AUBURN, Ala. -- Mustapha Heron had his first career double-double -- 24 points and 10 rebounds -- Danjel Purifoy scored 16 points, and Auburn beat Eastern Kentucky 85-64 Thursday night in a Cancun Challenge game.Heron shouldered the load, but Auburn needed a team effort to keep its season-opening win streak alive.The Tigers led 10-2 but went cold while Eastern Kentucky (1-2) rallied and stayed ahead until two and a half minutes left in the first half. Purifoy hit a 3-pointer amid a 9-2 run and Auburn led 37-34 at halftime.The Colonels (1-2) closed to within 38-39 early in the second half on Jaylen Babb-Harrisons layup. Auburn pulled away on a 15-2 run and led 65-50 after a free throw by Heron and Eastern Kentucky got no closer.Auburns 34.5 shooting percentage in the first period became a scorching 56.7 percent in the second half as the Tigers broke the game open.Theyre a good team, and you cant give a team like that second- and third-chance opportunities, and thats what we did, Eastern Kentucky coach Dan McHale said. We allowed them to impose their will, and they made us pay.The Tigers (3-0) were by propelled by Heron, a freshman, who connected on all eight of his field goal attempts, but only made seven of his 13 free throws.Auburn outrebounded the Colonels 51-30, but made 25 of 41 free throws (61 percent), which helped Eastern Kentucky stay close for most of the game.I thought that we were obviously, our physicality -- the difference between the OVC and the SEC showed up on the boards, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. And obviously we took advantage of some things. I dont think that our offensive execution is not what it needs to be. Were going to spend some time doing a better job with that.Nick Mayo led the Colonels with 22 points and five rebounds, and Dillon Avare added 14 points.THE TAKEAWAYAuburn: The Tigers finish their opening homestand 3-0 and head to Cancun, Mexico, on a roll.Eastern Kentucky: The Colonels drop the first of two games against Power 5 opponents and fall below .500 on the season.HE SAID ITInteresting. Weve struggled from the free throw line and we were shooting great in the preseason and we actually shot more free throws this week than we have in a while. I think Im not going to shoot any more free throws and just let them do it on their own because that could have been an issue in the outcome. -- Auburn coach Bruce PearlMAJOR MILESTONEAuburn guard Ronnie Johnson finished with 13 points, but it was a seemingly meaningless layup midway through the second half that mattered the most. With those two points, Johnson eclipsed 1,000 total points for his career. Johnson, a graduate transfer, scored 697 points in his first two years at Purdue and had 291 at Houston last year.STARTING HOTWith the win, Auburn moves to 3-0 for the first time since 2011-12. Its the second time in 12 years thats happened on The Plains.UP NEXTAuburn travels to Cancun to play Texas Tech on Tuesday for the Tigers first away game, and theyll look to keep Bruce Pearls best start at Auburn going.Eastern Kentucky also plays the Red Raiders in Cancun, but the Colonels take on Texas Tech on Saturday. Adidas Superstars Sale Cheap . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. Cheap Adidas Superstar China .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. http://www.superstarcheap.com/ . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. Adidas Superstar Wholesale China ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. Cheap Adidas Superstar Online . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area.The Tampa Bay Lightning had the best goal differential of all the non-playoff teams, even better than playoff-bound Minnesota, but shaky goaltending and an abysmal road record left them with the third-worst record in a 30-team league. Off-Season Game Plan examines what the Lightning could do with a roster that has enough talent to compete for the playoffs, but needs a different approach under new head coach Jon Cooper. The Lightning are an interesting case. For a team that finished so low in the standings, they have a lot of talent around which to build and have many quality prospects in the pipeline, but not a lot of financial flexibility, based on the contracts already on the books, so GM Steve Yzerman may have to get to wheeling and dealing if there is going to be significant improvement in the summer. "Our group will change, how dramatically