oaltender Cam Ward allowed three goals and wasnt at his best, although he bounced back in Carolinas 2-1 shootout loss to the Bruins in Boston on Thursday. He

Barcelona hammered Real Madrid 4-0 at the Bernabeu in November with a performance which boss Luis Enrique said would go down in history. Randy Moss Jersey . A double from Luis Suarez and further goals from Neymar and Andres Iniesta humiliated the hosts and moved Barca six points clear at the top of La Liga. They did it without Lionel Messi for much of the game too, with the Argentina ace only making his return from injury 57 minutes in.A rash challenge from Isco, which saw him sent off, capped a miserable night for the hosts and the Madrid fans jeered Real boss Rafa Benitez before the full-time whistle was even blown. But how did Barca pull off the victory? And what went so wrong for Real Madrid?Here, ahead of Saturdays El Clasico, we look back at the first meeting between the sides this season and pick out the key factors in Barcelonas remarkable win… Watch highlights of Barcelonas 4-0 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Team selectionAhead of the match there was intense speculation on whether Messi would return from a knee problem to take on Real Madrid and his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Ultimately, Messi started on the bench and Sergi Roberto was given a chance to impress. But it was the team selection of hosts Real Madrid which proved to be more decisive.Benitez opted to drop defensive midfielder Casemiro to make way for James Rodriguez. It left Real unbalanced and unable to boss the midfield battle. Jamie Carragher was unimpressed with the selection and suggested it was an uncharacteristic move from Benitez. Jamie Carragher picks apart what went wrong for Real Madrid in their 4-0 defeat to Barcelona Thats not a team Rafa would pick, Carragher said when analysing the game on Monday Night Football. Either the people above him have got involved or maybe hes bowed to media pressure or the players, I just dont know.You look at the team and hes not gone in with a holding midfield player - Rafa would normally play two. His best player this season has been Casemiro and hes left him out. I dont know if theres something where hes maybe getting pressure from the owner - weve bought these big stars and they need to play - and hes said ok lets play them against Barcelona, thats what happens. You see the results.Attitude from Reals players Gareth Bale tries to chase down Lionel Messi While the balance of the Real team may not have been right, what cant be denied is they fielded and XI bursting with quality. The problem was their application. There was a clear split in the Real Madrid team between attack and defence, with the hosts seemingly playing a 4-2-4 for much of the game. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos were left exposed in midfield and Barcelona were able to capitalise.They looked like the team had broken in two, Carragher said. There was a big gap between attack and defence and it was a bit like watching a Sunday league game. People just waiting up front. Were talking about world class stars. There was no intensity.Your nightmare as a player, as a midfield two, is playing against Barcelona and your front four arent willing to help you out. What can be worse than that? This type of game is not about the tactics. At one point you need to bring the desire and the right commitment on the field and the right intensity. It wasnt there at all [from Real Madrid]. Thierry Henry Thierry Henry was equally unimpressed with the attitude from Reals players and said that their failure to apply themselves appropriately left Benitez no way to influence the encounter.This type of game is not about the tactics, the former Barcelona forward told Sky Sports. At one point you need to bring the desire and the right commitment on the field and the right intensity. It wasnt there at all [from Real Madrid]. You cant play a Clasico like that.People are going to talk about Benitez and the tactics but the tactics come along when both teams desire and commitment is there and the game is tight. Then the boss will have to trigger one, two or three things to see whos going to be the best boss. But if your team goes out there without the right desire or commitment it becomes really difficult for the coach.Im not trying to find any excuses for Benitez but first and foremost you need to bring the desire on the field. You saw a team on one side and on the other side you see a group of players playing for themselves and not being a team at the moment. It was a collective thing. At the end of the day hes [Benitez] going to maybe take the blame. They ultimately failed as a team today. They didnt play well. Terry Gibson analyses Real Madrids tactical errors in El Clasico Barcelonas brillianceWhile much of the post-game reaction focused on Real Madrids shortcomings and the impact the result would have on Benitezs future, Barcelonas exceptional performance should not be overlooked.Suarez was clinical in attack, converting two of his four shots, while Neymar conjured up twice as many key passes as any other player on the pitch. Ivan Rakitic didnt misplace a single pass in Reals half, Sergio Busquets racked up more tackles than anyone else and Gerard Pique was imperious at the back. All in all, it was a superb team performance from the visitors. Luis Suarez hit a brace against Real Madrid I dont think Real Madrid gave up, I just think we were a level above them, was Barca boss Enriques clinical assessment of the contest. We outnumbered them in many areas of the game and we were very effective. The game is more of a reflection of our merits than Madrids faults.This victory tastes glorious because it is against our eternal rivals and, as well as the victory, it will be very difficult for us to better this performance. This game will go down in history; it will be remembered by all Barcelona fans. This squad won the treble last year and it is one of the best squads you could hope for. Terry Gibson reviews Barcelonas tactics in their 4-0 win over Real Madrid Barcelonas commitment For all of Barcelonas eye-catching play, Henry was also