Nazem Kadri seems more likely to centre that line than Joe Colborne once things get underway. David Bolland between Mason Raymond and Nikolai Kulemin is also a possibility for the third line. "Im not exactly sure whos going to be playing with who," Lupul said. "Im sure well be mixed and matched a little throughout the year, but I think its a good mixture of speed and size. Weve added some grit, and hopefully for some guys, some experience." Some size was lacking from Leafs practice, given that enforcers Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren didnt skate with teammates. Orr, who has missed the start of camp with a leg bone bruise, skated before practice and could join team workouts over the weekend, according to coach Randy Carlyle. McLaren is out at least two weeks with a fractured right pinky finger. Lupul is fortunate that he doesnt have to sit out that length of time with back problems, and Carlyle expects him to be available for pre-season duty soon. After playing the Senators, the Leafs have a home-and-home series with the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and Sunday, which gives the team and Lupul some options. "Hopefully the back spasm issues are behind him," Carlyle said. "Hes moving much better, felt much better and we think hes an option for us in the next couple exhibition games." Joking that he wanted to mimic former NBA star Allen Iversons famous rant about practices not being games, Lupul isnt stressed about coming out strong whenever he makes his pre-season debut. "Everyones focus is on Oct. 1, mine included," he said. "This isnt the time to really push through an injury, and were not treating it like we would if it was the regular season or playoffs or anything right now. Its just making sure that everythings 100 per cent. Were being a lot more cautious than typically you would." Once games count, dont expect Lupul to be noticeably more cautious because of the various injuries that have at times derailed his career. "Obviously you want to try and stay healthy, but youve also got to stick with what got you there and what makes you successful," Lupul said. "I think it would be a mistake to stay you cant go to the front of the net or cant get in the way of pucks or anything like that. Im hoping to just have a little better luck, and well see." Carlyle acknowledged theres "probably some merit" to the idea that Lupul goes into high-risk areas, but hes not demanding change. "I wouldnt say it has to be toned down," Carlyle said. "I think that he has to pick and choose, maybe, a little bit more, I guess, cautiously in some situations. I think what happened with him was more the fact that he was frustrated with his injuries and then trying to come back and make an impact right away." This time, Lupul can ease back in. He went full tilt in the first half of Wednesdays practice but was held out of the second half as planned. "At this stage in the season youre taking it slow and make sure youre feeling good for Oct. 1," Lupul said. "Theres still plenty of time till opening day." Notes: Troy Bodie missed practice with an oblique strain, according to Carlyle. ... The Leafs cut down to 34 players in camp by assigning forward Tyler Biggs and defenceman Jesse Blacker to the AHLs Marlies. Vegas Golden Knights Shirts . -- Stanley Johnson scored all 18 of his points in the second half, T. Wholesale Golden Knights Jerseys . Her return engagement begins tonight as TSN presents Day 1 coverage of the 2015 event from Melbourne. Watch Eugenie Bouchards opening round match at the Australian Open live tonight on TSN5 at 3am et/Midnight pt. https://www.cheapgoldenknights.com/ .com) - Many people at Eastern Washington are waiting to see if star quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.Kansas City, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Madison Bumgarner watched as Pablo Sandoval worked his way under the ball. Moments later, the San Francisco Giants ace was swarmed by teammates near the mound after punctuating one of the great postseason performances in any sport. Some of them stopped first to congratulate Sandoval, who was on his back after catching the last out. And on the edge of the celebration, Buster Posey dropped to his knees, a smile on the catchers face that showed both happiness and relief. This is some dynasty, and it almost unraveled on an error. Bumgarner pitched five scoreless innings out of the bullpen and the Giants held on to beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 in Game 7 on Wednesday night, capturing their third World Series title in five years. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, after Bumgarner had retired 14 batters in a row, Alex Gordon sliced a hit into left-center field that bounced past Gregor Blanco and went to the wall, suddenly giving the Royals a sliver of hope. Left fielder Juan Perez bobbled the ball on the warning track and Gordon made it all the way to third on a two-base error. Im not sure what happened. I didnt see it, Bumgarner said. But I was starting to get a little nervous. He was digging around a little bit and its a big outfield. It was a little nerve-wracking. But Bumgarner threw six fastballs to Salvador Perez, who popped up into foul territory near third base, where Sandoval squeezed it before falling onto his back with his arms in the air. Relief, said Bruce Bochy, who has managed each of these three championship teams. Because anything can happen -- a bloop, a wild pitch. Theres a man on third base there and (Bumgarner) just made some great pitches. Bumgarner pitched on two days rest after throwing a four-hit shutout in Game 5 on Sunday for his second win of the series. He was named World Series MVP, to no ones surprise, after throwing 21 