confidence but well take things one game at a time.The Canadiens will fa

PORTLAND, Ore. -- No longer the NBAs surprising overachievers, Damian Lillard says the Trail Blazers need to stay true to the process.Portland went 44-38 last season despite losing four starters to free agency the previous summer. The team got the fifth seed in the Western Conference and played past the injury-depleted Los Angeles Clippers into the second round of the playoffs.With greater expectations, the Blazers embark on this season hoping to build on the last.Its something well have to continue to push ourselves to do, but I think we just grow on what we started last year, Lillard said. You continue to stay true to the small things that we committed to last year and get better that way. I dont think you come back and say, `Its a new year, lets go change this and change that.The Blazers fell to the Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals, and this season Golden State again looks to be the team to beat with the addition of Kevin Durant. The Blazers counter with a deep bench and should vie again for the Northwest Division title.We have a lot of players who can have an impact to finish games. The first three years, we were relying on the starters. Last year, the depth was versatile and helped us get through the season, and we improved on that this year, coach Terry Stotts said. We look at the season as a continuation of last season.Lillard averaged a career-high 25.1 points in the regular season, becoming the third Portland player ever to average more than 25. He also averaged 6.8 assists.Backcourt teammate CJ McCollum averaged 20.8 points in his first year as a starter, giving the Blazers their first backcourt duo with an average of 20 or more points apiece in a single season. He was named the leagues Most Improved Player.Mason Plumlee returns as the starting center, with Al-Farouq Aminu at power forward. Maurice Harkless and offseason addition Evan Turner have been competing in training camp for the other starting nod.Other things to consider as the Trail Blazers prepare to open the season:NEWCOMERS: Portland signed Turner and free agent forward Festus Ezeli, while trading for guard Shabazz Napier and rookie forward Jake Layman. Ezeli played last season for the Warriors and averaged seven points and 5.6 assists.Turner, who agreed to a four-year, $70 million contract, is adjusting to his new team in the preseason. Last year with the Celtics, the 6-foot-7 wing averaged 10.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists as Bostons sixth man.Lillard recently offered Turner some advice: I said to him, `Dont worry about what this person thinks or what that person is saying. We want you to play. Youre a playmaker and you score the ball. ... We need you to play off your instincts. Thats what you do well. Thats what you do well in practice. We want you to do it in a game so we can adjust to what you do and learn that way instead of you trying to get used to us all the time.ROAD TRIP!: The Trail Blazers once again embarked on a preseason team-bonding excursion to San Diego. The trip south was started by Lillard and McCollum in 2015. The team worked out at San Diego State and shared meals. I always knew they were cool guys and they had good chemistry, Ezeli said. But I didnt know the team was this tight.DEFENSE: Stotts has always emphasized defensive improvement, and this season is no different. The Blazers ranked 20th in the league for points allowed per game, 16th for opponents field-goal percentage and 17th for opponents points per shot.INJURY UPDATE: Center Meyers Leonard has returned to the court ahead of schedule following shoulder surgery. Noah Vonleh has also returned from a procedure on his thigh. But the Blazers continue to wait on Ezeli, who had a left knee procedure in August. There is no timeline for his return, and the Blazers are acting cautiously.MULTITALENTED: Lillards first rap album The Letter O was released Friday. Lillard, who musically goes by Dame D.O.L.L.A., worked with artists including Jamie Foxx, Raphael Saadiq and Lil Wayne. His first single is the song Hero, with Saadiq. Lillard has been involved with music since coming to the Blazers: He hosts the popular freestyle challenge (hash)4BarFriday on Instagram, and the video for his song Bigger than Us premiered on TNT in January. Pittsburgh Pirates Pro Shop . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. Pittsburgh Pirates Gear .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. Wholesale Pirates Jerseys . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. Pirates Jerseys China . The Masters champion and winner of last weeks Australian PGA has a three-round total of 14-under 199 at Royal Melbourne. "Im in a really good position for tomorrow," Scott said. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The NHLs best team will seek to exploit a struggling opponent when the Montreal Canadiens meet the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night at the Honda Center.The Canadiens enter the game with 16 wins and 34 points, both league highs. Montreal owned an even better record at this time last season, when the club won its first nine games to set a team record while going 18-4-2 through Nov. 27 of last year.But the loss of goalie Carey Price sabotaged the Canadiens playoff hopes. Price strained his right medial collateral ligament last Nov. 25 against the New York Rangers and missed the rest of the season. As a result, Montreal won only 20 of its final 58 games and finished sixth in the Atlantic Division.This season, however, Price is back among the leagues elite. The 2015 winner of the Hart and Vezina trophies leads the NHL with 13 wins, holds second place with a .947 save percentage and shares third place with a 1.66 goals-against average.Supporting Price on defense is Shea Weber, who came from the Nashville Predators in exchange for P.K. Subban, a former Norris Trophy winner. All Weber has done is amass a league-high seven power-play goals and compile a plus-18 rating, the best among NHL defensemen, while joining Alexei Emelin to form a physically intimidating pairing.Theyre very demanding to play against, Canadiens coach Michel Therrien told the Montreal Gazette.Offensively, center Alex Galchenyuk is on pace to exceed the career highs of 30 goals and 56 points he established last season. Galchenyuk, 22, has nine goals and 22 points in 22 games. Right winger Alexander Radulov returned to the NHL after five seasons in Russsias Kontinental Hockey League and has nine points in his past eight games playing alongside Galchenyuk.dddddddddddd.Tuesday nights game is the second in a five-game road trip, the teams longest this season. Montreal began the excursion with a 2-1 overtime victory against the Detroit Red Wings.Its a trip thats coming at just the right time for us, Therrien told the Gazette. Its going to be tough. Well face good teams and Im eager to see how we respond. Weve been playing with confidence but well take things one game at a time.The Canadiens will face an opponent that remains a work in progress. Anaheim broke a three-game losing streak Saturday night with a 3-2 victory in San Jose.It feels good, Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf told the Orange County Register. Weve got to feel good about ourselves and try and carry that over. Remember that feeling. Remember the work that went into it. Try and carry it over to the next one.Getzlaf also ended a stretch of personal futility by scoring his first goal in 15 games Saturday night. The goal was just Getzlafs second of the season. Right winger Corey Perry has failed to score in 14 successive games. Yet Rickard Rakell owns eight goals and 12 points in 13 games, and fellow Swede Jakob Silfverberg has five goals and 11 points in his past 11 appearances.We havent done enough consistently with the puck to say that were happy or satisfied, Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle told the Register and added that one problem is having everybody on the same page on a play that we have on. ' ' '