Monday, December 20, 2010
Song of the Week IV
This week, we have our first repeat artist on here, with James Blunt earning the honors with 1973. The song is the lead track off of his second album, All the Lost Souls, and it went on to be a single for him. The song has a rhythmic beat and a good piano, notorious of his work and setting the soft, strong tone the rest of the album carries. A perfect example of what a first track should sound like. Check this series again next week for the next song.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday Night Football, week 15
This week's prime time Sunday game is between the Green Bay Packers, who are paying a visit to the New England Patriots. Mason Crosby put the Packers up first with a 31 yard field goal. New England responded with a touchdown run from BenJarvus Green-Ellis, from 33 yards, followed by Shayne Graham's extra point. Matt Flynn got Green Bay going the right way in the second quarter, with touchdown passes of 66 and 1 yards to James Jones and Greg Jennings, both followed by Crosby extra points. Tom Brady cut the lead to 17-14 with his touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez for 2 yards, followed by Graham's extra point. The Patriots took a lead when Kyle Arrington intercepted Flynn for 36 yards and the touchdown, followed by an extra point from Graham, but Flynn regained himself and threw one to his own teammate, John Kuhn, for 6 yards and the touchdown. Crosby added the extra point, before kicking a 19 yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Graham answered that and made the score 27-24 Packers with his 38 yard field goal, and he also tacked on the extra point for Brady's second touchdown to Hernandez, this time from 10 yards. The final score ended up being 31-27 New England over Green Bay. The Patriots improved to 12-2, while dropping the Packers down to 8-6.
Sunday NHL recap
There were four games on for the puckheads among us in a football-dominated Sunday, with the first two being early enough to compete a bit with football broadcasts. We start in Detroit...
Where the Red Wings hosted the Dallas Stars. Andrew Raycroft and Chris Osgood were the netminders. Pavel Datsyuk drew first blood for the Red Wings, potting a power play goal, his 12th marker of the season, from Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen. Patrick Eaves made it 2-0 with his seventh of the year, from Niklas Kronwall and Valtteri Filppula. Brad Richards put Dallas on the board with his 15th of the year, thanks to Loui Erikssoin and Jeff Woywitka. Brenden Morrow potted a goal for the Stars to even it at 2 after the first period, a power play goal from Trevor Daley and Eriksson, good for his eleventh of the year. Franzen put Detroit back up late in the second period with his 14th of the year, helped along by Brian Rafalski and Datsyuk. Morrow tied it for the Stars in the third period with his second of the night and 12th of the year, with help from Jamie Benn. The tie lasted late into overtime, but was broken by Dallas with Eriksson's 14th of the year, assisted by Jamie Benn. Eriksson, Morrow, and Eaves got the stars for the game. Fighting in the second period were Dallas' Steve Ott and Detroit's Justin Abdelkader.
We head to Chicago for the second game, where the Blackhawks hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Corey Crawford were the goalkeepers for the game. Jonathan Toews got the Blackhawks up first with his 15th of the season in the first period, assisted by Brian Campbell and Patrick Sharp. Kyle Clifford evened the score for the Kings, potting his second of the year, with help from Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds. Duncan Keith netted his third of the year to make the lead 2-1 for Chicago, assisted by Sharp and Toews. Fernando Pisani made it 3-1 for the 'Hawks, potting his fifth of the year, with help from Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland. Simmonds tried to get Los Angeles back together with his seventh of the year, with help from Anze Kopitar and goalie Jonathan Quick, but they couldn't muster any more offense in the third period and fell 3-2 to Chicago. Toews, Keith, and Simmonds earned the stars for the game. Sharing a dance in the first period were the Blackhawks' John Scott (the real estate manager) and the Kings' Kevin Westgarth.
Moving along to Ottawa, where the Senators hosted the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Brian Elliott got the nod for their respective teams. Ottawa opened the scoring with a goal by Ryan Shannon, his fourth of the season, from Jesse Winchester. The Senators had a 2-0 lead when Chris Kelly potted his eighth of the year, assisted by Chris Neil. Washington answered in the second period with an early goal by Mathieu Perreault, his third of the year, with helpers from Mike Knuble and Brooks Laich. Forty-six seconds later, Eric Fehr tied it with his fifth of the year, assisted by Alex Ovechkin. Later that same period, Perreault had struck again, with his second of the night and fourth of the year, with assistance for this goal coming from Fehr, on the power play. No more scoring would be conducted after this point, and the Capitals went on to defeat the Senators 3-2. Perreault, Kelly, and Fehr earned the stars for their performances.
Lastly, we have the game between the Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens, at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Carey Price and Craig Anderson were in between their pipes for the game. Michael Cammalleri opened the scoring for the Canadiens, with a power play goal from Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn. The Avalanche answered with a power play goal from Ryan Wilson late in the first period, his second marker of the season helped along by Ryan O'Reilly and goalie Craig Anderson. Montreal regained the lead in the second period with a goal by Alexandre Picard on the power play, his second goal of the year, assisted by Max Pacioretty and Scott Gomez. Kevin Porter tied it up for Colorado with his seventh of the campaign, helped along by Philippe Dupuis, and they took the lead on a goal by T.J. Galiardi, his fifth of the season, helped by O'Reilly and Jonas Holos. This 3-2 Avalanche lead would hold up to defeat the Canadiens. O'Reilly, Anderson (27 for 29 saves) and Cammalleri were the three stars.
That's all the hockey there is for Sunday. The Sunday Night Football post will follow this one at the conclusion of the game. Tomorrow, there will be Song of the Week and Fantasy Hockey All-Stars, plus the Monday Night Football post at its regularly scheduled time.
Where the Red Wings hosted the Dallas Stars. Andrew Raycroft and Chris Osgood were the netminders. Pavel Datsyuk drew first blood for the Red Wings, potting a power play goal, his 12th marker of the season, from Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen. Patrick Eaves made it 2-0 with his seventh of the year, from Niklas Kronwall and Valtteri Filppula. Brad Richards put Dallas on the board with his 15th of the year, thanks to Loui Erikssoin and Jeff Woywitka. Brenden Morrow potted a goal for the Stars to even it at 2 after the first period, a power play goal from Trevor Daley and Eriksson, good for his eleventh of the year. Franzen put Detroit back up late in the second period with his 14th of the year, helped along by Brian Rafalski and Datsyuk. Morrow tied it for the Stars in the third period with his second of the night and 12th of the year, with help from Jamie Benn. The tie lasted late into overtime, but was broken by Dallas with Eriksson's 14th of the year, assisted by Jamie Benn. Eriksson, Morrow, and Eaves got the stars for the game. Fighting in the second period were Dallas' Steve Ott and Detroit's Justin Abdelkader.
We head to Chicago for the second game, where the Blackhawks hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Corey Crawford were the goalkeepers for the game. Jonathan Toews got the Blackhawks up first with his 15th of the season in the first period, assisted by Brian Campbell and Patrick Sharp. Kyle Clifford evened the score for the Kings, potting his second of the year, with help from Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds. Duncan Keith netted his third of the year to make the lead 2-1 for Chicago, assisted by Sharp and Toews. Fernando Pisani made it 3-1 for the 'Hawks, potting his fifth of the year, with help from Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland. Simmonds tried to get Los Angeles back together with his seventh of the year, with help from Anze Kopitar and goalie Jonathan Quick, but they couldn't muster any more offense in the third period and fell 3-2 to Chicago. Toews, Keith, and Simmonds earned the stars for the game. Sharing a dance in the first period were the Blackhawks' John Scott (the real estate manager) and the Kings' Kevin Westgarth.
Moving along to Ottawa, where the Senators hosted the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Brian Elliott got the nod for their respective teams. Ottawa opened the scoring with a goal by Ryan Shannon, his fourth of the season, from Jesse Winchester. The Senators had a 2-0 lead when Chris Kelly potted his eighth of the year, assisted by Chris Neil. Washington answered in the second period with an early goal by Mathieu Perreault, his third of the year, with helpers from Mike Knuble and Brooks Laich. Forty-six seconds later, Eric Fehr tied it with his fifth of the year, assisted by Alex Ovechkin. Later that same period, Perreault had struck again, with his second of the night and fourth of the year, with assistance for this goal coming from Fehr, on the power play. No more scoring would be conducted after this point, and the Capitals went on to defeat the Senators 3-2. Perreault, Kelly, and Fehr earned the stars for their performances.
Lastly, we have the game between the Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens, at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Carey Price and Craig Anderson were in between their pipes for the game. Michael Cammalleri opened the scoring for the Canadiens, with a power play goal from Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn. The Avalanche answered with a power play goal from Ryan Wilson late in the first period, his second marker of the season helped along by Ryan O'Reilly and goalie Craig Anderson. Montreal regained the lead in the second period with a goal by Alexandre Picard on the power play, his second goal of the year, assisted by Max Pacioretty and Scott Gomez. Kevin Porter tied it up for Colorado with his seventh of the campaign, helped along by Philippe Dupuis, and they took the lead on a goal by T.J. Galiardi, his fifth of the season, helped by O'Reilly and Jonas Holos. This 3-2 Avalanche lead would hold up to defeat the Canadiens. O'Reilly, Anderson (27 for 29 saves) and Cammalleri were the three stars.
That's all the hockey there is for Sunday. The Sunday Night Football post will follow this one at the conclusion of the game. Tomorrow, there will be Song of the Week and Fantasy Hockey All-Stars, plus the Monday Night Football post at its regularly scheduled time.
NFL Week 15 late games recap
There are three games late for today. The first one was between...
The Atlanta Falcons, and the hosting Seattle Seahawks. Marshawn Lynch got the Seahawks on the board first with his 1 yard touchdown run, followed by an extra point from Olindo Mare. Matt Ryan's pass to Jason Snelling for 3 yards and the touchdown, followed by an extra point by Matt Bryant was enough to tie the game for the Falcons. Bryant and Mare exchanged field goals, with Bryant true from 27 yards and Mare good from 38 yards. Atlanta took the lead when Ryan passed to Michael Jenkins for a touchdown of 24 yards before the half, followed by a Bryant extra point to make it 17-10. The Falcons jumped on a Matt Hasselbeck fumble, with Jonathan Babineaux recovering it and taking it in, followed by an extra point by Bryant, who added a 25 yard field goal to make it 27-10. Ryan then found Roddy White later in the third quarter, good for 5 yards, with Bryant providing the extra point. Trying to create a rally, backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst ran a touchdown in for a yard, followed by a successful two point conversion pass from Whitehurst to Ben Obomanu. This produced the final score of 34-18, improving Atlanta to 12-2, and dropping Seattle to 6-8.
The next game featured the New York Jets paying a visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brad Smith of the Jets opened the scoring early, returning the kickoff from Shaun Suisham 97 yards for the touchdown, with Nick Folk adding the extra point. Pittsburgh tied it with a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Matt Spaeth, good for 9 yards, and Suisham's extra point. Folk and Suisham exchanged field goals in the second quarter, with a 25 yard shot from Folk answered by Suisham's 42 yard kick in the last minute of the half, leaving the game tied at 10. Rashard Mendenhall made it 17-10 for the Steelers with his with a two yard rush, followed by a Suisham extra point, but the game was soon tied with Mark Sanchez running it in himself from 7 yards out, followed by Folk's extra point. Folk added a field goal from 34 yards in the fourth quarter, and the Jets defense sealed the deal with a safety by tackling Mewelde Moore in his own end zone, producing a 22-17 final with the Jets on top. Both teams ended up at 10-4 at the conclusion of the game.
Lastly, we have the Oakland Raiders hosting the Denver Broncos. Jacoby Ford opened the scoring for the Raiders with a 71 yard touchdown rush, followed by a Sebastian Janikowski extra point. Tim Tebow found a couple ways to score touchdowns in his first NFL start, with a 40 yard run and a 33 yard pass to Brandon Lloyd, with Steve Hauschka adding the extra point. Michael Bush got Oakland back together with his 1 yard touchdown run, with Janikowski's extra point tying the game. Hauschka and Janikowski went on a kicking spree when the teams switched sides, with Hauschka getting two field goals from 46 and 35 yards, and Janikowski kicking three from 49, 35, and 47 yards. At the end of the third quarter, it was 23-20 in favor of Oakland over Denver. Jason Campbell extended the Raider lead when connecting for a touchdown with Marcel Reece for 73 yards, with Janikowski adding the extra point. Cutting it back down to a one-score game was Hauschka, kicking a field goal of 45 yards, but Correll Buckhalter got pinned in his own end zone on the next Bronco drive, and the Raiders nabbed a safety, making it 32-23. Bush added another 1 yard touchdown for insurance, with Janikowski's extra point making it 39-23, which proved to be the final. Oakland advanced to 7-7, and Denver fell to 3-11.
Two more posts coming out today (maximum) so keep an eye out for a hockey recap and a Sunday Night Football post.
The Atlanta Falcons, and the hosting Seattle Seahawks. Marshawn Lynch got the Seahawks on the board first with his 1 yard touchdown run, followed by an extra point from Olindo Mare. Matt Ryan's pass to Jason Snelling for 3 yards and the touchdown, followed by an extra point by Matt Bryant was enough to tie the game for the Falcons. Bryant and Mare exchanged field goals, with Bryant true from 27 yards and Mare good from 38 yards. Atlanta took the lead when Ryan passed to Michael Jenkins for a touchdown of 24 yards before the half, followed by a Bryant extra point to make it 17-10. The Falcons jumped on a Matt Hasselbeck fumble, with Jonathan Babineaux recovering it and taking it in, followed by an extra point by Bryant, who added a 25 yard field goal to make it 27-10. Ryan then found Roddy White later in the third quarter, good for 5 yards, with Bryant providing the extra point. Trying to create a rally, backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst ran a touchdown in for a yard, followed by a successful two point conversion pass from Whitehurst to Ben Obomanu. This produced the final score of 34-18, improving Atlanta to 12-2, and dropping Seattle to 6-8.
The next game featured the New York Jets paying a visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brad Smith of the Jets opened the scoring early, returning the kickoff from Shaun Suisham 97 yards for the touchdown, with Nick Folk adding the extra point. Pittsburgh tied it with a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Matt Spaeth, good for 9 yards, and Suisham's extra point. Folk and Suisham exchanged field goals in the second quarter, with a 25 yard shot from Folk answered by Suisham's 42 yard kick in the last minute of the half, leaving the game tied at 10. Rashard Mendenhall made it 17-10 for the Steelers with his with a two yard rush, followed by a Suisham extra point, but the game was soon tied with Mark Sanchez running it in himself from 7 yards out, followed by Folk's extra point. Folk added a field goal from 34 yards in the fourth quarter, and the Jets defense sealed the deal with a safety by tackling Mewelde Moore in his own end zone, producing a 22-17 final with the Jets on top. Both teams ended up at 10-4 at the conclusion of the game.
