Smith Traded; Flyers Win; Spurs Blow Lead

1. The San Francisco 49ers have increased their chances of improving through the draft by dumping QB Alex Smith on the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs sorely need a new quarterback following the failure of a signing in Matt Cassel. In the Chiefs past two seasons, Chiefs' quarterbacks including Cassel (also includes Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn, and Tyler Palko) have thrown 38 interceptions compared to 21 touchdown passes. In order to get Smith, the Chiefs were willing to give up a second round draft pick in this years draft and a conditional draft pick in next years draft. Smith has fared much better over the past two seasons having a 19-5-1 record and throwing 30 touchdown passes. He will join Andy Reid who's system of short passes and quick drop backs will use the most out of Smith's skill set. The Chiefs plan to release Matt Cassel following March 12 when the two teams are officially allowed to make the trade.
2. Roy Hibbert and David Lee have been suspended for their actions in last nights Pacers- Warriors game. Both men will be suspended for one game without pay and each had teammates who were fined as well. For the Warriors Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have been fined $35,000 and Lance Stephenson of the Pacers has been fined the same amount.
3. Disturbing allegations have been made by former Colorado tight end Nick Kasa (even more disturbing is that these "student-athletes" should be in classes right now like me). He has claimed that several teams have asked about his sexual orientation. I find this weird cause he said they asked about girlfriends and marriage and my thought is this: 1. Do you see a ring or any other type of jewelery that means "taken". 2. Go on Facebook. Lastly, who cares if a player is gay or straight as long as they can play football.
NBA Recap
The Kings and the Magic played a very high scoring game in Orlando last night with a total of 226 points. The Kings dominated the first three quarters to enter the fourth with a 98- 68 lead. They did not have the leading scorer of the game however as Tobias Harris scored 23 points for the Magic. John Salmons had 21 points and 5 assists in the win.
Demar Derozan's 34 points were not enough for the Raptors in their defeat to the Cavs 103-98. This is the second win in a row for the Cavs and they almost beat the Heat two games ago so they are playing a little better right now than their 20-38 record. Dion Waiters led the Cavaliers with 23 points.
Trevor Ariza made two free throws after an intentional foul to bring the Wizards with in one against the Pistons. The best part about the intentional foul was that they got the ball back but Ariza was unable to make the three with only one second left. Ariza was the player of the game for the Wizards scoring 22 points and also adding in 6 rebounds. For the Pistons Brandon Knight had 32 points while Jose Calderon had 18 assists.

The lack of David Lee's presence hurt the Warriors tonight as they fell to Knicks109-105. They missed him most on the boards where they lost 46-38. Stephen Curry stepped up and scored 54 points while also dishing out 7 assists. I'm too lazy to do research but that means he played apart in at least 68 points (maybe more if three pointers). Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 35 points and 8 assists.
The Grizzlies held the Mavericks to just 5 points in the third quarter to win 90-84. The Grizzlies were down by 14 at the half but thanks to that third quarter they pulled out the close game. Zach Randolph led the Grizzlies with 22 points while Shawn Marion had 16 points and 8 rebounds for the Mavericks.
Monta Ellis hit a three pointer as time expired to prevent the Bucks-Rockets game from going into overtime. He had 27 points on the night as well as 12 assists. The game was close throughout ending 110-107 with the Bucks entering the fourth down by 2. James Harden drooped 25 points during the game Omer Asik grabbed 22 rebounds.
The Thunder kicked the shit of the Hornets 119-74. Russell Westbrook scored 29 points and Kevin Durant had a triple double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Al Horford

The Atlanta Hawks took care of business against the Jazz 102-91. Al Horford dominated the game with 34 points and 15 rebounds.
The Spurs really blew it against the Suns just three days after beating them. They had a ten point lead heading into the 4th and had a lead as high as 7 with 3 minutes left. Wesley Johnson hit a three pointer at the buzzard after Manu Ginobili missed a free throw with 3 seconds left to tie it up at 100-00 and send things to overtime.  In overtime the Spurs were limited to 1 points (a free throw by Tony Parker) while the Suns scored 5 to win 105-101.
LaMarcus Aldridge was not able to be the hero last night when he missed a 9-foot jumper at the end of the game. Damian Lillard had made a three just a few seconds earlier to put the Blazers within one but the Nuggets were able to claim victory. Lillard led the Blazers with 26 points and his teammate J.J. Hickson had 14 rebounds. Ty Lawson had 30 points and 6 assists in a 111-109 Nuggets' win.

All NBA 2/27/2013
Pos	Player	Note
G	Stephen Curry- GS	Shot 18-28 from the field and 11-13 from long range for 54 points playing every minute for the Warriors.
F	Kevin Durant- OKC	Had a triple double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in only 27 minutes.
F	Josh Smith- ATL	Scored 24 points and was 5-7 from stripe. Also had 14 rebounds.
F	Al Horford- ATL	Dominated the boards with 15 rebounds and also scored 34 points.
C	Tyson Chandler- NYK	5-9 from the field and 6-7 from the stripe. He grabbed 10 offensive boards and 28 overall while scoring 16 points.

NHL Recap

Gagne's Back

The Flyers got  things off to a hot start with Claude Giroux scoring in the first 30 seconds of the game with an assist by Scott Hartnell. Hartnell got his second assist of the night a few moments later when Wayne Simmonds struck on the powerplay, Claude Giroux also helped out on that one. Simon Gagne scored early in the second period in his return to the Flyers and Maxime Talbot scored at the end of the period to put the Flyers up solidly 3-0 (Odd to see both Knuble and Gagne return this year). Joel Ward scored a meaningless goal with two minutes left as Ilya Bryzgalov was unable to preserve the shutout to win 4-1. In turnover news, Braydon Coburn had two to improve to 27 which puts him in a tie with Ilya Kovalchuk for fist in the league.

Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers
Feb 27, 2013 1 2 3 F WAS (7-11-1 15 PT) 0 0 1 1 PHI (10-11-1 21 PT) 2 2 0 4 Three Stars Claude Giroux 1 G, 1 A Scott Hartnell 2 A Simon Gagne 1 G	Team Stats Comparison WAS PHI Shots on Goal 24 32 Hits 22 25 Faceoffs Won-Lost 34-27 27-34 Penalty Minutes 18 21 Power Plays Converted 0 2 Power Play Opportunities 4 3
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD PHI 0:23- Claude Giroux (7)- Assist: Scott Hartnell PHI 4:04- Wayne Simmons (8) (Powerplay) Assists: Scott Hartnell, Claude Giroux SECOND PERIOD PHI 3:54 Simon Gagne (1) (Powerplay) Assists: Brayden Schenn, Danny Briere PHI 14:55- Maxime Talbot (1) - Assists Luke Schenn, Bruno Gervais THIRD PERIOD WAS 17:51- Joel Ward (6)- Assists:Tom Poti, Jay Beagle

The Canadiens took care of their national rival yesterday 5-2 thanks to a three goal third period. Frazer McLaren started off the scoring on the night giving the Maple Leafs an early goal advantage but that was quickly erased by Alexi Emelin's first goal of the year. With under a minute left in the first Mike Brown of the Maple Leafs pulled off a "Total Douche Move" by checking Josh Gorges from behind. He got the deserved game misconduct and the 5 minute major that accompanies it. The penalty proved to be costly as Max Pacioretty scored at the tail end of the major to put the Canadiens up 2-1. Clarke MacArthur tied things up again 10 minutes later. The third was all Canadiens however as Brendan Gallagher, Max Pacioretty, and Brian Gionta all scored to make it a 5-2 win.

Bernier

Anze Kopitar scored with 5 minutes left to finish off a Kings third period comeback. Kyle Quincey scored for the Wings in the first to put them up 1-0 and then there was not another goal until Jeff Carter's with 10 left in the third. Jonathan Bernier made 32 saves in the 2-1 win.
The Ducks had no problem disposing of the Predators 5-1. Kyle Palmieri had the hat trick in the game while Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf assisted on all three. The Ducks defense stifled the Predators only allowing 21 shots.

All NHL 2/27/2013
Pos	Player	Note
F	Kyle Palmieri- ANA	Scored 3 of the Ducks' 5 goals in the blowout, Finished with a +2 and caused two turnovers.
F	Brayden Schenn- PHI	First of two brothers on the list today; he had one assist on the powerplay in addition to two hits and two takeaways.
F	Paul Gaustad- NAS	Dominated the faceoff circle and blocked two shots.
F	Craig Smith- NAS	Scored the Predators only goal and finished with a +1.
D	Luke Schenn- PHI	Finally played a good game getting an assist and 5 shots off. Also had 6 hits.
D	Mark Fraser- TOR	Played a defensive defensemen's game having 6 hits and 3 blocked shots.
D	Cody Franson- TOR	Contributed one assist and had 3 hits and two blocked shots.
G	Jonathan Bernier- LA	No surprise here only letting up one goal on 33 shots.
G	Ilya Bryzgalov- PHI	Also only let in one goal but had a much easier time only facing 24 shots.

NHL Realignment: Lebron and D-Wade explode

The NHL introduced a new division alignment that they plan to use in the future. The set up is kind of odd and that it is like baseball's old realignment where the conferences are not equal. The Eastern conference will consist of two eight team divisions while the West will have two seven team ones This proposal had been blocked in the past because of playoff chances not being equal for each team but instead of the top four teams making the playoffs like in the last plan; only the top three in each make it and the last four are wild card spots. I personally like this plan because it places more importance on winning your division instead of just having a good record. The Central division is a little odd because it features the Florida teams and Boston while the Atlantic division has the Blue Jackets, I think that Boston could easily be switched with Columbus but who really cares. Here is your proposed NHL Divisional realignment:

Pacific	Mid-West	Central	Atlantic
Anaheim	Chicago	Boston	Carolina
Calgary	Colorado	Buffalo	Columbus
Edmonton	Dallas	Detroit	New Jersey
Los Angeles	Minnesota	Florida	New York Islanders
Phoenix	Nashville	Montreal	New York Rangers
San Jose	St. Louis	Ottawa	Philadelphia
Vancouver	Winnipeg	Tampa Bay	Pittsburgh
		Toronto	Washington

NBA Recap
The Magic took care of the 76ers in a low scoring affair for their first road-win in 10 attempts. Aaron Affalo and Tobias Harris each had 16 for the Magic while their teammate Nikola Vucevic grabbed a league high 19 rebounds in the 98-84 win.
The Pacers relied on a strong third quarter to beat the Warriors 108-97. The game is most notorious for the fight between Roy Hibbert and David Lee in the 4th quarter (with only Hibbert being ejected). Stephen Curry went off for 38 points and David Lee had a double-double himself with 12 points and 12 boards. David West led the Pacers with 28 points.

The Heat, one of the best teams in the NBA, took two overtimes to dispose of the dreadful Sacremento Kings 141-129. The Heat were able to dominate the second overtime and were led throughout the game by Lebron James's 40 point and 16 assist performance.
The Cavaliers pulled one over the heads of the Chicago Bulls even though their star point guard Kyrie Irving was unable to play due to a sore right knee. Dion Waiters carried the scoring load for the Cavaliers with 28 points while Bill Walton's son Luke led the team with 5 assists. Carlos Boozer scored a game-high 27 points for the Bulls in the 101-98 loss.

