Heat defeat Nets in matchup of the Night

We'll start with the game from the title where the Heat defeated the Nets 105-85 in Brookyln. Lebron James led the Heat in Points (24), Rebounds (9), and assists (7).
Jrue Holiday led the 76ers with 21 points in their 92-84 win over the Wizards. Emeka Okafor had his third straight game with 15 rebounds grabbing 17 Spencer Hayes led the Sixers with 11 rebounds.
In Indiana, the Pacers improved to 27-19 with a pretty impressive 98-79 victory over the Pistons. Roy Hibbert recorded a double double for the Pacers with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
The Rondo-less Celtics defeated the Kings 99-81. Kevin Garnett was leading assist man for the Celtics only picking up 5. Pierce (16p and 10r) and Tyreke Evans (19p,11r) each picked up double-doubles.
Tyson Chandler scored 21 points as his Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 113-97 in New York. J.J. Redick led the losing side with 29 points.

Al Horford got the last of his 22 points with a dunk late in the game to give the Hawks a 93-92 win at home against the Raptors. Horford also had 10 rebounds to complete the double-double.
The Bulls continued their streak as Nate Robinson led the team with 24 points and Kirk Hinrich led the team with 8 assists.
Blake Griffin (26p and 13r) and Nikola Pekovic (17p, 12r) both had double-doubles as Griffin's Clippers beat Pekovic's Timberwolves. Eric Bledsoe threw in 10 assists.
Spurs beat the struggling Bobcats 102-78. Tony Parker scored 22 points while assisting on 7 buckets.

In a high scoring game in Denver, the Nuggets beat the Rockets 118-110. Danilo Gallinari scored 27 points for the Nuggets.
In an odd story of nicknames, the Jazz who use to be from New Orleans beat the New Orleans Hornets who were originally from Charlotte but are about to become the Pelicans. Now a group in Charlotte wants to the Bobcats to become the Hornets. The score was 104-99 and Greivis Vasquez had 17 points and 13 assists in the loss while Paul Millsap had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the victorious Jazz.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers in scoring for the first time in awhile but that didn't mean good things. The Lakers went flat in the 4th quarter giving up 29 points while only scoring 13. Kobe also led the team in assists.

We are just doing a top 5 today as not many guards played very well.
1. Forward- Al Horford- Atlanta Went 10-15 from the field as well as a late game winning dunk in the win. Finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks in over 43 minutes of playing time. Good ball control helped him finish without a turnover.
2. Forward- Kevin Garnett- Boston In only 28 minutes the veteran big man played a solid game scoring 13 points, grabbing 9 rebounds.
3. Center- Tyson Chandler- New York A fabulous 10-11 from the field for a 90.9 FG%. Added in a free throw for 21 points as well as getting 7 boards.
4. Forward- Lebron James- Miami Went 3-4 from downtown but a lackluster 1-4 from the freethrow line. Scored 24 points in the win along with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Committed a costly 4 turnovers.
5. Center- Emeka Okafor- Washington Had more rebounds (17) than points (15), but that is good enough to be on the list. Shot a lackluster 46.7% from the field.

NHL Recap
Only 4 games last night but let's get to it.
The Senators defeated the Canadiens 5-1 with 12 different players recording a point.
In Minnesota, the Blackhawks were able to grab a point as they lost their first game of the season 3-2. The Wild won the shootout 2-1 thanks to a goal by Matt Cullen.
The Oilers defeated the Coyotes 2-1 in overtime thanks to a goal by Nail Yakupov.
The Canucks defeated the Avalanche handily with a 3-0 win. Roberto Luongo was in net for Vancouver.
Vancouver Goalie Tracker

Cory Schneider

Roberto Luongo

4GP, 4GS, 3.13 GAA .897 SV%








4GP, 3GS, 1.61 GAA, .938 SV%






Advantage: Roberto Luongo

All NHL

Forward- Antoine Vermette- Phoenix Didn't do much outside of the faceoff circle as he only had one shot and didn't score or get an assist. He did win 15 of his 19 faceoffs and laid 4 Oilers on their back in the 2-1 overtime loss. It was kind of a slow night with only 4 games.

Forward- Zack Smith- Ottawa Played well on offense and defense picking up 2 assists while blocking 2 shots, getting a takeaway, and getting a hit in. Finished with a +2 rating and also dropped the gloves with Ryan White. Unfortunately White won the fight.
Forward- Maxim Lapierre- Vancouver Scored a goal in the Cancuks' 3-0 win but played even better on the defensive end. Had three takeaways and two hits as he finished the game with a +1 rating.
Forward- Matt Cullen- Minnesota Scored one goal in regulation in addition to his game winning goal in the shootout. Was a perfect 4-0 at the circle and he also blocked a shot.
Defense- Andre Benoit- Ottawa Usually one one of the last guys on the Senators D Depth Chart. Benoit took advantage of playing time passing for 2 assists in addition to his excellent defensive game. He blocked 5 shots, stole a puck, and knocked a Hab to the ground. Finished with a +1 in less than 20 minutes on the ice.
Defense- Chris Phillips- Ottawa Scored a goal on his only shot, blocked 5 shots, and had two hits. His time on the ice was well spent given his +2 rating.
Defense- Jeff Petry- Edmonton Was not very offensive only ripping one shot on net but played a solid defensive game. His 4 hits, 2 blocks, and one takeaway contributed to his  +1 rating.

Goalie-  Niklas Backstrom- Minnesota Picked up his 3rd win of the year blocking 28 out of 28 shots. He came in for relief of Josh Harding who let in 2 goals in only 4 attempts during the first 6 minutes and 45 seconds.
Goalie- Devan Dubnyk- Edmonton His second time on the list this week. Had a .964 SV% on 28 shots in the Oiler's 2-1 shootout win.

