SOCHI, Russia -- Canada was a second-half team at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Wholesale MLB Jerseys . The medal intake in Sochi is forecasted to happen at a more measured pace. Starting with Saturdays mens snowboard slopestyle and womens moguls, Canada has at least one legitimate medal shot, if not more, virtually every day until the closing ceremonies Feb. 23. Chef de mission Steve Podborski and his assistants Jean-Luc Brassard and France St. Louis intend to be present at events where a Canadian is a front-runner for a medal. "I would say were booked every day," Podborski said at a Canadian Olympic Committee news conference Thursday. The host country won 18 of its 26 medals in Vancouver during the back half of the Games. Ten of the 14 gold medals came in the second half, including four on the final weekend. Sports making their Olympic debut helped balance the schedule of Canadas medal prospects in Sochi. Mens and womens snowboard slopestyle, the figure skating team event and the luge relay are among the new events over the first eight days of competition in which Canada has solid medal prospects. Thats in addition to Canadas strength in the entrenched sports of alpine skiing, moguls, short-track speedskating and cross-country skiing. "Sure there are new sports and we happen to be very, very good in the new ones because we are a great sporting nation," Podborski said. "With the support were getting now from corporate Canada, Own The Podium and the Government of Canada, we have an opportunity to be good in the traditional sports as well and thats where well make our great gains in the areas where are athletes are getting better . . . cross-country, alpine skiing." Canadas athletes have been waging fierce foosball tournaments in their village lounge while they await Fridays opening ceremonies, according to Podborski. But Olympic competition started early for some Canadians with Thursdays preliminary rounds. Canada sat in second place, two points behind host Russia, after the first day of the new team figure skating event. Torontos Patrick Chan was third in the mens short program, then Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., were second in the pairs short to give Canada 17 of a possible 20 points after the first two events. Sebastien Toutant of LAssomption, Que., and Max Parrot of Bromont, Que., advanced to the mens snowboard slopestyle final Saturday, while Charles Reid of Mont-Tremblant, Que., and Reginas Mark McMorris will attempt to join them via the semifinal earlier in the day. The Dufour-Lapointe sisters from Montreal -- Justine, Chloe and Maxime -- all qualified for Saturdays womens moguls finals as did Audrey Robichaud of Quebec City. Reigning world champion Spencer OBrien of Courtney, B.C., qualified for the womens slopestyle final Sunday. Hockey Canada also made the decision to replace injured forward Steven Stamkos with Tampa Bay teammate Martin St. Louis. No competition is scheduled Friday because of the opening ceremonies. In addition to slopestyle and womens moguls on opening weekend, skiers Erik Guay of Mont-Tremblant, Que., Calgarys Jan Hudec and Manny Osborne-Paradis of Invermere, B.C., are medal prospects in Sundays downhill. Canadas figure skaters are favoured to win a medal in the team event, which ends Sunday. Canadas objective in 2010 was to top the overall medal count and the target remains the same in Sochi. The host team was third in total medals, but won the gold-medal race four years ago. Because of the new sports, there are 36 more medals to be won in 2014 than in 2010. That will help fill Canadas coffers, but also those of top rivals Germany, Norway, the United States and host Russia. "Canada is here to compete and win," COC president Marcel Aubut said. "Our aim is to contend for the number one spot in medals won." "This is an ambitious goal, but we Canadians like it this way. Our athletes expect nothing less of themselves but the highest achievements." Added Podborski: "You dont try to come "somewhere up there." We expect great things in Canada now. Its an ideal approach. "We may not win the medal count this time. We may not win it the next time but one day we will because we are striving to be number one in the world in the medal count." While Canadas preparation for 2010 seems a successful model to copy for Sochi, the Canadian Olympic Committee took a different approach. The 2008 Summer Games in Beijing posed similar challenges to Sochi in terms of distance to travel, time-zone difference and unfamiliar language, food and culture. Virtually all of Canadas Olympians competed, trained or at least visited Beijing in the year prior to those Games to get comfortable with the place. The same practice was done for Sochi. There was less emphasis on pre-Games visits for the 2012 Summer Games in London. "If we look at the Beijing experience and we look at the Sochi experience, its actually very similar," COC chief sport officer Caroline Assalian says. "New and unfamiliar environment for most countries. "We ensured that the athletes and support teams as much as possible are familiar with this environment." The