More than a quarter of the way into the season, the Nashville Predators might be emerging as true contenders in the Western Conference. Nike Free Sale Australia . The Edmonton Oilers, meanwhile, are still seeking their first win over such a foe. The Central Division leaders will try to complete a three-game sweep of the Pacific stragglers Thursday night in Nashville, where the Oilers most recent stretch of struggles began more than two weeks ago. After Tuesdays 4-3 shootout win over Los Angeles, the Predators (14-5-2) are 8-1-1 at home with four straight victories, and another over the Oilers (6-14-2) would give them their top home streak since taking six straight from Jan. 7-Feb. 4, 2012. Theyre also 5-1-1 against the Pacific Division. Its been a good start, but at the same time to stay at the top of the league its probably the hardest thing, and everybody who comes here or any team were going to face, they want to get a piece of us, goaltender Pekka Rinne said. You have to be ready for it. But its been good. All the changes weve made ... obviously you got the record. Its easy to say that its been working. Craig Smith had a goal and an assist against the Kings and scored twice in the first meeting with Edmonton on Oct. 29. What hasnt been working so well is the power play. Nashville turned in a second straight 0-for-4 night against the Kings, and its 13.8 percent season mark ranks near the bottom of the league. Its penalty kill has also struggled with a 75.9 percent mark, though it has killed off 15 of 17 over the last nine games. At five-on-five, however, the Predators have been the best team in the league with a 1.68 goals-for-to-against ratio. Plenty of that has to do with the emergence of rookie Filip Forsberg and the additions of James Neal and Mike Ribeiro in first-year coach Peter Laviolettes overhaul of the offense. Forsberg has cooled off without a point in the last three games, but still leads the team and all rookies with 22. His plus-18 rating leads the league. Defensively, the Predators have limited opponents to 2.10 goals per game, which is among the league leaders. Rinne has been in goal for each of Nashvilles wins - hes tied for the league lead - and has a 1.97 goals-against average thats among the best in hockey. Two of those victories have come against the Oilers, whose seven-game losing streak - their longest since going 0-8-3 from March 8-31, 2011 - started with a 3-2 loss in Nashville on Nov. 11. Forsberg had the game-winning goal and an assist. More recently, the Oilers fell 3-2 in Dallas on Tuesday and are now 0-11-1 against the West. Even so, Jordan Eberle thinks the problems are more correctable than in years past. We were over-skating the puck and cheating, and thats not how you win games, Eberle told the teams official website. Were beating ourselves. ... Last year teams were beating us, this year were beating ourselves. Eberle has nine points on a five-game streak against the Predators. In goal, Viktor Fasth gave starter Ben Scrivens a night off after allowing five goals in each of his last two starts. Scrivens is 0-6-1 with a 3.88 GAA in his last eight games. The Oilers are allowing 3.45 goals per game and their goaltenders .885 save percentage is easily the worst in hockey. Scrivens is 1-3-0 with a 2.39 GAA in five games against Edmonton. Rinne is 4-2-0 with a 2.25 GAA over the past three seasons against Edmonton. Nike Free Wholesale Australia . -- Blake Griffin scored 32 points and grabbed eight rebounds, DeAndre Jordan had 14 points and 22 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers outlasted the Golden State Warriors 98-96 on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series. Nike Free Australia Online . After the loss, White refused to make good on the bet, instead offering Hoyt tickets to a Bears game. CURITIBA, Brazil -- Defending champion Spain salvaged some World Cup pride on Monday with a convincing 3-0 victory over Australia in their last match at the tournament. After losing their previous matches in Group B to the Netherlands and Chile, both teams took to Arena da Baixada in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba knowing they could not advance to the second round. David Villa, on his 97th and final appearance put Spain ahead in the 36th minute with his record 59th goal, guiding Juanfran Torres pass into the net with the inside of his right foot. Juanfran had been found by a typically incisive pass by Andres Iniesta. "We stepped up against Australia and won this match, and Im happy to have participated in the first goal," said the 32-year-old Villa, who has called time on his international career. "Its sad because we would have liked to have spent more time here, but thats how it is." Iniesta was at the heart of the second goal too, providing the pass for Fernando Torres to steer the ball past Australia goalkeeper Mat Ryan in the 69th minute. Juan Mata, who replaced an emotional Villa early in the second half, added the third in the 82nd from close range, stroking the ball under Ryan after he was found in space by fellow substitute Cesc Fabregas. David Silva, who also came on late, went