First of all, plenty of news to cover in this one. Two little nuggets from the baseball world, as the union reports Adrian Beltre's deal with the Rangers as 5 years and $80 million. Second, the Tampa Bay Rays offloaded some more salary and dealt away stud pitcher Matt Garza and spare parts Fernando Perez and an unnamed pitcher in the minor leagues were sent to the Chicago Cubs for five prospects: RHP Chris Archer, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee, infielder Robinson Chirinos and outfielders Sam Fuld and Brandon Guyer. Another trade, but this time in hockey, was conducted between the New Jersey Devils, sending their captain Jamie Langenbrunner to the Dallas Stars for what is reported as a conditional third round pick in 2011, with possibilities of it being a second round pick if Dallas wins a first round playoff series or resigns Langenbrunner. As for the high scoring slate of games today, we start with the big one in...
Atlanta, where the Thrashers hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Ondrej Pavelec got the starts, but Chris Mason also saw time in front of the Atlanta net. Atlanta opened the scoring on Tobias Enstrom netting his eighth of the season, from Ben Eager. Toronto answered the call with Kris Versteeg potting his 12th of the year, with help from Colby Armstrong and Carl Gunnarsson. Mikhail Grabovski gave the Maple Leafs the lead with his 16th of the year, a power play goal from Phil Kessel and Tomas Kaberle. Armstrong kept the Leafs going in the second period with his fifth of the season, from Versteeg and Francois Beauchemin. Nikolai Kulemin added on with his 14th of the season, courtesy of Grabovski and Mike Komisarek. Grabovski added another, his 17th of the year and second of the night, with help from Clarke MacArthur and Kulemin. Kulemin, obviously in a friendly battle with his teammate, potted a power play goal for his 15th of the season, assisted by Tomas Kaberle, on the ten minute match penalty being served by Ben Eager for a sucker punch. MacArthur added two in a row thirty-five second apart on the power play, his eleventh and 12th of the season, with Kaberle getting secondary assists on both, putting him in the position of a sock trick with a bonus assist, and the primary assists went to Kulemin and Versteeg in that order. Kessel made it 9-1 (trust me on this, it's 9-1) with his 17th of the year, the fourth goal on the match penalty, with Beauchemin and Tyler Bozak picking up the helpers. Toronto let the Thrasher off the hook in the third period, with Patrice Cormier scoring his first of the season (obviously Ben Eager's accomplice, as noted for his previous dirty hit in the minors) which was unassisted. Andrew Ladd chipped in his 14th of the year for the Thrashers, with Bryan Little and Niclas Bergfors getting the assists. The final ended up being in Toronto's favor, 9-3 over the host Atlanta team, with Grabovski, Kaberle, and Kulemin grabbing the three stars and getting out of town before Eager sucker punched anyone else (end bad jokes here). Final interesting note here, as the Maple Leafs went 5 for 3 on the power play, due in part to the major penalty style application of the match penalty.
Heading down to Florida, where the Panthers hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Justin Peters and Tomas Vokoun were sent out to block the puck. Florida opened the scoring on a David Booth goal, his eleventh of the season, coming from Mike Santorelli and Rostislav Olesz. Marty Reasoner gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead with his seventh of the year, assisted by Dennis Wideman and Bryan Allen. Into the second period, where Jeff Skinner single-handedly tied the game for Carolina, notching his 12th and 13th of the year, with Tuomo Ruutu assisting on both goals, and the rest of the assists going to Jamie McBain and Pat Dwyer in that order. Eric Staal gave the Hurricanes a lead of 3-2 with his 20th of the campaign, assisted on by Zach Boychuk. Carolina got out to a 5-2 lead on two consecutive goals by Erik Cole, his ninth and tenth of the season, with the first coming from Skinner and Ruutu, the latter completing a sock trick, and the second going into an empty net unassisted. Reasoner made a late attempt to get the Panthers back into the game with his second of the night and eighth of the year, with help from Mike Weaver and Radek Dvorak, but it was too late, mitigating the damage to a 5-3 loss. Skinner, Staal, and Wideman picked up the three stars.
Down to Dallas, where the Stars welcomed back in a chorus of boos Sean Avery and the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Kari Lethonen were in front of the cages for the game. Dallas opened the scoring with Brian Sutherby potting his second of the season, with help from Brandon Segal and Krys Barch. In the second period, Ruslan Fedotenko evened the score for New York with his eighth of the year, a shorthanded and unassisted goal. Mike Ribeiro took the lead back for the Stars with his ninth of the season, assisted by Loui Eriksson and Jeff Woywitka, on the power play. The Rangers tied it again in the third period with Artem Anisimov netting his tenth of the year, a power play goal from Marc Staal and the goalie Henrik Lundqvist. The tie was preserved into the shootout, where Mats Zuccarello scored the lone goal and giving the Rangers a 3-2 win. Anisimov, Lundqvist (28 for 30 saves) and losing goalie Lethonen (29 for 31 saves) earned the three stars.
Back north a bit into Chicago, where the Blackhawks hosted the Ottawa Senators. Brian Elliott and Corey Crawford got the starts. The first period went scoreless, and Ottawa took only forty-nine seconds in the second period to get on the board with Daniel Alfredsson potting his 13th of the season, with help from Erik Karlsson and Sergei Gonchar on the power play. Patrick Sharp evened the score for Chicago with his 24th of the season, helped along by Brian Campbell and Marian Hossa. Patrick Kane gave the Blackhawks the lead in the third period with his 12th of the season, an unassisted goal. Milan Michalek tied it late for the Senators with his eighth of the year, courtesy of Chris Campoli and Alfredsson. The tied lasted into a shootout, where Chicago won on goals by Jonathan Toews and Kane. Kane, Alfredsson, and Sharp were the three stars in the game.
Next up were the Calgary Flames hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Miikka Kiprusoff played in goal for the game. Calgary got up first with Curtis Glencross netting his eighth of the season, with help from Matt Stajan and Anton Babchuk. Darren Helm answered for Detroit with his fourth of the year, assisted by Johan Franzen. Jarome Iginla gave the Flames the lead back with ten seconds left in the first period on his 17th of the season, helped along by Glencross and Jay Bouwmeester. Brian Rafalski retied it quickly in the second period with his first of the season, thanks to Jonathan Ericsson. Glencross answered back to make it 3-2 Flames only twenty-eight seconds later, his second of the night and ninth of the year coming from Babchuk and Niklas Hagman. Babchuk made it 4-2 for Calgary with his sixth of the season, a power play goal courtesy of Mark Giordano and Iginla. Patrick Eaves cut the lead back down for the Red Wings with his 12th of the year, a power play goal coming from Jiri Hudler and Todd Bertuzzi. Tying it in the third period for the Red Wings was Rafalski, with his second of the year and the night, with Henrik Zetterberg and Helm picking up the helpers. The tie was broken in the shootout by Bertuzzi's lone goal, giving Detroit a 5-4 win over Calgary. Glencross, Rafalski, and Babchuk were the game's three stars.
To British Columbia, where the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Edmonton Oilers. Nikolai Khabibulin and Cory Schneider were in between the pipes. The game was scoreless until thirty seconds into the second period, with Daniel Sedin potting his 23rd of the season, with help from Henrik Sedin and Kevin Bieksa. Ryan Kesler extended the Vanocuver lead with his 21st of the year, assisted by Andrew Alberts. Daniel Sedin made it 3-0 for the Canucks with his second of the night and 24th of the season, getting help from Henrik Sedin and Alexandre Burrows. Ales Hemsky got Edmonton on the board with a second left in the second period, his ninth of the year coming from Taylor Hall and Ladislav Smid. Kesler answered to make it 5-1 in the third period with two in a row, completing a hat trick with his 22nd and 23rd of the year, from Dan Hamhuis and Raffi Torres first and Christian Ehrhoff on the power play later. Alexander Edler wrapped it up for Vancouver, making it 6-1, a score later to be the final, with his fourth of the year, a power play goal from the Sedin twins, with Henrik finishing up a sock trick. Kesler, Daniel Sedin, and Henrik Sedin got the three stars.
Lastly, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Jonas Hiller were given the starting nods. Anaheim struck first with Teemu Selanne scoring back to back in the first and second periods, his eleventh and 12th of the season, both coming on the power play, with assists going to Saku Koivu and Lubomir Visnovsky first, and Cam Fowler and Visnovsky again. Matt Beleskey made it 3-0 for the Ducks with his second of the season, assisted by Maxim Lapierre and Toni Lydman. Making it 5-0 was Bobby Ryan in the third period, his 16th and 17th goals of the year being scored consecutively, with Corey Perry and Fowler getting the assists on the earlier goal, and Fowler wrapping a sock trick alongside Joffery Lupul on the latter power play tally. Brandon McMillan added on to make it 6-0 for Anaheim with his third of the season, a shorthanded goal from Beleskey and Luca Sbisa. This would be the final, with Selanne, Ryan, and Hiller (27 shutout) getting the three stars. In the fighting column, it was a fight night, with Jared Boll of Columbus taking on George Parros in the first period, before coming back for more against the Ducks' local expert, Andy Sutton, in the third period.
That's all the Friday hockey we've got. Check back here tomorrow for the Saturday coverage, and also watch for a sandwich post and football tomorrow.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Thursday NHL recap
There were eight games played in the NHL on Thursday. We will head right into them by starting in...
Boston, where the Bruins hosted the Minnesota Wild. Jose Theodore and Tuukka Rask were given the starting nods. The game went scoreless into the second period, where Minnesota got up first with Martin Havlat potting his ninth of the season, a power play goal from Patrick O'Sullivan. Steve Kampfer tied it for Boston with his third of the year, with Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron picking up the helpers. The Wild retook the lead on the 12th of the season by hard hitter Cal Clutterbuck, an unassisted goal. Mikko Koivu put it away for Minnesota with his tenth of the campaign, an empty net goal made possible by John Madden and Clutterbuck. The Wild would take the Bruins down 3-1, and the three stars were handed out to Havlat, Bergeron, and Theodore (35 of 36 saves).
Staying east to cover the New Jersey Devils hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Johan Hedberg were in the battle of backup goaltenders. New Jersey struck first with Dainius Zubrus netting his fifth of the year, courtesy of Anton Volchenkov and Patrik Elias. Philadelphia evened the score in the second period on the eleventh of the year from Scott Hartnell, with assists coming from Ville Leino and Matt Carle. The Devils retook the lead with David Clarkson posting his fifth of the year, thanks to Andy Greene. The Flyers responded again with Hartnell's second of the night and 12th of the season, from Leino and Kimmo Timmonen. Philadelphia got their first lead on Danny Briere putting away his 19th of the year, from Leino, who completed a sock trick, and Carle. Briere potted another one later in the same period, his second of the night and 20th on the campaign, which was unassisted, and eventually produced the final score of 4-2 Philadelphia over New Jersey. Briere, Hartnell, and Leino were the three stars.
Crossing the border, with the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak and Jonas Gustavsson were in the creases. Toronto struck first with a Colby Armstrong goal fifteen seconds in the game, his fourth of the season being guided by Kris Versteeg and Darryl Boyce. Alex Steen answered for St. Louis later in the first period with his 14th of the year, from David Backes only. Backes gave the Blues the lead with his eleventh of the year, which got assistance from Matt D'Agostini. The Maple Leafs tied it at 2 in the second period with the 15th of the year by Mikhail Grabovski, assisted by Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin. Versteeg gave Toronto the lead with his eleventh of the season, helped along by Armstrong and Francois Beauchemin. Phil Kessel made it 4-2 for the Maple Leafs with his 15th of the year, which required no help going to the net. Kessel added his second of the night and 16th of the campaign in the third period to make it 5-2 for Toronto, with Mike Komisarek and Beauchemin picking up the helpers. Brad Winchester helped to right the ship for St. Louis with his sixth of the season, helped along by Jay McClement and Brad Boyes. Eric Brewer got it closer for the Blues, making it 5-4 with his sixth of the year, assisted by Boyes and McClement. D'Agostini tied the game at 5 with his ninth of the season, thanks to Vladimir Sobotka. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Steen was one-upped by a beautiful Grabovski tally, answered by Boyes and re-answered by Versteeg, and then Toronto won it on Tyler Bozak's marker and the subsequent miss by Patrik Berglund. Earning the three stars from the Canadian Pressure Cooker were Bozak, Kessel, and D'Agostini.