D Williams

Deron Williams hit four free throws in the waning minutes of last night's game as the Nets defeated the Hornets 101-97. Williams led all players in scoring with 33 points while also contributing 8 assists. Greivis Vasquez did everything he could for the Hornets leading them in points (20), rebounds (8), and assists (7).
The Mavericks continue to struggle this year as they have lost another one 95-90 to the Bucks. Dirk Nowitzki played one hell of a game scoring 21 points and grabbing 20 rebounds but it was just not enough. Monta Ellis scored 22 points and recorded 9 assists for the Bucks.
Neither team reached 80 in regulation but once in overtime the Suns defeated the Timberwolves 84-83. The Wolves appeared to have won the game but Marcin Gortat made a layup with only 13 seconds let in the fourth to force overtime. Gortat, Markieff Morris, and Wesley Johnson each had 14 points for the Suns while the Timberwolves leading scorer was Derrick Williams who had 21 and also had 12 rebounds.
In the last game of the night the Clippers destroyed the Bobcats (surprised???) 106-84. Blake Griffin of LA and Gerald Henderson of Charlotte each scored 24 points. Chris Paul led the game with 13 assists.

All NBA 2/27/2013
Pos	Player	Note
G	Dwayne Wade- Miami	Shot 19-28 from the Field on his way to 39 points while also grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists.
F	Luol Deng- Chicago	Scored 26 points last nigh tin the close loss. Shot 9-16 from the field including 2-4 from long range. Also had 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
F	Lebron James- Miami	*Player of the Night* Scored 40 points to outbest his teamate, Shot an incredible 11-12 from the FT line plus had a remarkable 16 assists.
F	Dirk Nowitzki- DAL	Had 21 points and 20 rebounds in the loss; so his tremendous productivity has really gone to waste by the Mavs.
C	Brook Lopez	Shot 9-14 from the field. Scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds while blocking 4 shots.

NHL Recap
After a scoreless first period Olli Jokinen broke into the scoring column to put the Jets up 1-0 over the Rangers. Evander Kane followed a minute later to give the Jets the 2-0 lead. Ryan Callahan was able to stop the Rangers' slide with a goal of his own but Jokinen answered back and the Jets were up 3-1 going into the third. The Rangers got the gap to two about nine minutes into the final frame but Evander Kane answered back 20 seconds later to put the game at 4-2. Anton Stralman scored a minute later for the Rangers but Jets were able to hold on the rest of the game and win 4-3.

Shut Out Man

Braden Holtby made 33 saves in the Capitals' 3-0 win against the Hurricanes. His opposing keeper Cam Ward played a very impressive game as well stopping 37 of 40 shots. The Capitals scored one goal in each period with Nicklas Backstrom striking in the first, John Erskine in the second, and John Carlson in the third.
The Stars outshout the lowly Blue Jackets 39-20 but were forced to go to overtime for the win. Brenden Morrow scored the only goal of the first but then the second really saw a lot of scoring. Each team scored twice with Nikita Nikitin starting things off for the Blue Jackets and then the teams took turns scoring. With the Blue Jackets down 3-2 entering the third it was crucial that they score and Cam Atkinson did just that 6 minutes into the frame. The Stars' Cody Eakin put his team up 4-3 with only 6 minutes and the Blue Jackets were in desperation mode. R.J. Umberger came up in the clutch with 1:36 left in the game and we were now headed to overtime. The Stars' took caare of business when Lou Eriksson scored with assists by Derek Roy and Brenden Dillon for the 5-4 win. Sergei Bobrovsky made 34 saves on 39 shots for the Jackets.
Steven Stamkos opened up the scoring in Tampa Bay but the Bolts' lead was shortlived; Cody Hodgson scored his eighth goal of the year for the Sabres 9 minutes later to tie it up 1-1. The two first period goals were it until the beginning of the third period when Tyler Myers scored for the Sabres. That was it for the game with the Sabres winning 2-1.
The Panthers and Penguins played a close one (and high scoring) in Florida. Tomas Kopecky got the Panhers off to a lead in a quiet first period. The Second is when things exploded and the Penguins tied the game up 4-4 thanks to a powerplay goal by Chris Kunittz with 41 seconds left. The  Panthers won the game in the third thanks to Tomas Felischman's goal early in the period and then Tomas Kopecky netted another one later for a 6-4 victory.
After a first period that had both teams at one goal the Bruins were able to pull away in the second with goals by Brad Marchand and David Krejci. Gregory Campbell added an empty netter with just over a minute left in the third to secure a 4-1 win against the Islanders.

Parise

Alex Tanguay's goal in the first seemed like it was going to be enough for the Flames to win but Jason Zucker saved the Wild's day with 5 minutes left in the third thanks to assists by David Setoguchi and Ryan Suter. The Wild were able to ride that momentum and scored just 26 seconds into overtime. Zach Parise's goal was assisted by Mikko Koivu and Ryan Suter as the Wild walked away with a 2-1 OT win.
The Coyotes led the Canucks the whole way in Vancouver but it was close througout. Kyle Chipchura started off the scoring in the first and teammate Mikkel Boedker made it 2-0 in the second. Jason Garrison of Vancouver got the Nucks back within one 2 minutes later. Antoine Vermette then scored to make it 3-1 and Henrik Sedin scored just after to make the difference one again. Kyle Chipchura got the insurance goal with 23 seconds left on an empty netter to finish off the 4-2 win.
It took a shootout to decide the Sharks Avalanche game. The Sharks got off to a quick start thanks to a goal by Logan Couture in the first but Chuck Kobasew tied things up 12 minutes later. The Sharks again got a 2-1 lead thanks to T.J. Galliardi. The Avalanche were on their last breath when Mark Olver scored his second goal of the year with only 3 minutes left. Overtime was not able to produce anything for either team and things went to a shootout. Michal Handzus scored ont the first attempt of the shootout and it took until the Av's third for P.A. Parenteau to slip one past Antti Niemi. Patrick Marleau then scored in the ovetime of shootout and then Niemi stopped John Mitchell's attempt for a 3-2 Sharks win.

All NHL 2/27/2013
Pos	Player	Note
F	John Mitchell- Colorado	Although he was unable to score a goal Mitchell got 4 shots on net and played a good defensive game hitting 7 guys, blocking a shot, and forcing a turnover. He also was 17-9 at the faceoff dot.
F	Antoine Vermette- Phoenix	His goal was a very important one last night and he also threw in an assist for a two point night. He finished the game at +3.
F	Tomas Kopecky- Florida	Scored three goals and two of them were on the powerplay. He also had an assist to get his fouth point.
F	Ryan Callahan- NY Rangers	Scored one goal on his seven shots on net in additio to 5 hits. Finished the game with a +2 in the Rangers' loss.
D	Ryan Suter- Minnesota	Had two assists on the night including one in overtime.
D	Brian Campbell- Florida	Led all defensemen with 3 points last night coming from 1 goal and two assists (with every point coming on the powerplay). Also blocked 4 shots.
D	Paul Martin- Pittsburgh	Scored on his only shot of the night and finished the game with a +3.
G	Semyon Varlamov- San Jose	His team may have lost 3-2 but Varlamov was peppered with 41 shots and saved 39 of them. He came up short in the shootout though.
G	Ryan Miller- Buffalo	Only let in one goal on 31 shots against.

Beal Leads Wizards past Raptors; Lakers Fall

NBA Recap
The Washington Wizards defeated the Toronto Raptors 90-84 thanks to Bradley Beal's 20 points. Emeka Okafor had his 3rd straight double-digit rebound game collecting 13 boards while Demar Derozan was the leading scorer for the Raptors with 25 points.
Al Horford was the player of the night in Detroit  playing a monster game with 23 points and 22 rebounds.  Josh Smith (23), and Jeff Teague (20) also put up 20+ points in the Hawk's 114-102 win.   
A day after the Lakers appeared to start a turn around they were outmatched by the Denver Nuggets. Tyson Chandler dropped 23 points in the 119-108 win and teammate Andre Iguodala contributed 14 of his own along with 12 assists. Kobe Bryant was the game's leading scorer with 29 and also had 9 assists.
It took the Celtics overtime to put away the Jazz. The Jazz overcame an eight point deficit during the fourth quarter. Gordan Hayward had 26 points in the losin effort while Paul Pierce matched that point total and also threw in 8 assists for the Celtics in the 110-107 win.
ALL NBA
Guard- Jeff Teague- Atlanta The guard was a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line and scored 20 points on the night. He finished the double-double with 12 assists and on defense had 2 steals.
Guard- Kobe Bryant- LA Lakers Kobe played his usual (for this year at least) all around game scoring  29 points while contributing 9 assists and 6 rebounds.
Forward- Andre Iguodala- Denver Didn't contribute much offensively only shooting 6-9 from the field on his way to 14 points but played well in other facets of the game. He had 12 assists and 8 turnovers in addition to his defensive play. He had one block and one steal.
Forward- Al Horford- Atlanta *Player of the Night* The second Atlanta Hawk on the list and the superior one in last nights game. Horford probably the best shooting night in the league (10-13). He finished the night with 23 points and an amazing 22 rebounds On defense he had 2 steals and 2 blocks.
Center- Al Jefferson- Utah His 15 points and 11 rebounds were not enough for the Jazz to win in overtime.

NHL Recap
It was a low shooting affair in Philadelphia where the Flyers outshot the Maple Leafs 25-22 and still managed to lose. The Flyers also held the advantage physically with 37 hits compared to the Maple Leafs' 22. Things were kept at 0-0 for most of the first period until Phil Kessel struck with 3 minutesl left. The second period was similar to the first as it took 15 minutes for the first goal to be scored. Nikolai Kulemin scored with assists by Nazem Kadri and Carl Gunnarsson (great name) with 4:58 left in the period. Scott Hartnell answered 3 minutes later with his first of year (in only his second game back from injury). The Flyers entered the third period down 2-1 looking for the comeback but Mikhail Grabovski's goal  8 minutes into the third. The Flyers were on the powerplay midway through the final frame when Jakub Voracek put in his 8th of the year with assists from Kimmo Timonen and Claude Giroux. The Flyers wre back within one but Jay McClement scored on an empty net with 13 seconds left to put the game out of reach at a score of 4-2.

Ben Bishop saved 44 of 45 shots in a performance that will surely put him on Hawks Report's All NHL team. The Senators and Canadiens each scored in the second period with Dave Dzlurzynski scoring for Ottawa and Andrei Markov for Montreal, Markov's goal being clutch with only 4 seconds let in the period and on the powerplay. Overtime was not able to decide things either and neither was the three player shootout. Peter Regin scored on Ottawa's figth attempt which was followed by Bishop's save on a Tomas Plekanec attempt to secure a 2-1 victory.
In another game that went down to the wire, the Nashville Predators defeated the Dallas Stars 5-4. The Stars scored all 4 of their goals during the second frame and entered the third period with a 4-3 lead. Mike Fisher changed the game when he scored 8 minutes into the third. Overtime was a quick affair with Roman Josi scoring 28 seconds into sudden death with assists from Sergei Kostitsyn and Shea Weber.
The Blackhawks streak of point-grabbing was in semi-jeopardy last night as they faced a 2-1 deficit against the Oilers entering the final period. Victor Stalberg tied things up in the very beginning of the third and in overtime Marian Hossa gave the Blackhawks a 3-2 win.
We end with a game that was not so close, the LA Kings destroyed the Anaheim Ducks 5-2. Both teams scored two goals in the second so LA fans were probably expecting an exciting third period but their Kings dominated scoring two goals in the first 7 minutes. Jeff Carter then put the seal on the victory with an empty netter.
All NHL
Forward- Anze Kopitar- LA Kings The Kings' offense ran through him last night as he had three assists and finished the night at +2.
Forward- David Desharnais- Montreal Wasn't able to score but applied offensive pressure the whole game with 5 shots and also played good defense recording 2 hits and 2 takeaways.
Forward- Scott Hartnell- Philadelphia Only his second game back from an injury and Hartnell finds himself on this list. Harntell scored a goal in the loss and wasn't afraid to throw the body around hitting 5 Maple Leafs.
Forward- Dustin Brown- LA Kings Scored one goal and also contributed an assist during the Kings' win. Finished the night at +2 and also had 4 hits.
Defense- Josi Roman- Nashville Played well on both sides blocking 4 shots but also scoring two goals and adding an assist for a 4 pt night.
Defense- Shea Weber- Nashville Two Predators D-man on the list tonight and Weber earned the spot playing very offensively getting 7 shots on net and also adding in an assist. Finished the night with a +3 similar to Roman's. Threw the body around with 5 hits and two blocks.
Defense- Jeff Petry- Edmonton The Oilers may have not won but Petry scored on his only shot of the night and also had 7 hits and 3 blocks.
Goalie- Ben Bishop- Ottawa Obvious choice here as he saved 44 of 45 shots in the 2-1 shootout win.
Goalie- Carey Price- Montreal Came up just short in the shootout losing to Bishop's Sens but saved 23 of 24 shots during regulation and overtime.

