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PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Languishing on a perpetually rebuilding team for more than a year taught David Perron a valuable lesson about confidence.Good teams have them. Bad ones not so much. After wasting away in Edmonton, Perron has rediscovered his soft hands — and the back of the net — in Pittsburgh.The forward scored twice and added an assist in a 7-2 thrashing of reeling Minnesota on Tuesday night, as the Penguins put together the kind of outburst that has been rare at times this season for one of the leagues most potent attacks.As soon as I stepped in here I could feel the (confidence) in this group, said Perron, acquired on Jan. 2 to give Pittsburgh some needed scoring depth. We started feeding off of that pretty quick and it was a good night for everyone.A series of injuries has forced the Penguins to rely heavily on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to keep them in their usual spot near the top of the Eastern Conference. The players on injured reserve, however, are dwindling. The team that pushed the Wild around looked a lot like the one that steamrolled through the first month of the season.Paul Martin, Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins. Marcel Goc and Brandon Sutter also scored for Pittsburgh and Sidney Crosby picked up three assists as the Penguins posted their second-highest goal total of the year.We havent been scoring like we thought we could, coach Mike Johnston said. Certainly getting some lines back together and playing two or three games with similar combinations, youre seeing some improvement.Fleury made 30 saves and has now beaten every other team in the league.Niklas Backstrom stopped 29 of the 35 shots before being pulled following Letangs goal midway through the third period. Jonas Brodin and Justin Fontaine scored for the Wild, who have lost six straight and did little to make a case for embattled coach Mike Yeo. The team held a lengthy players-only meeting afterward, but it will take more than just clearing the air to get Minnesota back on track.Were so easy to play against, forward Zach Parise said. We lose battles. The details of our game are terrible. We dont make it hard on the other team.The Wild have been one of the leagues biggest disappointments at the seasons halfway point, wasting any momentum carried over from last years surprise run in the second round of the playoffs.The opening 20 minutes against the Penguins was a microcosm of the last three frustrating months. Minnesota dominated at stretches early thanks to some sloppy play by Pittsburgh, which gave the puck away in its own end with alarming regularity. Yet the Wild couldnt convert on several glistening opportunities and once the Penguins found their footing, Minnesota was simply no match.We use the word unflappable and for whatever reason its not in our vocabulary right now, Yeo said. For whatever reason we just fall apart and we start to press and make bigger mistakes.Goc scored for just the second time since the Penguins acquired him from Florida last March, swatting a rebound out of the air past Backstrom 6:16 into the game. Forward Zach Sill picked up the primary assist, giving him his first NHL point in his 48th game, the second-longest pointless streak to start an NHL-career in league history.Perron collected his second goal in Pittsburgh and seventh of the season 12:04 into the first, grabbing a meaty rebound in front of Backstrom, then switching quickly from forehand to backhand and slipping the puck by the stunned goaltender.Backstrom stuffed Kris Letang on a breakaway early in the second and the Wild responded with Brodins second goal of the season on a wrist shot from near the top of the right circle. It was a one-goal game for all of 93 seconds. Kunitz camped in front of Backstrom and flipped a rebound that caromed off Evgeni Malkin into the net.It was all the cushion Fleury would need. The Penguins poured it on in the third and tied its largest margin of victory this season.NOTES: Penguins F Steve Downie left early in the second period after taking an elbow to the face from Minnesota D Ryan Suter. ... Penguins D Olli Maatta will undergo shoulder surgery on Wednesday and miss the rest of the season. ... Pittsburgh plays at the New York Islanders on Friday. ... The Wild visit Buffalo on Thursday. Josh Jacobs Youth Jersey .Y. - Urijah Faber walked out on a Madison Square Garden stage in a Wes Welker jersey, the UFCs fun nod to that other "super" show this weekend. Howie Long Jersey . They all do actually — Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 22, 2014There is no confirmation that the date is actually happening, but that didnt stop Embiid from getting dressed up. Fresh cut..... 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Johnathan Abram Womens Jersey .Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs head of womens competitions, told a FIFA Live Your Goals Tour news conference Friday that the artificial turf is being tested to make sure it meets standards.LAWRENCE, Kan. - Tarik Black pulled a Big 12 championship T-shirt over his broad shoulders, slipped a title hat on his head, and then gave Andrew Wiggins and the rest of his teammates a hug. In the background stood the trophies, all 10 of them, brought onto the court at Allen Fieldhouse -- a perfect ending to Blacks nearly perfect senior night. The transfer from Memphis scored 19 points on 9-for-9 shooting, more than making up for the loss of injured centre Joel Embiid, and led the eighth-ranked Jayhawks to an 82-57 victory over Texas Tech on Wednesday night. "Wow, did he play good tonight," Kansas coach Bill Self said. Black matched the school record for field goal attempts without a miss held by C.J. Giles (2005) and Mark Randall (1990). The only shots he missed came at the free throw line. Wiggins, the Vaughan, Ont., native also likely playing in his final home game, added nine points for the Jayhawks (23-7, 14-3 Big 12). Naadir Tharpe came off the bench to contribute 16 points and five assists, and Perry Ellis finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Toddrick Gotcher scored 10 points to lead the Red Raiders (13-17, 5-12), who trailed by 20 points at halftime and never threatened down the stretch in losing their sixth straight game. "We didnt do a good job of executing," Gotcher said. The lopsided victory allowed Kansas to celebrate its latest conference title in style. The Jayhawks backed into the outright championship despite a loss last weekend at Oklahoma State, and Self was so disheartened by the performance that he ordered the title T-shirts and hats waiting in the locker room to remain in their boxes. His decision was criticized in some circles, but Self defended it in a news conference Tuesday. They were finally brought out moments after the final buzzer Wednesday, along with a series of tables at midcourt that held up the Jayhawks 10 straight Big 12 title trophies. Self also made sure that senior night at Kansas focused on the seniors, which is why Black started alongside classmates Niko Roberts and Justin Wesley -- two rarely used role players. Still, the packed crowd was keenly aware that it was probably the last time Wiggins would step on the Phogs court, too. The fans roared at every basket made by the star forward, who has already made it clear that he plans to enter the NBA draft this summer.dddddddddddd "Weve been able to recruit some guys that will probably never get to a senior night, and we should be happy to have those guys," Self told the crowd after the game. "So one last time, lets give the entire team a loud ovation and thank them for their efforts." All the positive vibes made it easy to forget that the Jayhawks were playing without Embiid, their talented 7-foot freshman, whom Self decided to sit the rest of the regular season because of a lower back strain. Its the same injury that caused Embiid to miss a game against TCU earlier in the season, though Self is hopeful he will be back for the Big 12 tournament. "Didnt you guys think Joel looked great in his suit tonight?" Self asked the crowd. "But Jo, listen, everybody thinks you look much better in a uniform." Without the big man patrolling the paint, it was up to Black to leave his mark. The graduate transfer dominated the overmatched Red Raiders in the paint, scoring just about all his baskets at the rim. The highlight came in the midst of a 17-4 run to end the first half, when Black caught an alley-oop pass from Tharpe and slammed it home. By the time Conner Frankamp buried a 3-pointer and Frank Mason added a free throw in the final seconds, the lead had swelled to 39-19 and Kansas was well on its way. The second half was merely an excuse for another sellout crowd, this one including 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and Packers coach Mike McCarthy, to enjoy a rollicking party. Meanwhile, the loss means that Red Raiders coach Tubby Smith, who spent most of the game sitting glumly on the bench, will have to beat Texas on Saturday and win the Big 12 tournament -- four games in four days -- to avoid his first losing season in 23 years as a head coach. Texas Tech still has never won in 14 tries at Allen Fieldhouse. "Its just not our time right now. I feel like we still have another season coming up with the Big 12 tournament," said the Red Raiders Jaye Crockett, "and hopefully we can make a run during the tournament along with our next game against Texas." ' ' '