MIAMI - This is why Dwyane Wade rested. Custom Edmonton Oilers Jerseys . This is why the Miami Heat opted to go without their longtime franchise player for so many nights this season, why teammates hoped their frustrations about playing without him for 28 regular-season games would ultimately be rewarded, why he often seemed more comfortable in a suit than a uniform. News flash: The regular season didnt mean all that much to Wade and the Heat. Everything about the Miami franchise revolves around chasing more titles, and Wade is doing his part. He and the two-time defending NBA champion Heat will take a 2-1 series lead over the Indiana Pacers into Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night, and Wade — who is playing without any significant injury issues at this point of the season for the first time in years — is looking as good as he has in months. "Im in the groove and the flow that I want to be in, and also understanding that the game of basketball is tricky," Wade said. "You can get out of it in a second, and youve got to figure out a way still to compete and help your teammates win." True, but that groove hes in is a pretty good one. Heres how good hes been in the fourth quarters of these East finals: Wade has as many field goals in those three final periods — 13 — as any other two players in the series combined to this point. Hes shooting 72 per cent in fourth quarters in this series, including a 6-for-7 effort in the last 12 minutes of Game 1 and a 5-for-5 showing in the final period of Game 2. "Weve got to make him a little bit more uncomfortable than he is," Pacers forward David West said. "Hes just playing the game at way too high of a comfort level in terms of were just not putting enough pressure on him. All the guys on the floor need to guard him and get him out of his comfort zone. Hes really lining his shots up, taking his time, which we cant allow. "He just cant be as comfortable as hes been." That sounds like things opponents were saying about Wade before the summer of 2010, when he helped lure LeBron James and Chris Bosh to Miami and formed the core of a team that is two wins from a fourth straight East title. But after hearing plenty of talk in recent years that his game isnt so much declining as it is freefalling, Wade seems to be reveling in the reminders that, yes, he can still be among the elite players in the NBA. The show Wade is putting on is so good right now that James wouldnt even leave to get some much-needed treatment for a hamstring cramp late in the third quarter of Game 3 until seeing what the 2006 NBA Finals MVP was going to do on Miamis final possession of the period. Wade wound up connecting on a 3-pointer, after which James immediately hobbled off, basically unable to work one of his legs. Worth it, James said. "Thats what our team is built for," James said. "When one of the guys goes out, were able to still hold the fort. Its great to see the way he closed out the quarter. The way hes been playing in the conference finals. We need it all." James never really hid his frustration about playing without Wade, though it never rose to the level of any obvious locker-room rancour, either. Whether they liked it or not, the Heat understood the plan for Wade and why it was crucial to preserve his balky knees with hopes that he would be at his best for the biggest time of the year. So far, so good. And Wades confidence — which wasnt perfect after he had to miss nine games late in the regular season because of a hamstring injury, an absence not related to the maintenance plan — is as high now as its been all season. "You need it, no question about it. We all do," Wade said. "So for me, the first round was me just kind of trying to get my footing a little bit, trying to do some of the things that I was capable of doing, trying to see if I could do it. Then the second round came a little more and then the third round. Like I said, ideally for me, missing the last 2 1/2 weeks wasnt ideal, but thats what happened." Its also now forgotten. He might not be the guy Heat President Pat Riley used to call "BIW" — short for best in the world — anymore, but Wade at his best makes Miami look its best. "Dwyane understands his game and where hes effective as much as anybody in this league," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Thats why youre seeing a shooting guard shooting an incredibly efficient field goal percentage that he does, and its gone up the last two years. He knows how to get to his spots." Cheap Oilers Jerseys . -- Marty Havlat scored three goals for the first time in nearly nine years, and the San Jose Sharks prevented Colorado from