Lastly, we have the Oakland Raiders hosting the Denver Broncos. Jacoby Ford opened the scoring for the Raiders with a 71 yard touchdown rush, followed by a Sebastian Janikowski extra point. Tim Tebow found a couple ways to score touchdowns in his first NFL start, with a 40 yard run and a 33 yard pass to Brandon Lloyd, with Steve Hauschka adding the extra point. Michael Bush got Oakland back together with his 1 yard touchdown run, with Janikowski's extra point tying the game. Hauschka and Janikowski went on a kicking spree when the teams switched sides, with Hauschka getting two field goals from 46 and 35 yards, and Janikowski kicking three from 49, 35, and 47 yards. At the end of the third quarter, it was 23-20 in favor of Oakland over Denver. Jason Campbell extended the Raider lead when connecting for a touchdown with Marcel Reece for 73 yards, with Janikowski adding the extra point. Cutting it back down to a one-score game was Hauschka, kicking a field goal of 45 yards, but Correll Buckhalter got pinned in his own end zone on the next Bronco drive, and the Raiders nabbed a safety, making it 32-23. Bush added another 1 yard touchdown for insurance, with Janikowski's extra point making it 39-23, which proved to be the final. Oakland advanced to 7-7, and Denver fell to 3-11.
Two more posts coming out today (maximum) so keep an eye out for a hockey recap and a Sunday Night Football post.
Week 15 football Early Games
There was a lopsided slate of games on Sunday, with ten kicking off early, and only three late. This imbalance and my recent laziness results in this post being somewhat late and possibly boring. The scores were relatively average early, so here we go, starting with...
St. Louis hosting Kansas City, in the Missouri battle. Josh Brown got the St. Louis Rams on the board first, kicking two field goals of 37 and 52 yards. Matt Cassel, coming off an appendectomy, found Leonard Pope in the end zone for two yards in the second quarter. Ryan Succop added the extra point on this touchdown and the one by Jamaal Charles, which was a two yard run. The Chiefs took the 14-6 lead into halftime. Succop extended the lead to 20-6 with field goals in the third and fourth quarters from 53 and 38 yards. The Rams tried to come back with a 5 yard touchdown run by Steven Jackson and extra point from Brown, but Thomas Jones 2 yard run for a touchdown and Succop's extra point making it 27-13 was too much. The Chiefs won and improved to 9-5, while the Rams fell down to 6-8 with the loss.
The next game featured the Carolina Panthers hosting the Arizona Cardinals. John Kasay opened the scoring for Carolina with two field goals in the first quarter, from 28 and 29 yards. He also added the extra point on the touchdown pass from Jimmy Clausen to Jeff King, for 16 yards, making it 13-0 Panthers. Arizona got on the board with a Jay Feely field goal of 23 yards, to make it 13-3 at halftime. Kasay made it 19-3 in the third quarter with two more field goals, from 24 and 43 yards. The Cardinals tried to come back in the fourth quarter, with Steve Breaston recovering a fumble by teammate Tim Hightower to get a touchdown, but the two point conversion attempted was no good. Jay Feely added one more field goal from 30 yards, but it was too late to do anything, and Carolina survived to win 19-12. Carolina improved to 2-12 (it is improvement, surprisingly) while Arizona fell to 4-10.
In a far more meaningful game, the New York Giants hosted the Philadelphia Eagles in a battle of the NFC East's two best teams. Eli Manning opened the scoring for the Giants with a touchdown to Mario Manningham, good for 35 yards, followed by Lawrence Tynes adding an extra point. David Akers answered for the Eagles with a 34 yard field goal to make it 7-3. Manning connected with Manningham again, however, this time for only 33 yards and a touchdown, with Tynes adding an extra point, followed by a field goal of 25 yards, and another extra point on the Manning touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks of 8 yards right before halftime. New York led Philadelphia 24-3 heading into the locker room. Michael Vick got the Eagles going in the right direction out of the half, throwing 8 yards to Jeremy Maclin for the touchdown, followed by David Akers' extra point. Manning answered with an 8 yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss in the fourth quarter, with Tynes adding the extra point. Vick finally found his groove after this, throwing first to Brent Celek to get a 65 yard touchdown, and then running 4 yards to get another touchdown, before connecting with Maclin again for 13 yards. Akers added all three extra points, tying the game at 31. The last play of the game was a Matt Dodge punt, which DeSean Jackson fumbled, but recovered and returned for 65 yards and the touchdown, giving the Eagles a 38-31 victory after Akers added the last extra point. Philadelphia improved to 10-4, while dropping their rivals to 9-5.
Back to more meaningless games, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Detroit Lions. Drew Stanton got the Lions on the board first with a touchdown pass of 10 yards to Nate Burleson, followed by Dave Rayner's extra point. Josh Freeman responded in the second quarter with a touchdown pass to Mike Williams, good for 24 yards, followed by Connor Barth's extra point, and Barth provided another extra point after LeGarrette Blount had a 39 yard touchdown run. Making it 14-10 Buccaneers before the halftime, Dave Rayner added a field goal of 41 yards for the Lions. He added the extra point on Maurice Morris' touchdown run of 10 yards in the third quarter. Reclaiming the lead for Tampa Bay was Connor Barth, kicking two field goals from 30 and 26 yards. Rayner sent it to overtime with his 28 yard field goal at the end of regulation, and won it for Detroit in the extra frame with a 34 yard field goal. The 23-20 victory improved the Lions to 4-10, and knocked Tampa Bay down to 8-6.
In another relatively pointless match, the Battle of Ohio raged on with the Cleveland Browns hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. Colt McCoy opened the scoring, giving the Browns a lead with a 20 yard touchdown pass to Robert Royal, followed by Phil Dawson's extra point. Cedric Benson scored on an 18 yard touchdown run, and Clint Stitser tied it for the Bengals with the extra point. He then kicked three straight field goals, 25 yards to make it 10-7 Cincinnati at halftime, and 39 and 34 yards in the third quarter to make it 16-7. Dawson and Stitser traded kicks in the fourth quarter, with Dawson good from 23 yards and answered by Stitser's 20 yard kick. McCoy tried to rally the Cleveland troops with a 46 yard touchdown pass to Brian Robiskie, followed by a Dawson extra point, but it wasn't enough, and Cincinnati hung on to win 19-17. They jumped up to 3-11, knocking down their stately rivals to 5-9.
Staying in the AFC, but going to the East for the Miami Dolphins hosting the Buffalo Bills. It took until the second quarter for any scoring to be put on the board, when Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a touchdown pass to David Nelson for 18 yards, followed by Ryan Lindell's extra point, and also a later field goal from 29 yards to make it 10-0 Bills. The Dolphins made it 10-7 after Ronnie Brown ran 6 yards for the touchdown, followed by Dan Carpenter's extra point. The score stood solid through halftime, and was changed by Fitzpatrick's touchdown pass of 15 yards to Stevie Johnson, followed by Lindell's extra point making it 17-7. Chad Henne passed to Brandon Marshall for 9 yards in the fourth quarter, and Carpenter's extra point made it 17-10, but it was too late to save Miami, who fell by the aforementioned score. The Bills advanced to 4-10, while the Dolphins fell down to 7-7.
