State coach Travis Ford was whistled for a technical foul wit

NEW YORK, N.Y. - It was a new day for Henrik Lundqvist, and the Rangers were looking forward rather than backwards. New York coach Alain Vigneault was anything but worried about his star goalie Wednesday, just hours after giving him the hook at 8:58 of the second period in the wake of four goals on 18 shots in what turned into a 7-4 loss to the Canadiens in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final at the Bell Centre. "I just gave him a quick pat after the game, but Henrik doesnt need to hear anything from me," Vigneault said at a morning availability in Montreal before returning to New York. "Hes a veteran player. One of the best in his area, and Im sure hes going to be focused and ready for the next game." Vigneault, whose team rallied from 4-1 down to tie it at 4-4 before Montreal pulled away, discouraged further questions on the issue. "Dont worry about it. Its over with. Move on," he said when asked if he had ever put a goalie back in after pulling him. Game 6 goes Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers lead Montreal three games to two. Lundqvist was not made available on the off-day. But those teammates who did meet the media — all three alternate captains —were equally unconcerned about their goalie. Forward Brad Richards said he expects Lundqvist to bounce back from the Game 5 letdown. "I think you guys all see how competitive he is, and thats not going to sit well," he said. "Even when he plays good, hes focused. I would imagine were going to see one of his better performances, especially going back to his crowd and wanting to rebound from that. Its not something well have to worry about. We always know hell regroup." Added defenceman Marc Staal: "Yeah, hell be fine. Its the last concern of anyone on our team." Lundqvist came into Game 5 with a .931 save percentage in the playoffs. That was reduced to .926 Tuesday night. Lundqvists play was prominent in the New York tabloids. "King Sized Loss," was the New York Post back-page headline. "Yank Lundqvist," was the Daily News headline. Defenceman Dan Girardi said none of the Rangers liked seeing Lundqvist exit early. "Obviously, you dont want to see that in any game, let alone a playoff game," he said. "We didnt give him too much help, and obviously A.V. (Alain Vigneault) felt that was the right move just to get him out of the game. We didnt feel great about that, but we couldnt just sit there and mope around about it. "We had to do something about it. We did. We came back and tied it." Danny Ainge Jersey . -- The Oakland Raiders added a veteran presence to their young receiving group by signing free agent James Jones to a three-year contract Monday. Robert Williams Jersey . -- Michigan coach John Beilein is willing to give Nik Stauskas a little leeway when it comes to shot selection. http://www.authenticcelticsproshop.com/John-Havlicek-Jersey/ . Hoffman, the former star closer, will evaluate and help co-ordinate all pitchers at Double-A, Triple-A and the big league team. Byrnes says Hoffman "will be a key part of finishing the development of our younger pitchers. Larry Bird Celtics Jersey .C. -- Colin Kaepernick raced into the end zone, then pretended to rip open his shirt with both hands imitating Cam Newtons Superman touchdown celebration. Jayson Tatum Jersey .J. -- New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is going to start the off-season training program with a surgically repaired left ankle.SAN DIEGO -- Tweeeeeeet! Gonzaga and Oklahoma State players, coaches and fans no doubt left Viejas Arena with the shrill sound of the referees whistles ringing in their ears Friday. The refs called 61 fouls, which affected the pace and outcome of eighth-seeded Gonzagas 85-77 win against Marcus Smart and ninth-seeded Oklahoma State in the West region of the NCAA tournament. Kevin Pangos scored 26 points, including hitting 12 of 14 free throws, and Gary Bell Jr. added 17 for Gonzaga (29-6), which is in its 16th straight NCAA tournament and moves on to play top-seeded Arizona on Sunday. Pangos made 10 of 10 free throws in the last 1:31. The final 3 1/2 minutes took 24 minutes to play. The 61 fouls were seven off the record for fouls in a tournament game set by Iowa and Morehead State in a regional semifinal game in 1956. The Cowboys were called for 33 fouls, with LeBryan Nash, Kamari Murphy and Leyton Hammonds fouling out. The Zags made 26 of 41 free throws. The Zags were whistled 28 times, with Sam Dower Jr. and Kyle Dranginis fouling out. The Cowboys made only 22 of 37 from the stripe. "Especially at the end, it got a bit choppy," Pangos said. "But it was smart on their part. It prolonged the game, with empty possessions and a weird rhythm. But our team did a great job of pulling through and getting it done no matter how the tempo went." Smart had a big effort in his final college game, with 23 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and six steals for Oklahoma State (21-13). He was 12 of 19 from the line. All the fouling "changed it a bit," Smart said. "I mean, you know, I cant remember the foul count, how many free throws both teams shot, but it was a good amount. And it kind of slowed the game down, gave us a chance to get back in it, but we just fell short." Smart is projected to be a high NBA draft pick. He passed up the NBA draft last year, in large part because the Cowboys lost to Oregon in their NCAA tournament opener. The Cowboys won five of seven games coming in, a run that coincided with Smarts returning from a three-game suspension for shoving a Texas Tech fan. Gonzaga big man Przemek Karnowski hurt the Cowboys inside, with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Dranginis scored 12. Markel Brown scored 20 for Oklahoma State and Phil Forte had 12. "We knew it wasnt going to be pretty," Gonzaga coach Mark Feww said.dddddddddddd "We knew we were going to have to fight and we talked about being the toughest team on the floor and you know, I think for stretches of it we were, because if you dont match OK States toughness, you dont have a chance." Karnowski agreed. "We knew they are a good offensive team, especially their guards. WE just tried to make their life not easy on offence and just tried to go at them offensively, especially inside." The Cowboys whittled a 10-point deficit down to three with 11:24 to go before Bell hit a 3-pointer for a 56-50 lead with 11:08 to go. Pangos had a steal and a layup, and Brown answered for the Cowboys. Karnowski hit the front end of a one-and-one and Pangos hit a 3-pointer for a 10-point lead with 7:46 left. "They answered every run we made with big plays," Cowboys coach Travis Ford said. "We threw a few punches in the second half and we said to our guys, Lets get aggressive, lets get after it. "Obviously we got in foul trouble which hurt us, especially with LB (Nash) not being in there and playing only 17 minutes," Ford added. "Thats not the greatest scenario for us." Gonzaga led 43-34 at halftime, getting consecutive 3-pointers from Drew Barham and Kevin Pangos in the closing minutes. Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford was whistled for a technical foul with 11.1 seconds left. Pangos missed the first free throw and made the second. Ford had been on the refs ever since the Cowboys were whistled for six fouls and a travelling call in a span of 1:40 midway through the half. "Obviously I was trying to get them going at the end of the first half, trying to get us a little fired up," Ford said. Gonzaga went on an 8-2 run to take a 33-24 lead, making five of six free throws and getting a 3-pointer from Dranginis. Oklahoma State then went on a 9-1 run to pull to 34-33. Smart had two free throws and a jumper. Gonzaga pulled away on an inside shot by Dower, the two 3-pointers and a free throw by Pangos on the technical. Bell made two 3-pointers in the first 50 seconds and hit two other shots to help Gonzaga take a 17-6 lead. Smart started and ended a 10-0 run that pulled the Cowboys within one point. He was fouled by Bell while making a 3-point shot and made the free throw. Murphy hit a jumper and Brown made two free throws before Smart had a tip-in. ' ' '