Avs extend home streak to team-record 8 (AP)
Avs extend home streak to team-record 8 (AP)
DENVER (AP)—Overtime and home cooking added up to an early Christmas present for the Colorado Avalanche. Matt Duchene scored late in overtime and Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 29 shots to lead the Avalanche over the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Friday night. Ryan O’Reilly also scored for Colorado, which has won a team-record eight straight home games. The Avalanche are 9-1 in games that go beyond regulation, including 3-1 in overtime. “I don’t think anybody would have thought that this would happen,” Giguere said of the home winning streak. “This is a building that should be hard for opposing teams to play in and we have done it as of late.” Mathieu Garon had 27 saves and Pavel Kubina scored for Tampa Bay. The Lightning are 9-1-3 in overtime and shootouts this season. “We battled hard. We got a point but we wanted two,” Garon said. Duchene got the winner when he sent a shot off Garon’s left pad from the left side with 1:22 left in the extra session for his team-leading 12th goal of the season. “I tried to fire one quick five-hole,” Duchene said. “I think he thought that I was past the net when I fired it. I don’t think it was on the right angle but I just threw it and it found its way in. A bit of luck there.” TJ Galiardi nearly won it late in regulation when he had a short-handed breakaway chance with 1:51 left, but Garon made the save. O’Reilly had a goal waved off with 48 seconds left because he knocked it in with his glove. Paul Stastny hit the right post with 3:02 left in overtime. Kubina gave Tampa Bay the lead when he scored his second goal of the season with 1:51 left in the first. Kubina picked up a pass from Lecavalier, used Colorado’s David Van Der Gulik as a screen and wristed a shot through Giguere to make it 1-0. “We got tons of scoring opportunities and we only got one in,” Lightning coach Guy Boucher said. “Sometimes it has a tendency to come back and haunt you.” It did when Colorado tied it midway through the second period. O’Brien took a shot from the point that Garon saved but O’Reilly snagged the rebound and flipped it into the net for his eighth goal of the season. “That goal was the turning point,” Colorado coach Joe Sacco said. Garon was back in net after being pulled when he allowed three goals in 6:21 against San Jose on Wednesday. He wasn’t tested much early with Tampa Bay dominating play at the start. The Lightning outshot Colorado 14-5 in the first and Garon’s only test came when he made two saves on the Avalanche’s first power play. The Lightning have struggled on the power play on the road this season and were 0 for 3 Friday. In their last 10 road games, they are 3 for 33 with the man advantage. “We’re losing our games because we can’t get that power-play goal,” Boucher said. “The power play on the road has been horrendous.” Notes: The Avalanche are 13-5-1 in one-goal games. Their 13 wins ties New Jersey for the league lead. … Colorado rookie Brad Malone is cousins with Lightning LW Ryan Malone. … The Avalanche/Nordiques franchise has won eight straight home games twice previously, in the 1983-84 and `94-95 seasons when the franchise was in Quebec. … Lightning RW James Wyman played in his first NHL game since Nov. 28, 2009, when he was with Montreal.
Tour Report: Players No. 11-15 unveiled (PGATOUR.com)
Tour Report: Players No. 11-15 unveiled (PGATOUR.com)
As we continue our countdown towards No. 1 at the end of this month, players 36-40 feature a range of winners, from first-timers in 2011 to major champions. Scott Stallings won as a rookie last season at The Greenbrier Classic, and Fredrik Jacobson also notched his first win – after eight seasons on the PGA TOUR – at the Travelers Championship. Ben Crane picked up career win No. 4 at The McGladrey Classic. Vijay Singh, of course, is among the winningest active players on TOUR, though he hasn’t won since 2008, when he won three tournaments and the FedExCup. Ian Poulter also went winless on TOUR last year, though you can bet both are looking to get back on top in 2012. Below is a link to each of the 5 players who were revealed on Thursday. PGATOUR.COM will countdown the players for the rest of December, with No. 1 unveiled on Dec. 30. Be sure to check out this year’s new addition of the Three Wise Men – Chris DiMarco, Arron Oberholser and Craig Perks, who offer their takes on each of the players on the list. Let’s us know how you think these players will perform in 2012 and whether we ranked ‘em too high, too low or just right. No. 36: Scott Stallings No. 37: Ian Poulter No. 38: Ben Crane No. 39: Vijay Singh No. 40: Fredrik Jacobson CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE ARCHIVE PAGE/SCHEDULE FOR THE TOP 100 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2012 Players No. 41-45 unveiled As we continue our countdown towards No. 1 at the end of this month, players 41-45 feature five past PGA TOUR winners. One of those – Davis Love III – not only will strive in 2012 to add to his career win total of 20, he also has the added responsibility of being the U.S. captain at the Ryder Cup. Below is a link to each of the 5 players who were revealed on Tuesday. PGATOUR.COM will countdown the players for the rest of December, with No. 1 unveiled on Dec. 30. Be sure to check out this year’s new addition of the Three Wise Men – Chris DiMarco, Arron Oberholser and Craig Perks, who offer their takes on each of the players on the list. Let’s us know how you think these players will perform in 2012 and whether we ranked ‘em too high, too low or just right. No. 41: Davis Love III No. 42: Louis Oosthuizen No. 43: Charley Hoffman No. 44: Bo Van Pelt No. 45: Camilo Villegas CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE ARCHIVE PAGE/SCHEDULE FOR THE TOP 100 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2012
Browns QB McCoy out, Wallace to start (AP)
Browns QB McCoy out, Wallace to start (AP)
BEREA, Ohio (AP)—Browns coach Pat Shurmur defended his team’s handling of quarterback Colt McCoy’s head injury in a loss to Pittsburgh. McCoy sustained a concussion from a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit from Steelers linebacker James Harrison in the fourth quarter Thursday. McCoy stayed out for two plays before coming back in and throwing an interception. Shurmur said McCoy didn’t show any symptoms of a concussion until after the game. Shurmur is confident the Browns’ medical staff followed the NFL’s guidelines on head injuries when they assessed McCoy on the sideline. McCoy told Shurmur “he was ready to go” before going back in. Shurmur was adamant that if McCoy had been symptomatic “he would not have gone back in the game—absolutely not.”
