MINSK, Belarus -- Wanting Team Canada to improve game by game at the world hockey championship, coach Dave Tippett thought the quarter-final effort against Finland was the best yet. It was also the last, as a couple of third-period mistakes led to a 3-2 loss Thursday at Chizhovka Arena and Canadas elimination from the tournament. "I use a phrase all the time that every play counts," Tippett said. "Every play counts and unfortunately we had a couple go against us." The play that counted the most for Canada was a turnover by defenceman Tyler Myers, who tried to pass it off the wall to Kyle Turris. Jori Lehtera got in the way, setting up Iiro Pakarinen for the game-winner with just 3:08 left. A downtrodden Myers said everyone saw what happened and didnt feel he needed to explain. Turris, who scored Canadas first goal, took the blame. "I was yelling at him, Im open in the middle, Im open in the middle, and when he passed to the middle, the guy stepped in between," Turris said. "It was my fault. I was yelling at him to move it to me, and the guy stepped in the way and went the other way. I should have had it." It was a game that Canada felt it should have had. Holding a 2-1 lead after two periods on goals by Turris and Mark Scheifele, the Canadians were in control despite a strong game from Finnish goaltender Pekka Rinne. One bad bounce 28 seconds into the third changed everything. Finlands Juuso Hietanen let a slapshot fly that hit Ben Scrivenss right arm, the back of his blocker, and then the shaft of his stick before trickling over the goal-line. "Its a terrible goal to give up," said Scrivens, who stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced. "Its deflating for the team. Thats squarely on me. Its really tough to swallow right now." This was the fifth straight year Canada lost in the quarter-finals at this tournament. Making it more difficult to accept was that this squad of NHL third-liners and potential stars of the future bounced back perfectly from an opening shootout loss to France. Six straight victories followed. The Finland game easily could have been one, too. "We still had our shifts in their end, our chances," captain Kevin Bieksa said. "We had a couple breakdowns. We knew going into this game that the Finns were a team that would sit back and capitalize on our mistakes, and they made us pay tonight." Tippett addressed his players after the loss but couldnt offer much in the way of an uplifting sentiment. "Its a tough situation for everybody," Tippett said. "Its not the result you want. We came here to win, we didnt come here to lose in the quarter-finals. Theres not much to say. We didnt accomplish what we wanted to accomplish." All because of a few bad breaks. Finlands first goal 6:06 in, which came on the power play with Myers in the box for roughing, happened after an attempted point shot deflected off penalty-killer Joel Wards stick and right to Olli Palola for his third of the tournament. That didnt deflate Canada, which kept putting pucks on Rinne, who finished with 36 saves on 38 shots. The attempts came from everywhere and almost everyone, as 17 of 20 skaters had at least one on net. "I thought we played some really good hockey throughout the whole game," Myers said. "I think we were right there. It was our game to lose. Its never a good feeling to have it happen like that." One problem was going 0-for-5 on the power play. Had Canada buried a couple of those chances, like Brayden Schenns shot very early that hit the crossbar, it would have been a very different game. Canadas players and Tippett were quick to credit the Finns, who played their brand of hockey well and pounced on mistakes. "We worked extremely hard (for) 60 minutes," Hietanen said. "We knew that we were going to get our chances and now we scored a couple goals." Finland coach Erkka Westerlund was proud of how his team responded and came back from the 2-1 deficit. "In (the) third period we showed the mental strength," Westerlund said. "We call it in Finland sisu." The third period was Canadas weakest of the game. "Its frustrating. I thought we had a great first two periods, we were outshooting them badly, had great opportunities," Turris said. "If we played the way we did in the first two to finish the game, I think we would have come out with a better outcome." Instead, Scrivens lamented Finlands goaltending being better than his and not holding up his end of the bargain to teammates. And Myers was left with the same feelings he had much of this NHL season with the Buffalo Sabres. "Its never fun losing," Myers said. "I did too much of that this year." This wasnt a loss that had Canadas players wondering about their overall play. But that was no consolation. "Its just the way it is," Tippett said. "We played a good game tonight. Unfortunately, we lost." Notes: Alex Burrows returned to Canadas lineup after missing the final two preliminary-round games with a leg injury. Burrows was the 13th forward and played just 4:11 with no shifts in the third period. ... Finlands roster features just three NHL players: Rinne, Olli Jokinen of the Winnipeg Jets and Erik Haula of the Minnesota Wild. Tedric Thompson Jersey . The Jays responded to the three-spot Detroit placed on Casey Janssen the evening before with an attack on the Tigers Achilles Heel, its bullpen, tying the game in the ninth and winning the game in the 10th. The result absolved Marcus Stroman, brilliant once again, of a tough luck loss while at the same time robbing Max Scherzer, brilliant once again, of a deserved win. George Fant Jersey . Last year, Islanders forward Colin Mcdonald released a "Do It For Colin" campaign to promote his teammate and friend John Tavares for the EA sports honour:The most popular sports voting video ever has to go to Chris Bosh who showcased his comedic abilities in his effort to get fans to vote him into the 2008 All Star Game:You can vote for TJ and other star players for the NHL 15 cover vote here. http://www.cheapseahawksjerseysauthentic...om-luani-jersey. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning are disappointed, though not discouraged. D.K. Metcalf Jersey . Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist as the Kings stretched their streak to seven wins in a row with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. C. J. Prosise Jersey . Quarterback Drew Willy appeared to injure his throwing hand on the third last play of practice Thursday.LONDON -- Theyre still in their 20s, yet their rivalry is already one of the most heralded in mens tennis history. Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic has become a classic. The pair met for the first time at tour level seven years ago and, when they go head-to-head in the final of the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals on Monday, it will be for the 39th time. The Spaniard and the Serb have been dominant this season, with Nadal replacing Djokovic for the No. 1 ranking last month on the back of a stunning comeback from a career-threatening knee injury. "Whenever we play each other, its a huge challenge," the 26-year-old Djokovic said. "This is the probably the most competitive tournament that we have after Grand Slams in our sport, and we both want to crown this season in the best possible way and end it with a title." Djokovic extended his winning streak to 21 matches since losing in the U.S. Open final to Nadal when he beat Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals. Nadal had earlier dispatched his old rival Roger Federer in straight sets. The worlds two highest-ranked players are unbeaten this week and have faced each other five times this season, with Nadal leading the 2013 meetings 3-2. After losing a set in each of his three previous matches, Djokovic raised his game on Sunday, making only 14 unforced errors as he broke Wawrinka four times. "The performance was definitely by far the best Ive had in the tournament," said Djokovic, who is bidding for a third title at the elite, season-ending event and has been the best player of the indoor season. Nadal ended Federers hopes of finishing a disappointing season on a high note, defeating the six-time champion 7-5, 6-3. He leads Djokovic 22-16 in their career head-to-head record, although he lost their previous encounter last month in Beijing soon after regaining the top ranking. "After the U.S. Open final, I havent lost a match," Djokovic said. "Im trying to take a lot of positive energy out of this confidence and out of this run. I won against him in the finals of Beijing in straight sets and I played a great match. I liked the way I improved in our matches. I like that I changed a few things that allowed me to win against him. Thats something that I will definitely try to use tomorrow. " Nadal, who claimed his first win over Federer on an indoor hard court, extended his winning career record over the 17-time Grand Slam winner to 22-10 and has now beaten the Swiss player on every surface. Federer had won their four prevvious matches at the ATP Finals, dropping only one set.dddddddddddd "The most important thing for me is (that indoor) is the toughest surface for me to play," Nadal said. "The most difficult for me was to be able to win four matches against top eight players. Its a very good way to finish the year." Chasing his first title at the Finals, Nadal played down the importance of the victory over his greatest rival. "It is probably one of my best seasons," said Nadal, who returned to the tour in February after a seven-month injury layoff. "The most satisfying thing is always (to win) the tournament more than the personal victories. So for me it is more important to be in the final in the last tournament of the year than to have the chance to win against Roger." Since returning from injury, Nadal has won 75 matches --losing only 6 --to win 10 titles including the French Open, the U.S. Open and five Masters 1000 events. Federers season was very different. Hampered by a back injury, he won only one title in 2013 and was hoping to secure a major trophy before the year-end break. He played aggressively early on but faded after losing the first set, making too many mistakes to threaten the Spaniard. "In the beginning, his serve worked very well," the 27-year-old Nadal said. "My feeling is that in the first set, he played very well. He was closer than me to have the break. So in my opinion until 4-all, he was playing better than me." Nadal and Federer treated the O2 Arena fans to some superb exchanges early on, reminiscent of the classic matches that have punctuated their nine-year rivalry. But Nadal was much sharper on the important points, converting all four break points he earned. Federer had 32 unforced errors and made some uncharacteristic poor volleys. Federer, who beat Juan Martin del Potro on Saturday to qualify for the semis while Nadal had a rest day, also appeared to fatigue near the end. Federer failed to convert three break points in the sixth game before Nadal took advantage of his first opportunity to break for 5-4 with a superb forehand winner. Federer broke back immediately, but failed to build on the momentum. He dropped his serve in the very next game before conceding the set. He then struggled with his rhythm and was broken twice in the second set. "I struggled to stay consistent enough throughout the match, and thats why he deserved to win" Federer said. "This game is a game of making or missing your opportunities.