Die Macht » Louis piicked up an assist on the first goal, th

Mark McMorris fractured rib is steadily improving, so much so that the gold-medal favourite in Sochi plans to snowboard in a few days to "see how it goes." McMorris responded in an email to The Associated Press on Friday that he feels "pretty good" nearly a week after his crash during the Winter X Games slopestyle final. He has a few more days to heal with slopestyle qualifying at the Sochi Games not beginning until Feb. 6. Last weekend, the 20-year-old from Regina caught his snowboard on the lip of a rail and landed hard on the bar, then slid down on his right side before hitting the snow. "I was in a lot of pain and I couldnt breathe," he said in the email. "I just had to get up. I couldnt lay there. I was so disappointed." He made it down the hill that afternoon under his own power and headed to the hospital, where X-rays revealed he had a fractured rib but no other damage. And now McMorris refuses to let the fall derail his Olympic aspirations. "I am really blessed and lucky I get a second chance to try and give it a shot," he said. Asked if his rib might hamper him during competition, McMorris responded: "I cant predict it until I get out there and try." McMorris arrived in Europe early so he could get accustomed to the time difference. He said hes pretty much been "in a stationary place trying to get better. Feeling Ok but my rib is still broken so its not 100 per cent. ... Every day (the rib) gets better and I still have 4 or 5 days before I compete." Sore rib and all, McMorris will still be one of the favourites as slopestyle makes its Olympic debut. He could be the biggest challenger to Shaun White, who will also try to defend his title in the halfpipe. Pressure being the front-runner? "For sure," McMorris said in an interview at Winter X, a few days before his crash. "Whenever youre at the top of the sport, people look to you to keep going. Ive proven time and time again, that I can get the result. "Now, when were talking on an even bigger level, the Olympics, its really put on my shoulders. But everybody feels pressure. You can either take it in a positive or negative way. I try to feed off of it." McMorris doesnt view White so much with a sense of awe, but rather as simply another competitor in a talent-rich field that includes fellow Canadian rider Max Parrot, who won at Winter X with back-to-back triple-cork jumps. In fact, its White whos been doing most of the chasing in this event, because McMorris has been the snowboarder with the innovative tricks. "(White) is another guy youve got to beat," McMorris said in the interview before his crash. "I go to a contest to ride the best I can. Its in the judges hands after that. Thats what everybody does. I dont think its a sport where youre trying to take down any certain person. Youre trying to win a contest and do the best you can do." 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Elias scored a power-play goal 40 seconds into overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Cam Talbot flustered the Flyers again and Martin St. Louis reached a milestone, as the New York Rangers went to Philadelphia in the opener of a home-and-home set and left with a 3-0 victory. Talbot hadnt played since making 31 saves in a 2-0 triumph over the Flyers on Nov. 19 at Madison Square Garden and on Friday turned aside all 26 shots he faced to give the Rangers a third win in their last four tries. All three of those wins have come via shutout, as Henrik Lundqvist stopped 21 shots in 5-0 win over Montreal five days ago. St. Louis notched a goal and an assist to reach 1,000 career points. Dan Boyle and Rick Nash also scored for the Rangers, while Derek Stepan assisted on all three goals. Steve Mason made 21 saves for the Flyers, who have lost three in a row and are 1-6-1 in their last eight. The teams will meet again Saturday afternoon in New York. Talbot stopped all eight shots he faced in the first period and the Rangers cashed in on a power play just over six minutes into the contest to grab a 1-0 lead. Stepan kept the puck alive in the Philadelphia zone at the right point and swept a pass to the left point for Boyle, who rifled a shot past a screened Mason. St. Louis piicked up an assist on the first goal, then scored his ninth of the season at 4:14 of the second to reach the milestone.dddddddddddd Stepan again factored into the goal with a shot from the right circle that Mason stopped. The rebound, though, caromed into the low slot for an unchecked St. Louis, who snapped it home. The Rangers added to their lead 5 1/2 minutes into the third period after Chris Kreider was hit with a double-minor for high-sticking. Less than a minute into the penalty kill, Stepan led a 3-on-1 rush and sent a pass from the left wing into the right circle for Nash, who one-timed a shot into the net for his 16th goal of the season. Talbot, after stopping seven shots in the second period, turned aside 11 in the third to complete his fifth career shutout. Game Notes In 16 seasons with the Rangers, Tampa Bay and Calgary, St. Louis has 379 goals and 621 assists ... Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh returned to the lineup after missing 11 games with a separated shoulder. The defenseman picked up an assist on the Rangers final goal ... The Flyers were 0-for-6 on the power play, while the Rangers converted once in their six chances with the man-advantage. ' ' '