Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Fantasy Football All-Stars week 6

Here's the studs of the week.

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers
Running Back: Ahmad Bradshaw
Wide Receiver: Devin Hester
Tight End: Jimmy Graham
Kicker: Billy Cundiff
Team Defense: New York Jets
Defensive Player: Darrelle Revis

Good luck next week.

Monday, October 17, 2011

NHL Day 12 2011-2012

There are five games on tonight, and we begin in Toronto, with the Maple Leafs hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Jean-Sebastian Giguere and James Reimer were called on for the starts. The scoring was silent until the early second period, where Toronto took the lead on a Phil Kessel goal, the unassisted tally being his sixth of the season. Daniel Winnik tied it for Colorado with his second of the year, thanks to Ryan O'Reilly and Jan Hejda. The Avalanche gained the lead on the power play, as Milan Hejduk recorded his third of the season, with the help of Erik Johnson and Paul Stastny. The Maple Leafs got the equalizer in the third period with a Nikolai Kulemin goal, assisted by Dion Phaneuf and Clarke MacArthur. This tie was broken in overtime, as Colorado took the game 3-2 on a David Jones goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Kyle Quincey. Jones, Giguere (27 for 29 in saves), and Kessel were the three stars.

South to a team with similar jerseys as the previous team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who hosted the Florida Panthers. Jose Theodore and Dwayne Roloson were the puckstoppers, or at least they attempted to as the following summary may explain. Florida opened with a Tomas Kopecky goal, a power play goal coming off of Ed Jovanovski and Brian Campbell. Tampa Bay replied with a Teddy Purcell power play goal, his second of the season powered by Ryan Shannon and Marc-Andre Bergeron. The Lightning took the lead on a Victor Hedman goal, assisted by Adam Hall and Nate Thompson. The Panthers retied it on a Stephen Weiss goal, another one with the man advantage, his second of the year, courtesy of Dmitry Kulikov and Campbell. Keeping with the theme of the night, Florida broke the tie in the second period on the power play, this puck going in off of Kris Versteeg's stick, his second goal of the season, with assists handed out to Weiss and Campbell, the latter completing what I officially deem the natural sock trick (assists on three consecutive goals). The next Panthers goal also came on the power play, alas, this one wasn't their own. Sean Bergenheim netted the 4-2 goal shorthanded and unassisted for the Cats. Tampa Bay made it 4-3 on Vincent Lecavalier's second of the year, with Bergeron and Matt Gilroy chipping in with the helpers. Florida got back to the script in the third period, as Versteeg netted his second of the night and third of the season, yet another power play goal, with the help of Tomas Fleischmann and Weiss being required. The Lightning cut back with Steven Stamkos' second of the year, guided along by Gilroy and Bergeron, the latter of which recorded the second sock trick in the game. Weiss replied shortly after with his second of the night and third of the season, helped along by Versteeg and Jovanovski. The Panthers put the game away 7-4 with a power play goal, fittingly, the second of the year off of Jason Garrison's tape, and Campbell and Versteeg recorded the assists there. The three stars were Weiss, Versteeg, and Bergeron, although Campbell, Gilroy, and Jovanovski all played well too.

Following that scoring spree, we have the Winnipeg Jets hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins of Western Canada. Marc-Andre Fleury and Ondrej Pavelec were in the blue paint. Winnipeg struck just eight seconds into the game, as Kyle Wellwood notched his second of the season, courtesy of Alex Burmistrov and Nik Antropov. The Jets extended their lead to 2-0 with a Tanner Glass goal, and Burmistrov picked up the lone assist. Pittsburgh got on the board late in the second period with a Zbynek Michalek goal, made possible by Kris Letang and Matt Cooke. The third period was silent, allowing Winnipeg their first win this season by a 2-1 margin. The three stars were awarded to Pavelec (28 for 29 in saves), Fleury (32 for 34 in saves), and Burmistrov.