close in the 89th but his shot from outside the area went just wide. Though nothing, in terms of World Cup progress, rested on the game, Spain showed some of the clever passing football that has seen it dominate the game over the past six years -- winning Euro 2008, its first World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and then Euro 2012. With that domination now at an end, the task facing Spain is to manage the transition from an aging squad that has won everything in the game to a new generation of players waiting to take centre stage. "We went out with dignity," Del Bosque said. &qquot;These have been six years of which we have been first in the FIFA ranking, a generation of players that have taught others, and have shown themselves," he added. Nike Free Shoes Australia. "We bow out with our head high knowing the future of the Spanish team has a good base regardless of who coaches it, with good veterans." In the early minutes of the match, Australia took the game to the champions, but it wasnt long before Spain asserted control and started dominating possession. "We started bright enough but you have to give credit to them, they are a quality team," Australia coach Ange Postecoglou said. "We looked jaded, tired, and gave away the ball too easily, so its disappointing." Australia, which lacked bite up front through the suspension of Tim Cahill, finished with zero points, its worst ever performance in a World Cup. On its 1974 debut, Australia garnered a point. However, the Socceroos were in an extremely tough group and pushed the Netherlands hard during its 3-2 defeat. For its part, Spain avoided the worst World Cup title defence in history. That label remains with the France team of 2002, which only secured one point in its goal-less campaign in the tournament co-hosted by South Korea and Japan. "What happened is in the past now," Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso said. "We tried to face our situation in the best manner possible. This is football, though, and we go home sad." ------ Lineups: Australia: Mat Ryan, Ryan McGowan, Jason Davidson, Matthew Spiranovic, Alex Wilkinson, Matt McKay, Mile Jedinak, Oliver Bozanic (Mark Bresciano, 72), Tommy Oar (James Troisi, 61), Matthew Leckie, Adam Taggart (Ben Halloran, 46). Spain: Pepe Reina, Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol, Jordi Alba, Juanfran Torres, Koke, Xabi Alonso (David Silva, 83), Santi Cazorla (Cesc Fabregas, 68), Andres Iniesta, Fernando Torres, David Villa (Juan Mata, 56). 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More than a quarter of the way into the season, the Nashville Predators might be emerging as true contenders in the Western Conference. Nike Free Sale Australia . The Edmonton Oilers, meanwhile, are still seeking their first win over such a foe. The Central Division leaders will try to complete a three-game sweep of the Pacific stragglers Thursday night in Nashville, where the Oilers most recent stretch of struggles began more than two weeks ago. After Tuesdays 4-3 shootout win over Los Angeles, the Predators (14-5-2) are 8-1-1 at home with four straight victories, and another over the Oilers (6-14-2) would give them their top home streak since taking six straight from Jan. 7-Feb. 4, 2012. Theyre also 5-1-1 against the Pacific Division. Its been a good start, but at the same time to stay at the top of the league its probably the hardest thing, and everybody who comes here or any team were going to face, they want to get a piece of us, goaltender Pekka Rinne said. You have to be ready for it. But its been good. All the changes weve made ... obviously you got the record. Its easy to say that its been working. Craig Smith had a goal and an assist against the Kings and scored twice in the first meeting with Edmonton on Oct. 29. What hasnt been working so well is the power play. Nashville turned in a second straight 0-for-4 night against the Kings, and its 13.8 percent season mark ranks near the bottom of the league. Its penalty kill has also struggled with a 75.9 percent mark, though it has killed off 15 of 17 over the last nine games. At five-on-five, however, the Predators have been the best team in the league with a 1.68 goals-for-to-against ratio. Plenty of that has to do with the emergence of rookie Filip Forsberg and the additions of James Neal and Mike Ribeiro in first-year coach Peter Laviolettes overhaul of the offense. Forsberg has cooled off without a point in the last three games, but still leads the team and all rookies with 22. His plus-18 rating leads the league. Defensively, the Predators have limited opponents to 2.10 goals per game, which is among the league leaders. Rinne has been in goal for each of Nashvilles wins - hes tied for the league lead - and has a 1.97 goals-against average thats among the best in hockey. Two of those victories have come against the Oilers, whose seven-game losing streak - their longest since going 0-8-3 from March 8-31, 2011 - started with a 3-2 loss in Nashville on Nov. 11. Forsberg had the game-winning goal and an assist. More recently, the Oilers fell 3-2 in Dallas on Tuesday and are now 