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TORONTO -- The World Cup of Hockey trophy, whatever the heck they call that monstrosity of an award that goes to the winner of the event, will be in the Air Canada Centre Thursday night as Canada tries to lock down its third consecutive best-on-best championship when it faces Team Europe.Theres no question that the air has gone out of this tournament somewhat in recent days -- especially after Team Europe upended heavily favored Sweden in the semifinals, giving Canada what most believed would be an easy path to a tournament title in the best-of-three finals.Of course, Team Europe had other plans and played a near-perfect game in the opening title of the finals on Tuesday night before ultimately falling 3-1. Europe head coach Ralph Krueger and his players were defiant in the wake of the loss, insisting that they took no moral victories from essentially playing Canada to a standstill before losing because of a couple of defensive breakdowns.The problem for the Europeans is that Canada played its worst game -- not just in this tournament, but dating all the way back to early in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Canadas head coach, Mike Babcock, wasnt happy with his teams performance, and its a good bet that Canada will come with a lot more jump and be a lot less mistake-prone on Thursday. The question will be whether the Europeans can handle early pressure -- they allowed a goal by Brad Marchand on Canadas first shot on goal Tuesday -- and then counterpunch with the kind of persistent forecheck we saw for much of Game 1.In the end, it wont matter if Team Europe cant solve Canadas goalie,?Carey Price, who was tested more on Tuesday than he had been by any other team in this tournament. For Team Europe, that means capitalizing on odd-man rushes and getting its power play, which is currently 0-for-15 with the man advantage, to click. Its a tall order, to say the least, but nobody should be taking the plucky Europeans lightly after Game 1. The question is whether theyve got enough in their toolbox to send this tournament to one final, deciding game Saturday. Our guess is that the strange-looking trophy gets handed out Thursday night.Line match:?If the World Cup does end Thursday night, it will be our last last look at what has been the most dominant forward combination of this tournament -- and maybe any best-on-best tournament in recent memory. Could?Sidney Crosby, Patrice Bergeron and Marchand reunite in two years if the NHL returns to the Olympics in South Korea? Theres no reason they wouldnt, as all three are still in the prime of their careers.But if were talking about a four-year gap until the next World Cup, well, thats a little different story. By then Crosby will have more than done his duty, winning two Olympic gold medals and likely a World Cup, plus at least two Stanley Cups, and Bergeron will be 35. But it has been fun -- especially given how often in the past Babcock has been forced to tinker in an effort to find effective linemates for Crosby.How good has this unit been? Crosby, Bergeron and Marchand are the top three scorers in the tournament, and have combined for 10 goals and 12 assists. The line scored more goals in the tournament than did Team USA, Czech Republic, Sweden and Finland. And unless Team Europe can come up with an answer for the line, itll all be over Thursday night. Chicago Bulls Store . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Chicago Bulls Gear . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. https://www.cheapbulls.com/ . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Chicago Bulls Pro Shop . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. Bulls Jerseys China . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. SEATTLE -- After weeks of mostly poor performances, Marco Estrada once again flirted with a no-hitter for Toronto.And just when the Blue Jays needed that quality of a performance.Estrada took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Edwin Encarnacion hit his 41st home run and the Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Monday night in the opener of a critical three-game series.Estrada (9-9) had allowed only two walks before Robinson Cano led off the seventh with a line drive up the middle on a 2-1 pitch. Cano and Nelson Cruz walked in the fourth -- an inning that ended on Kevin Pillars sliding catch to save a run -- but Estrada otherwise kept the Mariners off the bases before Canos single.Estradas outing was exactly what the slumping Blue Jays needed. They arrived in Seattle having dropped two straight and four of six, and their wild-card lead dwindled in the process. Estrada was partly to blame for the September swoon. In his previous six starts, he was 1-4 with a 7.53 ERA. In September alone, Estrada had allowed 12 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings.But he was brilliant against the Mariners, keeping the thousands of Blue Jays fans that made the trip south from British Columbia cheering all night as Toronto pulled even with Baltimore for the first wild-card spot. Both teams are 2 1/2 games clear of Detroit and three ahead of Seattle and Houston.Im not really sure whats been going on, as the game gets going I start to struggle a little bit, Estrada said. We looked at video and there have been little things here and there that we caught. We changed it up and felt pretty good today.Estrada was pulled after walking Leonys Martin leading off the eighth inning, leaving to a standing ovation from the huge Blue Jays contingent. He struck out eight and walked three before being replaced by Jason Grilli.The final six outs were trying for the Blue Jays. Pinch-hitter Ben Gamel walked to put two runners on with no outs in the eighth, and Seth Smith walked on a nine-piitch at-bat with two outs to load the bases for Cano.ddddddddddddloser Roberto Osuna entered and got Cano to line out to the warning track in right field where Ezequiel Carrera was playing. Martin hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth off Osuna, but Gamel struck out looking to cap Osunas 34th save.We know whats ahead of us, and we arent going to back away from it, Seattle manager Scott Servais said. I thought our guys gave a really good effort tonight, just wasnt enough.Encarnacions two-run homer off starter Taijuan Walker (6-11) came with two outs in the third on a 0-1 pitch that was left up in the strike zone. Pillar added a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning after Troy Tulowitzki led off with a double.NEAR MISSESEstrada has never completed a no-hitter, but hes been close. He lost a no-hit bid in the eighth inning against Boston on June 5, and also pitched hitless ball into the eighth inning in consecutive starts in June 2015.Its not something that I was focused on. Obviously if it would have happened it would have been incredible but it didnt. Cano hit a pretty good pitch, Estrada said.DONALDSON TOSSEDTorontos Josh Donaldson was ejected in the seventh inning arguing with plate umpire Chris Conroy after being called out on strikes. Donaldson was already upset about a check-swing Conroy called a strike earlier in the at-bat and flipped at being called out on a fastball on the outside corner. Donaldson immediately got in Conroys face and was quickly tossed.UP NEXTBlue Jays: LHP J.A. Happ (19-4) goes for his 20th win. Happ would join Bostons Rick Porcello as the only two pitchers in baseball with 20 wins this season. Happ has won 13 of his last 14 decisions.Mariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (16-11) looks for his third straight victory. Iwakuma allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings in his last start against the Angels. ' ' '