Staying in Western Canada, the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Nikolai Khabibulin opposed each other in net. Nashville led off the scoring in the second period on a Sergei Kostitsyn goal, assisted only by Rinne the goalie. Edmonton got going in the third period with a power play goal by Taylor Hall, powered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Shawn Horcoff. The Oilers took the lead quickly after on a Ryan Smyth goal, and Horcoff picked up another assist. Edmonton wrapped it up with an empty netter by Ryan Jones, with Horcoff getting a sock trick on the goal, as well as an assist to Smyth. The final was 3-1, and Horcoff, Hall, and Rinne (22 for 24 in saves) were the three stars.

Finally, we go with another Battle of California game, as the San Jose Sharks draw the Anaheim Ducks north. Dan Ellis and Antti Niemi are between the irons. Anaheim led off with a Teemu Selanne power play goal, powered by Saku Koivu and Lubomir Visnovsky. The Ducks added on with another Selanne goal, his second of the game, assisted by Koivu and Brandon McMillan. San Jose got on the board with an unassisted Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal in the second period. Anaheim got it back in the third period with Corey Perry recording his second of the year, thanks to Toni Lydman. The Sharks got the score to 3-2 with a Brent Burns power play goal, his second of the season powered by Joe Thornton and Dan Boyle. This was the final, with Ellis (41 for 43 in saves), Selanne, and Vlasic getting the three stars.

Fantasy Hockey All-Stars week 1

Here's our first edition of icy all-stars. This is an 11 day coverage post.

Center: John Tavares, 5 goals, 3 assists, +4, 6 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 12 shots on goal
Left Wing: Daniel Sedin, 2 goals, 5 assists, +2, 4 penalty minutes, 4 power play points, 17 shots on goal
Right Wing: Shane Doan, 3 goals, 4 assists, -1, 4 penalty minutes, 4 power play points, 18 shots on goal
Defenseman: Kris Letang, 1 goal, 5 assists, +3, 6 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 15 shots on goal
Utility: Phil Kessel, 5 goals, 3 assists, +7, 2 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 11 shots on goal
Goaltender: Kari Lehtonen, 4 wins, 1.48 goals against average, 126 saves, .955 save percentage, 0 shutouts

Good luck as the season falls into place, and check back every week to find your studs.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Sunday Night Game week 6

Tonight's game features the Chicago Bears hosting the Minnesota Vikings. Chicago struck first with a Jay Cutler touchdown pass to Devin Hester, a 48 yard play iced off with a Robbie Gould extra point. The Bears got defensive on their next score, sacking Minnesota quarterback Donovan McNabb for a safety, with Stephen Paea getting credit for the hit. The Bears continued the assault with a 3 yard run by Marion Barber for a touchdown, and another Gould extra point. Minnesota got on the board in the second quarter with a Ryan Longwell field goal of 37 yards. Chicago added on again with a Cutler touchdown throw to Dane Sanzenbacher, a 13 yard play, and Gould made another extra point. Gould add on a field goal of 51 yards near the end of the quarter. This put the score at 23-6, the halftime margin. The Vikings got a touchdown from Adrian Peterson's 4 yard rush, and Longwell supplied the extra point. However, on the ensuing kickoff, Hester returned the ball 98 yards, good for a touchdown, and Gould made the extra point for a 33-10 score. Gould added on another field goal of 26 yards shortly after. He also added a FG for the Bears in the fourth quarter, a 22 yarder. The final was 39-10, moving Chicago up to 3-3, and pushing the Vikings down to 1-5.

NHL Day 11 2011-2012

Tonight we only have one game, with the Anaheim Ducks hosting the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak and Jonas Hiller make the starts. Anaheim got an early lead with a power play goal by Bobby Ryan, assisted by Francois Beauchemin and Luca Sbisa. St. Louis tied it with the second of the season by Patrik Berglund, thanks to Alex Pietrangelo and Kent Huskins. The Ducks regained the lead with Beauchemin netting a goal, courtesy of Ryan and Sbisa. Anaheim extended the lead with a Corey Perry goal, made possible by Teemu Selanne and Ryan Getzlaf on the power play. The Ducks poured a little more on with Ryan's second of the game, with help from Getzlaf and Sheldon Brookbank. The Blues got one back as Alex Steen notched his third of the year, and the assists went to Jason Arnott and Barret Jackman. This left the final score at 4-2, and the three stars were Ryan, Perry, and Lubomir Visnovsky, although the third star could have been Beauchemin.