0-11-1 against the West. Even so, Jordan Eberle thinks the problems are more correctable than in years past. We were over-skating the puck and cheating, and thats not how you win games, Eberle told the teams official website. Were beating ourselves. ... Last year teams were beating us, this year were beating ourselves. Eberle has nine points on a five-game streak against the Predators. In goal, Viktor Fasth gave starter Ben Scrivens a night off after allowing five goals in each of his last two starts. Scrivens is 0-6-1 with a 3.88 GAA in his last eight games. The Oilers are allowing 3.45 goals per game and their goaltenders .885 save percentage is easily the worst in hockey. Scrivens is 1-3-0 with a 2.39 GAA in five games against Edmonton. Rinne is 4-2-0 with a 2.25 GAA over the past three seasons against Edmonton. Nike Free Wholesale Australia . -- Blake Griffin scored 32 points and grabbed eight rebounds, DeAndre Jordan had 14 points and 22 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers outlasted the Golden State Warriors 98-96 on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series. Nike Free Australia Online . After the loss, White refused to make good on the bet, instead offering Hoyt tickets to a Bears game. CURITIBA, Brazil -- Defending champion Spain salvaged some World Cup pride on Monday with a convincing 3-0 victory over Australia in their last match at the tournament. After losing their previous matches in Group B to the Netherlands and Chile, both teams took to Arena da Baixada in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba knowing they could not advance to the second round. David Villa, on his 97th and final appearance put Spain ahead in the 36th minute with his record 59th goal, guiding Juanfran Torres pass into the net with the inside of his right foot. Juanfran had been found by a typically incisive pass by Andres Iniesta. "We stepped up against Australia and won this match, and Im happy to have participated in the first goal," said the 32-year-old Villa, who has called time on his international career. "Its sad because we would have liked to have spent more time here, but thats how it is." Iniesta was at the heart of the second goal too, providing the pass for Fernando Torres to steer the ball past Australia goalkeeper Mat Ryan in the 69th minute. Juan Mata, who replaced an emotional Villa early in the second half, added the third in the 82nd from close range, stroking the ball under Ryan after he was found in space by fellow substitute Cesc Fabregas. David Silva, who also came on late, went close in the 89th but his shot from outside the area went just wide. Though nothing, in terms of World Cup progress, rested on the game, Spain showed some of the clever passing football that has seen it dominate the game over the past six years -- winning Euro 2008, its first World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and then Euro 2012. With that domination now at an end, the task facing Spain is to manage the transition from an aging squad that has won everything in the game to a new generation of players waiting to take centre stage. "We went out with dignity," Del Bosque said. &qquot;These have been six years of which we have been first in the FIFA ranking, a generation of players that have taught others, and have shown themselves," he added. Nike Free Shoes Australia. "We bow out with our head high knowing the future of the Spanish team has a good base regardless of who coaches it, with good veterans." In the early minutes of the match, Australia took the game to the champions, but it wasnt long before Spain asserted control and started dominating possession. "We started bright enough but you have to give credit to them, they are a quality team," Australia coach Ange Postecoglou said. "We looked jaded, tired, and gave away the ball too easily, so its disappointing." Australia, which lacked bite up front through the suspension of Tim Cahill, finished with zero points, its worst ever performance in a World Cup. On its 1974 debut, Australia garnered a point. However, the Socceroos were in an extremely tough group and pushed the Netherlands hard during its 3-2 defeat. For its part, Spain avoided the worst World Cup title defence in history. That label remains with the France team of 2002, which only secured one point in its goal-less campaign in the tournament co-hosted by South Korea and Japan. "What happened is in the past now," Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso said. "We tried to face our situation in the best manner possible. This is football, though, and we go home sad." ------ Lineups: Australia: Mat Ryan, Ryan McGowan, Jason Davidson, Matthew Spiranovic, Alex Wilkinson, Matt McKay, Mile Jedinak, Oliver Bozanic (Mark Bresciano, 72), Tommy Oar (James Troisi, 61), Matthew Leckie, Adam Taggart (Ben Halloran, 46). Spain: Pepe Reina, Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol, Jordi Alba, Juanfran Torres, Koke, Xabi Alonso (David Silva, 83), Santi Cazorla (Cesc Fabregas, 68), Andres Iniesta, Fernando Torres, David Villa (Juan Mata, 56). 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