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SANDY, Utah -- Every time Joao Plata touched the ball, he found a way to make a special play materialize for Real Salt Lake. Platas energy on defence was infectious. His passing proved equally deadly. The Portland Timbers could do little to stop him or the rest of the RSL starters from making it a long night. Plata scored once and assisted on goals by Javier Morales and Luis Gil to lead Salt Lake to a 4-2 win over Portland on Friday night. Alvaro Saborio added the other goal for RSL (14-8-6), which notched its second victory over Portland this month. Platas total effort on both ends of the field did not go unnoticed by RSL coach Jason Kreis. "Hes been an important player for us just with assists and goals," Kreis said. "The one area we were always a little doubtful on in the first few months of the season was how much he was going to be willing to work for us when we didnt have the ball. Tonight, I saw an effort I rarely see with forwards. The amount of defensive work he was putting in was second to none and absolutely critical to the success of this team." Plata only worries about focusing on one thing when he gets on the field -- doing whatever he can to help the team succeed. It doesnt matter if it comes in the form of goals, assists or making plays away from the ball. He just wants to play the role he needs to play in keeping RSL atop the MLS Conference. "For me, the most important thing is that the team wins," Plata said through a translator. "I always want to be a part of winning for the team and help us be successful." Darlington Nagbe and Sal Zizzo each scored for the Timbers (9-5-12), who played a man down the entire second half after Ben Zemanski was sent off with a red card just before halftime. Portland had no answer for Salt Lakes precision passing early in the first half. RSL showed patience in working the ball into the attacking third and made the Timbers pay for it with a pair of early goals. Gil got Salt Lake on the board in the 9th minute. A series of four passes culminated with Plata playing the ball off his back heel to Gil inside the 18 yard box. Gil put the perfect finishing touch on the sequence when he threaded the ball past Timbers goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts and inside the left post. RSL extended its lead to 2-0 in the 15th on a goal from Plata. Ned Grabavoy fed him a pass into the 18 and Plata attacked Andrew Jean-Baptiste. He drew him out on the left side and fired from an angle as he got around Jean-Baptiste on the turn. Plata sent the ball across the goal face and bounced off the right post for the score. "Thats our game," RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "Thats what we want to do. When were successful, thats what we do. Thats how we score goals. Its not an easy thing, but were capable of doing it." Portland pulled a goal back in the 31st minute. Darlington Nagbe faked laying off the ball to a teammate and instead blasted the ball from distance to make it 2-1. The Timbers comeback hopes dimmed just before halftime when midfielder Zemanski was ejected in stoppage time. Zemanski was shown a red card following a dangerous tackle on Grabavoy when the two players went for a 50/50 ball. "We had just scored a goal and it happens right at the end of the first half," Portland defender Raushwan McKenzie said. "We get that the red card at the end of the first half. Were chasing the game and were down a goal. Against a good team, its going to be hard to score another goal -- two if you want to win." His ejection left Portland a man down the entire second half. RSL capitalized on the man advantage right away. Morales scored off a corner kick sent in by Plata with an incredible shot in the 55th minute. He sent the ball over his head with a bicycle kick, bouncing it off the right post and into the net to make it 3-1. Saborio added an insurance goal when he headed home a free kick from Morales in the 67th minute. Portland cut into the lead again with Zizzos goal in the 78th. Jose Adolfo Valencia sent a hard shot at RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando near the right post. Rimando blocked it with his glove, but the ball bounced out to Zizzo and he put home the rebound. Kyrie Irving Shoes Friends . On July 27 cyclings best-known race will host "La Course by Le Tour de France" -- a one-day womens competition staged hours before Tour riders race on the same circuit to finish the three-week event on Paris Champs-Elysees. Paul George Shoes Buy . Riethers apparent stamp on Manchester United midfielder Adnan Januzaj during Saturdays Premier League match at Craven Cottage was missed by the match officials. A three-man panel of former referees reviewed the incident and all agreed that it was a sending-off offence. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesclearance.com/cheap-max-95-shoes.html .ca. Kerry, In Mondays Habs/Bruins game, there were three questionable/brutal calls against the Habs late in the game - Tomas Plekanec, then Douglas Murray, then Brendan Gallagher. Wholesale Nike Shoes Clearance . Brad Malone had the other goal for the Monsters (1-1-0), while Elliott chipped in an assist for a three-point night and the games first star. Bryan Lerg also had two assists. Corban Knight and Max Reinhart scored for the Heat (1-1-0), who opened their season Friday with a 5-2 win over the Monsters in Cleveland. Kyrie Irving Shoes Wholesale . A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press the Steelers will part ways with the former Pro Bowler, a move that hardly serves as a surprise after fifth-year linebacker Jason Worilds agreed to accept a "transition player" tag last week.UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- In a season filled with demoralizing losses, Tuesday nights meltdown against Tampa Bay was the worst yet for the New York Islanders. Valtteri Filppula scored twice in the final 3 minutes of regulation, including the tying goal with 3.8 seconds left, and then converted in the shootout to rally the Lightning past the skidding Islanders 3-2. "When youre coming back from two down and get that first one, you get immediate confidence," said Filppula, a key free-agent signing by Tampa Bay last summer. "Thats a good sign when you get a great bounce late and win a game when you didnt play your best all night." Nikita Kucherov also connected in the shootout as the Lightning handed New York its 13th loss in 14 games (1-9-4). The only Islanders victory during that stretch came in a shootout last Tuesday at San Jose. New York is 5-15-4 since trading popular left wing Matt Moulson to Buffalo for Thomas Vanek on Oct. 27. And by now, last springs playoff appearance is a distant memory. "Its unbelievable, its frustrating, its disappointing," said Islanders captain John Tavares, who angrily slammed his stick against the boards as he left the ice. "Were not happy with the result." Filppula scored his second third-period goal off a scramble with 3.8 seconds left to force overtime. He also scored at 17:07 to cut New Yorks lead to 2-1. He has 12 goals on the season. Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen scored for the Islanders. Nielsen also scored in the shootout, but the game ended when Tavares couldnt convert the final chance for New York against Ben Bishop. "I think you earn what you get," Tavares said. "We left two guys open right in the slot, and theyre going to capitalize when they get their chances." Okposo scored his 11th of the season, driving the puck from the left point through traffic and past Bishop 11 seconds into the secondd.dddddddddddd Tavares and Brock Nelson assisted as Radko Gudas was serving an interference penalty that carried over from the first period. Nielsen made it 2-0 at 10:21 of the third, converting on a 2-on-1 break with Michael Grabner to beat Bishop to the stick side. It was the 11th goal of the season for Nielsen, who hadnt scored since Nov. 19. Filppula ruined Evgeni Nabokovs shutout bid late in the third and eventually spoiled the entire night for New York. The Islanders (9-19-7) lost their sixth straight home game -- the past four in overtime or a shootout -- and dropped to 0-16-5 when scoring fewer than three goals. They havent won at home since Nov. 16, when they defeated Detroit 5-4 in a shootout. Only Buffalo, with eight wins, has fewer than the Islanders. "We just dont know how to win right now," Nabokov said. Tampa Bay (20-11-3) snapped a seven-game road losing streak Sunday against Detroit and pulled out another one away from home. The Lightning have been a surprise in the Atlantic Division with an especially young roster this season. They have 13 players who have played fewer than 100 NHL games. But they are anchored by 38-year-old centre Martin St. Louis, who leads the team with 13 goals and 18 assists. He played his 1,000th NHL game earlier this season. The teams meet at Tampa Bay on Jan. 16 and March 27. The Islanders next take on the rival Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Friday. "Its important how we respond in our next game after a tough loss like this," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. NOTES: The Islanders were without defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky (concussion) for the 27th straight game. New York also was missing forward Casey Cizikas (jaw). ... Matt Carkner and Colin McDonald were healthy scratches for the Islanders. ... The Lightning were without defencemen Victor Hedman (lower body) and Keith Aulie (hand). ' ' '