keen to highlight their remarkable work rate when they didnt have the ball.Real Madrid recorded a far worse passing accuracy to their rivals (82.6 v 90.2 per cent) and managed just 41.4 per cent of possession. The Catalans intense pressing gave Benitezs men no time on the ball. Guillem Balague and Graham Hunter review Barcelonas win over rivals Real Madrid People always talk about when Barcelona have the ball and how they pass the ball well but they put pressure on, the back line is backing up the midfielders and striker to put pressure on, said Henry.The distances are right between the players. They never give up, they help each other. You even saw Busquets in the 91st minute making a foul. It could have been 4-1 but no, 4-0. The discipline and intensity is key for that team.When you see the likes of Suarez working hard, Neymar working hard, Andres Iniesta working hard, it speaks volumes to the other guys to be better. We dont emphasise enough how Barca is good in those type of situations. Neymar got on the scoresheet at the Bernabeu Contrasting performances from star performers Barcelonas brilliance is built on more than just one man and in the previous nine games, with injured Messi absent, Enriques side had won seven. At the Bernabeu, with the Argentine benched, attacking duo Suarez and Neymar stepped up and delivered once again.The pair scored 18 goals during Messis absence and, with him watching from the dugout, added three more to their tally against Real. Suarezs opener after 11 minutes concluded a brilliant 24-pass team move.For Real, Ronaldo could easily have made his way onto the scoresheet had it not been for two brilliant stops from Claudio Bravo - but the hosts key man was unable to influence proceedings as he would have liked. Ronaldo only managed two shots at goal in the entire game and produced just one pass leading to a shooting opportunity. The defeat heaped pressure on then Real boss Rafa Benitez While he struggled, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez failed to make their mark, too. The trio only managed to work Bravo four times between them.The performance of the latter three players raises questions about whether they were physically ready for the intensity of a Clasico, given they had all been sidelined with injury in the weeks leading up to the game. Since the start of October Real Madrid played seven games but of the 1890 minutes the trio could have racked up, they had managed just 309.Gareth Bale was the only one to have played a full 90 minutes in that time. He did it just once, in Reals 3-2 defeat to Sevilla in the previous game. In short, most of Reals key attackers were undercooked. Also See: Barca pay tribute to Cruyff Messis 117-game shooting streak ends Daniel Brunskill Jersey .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. Rod Woodson Jersey . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. http://www.custom49ersjersey.com/custom-...large-648d.html . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. Because of an odd scheduling quirk, the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon will meet at Madison Square Garden for the second time in five days.The Rangers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Hurricanes 3-2 on Tuesday behind a goal and an assist from left winger Rick Nash. There was no momentum carried into New Yorks next game in Buffalo, as the Sabres won 4-3 to prevent the Rangers from winning consecutive games for the first time in more than two weeks.What has been the biggest problem for the Rangers over the first two months? Oddly, it hasnt been offense, as the team is averaging a league-best 3.64 goals-per game. Instead, its been goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, whose .914 save percentage would be his lowest since 2007-08.Lundqvist ranks 17th in save percentage, which is well below the standard he has set throughout his career. He lamented allowing a long goal to Buffalos Jack Eichel that led to the Rangers fifth loss in eight games.It just froze me, Lundqvist said to the New York Daily News. It looked like he was gonna pass it. Its a hard shot but you need to stop it. I need to challenge that more. I was expecting a pass. I was already thinking about what was gonna happen next and instead he goes for the shot, and thats what good players do.The Rangers havent done much to help their goaltenders over the past five games. Theyve been outshot in four of those games and by an overall margin of 162-119. Thats stark change from a team that had been dominating opponents to start the season, but center Derek Stepan says teams have adjusted to the New Yorks speed.I do know that wwe built an identity for ourselves and teams understand that they cant afford turnovers against us, so theyre getting it in and forcing us to come the full length, Stepan said to the New York Post. Bryant Young Jersey. . Theyre making us do what we want to force teams to do, which is defend. Teams are ready for us. Theyve adjusted. Now we have to.The Hurricanes were one of those teams that stifled the Rangers, holding them to 21 shots Tuesday. Goaltender Cam Ward allowed three goals and wasnt at his best, although he bounced back in Carolinas 2-1 shootout loss to the Bruins in Boston on Thursday. He stopped 34 of 35 shots and will likely get a chance to redeem himself against the Rangers.Cam continues to play great, making all the saves that he can see, Hurricanes defenseman Ron Hainsey said.A problem for the Hurricanes for most of this season has been finding the extra point in overtimes and shootouts. They have played six games that have gone beyond regulation and have won just once. Those five points theyve left on the table are the difference between their current 14th-place spot in the Eastern Conference and a wild-card spot.Theres no frustration. Youve got to find a way to get the next one, right? Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said of the Boston loss to the News & Observer. Youve got to get to three (goals). Threes a real good number. We got one on the power play and theirs wasnt an even-strength goal in the game.We had some even-strength chances. Weve got to find a way to score. ' ' '