ST. LOUIS - Jake Allen was a little more than 3 minutes from his third straight shutout Thursday night.In the end, the St. Louis Blues goalie had to hold on just to win. The New Jersey Devils scored three times in a span of 2:34 late in the third period but came up just short as the Blues extended their winning streak to seven games with a 4-3 victory.Allen would have enjoyed another shutout, but said the main thing was getting two more points.I think shutouts are bonuses, he said. If I got that third one, great, Ill enjoy it for a little bit. But Im just focusing on wins right now. Definitely a couple of things to learn from the last few minutes, but all in all, we got the win and well move on to Saturday.Allen made 24 saves and ran his shutout streak to 184 minutes before giving up his first goal in two weeks.Vladimir Tarasenko stretched his goal-scoring streak to four games — he and Blues linemate Jaden Schwartz each had a goal and an assist. Tarasenko has scored five goals during his four-game streak and eight in his last six games overall.Its not about the scoring; its about the wins, Tarasenko said. We have seven in a row. So lets make it eight and prepare for the next game.Alexander Steen and David Backes also scored for St. Louis. Jori Lehtera had two assists.Allen, who stopped 26 shots in blanking the Devils 1-0 Tuesday night in New Jersey, had his shutout streak snapped at 184:01 when Michael Ryder beat him with a wrist shot at 16:35 of the third period.Prior to that, Allen had not allowed a goal since Vancouvers Linden Vey scored on him at 11:57 of the third period on Oct. 23.I think he gets a lot of help from their team, New Jerseys Patrik Elias said. Their defencemen are some of the best in the league, if not the best, and they move the puck and dont give the other team great chances. When they do give up some, obviously hes played well for them. Marek Zidlicky then scored at 18:09 for New Jersey and Ryder added his second of the game with 50.5 seconds left to make it 4-3.Its tough, Allen said. I just wanted to bear down and give them nothing. You had 1 minute left to get two points and lay it on the line. We got it. We squeezed it out.Blues coach Ken Hitchcock felt the team let Allen down the last few minutes.I feel bad for him, Hitchcock said. Its a win but it feels a little bit like a loss because we let the guy down because he was so good. Jersey came in with real purpose; they really pushed us hard.Cory Schneider made 22 saves for the Devils. He was pulled in favour of Keith Kinkaid after Steen scored on a power play at 7:10 of the third period.Tarasenko got the Blues on the board just before the end of the first period with another highlight-reel goal. He got the puck from Schwartz in the slot, manoeuvred to his left through three Devils, then pulled Schneider out of position before lifting the puck over him at 19:55.Hes probably the hottest player in the league right now, Schneider said. You cant deny his skill. I tried to out-wait him but hes real patient and got it up at the end which I wasnt sure he was going to be able to do. It was another nice goal from him.Schwartz made it 2-0 at 11:05 of the second when he took a long clearing pass from Barret Jackman and skated in alone on Schneider. Schwartz put a wrist shot over Schneiders right shoulder for his sixth goal.NOTES: New Jersey began a stretch of playing 15 out of 20 on the road. ... Schneider has started all 13 games for the Devils. New England Patriots Gear . Born in Berkeley and raised in Oakland, where he later pitched for the As, Ross beat the Giants for the first time in six career appearances by throwing eight scoreless innings to lead the San Diego Padres to a 2-1 victory Friday night. New England Patriots Store . -- Desperate to stop Tom Bradys latest comeback bid, the Miami Dolphins sought help from a reserve safety making his NFL debut after being signed Tuesday off the San Francisco 49ers practice squad. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/. Neither player was available Saturday for the Knicks 107-98 loss in Atlanta. "Were going in a different direction and weve got to figure out another spot or two for our ballclub," coach Mike Woodson said before the game. Patriots Jerseys 2020 . He could have transferred when academic sanctions barred the Huskies from the NCAA tournament his junior season. Cheap Patriots Jerseys .S. President Barack Obama saluted the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks at the White House on Monday -- a rare moment for a president hungry to see more victorious teams from his hometown.CLEVELAND -- Once Michael Sam is drafted in the NFL, the Missouri defensive end