Lamarcus Aldridge is star of the night

NBA Recap

January 29th was a slow night for the league with only 8 teams in action. In Cleveland, the Warriros continued their winning ways with a 108-95 win. Klay Thompson scored a game high 32 points while First time All-Star David Lee grabbed 13 rebounds. The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Pistons 117-90 led by Brandon Jennings who scored 30 points and had 6 assists. Andre Drummond of the Pistons also had a great game with 18 points and 18 rebounds. On the West Coast Lamarcus Aldridge hit a buzzer beater to get the last of his 29 points in the Blazers' 106-104 win. Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points for the Mavericks and J.J. Hickson had 15 rebounds for Portland. The Lakers continued their winning streak to three games in 111-106 win against the Hornets. Greivis Vasquez had 15 assists for the soon to Pelicans while Kobe Bryant had his third straight 10+ assist game. Reports are saying that Pau Gasol with only playing 21 minutes last night but it would be hard to sit Earl Clark as he put up 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

All NBA

Guard- Greivis Vasquez- New Orleans Played a great point guards game passing for 15 assists while only committing 1 turnover. Was a subpar 7-16 from the field along with one field throw to finish with 15 points.

Guard- Darren Collison- Dallas Shot a very good 60% on 10 shots including a perfect 3-3 from 3. In addition to his 17 points, he had 9 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Forward- LaMarcus Aldridge- Portland *Player of the Night* Along with his buzzer beater to lead the Blazers to victory Aldridge scored a total of 29 points including a rare 3 pointer. Was a decent 4-5 from the line and 12-20 overall. Played well off the ball grabbing 13 rebounds, blocking 2 shots, and 1 steal.

Forward- J.J. Hickson- Portland Aldridge's partner in the front court chipped in 26 points on his own as the two contributed to over half of Portland's points. He beat in Aldridge in rebounds grabbing 15.

Forward- David Lee- Golden State 20 points and 13 rebounds for his third straight double-double. A very impressive 8-11 from the field and a perfect 4-4 from the line. Helped his teammates out with 5 assists and recording 2 steals.

NHL Recap

Ten games were on the docket last night. The Rangers defeated the Flyers 2-1 at MSG where Michael Del Zotto seemed to be everywhere on the ice scoring one goal and assisting on another. Sadly, Ryan Callahan dislocated his shoulder in a fight with Max Talbot. The Bruins defeated the Devils 2-1 in a shootout, Johan Hedberg of the Devils was making his first start in net. Matt Frattin scored with 1.5 seconds left in overtime as the Maple Leafs defeated the Sabres 4-3. The Canadiens improved to 4-1 beating the Jets 4-3 in a game that was tied going into the third period. In Ottawa, the Senators came away victorious against the Capitals 3-2 due in part to Sergei Gonchar's goal with 2:30 left in the 3rd. The Penguins were blown out by the Islanders 4-1 even though the Penguins outshot their competition 38-24. In Tampa, the Lighting improved to 5-1 with a 5-2 win. Valtteri Flippula scored two goals in the Redw Wings 4-1 win over the Stars. With 5 minutes left in the third, Pierre- Mac Bouchard scored to give the Wild a 3-2 win over the Jackets (two teams that came into the league at the same time). To finish off the recap Sharks defeated the Ducks 3-2 in a shootout after Michal Handzus scored on the first shootout attempt.

All NHL

Goalie- Evgeni Nabokov- NY Islanders Starting with the goalies this time Nabokov saved 37 of 38 shots for .974 SV% in the 4-1 win.

Goalie- Johan Hedberg- Devils Although he lost in the shootout Hedberg saved 27 of 28 shots in regular play during his first start of the year.

Defense- Tom Gilbert- Minnesota Scored 1 goal and blocked 5 shots during the 3-2 Edmonton win.

Defense- Dion Phaneuf- Toronto Didn't play fantastic on the offensive side but finished with a +1 rating. Recorded 3 hits and blocked 5 shots.

Defense- Cody Fransen- Toronto In only 13 minutes of playing time scored a goal and an assist to finish the game with a +3 rating. On Defense, he had 3 hits as well as blocking a shot.

Forward- Steve Ott- Buffalo The bruiser recorded 3 hits and dominated the faceoff circle going 16-3.

Forward- Mikko Koivu- Minnesota Recorded 4 steals while only committing one turnover in addition a goal and an assist. Finished the game with a +2 rating.

Forward- Daniel Winnik- Anaheim Picked up an assist but played much better on the defensive side of things. Had 3 takeaways, 4 hits, and also blocked a shot.

Forward- Brian Boyle- NY Rangers On this list because of his play with the body, recording 7 hits.

Kings Vs Canucks ends in Shootout

NBA Recap

Omer Asik

David Lee led the Warriors in Points (21), Rebounds (12), and assists (7) in 114-102 victory of the Raptors. In Philadelphia, Marc Gasol and Evan Turner both put up 27 points in Memphis's 103-100; the game was tied going into the fourth quarter. Emeka Okafor of Washington had a double double with 23 points and 15 rebounds in the Kings' 96-94 victory in Washington. Brooklyn Nets blew out the Orlando Magic and their point guard Deron Williams fell an assist shy of a double-double scoring 20 points. Bulls defeated the lowly Bobcats 93-85 in Chicago; Joakim Noah had a game high 18 rebounds and 7 assists. Indiana and Denver played a close game with Denver winning 102-101 and the Houston Rockets defeated the Jazz soundly with James Harden scoring 25 and Omer Asik grabbing a league high 19 rebounds.

All- NBA Team
Guard- Deron Williams- Brooklyn The leader of the up and down Nets has become a staple on this list and had another solid game last night. Scored 20 points and dished out 9 assists in only 33 minutes of play. A great job shooting with a 66% FG% on 12 shots and was 4-7 from behind the arc.
Guard- Jerryd Bayless- Memphis Led the Grizzlies in assists last night in their win over the Sixers with nine. Also did a good job putting the ball in the bucket scoring 21 points along with grabbing 5 rebounds. Was a perfect 4-4 from the stripe.
Forward- Joakim Noah- Chicago Again, a very popular name on the list. He has kept up his pattern of getting a lot of rebounds and a fair amount of assists for a big man. Last night in the win over Charlotte, Noah scored 13 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists while only committing 3 turnovers. He also blocked 5 shots and his performance earned him the Player of the Night title.

Marc Gasol

Forward- Marc Gasol- Memphis Memphis's second player on the list and Gasol and Bayless scored 48 of the team's 103 points last night. The younger Gasol scored 27 points comprised of a 10-15 mark from the field along with a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe. As an added bonus he converted on his only 3 pt attempt on the night. Aside from the scoring, Gasol blocked 2 shots, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists.
Forward- Emeka Okafor- Washington It was a tough loss last night for the Wizards losing to the Kings 96-94 but Okafor had an outstanding game. Although he played limited time Okafor was able to score 23 points and grab 15 rebounds. He was an efficient scorer shooting 10-15 from the field and a solid 5-6 from the line.

NHL Recap

Tyler Seguin

It was a slow night last night with only 5 games being played but there three very exciting games. In Carolina, the Bruins and Hurricanes were tied going into the third period but Daved Krejci's goal with just under two minutes left put the Bruins up 4-3 and then Tyler Seguin followed up with another to cap of the Bruin's 5-3 victory. The Stars and Blue Jackets also participated in a great game; Philip Larsen (Dallas) and Derek Dorsett (Columbus) both scored in the second period but in the 3rd the Blue Jackets prevailed when Vinny Prospal scored his second goal of the year early in the third period. The Coyotes defeated the Predators 4-0 and the Oilers joined in on the rollover parade easily defeating the Avalanche 4-1. The Endcap of the nigh was the Vancouver- LA Kings game. Vancouver has had a goalie carousel all year and they decided to go with Luongo tonight. He had 26 saves but let in a goal on the Kings last shot during the shootout to lose the game 3-2.

All NHL

Patrice Bergeron

Forward- Patrice Bergeron- Boston Assisted on Brad Marchand's first period goal in the Bruins' 5-3 win. Finished the game with with a +1 and won about 2/3 of his draws going 17 and 8 at the dot.
Forward- Anze Kopitar- LA Had an assist and also had 3 steals against the Canucks. He did struggle with puck control with 2 giveaways but most importantly he scored the only goal of the shootout.
Forward- Alexander Semin- Carolina Played the playmaker role for the Hurricanes last night assisting on two of their three goals. Despite his team losing 5-3 he was able to finish with a +3 rating. He did try to score launching 5 pucks on net.
Foward- Antoine Vermette- Phoenix Scored one goal in the Coyotes' 4-0 thrashing of the Predators. Played the body well finishing with 3 hits and his time on ice was well spent with his +2 rating.
Defense- Zdeno Chara- Boston- The big Slovakian converted on the powerplay and also chipped in two assists.
Defense- Keith Yandle- Phoenix Scored on the powerplay for the Coyotes and finished the game with a +2 rating. On the defensive side of things he had one takeaway.
Defense- Derek Morris- Phoenix Had one assist and two shots on goal to become the third Coyote skater on this list. Knocked three Predators to the ground.
Goalie- Devan Dubnyk- Edmonton Although the score looked like a blowout the Oilers were out shot 38-27 and Dubnyk deserves all the credit for the win. He stopped 37 of 38 shots for a .974 SV % to pick up his third win of the year.
Goalie- Chad Johnson- Phoenix There was a lack of superb goaltending last night and even though Johnson only faced 21 shots on net, he still recorded the shutout.

Last Week's All Stars

NBA All Stars
Guard- Tony Parker- San Antonio Scored 24.5 points per game as the Spurs went a perfect 4-0. Was an impressive 40-66 from the field and 18-25 from the line. Averaged 9.5 assists per game leaving him just short of averaging a double-double per game.
Guard- Kobe Bryant- LA Lakers The Lakers went 2-2 last week with wins over Oklahoma City and Utah to improve their record to 18-25. Kobe's scoring took a bit of a drop this week only averaging 20 a game. In his less than usual amount of shots Kobe shot 49.5% from the field but could not convert any of his 7 3 pointers. He did however average 9 assists per game along with 6.2 rebounds.
Forward- Lebron James- Miami Heat Despite playing in 3 games this week Lebron James worked his way onto the list. Averaged 29.3 points per game with 11 rebounds and 8.3 assists. James' effort led the Heat to a 2-1 record with the loss coming in the exciting overtime game against the Celtics on Sunday.

Forward- Blake Griffin- LA Clippers The Clippers struggled last week losing all 4 of their games but Griffin was able to put up some very good numbers as he is our Player of the Week. Shot 57.5% from the filed to average 23.2 points per game. Was a good rebounder averaging 9 a game as well as dishing out 3.2 assists per game in only 28 minutes per.
Forward- Kevin Durant- Oklahoma City The NBA's leading scorer averaged 31 points per game over the 4 game span shooting 39-74 from the field and 10-18 from 3. He also had an incredible 94.7 FT% on 38 attempts. Off the ball, Durant averaged 6.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds as the Thunder went 2-2 including a loss to the struggling Lakers.

Center- Joakim Noah- Chicago The Bulls had a very impressive week winning 3 out of 4 games. Playing very defensively they only reached the 100 point mark once during the week. Noah played a critical role in the defense and controlling the ball averaging 16 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. On the offensive side of things, Noah only averaged 9.8 points per game with 4.8 assists. Not only did he persistently grab rebounds but he only 8 turnovers all week.


