The Bruins gain an edge while the Ducks ride a rookie goaltender to even up their series. Reilly Smith Jersey . Notes on Carl Soderberg, Loui Eriksson, P.K. Subban, Ryan Getzlaf, John Gibson and more. BRUINS BACK IN CONTROL The Boston Bruins leaned on their supporting cast in Game Five, and it paid off, with a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens, giving the Bruins a 3-2 lead in the series. Carl Soderberg paced the Bruins, with a goal and two assists and while that was Soderbergs first goal of the postseason (to go with five assists), hes been a possession stalwart for the Bruins, on for 59.9 of the 5-on-5 shot attempts in the playoffs. Right there with Soderberg has been Loui Eriksson, who had a goal and an assist in Game Five, and has been rocking a 60% Corsi percentage in the postseason. 5-on-5 shot attempts. D Johnny Boychuk was tops on the Bruins, at 75.0%. While were covering Bruins players that were acquired from Dallas as part of the Tyler Seguin deal, might as well point out that Reilly Smith scored a goal and leads the NHL with a 61.9% Corsi percentage in the playoffs, and recent call-up Matt Fraser -- the OT hero of Game Four -- picked up an assist on Erikssons goal. There may be long-term regrets over what Seguin may accomplish in Dallas but, on this night, the Bruins reaped some nice rewards from the pieces they received in that trade. Smith was part of the Bruins most dominant line of the night, with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, all three on for at least 71.4% of the Interesting to note that, while RW Jarome Iginla scored a power play goal, the Bruins number one line continues to struggle. Iginla, Milan Lucic and David Krejci were the bottom three on the Bruins possession chart in Game Five. That happens to the best of them, though, because P.K. Subban was at the bottom of Montreals, on for 10 5-on-5 shot attempts for and 21 against (32.3%). Even so, Subban had a total of 14 shot attempts during the game (six on net, two missed, six blocked) and did score a power play goal late in the third period. Of course, the sideshow story that stands out from the game is that Subban, skating in front of the Bruins bench to retrieve the puck, was squirted with water by Bruins RW Shawn Thornton. For a guy that didnt hesitate to complain about Subban ducking his attempted late hit earlier in the series, thats mighty irresponsible. Subban was fine, but players on the ice -- especially in live action -- shouldnt have to deal with interference in any manner coming from the bench. One Canadiens player that might want a do-over on Game Five is C Tomas Plekanec. His possession stats (37.5%) were among the worst on the club and he took three minor penalties, that last two of which resulted in power play goals for the Bruins. While the possession numbers were close throughout the game and shot totals ended up favouring Montreal 31-30, the Bruins really had the game under control. Once they opened up a 3-0 lead 1:36 into the second period, the Canadiens were left to chase. Now, that puts Montreal in a must-win situation at home in Game Six. They certainly could; theyve played well enough to do it, but the Habs have also let the Bruins off the hook and are facing elimination because of it. ROAD WINNERS The Anaheim Ducks scored two goals in a 2:43 span late in the first period and made it stand up for the final 41:15, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 2-0, tie even the series at two games apiece. Anaheims big guns, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry each had two points, with Perry assisting on both goals, and Getzlaf scoring the second. With Matt Beleskey injured in Game Three, Devante Smith-Pelly joined the line and scored the games first goal. Getzlaf now has 13 points, two behind the playoff leader, the Kings Anze Kopitar. Ducks G Frederik Andersen left Game Three with a lower-body injury, which prompted the Ducks to start rookie John Gibson in Game Four and Gibson responded with a 28-save shutout. 20-year-old Gibson has the pedigree to be a top-tier goaltender. In 51 (regular season plus playoff) games in the AHL this year, he has a .924 save percentage, and stopped 79 of 83 shots (.954 SV%) in three games with the Ducks in the regular season. Gibson didnt have it easy, as the Ducks went into a shell after the first period and were outshot 19-3 the rest of the way, registering zero shots on goal in the second period. This led to some ridiculous possession stats. For the Kings, C Jarret Stoll was on the ice for Jakob Silfverberg, Saku Koivu and Andrew Cogliano -- were on for fewer than 20% of the shot attempts. The Kings also pulled G Jonathan Quick after the first period, turning to rookie Martin Jones. The home team has yet to win in this series and the Ducks have thrown a wildcard into the proceedings. If Gibson continues to run hot, that could be enough to tilt the balance. Of course, evening out the possession game would ease some of the pressure on Gibson and thats still possible -- the Ducks were keeping pace with the Kings in that regard through the first three games. From the Kings perspective, they now have to figure out how they are going to get Gibson off his game and start burying the chances that they get. In any case, theres lots left to be decided here. 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. David Krejci Bruins Jersey .com) - There was clearly no looking ahead for the U.Bobby Orr Jersey .S. Cellular Field on Saturday night, hell not only be returning to where his career began.The most important thing you need to know about stretching is this: it is good for you. The second most important thing to know is that the word "stretching" refers to many different types of exercises that do many different things to the body. We just need to understand what to do, how to do it - and when. The ongoing debate in the scientific and running communities about how an athlete should approach stretching is sometimes taken as a sign that there are no significant benefits to increased flexibility. It just isnt true. The truth is that stretching is a complicated topic but understanding and applying the science of flexibility and proper warm up techniques is essential if you are going to improve your performance. How Stretching Works Done properly, stretching can help you decrease muscle tension, reduce pain (make sure you seek professional help if you are having significant pain!) and improve your range of motion. The catch is that you need to understand what kind of stretching to do and when to do it. Lets begin by looking closely at the two major kinds of "stretching" that have been the focus of research around running. Dynamic activation occurs when you extend your muscles while moving them in an effort to improve blood flow, temperature, range of motion and potential power output. An example is doing slow but smooth walking lunges to increase your range of motion before a run. Traditional "As" and "Bs" also fall in the dynamic activation category. Static stretching is the label used to describe traditional stretches that are done while sitting or standing still where you put a muscle on stretch and hold the stretch for a period of time. The emerging opinion about stretching in the scientific community is that athletes should engage in dynamic activation prior to a workout and use static stretching after their cool down. What The Research Tells Us Studies have shown that static stretching prior to activity limits your power output and results in a neuromuscular inhibitory response in the muscles, which is counterproductive when you are trying to prime your body for activity. In simple terms, putting your muscles on static stretch reduces their power output for a period of time. Researchers are not sure how long the inhibition lasts. Research has also shown that static stretching prior to exercise does very little for injury prevention. The largest such study involved military recruits and found that those who performed static stretches prior to exercise were just as likely to get injured as their cohorts who did not stretch at all. Research about dynamic activation has illustrated that if you perform these types of movements prior to a workout, your body is better prepared for the more intense exercise that is to follow. In part, this is because dynamic activation requires excitatory neuromuscular signals to be sent from your brain to your muscles which increases metabolic activity. It can also increase blood flow to muscle and increase muscle temperature, which help in the "warm-up" process. Research has also shown that if you perform a static stretch following a dynamic activation movement, you will undo the benefits of the more active motion. In a group of collegiate track athletes, when dynamic stretching was followed by its static counterpart, there was a significant reduction in sprinting speed.1 The approach to stretching that is supported by the evidence involves the following progression. Begin by warming up for five to ten minutes with light activity (around 50 per cent of your maximum heart rate) so that your muscles have sufficient blood flow, oxygen and temperature to benefit from activation. Zdeno Chara Bruins Jersey. . Then proceed to find a warm place to engage in some dynamic activation exercises. (Make sure you get your coach or trainer to show you activities that are appropriate for you). Select dynamic activation movements that replicate the kind of movements you will perform during your workout (i.e. walking lunges before running, shoulder rotations before swimming). For runners, this could include the famous As and Bs that get blood flowing through the quadriceps and hamstrings by kicking at your butt or lifting your knees toward your chest. When your workout is complete, and you have done a proper active recovery with at least ten minutes of light activity, there are significant benefits to static stretching because static stretches relax your muscles and calm your nervous system. By performing static stretches for at least 20 seconds per exercise, you can reduce tension in your muscles. You can tell how long to hold a static stretch by placing a muscle on stretch and holding the stretch until you feel the muscle relax and lengthen. This often takes 20-30 seconds and the relaxation and lengthening happens when your nervous system reflexes that are designed to protect the muscle from rapid lengthening decrease their firing. Improve Your Performance Here are some things to keep in mind about stretching: - Always warm up before you run by doing some dynamic activation exercises - Static stretching is beneficial after your cool down - Never bounce when you do static stretching - Once you have initiated a static stretch, hold it until you feel the muscle relax (usually about 20-30 seconds) - Remember to breathe while you are stretching or activating - If you are new to dynamic or static stretching, make sure you get instruction on how to do it properly Thoughts on Yoga for Runners We are fortunate to live in a day and age when the ancient art of Yoga has achieved international popularity and there is widespread access to Yoga studios. The physical benefits of yoga techniques are immense because they promote improved flexibility and have been tested during a three thousand year process of trial and error. Any runner will benefit from attending yoga classes – even if it can only happen once a week. I prefer flow Ashtanga yoga classes but try a few out and see what works for you. Yoga is a deeply meditative and spiritual practice that will help you develop mindfulness and get in tune with your body, habits that are of great benefit to all of us. From stress reduction to various forms of emotional release, yoga has side effects that will improve your fitness and help you live the vital and healthy life you crave. Reference 1 Static Stretching Impairs Sprint Performance in Collegiate Track and Field Athletes: http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2008/01000/Static_Stretching_Impairs_Sprint_Performance_in.4.aspx Greg Wells Ph.D. (www.drgregwells.com, @drgregwells) is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Faculties of Medicine and Kinesiology. He was the sport science analyst for the Olympic Broadcast Consortium during the 2010 & 2012 Games, and is the author of Superbodies: Peak Performance Secrets from the Worlds Best Athletes. Jessica Caterini is a member of the Human Physiology Research Unit in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Toronto. http://www.drgregwells.comhttp://www.twitter.com/drgregwellshttp://www.superbodies.tv ' ' '
