st the Canadiens.Montreal improved to 3-0 against Boston this season.It was the 728th regular season meeting between the clubs, the firs

NIMES, France -- Almost at the line, Jack Bauer and Martin Elmiger were exhausted but could see it coming -- their first Tour de France stage victory. Those last 50 metres, however, got in the way. A bunch of sprinters leading the pack came speeding like a runaway train and plowed past the huffing breakaway duo in the final milliseconds. Stage 15 belonged to Norwegian speedster Alexander Kristoff, his second stage victory in this Tour. The 138-mile (222-kilometre) stage went smoothly for overall leader Vincenzo Nibali of Italy. He made sure his main rivals couldnt claw back any time, and he kept his yellow jersey by finishing in the trailing pack. After two days in the Alps, Sundays stage offered some relief over a flat course from Tallard, southeast Frances parachuting capital, toward Nimes, known for its Roman arena and bullfighting. More relief comes Monday -- a second rest day. This ride showed yet again on the Tour how mighty efforts so often go unrewarded. Bauer is a New Zealander who had a better shot of holding off the sprinters than Swiss champion Elmiger. Bauer dropped his bike after the finish line, sat on the ground and cupped his face in his hands, crying. They had led nearly from the starters gun. "Its a fantasy for any cyclist to win a stage at the Tour and especially for a Kiwi cyclist, not many of us turn professional and not many of us get a chance to start the Tour de France," Bauer said. The 29-year-old rider came to the Tour to help Garmin-Sharp leader Andrew Talansky, who dropped out before Stage 12 because of injuries from an earlier crash. The pack perfectly timed its move on the breakaway duo and proved too strong. Bauer was pedaling with his last remaining strength, and when he looked back a last time they were already zooming by. He finished in 10th place, with Elmiger 16th. "I really gave it absolutely everything, and as you can see from my meltdown at the finish I was pretty disappointed to come away empty-handed," Bauer added, noting hes usually a support rider. "I thought I had it, but then I realized in the last 50 metres that I had nothing." The Swiss rider with IAM Cycling took it more in stride. This, after all, wasnt the first breakaway to fail in this Tour. "I am not disappointed because I actually did not have the best legs today," Elmiger said. "Being caught by the pack is not so bad when you are convinced you have given everything. As I have already said three times this Tour after breaks have failed, one of these days the wheels will turn in my favour." Kristoff, a Katusha rider who also won Stage 12, sighed in relief. "It was a little bit late for comfort. It was very close," he said. "I thought I would be second. ... We turned on the gas." "Of course, thats a pity for them, but I dont feel sorry for them," he said. "Normally, the break should never have had a chance, but they did. They were really strong guys. ... That must have been really hard." With about 12 miles (20 kilometres) left, rain briefly doused the riders, though skies brightened by the end. A series of roundabouts and leg fatigue among the sprinters after the Alpine stages gave an advantage to the breakaway pair until the final seconds. Nibali kept his main rivals for the Tour title at bay. He leads Spains Alejandro Valverde by 4:37 while Romain Bardet of France is third, 4:50 behind. American Tejay van Garderen is fifth, 5:49 back. Nibali, the leader of Kazakh team Astana, is in good shape to take the yellow jersey when the three-week race ends next Sunday in Paris. Some of his closest rivals have already said the race is now for second place. The Italian has shown savvy -- gaining time on cobblestone patches in Stage 2 -- and nearly insurmountable dominance on high climbs. He won Stage 13s entree into the Alps and was second a day later, also in the snow-capped mountains. On Sunday, Nibali showed he wasnt leaving any chances to his rivals. With about 39 miles (65 kilometres) left, he sped out of the pack and briefly took the lead. "At that moment, there was a lot of side wind," he said. "I really didnt want to miss the good opportunity and try to move up into position ... because when theres wind, you have to be at the front." More grueling climbs loom in the Pyrenees this week before the only individual time trial of this Tour on Saturday. Cheap Jordan Shoes Australia . And it showed Thursday night. The Canadiens, playing in their second game in as many days, however, got a good performance in the end from their backup goaltender as he filled in for an injured Olympic gold medallist . Buy Jordan Shoes Online Australia . Among the six changes: Drivers are now eligible if they have competed for 30 or more years in NASCAR or turned 55 in the calendar year before nominating day. Previously, drivers were not eligible until they had been retired for three years, so drivers can continue to compete and still reach the hall. http://www.wholesaleaustraliaairjordan.com/. Hemsky left the Oilers Tuesday night loss to the Dallas Stars in the second period and did not return. Through 48 games this season, Hemsky has seven goals and a total of 24 points. Buy Air Jordan Australia . Directly ahead was open field, the end zone and the Seattle Seahawks place in the NFC championship game. Wholesale Air Jordan Australia . The 18-time champions, who havent won the title since 1990, moved two points behind Arsenal after the leaders were stunned 6-3 at Manchester City on Saturday. Defending champion Manchester United trails Arsenal by 10 points after winning 3-0 at Aston Villa to avoid a third successive league loss.BOSTON - Carey Price made 33 saves, Tomas Plekanec had a goal and an assist, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 2-0 on Saturday night.Andrei Markov added his 100th career goal for the Canadiens, who posted their eighth win in nine games.Tuukka Rask stopped 22 shots, but feel to 3-12-3 in his career during the regular season against the Canadiens.Montreal improved to 3-0 against Boston this season.It was the 728th regular season meeting between the clubs, the first in Boston since Montreal upset the top-seeded Bruins in a seven-game series last spring in the Eastern Conference playoffs second round.The Canadiens beat the Bruins 5-1 on Nov. 13. Since that loss, the Bruins had won three straight, allowing only four total goals.Montreal went up on Markovs goal 11:37 into the first period.Skating on a power play, Plekanec won a faceoff to Brendan Gallagher, who slipped a short pass to Markov. He fired a wrist shot that beat Rask on the stick side inside the post, giving the Canadiens their first road power-play goal this season after going 0 or 29.Boston controlled play after the goal, outshooting Montreal 8-1, but the chances were relatively weak.Montreal then made it 2-0 on Plekanecs goal midway into the second when he scored at the end of a 3-on-2 break after the Bruins failed to get a shot off during an odd-man rush.dddddddddddd.There were plenty of hard checks between the longtime rivals, the best coming when Bruins winger Daniel Paille sent Alexei Emelin into his own bench early in the second.Chats of Go Habs Go! could be heard a few times from a fairly large gathering of red-jersey wearing Canadiens fans spread throughout TD Garden, but they were quickly silenced by Lets Go Bruins!NOTES: Boston had won its last six home games. ... Price had his 27th career shutout. ... It was Bruins coach Claude Juliens 800th NHL game behind the bench. He had 159 with Montreal and 79 with New Jersey before his 562nd with the Bruins. D Bryan Allen, acquired from the Anaheim Ducks for F Rene Bourque, made his debut with the Canadiens and was paired with former Panthers teammate Mike Weaver. Bruins C David Krejci, LW Brad Marchand and LW Chris Kelly were out with injuries, but D Dougie Hamilton played after missing the last 9 minutes of regulation and overtime Friday at Columbus. ... Montreal is at the New York Rangers on Sunday night. Boston hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday. ' ' '