                                                                                                                

Lakers Defeat Mavs; Week In Review

Portland's Hero

NBA Recap

Bryant

Just after Dwight Howard admitted that his poor conditioning lost the Lakers games he and the team were on the court to face the Dallas Mavericks. Kobe Bryant's free throw with 4 seconds left put the game out of reach at 103-99 and that is how it finished. Kobe scored 38 points on the night and also had 7 assists. For the Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki dropped 30 and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Luke Ridnour's shot with one second left did not hit the mark leaving the Minnesota Timberwolves one point shy of overtime. Jarrett Jack was the most crucial part of the Warriors victory scoring 23 points and dishing out 8 assists. Derrick Williams played strong in the 100-99 loss with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

The Cavaliers put themselves in a position to beat the Heat last night with a 36-17 3rd quarter to give themselves a 1 point lead going into the fourth. The Heat pulled out the comeback to win their 11th game in a row by a score of 109-105. Lebron James had 28 points and 8 assists agianst his former team. Dion Waiters led the Cavs with 26 points.

The Hornets swept the Kings under the rug 110-95 thanks to Anthony Davis's 20 points. Greivis Vazques had a double-double for the Hornets with 12 points and 13 assists.

The Grizzlies and Nets decided to not partake in offense as the Griz pulled out a 76-72 win. Zach Randolph was crucial in the victory with 16 points and 14 boards. Deron Williams had 24 points in the loss.

Despite Jrue Holiday's 30 points the Sixers came up 6 points shy of the Knicks in a 99-93 loss. Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points as the Knicks broke their four game losing streak.

The Spurs used a dominating 2nd quarter effort to bury the Suns 97-87. Patty Mills and Kawhi Leonard both led the Spurs with 16 points while Leonard had an additional 8 rebounds. Marcin Gortat was the Suns' best performer with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

The Trail Blazers defeated the Celtics 92-86 in Portland thanks to Wesley Matthews 7 points in the last 2:13. On top of his heroics in the closing minutes, Matthews finished with 24 points including a 5-8 performance from 3 pt land. Paul Pierce played well for the Celtics scoring 23 points, dishing out 8 asssists, and grabbing 7 rebounds.

The last game of the night was a blowout as the Thunder surprisingly destroyed the Bulls 102-72. The Bulls only shot 29% for the game with their leading scorers being Luol Deng and Nate Robinson who only had 13 a piece.  The Thunder were led by Russell Westbrook's 23 points and and Kevin Durant's 19/16/6 performance.

NBA Week In Review

NBA League Leaders - Feb 18, 2013 to Feb 24, 2013
Points		P	Assists		A
	1. James Harden	31.7		1. Goran Dragic	12.2
	2. Kobe Bryant	31.3		2. Greivis Vasquez	10.5
	3. Kemba Walker	24.8		3. Jeff Teague	9.7
	4. Lebron James	23.5		4. Lebron James	9.2
	5. Dwayne Wade	23.5		5. Ricky Rubio	8.7
Rebounds		R	Turnovers		TO
	1. Zach Randolph	56		1. Goran Dragic	16
	2. David Lee	55		2. Russell Westbrook	15
	3. Joakim Noah	42		3. John Wall	15
	4. Nikola Vucevic	42		4. Stephen Curry	14
	5. Reggie Evans	41		5. Deron Williams	14
Steals		S	Blocks		B
	1. Ricky Rubio	4.7		1. Larry Sanders	12
	2. Goran Dragic	3		2. Serge Ibaka	11
	3. Mike Conley	2.5		3. Tyson Chandler	9
	4. Al- Farouq Aminu	2.5		4. Joakim Noah	9
	5. Trevor Ariza	2.3		5. Al- Farouq Aminu	9
Field Goal % (minimum 35 attempts)		FG%	Free Throw % (minimum 10)		FT%
	1. J.J. Hickson	67.6		1. J.J. Redick	100
	2. Al Horford	66.7		2. Kyrie Irving	100
	3. Marcin Gortat	60		3. Anthony Davis	100
	4. Lebron James	59		4. Kevin Durant	95.7
	5. Mario Chalmers	57.6		5. Russell Westbrook	95.2

2-18 to 2-24 All NBA
Eastern Conference		Western Conference
Pos	Starters	Pos	Starters
PG	CLE- Kyrie Irving	PG	SA- Tony Parker
SG	MIA- Dwayne Wade	SG	HOU- James Harden
SF	MIA- Lebron James	SF	OKC- Kevin Durant
PF	ATL- Al Horford	PF	DAL- Dirk Nowitzki
C	MIL- Larry Sanders	C	POR- J.J. Hickson

Perry's overtime winner

NHL Recap

Rask

Tuukka Rask made 34 saves on 35 shots to improve to 8-0-1 on the year in the Bruins 4-1 win over the Panthers. 

Martin Brodeur left ice during the warmups due to soreness and Johan Hedberg had to take his place. The Jets took full advantage of that to walk away from New Jersey with a 4-2 victory. Evander Kane scored his 7th goal of the year while in the third period teammate Andrew Ladd netted his 10th.

The Canucks got off to a hot start scoring 3 goals in the first, two from Daniel Sedin, to get a 3-2 lead going into the second. That is where things turned south for the Canucks as the Red Wings went on a scoring rampage with three of their own in the second. Things were not done there as Damien Brunner scored his 10th goal of the year and second of the game halfway through the third. To make the game 8-3 Joakim Andersson netted two goals a minute apart from each other at the end of the final frame. Damien Brunner had two assists in addition to his 2 goals and Jonathan Ericsson had two assists as well.

Evgeni Nabokov got the night off as the Islanders went with Kevin Poulin in net. Things looked good for the Islanders as they were off to a 2-0 start thanks to goals by Matt Moulson and John Tavares. The Islanders kept on to their lead until 47 seconds left in the second when Jordan Staal scored a minute after his older brother Eric to tie the game up. Alexander Semin assisted on both of the goals. The game continued to tied until halfway through the third when Bobby Sanguinetti scored his first NHL goal with assists from Patrick Dwyer and Jordan Staal. Alexander Semin then capped his 3 pt night off with an empty netter late in the game to polish off a 4-2 Hurricanes' win.

The Blackhawks have still not lost in regulation time in their first 18 games thanks to a shutout performance by Corey Crawford, his 7th win of the year. It was not exactly a powerful victory however as they only scored one goal, Andrew Shaw's at the end of the second period in the 1-0 win over the Blue Jackets.

Sidney Crosby scored two of the Penguins three first period goals and also assisted on another as the Penguins defeated the Lightning 5-3. The Lightning got within one during the third period with goals by Eric Brewer and Steven Stamkos but it was not enough.

Torres had two on the night

The Flames and Coyotes played a very good, high scoring game last night in Calgary. The Flames started off the scoring 2 minutes into the game with a goal from Tim Jackman but the second period was split 2-2 between the teams which set up for a great third period. Raffi Torres scored in the first couple minutes to tie it up and then his teammate slipped the puck past Joey McDonald to make it 4-3. The Coyotes seemed to be in control of the game until 1:23 left when Jarome Iginla netted a goal with help from Alex Tanguay and Matt Stajan. Both teams were probably expecting to go to overtime but Curtis Glencross scored his 7th goal of the year with a minute left to win 5-4.

The Ducks outshot the Avalanche 39-23 but the score was much closer. Cody McLeod and P.A. Parenteau scored for the Avs in the first as they entered the second with a 2-0 lead. The Ducks then answered with two of their own but then John Mitchell scored 30 seconds after Teemu Selanne to get the Avs their lead back. The Avs had their lead for about 20 minutes until Ryan Getzlaf scored on the powerplay to even things up. Once in overtime, Corey Perry scored on the man advantage as the Ducks win 4-3.

NHL Week In Review 

Very nice to see 3 Flyers in the points list and Ilya in the leaderboard for the Goalies.

NHL League Leaders - Feb 18, 2013 Feb 24, 2013
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. Steven Stamkos	4		1. Jakub Voracek	7
	2. Max Pacioretty	4		2. Pavel Daysyuk	5
	3. Jakub Voracek	4		3. Claude Giroux	5
	4. J, Carter, C. Giroux, B. Schenn	3		4. Small Army	4
	5. D. Brunner, E. Kane, and many others	3		5.
Points		P	D-Man Points		P
	1. Jakub Voracek	11		1. Niklas Kronwall	6
	2. Claude Giroux	8		2. Paul Martin	5
	3. Steven Stamkos	8		3. Francois Beauchemin	4
	4. Wayne Simmonds	7		4. K. Letang, S. Weber, O. Ekman-Larrson	4
	5. Half the NHL	6		5. about 10 players	3
Takeaways		TA	Blocks		B
	1. Adam Henrique	10		1. Greg Zanon	17
	2. Martin St. Louis	8		2. Dan Girardi	16
	3. Patrick Kane	7		3. Mark Streit	14
	4. J. Mitchell, J. Tavares, B. Pouliot	6		4. M. Giordano, J. Harrison	13
	5. 6 people	5		5. 5 players	11
Saves/ Shots Against		SV-SA	Wins		W-L-OTL
	1. Ondrej Pavelec	114/124		1. Ben Bishop	3-0-0
	2. Ben Scrivens	109/117		2. Ilya Bryzgalov	3-1-0
	3. Mike Smith	97/104		3. Ondrej Pavelec	3-1-0
	4. Ilya Bryzgalov	91/103		4. Ray Emery	2-0-0
	5. Semyonb Varlamov	88/97		5. Marc- Andre Fleury	2-0-0

2-18 to 2-24 All NHL
Pos	East Starters	Pos	West Starters
C	PHI- Claude Giroux	C	COL- Paul Stastny
C	CAR- Jordan Staal	C	DET- Pavel Datsyuk
LW	WPG- Evander Kane	C	ANA- Ryan Getzlaf
D	TOR- Dion Phaneuf	D	Oliver Ekman- Larsson
D	NYI- Mark Streit	D	DET- Niklas Kronwall
G	WPG- Ondrej Pavelec	G	SAN- Anti Niemi

Top 25 NHL Skaters

Top 25 Skaters in NHL - Updated: Feb 23, 2013
RK	Player	Goals	Assists	Other Stats
1	Jonathan Toews- Chicago	7	8	8 Blcks, 23 TA, +10
2	Matt Duchene- Colorado	6	11	23 Hits, 16 B, 18 TA
3	Eric Staal- Carolina	8	10	20 TA, +12
4	Pavel Datsyuk- Detroit	8	12	18 TA
5	Patrice Bergeron- Boston	3	8	9 H, 10 B
6	Rick Nash- NY Rangers	3	9	27 H
7	Tyler Bozak- Toronto	5	6	23 H, 12 TA
8	Sidney Crosby- Pittsburgh	7	18	10 H, 9 TA, 68 SOG
9	Claude Giroux- Philadelphia	6	12	19 H, 12 B
10	Drew Doughty- Los Angeles	0	7	37 H, 20 B
11	Zach Parise- Minnesota	7	5	22 H, 20 B
12	Antoine Vermette- Phoenix	4	4	34 H
13	Vincent Lecavalier- Tampa Bay	6	11	51 H
14	Mikko Koivu- Minnesota	3	9	20 H, 13 TA
15	David Backes- St. Louis	2	9	49 H, 17 B
16	Anze Kopitar	5	7	22 H
17	Ryan Getzlaf- Anaheim	5	9	27 H
18	Dion Phaneuf- Toronto	3	6	47 H, 30 B
19	Travis Zajac- New Jersey	3	2	13 TA
20	T.J. Oshie- St. Louis	5	8	22 H, 12 B
21	Steven Stamkos- Tampa Bay	12	14	26 H, 59 SOG
22	Ryan Callahan- NY Rangers	4	1	59 H, 20 B
23	Jordan Staal- Carolina	3	10	31 H
24	Henrik Zetterberg- Detroit	5	17	61 SOG
25	Thomas Vanek- Buffalo	12	13	26 TA, 69 SOG

Flyers Comeback; Horford Game-Winner

Winnipeg Jets at Philadelphia Flyers
Feb 22, 2013 1 2 3 F WPG (7-9-1 15P) 1 2 0 3 PHI (9-10-1 19P) 1 1 3 5 Three Stars Brayden Schenn-{PHI-C) 2 Goals, 1 Assists Jakub Voracek- (PHI- RW) 3 Assists Wayne Simmonds (PHI- RW) 1 Goals, 1 Assists	Team Stats Comparison WPG PHI Shots on Goal 37 39 Hits 33 40 Faceoffs Won-Lost 37-63 26-63 Penalty Minutes 26 22 Power Plays Converted 0 3 Power Play Opportunities 4 6
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD WPG 4:48 Evander Kane (6) Assists: Nik Antropov, Dustin Byfuglien PHI 15:18 Brayden Schenn (5) Assists: Danny Briere, Wayne Simmonds SECOND PERIOD WPG 2:34 Olli Jokinen (3) Assists: Blake Wheeler WPG 11:13 Alex Burmistrov (3) Assists: Grant Clitsome, Dustin Byfuglien PHI 14:24 Claude Giroux (6) (Powerplay) Assists: Kimmo Timonen, Jakub Voracek THIRD PERIOD PHI 6:18 Brayden Schenn (6) (Powerplay) Assists: Jakub Voracek, Claude Giroux PHI 8:57 Wayne Simmonds (7) (Powerplay) Assists: Brayden Schenn, Jakub Voracek PHI 19:59 Zac Rinaldo (2) (Empty Net; Douche Bag) Assist: Kimmo Timonen

Brayden Schenn had the game of his career yesterday scoring two goals and assisting on another during the Flyers 5-3 win. This game was odd for the fact that both teams were nailed for Too Many Men on the Ice penalties about 30 seconds apart from each other in the second period. The Jets got off to a quick start when Evander Kane scored 5 minutes into the game but "little Schenn" scored with 5 left in the first with help from Danny Briere and Wayne Simmonds to send the game 1-1 into the second period. The Second period started off rough for the Flyers as Olli Jokinen and Alex Burmistrov scored unanswered to give the Jets  a 3-1 win. Dustin Byfuglein's assist on Burmistrov's goal was his second of the game (also assisted on Kane's goal). Claude Giroux then scored his 6th goal of the year to cut the deficit down to one entering the third period. It took six minutes for anything to happen in the third period when Brayden Schenn scored assisted by Jakub Voracek and Claudge Giroux to tie the game 3-3. Schenn and Voracek got their name on the boxscore 2 and a half minutes later when they assited on Wayne Simmonds' 7th goal of the year as the Flyers broke into the lead. With one second left in the game Zac Rinaldo proved how cheap he is by netting an empty-net goal. Danny Briere got the most out of his 9 minutes of ice time getting an assist and firing 3 shots on goal. Braydon Coburn did not have any turnovers (somehow) but did finish with a disappointing -2 while Luke Schenn played one hell of a game beating Evander Kane in a fight and hitting 5 Jets. Scott Hartnell also returned from injury playing 15 minutes. 

NBA Recap

Monta Ellis though he was the hero last night scoring with 10 seconds to give the Milwaukee Bucks a 101-100 lead over the Hawks but it wasn't that simple. Al Horford responded on the next possession with a field goal of his own and the Hawks all of a sudden had their own one point lead. Monta Ellis then had another opportunity to be the savior but his midrange jumper just didn't go into the net as the Hawks won 103-102. Al Horford and Jeff Teague had 23 a piece for the Hawks (with Horford also grabbing 11 boards) and Milwaukee was led by Ersan Ilyasova who had 19 points and 9 rebounds. Larry Sanders had an incredible 19 rebounds.

Emeka Okafor's free throw with 5 seconds left was the deciding factor in the 105-103 Wizards' win over the Houston Rockets. The Wizards had trailed by 11 at halftime and as high as 17 during the game but came back for the win. Bradley Beal had 21 points for the Wizards and James Harden had 27 points and 6 assists. 

Javale McGee dominated the paint going 8-10 with 7 dunks in the Nuggets' 113-99 win over Charlotte. Ty Lawson led the Nuggets with 20 points while Andre Iguodala had 13 points and a game high 10 assists.

