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PARIS – Milos Raonic is a much different player than the one who lost in the third round of the French Open one year ago. "Not only am I a better player purely all-around, but also on clay," said Raonic, who is seeded eighth, his highest ever ranking at a Grand Slam event. "Last year, coming in, there was a lot of doubts in my mind, struggling with a coaching change [an emotional split with Galo Blanco] and everything and I just wasnt playing my best tennis leading into it or at the event whereas now Im playing some of my best tennis, definitely my best tennis on clay and I feel like Im getting better each week on the clay." Just last week, Raonic came within a few points of knocking off Novak Djokovic at the Masters 1000 event in Rome, ultimately falling 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 3-6. After the match, the worlds second-ranked player said he could not remember the last time he felt so "helpless" in the return game. "Thats what I want every single one of my opponents to feel," Raonic said. "I know that when I can make them have a lot of doubts and a lot of insecurities on my service games, my return games get easier, because they feel the pressure that they need these games and its about imposing myself and I felt that in that match, I was able to impose myself." Raonic has won 80 pre cent of his first-serve points on clay this season to lead the ATP Tour. Thats up from the 76 per cent last season. "I think its the serve, but also the confidence I have behind the serve when the ball comes back," Raonic explained. "I think Im structuring points better. A lot of the time when people look at serve stats, they think that its just the serve and nothing happens after that, but its how you back it up and I think it creates more pressure on my opponents that when they do get my serve back, its not just about getting it back, they have to do something with it to at least neutralize [the point], because if I start the point ahead, I can finish it off." Raonic is a much more complete player than the one who burst onto the scene three years ago at the Australian Open advancing all the way to the fourth round. That remains the furthest he has progressed at a major (hes reached that stage four times, including twice at the US Open and once more at the Australian Open in 2013). It also matches the furthest any Canadian man has ever advanced in the singles competition at a Grand Slam event. But all signs point to that changing soon as the big server from Thornhill, Ont. seeks to break down yet another Canadian tennis barrier. He beat Andy Murray, seeded seventh at Roland Garros, earlier this season at Indian Wells. He pushed Rafael Nadal, the top seed in Paris, to three sets at a hard-court event in Miami this season. So as he enters the years second Grand Slam, his confidence level against the games elite is very healthy. "Its quite high actually," the 23-year-old said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I feel like every time Im getting better when I put myself in those situations. Its a big focus for me: do well in early rounds so you can face those top guys, because each time you do, youll get more experience." Raonic could get another shot at Djokovic if the draw holds to form and both make it to the quarterfinals, although the road there for the Canadian is littered with tricky propositions. Hell open the tournament on Sunday against Australian wildcard Nicholas Kyrgios. He is ranked 161st right now, but turned heads in Melbourne at the seasons first major by upsetting Benjamin Becker in the first round before falling to Benoit Paire, a top-30 player, in five sets in the second round. The 19-year-old Kyrgios is viewed as a player on the rise. "I followed him a lot, especially in the Australian Open," said Raonic. "He was having some exciting matches. He played really well. He likes to play aggressive. He likes to sort of use the ambiance around him and hes got a big personality in that sense. For me, it really comes down to taking care of what I need to take care of. Ive got to take care of my serve. Ive got to go out there, its the first match, with the attitude. The approach on the mental side is going to be very important and I must make sure I stay with patience. It doesnt matter if moments get difficult, because its still three out of five, just let my game flow and let my game follow." In the second round, Raonic could face 53rd-ranked Czech Lukas Rosol and in the third round, Gilles Simon could be waiting and its certain the Frenchman would have the home fans on his side. Then, should Raonic get to the round of 16, a showdown with ninth-seed Kei Nishikori looms. The Japanese star is 2-0 against Raonic and just beat him in Madrid (straight sets, but both went to a tiebreak). A Canadian man has never made the fourth round at Roland Garros so history seems to be within reach for Raonic, who made it clear he must do better than last years third-round finish if this tournament is to be considered a success for him. And should Raonic make more history at Roland Garros by making the quarterfinals, well, that would be an important milestone, but the rising star is hardly fixated on that benchmark. "It would mean a lot in that moment," he said, "but I dont think it would be very significant at the same time, because my ambitions dont lie in just making the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam." Elgton Jenkins Youth Jersey .J. -- The NHL reduced its penalty against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday for signing Ilya Kovalchuk in 2010. 