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The Pittsburgh Penguins have taken control of their series with the New York Rangers, winning Game Four to push the Blueshirts to the brink. Notes on Crosby, Malkin, Nash and more. RANGERS REELING The Pittsburgh Penguins have been having their way with the New York Rangers and it continued in Game Four, with Pittsburgh winning 4-2 to take a 3-1 lead in the series. Through the first four games of this series, the Penguins have controlled play to a surprising degree, considering that the Rangers were a superior possession team during the regular season. In 5-on-5 score close situations against the Rangers, the Penguins are getting 59.5% of the shot attempts against the Rangers. Its hard enough to get the better of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but if their team is dominating the puck, the hill gets awfully steep in a hurry. In Game Four, Crosby and Malkin, playing together, toyed with the Rangers, controlling better than 78% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts. Crosby contributed a couple of assists and Malkin had a goal and an assist to increase his team-leading playoff point total to 12 points in 10 games. Malkin only had three shots on goal, but had 13 attempts (six missed the net, four blocked). LW Chris Kunitz and defencemen Kris Letang and Paul Martin were also over 70% in terms of shot attempts. With Penguins D Brooks Orpik leaving after only 5:15 of ice time, Martin (30:05 TOI) and Letang (27:56 TOI) both logged heavy minutes. The mirror image, for the Rangers, is that Martin St. Louis, Carl Hagelin (who scored the Rangers first goal) and Brad Richards were getting worked, all on for 25% or less of the shot attempts. The Rangers had LW Chris Kreider in the lineup for the first time since March 24. He played 15:24 and was one of two Rangers to at least break even on shot attempts. The other Ranger with better than 50% Corsi in the game was the much-maligned Rick Nash, who led the Rangers with four shots on goal (and six attempts) but, for the eighth straight game, he was held without a point and has been a target for boos from the MSG faithful. Thats not unreasoanble, Nash has one goal in 23 playoff games with the Rangers over the past two seasons, yet over the past two regular seasons, hes scored 47 goals in 109 games -- his 0.43 goals per game in that span ranks 13th, between Joe Pavelski and Marian Hossa. Expectations are higher and the fact that the Rangers are unable to score, managing five goals in four games against Marc-Andre Fleury (not exactly the paragon of playoff goaltending in recent seasons), only serves to highlight Nashs playoff drought. It should go without saying that Nash generating as many shots as he is (a playoff-leading 45, with zero goals!) makes it likely that he will resume scoring soon but, for the Rangers sake, with time running out, it may not be soon enough. Fatigue, and a compacted schedule have been commonly cited reasons for the Rangers poor play in this series. Whatever the excuse might be, they are left without wiggle room now. They need to win three straight against the Penguins or they will have plenty of time to rest very soon. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Discount Air Max 1 . Irving played 10 minutes Sunday night before going to the locker room. He had two points and four assists, missing all five of his shots. The All-Star game MVP is the top scorer among Eastern Conference point guards with 21. Nike Air Max 1 Cheap Uk . The Tinkoff-Saxo rider was still dealing with the right shin he broke in a crash which ended his Tour de France on Stage 10. He hoped to defy his doctors and race in the home Grand Tour he won in 2008 and 2012, but he says there have been complications in his recovery. http://www.discountairmax1uk.com/ . The future hall of famers stole the show at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night, with Jagr moving into seventh place in all-time goal scoring and Brodeur stopping 29 shots as the Devils downed the Montreal Canadiens 4-1. Nike Air Max 1 Clearance Uk . We wonder if the price of a Roberts rookie card has at least gone up a few cents? Tribute Tweets #Padres Tony Gwynn had 287 career plate appearances against #Braves trio of Maddux, Glavine, & Smoltz, he hit . Nike Air Max 1 Sale Uk . Fifth-seeded Cilic gained his fourth title in Zagreb and became the third Croat overall to win at least 10 career titles. Cilic also lifted his career record in Zagreb to 22-4, winning 20 of his last 21 matches at the event.SAN