his is part of the challenge, Keselowski said. For us, t

CONCORD, N.C. - One bad race knocked three of NASCARs biggest names to the bottom of the championship standings, and a repeat Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway will put the trio on the verge of elimination.Thats the harsh reality for Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and six-time and defending NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson. They combined to win more than a third of the races this season, and their title hopes could end before the third round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.NASCAR eliminates four drivers from the Chase field after every third race, and Keselowski, Earnhardt and Johnson are ranked 10th through 12th in the field. A win automatically advances a driver into the third round; anything else forces the drivers to depend on next weeks elimination race at Talladega Superspeedway to stay in title contention.Its a mathematical longshot to think that Keselowski, winner of five races this season, and Earnhardt and Johnson, who have three wins apiece, can all recover enough to move into the third round. None is concerned about anything but Saturday nights race.But after a solid first practice Friday, Earnhardt was confident.Were going to win this race. I really got a good feeling about it, he said on his 40th birthday. This is what weve got to do anyway to try to get further points and try to win the championship. The cars been great all weekend. Attitudes good. Everybodys excited. The teams working well together. The cars responding well. The car ran some good laps in practice and felt real good.Johnson won the Coca-Cola 600 here in May and Keselowski is the defending race winner. Earnhardt won the All-Star race in his 2000 rookie season but has never won a points race at his home track.They are all in a hole right now because of Kansas, the opening race of the second round. Earnhardt had a tire failure while leading, and Keselowski later also had a tire issue. Johnson just had a bad all-around weekend, was in an early accident, and finished 40th.He also was off in qualifying Thursday at Charlotte, where hell start 21st.We are just not where we want to be, Johnson said. Bottom line. Were working very hard to get there. This sport is not forgiving. What you have accomplished in the past doesnt buy you a damn thing for the present.Jeff Gordon, Johnsons teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, cautioned not to count Johnson out just yet.I have just seen too many times these guys pull it out and do extraordinary things when they seem to be down and out, Gordon said. I dont know exactly what is going on right now. I know that those guys are incredibly good and put up a heck of a fight.I wont be surprised if they still make it to the next round or are a major threat for this championship.Keselowski, who averaged a fifth-place finish in the first round of the Chase and won the opener, said the pressure is intense at Charlotte for the entire Chase field. Penske teammate Joey Logano won last weekend at Kansas to earn the automatic berth into the third round, and his victory extended the streak of Penske or Hendrick drivers winning on every 1.5-mile track this season.Were going to do what we normally do, Logano said. We normally go out there and try to help each other. As a two-car team, weve got to work very tight together to make sure both our cars are fast. I feel like thats something we applied to Team Penske a long time ago.But theres little Logano can do come race time to assist his teammate.Theres only so much you can do on the race track to help your teammate, said Logano. My goal is still to win. I might be greedy, but I want to win.Keselowski is treating Saturday night as if it is the season finale with the championship on the line. Hes been there before a€” in 2012 when he clinched the title over Johnson at Homestead-Miami Speedway.Theres a lot at stake, but it is every weekend. This is part of the challenge, Keselowski said. For us, this is a very Homestead-like weekend. We need to perform. This is our last chance to really control our destiny in the Chase for this round, and we want to make the most of this opportunity. Josh Morrissey Jersey .com) - The Calgary Flames were again involved in a game in which a team was held scoreless, only this time they came out on the winning side. Mathieu Perreault Jersey .1 Sam Stosur will meet Germanys second-ranked player Andrea Petkovic in the opening match of the Fed Cup World Group semifinal. http://www.jetsauthentic.com/authentic-t...en-jets-jersey/. The Calgary Stampeders running back received the West Division nomination for the CFLs top individual award Thursday in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada and leagues eight head coaches. Adam Lowry Jets Jersey . Williams withdrawal came less than 24 hours after losing in the final Auckland WTA tournament final. "I dont believe she has an injury," Hobart tournament director Mark Handley said. Laurie Boschman Jets Jersey . Halladays resume as a Blue Jay is among the elite in the franchises 36-year history. Over 12 seasons in Toronto, he was named an All-Star six times. He had arguably the finest campaign of his career in 2003 when he posted a 22-7 record, a 3.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Vancouver Canucks will aim for revenge against the Colorado Avalanche when the clubs meet in Tuesdays battle at the Pepsi Center. Listen to all the action on TSN 1040 at 4pm pt. The Canucks did not fare well when they faced the Avalanche in Denver earlier this season, dropping a 7-3 decision for their most lopsided loss of 2014-15. Jarome Iginla recorded two goals and an assist for Colorado in the meeting on Oct. 24 and the Avs outshot Vancouver by a 48-29 margin. It was the third straight overall victory in this series for the Avalanche and their third consecutive home win over the Canucks. Colorado, however, has won only once since slamming Vancouver last month, posting a 1-1-3 mark in its last five outings. The Canucks, meanwhile, followed the loss with four straight victories before having that streak halted in Sundays home test against Nashville. The Predators recorded a 3-1 win in Vancouver on Sunday behind a two-goal performance from Filip Forsberg. Pekka Rinne also made 26 saves in the triumph. The game was tied 1-1 before the Predators scored twice in the third. Alex Edler had the lone goal for Vancouver, while Eddie Lack stopped 30 shots in defeat. We had some chances, just didnt shoot the puck, Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said. Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa left Sundays game and did not return after getting struck in the right eye with a puck during the first period. However, Bieksa is considered day-to-day and could play tonight. Fourth-line forward Tom Sestito also was injured on Sunday and could be out for a week, while Alexanndre Burrows is serving the final part of a three-game suspension tonight.dddddddddddd Those absences will allow 19-year-old rookie Bo Horvat, the ninth overall pick of the 2013 draft, to make his NHL debut on Tuesday. Vancouver hopes to return to the win column when it begins a four-game road trip on Tuesday. The Canucks own identical 4-2-0 records this season at home and on the road. The Avalanche have lost two straight, dropping a pair of 3-2 decisions over the weekend. Colorado lost in a shootout Saturday in St. Louis before opening a three-game homestand with Sundays regulation defeat versus Anaheim. Colorado led Sundays tilt 2-1 after 20 minutes, but Anaheims Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler tallied in the second period to give the Ducks the lead for good. Anaheim outshot the Avs by a 33-18 margin in the game. Nathan MacKinnon and Dennis Everberg tallied for the Avalanche, while Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves in defeat. We were just not sustaining any pressure, Colorado center John Mitchell said. Colorado fell to 2-2-2 at the Pepsi Center after Sundays setback, losing for the second time in its past three home games. Canucks (16PTS) at Avalanche (11PTS) - 9PM COL is 1-0-0 vs VAN this season, winning at home COL has won 3 straight at home vs VAN COL (3-5-5): 2-3-5 past 10 games, 25/25 on PK last 6 games MacKinnon (4G, 1A) 3 game PT streak Career game 999 for Stuart tonight Iginla (2G, 1A) vs VAN this season VAN (8-4-0): 4-2-0 on road, 2/18 on PP 3 or more GF in 5 of 6 road games 3GA or less in 5 straight games D Sedin (1G, 1A) vs COL this season ' ' '