This post comes a tad late, as the return of work into my not-so-busy life has complicated matters a bit. I'll try to keep on pace with this now. The games for Sunday started in...
Montreal, with the Canadiens hosting the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Carey Price guarded the cages. Rich Peverley got Atlanta scoring first with his ninth of the season, from Tobias Enstrom and Zach Bogosian. Montreal evened the score with a goal by Tomas Plekanec, his 12th of the year, a power play goal assisted by James wisniewski and Yannick Weber. The Thrashers retook the lead with Evander Kane potting his 13th of the year, with help from Patrice Cormier and Chris Thorburn. The Canadiens retied it on P.K. Subban's third of the season, a power play tally made possible by Roman Hamrlik and Scott Gomez. Atlanta retook the lead at 3-2 again with Andew Ladd netting his 13th of the season, from Enstrom and Niclas Bergfors. Brian Gionta tied the game again for Montreal in the third period, registering his 14th of the year with help from Max Pacioretty and Wisniewski. The tie was preserved until Dustin Byfuglien won it for the Thrashers in overtime on his 16th of the season, a power play goal from Enstrom, who completed a sock trick with that assist, and Kane. The three stars honors went to Byfuglien, Pavelec (47 for 50 saves), and Plekanec.
Next up was the Florida Panthers hosting the New York Rangers. Martin Biron and Tomas Vokoun were in net for the game. The game's first half went scoreless, and David Booth opened the scoring in the mid second period for Florida with his tenth of the season, a power play goal from Mike Santorelli and Dennis Wideman. Chris Higgins extended the Panthers lead in the third period with his sixth of the year, an unassisted goal. Stephen Weiss topped it off at 3-0 with his 12th of the season, into the empty net with no assistance. Higgins, Vokoun (32 save shutout), and Booth earned the three stars.
Heading up to Detroit, where the Red Wings hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Jimmy Howard earned the starts from their coaches. The game was scoreless through the first period into the second until James van Riemsdyk opened the scoring for Philadelphia with his ninth of the campaign, from Andreas Nodl and Mike Richards. Dan Carcillo made it 2-0 for the Flyers with his second of the season, assisted by Andrej Meszaros and Matt Carle. Scott Hartnell extended the lead with his tenth of the year, with Sean O'Donnell and Danny Briere picking up the helpers. Jimmy Howard was replaced by Chris Osgood in the third period. Valtteri Filppula sparked Detroit into life with his tenth of the season, assisted by Johan Franzen. Henrik Zetterberg also scored for the Red Wings, cutting the Flyers lead to one goal with his 14th of the season, which was helped along by Tomas Holmstrom and Nicklas Lidstrom on the power play. However, Detroit managed no further offense, and fell 3-2 to visiting Philadelphia. Boucher (25 for 27 saves), Filppula, and Hartnell were the three stars.
Staying in the west, with the Minnesota Wild hosting the Phoenix Coyotes. Jason LaBarbera opposed Jose Theodore in the crease. Phoenix struck first with Ray Whitney potting his seventh of the year, from Radim Vrbata and Martin Hanzal. Minnesota answered late in the first period with Andrew Brunette, his eighth of the year coming from Mikko Koivu and Antti Miettinen. Brunette scored his ninth of the season and second of the game in the second period, a power play goal courtesy of Brent Burns and Koivu. Nick Schultz made it 3-1 for the Wild with his third of the year, from John Madden and Eric Nystrom. Scottie Upshall got the Coyotes going again in the third period with his tenth of the year, assisted by Shane Doan and Eric Belanger. Thirteen seconds later, Keith Yandle tied the game at 3 with his sixth of the season, from Vernon Fiddler and Lee Stempniak. Minnesota reclaimed the lead with Burns scoring his 12th of the year, with help from Koivu. Ed Jovanovski tied it up again for Phoenix with his fifth of the season, from Yandle and Doan. The Coyotes took the lead on the second of the night and eighth of the year from Whitney, assisted by Kyle Turris and Vrbata. The Wild tied the gmae at 5 with a Pierre-Marc Bouchard goal, his second of the year, with Brunette and Burns grabbing the helpers. Minnesota won it in the ensuing overtime on Cam Barker's first of the year, from Bouchard and Koivu, who wrapped up a four assist night. Earning the stars were Brunette, Burns, and Whitney.
Following that was the Nashville Predators hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Pekka Rinne played in goal. R.J. Umberger got Columbus on the board first with his 13th of the season, assisted by Marc Methot and Derick Brassard. Shea Weber tied it for Nashville in the second period with his sixth of the year, from Colin Wilson and Patric Hornqvist. The Predators took the lead on Nick Spaling's second of the season, with help from Weber and Joel Ward. Hornqvist made it 3-1 for Nashville with his tenth of the campaign, a power play goal made possible by Weber and Ryan Suter. Sergei Kostitsyn brought it up to 4-1 with his eighth of the year, courtesy of Wilson and David Legwand. This was the final score, with Weber, Hornqvist, and Rinne (19 of 20 stops) getting the three stars.
Into St. Louis, with the Blues hosting the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Jaroslav Halak played in between the pipes. The game opened with a pair of fights, involving St. Louis' Cam Janssen squaring off against Dallas' Krys Barch and later B.J. Crombeen dancing with Brandon Segal. David Backes opened the scoring for the Blues, notching his tenth of the year from Matt D'Agostini. Brenden Morrow evened the score for the Stars with his 15th of the season, a power play goal assisted by Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson. Alex Steen retook the lead for St. Louis with his 13th of the season, helped along by Eric Brewer and D'Agostini. The second period was scoreless, and Morrow retied the game in the third period for Dallas with his second of the night and 16th of the campaign, from Jamie Benn and Mike Ribeiro. Brad Richards gave the Stars the lead with his 18th of the season, assisted on by Trevor Daley. Extending the Dallas lead to 4-2 was James Neal, his 14th of the season coming from Toby Petersen and Richards. This would later be the final, with Morrow, Richards, and Eriksson picking up the three stars.
To the west coast, with the Anaheim Ducks playing host to the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford returned from injury to make a start, opposing Jonas Hiller in net. Andreas Lilja got Anaheim on the board first with his first of the year, assisted by Joffery Lupul and Brandon McMillan. Bryan Bickell later evened it for Chicago with his eleventh of the season, with help coming from Brian Campbell and Dave Bolland. Corey Perry retook the lead for the Ducks early in the second period on his 21st of the campaign, with the helpers accredited to Matt Beleskey and Toni Lydman. The 2-1 margin ended up being the final, with Hiller (39 for 40 saves), Lydman, and Bickell earning the three stars.
Lastly, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Featured in net were Craig Anderson and Roberto Luongo. Vancouver got on the board first late in the first period with the first of the year (lots of firsts, eh?) by Alexandre Bolduc, with assists from Tanner Glass and the goalie Roberto Luongo. The score was unchanged in the second period, and the Canucks extended their lead in the third period on the eighth of the year by Mason Raymond, making a return from injury and receiving help from Bolduc and Kevin Bieksa. Colorado tried to rally back on Paul Stastny's 15th of the year, assisted by Matt Duchene and John-Michael Liles, but the Avalanche mustered no further offense and lost 2-1 in Vancouver. The three stars were Luongo (31 for 32 saves), Dan Hamhuis (unknown contributions), and Bolduc.
That's all for Sunday. Sorry for the delays, my laziness has returned. Officially in Ketchup mode.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Fantasy Football All-Stars, week 17
For all you poor souls who had to compete this week, here's who was most likely beneficial to have on your team.
Quarterbacks: Tim Tebow and Ben Roethlisberger
Running Backs: Ryan Mathews and Arian Foster
Wide Receivers: Larry Fitzgerald and Mike Wallace
Tight Ends: Rob Gronkowski and Vernon Davis
Kickers: Nate Kaeding and Adam Vinatieri
This weekly edition will return in Week 1 of the 2011 season. Watch for playoff recaps of the NFL on Sundays only. Good luck next year, and enjoy the games.
