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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Two teams whose seasons are heading in opposite directions will meet Tuesday night when the Anaheim Ducks play the New York Islanders at the Honda Center.The Ducks share first place in the Pacific Division with the Los Angeles Kings and the surprising Edmonton Oilers. The Islanders, meanwhile, own the worst record in the Eastern Conference following a frustrating November. New York has lost four consecutive games this month and seven of eight. Two losses took place during overtime, another two in shootouts.Scoring has been such a big problem for the Islanders that first-line center John Tavares has seen a constant rotation of different wingers all season. So has left winger Andrew Ladd, who signed a seven-year contract worth $38.5 million as a free agent but has just two goals, one assist and a minus-4 rating after 17 games.Nevertheless, general manager Garth Snow expressed public confidence in Ladd, who scored 24 goals and amassed a career-high 62 points for the Winnipeg Jets two years ago.Andrew Ladd is not defined as a hockey player by scoring goals, Snow told New York Newsday. Its a lot of different things he does, whether its being a tough SOB to play against or his leadership. He didnt have many goals last year around Christmas and then he turned it on. Hes a winner. Hes a big part of our club.Snows confidence extends to the rest of the Islanders.I have a lot of belief in everyone in that room, Snow told Newsday. The great part about facing adversity is that you see who rises to the top. When you face adversity, its a great challenge, and I look forward to seeing who rises to that challenge.Two defensemen, Dennis Seidenberg and Ryan Pulock, will remain unavailable for the Islanders lone trip to California. Seidenberg has a broken jaw and is not eating solid food. Pulock will accompany the team but only to continue his conditioning as he recovers from a broken right foot he suffered Oct. 21 against the Arizona Coyotes.After playing the Ducks, New York will face the Kings on Wednesday night, then travel to San Jose to play the Sharks on Friday night.The Islanders will begin their trip facing a team in search of itself. Despite winning five of the past eight games, the Ducks have yet two win more than two in a row. Anaheim sabotaged its chance for a third successive victory Sunday night with two listless opening periods in a 3-2 loss to the Kings.We didnt play anywhere near where were capable of, Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. They outworked us for two periods. Pucks were going through our sticks. We couldnt execute a tape-to-tape pass. They basically manhandled us against the wall, and we didnt get involved physically until the third period.Carlyle believes the Ducks performance against their cross-town rivals illustrates a bigger problem.I think were a hockey club that is still trying to find its way, Carlyle told the Los Angeles Times. We havent really created our identity yet. Consistency, in everybodys mind, is going to be a challenge well beyond the 20-game mark. Justin Anderson Jersey . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. Darryl Dawkins Jersey . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. http://www.76ersprostore.com/Cheap-Julius-Erving-76ers-Jersey/ . The 29-year-old Baines has established himself as one of the top attacking full backs in the country and was the subject of two bids from United during the last off-season. Everton manager Roberto Martinez says that keeping Baines at the club is a "massive boost and exciting for the future" because he brings "maturity and football knowledge in a very specialized position on the pitch" and an "infectious and positive influence to the rest of the squad. Jahlil Okafor Jersey . Pert has formerly spent time as an assistant coach with Cardiff City, Coventry City, and Bahrain mens national team. "Martyn is a highly-respected coach with experience at the top levels in England," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson. Richaun Holmes Jersey .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. NEW YORK -- A year ago, this was precisely the time and place Serena Williams crashed and burned.She was attempting the rare calendar-year Grand Slam, having won her first 26 major matches of the season in Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon and through the quarterfinals in New York.And then Williams was blindsided by Roberta Vinci of Italy, playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal. The pressure that had been building all year -- pressure Williams had flatly dismissed -- seemed to paralyze her.This year, with milestones of a more cumulative sort on the line, Williams had been noticeably calmer -- until Thursday night. But playing against Karolina Pliskova, a 24-year-old from the Czech Republic, there were times when the same looks of dread and absolute anguish that surfaced against Vinci again crossed her features.The No. 10-seeded Pliskova produced an emphatic 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory to advance to Saturdays final against the winner of the late match between No. 2 seed Angelique Kerber and two-time US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki.Williams wasnt just a victim of nerves; as the match progressed she seemed troubled by a left hamstring injury that had her hobbling into the tiebreaker.I had a goal today, to beat Serena, Pliskova said in her on-court interview. And thats what I did.I dont believe it. Actually, I do believe it. I knew I could beat anyone if Im playing my game.A few more takeaways from this stunner:Pliskova never, ever blinked: Down a set and 15-30 in the opening game of the second, Williams desperately needed to change the momentum of her swiftly vanishing match against Pliskova. So she cracked a forehand right at Pliskovas midsection, who was lucky to barely deflect it with her racket. Williams let out a huge roar, but Pliskova wasnt impressed. She hung on to forcee a second-set tiebreaker and closed the deal there -- just as she had done earlier against Serenas sister Venus.dddddddddddd. America probably hates me, she said, because I beat Venus and Serena.Williams was physically compromised: Williams did not move particularly well throughout the match, possibly because she was playing for a second consecutive night. Ultimately, that was her responsibility because she asked the USTA to play her first match last Tuesday, which meant playing the quarterfinals and semifinals on successive nights. Coming off a difficult match against No. 5 seed Simona Halep that she won in three sets, Williams seemed to be increasingly troubled by a left knee injury. Her deteriorating footwork and her tight forehand didnt help, either.This was a coming-out party: While Williams was going for a handful of cherished records, Pliskova played with a grit and style that belied her lack of major experience. This was her first Grand Slam semifinal, while Williams has now appeared in 33. Pliskova is the first Czech ............................... to reach the US Open final since 1993, when Helena Sukova did it. Shes on a career-best 11-match winning streak. And to think, she had never been past the third round of a major. Pliskova has now beaten five top-10 players this year -- including all three 2016 Grand Slam winners: Svetlana Kuznetsova, Garbine Muguruza, Kerber, Venus Williams and Serena Williams.Serena needs a vacation: After losing to Vinci a year ago, Williams shut it down for the rest of the season. It worked, and she won a Slam this year and got to another final. Williams, who turns 35 at the end of the month, might want to consider that again. 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