Going over to Quebec, where the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brent Johnson and Carey Price were sent out to block the puck. Pittsburgh got on the board first with Aaron Asham netting his fifth of the year, thanks to Ben Lovejoy and Alex Goligoski. Montreal tied the game at 1 with Benoit Pouliot scoring his eighth of the season, with help from Mathieu Darche and David Desharnais. The tie would last throughout the third period and into a shootout, where the only goal came from the Canadiens, taking down the Penguins on Pouliot's marker, for a 2-1 final. Pouliot, Price (31 for 32 saves), and Desharnais were the three stars.
Heading out west, with the Colorado Avalanche hosting the Phoenix Coyotes. Jason LaBarbera and Craig Anderson were in front of the cages. Taylor Pyatt got Phoenix on the board first with his eighth of the year, courtesy of Vernon Fiddler and Lee Stempniak. Pyatt waited over two more periods to ice the game off, potting his second of the night and ninth of the season into an empty net, with help from Shane Doan. The final had the Coyotes over the Avalanche 2-0. LaBarbera (34 save shutout), Pyatt, and losing goalie Anderson (31 for 32 saves) were the three stars in the defensively sound game.
Popping back north of the border, with the Edmonton Oilers hosting the New York Islanders. Nathan Lawson and Devan Dubnyk were starting in net for a battle of no-name goaltenders. Edmonton opened the scoring on Gilbert Brule potting his sixth of the year, assisted by Andrew Cogliano and Dustin Penner. Penner added his 12th of the year for the Oilers slightly later, a shorthanded goal from Cogliano that chased away Lawson in favor of an even lesser-known goalie, Kevin Poulin. New York got it back together in the second period, with Blake Comeau netting his ninth of the season, courtesy of Rob Schremp and Josh Bailey. However, the Islanders failed to produce any extra offense and suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of Edmonton. Dubnyk (30 for 31 saves), Cogliano, and Poulin (19 saves, 0 goals allowed in relief) were the three stars.
Heading to California, where the San Jose Sharks host the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Antero Niittymaki were in between the pipes. Luke Adam put Buffalo on the board first with his third of the season, assisted by Cody McCormick and Rob Niedermayer. Jochen Hecht made it 2-0 for the Sabres with his sixth of the season, made possible by Tyler Ennis. Thomas Vanek extended the lead for Buffalo in the third period with his 16th of the year, a power play goal courtesy of Drew Stafford and Jordan Leopold. (second intermission)
Lastly, the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Nashville Predators. In net were Anders Lindback and Jonathan Bernier, in another backup battle. The first period was scoreless, but the tie was broken as Los Angeles took the lead on the third of the year from Kyle Clifford, with help from Marco Sturm and Anze Kopitar. Jarret Stoll made it 2-0 for the Kings with his ninth of the season, assisted by Ryan Smyth and Kopitar on the power play. Nashville cut the lead down a bit in response with Colin Wilson notching his tenth of the season, made possible by Ryan Suter and Sergei Kostitsyn on the power play. Marek Svatos tied the game with his first goal since returning from Russia, obviously his first of the season, helped along by Wilson and Shea Weber. Patric Hornqvist gave the Predators a 3-2 lead with his 12th of the campaign, a power play goal from Wilson and Suter. (second intermission)
Boston, where the Bruins hosted the Minnesota Wild. Jose Theodore and Tuukka Rask were given the starting nods. The game went scoreless into the second period, where Minnesota got up first with Martin Havlat potting his ninth of the season, a power play goal from Patrick O'Sullivan. Steve Kampfer tied it for Boston with his third of the year, with Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron picking up the helpers. The Wild retook the lead on the 12th of the season by hard hitter Cal Clutterbuck, an unassisted goal. Mikko Koivu put it away for Minnesota with his tenth of the campaign, an empty net goal made possible by John Madden and Clutterbuck. The Wild would take the Bruins down 3-1, and the three stars were handed out to Havlat, Bergeron, and Theodore (35 of 36 saves).
Staying east to cover the New Jersey Devils hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Johan Hedberg were in the battle of backup goaltenders. New Jersey struck first with Dainius Zubrus netting his fifth of the year, courtesy of Anton Volchenkov and Patrik Elias. Philadelphia evened the score in the second period on the eleventh of the year from Scott Hartnell, with assists coming from Ville Leino and Matt Carle. The Devils retook the lead with David Clarkson posting his fifth of the year, thanks to Andy Greene. The Flyers responded again with Hartnell's second of the night and 12th of the season, from Leino and Kimmo Timmonen. Philadelphia got their first lead on Danny Briere putting away his 19th of the year, from Leino, who completed a sock trick, and Carle. Briere potted another one later in the same period, his second of the night and 20th on the campaign, which was unassisted, and eventually produced the final score of 4-2 Philadelphia over New Jersey. Briere, Hartnell, and Leino were the three stars.
Crossing the border, with the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak and Jonas Gustavsson were in the creases. Toronto struck first with a Colby Armstrong goal fifteen seconds in the game, his fourth of the season being guided by Kris Versteeg and Darryl Boyce. Alex Steen answered for St. Louis later in the first period with his 14th of the year, from David Backes only. Backes gave the Blues the lead with his eleventh of the year, which got assistance from Matt D'Agostini. The Maple Leafs tied it at 2 in the second period with the 15th of the year by Mikhail Grabovski, assisted by Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin. Versteeg gave Toronto the lead with his eleventh of the season, helped along by Armstrong and Francois Beauchemin. Phil Kessel made it 4-2 for the Maple Leafs with his 15th of the year, which required no help going to the net. Kessel added his second of the night and 16th of the campaign in the third period to make it 5-2 for Toronto, with Mike Komisarek and Beauchemin picking up the helpers. Brad Winchester helped to right the ship for St. Louis with his sixth of the season, helped along by Jay McClement and Brad Boyes. Eric Brewer got it closer for the Blues, making it 5-4 with his sixth of the year, assisted by Boyes and McClement. D'Agostini tied the game at 5 with his ninth of the season, thanks to Vladimir Sobotka. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Steen was one-upped by a beautiful Grabovski tally, answered by Boyes and re-answered by Versteeg, and then Toronto won it on Tyler Bozak's marker and the subsequent miss by Patrik Berglund. Earning the three stars from the Canadian Pressure Cooker were Bozak, Kessel, and D'Agostini.
Going over to Quebec, where the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brent Johnson and Carey Price were sent out to block the puck. Pittsburgh got on the board first with Aaron Asham netting his fifth of the year, thanks to Ben Lovejoy and Alex Goligoski. Montreal tied the game at 1 with Benoit Pouliot scoring his eighth of the season, with help from Mathieu Darche and David Desharnais. The tie would last throughout the third period and into a shootout, where the only goal came from the Canadiens, taking down the Penguins on Pouliot's marker, for a 2-1 final. Pouliot, Price (31 for 32 saves), and Desharnais were the three stars.
Heading out west, with the Colorado Avalanche hosting the Phoenix Coyotes. Jason LaBarbera and Craig Anderson were in front of the cages. Taylor Pyatt got Phoenix on the board first with his eighth of the year, courtesy of Vernon Fiddler and Lee Stempniak. Pyatt waited over two more periods to ice the game off, potting his second of the night and ninth of the season into an empty net, with help from Shane Doan. The final had the Coyotes over the Avalanche 2-0. LaBarbera (34 save shutout), Pyatt, and losing goalie Anderson (31 for 32 saves) were the three stars in the defensively sound game.
Popping back north of the border, with the Edmonton Oilers hosting the New York Islanders. Nathan Lawson and Devan Dubnyk were starting in net for a battle of no-name goaltenders. Edmonton opened the scoring on Gilbert Brule potting his sixth of the year, assisted by Andrew Cogliano and Dustin Penner. Penner added his 12th of the year for the Oilers slightly later, a shorthanded goal from Cogliano that chased away Lawson in favor of an even lesser-known goalie, Kevin Poulin. New York got it back together in the second period, with Blake Comeau netting his ninth of the season, courtesy of Rob Schremp and Josh Bailey. However, the Islanders failed to produce any extra offense and suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of Edmonton. Dubnyk (30 for 31 saves), Cogliano, and Poulin (19 saves, 0 goals allowed in relief) were the three stars.
Heading to California, where the San Jose Sharks host the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Antero Niittymaki were in between the pipes. Luke Adam put Buffalo on the board first with his third of the season, assisted by Cody McCormick and Rob Niedermayer. Jochen Hecht made it 2-0 for the Sabres with his sixth of the season, made possible by Tyler Ennis. Thomas Vanek extended the lead for Buffalo in the third period with his 16th of the year, a power play goal courtesy of Drew Stafford and Jordan Leopold. (second intermission)
Lastly, the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Nashville Predators. In net were Anders Lindback and Jonathan Bernier, in another backup battle. The first period was scoreless, but the tie was broken as Los Angeles took the lead on the third of the year from Kyle Clifford, with help from Marco Sturm and Anze Kopitar. Jarret Stoll made it 2-0 for the Kings with his ninth of the season, assisted by Ryan Smyth and Kopitar on the power play. Nashville cut the lead down a bit in response with Colin Wilson notching his tenth of the season, made possible by Ryan Suter and Sergei Kostitsyn on the power play. Marek Svatos tied the game with his first goal since returning from Russia, obviously his first of the season, helped along by Wilson and Shea Weber. Patric Hornqvist gave the Predators a 3-2 lead with his 12th of the campaign, a power play goal from Wilson and Suter. (second intermission)
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Wednesday NHL action
Today in the NHL (Wednesday), there were six games being played. SPOILER: One game was very high scoring as of 6:43 PM Pacific. As for the games, we start in...
The Big Apple, with the New York Rangers hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Henrik Lundqvist were the designated puckstoppers. The game was scoreless through the first two periods, until Matt Gilroy got New York on the board with his third of the season, from Mats Zuccarello and Brandon Dubinsky. Carolina tied it on a goal by Eric Staal, his 19th of the year a byproduct of Joe Corvo and Tim Gleason. The tie lasted into overtime, where Zuccarello notched his first of the season to win the game for the Rangers 2-1 over the Hurricanes. Dubinsky and the goalie Lundqvist picked up the assists, and Lundqvist also led the three stars with 31 of 32 saves, followed by teammates Gilroy and Zuccarello.
After that, the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dwayne Roloson and Dan Ellis saw action for Tampa Bay, with Marc-Andre Fleury being across the ice from either of them. Pittsburgh opened the scoring seven seconds in with a goal by Evgeni Malkin, his 15th of the season, an unassisted goal. Chris Conner extended the lead for the Penguins with his fifth of the year, assisted by Ben Lovejoy and Matt Cooke. Making it 3-0 was Tyler Kennedy, with his sixth of the year being helped by Kris Letang. Chris Kunitz took the lead farther for Pittsburgh, scoring back to back his eleventh and 12th of the year, the first from Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis and the second a power play marker that had Alex Goligoski and Letang picking up the helpers. The Penguins kept the scoring going in the second period, with Mark Letestu notching his ninth of the campaign, with Kennedy and Goligoski picking up the assists. Kunitz made it 7-0, wrapping up his hat trick with his 13th of the season, a power play goal that saw both Goligoski and Letang finish off both of their sock tricks for the night. The Lightning made a whimper of life in the third period with Adam Hall registering his fifth of the year, assisted by Nate Thompson and Dana Tyrell. Goligoski made it 8-1 Penguins with his seventh of the year later in that period, with Conner and Lovejoy picking up the helpers on the eventual last goal of the game. Kunitz, Goligoski, and Letang picked up the three stars, all with tricks of some sort.
Going to a lower-scoring environment, we have the Florida Panthers hosting the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Tomas Vokoun got the starting designations. Niclas Bergfors put Atlanta on the board first with his eighth of the season, assisted on by Andrew Ladd. Stephen Weiss tied it for Florida with his 13th of the year, helped along by Chris Higgins and Michael Frolik. Rich Peverley took the lead back for the Thrashers with thirty-one seconds left in the first period, his tenth of the year coming from Nik Antropov and Tobias Enstrom on the power play. Peverley chased away Vokoun in the second period with his second of the night and eleventh of the season, which came off of Ladd and Zach Bogosian. Scott Clemmensen came in to tend the Panthers net. The Panthers got a goal back in the third period with Higgins netting his eighth of the season, thanks to Mike Weaver and Jason Garrison, but failed to produce more offense after that and lost 3-2 to Atlanta. Peverley, Higgins, and Bergfors were the three stars.
