HAMILTON, Ont. -- Another second-period collapse by the Hamilton Bulldogs ensured they would leave the weekend without a point in three games and their already faint playoff hopes made nearly impossible. David van der Gulik scored twice in just over three minutes of the second period as the Lake Erie Monsters handed the Bulldogs their third loss in as many days, 4-1 in the American Hockey League on Sunday. Hamilton head coach Sylvain Lefebvre was honest when asked to assess his teams situation. "At this point of the season, if you dont compete and you dont do it with desperate energy, you dont deserve to make the playoffs," he said. "Right now, weve dug ourselves a pretty big hole, and if weve stopped believing and weve quit, no ones going to benefit from that." Van der Gulik had three points, and Chad Hunwick and Michael Schumacher also scored for the Monsters (25-27-6). Calvin Pickard made 24 saves. Christian Thomas had the lone goal for the Bulldogs (25-28-5), who fell to last place in the AHLs Western Conference standings. They sit 11 points out of a playoff spot with just 18 games to play. Hamiltons Devan Dubnyk stopped 21 shots. Lefebvre sent a bold message to his players after losses on both Friday and Saturday, making captain and leading point scorer Martin St. Pierre a healthy scratch. "Im not happy with (St. Pierres) game," he said. "Ive been talking with him and sending him messages here and there. "Sometimes, as a coach, you have ways to get guys going, and hopefully he can rebound and get playing the way that he can." Two fighters who had met earlier this season renewed hostilities to open the game, as Hamiltons Nick Tarnasky and Lake Eries Guillaume Desbiens took part in a staged fight at the faceoff. Dubnyk looked confident in the early stages, twice denying the Monsters in close after giveaways by defender Morgan Ellis. His efforts kept Lake Erie off the scoreboard in the first period, and Hamilton nearly opened the scoring just over 10 minutes in when Sven Andrighetto eluded coverage to slip into the low slot, but neither he nor Maxime Macenauer could get wrist shots past Pickard. Hamilton finally opened the scoring at 15:55 of the first when Andrighetto slipped a pass into the high slot that set up Thomas for a crushing slapshot over Pickards shoulder. The goal was a welcome sight for the rookie, who admitted that his production of just 19 points in 39 games has not met his expectations. "It was big, because I havent scored in a while," he said. "Ive been having a slow season so far, but hopefully that gives me some confidence for the rest of it." The Bulldogs looked to build on their lead in the second when they were awarded a penalty shot when a broken stick was used to interrupt play. Andrighetto was selected to take it, but he couldnt solve Pickard. The missed opportunity proved costly when Lake Erie went to a power play, and van der Gulik scored his first of the period to level the game at a goal apiece at 16:06. He scored again just 3:06 later, when Andrew Agozzino sent a centring pass into the high slot, and van der Gulik connected with a low, one-time shot that clipped inside Dubnyks far post. Lefebvre singled out Andrighettos missed penalty shot as a turning point in yet another discouraging second period for the Bulldogs. "Our second periods have been nowhere to be found this year," he said. "We gain momentum in the first period and then we come out in the second and were flat." The Monsters added insurance with second power-play goal as van der Gulik threaded a pass from the point to Hunwick at the left circle. He had plenty of time to work with, and beat Dubnyk with a wrist shot over the shoulder at 9:11 of the third period. Schumacher added a fourth Lake Erie goal when he stole the puck from a Hamilton defender and shot through Dubnyks pads at 13:45 of the third. Adidas NMD R1 White . The above paragraph could be rewritten, verbatim, with Marcus Stromans name in place of Romeros. After both men had disastrous outings in Tuesdays 18-4 mauling at the hands of the Tigers, its clear that neither is the best option to begin the season in Toronto. Adidas NMD R1 Womens Raw Pink . An unconventional night for Texas-El Paso nearly led to the Miners getting a huge upset. Down by 14 with 2:21 left, the Miners went on a frantic closing spurt that fell just short, and UTEP was beaten by No. http://www.cheapnmdonline.com/wholesale-adidas-nmd-human-race-china.html . Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed. New Adidas NMD 2019 . -- The Sacramento Kings and guard Jimmer Fredette have completed a buyout of his contract, clearing the way for the former BYU sensation to become a free agent. Adidas NMD Mens Sale . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends.PLA DADET, France -- On the last of four Pyrenees ascents, Rafal Majka winked at a French TV camera and tugged playfully at a motorcycles antenna. Even this late in the Tour de France, the Polish rider made winning look easy as he took Stage 17 on Wednesday. For Vincenzo Nibali, the second ride in the mountains on Frances border with Spain was more serious. "The Shark" nibbled yet more seconds away from several of his closest challengers, and the yellow jersey that he has worn for all but two days of the race seemed to fit just a little more tightly ahead of the finish Sunday in Paris. Nibali was even businesslike with his own prime minister, imploring him not to get too ahead of himself in celebration. "Its true that I received a text message from Matteo Renzi, who invited me to Chigi Palace to celebrate my victory," the cautious Sicilian said about the premiers official residence. "I replied that only after winning -- if I do so -- Ill be able to say that Ill be present." The 124.5-kilometre (77-mile) trek Wednesday was the shortest stage in this years Tour. It covered three hard Category 1 ascents from Saint-Gaudens and a final push up to Pla dAdet ski station above the town of Saint-Lary-Soulan. Majka, who also won Stage 14 in the Alps, again showed hes the best climber in this Tour and tightened his grip on the polka dot jersey awarded to the races King of the Mountains. Giovanni Visconti got the action going on the last climb with a solo breakaway with about nine kilometres (5 1/2 miles) left, but could not hold off Majka. Visconti, who also is Sicilian, was second, 29 seconds back, and Nibali was third, 46 seconds behind. With a last Pyrenean day ahead Thursday, Majka could ensure that he takes the red-dot jersey home. His closest rival for it when the stage started was Spains Joaquim Rodriguez, who swatted the air in frustration at Majka when the Pole broke away on the last climb. Majka said he felt "comfort" in the last five kilometres in part because hed been saving up energy a day earlier by riding easier. He finished in a bunch 24 1/2 minutes behind Australian teammate Michael Rogers, who won Stage 16. By Wednesday, "I felt really, really good in the last climb," Majka said, after tapping his chest, thrusting his arms skyward and shouting in joy at the victory. "For me, when there are a lot of climbs, its the best." There was a time when seemingly effortless victories smacked of something more sinister at the Tour: the use of performance-enhancers. Few know the scars of cyclings doping past more than Majkas own manager at the Tinkoff-Saxo Bank team, Bjarne Riis. Once a national hero in Denmarkk after winning the 1996 Tour, he admitted to using blood-booster EPO more than a decade later -- and was vilified for it.dddddddddddd He laid low for a while, but then returned to the pro cycling world. "I promised Bjarne today that I would win the stage," said Majka. The echoes of doping resonated Wednesday on the grassy Pyrenean mountainside: The last times that Saint-Lary-Soulan hosted Tour stage finishes were in 2001 and 2005 -- won by Lance Armstrong and teammate George Hincapie. Those wins were later stripped because of doping. Their names have been crossed out in the official Tour history book. Cycling has made great strides in fighting doping with enhanced blood and urine testing, along with the biological passport program, but few experts would claim that the peloton today is entirely clean. Nibali, who has called himself a "flag-bearer of anti-doping", made his latest case to become the first Italian to win cyclings showcase race in 16 years -- since Marco Pantani, who was once convicted for doping. Nibali gained just under a minute on four of his closest rivals. Second-placed Alejandro Valverde of Spain, who made a valiant recovery on the last ascent to avoid even more damage, now trails by 5 minute, 26 seconds. The exception was Jean-Christophe Peraud of France, who hugged closely on the leaders back wheel and finished fourth. With his performance, the 37-year-old Frenchman made it an even closer race for the podium spots. He is fourth overall, 6:08 behind Nibali, but just eight seconds slower than fellow Frenchman Thibaut Pinot, in third. American Tejay van Garderen, in sixth, also lost about a minute to Nibali and trails by 10:19. It came a day after his hopes for a podium spot were dealt a big blow when he lost several minutes to the other aspirants for a top-three finish in Paris. "Yesterday was a pity, it was an off day," the BMC leader said. A podium spot is still possible, he added, "but it will be hard." Stage 18s finale in the Pyrenees takes the pack on a 145.5-kilometre (90-mile) loop from Pau to Hautacam, featuring two ascents that are so hard that they defy cyclings ranking system -- one of them an uphill finish. Then its a flat stage heading northward Friday before an individual time-trial a day later, and then whats likely to be the largely ceremonial ride for the yellow jersey in Stage 21 on Sunday to the Champs-Elysees in Paris for the finish of the races 101st edition. While well-positioned to be in yellow then, Nibali was still attacking Wednesday. "I preferred to go and gain a few more seconds and to be even more serene, just in case something could happen," he said. ' ' '