Tweet Ryan Kesler is a portrait of a man with conflicting ideas and characteristics. Wes Welker Jersey . An American kid from Michigan playing his hockey for the Vancouver Canucks, Kesler spent the run-up to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver trash-talking Canada. A two-time finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy who broke into the NHL because of his defensive prowess, hes not far off the pace for a 50-goal season. On top of all that, Kesler said the Canucks were better off losing to the Chicago Blackhawks during the Western Conference Semifinals last season instead of vanquishing the eventual Stanley Cup champions. The Canucks were up 1-0 in the series and in Game 2 held a one-goal lead entering the third period in Chicago. Just 20 minutes from a 2-0 series stranglehold, the Canucks came apart. The Blackhawks scored three times to take the game 4-2 and eventually won the series in six games. Ryan Kesler (Getty Images) Ryan Kesler (Getty Images) Kesler said that loss is the reason why the Canucks entered Thursdays game at the New York Rangers sitting atop the NHL this season with a 28-8-6 record. "Minutes away from going back to Vancouver 2-0," Kesler painfully recalled. "That was a heartbreaker. Its one of those things where you learn from your mistakes. I think you learn more from that series than if you squeaked by them in six or seven games. I really believe that you learn more from your defeats than you do your victories. "That was a tough game and a tough series to lose, but I definitely think it made our core group of guys stronger and brought us together more, and really, we came in ready to play since the beginning of the season." Kesler never has scored more than 26 goals in a season, but he has 24 in 42 games this season. Hes spent more time on the power play alongside Henrik and Daniel Sedin, something that will help bolster the goal totals of even the most accomplished scorer. But the 26-year-old, who will make his first All-Star Game appearance this year said, "Good question," when asked where all the goals have come from. Keslers best explanation? Its a result of some old-fashioned hard work during the offseason and in front of the net. "Im getting a couple more greasy ones," Kesler said. "Im shooting a lot more. I think thats the biggest thing. Im going to those dirty areas to score and getting the greasy ones and getting some deflections and also using my shot. "I worked on my shot a lot in the offseason. The past two summers, I shot 100 pucks a day and really just played with my stick a little bit and tried different flexes and things like that. Its been a big reason for my shot." "That was a tough game and a tough series to lose, but I definitely think it made our core group of guys stronger and brought us together more, and really, we came in ready to play since the beginning of the season." -- Ryan Kesler on last seasons playoff loss to Chicago Considering Kesler had made a name for himself as one of the games top defensive forwards, a 45-goal or 50-goal season could ruin his reputation. The only Selke winner to score as many as 50 goals in a season was Sergei Fedorov for the Detroit Red Wings in 1993-94, when he notched 56. Trying to figure out the games best defensive forward is almost as hard as trying to figure out how Kesler is scoring all these goals. There are so many factors that go into the Selke -- takeaways, blocked shots, faceoffs, plus/minus, hits -- that not even Kesler knows how anyone can come to a decision on the award. "The Selkes a weird trophy to win," Kesler said. "For me, its not something that Im going into the season saying, I want to win the Selke. Really, for me, I take pride in my game and what got me into the League was the defensive part of my game. Ill never stop taking pride in that. "Its something where I think its a hard trophy to dish out because theres a lot of good defensive forwards in the League. Hopefully one day I can win it. I thought I had a pretty good chance last year and just came up short (to Detroits Pavel Datsyuk). At the same time, I think Im even better defensively this year." One of the downfalls to the Canucks last season was their penalty-killing unit, which features Kesler heavily. During the regular season, it was a below-average 18th in the League at 81.6 percent. It completely crumbled in the playoffs, allowing the opposition to convert a jaw-dropping 31.5 percent of the time. GM Mike Gillis made fixing that unit one of his first priorities this past summer. He signed Manny Malhotra -- one of the games best checking centers, faceoff men and shorthanded specialists -- to a three-year contract on the first day of free agency. He also signed defenseman Dan Hamhuis to a six-year contract that same day. NHL INSIDER Potis return a boost for Washington Corey Masisak - NHL.com Staff Writer Healed from his concussion and groin issues, Tom Poti has returned to action and helped solidify a rapidly improving defense corps. READ MORE ›   Gill using Bourques wisdom to teach young Habs Wolski excited for new opportunity with Rangers Home ice and special teams plaguing Avalanche MORE NHL INSIDER STORIES › Malhotra and Hamhuis are averaging more shorthanded ice time per game than anyone on the Canucks, who have risen to fifth in the League in penalty killing. The new blood added to a group that already had Kesler, combined with a new-found dedication toward man-down situations, is a big reason why the Canucks are ruling the League and in the midst of a 14-0-3 stretch. "I think that definitely helps a bit," Kesler said of the additions of Malhotra and Hamhuis. "I think we just got more guys this year that are taking pride in it. When you have that, when you have a group of four playing together as a unit out there plus (goalies Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider), we have everybody working together and taking pride in it. It makes a big difference." Having Malhotra to help shoulder the defensive load at center also has freed Kesler to develop his offensive game. Kesler still draws tough assignments, but its been Malhotra taking the responsibility of containing the likes of Calgarys Jarome Iginla and San Joses Joe Thornton more often. In a recent game against the Red Wings, it was Malhotra seeing the ice more often against Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. But late in the game, when the chips were down, coach Alain Vigneault had Kesler matched against the Red Wings big guns. "I dont know if the coaches have line matchups," Kesler said. "I know he likes to run the lines and get everybody into the game and let the other team worry about us. And really, it doesnt matter who I play against. I play them hard and I play them the same way if youre a top-line guy or a grinder." New faces, new motivation and a new weapon in the defensive-minded Keslers goal-scoring have the Canucks looking like a team that can do something special this season. "I think were a closer group this year," Kesler said. "I think were a more mature group. We work and we hold each other accountable. We know whats at stake this year. We definitely want to go the distance." Follow Dave Lozo on Twitter: @DaveLozo Ahmad Bradshaw Youth Jersey . Jiang, 25, was a good friend of his boss, surnamed Deng. The two were watching television at a colleagues home near their worksite, when Jiang spotted a gun in the corner and started fiddling with it. Kenny Phillips Jersey . Jason Terry added 17 points, while Josh Howard posted 14 points for Dallas, which has won five of its last seven games. Erick Dampier contributed 13 points and nine boards, while Jason Kidd handed out 11 assists in the win. Hakim Warrick had a team-high 17 points and Rudy Gay logged 16 points while brining down nine board for Memphis, which shot a mere 38. Authentic Wes Welker Jersey . Its been hard to understand the Flames pratfalls in recent weeks, considering that the team had six marquee players in Miikka Kiprusoff, Jarome Iginla, Olli Jokinen, Robyn Regehr, Dion Phaneuf and Jay Bouwmeester. Danny Woodhead Jersey . Maddux (5-8) held the Giants to a first inning run, striking out one without issuing a walk, to win his second straight start after a 14-start winless streak following his 350th career win May 10. Trevor Hoffman worked the ninth to nail down his 23rd save. Chad Ochocinco Jersey . Blanc told regional newspaper Midi Libre that Chantal Jouanno had the right to her opinion on the matter, but added that he remained "totally free" in his choices. Frances players were accused of being a disgrace to their country after going on strike at last years tournament.Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010 (All times Eastern) Philadelphia (7-12-6) at Colorado (10-7-8), 9:30 p.m. Commerce City, CO (Sports Network) - Colorado Rapids coach Gary Smith needs to juggle his lineup Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Union due to a one- match suspension to top scorer Conor Casey, but he is excited about the chance to pair Omar Cummings with Macoumba Kandji. Kandji was recently acquired from Red Bull New York and made his first start in Saturdays 1-1 draw at Real Salt Lake, as Smith rested Cummings. Casey scored his team-high 11th goal in the draw, but also picked up his fifth yellow card to earn the suspension. Now, with Cummings rested and Kandji ready for a larger role, Smith thinks the duo will cause problems for Philadelphia. Were going to see some real explosive play from those two, Smith said on the clubs website. Cummings and Kandji will help Colorado (10-7-8) test an improved defense for Philadelphia (7-12-6), which has posted two shutouts in its last three games. Cummings has scored in the last four matches hes appeared in (with five goals in that span), and Kandji is a dynamic presence who was squeezed out by New York after the aaddition of Thierry Henry. Wes Welker Youth Jersey. Colorado, sixth in the Western Conference and in possession of the last of the leagues eight playoff spots, will be confident at Dicks Sporting Goods Park, where it has gone 7-1-4 this season. With a five-point cushion over the Kansas City Wizards for the last postseason berth, the Rapids could inch closer to clinching a playoff spot by extending their home unbeaten streak to 10 games. In addition to having the dual threat up top, Colorado has shutout wins in its last four matches at home, including three straight 3-0 wins. The Rapids have not allowed a goal in 428 minutes at home, dating back to an own goal against Dallas on July 31. Philadelphia earned the best result in franchise history last weekend with its 3-0 win over Chivas USA, and has climbed to fifth in the Eastern Conference. Although qualifying for the playoffs would take a miracle, the Union can still finish as high as third in the East with a strong finish. Led by Sebastien Le Toux, who has 12 goals, Philadelphia will look to build on its 1-1 draw against Colorado from August, but its 2-10-1 road record and the Rapids recent success at home present a big challenge for Peter Nowaks club. ' ' '