ay here, Guentzel said. Whenever you get the chance, you want to make the most of it.This was the first meeting between the division rivals since the Penguins eliminated th

NEW YORK -- This season hasnt started and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver already has good news about next season. Flames Jerseys 2020 .It appears theres no chance it will be affected by a work stoppage.Silver said Friday the league and players have made tremendous progress toward an extension of the collective bargaining agreement, saying he hoped a deal would be completed soon.We are not done, done as we say as bargainers in terms of ultimately having a completed collective bargaining agreement, but were on our way towards getting an extension done of this collective bargaining agreement, Silver said. Im very pleased to report that.Silver said the process was far different than the contentious negotiations of 2011, which led to a lockout and a 2011-12 season that was shortened to 66 games.This time, the sides have been meeting for a few months and seem eager to make a deal long before Dec. 15, when either side can notify the other of its intention to opt out of the 10-year pact, which expires in June 2021.If either side chooses to opt out, the deal would end on June 30, 2017.The sides met Wednesday, the day before owners began their two-day preseason meetings. They received an encouraging report on the status of the talks.Weve made tremendous progress and Im pleased to report that, Silver said.An agreement wasnt reached in 2011 until Thanksgiving weekend, and 16 games from each teams schedule had been shaved before the season opened on Christmas. The players guarantee of basketball-related income was reduced from 57 percent to about 50 percent.The sides arent fighting over money this time, not after the national TV deals worth more than $2.6 billion annually sent revenues soaring and the salary cap skyrocketing.Silver credited union executive director Michele Roberts for the more cordial tone of these talks and noted the role on the negotiating committee of Hall of Fame player Michael Jordan, now owner of the Charlotte Hornets. Silver said Jordans relationship with players has added an enormous amount to the atmosphere in the room.For players to see him in that position, it doesnt mean if Michael says it, it necessarily means that they should accept it as the position they should take, Silver said, but I think thats really added a special element unique to this league to have a superstar player like that owning a team now.Longtime Commissioner David Stern led owners and former NBPA executive director Billy Hunter represented players in the last few negotiations, and the league lost games in both 1998-99 and 2011-12. Silver said both sides feel that the most recent deal has been working.I think the fortunes of the league, the fact that there is more money to distribute among our players and teams, has created an atmosphere that makes it more conducive to continue a deal that looks a lot like the current deal, Silver said.And because they are working to extend it, rather than negotiate a new one, Silver said there would be more tweaks than wholesale changes.Silver and Roberts appear to have developed a stronger working relationship than their predecessors, and players have long looked up to Jordan for what he accomplished on and off the court.All-Stars Chris Paul, the union president who took part in this weeks meeting, and vice presidents LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are among the players thinking business as well as basketball.Ill say that when you have someone like Michael Jordan now on the owners side of the table, we all remember the old slogan from when Michael was a player of `Be like Mike. I think theres the sense now for the players that thats yet another area where they want to be like Mike, Silver said. Look what hes done, taking sort of his success on the floor and translated that into being an incredibly successful businessman.Silver didnt want to comment on specifics of the deal since it had not been completed, though its expected to include new league-funded programs to help retired players with education and medical expenses, and an increase in the rookie salary scale.But hes optimistic hell be able to discuss them soon.Hopefully, we will be back to all of you in the not-too-distant future to say that negotiations have been completed, but were not quite there yet, he said.---Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney Calgary Flames Pro Shop . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Flames Jerseys 2021 . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. https://www.cheapflames.com/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. PITTSBURGH -- The New York Rangers arent about to let the loss of two top forwards derail their hot start.The Rangers were hit with adversity the previous two days, first on Sunday after learning Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich would miss extended time because of injury, and the following day when they fell behind early against their division rival Pittsburgh Penguins.Rick Nash sparked a comeback, though, and J.T. Miller scored short-handed to cap a second-period rally, helping the Rangers overcome an early two-goal deficit to beat the Penguins 5-2 on Monday night.We know a lot about this team because we played them so much over the last handful of years, Miller said. I think we were on our heels a little too much to start, a little too passive. I thought we were a lot more aggressive after that, and when we did that, we forced them into more turnovers and got a couple lucky bounces.The teams play again Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden to complete a pivotal, early season home-and-home between Metropolitan Division contenders. The Penguins have lost four of six and trail the first-place Rangers by four points.Pittsburghs Jake Guentzel scored twice in the first period of his first NHL game, but Rick Nash and Michael Grabner made it 2-2 before Miller, a Pittsburgh native, got his eighth of the season.Kevin Hayes added his ninth goal midway through the third, and Derek Stepan also scored into an empty net.Antti Raanta, starting the second game of a back-to-back for New York, rebounded after the first period and made 29 saves for his fifth win in six games.Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 31 shots for Pittsburgh. It was the first time he started two straight games since Matt Murray returned earlier in the month from a broken hand.Its a long season and things arent always going to go your way, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. Whats most important, from our standpoint, is how we react to it. Thats the lesson we need to learn from this game.Zibanejad, injured a day earlier against Florida, is expected to miss six to eight weeks for the Rangers with a broken leg, while Buchnevich is out two to three weeks with a back injury. Zibanejad had five goals and 15 points in 19 games, while Buchnevich scored four goals and eight points in 10 games.That didnt deter the Rangers on Monday, as New York, with an NHL-best 81 goals through 20 games, was able to rally.Miller scored in the final minute of the second period to put the Rangers ahead. Cheap Flames Jerseys. A centering pass deflected off Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and forward Evgeni Malkin before hitting Miller and going past Fleury.The Rangers next goal was also a lucky one, as Ryan McDonaghs centering pass hit off Hayes skate and went behind Fleury.The game didnt start the way we wanted, but I thought after the first period we settled down, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. Thats a really strong team, but we were able to do what we had to do to get the job done.Guentzel made his debut against the same team that drafted his father Mike in the seventh round in 1981. The younger Guentzel scored on the first shot of his first shift, a similar feat accomplished by Penguins co-owner Mario Lemieux 32 years earlier. Guentzels wrist shot from below the left faceoff dot sneaked between Raantas pads 1:02 into the game. It was the fastest goal by a Penguins player making his NHL debut.His second goal came exactly 12 minutes later. Malkin tipped Phil Kessels initial shot, and Guentzel put the rebound behind Raanta from the slot.Guentzel, the Penguins 2013 third-round pick, was recalled from the teams AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton earlier in the day. He had seven goals and 17 points in 16 AHL games, leading the team and ranking among the league leaders.Its a dream come true to play here, Guentzel said. Whenever you get the chance, you want to make the most of it.This was the first meeting between the division rivals since the Penguins eliminated the Rangers in the opening round of the playoffs last spring. It marked the third straight year the teams met in the postseason -- the Rangers won the first two meetings before losing to the Stanley Cup champions last season.Game notes Guentzel is the fifth player in team history to score his first NHL goal on his first shift. He is the third Nebraska-born player in NHL history to score a goal. ... Malkin has points in seven straight home games.... Penguins F Chris Kunitz, who has 11 points in 18 games, is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. ... Patric Hornqvist, who missed the last three games with a concussion, skated on his own before the Penguins morning skate.UP NEXTThe teams complete their home-and-home at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. ' ' '