EDMONTON - The Edmonton Oilers returned to practice Tuesday minus the 300-pound gorilla on their backs.The Oilers won their first game of the season Monday, ending a spectacular face-plant out of the starting gate that had left a fragile fan base teetering on the abyss of despairing deja vu.For the group, (the win) was more of, OK, everything that weve put in place here will work and it can work and theres no need to change anything, Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins told reporters after the optional skate at Rexall Place.That was the one thing we were really hammering home as a (coaching) staff.Were comfortable with our systems, the way were teaching it, the progress that were making it, and were not going to change it.Its going to work.The Oilers, galvanized by a electrifying penalty-shot goal by winger Taylor Hall, defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 Monday for the first win.The victory vaulted the Oilers out of the league cellar past the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, and Winnipeg Jets into a tie with the Colorado Avalanche for 26th spot.The Oilers opened the season with a 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames, followed by a shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks and punishing beatdowns at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings and the Arizona Coyotes.Hall said things began to turn around in last Fridays 2-0 loss to the Canucks.We tried to eliminate those Grade A (opposition scoring) chances from our game, and it seemed like in Vancouver that happened, he said.Eakins agreed. He said the Oilers needed to improve their defensive play but were undone in the early going by some bad bounces.Weve had some pucks go right through us, where weve been in good positions — stick, skates — (but) somehow it got through, he said.Weve continued to try to look after that red zone as much as you can, and were (now) finding a way to get our sticks and our feet in a way of those pucks.Eakins has also been matching his top line of Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle against the other teams best trio.Against Tampa Bay he matched them against Steve Stamkoss line and came out on top.I thought (Nugent-Hopkins) was by far the best player on the ice and was driving the game, said Eakins.Nugent-Hopkins line has also been matched up against the Sedin twins in Vancouver.Bring it on, said Hall.Its fun to go up against the guys. And we took it as a challenge last night to go up against a player like Stamkos, said Hall.The best way to play against those (top lines) is to play in their end, and make them play defence, and go at them that way.Eakins said the top line may be matched up against Alexander Ovechkin when the Oilers host the Washington Capitals Wednesday.But while the dark clouds have receded, the Oilers know theyre still in a storm.Offensive leaders from last year like Eberle and David Perron have yet to score this year.Goaltender Ben Scrivens has been erratic and the Oilers are still prone to getting caught running around in their own end of the ice.They need success now as they enter the mid-point of a seven-game homestand before heading east on a five-game trip in early November.The Oilers are also dealing with a fan base that, after eight consecutive seasons of empty promises and no playoffs, has gone from twitchy to downright jumpy.As the early losses piled up, fans took to social media to carve the team: too many youngsters, not enough focus in training camp, fire the coach. Eakins was ridiculed as some kind of eggheaded Mr. Peabody looking to X and O his way out of a game that is often no more complicated than who wants the puck more.Perron said theyre not out of the woods.We cant get ahead of ourselves, he said.Weve done a lot of nice things so far that people are talking about, but its only one win out of six games. Joe Flacco Womens Jersey . Needing to bulk up on both sides of the line, the Falcons agreed to terms with guard Jon Asamoah, defensive end Tyson Jackson and defensive tackle Paul Soliai. Asamoah and Jackson played last season with Kansas City, where Asamoah lost his starting job. Joe Flacco Jersey . Azarenka needed exactly one hour in a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Austrian Yvonne Meusburger to start the night session at Laver Arena. Sharapova had a much easier time earlier in the day with cooler conditions and took full advantage in 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) win over Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, while Radwanska had to rally for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. http://www.cheapravensshoponline.com/Youth-marquise-brown-ravens-jersey/ . - Mike Magee converted two penalty kicks in a 10-minute span of the first half and the Chicago Fire beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday. Iman Marshall Ravens Jersey .C. -- The Bobcats announced theyve signed centre Justin Hamilton to a 10-day contract. Jonathan Ogden Ravens Jersey . Next up is another showdown with Michigan. Payne scored 18 points, Branden Dawson had 14 and No. 22 Michigan State beat No. 12 Wisconsin 83-75 on Saturday to reach the Big Ten tournament championship.MILWAUKEE -- Three of Tony Cingranis 15 starts have come against the Brewers, and he knows Milwaukee cant lay off his high fastball. He threw it repeatedly Thursday night and it translated to another impressive outing by the rookie left-hander. Joey Votto hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning and Cingrani pitched solidly into the seventh, lifting the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night. Cingrani struck out nine in 6 1-3 innings, with the Brewers going down swinging on all but one strikeout. "They swung at it the last two times I faced them, and they kept swinging at it, so I kept throwing it there," he said. The Reds have won five straight and 10 of 13. Cingrani (6-2) allowed only a second-inning home run to Khris Davis. In eight starts since rejoining the rotation on July 3, he is 3-2 with a 2.12 ERA. "The Pirates lost, so we picked up another game on them, it was really big," he said of the Reds pulling within 2 1/2 games of NL Central-leading Pittsburgh. Cingrani scattered four hits and one walk. "Hes confident, hes not intimidated by anybody," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "This is how you want your players to be, especially rookies. He wanted to make this team out of spring training. Hes full of determination and desire, and a lot of confidence." In the teams last seven games, Reds starters are 4-1 with a 1.35 ERA. Aroldis Chapman worked the ninth for his 30th save in 34 chances. Vottos homer on a changeup was the only earned run allowed by Kyle Lohse (8-8) in seven innings. The right-hander also allowed an unearned run on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts in seven innings. "It wasnt a very good one," Lohse said of the changeup to Votto. "I didnt quite get the grip and I just tried to throw it down and away. It didnt have any life on it." Brewers All-Star centre fielder Carlos Gomez sprained his right knee while making a leaping catch at the centre field wall in the fourth inning. Gomez robbed Brandon Phillips of a likely extra-base hit, and crashed awkwardly to the ground with his right knee bent under his body and his right hip hitting the base of the wall in the fourth inning.dddddddddddd The team said Gomez would undergo an MRI on the knee Friday. Gomez said doctors told him an initial exam didnt show a serious injury, but there was pain in his knee when he tried to run. "When I start walking around, it starts to feel better but when I try to run, my knee doesnt let me," Gomez said. Milwaukee took a 1-0 lead when Davis hit a 3-2 pitch from Cingrani three rows from the top of the left field bleachers in the second. It was Davis fifth homer in his first 49 at-bats this year. The Reds tied the score 1-all in the fifth with an unearned run. Devin Mesoraco hit a bouncer up the middle, and Jeff Bianchis throw pulled first baseman Juan Francisco into the runners path and they collided at the bag. Mesoraco landed on top of Francisco as the ball scooted away. "He was a good cushion," Mesoraco said. He playfully patted Francisco twice on the side before first base coach Billy Hatcher emphatically told him to sprint to second, reaching on Bianchis throwing error. "He was right in the baseline and I had nowhere to go," Mesoraco said of Francisco. "I thought he caught it, and Hatch said, Go ahead! Go ahead! so I got up and went to second as quick as I could." Zack Cozart hit the next pitch from Lohse to centre for a single. Logan Schafers one-hop throw beat Mesoraco to the plate by several steps, but catcher Jonathan Lucroy couldnt handle the bounce and he scored to tie the game. Votto then led off the sixth with his 18th homer of the year to give the Reds the lead for good. NOTES: Gomez is batting .288 with 18 home runs and 55 RBI in 114 games. He was selected to his first All-Star game this season. ... Chapman had 38 saves in 2012, his first year as the teams closer. ... Bianchi saved two runs in the first with a leaping grab in the outfield to rob Ryan Ludwick of a hit with two outs and the bases loaded. ... The Brewers are 11-25 against left-handed starters. ... Brewers 3B Aramis Ramirez is hitless in nine at-bats since returning from the DL on Tuesday. ' ' '