MALMO, SWEDEN – Bringing Griffin Reinhart to the World Junior Hockey Championship, even though he would miss the first three games due to a suspension, was a major gamble. Cheap Jerseys From China . And it almost backfired. Without the big Edmonton Oil Kings defenceman in the lineup, Team Canada stumbled in a shootout loss to the Czech Republic and then trailed Slovakia 3-1 late in the second period of its third roundrobin game. A loss to the Slovaks would have meant Canadas hopes of topping Group A would be dashed and a date with the Russians in the quarter-finals would be looming. But Canada found a way, barely, to beat Slovakia. Reinhart then returned against the United States on New Years Eve, solidifying the blue line and helping Canada beat their North American rivals and secure an easier quarter-final opponent. Reinhart then scored the opening goal – the first time Canada struck first in eight games, including three pre-tournament ones – and added an assist in a 4-1 win over the Swiss. He was named player of the game. Meanwhile, the United States was eliminated by Russia. All the sudden, the decision to bring Reinhart is looking mighty good. "The only people questioning it was everybody on the outside," insisted head coach Brent Sutter. "We didnt have any question on the inside. After assessing where we were throughout the country with our back end, it became very clear to myself, after being told what I was told from the scouts side of it, that we had to take that chance of him not playing in the first three games and having him for perhaps the last four and thats how its going to work out." Reinhart, the son of former NHL defenceman Paul Reinhart, is the whole package. Thats why the New York Islanders made him the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NHL draft. And he certainly seems motivated to repay the trust Sutter has shown in him. "All year, it was pretty unpredictable whether they were going to take him," said Sam Reinhart, Griffins younger brother and Canadian teammate. "You know everyone in the locker room is happy they did now and hes probably the happiest guy here, too." Griffin Reinharts return had an immediate impact on defence partner Mathew Dumba, who was forced to carry a large load in the first three games, despite suffering from an energy-sapping virus. (If Dumba had been forced to miss a game, that would have left Canada with just five defenceman, yet another possible pitfall of bringing Reinhart despite the suspension.) Dumbas game was a bit off at times early in the competition, but he has meshed well with Reinhart in the last two outings. "Its huge having Griff here," said Dumba, who played 13 games with the Minnesota Wild this season before being loaned to Hockey Canada. "Hes a veteran player. Hes that calming presence definitely on the back end. I love playing with him. He makes it real simple for me out there. I always know where he is and vice versa." Reinharts presence has had ripple effects throughout the entire roster. "Hes meant a lot," said forward Curtis Lazar, "and you saw his offensive side today, but also in the D zone, he uses that big body to get the puck out of pressure and makes that first, crisp pass. Were really glad to have him back in the lineup." "Its been huge," said Sam Reinhart. "That experience he brings, the level of play, he just calms everything right from the forwards back to the goalie, just a calming presence on the ice." As for Griffin Reinhart himself, well, he is pretty happy with what hes brought to the table thus far. "Felt better that game," he said, moments after the quarter-final victory, "starting to get my legs under me and the team played well. Just skating, starting to get my hands back, just more comfortable on the ice. Its different practising, situations are different in games. The States game went well and its only getting better." Reinharts calm demeanour on the ice is replicated off it. "Ive known Griff for a quite a while and hes not the loudest guy in the dressing room, but when het gets on the ice, he loves to control the game," said Lazar, Reinharts teammate in the Western Hockey League. "I sort of have the inside track on Griff and hes not going to show much emotion, but its good to have him and hes really happy with the performance hes put out the past couple of games." Was the desire to make an impact eating him up while he waited for a chance to contribute earlier in the tournament? "Oh yeah," Lazar said, "no doubt." Notes: * Charles Hudon (shoulder) and Mathew Dumba (knee/leg) did not take part in the practice; head coach Brent Sutter described the absences as "maintenance days" and said both players are expected to be the lineup on Saturday. * It was Canadas first practice at Malmo Arena, which is much larger than the Malmo Isstadion where the team played its previous five tournament games; "It is what it is," Sutter said. "The game is played on the same sized ice no matter where youre playing." In conversation with Nabil Karim after the quarter-final win on Thursday, Sutter said moving rinks was akin to playing a "road game." The Finns have been based at Malmo Arena all tournament. * Sutter was asked for his take on facing Finland: "I see a hard-working