aid on us today," said Eakins. Eakins, in his first season behind an NHL bench, described his thought

To hear Edmonton Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins explain it, Lars Eller did his club a huge favour to help inspire the Oilers to a 4-3 comeback victory over the Canadiens on Tuesday night. Custom Toronto Maple Leafs Jerseys . Prior to the game, the 24-year-old Eller was asked what to expect from his opponents by Chris Stevenson of Sun Media. "It can be anything, you know? They (the Oilers) play a little bit like a junior team, I think, sometimes," Eller said. "They take a lot of risks, a lot of chances, theyre a little all over the place. Theres not a lot of structure, always, in their game." Well as things go in hockey, the comments made it straight to the proverbial bulletin board in the Edmonton dressing room. The players were made aware of it, and afterwards Eakins explained the mood of his club. "Its games like that where you dont even need to go play them. Youve got a player like Lars Eller running his mouth before the game," Eakins told the media. "It makes for great banter in our dressing room and a great motivation. So we thank Lars Eller for his comments before the game. Awesome. "They might as well have sent me over a fruit basket and a bottle of wine. I was like, man, that is just perfect. That was a really great present that Mr. Eller laid on us today," said Eakins. Eakins, in his first season behind an NHL bench, described his thought process after the Oilers fell behind 2-0 after the first period. "I knew (the game) was going to turn (in our favour). That is a total Hockey God thing, and Im sure that young man has learnt his lesson and I highly doubt that youll see anything like that out of his mouth again," said Eakins. On Wednesday, Eller spoke to the media in Montreal and gave his side of the story. "It wasnt my intention to say something disrespectful to the Oilers," explained Eller. "I was asked about their style of game...I said a bunch of things. One thing was taken out and highlighted. "Im not the kind of guy who trash-talks in the media." Bruce Boudreau Jersey .Y. -- Mike Zigomaniss goal at 5:53 of the third period stood up as the winner as the Rochester Americans hung on to defeat the visiting Hamilton Bulldogs 3-2 on Saturday in American Hockey League action. Mitchell Marner Jersey . "Its embarrassing what were doing here," leading scorer Phil Kessel said Wednesday. The most recent failed season came with even more pain than the six that preceded it. There was no hint of an impending implosion when the Leafs came roaring out of the all-star break with back-to-back games against Pittsburgh -- a 5-4 shootout loss followed by a 1-0 win the next night. http://www.officialmapleleafspro.com/Kris-versteeg-maple-leafs-jersey/ . Betancourt was 2-5 with a 4.08 ERA and 16 saves for the Rockies last season before tearing a ligament in his pitching elbow. He considered undergoing platelet-rich plasma therapy to fix his arm, but announced in August his decision to have Tommy John surgery. MINNEAPOLIS -- The Oakland Athletics brought Jim Johnson into their bullpen when they lost All-Star closer Grant Balfour in free agency. Two weeks into the season, Johnson is 0-2 with an 18.90 ERA and one blown save in five appearances for the Athletics. Manager Bob Melvin couldnt afford to wait while the former Orioles closer got into a groove, removing him from that role on Thursday. Melvin will proceed with a closer-by-committee approach. "Theres no timetable," Melvin told As beat writers before the team played their series finale against the Minnesota Twins. "Lets just get him straightened out. And we have plenty of options. Thats the good thing about our team, our versatility. Well play it by ear based on how the games going, whos available on that particular day." Hes allowed at least two runs in three of his five appearances, his seven total runs allowed is tied for the most in the AL among relievers. Hes allowed moore walks and hits than any other reliever in the league. Felix Potvin Jersey. . Its a far cry from the dominant reliever who saved 50 games for the Orioles last season, tied with Atlantas Craig Kimbrel for the most in the majors. The As were in the market when Balfour, who had 38 saves last year to help Oakland win its second straight AL West title, signed with the Tampa Bay Rays over the winter. Johnson is making $10 million and will be a free agent at the end of this season, but the As can take heart that he has recovered from similar funks before to post solid seasons. Last year, he was charged with three losses and four of his nine total blown saves during a tough six-game stretch in the middle of May. He allowed 12 runs over five innings in that stretch, but posted a 1.52 ERA in his other 69 appearances. 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