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DURHAM, N.C. -- Intent on maintaining a chance of winning an Atlantic Coast Conference championship, No. 17 North Carolina cant afford a hiccup Thursday night at Duke.While the Blue Devils could put a big dent in the Tar Heels title aspirations, theres a flip side when these rivals meet.North Carolina might send Duke tumbling out of bowl contention when the teams collide at Wallace Wade Stadium (7:30 p.m., ESPN).Its about the next game, thats the only thing we can control is what we do in this game on Thursday night, North Carolina coach Larry Fedora said. Thats where our focus has been. Lets get ready for this game.North Carolina (7-2, 5-1 ACC) has rattled off three consecutive victories, remaining in a first-place tie with Virginia Tech, which owns the tiebreaker on the Tar Heels.Duke (3-6, 0-5), which is the only ACC team without a conference victory, holds a three-game losing streak going into its home finale.They could have very easily won all three of those games, theres no doubt about that, Fedora said. We dont really look at their record, thats not something that we pay attention to. We know were going to get their best game and hopefully were going to give them our best game.The Blue Devils have lost back-to-back games by three points.Obviously, everyone is well aware that weve played close football games all year long, Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. Were 3-6 for a reason, you have to look at why.North Carolina played strong in most areas against Georgia Tech on Saturday coming off an open week on the schedule. The refreshed team now faces a different type of challenge.I think we have a good plan for short weeks, Fedora said. When you go a short week, its more about making sure theyre mentally fresh and their bodies are ready to go.North Carolinas high-powered offense is bound to be troublesome for Duke, which has been prone to yielding big-yardage plays.Tar Heels senior receivers Ryan Switzer and Bug Howard both rank among the top seven in the ACC in receptions per game and receiving yards per game, helping quarterback Mitch Trubiskys soaring efficiency ratings.You have to be really good on third downs (on defense) against this team, Cutcliffe said. Theyre very difficult to defend anyway.Part of the key for Dukes defense could be the play of linebacker Ben Humphreys, a sophomore coming off a career-high 16 tackles against Virginia Tech.North Carolina has benefited from running back Elijah Hood working through some midseason ailments. He racked up 168 rushing yards in the Georgia Tech game.That type of balance has the Tar Heels in a good frame of mind.Plays are being made, and everybody is having a lot of fun out there, Hood said.Meanwhile, the Blue Devils have shown their coach a degree of resiliency.Im real impressed with our team refocusing, Cutcliffe said. We try to teach the same whether weve won or lost.Redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Jones, who is from Charlotte, will play in this rivalry for the first time. He said theres no reason to let the past few Duke results bring about frustration.If we get emotional about it, its not going to help, Jones said.North Carolina has won the last two meetings since Duke clinched the 2013 Coastal Division title by defeating the Tar Heels.The teams play annually for possession of the Victory Bell, which is kept for a year by the winning team. North Carolina has captured 23 of the past 26 matchups.For 27 Duke seniors, this is the last home game for a group that helped transform the program.Theyve won 30 games in their four-year career, Cutcliffe said. Thats pretty special.But without a victory against North Carolina, the Blue Devils wont meet bowl eligibility, meaning a four-year streak of postseason play would come to an end.This will be Dukes third game against a nationally ranked opponent in a four-game span. The Blue Devils have won four of their last 11 games against Top 25 opponents.Theyre going to give us everything theyve got, Fedora said. I hope that were prepared and we give them everything weve got.Cheap Nike Air Force 1 Uk . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. 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Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury.TORONTO -- The leadership core of this cool-as-they-come machine called Team Canada was born out of the most pressurized environment one could ever imagine for the sport of hockey.The 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, was a must-win hockey tournament for the sports birth nation following Canadas tremendously disappointing flameout at the Torino Winter Games in Italy four years earlier.A silver medal in 2010 would have been deemed a disaster. It was akin to Brazil hosting soccers World Cup. It is beyond belief how much pressure there was in Vancouver.To have been able to come through with a gold medal in that environment six years ago spawned a whole new era for Team Canadas core stars -- led by Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Shea Weber, Drew Doughty and Ryan Getzlaf -- and produced the kind of belief and quiet confidence that has set this team apart on its way to the World Cup of Hockey finals.The best-of-three championship series against Team Europe begins Tuesday.Add in the same head coach since Vancouver in Mike Babcock and youve got the kind of continuity over three best-on-best tournaments that has led to a certain know-how you cant buy.Obviously, its important, Babcock said over the weekend. When we had the graybeards that year in 2010 with Nieds and Prongs and Iggy, I mean, they provided great stabilization for us in the room. And Boiler was on that team, and there was some good, good, good men who had been around a long time to help these kids. These kids now arent kids any more. ... I trust them, and I think they trust me.Babcock was referring to the veteran presence of Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Jarome Iginla and Dan Boyle, which in that frying pan of a tournament in 2010 helped ease the transition to Team Canadas current generation of leaders.It was a pretty jam-packed and pressure-packed moment, and you look at how all those guys performed, it was pretty remarkable, Pronger said Monday over the phone.Dont kid yourself though. The presence of Hall of Famers such as Pronger and Niedermayer helped those young stars handle the moment at hand in Vancouver.I especially remember Nieds, because I was so fortunate to play with him and sat beside him in the locker room, Weber said Monday after practice. He was just a calming influence. He was never a guy that was really that vocal. He said things, but he wasnt always chirping -- just that guy where there was never a doubt in his mind -- and II think that really calms a room.dddddddddddd. You can learn a lot from those guys in those situations.Reached Monday, Niedermayer, ever humble, downplayed his role.The way Toews and Crosby play, I mean, its impressive, he said. Obviously, extremely talented players, but neither feel theyre too good to do the little dirty jobs that need to be done. Throughout my career, that really impresses me when you see a guy like that thats willing to do that for his team.Those two guys were born leaders. If we happened to pass on a few things that we learned from other guys, great, but I think those two guys were going to figure it out on their own.Babcock is quick to remind people that Weber is just as important in that Crosby-Toews leadership group.Hes as good a human being as Ive ever been around, Babcock said of Weber. He doesnt have to say much. He just has to look at you, and you snap into shape. He cuts a big swath out there. ... What I like about him best is when he walks in the dressing room, you know its business. And so hes a culture-type person. He makes your franchise better when he walks in the door.The fact is, Team Canada has leaders all over the dressing room. Most of them wear a letter on their respective NHL teams, which is why nobody has to stand up and deliver a speech.Theres not one voice thats the most present in the room, I dont think, Doughty said. Everyones kind of got the things they want to say either to the team or just to your linemates or D partners. Everyone is chipping in on that, and we look for that from everyone.Its why when Canada somehow was in a tie game after 40 minutes in Saturdays semifinal despite massively outplaying Russia that you could hear a pin drop in the Canadian dressing room. Been there, done that; the back-to-back Olympic champs just stuck to the game plan and hammered the Russians in the third period.Leadership also is accepting your role. There are star players on Team Canada playing fewer minutes than theyre used to. Nobody is complaining.Its impressive, Niedermayer said. I think this run that this groups been on is amazing and should really be appreciated, obviously by them but also by Canadians and fans. ... I dont see anybody there thats worried about themselves.Theyre there for one reason, to help the team, and I think it really shows. ' ' '