hat banged-up right fielder Beltran couldnt quite reach. The rookie later scored on a grounder by pinch-hitter Mike Carp. Slumping Sha

The Calgary Flames surprising first half has them in the thick of a competitive Western Conference playoff race. Behind the talents of rookie Johnny Gaudreau, the Flames will look to keep pace Thursday night when they face the Minnesota Wild in the second of a six-game homestand. After representing Calgary (26-19-3) at last weekends All-Star festivities, Gaudreau emerged from the break to score twice in a 4-1 win over Buffalo on Tuesday. The goals gave Gaudreau 15, tying him for the team lead with Sean Monahan and moving him into third place among rookies behind Filip Forsberg of Nashville and Ottawas Mike Hoffman, who each have 16. Just being around the guys that were in that locker room this weekend, its exciting for me to be a part of that, Gaudreau said. Now Im excited for the second half of the season. The 21-year-olds top performances have translated into nothing but success for the Flames, who are 9-0-0 when he records at least two points. Monahan and Jiri Hudler, Gaudreaus linemates, have been equally vital to the Flames. Monahan can extend his point streak to a career-best six games while Hudler, tied for the team lead with 41 points, assisted on both of Gaudreaus goals Tuesday. Playing with (Hudler) and (Monahan), those are two skilled guys, Gaudreau said. Its hard not to create offensive chances when youre playing with two guys like that. Were making plays in the offensive zone. Jonas Hiller was 0-3-0 with a 3.81 goals-against average in his previous four appearances before stopping 17 shots, and hell get the nod tonight as well. Hes 11-5-1 with a 2.31 GAA in 17 starts against the Wild. Minnesota (21-20-6) came out of the break on a good note with a 2-1 victory in Edmonton on Tuesday. Still, coach Mike Yeo sees needed improvement for his last-place team. Puck management was poor tonight. Very poor, Yeo said. We pride ourselves on being a team that can defend well, but when you turn pucks over like that, youre not in a position to defend. Minnesota had dropped eight of its previous 10, and excluding a 7-0 win against Buffalo on Jan. 15, had scored 18 goals over that span while allowing 37. The Wild rank near the bottom of the league with 2.89 goals allowed per game. Devan Dubnyk stopped 23 shots to bounce back after he was pulled in the second period of his previous start Jan. 20. He owns a 2.04 GAA in five games since being acquired from Arizona on Jan. 14, and has been the top option after Darcy Kuemper was sent to Iowa of the AHL for a conditioning assignment and Niklas Backstrom going 0-5-2 with a 4.12 GAA over his last eight appearances. Minnesota sits ahead of only Edmonton and Arizona in the West but is just seven points behind the Flames for the second wild-card spot. The Wild are 6-2-1 in the last nine meetings, beating visiting Calgary 3-2 in the last one March 3. Wild (48PTS) at Flames (55PTS) MIN was 2-0-1 vs CGY last season CGY has gone 2-1-0 past 3 at home vs MIN CGY (26-19-3): 5-1-0 past 6 games, 18GF, 1/18 on PP Monahan (4G, 2A) 5 game PT streak MIN (21-20-6): 1-1-1 past 3 games, 7GF, 3/11 on PP Parise (5G, 1A) past 5GP Projected Flames Lines Gaudreau-Monahan-Hudler Bouma-Backlund-Jones Raymond-Jooris-Colborne Byron-Stajan-Bollig Giordano-Brodie Russell-Wideman Diaz-Engelland Hiller - Starting Ramo Projected Wild Lines Parise-Granlund-Vanek Zucker-Koivu-Pominville Cooke-Brodziak-Fontaine Carter-Coyle-Niederreiter Suter-Brodin Scandella-Spurgeon Prosser-Folin Dubnyk Backstrom Cheap Kirby Puckett Jersey . Right-hander Todd Redmond took the loss. Jose Bautista hit his second home run of the spring. Here are a handful of tidbits from around camp: Hutchison impressive The Blue Jays are being cautious when talking about their young arms but internally, excitement is building over the way Drew Hutchison is looking and performing this spring. Cheap Paul Molitor Jersey .Y. - The Philadelphia Eagles game at Green Bay against the Packers on Nov. http://www.cheaptwinsjerseys.com/ . Three days after falling to Hamilton, Abbotsford scored three goals in 53 seconds en route to a convincing 5-1 win over the Bulldogs Saturday in American Hockey League play. Cheap Tony Oliva Jersey . The NFL announced Friday that the Texans sixth-year veteran offensive lineman will replace Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters in the Jan. Wholesale Twins Jerseys .Y. -- Cory Schneider has to make the most of his opportunities to guard the New Jersey Devils net to earn more playing time.ST. LOUIS -- No way Allen Craig and the St. Louis Cardinals would get tripped up in one of the wildest World Series endings imaginable. A rare obstruction call on third baseman Will Middlebrooks let Craig score with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, finishing off a mad-cap play that sent the Cardinals over the Boston Red Sox 5-4 Saturday night for a 2-1 Series lead. "Im in shock right now," St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina said. So was most everyone at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals poured out of the dugout to congratulate Craig. The Red Sox also rushed to the plate, to argue with the umpires. The fans seemed too startled to cheer. A walk-off win? More like a trip-off. "Tough way to have a game end, particularly of this significance," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. After an umpires call was the crux of Game 1 and a poor Boston throw to third base helped decide Game 2, this night combined both elements. Molina singled with one out in the ninth off losing pitcher Brandon Workman. Craig, just back from a sprained foot, pinch-hit and lined Koji Ueharas first pitch into left field for a double that put runners on second and third. With the infield in, Jon Jay hit a grounder to diving second baseman Dustin Pedroia. He made a sensational stab and