The teams both had chances in the middle period, and

CHICAGO - Derrick Rose had that twinkle in his eyes, that same relentless confidence he had when he won the NBA MVP award what seems like an eternity ago.The rhythm is coming back. The comfort level is growing. Rose is beginning to feel like himself again.You all are going to be surprised by the way that I am playing. Just give me a little minute, he said with a sly grin. I know where I am going to be. I know how good I am, and Im very confident with my craft and how good I am. Period.Rose showed more flashes of his All-Star form during Chicagos 105-80 victory over Brooklyn on Wednesday night. He scored seven straight points during an impressive stretch in the second quarter, converting a three-point play before driving inside for a layup and making nifty floater off a feed from Pau Gasol.Rose finished with 23 points, going 8 for 15 from the field and 4 for 5 at the line. He also went 3 for 7 from 3-point range after struggling from beyond the arc in the previous two games.I thought he was more aggressive in general the whole night, coach Tom Thibodeau said, and thats what we need from him. Hes got to continue to do that. I think the more aggressive, the better, the better it is for our team.Rose also played almost 24 minutes in his eighth consecutive start. Racked by injuries the past two seasons, this is his longest run since he made 11 straight starts for Chicago from Feb. 20 to March 12, 2012, according to STATS.I felt good. It felt like I havent played the game right now, Rose said in Chicagos locker room after the victory, and thats no disrespect to the other team. Just feel great. My body is healthy. Mind is good, spirit is good, just trying to keep it going.That has been the trick for Rose since he was limited to 39 games during the 2011-12 season and tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Game 1 of the 2012 playoffs against Philadelphia. He missed the next season altogether, and then played in only 10 games last year before a right knee injury shelved him for the rest of the season.He worked off some rust while playing for Team USA in the Basketball World Cup, but the beginning of the NBA season has been marked by starts and stops, with Rose and the Bulls opting for a cautious route that has frustrated a fan base eager to see the Chicago native on the court.Rose, 26, sprained his left ankle in the Bulls home opener against Cleveland, and then missed four of the next five games. He strained his left hamstring during a 100-93 win at Toronto on Nov. 13 and then missed four more games before starting his run of consecutive starts.While Roses health is an important development for Chicago, the point guards most replayed move of the season might have been when he wore a black I Cant Breathe T-shirt during warmups before Saturday nights 112-102 loss to Golden State.The shirt was a reference to Eric Garner, who died July 17 after a police officer placed him in a chokehold when he was being arrested for selling loose, untaxed cigarettes. A recording of Garners arrest showed him gasping I cant breathe during the fatal encounter, and thousands have protested a grand jury decision not to indict the officer. Other NBA players have followed Roses lead and worn similar shirts.Roses sporadic play at the start of the season hampered his ability to get used to the players around him. The Bulls bolstered their offence by signing Gasol and Nikola Mirotic and drafting Doug McDermott this past off-season. Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah are much different players than they were when the 2011 MVP was a fixture in Chicagos lineup.I think all this is just a learning experience, with the team, especially with myself, havent played in two years, Rose said. So just picking and choosing when Im going to go out there and do what I am going to do. Really have to pay attention to detail, how the game is going and try not to let it slip that far down.Even after all that time on the sideline, Rose remains a big key to Chicagos success. The Bulls (13-8) are 4-1 this year when he scores 20 or more points.Like I always say, he makes a lot of things easier for a lot of different people on the floor, Butler said.___Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Giants Jerseys 2019 . The game got off to a less-than-ideal start for the Jets as Oliver Ekman-Larsson found a wide open net from the slot and opened the scoring for the Coyotes a lead in the first period, but Olli Jokinen answered back just over half a minute later. Cheap Giants Jerseys .Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/ . And yet as they left TD Garden amid the slush and snow of a winter storm on Thursday evening, there was a sense among the Leafs that they had finally stood toe to toe with their long-time bully, only to fall just short. Giants Jerseys 2020 . According to Yahoo! Sports, the team has reached a five-year deal to play their home games on the roof of the Plaza Hotel and Casino. Giants Jerseys China . Brazilian striker Brandao opened the scoring with a header in the 55th minute before winger Franck Tabanou volleyed home from close range to double the lead in the 61st. NEW YORK -- If Martin St. Louis wasnt a fan favourite during his first two months with the New York Rangers, he certainly became one during a very emotional weekend. St. Louis came to New York in March in a deal in which popular team captain Ryan Callahan was shipped to Tampa Bay. When he didnt light up the scoreboard right away, the Madison Square Garden crowd was slow to warm to him. That all changed Sunday night. Three days after the sudden death of his mother, St. Louis scored 3:34 in, and the Rangers avoided elimination for the second straight game by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1. Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series is Tuesday in Pittsburgh. New York advanced in the first round with a Game 7 win over Philadelphia. St. Louis rejoined his teammates for Game 5 in Pittsburgh on Friday, after a quick trip to Montreal to be with his family. That dedication inspired his teammates during a 5-1 win and carried over to Sunday. "Its probably one of the cooler things Ive been a part of in my professional career," said Derek Stepan, who earned the first assist on St. Louis goal. "The emotion on that goal is something that I will never forget." Fans were already chanting "Mar-ty, Mar-ty" on his first shift. The cheers got louder after he scored. St. Louis, the first star of the game, patted his heart when he came out to an ovation from the crowd. "Mothers Day, my dad is here, my sister is here," St. Louis said. "Its been a tough time for my whole family. To be able to get the lead in the first period, it was a good one." But not the prettiest of goals. St. Louis got in good position in front of the net. Stepan swiped at the puck in traffic and knocked it off St. Louis right leg and into the net. "I got a pretty good bounce," St. Louis said. "I know (my mother) helped me through this. Its a great win by the guys." Carl Hagelin pushed the Rangers lead to 2-0 just 2:51 later, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 36 shots to keep Pittsburgh at bay. Derick Brassard made it 3-1 in the second period. Brandon Sutter scored the lone goal for the Penguins, who got 26 saves from Marc-Andre Fleury. The Penguins, who led the series 3-1, failed in their first attempt to advance to the Eastern Conference finals with a 5-1 home loss on Friday. Now the pressure has shifted to them, and frustration is showing. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby took a penalty at the end of the second period that gave the Rangers a power play to start the third. Several scrums also broke out -- including one after the final buzzer. "With a minute left in the game, emotions run high," Crosby said. "I dont think thats why we lost. We put ourselves in a bad position eearly.dddddddddddd We fought hard and tried to get back, but you cant continue to do that in the playoffs. You cant start like that." The team that has scored first has won every game. Under coach Dan Bylsma, the Penguins are 1-7 at home when having a chance to clinch a series. Overall, the Penguins are 2-6 in Game 7s in Pittsburgh. On the flip side, the Rangers are 9-2 in their past 11 games when facing elimination, dating to Game 6 of the first round in 2012 at Ottawa. New York has never won a series it trailed 3-1 and has never beaten the Penguins in the playoffs. Buoyed by another early lead, the Rangers pressed for more, and got it on Hagelins unassisted goal at 6:25. Hagelins initial shot attempt from the left-wing boards was blocked by defenceman Rob Scuderi. Hagelin got to the loose puck in the centre of the left circle and sent a hard backhand sailing past Fleury for his fourth of the post-season. Bylsma burned his lone timeout to try to calm his team that was being outshot 7-2. Pittsburgh reversed that trend and cut its deficit in half before the end of the first. The Penguins started to gain momentum after they killed a roughing penalty against Jussi Jokinen and then received their first power play after Chris Kreider knocked down Jokinen at the edge of the crease with 8:40 left in the period. New York had built its shots edge to 12-3, but then helped the Penguins make the score 2-1. Sutter flung the puck toward the net, and it appeared to hit Rangers defenceman John Moore and then bounce in off the foot of defenceman Kevin Klein near the left post with 3:04 left. Lundqvist was clearly agitated by the late goal by Pittsburgh, which led 15-14 in shots in the first period. The teams both had chances in the middle period, and neither could connect on a pair of power plays. Pittsburgh twice challenged Lundqvist with short-handed breakaways, and the Rangers had a goal waved off at 5:55 when Kreider was called for goalie interference after he was shoved from behind into Fleury by Kris Letang. The Rangers made it 3-1 with 4:30 remaining in the period -- 25 seconds after Mats Zuccarello finished serving a tripping penalty. Brassard lunged, knocked the puck out of the air, and scored his third goal in two games and fourth in the series. Benoit Pouliot earned an assist, giving the line of Pouliot, Brassard, and Zuccarello 12 goals and 15 assists in 10 games -- regular season and playoffs -- against Pittsburgh. NOTES: The Penguins dropped to 9-3 at the Garden in the playoffs and 15-15 overall in Game 6s. ... Lundqvist made his 79th consecutive playoff start, tying Fleury for third place on the NHL list among goalies with one team. ... The Rangers were 0 for 6 on the power play. Pittsburgh was 0 for 4. ' ' '