Sunday Night Game week 5

This week's Sunday Night game is between the host Atlanta Falcons and the visiting Green Bay Packers. Atlanta opened with Matt Ryan throwing 5 yards to Roddy White for a touchdown, and Matt Bryant added the extra point. The Falcons added on in the second quatrer with a Michael Turner rushing touchdown, good from a yard out. Bryant added another extra point. Green Bay found points with a Mason Crosby field goal from 32 yards away, and got more on his 35 yard kick. The Falcons lead the Packers 14-6 at halftime. Crosby kept kicking in the third quarter, blasting through a 56 yard field goal. The Packers finally took a lead as Aaron Rodgers connected with James Jones for a 70 yard touchdown, but Rodgers attempted two-point pass to Jermichael Finley was no good. Rodgers also threw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, giving Green Bay a sizable lead, as Greg Jennings hauled in the 29 yard pass, and Crosby kicked a PAT. Crosby finished it up for the Packers on a 30 yard field goal, making it 25-14, the eventual final. Green Bay remains undefeated at 5-0, and Atlanta fell to 2-3.

NFL Late Games week 5

There are only three late games this afternoon, the first of which is...

The San Francisco 49ers hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. San Francisco struck first with Alex Smith passing to Delanie Walker, good for 26 yards and a touchdown, with David Akers making the extra point. Tampa Bay replied with a 24 yard Connor Barth field goal. The 49ers dug in with a defensive touchdown, as Josh Freeman was picked off by Carlos Rogers for 31 yards and a TD, and Akers added the PAT. San Francisco applied a little more pain with Frank Gore running two yards for the touchdown, and Akers kicking another extra point. Akers also kicked a 37 yard field goal. The 49ers hold a 24-3 lead at the half. The 49ers added on in the third quarter as Smith found Vernon Davis for a 23 yard touchdown, with Akers finishing it up on the extra point. Akers kept it up with a field goal of 27 yards. San Francisco added a little more with Smith and Davis meeting again for a 14 yard touchdown reception, and another Akers extra point. the 49ers refused to have mercy, as Anthony Dixon also found the end zone, and Akers added another extra point. The game ended with San Francisco up 48-3, improving them to 4-1 and knocking the Buccaneers to 3-2.

Next, the Denver Broncos play host to the San Diego Chargers. San Diego opened with a Nick Novak 24 yard field goal. Denver replied and took the lead on a Cassius Vaughn interception of Philip Rivers, taking it to the house 55 yards away. Matt Prater made the extra point. Novak helped get the Chargers within one on a field goal of 32 yards. Prater replied with a 35 yard field goal in the second quarter. Rivers took matters into his own hands to gain the lead, rushing 2 yards for a touchdown, which Novak capped off with an extra point, followed by a field goal of 28 yards to make it 16-10. Rivers added a touchdown pass of 42 yards to Malcom Floyd, and Novak's extra point made it 23-10 Chargers going into the locker rooms. After a silent third quarter, Novak blasted another field goal in, a 51 yard kick. The Broncos finally re-entered the game as well, getting a touchdown as Tim Tebow ran 12 yards to the end zone, and they converted the two-point attempt as Willis McGehee ran to score, making it 26-18. Denver put the pedal to the floor and got Tebow to throw 28 yards to Knowshon Moreno for another touchdown. The two point attempt from Tebow to Brandon Lloyd was failed. Novak gained some space with a 35 yard field goal. This would secure a 29-24 win for the Chargers, pushing them to 4-1 and moving Denver down to 1-4.

Lastly, the New England Patriots face bitter rivals, the New York Jets, at Foxboro, Massachusetts. New England opened the scoring on a BenJarvus Green-Ellis 3 yard touchdown rush, and a Stephen Gostkowski extra point. Gostkowski added on a 44 yard field goal in the second quarter. New York got on the board with a 3 yard touchdown run by Shonn Greene, and a Nick Folk extra point finished off the drive. The score was 10-7 Patriots at halftime. New England got back to work in the third quarter, as Tom Brady threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to Deion Branch, and Gostkowski made the PAT. The Jets replied as Mark Sanchez threw a 9 yard pass to Jeremy Kerley for a touchdown, and Folk had the extra point. Green-Ellis re-extended the lead with another 3 yard TD rush, and Gostkowksi again had the extra point. Gostkowski added a field goal of 24 yards for the Patriots in the fourth quarter. New York added some pressure as Sanchez and Santonio Holmes met for a 21 yard touchdown, and Folk made the extra point to put the score at 27-21. Gostkowski made it a two-possession game late with a 28 yard field goal. This was good enough for a 30-21 win, improving New England to 4-1, and knocking New York sub-.500 to 2-3.

NFL Early Games week 5

This week, we begin the bye season, with six teams getting first crack at rest. There are eight games on the slate for 10 A.M. Pacific kickoffs.

First, the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee struck first with a Rob Bironas field goal of 29 yards. Pittsburgh took the lead on an 8 yard touchdown connection between Ben Roethlisberger and Heath Miller, with Shaun Suisham icing it off on the extra point. The Steelers extended the lead with Roethlisberger finding Hines Ward for 7 yards and a score, and Suisham would add another PAT. Pittsburgh continued the onslaught with a 1 yard Roethlisberger pass to David Johnson, and Suisham would tack on the extra point, leaving them up 21-3 at halftime. Roethlisberger and Ward connected again in the third quarter, 5 yards for a touchdown, and Suisham made another extra point. The Titans finally answered back with a touchdown run of 1 yard by Chris Johnson, and Bironas supplied the extra point. Suisham made it 31-10 in the fourth quarter with a 19 yard field goal. Tennessee gained a little more ground with a Matt Hasselbeck touchdown pass to Damian Williams for 19 yards, and Bironas made the extra point. The Steelers added insult to injury as Roethlisberger found Mike Wallace on a 40 yard touchdown connection, and Suisham's extra point made it 38-17. This was a final, moving Pittsburgh to 3-2 and knocking the Titans to 3-2 as well.

Down south, the Jacksonville Jaguars welcome the Cincinnati Bengals. Jacksonville was the first to score on a 6 yard touchdown rush by Maurice Jones-Drew, capped off by a Josh Scobee extra point. Cincinnati evened the score with an Andy Dalton touchdown pass of 37 yards to A.J. Green, and a Mike Nugent extra point. The Jaguars retook a modest lead with a second quarter field goal by Scobee, from 19 yards. Scobee also kicked a 20 yard chip shot. The Bengals took a small lead with Dalton finding Jermaine Gresham for a 3 yard touchdown play, and Nugent missed the extra point, the second blown extra point of the day, leaving the game tied at 13 for the halftime break. Cincinnati took the lead on a Nugent field goal of 47 yards, somewhat redeeming the missed extra point. Jacksonville regained the lead with Blaine Gabbert throwing to Jason Hill for a 74 yard touchdown play, and Scobee made the extra point. The Bengals regained the lead on a 2 yard Bernard Scott rush, and Nugent was there with the extra point this time. Cincinnati wrapped it up with a Mike Thomas fumble, returned to the house by Geno Atkins for 10 yards. Nugent's extra point left the game at 30-20 Bengals. They go to 3-2 and drop the Jaguars to 1-4.

Back north a bit, the Carolina Panthers play host to the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans quickly opened the scoring on a 1 yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Jed Collins, and John Kasay made the extra point. Kasay added on to the Saints lead with a 23 yard field goal. Carolina got on the board with a 54 yard touchdown pass from Cam Newton to Steve Smith, but Olindo Mare missed the extra point. New Orleans got the points back on a 1 yard Mark Ingram touchdown rush, and former Panther Kasay showed Mare what an extra point should look like. The Panthers got it all back with a 69 yard touchdown run by DeAngelo Williams, and Mare showed understanding by not flubbing the extra point. Kasay made a last second field goal of 46 yards, putting the score at 20-13 Saints for the half. Kasay kept kicking in the third quarter with a 37 yard field goal. Carolina came back again with Newton running 1 yard for a score, and Mare making the extra point. The Panthers took the lead as Newton found Greg Olsen for 5 yards and a touchdown, and Mare's PAT made it 27-23. New Orleans retook the lead as Brees found Pierre Thomas for 6 yards and a touchdown, and Kasay added one more extra point. The Saints held on to win 30-27, improving to 4-1 and moving Carolina to 1-4.

Out west, the Houston Texans host the Oakland Raiders. Houston got on the board first with a Matt Schaub pass of 5 yards to Kevin Walter, good for a touchdown, with Neil Rackers on the extra point. Oakland got a few points back with a field goal by Sebastian Janikowksi, good from 54 yards. He later one-upped himself with a 55 yarder in the second quarter. The Texans re-padded their lead with a Schaub pass to Joel Dreessen for 56 yards and a touchdown, and Rackers made the extra point. The Raiders charged back with a touchdown from Jason Campbell 34 yards to Darrius Heyward-Bey, but a two-point attempt from Campbell to Denarius Moore was failed. Houston leads by a slim 14-12 margin before halftime. Janikowski helped Oakland take over in the third quarter, blasting a mere 50 yard field goal. Rackers replied by imitating the opponent, kicking a 54 yard FG for Houston. The Raiders regained the lead with Campbell passing to Chaz Schilens for 18 yards and a touchdown, and Janikowski again made an extra point, followed by a 42 yard field goal. Rackers made it 25-20 with a 40 yard field goal. Oakland held on through a furious last-ditch effort to win by that margin, improving to 3-2 and dropping Houston to the same mark.