Quarterbacks: Tim Tebow and Ben Roethlisberger
Running Backs: Ryan Mathews and Arian Foster
Wide Receivers: Larry Fitzgerald and Mike Wallace
Tight Ends: Rob Gronkowski and Vernon Davis
Kickers: Nate Kaeding and Adam Vinatieri
This weekly edition will return in Week 1 of the 2011 season. Watch for playoff recaps of the NFL on Sundays only. Good luck next year, and enjoy the games.
Fantasy Hockey All-Stars, week 12
Here's the MVPs of fantasy hockey this week, giving out fabulous performances.
Center: Mikko Koivu, 2 goals, 4 assists, +4, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 22 shots on goal
Left Wing: Tuomo Ruutu, 1 goal, 5 assists, +4, 0 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 5 shots on goal
Right Wing: Shane Doan, 5 goals, 3 assists, 0, 2 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 23 shots on goal
Defenseman: Nicklas Lidstrom, 2 goals, 6 assists, +1, 0 penalty minutes, 6 power play points, 8 shots on goal
Goaltender: Semyon Varlamov, 2 wins, 0.50 goals against average, 57 saves, .983 save percentage, 1 shutout
Those are the best options by position this week. Particularly weak was left wing, with no one in the top ten rankings for the week, so consider this a relative award for Tuomo Ruutu.
Center: Mikko Koivu, 2 goals, 4 assists, +4, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 22 shots on goal
Left Wing: Tuomo Ruutu, 1 goal, 5 assists, +4, 0 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 5 shots on goal
Right Wing: Shane Doan, 5 goals, 3 assists, 0, 2 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 23 shots on goal
Defenseman: Nicklas Lidstrom, 2 goals, 6 assists, +1, 0 penalty minutes, 6 power play points, 8 shots on goal
Goaltender: Semyon Varlamov, 2 wins, 0.50 goals against average, 57 saves, .983 save percentage, 1 shutout
Those are the best options by position this week. Particularly weak was left wing, with no one in the top ten rankings for the week, so consider this a relative award for Tuomo Ruutu.
Song of the Week, I of 2011
This week's song of the week has special value to me, as it is the song that got me into Avenged Sevenfold. The song is called Trashed and Scattered (PG-13 language), the fifth track off of their mainstream debut City of Evil. At the first hearing of this song, I became interested in the band, and from there I have been a fan. This is common for me to fall in love with one song and then the band, and that's how it happened for this hard rock powerhouse group. Catch this segment next week.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Sunday Night Football week 17
This week's match, due to NFL flex scheduling, involved a winner-take-all game for NFC West glory between the host Seattle Seahawks and visiting St. Louis Rams. Charlie Whitehurst put Seattle up first, throwing a touchdown pass to Mike Williams for 4 yards, with Olindo Mare adding the extra point. St. Louis charged back to bring the score at halftime to 7-3 on the foot of Josh Brown, who had a 32 yard field goal in the second quarter. Brown and Mare exchanged field goals for the Rams and Seahawks in the third quarter, with Brown kicking true from 27 yards and Mare good from 31 yards. Mare added two more field goals in the fourth quarter, of 38 and 34 yards, bringing the score to its final of 16-6 Seattle. Both teams ended 7-9 on the season, but Seattle goes to the playoffs based on better divisional record.
Late Games, week 17
There are seven late games on for this week, following the same general theme as the early games for those with playoff implications.
First off, the Green Bay Packers host the Chicago Bears. After going scoreless through the first quarter, Robbie Gould got Chicago on the board with a 30 yard field goal. Mason Crosby answered for Green Bay in the third quarter with a 23 yard field goal. Aaron Rodgers gave the Packers a lead with a 1 yard touchdown pass to Donald Lee, and Crosby made the extra point. The 10-3 scoring favoing the Packes over the Bears was the final, with Green Bay jumping up to 10-6, and Chicago falling to 11-5.