Heading down to Texas, where the Dallas Cowboys hosted the Washington Redskins. David Buehler broke the scoring game open with his 42 yard field goal, followed by his extra point on the 3 yard touchdown pass from Jon Kitna to Miles Austin. Buehler added a 20 yard field goal in the second quarter to make it 13-0 before the Redskins struck with a Rex Grossman touchdown pass of 19 yards to Ryan Torain. Graham Gano added the extra point. Kitna and the Cowboys responded with a 14 yard touchdown pass to Jason Witten before halftime, with Buehler adding the extra point to make it 20-7. Buehler provided an extra point on Tashard Choice's 3 yard touchdown run in the third quarter as well, which was answered by Grossman's touchdown pass of 10 yards to Santana Moss, and Gano's extra point. Buehler kicked another 20 yard field goal to make it 30-14 at the end of the third quarter. Washington came out on the attack in the fourth quarter, with Grossman connecting on touchdowns of 5 yards to Santana Moss and Chris Cooley, followed by two successful two point conversions to Cooley and Mike Sellers. The score was suddenly tied, but Buehler saved the day for Dallas with a 39 yard field goal, making it 33-30 Cowboys, proving to be the final score fifty seconds later. Dallas improved to 5-9, dropping their rivals to the same record.
We move along to an AFC South rivalry between the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars and the host Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning and the Colts drew first blood, passing to Austin Collie for 7 yards and a touchdown, followed by an Adam Vinatieri extra point. Josh Scobee responded for the Jaguars, with a 22 yard field goal to make it 7-3. Manning did find Collie again, this time for 27 yards, with Vinatieri adding another extra point. Jacksonville struck again with a punt return touchdown by Mike Thomas, 78 yards to dent the goal line, with Scobee adding the extra point before halftime. Indianapolis led 14-10 at the half. Donald Brown kept the Colts going in the third quarter with a 43 yard touchdown run, with Vinatieri adding another extra point before kicking a 34 yard field goal to make it 24-10. Jacksonville responded with David Garrard finding Mike Sims-Walker for 6 yards and the touchdown, followed by a Scobee extra point. Indianapolis made it 27-17 with a field goal of 37 yards by Vinatieri. Garrard made it 27-24 with another touchdown to Sims-Walker, followed by a Scobee extra point, but on the kickoff, Tyjuan Hagler returned the ball for 41 yards and the touchdown to put the game away at 34-24 after Vinatieri's extra point. This proved to be the final, with Indianapolis improving to 8-6, simultaneously dropping their rivals to the same mark atop the division.
Back east, where the Baltimore Ravens hosted the New Orleans Saints, in what could be a Super Bowl preview (probably not). Drew Brees allowed New Orleans to draw first blood with his touchdown pass of 18 yards to Jimmy Graham, followed by an extra point from Garrett Hartley. Baltimore evened the score with Joe Flacco passing to Ed Dickson for 34 yards and touchdown, followed afterward by Billy Cundiff's extra point. Ray Rice added onto the Ravens score with his 10 yard touchdown run, and a touchdown reception of 17 yards from Flacco. Cundiff added both extra point, making it 21-7. The Saints trimmed the lead, as Brees found Graham again, for 1 yard, and Hartley added the extra point to make 21-14 going into the locker room. Hartley and Cundiff traded barbs in field goals in the third quarter, with Hartley good from 47 yards and Cundiff completing from 33. Brees found Lance Moore in the fourth quarter for 15 yards and a touchdown, which Hartley added an extra point on, but they would not hold on to the tie, as Cundiff kicked two more field goals, from 32 and 27 yards. The 30-24 score was a Baltimore win, improving to 10-4, and dropping the Saints to 10-4 as well.
Lastly, we have a rematch for the Andre Johnson-Cortland Finnegan fight, with the Houston Texans visiting the Tennessee Titans. The Titans came out swinging, so to speak, with Kerry Collins throwing touchdown passes of 3 and 1 yards to Nate Washington and Justin Gage, shortly followed by Chris Johnson's 11 yard touchdown run. Rob Bironas added all three extra points to make it 21-0 after the first quarter. Neil Rackers got a quieted Houston team on the board with a 37 yard field goal, but the 24-3 score at halftime was made possible by Bironas' 30 yard field goal right before the break. Matt Schaub connected with Andre Johnson in the third quarter for 12 yards and the touchdown, followed by Rackers' extra point, but Javon Ringer replied with a 7 yard touchdown run to make it 31-10 after Bironas added the extra point. In a futile attempt to make a comeback, Schaub found Kevin Walter for 4 yards, and Rackers added the extra point to make it 31-17, which ended up being the final. The Titans improved to 6-8, with the Texans falling to 5-9.
That's all for the early games, keep watch for the late games in a couple hours or so.
St. Louis hosting Kansas City, in the Missouri battle. Josh Brown got the St. Louis Rams on the board first, kicking two field goals of 37 and 52 yards. Matt Cassel, coming off an appendectomy, found Leonard Pope in the end zone for two yards in the second quarter. Ryan Succop added the extra point on this touchdown and the one by Jamaal Charles, which was a two yard run. The Chiefs took the 14-6 lead into halftime. Succop extended the lead to 20-6 with field goals in the third and fourth quarters from 53 and 38 yards. The Rams tried to come back with a 5 yard touchdown run by Steven Jackson and extra point from Brown, but Thomas Jones 2 yard run for a touchdown and Succop's extra point making it 27-13 was too much. The Chiefs won and improved to 9-5, while the Rams fell down to 6-8 with the loss.
The next game featured the Carolina Panthers hosting the Arizona Cardinals. John Kasay opened the scoring for Carolina with two field goals in the first quarter, from 28 and 29 yards. He also added the extra point on the touchdown pass from Jimmy Clausen to Jeff King, for 16 yards, making it 13-0 Panthers. Arizona got on the board with a Jay Feely field goal of 23 yards, to make it 13-3 at halftime. Kasay made it 19-3 in the third quarter with two more field goals, from 24 and 43 yards. The Cardinals tried to come back in the fourth quarter, with Steve Breaston recovering a fumble by teammate Tim Hightower to get a touchdown, but the two point conversion attempted was no good. Jay Feely added one more field goal from 30 yards, but it was too late to do anything, and Carolina survived to win 19-12. Carolina improved to 2-12 (it is improvement, surprisingly) while Arizona fell to 4-10.
In a far more meaningful game, the New York Giants hosted the Philadelphia Eagles in a battle of the NFC East's two best teams. Eli Manning opened the scoring for the Giants with a touchdown to Mario Manningham, good for 35 yards, followed by Lawrence Tynes adding an extra point. David Akers answered for the Eagles with a 34 yard field goal to make it 7-3. Manning connected with Manningham again, however, this time for only 33 yards and a touchdown, with Tynes adding an extra point, followed by a field goal of 25 yards, and another extra point on the Manning touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks of 8 yards right before halftime. New York led Philadelphia 24-3 heading into the locker room. Michael Vick got the Eagles going in the right direction out of the half, throwing 8 yards to Jeremy Maclin for the touchdown, followed by David Akers' extra point. Manning answered with an 8 yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss in the fourth quarter, with Tynes adding the extra point. Vick finally found his groove after this, throwing first to Brent Celek to get a 65 yard touchdown, and then running 4 yards to get another touchdown, before connecting with Maclin again for 13 yards. Akers added all three extra points, tying the game at 31. The last play of the game was a Matt Dodge punt, which DeSean Jackson fumbled, but recovered and returned for 65 yards and the touchdown, giving the Eagles a 38-31 victory after Akers added the last extra point. Philadelphia improved to 10-4, while dropping their rivals to 9-5.
