to Brazil 5-1 in group play. Marta and Beatriz scored two

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild sharpened their game late against the St. Louis Blues and kept up an impressive recent stretch.Matt Dumba, Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund scored, Devan Dubnyk made 22 saves and Minnesota held on to beat the Blues 3-1 on Sunday night for their fourth straight win.I think thats nine out of 10 games that weve gotten points in, Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. I thought that was our best third period of the year. We had a one-goal lead and I thought we didnt give them anything. That is the way we play when were playing really good. Thats a positive thing. I hope theyre starting to believe theyre a good team.Dumba scored for the second straight game in the second period and Niederreiter got his eighth goal about seven minutes later. Granlund added an empty-net goal.Dubnyk is 6-0-2 in his last eight games, posting a 1.69 goals-against average and .941 save percentage since Nov. 23.Thats important to just get that feeling, get that good feeling going, Dubnyk said. When you can approach every game and feel good about what the outcomes going to be and how were going to play, thats how you get on these streaks. These streaks are important when the schedule gets tough at the end of the year.Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 14th goal of the season for St. Louis. Jake Allen stopped 22 shots for the Blues, who had won five of their past seven games.All these games are right there, but were not getting a big enough push back against these teams that really check hard, St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. They checked hard. We really checked them hard, but as the game wore they started to get a little bit control of it.After a scoreless first period in which the Wild managed just six shots on goal, Dumbas wrist shot put Minnesota ahead just 45 seconds into the second. The young defenseman brought the puck up the center of the ice and casually sent the puck on net, beating Allen high to the stick side.Allen had little help as Niederreiter scored for the first time in seven games. Erik Haula and Charlie Coyle were right in front of Allen, along with two defensemen, but Niederreiter cycled freely before flipping the puck in.Tarasenko, who had six goals against the Wild in the playoffs two years ago, scored for the 10th time in the past 18 games. He is tied for fifth in the league with 14 goals.I thought periodically again we played well, Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. I think the story of the road this year has been a little bit of consistency between games.St. Louis is 4-8-1 on the road this season, while 12-1-3 at home.Game notes Minnesota D Christian Folin skated in the pregame warmup but was scratched for the seventh straight game with a sprained MCL in his left knee. Folin has been cleared to return but Nate Prosser was in the lineup again Sunday. ... The Wild are 0 for 17 on the power play the past seven games. ... Blues assistant coaches Mike Yeo and Rick Wilson were honored by the Wild during a timeout in their first trip back to Minnesota. Yeo was the Wild coach for four-plus seasons, leading the team to the playoffs three times. Wilson had six years as an assistant with Minnesota.UP NEXTBlues: A four-game trip ends Tuesday night at Nashville.Wild: End a three-game homestand on Tuesday night against Florida. Vladimir Sobotka Sabres Jersey . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. Jeff Skinner Sabres Jersey . On June 12, just as the sun sets on the magnificent historical city of Sao Paulo the inventors, innovators and purveyors of “joga bonitowill” open their campaign. The opponent, Croatia and all its football might and will. As opposites do attract we are set for a corker of an opener. http://www.sabresteamstoreonline.com/authentic-evan-rodrigues-sabres-jersey/ . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. Sam Reinhart Jersey . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Scott Wilson Sabres Jersey . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. RIO DE JANEIRO -- The roaring crowd at the Maracana Stadium desperately wanted Lisa Dahlkvist to miss.It didnt bother her at all.Dahlkvist just pretended all those Brazilians were cheering for Sweden, and then she stepped up and buried her penalty kick to eliminate the host country and send the Swedes to the Olympic soccer final.The noise was for me, to get the ball in the goal. Simple answer, Dahlkvist said, laughing while describing how she tuned out the din at the nearly full stadium.Sweden advanced to the gold medal match in womens soccer for the first time by beating host Brazil 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a scoreless draw.And it was the second time Dahlkvist had come through under pressure on penalties: Her kick ousted the favored U.S. women in the quarterfinals.Brazil forward Marta, one of the biggest stars of the tournament, buried the first kick of the shootout. But at 3-3, Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl stopped Andressas shot before Dahlkvist beat Barbara to end it, stunning the packed home crowd.Sweden, which has never before played in the gold match at the Olympics, will face Germany for gold on Friday at the Maracana, the site of the mens World Cup final in 2014. The Germans defeated Canada 2-0 in the later match Tuesday in Belo Horizonte.Brazil will play for the bronze on Friday in Sao Paulo against Canada.Marta had one of Brazils best chances to put her team in the lead, but her free kick in the 115th minute bounced before the goal and Lindahl was able to snag it.The fans at the 78,000-seat Maracana -- the biggest crowd ever for a womens national team match in Brazil -- roared whenever Marta touched the ball. Brazils charismatic forward won FIFAs Womens World Player of the Year five consecutive years from 2006-10. But she has never won a major international tournament with her national team.One fan lofted a sign that said Marta We Love You.This loss wont take away from all that we have done to get here, Marta said. We have the match for the bronze medal now and we will fiight until the end to get that medal.dddddddddddd. We have to pick up the pieces to try to win this medal.Both teams had their chances in the opening 90 minutes, and the intensity rose as the defensive-minded Swedes started going on the attack more.Sweden was riding high after knocking off the three-time defending champion United States in the quarterfinals. The loss sent the top-ranked Americans home without a medal for the first time since womens soccer joined the Olympics in 1996. The World Cup champions were vying for their fourth straight gold.Sweden deployed a defensive strategy against the United States and advanced 4-3 on a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in Brasilia. Afterward, U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo drew attention for calling Sweden a bunch of cowards for its style of play.Sweden coach Pia Sundhage used a similar tactic against Brazil, changing her approach after losing to Brazil 5-1 in group play. Marta and Beatriz scored two goals each in that first match.Sundhage said that Sweden did not use Solos comments as motivation against Brazil.What people are saying in the media, its not a big deal. Very often you say it, and I dont even really think you mean it, Sundage said. We talk about football.Sundhage coached the United States to gold medals at both the Beijing and London Games. A victory in Brazil would give her a third-straight Olympic title.The Brazilians have twice won silver medals at the Olympics. Both times, at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Games, the United States won in the final.Swedens best finish was in Athens when the team fell to Germany in the bronze medal match. Brazil beat Sweden 1-0 in the semifinals at those Olympics.Yes, we are very excited. That we are doing something that the Swedish national team has never done before -- play for a medal -- its a big smile, Sundhage said. Still, were not satisfied. We want to win the next game. ' ' '