other free agent to sign with Jacksonville in the past week, Hood said Brm, side to side,"

MINSK, Belarus -- Defending champion Sweden made the first step in its title defence with a 3-0 victory over Denmark at the ice hockey world championship on Saturday. Calgary Flames forward Mikael Backlund scored twice in the opening period when the Swedes displayed fast, well organized play that was tough for Denmark to match. "It was nice to have a few goals right away, keep the pressure off and the nerves away," Backlund said. Another Scandinavian superpower, Finland, began its campaign with an upset 3-2 loss to Latvia and Norway blanked Italy 3-0 while Germany prevailed in a shootout to beat Kazakhstan 2-1. Backlund scored his first for Sweden when defenceman Markus Lauridsen deflected his shot to the net with his skate and struck again by precisely directing Joakim Lindstroms slap shot. Detroit Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist added the third on a solo effort after intercepting a pass. "Once we got up two to nothing we stopped taking the puck to the net," Nyquist said. "We tried to make too many passes instead of shooting the puck." Latvia failed to capitalize on its second-period power plays when a total of seven Finns were in the penalty box. Finland used its only power play in that period to go 2-1 up with a goal by Petri Kontiola. Kristaps Sotnieks tied the match for Latvia -- the quarterfinalist in the Sochi Winter Olympics -- in the third before Arturs Kulda netted the winner on a power play. It was the first victory for Latvia over Finland at the worlds. Thomas Oppenheimer scored the decisive goal in the shootout to give Germany the win. Germany outshot its opponent 47-20 but Kazakhstan went ahead 1-0 after a goal from Andrei Gavrilin. The Germans answered through Matthias Plachta at the end of the first period. "I have to look at the positive," German coach Pat Cortina said. "We put the puck to the net and that is extremely important for our team." Niklas Roest opened the scoring in the first period for Norway, Morten Ask made it 2-0 midway through the game and captain Anders Bastiansen rounded off the victory on a breakaway in the third. "I tried to shoot early to surprise the goalie and it went in, so I was really happy," Bastiansen said. "We did a good job. We won and thats the most important thing." Goaltender Lars Haugen made 15 saves for the shutout, but needed help from his posts on two shots by defenceman Daniel Sullivan in the second. "We had a little difficulty in the beginning, adjusting to the speed," Italy coach Tom Pokel said. "However, as the game went on we got better and better. So it was a good game for us." Italy and Kazakhstan are both newcomers to the top division this year. Later Saturday, Canada hopes to rebound from Fridays 3-2 loss to France with a win against Slovakia, while the United States faces Switzerland a day after it routed host Belarus 6-1. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Authentic .Y. - The Buffalo Sabres reassigned forward Sam Reinhart to the WHLs Kootenay Ice on Friday. Wholesale NFL Jerseys USA . The 18-year-old Januzaj has made his breakthrough at United this season, including scoring twice in a 2-1 win over Sunderland before the recent international break. His performances have sparked a debate about where his international future lies. http://www.cheapchinanfljerseysauthentic.com/ .3 seconds remaining, and No. 7 North Carolina held off a resilient No. 25 Virginia team, 54-51, on Saturday. John Henson contributed a double-double with 15 points to go with 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels (25-4, 12-2 ACC), who have won five straight and 10 of 11. Cheap Soccer Jerseys . 3 Ohio State. Amedeo Della Valle had 15 points, Marc Loving scored a career-high 13 and the bench provided 38 points as the Buckeyes sprinted past Nebraska 84-53 on Saturday. Cheap Official NFL Jerseys . In a series of tweets, it is explained by the Department of Player Safety that Niederreiter makes full body contact with Burrows and although there is head contact, he does not "pick" the head in the course of making the hit. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars continued revamping their defensive line Thursday by signing two free agents and bringing back their best pass rusher from last season. The Jaguars signed former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Chris Clemons, former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Ziggy Hood and re-signed veteran Jason Babin, who led the team with 7 1/2 sacks in 2013. Those moves came five days after Jacksonville signed former Seattle defensive end Red Bryant. Together, they could drastically improve a defence that tied for last in the league with 31 sacks last season. "Hopefully get with these guys and take this thing to a whole new level," Hood said. Clemons is the gem of the group. Seattle released him in a cost-cutting move Wednesday; he was scheduled to make $7.5 million in 2014. His cross-country trek to Jacksonville reunites him with former Seahawks defensive co-ordinator and current Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley. "I think we could build something special here," said Clemons, who signed a four-year deal reportedly worth $18 million. After failing to find success in Oakland and Philadelphia, Clemons thrived in Seattle under Bradley. He was the teams top pass rusher from 2010 to 2012, recording 33 1/2 sacks and getting at least 11 each year. Last season, Clemons had only 4 1/2 sacks as a deeper line rotation took away some of his opportunities. Clemons also was coming off a torn knee ligament sustained in the 2012 playoffs. He had 3 1/2 sacks his first five games of 2013, but had just one sack the final nine games of the regular season. He was, however, at his best in the Super Bowl, finishing with three tackles, two forced fumbles, a sack and a pass defended. The 27-year-old Hood had 140 tackles and 11 11/2 sacks in five seasons with the Steelers.dddddddddddd A college standout at Missouri, Hood was the 32nd overall pick in the 2009 draft. But he never really felt comfortable playing end in Pittsburghs 3-4 scheme. He will move back inside for the Jaguars and play a penetrating 3-technique. "Ive been blessed with a second opportunity to come here and play in a scheme, a scheme I believe in, one that I feel is right for me," Hood said. "I have a good feeling in coming over here." Much like every other free agent to sign with Jacksonville in the past week, Hood said Bradleys engaging personality and high-energy attitude were key factors in his decision. "He was bouncing from wall to wall, room to room, side to side," Hood said. "I like their philosophy and how theyre going to use me as well. What better place can I be than here? I fell in love with it and I think thats what made me turn here more than anything else." Babin voided the final two years of his contract Monday, becoming a free agent before the Jaguars cut him. "They were gracious enough to let me do it for the PR," said Babin, who was due to make $6 million in 2014. His salary was more than the rebuilding team was willing to pay for a 33-year-old end no longer in his prime. But pairing him with Clemons and third-year pro Andre Branch -- the Jaguars also could add another pass-rusher with the No. 3 pick in the draft -- might prolong Babins career. "I guess I can say it now: This was my first choice all along," said Babin, an 11-year pro who admittedly didnt want to move his family again. "We knew what we wanted, and they knew what they wanted. We met somewhere in the middle. This is where I want to finish my career out." ' ' '