Heading to the Windy City, where the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Dallas Stars. Kari Lethonen and Corey Crawford were in between the pipes. Dallas scored first in the game, with Brenden Morrow potting his 17th of the season, with help from Loui Eriksson and Matt Niskanen. Mike Ribeiro extended the lead to 2-0 for the Stars on his seventh of the season, also a power play goal, with Brad Richards and Morrow picking up the helpers. Chicago got on the board in the second period with Fernando Pisani scoring his sixth of the year, helped along by Bryan Bickell and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Tomas Kopecky tied the game with his seventh of the campaign, assisted by Patrick Kane and Jassen Cullimore. Ribeiro gave Dallas the lead back with his second of the night and eighth of the year, another power play goal coming from Richards and Trevor Daley. Steve Ott iced the cake for the Stars, making it 4-2 with his ninth of the year, helped along by Eriksson to find the empty net to defeat the Blackhawks. Ribeiro, Pisani, and Morrow picked up the three stars.
To the west coast, where the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Jonas Hiller played in net. Jerred Smithson opened the scoring for Nashville with his fourth goal of the year, with Nick Spaling picking up the lone assist. There was a fight between Nashville's Wade Belak and Anaheim's George Parros in the middle of the first period. The Predators made it 2-0 with the eleventh of the year by Patric Hornqvist, with help coming from Sergei Kostitsyn and Ryan Suter. Saku Koivu got the Ducks going in the third period with his own eleventh of the season, helped along by Dan Sexton and Teemu Selanne. Nashville, unwilling to lose, potted back to back empty netters to make it 4-1, with the first from Kostitsyn as his ninth of the season, assisted by Hornqvist and Marcel Goc, and the second going down as the seventh of the season from Shea Weber, unassisted. Pekka Rinne (40 for 41 saves), Saku Koivu, and Maxim Lapierre (Ducks debut) earned the three stars in the 4-1 Predators win.
Lastly, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and Roberto Luongo were given the starting nods. Vancouver struck first with a goal by Ryan Kesler, his 20th of the year coming off of the sticks of teammates Mason Raymond and Alexandre Burrows. Kevin Bieksa extended the Canucks lead with his fifth of the season, with Raffi Torres and Dam Hamhuis picking up the helpers. Daniel Sedin extended the lead to 3-0 with his 22nd of the year, helped along by Bieksa and Burrows. Tim Jackman got Calgary on the board with eleven seconds left in the third period, far too late to save the Flames from anything but the humiliation of a shutout, with Mikael Backlund grabbing the assist on his sixth of the season. Luongo (43 for 44 saves), Bieksa, and Burrows earned the three stars.
That's all for Wednesday hockey. Tomorrow will bring Thursday's recap.
The Big Apple, with the New York Rangers hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Henrik Lundqvist were the designated puckstoppers. The game was scoreless through the first two periods, until Matt Gilroy got New York on the board with his third of the season, from Mats Zuccarello and Brandon Dubinsky. Carolina tied it on a goal by Eric Staal, his 19th of the year a byproduct of Joe Corvo and Tim Gleason. The tie lasted into overtime, where Zuccarello notched his first of the season to win the game for the Rangers 2-1 over the Hurricanes. Dubinsky and the goalie Lundqvist picked up the assists, and Lundqvist also led the three stars with 31 of 32 saves, followed by teammates Gilroy and Zuccarello.
After that, the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dwayne Roloson and Dan Ellis saw action for Tampa Bay, with Marc-Andre Fleury being across the ice from either of them. Pittsburgh opened the scoring seven seconds in with a goal by Evgeni Malkin, his 15th of the season, an unassisted goal. Chris Conner extended the lead for the Penguins with his fifth of the year, assisted by Ben Lovejoy and Matt Cooke. Making it 3-0 was Tyler Kennedy, with his sixth of the year being helped by Kris Letang. Chris Kunitz took the lead farther for Pittsburgh, scoring back to back his eleventh and 12th of the year, the first from Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis and the second a power play marker that had Alex Goligoski and Letang picking up the helpers. The Penguins kept the scoring going in the second period, with Mark Letestu notching his ninth of the campaign, with Kennedy and Goligoski picking up the assists. Kunitz made it 7-0, wrapping up his hat trick with his 13th of the season, a power play goal that saw both Goligoski and Letang finish off both of their sock tricks for the night. The Lightning made a whimper of life in the third period with Adam Hall registering his fifth of the year, assisted by Nate Thompson and Dana Tyrell. Goligoski made it 8-1 Penguins with his seventh of the year later in that period, with Conner and Lovejoy picking up the helpers on the eventual last goal of the game. Kunitz, Goligoski, and Letang picked up the three stars, all with tricks of some sort.
Going to a lower-scoring environment, we have the Florida Panthers hosting the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Tomas Vokoun got the starting designations. Niclas Bergfors put Atlanta on the board first with his eighth of the season, assisted on by Andrew Ladd. Stephen Weiss tied it for Florida with his 13th of the year, helped along by Chris Higgins and Michael Frolik. Rich Peverley took the lead back for the Thrashers with thirty-one seconds left in the first period, his tenth of the year coming from Nik Antropov and Tobias Enstrom on the power play. Peverley chased away Vokoun in the second period with his second of the night and eleventh of the season, which came off of Ladd and Zach Bogosian. Scott Clemmensen came in to tend the Panthers net. The Panthers got a goal back in the third period with Higgins netting his eighth of the season, thanks to Mike Weaver and Jason Garrison, but failed to produce more offense after that and lost 3-2 to Atlanta. Peverley, Higgins, and Bergfors were the three stars.
Heading to the Windy City, where the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Dallas Stars. Kari Lethonen and Corey Crawford were in between the pipes. Dallas scored first in the game, with Brenden Morrow potting his 17th of the season, with help from Loui Eriksson and Matt Niskanen. Mike Ribeiro extended the lead to 2-0 for the Stars on his seventh of the season, also a power play goal, with Brad Richards and Morrow picking up the helpers. Chicago got on the board in the second period with Fernando Pisani scoring his sixth of the year, helped along by Bryan Bickell and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Tomas Kopecky tied the game with his seventh of the campaign, assisted by Patrick Kane and Jassen Cullimore. Ribeiro gave Dallas the lead back with his second of the night and eighth of the year, another power play goal coming from Richards and Trevor Daley. Steve Ott iced the cake for the Stars, making it 4-2 with his ninth of the year, helped along by Eriksson to find the empty net to defeat the Blackhawks. Ribeiro, Pisani, and Morrow picked up the three stars.
To the west coast, where the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Jonas Hiller played in net. Jerred Smithson opened the scoring for Nashville with his fourth goal of the year, with Nick Spaling picking up the lone assist. There was a fight between Nashville's Wade Belak and Anaheim's George Parros in the middle of the first period. The Predators made it 2-0 with the eleventh of the year by Patric Hornqvist, with help coming from Sergei Kostitsyn and Ryan Suter. Saku Koivu got the Ducks going in the third period with his own eleventh of the season, helped along by Dan Sexton and Teemu Selanne. Nashville, unwilling to lose, potted back to back empty netters to make it 4-1, with the first from Kostitsyn as his ninth of the season, assisted by Hornqvist and Marcel Goc, and the second going down as the seventh of the season from Shea Weber, unassisted. Pekka Rinne (40 for 41 saves), Saku Koivu, and Maxim Lapierre (Ducks debut) earned the three stars in the 4-1 Predators win.
Lastly, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and Roberto Luongo were given the starting nods. Vancouver struck first with a goal by Ryan Kesler, his 20th of the year coming off of the sticks of teammates Mason Raymond and Alexandre Burrows. Kevin Bieksa extended the Canucks lead with his fifth of the season, with Raffi Torres and Dam Hamhuis picking up the helpers. Daniel Sedin extended the lead to 3-0 with his 22nd of the year, helped along by Bieksa and Burrows. Tim Jackman got Calgary on the board with eleven seconds left in the third period, far too late to save the Flames from anything but the humiliation of a shutout, with Mikael Backlund grabbing the assist on his sixth of the season. Luongo (43 for 44 saves), Bieksa, and Burrows earned the three stars.
That's all for Wednesday hockey. Tomorrow will bring Thursday's recap.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Tuesday NHL recap
There were five games of hockey again Tuesday. However, in baseball, Adrian Beltre signs with the Texas Rangers for 6 years and 96 million dollars. In hockey, we start with...
The New Jersey Devils hosting the Minnesota Wild. Jose Theodore and Johan Hedberg played in net as a battle of the backups. Cal Clutterbuck opened the scoring for Minnesota with his eleventh of the season, an unassisted goal. Ilya Kovalchuk tied it for New Jersey in the second period with his tenth of the year, helped along by Travis Zajac and Nick Palmieri. The Wild answered back with the first of the season by Clayton Stoner, with help coming from Martin Havlat and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. This goal would hold up for the Wild, who took the Devils down 2-1. Clutterbuck, Havlat, and Stoner picked up the three stars.
Up next, the Washington Capitals hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dwayne Roloson made his Lightning debut, opposing Semyon Varlamov. The game was scoreless throughout regulation, and the tie was broken in overtime by Martin St. Louis of Tampa Bay potting his 17th of the year, from Vincent Lecavalier and Pavel Kubina, producing a 1-0 win over the Capitals. Roloson (34 save shutout), St. Louis, and Varlamov (37 for 38 saves) were the three stars.
Heading out west, with the Edmonton Oilers hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Chris Osgood and Nikolai Khabibulin guarded the cages. Detroit drew first blood with Henrik Zetterberg netting his 15th of the year, assisted by Nicklas Lidstrom and Drew Miller. Edmonton tied on Gilbert Brule's fifth of the season, helped along by Liam Reddox and Linus Omark. Todd Bertuzzi gave the Red Wings the lead back in the second period with his sixth of the season, courtesy of Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula. Kris Draper added on his third of the year to extend the Detroit lead, with help coming from Darren Helm and Brian Rafalski. Theo Peckham got the Oilers going again in the third period with his second of the year, assisted on by Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky. They tied the game with Gagner's tenth of the campaign, from Hemsky only. Bertuzzi once again took the lead back for the Red Wings, netting his second of the night and seventh of the season, with help from Niklas Kronwall and Filppula. Forty-four seconds later, Helm iced the cake and made it 5-3 for Detroit with his third of the season, courtesy of Justin Abdelkader and Lidstrom. This ended up being the final, with Helm, Gagner, and Bertuzzi picking up the three stars.
Following that was the Phoenix Coyotes hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. In front of the nets were Mathieu Garon and Ilya Bryzgalov. The first period went scoreless, and Scottie Upshall got Phoenix to strike first with his eleventh of the year in the second period, assisted by Eric Belanger and Shane Doan. Sami Lepisto made it 2-0 for the Coyotes with his third of the season, with Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata picking up the helpers. R.J. Umberger got Columbus on the board with his 14th of the campaign, helped along by Rick Nash and Derick Brassard. The Blue Jackets tied it on Jakub Voracek's power play goal in the third period, his eighth goal of any sorts on the season, which got assistance from Brassard and Fedor Tyutin. Doan took the lead back for Phoenix with his tenth of the year, with Keith Yandle and Belanger getting the assists. Vernon Fiddler made it 4-2 Coyotes with his fourth of the season, assisted by Adrian Aucoin and Taylor Pyatt. This would later become the final, with Doan, Bryzgalov (26 of 28 saves), and Belanger earning the three stars awards.
Lastly, the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Peter Budaj got the starting nods for the game. Colorado struck first with Daniel Winnik notching his seventh of the year, from T.J. Galiardi and the goalie Peter Budaj. Thirty-three seconds later, Buffalo tied it on the 15th of the year by Thomas Vanek, a power play goal assisted by Drew Stafford and Tim Connolly. Shortly thereafter, the Avalanche had the lead again on a shorthanded goal by Ryan O'Reilly, his fifth tally of the season, from Winnik. Both teams took the second period off from scoring, and the Sabres regained the trick with Jochen Hecht netting his fifth of the season in the third period as a tying goal, from Jason Pominville and Vanek. Steve Montador gave Buffalo the lead with his fourth of the campaign, with Stafford and Paul Gaustad picking up the helpers. Matt Duchene came in the clutch to retie the game at 3 only thirty-one seconds later, his 16th of the year coming off of Tomas Fleischmann and Milan Hejduk. The tie lasted into overtime until the Avalanche won it on the 13th of the year by David Jones, a power play tally made possible by Fleischmann and Ryan Wilson. Earning the stars in the 4-3 Avalanche win were Jones, Winnik, and Budaj (37 for 40 saves).
That's all the Tuesday hockey we've got. Wednesday hockey will be completed tomorrow.
The New Jersey Devils hosting the Minnesota Wild. Jose Theodore and Johan Hedberg played in net as a battle of the backups. Cal Clutterbuck opened the scoring for Minnesota with his eleventh of the season, an unassisted goal. Ilya Kovalchuk tied it for New Jersey in the second period with his tenth of the year, helped along by Travis Zajac and Nick Palmieri. The Wild answered back with the first of the season by Clayton Stoner, with help coming from Martin Havlat and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. This goal would hold up for the Wild, who took the Devils down 2-1. Clutterbuck, Havlat, and Stoner picked up the three stars.
Up next, the Washington Capitals hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dwayne Roloson made his Lightning debut, opposing Semyon Varlamov. The game was scoreless throughout regulation, and the tie was broken in overtime by Martin St. Louis of Tampa Bay potting his 17th of the year, from Vincent Lecavalier and Pavel Kubina, producing a 1-0 win over the Capitals. Roloson (34 save shutout), St. Louis, and Varlamov (37 for 38 saves) were the three stars.
Heading out west, with the Edmonton Oilers hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Chris Osgood and Nikolai Khabibulin guarded the cages. Detroit drew first blood with Henrik Zetterberg netting his 15th of the year, assisted by Nicklas Lidstrom and Drew Miller. Edmonton tied on Gilbert Brule's fifth of the season, helped along by Liam Reddox and Linus Omark. Todd Bertuzzi gave the Red Wings the lead back in the second period with his sixth of the season, courtesy of Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula. Kris Draper added on his third of the year to extend the Detroit lead, with help coming from Darren Helm and Brian Rafalski. Theo Peckham got the Oilers going again in the third period with his second of the year, assisted on by Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky. They tied the game with Gagner's tenth of the campaign, from Hemsky only. Bertuzzi once again took the lead back for the Red Wings, netting his second of the night and seventh of the season, with help from Niklas Kronwall and Filppula. Forty-four seconds later, Helm iced the cake and made it 5-3 for Detroit with his third of the season, courtesy of Justin Abdelkader and Lidstrom. This ended up being the final, with Helm, Gagner, and Bertuzzi picking up the three stars.
Following that was the Phoenix Coyotes hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. In front of the nets were Mathieu Garon and Ilya Bryzgalov. The first period went scoreless, and Scottie Upshall got Phoenix to strike first with his eleventh of the year in the second period, assisted by Eric Belanger and Shane Doan. Sami Lepisto made it 2-0 for the Coyotes with his third of the season, with Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata picking up the helpers. R.J. Umberger got Columbus on the board with his 14th of the campaign, helped along by Rick Nash and Derick Brassard. The Blue Jackets tied it on Jakub Voracek's power play goal in the third period, his eighth goal of any sorts on the season, which got assistance from Brassard and Fedor Tyutin. Doan took the lead back for Phoenix with his tenth of the year, with Keith Yandle and Belanger getting the assists. Vernon Fiddler made it 4-2 Coyotes with his fourth of the season, assisted by Adrian Aucoin and Taylor Pyatt. This would later become the final, with Doan, Bryzgalov (26 of 28 saves), and Belanger earning the three stars awards.
Lastly, the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Peter Budaj got the starting nods for the game. Colorado struck first with Daniel Winnik notching his seventh of the year, from T.J. Galiardi and the goalie Peter Budaj. Thirty-three seconds later, Buffalo tied it on the 15th of the year by Thomas Vanek, a power play goal assisted by Drew Stafford and Tim Connolly. Shortly thereafter, the Avalanche had the lead again on a shorthanded goal by Ryan O'Reilly, his fifth tally of the season, from Winnik. Both teams took the second period off from scoring, and the Sabres regained the trick with Jochen Hecht netting his fifth of the season in the third period as a tying goal, from Jason Pominville and Vanek. Steve Montador gave Buffalo the lead with his fourth of the campaign, with Stafford and Paul Gaustad picking up the helpers. Matt Duchene came in the clutch to retie the game at 3 only thirty-one seconds later, his 16th of the year coming off of Tomas Fleischmann and Milan Hejduk. The tie lasted into overtime until the Avalanche won it on the 13th of the year by David Jones, a power play tally made possible by Fleischmann and Ryan Wilson. Earning the stars in the 4-3 Avalanche win were Jones, Winnik, and Budaj (37 for 40 saves).
That's all the Tuesday hockey we've got. Wednesday hockey will be completed tomorrow.
Monday in the NHL
There were five games played in hockey for Monday. We start with bitter rivals...
As the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and James Reimer were the goalkeepers. Mikhail Grabovski put Toronto ahead first with his 14th of the season, assisted by Luke Schenn. Boston answered in the second period with Nathan Horton potting his 12th of the year, thanks to Dennis Seidenberg. The Bruins took the lead on Marc Savard's second of the season, which was helped along by Horton and Milan Lucic. The score lasted through a scoreless third period, giving the Bruins a 2-1 win over the Maple Leafs. Rask (36 of 37 saves), losing goalie Reimer (31 for 33 saves), and Horton earned the three stars.
Next on the slate were the Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Florida Panthers. Scott Clemmensen and Cam Ward picked up the starts. Zac Dalpe got Carolina up first with his second of the season, helped along by Troy Bodie. Florida evened the score with the third of the year from the stick of Dennis Wideman, which was assisted by Cory Stillman and Radek Dvorak. The Panthers took the lead in the second period on the seventh of the campaign from Chris Higgins. Dmitry Kulikov and Michael Frolik picked up the helpers. Extending the lead to 3-1 was Stillman with his fourth of the season, courtesy of Mike Santorelli and Evgeny Dadonov. Zach Boychuk started a rally back for the Hurricanes with his third of the year, from Erik Cole and Eric Staal. Jay Harrison tied the game at 3 with his first of the season, assisted by Cole and Jamie McBain. The tie would last into overtime until Florida's Bryan Allen netted his third of the year thanks to Shawn Matthias and Frolik to win the game for the Panthers. He earned the first star, with Stillman and Cole following the rest of the honors.
Heading to the opposite coast for the next game, with the Los Angeles Kings hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Jonathan Quick were between the pipes. Michal Handzus opened the scoring for Los Angeles with his fifth of the year, assisted by Jack Johnson and Alec Martinez. Marian Hossa tied the game for Chicago with his ninth of the year, a power play goal helped along by Tomas Kopecky and Patrick Sharp. Sharp took the lead for the Blackhawks in the second period by registering his 22nd of the year, a power play goal courtesy of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, the latter returning from a minor injury. Ryan Smyth tied things at 2 for the Kings with his 15th of the year, made possible by Justin Williams. Sharp took the lead back in the third period for Chicago with his second of the night and 23rd of the season, which was helped along this time by Kopecky. Smyth tied it again for Los Angeles with his second of the night and 16th of the season, assisted by Johnson and Anze Kopitar on the power play. Toews came in to make it 4-3 for the Blackhawks with his 16th of the campaign, an unassisted goal that would eventually be the game-winner. Sharp, Johnson, and Toews earned the three stars.
Up into Canada, where the Calgary Flames hosted the New York Islanders. Rick DiPietro and Henrik Karlsson were given the starting nods. John Tavares opened things up for New York in the first period with his 12th goal of the season, with assists provided by P.A. Parenteau and Andrew MacDonald on the power play. Matt Moulson made it 2-0 for the Islanders with his 13th of the year, helped along by Parenteau and Tavares. Calgary cut the lead back a bit with David Moss potting his fifth of the year, from Adam Pardy and Anton Babchuk. Tavares answered to make it 3-1 for New York with his second of the night and period and 13th of the year, with MacDonald and Frans Nielsen picking up the power play helpers. Islanders starter Rick DiPietro suffered an injury in the second period early on, and he was replaced by Nathan Lawson. Moulson made it 4-1 in the second period with his second of the night and 14th of the season, which was helped along by Travis Hamonic and Zenon Konopka. Moss added another goal to reduce the Flames' deficit, his sixth of the season and second of the night made possible by Tim Jackman. Michael Grabner iced the cake for the Islanders in the third period with his ninth of the year, an empty net goal from Mark Eaton. Tavares, Moss, and Lawson (28 for 29 saves in relief) picked up the three stars. A notable first period fight was between Tom Kostopoulos of Calgary and Zenon Konopka of New York.
Lastly, the Vancouver Canucks traveled south to visit the San Jose Sharks. Cory Schneider and Antti Niemi received the starting nods. Vancouver opened the scoring with the 21st goal of the season by Daniel Sedin, with assists provided by Henrik Sedin and Alexandre Burrows. San Jose evened the score in the second period early with Ryane Clowe scoring his eleventh of the year, with help from Jason Demers and Benn Ferriero. Alexander Edler retook the lead for the Canucks with his third of the season, made possible by Christian Ehrhoff and Daniel Sedin on the power play. Patrick Marleau tied the game again for the Sharks with a power play goal, his 15th marker of the season, assisted by Dany Heatley and Dan Boyle. Jamal Mayers gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead with his second of the campaign, from Heatley and Kent Huskins. Jannik Hansen retied the game for the Canucks late in the second, his fifth of the year made possible by Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond. Burrows gave Vancouver a lead in the third period with his eighth of the year, assisted on by Ehrhoff and Keith Ballard. Vancouver would go on to beat San Jose 4-3, with Daniel Sedin, losing goalie Niemi (43 for 47 saves), and Ehrhoff picking up the three stars.
That's all for Monday's hockey games. Tuesday hockey will be covered tonight and tomorrow.
As the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and James Reimer were the goalkeepers. Mikhail Grabovski put Toronto ahead first with his 14th of the season, assisted by Luke Schenn. Boston answered in the second period with Nathan Horton potting his 12th of the year, thanks to Dennis Seidenberg. The Bruins took the lead on Marc Savard's second of the season, which was helped along by Horton and Milan Lucic. The score lasted through a scoreless third period, giving the Bruins a 2-1 win over the Maple Leafs. Rask (36 of 37 saves), losing goalie Reimer (31 for 33 saves), and Horton earned the three stars.
Next on the slate were the Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Florida Panthers. Scott Clemmensen and Cam Ward picked up the starts. Zac Dalpe got Carolina up first with his second of the season, helped along by Troy Bodie. Florida evened the score with the third of the year from the stick of Dennis Wideman, which was assisted by Cory Stillman and Radek Dvorak. The Panthers took the lead in the second period on the seventh of the campaign from Chris Higgins. Dmitry Kulikov and Michael Frolik picked up the helpers. Extending the lead to 3-1 was Stillman with his fourth of the season, courtesy of Mike Santorelli and Evgeny Dadonov. Zach Boychuk started a rally back for the Hurricanes with his third of the year, from Erik Cole and Eric Staal. Jay Harrison tied the game at 3 with his first of the season, assisted by Cole and Jamie McBain. The tie would last into overtime until Florida's Bryan Allen netted his third of the year thanks to Shawn Matthias and Frolik to win the game for the Panthers. He earned the first star, with Stillman and Cole following the rest of the honors.
Heading to the opposite coast for the next game, with the Los Angeles Kings hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Jonathan Quick were between the pipes. Michal Handzus opened the scoring for Los Angeles with his fifth of the year, assisted by Jack Johnson and Alec Martinez. Marian Hossa tied the game for Chicago with his ninth of the year, a power play goal helped along by Tomas Kopecky and Patrick Sharp. Sharp took the lead for the Blackhawks in the second period by registering his 22nd of the year, a power play goal courtesy of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, the latter returning from a minor injury. Ryan Smyth tied things at 2 for the Kings with his 15th of the year, made possible by Justin Williams. Sharp took the lead back in the third period for Chicago with his second of the night and 23rd of the season, which was helped along this time by Kopecky. Smyth tied it again for Los Angeles with his second of the night and 16th of the season, assisted by Johnson and Anze Kopitar on the power play. Toews came in to make it 4-3 for the Blackhawks with his 16th of the campaign, an unassisted goal that would eventually be the game-winner. Sharp, Johnson, and Toews earned the three stars.
Up into Canada, where the Calgary Flames hosted the New York Islanders. Rick DiPietro and Henrik Karlsson were given the starting nods. John Tavares opened things up for New York in the first period with his 12th goal of the season, with assists provided by P.A. Parenteau and Andrew MacDonald on the power play. Matt Moulson made it 2-0 for the Islanders with his 13th of the year, helped along by Parenteau and Tavares. Calgary cut the lead back a bit with David Moss potting his fifth of the year, from Adam Pardy and Anton Babchuk. Tavares answered to make it 3-1 for New York with his second of the night and period and 13th of the year, with MacDonald and Frans Nielsen picking up the power play helpers. Islanders starter Rick DiPietro suffered an injury in the second period early on, and he was replaced by Nathan Lawson. Moulson made it 4-1 in the second period with his second of the night and 14th of the season, which was helped along by Travis Hamonic and Zenon Konopka. Moss added another goal to reduce the Flames' deficit, his sixth of the season and second of the night made possible by Tim Jackman. Michael Grabner iced the cake for the Islanders in the third period with his ninth of the year, an empty net goal from Mark Eaton. Tavares, Moss, and Lawson (28 for 29 saves in relief) picked up the three stars. A notable first period fight was between Tom Kostopoulos of Calgary and Zenon Konopka of New York.
Lastly, the Vancouver Canucks traveled south to visit the San Jose Sharks. Cory Schneider and Antti Niemi received the starting nods. Vancouver opened the scoring with the 21st goal of the season by Daniel Sedin, with assists provided by Henrik Sedin and Alexandre Burrows. San Jose evened the score in the second period early with Ryane Clowe scoring his eleventh of the year, with help from Jason Demers and Benn Ferriero. Alexander Edler retook the lead for the Canucks with his third of the season, made possible by Christian Ehrhoff and Daniel Sedin on the power play. Patrick Marleau tied the game again for the Sharks with a power play goal, his 15th marker of the season, assisted by Dany Heatley and Dan Boyle. Jamal Mayers gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead with his second of the campaign, from Heatley and Kent Huskins. Jannik Hansen retied the game for the Canucks late in the second, his fifth of the year made possible by Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond. Burrows gave Vancouver a lead in the third period with his eighth of the year, assisted on by Ehrhoff and Keith Ballard. Vancouver would go on to beat San Jose 4-3, with Daniel Sedin, losing goalie Niemi (43 for 47 saves), and Ehrhoff picking up the three stars.
That's all for Monday's hockey games. Tuesday hockey will be covered tonight and tomorrow.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Sunday NHL coverage
This post comes a tad late, as the return of work into my not-so-busy life has complicated matters a bit. I'll try to keep on pace with this now. The games for Sunday started in...
Montreal, with the Canadiens hosting the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Carey Price guarded the cages. Rich Peverley got Atlanta scoring first with his ninth of the season, from Tobias Enstrom and Zach Bogosian. Montreal evened the score with a goal by Tomas Plekanec, his 12th of the year, a power play goal assisted by James wisniewski and Yannick Weber. The Thrashers retook the lead with Evander Kane potting his 13th of the year, with help from Patrice Cormier and Chris Thorburn. The Canadiens retied it on P.K. Subban's third of the season, a power play tally made possible by Roman Hamrlik and Scott Gomez. Atlanta retook the lead at 3-2 again with Andew Ladd netting his 13th of the season, from Enstrom and Niclas Bergfors. Brian Gionta tied the game again for Montreal in the third period, registering his 14th of the year with help from Max Pacioretty and Wisniewski. The tie was preserved until Dustin Byfuglien won it for the Thrashers in overtime on his 16th of the season, a power play goal from Enstrom, who completed a sock trick with that assist, and Kane. The three stars honors went to Byfuglien, Pavelec (47 for 50 saves), and Plekanec.
Next up was the Florida Panthers hosting the New York Rangers. Martin Biron and Tomas Vokoun were in net for the game. The game's first half went scoreless, and David Booth opened the scoring in the mid second period for Florida with his tenth of the season, a power play goal from Mike Santorelli and Dennis Wideman. Chris Higgins extended the Panthers lead in the third period with his sixth of the year, an unassisted goal. Stephen Weiss topped it off at 3-0 with his 12th of the season, into the empty net with no assistance. Higgins, Vokoun (32 save shutout), and Booth earned the three stars.
Heading up to Detroit, where the Red Wings hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Jimmy Howard earned the starts from their coaches. The game was scoreless through the first period into the second until James van Riemsdyk opened the scoring for Philadelphia with his ninth of the campaign, from Andreas Nodl and Mike Richards. Dan Carcillo made it 2-0 for the Flyers with his second of the season, assisted by Andrej Meszaros and Matt Carle. Scott Hartnell extended the lead with his tenth of the year, with Sean O'Donnell and Danny Briere picking up the helpers. Jimmy Howard was replaced by Chris Osgood in the third period. Valtteri Filppula sparked Detroit into life with his tenth of the season, assisted by Johan Franzen. Henrik Zetterberg also scored for the Red Wings, cutting the Flyers lead to one goal with his 14th of the season, which was helped along by Tomas Holmstrom and Nicklas Lidstrom on the power play. However, Detroit managed no further offense, and fell 3-2 to visiting Philadelphia. Boucher (25 for 27 saves), Filppula, and Hartnell were the three stars.
Staying in the west, with the Minnesota Wild hosting the Phoenix Coyotes. Jason LaBarbera opposed Jose Theodore in the crease. Phoenix struck first with Ray Whitney potting his seventh of the year, from Radim Vrbata and Martin Hanzal. Minnesota answered late in the first period with Andrew Brunette, his eighth of the year coming from Mikko Koivu and Antti Miettinen. Brunette scored his ninth of the season and second of the game in the second period, a power play goal courtesy of Brent Burns and Koivu. Nick Schultz made it 3-1 for the Wild with his third of the year, from John Madden and Eric Nystrom. Scottie Upshall got the Coyotes going again in the third period with his tenth of the year, assisted by Shane Doan and Eric Belanger. Thirteen seconds later, Keith Yandle tied the game at 3 with his sixth of the season, from Vernon Fiddler and Lee Stempniak. Minnesota reclaimed the lead with Burns scoring his 12th of the year, with help from Koivu. Ed Jovanovski tied it up again for Phoenix with his fifth of the season, from Yandle and Doan. The Coyotes took the lead on the second of the night and eighth of the year from Whitney, assisted by Kyle Turris and Vrbata. The Wild tied the gmae at 5 with a Pierre-Marc Bouchard goal, his second of the year, with Brunette and Burns grabbing the helpers. Minnesota won it in the ensuing overtime on Cam Barker's first of the year, from Bouchard and Koivu, who wrapped up a four assist night. Earning the stars were Brunette, Burns, and Whitney.
Following that was the Nashville Predators hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Pekka Rinne played in goal. R.J. Umberger got Columbus on the board first with his 13th of the season, assisted by Marc Methot and Derick Brassard. Shea Weber tied it for Nashville in the second period with his sixth of the year, from Colin Wilson and Patric Hornqvist. The Predators took the lead on Nick Spaling's second of the season, with help from Weber and Joel Ward. Hornqvist made it 3-1 for Nashville with his tenth of the campaign, a power play goal made possible by Weber and Ryan Suter. Sergei Kostitsyn brought it up to 4-1 with his eighth of the year, courtesy of Wilson and David Legwand. This was the final score, with Weber, Hornqvist, and Rinne (19 of 20 stops) getting the three stars.
Into St. Louis, with the Blues hosting the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Jaroslav Halak played in between the pipes. The game opened with a pair of fights, involving St. Louis' Cam Janssen squaring off against Dallas' Krys Barch and later B.J. Crombeen dancing with Brandon Segal. David Backes opened the scoring for the Blues, notching his tenth of the year from Matt D'Agostini. Brenden Morrow evened the score for the Stars with his 15th of the season, a power play goal assisted by Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson. Alex Steen retook the lead for St. Louis with his 13th of the season, helped along by Eric Brewer and D'Agostini. The second period was scoreless, and Morrow retied the game in the third period for Dallas with his second of the night and 16th of the campaign, from Jamie Benn and Mike Ribeiro. Brad Richards gave the Stars the lead with his 18th of the season, assisted on by Trevor Daley. Extending the Dallas lead to 4-2 was James Neal, his 14th of the season coming from Toby Petersen and Richards. This would later be the final, with Morrow, Richards, and Eriksson picking up the three stars.
To the west coast, with the Anaheim Ducks playing host to the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford returned from injury to make a start, opposing Jonas Hiller in net. Andreas Lilja got Anaheim on the board first with his first of the year, assisted by Joffery Lupul and Brandon McMillan. Bryan Bickell later evened it for Chicago with his eleventh of the season, with help coming from Brian Campbell and Dave Bolland. Corey Perry retook the lead for the Ducks early in the second period on his 21st of the campaign, with the helpers accredited to Matt Beleskey and Toni Lydman. The 2-1 margin ended up being the final, with Hiller (39 for 40 saves), Lydman, and Bickell earning the three stars.
Lastly, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Featured in net were Craig Anderson and Roberto Luongo. Vancouver got on the board first late in the first period with the first of the year (lots of firsts, eh?) by Alexandre Bolduc, with assists from Tanner Glass and the goalie Roberto Luongo. The score was unchanged in the second period, and the Canucks extended their lead in the third period on the eighth of the year by Mason Raymond, making a return from injury and receiving help from Bolduc and Kevin Bieksa. Colorado tried to rally back on Paul Stastny's 15th of the year, assisted by Matt Duchene and John-Michael Liles, but the Avalanche mustered no further offense and lost 2-1 in Vancouver. The three stars were Luongo (31 for 32 saves), Dan Hamhuis (unknown contributions), and Bolduc.
That's all for Sunday. Sorry for the delays, my laziness has returned. Officially in Ketchup mode.
Montreal, with the Canadiens hosting the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Carey Price guarded the cages. Rich Peverley got Atlanta scoring first with his ninth of the season, from Tobias Enstrom and Zach Bogosian. Montreal evened the score with a goal by Tomas Plekanec, his 12th of the year, a power play goal assisted by James wisniewski and Yannick Weber. The Thrashers retook the lead with Evander Kane potting his 13th of the year, with help from Patrice Cormier and Chris Thorburn. The Canadiens retied it on P.K. Subban's third of the season, a power play tally made possible by Roman Hamrlik and Scott Gomez. Atlanta retook the lead at 3-2 again with Andew Ladd netting his 13th of the season, from Enstrom and Niclas Bergfors. Brian Gionta tied the game again for Montreal in the third period, registering his 14th of the year with help from Max Pacioretty and Wisniewski. The tie was preserved until Dustin Byfuglien won it for the Thrashers in overtime on his 16th of the season, a power play goal from Enstrom, who completed a sock trick with that assist, and Kane. The three stars honors went to Byfuglien, Pavelec (47 for 50 saves), and Plekanec.
Next up was the Florida Panthers hosting the New York Rangers. Martin Biron and Tomas Vokoun were in net for the game. The game's first half went scoreless, and David Booth opened the scoring in the mid second period for Florida with his tenth of the season, a power play goal from Mike Santorelli and Dennis Wideman. Chris Higgins extended the Panthers lead in the third period with his sixth of the year, an unassisted goal. Stephen Weiss topped it off at 3-0 with his 12th of the season, into the empty net with no assistance. Higgins, Vokoun (32 save shutout), and Booth earned the three stars.
Heading up to Detroit, where the Red Wings hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Jimmy Howard earned the starts from their coaches. The game was scoreless through the first period into the second until James van Riemsdyk opened the scoring for Philadelphia with his ninth of the campaign, from Andreas Nodl and Mike Richards. Dan Carcillo made it 2-0 for the Flyers with his second of the season, assisted by Andrej Meszaros and Matt Carle. Scott Hartnell extended the lead with his tenth of the year, with Sean O'Donnell and Danny Briere picking up the helpers. Jimmy Howard was replaced by Chris Osgood in the third period. Valtteri Filppula sparked Detroit into life with his tenth of the season, assisted by Johan Franzen. Henrik Zetterberg also scored for the Red Wings, cutting the Flyers lead to one goal with his 14th of the season, which was helped along by Tomas Holmstrom and Nicklas Lidstrom on the power play. However, Detroit managed no further offense, and fell 3-2 to visiting Philadelphia. Boucher (25 for 27 saves), Filppula, and Hartnell were the three stars.
Staying in the west, with the Minnesota Wild hosting the Phoenix Coyotes. Jason LaBarbera opposed Jose Theodore in the crease. Phoenix struck first with Ray Whitney potting his seventh of the year, from Radim Vrbata and Martin Hanzal. Minnesota answered late in the first period with Andrew Brunette, his eighth of the year coming from Mikko Koivu and Antti Miettinen. Brunette scored his ninth of the season and second of the game in the second period, a power play goal courtesy of Brent Burns and Koivu. Nick Schultz made it 3-1 for the Wild with his third of the year, from John Madden and Eric Nystrom. Scottie Upshall got the Coyotes going again in the third period with his tenth of the year, assisted by Shane Doan and Eric Belanger. Thirteen seconds later, Keith Yandle tied the game at 3 with his sixth of the season, from Vernon Fiddler and Lee Stempniak. Minnesota reclaimed the lead with Burns scoring his 12th of the year, with help from Koivu. Ed Jovanovski tied it up again for Phoenix with his fifth of the season, from Yandle and Doan. The Coyotes took the lead on the second of the night and eighth of the year from Whitney, assisted by Kyle Turris and Vrbata. The Wild tied the gmae at 5 with a Pierre-Marc Bouchard goal, his second of the year, with Brunette and Burns grabbing the helpers. Minnesota won it in the ensuing overtime on Cam Barker's first of the year, from Bouchard and Koivu, who wrapped up a four assist night. Earning the stars were Brunette, Burns, and Whitney.
Following that was the Nashville Predators hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Pekka Rinne played in goal. R.J. Umberger got Columbus on the board first with his 13th of the season, assisted by Marc Methot and Derick Brassard. Shea Weber tied it for Nashville in the second period with his sixth of the year, from Colin Wilson and Patric Hornqvist. The Predators took the lead on Nick Spaling's second of the season, with help from Weber and Joel Ward. Hornqvist made it 3-1 for Nashville with his tenth of the campaign, a power play goal made possible by Weber and Ryan Suter. Sergei Kostitsyn brought it up to 4-1 with his eighth of the year, courtesy of Wilson and David Legwand. This was the final score, with Weber, Hornqvist, and Rinne (19 of 20 stops) getting the three stars.
Into St. Louis, with the Blues hosting the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Jaroslav Halak played in between the pipes. The game opened with a pair of fights, involving St. Louis' Cam Janssen squaring off against Dallas' Krys Barch and later B.J. Crombeen dancing with Brandon Segal. David Backes opened the scoring for the Blues, notching his tenth of the year from Matt D'Agostini. Brenden Morrow evened the score for the Stars with his 15th of the season, a power play goal assisted by Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson. Alex Steen retook the lead for St. Louis with his 13th of the season, helped along by Eric Brewer and D'Agostini. The second period was scoreless, and Morrow retied the game in the third period for Dallas with his second of the night and 16th of the campaign, from Jamie Benn and Mike Ribeiro. Brad Richards gave the Stars the lead with his 18th of the season, assisted on by Trevor Daley. Extending the Dallas lead to 4-2 was James Neal, his 14th of the season coming from Toby Petersen and Richards. This would later be the final, with Morrow, Richards, and Eriksson picking up the three stars.
To the west coast, with the Anaheim Ducks playing host to the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford returned from injury to make a start, opposing Jonas Hiller in net. Andreas Lilja got Anaheim on the board first with his first of the year, assisted by Joffery Lupul and Brandon McMillan. Bryan Bickell later evened it for Chicago with his eleventh of the season, with help coming from Brian Campbell and Dave Bolland. Corey Perry retook the lead for the Ducks early in the second period on his 21st of the campaign, with the helpers accredited to Matt Beleskey and Toni Lydman. The 2-1 margin ended up being the final, with Hiller (39 for 40 saves), Lydman, and Bickell earning the three stars.
Lastly, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Featured in net were Craig Anderson and Roberto Luongo. Vancouver got on the board first late in the first period with the first of the year (lots of firsts, eh?) by Alexandre Bolduc, with assists from Tanner Glass and the goalie Roberto Luongo. The score was unchanged in the second period, and the Canucks extended their lead in the third period on the eighth of the year by Mason Raymond, making a return from injury and receiving help from Bolduc and Kevin Bieksa. Colorado tried to rally back on Paul Stastny's 15th of the year, assisted by Matt Duchene and John-Michael Liles, but the Avalanche mustered no further offense and lost 2-1 in Vancouver. The three stars were Luongo (31 for 32 saves), Dan Hamhuis (unknown contributions), and Bolduc.
That's all for Sunday. Sorry for the delays, my laziness has returned. Officially in Ketchup mode.
Fantasy Football All-Stars, week 17
For all you poor souls who had to compete this week, here's who was most likely beneficial to have on your team.
Quarterbacks: Tim Tebow and Ben Roethlisberger
Running Backs: Ryan Mathews and Arian Foster
Wide Receivers: Larry Fitzgerald and Mike Wallace
Tight Ends: Rob Gronkowski and Vernon Davis
Kickers: Nate Kaeding and Adam Vinatieri
This weekly edition will return in Week 1 of the 2011 season. Watch for playoff recaps of the NFL on Sundays only. Good luck next year, and enjoy the games.
Quarterbacks: Tim Tebow and Ben Roethlisberger
Running Backs: Ryan Mathews and Arian Foster
Wide Receivers: Larry Fitzgerald and Mike Wallace
Tight Ends: Rob Gronkowski and Vernon Davis
Kickers: Nate Kaeding and Adam Vinatieri
This weekly edition will return in Week 1 of the 2011 season. Watch for playoff recaps of the NFL on Sundays only. Good luck next year, and enjoy the games.
Fantasy Hockey All-Stars, week 12
Here's the MVPs of fantasy hockey this week, giving out fabulous performances.
Center: Mikko Koivu, 2 goals, 4 assists, +4, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 22 shots on goal
Left Wing: Tuomo Ruutu, 1 goal, 5 assists, +4, 0 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 5 shots on goal
Right Wing: Shane Doan, 5 goals, 3 assists, 0, 2 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 23 shots on goal
Defenseman: Nicklas Lidstrom, 2 goals, 6 assists, +1, 0 penalty minutes, 6 power play points, 8 shots on goal
Goaltender: Semyon Varlamov, 2 wins, 0.50 goals against average, 57 saves, .983 save percentage, 1 shutout
Those are the best options by position this week. Particularly weak was left wing, with no one in the top ten rankings for the week, so consider this a relative award for Tuomo Ruutu.
Center: Mikko Koivu, 2 goals, 4 assists, +4, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 22 shots on goal
Left Wing: Tuomo Ruutu, 1 goal, 5 assists, +4, 0 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 5 shots on goal
Right Wing: Shane Doan, 5 goals, 3 assists, 0, 2 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 23 shots on goal
Defenseman: Nicklas Lidstrom, 2 goals, 6 assists, +1, 0 penalty minutes, 6 power play points, 8 shots on goal
Goaltender: Semyon Varlamov, 2 wins, 0.50 goals against average, 57 saves, .983 save percentage, 1 shutout
Those are the best options by position this week. Particularly weak was left wing, with no one in the top ten rankings for the week, so consider this a relative award for Tuomo Ruutu.
Song of the Week, I of 2011
This week's song of the week has special value to me, as it is the song that got me into Avenged Sevenfold. The song is called Trashed and Scattered (PG-13 language), the fifth track off of their mainstream debut City of Evil. At the first hearing of this song, I became interested in the band, and from there I have been a fan. This is common for me to fall in love with one song and then the band, and that's how it happened for this hard rock powerhouse group. Catch this segment next week.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Sunday Night Football week 17
This week's match, due to NFL flex scheduling, involved a winner-take-all game for NFC West glory between the host Seattle Seahawks and visiting St. Louis Rams. Charlie Whitehurst put Seattle up first, throwing a touchdown pass to Mike Williams for 4 yards, with Olindo Mare adding the extra point. St. Louis charged back to bring the score at halftime to 7-3 on the foot of Josh Brown, who had a 32 yard field goal in the second quarter. Brown and Mare exchanged field goals for the Rams and Seahawks in the third quarter, with Brown kicking true from 27 yards and Mare good from 31 yards. Mare added two more field goals in the fourth quarter, of 38 and 34 yards, bringing the score to its final of 16-6 Seattle. Both teams ended 7-9 on the season, but Seattle goes to the playoffs based on better divisional record.
Late Games, week 17
There are seven late games on for this week, following the same general theme as the early games for those with playoff implications.
First off, the Green Bay Packers host the Chicago Bears. After going scoreless through the first quarter, Robbie Gould got Chicago on the board with a 30 yard field goal. Mason Crosby answered for Green Bay in the third quarter with a 23 yard field goal. Aaron Rodgers gave the Packers a lead with a 1 yard touchdown pass to Donald Lee, and Crosby made the extra point. The 10-3 scoring favoing the Packes over the Bears was the final, with Green Bay jumping up to 10-6, and Chicago falling to 11-5.
Second on the list, the Washington Redskins host the New York Giants. The Giants got the first points with a Lawrence Tynes 20 yard field goal. New York extended their lead with Brandon Jacobs 2 yard touchdown run, and Tynes was there to provide the extra point to make it 10-0. Rex Grossman helped get Washington on the board with a 1 yard touchdown pass to Fred Davis, and Graham Gano made the point after to take the score to 10-7 at halftime. Eli Manning got the Giants going again in the third quarter with a 92 yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham, with Tynes making the extra point on the big touchdown. The Redskins found the end zone again with Grossman passing to Anthony Armstrong for 64 yards and the score, and Gano added the extra point. The Giants would hold on to defeat the Redskins 17-14, improving to 10-6, and dropping Washington to 6-10.
Following that, the Houston Texans host the Jacksonville Jaguars. Houston struck first, with Arian Foster running 2 yards in for the touchdown, followed by a Neil Rackers extra point. Rackers struck with a field goal as well, from 26 yards. Jacksonville got on the board in the second quarter with Rashad Jennings 3 yard touchdown run, followed by a Josh Scobee extra point. Derrick Ward answered by running 35 yards for a touchdown, and Rackers was good with the extra point. The Jaguars came back with a 39 yard field goal by Scobee. Jacksonville tied the game at 17 with Trent Edwards touchdown pass to Marcades Lewis of 7 yards, and Scobee made the extra point. The Texans took a 20-17 lead into halftime with Rackers kicking a 33 yard field goal. Houston extended its lead in the third quarter with Matt Schaub throwing a touchdown to Owen Daniels for 5 yards, followed by a Rackers extra point. Foster ran a touchdown of 35 yards in the fourth quarter, with Rackers coming through with another extra point. Houston would defeat Jacksonville 34-17, improving to 6-10, and dragging the Jaguars to 8-8.
Heading to Pennsylvania, where the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys. After going scoreless in the first quarter, Philadelphia struck in the second quarter with Kevin Kolb passing to Chad Hall for 4 yards and the touchdown, followed by a David Akers extra point. Dallas tied the game when DeMarcus Ware returned a Kolb fumble 17 yards for the touchdown. David Buehler made the extra point. Things were quiet in the third quarter, but Akers kicked a fourth quarter field goal of 43 yards and another of 22 yards. Stephen McGee gave the Cowboys the lead with a touchdown pass of 4 yards to Jason Witten, and Buehler added the extra point. The Cowboys would hold onto the 14-13 lead and defeat the Eagles, improving to 6-10 for the year, dropping Philadelphia to 10-6.
