Saturday brings us twenty-six total games to be played, and it's a miracle I'm even close to being on pace for all of them. We begin at the...
TD Garden, where the Boston Bruins hosted the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Tuukka Rask played in front of the goals. Boston led off with a Mark Recchi tally, his 14th of the season from Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Atlanta replied with a Dustin Byfuglien goal, his 20th of the year on the power play, powered by Zach Bogosian and Bryan Little. The Thrashers took the lead with Evander Kane recording his 19th of the campaign, courtesy of Nik Antropov. The Bruins retied it with the fourth of the season by Daniel Paille, a shorthanded and unassisted tally. Boston made it 3-2 on a Michael Ryder penalty shot, his 18th goal of the year, thanks to a Johnny Oduya hook. This was the final, and the three stars went to Ryder, Bergeron, and Paille.
Up in Minnesota, the Wild welcomed the Tampa Bay Lightning to Xcel Energy Center. Dwayne Roloson and Niklas Backstrom took care of the goals. Minnesota opened up with Pierre-Marc Bouchard netting his eleventh of the season, with help from Kyle Brodziak and Cal Clutterbuck. Tampa Bay replied with Ryan Malone potting his 12th of the year, thanks to Dominic Moore and Mike Lundin. Steve Downie gave the Lightning lead with his tenth of the season, created by passes from Simon Gagne and Eric Brewer. Tampa Bay made it 3-1 on a Sean Bergenheim goal, his 14th of the year, assisted by Martin St. Louis. As this was the final, the three stars went to Malone, Brodziak, and Roloson (29 for 30 saves).
To Nashville, where the Predators hosted the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Pekka Rinne tended the twine. Todd Bertuzzi and Shane O'Brien opened the game with an early fight. Nashville opened the actual scoring with a Ryan Suter power play goal, his fourth of the season powered by Mike Fisher and Patric Hornqvist. Martin Erat also struck on the power play for the Predators with his 17th of the year, via Shea Weber and Suter. Fifty-five seconds later, Nashville tacked on again with Sergei Kostitsyn notching his 20th of the season, made possible by Fisher and Matt Halischuk. Bertuzzi went again with the SOB in their second dance of the game. Detroit fed off of this a bit, as Jakub Kindl sank his second of the year, an unassisted goal. Justin Abdelkader tied it for the Red Wings with a pair of goals, his sixth and seventh of the season coming in the second and third periods, with helpers by Brad Stuart and Tomas Holmstrom on the first and Bertuzzi and Brian Rafalski on the second. The tie lasted into overtime, where Detroit won 4-3 on Danny Cleary's 25th of the year, with help from Rafalski and Henrik Zetterberg. Abdelkader, Cleary, and Suter grabbed the three stars.
Finishing the matinees, the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Jonathan Quick played between the pipes. Los Angeles opened the scoring in the second period with Wayne Simmonds potting his 14th of the season, courtesy of Willie Mitchell and Trevor Lewis. Dallas replied with Brad Richards registering his 26th of the year, thanks to Jamie Benn and Alex Goligoski. The Kings took the lead again with Matt Greene getting his second of the season, helped along by Simmonds and Kyle Clifford. Los Angeles secured victory at a 3-1 margin with Dustin Brown potting his 28th of the year into the empty net, coming off of Jarret Stoll. Simmonds, Drew Doughty, and Stephane Robidas got the three stars.
In an Eastern Canada battle, the Ottawa Senators hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Craig Anderson took control of the blue paint spaces. Toronto opened with the 30th of the season for Phil Kessel, assisted by Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur. The Maple Leafs extended their lead with Nazem Kadri getting his third of the year, an unassisted goal. Ottawa got on the board with the 18th of the season by Jason Spezza, helped out by Bobby Butler. Spezza tied it for the Senators in the third period with his second of the game and 19th of the year, a power play goal off of Andre Benoit and Patrick Wiercioch. Toronto took the lead back with Tyler Bozak's 14th of the season on the power play, powered by Joffrey Lupul and Carl Gunnarsson. The Maple Leafs secured a 4-2 victory with the 29th of the year by Nikolai Kulemin, guided in by MacArthur. Kessel, Spezza, and MacArthur got the three stars.
Down to New Jersey, where the Devils hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Martin Brodeur tended the twines. Montreal took the early lead with Mathieu Darche netting his eleventh of the season, courtesy of Brian Gionta and Hal Gill. The Canadiens extended their lead on the power play in the third period as P.K. Subban notched his 13th of the year, thanks to Tomas Plekanec and Michael Cammalleri. Darche moved Montreal a bit further with his second of the game and the 12th of his season, assisted by Gionta and Scott Gomez. New Jersey got on the board with Ilya Kovalchuk notching his 29th of the year, helped along by Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus. Darche, Price (20 for 21 saves), and Brodeur (26 for 29 saves) got the three stars.
To Washington, D.C., where the Capitals hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirth played in the creases. Washington was the first on the board with Mike Knuble getting his 22nd of the season, assisted by John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin. Alexander Semin extended the lead for the Capitals with his 28th of the year, made possible by Nicklas Backstrom and Marco Sturm. Buffalo entered the scoring with Thomas Vanek potting his 28th of the season, thanks to Jason Pominville and Chris Butler. The Sabres tied it on Drew Stafford's 29th of the year, with helpers provided by Brad Boyes and Tyler Myers. Paul Gaustad gave Buffalo the lead in the third period after a scoreless second, his eleventh of the season gathering steam off of Nathan Gerbe and Mike Weber. Knuble replied with his second of the game and 23rd of the year, a power play goal from Brooks Laich and Backstrom. Stafford put the Sabres back on top with his second of the game and 30th of the season, also a power play goal, coming off of Tim Connolly. The Capitals found another equalizer, the 17th of the year by Jason Arnott, a power play goal powered by Ovechkin and Semin. Ovechkin tallied in the ensuing overtime, his 30th of the campaign created by Carlson and Backstorm, the latter of which made a sock trick, to win it 5-4 for Washington over Buffalo. The three stars were Ovechkin, Knuble, and Arnott.
Also being played was a game in south Florida between the Panthers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brent Johnson and Scott Clemmensen guarded the goals. Pittsburgh opened with the 20th of the season by Tyler Kennedy, with help from Jordan Staal and Chris Kunitz. Florida replied on the eighth of the year for Jack Skille, guided in by Marty Reasoner and Dmitry Kulikov. Twenty-two seconds later, the Panthers had a lead on the third of the season by Clay Wilson, assisted by Sergei Samsonov and Mike Weaver. The Penguins retied it in the second period with Pascal Dupuis recording his 14th of the year, thanks to Max Talbot and Chris Conner. Pittsburgh took the lead when Zbynek Michalek put his fourth of the season into the twine, helped along by Paul Martin and Staal. Craig Adams secured a 4-2 victory with his fourth of the year, coming off of Staal and Ben Lovejoy into the empty net, giving Staal a sock trick. Staal, Michalek, and Skille got the three stars.
Back north, the New York Islanders hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Al Montoya were given goaltending duties. Carolina took the early lead with Jussi Jokinen potting his 18th of the season off of Joe Corvo and Derek Joslin. New York answered with Jesse Joensuu recording his sixth of the year, thanks to Jack Hillen. The Islanders took the lead on John Tavares' 28th of the season, made possible by Matt Moulson and Dylan Reese. The Hurricanes retied it in the third period with Corvo notching his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Tim Gleason and Tuomo Ruutu. Carolina took the lead with Erik Cole getting his 24th of the season, with assists from Eric Staal and Corvo. Staal secured a 4-2 victory with his 32nd of the year into the empty net, an unassisted goal. The three stars went to Cole, Corvo, and Tavares.
Into British Columbia, where the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Edmonton Oilers. Devan Dubnyk and Cory Schneider were called for starting. Edmonton was the first on the board with Kurtis Foster on the power play, his seventh of the season getting helper out by Ryan Jones and Jordan Eberle. Eberle tallied on the power play in the second period with his 18th of the year for the Oilers, thanks to Andrew Cogliano and Foster. Edmonton extended the lead again with Linus Omark recording his fifth of the season, with helpers provided by Teemu Hartikainen and Cogliano. Vancouver got on the board with Alexandre Burrows notching his 25th of the campaign, assisted by Henrik Sedin and Kevin Bieksa. Magnus Paajarvi secured victory at 4-1 for the Oilers with his 13th of the year, made possible by Omark and Chris Vandevelde. Omark, Dubnyk (40 for 41 saves), and Foster got the three stars.
Down the coast to San Jose, where the Sharks hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Ray Emery and Antti Niemi tended the twines. Anaheim opened the scoring with the 34th of the season by Bobby Ryan, assisted by Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. The Ducks extended their lead with Lubomir Visnovsky's 17th of the year, courtesy of Cam Fowler and Perry on the power play. San Jose got on the board with the 25th of the season Dany Heatley, with help from Ryane Clowe and Douglas Murray. Patrick Marleau tied it for the Sharks with his 36th of the year, with assists coming from Devin Setoguchi and Dan Boyle. Setoguchi gave San Jose the lead on his 21st of the season, a power play goal powered by Boyle and Marleau. Marleau made it 4-2, the eventual final, with his second of the game and 37th of the year, an empty netter off of Joe Pavelski and Setoguchi. Setoguchi, Murray, and Marleau got the three stars.
To baseball, beginning in...
Cleveland, with the Indians hosting the Chicago White Sox. Edwin Jackson opposed Carlos Carrasco. Chicago got the early lead with Paul Konerko's sacrifice fly to knock in Gordon Beckham. The White Sox continued in the second inning with Alexei Ramirez singling to drive in Carlos Quentin, and he finished his trip as did Brent Morel on Beckham's single. Adam Dunn also brought in Juan Pierre with his groundout to first. Cleveland got on the board in the bottom half of the same inning with a Travis Hafner home run, a solo shot, followed by Jack Hannahan eventually using a single to bring Orlando Cabrera and Travis Buck back around. Chicago did some more scoring in the sixth inning, with Pierre's single to drive in Morel, but Pierre was caught trying to get to second base. Quentin doubled in the next inning to make it 8-3 as Konerko and Alex Rios scored. Carrasco was pinned for the loss, and Jackson got the win. Quentin and Hafner were the top batters.
To Washington, where the Nationals hosted the Atlanta Braves. Tommy Hanson and John Lannan took the mound. Danny Espinosa put Washington up first with a sacrifice fly to score Michael Morse. Atlanta answered in the third inning with Chipper Jones' single to get Nate McLouth across the plate. The Nationals did some work on the other half of the inning, with Morse's sacrifice fly bringing in Jayson Werth, and Rick Ankiel's two run homer, which also scored Ryan Zimmerman. The Braves kept it close in the sixth inning with a solo shot by Dan Uggla. Ankiel produced another Zimmerman run with his sacrifice to the pitcher. Alex Gonzalez also sent one out of the field of play for Atlanta in the eighth inning. Washington made it 6-3 with a Zimmerman single in the bottom of the eighth, knocking in Ian Desmond. This score was final, with the win going to Lannan, holds going to Chad Gaudin, Tyler Clippard, and Drew Storen, and the save went to Sean Burnett. Hanson took the loss. Gonzalez and Ankiel were given top hitter status.
Onto the North Side of Chicago, where the Cubs hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates. Paul Maholm and Carlos Zambrano were on the mound. Pittsburgh was on the board in the first inning with Pedro Alvarez's single to bring in Jose Tabata. Tabata also scored for the Pirates with his run off of Neil Walker's double in the third. Garrett Jones added on a solo tater for Pittsburgh in the seventh inning. Chicago exploded in the eighth inning with a ground rule double by Starlin Castro to bring in Kosuke Fukudome, followed by Marlon Byrd reaching on a Lyle Overbay fielding error, allowing Castro to score, with Byrd then scoring on an Alfonso Soriano single, topped off by a Blake DeWitt double to bring in Geovany Soto and Soriano, making it 5-3, which would be the final. Jose Veras got credit for a hold, but Evan Meek took a blown save and a loss in the Pittsburgh side, while the Cubs got the win for Sean Marshall and the save for Carlos Marmol. Jones and Castro were the top hitters.
Up to Toronto, with the Blue Jays hosting the Minnesota Twins. Francisco Liriano and Kyle Drabek got the starting duties. Jose Molina led off the scoring for Toronto with a solo home run in the third inning. Minnesota replied as Justin Morneau grounded out to drive in Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Jayson Nix replied for the Blue Jays with a solo home run. Toronto continued in the fifth inning with an Edwin Encarnacion single that brought in Jose Bautista, followed by a Travis Snider double to score Adam Lind and Encarnacion. Aaron Hill topped it off with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, making it 6-1 Blue Jays as Molina scored. Drabek took the win while Liriano took the loss. Denard Span and Molina were given the status of best hitters.
To Kansas City, where the Royals hosted the Los Angeles Angels. Ervin Santana and Kyle Davies made the starts. Los Angeles opened with a Torii Hunter home run in the fourth inning. Kansas City replied in the fifth inning with Chris Getz singling to first and bringing in Jeff Francoeur. Alcides Escobar continued it with a fielder's choice, taking Getz off the basepaths with an out, but knocking in Wilson Betemit. The Angels did a little more in the sixth inning with Vernon Wells singling to bring around Bobby Abreu, and then reaching second on a throw. Alberto Collaspo then scored Hunter with a single, and Wells completed his trip on a fielder's choice by Erick Aybar, taking Callaspo off. A pair of singles in the eighth inning gave the Royals a 5-4 lead, with Matt Treanor and Getz knocking in Billy Butler and Jarrod Dyson, respectively. This would be the final, with Aaron Crow getting the win and Joakim Soria getting the save. Hisanori Takahashi took a hold and Kevin Jepsen got dinged for a loss and blown save for Los Angeles. Aybar and Getz had the best batting.
Onward to Los Angeles, where the Dodgers hosted the San Francisco Giants. Matt Cain and Ted Lilly took the mound as starters. The scoring was opened in the third by San Francisco, with Miguel Tejada grounding out but bringing in Mark DeRosa. Tejada also fueled the Giants work in the fifth inning, with his single to score Aaron Rowand, and subsequent advance to second on the throwing error. He finished his trip on the Freddy Sanchez double, and Sanchez did the same with a single by Aubrey Huff. DeRosa got San Francisco scoring again in the sixth, knocking in Brandon Belt with his double, and completing the trip on a Sanchez single. Huff provided a 2-RBI single this time, bringing Cain and Tejada back across the plate. The Giants got a homer from Sanchez in the eighth inning, and capped the scoring 10-0 with DeRosa grounding out in the ninth but giving time for an Andres Torres dash to home. Cain took the win while Lilly took the loss. The best batters were Sanchez and Andre Ethier.
Back east to the Bronx, where the New York Yankees hosted the Detroit Tigers. Brad Penny and A.J. Burnett squared off in pitching. New York got off to a quick start in the first inning, with Alex Rodriguez doubling to bring in Derek Jeter, followed by Robinson Cano singling for an RBI as Mark Teixeira crossed, and then Rodriguez finishing his trip around with Nick Swisher's sacrifice fly. The Yankees clustered three runs in the second inning on a Teixeira home run, which also scored Brett Gardner and Jeter. Detroit got on the board with a solo shot by Austin Jackson in the third. The Tigers added on in the fifth with an Alex Avila single, knocking in Brennan Boesch, followed by a groundout from Will Rhymes to score Jhonny Peralta. New York picked up three more runs with Russell Martin smacking a ball out of the field of play, with Cano and Jorge Posada being the men on base at the time. The Yankees followed with Rodriguez hitting a solo shot in the sixth. Victor Martinez added on for Detroit with his two-run tater in the eighth inning, bringing around Don Kelly. The Tigers got one more run, but fell short 10-6 in the ninth with Ryan Raburn reaching on an error, also causing Avila to reach home safely. Penny took the loss, while Burnett took the win and Mariano Rivera got credit for the save.
Moving along to St. Louis, where the Cardinals hosted the San Diego Padres. Clayton Richard and Jake Westbrook got the ball. St. Louis opened the scoring in the first with Allen Craig singling to bring in Colby Rasmus and David Freese. San Diego had a reply in the second inning with a Nick Hundley single to drive in Ryan Ludwick, followed by Richard's sacrifice to the catcher that scored Cameron Maybin. The Cardinals retook the lead with a solo home run by Albert Pujols in the third inning, which was met by a Hundley triple in the fourth that brought around Ludwick again. The Padres added some serious damage in the fifth inning, with Ludwick walking while the bases were full to score Will Venable, followed by chase Headley singling to welcome Jason Bartlett and Brad Hawpe back to the dugout, followed by Maybin doubling to complete Ludwick's trip, and Headley coming through on Richard getting walked, finally ending the scoring with Venable bringing in Maybin on a sacrifice fly. This was a 6-run inning. For good measure, San Diego capped off a 11-3 throttling of St. Louis with a two-run homer by Headley that scored Ludwick for the fourth time in the game. Richard easily took the win, as easily as Westbrook was the losing pitcher.
Next up, the Tampa Bay Rays hosted the Baltimore Orioles. Chris Tillman and James Shields took the mound. The scoring started late with Baltimore striking first in the eighth inning on a three-run bomb by Brian Roberts, also bringing around Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy. Tampa Bay answered in their half of the inning with an RBI single from Manny Ramirez that allowed safe passage home for Elliot Johnson. The final eventually stood at 3-1, with the win going to Jeremy Accardo, holds going to Michael Gonzalez and Koji Uehara, and the save to Kevin Gregg. The losing pitcher was Shields. Roberts and B.J. Upton were the top hitters.
To Cincinnati, where the Reds hosted the Milwaukee Brewers. Shaun Marcum and Travis Wood were the pitchers. Cincinnati got out to an early lead with a two-run home run by Scott Rolen, which knocked in Joey Votto. The Reds continued in the second inning with a Drew Stubbs triple that drove in Ryan Hanigan, and then Stubbs scored on Rickie Weeks' throwing error that got Votto on first. Milwaukee got on the board in the fifth inning with Erick Almonte sending a ball over the fence. The Brewers also got Casey McGehee to bat Ryan Braun in home during the ninth, but only getting the score to a 4-2 loss for them. Marcum got dinged for the loss, while the win went to Wood, the lone hold went to Nick Masset, and Francisco Cordero grabbed the save. Almonte and Rolen were given the honor of top batters.
Southward to Florida, where the Marlins hosted the New York Mets. Jonathan Niese and Ricky Nolasco made the starts. Florida led off in the first inning with Logan Morrison singling to bring around both Omar Infante and Hanley Ramirez. New York got on the board with a solo home run by David Wright in the fourth inning. The Mets tied it with Ike Davis doubling to center to score Carlos Beltran. Josh Thole put New York in front with his single to score Chin-lung Hu. Greg Dobbs answered for the Marlins with a single knocking in Brett Hayes. In extra innings, the Mets took the lead with Wright's single to bat in Jose Reyes, followed by a Will Harris double that brought both Angel Pagan and Wright across the plate. Hayes answered for Florida by using a single to bring in Gaby Sanchez, but they ran out of runs and lost 6-4. Francisco Rodriguez got a blown save but a win, and the save went to Blaine Boyer. Ryan Webb took the loss. Wright and Morrison were the top hitters.
West to Texas, where the Rangers hosted the Boston Red Sox. John Lackey and Colby Lewis took to the mound. Texas jumped up early with an Ian Kinsler home run, a solo shot. Boston took the lead with a two-run David Ortiz homer, bringing around Adrian Gonzalez. The Rangers got back to business in the third inning, with Elvis Andrus lining a triple to score Kinsler, and then completing his trip around the horn with a Josh Hamilton single. Gonzalez crossed the plate again in the fourth inning on an Ortiz groundout. Texas responded in the bottom half of the inning with Julio Borbon tripling to bring around Yorvit Torrealba, before Andrus used a double to bring him in, capped off by Adrian Beltre's grand slam to score Kinsler, Andrus, and Hamilton for a 6-run inning. Torrealba blasted his own homer out of the park in the fifth, a two run shot to score Mitch Moreland. Nelson Cruz followed this up for the Rangers with a solo home run in the sixth inning. The Red Sox got two more runs with Jacoby Ellsbury going out of the yard, bringing around Jarrod Saltalamacchia. This brought up the final of 12-5 Texas over Boston. Lackey was designated as the loser, with Lewis picking up the win. Ortiz and Andrus were the best hitters.
Onto Colorado, where the Rockies welcomed the Arizona Diamondbacks. Daniel Hudson opposed Jorge De La Rosa. Colorado opened the scoring in the third inning with a Dexter Fowler double to score Chris Iannetta. Iannetta extended the Rockies lead with his own double to knock in Jose Lopez, and then crossed home himself on a single by De La Rosa. Arizona avoided the shutout in the ninth inning with Ryan Roberts' single, bringing in Justin Upton. The final stood at 3-1, with Hudson taking the loss, De La Rosa getting the win, Matt Belisle and Rafael Betancourt getting holds, and Huston Street recording the save. Roberts and Iannetta earned top marks for hitting.
Finally, in Oakland, where the Athletics hosted the Seattle Mariners. Jason Vargas and Brett Anderson were handed the ball. Oakland was on the board first with David DeJesus' groundout that brought in Cliff Pennington. Seattle replied with a sixth inning Jack Cust single to score Milton Bradley (and to him, it's MORE than just a game). The Mariners added on with Michael Saunders sacrifice fly in the next inning, knocking in Brendan Ryan. The Athletics got an equalizer from a Josh Willingham single to bring Coco Crisp home. Seattle took off in the ninth inning with Ichiro hitting a single to bring in Jack Wilson, and Miguel Olivo reaching third as Daric Barton misfielded a ball. Olivo reached home on a Brian Fuentes wild pitch, which brought Ichiro up a base as well. Ichiro completed his trip and made it 5-2 by crossing home on the Chone Figgins sacrifice fly. For the pitching stats, Jamey Wright got a hold, Chris Ray took both a blown save and a win, and Brandon League converted a save. Fuentes took the loss. Ichiro and Barton were the top hitters.
For those of you actually reading this outro, thank you very much. We have had a lot of readership lately, so I'd love it to be kept at a high standard. More posts are to come as expected, but they may be delayed, so patience is the best thing for the readers right now.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Friday Hockey + Baseball
There were a total of four hockey games and many more baseball games (forgot to count, and probably don't have the time to), and we started in the Nationwide Arena...
Of Columbus, Ohio, where the Blue Jackets hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Mathieu Garon took control of the nets. Chicago opened the scoring with Patrick Kane netting his 26th of the season, assisted by Chris Campoli and Nick Leddy. Brent Seabrook extended the Blackhawks lead on the power play with his seventh of the year, courtesy of Kane and Marian Hossa. Columbus got on the board with Maxsim Mayorov potting his first of the season, with help from Anton Stralman and Antoine Vermette. The Blue Jackets tied it with Derick Brassard on the power play, his 16th of the year powered by Stralman and Vermette. Columbus took the lead with Samuel Pahlsson notching his seventh of the season, with Stralman getting a sock trick and Sami Lepisto taking the secondary assist. Bryan Bickell used his 17th of the year to tie it for Chicago, with Duncan Keith grabbing the lone helper. The tie lasted into a shootout, where the Blackhawks beat the Blue Jackets on Viktor Stalberg's lone tally. Stralman, Crawford (31 for 34 saves), and Vermette grabbed the three stars.
Heading back east to New Jersey, where the Devils hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Johan Hedberg played in front of the cages. Philadelphia opened up the scoring with James van Riemsdyk getting his 20th of the season, with helpers provided by Mike Richards and Andrej Meszaros. New Jersey grabbed the lead in the second period with a pair of Patrik Elias goals, his 17th and 18th of the campaign, with Brian Rolston helping out on both goals, and Henrik Tallinder grabbing the secondary assist on the earlier even-strength goal. The Flyers tied it with Jeff Carter's 36th of the year, courtesy of Nikolay Zherdev and Claude Giroux. The Devils reclaimed the lead with a Nick Palmieri goal, his eighth of the season made possible by Ilya Kovalchuk and Travis Zajac. Elias wrapped up the scoring at 4-2, completing his hat trick with his 19th of the year, allowing Rolston to secure a sock trick and Dainius Zubrus picked up the other assist. The three stars went to Elias, Palmieri and Rolston.
Back west, the St. Louis Blues hosted the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and Jaroslav Halak tended the twine. St. Louis opened with Matt D'Agostini notching his 21st of the season on the power play, assisted by David Backes and Kevin Shattenkirk. Backes extended the Blues' lead with his 29th of the year, coming off of Shattenkirk and the ever-preoccupied T.J. Oshie. Calgary got on the board with Jarome Iginla netting his 38th of the campaign, with help from Alex Tanguay and Mark Giordano. Tanguay tied it for the Flames with his 20th of the season, thanks to Iginla and Daymond Langkow, who returned after a career-threatening injury from last season. Iginla put Calgary in front with his second of the game and 39th of the year, helped along by Tanguay. This score would later be the final, with Iginla, Backes, and Tanguay grabbing the three stars.
Hockey wraps up in Phoenix, with the Coyotes hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Budaj and Ilya Bryagalov made the starts in goal. Colorado opened up with Philippe Dupuis registering his fifth of the season, coming off of Jay McClement and Ryan O'Reilly. McClement extended the Avalanche lead with his seventh of the year, assisted by Daniel Winnik and Cody McLeod. Phoenix entered the scoring with Lee Stempniak potting his 18th of the season, an unassisted goal. The Coyotes tied it with a Ray Whitney goal, his 16th of the year, helped along by Eric Belanger and Shane Doan. Doan added on a goal to put Phoenix in front, his 19th of the season coming on the power play from Whitney and Keith Yandle. O'Reilly tied it again for Colorado with his 12th of the year, from Kevin Porter and John-Michael Liles. The tie lasted into the shootout, where O'Reilly's lone tally put the Avalanche on top of the Coyotes 4-3. Whitney, Doan, and Stempniak got the three stars.
The baseball games began in...
Philadelphia, with the Phillies hosting the Houston Astros. Brett Myers took the mound against his former teammates and most notably, Roy Halladay. Houston finally got the opening runs in the sixth inning, with Bill Hall grounding out and allowing Angel Sanchez to come around for a run. The Astros kept it up in the seventh inning with Michael Bourn's two-run double, the two runs being Brett Wallace and Humberto Quintero. Sanchez also boosted the Houston score that inning with a sacrifice fly, allowing Bourn to cover the other two bases. Philadelphia started accumulating an answer in the bottom half of that inning with Ryan Howard's sacrifice fly scoring Placido Polanco and moving Jimmy Rollins to third, where he would score on the Raul Ibanez groundout to first. The Phillies got to work in the bottom of the ninth with singles by Ben Francisco, Wilson Valdez, and John Mayberry, bringing Rollins, Howard, and the winning run Francisco home for a 5-4 victory. The pitchers earning stats were Wilton Lopez with a hold before the closer Brandon Lyon blew a save and lost the game for Houston, giving the win to Danys Baez for Philadelphia. Bourn and Valdez were the top hitters.
Over to Chicago, where the Cubs hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. Kevin Correia and Ryan Dempster took the mounds as starters. Chicago got the early jump as Pedro Alvarez struggled to shake the spring jitters and committed an error, allowing Marlon Byrd to reach second and Starlin Castro to score. The Cubs benefited again with Carlos Pena's grounding into a fielder's choice, scoring Castro once again, although Aramis Ramirez was out at second. Pittsburgh made up for earlier shortcomings with Neil Walker hitting a grand slam, bringing around Ryan Doumit, Ronny Cedeno, and Jose Tabata. The Pirates extended the lead with a seventh inning two run homer from Andrew McCutchen, scoring Walker as well. The Cubs got one additional run, on Kosuke Fukudome's single that knocked in Darwin Barney, the evolutionary purple dinosaur. This left the score at its final, 6-3 in favor of Pittsburgh, whose pitchers went as follows: Correia for the win, holds to Jose Veras and Evan Meek, and the save by Joel Hanrahan. Dempster was the losing pitcher. Walker and Castro earned the top batter marks.
Into Cleveland, where the Indians hosted the Chicago White Sox. Mark Buehrle and Fausto Carmona were given opening day duty. Chicago opened the scoring with Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin singles, with Juan Pierre and Gordon Beckham crossing home plate. The White Sox had a pair of two run homers in the third inning, with Adam Dunn bringing Beckham in and Quentin doing the same for Konerko. Chicago got a huge boost again in the fourth inning, with Dunn and Quentin both hitting two-RBI doubles, scoring Brent Morel, Pierre, Beckham, and Dunn. They continued in the same frame with A.J. Pierzynski's single, allowing Konerko to cross the plate, followed by Alexei Ramirez's double bringing Quentin around and finishing the scoring for that inning with Morel's double to allow Pierzynski and Ramirez safe passage. After this barrage, the score was 14-0 for the White Sox. Cleveland woke up in the sixth inning, as Carlos Santana (not a guitarist by any means) sent Jack Hannahan to the plate. Travis Hafner followed with a single, as did Orlando Cabrera, bringing around Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo, and Santana himself. The Indians continued in the seventh inning with homers by Hannahan and Santana, with the earlier one being a solo shot, and the other being a two-run tater bring Asdrubal back in. Chicago got back to scoring in the eighth inning with Pierzynski's shallow single to score Lastings Milledge, answered by a Michael Brantley double in the other half of the inning for Cleveland, scoring Matt LaPorta and Hannahan. The Indians brought the score to 15-10 with LaPorta's single that knocked Hafner in during the ninth, but no more runs were scored and they lost, although not as badly as they could have. Buehrle got the win while Carmona took the loss. The top batters were officially Quentin and Santana, although both teams had no trouble smacking the sphere.
We go down to Arlington, Texas, where the Rangers hosted the Boston Red Sox. Jon Lester and C.J. Wilson took the mounds after the Anthem. Boston opened the game up early with Kevin Youkilis hitting a double that brought Jacoby Ellsbury in. Adrian Gonzalez also had a single to complete the trip for Youkilis, but he got greedy and was out at second base. Ian Kinsler added a reply for Texas in the bottom of the first on a solo home run. Nelson Cruz also homered with his second inning solo shot to tie the game for the Rangers. The Red Sox retook the lead on another Gonzalez single, allowing Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia to cross the plate. Texas took the lead with a three-run homer off the bat of Mike Napoli in the fourth inning, bringing in Adrian Beltre and Cruz. Boston tied the game with a solo home run by David Ortiz in the eighth inning. On the flipside of that inning, the Rangers got busy with doubles by David Murphy, Elvis Andrus, and Josh Hamilton, bringing in runs for Napoli, Yorvit Torrealba, Murphy, and Andrus. This brought the score to its eventual final of 9-5 Texas. To credit the pitchers, Daniel Bard took the loss, Mark Lowe and Arthur Rhodes had holds, and Darren Oliver was tacked for a blown save and a win. Gonzalez and Napoli were the top batters for the game.
Moving along to Colorado, where the Rockies hosted the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ian Kennedy and Ubaldo Jimenez were on the mound. Colorado opened it up in their half of the first, on a Seth Smith double to bring Dexter Fowler in, followed by a Todd Helton sacrifice fly that completed the trip around the bases for Smith. Arizona provided some answer with Gerardo Parra's double, allowing Miguel Montero to reach home in the second inning. Fowler singled in the other half of the second to gain the run back, as Chris Iannetta scored. The Diamondbacks took the lead on Justin Upton's three run homer, bringing Kennedy and Willie Bloomquist around. Arizona had a two run shot the next inning as Montero hit over the fence, accompanying Melvin Mora at the plate. Jose Lopez had a solo home run for the Rockies in the sixth inning, and hit a single that brought Helton in during the seventh. This tied the game until the eleventh inning, where Bloomquist's steal of second base shook up the Colorado defense, allowing Parra to reach home on the wild throw. On the Arizona side, Juan Gutierrez was tacked for a blown save, Sam Demel got the win, and J.J. Putz picked up the save. Matt Reynolds was the losing pitcher for Colorado. Montero and Lopez were the top hitters.
Up to Toronto, where the Blue Jays hosted the Minnesota Twins. Carl Pavano and Ricky Romero were the dueling pitchers. Toronto took no time to open the scoring, recording big in the first with Adam Lind getting beaned, scoring Rajai Davis, followed by Aaron Hill's sacrifice fly to bring Yunel Escobar in. Edwin Encarnacion followed suit, which brought Jose Bautista back across the plate. Travis Snider also helped produce a run on Tsuyoshi Nishioka's fielding error, which brought Lind home. The Blue Jays extended their lead with a two run homer by J.P. Arencibia, also bringing Snider in. Bautista and Lind sent a pair over the fence in the fifth inning as well for Toronto, followed by triple for Arencibia bringing Snider and Juan Rivera in. Minnesota was finally allowed to score in the seventh inning, with Encarnacion having a fielding error, allowing Danny Valencia on base and Delmon Young to cross safely at the plate. Alexi Casilla hit a double for the Twins in the same inning, knocking Jason Kubel in for a run, and Valencia scored on Denard Span's groundout to first. The Blue Jays wrapped things up in the eighth inning with another homer by Arencibia, a solo shot, as well as Lind's single bringing Escobar around, and Bautista scoring on John McDonald's sacrifice fly to produce a 13-3 final. Pavano took the loss and Romero earned the win. Span and Arencibia were the top batters.
Down to Florida, where the Marlins hosted the New York Mets. Mike Pelfrey and Josh Johnson got the ball. Florida opened up with a John Buck grand slam in the fourth inning, knocking in Mike Stanton, Gaby Sanchez, and Logan Morrison. The Marlins added on in the next inning as Sanchez singled to score Hanley Ramirez. New York entered the scoring in the seventh inning with a Carlos Beltran double to bring Willie Harris around, and the following groundout by Ike Davis that allowed Beltran to complete his trip. Florida secured a 6-2 win in the eighth inning with a solo home run by Morrison. Pelfrey was dinged for the loss, while holds went to Mike Dunn and Clay Hensley, and the win was given to Johnson. Harris and Buck were designated the best hitters.
Staying in the state, the Tampa Bay Rays hosted the Baltimore Orioles. Jeremy Guthrie and David Price threw the ball. Baltimore was the first on the board with a third inning single by Nick Markakis that drove in J.J. Hardy. Brian Roberts helped the Orioles cause with a triple in the fifth inning, batting in Matt Wieters and Hardy, followed by a Markakis sacrifice fly to complete the trip around the bases for Roberts. Tampa Bay avoided the shutout with a solo home run by Ben Zobrist, making it a 4-1 final. Guthrie grabbed the win while Price took the loss. Roberts and Zobrist were the top hitters.
Into Missouri, where the Kansas City Royals hosted the Los Angeles Angels. Dan Haren and Jeff Francis started the pitching. Howie Kendrick gave Los Angeles the early lead with his solo home run in the first inning. Kansas City replied with a Jeff Francoeur groundout that scored Billy Butler. The Royals broke the tie in the bottom of the ninth with a solo shot off the bat of Kila Ka'aihue. The win went to Joakim Soria, while the loss went to Michael Kohn. Kendrick and Ka'aihue got top batter status.
Out west to Oakland, with the Athletics hosting the Seattle Mariners. Felix Hernandez and Trevor Cahill took the mound. Oakland got on the board first with a two-run homer by Josh Willingham, also scoring Coco Crisp (the cereal center-fielder). Seattle was on the board in the third inning with a Jack Cust walk forcing Ichiro in. Ichiro singled in the sixth inning as well, knocking Brendan Ryan around the rest of his bases, before Chone Figgins sent a solo shot out of the park. The Mariners did some damage in the seventh inning, as Miguel Olivo reached on a fielding error, also bringing Cust into score. Adding insult to injury, Brad Ziegler committed a throwing error that brought Justin Smoak back across the plate. Olivo finished his trip on Ryan's fielder's choice, on which he made first base. This brought the score to its final, 6-2 Seattle, with Hernandez taking credit for a complete game win, and Craig Breslow taking both the blown save and the loss. Figgins and Willingham were the top batters.
Finally, the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the San Francisco Giants. Jonathan Sanchez went toe-to-toe with Chad Billingsley. Los Angeles was the first on the board a Matt Kemp ground rule double, scoring Billingsley. San Francisco went in front with a three-run homer by rookie Brandon Belt, clearing the bases of Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval. The Dodgers got busy in the sixth inning with Kemp reaching home on James Loney's sacrifice fly, followed by Hector Gimenez reaching on a Sanchez throwing error forcing Rod Barajas into home, and lastly by Rafael Furcal's single to complete the trip around the bases for Aaron Miles. This brought the score to 4-3, which was the final, crediting Sanchez with the loss, Billingsley with the win, Blake Hawksworth and Matt Guerrier for the holds, and a Jonathan Broxton save. Belt and Kemp took the top batter honors.
That's all for April Fool's Day, and that's certainly no joke. Saturday is packed, with a full slate of baseball along with eleven games of hockey.
Of Columbus, Ohio, where the Blue Jackets hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Mathieu Garon took control of the nets. Chicago opened the scoring with Patrick Kane netting his 26th of the season, assisted by Chris Campoli and Nick Leddy. Brent Seabrook extended the Blackhawks lead on the power play with his seventh of the year, courtesy of Kane and Marian Hossa. Columbus got on the board with Maxsim Mayorov potting his first of the season, with help from Anton Stralman and Antoine Vermette. The Blue Jackets tied it with Derick Brassard on the power play, his 16th of the year powered by Stralman and Vermette. Columbus took the lead with Samuel Pahlsson notching his seventh of the season, with Stralman getting a sock trick and Sami Lepisto taking the secondary assist. Bryan Bickell used his 17th of the year to tie it for Chicago, with Duncan Keith grabbing the lone helper. The tie lasted into a shootout, where the Blackhawks beat the Blue Jackets on Viktor Stalberg's lone tally. Stralman, Crawford (31 for 34 saves), and Vermette grabbed the three stars.
Heading back east to New Jersey, where the Devils hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Johan Hedberg played in front of the cages. Philadelphia opened up the scoring with James van Riemsdyk getting his 20th of the season, with helpers provided by Mike Richards and Andrej Meszaros. New Jersey grabbed the lead in the second period with a pair of Patrik Elias goals, his 17th and 18th of the campaign, with Brian Rolston helping out on both goals, and Henrik Tallinder grabbing the secondary assist on the earlier even-strength goal. The Flyers tied it with Jeff Carter's 36th of the year, courtesy of Nikolay Zherdev and Claude Giroux. The Devils reclaimed the lead with a Nick Palmieri goal, his eighth of the season made possible by Ilya Kovalchuk and Travis Zajac. Elias wrapped up the scoring at 4-2, completing his hat trick with his 19th of the year, allowing Rolston to secure a sock trick and Dainius Zubrus picked up the other assist. The three stars went to Elias, Palmieri and Rolston.
Back west, the St. Louis Blues hosted the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and Jaroslav Halak tended the twine. St. Louis opened with Matt D'Agostini notching his 21st of the season on the power play, assisted by David Backes and Kevin Shattenkirk. Backes extended the Blues' lead with his 29th of the year, coming off of Shattenkirk and the ever-preoccupied T.J. Oshie. Calgary got on the board with Jarome Iginla netting his 38th of the campaign, with help from Alex Tanguay and Mark Giordano. Tanguay tied it for the Flames with his 20th of the season, thanks to Iginla and Daymond Langkow, who returned after a career-threatening injury from last season. Iginla put Calgary in front with his second of the game and 39th of the year, helped along by Tanguay. This score would later be the final, with Iginla, Backes, and Tanguay grabbing the three stars.
Hockey wraps up in Phoenix, with the Coyotes hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Budaj and Ilya Bryagalov made the starts in goal. Colorado opened up with Philippe Dupuis registering his fifth of the season, coming off of Jay McClement and Ryan O'Reilly. McClement extended the Avalanche lead with his seventh of the year, assisted by Daniel Winnik and Cody McLeod. Phoenix entered the scoring with Lee Stempniak potting his 18th of the season, an unassisted goal. The Coyotes tied it with a Ray Whitney goal, his 16th of the year, helped along by Eric Belanger and Shane Doan. Doan added on a goal to put Phoenix in front, his 19th of the season coming on the power play from Whitney and Keith Yandle. O'Reilly tied it again for Colorado with his 12th of the year, from Kevin Porter and John-Michael Liles. The tie lasted into the shootout, where O'Reilly's lone tally put the Avalanche on top of the Coyotes 4-3. Whitney, Doan, and Stempniak got the three stars.
The baseball games began in...
Philadelphia, with the Phillies hosting the Houston Astros. Brett Myers took the mound against his former teammates and most notably, Roy Halladay. Houston finally got the opening runs in the sixth inning, with Bill Hall grounding out and allowing Angel Sanchez to come around for a run. The Astros kept it up in the seventh inning with Michael Bourn's two-run double, the two runs being Brett Wallace and Humberto Quintero. Sanchez also boosted the Houston score that inning with a sacrifice fly, allowing Bourn to cover the other two bases. Philadelphia started accumulating an answer in the bottom half of that inning with Ryan Howard's sacrifice fly scoring Placido Polanco and moving Jimmy Rollins to third, where he would score on the Raul Ibanez groundout to first. The Phillies got to work in the bottom of the ninth with singles by Ben Francisco, Wilson Valdez, and John Mayberry, bringing Rollins, Howard, and the winning run Francisco home for a 5-4 victory. The pitchers earning stats were Wilton Lopez with a hold before the closer Brandon Lyon blew a save and lost the game for Houston, giving the win to Danys Baez for Philadelphia. Bourn and Valdez were the top hitters.
Over to Chicago, where the Cubs hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. Kevin Correia and Ryan Dempster took the mounds as starters. Chicago got the early jump as Pedro Alvarez struggled to shake the spring jitters and committed an error, allowing Marlon Byrd to reach second and Starlin Castro to score. The Cubs benefited again with Carlos Pena's grounding into a fielder's choice, scoring Castro once again, although Aramis Ramirez was out at second. Pittsburgh made up for earlier shortcomings with Neil Walker hitting a grand slam, bringing around Ryan Doumit, Ronny Cedeno, and Jose Tabata. The Pirates extended the lead with a seventh inning two run homer from Andrew McCutchen, scoring Walker as well. The Cubs got one additional run, on Kosuke Fukudome's single that knocked in Darwin Barney, the evolutionary purple dinosaur. This left the score at its final, 6-3 in favor of Pittsburgh, whose pitchers went as follows: Correia for the win, holds to Jose Veras and Evan Meek, and the save by Joel Hanrahan. Dempster was the losing pitcher. Walker and Castro earned the top batter marks.
Into Cleveland, where the Indians hosted the Chicago White Sox. Mark Buehrle and Fausto Carmona were given opening day duty. Chicago opened the scoring with Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin singles, with Juan Pierre and Gordon Beckham crossing home plate. The White Sox had a pair of two run homers in the third inning, with Adam Dunn bringing Beckham in and Quentin doing the same for Konerko. Chicago got a huge boost again in the fourth inning, with Dunn and Quentin both hitting two-RBI doubles, scoring Brent Morel, Pierre, Beckham, and Dunn. They continued in the same frame with A.J. Pierzynski's single, allowing Konerko to cross the plate, followed by Alexei Ramirez's double bringing Quentin around and finishing the scoring for that inning with Morel's double to allow Pierzynski and Ramirez safe passage. After this barrage, the score was 14-0 for the White Sox. Cleveland woke up in the sixth inning, as Carlos Santana (not a guitarist by any means) sent Jack Hannahan to the plate. Travis Hafner followed with a single, as did Orlando Cabrera, bringing around Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo, and Santana himself. The Indians continued in the seventh inning with homers by Hannahan and Santana, with the earlier one being a solo shot, and the other being a two-run tater bring Asdrubal back in. Chicago got back to scoring in the eighth inning with Pierzynski's shallow single to score Lastings Milledge, answered by a Michael Brantley double in the other half of the inning for Cleveland, scoring Matt LaPorta and Hannahan. The Indians brought the score to 15-10 with LaPorta's single that knocked Hafner in during the ninth, but no more runs were scored and they lost, although not as badly as they could have. Buehrle got the win while Carmona took the loss. The top batters were officially Quentin and Santana, although both teams had no trouble smacking the sphere.
We go down to Arlington, Texas, where the Rangers hosted the Boston Red Sox. Jon Lester and C.J. Wilson took the mounds after the Anthem. Boston opened the game up early with Kevin Youkilis hitting a double that brought Jacoby Ellsbury in. Adrian Gonzalez also had a single to complete the trip for Youkilis, but he got greedy and was out at second base. Ian Kinsler added a reply for Texas in the bottom of the first on a solo home run. Nelson Cruz also homered with his second inning solo shot to tie the game for the Rangers. The Red Sox retook the lead on another Gonzalez single, allowing Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia to cross the plate. Texas took the lead with a three-run homer off the bat of Mike Napoli in the fourth inning, bringing in Adrian Beltre and Cruz. Boston tied the game with a solo home run by David Ortiz in the eighth inning. On the flipside of that inning, the Rangers got busy with doubles by David Murphy, Elvis Andrus, and Josh Hamilton, bringing in runs for Napoli, Yorvit Torrealba, Murphy, and Andrus. This brought the score to its eventual final of 9-5 Texas. To credit the pitchers, Daniel Bard took the loss, Mark Lowe and Arthur Rhodes had holds, and Darren Oliver was tacked for a blown save and a win. Gonzalez and Napoli were the top batters for the game.
Moving along to Colorado, where the Rockies hosted the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ian Kennedy and Ubaldo Jimenez were on the mound. Colorado opened it up in their half of the first, on a Seth Smith double to bring Dexter Fowler in, followed by a Todd Helton sacrifice fly that completed the trip around the bases for Smith. Arizona provided some answer with Gerardo Parra's double, allowing Miguel Montero to reach home in the second inning. Fowler singled in the other half of the second to gain the run back, as Chris Iannetta scored. The Diamondbacks took the lead on Justin Upton's three run homer, bringing Kennedy and Willie Bloomquist around. Arizona had a two run shot the next inning as Montero hit over the fence, accompanying Melvin Mora at the plate. Jose Lopez had a solo home run for the Rockies in the sixth inning, and hit a single that brought Helton in during the seventh. This tied the game until the eleventh inning, where Bloomquist's steal of second base shook up the Colorado defense, allowing Parra to reach home on the wild throw. On the Arizona side, Juan Gutierrez was tacked for a blown save, Sam Demel got the win, and J.J. Putz picked up the save. Matt Reynolds was the losing pitcher for Colorado. Montero and Lopez were the top hitters.
Up to Toronto, where the Blue Jays hosted the Minnesota Twins. Carl Pavano and Ricky Romero were the dueling pitchers. Toronto took no time to open the scoring, recording big in the first with Adam Lind getting beaned, scoring Rajai Davis, followed by Aaron Hill's sacrifice fly to bring Yunel Escobar in. Edwin Encarnacion followed suit, which brought Jose Bautista back across the plate. Travis Snider also helped produce a run on Tsuyoshi Nishioka's fielding error, which brought Lind home. The Blue Jays extended their lead with a two run homer by J.P. Arencibia, also bringing Snider in. Bautista and Lind sent a pair over the fence in the fifth inning as well for Toronto, followed by triple for Arencibia bringing Snider and Juan Rivera in. Minnesota was finally allowed to score in the seventh inning, with Encarnacion having a fielding error, allowing Danny Valencia on base and Delmon Young to cross safely at the plate. Alexi Casilla hit a double for the Twins in the same inning, knocking Jason Kubel in for a run, and Valencia scored on Denard Span's groundout to first. The Blue Jays wrapped things up in the eighth inning with another homer by Arencibia, a solo shot, as well as Lind's single bringing Escobar around, and Bautista scoring on John McDonald's sacrifice fly to produce a 13-3 final. Pavano took the loss and Romero earned the win. Span and Arencibia were the top batters.
Down to Florida, where the Marlins hosted the New York Mets. Mike Pelfrey and Josh Johnson got the ball. Florida opened up with a John Buck grand slam in the fourth inning, knocking in Mike Stanton, Gaby Sanchez, and Logan Morrison. The Marlins added on in the next inning as Sanchez singled to score Hanley Ramirez. New York entered the scoring in the seventh inning with a Carlos Beltran double to bring Willie Harris around, and the following groundout by Ike Davis that allowed Beltran to complete his trip. Florida secured a 6-2 win in the eighth inning with a solo home run by Morrison. Pelfrey was dinged for the loss, while holds went to Mike Dunn and Clay Hensley, and the win was given to Johnson. Harris and Buck were designated the best hitters.
Staying in the state, the Tampa Bay Rays hosted the Baltimore Orioles. Jeremy Guthrie and David Price threw the ball. Baltimore was the first on the board with a third inning single by Nick Markakis that drove in J.J. Hardy. Brian Roberts helped the Orioles cause with a triple in the fifth inning, batting in Matt Wieters and Hardy, followed by a Markakis sacrifice fly to complete the trip around the bases for Roberts. Tampa Bay avoided the shutout with a solo home run by Ben Zobrist, making it a 4-1 final. Guthrie grabbed the win while Price took the loss. Roberts and Zobrist were the top hitters.
Into Missouri, where the Kansas City Royals hosted the Los Angeles Angels. Dan Haren and Jeff Francis started the pitching. Howie Kendrick gave Los Angeles the early lead with his solo home run in the first inning. Kansas City replied with a Jeff Francoeur groundout that scored Billy Butler. The Royals broke the tie in the bottom of the ninth with a solo shot off the bat of Kila Ka'aihue. The win went to Joakim Soria, while the loss went to Michael Kohn. Kendrick and Ka'aihue got top batter status.
Out west to Oakland, with the Athletics hosting the Seattle Mariners. Felix Hernandez and Trevor Cahill took the mound. Oakland got on the board first with a two-run homer by Josh Willingham, also scoring Coco Crisp (the cereal center-fielder). Seattle was on the board in the third inning with a Jack Cust walk forcing Ichiro in. Ichiro singled in the sixth inning as well, knocking Brendan Ryan around the rest of his bases, before Chone Figgins sent a solo shot out of the park. The Mariners did some damage in the seventh inning, as Miguel Olivo reached on a fielding error, also bringing Cust into score. Adding insult to injury, Brad Ziegler committed a throwing error that brought Justin Smoak back across the plate. Olivo finished his trip on Ryan's fielder's choice, on which he made first base. This brought the score to its final, 6-2 Seattle, with Hernandez taking credit for a complete game win, and Craig Breslow taking both the blown save and the loss. Figgins and Willingham were the top batters.
Finally, the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the San Francisco Giants. Jonathan Sanchez went toe-to-toe with Chad Billingsley. Los Angeles was the first on the board a Matt Kemp ground rule double, scoring Billingsley. San Francisco went in front with a three-run homer by rookie Brandon Belt, clearing the bases of Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval. The Dodgers got busy in the sixth inning with Kemp reaching home on James Loney's sacrifice fly, followed by Hector Gimenez reaching on a Sanchez throwing error forcing Rod Barajas into home, and lastly by Rafael Furcal's single to complete the trip around the bases for Aaron Miles. This brought the score to 4-3, which was the final, crediting Sanchez with the loss, Billingsley with the win, Blake Hawksworth and Matt Guerrier for the holds, and a Jonathan Broxton save. Belt and Kemp took the top batter honors.
That's all for April Fool's Day, and that's certainly no joke. Saturday is packed, with a full slate of baseball along with eleven games of hockey.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Thursday Hockey and Baseball
On Thursday, we had ten hockey games and six baseball games on the latter's opening day. These will be recapped in full. Please pardon any weaknesses in structure for baseball, this is a learning curve that I will need to adjust to. The hockey started in...
Washington, D.C., with the Capitals hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth tended the twines. Washington opened with a John Carlson goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Brooks Laich and Jason Chimera. Columbus answered in the second period with Antoine Vermette sinking his 19th of the year, courtesy of Matt Calvert and Tomas Kubalik. Mike Knuble quickly replied for the Capitals, registering his 21st of the season with help from Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. The Blue Jackets tied it up again with a Fedor Tyutin goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Kubalik and Calvert. Thirteen seconds later, Washington took the lead once more with a Jason Arnott goal, his 16th of the season, with guidance from Marco Sturm. Columbus found another equalizer from Scottie Upshall, his 22nd of the year getting aided by Derek MacKenzie. Chimera gave the Capitals a 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets in the overtime period that was required, his ninth of the campaign fueled by Laich and Carlson. The three stars went to Chimera, Arnott, and Calvert.
Into Philadelphia, where the Flyers hosted the Atlanta Thrashers. Chris Mason and Sergei Bobrovsky took control of the creases. Atlanta was the first on the board in the third period with a Nik Antropov goal, his 15th of the campaign, guided in by Evander Kane. This would be the only goal of the game, and the three stars went to Mason (43 save shutout), Kane, and Bobrovsky (21 for 22 saves).
Onto Long Island, where the New York Islanders hosted their rivals, the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Al Montoya made the starts. The Rangers opened the scoring with Vinny Prospal netting his sixth of the season, with help from Marian Gaborik. The Islanders tied it with Blake Comeau notching his 22nd of the year, with helpers provided by Josh Bailey and Travis Hamonic. Thirty-three seconds later, the Islanders had a lead with a Radek Martinek goal, his third of the season made possible P.A. Parenteau and John Tavares. The Islanders extended their lead with a Jesse Joensuu goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Martinek and Jack Hillen. Parenteau kept the Islanders going with his 19th of the season, assisted by Matt Moulson and Dylan Reese. Lundqvist was replaced by Chad Johnson for the third period. Moulson also tallied for the Islanders with his 31st of the year, courtesy of Tavares and Reese. Fights broke out in the third period after the Moulson goal, with Sean Avery fighting Micheal Haley before Brandon Prust took on Zenon Konopka. Trevor Gillies resumed the scoring for the Islanders (ironic isn't it?) with his second of the season, with help from Reese, who finished off a sock trick, and Matt Martin. The Rangers sent one last weak response with Prust notching his 13th of the year, thanks to Brian Boyle. The final stood at 6-2 with the three stars awarded to Montoya (25 for 27 saves), Martinek, and Parenteau.
Over to Boston, where the Bruins hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Tim Thomas played in the blue paint. Toronto opened the scoring with Luke Schenn netting his fifth of the season, with help from Carl Gunnarsson and Joffrey Lupul. Boston tied it in the second period with a shorthanded and unassisted goal by Brad Marchand, his 21st of the year. David Krejci soon put the Bruins in front with his 13th of the season, made possible by Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton. Lupul retied it for the Maple Leafs with his 12th of the year, a power play goal powered by Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak. Andrew Ference gave Boston the lead back with his third goal of the season, helped along by Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Lupul found another equalizer for Toronto with his second of the game and 13th of the year, aided by Kessel and Schenn. The tie lasted into the shootout, where the Maple Leafs topped the Bruins with Nazem Kadri's lone tally. The three stars went to Lupul, Marchand, and Kadri.
Down south, the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleur and Dwayne Roloson played between the pipes. Tampa Bay opened the scoring with Steve Downie recording his ninth of the campaign, with assistance from Simon Gagne and Steven Stamkos. Martin St. Louis put the Lightning in front with his 30th of the season, helped along by Vincent Lecavalier and Victor Hedman. After a scoreless second period, Pittsburgh entered the scoring in the third with Michael Rupp's seventh of the year, fueled by Alex Kovalev. The final would stand at 2-1 with Roloson (36 for 37 saves), St. Louis, and Downie picking up the three stars.
Moving south in the state, the Florida Panthers hosted the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Scott Clemmensen took to the cages. Nick Foligno opened the scoring for Ottawa with his 13th of the season, an unassisted goal. The Senators continued along with Colin Greening notching his fifth of the year, courtesy of Marek Svatos. Florida got on the board with the second of the campaign by Michal Repik, assisted by Marty Reasoner. Greening got the goal back for Ottawa with his sixth of the season and second of the game, with Svatos and Chris Phillips picking up the assists. The Senators made it 4-1 with Filip Kuba notching his first of the year, guided in by Erik Condra and Ryan Shannon. The three stars were awarded to Greening, Anderson (37 for 38 saves), and Svatos after the scoreless third period made the score final.
To Minnesota, where the Wild hosted the Edmonton Oilers. Nikolai Khabibulin and Niklas Backstorm defended the cages. Minnesota took control of the scoring first with Antti Miettinen sinking his 15th of the season on the power play thanks to Matt Cullen and Andrew Brunette. Marek Zidlicky extended the lead for the Wild with his seventh of the year, assisted by Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Kyle Brodziak. Brad Staubitz also tallied for Minnesota on his second of the season, courtesy of Eric Nystrom and John Madden. The Wild kept going with Martin Havlat sinking his 22nd of the year, fueled by Chuck Kobasew and Brent Burns. Edmonton finally got on the board with Tom Gilbert netting his sixth of the season on the power play, with helpers provided by Ryan Jones and Magnus Paajarvi. The Oilers brought the score to 4-2 with Linus Omark notching his fourth of the year, also a power play goal, powered by Gilbert and Jim Vandermeer. This would be the final, and the three stars went to Cullen, Zidlicky, and Burns.
Heading to Colorado, with the Avalanche hosting the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Brian Elliott made the starts. Nashville opened with Colin Wilson registering his 16th of the season with helpers by Matt Halischuk and Blake Geoffrion. The Predators extended their lead with Jordin Tootoo's sixth of the year, guided along by Cody Franson and Martin Erat. Erat tallied for Nashville on the power play in the third period, his 16th of the campaign made possible by Mike Fisher and Sergei Kostitsyn. Colorado got on the board with Paul Stastny recording his 22nd of the season, helped along by Milan Hejduk and Matt Duchene. David Jones tacked on his 26th of the year for the Avalanche late in the third period as well, with assistance from John-Michael Liles and Kevin Porter, but the final would stay at 3-2. The three stars were given to Erat, Stastny, and Rinne (27 for 29 saves).
Next on the route, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Roberto Luongo took care of the twines. Kyle Clifford put Los Angeles in front first with his sixth of the season, helped along by Drew Doughty and Brad Richardson. Daniel Sedin put Vancouver in a tie in the second period with his 41st of the year, with help from Viktor Oreskovich. With a second left in the middle frame, the Canucks took the lead on a Christian Ehrhoff tally, his 13th of the season, made possible by Jannik Hansen. Ryan Kesler made it 3-1 Vancouver with his 37th of the year, a power play goal, powered by Daniel and Sami Salo. This was the final, with the three stars given to Daniel, Ehrhoff, and Kesler.
To finish the hockey in San Jose, with the Sharks hosting the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi played in front of the goals. San Jose got on the board first with Dan Boyle notching his seventh of the season, assisted by Joe Pavelski and Kyle Wellwood. The Sharks extended their lead with Logan Couture on the power play, his 31st of the year getting powered by Ryane Clowe and Dany Heatley. Marc-Edouard Vlasic also tallied for San Jose, his third of the season coming off of Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi. Patrick Marleau added on a pair for the Sharks, his 34th and 35th of the campaign, coming via Jamal Mayers and Ian White on the first goal and Thornton and Heatley on the second. Ben Eager used his sixth of the year to make it 6-0 San Jose with assists coming from Mayers and Vlasic. This was the final, and the three stars were given to Marleau, Niemi (29 save shutout), and Eager.
To the baseball games for opening day, where we start with...
The New York Yankees hosting the Detroit Tigers. Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia got the ball to start. The scoring was opened by Detroit in the second inning, with Jhonny Peralta knocking in Miguel Cabrera with a sacrifice fly. The Yankees replied and took the lead with a 3-run home run by Mark Teixeira, scoring Russell Martin and Derek Jeter as well. The Tigers got a run back with Brandon Inge's single to score Cabrera in the fourth inning. Cabrera also knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, with Austin Jackson coming around to score. New York retook the lead in the seventh, with Curtis Granderson's solo home run, and extended it with Jeter's sacrifice fly, which scored Martin. The Yankees made it 6-3 with Nick Swisher's single to score Alex Rodriguez. This score would be the final, with Joba Chamberlain picking up the win, Rafael Soriano grabbing a hold, and Mariano Rivera getting the save. Phil Coke was credited with the loss. The top batters were Inge for the Tigers and Teixeira for the Yankees.
Moving into the Nation's capital, with the Washington Nationals hosting the Atlanta Braves. Derek Lowe and Livan Hernandez were on the mounds. Atlanta opened the scoring in the first inning with Brian McCann sneding Chipper Jones home with a single. Jason Heyward made it 2-0 for the Braves in the second inning with his solo home run. This would go down as the final, with Lowe grabbing the win, Eric O'Flaherty, Peter Moylan, and Johnny Venters grabbing the holds, and Craig Kimbrel finishing for the save. Hernandez was tagged the losing pitcher. The top hitters were Heyward and Danny Espinosa.
Into Ohio, where the Cincinnati Reds hosted the Milwaukee Brewers. Yovani Gallardo and Edinson Volquez took their spot on the mounds. Milwaukee opened the scoring in the first inning with homers by Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez, accompanied by Casey McGehee's sacrifice fly to bump Ryan Braun in. Joey Votto answered for Cincinnati in the same inning on a sacrifice fly, which brought Drew Stubbs back to the plate. The Brewers wasted no time, getting the run back in the second inning as Weeks doubled to bring Wil Nieves around to home. Stubbs sent a ball out of the yard in the fourth inning for the Reds, good as a solo home run. Milwaukee went up 5-2 when Braun homered in the fifth inning. McGehee knocked Braun in again in the seventh inning as well, scoring another run for the Brewers on that single. Votto scored for Cincinnati with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh. The Reds managed to squeak out a win in the ninth inning by Jonny Gomes' sacrifice fly to bring Brandon Phillips to home, and a later three run home run from Ramon Hernandez, also scoring Votto and Scott Rolen. The final stood at 7-6, with Logan Ondrusek getting the win. The pitchers on the Milwaukee side were Takashi Saito with a hold, and John Axford with a blown save and loss.
To Kansas City, where the Royals hosted the Los Angeles Angels. Jered Weaver and Luke Hochevar got the ball for the opening day game. Los Angeles opened the scoring in the fourth inning with Torii Hunter's solo home run and a double by Erick Aybar to bring Vernon Wells home. The Angels continued in the sixth inning with Jeff Mathis hitting a solo shot, and Maicer Izturis singling to bring Peter Bourjos back in. Kansas City got on the board in the seventh inning with Jeff Francoeur hitting a solo home run. The Royals brought the score to 4-2 with Mike Aviles solo home run in the eighth inning. This would be the final, with Weaver getting the win, Jordan Walden, Kevin Jepsen, and Michael Kohn getting the holds, along with Fernando Rodney grabbing the save. Hochevar was tacked for the loss. Mathis and Francoeur were the top hitters.
Cross the state of Missouri, the St. Louis Cardinals hosted the San Diego Padres. Tim Stauffer and Chris Carpenter took the mound. St. Louis opened the scoring in the first inning with a Matt Holliday single that brought Colby Rasmus in. San Diego replied in the fourth inning with Orlando Hudson recording a sacrifice fly to bring Will Venable in. In the same inning, the Cardinals retook the lead with Yadier Molina's single, scoring Lance Berkman. The Padres retied it in the fifth inning, with Nick Hundley's double scoring Ryan Ludwick. St. Louis grabbed the lead once again in the eighth inning, with a Holliday home run. Cameron Maybin allowed San Diego to tie it at 3 with his own home run in the ninth inning, which would force extra innings. In the eleventh, the Padres got runs off of a Maybin single, which allowed Chase Headley to score with some fielding issues by Ryan Theriot. Hundley also singled, batting in Cedric Hunter, bringing the final to 5-3 after Heath Bell came on for the save. Other pitching stats go to Pat Neshek for the win, Ryan Franklin for the blown save, and Bryan Augenstein for the loss. Hundley and Holliday got top batter honors.
To a National League California battle, with the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants. Tim Lincecum and Clayton Kershaw were on the mound. Los Angeles busted opening the scoring in the sixth inning, when Buster Posey made a throwing error, allowing Matt Kemp to score and James Loney and Juan Uribe to move up a base as well. Loney also doubled in the eighth inning, bringing Kemp in again. San Francisco got on the board with a Pat Burrell home run, good for one run, bringing the final to 2-1. Kershaw took the win, Hong-Chih Kuo got the hold, and Jonathan Broxton recorded the save on the Dodgers ledger, while Lincecum was given the loss for the Giants. Burrell and Loney were the top batters.
If you are still reading, congratulations, and this will be the basic formatting for the near future, until the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in hockey. For all you sports fans, tell your baseball-loving friends about this blog, a great place to get decent recaps of every game that is played (even if they are a bit late).
Washington, D.C., with the Capitals hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth tended the twines. Washington opened with a John Carlson goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Brooks Laich and Jason Chimera. Columbus answered in the second period with Antoine Vermette sinking his 19th of the year, courtesy of Matt Calvert and Tomas Kubalik. Mike Knuble quickly replied for the Capitals, registering his 21st of the season with help from Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. The Blue Jackets tied it up again with a Fedor Tyutin goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Kubalik and Calvert. Thirteen seconds later, Washington took the lead once more with a Jason Arnott goal, his 16th of the season, with guidance from Marco Sturm. Columbus found another equalizer from Scottie Upshall, his 22nd of the year getting aided by Derek MacKenzie. Chimera gave the Capitals a 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets in the overtime period that was required, his ninth of the campaign fueled by Laich and Carlson. The three stars went to Chimera, Arnott, and Calvert.
Into Philadelphia, where the Flyers hosted the Atlanta Thrashers. Chris Mason and Sergei Bobrovsky took control of the creases. Atlanta was the first on the board in the third period with a Nik Antropov goal, his 15th of the campaign, guided in by Evander Kane. This would be the only goal of the game, and the three stars went to Mason (43 save shutout), Kane, and Bobrovsky (21 for 22 saves).
Onto Long Island, where the New York Islanders hosted their rivals, the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Al Montoya made the starts. The Rangers opened the scoring with Vinny Prospal netting his sixth of the season, with help from Marian Gaborik. The Islanders tied it with Blake Comeau notching his 22nd of the year, with helpers provided by Josh Bailey and Travis Hamonic. Thirty-three seconds later, the Islanders had a lead with a Radek Martinek goal, his third of the season made possible P.A. Parenteau and John Tavares. The Islanders extended their lead with a Jesse Joensuu goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Martinek and Jack Hillen. Parenteau kept the Islanders going with his 19th of the season, assisted by Matt Moulson and Dylan Reese. Lundqvist was replaced by Chad Johnson for the third period. Moulson also tallied for the Islanders with his 31st of the year, courtesy of Tavares and Reese. Fights broke out in the third period after the Moulson goal, with Sean Avery fighting Micheal Haley before Brandon Prust took on Zenon Konopka. Trevor Gillies resumed the scoring for the Islanders (ironic isn't it?) with his second of the season, with help from Reese, who finished off a sock trick, and Matt Martin. The Rangers sent one last weak response with Prust notching his 13th of the year, thanks to Brian Boyle. The final stood at 6-2 with the three stars awarded to Montoya (25 for 27 saves), Martinek, and Parenteau.
Over to Boston, where the Bruins hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Tim Thomas played in the blue paint. Toronto opened the scoring with Luke Schenn netting his fifth of the season, with help from Carl Gunnarsson and Joffrey Lupul. Boston tied it in the second period with a shorthanded and unassisted goal by Brad Marchand, his 21st of the year. David Krejci soon put the Bruins in front with his 13th of the season, made possible by Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton. Lupul retied it for the Maple Leafs with his 12th of the year, a power play goal powered by Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak. Andrew Ference gave Boston the lead back with his third goal of the season, helped along by Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Lupul found another equalizer for Toronto with his second of the game and 13th of the year, aided by Kessel and Schenn. The tie lasted into the shootout, where the Maple Leafs topped the Bruins with Nazem Kadri's lone tally. The three stars went to Lupul, Marchand, and Kadri.
Down south, the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleur and Dwayne Roloson played between the pipes. Tampa Bay opened the scoring with Steve Downie recording his ninth of the campaign, with assistance from Simon Gagne and Steven Stamkos. Martin St. Louis put the Lightning in front with his 30th of the season, helped along by Vincent Lecavalier and Victor Hedman. After a scoreless second period, Pittsburgh entered the scoring in the third with Michael Rupp's seventh of the year, fueled by Alex Kovalev. The final would stand at 2-1 with Roloson (36 for 37 saves), St. Louis, and Downie picking up the three stars.
Moving south in the state, the Florida Panthers hosted the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Scott Clemmensen took to the cages. Nick Foligno opened the scoring for Ottawa with his 13th of the season, an unassisted goal. The Senators continued along with Colin Greening notching his fifth of the year, courtesy of Marek Svatos. Florida got on the board with the second of the campaign by Michal Repik, assisted by Marty Reasoner. Greening got the goal back for Ottawa with his sixth of the season and second of the game, with Svatos and Chris Phillips picking up the assists. The Senators made it 4-1 with Filip Kuba notching his first of the year, guided in by Erik Condra and Ryan Shannon. The three stars were awarded to Greening, Anderson (37 for 38 saves), and Svatos after the scoreless third period made the score final.
To Minnesota, where the Wild hosted the Edmonton Oilers. Nikolai Khabibulin and Niklas Backstorm defended the cages. Minnesota took control of the scoring first with Antti Miettinen sinking his 15th of the season on the power play thanks to Matt Cullen and Andrew Brunette. Marek Zidlicky extended the lead for the Wild with his seventh of the year, assisted by Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Kyle Brodziak. Brad Staubitz also tallied for Minnesota on his second of the season, courtesy of Eric Nystrom and John Madden. The Wild kept going with Martin Havlat sinking his 22nd of the year, fueled by Chuck Kobasew and Brent Burns. Edmonton finally got on the board with Tom Gilbert netting his sixth of the season on the power play, with helpers provided by Ryan Jones and Magnus Paajarvi. The Oilers brought the score to 4-2 with Linus Omark notching his fourth of the year, also a power play goal, powered by Gilbert and Jim Vandermeer. This would be the final, and the three stars went to Cullen, Zidlicky, and Burns.
Heading to Colorado, with the Avalanche hosting the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Brian Elliott made the starts. Nashville opened with Colin Wilson registering his 16th of the season with helpers by Matt Halischuk and Blake Geoffrion. The Predators extended their lead with Jordin Tootoo's sixth of the year, guided along by Cody Franson and Martin Erat. Erat tallied for Nashville on the power play in the third period, his 16th of the campaign made possible by Mike Fisher and Sergei Kostitsyn. Colorado got on the board with Paul Stastny recording his 22nd of the season, helped along by Milan Hejduk and Matt Duchene. David Jones tacked on his 26th of the year for the Avalanche late in the third period as well, with assistance from John-Michael Liles and Kevin Porter, but the final would stay at 3-2. The three stars were given to Erat, Stastny, and Rinne (27 for 29 saves).
Next on the route, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Roberto Luongo took care of the twines. Kyle Clifford put Los Angeles in front first with his sixth of the season, helped along by Drew Doughty and Brad Richardson. Daniel Sedin put Vancouver in a tie in the second period with his 41st of the year, with help from Viktor Oreskovich. With a second left in the middle frame, the Canucks took the lead on a Christian Ehrhoff tally, his 13th of the season, made possible by Jannik Hansen. Ryan Kesler made it 3-1 Vancouver with his 37th of the year, a power play goal, powered by Daniel and Sami Salo. This was the final, with the three stars given to Daniel, Ehrhoff, and Kesler.
To finish the hockey in San Jose, with the Sharks hosting the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi played in front of the goals. San Jose got on the board first with Dan Boyle notching his seventh of the season, assisted by Joe Pavelski and Kyle Wellwood. The Sharks extended their lead with Logan Couture on the power play, his 31st of the year getting powered by Ryane Clowe and Dany Heatley. Marc-Edouard Vlasic also tallied for San Jose, his third of the season coming off of Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi. Patrick Marleau added on a pair for the Sharks, his 34th and 35th of the campaign, coming via Jamal Mayers and Ian White on the first goal and Thornton and Heatley on the second. Ben Eager used his sixth of the year to make it 6-0 San Jose with assists coming from Mayers and Vlasic. This was the final, and the three stars were given to Marleau, Niemi (29 save shutout), and Eager.
To the baseball games for opening day, where we start with...
The New York Yankees hosting the Detroit Tigers. Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia got the ball to start. The scoring was opened by Detroit in the second inning, with Jhonny Peralta knocking in Miguel Cabrera with a sacrifice fly. The Yankees replied and took the lead with a 3-run home run by Mark Teixeira, scoring Russell Martin and Derek Jeter as well. The Tigers got a run back with Brandon Inge's single to score Cabrera in the fourth inning. Cabrera also knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, with Austin Jackson coming around to score. New York retook the lead in the seventh, with Curtis Granderson's solo home run, and extended it with Jeter's sacrifice fly, which scored Martin. The Yankees made it 6-3 with Nick Swisher's single to score Alex Rodriguez. This score would be the final, with Joba Chamberlain picking up the win, Rafael Soriano grabbing a hold, and Mariano Rivera getting the save. Phil Coke was credited with the loss. The top batters were Inge for the Tigers and Teixeira for the Yankees.
Moving into the Nation's capital, with the Washington Nationals hosting the Atlanta Braves. Derek Lowe and Livan Hernandez were on the mounds. Atlanta opened the scoring in the first inning with Brian McCann sneding Chipper Jones home with a single. Jason Heyward made it 2-0 for the Braves in the second inning with his solo home run. This would go down as the final, with Lowe grabbing the win, Eric O'Flaherty, Peter Moylan, and Johnny Venters grabbing the holds, and Craig Kimbrel finishing for the save. Hernandez was tagged the losing pitcher. The top hitters were Heyward and Danny Espinosa.
Into Ohio, where the Cincinnati Reds hosted the Milwaukee Brewers. Yovani Gallardo and Edinson Volquez took their spot on the mounds. Milwaukee opened the scoring in the first inning with homers by Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez, accompanied by Casey McGehee's sacrifice fly to bump Ryan Braun in. Joey Votto answered for Cincinnati in the same inning on a sacrifice fly, which brought Drew Stubbs back to the plate. The Brewers wasted no time, getting the run back in the second inning as Weeks doubled to bring Wil Nieves around to home. Stubbs sent a ball out of the yard in the fourth inning for the Reds, good as a solo home run. Milwaukee went up 5-2 when Braun homered in the fifth inning. McGehee knocked Braun in again in the seventh inning as well, scoring another run for the Brewers on that single. Votto scored for Cincinnati with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh. The Reds managed to squeak out a win in the ninth inning by Jonny Gomes' sacrifice fly to bring Brandon Phillips to home, and a later three run home run from Ramon Hernandez, also scoring Votto and Scott Rolen. The final stood at 7-6, with Logan Ondrusek getting the win. The pitchers on the Milwaukee side were Takashi Saito with a hold, and John Axford with a blown save and loss.
To Kansas City, where the Royals hosted the Los Angeles Angels. Jered Weaver and Luke Hochevar got the ball for the opening day game. Los Angeles opened the scoring in the fourth inning with Torii Hunter's solo home run and a double by Erick Aybar to bring Vernon Wells home. The Angels continued in the sixth inning with Jeff Mathis hitting a solo shot, and Maicer Izturis singling to bring Peter Bourjos back in. Kansas City got on the board in the seventh inning with Jeff Francoeur hitting a solo home run. The Royals brought the score to 4-2 with Mike Aviles solo home run in the eighth inning. This would be the final, with Weaver getting the win, Jordan Walden, Kevin Jepsen, and Michael Kohn getting the holds, along with Fernando Rodney grabbing the save. Hochevar was tacked for the loss. Mathis and Francoeur were the top hitters.
Cross the state of Missouri, the St. Louis Cardinals hosted the San Diego Padres. Tim Stauffer and Chris Carpenter took the mound. St. Louis opened the scoring in the first inning with a Matt Holliday single that brought Colby Rasmus in. San Diego replied in the fourth inning with Orlando Hudson recording a sacrifice fly to bring Will Venable in. In the same inning, the Cardinals retook the lead with Yadier Molina's single, scoring Lance Berkman. The Padres retied it in the fifth inning, with Nick Hundley's double scoring Ryan Ludwick. St. Louis grabbed the lead once again in the eighth inning, with a Holliday home run. Cameron Maybin allowed San Diego to tie it at 3 with his own home run in the ninth inning, which would force extra innings. In the eleventh, the Padres got runs off of a Maybin single, which allowed Chase Headley to score with some fielding issues by Ryan Theriot. Hundley also singled, batting in Cedric Hunter, bringing the final to 5-3 after Heath Bell came on for the save. Other pitching stats go to Pat Neshek for the win, Ryan Franklin for the blown save, and Bryan Augenstein for the loss. Hundley and Holliday got top batter honors.
To a National League California battle, with the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants. Tim Lincecum and Clayton Kershaw were on the mound. Los Angeles busted opening the scoring in the sixth inning, when Buster Posey made a throwing error, allowing Matt Kemp to score and James Loney and Juan Uribe to move up a base as well. Loney also doubled in the eighth inning, bringing Kemp in again. San Francisco got on the board with a Pat Burrell home run, good for one run, bringing the final to 2-1. Kershaw took the win, Hong-Chih Kuo got the hold, and Jonathan Broxton recorded the save on the Dodgers ledger, while Lincecum was given the loss for the Giants. Burrell and Loney were the top batters.
If you are still reading, congratulations, and this will be the basic formatting for the near future, until the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in hockey. For all you sports fans, tell your baseball-loving friends about this blog, a great place to get decent recaps of every game that is played (even if they are a bit late).
Wednesday Games
Tonight we have a total of five games on, starting off in...
Carolina, with the Hurricanes hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Cam Ward made the starts. Jeff Skinner put Carolina up with a pair of goals in the first period, his 28th and 29th of the campaign, with only Tuomo Ruutu picking up an assist. Montreal replied in the second period with a Michael Cammalleri power play goal, his 17th of the season getting help from James Wisniewski and Tomas Plekanec. Forty-seven seconds later, the Hurricanes got the goal back with Jamie McBain notching his sixth of the year, thanks to Erik Cole and Cory Stillman. Carolina extended the lead with Joni Pitkanen nailing his fourth of the season, off of Ruutu and Skinner. Price was replaced by Alex Auld for the third period. The Canadiens tallied again with a P.K. Subban power play goal, his 12th of the year, guided in by Wisniewski and Plekanec. McBain replied again for the Hurricanes, notching his seventh of the season courtesy of Drayson Bowman. Stillman wrapped the game up 6-2 for Carolina over Montreal with his eleventh of the year on the power play, powered by Joe Corvo and Eric Staal. Skinner, McBain, and Ward (38 for 40 saves) were the three stars.
To New Jersey, where the Devils hosted the New York Islanders. Rick DiPietro and Martin Brodeur collected the starts. The game opened with a fight between Zenon Konopka and David Clarkson. New Jersey was first to score with an Ilya Kovalchuk goal, his 28th of the season, with guidance from Nick Palmieri and Travis Zajac. Another fight with Matt Martin and Jay Leach broke out shortly after the goal. The Devils extended their lead in the second period with a Jacob Josefson tally, his third of the year made possible by Palmieri and Kovalchuk. New York tied it in the third period with Frans Nielsen sending home his 12th and 13th of the season, the first being shorthanded and unassisted and the second finding twine via Martin and Kyle Okposo. New Jersey took a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish with Andy Greene sinking his fourth of the year, with help from Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus. The three stars were given to Greene, Nielsen, and Kovalchuk.
Up to Buffalo, where the Sabres hosted the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Jhonas Enroth took to the creases. Buffalo opened the scoring in the second period on the power play with Tim Connolly notching his 12th of the campaign, courtesy of Thomas Vanek and Marc-Andre Gragnani. This would be the game's only goal, and the three stars went Enroth (23 save shutout), Lundqvist (34 for 35 saves), and Connolly.
Out west, the Detroit Red Wings hosted the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak stood 200 feet away from both Joey MacDonald and Thomas McCollum. Detroit opened the scoring on the fourth of the season by Mike Modano, assisted by Tomas Holmstrom. St. Louis replied with Chris Stewart netting his 27th of the year, with helpers by Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka. The Blues took the lead with Cam Janssen notching his first of the season, with help from Ryan Reaves and Philip McRae. The Red Wings tied it back up with Todd Bertuzzi potting his 16th of the year, courtesy of Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula. Twenty-nine seconds later, St. Louis reclaimed the lead with Chris Porter sending his first of the campaign home, an unassisted goal. The Blues extended their lead with a power play goal by Matt D'Agostini, his 20th of the season powered by Nikita Nikitin and Sobotka. St. Louis rolled on with B.J. Crombeen registering his seventh of the year, fueled by Andy McDonald and Roman Polak. The Blues made it 6-2 with David Backes potting his 28th of the season, a power play goal made possible by Kevin Shattenkirk and D'Agostini. Polak got the goal back for St. Louis with his third of the season, coming off of Porter and Crombeen. Sobotka also tallied for the Blues with his seventh of the year, via Stewart and Nikitin. Berglund added to the St. Louis cause with his 20th of the season, thanks to Stewart and Shattenkirk. Porter wrapped the game up for the Blues with his second of the night and year, with assistance provided by Janssen and Adam Cracknell. The final stood at an astonishing 10-3, with the three stars going to Stewart, Sobotka, and Berglund.
Finally, the games end in Calgary, with the Flames hosting the Anaheim Ducks. Ray Emery and Miikka Kiprusoff got the job between the pipes. Calgary opened the scoring with Jarome Iginla notching his 37th of the season, courtesy of Alex Tanguay and Mark Giordano. Anaheim replied on the power play with a Bobby Ryan goal, his 33rd of the year coming off of Brandon McMillan and Brad Winchester. The Ducks took the lead with Corey Perry notching his 45th of the season, assisted by Cam Fowler and Lubomir Visnovsky on the power play. Anaheim extended their lead with Visnovsky getting his 16th of the year, with assistance by Perry and Toni Lydman. The Flames pulled within a goal early in the third period with a power play goal by Giordano, his eighth of the season powered by Iginla and Tanguay. Perry secured a 4-2 Ducks victory with his second of the game and 46th of the year going into an empty net off of Teemu Selanne. The three stars were awarded to Perry, Giordano, and Iginla.
Carolina, with the Hurricanes hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Cam Ward made the starts. Jeff Skinner put Carolina up with a pair of goals in the first period, his 28th and 29th of the campaign, with only Tuomo Ruutu picking up an assist. Montreal replied in the second period with a Michael Cammalleri power play goal, his 17th of the season getting help from James Wisniewski and Tomas Plekanec. Forty-seven seconds later, the Hurricanes got the goal back with Jamie McBain notching his sixth of the year, thanks to Erik Cole and Cory Stillman. Carolina extended the lead with Joni Pitkanen nailing his fourth of the season, off of Ruutu and Skinner. Price was replaced by Alex Auld for the third period. The Canadiens tallied again with a P.K. Subban power play goal, his 12th of the year, guided in by Wisniewski and Plekanec. McBain replied again for the Hurricanes, notching his seventh of the season courtesy of Drayson Bowman. Stillman wrapped the game up 6-2 for Carolina over Montreal with his eleventh of the year on the power play, powered by Joe Corvo and Eric Staal. Skinner, McBain, and Ward (38 for 40 saves) were the three stars.
To New Jersey, where the Devils hosted the New York Islanders. Rick DiPietro and Martin Brodeur collected the starts. The game opened with a fight between Zenon Konopka and David Clarkson. New Jersey was first to score with an Ilya Kovalchuk goal, his 28th of the season, with guidance from Nick Palmieri and Travis Zajac. Another fight with Matt Martin and Jay Leach broke out shortly after the goal. The Devils extended their lead in the second period with a Jacob Josefson tally, his third of the year made possible by Palmieri and Kovalchuk. New York tied it in the third period with Frans Nielsen sending home his 12th and 13th of the season, the first being shorthanded and unassisted and the second finding twine via Martin and Kyle Okposo. New Jersey took a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish with Andy Greene sinking his fourth of the year, with help from Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus. The three stars were given to Greene, Nielsen, and Kovalchuk.
Up to Buffalo, where the Sabres hosted the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Jhonas Enroth took to the creases. Buffalo opened the scoring in the second period on the power play with Tim Connolly notching his 12th of the campaign, courtesy of Thomas Vanek and Marc-Andre Gragnani. This would be the game's only goal, and the three stars went Enroth (23 save shutout), Lundqvist (34 for 35 saves), and Connolly.
Out west, the Detroit Red Wings hosted the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak stood 200 feet away from both Joey MacDonald and Thomas McCollum. Detroit opened the scoring on the fourth of the season by Mike Modano, assisted by Tomas Holmstrom. St. Louis replied with Chris Stewart netting his 27th of the year, with helpers by Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka. The Blues took the lead with Cam Janssen notching his first of the season, with help from Ryan Reaves and Philip McRae. The Red Wings tied it back up with Todd Bertuzzi potting his 16th of the year, courtesy of Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula. Twenty-nine seconds later, St. Louis reclaimed the lead with Chris Porter sending his first of the campaign home, an unassisted goal. The Blues extended their lead with a power play goal by Matt D'Agostini, his 20th of the season powered by Nikita Nikitin and Sobotka. St. Louis rolled on with B.J. Crombeen registering his seventh of the year, fueled by Andy McDonald and Roman Polak. The Blues made it 6-2 with David Backes potting his 28th of the season, a power play goal made possible by Kevin Shattenkirk and D'Agostini. Polak got the goal back for St. Louis with his third of the season, coming off of Porter and Crombeen. Sobotka also tallied for the Blues with his seventh of the year, via Stewart and Nikitin. Berglund added to the St. Louis cause with his 20th of the season, thanks to Stewart and Shattenkirk. Porter wrapped the game up for the Blues with his second of the night and year, with assistance provided by Janssen and Adam Cracknell. The final stood at an astonishing 10-3, with the three stars going to Stewart, Sobotka, and Berglund.
Finally, the games end in Calgary, with the Flames hosting the Anaheim Ducks. Ray Emery and Miikka Kiprusoff got the job between the pipes. Calgary opened the scoring with Jarome Iginla notching his 37th of the season, courtesy of Alex Tanguay and Mark Giordano. Anaheim replied on the power play with a Bobby Ryan goal, his 33rd of the year coming off of Brandon McMillan and Brad Winchester. The Ducks took the lead with Corey Perry notching his 45th of the season, assisted by Cam Fowler and Lubomir Visnovsky on the power play. Anaheim extended their lead with Visnovsky getting his 16th of the year, with assistance by Perry and Toni Lydman. The Flames pulled within a goal early in the third period with a power play goal by Giordano, his eighth of the season powered by Iginla and Tanguay. Perry secured a 4-2 Ducks victory with his second of the game and 46th of the year going into an empty net off of Teemu Selanne. The three stars were awarded to Perry, Giordano, and Iginla.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday Hockey coverage
Today we bring to you a total of eleven games. The first of these is in the...
Nation's capital, Washington, D.C., where the Capitals host the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Semyon Varlamov took to the blue paint. Carolina opened the scoring with Jussi Jokinen on the power play, his 17th of the season, fueled by Joe Corvo and Tuomo Ruutu. Washington tied it with the 27th of the year from Alexander Semin, guided in by Brooks Laich. The Capitals took the lead with the 13th of the season for Marcus Johansson, assisted by Semin and John Carlson. The Hurricanes retied it with Jeff Skinner potting his 27th of the year via Bryan Allen. This tie lasted into a shootout, where the two Carolina tallies from Skinner and Ruutu took Washington down 3-2. The three stars went to Ward (38 for 40 saves), Skinner, and Semin.
North a bit to Toronto, where the Maple Leafs hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and James Reimer were between the pipes. Toronto opened the scoring with the eighth of the season by Dion Phaneuf, powered by Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin. The Maple Leafs extended their lead with a Darryl Boyce tally, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Nazem Kadri and Joey Crabb. Buffalo got on the board with the 27th of the campaign by Thomas Vanek, assisted by Jochen Hecht and Drew Stafford. Toronto got the goal back with MacArthur notching his 21st of the season, with help from Kadri and Carl Gunnarsson. The Sabres replied with a Jason Pominville tally, his 20th of the year, made possible by Tim Connolly and Andrej Sekera. Thirty seconds later, the game was tied with Buffalo getting a Rob Niedermayer goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Steve Montador and Cody McCormick. The Maple Leafs took a 4-3 lead with the 29th of the year from Mikhail Grabovski, finding twine thanks to Phil Kessel and MacArthur. After the third period was scoreless, the three stars were given to MacArthur, Kadri, and Vanek.
To the battle of Pennsylvania, this time in Pittsburgh, with the Penguins hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Marc-Andre Fleury played in front of the cages. Pittsburgh took the early lead with Alex Kovalev notching his 16th of the season, with helpers provided by Kris Letang and Mark Letestu. Philadelphia replied with Jeff Carter potting his 35th of the year, courtesy of Braydon Coburn and Matt Carle. The Penguins reclaimed the lead with Tyler Kennedy sinking his 19th of the season via Brooks Orpik and Chris Kunitz. The Flyers replied again with a power play goal from Scott Hartnell, powered by Ville Leino and Kimmo Timonen, good as his 21st of the year. Philadelphia took the lead with Claude Giroux netting his 25th of the season, coming forty-seven seconds later from Sean O'Donnell and Andrej Meszaros. In the third period, the Flyers clinched a 5-2 win with a pair of Leino goals, his 18th and 19th of the year with Hartnell, Danny Briere (twice), and O'Donnell all picking up assists. The three stars went to Leino, Hartnell, and Briere.
Westward a bit to Columbus, with the Blue Jackets hosting the Florida Panthers. Scott Clemmensen and Steve Mason were given the starting nods. Columbus first found twine with Scottie Upshall's 21st of the season, coming off of Derek Dorsett and Samuel Pahlsson. Florida answered in the second period with a power play goal from David Booth, his 22nd of the year powered by Sergei Samsonov and Mike Santorelli. The Blue Jackets retook the lead with an Antoine Vermette marker, his 18th of the season made possible by R.J. Umberger and Matt Calvert. Evgeny Dadonov used his eighth of the year for the Panthers to tie the game again, with guidance from Jason Garrison and Steve Bernier. The tie lasted into the shootout, where Columbus toppled Florida on the lone tally by Maksim Mayorov to win 3-2. The three stars went to Mason (29 for 31 saves), Mayorov, and Clemmensen (30 for 32 saves).
Down to Tampa Bay, with the Lightning hosting the Ottawa Senators. Curtis McElhinney and Dwayne Roloson guarded the goals. The first period was silent, but Tampa Bay opened the scoring in the second frame, with a Martin St. Louis tally, his 28th of the season coming off of Vincent Lecavalier and Simon Gagne. The Lightning tacked on the 16th of the year for Dominic Moore as well, with helpers provided by Marc-Andre Bergeron and Dana Tyrell. St. Louis extended the lead for Tampa Bay with his second of the game and 29th of the campaign in the third period, gathering steam off of Gagne and Steven Stamkos. Ottawa got on the board with a Jason Spezza marker, his 17th of the season, with help from Colin Greening and Daivd Hale. Moore answered for the Lightning with his second of the night and 17th of the year, thanks to Tyrell and Brett Clark. The Senators got the goal back again with Milan Michalek registering his 17th of the season, a shorthanded goal coming from Filip Kuba and Spezza. Tampa Bay secured a 5-2 victory with Stamkos netting his 44th of the year into the empty cage with assistance from Adam Hall and Moore. St. Louis, Moore, and Gagne got the three stars.
North to Quebec, where the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Carey Price tended the twines. Montreal started the scoring with a Roman Hamrlik goal, his fifth of the season, with assists provided by Jeff Halpern and Michael Cammalleri. The Canadiens extended their lead eleven seconds later with the tenth of the year by Mathieu Darche, made possible by Scott Gomez. Atlanta got on the board in the third period with Nik Antropov recording his 14th of the season thanks to Eric Boulton. Montreal secured a 3-1 victory with Andrei Kostitsyn notching his 20th of the year into the empty net from Paul Mara. The three stars went to Price (27 for 28 saves), Darche, and Hamrlik.
Moving back south to Boston, with the Bruins hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Tim Thomas played in the blue paint. Boston opened the scoring in the second period with Zdeno Chara potting his 14th of the season, coming from Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. The Bruins extended their lead with the third of the campaign by Johnny Boychuk, made possible by Mark Recchi and Milan Lucic. Nathan Horton sank his 24th of the year for Boston to solidify a 3-0 victory, with assists coming from Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell. Thomas (32 save shutout), Bergeron, and Chara earned the three stars.
Out west, the St. Louis Blues hosted the Minnesota Wild. Jose Theodore and Jaroslav Halak stood in front of the nets. Eric Nystrom put Minnesota up first with his fourth of the season, guided in by Martin Havlat and Clayton Stoner. St. Louis replied with Chris Stewart notching his 25th of the year on the power play, powered by Patrik Berglund and Andy McDonald. The scoring resumed with the Blues taking the lead in the third period on another Stewart goal, his second of the game and 26th of the season, assisted by Kevin Shattenkirk and Carlo Colaiacovo. The Wild found an equalizer with Pierre-Marc Bouchard sinking his tenth of the year, with help from Stoner. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Minnesota got tallies from Bouchard and Mikko Koivu, enough to beat the St. Louis marker from McDonald, winning the game 3-2. The three stars went to Koivu, Stewart, and Bouchard.
To Nashville, where the Predators hosted the Vancouver Canucks. Stud goalies Roberto Luongo and Pekka Rinne put on the masks to play. The scoring was opened by Nashville in the second period, with Mike Fisher registering his 18th of the season, thanks to Jonathon Blum and Sergei Kostitsyn. Vancouver got on the board with a pair of Alexandre Burrows markers, his 23rd and 24th of the campaign, with both Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, picking up a primary and a secondary assist each. The Canucks secured a 3-1 victory with an empty net goal by Aaron Rome, his first of the year, with guidance from Jannik Hansen. Burrows, Rinne (29 for 31 saves), and Luongo (16 for 17 saves) gathered up the three stars.
Up north to Edmonton, with the Oilers hosting the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Bernier and Nikolai Khabibulin were the goalies. Los Angeles got a 2-0 lead in the second period with Dustin Brown recording his 26th and 27th of the year, with Trevor Lewis taking two assists and Ryan Smyth grabbing one. This would go on to be the final score of the game, with the three stars going to Brown, Lewis, and Bernier (32 save shutout).
Lastly, we stop in Phoenix, where the Coyotes hosted the Dallas Stars. Kari Lethonen and Ilya Bryzgalov played in front of the twines. The scoring was started by Phoenix in the second period with a David Schlemko goal, his fourth of the season gathering steam off of Michal Rozsival and Eric Belanger. Dallas tied it with Jamie Benn notching his 22nd of the year on the power play with the help of Stephane Robidas and Jamie Langenbrunner. The tie would last into a shootout, where the Coyotes toppled the Stars after Benn and Radim Vrbata exchanged tallies, followed by the decisive marker from Ray Whitney for a 2-1 victory. The three stars went to Bryzgalov (44 for 45 saves), Schlemko, and Whitney.
Nation's capital, Washington, D.C., where the Capitals host the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Semyon Varlamov took to the blue paint. Carolina opened the scoring with Jussi Jokinen on the power play, his 17th of the season, fueled by Joe Corvo and Tuomo Ruutu. Washington tied it with the 27th of the year from Alexander Semin, guided in by Brooks Laich. The Capitals took the lead with the 13th of the season for Marcus Johansson, assisted by Semin and John Carlson. The Hurricanes retied it with Jeff Skinner potting his 27th of the year via Bryan Allen. This tie lasted into a shootout, where the two Carolina tallies from Skinner and Ruutu took Washington down 3-2. The three stars went to Ward (38 for 40 saves), Skinner, and Semin.
North a bit to Toronto, where the Maple Leafs hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and James Reimer were between the pipes. Toronto opened the scoring with the eighth of the season by Dion Phaneuf, powered by Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin. The Maple Leafs extended their lead with a Darryl Boyce tally, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Nazem Kadri and Joey Crabb. Buffalo got on the board with the 27th of the campaign by Thomas Vanek, assisted by Jochen Hecht and Drew Stafford. Toronto got the goal back with MacArthur notching his 21st of the season, with help from Kadri and Carl Gunnarsson. The Sabres replied with a Jason Pominville tally, his 20th of the year, made possible by Tim Connolly and Andrej Sekera. Thirty seconds later, the game was tied with Buffalo getting a Rob Niedermayer goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Steve Montador and Cody McCormick. The Maple Leafs took a 4-3 lead with the 29th of the year from Mikhail Grabovski, finding twine thanks to Phil Kessel and MacArthur. After the third period was scoreless, the three stars were given to MacArthur, Kadri, and Vanek.
To the battle of Pennsylvania, this time in Pittsburgh, with the Penguins hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Marc-Andre Fleury played in front of the cages. Pittsburgh took the early lead with Alex Kovalev notching his 16th of the season, with helpers provided by Kris Letang and Mark Letestu. Philadelphia replied with Jeff Carter potting his 35th of the year, courtesy of Braydon Coburn and Matt Carle. The Penguins reclaimed the lead with Tyler Kennedy sinking his 19th of the season via Brooks Orpik and Chris Kunitz. The Flyers replied again with a power play goal from Scott Hartnell, powered by Ville Leino and Kimmo Timonen, good as his 21st of the year. Philadelphia took the lead with Claude Giroux netting his 25th of the season, coming forty-seven seconds later from Sean O'Donnell and Andrej Meszaros. In the third period, the Flyers clinched a 5-2 win with a pair of Leino goals, his 18th and 19th of the year with Hartnell, Danny Briere (twice), and O'Donnell all picking up assists. The three stars went to Leino, Hartnell, and Briere.
Westward a bit to Columbus, with the Blue Jackets hosting the Florida Panthers. Scott Clemmensen and Steve Mason were given the starting nods. Columbus first found twine with Scottie Upshall's 21st of the season, coming off of Derek Dorsett and Samuel Pahlsson. Florida answered in the second period with a power play goal from David Booth, his 22nd of the year powered by Sergei Samsonov and Mike Santorelli. The Blue Jackets retook the lead with an Antoine Vermette marker, his 18th of the season made possible by R.J. Umberger and Matt Calvert. Evgeny Dadonov used his eighth of the year for the Panthers to tie the game again, with guidance from Jason Garrison and Steve Bernier. The tie lasted into the shootout, where Columbus toppled Florida on the lone tally by Maksim Mayorov to win 3-2. The three stars went to Mason (29 for 31 saves), Mayorov, and Clemmensen (30 for 32 saves).
Down to Tampa Bay, with the Lightning hosting the Ottawa Senators. Curtis McElhinney and Dwayne Roloson guarded the goals. The first period was silent, but Tampa Bay opened the scoring in the second frame, with a Martin St. Louis tally, his 28th of the season coming off of Vincent Lecavalier and Simon Gagne. The Lightning tacked on the 16th of the year for Dominic Moore as well, with helpers provided by Marc-Andre Bergeron and Dana Tyrell. St. Louis extended the lead for Tampa Bay with his second of the game and 29th of the campaign in the third period, gathering steam off of Gagne and Steven Stamkos. Ottawa got on the board with a Jason Spezza marker, his 17th of the season, with help from Colin Greening and Daivd Hale. Moore answered for the Lightning with his second of the night and 17th of the year, thanks to Tyrell and Brett Clark. The Senators got the goal back again with Milan Michalek registering his 17th of the season, a shorthanded goal coming from Filip Kuba and Spezza. Tampa Bay secured a 5-2 victory with Stamkos netting his 44th of the year into the empty cage with assistance from Adam Hall and Moore. St. Louis, Moore, and Gagne got the three stars.
North to Quebec, where the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Carey Price tended the twines. Montreal started the scoring with a Roman Hamrlik goal, his fifth of the season, with assists provided by Jeff Halpern and Michael Cammalleri. The Canadiens extended their lead eleven seconds later with the tenth of the year by Mathieu Darche, made possible by Scott Gomez. Atlanta got on the board in the third period with Nik Antropov recording his 14th of the season thanks to Eric Boulton. Montreal secured a 3-1 victory with Andrei Kostitsyn notching his 20th of the year into the empty net from Paul Mara. The three stars went to Price (27 for 28 saves), Darche, and Hamrlik.
Moving back south to Boston, with the Bruins hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Tim Thomas played in the blue paint. Boston opened the scoring in the second period with Zdeno Chara potting his 14th of the season, coming from Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. The Bruins extended their lead with the third of the campaign by Johnny Boychuk, made possible by Mark Recchi and Milan Lucic. Nathan Horton sank his 24th of the year for Boston to solidify a 3-0 victory, with assists coming from Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell. Thomas (32 save shutout), Bergeron, and Chara earned the three stars.
Out west, the St. Louis Blues hosted the Minnesota Wild. Jose Theodore and Jaroslav Halak stood in front of the nets. Eric Nystrom put Minnesota up first with his fourth of the season, guided in by Martin Havlat and Clayton Stoner. St. Louis replied with Chris Stewart notching his 25th of the year on the power play, powered by Patrik Berglund and Andy McDonald. The scoring resumed with the Blues taking the lead in the third period on another Stewart goal, his second of the game and 26th of the season, assisted by Kevin Shattenkirk and Carlo Colaiacovo. The Wild found an equalizer with Pierre-Marc Bouchard sinking his tenth of the year, with help from Stoner. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Minnesota got tallies from Bouchard and Mikko Koivu, enough to beat the St. Louis marker from McDonald, winning the game 3-2. The three stars went to Koivu, Stewart, and Bouchard.
To Nashville, where the Predators hosted the Vancouver Canucks. Stud goalies Roberto Luongo and Pekka Rinne put on the masks to play. The scoring was opened by Nashville in the second period, with Mike Fisher registering his 18th of the season, thanks to Jonathon Blum and Sergei Kostitsyn. Vancouver got on the board with a pair of Alexandre Burrows markers, his 23rd and 24th of the campaign, with both Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, picking up a primary and a secondary assist each. The Canucks secured a 3-1 victory with an empty net goal by Aaron Rome, his first of the year, with guidance from Jannik Hansen. Burrows, Rinne (29 for 31 saves), and Luongo (16 for 17 saves) gathered up the three stars.
Up north to Edmonton, with the Oilers hosting the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Bernier and Nikolai Khabibulin were the goalies. Los Angeles got a 2-0 lead in the second period with Dustin Brown recording his 26th and 27th of the year, with Trevor Lewis taking two assists and Ryan Smyth grabbing one. This would go on to be the final score of the game, with the three stars going to Brown, Lewis, and Bernier (32 save shutout).
Lastly, we stop in Phoenix, where the Coyotes hosted the Dallas Stars. Kari Lethonen and Ilya Bryzgalov played in front of the twines. The scoring was started by Phoenix in the second period with a David Schlemko goal, his fourth of the season gathering steam off of Michal Rozsival and Eric Belanger. Dallas tied it with Jamie Benn notching his 22nd of the year on the power play with the help of Stephane Robidas and Jamie Langenbrunner. The tie would last into a shootout, where the Coyotes toppled the Stars after Benn and Radim Vrbata exchanged tallies, followed by the decisive marker from Ray Whitney for a 2-1 victory. The three stars went to Bryzgalov (44 for 45 saves), Schlemko, and Whitney.
Monday's two Western games
Another short schedule to start off the week, with only two games. The first of these pitted...
The Detroit Red Wings against the Chicago Blackhawks at Joe Louis Arena. Corey Crawford and Joey MacDonald took control of the nets. Chicago opened the scoring with a Jonathan Toews goal, his 31st of the season, from Troy Brouwer and Chris Campoli. Nicklas Lidstrom tied it for Detroit with his 15th of the year, assisted by Valtteri Filppula and Brian Rafalski. The Blackhawks retook the lead with a Brent Seabrook goal, his sixth of the campaign coming on the power play from Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa. The Red Wings got another equalizer from Henrik Zetterberg, his 23rd of the season, also a power play goal with assists provided by Jiri Hudler and Rafalski. Chicago defeated Detroit in the overtime period that was required with the 23rd of the year by Hossa, a power play goal powered by Kane and Duncan Keith to create a 3-2 final score. The three stars went to Hossa, MacDonald (38 for 41), and Toews.
Wrapping up the day's games were the Anaheim Ducks hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Brian Elliott and Ray Emery made the starts. Colorado opened up with Ryan O'Reilly on the power play, notching his eleventh of the season from Milan Hejduk and Ryan Stoa. Matt Duchene extended the Avalanche lead with his 27th of the year, with help from Hejduk and Matt Hunwick. Anaheim got on the board with a penalty shot conversion by Teemu Selanne, his 26th goal of the season. The Ducks tied it with a Jason Blake goal, his 15th of the year, with assistance from Selanne and Saku Koivu. Selanne notched another goal to put Anaheim on front, his second of the game and 27th of the campaign, guided in by Cam Fowler and Koivu. Colorado retied the game with David Jones' 25th of the season, helped along by Daniel Winnik and Ryan O'Byrne. Fowler put the Ducks back in front with his ninth of the year, a power play goal powered by Selanne and Lubomir Visnovsky. Selanne completed his hat trick on the 28th of the season, a power play goal made possible by Ryan Getzlaf and Visnovsky. The Avalanche got back within a goal on Paul Stastny's 21st of the year, assisted by a sock trick completing Hejduk and Duchene. This would not lead to further offense, and Colorado lost 5-4 to the Ducks. The three stars went to Selanne, Koivu, and O'Reilly.
The Detroit Red Wings against the Chicago Blackhawks at Joe Louis Arena. Corey Crawford and Joey MacDonald took control of the nets. Chicago opened the scoring with a Jonathan Toews goal, his 31st of the season, from Troy Brouwer and Chris Campoli. Nicklas Lidstrom tied it for Detroit with his 15th of the year, assisted by Valtteri Filppula and Brian Rafalski. The Blackhawks retook the lead with a Brent Seabrook goal, his sixth of the campaign coming on the power play from Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa. The Red Wings got another equalizer from Henrik Zetterberg, his 23rd of the season, also a power play goal with assists provided by Jiri Hudler and Rafalski. Chicago defeated Detroit in the overtime period that was required with the 23rd of the year by Hossa, a power play goal powered by Kane and Duncan Keith to create a 3-2 final score. The three stars went to Hossa, MacDonald (38 for 41), and Toews.
Wrapping up the day's games were the Anaheim Ducks hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Brian Elliott and Ray Emery made the starts. Colorado opened up with Ryan O'Reilly on the power play, notching his eleventh of the season from Milan Hejduk and Ryan Stoa. Matt Duchene extended the Avalanche lead with his 27th of the year, with help from Hejduk and Matt Hunwick. Anaheim got on the board with a penalty shot conversion by Teemu Selanne, his 26th goal of the season. The Ducks tied it with a Jason Blake goal, his 15th of the year, with assistance from Selanne and Saku Koivu. Selanne notched another goal to put Anaheim on front, his second of the game and 27th of the campaign, guided in by Cam Fowler and Koivu. Colorado retied the game with David Jones' 25th of the season, helped along by Daniel Winnik and Ryan O'Byrne. Fowler put the Ducks back in front with his ninth of the year, a power play goal powered by Selanne and Lubomir Visnovsky. Selanne completed his hat trick on the 28th of the season, a power play goal made possible by Ryan Getzlaf and Visnovsky. The Avalanche got back within a goal on Paul Stastny's 21st of the year, assisted by a sock trick completing Hejduk and Duchene. This would not lead to further offense, and Colorado lost 5-4 to the Ducks. The three stars went to Selanne, Koivu, and O'Reilly.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Fantasy Hockey All-Stars week 23
This week brings us into the thinning of the playoff fields, with some leagues holding their championships and others participating in the semi-finals. I am proud to say that I have five teams looking for a gold medal this week, and likely more to play for 1st place next week as well. With that, here's the best players from last week:
Center: Ryan Getzlaf, 0 goals, 7 assists, +6, 0 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 7 shots on goal
Left Wing: Ryane Clowe, 1 goal, 4 assists, +4, 14 penalty minutes, 0 power play points, 8 shots on goal
Right Wing: Corey Perry, 5 goals, 1 assist, +5, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 17 shots on goal
Defenseman: Zdeno Chara, 1 goal, 5 assists, +5, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 12 shots on goal
Goaltender: "King" Henrik Lundqvist, 2 wins, 0.32 goals against average, 77 saves, .987 save percentage, 2 shutouts
Those were your top players last week. I have seen Lundqvist be a huge difference on many occasions, and both for and against me last week. Also, California is the place to go for forwards. Starting in two weeks, Baseball all-stars will be posted as well. This will run here next week.
Center: Ryan Getzlaf, 0 goals, 7 assists, +6, 0 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 7 shots on goal
Left Wing: Ryane Clowe, 1 goal, 4 assists, +4, 14 penalty minutes, 0 power play points, 8 shots on goal
Right Wing: Corey Perry, 5 goals, 1 assist, +5, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 17 shots on goal
Defenseman: Zdeno Chara, 1 goal, 5 assists, +5, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 12 shots on goal
Goaltender: "King" Henrik Lundqvist, 2 wins, 0.32 goals against average, 77 saves, .987 save percentage, 2 shutouts
Those were your top players last week. I have seen Lundqvist be a huge difference on many occasions, and both for and against me last week. Also, California is the place to go for forwards. Starting in two weeks, Baseball all-stars will be posted as well. This will run here next week.
Song of the Week XIII
This week, we have a pop-punk tune from Good Charlotte called The Chronicles of Life and Death. The song emphasizes the basic life pattern that everyone goes through. It expresses less individuality than other bands usually would show. It also protests people who think they are entitled just because they are alive. The rhythm has short bursts of guitar with a repeating drum pattern. The song is not their best, but it is not horrible either. This feature will run next week.
Sunday hockey coverage
Sunday only had four games in the lead-up to the stretch run. They started in...
Pittsburgh, with the Penguins bringing the Florida Panthers to the CONSOL Energy Center. Tomas Vokoun and Marc-Andre Fleury took to the creases. Florida opened the scoring in the second period with the third goal of the season by Ryan Carter, guided in by Alexander Sulzer and Darcy Hordichuk. Pittsburgh replied with Ben Lovejoy notching his third of the year, with the help of Alex Kovalev and James Neal. The tie lasted through the Scott Clemmensen substitution for Tomas Vokoun, throughout overtime to the shootout, where the Penguins beat the Panthers with tallies from Kovalev and Neal. Fleury (37 for 38 saves), Lovejoy, and Kovalev picked up the three stars.
South to Atlanta, where the Thrashers hosted the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Chris Mason were the starters. Atlanta tallied first with the 16th of the season by Blake Wheeler, assisted by Zach Bogosian and Andrew Ladd. Ottawa replied with Marek Svatos' third of the year, an unassisted goal. The Thrashers took the lead back with Bryan Little potting his 17th of the season, with help from Wheeler. Nineteen seconds later, Atlanta extended their lead on Ben Maxwell's first of the year, fueled by Dustin Byfuglien and Ron Hainsey. The Senators got a goal back on Chris Neil's sixth of the season, courtesy of Jesse Winchester and Patrick Wiercioch. The Thrashers took that goal back with Mark Stuart netting his second of the year, with helpers provided by Nik Antropov and Maxwell. Ottawa pulled back within a goal on Erik Condra's sixth of the season, helped along by Jason Spezza and Brian Lee. Svatos added the equalizer for the Senators with his second of the game and fourth of the year, powered by Filip Kuba and Erik Karlsson. Atlanta beat Ottawa in the shootout later in the game, with Ladd providing the lone tally for the 5-4 victory. The three stars were given to Maxwell, Wheeler, and Ladd.
To Columbus, with the Blue Jackets hosting the Vancouver Canucks. Cory Schneider and Mathieu Garon played the creases. Vancouver opened the scoring with Christian Ehrhoff netting his 12th of the season via Chris Higgins and Mason Raymond. The Canucks extended their lead in the third period with the 19th of the year coming on the power play off the tape of Henrik Sedin, with helpers provided by Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler. Higgins kept Vancouver rolling with his 12th of the season, made possible by Kesler and Raymond. Columbus got on the board with R.J. Umberger sinking his 24th of the campaign, thanks to Antoine Vermette. Higgins made it 4-1 Canucks with his 13th of the year, a power play goal and his second tally of the game being powered by Raymond, who clinched a sock trick, and Kevin Bieksa. Schneider (39 for 40 saves), Higgins, and Umberger earned the three stars.
Finally, the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Brian Boucher participated in some alliteration in front of the cages. Philadelphia got on the board first with Kris Versteeg netting his 20th of the campaign, assisted by Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk. Boston replied in the second period with Nathan Horton on the power play with his 23rd of the season, powered by Tomas Kaberle and David Krejci. The Bruins took a 2-1 lead in the third period with another power play goal, this time Brad Marchand's 20th of the year, guided along by Dennis Seidenberg and Mark Recchi. This was the final, with the three stars going to Marchand, Thomas (27 for 28 saves), and Versteeg.
Pittsburgh, with the Penguins bringing the Florida Panthers to the CONSOL Energy Center. Tomas Vokoun and Marc-Andre Fleury took to the creases. Florida opened the scoring in the second period with the third goal of the season by Ryan Carter, guided in by Alexander Sulzer and Darcy Hordichuk. Pittsburgh replied with Ben Lovejoy notching his third of the year, with the help of Alex Kovalev and James Neal. The tie lasted through the Scott Clemmensen substitution for Tomas Vokoun, throughout overtime to the shootout, where the Penguins beat the Panthers with tallies from Kovalev and Neal. Fleury (37 for 38 saves), Lovejoy, and Kovalev picked up the three stars.
South to Atlanta, where the Thrashers hosted the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Chris Mason were the starters. Atlanta tallied first with the 16th of the season by Blake Wheeler, assisted by Zach Bogosian and Andrew Ladd. Ottawa replied with Marek Svatos' third of the year, an unassisted goal. The Thrashers took the lead back with Bryan Little potting his 17th of the season, with help from Wheeler. Nineteen seconds later, Atlanta extended their lead on Ben Maxwell's first of the year, fueled by Dustin Byfuglien and Ron Hainsey. The Senators got a goal back on Chris Neil's sixth of the season, courtesy of Jesse Winchester and Patrick Wiercioch. The Thrashers took that goal back with Mark Stuart netting his second of the year, with helpers provided by Nik Antropov and Maxwell. Ottawa pulled back within a goal on Erik Condra's sixth of the season, helped along by Jason Spezza and Brian Lee. Svatos added the equalizer for the Senators with his second of the game and fourth of the year, powered by Filip Kuba and Erik Karlsson. Atlanta beat Ottawa in the shootout later in the game, with Ladd providing the lone tally for the 5-4 victory. The three stars were given to Maxwell, Wheeler, and Ladd.
To Columbus, with the Blue Jackets hosting the Vancouver Canucks. Cory Schneider and Mathieu Garon played the creases. Vancouver opened the scoring with Christian Ehrhoff netting his 12th of the season via Chris Higgins and Mason Raymond. The Canucks extended their lead in the third period with the 19th of the year coming on the power play off the tape of Henrik Sedin, with helpers provided by Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler. Higgins kept Vancouver rolling with his 12th of the season, made possible by Kesler and Raymond. Columbus got on the board with R.J. Umberger sinking his 24th of the campaign, thanks to Antoine Vermette. Higgins made it 4-1 Canucks with his 13th of the year, a power play goal and his second tally of the game being powered by Raymond, who clinched a sock trick, and Kevin Bieksa. Schneider (39 for 40 saves), Higgins, and Umberger earned the three stars.
Finally, the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Brian Boucher participated in some alliteration in front of the cages. Philadelphia got on the board first with Kris Versteeg netting his 20th of the campaign, assisted by Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk. Boston replied in the second period with Nathan Horton on the power play with his 23rd of the season, powered by Tomas Kaberle and David Krejci. The Bruins took a 2-1 lead in the third period with another power play goal, this time Brad Marchand's 20th of the year, guided along by Dennis Seidenberg and Mark Recchi. This was the final, with the three stars going to Marchand, Thomas (27 for 28 saves), and Versteeg.
Sandwich Showdown XII
This weekend, the two sandwiches in competition had a very similar composition, with the Subway Club on Italian opposing the Subway Melt on Garlic. The Club had a very strong set of flavor, bringing out all of its best angles. The bread quality was top-notch. The Melt that followed was toasted and also had a good flavor. The bread was also very strong. This week the edge goes just barely to the Melt, but it was one of the best battles I've had the right to taste. This will run again next week.
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