COC has conducted exit interviews with athletes, their coaches and support teams following Olympic Games since 2006 to better plan for the next. The athletes were asked "what made the difference in your performance?" "Their number one factor? Feeling part of a larger unified team, more than anything," Assalian said. "Thats what made the difference for them. Coaches and support team? Familiarity with the Olympic environment." And where Beijing was also a benchmark for Sochi was in Canadas conversion rate, which the number of athletes ranked in the top five at their most recent world championships make it onto the podium at the subsequent Olympic Games. The COC employs conversion rates to compare how Canadas athletes are performing compared to other countries. Even though Canada won just 18 medals in Beijing, the conversion rate there was 67 per cent compared to 59 per cent at the Winter Games of both 2010 and 2006, according to Assalian. The Canadian team needs at least match Beijings conversion rate to be in the hunt for the overall title in Sochi. "Our bar now is Beijing," Assalian says. "We know we need to convert better than we ever have at any Winter Olympic Games." The Canadian team will attempt this without the advantage it had in Vancouver and Whistler of home ice and home snow. Own The Podium chief executive officer Anne Merklinger says many winter sport teams have stronger leadership and better coaches since 2010. Both areas were priorities coming out of Vancouver and Whistler and she hopes improvements there compensate for the additional challenges of Sochi. "Weve come a long way in that regard," she says. "Without coaches, were behind the 8-ball. Its the most important success factor. "I think there are a number of examples where weve brought in great coaches, but weve lost some too. We need to find a way to continue to retain the good ones we have and attract new ones." "Were investing in that. Thats what it takes. Its a competitive industry." OTP oversees athletes competitive lives between Olympic Games and allocates about $62 million a year in federal government funding between summer and winter sports. The COC prepares athletes for the Games environment and looks after their needs and wants on the ground in Sochi. MLB Jerseys China . "If we could score a six in every game, obviously I would be pretty excited," Jones said. "Its a long week but a short week. Its a pretty short round robin from what were used to so you dont want to get behind the eight ball early. Discount Baseball Jerseys .com) - A pair of programs shooting for their 10th win of the season get together at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as the NC State Wolfpack tangle with 22nd-ranked West Virginia during the challenge round of the Gotham Classic. http://www.cheapmlbjerseysusa.com/ . The English Football Association had charged the German right back with violent conduct after retrospectively reviewing video evidence of an incident that was missed by match officials at Craven Cottage on Saturday.The red-hot Toronto Maple Leafs will aim for their seventh win in eight games to begin the season when they host the Carolina Hurricanes in Thursdays battle at Air Canada Centre. James Reimer will get the start for Toronto after his solid outing on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. The team will have to do it without James van Riemsdyk however, as head coach Randy Carlyle said Thursday morning the forward is suffering from back spasms. The Maple Leafs currently are on their second three-game winning streak of the season, having opened the campaign with three straight victories before suffering their only loss on Oct. 8 against Colorado. Toronto has beaten Nashville, Edmonton and Minnesota since that home loss to the Avalanche and is sitting atop the Atlantic Division with 12 points. Torontos last two wins came on home ice and the club is wrapping a three-game stand at ACC on Thursday. The Maple Leafs were last in action on Tuesday, when Mason Raymond tallied a pair of goals to help Toronto record a 4-1 decision over the Minnesota Wild. Raymond scored his first of the game in the second period and added a late empty-netter for Toronto, which is shooting for its first four-game winning streak since Feb. 5-11 of last season. Tyler Bozak and Trevor Smith also scored in Tuesdays victory. "It was tough, theyre a good team," said Bozak. "They play hard, they dont give you much out there. We found a way to get it done, and thats the most important thing." Reimer, making his first appearance in goal after he was pulled for Jonathan Bernier in the second period of a win over Ottawa on Oct. 5, stood tall between the pipes, stopping 37-of-38 shots. "You want contribution from everybody all over the ice," said Raymond. "Reims tonight was huge. From our standpoint, we didnt have the best game ever, didnt have a lot of shots on net, but at the end of the day we found a way to win." Carolina has lost three straight heading into Thursdays contest, but the Canes were able to record a point in two of those setbacks, including Tuesdays 3-2 shootout loss against