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ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues know one of the biggest things missing in their games so far this season has been the ugly goals, the rebounds and deflections that come from putting a lot of traffic in front of the net.They finally were able to score some of those goals in a 4-1 win over Buffalo on Tuesday, and they hope they can do it again on Thursday night when they host the San Jose Sharks.It will be the first contest between the two teams since the Sharks eliminated the Blues in six games in the Western Conference final in May.Thats always the goal, left winger Jaden Schwartz said of scoring ugly goals. I think we needed to be better with the puck everywhere, especially through the neutral zone and tighten up defensively a little bit and check for our chances a little more. I thought we did a good job, I thought we created a lot of turnovers on the forecheck that allowed us to get a lot of O-zone time.Neither right winger Alexander Steen nor right winger Vladimir Tarasenko participated in the Blues practice on Wednesday. Steen had to leave Tuesday nights game after a hard check into the boards, and Tarasenko also was banged up in the contest.Coach Ken Hitchcock called it a maintenance day for both players.Hopefully well have both of them in the lineup fresh and ready to go, Hitchcock said. (Tarasenko) needed a maintenance day. Both guys needed it. We decided to switch it up and have a full practice today and it wouldnt have done them any good so, well get them ready for tomorrow. Both guys.The Sharks suffered a 1-0 loss at Carolina on Tuesday night, with coach Peter DeBoer saying the team did not generate enough scoring chances.You have to put pucks in good places and then you have to win battles, and we didnt do enough of either, DeBoer said.DeBoer tried to shake up his forward lines in the third period and it is possible they could go with different combinations against the Blues.I dont think anyone up front was generating much, center Logan Couture told the San Jose Mercury-News. When thats the case, coach usually tries to get a spark somehow and he certainly has the right to do that.The Blues have made a lot of changes since they lost played the Sharks, with captain David Backes signing with Boston as a free agent, Troy Brouwer joining Calgary and Brian Elliott shuffled to the Flames, but the players who remain will be motivated for the game.Theyre still one of the teams we have to worry about in this conference, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. They didnt lose many guys from last year and have a very solid forward group. Im sure theres going to be a little bit of a bad taste in our mouth from last year. Wholesale Custom Nuggets Shirts . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Cheap Nuggets Jerseys .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. http://www.customnuggetsjersey.com/custom-alex-english-jersey-large-73s.html . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. Custom Nuggets Jersey China . Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons. Cheap Custom Nuggets Jersey . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. MINNEAPOLIS -- Where Emmit Carpenter grew up, loyalty is fierce for Wisconsins teams. The Packers play mere blocks away at Lambeau Field, and the Badgers are backed by a statewide following for the only FBS program in the state.Support of the Packers runs deep through these families, but from the cul-de-sac where Carpenters parents reside, the view on college football is different.There are no Badger fans on Sweet Water Court, said Peter Mortell, who was raised next door in the village of Ashwaubenon near the municipal boundary with Green Bay and helped guide Carpenter to become the kicker for rival Minnesota. We still fly the Gopher flag.Mortell, the Big Ten Punter of the Year for 2014, was the teams primary punter for three seasons through last year and finished with a career average of 44 yards per attempt thats the best in program history. He was in training camp with his hometown Packers before being let go prior to the regular season.Following his friends path, Carpenter has put himself on track for even more success as a specialist for the Gophers. In his first year in the role after redshirting in 2014 and being limited to one onside kick in 2015, Carpenter has already picked up two Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week awards. He leads the conference with 16 field goals made, out of 18 tries, and has converted all 35 extra point attempts.Carpenter made all eight of his kicks last Saturday against Purdue , including field goals from 28, 52 and a career-long 53 yards. He knocked in the game-winner against Rutgers in the closing seconds and at Penn State gave the Gophers the lead with 54 seconds left in regulation and again in overtime of a game they lost. Hes made all seven of his field goal tries from 42 yards or farther.Hes so mentally ahead of the game at his age right now, Mortell said. There are a lot of good kickers out there in the country. There are a lot of kids with big legs who can make big kicks in practice and stuff like that, but it doesnt matter until the moneys on the line in the game, and games are won and lost between the ears with specialists.He added: Get used to start hearing his name, because I think hes just getting started up there.Ryan Santosos desired switch from kicker to punter for his junior season opened the door for Carpenter, who emerged from a four-way competition for the jjob.ddddddddddddI didnt think wed end up going backward on that, from what Id seen in practice, coach Tracy Claeys said.Games arent the same as practice, though, and the 45-yard field goal Carpenter made in the opener against Oregon State was important for both him and the Gophers to see proof he could translate potential to production.I was talking to my parents about the game and all that, and they said, `What did it feel like out there? Carpenter said. And the best way I could describe it to them was that after the first time I stepped on the field for a PAT, I just became addicted to the feeling of being out there. Its a feeling that I never want to go away, and I hope to get to do it as long as I can.Mortell was the one who encouraged Minnesotas coaching staff to look at an under-recruited Carpenter during his senior year at Ashwaubenon. He stood out at a one-day kicking camp hosted by the Gophers and was offered a roster spot as a preferred walk-on.Carpenter brought an all-around athletes ability to the position, with baseball and track in his sporting past, in addition to playing defensive back and wide receiver and earning a first team all-conference honor as a kick returner at Ashwaubenon High School. Carpenter first attended Notre Dame Academy as a freshman when Mortell was a senior there.Since then, the two have continued to practice whenever theyre home at the same time. Mortell, who plans to attend Minnesotas game this Saturday at Nebraska, actually used to babysit Carpenter when they were kids, and Mortell was the one responsible for Carpenters first lost tooth from a front-yard football game. Attending the same grade school, they used to get into trouble for kickball games that turned into distance contests with roofs and windows becoming the targets.Pete, hes the closest thing I have to a big brother, Carpenter said. Hes been an incredible role model for me throughout my entire life, especially getting to watch him throughout football and just how he handles himself on and off the field. There are definitely a lot of lessons I can learn from Pete in all aspects of life.---For more college football coverage: http://www.collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '