Dwayne Roloson, who caught fire during the post

WASHINGTON -- By the time the 12th inning rolled around, the San Diego Padres were without third baseman Chase Headley -- his strained calf could send him to the disabled list -- and left fielder Seth Smith, who hurt a groin muscle. The Padres were on their way to using a total of 20 players, including seven pitchers. Well, seven on the mound, and one in left field. Andrew Cashner briefly filled in for Smith before manager Bud Black made a double-switch. So it was quite a relief when Xavier Nady delivered a tiebreaking RBI single off Craig Stammen in the top of the 12th to give San Diego a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday night. "This was an interesting one, for sure," Black said. "This was one where you really had to be creative as it went along." Nady, who entered the game in right field in the ninth, bounced a 2-0 fastball up the middle off Stammen (0-1), who was working his third inning. "Im the last man standing. Whatever happens, happens. Ive got to live with it," Stammen said. "I left it up a little bit, but he put it in a good spot." Jedd Gyorko singled, stole second and got to third when catcher Jose Lobatons throw sailed into the outfield for an error, then scored on Nadys hit. "As soon as I threw the ball," Lobaton said, gritting his teeth, "I was like, Ah, that was a bad throw." Alex Torres (1-0) got two outs in the 11th for the win, and Houston Street worked around Bryce Harpers leadoff double in the 12th for his eighth save. The game ended when Lobaton lined out to shortstop Everth Cabrera, who flipped the ball to second base to double off Harper. "It was sort of ironic that we were sort of worried about Harper stealing third," Black explained, "and so we tried to keep Cabby a little bit tighter to Harper, and sure enough the ball was hit in the hole." The Nationals went 0 for 16 with runners in scoring position and left 14 men on base. The only 1-2-3 innings for Padres pitching were the second and 11th. "Theres just something in you, when your backs against the wall a little bit, youve got to reach back and really give your best shot and throw your best pitches," said Tim Stauffer, who threw 2 1-3 scoreless innings in relief of Eric Stults. "I think as a whole we were able to do that today." Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa said: "Its easy to press. You want to come through for your team." He hit a solo homer in the sixth, and Adam LaRoche added one in the seventh to help Washington pull even after trailing 3-1. But the Padres never did let the Nationals go ahead from there. Headley left in the middle of the second inning, and Black said: "That looks as though thats probably going to be a DL." Smith departed in the 11th but the manager didnt think his problem will send him to the disabled list. In the top of the ninth, San Diegos Yonder Alonso walked, then tried to steal second and initially was ruled safe. But Nationals manager Matt Williams challenged the call, which was overruled on review; replays showed that Alonsos front leg was in the air as he slid and his foot didnt touch the bag before he was tagged. Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann allowed three runs and five hits in six innings. Stults gave up 10 hits but only two runs in his 5 1-3 innings. "When I was done," Stults said, "it seemed like I kind of pitched yesterday." NOTES: Nationals LHP Gio Gonzalez felt "normal, after-a-start soreness" Thursday and would get plenty of treatment, Williams said. Gonzalez was pulled in the sixth inning after only 83 pitches Wednesday because his left shoulder felt tight. "Im not concerned about it. I dont think he is, either, really," Williams said. "We want to be careful, but we dont think theres any major concern there." ... Washington RHP Doug Fister, on the 15-day DL with a back muscle problem, threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session Thursday and is scheduled to make his first minor league rehab start Sunday, probably at Class-A Potomac. ... Padres LF Carlos Quentin, on the 15-day DL with a bone bruise in his left knee, is expected to report to extended spring training in Arizona this weekend. ... On Friday, Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg (1-2, 5.33) will face Padres LHP Robbie Erlin (1-2, 4.15). Cheap Air Max 1 Wholesale . -- The San Francisco 49ers have re-signed cornerback Perrish Cox to a one-year contract. Cheap Air Max 1 Ireland . According to the Red Wings Twitter feed, Zetterberg plans to practice with the team on Thursday and is aiming for a second round comeback. http://www.airmax1ireland.com/ . Toronto FC hosts the three-time Italian league champions in a friendly Aug. 7 at BMO Field, a game that Roma CEO Italo Zanzi said falls within a key part of their pre-season. Air Max 1 Wholesale Ireland . -- Joe Thornton scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:39 left in regulation to help the San Jose Sharks overcome a two-goal deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 on Thursday night. Air Max 1for Sale Ireland . Orlando is to begin play in the MLS for the 2015 season. Kaka, who currently plays with AC Milan, is expected to be loaned out to his home club Sao Paulo for the upcoming season before joining Orlando for next season.Calgary FlamesIn the eyes of many people, the Calgary Flames were the closest Canadian team to winning the Cup since the Habs won it in 1993. What a great run they had in the 2004 Playoffs as the entire city of Calgary seemed to be behind them. The great play of Jarome Iginla, Craig Conroy and goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff carried the Flames throughout the playoffs. After knocking off the Canucks in the first round, the Flames pulled off a huge upset, beating the Presidents Trophy-winning Red Wings in the second round. The sky was the limit for the Flames after taking down the Wings, and they almost came through. After beating San Jose in the Conference Final, they would square off against the Tampa Bay Lightning for the Cup. The Flames jumped out to a 3-2 series lead, but would devastatingly lose the final two games of the series, making the Lightning the 2004 Stanley Cup champions. The Flames were ridiculously close to winning the cup considering the series went the distance, and both game 6 and game 7 losses were one-goal games. There was also a controversial call in Game 6 where Flames forward Martin Gelinas looked to score a late goal to break a 2-2 tie, but it did not count. Replays showed that the puck did cross the line:The Flames were awfully close, and if a couple calls went their way, they couldve been the latest Canadian team to win a cup.Vancouver CanucksIts hard to forget the spirited run the Vancouver Canucks put together during the 2011 playoffs. The Canucks were actually a cup favorite, as they would finish first in the league and win the Presidents Trophy. They carried over their great regular season play over to the playoffs, knocking off the Blackhawks, Predators, and the Sharks in the opening three rounds. Players like the Sedins, Kesler, Burrows, and Bieksa were the anchors of their success. Luongo definitely struggled at times during the playoffs but ended up having a solid performance overall, recording four shutouts. The Canucks would face off against the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup, but after jumping out to a 3-2 series lead, they would eventually lose the series in 7 games. With so much on the line, it was surprising to see thee Canucks lose 4-0 in the seventh game in a pretty slow paced game.dddddddddddd It was still a great run, and the furthest the Canucks would get in the Luongo era. You can check out a tribute to their run here:Edmonton OilersThe Oilers arguably had the most exciting playoff run out of any Canadian team since the Habs won it all in 1993. In 2006, the Oilers qualified for the playoffs as the eighth and final seed of the Western Conference. They were underdogs all the way through, but they just kept winning. First they took down the Presidents Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings. They would then beat the Sharks in the second round and easily knock off the Ducks in the Conference Final in just five games. All of a sudden, the eighth seeded Oilers were in the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. Chris Pronger, Shawn Horcoff, Fernando Pasani, Ales Hemsky, and Ryan Smyth were some of the key pieces that carried the Oilers to the Cup Final. But nobody on the roster was more important than their goalie, Dwayne Roloson, who caught fire during the post-season. Roloson ended the playoffs with a .927 save percentage, but would unfortunately injure himself in the opening game of the Cup Final. Jussi Markkanen would start for the Oilers the rest of the way, and although he played fine, he did not bring the same quality of goaltending that Roloson brought. The Oilers would not be able to take down Cam Ward and the Hurricanes, as they would lose in seven games in a close series. It was fun to watch as they over-achieved with their underdog status and as many Oilers fans will tell you; you never know what could have happened if Roloson did not get hurt. You can see the Roloson injury here:So there you have it. Canadas Western Conference teams have gotten much closer to the Cup than the Eastern Conference teams since the Habs Cup win in 1993. The Winnipeg Jets just rejoined the league so they are yet to have a noteworthy run. Youve seen the East, and now youve seen the West. Who do you think was the closest Canadian team to winning a Stanley Cup since 1993? And which Canadian team do you think will break the slump and win it next? Tweet us @BarDown. ' ' '