Back west a bit, the Indianapolis Colts host the Tennessee Titans. Adam Vinatieri opened the scoring for Indianapolis, kicking a 48 yard field goal, but Rob Bironas answered for Tennessee with a 26 yard field goal. Vinatieri added a 44 yard field goal for the Colts in the second quarter. Bironas picked up the tying points again for the Titans, kicking a 42 yard field goal. The Colts got the first touchdown of the game in the second quarter, with Peyton Manning connecting with Reggie Wayne for 7 yards, and Vinatieri supplied the extra point. This is rare, because due to Indianapolis' recent success, Manning generally does not play in week 17. Tennessee found an equalizer with Kerry Collins finding Kenny Britt for a 21 yard touchdown, with Bironas adding the point after. The Colts were displeased, taking the lead back on a Manning touchdown of 30 yards to Pierre Garcon, followed by a Vinatieri extra point. Collins helped to retie the game with a 15 yard touchdown pass to Chris Johnson, and Bironas tacked on an extra point, tying the game at 20. Vinatieri saved it for the Colts, kicking a last second field goal of 43 yards to win 23-20, improving to 10-6 and going to the playoffs, while dropping the Titans to 6-10.
To Denver, where the Broncos host the San Diego Chargers. Tim Tebow got things started for Denver, finding the man with the utmost respect to his former teams, Brandon Lloyd, for 14 yards and the touchdown, with Steve Hauschka making the extra point. San Diego tied it with Ryan Mathews 27 yard touchdown run, and the following Nate Kaeding extra point. The Chargers took the lead on a field goal by Kaeding from 42 yards, and extended that lead with his 45 yard kick, followed by yet another from 47 yards out. Mathews ran a touchdown in for 12 yards in the third quarter, with Kaeding adding another extra point. Kaeding also added a 37 yard field goal in the third quarter. Tebow threw a touchdown pass to Eric Decker to cut the deficit for the Broncos, the 6 yard score being capped off by a Hauschka extra point. Mathews added a third touchdown run, from 31 yards this time, and Kaeding was good with extra point once more. Denver answered to make it 33-21 with a kickoff return by Cassius Vaughn of 97 yards, with Hauschka providing the extra point. Tebow ran a touchdown in late in the game as well, from 6 yards, with Hauschka adding another point after, bringing the score to 33-28 San Diego. This was the final, with the Chargers jumping up to 9-7 and the Broncos falling to 4-12.
Lastly, the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. San Francisco got on the board with Alex Smith connecting with Ted Ginn, Jr. for 37 yards. Jeff Reed was good on the extra point, and the second quarter field goal he added on from 39 yards. Arizona got on the scoreboard with John Skelton passing to Larry Fitzgerlad for 10 yards and the touchdown, followed by a Jay Feely extra point. The 49ers extended their lead with Smith's pass to Vernon Davis for 59 yards and the touchdown, followed by a Reed extra point. Brian Westbrook added two 6 yard touchdown runs for San Francisco, with Reed supplying both extra points. Tarell Brown helped the 49ers get defensive for a touchdown, intercepting Richard Bartel for 62 yards and the score, with Reed providing the extra point. The 38-7 score favoring the 49ers over the Cardinals was the final, with San Francisco improving to 6-10 and dropping Arizona to 5-11.
First off, the Green Bay Packers host the Chicago Bears. After going scoreless through the first quarter, Robbie Gould got Chicago on the board with a 30 yard field goal. Mason Crosby answered for Green Bay in the third quarter with a 23 yard field goal. Aaron Rodgers gave the Packers a lead with a 1 yard touchdown pass to Donald Lee, and Crosby made the extra point. The 10-3 scoring favoing the Packes over the Bears was the final, with Green Bay jumping up to 10-6, and Chicago falling to 11-5.
Second on the list, the Washington Redskins host the New York Giants. The Giants got the first points with a Lawrence Tynes 20 yard field goal. New York extended their lead with Brandon Jacobs 2 yard touchdown run, and Tynes was there to provide the extra point to make it 10-0. Rex Grossman helped get Washington on the board with a 1 yard touchdown pass to Fred Davis, and Graham Gano made the point after to take the score to 10-7 at halftime. Eli Manning got the Giants going again in the third quarter with a 92 yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham, with Tynes making the extra point on the big touchdown. The Redskins found the end zone again with Grossman passing to Anthony Armstrong for 64 yards and the score, and Gano added the extra point. The Giants would hold on to defeat the Redskins 17-14, improving to 10-6, and dropping Washington to 6-10.
Following that, the Houston Texans host the Jacksonville Jaguars. Houston struck first, with Arian Foster running 2 yards in for the touchdown, followed by a Neil Rackers extra point. Rackers struck with a field goal as well, from 26 yards. Jacksonville got on the board in the second quarter with Rashad Jennings 3 yard touchdown run, followed by a Josh Scobee extra point. Derrick Ward answered by running 35 yards for a touchdown, and Rackers was good with the extra point. The Jaguars came back with a 39 yard field goal by Scobee. Jacksonville tied the game at 17 with Trent Edwards touchdown pass to Marcades Lewis of 7 yards, and Scobee made the extra point. The Texans took a 20-17 lead into halftime with Rackers kicking a 33 yard field goal. Houston extended its lead in the third quarter with Matt Schaub throwing a touchdown to Owen Daniels for 5 yards, followed by a Rackers extra point. Foster ran a touchdown of 35 yards in the fourth quarter, with Rackers coming through with another extra point. Houston would defeat Jacksonville 34-17, improving to 6-10, and dragging the Jaguars to 8-8.
Heading to Pennsylvania, where the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys. After going scoreless in the first quarter, Philadelphia struck in the second quarter with Kevin Kolb passing to Chad Hall for 4 yards and the touchdown, followed by a David Akers extra point. Dallas tied the game when DeMarcus Ware returned a Kolb fumble 17 yards for the touchdown. David Buehler made the extra point. Things were quiet in the third quarter, but Akers kicked a fourth quarter field goal of 43 yards and another of 22 yards. Stephen McGee gave the Cowboys the lead with a touchdown pass of 4 yards to Jason Witten, and Buehler added the extra point. The Cowboys would hold onto the 14-13 lead and defeat the Eagles, improving to 6-10 for the year, dropping Philadelphia to 10-6.
Back west a bit, the Indianapolis Colts host the Tennessee Titans. Adam Vinatieri opened the scoring for Indianapolis, kicking a 48 yard field goal, but Rob Bironas answered for Tennessee with a 26 yard field goal. Vinatieri added a 44 yard field goal for the Colts in the second quarter. Bironas picked up the tying points again for the Titans, kicking a 42 yard field goal. The Colts got the first touchdown of the game in the second quarter, with Peyton Manning connecting with Reggie Wayne for 7 yards, and Vinatieri supplied the extra point. This is rare, because due to Indianapolis' recent success, Manning generally does not play in week 17. Tennessee found an equalizer with Kerry Collins finding Kenny Britt for a 21 yard touchdown, with Bironas adding the point after. The Colts were displeased, taking the lead back on a Manning touchdown of 30 yards to Pierre Garcon, followed by a Vinatieri extra point. Collins helped to retie the game with a 15 yard touchdown pass to Chris Johnson, and Bironas tacked on an extra point, tying the game at 20. Vinatieri saved it for the Colts, kicking a last second field goal of 43 yards to win 23-20, improving to 10-6 and going to the playoffs, while dropping the Titans to 6-10.
To Denver, where the Broncos host the San Diego Chargers. Tim Tebow got things started for Denver, finding the man with the utmost respect to his former teams, Brandon Lloyd, for 14 yards and the touchdown, with Steve Hauschka making the extra point. San Diego tied it with Ryan Mathews 27 yard touchdown run, and the following Nate Kaeding extra point. The Chargers took the lead on a field goal by Kaeding from 42 yards, and extended that lead with his 45 yard kick, followed by yet another from 47 yards out. Mathews ran a touchdown in for 12 yards in the third quarter, with Kaeding adding another extra point. Kaeding also added a 37 yard field goal in the third quarter. Tebow threw a touchdown pass to Eric Decker to cut the deficit for the Broncos, the 6 yard score being capped off by a Hauschka extra point. Mathews added a third touchdown run, from 31 yards this time, and Kaeding was good with extra point once more. Denver answered to make it 33-21 with a kickoff return by Cassius Vaughn of 97 yards, with Hauschka providing the extra point. Tebow ran a touchdown in late in the game as well, from 6 yards, with Hauschka adding another point after, bringing the score to 33-28 San Diego. This was the final, with the Chargers jumping up to 9-7 and the Broncos falling to 4-12.
Lastly, the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. San Francisco got on the board with Alex Smith connecting with Ted Ginn, Jr. for 37 yards. Jeff Reed was good on the extra point, and the second quarter field goal he added on from 39 yards. Arizona got on the scoreboard with John Skelton passing to Larry Fitzgerlad for 10 yards and the touchdown, followed by a Jay Feely extra point. The 49ers extended their lead with Smith's pass to Vernon Davis for 59 yards and the touchdown, followed by a Reed extra point. Brian Westbrook added two 6 yard touchdown runs for San Francisco, with Reed supplying both extra points. Tarell Brown helped the 49ers get defensive for a touchdown, intercepting Richard Bartel for 62 yards and the score, with Reed providing the extra point. The 38-7 score favoring the 49ers over the Cardinals was the final, with San Francisco improving to 6-10 and dropping Arizona to 5-11.
First Sandwich of 2011
To kick off the new year, nothing says 2011 like a turkey and ham on wheat, with the added bonus of bacon. The sandwich, which went untoasted despite the weather yet had the warmness of bacon on it provided an interesting flavor combination. The bread was fresh, and the meats were tasty, giving the sandwich a good appeal all around. Sandwich Showdown should continue next week.
NFL Early Games, week 17
The last week of the regular season is upon us, and with that, some teams have nothing to play for, and others are playing for the chance to get in the heralded playoffs for a chance at the Super Bowl. There are eight games early on the somewhat-butchered flex schedule today, starting off with...
The New England Patriots hosting the Miami Dolphins. New England opened the scoring with Tom Brady connecting with Rob Gronkowski for 13 yards, followed by a Shayne Graham extra point. BenJarvus Green-Ellis provided a 1 yard touchdown run as well, and after the Graham extra point, the Patriots had a 14-0 lead. Graham added a field goal for New England, from 28 yards. After Miami's Brandon Fields punted, Julian Edelman returned it 94 yards for a touchdown, with Graham making his extra point. Brady found Alge Crumpler in the third quarter for 10 yards and the touchdown, with Graham adding the point after. Coming in to relieve Brady for the rest of the regular season was Brian Hoyer, who found Brandon Tate for 42 yards and the touchdown, with another Graham extra point. The Dolphins did get on the board late in the fourth quarter, as Tyler Thigpen connected with Davone Bess for 21 yards and a touchdown, followed by a Dan Carpenter extra point. The 38-7 score favoring the Patriots was the final, who improved to 14-2, and dropped the Dolphins to 7-9.
Next up is the Detroit Lions hosting the Minnesota Vikings. Detroit opened the scoring in the second quarter with Dave Rayner kicking a 55 yard field goal. Shaun Hill extended the Lions lead with his touchdown pass of 7 yards to Nate Burleson, and Rayner added an extra point. Rayner added a 37 yard field goal in the third quarter. Minnesota got on the board with Jared Allen intercepting Hill for 36 yards and a touchdown, followed by Ryan Longwell's extra point to trim the Lions lead to 13-7. Longwell cut the lead down farther, adding a field goal for the Vikings of 27 yards. Maurice Morris got Detroit going again with a 5 yard touchdown run, followed by Rayner adding an extra point. Longwell added a 48 yard field goal, producing the eventual final that had Detroit toppling Minnesota 20-13, finishing their seasons at 6-10 each.
Following that game, the Atlanta Falcons hosted the Carolina Panthers. Atlanta put the first points on the board with Matt Ryan finding Tony Gonzalez for 6 yards, followed by a Matt Bryant extra point. The Falcons extended their lead on a punt return by Eric Weems of 55 yards after Carolina's Jason Baker punted. Matt Bryant supplied the point after. The Falcons kept scoring with Ryan finding Roddy White for 14 yards, followed by a Bryant extra point. John Kasay got the Panthers on the board in the third quarter with a 23 yard field goal, answered by Bryant, who was good from 47 yards out. Michael Turner helped Atlanta pour some more points on with a 3 yard touchdown run, followed by a Bryant extra point. Carolina added on a touchdown from Jimmy Clausen to Jeff King for 2 yards, with Kasay adding the point after, bringing us to the final of 31-10 Falcons. Atlanta went to 13-3, and Carolina fell to 2-14.
