VANCOUVER -- One of Mike Gilliss final acts as Canucks general manager was to end the Roberto Luongo saga once and for all in Vancouver by trading the veteran goalie to the Florida Panthers last month. And while the recently fired Gillis wont be around to reap any potential benefit from deal, Vancouver got its first real glimpse this week at one of the key pieces that came back the other way. Jacob Markstrom, acquired along with forward Shawn Matthias as part of the deal that sent Luongo back to his former team, allowed three goals on 27 shots in a solid first start with the Canucks as Vancouver fell 4-2 to the red-hot Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. The American Hockey Leagues goalie of the month for February while he was still a member of the Panthers organization, Markstrom watched from the bench for 15 straight games as Vancouver rode fellow Swede Eddie Lack in a failed attempt to make a run at the playoffs. After the Canucks were eliminated from contention for the first time in six years, head coach John Tortorella indicated that youngsters would play in the teams final three games and that Markstrom would get his chance to spell Lack, who started 19 in a row following the Olympic break. "I thought (Markstrom), with the amount of work hes done and the lack of play ... I thought he was really good, as far as the technical part that were trying to work on with him," Tortorella said after Thursdays game. That work the Canucks have been doing with Markstrom has included having him play deeper in his crease, a style preached by goalie coach Rollie Melanson. "A lot of the stuff Ive been working with Rollie with felt pretty good out there," said Markstrom, whose only other game with Vancouver was mop-up duty in a 6-1 loss to Dallas. "Its all repetitions and weve been doing it for quite a bit here so it felt pretty natural. "I was happy that I was playing but too bad we couldnt win." Markstrom might be untested, but he is by no means new to the NHL. The 24-year-old played parts of four seasons with the Panthers, including 23 games during the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign. In 45 career outings, Markstrom has a less-than-inspiring 11-26-5 record to go along with an .897 save percentage and a 3.20 goals-against average. But its his potential and six-foot-six frame that the Canucks were drawn to in the Luongo deal, which happened quickly after Tortorella chose to start Lack in the Heritage Classic. "I like Jacob Markstrom, I think hes a really good young talent in goal," Gillis said after the trade. "When I look at the return, obviously you want to try and get the absolute best and most that you can get, but there are circumstances that do impact and play a role in these things. And we were impacted by things that were somewhat beyond our control." At the end of last season, Vancouver had both Luongo and Cory Schneider, who was dealt to the New Jersey Devils in June, on the roster. Now with Lack and Markstrom, what had been a position of strength for the organization is now a major question mark. Tortorella decided against starting Markstrom with the Canucks still in this years playoff chase, describing his talents as "raw." "Really the biggest thing Rollie is trying to do is get him deeper (in his crease)," Tortorella said in late March. "Hes a really athletic guy, hes a big man. Hes trying to get him to play deeper. Again, I dont spend too much time asking questions, but hes trying to change his game a little bit. "Hes a young guy. We are very intrigued about his athletic ability and the size that he is and I think Ive got one of the best goaltending coaches around in dealing with these guys and teaching them." Markstrom, who is expected to play Vancouvers final two games of the season, said before Thursdays start hes fine with the Canucks trying to alter his game if it gets results. "At the end of the day its all about feeling good and stopping the puck," he said. "Youve got to go out there with a good feeling and be confident in what youre going to do and I feel really confident right now. "Im just trying to improve my game as much as I can. Obviously its a couple different steps with Rollie, what he does and what he wants his goalies to do." Meanwhile, Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa confirmed after Thursdays game that he will represent Canada at the world championship next month in Belarus. "Its an honour. I talked to (Canadian general manager) Rob Blake and he asked me if I wanted to play," said Bieksa. "I havent had many opportunities to play for my country before and I dont plan on missing the playoffs too many more years so I thought Id take this chance." Stitched Penguins Jerseys . According to various reports, the striker is about to sign a five-and-a-half year extension with Manchester United worth a reported 300,000 pounds a week that would see him at Old Trafford until 2019. Penguins Jerseys 2019 . Although Olivetti, a qualifier, had 13 aces, he failed to force a single break-point chance on Gasquets serve and lost his own three times. Gasquet next plays third-seeded Jerzy Janowicz of Poland, who won had 18 aces in a 6-2, 6-4 win against seventh-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/. The team said Saturday that the 36-year-old Robidas is expected to miss four to six months, jeopardizing his return this season. He was injured when he slid hard into the boards in the second period of a 2-1 shootout loss to Chicago on Friday. Pittsburgh Penguins Shirts . A better question yet may be this: How many times has the same player been involved in both? Morneau hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning and helped the Colorado Rockies turn the third triple play in team history as they beat the San Diego Padres 8-6 on Sunday. Fake Penguins Jerseys . Iwakuma pitched seven strong innings to stay unbeaten in road games since last July, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.TORONTO -- Wins continue to elude Drew Hutchison. Hank Conger homered and drove in a career-high five runs to power the Los Angeles Angels to a 9-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon. Hutchison (1-3) gave up three runs and four walks over just 4 1/3 innings to extend his winless streak to seven starts. "You cant walk four guys," Hutchison said afterwards. Unfortunately, rookie reliever Marcus Stroman also struggled. He was pounded for four runs over 1 2/3 innings after replacing Hutchison as Los Angeles earned its third straight win. Toronto came into this four-game series riding a season-high, five-game win streak. "Thats the way it goes in this business sometimes," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "You think everything is going in the right direction, then all of a sudden, wham, you run into some pretty good pitching and a good offence. "Theyre just out-playing us. But, a well-pitched game can cure all that." Toronto (18-20) will send ace Mark Buehrle (6-1, 1.91 earned-run average) to the mound in the series finale Monday night. The Angels (19-17) will counter with left-hander C.J. Wilson (4-2, 3.21 ERA). On Sunday, Los Angeles feasted on Toronto pitching, with Conger registering three hits before a Rogers Centre gathering of 20,871. But it was a two-out walk to Howie Kendrick in the fourth that was the start of Hutchisons undoing. It was followed by two doubles-- L.A.s first hits of the day -- as the Angels scored twice for a 2-1 advantage and stayed ahead the rest of the way. "I was ahead and I didnt put him away," Hutchison said of Kendricks at-bat. "It was not a good job on my part." The Angels ended Hutchisons afternoon in the fifth. Collin Cowgill, the No. 9 hitter, led off with a walk and went to third on a sharp single by Erick Aybar. That chased Hutchison and Cowgill scored on Mike Trouts double off Stroman. L.A. blew it open in the sixth, sending eight men to the plate and scoring four runs off Stroman for a 7-1 lead. The big blast came from Conger, who belted a 93 mile-per-hour fastball over the right centre-field wall for a three-run shot. Meanwhile, Angels veteran right-hander Jered Weaver (4-2) surrendered a run in the first but nothing more over 6-1/3 innings to win his fourth straaight decision.dddddddddddd "Jered did a good job mixing his pitches up," said Toronto second baseman Steve Tolleson. "He never really threw the same pitch two times in a row and he would take something off his fast ball, add something to his curve, take something off his changeup. "He was good out there." Toronto threatened in the seventh, loading the bases and chasing Weaver with one out. But right-handed reliever Michael Kohn got Colby Rasmus to pop out behind second before Tolleson struck out looking. Edwin Encarnacion pulled Toronto to within 7-3 with a two-run double in the eighth but L.A. countered with two in the ninth. Toronto slugger Jose Bautista entered Sundays game having reached base safely in all 37 games this season to lead the majors. But that club record was snapped Sunday as Bautista went 0 for 4 with an RBI. Toronto opened the scoring in the first. Jose Reyes led off with a sharp single to left, then stole second on the next pitch. With one out, Reyes got a great jump off Weaver as Bautista cued one off the end of his bat to second. As Kendrick scooped up the ground ball and tossed it to first, Reyes broke from third and slid head-first ahead of first baseman Albert Pujols throw. L.A. took the lead in the fourth, combining a walk and their first two hits of the day, all with two out. Efren Navarro doubled into the left-field corner to score Kendrick, who walked, stole second and advanced to third on catcher Dioner Navarros throwing error. One pitch later, Conger doubled to bring in Navarro with the go-ahead run. After the game when Gibbons said reliever Sergio Santos was headed to the 15-day disabled list with forearm stiffness. The Jays will announce Monday wholl take his spot on the roster. NOTES -- Toronto closer Casey Janssen (left abdominal/lower back strain) returned from the 15-day disabled list prior to Sundays game. To make room on the 25-man roster, infielder Chris Getz was designated for assignment . . . Tolleson, who signed as a free agent this off-season, came into Sundays game batting .429 with all six of his hits with Toronto having gone for extra bases -- four doubles, two triples. That made him the first player since Chris Dickerson with Cincinnati in 08 to do that with his new team. ' ' '