All NHL (including last Saturday)
Forward- Patrick Marleau- San Jose As the Sharks got off to a 5-0 start Marleau paved the way. He scored 9 goals and dished out 3 assists, remarkably every single one of them was on the power play making him the best special teams player in the league. Away from the puck he had 4 hits.
Forward-Jonathan Toews- Chicago Scored 3 goals and had 3 assists for 6 points as the Blackhawks played and won 6 games in just 7 days. Toews did not just have a great offensive week; the two way forward blocked two shots, had two hits, and seven takeaways.
Forward- Joe Thornton- San Jose The Sharks' second player on the list. The seasoned veteran was the greatest playmaker of the week dishing out ten assists while also scoring three goals.
Forward- Vincent Lecavalier- Tampa Bay The Lightning wen 4-1 last week scoring at least 4 goals in each one. Leclavalier did not have that many goals only scoring two and assisting on four. Lecavalier made his mark with the body having 17 hits while also sacrificing his body to block 3 shots.
Defensemen- Alex Pietrangelo- St. Louis Was highlighted yesterday for his fantastic defensive ability. The Blues went 5-1 last week with their only loss coming against the undefeated Blackhawks. Pietrangelo played both ways scoring 1 goal while adding in 6 assists with two of them coming on the Powerplay. He saved his goalie a lot of trouble by blocking 15 shots as well as creating 2 takeaways.
Defensemen- Erik Karlsson- Ottawa The Senators went 3-2 last week with losses coming to the hot Lightning and a shootout loss against Pittsburgh. Karlsson was a fantastic offensive defensemen scoring 3 goals and dishing out two assists. He still pitched in on the defensive end blocking 5 shots and recording 2 hits.
Defensemen- Marc Methot- Ottawa Ottawa's second defensemen on the list but is not Karlsson's partner. Had 13 hits and blocked 6 shots while also chipping in 3 assists during the Senators run.
Goalie- Kari Lehtonen- Dallas Won 2 out of his 3 starts with the one loss coming in Overtime. Saw 124 shots managing to stop 117 of them for .944 SV%. In games he didn't start the team went 0-2.

Goalie- Craig Anderson- Ottawa Played in 4 of the Senators' 5 games including all of their wins. His one loss came in the shootout against Pittsburgh. He only let in 3 goals during the 4 games span (a little bit of offense would really help him out.)

Stalwart Defensemen of the NHL

Today we will take a look at the best defensive players in the NHL. To do that, we will add the number of blocks each player has to their amount of takeaways. Here is the list:

Alex Pietrangelo

1. Alex Pietrangelo- Defense- St. Louis 15+2=17 The first line defensemen has played stellar defense as the Blues have started the season off with a 4-1 record. He also contributed on the offensive side of things scoring 1 goal and dishing out 4 assists. Has only spent two minutes in the box and currently has a +3 rating.

2. Brent Seabrook- Defense- Chicago 15+1=16 Playing on the Blacks second defensive pair and averaging just over 22 minutes a game Seabrook helped the Blackhawks to a 5-0 record. He hasn't  been the hottest overall as he has -3 rating and has two points. He did score one goal on only 4 shots so the low offensive production is not surprising from the defensive defensemen.

3. Dan Girardi- Defense- NY Rangers 14+2=16 Similar to Seabrook in that he has a negative rating with -2 and only has two points, both being assists. He has pounded the net with shots putting 12 on net as the Rangers struggled to start with a 2-3 record including a loss against the lowly Flyers.

Zbynek Michalek

4. Erik Johnson- Defense- Colorado 14+2=16 Almost no offensive production for the first liner with only 1 assist and 5 shots on net. The 2-2 Avalanche do player better when he is on the ice as he currently has a +2 rating.

5. Zbynek Michalek- Defense- Phoenix 15+0=15 The Coyotes' defender with an almost impossible name to pronounce has been an absolute defense only player this year. He has not recorded a point yet this season and only has 4 shots. He is one of only a few Coyotes(1-4) with a positive rating (+1).

6. Niklas Hjalmarsson- Defense- Chicago 12+3= 15 On Chicago's third defensive pair and has been one of their most solid players so far this year. Currently has a +6 rating which is second only to Johnny Oduya. Only has 4 shots on net this year while averaging just 20 minutes a game of ice time.

7. Jordie Benn- Defense- Dallas 11+4=15 The Stars are off to a mediocre start but Benn has been the core of their defense. He a -2 rating but that can be attributed to some porous goaltending and a week offense that only has 11 in 5 games. He has only put 4 shots on net this year in limited playing time as he is on the 3rd line.

 
All-NBA

Guard- Deron Williams- Brooklyn 74 Although the Nets lost 119-106 to the Rockets Williams played a strong game getting the double-double. His 27 points came from a 10-15 night from the field including a solid 5-9 from 3 pt land. He added in two free throws as well and 11 assists.
Guard- Kemba Walker- Charlotte 72 In a rare win for the Bobcats against Minnesota Walker scored 25 points while grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 8 assists. He also played strong on the defensive end getting 3 steals and blocking two shots. He was efficient at the stripe going a perfect six-for-six and had his jumper going with a three-for-five night from behind the arc.
Guard- Ty Lawson- Denver 62 A very solid shooting performance for the former Longhorn going 11-15 from the field for 26 points. He hit 4 of his 4 3 pt attempts and had 4 steals in the Nugget's 121-93 victory over the Kings.

Triple-Double Man

Forward- Nicolas Batum- Portland 74 As the Blazers edged out the Griffin led Clippers 101-100 in Portland, Batum played one hell of a game. He recorded a triple double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists. He did commit a hasty 5 turnovers but that was not enough to destroy Portland.
Forward- Joakim Noah- Chicago 58 Noah shown the brightest last night in the very low scoring 86-73 Bullets Wizards win over the Bulls. Noah put up a double double featuring 17 rebounds and 10 assists. He only scored 9 points but his domination of the boards was enough to earn a spot on this list.

Other Notable Stats
Ramon Sessions committed 6 turnovers as his Bobcats beat the Timberwolves.
Omer Asik, Noah's former backup recorded a league high six offensive rebounds.

All- NHL
Forward- Marian Gaborik- NY Rangers 18 Had an incredible offensive night with 4 points coming from 2 goals and 2 assists. Played incredible in every inch of the rink finishing with a +4 rating and a hit, a block, and  a takeaway that was canceled out by his one turnover.
Forward- Rich Nash- NY Rangers 17 The second Ranger on this list after the team defeated the Maple Leafs 5-2 in New York. He assisted on goals in both the second and third period to finish wiht a +4 rating. Continued his aggressive playing style recording three hits.
Forward- Jonathan Toews- Chicago 16 Toews had a pretty good nigh in the faceoff circle going 13-6 in addition to his one goal that proved to be the gamewinner. He also added in a hit, block, and takeaway in Chicago's 3-2 win over Columbus.
Forward- Jarret Stoll- LA Kings 16 Squeezed his way onto the list playing at the grinding third liner dominated the faceoff dot winning 16 of 22 draws and knocking down 4 Coyotes in the Kings' 4-2 victory.

Played Like Not a Douche for once

Defense- Luke Schenn- Philadelphia 21 It is odd to see a Flyer on this list but Schenn had a great game in the Flyers' 7-1 win over Florida. On offense, the elder Schenn scored a goal while assisting Matt Read's second of three goals. Defensively the aggressive checker had 11 hits (hopefully he doesn't end up suspended again) and one takeaway. He finished the game with a +2 rating.
Defense- Braydon Coburn- Philadelphia 15 Only one of two Flyers' skaters on the list which is surprising considering they won 7-1 last night. Finished with a +3 rating in 22.5 minutes of play. His two assists complemented his defensive play nicely as he blocked 4 shots in addition to knocking down 3 Panthers.
Defense- Jake Muzzin- LA Kings 15 The second King on the list played a very nice all around game last night. Had one goal and one assist on offense while making two hits, blocking a shot, and stealing one puck. He finished the game with a +4 rating.

Bryzgalov

Goalie- Ilya Bryzgalov- Philadelphia 9 You would think that when a team wins 7-1 that their goalie wouldn't have to do much but that was not the case for Bryzgalov. His Flyers were actually outshot 31-26 by the Panthers and Ilya made 30 saves for .968 SV%. As an added bonus he picked up an assist.
Goalie- Thomas Greiss- San Jose 7 Had a pretty easy night finishing with a shutout on only 24 shots as the Sharks beat the Avalanche 4-0. This tells us that there was not much solid goaltending last night as there was an average of 6.125 goals a a game compared to the average 4 to 5.

Other Notable Stats
James Reiner of the Maple Leafs faced 41 shots last night but only saved 37 in their loss to the Rangers.

Has also been arrested
for Grand Theft Auto

Colorado's Ryan O'Byrne accumulated 19 Penalty Minutes. The best part about it was that it took him just one play. With 4:20 left in the first period he got into a fight with Brad Stuart of the Sharks to get the frist 5 minutes. He also got two instigator penalites (wearing a face shield while instigating adds another 2 minutes) and along with that came the 10 minute miscounduct adding up to the 19 minutes.

Ironmen of the NBA

Today we will take a look at the NBA players who are called on the most by their respective teams.

NBA
1. Luol Deng- Chicago 39.8 minutes per game. Although currently injured. The Bull's forward was averaging 17.4 points per game 6.4 rebounds.
2. Kevin Durant- Oklahoma City 39.8 mpg. Has also been the best player in the league so far this year averaging 29.5 ppg with 7.5 rebounds. He has also been very efficient from the line with a 52.1 FG%, 91.2 FT%, and a 41.7%.
3. Nicolas Batum- Portland 39 mpg. Hasn't been the most productive in his time on the court. Only 16.5 ppg but does have an impressive 86.6 FT%.
4. Kobe Bryant- LA Lakers 38.9 mpg The Laker's new defensive specialist thanks to their idiotic coach but is still second in poins with 28.9.
5. James Harden- Houston 38mpg The third best player in the NBA has received a big boost in playing time since being traded away from OK City. The high minutes count has led to the most turnovers in the NBA but as well as 25.9 ppg and 5.5 assists per game.
5. Damian Lillard- Portland 38.5 mpg. Portland's second member of the Ironman Club, Lillard is Portland's leader scorer with 18.3 a game. The point guard also averages 6.6 assists per game.

Interesting to see that no 4 or 5 men were on the list. Now we have our standard all-NBA and all-NHL teams.

All- NHL Team
Forward- Eric Staal- Carolina 20 Second day in a row on the list for the eldest Staal brother. Finished with a 1 +/- in over 22 minutes. Had an assist in the third period to help the Canes tie the Sabres in the 3-1 victory.
Forward- Patrice Bergeron- Boston 19 A very good 14-5 at the faceoff dot as well as a goal in the third to cement the Bruin's 3-1 victory against the Islanders. Played a strong defensive game with 3 hits and 2 takeaways.

Forward- Steven Stamkos- Tampa Bay 17 One goal and two assists in the Lightning's 6-4 win over the Senators. Also had two hits and two assists.
Forward- Pavel Datsyuk- Detroit 15 In the Wing's 5-3 win over the Wild Datsyuk had a powerplay goal that proved to be the game winner as well as assisting on the insurance goal as well as a second period one. Good enough for a +3. The skilled center turned the puck over twice but also got down and dirty to block a shot.
Defensemen- Victor Hedman- Tampa Bay 16 In the Lightning's 6-4 win Hedman had a goal and an assist to finish with a +3. Did his job as a defensemen blocking 3 shots as well as a hit.
Defensemen- Sami Solo- Tampa Bay 14.83 A very impressive game from another Tampa Bay defensemen. A through the roof +5 with 2 assists and 4 blocks.
Defensemen- Erik Karlsson- Ottawa 13 Ended up on the losing end of the TB-OTT game. Played over 27 minutes scoring a goal and stealing once.
Goalie- Cory Schneider- Vancouver 8 This game may have given him sole possession of the starting role in Vancouver as he had a shut out in the 5-0 win over the Ducks.

Puck control is
critical for goalies

Goalie- Ryan Miller- Buffalo 8 Saved 39 of 41 shots in the loss to Carolina. The Canes also threw in an empty netter.

*Honorable Mention* Dan Ellis- Carolina Miller's opponent in the game would have finished with a higher percentage if he hadn't committed a turnover. Saved 40 of 41 shots for a .976 SV%.


All NBA
Guard- James Harden- Houston 66 The shooting guard committed a costly 8 turnovers but also chipped in with 30 points. A perfect 12-12 from the line as the Houston beat the soon to be Pelicans 100-82.
Guard- Kobe Bryant- LA Lakers 67 Played a great all around game even though he only managed to score 14 points in the Laker's win over Utah. Kobe became a playmaker with 14 assists while also grabbing 9 boards.

This is correct

Forward- Kyle Korver- Atlanta 74 I know your thinking that this is impossible but Korver shot 66% from behind the arc going 8-12. He was also a perfect 3-3 from the line while he scored 27 points. So if you do the math correctly that means that he didn't make a 2 pt field goal all night, We are not done yet, he also grabbed 6 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, had 3 steals, and 2 blocks as Atlanta beat Boston 123-111.
Forward- Kevin Durant- Oklahoma City 61 No surprise to see him on the list again as the NBA's leading scorer put up 24 points and 11 rebounds against the Kings in a 105-95 win.
Forward- Ersan Ilyasova- Milwaukee 59 His second time appearing on the list the forward had 30 points and 7 assists as the Bucks lost to the Cavs 113-108.

Hawks Report All-Star Team

Eastern Conference
Guards
Rajon Rondo
Jrue Holiday
Deron Williams*
Kemba Walker*
Forwards
Lebron James
Paul George
Joakim Noah
Paul Pierce*
Centers
Greg Monroe*
Al Horford*

Western Confrence
Guards
James Harden*
Russell Westbrook*
Stephen Curry*
Nicolas Batum*
Chris Paul
Forwards
Kevin Durant
David Lee
Tim Duncan
Blake Griffin
Andre Iguodola*

*Not on NBA All Star Team






Brief and Quick
ALL-NHL
Forward- Michal Handzus- San Jose 18 The Sharks won 5-3 over the Coyotes and this third line center dominated faceoff circle going 15-1. Played strong in the defensive zone with three blocked shots, one hit, and one takeaway.
Forward- Eric Staal- Carolina 17 The Center scored 3 of his team's 6 goals and finished with a 3 +/-. The Hurricanes walked away with a 6-3 win over Buffalo.

Joni Pitkanen

Forward- Jason Spezza- Ottawa 17 The Senators won 3-1 at Florida with Spezza scoring a goal in the third. Put his name in the expanded box score with 1 takeaway and 18-7 mark at the dot.
Forward- Brad Boyes- New York Islanders 17 One goal and two assists in the Islanders 7-4 win in Toronto. Also stole 3 pucks and blocked two shots. Finished the game with a +2.
Forward- Jordan Staal- Carolina16 Played almost as well as his older brother picking up 2 assists and going 13-7 in the faceoff circle.
Defensemen- Joni Pitkanen- Carolina 22 Assisted on two of Staal's goals and finished with +4. Played a Defensive Defensemen's game blocking 4 shots and taking away 4 pucks.

Devan Dubnyk

Defensemen- Justin Faulk- Carolina 15 The fourth Hurricane on this list. Scored a shorthanded goal in the second to put them up 2-0. Stole two pucks as well as blocking another two while sending two Sabres to the ground.
Goalie- Jonathan Quick- LA Kings 7.3  Saved 37 of 39 shots but one of the ones he let through was in overtime in the Kings 2-1 loss to Edmonton.
Goalie- Devan Dubnyk- Edmonton 6.94 a .968 SV% on 30 saves letting in one goal.

 All-NBA

Rajon Rondo

Guard- Rajon Rando- Boston 64 A triple-double against the Knicks as the Celtics fell 89-86. 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists while only committing 4 turnovers.
Guard- Jameer Nelson- Orlando 56 11 assists and 14 points while stealing 3 times in the 97-95 loss to Raptors.
Forward- DeMar DeRozan- Toronto 37 22 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and a block in Toronto's win.
Forward- Carmelo Anthony- New York 36 Shut Kevin Garnett up with 28 points and 9 rebounds.
Center- Nikola Vucevic- Orlando 43 14 rebounds and 19 points in the Magic's loss to the Raptors.

Goalies In Trouble

Jose Theodore, goalie of the Panthers, has faced 79 shots in only  2 games played.

Teams letting the most shots through
1. Columbus Blue Jackets Sergei Bobrovsky has been the only goalie to step foot in the crease for the Jackets and even though he has faced 76 shots in two games he has 1-1 record with the loss coming in overtime.
2. Florida Panthers In three games so far Jose Theodore has been in the net for two and Scott Clemmensen for one. Clemmensen let in 4 of 33 shots against Montreal last night in the teams 4-1 loss. Theodore ahs been much busier averaging 39.5 shots against a game while only letting in 5 for .973 save percentage and 1-1 record.
3. Dallas Stars Kari Lehtonen and Christopher Nilstorp have split the duties with 2 and 1 game respectively. Lehtonen has had 80 pucks fly at him and 4 have found their way into the back of the net in his 2 wins. Nilstorp suffered a 1-0 loss against the Wild letting in a Zach Parise goal.
4. Tampa Bay Lightning Anders Lindback has faced 74 shots against in just two games, a whopping 44 of them in the team's 4-3 loss to the Islanders. Mathieu Garon stepped in against Carolina saving 35 of 36 shots in the team's impressive 4-1 win.
5. Washington Capitals Braden Holtby has been the lone ranger for the Caps. In two losses he has a .863 save percentage letting in 10 goals on 73 shots.
6. New York Rangers Longtime starter Henrik Lundqvist faced 52 shots in two games played. He let in 5 goals against the Pens before he was relieved by veteran journey man Martin Biron who faced two shots only letting one in.
7. Detroit Red Wings Jimmy Howard has started all three games for the Red Wings letting in 10 goals on 93 shots. Let in 5 goals against the Blues on opening day before Jonas Gustavsson came in to play the last 19 minutes. Gustavsson faced 8 shots surrendering 1 goal.
8. Winnipeg Jets Ondrej Pavelec of the Czech Republic has played every minute and some of the team's 3 games. Has a 1-2 record including an overtime loss and faced 98 shots in those 3 games. The 7 goals he has let in gives him a 2.27 GAA and a SV% of .929.
9. Nashville Predators Pekka Rinne has been the number one but is losing in the win column to Chris Mason. Rinne has suffered two overtime losses facing 33.5 shots a game while Mason has a win against Nashville only letting in one of thirty shots.
10. Buffalo Sabres Ryan Miller has been the only goalie for the Sabres and he has limited opponents to 5 3 goals in 2 games. A .953 SV% on 64 shots has given him two wins (one of them was also partially given to him by Don Van Massenhoven, Steve Kozari.

NBA First Team
Guard- Kyrie Irving Cleveland 56.5 Went 16 from 25 from the field and went a perfect 7 for 7 from the field. Had a 1 to 1 assist to turnover ratio with 5 each which isn't too pretty. He did go off on the offensive end with 40 points while coming one foul from fouling out.
Guard- Brandon Jennings- Milwaukee 52 Scored 25 points in the team's 110-102 win over the Sixers. Also had 7 assists and 3 steals while going a perfect 6 for 6 from the line.

His Case for MVP
Grows Every Night

Forward- Kevin Durant- Oklahoma City 72 12 for 19 from the field while chipping in 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Scored 32 points while the Thunder nudged the Clippers 109-97.
Forward- Blake Griffin- LA Clippers 58.8 Had a turnover ratio of 1:1 with 5 of each in the loss to the Thunder. Threw in 31 points with 9 of those coming from his 10 Free Throw Attempts. Played well on the defensive side with 2 steals, 7 rebounds, and 1 shot block.
Forward- Ersan Ilyasova- Milwaukee 58 16 Rebounds and 27 assists for the double-double. 5 for 6 from the line while also stealing 3 times.

Other Notable Statistics
Jrue Holiday of the Sixers committed 8 turnovers in their loss to the Buck while also leading the NBA with 12 assists. 
Also for the Sixers, Thaddeus Young played over 44 of the 48 minutes.

NHL First Team
Forward- Gabriel Landeskog- Avalanche 16.5 Scored 1 goal in the team's 3-1 win over the Kings. Finished with a 2 +/-, 2 hits, 3 blocks, and 2 takeaways for an all around performance.
Forward- Parick Marleau- San Jose 15.2 In the team's 6-3 win over the Oilers he scored 2 goals including one on the powerplay as well as an assist finishing with a 1 +/-.

Played an impressive 29 minutes
last night

Forward- Joe Thornton- San Jose 15 Still a playmaker at his advanced age he had 3 assists last night and also went 6-4 at the faceoff dot. 
Forward- Michael Ryder- Dallas 14.3 2 goals and 2 PIM against the Red Wings in the team's 2-1 win.
Defensemen- Ryan Wilson- Colorado 13.2 1 assist and 3 blocked shots while finishing with a 2 +/- in the team's 3-1 win.
Defensemen- Andrei Markov- Montreal 12.9 2 goals (both on the PP) while also pushing two Panthers to the ground and blocking a shot. His one takeaway was negated by his two giveaways but the Canadians prevailed anyway 4-1.
Defensemen- Drew Doughty- LA 11.4 Despite the team's 3-1 loss to the Kings Doughty put up a pretty impressive performance. Played 29:53 minutes while getting 4 shots on net. His stamina is what earned him the spot on this list.

Martin Brodeur

Goalie- Karie Lehtonen- Dallas9 Faced 40 shots and saved 39 of them for a .975 SV% in the team's 2-1 win over the Wings.
Goalie- Mathieu Garon- Tampa Bay 8 In his first start of the yar he saved 35 of 36 shots as the Lightning won 4-1 over the Hurricanes.

Other Notable Stats
Martin Brodeur picked up the shutouts as the Pathetic Flyers fell to 0-2-1 0-3.
Devan Dubnyk had an NHL worse .647 SV% letting in 6 goals on just 17 shots. He is a pro so a turnaround is expected. The Oilers lost 6-3.
Alexei Emelin of the Canadians led the NHL with 9 hits last night, he currently has 15 on the year which is second to just Cal Clutterbuck of the Wild.

Blake Griffin and Sergei Bobrovsky Rule the Night

Top 5 NBA Players From Last Night
1. Blake Griffin- LA Clippers 71 Went 11-18 from the field last night for a total of 26 points. His 13 rebounds gave him the double-double while he also chipped in 8 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in the Clippers lost to Golden State. Remarkably did not commit a single foul.
2. Tim Duncan- San Antonio 61 in the Spurs 90-85 win in Philadelphia. 23 points, 17 rebounds (4 which were offensive), while only committing 2 turnovers.
3. Kemba Walker- Charlotte 60 A very impressive 6 for 7 from behind the arc and 12-21 overall leading to 35 points. The 6'1" guard from UConn was also able to pick up two offensive rebounds in the team's 100-94 to the Houston Rockets.
4. Stephen Curry- Golden State 58 Scored 28 points while being a perfect 4 for 4 from the line and 6 for 8 from three point land. On the downside committed 4 fouls.
5. Kirk Hinrich- Chicago 57 I know your thinking that it is impossible for him to be there but Hinrich played an incredible game as the Roseless Bulls beat the Lakers 95-83. An 81.8% mark from the field (9-11) including 3 3P led to 22 points. Also chipped in 8 assists and 7 rebounds while only committing 1 turnover.
Additionally, he did this all in only 33 minutes of PT.

Other Notable Statistics
James Harden was a very impressive 19-21 from the line.
Jason Kidd led the NBA with 6 steals.
Bismack Biyombo's 6 blocks led the NBA.
Lastly, George Hill has the honor of leading the NBA with 8 turnovers in the Pacer's one point win over the Grizzlies.

Only 14 teams played last night in the NHL but here are your top performers.

We Have 6 today
1. Tyler Bozark- Toronto 21 Earned the top spot last night for his ability to control the faceoff circle going an impressive 22-4 at the dot. He also threw the puck on net twice and found teammate Nazem Kadri for an assist in the third. It wasn't enough for the Leafs however as they fell to the Sabres 2-1.
2. Pavel Datsyuk- Detroit 19 The fancy puck handler picked up two points with an assist in the second and the game-tying goal in the third that allowed the Wings to win in a shootout.
3. Saku Koivu- Anaheim 15 First of 3 Ducks on the list; all contributing in the team's 5-4 win over Calgary. Scored a first period goal on his only shot of the night as well as picking up two assists for a total of 3 points and +3 plus/minus.
4. Ryan Getzlaf- Anaheim 15 Had two hits as well as two goals in the Duck's effort. Third Period goal gave the Ducks insurance they needed as Lee Stempinak scored to bring the Flames back 5-4.
5. Daniel Winnik- Anaheim Koivu's linemate scored two goals and assisted on Koivu's goal. Also had two hits and a takeaway.
6. Andy McDonald- St. Louis 15 The 35-year old veteran scored a powerplay goal in the first and assisted on Vladimir Tarasenko's goal. Sent two predators to the ground and blocked a shot in their 4-3 shootout win in Nashville.