Back to the northeast, with the Buffalo Bills bringing in the Philadelphia Eagles.  Buffalo was first to score as Fred Jackson ran 5 yards for a touchdown, and Rian Lindell tacked on an extra point. Philadelphia answered with a 2 yard Michael Vick touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin, and Alex Henery made the extra point. The Bills regained the lead as Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a 6 yard touchdown pass to David Nelson, and Lindell added another extra point. Nick Barnett decided to help Buffalo, picking off Vick for a 31 yard touchdown on an interception. Lindell made the extra point. The Bills go into the locker rooms with a 21-7 lead. Buffalo got back to business in the third quarter with a 5 yard rush by Brad Smith. Lindell tacked on another PAT. The Eagles got the touchdown back as LeSean McCoy ran 10 yards to score, and Henery added an extra point. Lindell made it a three-possession difference with his field goal of 25 yards for Buffalo. Philadelphia surged a little more as Vick found DeSean Jackson for a 31 yard touchdown play, and Henery tacked on another extra point, before adding a 35 yard field goal. The final would favor the Bills 31-24, moving them to 4-1 and the Eagles to 1-4.

Westward again, with the Minnesota Vikings hosting the Arizona Cardinals. Minnesota entered the scoring with an Adrian Peterson touchdown run of 4 yards, and a Ryan Longwell extra point. Peterson later ran 24 yards fora touchdown, and Longwell would tack on another extra point. The Vikings kept the hits rolling with Donovan McNabb rushing 4 yards himself to score, and Longwell adding another PAT. Peterson got the football hat trick with his third rushing touchdown in the first quarter, a 14 yard dash to find the end zone, and Longwell did his extra point routine again. Arizona meekly spoke up with a Jay Feely field goal of 51 yards. Minnesota took a 28-3 halftime lead into the locker rooms. The Cardinals got a few more in the third quarter with Beanie Wells rushing 2 yards for a touchdown, and Feely making the extra point made it 28-10. Minnesota settled later in the quarter for a field goal of 26 yards by Longwell. Longwell also made a fourth quarter field goal from 53 yards. They would win 34-10, going to 1-4 and dropping Arizona to 1-4 as well.

Back to the Rust Belt, with the Indianapolis Colts welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs. Indianapolis got the first points of the game with Curtis Painter finding Pierre Garcon for a 6 yard touchdown pass, and Adam Vinatieri made the extra point. Vinatieri later added a 53 yard field goal in the second quarter. Painter and Garcon hooked up again for a 67 yard touchdown connection, and Vinatieri supplied another extra point. Kansas City found the scoreboard with a 41 yard touchdown pass from Matt Cassel to Dwayne Bowe, and Ryan Succop was there for the PAT. The Colts extended the lead with a Delone Carter touchdown run of 3 yards, and a Vinatieri extra point. The Chiefs pulled back with a Cassel touchdown pass of 16 yards to Steve Breaston, with Succop adding the extra point. This made it 24-14 Indianapolis at halftime. Kansas City pulled within a field goal as Cassel and Bowe met again, a 5 yard touchdown play, and Succop was there with the extra point. The Chiefs took the lead on a Cassel and Breaston connection, 11 yards for the touchdown, and Succop made the extra point. The 28-24 Kansas City lead held up, and they moved to 2-3 while keeping the Colts a winless 0-5.

Lastly, the New York Giants will host the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle took an early lead with a Tavaris Jackson pass to Ben Obomanu, good for 11 yards and a touchdown. Steven Hauschka had the extra point. New York replied with Eli Manning passing 12 yards to Jake Ballard for a touchdown, and Lawrence Tynes making the extra point. The Seahawks regained the lead with 1 yard Marshawn Lynch touchdown run, and another Hauschka extra point. The Giants tied it late in the second quarter on a Manning pass to Hakeem Nicks, good for 19 yards and the TD, with Tynes icing off the score on the extra point. This left the score tied at 14 for halftime. Seattle broke the tie with a 5 yard tackle for loss on D.J. Ware, good for a safety. Hauschka added some breathing room for Seattle by nailing a 51 yard field goal. The Giants replied quickly with a 68 yard touchdown pass from Manning to Victor Cruz, and they converted a two-point attempt to make it 22-19, as Ahmad Bradshaw took it in on the ground. The Seahawks retied it with a Hauschka field goal from 43 yards. New York broke the tie with a Tynes field goal of 26 yards. Seattle got a touchdown to take the lead as Charlie Whitehurst found Doug Baldwin for 27 yards, and Hauschka added the extra point. The Seahawks got a timely defensive touchdown from Brandon Browner, picking Manning off and taking it 90 yards for a touchdown. Hauschka's extra point made it 36-25. They would win by this score, going to 2-3, and moving the Giants to 3-2.

Day 3 NHL 2011-2012

Again, we start our slate of 13 games over in Europe, beginning in Stockholm, Sweden with...

The Anaheim Ducks hosting the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Jonas Hiller again made the starts. Anaheim opened the scoring in the first period on an Andrew Cogliano goal, assisted by Andrew Gordon and Devante Smith-Pelly. They held this lead until late in the third period, where New York tied it on a Brad Richards goal, with help from Ryan McDonagh. This 1-1 tie lasted through the overtime and into the shootout, where a 4th round goal by Bobby Ryan gave the Ducks a 2-1 win. Hiller (14 of 15 in saves), Ryan, and Lundqvist (27 of 28 in saves) were the three stars in the defensive battle.

Over to Berlin, Germany, with the Los Angeles Kings welcoming the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Jonathan Bernier are the goalies. The game was scoreless through the first period, but Buffalo got a pair of Luke Adam goals in the second frame, and Jason Pominville took an assist, while Thomas Vanek swiped the helper card twice. The Sabres jumped up to 3-0 with a Paul Gaustad tally, fueled by Nathan Gerbe and Marc-Andre Gragnani. Los Angeles got on the board on Anze Kopitar's second of the season, courtesy of Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty on the power play. Buffalo got the goal back with their own power play goal, from Drew Stafford after previously visiting Gerbe and Derek Roy. The Kings made it 4-2 with another Kopitar goal, his third of the year and second of the game, thanks to Justin Williams and Simon Gagne. Adam, Vanek, and Kopitar were awarded the three stars.

Back to the states, specifically New Jersey, with the Devils hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Ilya Bryzgalov and Martin Brodeur are set to start the game. Philadelphia struck first with a Claude Giroux goal, helped in by James van Riemsdyk and Matt Carle. After a silent second period, the Flyers pushed their lead a bit farther, with Matt Read scoring off a Scott Hartnell pass. Philadelphia poured on another goal as Wayne Simmonds introduced biscuit to basket, with help from Andrej Meszaros and Chris Pronger. The final would be 3-0 Flyers, and the three stars of the game were Bryzgalov (20 save shutout), Giroux, and Simmonds.

Into the United States' capital, with the Washington Capitals hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Brian Boucher and Michal Neuvirth picked up the starts. The scoring didn't start until the second period, on a Carolina power play goal by Eric Staal, powered by Jussi Jokinen and Tomas Kaberle. Washington tied it back up with an Alexander Semin tally, assisted on by John Carlson. The Capitals grabbed a lead late in the period with Jason Chimera's goal, courtesy of Joel Ward and Karl Alzner. The Hurricanes retied it with another Staal goal, a power play marker with the help of Jeff Skinner and Joni Pitkanen. Washington took the lead back at a 3-2 margin with a power play goal by Brooks Laich, supported by Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Carolina, however, did not roll over to die, getting a timely goal from Jokinen, and assistance by Skinner and Staal. The game would be decided in overtime on a power play goal by Mike Green, coming off of Dennis Wideman and Backstrom, and thanks to the penalty on Jussi Jokinen for holding. Green, Staal, and Chimera would take the three stars honors.

Up into Canada, with the Toronto Maple Leafs playing host to the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and James Reimer are in the blue paint. Toronto busted open the scoring with Mikhail Grabovski, with helpers by Nikolai Kulemin and Dion Phaneuf on the power play. The Maple Leafs extended their lead with a Phil Kessel goal, moved along by Joffrey Lupul and Carl Gunnarsson. Lupul tallied his own goal for Toronto in the second period, a power play tally fueled by John-Michael Liles and Kessel. Kessel later potted his second of the game to make it 4-0 Maple Leafs, with the help of Tyler Bozak and Lupul required. Colin Greening work for Ottawa, putting them on the board in the third period, thanks to Sergei Gonchar and Jason Spezza. Toronto quickly restored the four goal lead with a Colton Orr goal, with the help of Mike Brown. The Senators replied again with a Daniel Alfredsson goal, shorthanded from Chris Phillips and Zack Smith. Ottawa kept roaring with a Spezza power play goal, made possible by Milan Michalek and Erik Karlsson. The Senators got within one as eight seconds later, Alfredsson found twine on the man advantage, with the puck passed from Karlsson. The Maple Leafs got some breathing room back as Kessel completed a hat trick to start his scoring season, after the puck was fed through Matthew Lombardi and Luke Schenn. Twenty-five seconds later, it was back to a one goal game as Ottawa's Stephane Da Costa netted the puck, and Karlsson picked up his third assist for what we here call a "sock trick." Luckily for Toronto, the defense played the last two minutes and won the game 6-5. Before the three stars, a couple of notes. First, after Toronto's fourth goal, Alex Auld relieved Anderson in the Senator net. Also, there was a first period fight between Zenon Konopka and Mike Brown, and a second period punchout between Chris Neil and Luke Schenn. The three stars were Kessel, Phaneuf, and Alfredsson, although Karlsson, Spezza, and Lupul all made convincing cases as well.

Back down to Boston, with the Bruins hosting their opponents from the Eastern Conference Finals, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mathieu Garon and Tim Thomas played in the crease. Boston opened the scoring in the second period with a Rich Peverley goal, coming off of Brad Marchand and Johnny Boychuk. Tampa Bay evened it shortly after with a Martin St. Louis goal, his second of the season a product of Ryan Malone and Vincent Lecavalier efforts. The Bruins did grab the lead back with Daniel Paille's goal, assisted by Adam McQuaid and Tyler Seguin. Boston added to their lead with a David Krejci goal, assisted by Milan Lucic and Seguin. Peverley later added a goal, his second of the game, courtesy of Patrice Bergeron and Marchand. Boston emerged with a 4-1 win, and the three stars were Peverley, Thomas (25 for 26 in saves), and Seguin.

Onto Long Island, with the New York Islanders hosting the Florida Generalized NHL Rejects Panthers. Jose Theodore and Al Montoya got the starts. Florida busted the scoring open with Stephen Weiss' goal, with Brian Campbell and Tomas Fleischmann picking up the assists. The Panthers extended their lead with a power play goal from Jason Garrison, fueled by Campbell and Kris Versteeg. This would be all Florida needed, coasting to a 2-0 victory after 40 scoreless minutes of play. The three stars were Theodore (27 save shutout), Campbell, and Weiss.

Over to the State of Hockey, with the Minnesota Wild hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Playing between the pipes were Steve Mason and Niklas Backstrom. Minnesota took little time in taking a lead, with a quick Matt Cullen goal off of Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Guillaume Latendresse. The Wild gained a little separation on a Marco Scandella goal, with the lone assist by Jared Spurgeon. Minnesota rolled on in the second period with Dany Heatley striking on the power play, and Bouchard and Marek Zidlicky were credited as the supporting cast. Columbus got on the board with Derek Dorsett putting the puck away, thanks to Aaron Johnson and Jeff Carter. The Wild took it back with Devin Setoguchi's score, assisted by Heatley and Mikko Koivu. The Blue Jackets tried to get a little closer with a Maxsim Mayorov goal, helped along by Grant Clitsome and Matt Calvert. The final would be 4-2 for Minnesota, with Backstrom (29 of 31 in saves), Heatley, and Cullen getting the three stars. Also, Curtis Sanford played goal for Columbus in the third period.

Down the way a bit, the St. Louis Blues hosted the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Jaroslav Halak were called on for the starts. St. Louis was first on the board with a Patrik Berglund goal, with T.J. Oshie and Roman Polak helping out there. Nashville got an early equalizer on Craig Smith's power play goal, his second of the year powered by Shea Weber and David Legwand. In the third period, Legwand would give the Predators a lead on a power play goal, with helpers provided by Smith and Wilson. As an aside, Legwand is one child fathered away from having a David Legwand Hat Trick. The Blues tied it on a power play goal by Jason Arnott, thanks to David Backes and Alex Steen. Less than a minute later, Nashville regained control of the lead with Kevin Klein's tally, with assistance from Legwand and Smith. Legwand iced the game off with his second of the night, an empty netter with help from Sergei Kostitsyn. This made it 4-2, the final, with Rinne (31 for 33 in saves), Legwand, and Oshie as the three stars, although Craig Smith had quite a game as well.

Into the Windy City, with the Chicago Blackhawks hosting the Dallas Stars. Andrew Raycroft and Corey Crawford got the nods. Chicago opened early with an Andrew Brunette power play goal, powered by Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane. The Blackhawks made it 2-0 in the second with a Dave Bolland marker, assisted by Marcus Kruger and Sean O'Donnell. Chicago extended the lead again with Jonathan Toews notching a goal, thanks to Brent Seabrook. Dallas got on the board with a Vernon Fiddler goal, fueled by Adam Burish and Alex Goligoski. The Blackhawks answered in the third period on a Sharp goal, with Steve Montador getting the lone assist. The Stars made it 4-2 with a Sheldon Souray power play goal, coming off of Jamie Benn. Bolland put the game away with his empty net goal, the second of the night for him, with the help of Michael Frolik and Bryan Bickell. This made the final 5-2, with Bolland, Toews, and Sharp getting the three stars.

Out west a little more, the Colorado Avalanche host the Detroit Red Wings. Ty Conklin and Semyon Varlamov will be the masked men. The scoring opened late in the second period with a Johan Franzen goal, helped along by Jiri Hudler. The Red Wings added to the lead with a third period goal by Henrik Zetterberg, assisted by Pavel Datsyuk and Danny Cleary. Detroit finished it up with a 3-0 score after an empty netter by Datsyuk, courtesy of Cleary and Darren Helm. Franzen, Conklin (29 save shutout), and Varlamov (36 for 38 in saves) were the three stars. Also worthy would be Cleary and Datsyuk on their multipoint nights.

Northward to Calgary, with the Flames hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Miikka Kiprusoff tend the twines tonight. Calgary struck first here with a Curtis Glencross goal, assisted by Mark Giordano and Scott Hannan. Pittsburgh tied it in the second period with a Tyler Kennedy goal off of Pascal Dupuis and Deryk Engelland. The Penguins grabbed the lead with Matt Niskanen on the power play, powered by Jordan Staal. Pittsburgh continued to score as Craig Adams potted a goal, with the help of Mark Letestu ad Niskanen present. Evgeni Malkin added to the noise for the Penguins, his power play goal off of James Neal and Kris Letang making it 4-1.The Flames worked a little in the third period, as Rene Bourque put in a goal courtesy of Alex Tanguay and Roman Horak. Calgary cut the deficit to one with an Olli Jokinen goal, the lone helper coming from Niklas Hagman. Staal wrapped it up for Pittsburgh with an empty net goal, moved along by Paul Martin for a 5-3 final. Letang, Giordano, and Glencross were the three stars, although Niskanen had quite a game, and Staal did well too.

Lastly, in Northern California, we have the San Jose Sharks hosting the Phoenix Coyotes. Mike Smith and Thomas Greiss are in net tonight. San Jose led off with a power play goal by Joe Pavelski, powered by Patrick Marleau and Brent Burns. The Sharks kept it going with a Michal Handzus goal, coming off of Torrey Mitchell and Jason Demers. Ryane Clowe kept it up for San Jose with a power play goal thanks to Logan Couture and Tommy Wingels. A minute later, Andrew Desjardins netted a goal with no help whatsoever for the Sharks. Phoenix later got on the board with a Shane Doan goal, courtesy of Radim Vrbata and Keith Yandle on the power play. San Jose got it back with a power play goal by Pavelski, peppered around by Dan Boyle and Marleau. Desjardins also dinged in his second goal of the night for the Sharks, with Brad Winchester collecting the lone helper. The Coyotes made a small push with a power play goal by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, passed from Mikkel Boedker and Daymond Langkow. Doan made it 6-3 with his second of the night, also with the man advantage, pushed through by Yandle and Ray Whitney. This was the final, and the three stars were Desjardins, Pavelski, and Marleau. Honorable mention to Doan.

Day 2 NHL 11-12

Today we have twice as many games as yesterday, with six on the slate. We begin with a pair of NHL Premiere Games.

In Helsinki, Finland, the Buffalo Sabres "hosted" the Anaheim Ducks. Jonas Hiller and Ryan Miller got the starts. Buffalo led off with a Thomas Vanek goal, coming on the power play via Luke Adam and Jason Pominville. Te Sabres extended their lead later with Ville Leino's goal, made possible by Andrej Sekera and Brad Boyes. Anaheim got on the board in the second period with a Nate Guenin goal, helped along by Maxime Macenauer. Buffalo wasted little time in restoring a 2 goal lead, as Pominville had rubber meet twine, and Vanek and Adam grabbed the assists. The Sabres made it 4-1 as Vanek slipped another goal in on the power play, fueled by Christian Ehrhoff and Pominville. This would conclude the scoring as the third period proved to be silent, and the three stars were rightfully awarded to Vanek, Pominville, and Miller (29 for 30 in saves).

Also in Europe, the Los Angeles Kings welcomed the New York Rangers to a home away from home in Stockholm, Sweden. Hometown hero Henrik Lundqvist and American Jonathan Quick tended the twines. Los Angeles was the first to strike in this game, as Anze Kopitar scored in the first period from a Justin Williams pass. New York evened the score as Ryan Callahan potted a goal, with assistance from Artem Anisimov and Ruslan Fedotenko. The teams failed to score in the second period, but got back to it as the Rangers took a third period lead on Marian Gaborik's goal. Tallying the helpers here were Brandon Dubinsky and Brad Richards. The Kings would not die, however, tying the game at 2 with Mike Richards' goal from Brad Richardson and Dustin Brown. The tie would last into overtime, where Los Angeles stole the game 3-2 on a Jack Johnson goal, a power play tally from Mike Richards and Kopitar, on the minor penalty by Ryan McDonagh. Kopitar, Lundqvist (27 for 30 in saves), and Callahan were the three stars, although also playing worthy games were Mike Richards or the hero Jack Johnson.

Moving into Detroit, the Red Wings opened their season against the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Jimmy Howard were the designated starters. Detroit opened the scoring with a Todd Bertuzzi goal, assisted on by Darren Helm and Jakub Kindl. The Red Wings padded their lead in the second period with an unassisted goal by Nicklas Lidstrom. Detroit made it 3-0 with Cody Emmerton's first NHL goal, made possible by Drew Miller. The Red Wings continued a brutal period as Jiri Hudler saucered one past Anderson, thanks to Pavel Datsyuk and Jonathan Ericsson. Detroit also scored with an Ian White goal in the third period, fueled by Emmerton. Ottawa finally got on the board with Milan Michalek's goal, guided in by Jason Spezza and Nikita Filatov. The Senators picked up another goal on the power, again from Michalek, and with assists by Spezza and Erik Karlsson. Ottawa made a furious run to the end, with Filip Kuba's goal making it 5-3, the power play marker assisted on by Daniel Alfredsson and Mika Zibanejad. This would be the final, with the three stars going to Emmerton, Lidstrom, and Michalek.

Down to Ohio, with the Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Steve Mason opposed each other in goal. The first period was quiet, and the scoring was opened by Nashville in the second frame with a Ryan Suter power play goal, powered by Sergei Kostitsyn and David Legwand. Columbus answered with Vinny Prospal recording a goal, with Jeff Carter and Rick Nash supplying the help. The Predators soon took the lead back on a Craig Smith goal, guided in by Shea Weber and Suter. Nashville extended the lead with a Matt Halischuk goal, with help provided by Cal O'Reilly. The Blue Jackets pulled within 1 on a Nash goal, coming off of Prospal and Carter, but failed to get an equalizer, falling 3-2. The three stars of the game were Rinne (32 for 34 in saves), Carter, and Nash, with only Suter as a logical alternative.

Into Raleigh, with the Carolina Hurricanes welcoming the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dwayne Roloson and Cam Ward were in the blue paint. Carolina opened the scoring in the first period with a Jeff Skinner goal from Tim Gleason and Tuomo Ruutu. Tampa Bay answered in the second period with a Martin St. Louis goal, with the lone assist by Steven Stamkos. The Lightning took the lead on Vincent Lecavalier's goal, a power play tally courtesy of Stamkos and St. Louis. Tampa Bay extended the lead with a Steve Downie power play goal, thanks to Marc-Andre Bergeron and Ryan Shannon. Ten seconds later, the Lightning led 4-1 as Adam Hall notched a goal, with assists by Nate Thompson and Victor Hedman. Tampa Bay put the nail in the coffin by making it 5-1 on Ryan Malone's goal, made possible by Teddy Purcell and Eric Brewer. This was a final, and the three stars were given out to St. Louis, Stamkos, and Skinner.

Lastly, the Dallas Stars host the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Kari Lehtonen were given the nod to start. Dallas opened the scoring in the second period after a quiet first, as Alex Goligoski netted a shot, with assist-machine Mike Ribeiro grabbing the lone helper. The Stars extended their lead with a Jamie Benn goal, courtesy of Sheldon Souray and Trevor Daley. Chicago got on the board late with a Nick Leddy goal, with assistance by Patrick Kane and Brandon Pirri, but they still fell 2-1. The game's three stars were Lehtonen (37 for 38 in saves), Benn, and Goligoski.

Day 1 NHL 2011-2012

Welcome back to hockey season everybody. I will once again be recapping all games this season, from start to finish and throughout the playoffs as well. Our first game of the night involves last season's Stanley Cup Champs, the...

Boston Bruins, at home against the Philadelphia Flyers. Ilya Bryzgalov made his Philadelphia debut against Conn Smythe winner Tim Thomas in the nets. Boston was the first on the board here with a Brad Marchand goal, a power play goal assisted by Tyler Seguin and Joe Corvo. Philadelphia tied the game at 1 with a power play goal by Claude Giroux, with help from Jaromir Jagr, who returned from the KHL, and Chris Pronger. Forty-seven seconds later, and with just three seconds left in the first period, the Flyers took the lead with a Jakub Voracek goal, coming from Andrej Meszaros and Wayne Simmonds. The next two periods were silent, leaving Philadelphia with a 2-1 win over the Bruins, and the three stars were awarded to Giroux, Marchand, and Seguin.

The other early game on tonight was north of the border, with the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and James Reimer were in the creases tonight. The first period was quiet on the scoring front, but Toronto opened it all up with a shorthanded goal from the recently-acquired Matthew Lombardi, assisted by Mike Brown and Dion Phaneuf. The Maple Leafs extended their lead on a Phaneuf goal, with helpers by Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. Toronto maintained this lead and won the game 2-0, with the three stars going to Reimer, Phaneuf, and Lombardi.

Wrapping up the opening night, the Vancouver Canucks host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Roberto Luongo got the starts for the opening night game. Pittsburgh busted open the scoring early in the first period with a James Neal power play goal, powered by Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. The Penguins added on with a Matt Cooke goal, another power play tally, guided in by Pascal Dupuis. Vancouver's resident pest answered, with Maxim Lapierre putting the biscuit in the basket, an unassisted goal. Pittsburgh got the goal back in the second period as Cooke notched his second of the night (thrusting him into the lead for the Rocket Richard), a shorthanded goal with assistance from Jordan Staal and Letang. The Canucks clawed back a little with a Keith Ballard goal, helped along by Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Vancouver tied the game up at 3 with a third period goal by Daniel, pushed along by Henrik and Sami Salo. The tie lasted through regulation and overtime, into a shootout where the Penguins' Letang and Malkin scored to secure a 4-3 victory. Daniel, Cooke, and Chris Higgins were the official three stars, although Henrik or Letang would have fit in the third spot just as well.

Final Fantasy Baseball All-Stars for 2011

What a thrilling finish to the end of the season in baseball (no offense Boston and Atlanta). Here's who had a late surge.

Catcher: Carlos Santana, 9 runs, 10 hits, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB, .263 average, .349 on base
First Base: Prince Fielder, 6 runs, 10 hits, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB, .345 average, .500 on base
Second Base: Ian Kinsler, 8 runs, 11 hits, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 5 SB, .379 average, .500 on base
Third Base: Adrian Beltre, 8 runs, 14 hits, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB, .412 average, .412 on base
Shortstop: Dee Gordon, 7 runs, 14 hits, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3 SB, .369 average, .415 on base
Outfield: Matt Kemp, 12 runs, 15 hits, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 0 SB, .385 average, .415 on base
Starter1: Javier Vazquez, 16 IP, 2 wins, 15 K, 1.12 ERA, 0.50 WHIP
Starter2: Doug Fister, 11 IP, 2 wins, 11 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.45 WHIP
Reliever: Drew Storen, 5 IP, 0 wins, 5 saves, 7 K, 0 holds, 0.00 ERA, 0.60 WHIP

Season Leaders:
Catcher: Victor Martinez, 76 runs, 178 hits, 12 HR, 103 RBI, 1 SB, .330 average, .380 on base
First Base: Miguel Cabrera, 111 runs, 197 hits, 30 HR, 105 RBI, 2 SB, .344 average, .448 on base
Second Base: Robinson Cano, 104 runs, 188 hits, 28 HR, 118 RBI, 8 SB, .302 average, .349 on base
Third Base: Adrian Beltre, 82 runs, 144 hits, 32 HR, 105 RBI, 1 SB, .296 average, .331 on base
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki, 81 runs, 162 hits, 30 HR, 105 RBI, 9 SB, .302 average, .372 on base
Left Field: Ryan Braun, 109 runs, 187 hits, 33 HR, 111 RBI, 33 SB, .332 average, .397 on base
Center Field: Matt Kemp, 115 runs, 195 hits, 39 HR, 126 RBI, 40 SB, .324 average, .399 on base
Right Field: Jose Bautista, 105 runs, 155 hits, 43 HR, 103 RBI, 9 SB, .302 average, .447 on base
Honorable Mentions:
Michael Young: 88 runs, 213 hits, 11 HR, 106 RBI, 6 SB, .338 average, .380 on base
Jacoby Ellsbury: 119 runs, 212 hits, 32 HR, 109 RBI, 39 SB, .321 average, 379 on base
Curtis Granderson: 136 runs, 153 hits, 41 HR, 119 RBI, 25 SB, .26 average, .364 on base
Justin Upton: 105 runs, 171 hits, 31 HR, 88 RBI, 21 SB, .289 average, .369 on base

Pitchers: Rotation
Justin Verlander, 251 IP, 24 wins, 250 K, 2.40 ERA, 0.92 WHIP
Clayton Kershaw, 233 1/3 IP, 21 wins, 248 K, 2.28 ERA, 0.98 WHIP
Roy Halladay, 233 2/3 IP, 19 wins, 220 K, 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP
Cliff Lee, 232 2/3 IP, 17 wins, 238 K, 2.40 ERA, 1.03 WHIP
Jered Weaver, 235 2/3 IP, 18 wins, 198 K, 2.41 ERA, 1.01 WHIP
James Shields, 249 1/3 IP, 16 wins, 225 K, 2.82 ERA, 1.04 WHIP

Bullpen:
Craig Kimbrel, 77 IP, 4 wins, 46 saves, 127 K, 0 holds, 2.10 ERA, 1.04 WHIP
Drew Storen, 75 1/3 IP, 6 wins, 43 saves, 74 K, 3 holds, 2.75 ERA, 1.02 WHIP
John Axford, 73 2/3 IP, 2 wins, 46 saves, 86 K, 0 holds, 1.95 ERA, 1.14 WHIP
Mariano Rivera, 61 1/3 IP, 1 win, 44 saves, 60 K, 0 holds, 1.91 ERA, 0.90 WHIP
J.J. Putz, 58 IP, 2 wins, 45 saves, 61 K, 0 holds, 2.17 ERA, 0.91 WHIP
Jose Valverde, 72 1/3 IP, 2 wins, 49 saves, 69 K, 0 holds, 2.24 ERA, 1.19 WHIP

By stat
Runs: Curtis Granderson, 136
Hits: Michael Young and Adrian Gonzalez, 213
Home Runs: Jose Bautista, 43
Runs Batted In: Matt Kemp, 126
Stolen Bases: Michael Bourn, 61
Average: Miguel Cabrera, .344
On Base Percentage: Miguel Cabrera, .448
Innings Pitched: Justin Verlander, 251
Wins: Justin Verlander, 24
Saves: Jose Valverde, 49
Strikeouts (SP): Justin Verlander, 250
Strikeouts (RP) Craig Kimbrel, 127
Holds: Tyler Clippard, 38
ERA (SP): Clayton Kershaw, 2.28
ERA (RP): Eric O'Flaherty, 0.98
WHIP: Stephen Strasburg* 0.71

Hockey All Stars will start in two weeks.