Heading to Kansas City, with the Chiefs hosting the Oakland Raiders. Kansas City dented the scoreboard first with a field goal from Ryan Succop, good from 30 yards. Oakland answered with Jason Campbell passing to Chaz Schilens for 5 yards and the score, followed by a Sebastian Janikowski extra point. Janikowksi added a 38 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Raiders before halftime. Jamaal Charles ran in for a touchdown of 5 yards, followed by a Succop extra point, but Oakland reclaimed the lead on a Michael Bush touchdown run of 26 yards, with a Janikowski extra point making it 17-10 Raiders. Jacoby Ford extended the lead for Oakland with his 10 yard touchdown run, and Janikowski added the extra point. The Raiders added another touchdown, this one coming defensively in the hands of Stanford Routt, who intercepted Matt Cassel for 22 yards and the touchdown. Janikowski made the extra point to put the score at 31-10. This was the final, and Oakland jumped up to 8-8, while Kansas City fell to 10-6.
Into Cleveland, with the Browns hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh drew first blood with Ben Roethlisberger connecting with Mike Wallace for a touchdown of 56 yards. Shaun Suisham added the extra point. The Steelers extended their lead to 14-0 with Rashard Mendenhall running 1 yard for the touchdown, followed by a Suisham extra point. Phil Dawson put Cleveland on the board with his 19 yard field goal. Pittsburgh replied with another 1 yard touchdown run from Mendenhall followed by another Suisham extra point. The Steelers added on with Roethlisberger finding Heath Miller for 4 yards and the touchdown, and made it 28-3 thanks to Suisham's extra point. Suisham kicked a 41 yard field goal late in the second quarter. Getting tricky in the third quarter was Pittsburgh, with wideout Antwaan Randle El connecting on a touchdown pass with Hines Ward for 3 yards, followed by a Suisham extra point once more. Suisham added a 24 yard field goal. The Browns registered a late touchdown in the fourth quarter, as Colt McCoy connected with Brian Robiskie for 20 yards, but the two point attempt from Seneca Wallace to Benjamin Watson failed, putting the score at 41-9 Steelers, which was the final, giving Pittsburgh a bump up to 12-4 and dropping Cleveland to 5-11.
Back east with the New York Jets hosting the Buffalo Bills. Nick Folk put New York up first with his 28 yard field goal. The Jets got defensive on their second touchdown, with Marquice Cole intercepting Buffalo quarterback Brian Brohm for 35 yards, and Folk added the extra point. Mark Brunell helped make it 17-0 for the Jets by connecting with Santonio Holmes for 17 yards, and Folk was true on the extra point. The Bills got even for the earlier interception with their own, thanks to Jairus Byrd picking off Brunell for 37 yards and the touchdown, followed by Rian Lindell adding an extra point. Brunell answered by tossing a touchdown to his own team, finding Braylon Edwards for 52 yards, with Folk adding the extra point to make it 24-7. Extending the New York lead was Kellen Clemmens, who ran a touchdown in for 10 yards, providing another Folk extra point opportunity, which was successful. Another rushing touchdown was added on for the Jets, 16 yards by John Conner, with Folk making it 38-7 with the extra point. The Jets cruised to a victory of the most recently mentioned score over the Bills, finishing the season at 11-5, and dropping the Bills to 4-12 for the end of the year.
Down south to where the New Orleans Saints host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Connor Barth put the visiting Tampa Bay up first with his 43 yard field goal. Drew Brees found the answer for New Orleans in passing 4 yards to Jimmy Graham, followed by a Garrett Hartley extra point to make it 7-3. The Buccaneers took the lead on Josh Freeman's 2 yard touchdown pass to Dezmon Briscoe, with the 10-7 score being produced after the Barth extra point. Hartley evened the score at 10 with his 45 yard field goal, but Barth answered with a 32 yard kick of his own and an extra point on the Freeman 18 yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams, putting Tampa Bay up 20-10. Hartley put the Saints within a touchdown with his 38 yard field goal in the fourth quarter, but was answered by Barth kicking a 48 yard field goal. The Buccaneers went on to beat the Saints 23-13, improving to 10-6, and the Saints falling to 11-5, with both teams watching later today for playoff hopes.
Lastly for the early games, the Baltimore Ravens host the Cincinnati Bengals. Billy Cundiff put the Ravens up first with a 25 yard field goal. Cundiff added a 47 yard field goal in the second quarter for Baltimore. Ray Rice helped make it 13-0 in the third quarter with a 7 yard touchdown run, capped off by a Cundiff extra point to make it 13-0. Cincinnati visited the end zone for the first time today when Carson Palmer connected with Jerome Simpson for 11 yards, and Clint Stitser added the extra point. The 13-7 scoring of the Ravens over the Bengals was the final, with Baltimore ending the regular season at 12-4, and Cincinnati falling to 4-12.
That's all for the morning games. Sandwich post to soon follow, along with late games at their conclusion.
The New England Patriots hosting the Miami Dolphins. New England opened the scoring with Tom Brady connecting with Rob Gronkowski for 13 yards, followed by a Shayne Graham extra point. BenJarvus Green-Ellis provided a 1 yard touchdown run as well, and after the Graham extra point, the Patriots had a 14-0 lead. Graham added a field goal for New England, from 28 yards. After Miami's Brandon Fields punted, Julian Edelman returned it 94 yards for a touchdown, with Graham making his extra point. Brady found Alge Crumpler in the third quarter for 10 yards and the touchdown, with Graham adding the point after. Coming in to relieve Brady for the rest of the regular season was Brian Hoyer, who found Brandon Tate for 42 yards and the touchdown, with another Graham extra point. The Dolphins did get on the board late in the fourth quarter, as Tyler Thigpen connected with Davone Bess for 21 yards and a touchdown, followed by a Dan Carpenter extra point. The 38-7 score favoring the Patriots was the final, who improved to 14-2, and dropped the Dolphins to 7-9.
Next up is the Detroit Lions hosting the Minnesota Vikings. Detroit opened the scoring in the second quarter with Dave Rayner kicking a 55 yard field goal. Shaun Hill extended the Lions lead with his touchdown pass of 7 yards to Nate Burleson, and Rayner added an extra point. Rayner added a 37 yard field goal in the third quarter. Minnesota got on the board with Jared Allen intercepting Hill for 36 yards and a touchdown, followed by Ryan Longwell's extra point to trim the Lions lead to 13-7. Longwell cut the lead down farther, adding a field goal for the Vikings of 27 yards. Maurice Morris got Detroit going again with a 5 yard touchdown run, followed by Rayner adding an extra point. Longwell added a 48 yard field goal, producing the eventual final that had Detroit toppling Minnesota 20-13, finishing their seasons at 6-10 each.
Following that game, the Atlanta Falcons hosted the Carolina Panthers. Atlanta put the first points on the board with Matt Ryan finding Tony Gonzalez for 6 yards, followed by a Matt Bryant extra point. The Falcons extended their lead on a punt return by Eric Weems of 55 yards after Carolina's Jason Baker punted. Matt Bryant supplied the point after. The Falcons kept scoring with Ryan finding Roddy White for 14 yards, followed by a Bryant extra point. John Kasay got the Panthers on the board in the third quarter with a 23 yard field goal, answered by Bryant, who was good from 47 yards out. Michael Turner helped Atlanta pour some more points on with a 3 yard touchdown run, followed by a Bryant extra point. Carolina added on a touchdown from Jimmy Clausen to Jeff King for 2 yards, with Kasay adding the point after, bringing us to the final of 31-10 Falcons. Atlanta went to 13-3, and Carolina fell to 2-14.
Heading to Kansas City, with the Chiefs hosting the Oakland Raiders. Kansas City dented the scoreboard first with a field goal from Ryan Succop, good from 30 yards. Oakland answered with Jason Campbell passing to Chaz Schilens for 5 yards and the score, followed by a Sebastian Janikowski extra point. Janikowksi added a 38 yard field goal to make it 10-3 Raiders before halftime. Jamaal Charles ran in for a touchdown of 5 yards, followed by a Succop extra point, but Oakland reclaimed the lead on a Michael Bush touchdown run of 26 yards, with a Janikowski extra point making it 17-10 Raiders. Jacoby Ford extended the lead for Oakland with his 10 yard touchdown run, and Janikowski added the extra point. The Raiders added another touchdown, this one coming defensively in the hands of Stanford Routt, who intercepted Matt Cassel for 22 yards and the touchdown. Janikowski made the extra point to put the score at 31-10. This was the final, and Oakland jumped up to 8-8, while Kansas City fell to 10-6.
Into Cleveland, with the Browns hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh drew first blood with Ben Roethlisberger connecting with Mike Wallace for a touchdown of 56 yards. Shaun Suisham added the extra point. The Steelers extended their lead to 14-0 with Rashard Mendenhall running 1 yard for the touchdown, followed by a Suisham extra point. Phil Dawson put Cleveland on the board with his 19 yard field goal. Pittsburgh replied with another 1 yard touchdown run from Mendenhall followed by another Suisham extra point. The Steelers added on with Roethlisberger finding Heath Miller for 4 yards and the touchdown, and made it 28-3 thanks to Suisham's extra point. Suisham kicked a 41 yard field goal late in the second quarter. Getting tricky in the third quarter was Pittsburgh, with wideout Antwaan Randle El connecting on a touchdown pass with Hines Ward for 3 yards, followed by a Suisham extra point once more. Suisham added a 24 yard field goal. The Browns registered a late touchdown in the fourth quarter, as Colt McCoy connected with Brian Robiskie for 20 yards, but the two point attempt from Seneca Wallace to Benjamin Watson failed, putting the score at 41-9 Steelers, which was the final, giving Pittsburgh a bump up to 12-4 and dropping Cleveland to 5-11.
Back east with the New York Jets hosting the Buffalo Bills. Nick Folk put New York up first with his 28 yard field goal. The Jets got defensive on their second touchdown, with Marquice Cole intercepting Buffalo quarterback Brian Brohm for 35 yards, and Folk added the extra point. Mark Brunell helped make it 17-0 for the Jets by connecting with Santonio Holmes for 17 yards, and Folk was true on the extra point. The Bills got even for the earlier interception with their own, thanks to Jairus Byrd picking off Brunell for 37 yards and the touchdown, followed by Rian Lindell adding an extra point. Brunell answered by tossing a touchdown to his own team, finding Braylon Edwards for 52 yards, with Folk adding the extra point to make it 24-7. Extending the New York lead was Kellen Clemmens, who ran a touchdown in for 10 yards, providing another Folk extra point opportunity, which was successful. Another rushing touchdown was added on for the Jets, 16 yards by John Conner, with Folk making it 38-7 with the extra point. The Jets cruised to a victory of the most recently mentioned score over the Bills, finishing the season at 11-5, and dropping the Bills to 4-12 for the end of the year.
Down south to where the New Orleans Saints host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Connor Barth put the visiting Tampa Bay up first with his 43 yard field goal. Drew Brees found the answer for New Orleans in passing 4 yards to Jimmy Graham, followed by a Garrett Hartley extra point to make it 7-3. The Buccaneers took the lead on Josh Freeman's 2 yard touchdown pass to Dezmon Briscoe, with the 10-7 score being produced after the Barth extra point. Hartley evened the score at 10 with his 45 yard field goal, but Barth answered with a 32 yard kick of his own and an extra point on the Freeman 18 yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams, putting Tampa Bay up 20-10. Hartley put the Saints within a touchdown with his 38 yard field goal in the fourth quarter, but was answered by Barth kicking a 48 yard field goal. The Buccaneers went on to beat the Saints 23-13, improving to 10-6, and the Saints falling to 11-5, with both teams watching later today for playoff hopes.
Lastly for the early games, the Baltimore Ravens host the Cincinnati Bengals. Billy Cundiff put the Ravens up first with a 25 yard field goal. Cundiff added a 47 yard field goal in the second quarter for Baltimore. Ray Rice helped make it 13-0 in the third quarter with a 7 yard touchdown run, capped off by a Cundiff extra point to make it 13-0. Cincinnati visited the end zone for the first time today when Carson Palmer connected with Jerome Simpson for 11 yards, and Clint Stitser added the extra point. The 13-7 scoring of the Ravens over the Bengals was the final, with Baltimore ending the regular season at 12-4, and Cincinnati falling to 4-12.
That's all for the morning games. Sandwich post to soon follow, along with late games at their conclusion.
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