Wednesday, December 7, 2011

NHL Day 63 2011-2012

Only three games on tonight, a very low amount. We begin with the Ottawa Senators hosting the Washington Capitals. Tomas Vokoun and Craig Anderson are playing in between the pipes. In the first period, there was a fight between the Senators' Jesse Winchester and the Capitals' Troy Brouwer. Washington got the scoring going in the second period with the second of the season by Jeff Halpern, made possible by Dennis Wideman and Brouwer. Ottawa tied it on an Erik Condra goal, his fourth of the year, thanks to Erik Karlsson and Zack Smith. The Senators took the lead with the ninth of the season from Nick Foligno, and Sergei Gonchar had the lone assist. The Capitals tied it in the third period on a Nicklas Backstrom power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Brooks Laich and John Carlson. Washington stole the lead with Alex Ovechkin potting his ninth of the season, guided in by Backstrom and Dmitry Orlov. Brouwer extended the lead for the Capitals with his eighth of the year, earning him a Gordie Howe hat trick, and the assists came from Marcus Johansson and Carlson, all just fifteen seconds after the previous tally. Ottawa got one back with a Milan Michalek power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Colin Greening. Washington iced it 5-3 with Carlson scoring his fifth of the year into the empty net with no assistance. The three stars were Carlson, Ovechkin, and Foligno, while Backstrom and Brouwer also performed well.

Over to Buffalo, with the Sabres hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Ilya Bryzgalov and Ryan Miller are tending the twines. Ville Leino got Buffalo going with a power play goal, his third of the season, coming off of Zack Kassian and Luke Adam. Kassian added on for the Sabres with his third of the year, and the lone assist was Andrej Sekera. Forty-two seconds later, Buffalo struck again with Thomas Vanek netting his thirteenth of the season, a power play goal powered by Jason Pominville and Derek Roy. Just twenty-two seconds after that, and with just a tick left on the clock for the first period, Philadelphia got on the board as Max Talbot registered his seventh of the year, assisted by Jakub Voracek. The Flyers pulled closer in the second period on the eleventh of the season for Matt Read, fueled by Kimmo Timonen and Claude Giroux. Philadelphia tied it when Scott Hartnell deposited his twelfth of the year, and Giroux recorded the lone helper. The Flyers grabbed the lead with Jaromir Jagr notching his ninth of the season, via Giroux, who gets a sock trick. The Sabres tied it in the third period on a Drew Stafford goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Pominville and Marc-Andre Gragnani. Philadelphia took the game 5-4 in overtime with Giroux putting his sixteenth of the campaign away unassisted. Giroux, Kassian, and Stafford got the three stars. Pominville gets an honorable mention.

Finally, way to the west the Edmonton Oilers host the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Devan Dubnyk received the green light to start in goal. Edmonton struck first with an Eric Belanger goal, set up by Magnus Paajarvi and Andy Sutton. Carolina tied it on a Jeff Skinner power play goal, his twelfth of the season, an unassisted goal. The Hurricanes took the lead in the second period with Jamie McBain's third of the year, a power play goal powered by Tomas Kaberle and Justin Faulk. Carolina extended the lead with Patrick Dwyer scoring his fourth of the season, thanks to Eric Staal and Kaberle. The Hurricanes rolled on with a shorthanded Chad LaRose goal, his eighth of the year, coming off of Bryan Allen. The Oilers finally got one back with a Ben Eager goal, courtesy of Lennart Petrell and Anton Lander. Carolina struck back in the third period when Tuomo Ruutu scored his ninth of the season, with the help of Jussi Jokinen and Tim Gleason. Edmonton cut it down to 5-3 with the thirteenth of the year by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, guided in by Sam Gagner and Jordan Eberle. This was a final, and the three stars were Skinner, LaRose, and Sutton, while Kaberle also performed well.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

NHL Day 62 2011-2012

There are ten games to be played tonight. We begin with the New York Islanders hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. In goal are Mathieu Garon and Al Montoya. Martin St. Louis got Tampa Bay going first, with his ninth of the season, assisted by Brett Clark and Steven Stamkos. New York replied on the ninth of the year by John Tavares, courtesy of Matt Moulson and Kyle Okposo. The Islanders took the lead with Matt Martin notching his third of the season, coming off of Tim Wallace and Marty Reasoner. New York padded the lead late in the opening period with Milan Jurcina striking on the power play, with the help of Frans Nielsen and Mark Streit. The Islanders added on again in the third period with a David Ullstrom goal, with helpers provided by Josh Bailey and Steve Staios. New York made it 5-1 with Moulson's fourteenth of the year, a power play goal powered by Tavares and P.A. Parenteau. This was a final, with Tavares, Ullstrom, and Montoya (23 for 24 in saves) getting the three stars, while Moulson gets an honorable mention.

Moving on up to Toronto, where the Maple Leafs welcome the New Jersey Devils. Martin Brodeur and James Reimer got the starting nods. New Jersey struck first with an Ilya Kovalchuk power play goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Petr Sykora and Adam Henrique. The Devils added on with another power play goal, this one being the eighth of the year for David Clarkson, powered by Zach Parise and Patrik Elias. Toronto got on the board in the second period with Phil Kessel netting his seventeenth of the season, guided in by Joffrey Lupul and Luke Schenn. The Maple Leafs tied it in the third period on the third of the year for Matt Frattin, assisted by Mikhail Grabovski and Cody Franson. New Jersey won it 3-2 in overtime with another Clarkson goal, his second of the game and ninth of the campaign, set up by Dainius Zubrus. The three stars went to Clarkson, Schenn, and Frattin.

Into Quebec, where the Montreal Canadiens host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Curtis Sanford and Carey Price took their places in the creases. Columbus got on the board first with the seventh of the season for Vinny Prospal, and Aaron Johnson and R.J. Umberger picked up the assists. Montreal replied late in the period with the eighth of the year by Andrei Kostitsyn, courtesy of Michael Cammalleri. The Blue Jackets took the lead on an Umberger goal, his fourth of the season, fueled by Nikita Nikitin and Samuel Pahlsson. The Canadiens tied it late in the third period when Brian Gionta netted his eighth of the year, thanks to Tomas Plekanec and Alexei Emelin. Columbus took the game in the shootout as Risk Nash had the only tally for a 3-2 win. The three stars were Nash, Umberger, and Kostitsyn.

Southwest to St. Louis, where the Blues welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Brian Elliott donned the goalie masks. Detroit got the first goal in the second period on the power play when Johan Franzen deposited his thirteenth of the season, courtesy of Jiri Hudler and the goalie Howard. St. Louis tied it with an Alex Steen power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Jason Arnott. David Backes gave the Blues the lead with his tenth of the season, coming off of T.J. Oshie and Arnott. St. Louis extended the lead on the sixth of the year by Patrik Berglund, assisted by Chris Stewart and David Perron. The Red Wings cut it to 3-2 late as Danny Cleary nailed his sixth of the campaign on the power play, helped in by Hudler and Niklas Kronwall. This was a final, giving the three stars to Elliott (27 for 29 in saves), Oshie, and Vladimir Sobotka, although Arnott or Hudler could take a star as well.

Moving a bit east to Nashville, as the Predators host the Phoenix Coyotes. Jason LaBarbera and Pekka Rinne will play between the pipes. Phoenix led off with a Taylor Pyatt goal just nine seconds into the game, assisted by Lauri Korpikoski and Boyd Gordon as his fourth of the season. Nashville tied it late in the period with a Mike Fisher goal, his sixth of the year, thanks to Jack Hillen and Craig Smith. The Coyotes gained the lead with a third period Ray Whitney goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Radim Vrbata and Martin Hanzal. The Predators tied it with Shea Weber sinking a power play goal, his sixth of the year, with the help of Ryan Suter and Patric Hornqvist. Phoenix took the lead back on Keith Yandle's fourth of the campaign, coming from Shane Doan and Daymond Langkow for a 3-2 lead. This was a final, giving the three stars to Yandle, Whitney, and Weber.

Back to Canada, as the Winnipeg Jets host the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Ondrej Pavelc are assigned to stop the puck. Winnipeg struck late in the first period as Andrew Ladd drained his ninth of the season, and Johnny Oduya and the goalie Pavelec picked up the assists. Boston tied it in the third period on a Shawn Thornton goal, his second of the year, pushed through by Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell. The Jets took the lead back with the eighth of the season by Bryan Little, with no assists. This made it 2-1, the final, and the three stars went to Pavelec (39 for 40 in saves), Little, and Rask (33 for 35 in saves).

Westward to Calgary, as the Flames host the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Miikka Kiprusoff stand 200 feet apart in this game. Calgary opened on the eighth of the season by Jarome Iginla, assisted by Olli Jokinen and Brendan Morrison. The Flames added on with a Lee Stempniak goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Blake Comeau and Jay Bouwmeester. Morrison extended the Calgary lead in the second period with his second of the season, and he was helped along by Jokinen. Carolina got on the board when Jiri Tlusty converted a penalty shot for his sixth of the year. The Hurricanes came closer with Tim Brent tallying his third of the season, thanks to Eric Staal and Tomas Kaberle. The Flames got it back as the ninth of the year by Rene Bourque found the twine, going in unassisted. Calgary extended the lead with Morrison potting his second of the game and third of the season, with helpers by Iginla and T.J. Brodie. Carolina got it back with an unassisted Jamie McBain goal, his third of the year. The Flames replied back with a power play goal off the tape of Mikael Backlund, his second of the season, powered by Stempniak and Alex Tanguay. The Hurricanes answered on another unassisted goal, this time the sixth of the year by Staal. Calgary extended the lead back to three goals on the second of the night and ninth of the campaign for Iginla, guided in by Morrison and Jokinen, the latter finishing his sock trick. Carolina pulled back with Chad LaRose's seventh of the season, with just thirty-two seconds left in regulation, and the assists came from Brent and Alexei Ponikarovsky. Staal made it 7-6 with his second of the game and seventh of the year, just five seconds before time expired, via McBain and Kaberle. Despite the late flurry, the Flames held on for the win, and the three stars in this laugher went to Morrison, Bouwmeester, and Iginla, while Jokinen, Staal, Brent, Stempniak, Kaberle, and McBain all had multiple point efforts as well.

Keeping with the westward transition, the Vancouver Canucks host the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Roberto Luongo are in charge of the cages tonight. Vancouver struck first with Daniel Sedin notching his tenth of the season, courtesy of Alexandre Burrows and Henrik Sedin. Jannik Hansen added on for the Canucks in the second period with his eighth of the year, made possible by Kevin Bieksa and Cody Hodgson. Vancouver added on with another Daniel goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the season, coming off of Henrik and Dan Hamhuis. Hansen replied to this goal for the Canucks, his second of the game and ninth of the year, fueled by Alexander and Keith Ballard. Vancouver kept rolling as Daniel took his turn in the two man goal scoring show, notching a hat trick with his twelfth of the season, and Burrows and Henrik picked up the helpers, with Henrik getting a sock trick. The Canucks struck again with Edler on the power play, his fourth of the year, powered by Hodgson and Cory Schneider, who relieved Luongo due to injury in the second period. Jean-Sebastien Giguere came on in relief of Varlamov after this goal. The final was 6-0, and the three stars were Daniel, Hansen, and Luongo (13 for 13 in saves before departing), while Henrik, Edler, Burrows, Hodgson, and Schneider (20 for 20 in saves in relief of the injury) were also very strong performers.

Down south, the battle of California rages on with the Anaheim Ducks hosting the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Jonas Hiller play in net. Anaheim was first to strike with a Bobby Ryan goal, his eighth of the season, and Teemu Selanne had the lone assist. The Ducks extended the lead late in the period with the twelfth of the year by Corey Perry, courtesy of Ryan Getzlaf and Matt Beleskey. Los Angeles got on the board in the second period with the fourth of the season for Slava Voynov, assisted by Dustin Penner and Anze Kopitar. Justin Williams netted his fourth of the year in the third period for the Kings to tie it, and helping him was Jarret Stoll. Anaheim made it 3-2 with a Ryan goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, and Selanne again had the assist. This was a final, and the three stars were awarded to Ryan, Francois Beauchemin, and Drew Doughty, although, as usual in Anaheim, a player such as Selanne fits the bill much stronger.

Finally, in northern California, the San Jose Sharks play host to the Minnesota Wild. Josh Harding and Antti Niemi tend the twines. San Jose struck early on Joe Pavelski's twelfth of the season, coming from Dan Boyle. Minnesota tied it with a Mikko Koivu goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Dany Heatley and Casey Wellman. The Wild gained the lead with a Pierre-Marc Bouchard power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Koivu and Jared Spurgeon. The game was scoreless after the opening period, for a 2-1 Minnesota win. The three stars were Matt Hackett (34 for 34 in saves after Harding left early due to injury), Koivu, and Pavelski.

Fantasy Football All-Stars week 13

Playoff time is close, with some leagues starting this week, some starting next week, and others still in two weeks. Here's who gave you a nice little boost this week.

Quarterback: Cam Newton and Aaron Rodgers
Running Back: Shonn Greene
Wide Receiver: Percy Harvin and Pierre Garcon
Tight End: Rob Gronkowski
Kicker: Connor Barth
Team Defense: Kansas City
Defensive Player: Mario Haggan

Monday, December 5, 2011

Monday Night Football week 13

This week the Jacksonville Jaguars welcome the San Diego Chargers in prime time. San Diego opened with Mike Tolbert rushing 13 yards for a touchdown, and Nick Novak adding an extra point. Novak also kicked a 29 yard field goal for the Chargers. Jacksonville got going with Blaine Gabbert finding Maurice Jones-Drew on a 9 yard touchdown connection,and Josh Scobee had the extra point. The Jaguars took a lead on a 5 yard touchdown pass from Gabbert to Cecil Shorts, and Scobee again made the extra point. San Diego charged back (pun unintended) with Philip Rivers tossing a 22 yard touchdown for Vincent Brown, and Novak was true with the extra point. The Chargers added on when Rivers found Vincent Jackson on a 35 yard touchdown, and Novak again made the extra point for a 24-14 halftime score. San Diego extended the lead in the third quarter on Rivers' 52 yard touchdown pass to Malcom Floyd, and Novak made the PAT. The Chargers continued the assault in the fourth quarter with a Ryan Mathews touchdown run of 31 yards, and yet another extra point from Novak. The final was 38-14, and the Chargers went to 5-7 while the Jaguars fell to 3-9.

NHL Day 61 2011-2012

Tonight we have five games being played, beginning in...

Pittsburgh, with the Penguins hosting the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Marc-Andre Fleury will be playing goal. Boston got going with the second of the season by Gregory Campbell in the second period, assisted by Daniel Paille and Shawn Thornton. Benoit Pouliot extended the Bruins lead with his fourth of the year, coming off of Rich Peverley. Boston added on again in the third period with the thirteenth of the season by Tyler Seguin, a power play goal powered by Patrice Bergeron and Peverley. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Matt Cooke goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Joe Vitale. This made it 3-1, the eventual final, with the three stars being Thomas (45 for 46 in saves), Peverley, and Vitale.

Moving into New York, where the Rangers go at it with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jonas Gustavsson and Henrik Lundqvist will try to stop the puck. Toronto struck first with a Cody Franson goal, his second of the season, thanks to John-Michael Liles and Phil Kessel. The Maple Leafs added on in the second period with a Tim Connolly goal, his fourth of the year, with a lone assist by Matt Frattin. Toronto kept rolling with Joffrey Lupul recording his thirteenth of the season on the power play from Tyler Bozak and Kessel. New York got on the board with Artem Anisimov notching his fourth of the year, courtesy of Brandon Prust and Michael Del Zotto. The Rangers pulled closer with Marian Gaborik's thirteenth of the season, also a power play goal, powered by Derek Stepan and Brad Richards. The Maple Leafs made it 4-2, the final, with a Dave Steckel empty net goal, his fifth of the year, pushed through by Luke Schenn. The three stars were awarded to Lupul, Anisimov, and Kessel.

Way down the coast, the Florida Panthers host the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth takes on fellow backup Scott Clemmensen in the creases. Florida opened with a Stephen Weiss goal, his tenth of the season coming on the power play via Brian Campbell and Dmitry Kulikov. The Panthers added on with a Mike Santorelli goal, his fourth of the year, just thirteen seconds later, and he was helped out by Kulikov and Mike Weaver. Kulikov kept Florida going with his third of the season, another power play goal, fueled by Campbell and Weiss. Washington struck with a Mike Knuble goal, his third of the year, thanks to Marcus Johansson and Dmitry Orlov. The Panthers got going again in the second period with Sean Bergenheim sinking his fourth of the season, with the help of Shawn Matthias and Jason Garrison. Florida added on again with another Weiss goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, courtesy of Tomas Fleischmann and Campbell, the latter earning a sock trick for his effort. The Capitals got one back late in the period with Cody Eakin registering his third of the season, guided in by Mathieu Perreault and John Carlson. Washington got another one in the third period when Brooks Laich deposited his sixth of the year, thanks to the efforts of Joel Ward and Carlson. The Capitals made it 5-4 with the eleventh of the season by Jason Chimera, assisted by Carlson for the sock trick and Jeff Halpern. This was the final, and the three stars were Weiss, Kulikov, and Campbell, while Carlson earns the honorable mention.

Way to the north, the Ottawa Senators host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dwayne Roloson and Craig Anderson get the starting nods. Tampa Bay struck first in the second period with a Bruno Gervais goal, his second of the season, assisted by Steven Stamkos and Marc-Andre Bergeron. Ottawa answered quickly with the seventh of the year for Zack Smith, courtesy of Jared Cowen and Kaspars Daugavins. The Lightning took the lead in the third period on a Martin St. Louis goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Stamkos. The Senators retied it with a Daniel Alfredsson goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Jason Spezza and the goalie Anderson. Ottawa grabbed the lead with Nick Foligno netting his eighth of the season, via Alfredsson and Jesse Winchester. The Senators made it 4-2 with a Smith goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, and the assists were credited to Sergei Gonchar and Chris Phillips. This was a final, and Anderson (31 for 33 in saves), Smith, and Alfredsson got the three stars.

Finally, we end in Chicago, with the Blackhawks hosting the Phoenix Coyotes. Mike Smith and Corey Crawford were the starters, but Ray Emery relieved Crawford early in the second period. Phoenix struck first with the fourth of the season by Raffi Torres, assisted by Mikkel Boedker. The Coyotes added on when the thirteenth of the year by Radim Vrbata found twine, and Ray Whitney picked up the lone assist. Phoenix chased Crawford on a Keith Yandle goal, his third of the season, and the lone helper came from David Schlemko. Chicago got on the board with Jonathan Toews recording his sixteenth of the year, via Patrick Kane and Dan Carcillo. Toews pulled the Blackhawks closer with his second of the game and seventeenth of the season, a power play goal powered by Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp. Chicago tied it on a Kane goal, his eighth of the year, and Toews and Viktor Stalberg were credited with the assists. The tie lasted through the third period and overtime, until Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Vrbata struck for the Coyotes in the shootout. In the 4-3 game, Toews, Vrbata, and Yandle got the three stars, while Kane earned an honorable mention.

Fantasy Hockey All-Stars week 8

1. Jonathan Quick, 2 W, 0.50 GAA, 74 SV, .987 SV%, 1 SO
2. Matt Moulson, 6 G, 1 A, +2, 0 PIM, 3 PPP, 16 SOG
3. Jordan Eberle, 3 G, 2 A, +4, 0 PIM, 2 PPP, 19 SOG
4. Ryan O'Reilly, 4 G, 3 A, +6, 2 PIM, 0 PPP, 13 SOG
5. Evander Kane, 4 G, 1 A, +6, 0 PIM, 1 PPP, 16 SOG

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Sunday Night game week 13

Tonight, the New Orleans Saints host the Detroit Lions. New Orleans opened with a 39 yard John Kasay field goal. Mark Ingram added on in the second quarter with a 14 yard rushing touchdown for the Saints, and Kasay iced it off with an extra point. New Orleans pushed onward with a 67 yard touchdown connection between Drew Brees and Robert Meachem, with Kasay adding another extra point. Detroit got on the board with a Kevin Smith touchdown run of 2 yards, and Jason Hanson supplied the extra point for a 17-7 score. Brees made it 24-7 at halftime for the Saints with a 20 yard touchdown pass to Lance Moore, and Kasay made the PAT. Hanson pulled the Lions a little closer with a 31 yard field goal. Detroit got even closer with a Matthew Stafford touchdown pass of 9 yards to Maurice Morris, and Hanson put them within 7 after the extra point. New Orleans pulled away again in the fourth quarter as Brees found Darren Sproles for a 6 yard touchdown, and Kasay kicked the extra point. The final was 31-17, and the Saints improved to 9-3 while the Lions fell to 7-5.