is injured right wrist and will be re-evaluated next week, but Yankees

ST. LOUIS -- One of the things Ken Hitchcock values as the coach of the St. Louis Blues is the chance to play against the best teams in the NHL.Hitchcock views those games as a great way to evaluate his team, being able to see how it compares and trying to identify areas where the Blues can improve.Hitchcock will get another chance to do that Tuesday night when the Montreal Canadiens, with the best record in the league, make their only visit of the year to St. Louis.The Canadiens are 17-6-2, and they have one more point, 36-35, than the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks.One thing Montreal does that they dont get enough credit for: They use their speed, but they use it to check, and thats why theyre so hard to play against, Hitchcock said. Theyve got speed; every teams got speed. Theyve got quickness; every teams got quickness. But Montreal uses it to put pressure on you to force your mistakes, and thats the difference. Thats why they have a winning record.Theyve got a great goalie; a lot of teams have great goalies. But they make you pay a price to move the puck, and they put a lot of pressure on you, and they use your speed as a checking mechanism. And thats why theyre always difficult and they always will be.As good as the Canadiens have been to start the season, most of their success has come at home, where they are 12-1-1. They are only 5-5-1 on the road but are coming off a big win on Sunday in Los Angeles, where they beat the Kings in a shootout.The Canadiens viewed that game as an evaluation tool of their own and could view the game against the Blues the same way.The team definitely hasnt had a lot of success out here, so to get a win here in LA against a big, strong team who every year competes, its important for us, left winger Max Pacioretty told NHL.com after the game. This is a measuring-stick team ... I think teams come in and try to see what they have when they play against a team like this. It shows a lot about our character.The game against the Blues will conclude a five-city, 12-day trip for the Canadiens. They have split the first four games.The Blues will be without defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, who suffered a lower-body injury on Saturday night and will be out at least two weeks. He will be replaced by Joel Edmundson. Center Jori Lehtera, who was a healthy scratch for Saturdays game, also is scheduled to be back in the St. Louis lineup. Jake Allen will get the start in goal.The Blues have been almost as good at home this season as the Canadiens, going 9-0-3 in their last 12 games. They have lost only once in regulation in 15 home games. Wholesale Giants Jerseys . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. Giants T-shirts .com) - Richie Incognito has reportedly been admitted to a psychiatric care unit in Arizona. http://www.cheapnewyorkgiantsjerseys.com/ . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Giants Jerseys Hoodies . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Giants Jerseys Store . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After eight innings of offensive frustration against CC Sabathia, the Los Angeles Angels broke through with five hits and five runs in the dramatic ninth. But when Albert Pujols came up against Mariano Rivera with the bases loaded and two outs in a one-run game, the Angels $240 million man couldnt connect. Rivera struck out Pujols on three pitches to end it, and the Yankees stopped their five-game skid with a wild 6-5 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday, ending the Angels three-game winning streak. Although Rivera survived a rocky outing in the stadium where he made his major league debut and got his first save, the Angels lost much earlier when Sabathia outpitched Jered Weaver, who gave up five runs in the third inning. The Angels ace allowed seven hits and four walks over six innings, and Los Angeles managed just four singles off Sabathia until the crazy ninth. "I didnt really accomplish anything that I try to accomplish through the course of a game," Weaver said. "Walks were bad, first-pitch strikes were bad, and I obviously didnt get deep in the game. Its just one of those games where I found myself battling the whole game." Sabathia pitched five-hit ball into the ninth, and Travis Hafner hit a three-run homer, but the Yankees barely got enough from Rivera. New Yorks famed closer gave up three hits and a walk, but still got his 24th save in dramatic fashion. "Thats what everybody comes and pays for," said Lyle Overbay, who had an RBI double. "That was a little closer than we thought, but I didnt sense a lot of panic." Jayson Nix also drove in a run during the five-run third for the Yankees, who salvaged the finale of their 10-game road trip by battering Weaver (1-3) early and hanging on late. Sabathia (7-5) struck out six and walked three, but tired in the ninth, leaving with two runners on. After reliever David Robertson left with a 6-1 lead, Rivera gave up Erick Aybars RBI groundout, Alberto Callaspos two-run single and Peter Bourjos RBI single. Rivera then walked Mike Trout to load the bases before getting Pujols. "That was a great rally and a lot of fun to be a part of," said Mark Trumbo, who drove in the Angels first run in the ninth. "You know the odds are heavily stacked against you, especiallyy with a guy like CC out there.dddddddddddd. Thats exactly what we wanted to see. It was very, very close, and thats about all you can hope for against a guy like Mariano Rivera. Maybe one more blooped (hit) and we win this ballgame." Former Angels outfielder Vernon Wells drove in what turned out to be the decisive run with a sacrifice fly off Jerome Williams in the eighth. Sabathia left after Trouts leadoff double and a walk to Pujols. Trumbo then got an RBI with a line drive that hit Robertson and bounced into right field for a single. Robertson stayed in the game, but loaded the bases with a one-out walk to pinch-hitter J.B. Shuck. That created an unlikely save opportunity with a five-run lead for Rivera, but the 43-year-old closer wasnt sharp. Aybar and Callaspo drove in runs before pinch-hitter Brad Hawpe delivered his first major league hit in two years. "We really executed well in the ninth inning and had some good at-bats," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "There was some good situational hitting, and some guys off the bench did a good job. Unfortunately, we couldnt get that tying run across. Rivera made some tough pitches to Albert at the end and closed the door, but our guys were upbeat the whole game." Weaver struck out six, but repeatedly found trouble in his fourth start since returning from a 45-game stint on the disabled list. A 20-game winner last season, the Angels longtime ace is winless in his last three starts. Weaver had two outs and two strikes on Hafner before the veteran hit his 11th homer. Hafner had just five hits in his previous 53 at-bats before connecting, including a 2-for-27 start to the road trip. NOTES: New York 1B Mark Teixeira got a cortisone shot in his injured right wrist and will be re-evaluated next week, but Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the tendon sheath around his wrist is just inflamed, not torn again. Teixeira left Saturdays game in the fourth inning and returned to New York for examination on his wrist, which kept him out for the first 53 games of the season. ... Ichiro Suzuki stole another base, giving him three steals in two games. The Japanese star had just six stolen bases all season before the weekend. ... Josh Hamilton got a day off for the Angels, not even pinch-hitting in the ninth. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '