PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins stuck with goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in the off-season, convinced two straight playoff meltdowns have not robbed the former Stanley Cup winner of his confidence. The early returns are promising. Fleury stopped 28 shots for his 250th NHL victory and franchise-record 24th shutout in Pittsburghs 3-0 season-opening win over New Jersey on Thursday night. It was the kind of vintage performance the Penguins expect to rely on regularly as they take aim at another championship. "We believe in (Fleury)," star forward Sidney Crosby said. "I dont think theres any doubt in here. He made some great saves. We probably made him work harder than he needed to at the end, but there were some beauties." Crosby and newcomer Chuck Kobasew scored four minutes apart in the first period and Craig Adams scored a rare goal in the third in his 800th career game for Pittsburgh, who toned down their high-octane offence for a more disciplined approach. The Penguins -- the NHLs highest scoring team each of the last two seasons -- took just 21 shots, including nine over the final two periods. "I love the way our team played defence," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "The penalty kill was big the two times it had to be and ... Marc made some big saves late." Perhaps none more impressive than a behind-the-back stop on New Jerseys Travis Zajac with less than eight minutes to play. Zajac fired a shot from the left circle that clanged off the post and crawled up Fleurys back. He managed to hit his glove on it to preserve a three-goal lead. "I tried to reach as quickly as possible," Fleury said. "I learned it from watching the (Pittsburgh) Pirates, I guess." Cory Schneider made 18 saves for the Devils. Schneiders start marked the first time in 19 years Martin Brodeur didnt play in the season opener for New Jersey. Brodeur is expected to start Friday at home against the New York Islanders. "Its tough to get down against a team like that and claw back," Schneider said. "We had some chances, but Fleury made some big saves." Rather than head in a different direction after a disappointing four-game sweep at the hands of the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference finals last spring, the Penguins fortified the core that has been together for five occasionally brilliant seasons. Pittsburgh signed stars Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang to long-term extensions, brought back Pascal Dupuis, and added two years to Bylsmas contract. The only alterations to the roster were minor. Defenceman Rob Scuderi returned to Pittsburgh four years after helping them win the franchises third Stanley Cup title. Kobasew earned a spot following a solid training camp, and 19-year-old rookie Olli Maatta did enough to stick around -- at least for a bit -- while Letang recovers from a lower-body injury. Kobasew wasted little time making an impact, scoring 9:26 into the season when he jammed in a rebound of Brandon Sutters shot. Crosby doubled the lead a few minutes later when he and Dupuis created a two-on-one. When a New Jersey defenceman slid over to cover Dupuis, Crosby wristed a shot past Schneiders glove. "Its a tough play when a guy is moving laterally like that, especially a guy like him," Schneider said. "You try to take away as much as you can. It was just over the glove." It was all the insurance Fleury would need. The Penguins stayed with the former No. 1 pick for this season, believing he and veteran Tomas Vokoun would make up the best tandem in the league. But that duo will be split up for at least three months as Vokoun recovers from blood clots discovered early in training camp. The injury leaves rookie Jeff Zatkoff as the lone backup, meaning Fleury will almost certainly be a workhorse while Vokoun recovers. That is fine by Fleury, who is only too happy to put the recent past firmly in the rearview mirror. "Im glad it was finally a real game," Fleury said. "I thought the guys played great. A couple of bounces here and there, and there you go." While the Penguins stood pat in the off-season, things are hardly as settled in New Jersey, which failed to make the playoffs last season for only the third time in 23 seasons. David Blitzer and Joshua Harris took over as owners of the financially troubled franchise in August, and Schneider was acquired in a trade with Vancouver to take some of the workload off the 41-year-old Brodeur. The Devils also brought in well-travelled forward Jaromir Jagr, taken 15 spots ahead of Brodeur in the 1990 NHL draft, four years before Maatta was born. Despite controlling play at times over the final two periods, New Jersey couldnt solve a goaltender -- and a team -- determined to prove it can play defence. "It was one of those nights, the puck didnt go in," coach Peter DeBoer said. "Weve got to find a way to put some in the back of the net." NOTES: Penguins LW James Neal left in the first period with an injury and didnt return ... The Devils scratched D Mark Fayne, C Jacob Josefson and LW Rostislav Olesz ... The Penguins scratched D Deryk Engelland and C Joe Vitale ... The Penguins host Buffalo on Saturday. wholesale jerseys . Goran Dragic scored 19 of his 24 points in the first half and the Suns held on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 93-88 on Thursday night, giving Hunter his second victory in two nights as interim coach after he replaced the fired Alvin Gentry. cheap nfl jerseys . Dexter Fowler had two hits in his first start in the cleanup spot and Nolan Arenado added an RBI double as the Rockies caught Arizona in the standings. The Diamondbacks entered the day tied with San Francisco for first in the NL West. http://www.cheapchinajerseynfl.us.co... . -- Rory McIlroy was six holes away from winning the Honda Classic and going to No. [url=http://www.cheapchinajerseynfl.us.com/]jerseys