Dein erstes Forum » Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B.

PITTSBURGH -- The stakes are nowhere near the same: hockey immortality versus two points in the standings in the second week of a long season.Still, the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins expect the atmosphere to be a little more heated than the usual NHL October product when they meet Thursday night barely four months removed from Pittsburghs six-game victory in the Stanley Cup Final.It was obviously tough to go on that long a journey and lose the way we did, San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. I dont think there was any doubt at the end of the day they deserved to win, but at the same time I think for us its a chance to go in, and were a different team this year, and make a statement that we are a different team this year.The Penguins, in essence, are not. They brought back nearly the entire group that captured the franchises fourth championship and led to a raucous downtown parade in mid-June. A week removed from a giddy opening night in which the 2016 Cup banner was raised at newly renamed PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins are trying to focus on the next chapter instead of the last one.That shouldnt be a problem.The Penguins are coming off sloppy performances in an overtime loss to Colorado on Monday and a 4-0 setback in Montreal on Tuesday. Captain Sidney Crosby -- the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the MVP of the 2016 playoffs -- remains out indefinitely with a concussion and goaltender Matt Murray is still on the mend from a broken hand.Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan is focused on his team getting its act together. The fact the Sharks (3-1) happen to be next on the schedule is coincidental.Youve got to bring your A-game each and every night to give yourself a chance, Sullivan said. But certainly, coming off the type of game we had (against Montreal) and our opponent moving forward, there should be plenty of motivation for us to make sure we respond the right way.The Penguins did relentlessly during the 2016 postseason, seizing control of the best-of-seven final by taking the first two games at home and eventually closing the Sharks out on the road in Game 6. The giddy celebration in the visiting locker room in San Jose will be long remembered. It also wont mean a thing when the puck drops on Thursday.Theyre probably going to have a chip on their shoulder and we obviously didnt play too great (in Montreal), so were obviously going to have a chip on ours, forward Bryan Rust said. I think its going to be a physical, playoff-like atmosphere.San Jose appears just as sharp as it was last spring when it reached the Cup Final for the first time ever. If the Sharks need a reminder of how close they came, they only need look up at Pittsburghs banner-strewn rafters. Theres no going back, however. Another long trek to the postseason awaits. Thursday night is just one more step in the process.Its important that we keep building our game and trying to get better, captain Joe Pavelski said. We understand its a long ways from getting back to that position and this is a good team that well be playing.Game notesMurray skated with a small group of teammates on Wednesday and has been cleared to practice but there remains no timetable for his return to the lineup. ... Crosby skated early Wednesday and remains out.---AP Sports Writer Vinay Cherwoo in New York contributed to this report.Cameron Reynolds Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. George Hill Jersey . 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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.(STATS) -- Eastern Washingtons Beau Baldwin didnt get the head coaching position at Nevada for which he interviewed earlier this week.But his Big Sky Conference school made clear Friday that it doesnt want to lose Baldwin, announcing it was finalizing a new five-year contract with its ninth-year coach, who led the Eagles to the 2010 FCS national title.There is no doubt that coach Baldwin is one of the very best coaches ever in the Big Sky Conference and we are excited to be working out details with him, athletic director Bill Chaves said.ddddddddddddThis season, Eastern Washington won its fourth Big Sky title in the last five seasons and has a 11-1 record heading into its FCS playoff quarterfinal against Richmond on Saturday. Baldwin, 44, is 84-31 overall and has a 58-14 Big Sky record for a winning percentage of .806, which ranks fifth-best in conference history. ' ' '