DIEGO - Rookie Tommy Medica walked into the San Diego Padres equipment room to get a new cap before Friday nights game and noticed one of Yasmani Grandals 35-inch, 32-ounce Louisville Slugger bats. "I saw a nice-looking piece of lumber," said Medica, who normally swings a 34-31 bat. "I Picked it up, it felt good. I said, Im going to try it out today. " Great move, because it powered a career night. Medica had five hits, including two two-run home runs, drove in four runs and scored four runs — all career-bests — to lead the Padres to a 10-1 win against the Atlanta Braves. "Can he borrow it tomorrow?" said manager Bud Black, who will write Medica into the lineup again Saturday night. "That was quite a night for him. The two swings to start the night for him were great swings." Left-hander Eric Stults and three relievers combined on a four-hitter. Everth Cabrera had four hits for the Padres, who had a season-high 20. Medicas previous career-high was four hits a week earlier at Atlanta. He made his big league debut in September and is in his third stint with the Padres this season. Medicas second shot, on a 1-0 pitch from Mike Minor with one out in the third, went an estimated 438 feet into the second deck in left field and gave San Diego a 5-0 lead. His first homer, also to left, was on a 1-1 pitch with two outs in the first. He has six this season. Medica singled in his final three at-bats. "I was feeling good and it just seemed like good things happened. To get that last hit like that, it was just the way the game was going," he said. Medicas first big league hit was a homer off Cliff Lee in the second at-bat of his debut on Sept. 10. "Tommy can be a little streaky at times so hopefully right now were catching him in a hot streak," Black said. The Braves, who lost their fourth straight game, have been held to 10 runs total in their last five games. Stults (4-13) won for just the second time in his last 11 starts. He didnt allow a hit until the fourth, when a two-base error by right fielder Jeff Francoeur on B.J. Uptons fly ball to the warning track led to an unearned run. Chris Johnson hit an RBI single with two outs. Cabrera scored twice and drove in a run. He was aboard for Medicas first homer. Jedd&nbbsp;Gyorko, who continues to hit well after his return from a 44-game stay on the disabled list, was aboard for Medicas second shot after hitting an RBI double in the third inning.dddddddddddd Gyorko is 8 for 19 with two doubles, two homers, seven RBIs and four runs scored in his five games back. Minor (4-7) allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings, walked two and struck out one. He has allowed six runs in three of his last four starts. San Diegos hitting frustrated the Braves. "They found holes," first baseman Freddie Freeman said. "We never seemed to be close to it. We would play a little shift and they would hit the ball down the line. We played the line, they would hit a ball in the hole. Tommy (La Stella) is playing a shift on Tommy Medica and he hits two ground balls to the right side. Will Venable is looping balls in front of our outfielders. It was just one of those things." TRAINERS ROOM Braves: Outfielder Jason Heyward missed his fourth straight game with back stiffness. He left Mondays game against San Diego. He originally was hurt while chasing a foul ball on July 24. Padres: Grandal, the catcher, missed his second straight game with fluid in his right knee, which was surgically repaired last summer. ON DECK Braves: Right-hander Ervin Santana (10-6, 3.63) tries to beat Padres in consecutive starts. He pitched five-hit ball for eight innings in Mondays 2-0 win in Atlanta. Padres: Right-hander Ian Kennedy (8-9, 3.66) returns after missing his start Monday at Atlanta because of a left oblique strain. HEADS UP PLAY Medica singled in the fifth and advanced on Rene Riveras grounder to third. With the Braves not paying any attention to him, Medica stole third. "I just kind of saw the shortstop and third baseman. They turned around and Minor was still kind of looking at the plate," Medica said. "I just started walking and noticed no one was still seeing me and I took off. With a lefty on the mound I knew it would be tough to turn all the way around and throw me out." OFFENSIVE PADRES After a brutal first half, the Padres have scored 71 runs in 14 games since the All-Star break, the most in the NL. HOT GYORKO Gyorko is hitting .421 (8 for 19) with two doubles, three homers and seven RBIs in five games back from the DL. ' ' '
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