threw home to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who tagged out the sliding Molina. But then Saltalamacchia threw wide of third trying to get Craig. The ball glanced off Middlebrooks glove and Craigs body, caroming into foul territory down the line. After the ball got by, Middlebrooks, lying on his stomach, raised both legs and tripped Craig, slowing him down as he tried to take off for home. "I just know I have to dive for that ball. Im on the ground. Theres nowhere for me to go," Middlebrooks said. Third base umpire Jim Joyce immediately signalled obstruction, but the players left nothing to chance. "With the defensive player on the ground, without intent or intent, its still obstruction," Joyce said. "Youd probably have to ask Middlebrooks that one, if he could have done anything. But thats not in our determination." Craig kept scrambling to get up. "He was in my way. I couldnt tell you if he tried to trip me or not. I was just trying to get over him," he said. Left fielder Daniel Nava retrieved the ball and made a strong throw home, where Saltalamacchia tagged a sliding Craig in time. But plate umpire Dana DeMuth signalled safe and then pointed to third, making clear the obstruction had been called. "I was excited at first because we nailed the guy at home. I wasnt sure why he was called safe," Middlebrooks said. "Were all running to home to see why he was called safe. We didnt think there was any obstruction there, obviously. As Im getting up, he trips over me. I dont know what else to say." Said Cardinals slugger Matt Holliday: "You hate for it to end on a somewhat controversial play." "You would like for it to end a little cleaner, but thats part of it," he said. To some Red Sox fans, the tangle mightve brought back painful memories from the 1975 World Series. In Game 3, Cincinnatis Ed Armbrister wasnt called for interference by plate umpire Larry Barnett when he blocked Boston catcher Carlton Fisk on a 10th-inning bunt. Fisk made a wild throw, setting up Joe Morgans winning single. Craig returned for this Series from a sprained left foot that had sidelined him since early September. After an awkward slide on the final play, he hobbled off the field in apparent discomfort. The Red Sox scored twice in the eighth to tie it 4-all. Jacoby Ellsbury ledd off with a single and Shane Victorino was hit by a pitch for the sixth time this post-season.dddddddddddd Both runners moved up on Pedroias groundout, and David Ortiz was intentionally walked. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny went to hard-throwing closer Trevor Rosenthal with the bases loaded, hoping for a five-out save from a rookie who has looked almost untouchable this October. But the Red Sox pushed two runs across. Nava drove in one with a short-hop grounder that was smothered by second baseman Kolten Wong, who had just entered on defence in a double-switch. Wong went to second for the forceout, but Nava beat the relay and Ellsbury scored to make it 4-3. Xander Bogaerts tied it when he chopped a single up the middle. Workman jammed Holliday and retired the slugger on a routine fly with two on to end the bottom of the eighth. That sent the game to the ninth tied at 4. Rosenthal wound up with the win. Hollidays two-run double put the Cardinals on top 4-2 in the seventh. It was a tough inning for Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow. Matt Carpenter reached safely when he checked his swing on an infield single to shortstop. Carlos Beltran was grazed on the elbow pad by a pitch -- making no effort to get out of the way. Beltran, in fact, almost appeared to stick his elbow out just a tiny bit to make sure the ball made contact. Junichi Tazawa came on and Holliday pulled a grounder past Middlebrooks at third. The ball kicked into the left-field corner and Holliday went all the way to third on the throw to the plate. Tazawa then got a couple of strikeouts and prevented further damage. It was Middlebrooks first inning in the field. He entered as a pinch-hitter in the top of the seventh and took over at third base in the bottom half. That shifted Bogaerts to shortstop -- and neither one was able to make the difficult defensive play Boston needed in that inning. Cardinals starter Joe Kelly, one of the few major league pitchers to wear glasses on the mound, set down his first nine batters. The Red Sox seemed to see him better the next time around in coming back from a 2-0 deficit. Bogaerts opened the fifth with a triple that banged-up right fielder Beltran couldnt quite reach. The rookie later scored on a grounder by pinch-hitter Mike Carp. Slumping Shane Victorino drew a leadoff walk from Kelly in the sixth and wound up scoring the tying run. Ortiz grounded a single off lefty reliever Randy Choate, and Nava greeted Seth Maness with an RBI single that made it 2-all. Their fielding woes from Game 1 far behind them, the slick-fielding Cardinals made several sharp plays. Kelly barehanded a one-hopper, Carpenter threw out a runner from his knees up the middle and third baseman David Freese backhanded a line drive. St. Louis quickly broke ahead, scoring in the first inning for the first time this October on RBI singles by Holliday and Molina. After the Cardinals got three hits in a span of four pitches, Red Sox reliever Felix Doubront began heating up in a hurry before Jake Peavy settled down. NOTES: Cardinals Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith and Red Schoendienst took part in the first-ball festivities, with fan favourite Willie McGee tossing the pitch. ... At 21, Bogaerts became the third-youngest player to hit a triple in a World Series. Ty Cobb and Mickey Mantle did it at 20. ... Molina has a six-game hitting streak in World Series play. ... The family of late umpire Wally Bell was in the stands. Bell died at 48 this month, and the six-man crew is wearing patches to honour him. Bells first plate job in the World Series was at this b