Im not prepared to say yet, but well explore options as far as improving the areas we feel need to be addressed," Yzerman told the Tampa Tribune. "We have players coming up from Syracuse (of the American Hockey League) next year that will have an opportunity to make this team. So, things will be different; they need to be different." Theres no denying that the results need to be different, but competent goaltending can go a long way towards closing the gap between the Lightning and the playoffs. They can improve defensively, knocking a shot or two per game off the 30.2 (20th) that they allowed last season and, with improved puck possession, possible increase their own 27.6 shots per game (ranked 24th), but if they get goaltending that stops around 91% of the shots they face, instead of 89.9% (tied for 24th) like last season, that would account for a change of 20-25 goals in an 82-game season. So, the goaltending will play a big part in Tampa Bays success or failure next season, but new faces that are added to the established core will also have a chance to make a difference for a Lightning team that could be a playoff team or miss the playoffs like they have for five of the past six seasons. The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- plus-minus, hits, blocked shots, giveaways, takeaways, penalty differential and faceoffs. (Stats are listed in this format: G-A-PTS, +/-, PIM, GP). Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be 70-plus, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013 regular season ratings with a 93.65. Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com. GM/COACH Steve Yzerman/Jon Cooper Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Cap Hit Steven Stamkos 84.17 48 29 28 57 -4 $7.5M Martin St. Louis 82.18 48 17 43 60 0 $5.625M Vincent Lecavalier 72.38 39 10 22 32 -5 $7.727M Teddy Purcell 69.09 48 11 26 36 -1 $4.5M Alex Killorn 64.65 38 7 12 19 -6 $875K Tom Pyatt 63.81 43 8 8 16 +5 $600K Ryan Malone 62.54 24 6 2 8 -3 $4.5M Richard Panik 62.39 25 5 4 9 -2 $900K Nate Thompson 62.05 45 7 8 15 -2 $1.6M B.J. Crombeen 56.51 44 1 7 8 +4 $1.15M Dana Tyrell 55.18 21 1 3 4 -3 $600K Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Class 12-13 Cap Hit Benoit Pouliot 65.89 34 8 12 20 +8 RFA $1.8M Pierre-Cedric Labrie 56.79 19 2 1 3 +2 UFA $525K Lightning Forwards Usage Chart from somekindofninja.com The games premier goal-scorer, Steven Stamkos has scored 185 goals over the last four seasons, 33 more than Alex Ovechkin, who ranks second, 56 more than Corey Perry, who ranks third. Stamkos is a scorer because he has a rare ability to shoot the puck, but hes a great player because he works at it. He was practicially a frail teenager among men when he arrived in the league as an 18-year-old, but hes been diligent about his fitness since and as hes matured, hes become strong enough to go to the dirty areas to score goals, while remaining fit enough to play in every game over the last four years. Stamkos development has obviously been helped by the freakish Martin St. Louis skating on his wing. St. Louis led the league in scoring for the second time in his career, with his 1.25 points per game was a career high. Hell turn 38 this summer and has two years remaining on his current contract, so theres little reason to expect anything but continued elite production from the second-highest scorer in the entire league, behind only Ovechkin, since 2006-2007. The game has taken a toll on Vincent Lecavalier, the 33-year-old centre whose production has fallen off considerably since he scored 92 points in 2007-2008. Hes still a fine No. 2 centre behind Stamkos, but if injuries have caused him to miss 44 games over the past three seasons, the trend is only going down for a player eating up a large portion of the salary cap through 2020. A skilled winger with good size, Teddy Purcell could be even more dangerous if he used his size more, but as it is, Purcell is merely talented enough to play on either of Tampa Bays top two lines as well as the power play. Hes a productive complementary scorer, the kind virtually every team can use. The lockout may have helped Alex Killorn, the 23-year-old rookie out of Harvard, who got to spend half the year in the AHL developing his game before the NHL season started. Killorn didnt debut with the Lightning right away but, after 38 points in 44 AHL games, he was ready to step in and contribute. He has