ntringency plan emerged when former backups Thad Lewis

BROSSARD, Que. Mets Jerseys 2019 . -- It was up to veterans Brian Gionta and Tomas Plekanec to convince the world, and perhaps themselves, that the Montreal Canadiens still have hope. The team that looked so solid in coming back to eliminate the first-place overall Boston Bruins is down 3-1 to the New York Rangers in the NHL Eastern Conference final, but Gionta insisted Monday that morale is good and the Canadiens are far from finished. They will be facing elimination in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night, however. "Its no secret: you start doing the right things, you start getting rewarded for it and momentum builds," Gionta said. "You keep carrying that. "A couple of teams have been able to do that this year, the Kings and the Rangers. So its not something that cant be done and with the group we have in here, we believe we can do it. And we believe weve got better as the series goes on." Gionta and Plekanec were part of a Canadiens team that came back from a 3-1 deficit to upset the high-powered Washington Capitals en route to their last trip to the conference final in 2010. They did it that time with desperate shot-blocking, spectacular goaltending from Jaroslav Halak and a quiet belief that they could pull it off. This time, they are looking to third-stringer Dustin Tokarski to imitate Halak. The 24-year-old has been solid in goal since replacing the injured Carey Price in Game 2, allowing eight goals in 11 periods over three games. He helped them claim an overtime win in New York in Game 3 but was beaten on Martin St. Louis overtime snipe in Game 4 on Sunday night. The Canadiens have played the Rangers close to evenly since a 7-2 loss in the series opener, but there were worrying signs in their latest loss. Defenceman Alexei Emein missed most of the first period after blocking a shot and then was mostly immobile after he returned. And top forwards Thomas Vanek, who has struggled all series, and Max Pacioretty were all-but invisible. And they remain without Price, the Canadian gold medallist from the Sochi Olympics in February who suffered a suspected right knee injury when New Yorks Chris Kreider crashed the net in the second period of the series opener. Price skated for about 20 minutes without equipment before the teams optional practice, but coach Michel Therrien said he will not be back in this series. For Gionta, hope comes from a feeling that his team is getting better and still has time to turn things around, as they did when they fell behind 3-2 to the Bruins in the conference semifinal. The Canadiens rebounded with their best game of the playoffs in Game 6 and closed it out in Boston two days later. "We were able to wear (Bostons) defence down with our speed and our forechecking," he said. "We need to get better at that and I think thats what weve got better at as (the New York series) went on. "Try to take advantage of their defencemen down low, try to spend some time in the offensive zone, and start to make breakdowns and make things happen that way. Our backs are against the wall. Its win or go home. I would expect the same kind of effort as we had against Boston for sure." They could also improve on special teams, although they had a breakthrough when P.K. Subban finally got a power play goal to tie the game in the third period on the sixth of Montreals eight man-advantages. "We sat down after the second period and made a little adjustment and it worked and hopefully we can carry it over to the next game," said Plekanec. "Special teams was one of the things that we probably werent good enough at in the series so far, so it would be a good time to turn that around. "Its not over. I didnt see one guy that was down after the game." Plekanec was among five players in the Game 4 lineup who joined the reserve players in the optional skate, along with Tokarski, Rene Bourque, Michael Bournival and defenceman Francis Bouillon, who scored in his first appearance in the series in place of rookie Nathan Beaulieu. Another potential boost for the Canadiens would be to score the first goal, which they did consistently in the first two rounds but have yet to do against the Rangers. It would perhaps give them another missing element -- confidence. "We have to start playing more with confidence, making the right plays at the right time," said Plekanec. "When theres a play, weve got to make it. "When theres no play, weve got to go for the puck. Sometimes we didnt make the right decisions, so thats an aspect that definitely can be better. Confidence is a thing that, when you dont make the right plays, you start chipping it in instead of making plays, and sometimes its a situation where you should have made a play." Therrien feels his team has shown it can bounce back against the Bruins and can do it again. Gionta, a Stanley Cup winner with New Jersey in 2003, agrees. "Part of the playoffs part of being a professional, of being part of a winning team is being able to regroup and forget about it and deal with the circumstances that are ahead of you and not with whats behind you," he said. "Guys were disappointed. It was a huge blow. But the series isnt over. We still believe in this group so no one is panicking." Wholesale Mets Jerseys .C. -- North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried said his team had a "golden" opportunity to help its NCAA tournament chances. New York Mets Shirts . "I wouldnt read anything into what happened Saturday at Torrey Pines," Woods said Tuesday after an 18-hole exhibition for past winners of the Dubai Desert Classic. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/ . In a matter of days, he went from unwanted to wanted, from fired to hired, from discarded by the Philadelphia Eagles with reputation tarnished to rock star treatment and a new fat contract from the Washington Redskins.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone benched starting quarterback EJ Manuel on Monday, one day after the former first-round draft pick completed less than half his passes and threw two interceptions in a loss to Houston. Marrone said Kyle Orton will start Sundays game against the Detroit Lions. The Bills signed Orton on Aug. 30 to back up Manuel. Manuel was the Bills first-round draft pick in 2013 and had started 14 games over the past two seasons. He had a season-low quarterback rating of 59.4 and threw an interception to J.J. Watt that was returned for a momentum-changing touchdown Sunday during the Bills 23-17 loss. Manuel has completed just 58 per cent of his passes for Buffalo (2-2) through four games this year. Orton, a nine-year NFL veteran, spent the past two seasons in Dallas before being cut by the Cowboys in mid-July after he skipped the teams off-season workouts amid reports that he was considering retirement. While Manuel has size and mobility, his decision-making and leadership have been questioned. He acknowledged needing better command of the offence days beforee the season opener, and understood that he had plenty to prove in showing hes capable of being a bona fide starter. New York Mets Store. Manuel also faced injury issues last year that hampered his development. He missed six regular season games and went 4-6 in 10 starts. Manuel got off to an encouraging start in helping the Bills open with two wins this year. The familiar troubles, however, popped up in Buffalos past two losses. The Bills invested heavily to improve their offence this season in order to give Manuel every chance to succeed. It made its biggest splash in the draft when it traded next years first-round selection to move up five spots and select dynamic receiver Sammy Watkins with the No. 4 pick. The Bills also used three of its seven selections on offensive linemen, and acquired wide receiver Mike Williams in a trade with Tampa Bay. Marrone said as Orton began practicing with the team that the Bills first targeted Orton early in training camp as a backup, saying the need for a contringency plan emerged when former backups Thad Lewis and Jeff Tuel didnt show enough progress. ' ' '