Other Notable Statistics
Milan Lucic led the NHL with 10 hits in the Bruin's 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
Phil Kessel of Toronto had 7 Shots on Goal, but did not put the puck in the net on any of them.
Curtis Glencross scored 2 PP goals for the Flames in the 5-4 loss to the team formerly known as the Mighty Ducks.
Patrick Kaleta of Buffalo was in the box for 16 minutes including a 10 minute misconduct.


6 Goalies as well

1. Sergei Bobrovsky- Columbus 7 Saved 39 of the 42 shots that his porous defense allowed to come his way. Sadly, he let one shot in during the shootout and his skaters weren't able to score once leaving him with the 4-3 shootout loss to Detroit.
2. Craig Anderson- Ottawa 6 Pitched a shutout against the Panthers saving 31 of 31 shots, not much else needs to be said other than the Senators won 4 nil.
3. Ondrej Pavelec- Winnipeg 6 In the Jets 2-1 loss to Bruins in a shootout Pavelec stopped 26 of 27 shots before letting 2 slip in during the shootout.
4. Tuukka Rask- Boston 6 The goalie taking over for Boston's old neo-conservative (i.e. nazi) starter, Tuukka played the same in regulation as his opponent above but he only allowed one shootout goal.
5. Anders Lindback- Tampa Bay 6 Lost 4-3 in regulation to the soon to be moving Islanders. His .909 save percentage isn't that impressive until you realize that he faced an NHL high 44 shots.
6. Ryan Miller- Buffalo 6 Didn't watch the game so I do not know if he got as lucky as he did against the Flyers but he stopped 34 of 35 shots for .971 save percentage 2-1 win in Toronto.

New Approach

The blog will know focus on the statistics of sports as well as the Hawks Report Player Rater which can be seen by clicking on the links at the top of the page. Each day, Hawks Report will give you the best players rating wise as well as offering you the best statistical nights from different sports. Right now the NBA and NHL will be the focus as they are in season and once Baseball picks up again they will be featured on the site.

Top 5 NHL Skaters
1. Thomas Vanke- Buffalo Put the puck in the back of the net twice with one of those being a powerplay conversion against the Flyers. Also dished three assists with two of them being on the powerplay. Picked up 17 rating points in the Sabres 5-2 win. His 9 shots were 2 more than anyone else in the league.
2. Joe Pavelski- San Jose In the Sharks 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames he had a player rating of 16. Played an all around game with 2 assists, going 9-2 in the faceoff circle, 3 takeaways, and blocking 3 shots.
3. Logan Culture- San Jose Played almost as well as his teammate with 15 Hawks Report Points in the win. He also chipped in 2 assists as well as knocking two opponents down.
4. Alexander Edler- Edmonton  The Defensemen was on the ice for over 24 minutes in the 3-2 win against the Canucks picking up a player rating of 15. Scored one goal, hit 4 Canucks, stole the puck once and blocked 4 shots.
5. Antoine Vermette-Phoenix Picked up 13 points in the team's 6-4 loss to the Blackhawks. Vermette won 66% of his faceoffs in addition to his goal.

Top 5 NHL Goalies
1. Josh Harding- Minnesota 24 saves in the shutout against Dallas was good for 7 points.
2. Roberto Luongo- Vancouver The Canucks' terrible defense allowed 32 shots on goal and Luongo saved 30 of them. Unfortunately the one goal he let up was in overtime in the  teams 3-2 loss. Picked up 6 points.
3. Devan Dubnyk- Edmonton Survived in overtime to pick up 5 points. Saved 27 of 29 shots for a .931 save percentage.
4. Ryan Miller- Buffalo This is where I call bull shit-- he actually let up 4 goals but his little friends the refs blew two of them off cause they were out to screw the Flyers. He saved 27 shots and picked up an undeserved 5 points.
5. Antti Niemi- San Jose 5 points in team's 4-1 win over the Flames. Faced 32 shots and snagged 31 of them.

 Other Statistical Feats 
Ilya Bryzgalov faced 40 shots and Thomas Vokoun faced 34, Vokoun luckily won while Bryzgalov and the Flyers got screwed over in a 5-2 loss.
Scott Hartnell of the Flyers was in the box for 11 minutes.
Rick Nash was the only player in the league with a shorthanded goal.

Top 5 NBA Players

1. Kevin Durant- Oklahoma City  72 Hawks Report points, scored 37 actual points with 8 assists. A not so shabby 3-10 from behind the arc as well as an incredible 20-21 from the free throw line. Still Can't believe he was there 21 times. Also had 7 rebounds.Played over 48 minutes in the overtime 121-118 loss against Denver.
2. Russell Westbrook- Oklahoma City Durant's little helper picked up 62 Rating Points by scroing 36 points. Also played over 48 minutes against Denver. In those minutes he had 9 assists and reached the line 17 times converting on 15 attempts.
3. Rajon Rando Boston 52- 15 assists and 8 points in the team's 103-88 loss to Denver. His 9 turnovers may have had something to do with the team's poor defense. He was a less than average 25% from the field but picked up 9 rebounds.
4. Glen Davis- Orlando 45- 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the Magic's 111-105 loss to Dallas. Was 10-16 from the Field to finish with 24 points.
5. Brandon Knight- Detroit 44- Played an all around game finishing with 15 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds in the team's victory of the Celtics.
5. Shawn Marion- Dallas 44- In the victory over the Magic the forward had 20 points and 10 rebounds to achieve the double-double. Remarkably did not reach the line once.

Notable NBA Statistics
Earl Clark  of the Lakers led the NBA with 14 rebounds last night.
Dwight Howard had a not so impressive 2 technical fouls, allowing Earl Clark to get those rebounds.