Dein erstes Forum » As the Manchester derby approaches, we

RALEIGH, N.C. -- To finally make the playoffs again, the Carolina Hurricanes know they need a strong start to the season.That sense of urgency was in the air at their first practice.It all starts right now, center Andrej Nestrasil said Friday.The Hurricanes began preseason camp with a focus on ending the season much later than they usually do: Carolina hasnt made the playoffs since 2009, the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference.The results show that were heading in the right direction, and I feel like we have a good enough team to make the playoffs this year, Nestrasil said. The thing last year is, we didnt start on time ... so if we can start on time this year, itd be awesome.Not surprisingly, the emphasis on the first day of training camp was speed -- with pucks and skaters zipping around the ice in what forward Jordan Staal called crispy play as opposed to past first practices that he described as clunky.The Hurricanes hope that will continue to apply once they start playing games that count, beginning with the opener Oct. 13 at Winnipeg.In recent years, it hasnt -- and its a major reason why theyve missed seven straight postseasons. Carolina won just eight of its first 25 games in 2015-16, and the year before was just 10-23-4 in the first three months.And while last years group staged a late push for the postseason -- earning points in 12 of the 14 games after the trade deadline -- the hole created by those early-season struggles ultimately was too much to overcome. Carolina finished in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division with 86 points, 10 points behind the Philadelphia team that claimed the No. 8 seed in the East.Weve really been doomed by our starts, defenseman Ron Hainsey said. At least the last two years in a row, where we were in a position come Jan. 1 to make up a lot of ground ... where the ground you have to make up, its really kind of unrealistic to make it up.Its a small line, and really, the first two months of the season can set up the last four months, depending on how it goes, he added. So its important that everybodys ready to go.Perhaps nobody was more ready to go than Nestrasil, who missed the final two months of last season after breaking a vertebra in his back in February. He was the only player in a yellow, no-contact jersey during practice but said he hopes to shed that for a regular jersey soon.To be honest, Im not even excited anymore -- I just want to get it out of the way, Nestrasil said with a laugh. This has been such a long process, and Ive been waiting for such a long time that I just want to play games and I just want to get into it.---Follow Joedy McCreary at http://twitter.com/joedyap. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/joedy-mccreary T.J. Hockenson Womens Jersey . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Jarrad Davis Womens Jersey . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. http://www.shopdetroitlionsnfl.com/lions-will-harris-black-jersey/ .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Calvin Johnson Lions Jersey .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. Jarrad Davis Lions Jersey . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste.As the Manchester derby approaches, we look back at a classic from 2012, when Robin van Persie stole all three points late on. Just seven months after City had won the Premier League title ahead of their Manchester rivals, United dealt Roberto Mancini a bitter blow with a dramatic 3-2 victory at the Etihad Stadium.Wayne Rooneys double but the visitors 2-0 up in the first half, before City fought back in the second period with goals from Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta. Van Persie, in his first season at United, scored an injury-time free-kick to give United the win But Van Persie, in his first season at United, scored an injury-time free-kick to give United the win, before they went on to claim their 20th title by 11 points from City.ddddddddddddIt would turn out to be Sir Alex Fergusons last game at the Etihad Stadium before retiring, and still stands as Uniteds last win at the home of their rivals.Watch the Sky Sports Vault video above... Also See: Premier League video Fixtures Table Live on Sky ' ' '