from china . -- DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson put the perfect capper on a celebratory opening to a new era of basketball in Sacramento. cheap jerseys . Charlottetown scored four times in the third period en route to a 5-2 win over the defending champion Halifax Mooseheads on Friday. LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw had the Florida Marlins guessing all day, and they usually were wrong. Kershaw pitched a two-hitter for his second shutout and complete game in the majors, and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Marlins 8-0 on Sunday. "I just pounded the strike zone and made them try to beat me instead of beating myself," Kershaw said. "My slider had pretty good bite early in the game, and then it flattened out a little bit. But I was at least showing them another pitch -- and as a result, they were putting the ball in play a little more and not striking out as much. But outs are outs, so Ill take them." Kershaw (6-3) threw 116 pitches, striking out 10 and walking one in his 95th career start. The only hits off the 23-year-old left-hander were a leadoff single in the second by Omar Infante and a wind-blown double by Logan Morrison leading off the seventh. "He was hitting both sides of the plate and throwing inside on lefties, which you dont see that much from a lefty," said Wes Helms, who replaced Hanley Ramirez in the second inning after the All-Star shortstops lower back stiffened up. "Kershaw just commanded all of his pitches today, and he had above-average stuff. He knows how to bury his curve ball and his slider. Hes not going to leave it over the middle of the plate. I mean, you get geared up for that heater, and his sliders hard enough that you cant hold up when its in the dirt." Kershaw is 6-0 with a 0.73 ERA in the seven starts in which he has allowed fewer than three earned runs, and 0-3 with a 5.76 ERA in the five starts in which he has allowed three or more earned runs. "Today he was dominant," Helms added. "Hes one of those guys you enjoy watching pitch because he knows what hes doing. Hes got all the pitches. Hes got a great curve ball, changeup and slider, and he was throwing 93-95 miles an hour. So you cant sit on any of his other three pitches, or else the fastball is going to get by you." Kershaws other shutout was on Sept. 14, 2010, when he pitched a four-hitter at San Francisco. Two seasons ago, he held the Marlins hitless through seven innings at Miami before Cody Ross led off the eighth with a double. "Its a lot different team now," Kershaw said. "Theyve got a lot of young guys that I played against in the minor leagues, and theyre swinging the bat really well this year. They got me a little bit in Florida last month, so I just wanted to come back out and attack them -- especially with a big lead. It always feels better to have eight runs on the board." Kershaw had two hits and an RBI. Rafael Furcal hit his first home run of the season and drove in three runs, helping lead a 17-hit attack by a sporadic offence that had produced fewer than three runs in 23 of the teams first 53 games.dddddddddddd Ricky Nolasco (4-1) surrendered eight runs and 15 hits over five innings in his second career start at Dodger Stadium. The right-hander, who was born in nearby Corona, is 0-2 with a 7.33 ERA in his four career starts against Los Angeles. "It just wasnt my day, obviously," said Nolasco, in the first year of a three-year, $2.65 million contract after averaging 14 victories over the previous three seasons. "They have a really good lineup over there. I fell behind some hitters and they made me pay for my mistakes. Even when I was ahead of guys, I couldnt put them away. You just have to shake it off." The Dodgers were leading 4-0 in the fourth when manager Don Mattingly and centre fielder Matt Kemp were ejected seconds apart after a delayed argument over balls and strikes. Kemp, the Dodgers cleanup hitter, came up with the bases loaded after a one-out intentional walk to Andre Ethier. He fell behind 0-2 on a borderline pitch, then grounded into an inning-ending double play on Nolascos next delivery. As he crossed the third base line to retrieve his glove, Kemp turned his head to say something to plate umpire Ron Kulpa and was ejected before he got to the dugout. Kemp then tried to get at Kulpa before he was restrained by teammate Dioner Navarro. Mattingly took up the argument and also was banished, but kept jawing with Kulpa in an animated manner before play finally resumed. The ejection was Mattinglys second of the season and first before the home crowd. The other was on May 9 at Pittsburgh. Kershaw triggered a four-run third with the first of his two singles and scored when Furcal drove a 1-0 pitch into the right field bullpen for his first homer since his solo shot off Giants ace Tim Lincecum on July 30, 20010, at San Francisco. Jay Gibbons and Navarro capped the rally with RBI singles. The Dodgers tacked on four more in the sixth. Kershaw drove in the first run with a fielders choice grounder, Furcal followed with an RBI single and Casey Blake added a two-run single. Notes: Kershaws six hits this season are a career high. He entered the game with a lifetime batting average of .092 (14 for 153) The Dodgers placed RHP Kenley Jansen on the 15-day disabled list because of bursitis in his shoulder, which was revealed in an MRI. RHP Travis Schlichting was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for RHP John Lindblom, who joined the big club after his contract was purchased from Double-A Chattanooga. ... Morrison has reached base either on a hit or a walk in all 30 games he has played this season -- the longest current streak in the majors. He had a 42-game streak last year as a rookie. ... The Marlins havent homered in five straight games, their longest drought of the season. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '