Arsenal and City, for this reason I am pleased with our performance.We

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Its not last season anymore.Thats obvious, of course, but what it means in a hockey context is that the San Jose Sharks (7-6-0) and the Florida Panthers (6-6-1) are battling to regain their form.Both teams will be trying to rekindle that magic from last season on Thursday when the Sharks visit the Panthers. San Jose made the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in its history last season and Florida set the franchise record with 47 victories.Recent events show signs of improvement.The Sharks snapped a three-game losing streak by winning on the road and dominating one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, beating the Washington Capitals 3-0 on Tuesday.That win was big for us just to kind of right the ship for us a little bit, said Sharks goalie Martin Jones, who made 24 saves. Everything kind of went our way.For the Panthers, starting goalie Roberto Luongo broke a personal four-game losing streak by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Monday.Even better for Florida is the fact that it is starting to get healthier.Forward Jussi Jokinen, who has missed the past nine games due to a knee injury, is set to return on Thursday against the Sharks.Hes ready to play, Panthers coach Gerard Gallant confirmed.Florida center Nick Bjugstad, who has yet to play this season due to a broken hand, is set to return next week.The Panthers also made a trade on Wednesday, acquiring former New York Rangers defenseman Dylan McIlrath, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound bruiser.Florida dealt the Rangers a conditional seventh-round draft pick and 28-year-old defenseman Steven Kampfer, who has been a healthy scratch in 12 of 13 games this season. The Rangers sent Kampfer to their AHL affiliate, so he is a non-factor, for now at least.McIlrath, 24, could actually help the Panthers. He was a first-round pick, No. 10 overall, in 2010, but has been unable to crack New Yorks lineup of top-seven defenseman.Part of the problem for McIlrath is that he doesnt play the speed and puck-moving game the Rangers prefer. But with the Panthers, his toughness could be an asset if they indeed use him.Interestingly, the Sharks played the power game all the way to their first Western Conference title last season. But then in the offseason, general manager Doug Wilson added speed by acquiring David Schlemko and Mikkel Boedker as free-agent signings.Neither player has made much of an impact so far, combining for a total of just five points.The Sharks were outstanding on the road last season with a 28-10-3 record. They are off to a 3-4-0 start in 2016-17, including that big win over Washington on Tuesday.The Panthers will have a couple of advantages on Thursday that have nothing to do with personnel -- they are home and did not have to travel. They also have one more days rest in between games than San Jose.Panthers backup goalie James Reimer played for San Jose last season, but is not expected to start on Thursday.San Jose was fourth in the NHL in average goals per game last season, and the Sharks power play is one of the most dynamic units in the NHL. That top unit includes forwards Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau along with defenseman Brent Burns at the point. Custom Blackhawks T-shirts . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Cheap Blackhawks Jerseys . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. http://www.customblackhawksjersey.com/ . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Blackhawks Jerseys China .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. Custom Clark Griswold Jersey . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance.Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte labelled his sides win over Middlesbrough as very important with tricky fixtures on the horizon. The Blues went top of the Premier League thanks to Diego Costas 41st-minute winner at the Riverside on Sunday.But their credentials will be tested over the next fortnight as they face Tottenham and then Manchester City. It was very important, Conte told Sky Sports. Today it was very important because these are tricky games. Now we have the week to prepare for a tough game against a strong team in Tottenham.It was a good performance against a very strong team, they drew with Arsenal and City, for this reason I am pleased with our performance.We played a good game, against good opposition, and created many chances to score the second goal. Its important to kill the game if you have chances because anything can happen from corners and crosses, but I am pleased. FT Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Chelsea The win is Chelseas sixth in a row and also their sixth successive clean sheet.ddddddddddddThe impressive run of form comes on the back of their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal, when they switched to three at the back.Its not easy, said Conte. We must not forget how difficult a month ago was, but we have to continue with trust and with our fans, they were against fantastic.Conte also praised Costa, who scored his 10th league goal of the season.Diego is playing good football, with and without the ball, he said. And Pedro and Eden [Hazard], they are very important for our balance. They are working very hard for the team.Diego is always in the action, he is a fantastic striker and is showing this. Also See: Middlesbrough 0-1 Chelsea As it happened Chelsea fixtures Get a ￡10 free bet! ' ' '