e, who wristed it up over Dells shoulder.The Sharks tied it 2-

WASHINGTON -- Max Scherzer remembers being urged to try to slow everything down for his postseason debut five years ago.Take an extra breath, they said. Be calm as can be, they said. Dial down the intensity, they said.Not exactly what he needed to hear, Scherzer quickly discovered.Scherzer, who starts Game 1 of the NL Division Series for the Washington Nationals against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, was fed those frequently heard words of wisdom way back when.Pitching for the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium, he walked two batters in the first inning. Thats when he cursed at himself and realized he never should have listened to others -- and wound up taking a no-hitter into the sixth that day.Scherzer is as intense as they come when hes pitching, and he needed to maintain that in the postseason.Whatever you do to have success in the regular season, do the exact same thing. Yes, the lights are brighter. Yes, the seats are all full. Yes, the start times are weird. Theres tons of media. You have a lot of distractions; youve got family and friends all wanting tickets. The outside things are a little bit different, but mentally, you have to still be the same, Scherzer explained.I know theres this notion of, `Hey, just go out there and relax. Try to slow the game down. That can be the worst advice anybodys ever given, he continued. No, you hit the ground running and do exactly what you do. If you go out there with aggression in the regular season, you do the same thing.So expect to see Scherzer stomping and stalking around the Nationals Park mound on Friday, while facing the likes of Corey Seager, Adrian Gonzalez, Justin Turner and Chase Utley.And they know what theyre in for, even if the Dodgers didnt face Scherzer in 2016, when he went 20-7 with a 2.96 ERA and a majors-leading 284 strikeouts, including a record-tying 20 in one game.Obviously, hes a really good pitcher. Lively fastball. Strikes out a lot of guys, and has won a lot of games for them this year, said Turner, who has never batted against Scherzer. Were going to go study up on him and watch the films and put together a game plan.Thats the same sort of thing the Nationals might be expected to say about Kershaw, a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner who went 12-4 with a 1.69 ERA in only 21 starts this season, missing more than two months with a back injury. Since returning in September, he was 1-2 with a 0.96 ERA in five starts.Scherzer became a leading candidate for this years NL Cy Young Award -- he won the AL honor for Detroit in 2013 -- by becoming, to use his words, better as a pitcher.I continued to evolve, he said, pointing specifically to a cut slider that he throws to left-handed batters.The hitters I face are great. Theres a reason theyre driving nice cars on the other side, Scherzer said. So I had to find more swing-and-miss pitches for lefties, and still find ways to pitch effectively against right-handed hitters.It took Scherzer a while to get going this season: During April and May, he was a combined 5-4 with a 4.05 ERA.He started slow this year, Nationals shortstop Danny Espinosa said. But I dont think we expected that to continue.Of course not. From June 1 on, Scherzer was 15-3 with a 2.44 ERA.When its time to shut the game down, to let the other team know that the games over and theyre not getting any runs, its obvious. When he says, `Game over, its game over. You can see it, Espinosa said. You have to have those pitchers who, when you get `em a lead, they keep that lead, and throw a shutdown inning. He does that.Game notesThe Dodgers landed in Washington on Wednesday and went to Nationals Park for a workout that started at about 9 p.m. ... Nationals manager Dusty Baker will not commit to a rotation beyond Game 1, although RHP Tanner Roark is expected to start Game 2, and he was the first pitcher on the mound for live batting practice at the start of Wednesdays workout. I dont think theyre trying to play coy just because, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said about the Nationals being tight-lipped about their pitching plans, but I dont think it affects us. ... Washington 2B Daniel Murphy still wouldnt say whether he expects to play in Game 1; he hasnt started a game since Sept. 17 because of a strained buttocks muscle.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrichCharlie Morton Rays Jersey . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. Willy Adames Rays Jersey .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/ . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Joey Wendle Jersey .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. Yonny Chirinos Jersey . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3.NEW YORK -- Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton helped the San Jose Sharks get a big win after a rough loss across town the previous nightPavelski scored with 2:11 left to lift the Sharks to a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night. Melker Karlsson and Tomas Hertl also scored to help the Sharks win for the third time in four games.Thornton set up both the tying and winning goals by sending the puck at the net, with the first going in off Hertls leg late in the second period. On the winning goal, Thornton sent a pass into the slot and Pavelski deflected it in.He buys that extra second and allows you to get open, Pavelski said of Thornton. When you get open, he puts it in the spot you want and its good to see that one go in for sure.:Pavelski got his fifth point in two games after having a goal and three assists in the Sharks 7-4 loss to the New York Rangers on Monday. The veteran forward liked the way his team bounced back against the Islanders.That was a lot better, Pavelski said. We still havent had a whole lot of time together. Its going to keep coming and each nights a little different. We just forechecked a lot better tonight.Brent Burns also had two assists giving both him and Thornton five on the season. Aaron Dell stopped 21 shots to win his NHL debut, with the last stop coming on Brock Nelsons slap shot in the final second.It took to the very last second to make it real there, Dell said. I didnt really realize it until after I got off (the ice), so that was crazy. ... Its nice to get that one out of the way. Now we got to move forward here and finish the rest of this trip off.The 27-year-old Dell, who appeared in 157 games in the CHL, ECHL and AHL, said he didnt change his approach for his first game in the NHL.I tried not to think about it too much, he said. Just do the same things I always do and it really wasnt too bad. Ive played enough games that I can just do the same thing every time.Anthony Beauvillier and Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, and Jaroslav Halak finished with 24 saves. New York lost for the third time in four games.We could have put more shots on net tonight at certain spots in the game, Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. But they are good hockey team. Were there 2-2 and we didnt get the bounce in the third.The Isslanders trailed 1-0 after getting outplayed in the first period, but picked it up in the second and took the lead with two goals 2:10 apart in the middle of the period.dddddddddddd.Beauvillier, one of the Islanders two 19-year-old rookies, tied it with his first career goal at 9:39. Driving to the net, his first shot was stopped by Dell, but he reached out and backhanded the rebound in the air over Dells glove and in.Had a good bounce and it went in, Beauvillier said. It felt good. Would have been better with a win. ... Im just happy to have my first one so I can move on from here and get a second and third one.Lee made it 2-1 with 8:11 left. Jason Chimera backhanded a pass toward the middle to Lee, who wristed it up over Dells shoulder.The Sharks tied it 2-2 with 1:57 left in the middle period as Thorntons shot deflected off Hertls thigh and in.The Sharks controlled the puck most of the opening 20 minutes, outshooting the Islanders 10-4. The Islanders failed to get a shot on goal over the last 12:47 of the period.Karlsson got the Sharks on the scoreboard with his first of the season at 5:36. Tommy Wingels brought the puck around the net to the left side and passed it in front to Karlsson, who tipped it past Halak. It was Karlssons 24th career goal in 122 games.Game notesF Joel Ward played in his 600th career game. ... F Patrick Marleau played in his 546th consecutive game. ... Pavelski played in his 418th career game. ... The Islanders lost at home to a Western Conference team for the first time since moving to Barclays Center before last season. After going 12-0-2 here against the West last year, New York won its home opener against Anaheim on Sunday night. ... Free agent signee Andrew Ladd has no points through his first four games in New York. ... Mathew Barzal, New Yorks other 19-year-old rookie, sat out for the third time in four games.UP NEXTSharks: Continue a five-game road trip at defending champion Pittsburgh on Thursday night in the teams first meeting since the Stanley Cup final.Islanders: Continue a five-game homestand against Arizona on Friday night.---Follow Vin Cherwoo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VinCherwooAP ' ' '