The Cavaliers absolutely destroyed the Magic 118-94 in Orlando thanks to Marrreese Speights' 18 points and 8 rebounds. 

The 76ers were able to stick with the Heat for the first half but Miami pulled away thanks to a huge night by Dwayne Wade featuring 33 points and 6 rebounds. Lebron recorded the triple double with 16 points and 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. Jrue Holiday scored 21 points and dished out 6 assists in the 114-90 loss.

The Pistons were held 9 points in the first point and were held to 72 overall as the Pacers cruised to a 90-72 victory. Paul George led the Pistons with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. No one from the Pistons deserves to be mentioned. 

The Clippers had a strong third quarter which they beat the Jazz 36-20 to finish with a 107-94 victory. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 23 points while Caron Butler scored 21 for the Clips.

February 23, 2012
Award	Player	Pos	Team
Most Valuable Player	Lebron James	SF	MIA- 7-12 FG, 16 P, 11 A, 10 R
Defensive Player of the Night	Emeka Okafor	C	3 Blocks, 2 Steals
All-NBA 1st Team
All-NBA 1st Team	Dwayne Wade	SG	MIA- 14-18 FG, 33 P, 5 R, 2 Steals
	Andre Iguodala	SG/SF	DEN- 5-7 FG, 13 P, 10 A, 2 Blocks, 2 Steals
	Trevor Ariza	SG/SF	WAS- 8-12 FG, 18 P, 6 A, 4 Steals
	Chandler Parsons	SF	HOU- 9-15 FG, 5-9 3PT, 24 P, 7 R
	Lebron James	SF	MIA- 16 P, 11 A, 10 R

NHL Recap

Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk both scored in the second period to set up a very important huge third period. Ovechkin broke the tie himself a minute into the third period and then completed the hat trick with 5 minutes left. Troy Brouwer scored his 8th goal of the year with 3 minutes left to seal the 5-1 win. 

Edmonton pulled out great comeback to down the Coyotes 3-2 in a shootout. Kyle Chipchura and Matthew Lombardi scored the first tow goals of the game as the Coyotes took a 2-0 lead. The Oilers did not score until four minutes left in the second period when Jordan Eberle scored his sixth goal of the year assisted by Nail Yakupov and Sam Gagner. The Coyotes held onto the lead for the rest of the second but Teemu Hartikainen scored on the powerplay for his first goal of the game. From there the game went to a shootout where Sam Gagner scored on the first attempt of the shootout followed by Mikkel Boedker failed attempt for the Coyotes. On the Oilers' second attempt, Jordan Eberle slid the puck pat Mike Smith. The game was then put on the shoulders of David Rundblad who failed to score on the last attempt of the shootout.

 Dustin Brown got the Kings off to a quick start with a goal less than a minute into the game. Jeff Carter then followed up about 15 minutes later with an assist from his former Flyer teammate Mike Richards to increase the lead to 2-0. Milan Hedjuk put a little bit of a break in the Kings' domination with a goal at the beginning of the second period. It wasn't enough however as Trevor Lewis scored a shorthanded goal a minute later. Anze Kopitar put the game out of reach at the end of the second at a score of 4-1.

The Red Wings made Pekka Rinne look life a living hell yesterday pouring in 4 goals. Jimmy Howard played a great game blocking 33 shots to help the Wings blank the Predators 4-0. The Red Wings got off to a fast start with Drew Miller's goal 5 minutes into it. The Pred's offense outshot the Wings' by 6 but they were not able to take care of the puck committing 7 giveaways.
In Carolina, the Lightning returned to their high scoring ways after a recent scoring drought with a 5-2 win over the Hurricanes. Steven Stamkos netted his 12th goal of the year last night.
The Rangers and Canadiens played a game at almost snails pace with only 35 shots between the teams. The sloppy play included a total 25 shots and the Canadiens beat the Rangers by 1 in each category. The Canadiens won the game 3-0 with all goals coming in the third period.
In an all-Ontario Matchup the Senators and Maple Leafs played a game that went down right to the wire. The game was tied 2-2 with only 40 seconds left on the clock when Colin Greening  scored on Ben Scrivens to give the Senators a 3-2 win.
In St. Louis, Chris Stewart of the Blues scored in the first and Matt Calvert scored in the second to set up an interesting third period. Things seemed to be heading towards overtime but David Perron's goal halfway through the final frame gave the Blues a 2-1 win. P.S. This is great there is a game between the BLUES and BLUE Jackets, that is all.

Matt Stajan

The Stars defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 in a game that was closer than the score. The Sharks out shot the Stars and also did a better job controlling the puck limiting themselves to 5 turnovers and winning 34 of 67 faceoff draws.
In the last game of the night the Flames rode Matt Stajan's two third period goals to a 3-1 victory over the Wild. Alex Tanguay opened up the scoring two minutes into the game to give the Wild a 1-0 lead. Charlie Coyle scored his first goal of the year and the Wild's only of the night to tie it up in the second.

2/23/2013 All-NHLs
Pos	1st Team	Pos	2nd Team
LW	WAS- Alex Ovechkin- 3 G, 1 A, 4 P, 5 Hits	C	CGY- Matt Stajan- 2 G (game winner), +2
C	PHI- Zac Rinaldo (douche)- 1 G, 12 hits	C	OTT- Mika Zibanejad0 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, 5 Hits
C	EDM- Sam Gagner- 1 A, 6 SOG, 1 Hit, 1 TA	C	WPG- Alexander Burmistrov- 1 G, 4 Hits
D	DET- Niklas Kronwall- 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, +2, 3 Blocks	D	WPG- Dustin Byfuglien- 2 A, 2 Hits
D	TB- Eric Brewer- 1 A, 3 Blocks, 1 TA	D	PHI- Luke Schenn- Fight win, 5 H, 2 Blocks
G	NYI- Evgeni Nabokov- W, 35/35	G	DET- Jimmy Howard- W, 33/33