team. I see a team thats very structured. I see a team thats going to play some North American hockey. Theyre a gritty group. Theyre getting some decent goaltending and they got three forwards on their team that are as good as any forwards in this tournament. Theyre going to come and theyre going to come hard and we have to be ready for it." * Here is a link to Canadian players talking about Fridays practice and facing Finland: http://bit.ly/1gwWvc4 Wholesale China Jerseys . Noah finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in 34 minutes. He was headed for his fourth triple-double of the season, but sat down with about three minutes left because of the lopsided score. Kirk Hinrich scored 19 points for Chicago, going 5 for 6 on 3-pointers, Carlos Boozer added 18 points, D. Cheap Jerseys . Olsen, who is 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, can play either centre or guard. The 25-year-old Olsen played 16 games and made four starts in 2012 with the New Orleans Saints. https://www.fakejerseysfromchina.com/ . Many of those eyes are in the United States of America, a country that the sport has wanted on its side for some time. On Sunday the football Gods delivered once again, only this time it was time for good old USA to experience as much heartache as joy.PHOENIX -- Big games arent out of the ordinary for Markieff Morris anymore, and he had another one Friday night. Morris made his first 11 shots en route to a 25-point performance and the Phoenix Suns handed the Toronto Raptors their fifth straight loss, 106-97. "Ive just got a great feel for the game right now," he said. "Im not trying to shoot as many 3s as I have in the past. Ive just been working on driving to the basket and trying to get to the line." Morris, who also grabbed 11 rebounds, finished 11 of 14 from the field, tying his career high in field goals made. His scoring total was three shy of his career best. "Thats what he does," teammate P.J. Tucker said. "You get his motor like that every game, I think he can do that every single game, night in and night out." Entering this season, Morris career best was 23 points. Through the first 20 games of this season, hes scored at least 23 five times, whether it be as a power forward or as the backup to centre Miles Plumlee. "He is able to take a big guy and if a guy gets up on him, he is able to drive by him," Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek said. "If he steps off him, he is a good shooter from that 15- to 18-foot range. He is being smart about when to drive it or when to shoot it. Then today, he was rolling to the basket." Eric Bledsoe added 19 points, including 3 of 3 on 3-pointers, and Tucker had 18 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for the Suns. Amir Johnson scored a season-best 22 points for the Raptors. Kyle Lowry added 19 and Rudy Gay 17. The Raptors lost Tyler Hansbrough with a sprained left shoulder in the first quarter. "He is going to get a look at his shoulder tomorrow (in Los Angeles)," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said, "but we missed his toughness." The Suns outrebounded the Raptors 53-36, including 18-11 on the offensive boards. "That has to be our biggest advantage of the year," Hornacek said. "EEverybody went for them. Fake Jerseys Cheap. " Morris and Tucker each had six offensive rebounds. "We did a decent job of getting stops," Casey said, "but then didnt get the rebounds. Thats about toughness, thats about attention to detail." Phoenix took control with a 16-6 run late in the third quarter. Bledsoe made a 3-pointer, fed Morris for a layup, then made a free throw when Lowry was called for a technical foul and Phoenix led 76-63 with 1:51 left in the period. Morris final field goal, a 17-footer, put the Suns up 81-69 with 42.9 left in the quarter. Toronto scored the next five to cut the lead to 81-74 entering the fourth. "They got out and played at their tempo in the third quarter," Lowry said. After the Suns scored the first five points of the final quarter, Steve Novaks 3-pointer cut it to 86-77 with 9:44 remaining, but Gerald Green made two 3s in an 11-6 surge to give Phoenix its biggest lead of the night, 97-83 with 4:37 to go. The Raptors scored the next eight to make it 97-91 on Johnsons layup with 2:42 left before Bledsoes 3 boosted the lead to 100-91 with 1:46 remaining. Morris string of baskets ended when he lost control going up for a layup and the shot went off the front of the rim. Toronto led by seven points in the second quarter before a late 9-0 Phoenix run. Goran Dragics 3 put the Suns up 48-47 with 2:05 left in the half, then Morris 12-foot turnaround jumper from the baseline made it 52-47. Phoenix led 52-50 at the break. NOTES: The Raptors had beaten Phoenix three times in a row. ... Toronto had two days off during a road trip for the first time this season. ... The Raptors entered the game first in the NBA in second-chance points at 17.7 per game but the Suns had 21 second-chance points to Torontos 16. ... The Raptors led by 27 in the third quarter Tuesday night at Golden State but lost, the largest comeback by an opponent in Raptors history. ... Toronto completes a three-game road trip Sunday against the Lakers. ' ' '