TORONTO — Having lost in the semifinal to Sweden the last two years, Russian coach Valeri Bragin said it was time to end the unl

TORONTO — Having lost in the semifinal to Sweden the last two years, Russian coach Valeri Bragin said it was time to end the unlucky tradition. Devin Hester Jersey .Alexander Sharov scored twice leading Russia to a berth in the gold medal game at the world junior hockey championship with a 4-1 win over Sweden on Sunday.Everybody understands we dont have a chance to have mistakes, said St. Louis Blues prospect, Ivan Barbashev. We know it was kind of brutal in our group, but after the quarter-finals and semifinals everybody was together and we play 100 per cent.The Russians will play either Canada or Slovakia on Monday night in the championship game.Bragin summed it up best when asked what itd mean to meet the Canadians in the final.Its the best thing for all of the hockey community, for business, he said. Russia - Canada: hockey classicZiat Paigin and Maxim Mamin had the other Russian goals. Lucas Wallmark scored the lone goal for Sweden.New York Rangers draft pick Igor Shestyorkin made 26 saves in the win while Linus Soderstrom stopped 27 shots for Sweden.It was the third time in the last four years the two countries met in a semifinal at the Under-20 tournament.It feels terrible right now. Cant describe it right now, said Swedish defenceman, and Vancouver Canucks prospect, Gustav Forsling. I dont think we shoot a lot like we should on this goalie. Hes not a good goalie so we should get some more shots through. Get some people in front. We dont do that.Russia scored twice a little over a minute apart in the second period.Sharov opened the scoring with his third of the tournament at 11:18 putting an Anatoli Golyshev feed past Soderstrom.Paigin made it 2-0 lead at 12:50 one-timing a pass from Rinat Valiev for his first of the tournament.Vyacheslav Leshenko had an excellent chance to give the Russians a 3-0 lead with just 39 seconds remaining in the second, but Soderstrom got his shoulder out to direct the shot over the net.Sharovs second of the game 1:31 into the third put it out of reach. The 19-year-old draft-eligible forward picked up a pass from Vladimir Bryukvin and beat Soderstrom with a wrist shot.First experience of my life, I was ready for this all my life, and Im very excited, said Valiev, a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect. Its pretty exciting. I love to play here. It was tough games and hopefully were playing fine right now.Wallmark got Sweden on the board with his fourth of the tournament at 11:30 of the third.However, Mamin put home the rebound off of Ivan Fishenkos shot at 12:39 restoring Russias three-goal lead with his second goal of the tournament.Sweden, which won silver losing to Finland at the gold medal game at the tournament last year, now has a shot at bronze on Monday.However, they were finding it hard to look at a possible bronze as a positive.We have to win that game. Right now it sucks, but we have to get up tomorrow and win the game, said Forsling. Thats the only thing we can do right now.Added defenceman, Anton Karlsson: Its so disappointing. You want to play in the final and you want to play in a full arena.Sweden also defeated Russia 3-2 during the preliminary round on Dec. 29. Russia won Bronze at last years event defeating Canada 2-1. Mitchell Trubisky Jersey . -- Andrew Wiggins is from Canada, Wayne Selden from Massachusetts and Joel Embiid from the African nation of Cameroon. Tom Waddle Bears Jersey . Phoenix originally signed Barbosa to a 10-day contract on Jan. 8 after Eric Bledsoe injured his knee and then signed him to another 10-day deal. http://www.chicagobearfootballauthentic.com/authentic-anthony-miller-bears-jersey/ .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday.DETROIT -- Gustav Nyquist is making the most of his opportunity to play a lot for the injury-depleted Detroit Red Wings. Nyquist had two goals and Jimmy Howard made 31 saves to help the Red Wings hold on to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Tuesday night. The 24-year-old Nyquist has 19 goals in 43 games after he had a total of four goals in 40 games spread out over the previous two seasons in the league. Entering the game against Toronto, he was tied with Bostons Jarome Iginla with an NHL-high 12 goals since Jan. 20. "I didnt know that," Nyquist said. "Im just playing with some good players and Im getting some good bounces." While Nyquist is being humble about his goal-scoring stretch, teammate Daniel Alfredsson raved about the fellow Swede. "Hes really pesky on the forecheck and hes making a lot of plays," Alfredsson said. "His speed gives him chances that other players dont get. The second goal was a perfect example." Early in the third period, Nyquist poked the puck off the boards to himself and charged up the ice early to flick a wrist shot from the right circle that beat James Reimers blocker. That goal seemed to set the Red Wings up for the victory, but they still had work to do. Jake Gardiner scored on a power play midway through the third to pull Toronto within a goal. The Maple Leafs appeared to tie the game less than two minutes later, but Nazem Kardris goal was waved off because he made a kicking motion to knock the puck in with the inside of his right skate. The Red Wings went ahead by two goals again with 2:33 left when Alfredssons wrist shot from the slot hit the back of the net on an odd-man rush that Gardiner lamented. "I thought we were going to come back at the end, but we made a mistake," Gardiner said. The Maple Leafs pulled Reimer to add an extra skater seconds later and James van Riemsdyk scored with 1:13 left, but couldnt get the puck past Howard again to extend the game past regulation. "Not a lot of space out on the ice," Toronto coach Randy Carlyle said. Reimer stoppped 28 shots for the Maple Leafs. Mike Singletary Bears Jersey. Detroit is desperately trying to move up in the Eastern Conference standings to extend its post-season streak to 23 with a fraction of the team it expected to have this season. Toronto is the first of two wild-card teams in the East, and the Red Wings wouldnt make the playoffs is they started Wednesday. "A huge win for us," Nyquist said. "Also very important they didnt get a point too and we got two." The Red Wings lost forward Justin Abdelkader to a leg laceration in Sundays loss at Chicago, leading to the team calling up 22-year-old Landon Ferraro, son of former NHL player Ray Ferraro. "I was a little nervous at the beginning," Landon Ferraro acknowledged. Ferraro said it was "awesome" to have both his parents watch him play his first game for the Red Wings. "It was real nice for both of them to be able to get in and be here for this," he said before chatting with his father in the dressing room after the game. Abdelkaders injury also put 25-year-old defenceman Brendan Smith at forward for the first time since he was a teenager against Toronto. The banged-up team, which had won just two of their previous seven games, took another hit against the Maple Leafs. The Red Wings started the game with numerous forwards, including Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, due to injuries and lost defenceman Jonathan Ericsson because of a broken finger. "We get somebody hurt every day and they never come back," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "I guess hes out for a bit. I dont really know. A hand specialist is looking at him." NOTES: The Maple Leafs beat the Red Wings in their previous meeting, a 3-2 shootout on New Years Day in the Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium, after losing the first matchup this season 5-4 in a shootout at home. ... Abdelkader is expected to be out for two weeks. ... Toronto, which closed its road trip 2-3, hosts Tampa Bay on Wednesday. ... Detroits next game is Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. ' ' '