Second on the list, the Washington Redskins host the New York Giants. The Giants got the first points with a Lawrence Tynes 20 yard field goal. New York extended their lead with Brandon Jacobs 2 yard touchdown run, and Tynes was there to provide the extra point to make it 10-0. Rex Grossman helped get Washington on the board with a 1 yard touchdown pass to Fred Davis, and Graham Gano made the point after to take the score to 10-7 at halftime. Eli Manning got the Giants going again in the third quarter with a 92 yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham, with Tynes making the extra point on the big touchdown. The Redskins found the end zone again with Grossman passing to Anthony Armstrong for 64 yards and the score, and Gano added the extra point. The Giants would hold on to defeat the Redskins 17-14, improving to 10-6, and dropping Washington to 6-10.
Following that, the Houston Texans host the Jacksonville Jaguars. Houston struck first, with Arian Foster running 2 yards in for the touchdown, followed by a Neil Rackers extra point. Rackers struck with a field goal as well, from 26 yards. Jacksonville got on the board in the second quarter with Rashad Jennings 3 yard touchdown run, followed by a Josh Scobee extra point. Derrick Ward answered by running 35 yards for a touchdown, and Rackers was good with the extra point. The Jaguars came back with a 39 yard field goal by Scobee. Jacksonville tied the game at 17 with Trent Edwards touchdown pass to Marcades Lewis of 7 yards, and Scobee made the extra point. The Texans took a 20-17 lead into halftime with Rackers kicking a 33 yard field goal. Houston extended its lead in the third quarter with Matt Schaub throwing a touchdown to Owen Daniels for 5 yards, followed by a Rackers extra point. Foster ran a touchdown of 35 yards in the fourth quarter, with Rackers coming through with another extra point. Houston would defeat Jacksonville 34-17, improving to 6-10, and dragging the Jaguars to 8-8.
Heading to Pennsylvania, where the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys. After going scoreless in the first quarter, Philadelphia struck in the second quarter with Kevin Kolb passing to Chad Hall for 4 yards and the touchdown, followed by a David Akers extra point. Dallas tied the game when DeMarcus Ware returned a Kolb fumble 17 yards for the touchdown. David Buehler made the extra point. Things were quiet in the third quarter, but Akers kicked a fourth quarter field goal of 43 yards and another of 22 yards. Stephen McGee gave the Cowboys the lead with a touchdown pass of 4 yards to Jason Witten, and Buehler added the extra point. The Cowboys would hold onto the 14-13 lead and defeat the Eagles, improving to 6-10 for the year, dropping Philadelphia to 10-6.
Back west a bit, the Indianapolis Colts host the Tennessee Titans. Adam Vinatieri opened the scoring for Indianapolis, kicking a 48 yard field goal, but Rob Bironas answered for Tennessee with a 26 yard field goal. Vinatieri added a 44 yard field goal for the Colts in the second quarter. Bironas picked up the tying points again for the Titans, kicking a 42 yard field goal. The Colts got the first touchdown of the game in the second quarter, with Peyton Manning connecting with Reggie Wayne for 7 yards, and Vinatieri supplied the extra point. This is rare, because due to Indianapolis' recent success, Manning generally does not play in week 17. Tennessee found an equalizer with Kerry Collins finding Kenny Britt for a 21 yard touchdown, with Bironas adding the point after. The Colts were displeased, taking the lead back on a Manning touchdown of 30 yards to Pierre Garcon, followed by a Vinatieri extra point. Collins helped to retie the game with a 15 yard touchdown pass to Chris Johnson, and Bironas tacked on an extra point, tying the game at 20. Vinatieri saved it for the Colts, kicking a last second field goal of 43 yards to win 23-20, improving to 10-6 and going to the playoffs, while dropping the Titans to 6-10.
To Denver, where the Broncos host the San Diego Chargers. Tim Tebow got things started for Denver, finding the man with the utmost respect to his former teams, Brandon Lloyd, for 14 yards and the touchdown, with Steve Hauschka making the extra point. San Diego tied it with Ryan Mathews 27 yard touchdown run, and the following Nate Kaeding extra point. The Chargers took the lead on a field goal by Kaeding from 42 yards, and extended that lead with his 45 yard kick, followed by yet another from 47 yards out. Mathews ran a touchdown in for 12 yards in the third quarter, with Kaeding adding another extra point. Kaeding also added a 37 yard field goal in the third quarter. Tebow threw a touchdown pass to Eric Decker to cut the deficit for the Broncos, the 6 yard score being capped off by a Hauschka extra point. Mathews added a third touchdown run, from 31 yards this time, and Kaeding was good with extra point once more. Denver answered to make it 33-21 with a kickoff return by Cassius Vaughn of 97 yards, with Hauschka providing the extra point. Tebow ran a touchdown in late in the game as well, from 6 yards, with Hauschka adding another point after, bringing the score to 33-28 San Diego. This was the final, with the Chargers jumping up to 9-7 and the Broncos falling to 4-12.
Lastly, the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. San Francisco got on the board with Alex Smith connecting with Ted Ginn, Jr. for 37 yards. Jeff Reed was good on the extra point, and the second quarter field goal he added on from 39 yards. Arizona got on the scoreboard with John Skelton passing to Larry Fitzgerlad for 10 yards and the touchdown, followed by a Jay Feely extra point. The 49ers extended their lead with Smith's pass to Vernon Davis for 59 yards and the touchdown, followed by a Reed extra point. Brian Westbrook added two 6 yard touchdown runs for San Francisco, with Reed supplying both extra points. Tarell Brown helped the 49ers get defensive for a touchdown, intercepting Richard Bartel for 62 yards and the score, with Reed providing the extra point. The 38-7 score favoring the 49ers over the Cardinals was the final, with San Francisco improving to 6-10 and dropping Arizona to 5-11.
First off, the Green Bay Packers host the Chicago Bears. After going scoreless through the first quarter, Robbie Gould got Chicago on the board with a 30 yard field goal. Mason Crosby answered for Green Bay in the third quarter with a 23 yard field goal. Aaron Rodgers gave the Packers a lead with a 1 yard touchdown pass to Donald Lee, and Crosby made the extra point. The 10-3 scoring favoing the Packes over the Bears was the final, with Green Bay jumping up to 10-6, and Chicago falling to 11-5.
Second on the list, the Washington Redskins host the New York Giants. The Giants got the first points with a Lawrence Tynes 20 yard field goal. New York extended their lead with Brandon Jacobs 2 yard touchdown run, and Tynes was there to provide the extra point to make it 10-0. Rex Grossman helped get Washington on the board with a 1 yard touchdown pass to Fred Davis, and Graham Gano made the point after to take the score to 10-7 at halftime. Eli Manning got the Giants going again in the third quarter with a 92 yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham, with Tynes making the extra point on the big touchdown. The Redskins found the end zone again with Grossman passing to Anthony Armstrong for 64 yards and the score, and Gano added the extra point. The Giants would hold on to defeat the Redskins 17-14, improving to 10-6, and dropping Washington to 6-10.
Following that, the Houston Texans host the Jacksonville Jaguars. Houston struck first, with Arian Foster running 2 yards in for the touchdown, followed by a Neil Rackers extra point. Rackers struck with a field goal as well, from 26 yards. Jacksonville got on the board in the second quarter with Rashad Jennings 3 yard touchdown run, followed by a Josh Scobee extra point. Derrick Ward answered by running 35 yards for a touchdown, and Rackers was good with the extra point. The Jaguars came back with a 39 yard field goal by Scobee. Jacksonville tied the game at 17 with Trent Edwards touchdown pass to Marcades Lewis of 7 yards, and Scobee made the extra point. The Texans took a 20-17 lead into halftime with Rackers kicking a 33 yard field goal. Houston extended its lead in the third quarter with Matt Schaub throwing a touchdown to Owen Daniels for 5 yards, followed by a Rackers extra point. Foster ran a touchdown of 35 yards in the fourth quarter, with Rackers coming through with another extra point. Houston would defeat Jacksonville 34-17, improving to 6-10, and dragging the Jaguars to 8-8.
Heading to Pennsylvania, where the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys. After going scoreless in the first quarter, Philadelphia struck in the second quarter with Kevin Kolb passing to Chad Hall for 4 yards and the touchdown, followed by a David Akers extra point. Dallas tied the game when DeMarcus Ware returned a Kolb fumble 17 yards for the touchdown. David Buehler made the extra point. Things were quiet in the third quarter, but Akers kicked a fourth quarter field goal of 43 yards and another of 22 yards. Stephen McGee gave the Cowboys the lead with a touchdown pass of 4 yards to Jason Witten, and Buehler added the extra point. The Cowboys would hold onto the 14-13 lead and defeat the Eagles, improving to 6-10 for the year, dropping Philadelphia to 10-6.
Back west a bit, the Indianapolis Colts host the Tennessee Titans. Adam Vinatieri opened the scoring for Indianapolis, kicking a 48 yard field goal, but Rob Bironas answered for Tennessee with a 26 yard field goal. Vinatieri added a 44 yard field goal for the Colts in the second quarter. Bironas picked up the tying points again for the Titans, kicking a 42 yard field goal. The Colts got the first touchdown of the game in the second quarter, with Peyton Manning connecting with Reggie Wayne for 7 yards, and Vinatieri supplied the extra point. This is rare, because due to Indianapolis' recent success, Manning generally does not play in week 17. Tennessee found an equalizer with Kerry Collins finding Kenny Britt for a 21 yard touchdown, with Bironas adding the point after. The Colts were displeased, taking the lead back on a Manning touchdown of 30 yards to Pierre Garcon, followed by a Vinatieri extra point. Collins helped to retie the game with a 15 yard touchdown pass to Chris Johnson, and Bironas tacked on an extra point, tying the game at 20. Vinatieri saved it for the Colts, kicking a last second field goal of 43 yards to win 23-20, improving to 10-6 and going to the playoffs, while dropping the Titans to 6-10.
To Denver, where the Broncos host the San Diego Chargers. Tim Tebow got things started for Denver, finding the man with the utmost respect to his former teams, Brandon Lloyd, for 14 yards and the touchdown, with Steve Hauschka making the extra point. San Diego tied it with Ryan Mathews 27 yard touchdown run, and the following Nate Kaeding extra point. The Chargers took the lead on a field goal by Kaeding from 42 yards, and extended that lead with his 45 yard kick, followed by yet another from 47 yards out. Mathews ran a touchdown in for 12 yards in the third quarter, with Kaeding adding another extra point. Kaeding also added a 37 yard field goal in the third quarter. Tebow threw a touchdown pass to Eric Decker to cut the deficit for the Broncos, the 6 yard score being capped off by a Hauschka extra point. Mathews added a third touchdown run, from 31 yards this time, and Kaeding was good with extra point once more. Denver answered to make it 33-21 with a kickoff return by Cassius Vaughn of 97 yards, with Hauschka providing the extra point. Tebow ran a touchdown in late in the game as well, from 6 yards, with Hauschka adding another point after, bringing the score to 33-28 San Diego. This was the final, with the Chargers jumping up to 9-7 and the Broncos falling to 4-12.
Lastly, the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. San Francisco got on the board with Alex Smith connecting with Ted Ginn, Jr. for 37 yards. Jeff Reed was good on the extra point, and the second quarter field goal he added on from 39 yards. Arizona got on the scoreboard with John Skelton passing to Larry Fitzgerlad for 10 yards and the touchdown, followed by a Jay Feely extra point. The 49ers extended their lead with Smith's pass to Vernon Davis for 59 yards and the touchdown, followed by a Reed extra point. Brian Westbrook added two 6 yard touchdown runs for San Francisco, with Reed supplying both extra points. Tarell Brown helped the 49ers get defensive for a touchdown, intercepting Richard Bartel for 62 yards and the score, with Reed providing the extra point. The 38-7 score favoring the 49ers over the Cardinals was the final, with San Francisco improving to 6-10 and dropping Arizona to 5-11.
First Sandwich of 2011
To kick off the new year, nothing says 2011 like a turkey and ham on wheat, with the added bonus of bacon. The sandwich, which went untoasted despite the weather yet had the warmness of bacon on it provided an interesting flavor combination. The bread was fresh, and the meats were tasty, giving the sandwich a good appeal all around. Sandwich Showdown should continue next week.
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