y Phoenix Mercury is slumping again as it prepares to visit the

When the New York Rangers limped off the ice after being whacked by the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games in the first round of the playoffs last spring, it was hard not to imagine that it likely marked the end of an era. Goalie?Henrik Lundqvist had been yanked twice and looked beaten down. The Rangers defense that had backchecked the team to the Stanley Cup finals in 2014 and conference final appearances in 2012 and 2015 looked broken. Rick Nash was a nonfactor.In short, it was hard not to imagine the future as anything but bleak for the Broadway Blueshirts. But credit general manager Jeff Gorton with somehow retooling the Rangers on the fly by acquiring highly touted college free agent Jimmy Vesey, intriguing center Mika Zibanejad and free-agent forward Brandon Pirri. Was it a shuffling of the deck chairs or a bold reinvigorating of the Rangers lineup that will help get them back in the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 seasons?Biggest new facesI must admit Im still not sure how Vesey ended up with the Rangers, given how they finished the season and the fact that it looked like the window was closing on their championship potential. But good on Gorton and assorted New York celebrities for making the Rangers an attractive option for the collegiate star.Pirri had 22 goals in just 49 games for the?Florida Panthers?in 2014-15 but has struggled to find a permanent NHL home, having bounced from the?Chicago Blackhawks to the Panthers to the Anaheim Ducks,?for whom he played just nine games last season before signing with New York. But he has impressed from the get-go with the Rangers and could be another important depth piece.Zibanejad came at the expense of Derick Brassard, but hes younger, brings more size and has, in theory, a better two-way game. Michael Grabner and Nathan Gerbe?will help fill in spaces among a much-different-looking forward contingent. On the blue line, neither?Nick Holden?--?acquired from the Colorado Avalanche -- nor?Adam Clendening?will replace Keith Yandle,?who likely was the Rangers most consistent defender over the last half of the season but who ended up signing a big contract with Florida.Biggest unknownsWill the blue line return to its former state, or are those days gone forever? I chatted with Ryan McDonagh in Minnesota during the offseason, and the Rangers captain said he is committed to returning to his former status as a nightly difference-maker. The same must happen for Marc Staal and Dan Girardi, both of whom saw their games slide dramatically last season.Up front, how will all the new, younger faces meld together? And is there enough offense there to keep the Rangers comfortably in the playoff picture? The talent is certainly there, so its up to coach Alain Vigneault to get the most out of this group. Speaking of Vigneault, can he help the Rangers penalty kill get up off the mat after the unit finished 26th last season?Sure thingsWe actually wrestled with where to slot in The King in this preview. Is Lundqvist a sure thing or big question mark? As noted, the playoffs ended on a sour note for the one player most responsible for the Rangers significant success over the past decade, with Lundqvist sporting a 4.39 goals-against average. Its fair to say this season looms large for the 34-year-old Lundqvist. But he was excellent at the World Cup of Hockey (even if his Swedish teammates were less so).The bottom line is that Lundqvist has to be, well, Lundqvist, and if he is, the team is playoff bound and should be a handful. If hes not, if time is starting to wear down the former Vezina Trophy winner, then it wont really matter what else has been done to this lineup. The Rangers will be in trouble.PredictionI still think Lundqvist is capable of delivering the goods, and I like what the Rangers have done to get younger and faster up front without really sacrificing skill. I fully expect them to be better in their own zone and ultimately finish where they end up pretty much every spring -- in the playoffs. Fourth in the Metropolitan Division. Wholesale Lakers Jerseys . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. Fake Lakers Jerseys . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/ . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. Los Angeles Lakers Gear . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. Lakers Jerseys 2020 . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. The streaky Phoenix Mercury is slumping again as it prepares to visit the Chicago Sky on Sunday at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.Phoenix (8-12) has lost two in a row and three of its last four. This latest stretch followed a three-game winning streak, which was preceded by a three-game losing streak.The Mercury has fallen into fourth place in the WNBAs Western Conference, one game behind the third-place Dallas Wings and 10 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Sparks.Chicago (7-11) has lost two in a row and four of its last five. The Sky has fallen to fifth in the Eastern Conference behind the New York Liberty, the Atlanta Dream, the Washington Mystics and the Indiana Fever.Teams in the East are much more tightly grouped than they are out West, with only six games separating New York from Chicago.Phoenix is coming off a 78-60 loss to the Indiana Fever. Diana Taurasi and Kelsey Bone had 13 points apiece in the loss. The Meercury shot 45.dddddddddddd.1 percent from the field but committed 26 turnovers.The game marked the return of Marta Xargay, who was Phoenixs starting point guard for much of the 2015 season. The team announced that it had re-signed Xargay on Friday.Xargay, who will represent Spain in the 2016 Summer Olympics, logged 23 minutes against Indiana, posting six points on 3-of-3 shooting with two assists and two turnovers.Chicago is coming off an 88-85 loss to New York. Allie Quigley came off the bench to score a career-high 29 points. She made 6-of-9 shots from 3-point range.Fellow backup Jamierra Faulkner added 18 points. Chicago was outrebounded 44-30 and the teams starters combined for only 33 points. Elena Delle Donne, who is second in the WNBA in scoring at 21 points per game, was held to 14 points. ' ' '