clinching the Central Division title with a 5-1 victory over the Avalanche on Friday night. Oilers Jerseys China . The 23-year-old McNabb was an All-Star with the American Hockey Leagues Rochester Americans this season, posting seven goals and 22 assists in 38 games. In 12 games with the Sabres this season, McNabb has accumulated six penalty minutes and a plus-1 rating. He has scored one goal and seven assists in 37 career games with the Sabres, who originally selected him in the third round (66th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. https://www.cheapoilers.com/ . -- The Sacramento Kings have claimed forward Travis Outlaw off waivers under the NBAs new amnesty provision, filling out the frontcourt with another veteran.COLUMBUS, Ohio - Just getting to the .500 mark might seem like a minor accomplishment to many teams. For the injury-ravaged Columbus Blue Jackets, however, it means the world.Kevin Connauton had a goal and an assist and Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves to lead the Blue Jackets past the Minnesota Wild 3-1 on Wednesday night.Its a credit to the guys, coach Todd Richards said after the Blue Jackets improved to 16-16-3 after a horrific 6-15-2 start, when they were without as many as nine top players. Where we were a month and a half ago, that was a big hole. To get back to .500 is a good spot considering where we were. But we cant be satisfied with it.Columbus scored a power-play goal at 5:57 of the third with the score tied at 1. Cycling the puck, Connauton slid a pass to David Savard at the top of the left circle. His hard one-timer beat goalie Darcy Kuemper stick side inside the near post.Ryan Johansen added an empty-netter for his first goal in 12 games.We made our mistakes and Bob made some big saves, said Johansen. It wasnt the prettiest win, but well take it.Brandon Dubinsky had two assists for Columbus, which went 10-1-1 in December. It was the third time in franchise history that the Blue Jackets won at least 10 games in a month.Hockeys a game where when things are going well, (they) sort of (come) in bunches, said Connauton, a waiver pickup from Dallas on Nov. 18 who has been an important part of the clubs turnaround. Were just on one of those hot streaks right now and we just have to keep working on it and the good things will keep happening.Zach Parise scored a power-play goal for the Wild, whove had 11 of their last 14 games decided by one goal.The Wild, near the bottom of the league on the power play, had two chances with a man advantage in the opening period and scored on the second.With James Wisniewski off for holding, Thomas Vanek carried the puck from behind the Columbus goal cage and fed Mikko Koivu iin the right circle for a quick pass to the right doorstep for Parises one-timer that beat Bobrovsky inside the near post. Fake Oilers Jerseys. It was Parises 14th goal of the season.Bobrovsky had earlier stymied Koivu on a weakside one-timer.Johansen had a prime chance late in the first but Kuemper deflected the point-blank shot with his shoulder.The Blue Jackets evened things on a relatively innocent play with 46 seconds left in the second period.After a scrum in front of the net, the puck ended up at the short boards on the left wing and Kuemper ended up without his stick. Connauton fired a low shot that sliced past two defenders and eluded Kuemper.I dropped my stick on the save before and the puck got shot into the corner, said Kuemper, who had 23 saves. It shot right out to a guy for a one-timer.It was deflating for the Wild.We should have gone into the third period up 1-0, said Parise. Its tough when you give up one in the last minute of a period. It gets them excited and gets the crowd excited.The Wild havent won a second straight game since Nov. 20.We cant get on a roll, said coach Mike Yeo. Its disappointing. That was a game that was there for us. But we didnt dig in deep enough to get it.NOTES: During pregame warmups, Columbus announced it had extended the contract of left wing Nick Foligno through the 2020-21 season for a reported $33 million. ... Foligno was playing in his 500th career NHL game. ... It was the Wilds first road game on New Years Eve in eight years. ... The Blue Jackets placed RW Cam Atkinson on the injured list on Tuesday (shoulder). Hes expected to miss a week or two. ... The Wild reassigned G John Curry to Iowa (AHL) earlier in the day and activated starting G Niklas Backstrom, who had missed the last three games with an illness. ... Minnesota came in having lost 86 man games to injury; Columbus had lost 223.___Follow Rusty Miller on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RustyMillerAP ' ' '