good size and skill; the question is whether he has enough to hold down a regular spot in Tampa Bays top six. Tom Pyatt has worked his way into a top-nine role with the Lightning, though there is some evidence to suggest that hes overmatched playing 13-14 minutes per game, which is admittedly a challenging spot with Tampa Bay because they naturally want to start the Stamkos and Lecavalier lines in the offensive zone as much possible. At the same time, with 20 goals over the last two seasons, Tom is the higher-scoring Pyatt (brother Taylor has 15 goals in that time) in the NHL. Injuries wreaked havoc with Ryan Malones 2013 season, but thats not uncommon as hes missed 91 games in five seasons with the Lightning. When healthy, hes a big physical presence on the wing, who can score a bit, hit and fight, if need be. At the same time, knowing how often hes been hurt, it could make sense for the Lightning to either trade or buy out the final two years of the 33-year-olds contract in order to create greater roster flexibility. 22-year-old Richard Panik was one of several young Lightning forwards to get a chance and he didnt disappoint. Despite limited ice time, Paniks play showed that he was ready to play in the NHL. If his offence (22 goals, 41 points in 51 AHL games last season) can translate, then he could get a chance higher up the depth chart. Another of the sacrificial lambs on the lower half of the forward depth chart, Nate Thompson has never started more than 42% of his shifts in the offensive zone, making it tough to put up very good possession numbers (or a plus rating -- Thompson has been a minus every year hes been in the NHL), but the Lightning obviously like Thompsons active physical game as they signed him to a four-year contract extension. Though hes scored a single goal in each of the past two seasons, winger B.J. Crombeen did score a career-high 12 goals in 2008-2009, but hes making his mark as pugilist, fighting 74 times over the last five seasons, including a league-leading 14 last season. Hes a better player, and not as imposing, as the standard heavyweight, but thats how Crombeen is earning his bones. Industrious forward Dana Tyrell has been battling to keep a spot on the Lightning roster, but hes not as skilled as some of those climbing up the organizational ladder, so if hes not as proficient offensively, hell really have to master the defensive details -- and stay healthy -- if hes going to have an extended NHL career. Restricted free agent winger Benoit Pouliot isnt ever going to live up to being the fourth pick in the 2005 draft but, in recent seasons, hes shown that he can a useful complementary player, skilled enough to play on a scoring line in a pinch. But Pouliot is replaceable, by younger, cheaper players, which makes sense for a player that has played for four teams in the last four seasons. The Lightning have a number of prospects that can challenge for spots, and are likely to have either Jonathan Drouin or Nate MacKinnon at their disposal after the draft, but might also want to add a veteran to go in their top nine, particularly if they do manage to shed a few salaries (like Malone and Pouliot). If thats the case, maybe a veteran with a Detroit Red Wings background and solid two-way ability, like Dan Cleary, would have some appeal. Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Cap Hit Victor Hedman 72.03 44 4 16 20 +1 $4.0M Matt Carle 71.79 48 5 17 22 +1 $5.5M Sami Salo 68.70 46 2 15 17 +5 $3.75M Radko Gudas 67.65 22 2 3 5 +3 $992K Eric Brewer 67.42 48 4 8 12 +3 $3.875M Brian Lee 55.20 22 0 0 0 -13 $1.dddddddddddd15M Mattias Ohlund $3.607M Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Class 12-13 Cap Hit Keith Aulie 63.59 45 2 5 7 +1 RFA $578K Lightning Defence Usage Chart from somekindofninja.com Particularly in light of his offensive production, some may wonder if Victor Hedman is living up to being the second overall pick in the 2009 draft and the answer is yes, he certainly is. The 22-year-old has been eating a steady diet of the oppositions top forward lines, with more shift starts in his defensive zone, and his 0.45 points per game last season represented a career high, continuing the scoring ascent that has occurred in each of his four seasons. Bringing in Matt Carle as a free agent last summer was a shrewd move by the Lightning in their attempt to shore up their defence. Carle doesnt play a physical game, but hes smart, skates