will be judged strictly on whether he can play and whether he can help his team win. Everything else -- even that hes gay -- will be trivial. As the first openly homosexual player to enter the draft, Sam could face scrutiny unlike any player before him. But many of the greatest players and coaches in football history dont believe hell be subjected to any hatred, harassment, discrimination or bullying by teammates. "I dont think hell have any problem in the locker room. I dont think hell have any problems on the field," said Hall of Fame offensive tackle Art Shell. "The one thing about football players, theyre inclusive. They will take you for who you are, not what people try to portray you as. "Its who you are: Youre a football player, then you can play with us. I dont see that as being a problem in the National Football League." Shells stance was shared by several other Hall of Famers, including Lions running back Barry Sanders, Buffalo coach Marv Levy, and Giants linebacker Harry Carson, who appeared along with nearly 100 other inductees at a two-day "Fan Fest," the largest gathering ever of football legends outside Canton, Ohio. Sanders, who retired at the peak of his career following the 1998 season with 15,269 career yards rushing, believes theres an unwritten code among football players to ignore anything other than a persons skills and talents. "From the time youre a kid and you start playing, youre almost programmed for Can a guy play or not?" he said. "By the time you get to the NFL, thats well ingrained. Im pretty sure every guy in this league has been around gay individuals before, and so I dont think it will be much different." Sams courageous decision to reveal his sexual orientation was an important personal milestone. It was also an historic moment for the NFL and all major sports as it provides a deeper reflection of societys openness and willingness to accept his individuality. Sams revelation may not have been met with such overwhelming approval just a few years ago. In the macho arena that is pro football, Sam may have been an outcast in previous generations. "Hes a very bold guy to come out," said cornerback Michael Haynes, a nine-time Pro Bowler elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997. "The timing is good. If hed done that in the 60s or 70s, maybe not so good because everybody was really struggling with how to understand differences like that in people.dddddddddddd "Diversity has become a critical topic, people are talking about it all the time and I think the world is different. Remember Magic Johnson with AIDS? It starts with education. Hell be judged on football." Carson, who retired in 1988 after 13 seasons in New York, said he was "proud" of Sam for choosing to be open about his sexuality. Carson recalled that one of his Giants teammates, offensive lineman Roy Simmons, was suspected as being gay and was never ostracized. "It never really swayed anyones opinion of him," Carson said. "But its something he lived with and he didnt have to by himself because he had teammates, and the teammates he had were guys who supported him. Even though he never said anything, were a team and guys on the team who are unselfish are going to support their teammates regardless of how they choose to live their lives." Simmons, the first player to acknowledge he was HIV positive, died early this year. He was 57. Its possible there will be some awkwardness for Sam in the locker room, where he could be subjected to jokes and playful ribbing. Sanders believes those days are long gone. "Guys are more forward thinking than you think," he said. "It helps that hes a big guy. No one will mess with him." The 6-foot-2, 261-pound Sam has been projected to be drafted from the third round on. Sam didnt perform well on the field at the scouting combine, where he calmly handled tough questions about his decision to "come out." Levy, who led the Bills to four straight Super Bowls, said his criteria before deciding to draft Sam would be pretty simple. "Is he the best guy at his position when were on the board, and do we need a guy at that position?" the 89-year-old Levy said. "If so, Ill take him. Id like to know his character qualities and other things, but that would not factor into my decision." If he were coaching a team that selected Sam, Levy said he would not feel any need to address his players. That may not have been the case 10 or 20 years ago. "I wouldnt make an issue of it," Levy said. "I think society has adjusted to the point where its an acceptable thing and why make an issue of it? That would be my approach. Things change, plus Ive got to worry about how to pick up the blitz." ' ' '