Toure And With Star Striker Sergio Aguero Lacking Match, Toure and with star striker Sergio Aguero lacking match Optiuni

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The news that Bobby Ryan is undergoing season-ending surgery did not come as a complete surprise. Earlier this week, head coach Paul MacLean confirmed that Ryan had been dealing with a nagging injury since November – our first tangible clue that the winger has not been 100 per cent healthy all season. But for the past few weeks, the whispers had been growing louder and louder that Ryan was playing hurt. When the club returned to practice after the Olympic break, the winger took a couple of maintenance days that raised a few eyebrows. Now that the club has confirmed he was playing for the past four months with a sports hernia injury, it forces us to reassess our opinion of Ryans first season in Ottawa. In a strange twist, every player involved in the massive Ducks-Senators trade from last summer suffered a significant injury this season. Jakob Silfverberg had a broken hand, Stefan Noesen tore the ACL in his knee and now Ryan is done with the sports hernia injury. (The Ducks may want to order some bubble wrap to protect their first round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft that they will receive from Ottawa). When he was famously left off the Team USA roster for the Olympics, many suggested that Ryan was crushed by the bad news and went into a prolonged slump. He scored just two goals in 12 games in the month of January and looked like a shadow of himself at times. Certainly, the Team USA snub hurt him on a personal level, but its rather obvious that the physical pain of a sports hernia injury was the bigger factor for his declining numbers. Ryans limited ice time was also a source of controversy in this market, as fans and media openly questioned MacLeans deployment of his No. 1 sniper. He was taken off a unit with Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur and was given third-line minutes instead. When the Sens were swept in Alberta earlier this month, Ryan played fewer than 15 minutes on each night – causing some to wonder aloud if there was a rift between star player and coach. In reality, the reduced ice time was likely the result of his nagging injury. In a statement to the media on Thursday, general manager Bryan Murray indicated that Ryan tried to play through the injury and doesnt appear to be concerned about how he was used by MacLean. "I know there were some times in games that he felt like he couldnt contribute very much but he stayed on the ice as required by the coaching staff and tried very hard to be a big factor for our team," Murray said. "I think he was and obviously we like that kind of person and want to treat him right in return." If you look at Ryans on-ice production from this season (time on ice to produce a point), you can see a significant drop-off once the calendar flipped to December: Month Time on ice/point October 20:32 November 16:17 December 24:42 January 33:10 February 46:40 March 41:47 Ryans struggles were a red flag for many Ottawa fans, who were concerned about his lack of productivity and compete level down the stretch. With a contract set to expire at the end of next season, there were more than a few fans who were suggesting it was time to move on from the 26-year-old winger. But now that we have a clear picture of Ryans health, its a little more accurate to say that his first season was not a complete disaster. The fact that he led this team in goal-scoring with 23 despite the injury is fairly impressive. Considering the recovery time from this injury is about six weeks, GM Bryan Murray says there is every reason to believe that Ryan will come into training camp next season ready to return to his 30-goal form. "Well, he certainly started very, very well. He shoots the puck awfully well, he scored some goals, his line obviously carried the team early on. He was a big part of that," Murray said. "I think after the hernia started to get aggravated a little bit, he seemed to shoot the puck a bit less. Overall, very happy and satisfied with his overall play and we know hell be a real contributor going forward." That last comment from the general manager seems like the one that carries the most weight moving into this summer. Nobody is certain if the Sens will lock up Ryan with a long-term extension in the coming months, but one thing is clear: this organization hasnt soured on him after a disappointing season in which he played hurt. 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This time, Tebow was in a groove the entire second half -- not just in the waning minutes -- and his teammates on defence were getting gobbled up.MANCHESTER, England -- The Premier League trophy could be out of reach for Manchester City after a 2-2 home draw with last-placed Sunderland on Wednesday that capped a demoralizing four days for title chasers. Samir Nasris 88th-minute equalizer at Etihad Stadium will be of little consolation to City, which is now six points behind league leader Liverpool and four points behind second-place Chelsea. Third-place City has a game in hand but the surprise result against Sunderland, coupled with Sundays 3-2 loss at Liverpool, may be a setback too far in its bid for a second championship in three seasons. "I think we are more mentally tired than physically tired," said City manager Manuel Pellegrini, who is still not giving up hope. "Remember this team, two years ago, were six points behind the leaders and ... won the title at the end. So it is difficult, but it is not the last game we play." Pressure also seems to have struck Evertons battle for the last Champions League spot with Arsenal. Everton became the latest team to slip up against Crystal Palace, losing 3-2 at home to end its seven-match winning run and miss the chance of reclaiming fourth place from Arsenal, which is one point ahead with four matches remaining. "We wanted to win so much that we stopped being ourselves," Everton manager Roberto Martinez said, "and that is what we have to learn from." Palaces fourth straight win means the side can surely start preparing for another season in the top flight and lends further weight to many pundits argument that Tony Pulis is the manager of the season. When Pulis took over in November, Palace was bottom and six points from safety -- now, it is 11th and 10 points above the relegattion zone.dddddddddddd Sunderland is six points from safety with a game in hand, but could have been a lot closer if goalkeeper Vito Mannone had gathered Nasris shot rather than fumbled it into the back of the net. That could be the difference between staying in the Premier League and being relegated. "Its one more blow," Sunderland manager Gus Poyet said. "I tell you what, Im testing my heart this year." Without the injured David Silva and Yaya Toure and with star striker Sergio Aguero lacking match sharpness, City lacked its usual creativity going forward and was sloppy in possession. Fernandinho gave City the lead in the second minute, running onto a short pass from Aguero that was dummied by Alvaro Negredo and scoring inside Mannones near post, but Sunderland had the better of the chances for the rest of the first half. Connor Wickham finally took one of them in the 73rd minute, volleying in a cross from substitute Emanuele Giaccherini, and the same players combined for Wickhams second that came on the counter-attack in the 83rd. City escaped with a point thanks to Nasri, but Liverpool and Chelsea will be celebrating another twist in the title race. "We believe we can win the title," Fernandinho said. "Chelsea and Liverpool have four games and they may drop some points -- we think we can still win the title." At Goodison Park, Jason Puncheon scored his fourth goal in three games before Scott Dann added a second for Palace for a 2-0 lead after 49 minutes. Substitute Steven Naismith reduced the deficit in the 61st before Palace restored their two-goal advantage through striker Cameron Jerome in the 73rd. Kevin Mirallas scored Evertons second goal in the 86th. ' ' '