innings and giving just up one run, nine hits and one walk. Sandoval, due to be a free agent, reached base four times in Game 7 and scored twice, including the go-ahead run on Michael Morses single back in the fourth inning. Sandoval had three hits, giving him an MLB-record 26 this postseason. The Royals, trying to win a title for the first time in 29 years, came up a win short. They forced Game 7 with Tuesdays 10-0 blowout, extending their magical season for another day, but scored their only runs Wednesday in the second inning. You work all year to climb to the top of the mountain and then Boom! You fall back down and have to restart next season, Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. The wild-card Giants, an 88-win team that finished six games behind the rival Dodgers in the NL West, rode a Bumgarner shutout to an 8-0 win in Pittsburgh on Oct. 1 and finished their title run two days shy of Halloween. Bumgarners wins in Games 1 and 5, and his five-inning save in the clincher, cemented his role at the age of 25 as a postseason star on a Giants team that has carved an odd dynasty into recent baseball history. The Giants have made the postseason only three times in the last 11 years -- winning the World Series each time. Wednesdays celebration followed titles in 2010 over Texas and 2012 over Detroit. They snapped a nine-game losing streak by road teams in World Series Game 7s, becoming the first team to win that way since the 1979 We Are Family Pirates, who clinched in Baltimore. Still cant believe it, first baseman Brandon Belt tweeted hours later. Belt and Hunter Pence had two hits apiece, including back-to-back singles in the second inning after Kansas City starter Jeremy Guthrie grazed Sandoval with a pitch leading off. Morse and Brandon Crawford followed with sacrifice flies for the Giants first two runs. Hours later, the Giants celebrated in customary fashion by spraying chammpagne in the locker room. Golden Knights Jerseys 2020. So used to their backs being against the wall during their three title runs, the Giants got their eighth straight win in an elimination game -- including six on the road. After beating Pittsburgh in the NL wild-card game, they never sniffed another elimination test until the World Series. They closed out Washington in four games in the NL division series and needed just five games to beat St. Louis. They won the pennant on Travis Ishikawas dramatic ninth-inning homer on Oct. 16 at AT&T Park in a game that saw them snap a streak of 242 consecutive plate appearances without a homer. Big moments came from all over the lineup, of course, but the Giants produced little in the way of big blows over the past week, winning Games 4 and 5 with 28 hits, including 24 singles. They scored 15 straight runs before Kansas Citys seven-run rally in the second inning of Game 6 on Tuesday, when the Giants were shut out over seven innings by rookie Yordano Ventura. They had eight more hits in Game 7 -- all but one of them a single. It was the eighth World Series title in franchise history. That was a phenomenal series, said Yost. They played great baseball. And Madison Bumgarner, man. What can you say about him? The Royals, perennial down-and-outers in the AL Central, snatched a wild-card spot to reach the playoffs for the first time since winning the World Series in 1985. Building a brand as an underdog favorite, they won their first eight playoff games against the Athletics, Angels and Orioles before running into Bumgarner in Game 1 last week. Their 10-0 win in Game 6 -- a party from nearly start to finish for the 40,000 fans in attendance -- was the most lopsided World Series shutout since Kansas Citys 11-0 win over St. Louis in Game 7 in 1985. It hurts to come as close as we came, said Yost. As magical as our run has been, to end up losing the ballgame by 90 feet is tough. That magic which produced extra-inning wins in the Royals first three playoff games -- and four of their first five -- wasnt reproduced against the Giants. Their three wins in the series came by 16 runs. That includes Fridays 3-2 victory in Game 3, when the Royals took a 2-1 lead in the series on the backs of bullpen stars Kelvin Herrera, Brandon Finnegan, Wade Davis and Greg Holland, who combined to throw four no-hit innings in the game. All three pitched on Wednesday after Guthrie (1-1) went 3 1/3 innings. The Royals got to 39-year-old Tim Hudson, scoring two runs in the second inning on Gordons double and Omar Infantes sacrifice fly. Hudson, the oldest pitcher ever to start Game 7, got just five outs and Jeremy Affeldt (1-0) threw 2 1/3 innings to pick up the win, running his streak to 22 consecutive appearances in the postseason without allowing a run, one shy of the record held by Yankees great Mariano Rivera. Bumgarner finished with 270 innings pitched in the regular and postseason and ran his career World Series record to 4-0 with a 0.25 ERA. Bochy said he avoided Bumgarner in the dugout, the way players do when a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter. I was staying away from him every inning because I was hoping he wouldnt say, Im starting to get a little tired, Bochy said. Because theres no way I would have taken him out unless he told me that. We just got on his horse and rode it. Game Notes Sandoval broke the old postseason hits record of 25 shared by Marquis Grissom (1995), Darin Erstad (2002) and David Freese (2011) ... Hudson, who is MLBs active wins leader with 214, also pitched Game 3 on Friday. He is without a postseason win since Game 2 of the 2001 ALDS, when he pitched Oakland past the Yankees ... Royals great and 1985 World Series MVP Bret Saberhagen threw out the first pitch ... Home teams are now 18-19 in World Series Game 7s. ' ' '