Talk » Maddon said Lackey is scheduled to throw a

TORONTO -- ?Jaroslav Halaks career path has not followed a straight line. No going directly from point A to point B. The netminders hockey journey has been more circuitous, with the odd sharp angle thrown in for good measure.But just when you are prepared to dismiss him, when a team is ready to turn in a different direction, Halak re-emerges, making everyone stop and take notice.Like now, for instance.Halak, who was not even guaranteed a job with Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey, has backstopped the team to an unexpected berth in the finals against Canada.I dont think it surprised me, but Im pretty sure it surprised a lot of other people, offered Andrej Sekera, Halaks longtime friend and international teammate. I know Jaro personally very well and have played with him on international levels, and hes been as good as hes ever been. When hes on his game, hes happy, hes smiling, hes doing his job the best way he can -- and it shows on the ice.Hes one of the reasons where we are right now, the defenseman added. We just try to make his life easier -- and hes trying to make our lives easier.After an up-and-down 2015-16 season with the New York Islanders ended with a groin injury, Halak watched as understudy Thomas Greiss stepped in and helped lead the Islanders to their first playoff series victory since 1993.Greiss, Halak and new?Toronto Maple Leafs?goalie?Frederik Andersen were named to Team Europes roster, and it was fair to wonder where Halak would fit into the goaltending trilogy for the squad, which is made up of players from eight countries.More to the point, it was fair to wonder whether Halak would end up as the teams third goaltender, a spare part.Team Europe coach Ralph Krueger told his players their roles would be determined by how they performed in training camp and played in pretournament games. When it came to the goaltending, the decision became an easy one for Krueger. Andersen went down with injury before the start of the World Cup, and Greiss was terrible in a pretournament start against Team North America.By default or not, the job was Halaks.All hes done is lead Team Europe to the finals of a tournament in which few expected his team would even be a factor.I saw, over the past years, he grew as a goalie and he got better with age. And [in] the games that he played in this tournament, he showed what hes capable of, said Miroslav Satan, a longtime international teammate and now the GM of Team Europe. I think its the best Ive seen him. Hes definitely one of the cornerstones of our success, and the way we are succeeding in this tournament -- he definitely has a lot to do with that.Halak has an impressive .947 save percentage in the World Cup. And there is a strong belief in the Team Europe locker room that they are capable of much more.You got to believe in the player next to you that he will do the job, Halak said after the Europeans upended heavily favored Sweden in overtime in the semifinals. I think that brought us together. We all knew we had to play better and try to improve every game, and I think its been working well so far. Making the finals, its unreal. Its going to be a huge game for us.Hell have to be superhuman to give Europe a chance to beat Canada. But regardless of what happens in the finals, a best-of-three series that begins Tuesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), this tournament has provided yet another opportunity for Halak to reassert himself as a world-class goaltender.He does have a history of being able to steal games, said longtime goaltender and goaltending coach Corey Hirsch, who worked with Halak in St. Louis. And this tournament is perfect for Halak. You can get him focused on a short amount of games, and he can just take the ball and run with it.Jaros a lot better when theres not a lot of pressure on him. When he gets pressured, things happen.Remember the circular part?When Halak steps onto the ice against Canada, hell see Carey Price?at the other end of the ice, and perhaps be reminded of one of those turns.Halak, a native of Bratislava, Slovakia, was taken in the ninth round of the 2003 NHL draft, 271st overall by the Montreal Canadiens. The league doesnt even have nine rounds in its draft anymore.But Halak eventually got a shot with Montreal, and in 2010 he played phenomenally for the Canadiens, leading them to a surprise berth in the Eastern Conference finals after upending the Presidents Trophy-winning?Washington Capitals?in the first round.He sported a .923 save percentage and fans started sporting T-shirts that featured a stop sign with Halaks name in the center.But the Habs had to make a decision on the future of their goaltending, and in spite of Halaks brilliance, they dealt him to St. Louis while Price went on to become not just the Canadiens starter but also the best goaltender in the world.Price will start for Canada on Tuesday night.Obviously, hes a pretty quiet guy, calm demeanor, lets the puck and the play come toward him, Price said of his old teammate. Those are a couple of things he does really well.Although Halak shared a William M. Jennings Trophy -- with the?St. Louis Blues?Brian Elliott -- for the fewest goals allowed during the regular season, a lack of durability and inability to get the job done in key moments led to Halak being dealt to the Capitals before signing with the Islanders.He is 31 and under contract for this year and next. By that time, it wouldnt be a surprise if the Islanders went in a different direction and Halak moved on again, fading from view.But in the here and now, Halak is front and center once again.Anthony Banda Jersey . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Nate Lowe Jersey . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/1486i-chaz-roe-jersey-rays.html . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. Austin Pruitt Rays Jersey . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Michael Perez Rays Jersey . Kiriasis and brakeman Franziska Fritz finished two runs in one minute 55.41 seconds -- a mere 0.01 seconds ahead of Meyers and Lolo Jones, who likely bolstered her Olympic hopes by helping give USA-1 a huge push in the second heat.LOS ANGELES -- Manager Joe Maddon isnt worried about Javier Baez or his Chicago Cubs, even after Baezs casual throw to second base cost his team a pivotal series.Baez and Ben Zobrist failed to convert on a fielders choice and allowed a run to score in the eighth inning, and Brock Stewart and four relievers combined to four-hit the Cubs in the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 victory on Sunday.We made a mental mistake at second and it costs us, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. (Baez is) a young player but he has as much instinct for this game as anyone Ive ever seen. Im not going to beat up my guys.With one out in the eighth, pinch-hitter Andrew Toles was hit by a pitch, and then Trevor Cahill (3-4) threw away Howie Kendricks short roller, allowing Toles to reach third.After an intentional walk to Corey Seager and a strikeout, Adrian Gonzalez hit a soft grounder to the left side, away from the shifted Cubs defense. Baez stumbled backward to field it and then threw easily to late-arriving second baseman Zobrist. Umpires ruled a sliding Seager beat Zobrist to the bag, allowing Toles to score, and a review upheld the call.As soon as I saw (Baez) throw to second I knew I had a chance of being safe, Seager said. Fortunately, it worked out for us.Seagers right foot slid into the base with Zobrists left foot just inches from coming down on the bag.I didnt expect to be late on the play, but we didnt communicate on the play, Baez said. (Seager) beat the throw. Next time, I will be better and will be in my spot.The Dodgers took two of three from the Cubs over the weekend.Stewart struck out eight over five innings of two-hit ball, and then Jesse Chavez, Grant Dayton, Joe Blanton and Kenley Jansen closed up shop. Blanton (5-2) got the win and Jansen got three outs for his 39th save.Stewart began the season with Class A Rancho Cucamonga and was making just this third big league start. He struck out eight of the first 12 batters to set a career high and struck out six in a row during one stretch.dddddddddddde also got his first major league hit with a single in the third off Lester. He was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fifth after throwing 80 pitches.Jon Lester struck out six and pitched three-hit ball over six innings, and the Cubs also four-hit the Dodgers.I felt efficient early in the game but in the fifth and sixth innings they ran deep counts and made me work, Lester.Kendrick walked to lead off the first and reached third on an errant pickoff attempt by catcher David Ross, but Lester struck out Seager, Justin Turner and Gonzalez successively to end the threat.DISASTER AVERTEDSeager and second baseman Charlie Culberson bumped into each other and nearly dropped a pop-up by Addison Russell in the eighth inning. Both players called for the ball beyond second base, and Seager got his glove on it first but was brushed by Culberson. The ball popped out of Seagers glove and hit off Culbersons mitt before Seager barehanded it for the third out.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: RHP John Lackey (right shoulder strain) will throw a bullpen session Monday at home, and manager Joe Maddon said Lackey is scheduled to throw a second bullpen session during Chicagos homestand before a decision is made about when he will be activated.ROAD WARRIORSEntering this game, the Cubs (37-27) were one of two NL teams at least 10 games over .500 on the road. The St. Louis Cardinals were the other (38-24).UP NEXTCubs: RHP Jake Arrieta (16-5, 2.62) will open a seven-game homestand Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Last time out, Arrieta gave up two hits in eight scoreless innings to earn his league-leading 16th victory against the San Diego Padres. ' ' '