well, makes a good first pass and played a career-high 23:45 per game for Tampa Bay in 2013. Shortened seasons might be the way to extend 38-year-old Sami Salos career as he missed only two games in 2013, after missing 161 in the previous eight seasons. Salo played hard minutes for the Lightning, perhaps more defensive responsibility than the ideal, but understandable given some of the alternatives. When the Lightning brought up Radko Gudas, they didnt just add a fearsome beard, they brought a guy who lays his body on the line. With 87 hits in 22 games, Gudas ranked second among defencemen, to Philadelphias Luke Schenn, in hits per game (3.95) and Gudas did so with good possession numbers in his admittedly small sample of NHL work. Playing with an edge to his game not only differentiates Gudas from other Tampa Bay defencemen, but its also a prime reason that 22-year-old should get a chance to earn a bigger role as he matures. Despite facing lesser competition and starting fewer shifts in the defensive zone, veteran Eric Brewers possession numbers werent very good last season. The 34-year-old has good size and has played plenty of hard minutes in his career, but hes slowing down. He played 20:31 per game in 2013, his lowest since 2000-2001, and an indication that hes not going to be handling the heavy lifting on the Tampa Bay defence. The Lightning erred in their judgment on Brian Lees career prospects, giving him a contract extension, then being forced to bury him in the minors last season after he struggled through 22 games. The ninth overall pick in 2005, Lee has been given ample opportunity to prove hes an NHL defenceman but, after 209 games, it appears that hes destined for the AHL barring another team willing to take a chance on a change of scenery making the difference. No defenceman in the league played more than 40 games, like towering Keith Aulie, and as little as Aulies 12:49 per game. He was okay in that limited time, but a long-term career will depend on how much he can improve so that hes trusted by the coaching staff. Knee woes have prevented Mattias Ohlund from playing the last two seasons. Hes 36 now, has 979 games (regular season and playoffs) under his belt and not making a comeback, so hes included merely because his salary will sit on the Lightnings salary cap until he gets put on the long-term injured list. Upgrading the defence is always a wise move for the Lightning. They did last summer, adding Carle and Salo, and it wasnt enough, but that doesnt mean they should stop trying. Prospect Mark Barberio maybe ready to make the jump after three years in the AHL, but the Bolts could go for any reasonably-priced veterans that will improve their NHL depth. Mike Kostka, who played for Jon Cooper in the AHL prior to getting his feet wet in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, might be worth considering. Returning Goaltenders Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Ben Bishop 73.37 22 11 9 1 2.67 .920 $2.3M Anders Lindback 62.00 24 10 10 1 2.90 .902 $1.8M Free Agent Goaltenders Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Class 12-13 Cap Hit Mathieu Garon 59.43 18 5 9 2 2.90 .897 UFA $1.3M 6-foot-7 Ben Bishop got caught in a numbers game in the Ottawa Senators crease, so he was dealt to Tampa Bay at the trade deadline as the Lightning keep looking solutions between the pipes. Bishop had a .911 save percentage in 36 career games before joining Tampa Bay, good enough to warrant a look in a starters role, but hardly a sure thing that hell be the long-term answer. Part of the reason to remain skeptical about Bishop is because the Lightning made a similar attempt when they signed Anders Lindback last summer. Lindback, like Bishop, is a huge (6-foot-6) backup, who had a .914 save percentage in 38 games over two seasons with Nashville before getting his shot with Tampa Bay. A .902 save percentage in his first year as a starter opened the door for the Lightning to acquire Bishop. There is the possibility that one of Bishop or Lindback, or both, will post a save percentage of .915 or better, and Tampa Bays goaltending problems will be solved, but it may not be that easy either because, well, it hasnt been that easy so far. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Andrei Vasilevski G Ufa (KHL) 2.22 GAA, .924 SV%, 8 GP Brett Connolly RW Syracuse (AHL) 31-32-63, +19, 71 GP Nikita Kucherov RW Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL) 29-34-63, +17, 33 GP Tyler Johnson C Syracuse (AHL) 37-28-65, +26, 62 GP Mark Barberio D Syracuse (AHL) 8-34-42, +7, 73 GP Vladislav Namestnikov C Syracuse (AHL) 7-14-21, +4, 44 GP Slater Koekkoek D Peterborough (OHL) 6-23-29, -24, 42 GP J.T. Brown RW Syracuse (AHL) 10-18-28, -3, 51 GP Ondrej Palat LW Syracuse (AHL) 13-39-52, +26, 56 GP Andrej Sustr D Nebraska-Omaha (WCHA) 9-16-25, +16, 39 GP It figures that the Lightning have questions about their NHL goaltending while their top prospect is the 19-year-old goaltender, Andrei Vasilevski, that they drafted in the first round last summer. Hes a very good prospect, but hard to figure that he would be NHL-ready sooner than a couple of years. Brett Connolly played 68 games for the Lightning in 2011-2012, as a 19-year-old, but it was likely premature for his development, so he spent most of the 2012-2013 season in the AHL where he showed the skills that got him drafted sixth overall in 2010. The 21-year-old can finish, has good size and should be able to make the jump next season. A potential second-round steal from the 2011 draft, Nikita Kucherov came over from Russia to play in the QMJHL last season and shredded the league. Hes a skilled forward who should put points. Now its a matter of being strong enough to do it against men. Can the Lightning find room for 5-foot-9 pivot Tyler Johnson? Dont they have to? Johnson was named MVP of the American Hockey League and started his NHL career with six points in six games before going through an eight-game scoreless drought and getting sent back to Syracuse. The challenge is that Johnson figures to be a scoring centre and the top two slots are taken in Tampa Bay by Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier. Nevertheless, if Johnson is the best the AHL has to offer, then hes due a legitimate opportunity to stick in the NHL next season. After putting up 134 points in his first the AHL seasons, Mark Barberio got into a couple of games with the Lightning in April. Theres little question that Barberio has the skill to play in the NHL, at least helping on the power play, but there could be more too. If his defensive play is adequate, Barberio could climb into a significant role with Tampa Bay over the next couple seasons as some veteran defencemen reach the end. A smallish skilled centre, Vladislav Namestnikov was a first-round pick in 2011 and has the game to be an NHLer, but he will need to get stronger to withstand the rigors of the pro game as well as take advantage of skating and puck skills that are so encouraging. Injuries have plagued 19-year-old defenceman Slater Koekkoek, limiting him to 68 games over the past two seasons, so next year may just be a year to get game experience, but hes a well-rounded defenceman with good size and improving puck skills. J.T. Brown is a speedy winger whose first season as a pro was marred by a broken collarbone. There are a lot of skilled young forwards bidding for jobs in Tampa Bay, so Brown faces a lot of competition, but if hes healthy, hell be in the mix. A strong year in the AHL earned Ondrej Palat a promotion to Tampa Bay and he didnt embarrass himself (2 G, 2 A, +5, 14 GP) while playing in a depth role. A third line role, with a little scoring potential, is a reasonable expectation but there is no shortage of challengers. One of the hottest collegiate free agents, 6-foot-8 defenceman Andrej Sustr could take some time, particularly as he adjusts to the pro game from playing a Nebraska-Omaha, but his size gives The Giant intriguing upside. Tampa Bays prospect pool is deeper than most and defencemen Nikita Nesterov, Dmitri Korobov and Dylan Blujus are among those beyond this list that are worth monitoring. DRAFT 3rd - Jonathan Drouin, Nate McKinnon, Seth Jones FREE AGENCY According to www.capgeek.com, the Lightning have approximately $62.8M committed to the 2013-2014 salary cap for 20 players. Check out my possible Lightning lineup for next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: One top six forward, depth forwards, one top four defenceman. What I said the Lightning needed last year: Three top nine forwards, two top four defencemen, two more defencemen, starting goaltender. They added: Benoit Pouliot, Cory Conacher, B.J. Crombeen, Matt Carle, Sami Salo, Anders Lindback. TRADE MARKET Ryan Malone, Benoit Pouliot, Eric Brewer, prospects. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '