Heimspiele » Kane then collected Versteegs cross-ice feed and beat Allen t

TORONTO -- Four games into the MLS season, the Toronto FC training room is packed. And more worrying, it is filled with marquee talent. Toronto (3-1-0) could be without as many as five starters for Saturdays visit by the Colorado Rapids (2-1-1) including two designated players whose combined pay this season is close to US$13 million. Catch the game on TSN starting at 4pm et/1pm pt. England striker Jermain Defoe (hamstring) is out for the second straight week. American midfielder Michael Bradley missed another practice Friday, his body feeling the effects of games for both the U.S. and Toronto last week. "Were giving him every single chance ... well make a decision (Saturday)," manager Ryan Nelsen said of his teams midfield general. Centre back Doneil Henry (knee) will sit out a second straight game. Jonathan Osorio (hamstring) is "probably a no" for the third week in a row and fellow midfielder Alvaro Rey (hamstring) is "very very questionable." Because of injuries and suspensions, Toronto has only five players who have started every game so far: goalkeeper Julio Cesar, defenders Mark Bloom and Justin Morrow and midfielders Bradley and Rey. And that number could be down to three after this weekend. Defoe was sidelined by a hamstring injury at Spurs earlier this season. Nelsen has said the two injuries are not linked and repeated Friday that the England star was dealing with a mild strain. Hamstrings are tricky things, especially for elite soccer players. Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke, for example, ran 12.2 kilometres in Wednesdays Champions League semifinal against Barcelona. Toronto, which has used 19 players to date, has had to put the brakes on Defoe, who has wanted to resume training. Nelsen, however, sees a bigger picture. "The one thing that we dont want is obviously him coming back and getting re-injured. And so if we have to sacrifice an extra week, we have to sacrifice an extra week." Nelsen said the team has been reviewing everything at its disposal -- from heart rate to distance travelled in training -- to see if things could be done differently. The club is also learning the ins and outs of the bodies of new players like Defoe, he added. The TFC manager says there are no alarm bells about the current spate of injuries. A challenging opening to the schedule and the long winter that has kept practices until this week to artificial turf under a bubble at the team training centre havent helped. Most top soccer pros would rather gargle cod liver oil than set foot on artificial turf. Nelsen believes that this is just the kind of injury run that all clubs go through at some point. "It happens at Chelsea, it happens at Man City, it happens at every single club. Hopefully were just getting all of them done now." Said captain Steven Caldwell: "Its disappointing that weve got a few injuries but a lot of them are nobodys fault." In the case of Toronto, this is a squad that brought in at least seven new starters this season. Time has been needed on the training ground to get everyone on the same page. Youre damned if you, damned if you dont, Nelsen said of practice regimens. "Because if you pull them out of training and just rest them, then theyre not ready for the demands of a game. Were sitting with three wins because the guys are fit and organized. But we couldnt have done that if we had all wrapped them up in cotton wool." Bradley presents an interesting case in point. Rested this week, he is probably the exception to the rule that starters need to practise. If he doesnt start, speculation will grow that he is dealing with more than the variety of strains the club has pointed to. The good news is the injuries have not slowed Toronto down so far. Missing Defoe, Osorio, Henry and the suspended Caldwell last week, it still managed to topple previously unbeaten Columbus away from home. Also on the plus side, squad players like rookie defender Nick Hagglund and second-year midfielder Kyle Bekker have stepped up. And veteran Bradley Orr showed his moxie in smoothly shifting over to centre back. Nelsen says his reserves have stepped up to the challenge during the current injury glut. But he is not about to say debate over his teams depth is over. "I always got told that anybody can play one, two, three games at any level," he said. "But its the ability to spit them out week in, week out ... thats the mark of what a really good player is." Orr will likely partner Caldwell in central defence with Bekker deputizing for Osorio in midfield again. Dwayne De Rosario could start on the flank for Rey with Issey Nakajima-Farran who scored off the bench last week, possibly partnering Gilberto up front. Jeremy Hall may get the nod if Bradley cant go. The pitch at BMO Field, poor for the home opener thanks to the brutal winter, should be better Saturday although the players know it will take time to return to top condition. "Its not going to be ideal," said Caldwell, who returns from his one-game suspension. Colorado, under new head coach Pablo Mastroeni, has already defeated Portland and Vancouver this season and tied the New York Red Bulls. The lone loss was a 3-2 decision to defending champion Sporting Kansas City. "Theyve got a really nice team thats been around together as well for a bit," said Nelsen. "Theyre a team, for me, that has no real weaknesses. Theyre just a lovely, solid MLS team thats going to be very difficult." Spanish midfielder Jose Mari -- real name Jose Maria Martin Bejarano-Serrano -- introduced himself last week with two goals against Vancouver. The first, a swerving left-footed rocket, was judged the leagues goal of the week. Cheap Air Max Shoes With Free Shipping . Louis Blues, having added Ryan Miller and Steve Ott from Buffalo, remain the No. Discount Air Max Shoes Wholesale China . -- Mike Shanahan gave Robert Griffin III a rest, and may have turned up the pressure on himself, too. http://www.cheapairmaxdiscount.com/ . -- The Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Graham Harrell to the active roster from the practice squad and placed tight end Andrew Quarless on injured reserve. Cheap Air Max Discount . -- Without Carey Price, the run for a first Stanley Cup in 21 years got steeper and longer for the Montreal Canadiens. Air Max Discount . Dougie Hamilton and Jordan Caron scored in the first period after the Red Wings had miscues on the ice and Tuukka Rask finished with a 23-save shutout, giving Boston a 3-0 win over the Red Wings and a 2-1 series lead in their first-round series.Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Kris Versteeg scored and set up Patrick Kane for two goals, all in the first 5:19 of the third period, as the Chicago Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues 4-1 on Wednesday. Marcus Kruger had a first-period goal for the Blackhawks, who returned to United Center following a 5-1-0 road trip and won their fourth straight home game. Antti Raanta made 40 saves in his first start since a 3-2 loss at St. Louis on Oct. 25. Raanta will see his workload increase with No. 1 goaltender Corey Crawford sidelined 2-to-3 weeks with a left foot injury he suffered when he missed a step leaving a recent concert. Ian Cole scored the lone goal for St. Louis, which fell to 1-1-0 halfway through its road trip. Jake Allen stopped 29-of-33 shots in defeat. Versteeg scored on a one-timer from between the circles off Jonathan Toews pass 59 seconds into the third. The goal came seven seconds after a Chicago power play expired. Kane then collected Versteegs cross-ice feed and beat Allen to the far side with a wrist shot from thee right circle at 2:47.dddddddddddd. The Blackhawks opened a three-goal lead at 5:19. Versteeg chipped the puck from the Chicago zone to Kane at center ice. Kane got around St. Louis defenseman Barret Jackman and scored while being hooked by Jackman. We just werent sharp enough in the third period, said Blues forward Alexander Steen. Kruger opened the scoring with 4:03 remaining in the first period after the Blackhawks made a couple defensive plays in their end. Toews thwarted a scoring chance for St. Louis, then Brandon Saad blocked Coles pass at the point. Saad won a battle against Cole for the loose puck in the neutral zone, leading to a 2-on-1 rush. Saad dished to Kruger, who beat Allen with a shot from the slot. St. Louis tied it on a delayed penalty as Cole scored from below the right circle off a Patrik Berglund pass at 12:38 of the second period. Game Notes Including playoff games, the Blues have lost six straight at Chicago ... St. Louis was 0-for-6 on the power play. ' ' '