NFL Late games week 6

There are four late games on, with the detailed scoring in this post. We begin with the...

Oakland Raiders hosting the Cleveland Browns. Oakland led off with a 4 yard touchdown run by Darren McFadden, and an extra point by Sebastian Janikowski. Cleveland tied it on a 1 yard touchdown pass from Colt McCoy to Alex Smith, and Phil Dawson took care of the extra point. However, on the ensuing kickoff, Jacoby Ford ran the ball back 101 yards for a Raiders touchdown, and Janikowski made the extra point to produce a 14-7 lead, which was the score going into the locker rooms. Janikowski extended the Oakland lead in the third quarter with a 48 yard field goal. The Raiders added some trickery to the game, faking a field goal before holder Shane Lechler threw 35 yards for the score as Kevin Boss took it in. Janikowski, who felt somewhat "Charlie Brown'd," took care of the extra point. Dawson got the Browns going again with a field goal from 47 yards. Cleveland pulled a little closer with a touchdown pass of 12 yards from McCoy to Mohamed Massaqoui, and Dawson was there with another PAT, making it 24-17. This was the final, with the Raiders going to 4-2 and the Browns falling to 2-3.

Next, we have the Baltimore Ravens hosting the Houston Texans. Baltimore drew first blood with a 1 yard touchdown run by Joe Flacco, and a Billy Cundiff extra point. Houston replied with a sloppy touchdown, as Ben Tate ran up 5 yards for a score, but fumbled, fortunately recovered by Wade Smith, and Neil Rackers covered it up with a PAT. Cundiff put the Ravens back on top with a 43 yard field goal for a 10-7 lead, the score at halftime. In the third quarter, Baltimore extended their lead on a 48 yard field goal by Cundiff. The Texans took the lead with a touchdown pass of 32 yards from Matt Schaub to Jacoby Jones, and Rackers had the go ahead point on the extra point. The Ravens regained the lead on another Cundiff field goal, from 25 yards away. Cundiff kept kicking in the fourth quarter, tacking on a 33 yard chip to make it 19-14. Baltimore extended their lead with Ricky Williams rushing 4 yards for a touchdown, and Cundiff added on the extra point, following that with yet another field goal, this time a 40 yarder. The final was 29-14 Ravens, improving them to 4-1 and dropping Houston to 3-3.

Following that, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the New Orleans Saints. Tampa Bay started the scoring with a 48 yard field goal from Connor Barth. New Orleans replied with a 38 yard connection between Drew Brees and Marques Colston, good for a touchdown which was capped off by a John Kasay extra point. The Buccaneers took the lead with a Josh Freeman pass of 65 yards to Arrelious Benn, and Barth tacked on the extra point. Barth also kicked a 42 yard field goal for Tampa Bay in the second quarter. The Buccaneers kept going with a Freeman touchdown pass to Preston Parker, a 19 yard play. Barth's extra point put the score at 20-7. Kasay made it 20-10 just before the half with a 33 yard field goal for the Saints. Kasay put New Orleans within a touchdown in the third quarter with a field goal from 24 yards. Barth replied for the Buccaneers on another 42 yard field goal. The Saints got going again with a 12 yard run by Mark Ingram, and Kasay put them within 3 on the PAT. Barth paced Tampa Bay to a 26-20 lead with his 38 yard field goal. This was the last score of the game, allowing the Buccaneers to improve to 4-2, and dropping their rivals to the same level.

Finally, our marquee matchup of the most American teams, the New England Patriots host the Dallas Cowboys. New England got first dibs on the scoring with a Stephen Gostkowski field goal from 31 yards away. Dallas tied it with a 48 yard Dan Bailey field goal. The Patriots got the lead back on a Gostkowski field goal, good from 26 yards away. New England extended their lead on a Tom Brady touchdown pass of 5 yards to Wes Welker, and Gostkowski added the PAT to make it 13-3. The Cowboys got a touchdown in response, with Tony Romo passing a yard to Jason Witten, and Bailey had the extra point to make it 13-10, which would last until halftime. Dallas tied it in the third quarter with a Bailey field goal, good from 22 yards. The Cowboys got the lead on another Bailey field goal, a 26 yard chip shot, in the fourth quarter. With twenty-two seconds remaining, New England retook the lead with Tom Brady throwing to Aaron Hernandez for 8 yards, and Gostkowski made it 20-16 on the extra point. They would hold on to this lead despite a furious late attempt, and win the game, improving to 5-1 and putting the Cowboys at 2-3.

NFL Early Games week 6

Today we have seven early games on, followed by four in the afternoon to be covered in the next post. The first game features...

The Green Bay Packers hosting the St. Louis Rams. Green Bay drew first blood as Mason Crosby kicked a 32 yard field goal. The Packers added on with a touchdown pass of 35 yards by Aaron Rodgers to James Jones, finished off with a Crosby extra point. Green Bay continued the assault with a huge 93 yard touchdown from Rodgers to Jordy Nelson, and another Crosby extra point. The Packers would not stop, as Rodgers found Donald Driver for a 7 yard touchdown reception, and Crosby made another extra point. St. Louis got on the board with a Josh Brown field goal from 36 yards, making it 24-3 at halftime. The second half was purely silent, so the halftime score was a final, moving the Packers to 6-0 and dropping the Rams to 0-5.

Next up, the New York Giants host a true New York team, the Buffalo Bills. New York was first on the board with a touchdown run of 1 yard by Ahmad Bradshaw, and Lawrence Tynes converted the extra point. Buffalo replied with a tying touchdown on an 80 yard Fred Jackson rush, and Rian Lindell would supply the extra point. The Bills scored again on a big play later in the quarter as Ryan Fitzpatrick threw 60 yards for a touchdown to Naaman Roosevelt, and Lindell kicked another extra point. The Giants got a little closer with a field goal by Tynes of 26 yards in the second quarter. Bradshaw struck again for the Giants, running 1 more yard to find a touchdown, and Tynes' extra point made it 17-14. Lindell tied the score at 17 with a 49 yard field goal, the score lasting through the half. New York got the lead again in the third quarter with another 1 yard touchdown run by Bradshaw, and Tynes kicked the extra point once more. Buffalo tied it back up again as Lindell supplied the extra point on the Fitzpatrick touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson, a 9 yard play. New York took a lead with a Tynes field goal of 23 yards, making it 27-24. This would stand as the final, moving the Giants to 4-2 and moving the Bills down to the same mark.

Also, the Cincinnati Bengals host the Indianapolis Colts. Cincinnati led off the game with a touchdown pass of 11 yards from Andy Dalton to A.J. Green, and capped it with a Mike Nugent extra point. Indianapolis tied it as Donald Brown rushed 18 yards for a touchdown and Adam Vinatieri tacked on the extra point. Nugent put the Bengals up 10-7 at halftime with a 20 yard field goal. Cincinnati got to work in the third quarter with a 1 yard Cedric Benson touchdown run, with Nugent adding the PAT, and he later kicked a 43 yard field goal to make it 20-7 Bengals. The Colts got Vinatieri to kick a 46 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 10. Indianapolis continued the comeback with Curtis Painter finding Dallas Clark for a 1 yard touchdown pass, and Vinatieri made the extra point. Cincinnati thwarted these efforts down with a Carlos Dunlap fumble recovery of 35 yards for a touchdown, a gift from Pierre Garcon. Nugent added the extra point with ease. The final favored the Bengals 27-17, moving them to 4-2 and knocking the Colts down to a pathetic 0-6.

Heading south, the Atlanta Falcons host the Carolina Panthers. Olindo Mare put Carolina on the board with a 42 yard field goal. Atlanta got a last second touchdown as the first quarter expired on a 1 yard run by Michael Turned, and Matt Bryant would supply the extra point. The Panthers regained the lead with a 1 yard touchdown run by Jonathan Stewart, and Mare was successful on the extra point. Atlanta took the lead by as Matt Ryan passed 1 yard to Ovie Mughelli, and Bryant's extra point made it 14-10, the score going into the locker rooms. Carolina grabbed the lead back with a 14 yard Cam Newton touchdown rush, and Mae was there with the PAT. Bryant tied the game for the Falcons with a 24 yard field goal in the fourth quarter, making the score 17 all. Atlanta got the lead as Ryan rushed the ball in on his own, a 1 yard play iced off with a Bryant extra point. The Falcons put the nail in the coffin, making it 31-17 on a 2 yard rush by Michael Turner, and another Bryant extra point. This was a final, improving the Falcons to 3-3 and leaving their opponents at 1-5.

Back to the north, with the Detroit Lions hosting the San Francisco 49ers. Detroit struck first with Jason Hanson's 25 yard field goal. Detroit later scored a touchdown with Matthew Stafford passing 16 yards to Brandon Pettigrew, and Hanson made the PAT. San Francisco found the scoreboard with a 1 yard touchdown run by Frank Gore, and a David Akers extra point. The 49ers got within a point as the defense sacked Stafford, led by Ray McDonald and Aldon Smith, good for a safety. Akers kicked a 55 yard field goal for San Francisco, giving them a 12-10 halftime lead. Hanson gave the Lions the lead again with a 24 yard field goal in the third quarter. The 49ers took the lead back again with a field goal by Akers from 31 yards away. Detroit took the lead back in the close game with a touchdown from Stafford to Nate Burleson, a 5 yard play, although the two point attempt from Stafford to Calvin Johnson was unsuccessful. The 49ers took the lead on an Alex Smith touchdown pass to Delanie Walker, a 6 yard play. Akers extra point made it 22-19 San Francisco. Less than a minute later, Akers banged in a field goal of 37 yards to put the 49ers up 25-19. This was a final score, with San Francisco going to 5-1 and dropping the Lions to the same level.

Another big matchup has the Washington Redskins hoping to deflate the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia struck early on a touchdown pass of 7 yards from Michael Vick to Brent Celek. Alex Henery took care of the extra point. The Eagles added on in the second quarter with a 1 yard touchdown run by LeSean McCoy, and Henery would tack on the extra point. Henery later made a field goal from 28 yards, and another from 24 yards. Graham Gano got Washington on the board with a field goal from 50 yards to make it 20-3 at halftime. Gano kicked a 26 yard field goal in the third quarter, putting the Redskins behind by a pair of touchdowns. Washington kept the advance going, allowing a 2 yard touchdown run by John Beck, and Gano's PAT put them within a touchdown. The Eagles managed to hang on and win 20-13, improving to 2-4 and dropping Washington to 3-2.

Lastly, the Pittsburgh Steelers welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars to Heinz Field. Pittsburgh was the first to score as Rashard Mendenhall ran 8 yards for a touchdown, and Shaun Suisham tacked on an extra point. The Steelers went aerial in the second quarter, as Ben Roethlisberger found Mike Wallace for a 28 yard touchdown connection, and Suisham kicked in another extra point. Suisham also kicked a 21 yard field goal. Jacksonville got on the board with Josh Scobee kicking a 46 yard field goal. The score was 17-3 Pittsburgh at halftime. The Jaguars pulled closer with Blaine Gabbert throwing 18 yards to Jason Hill, good for a touchdown, with Scobee's extra point making it 17-10. Scobee got Jacksonville even closer with a field goal from 45 yards away, but they were stalled at 17-13, where the would fall. The Steelers went to 4-2 and Jacksonville fell to 1-5.