visiting Chicago. Patrick Sharp scored in the third round of the shootout to help the Blackhawks take a 3-2 win, but Carolina overcame a 2-0 deficit in the third period to steal a point from the defending Stanley Cup champions. Alexander Semin and Ron Hainsey scored in the third period for the Hurricanes, who havent won since beating Washington on Oct. 10. Cam Ward finished the game with 34 saves, but fell to 0-2-3 on the season. Trailing by two goals entering the third period, the Hurricanes made it a one- goal game 3:54 in as a big slap shot from the right circle by Eric Staal was stopped, but the rebound sat on the doorstep and Semin swept it in for his second of the year. Carolina tied the game with 7:27 to play, as Hainsey wound up with the puck at the left point and threw it on net. The disc sailed past several players and beat a screened Crawford. "To come back and tie the game in the third period is a huge confidence booster for this team," said Ward. "We just have to learn how to finish these games." Ward is 13-8-2 with a 2.78 GAA in 23 career outings against Toronto and is expected to get the call on Thursday. Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk sat out Tuesdays game with an undisclosed injury and he is questionable for tonight. Carolinas Elias Lindholm has sat out the last two tilts with an upper-body issue and the centerman is also questionable for Thursdays contest. Toronto posted a 6-3 home win over the HHurricanes when the clubs last met on March 28. Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys. That victory ended a four-game slide in the series for the Maple Leafs, who only have two wins in the last seven games against Carolina. Toronto has claimed three of the last five meetings at Air Canada Centre, but the Hurricanes have taken seven of the past 10 encounters on the road. New Jersey Devils at Ottawa Senators The New Jersey Devils once again will aim for their first victory of the season when the Ottawa Senators host Thursdays home opener at Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators shook up their lines during morning skate Wednesday with Cory Conacher taking Bobby Ryans spot on the top line and Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Zack Smith swapping spots as well. The Devils are 0-3-3 on the season and are coming off consecutive regulation losses. New Jersey does enter Thursdays game in Ottawa well rested, however, as the club hasnt played since Sundays 3-0 setback in Winnipeg. New Jersey sent 24 shots Al Montoyas way on Sunday, but the Jets goaltender stopped ever single one to lead Winnipeg to the win. Evander Kane added two goals to the home teams cause, while Cory Schneider stopped 32 shots in a losing effort. The Devils, who have tallied just 11 goals in six games this season, have scored once on 15 opportunities on the power play in 2013-14. The club was 0- for-5 on the power play against the Jets and failed to score on a two-man advantage for 1:12 early in the second period. "You got a full five-on-three there. If we score, I think its a different game. We have to generate something there," New Jersey head coach Peter DeBoer remarked. The Devils will turn to Martin Brodeur in net on Thursday. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer is 0-1-2 with a 3.19 goals against average this season, but is 36-23-3 with four ties and a 2.17 GAA in 67 career games against the Senators. New Jersey will play Thursday without forward Ryane Clowe, who suffered a head injury in the loss to the Jets and has been placed on injured reserve. Clowe, who signed a five-year, $24.25 million deal with the Devils in the offseason, has one assist in six games this season. The Senators, meanwhile, are happy to be home after going 2-2-2 on a season- opening six-game road trip. Ottawa had lost four straight before closing the swing with Tuesdays overtime decision against the Phoenix Coyotes. Cory Conacher scored 2:48 into the extra session to lift the Sens to the 4-3 triumph in the desert. Jason Spezza completed the fifth hat trick of his career for the Senators and his third goal gave Ottawa a 3-2 lead with 12:41 left in the third, but Phoenixs Mike Ribeiro was credited with a power-play goal with 3:30 remaining to force overtime. In the extra session, Marc Methot sent a diagonal slap pass to below the right circle for a successful one-timer by Conacher. Craig Anderson made 34 saves for Ottawa. "We end up with a .500 record to start the season with six games on the road. We can go home and feel good about that, not really feel good about maybe the way we played in all those games but we did find a way to get some points out of four of the games," said Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean. The Senators are playing two straight and four of their next five games on home ice. Ottawa was 15-6-3 as the host during the lockout-shortened 2013 season compared to a 10-11-3 mark on the road. Ottawa also won all three of its games against New Jersey last season and has taken six of nine overall in the series. The Devils have lost five of their last six games in Canadas capital city. ' ' '