Aktuelle Runden » nd the Blues surrendered a b

ST. LOUIS -- Ryan Miller was supposed to be the piece the St. Louis Blues needed to make a deep playoff run and perhaps at long last win a first Stanley Cup. The highly-decorated goalie was among those falling fall short for a franchise smarting from another early exit, and he might not be back. The team scheduled availabilities for general manager Doug Armstrong, coach Ken Hitchcock and players for Tuesday. Hitchcock deflected questions about the 34-year-old Miller, wholl be an unrestricted free agent, after the Blues were eliminated Sunday in Chicago. The Blues could opt to go with prospect Jake Allen, called the franchise goalie of the future by Armstrong when the Miller deal was made. "I dont get into long-term stuff. Thats Dougs department," Hitchcock said. "He played good for us. Im sure theres some goals that hed like to have back, just like any goalie would. We win as a team and lose as a team." Asked how he played, Miller said: "Im going to sit down and think about that. Not good enough, I guess." The Blues were among the NHLs best before a six-game losing streak to end the regular season landed them with a tougher first-round draw. For the second straight year they were knocked out in four straight by the defending Stanley Cup champion after taking a 2-0 series lead. Last season, it was the Kings. This time, it was Chicago. It was small consolation that before the Blackhawks four-goal third period in Game 6, the difference was razor-thin. The first five games were decided by one goal, discounting an empty-netter by the Blackhawks in the final minute of Game 3. "Youve got to bring your game every night, every shift, every period," captain David Backes said Sunday. "I sound like a broken record here. Finding ways to win those close games, they did and we didnt." Miller was acquired from Buffalo on Feb. 28 along with forward Steve Ott in a deal that cost the Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak, forward Chris Stewart and a first-round pick in 2015. He made $6.25 million last season. "Ive just got to take things as they come right now," he said, adding, "I guess Im free to go to my sister-in-laws wedding." Miller would like to stay, but acknowledged he wasnt sure how the Blues "feel about me." He had a 2.70 goals-against average and .897 save percentage in the series. Hitchcock wasnt pinning the teams failure on the goalie. He noted the Blackhawks split the defence on the go-ahead goal and the Blues surrendered a breakaway on the third goal, which he called "a back-breaker." Just as important, they couldnt capitalize on scoring chances. St. Louis was 2 for 29 on the power play in the series. "Ill take more than my share of the blame," Backes said. "Im counted on to produce and I didnt produce. Ill think about that a lot this summer and drive the engine going into next year." Injuries factored into the early exit. Backes missed two games with stiffness in his neck after an illegal hit by Brent Seabrook, who was suspended for three games. T.J Oshie also wasnt quite himself coming off a blow to the head late in the regular season and Patrik Berglund was no factor coming off a shoulder injury, scoreless and minus-7 in four games. Vladimir Tarasenko was a breakout star early in the series and had four goals, one of them forcing overtime with 6.4 seconds to go in Game 3. But he was scoreless the last two games. The Blues defence got burned on an ill-timed change in the pivotal Game 5, leading to Jonathan Toews overtime winner. Barret Jackman was minus-5, Jaden Schwartz minus-4. Backes, Oshie, Ott and Roman Polak were all minus-3. "We all need to look in the mirror and assess how we did and we didnt do, and take that gut check," Backes said. "No offence to you guys," he added to reporters, "but these interviews are getting a little sickening to have in April and not in June." Joel Iyiegbuniwe Jersey . -- The Minnesota Vikings released reserve cornerback A. Chase Daniel Jersey . David Perron had a career high four-point night with two goals and two assists as the Oilers experienced an offensive explosion, blasting the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-0 to record a rare home win for their second victory in a row. http://www.probearsonline.com/authentic-...h-bears-jersey/. -- The Kelowna Rockets earned their 16th straight win with a 7-2 rout of the Portland Winterhawks in Western Hockey League action Thursday. Allen Robinson Bears Jersey . Villarreals victory in Valencia kept it in fourth place and in control of Spains last Champions League spot. Uche broke free in the area in the 10th minute and was brought down by goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who was shown a direct red card. Bears Jerseys . -- The Phoenix Coyotes have won three in a row for the first time in 4 1/2 months, and theyve done it just in time for the stretch run to the playoffs.LONDON -- FIFAs decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar came under further scrutiny as a British newspaper published new allegations that Mohamed Bin Hammam used his wealth and top level contacts to buy support for the oil-rich countrys successful bid. The Sunday Times, which last week claimed that the former FIFA Executive Committee member made payments totalling $5 million to senior football officials to seal support for Qatar, also accused Bin Hammam of using $1.7million to secure key Asian votes. It alleged that Bin Hammam arranged government level talks for Thailands FIFA executive Worawi Makudi to discuss a gas sale "potentially worth tens of millions of dollars to Thailand" and that he was invited to visit Vladimir Putin before Russia and Qatars victories in the votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Under a front-page headline of "Gas deal turns heat on World Cup," the newspaper alleged that Bin Hammam arranged meeting and favours for voters in the months leading to the ballots. The 2010 vote, which awarded footballs biggest tournament to the tiny desert state, is under investigation by FIFAs independent ethics prosecutor. Qatar organizers deny any wrongdoing. In a statement released on Saturday following its Executive Committees second meeting of the year in Sao Paulo, FIFA said "the executive reaffirmed its position of letting the ethics committee complete its work before making any comment." According to the newspaper, whiich says it had access to millions of secret documents during its investigation, Bin Hammam brokered two secret meetings with Qatari royals to discuss a major gas deal with a senior aide to Makudi.dddddddddddd. "The exact nature of the deal on the table is unclear, but it came as Thailand sought to save tens of millions of pounds by renegotiating an arrangement with Qatar to purchase 1 million tons of liquefied natural gas each year at a contractual price it considered too high," the newspaper said. The Sunday Times said that Makudi denied that he had received a personal "concession" from his involvement but did not elaborate. Bin Hammam is no longer a committee member of world footballs governing body after being caught up in a corruption scandal surrounding his failed campaign for its presidency in 2011. The Sunday Times claimed that the $1.7 million Bin Hammam paid to Asian officials from funds controlled by his private company Kemco were used as he was campaigning for both the Qatar World Cup bid and for his own re-election to the post of president of the Asian Football Confederation. The newspaper said he was invited to a meeting by Russia to discuss "bilateral relations" in sport between Qatar and Russia on October 30, 2010, a month before the vote on the bids. "Two days later, Qatars ruling emir also flew to Moscow for talks about joint gas production deals between the two countries," the Sunday Times said. ' ' '