Back to more meaningless games, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Detroit Lions. Drew Stanton got the Lions on the board first with a touchdown pass of 10 yards to Nate Burleson, followed by Dave Rayner's extra point. Josh Freeman responded in the second quarter with a touchdown pass to Mike Williams, good for 24 yards, followed by Connor Barth's extra point, and Barth provided another extra point after LeGarrette Blount had a 39 yard touchdown run. Making it 14-10 Buccaneers before the halftime, Dave Rayner added a field goal of 41 yards for the Lions. He added the extra point on Maurice Morris' touchdown run of 10 yards in the third quarter. Reclaiming the lead for Tampa Bay was Connor Barth, kicking two field goals from 30 and 26 yards. Rayner sent it to overtime with his 28 yard field goal at the end of regulation, and won it for Detroit in the extra frame with a 34 yard field goal. The 23-20 victory improved the Lions to 4-10, and knocked Tampa Bay down to 8-6.
In another relatively pointless match, the Battle of Ohio raged on with the Cleveland Browns hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. Colt McCoy opened the scoring, giving the Browns a lead with a 20 yard touchdown pass to Robert Royal, followed by Phil Dawson's extra point. Cedric Benson scored on an 18 yard touchdown run, and Clint Stitser tied it for the Bengals with the extra point. He then kicked three straight field goals, 25 yards to make it 10-7 Cincinnati at halftime, and 39 and 34 yards in the third quarter to make it 16-7. Dawson and Stitser traded kicks in the fourth quarter, with Dawson good from 23 yards and answered by Stitser's 20 yard kick. McCoy tried to rally the Cleveland troops with a 46 yard touchdown pass to Brian Robiskie, followed by a Dawson extra point, but it wasn't enough, and Cincinnati hung on to win 19-17. They jumped up to 3-11, knocking down their stately rivals to 5-9.
Staying in the AFC, but going to the East for the Miami Dolphins hosting the Buffalo Bills. It took until the second quarter for any scoring to be put on the board, when Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a touchdown pass to David Nelson for 18 yards, followed by Ryan Lindell's extra point, and also a later field goal from 29 yards to make it 10-0 Bills. The Dolphins made it 10-7 after Ronnie Brown ran 6 yards for the touchdown, followed by Dan Carpenter's extra point. The score stood solid through halftime, and was changed by Fitzpatrick's touchdown pass of 15 yards to Stevie Johnson, followed by Lindell's extra point making it 17-7. Chad Henne passed to Brandon Marshall for 9 yards in the fourth quarter, and Carpenter's extra point made it 17-10, but it was too late to save Miami, who fell by the aforementioned score. The Bills advanced to 4-10, while the Dolphins fell down to 7-7.
Heading down to Texas, where the Dallas Cowboys hosted the Washington Redskins. David Buehler broke the scoring game open with his 42 yard field goal, followed by his extra point on the 3 yard touchdown pass from Jon Kitna to Miles Austin. Buehler added a 20 yard field goal in the second quarter to make it 13-0 before the Redskins struck with a Rex Grossman touchdown pass of 19 yards to Ryan Torain. Graham Gano added the extra point. Kitna and the Cowboys responded with a 14 yard touchdown pass to Jason Witten before halftime, with Buehler adding the extra point to make it 20-7. Buehler provided an extra point on Tashard Choice's 3 yard touchdown run in the third quarter as well, which was answered by Grossman's touchdown pass of 10 yards to Santana Moss, and Gano's extra point. Buehler kicked another 20 yard field goal to make it 30-14 at the end of the third quarter. Washington came out on the attack in the fourth quarter, with Grossman connecting on touchdowns of 5 yards to Santana Moss and Chris Cooley, followed by two successful two point conversions to Cooley and Mike Sellers. The score was suddenly tied, but Buehler saved the day for Dallas with a 39 yard field goal, making it 33-30 Cowboys, proving to be the final score fifty seconds later. Dallas improved to 5-9, dropping their rivals to the same record.
We move along to an AFC South rivalry between the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars and the host Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning and the Colts drew first blood, passing to Austin Collie for 7 yards and a touchdown, followed by an Adam Vinatieri extra point. Josh Scobee responded for the Jaguars, with a 22 yard field goal to make it 7-3. Manning did find Collie again, this time for 27 yards, with Vinatieri adding another extra point. Jacksonville struck again with a punt return touchdown by Mike Thomas, 78 yards to dent the goal line, with Scobee adding the extra point before halftime. Indianapolis led 14-10 at the half. Donald Brown kept the Colts going in the third quarter with a 43 yard touchdown run, with Vinatieri adding another extra point before kicking a 34 yard field goal to make it 24-10. Jacksonville responded with David Garrard finding Mike Sims-Walker for 6 yards and the touchdown, followed by a Scobee extra point. Indianapolis made it 27-17 with a field goal of 37 yards by Vinatieri. Garrard made it 27-24 with another touchdown to Sims-Walker, followed by a Scobee extra point, but on the kickoff, Tyjuan Hagler returned the ball for 41 yards and the touchdown to put the game away at 34-24 after Vinatieri's extra point. This proved to be the final, with Indianapolis improving to 8-6, simultaneously dropping their rivals to the same mark atop the division.
Back east, where the Baltimore Ravens hosted the New Orleans Saints, in what could be a Super Bowl preview (probably not). Drew Brees allowed New Orleans to draw first blood with his touchdown pass of 18 yards to Jimmy Graham, followed by an extra point from Garrett Hartley. Baltimore evened the score with Joe Flacco passing to Ed Dickson for 34 yards and touchdown, followed afterward by Billy Cundiff's extra point. Ray Rice added onto the Ravens score with his 10 yard touchdown run, and a touchdown reception of 17 yards from Flacco. Cundiff added both extra point, making it 21-7. The Saints trimmed the lead, as Brees found Graham again, for 1 yard, and Hartley added the extra point to make 21-14 going into the locker room. Hartley and Cundiff traded barbs in field goals in the third quarter, with Hartley good from 47 yards and Cundiff completing from 33. Brees found Lance Moore in the fourth quarter for 15 yards and a touchdown, which Hartley added an extra point on, but they would not hold on to the tie, as Cundiff kicked two more field goals, from 32 and 27 yards. The 30-24 score was a Baltimore win, improving to 10-4, and dropping the Saints to 10-4 as well.
Lastly, we have a rematch for the Andre Johnson-Cortland Finnegan fight, with the Houston Texans visiting the Tennessee Titans. The Titans came out swinging, so to speak, with Kerry Collins throwing touchdown passes of 3 and 1 yards to Nate Washington and Justin Gage, shortly followed by Chris Johnson's 11 yard touchdown run. Rob Bironas added all three extra points to make it 21-0 after the first quarter. Neil Rackers got a quieted Houston team on the board with a 37 yard field goal, but the 24-3 score at halftime was made possible by Bironas' 30 yard field goal right before the break. Matt Schaub connected with Andre Johnson in the third quarter for 12 yards and the touchdown, followed by Rackers' extra point, but Javon Ringer replied with a 7 yard touchdown run to make it 31-10 after Bironas added the extra point. In a futile attempt to make a comeback, Schaub found Kevin Walter for 4 yards, and Rackers added the extra point to make it 31-17, which ended up being the final. The Titans improved to 6-8, with the Texans falling to 5-9.
That's all for the early games, keep watch for the late games in a couple hours or so.
Saturday Sandwich Review
Due to my eyes literally being bigger than my stomach Saturday night at KFC, there is no Sandwich Showdown this week. However, I will take this time to review my Roast Beef on wheat that I had yesterday. It was delicious and nutritious, featuring a healthy bread and protein from the deli cut of beef. The sauce really brought out a nice kick in the sandwich, and simplicity was key in making it a delicious feature and a great meal. Good sandwich idea for anyone, in my opinion, and the Roast Beef has always been a favorite of mine. Sandwich Showdown will likely not occur next week either, with the Christmas holiday. Keep eating though, and eat happily.
Saturday's NHL recap
There were eleven games played on Saturday, all of which to be recapped in this post. In baseball news, Zack Greinke appears to be headed to Milwaukee from Kansas City, headlining a multi-player deal. Initial thoughts are the Brewers got a boost here, solidifying their rotation at the top. Also, with the recaps now in hockey, there will be less detail. The goalies will be listed in visitor and home format, with the three stars being trimmed down to the names. By now, many of you readers know who plays where, and you can all read the post, so I don't have to tell you twice what any given player did. We start in Philadelphia, where the...
Flyers hosted the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Brian Boucher were the goalies. The first period went scoreless, and Nikolay Zherdev put Philadelphia up first with his 12th of the year, assisted by Mike Richards. Andreas Nodl extended the Flyer lead with his eighth of the season, helped by Claude Giroux. Derek Stepan got New York on the board with his ninth of the year, assisted by Alexander Frolov and Erik Christensen. Ville Leino made it a two goal game again with his eighth of the year, with assistance from Kimmo Timmonen and Danny Briere. Zherdev made it 4-1 Philadelphia with his second of the night and 13th of the season, a power play goal with help from Andrej Meszaros and Jeff Carter. This proved to be the final, with the Flyers getting the win. Zherdev, Timmonen, and Nodl got the stars. Breaking out in a fight were Dale Weise of the Rangers and Dan Carcillo of the Flyers, which was late in the third period.
Heading the short distance to Boston, where the Bruins hosted the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Tim Thomas were the twinetenders. Patrice Bergeron opened the scoring with his sixth of the year, assisted by Blake Wheeler and Adam McQuaid. Andrew Ference extended the Boston lead to 2-0 with his first of the season, from Brad Marchand and David Krejci. Wheeler added his eighth of the year later in the first period, getting help from Bergeron and Johnny Boychuk. Washington finally answered in the second period with Matt Bradley's third of the year, courtesy of Dave Steckel and Matt Hendricks. The Capitals continued the rally back in the third period with a Karl Alzner goal, his second of the year, from John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin. However, the Bruins held on for the rest of the third period and won 3-2. Bergeron, Tim Thomas (39 for 41), and McQuaid received the stars. McQuaid and Bradley also had a first period fight.
Heading out west to British Columbia, where the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jonas Gustavsson and Roberto Luongo got the starts in net. Alexandre Burrows got the Canucks started in the first period with his sixth of the season, assisted on by Kevin Bieksa and Daniel Sedin. Vancouver also scored a goal in the second period from Jannik Hansen, assisted by Ryan Kesler and Jeff Tambellini. Toronto responded in the third period with a Mikhail Grabovski goal, his eleventh of the year. Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin picked up the helpers. The Canucks responded with Christian Ehrhoff's fifth of the season, with Hansen and Alexander Edler picking up assists. Henrik Sedin finished the scoring with an empty net goal, his sixth tally of the campaign, from Burrows and Bieksa. Vancouver cruised to a 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs. Luongo (27 for 28 saves), Kesler, and Bieksa picked up the stars for the game.
Going across the map and significantly south, to where the Atlanta Thrashers hosted the New Jersey Devils. Martin Brodeur and Ondrej Pavelec were in their respective creases to start the game. The Thrashers opened with a goal by Ron Hainsey, his first of the season, assisted by Brent Sopel and Nik Antropov. Eric Boulton extended the lead to 2-0 with his second of the year, from Chris Thorburn and Johnny Oduya. Evander Kane made it 3-0 with his eleventh of the season, thanks to Anthony Stewart and Hainsey. Atlanta continued with Andrew Ladd's eleventh of the season in the second period, courtesy of Rich Peverley and Tobias Enstrom. This was enough for Martin Brodeur to be replaced by Johan Hedberg. Ilya Kovalchuk got New Jersey on the board with his power play goal from Travis Zajac and Patrik Elias. The goal was his eighth of the year. The Thrashers got back on the scoring train with Boulton in the third period, who notched two more goals to complete his hat trick. The third of his season was helped by Thorburn and Jim Slater, and the fourth of the year went unassisted. Thorburn put the Devils out of their misery with his fifth of the year, helped out by Kane and Stewart. Atlanta won 7-1, with stars going to Boulton, Thorburn, and Hainsey. Zajac and Peverley also shared a dance in the third period.
Going up to Columbus, where the Blue Jackets tried to break the nearly-infamous Third Jersey Curse against the visiting Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Mathieu Garon earned the starts. Brad Richards got Dallas up first with his 13th of the year, assisted by Mike Rebeiro and Stephane Robidas. The Blue Jackets answered with the first goal of the season for Fedor Tyutin. Ethan Moreau and Anton Stralman provided the helpers. The game was scoreless through the second, and Richards second of the night and 14th of the year in the third period gave the Stars a 2-1 lead. Picking up the assist was Loui Eriksson. Dallas held on to win 2-1, with the stars going to Richards, Lethonen (35 for 36 saves) and losing goaltender Garon (21 for 23). The game was not without activity, as their were a total of 88 penalty minutes assessed, including fights between Krys Barch of the Stars and Tom Sestito of the Blue Jackets in the first period, before Barch came back for more to fight Jared Boll in the second period. Various other misconducts and minor penalties were a common sight throughout the game as well.
Continuing along to Long Island, where the New York Islanders hosted the traveling Phoenix Coyotes. Jason LaBarbera and Nathan Lawson picked up the starts in place of the normal netminders. Opening the scoring for Phoenix was Radim Vrbata, notching his seventh of the year, a power play goal from Shane Doan and Keith Yandle. Jesse Joensuu answered in the second period with his second goal of the year, from John Tavares and James Wisniewski. Joensuu also assisted on the go-ahead goal for the Islanders, which was from Michael Grabner, his seventh of the season. Phoenix re-tied the game in the third period with a goal by Wojtek Wolski, his fifth of the year assisted by Doan and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Rob Schremp regained the lead for New York with his sixth of the season, from Grabner and Andrew MacDonald on the power play. Martin Hanzal tied it at 3 late in the third period for the Coyotes with his ninth of the year, helped along by Vrbata and Keith Yandle. The tie would last into a shootout, where Doan and Frans Nielsen exchanged barbs before Vrbata and Kyle Turris put the game away, giving Phoenix a 4-3 win. Joensuu of the Islanders was the first star, followed by Hanzal and Labarbera (41 of 44 saves). Setting the tone early were pugilists Paul Bissonnette of the Coyotes and Trevor Gillies of New York.
Onward to Carolina, where the Hurricanes hosted another traveling Pacific Division team, the Anaheim Ducks. Jonas Hiller and Cam Ward were in between the pipes. Ryan Getzlaf got the Ducks on the board first with his 12th of the season, assisted by Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan. Eric Staal added a natural hat trick, his 14th, 15th, and 16th of the year, with the first two being power play goals in the first period, assisted by Jussi Jokinen and Joni Pitkanen on the first and Jamie McBain and Jokinen again on the second. Erik Cole and Jeff Skinner assisted on the third one that came at even strength in the second period. Carolina's lead was cut to 3-2 by Anaheim's Getzlaf, who added his second of the night and 13th of the year on the power play from Lubomir Visnovsky and Perry, in the third period. Joe Corvo put the game out of reach, making it 4-2 Hurricanes with his empty net goal, from Brandon Sutter, as his sixth of the season. Staal's hat trick earned the first star, followed by Ward (43 for 45 saves) and Tim Gleason (contributions unidentified), with a personal Honorable Mention to Getzlaf.
Heading into Florida, where the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Mike Smith were given goaltending duties. The first period went by scoreless, and Tampa Bay opened the scoring with a power play goal by Simon Gagne, his third goal of the season, with assists by Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Steven Stamkos made it 2-0 for the Lightning with his 25th of the season, assisted by St. Louis and Ryan Malone. Jason Pominville got the Sabres on the board with his fifth of the year, from Jochen Hecht and Andrej Sekera. The Lightning finished the game off late in the third period with an empty net goal by Martin St. Louis, his 12th of the season being helped by Stamkos and Mattias Ohlund, giving them a 3-1 win. The three stars provided don't exactly add up to what I think they should, so my top three in the game would be St. Louis, Stamkos, and Mike Smith (22 for 23 in saves).
Heading into Tennessee, where the Nashville Predators hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Bernier and Anders Lindback got the starts. Justin Williams gave Los Angeles a lead fifteen seconds in with his eleventh of the season, assisted by Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty. Trevor Lewis made it 2-0 with his first of the year, from Alexei Ponikarovsky and Kevin Westgarth. The next goal for the Kings, Doughty's second of the year, scared off Anders Lindback, and it was assisted by Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds. Mark Dekanich came on in relief. Steve Sullivan gave Nashville signs of life with his tenth of the year, assisted by Ryan Suter and Colin Wilson, but LA put that comeback down with Ryan Smyth's tenth of the season, a power paly goal from Dustin Brown and Jarret Stoll. Ponikarovsky made it 5-1 in the second period with his third of the year, helped by Oscar Moller and Trevor Lewis. Smyth added his second of the game and eleventh of the year later in the second, with Stoll and Moller picking up the helpers. The 6-1 score ended up being the final after a silent third period, and Los Angeles had no trouble winning. Smyth, Doughty, and Lewis earned the stars for the game.
Going to St. Louis, where the Blues hosted the San Jose Sharks. Antero Niittymaki and Jaroslav Halak were the netminders. Logan Couture opened the scoring for San Jose, notching his 16th of the season, a power play goal from Dan Boyle and Ryane Clowe. Extending the lead was Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who scored his second of the season, from Joe Pavelski and Jamal Mayers. Couture made it 3-0 for San Jose with his 17th of the year and second of the game, helped along by Boyle and Patrick Marleau. St. Louis finally struck with a David Backes penalty shot goal, his seventh of the year made possible by a Jason Demers slashing infraction. The Sharks topped it off in the third period with a Devin Setoguchi goal, his fifth on the campaign, with help from Vlasic and Pavelski. The Sharks cruised to a 4-1 win. Couture, Boyle, and Vlasic earned the stars for the game. The first period ended up being a brawlfest with three fights (St. Louis guy, San Jose guy format in listing). The first involved B.J. Crombeen and Ryane Clowe, followed by the middle bout of Chris Porter and Scott Nichol, and lastly, the finale involving Brad Winchester and Jamal Mayers.
Lastly, we head up to Calgary, where the Flames hosted Northwest division rivals, the Minnesota Wild. Niklas Backstrom and Miikka Kiprusoff earned the starting duties for the two teams. After going half the game with no scoring, Antti Miettinen opened things up with his eighth of the year, a power play goal assisted by Mikko Koivu and Brent Burns. Koivu later tallied his own goal for the Wild, his seventh of the year making it 2-0, with assists from Burns and Andrew Brunette. Chuck Kobasew made it 3-0 for Minnesota in the third period, notching his third of the year with help from Koivu and Nick Schultz. Calgary finally answered with a goal by Matt Stajan, his second of the season, helped along by Cory Sarich and Rene Bourque, but it was far too late to help, and Minnesota held on for a 3-1 win over the Flames. Koivu eanred the first star, followed by Mark Giordano of the Flames for unknown reasons, and Backstrom earned the third star with his 28 for 29 saves.
That's all we got for hockey on Saturday. Posts to be put out later today will include a Sandwich Review, three football posts, and if I get lucky, a Sunday Hockey recap.
Flyers hosted the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Brian Boucher were the goalies. The first period went scoreless, and Nikolay Zherdev put Philadelphia up first with his 12th of the year, assisted by Mike Richards. Andreas Nodl extended the Flyer lead with his eighth of the season, helped by Claude Giroux. Derek Stepan got New York on the board with his ninth of the year, assisted by Alexander Frolov and Erik Christensen. Ville Leino made it a two goal game again with his eighth of the year, with assistance from Kimmo Timmonen and Danny Briere. Zherdev made it 4-1 Philadelphia with his second of the night and 13th of the season, a power play goal with help from Andrej Meszaros and Jeff Carter. This proved to be the final, with the Flyers getting the win. Zherdev, Timmonen, and Nodl got the stars. Breaking out in a fight were Dale Weise of the Rangers and Dan Carcillo of the Flyers, which was late in the third period.
Heading the short distance to Boston, where the Bruins hosted the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Tim Thomas were the twinetenders. Patrice Bergeron opened the scoring with his sixth of the year, assisted by Blake Wheeler and Adam McQuaid. Andrew Ference extended the Boston lead to 2-0 with his first of the season, from Brad Marchand and David Krejci. Wheeler added his eighth of the year later in the first period, getting help from Bergeron and Johnny Boychuk. Washington finally answered in the second period with Matt Bradley's third of the year, courtesy of Dave Steckel and Matt Hendricks. The Capitals continued the rally back in the third period with a Karl Alzner goal, his second of the year, from John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin. However, the Bruins held on for the rest of the third period and won 3-2. Bergeron, Tim Thomas (39 for 41), and McQuaid received the stars. McQuaid and Bradley also had a first period fight.
Heading out west to British Columbia, where the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jonas Gustavsson and Roberto Luongo got the starts in net. Alexandre Burrows got the Canucks started in the first period with his sixth of the season, assisted on by Kevin Bieksa and Daniel Sedin. Vancouver also scored a goal in the second period from Jannik Hansen, assisted by Ryan Kesler and Jeff Tambellini. Toronto responded in the third period with a Mikhail Grabovski goal, his eleventh of the year. Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin picked up the helpers. The Canucks responded with Christian Ehrhoff's fifth of the season, with Hansen and Alexander Edler picking up assists. Henrik Sedin finished the scoring with an empty net goal, his sixth tally of the campaign, from Burrows and Bieksa. Vancouver cruised to a 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs. Luongo (27 for 28 saves), Kesler, and Bieksa picked up the stars for the game.
Going across the map and significantly south, to where the Atlanta Thrashers hosted the New Jersey Devils. Martin Brodeur and Ondrej Pavelec were in their respective creases to start the game. The Thrashers opened with a goal by Ron Hainsey, his first of the season, assisted by Brent Sopel and Nik Antropov. Eric Boulton extended the lead to 2-0 with his second of the year, from Chris Thorburn and Johnny Oduya. Evander Kane made it 3-0 with his eleventh of the season, thanks to Anthony Stewart and Hainsey. Atlanta continued with Andrew Ladd's eleventh of the season in the second period, courtesy of Rich Peverley and Tobias Enstrom. This was enough for Martin Brodeur to be replaced by Johan Hedberg. Ilya Kovalchuk got New Jersey on the board with his power play goal from Travis Zajac and Patrik Elias. The goal was his eighth of the year. The Thrashers got back on the scoring train with Boulton in the third period, who notched two more goals to complete his hat trick. The third of his season was helped by Thorburn and Jim Slater, and the fourth of the year went unassisted. Thorburn put the Devils out of their misery with his fifth of the year, helped out by Kane and Stewart. Atlanta won 7-1, with stars going to Boulton, Thorburn, and Hainsey. Zajac and Peverley also shared a dance in the third period.
Going up to Columbus, where the Blue Jackets tried to break the nearly-infamous Third Jersey Curse against the visiting Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Mathieu Garon earned the starts. Brad Richards got Dallas up first with his 13th of the year, assisted by Mike Rebeiro and Stephane Robidas. The Blue Jackets answered with the first goal of the season for Fedor Tyutin. Ethan Moreau and Anton Stralman provided the helpers. The game was scoreless through the second, and Richards second of the night and 14th of the year in the third period gave the Stars a 2-1 lead. Picking up the assist was Loui Eriksson. Dallas held on to win 2-1, with the stars going to Richards, Lethonen (35 for 36 saves) and losing goaltender Garon (21 for 23). The game was not without activity, as their were a total of 88 penalty minutes assessed, including fights between Krys Barch of the Stars and Tom Sestito of the Blue Jackets in the first period, before Barch came back for more to fight Jared Boll in the second period. Various other misconducts and minor penalties were a common sight throughout the game as well.
Continuing along to Long Island, where the New York Islanders hosted the traveling Phoenix Coyotes. Jason LaBarbera and Nathan Lawson picked up the starts in place of the normal netminders. Opening the scoring for Phoenix was Radim Vrbata, notching his seventh of the year, a power play goal from Shane Doan and Keith Yandle. Jesse Joensuu answered in the second period with his second goal of the year, from John Tavares and James Wisniewski. Joensuu also assisted on the go-ahead goal for the Islanders, which was from Michael Grabner, his seventh of the season. Phoenix re-tied the game in the third period with a goal by Wojtek Wolski, his fifth of the year assisted by Doan and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Rob Schremp regained the lead for New York with his sixth of the season, from Grabner and Andrew MacDonald on the power play. Martin Hanzal tied it at 3 late in the third period for the Coyotes with his ninth of the year, helped along by Vrbata and Keith Yandle. The tie would last into a shootout, where Doan and Frans Nielsen exchanged barbs before Vrbata and Kyle Turris put the game away, giving Phoenix a 4-3 win. Joensuu of the Islanders was the first star, followed by Hanzal and Labarbera (41 of 44 saves). Setting the tone early were pugilists Paul Bissonnette of the Coyotes and Trevor Gillies of New York.
Onward to Carolina, where the Hurricanes hosted another traveling Pacific Division team, the Anaheim Ducks. Jonas Hiller and Cam Ward were in between the pipes. Ryan Getzlaf got the Ducks on the board first with his 12th of the season, assisted by Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan. Eric Staal added a natural hat trick, his 14th, 15th, and 16th of the year, with the first two being power play goals in the first period, assisted by Jussi Jokinen and Joni Pitkanen on the first and Jamie McBain and Jokinen again on the second. Erik Cole and Jeff Skinner assisted on the third one that came at even strength in the second period. Carolina's lead was cut to 3-2 by Anaheim's Getzlaf, who added his second of the night and 13th of the year on the power play from Lubomir Visnovsky and Perry, in the third period. Joe Corvo put the game out of reach, making it 4-2 Hurricanes with his empty net goal, from Brandon Sutter, as his sixth of the season. Staal's hat trick earned the first star, followed by Ward (43 for 45 saves) and Tim Gleason (contributions unidentified), with a personal Honorable Mention to Getzlaf.
Heading into Florida, where the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Mike Smith were given goaltending duties. The first period went by scoreless, and Tampa Bay opened the scoring with a power play goal by Simon Gagne, his third goal of the season, with assists by Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Steven Stamkos made it 2-0 for the Lightning with his 25th of the season, assisted by St. Louis and Ryan Malone. Jason Pominville got the Sabres on the board with his fifth of the year, from Jochen Hecht and Andrej Sekera. The Lightning finished the game off late in the third period with an empty net goal by Martin St. Louis, his 12th of the season being helped by Stamkos and Mattias Ohlund, giving them a 3-1 win. The three stars provided don't exactly add up to what I think they should, so my top three in the game would be St. Louis, Stamkos, and Mike Smith (22 for 23 in saves).
Heading into Tennessee, where the Nashville Predators hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Bernier and Anders Lindback got the starts. Justin Williams gave Los Angeles a lead fifteen seconds in with his eleventh of the season, assisted by Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty. Trevor Lewis made it 2-0 with his first of the year, from Alexei Ponikarovsky and Kevin Westgarth. The next goal for the Kings, Doughty's second of the year, scared off Anders Lindback, and it was assisted by Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds. Mark Dekanich came on in relief. Steve Sullivan gave Nashville signs of life with his tenth of the year, assisted by Ryan Suter and Colin Wilson, but LA put that comeback down with Ryan Smyth's tenth of the season, a power paly goal from Dustin Brown and Jarret Stoll. Ponikarovsky made it 5-1 in the second period with his third of the year, helped by Oscar Moller and Trevor Lewis. Smyth added his second of the game and eleventh of the year later in the second, with Stoll and Moller picking up the helpers. The 6-1 score ended up being the final after a silent third period, and Los Angeles had no trouble winning. Smyth, Doughty, and Lewis earned the stars for the game.
Going to St. Louis, where the Blues hosted the San Jose Sharks. Antero Niittymaki and Jaroslav Halak were the netminders. Logan Couture opened the scoring for San Jose, notching his 16th of the season, a power play goal from Dan Boyle and Ryane Clowe. Extending the lead was Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who scored his second of the season, from Joe Pavelski and Jamal Mayers. Couture made it 3-0 for San Jose with his 17th of the year and second of the game, helped along by Boyle and Patrick Marleau. St. Louis finally struck with a David Backes penalty shot goal, his seventh of the year made possible by a Jason Demers slashing infraction. The Sharks topped it off in the third period with a Devin Setoguchi goal, his fifth on the campaign, with help from Vlasic and Pavelski. The Sharks cruised to a 4-1 win. Couture, Boyle, and Vlasic earned the stars for the game. The first period ended up being a brawlfest with three fights (St. Louis guy, San Jose guy format in listing). The first involved B.J. Crombeen and Ryane Clowe, followed by the middle bout of Chris Porter and Scott Nichol, and lastly, the finale involving Brad Winchester and Jamal Mayers.
Lastly, we head up to Calgary, where the Flames hosted Northwest division rivals, the Minnesota Wild. Niklas Backstrom and Miikka Kiprusoff earned the starting duties for the two teams. After going half the game with no scoring, Antti Miettinen opened things up with his eighth of the year, a power play goal assisted by Mikko Koivu and Brent Burns. Koivu later tallied his own goal for the Wild, his seventh of the year making it 2-0, with assists from Burns and Andrew Brunette. Chuck Kobasew made it 3-0 for Minnesota in the third period, notching his third of the year with help from Koivu and Nick Schultz. Calgary finally answered with a goal by Matt Stajan, his second of the season, helped along by Cory Sarich and Rene Bourque, but it was far too late to help, and Minnesota held on for a 3-1 win over the Flames. Koivu eanred the first star, followed by Mark Giordano of the Flames for unknown reasons, and Backstrom earned the third star with his 28 for 29 saves.
That's all we got for hockey on Saturday. Posts to be put out later today will include a Sandwich Review, three football posts, and if I get lucky, a Sunday Hockey recap.
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