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The world No. 40 never faced a break point and limited the big mans threatening ace count to a mere eight, while striking five key aces of his own.DENVER -- Patrick Roy showed as much boldness behind the bench as he once did as a Hall of Fame goaltender. The first-year Colorado coach made some risky moves late in the game -- like pulling his goaltender with 3:01 remaining -- and yet the ploy worked out. Its been that kind of season for Roy and his youthful squad. Paul Stastny scored 7:27 into overtime after tying the game with 13.4 seconds remaining in regulation, lifting the Avalanche to a 5-4 win over the Minnesota Wild in the opener of the Western Conference quarterfinals on Thursday night. "We believe in ourselves," said Roy, who won two Stanley Cup titles for the Avalanche as a player and helped guide the team back to the playoffs for the first time in four years. "Sometimes, youre not playing your best game, but the quality of our team is we found a way to win this game. Thats what you want in the playoffs." Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan OReilly and Jamie McGinn also added goals for Colorado. Stastny beat Ilya Bryzgalov with a close-in wrist shot in overtime, the same type of play Stastny used to tie the game in regulation. Not that the Avalanche were too surprised by the late rally because, "weve done it all year," Stastny said. Its becoming their calling card. "Once again, it shows character in this dressing room," Landeskog said. "Theres no quitting in here. We all wanted this so bad and we worked so hard to get home ice advantage and we werent going to let this one slide." This was a stunner for the Wild. "Its really disappointing. Were in the drivers seat," said Zach Parise, who had two assists. "Were in a really good position going into the third and really throughout the third we were in a good position. We made some mistakes and it was in our net and thats the game." Erik Haula, Charlie Coyle, Ryan Suter and Kyle Brodziak scored for the Wild, who try to bounce back Saturday in Game 2. "You have to learn from it," Suter said. "Learn that the games not over until its over and you have the finish the games." Roy made a bold move with just over three minutes remaining, pulling Semyon Varlamov for an extra skater. Erik Johnson saved a potential empty-net goal wwith over a minute left as he raced down the ice and slapped away the puck just before it crossed the goal line.dddddddddddd Moments later, Stastny beat Bryzgalov with a shot over his shoulder -- the capacity crowd erupted. The Wild took a 4-2 lead after a three-goal second period. They spent the final period trying to play a prevent defence, not allowing the Avalanche to take advantage of their quickness. OReilly stole the puck from Brodziak and slid it over to McGinn, who batted it past Bryzgalov to make it a one-goal game at 12:47. Roy hardly played things by the book as the team tied a franchise record with 52 wins in the regular season. That gamblers mentality certainly didnt change in the post-season. Roy said before the game that it was his job to "have a B plan and a C plan in our pocket" in case of an emergency. In this case, it was pulling Varlamov with plenty of time remaining. "Almost did it at four minutes," Roy said, smiling. Roys strategy almost backfired when the Wild sent a puck rolling toward the goal. Johnson chased it down and knocked the puck away before it crossed the line. He also bumped the goal off its moorings. Matt Cooke took a shot on the goal with Johnson lying in front of the net, which upset a few Avalanche players and led to some pushing and shoving. A big play overshadowed a bit by Stastnys theatrics. "What a comeback," Johnson said. "Thats the kind of stuff you dream about when youre a kid, winning playoff games like that." Although the underdog in the series, the Wild were actually one of the hottest teams down the stretch as they fought just to get into the playoffs. Bryzgalov provided a spark after he was acquired from Edmonton in early March. He went 7-1-3 down the stretch. But Bryzgalov has been inconsistent in the post-season over his career. Hes 17-20 and has allowed 109 goals. "Ive got no problem with his game," Wild coach Mike Yeo said of Bryzgalov. "Were all sitting here disappointed we didnt win the hockey game." NOTES: Earlier in the day, Wild players wore shirts that featured a picture of the Stanley Cup on the back with the slogan, "Take it baby!" above the coveted trophy. ... Avs rookie Nathan MacKinnon finished with three assists.