CINCINNATI - With a 4-foot-3 local television celebrity in the audience to question him, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis apologized a third time for calling Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel a midget.Lewis referred to the 6-foot quarterback that way during a radio show on Monday night.Facing reporters directly Wednesday for the first time since the remark, Lewis said his comment was dumb and caused a lot of uproar. I apologize again for that.A television celebrity from Cleveland who stands 4-foot-3 sat in the front row for Lewis news conference in Cincinnati and asked a couple of questions about preparing for quarterbacks of different heights. Lewis said the Bengals have to adjust to what Manziel does well as a scrambling quarterback.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL y-3 Trainers Uk .C. -- Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith has been ruled out for Sundays game against the Atlanta Falcons. Stan Smith Adidas Buy .C. - Goodyear has warned teams that increased speeds at Charlotte Motor Speedway will put a heavy emphasis on the right front tires in Saturday nights race a€” a potentially key development for drivers trying to advance in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. http://www.yeezytrainersuk.com/y-3-uk-stores.html. - The Washington Redskins have signed free agent offensive lineman Mike McGlynn. Cheap Yeezy Boost 350 Uk ." Those traits were clear to the 24,071 at Olympic Stadium on Saturday as the Impact dominated the scoring chances but settled for a 2-2 draw with the New York Red Bulls in a battle of still-winless Major League Soccer teams. Yeezy Trainers Uk For Sale . Completely. Two days after releasing Peyton Manning, the longtime face of the franchise, the Colts announced they were cutting four fan favourites: running back Joseph Addai, linebacker Gary Brackett, safety Melvin Bullitt and tight end Dallas Clark. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Marcus Paige and his North Carolina teammates have endured so many wild swings -- big wins, surprising losses, NCAA drama -- that no one can blame their Hall of Fame coach for wondering whats next. And yet, a month after sitting at 0-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Tar Heels are surging after a rousing comeback against their fiercest rival that had their fans rushing to midcourt to celebrate when it was over. Paige scored all 13 of his points in the second half, including two big baskets in the final 2 1/2 minutes, to help UNC beat No. 5 Duke 74-66 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Senior Leslie McDonald added a season-high 21 points for the Tar Heels (19-7, 9-4 ACC), who rallied from 11 points down in the second half to beat the Blue Devils (21-6, 10-4) in a rivalry game postponed more than a week by a winter storm. It was by far North Carolinas most impressive win during its run. Before Thursday, most had come against teams standing sixth or lower in the ACC standings. "Im not going to say were a finished product because weve got games left," Paige said, "but man, were playing really well right now and were winning games in a lot of different ways." It marked UNCs third win against a top-five team this season, along then-No. 1 Michigan State and then-No. 3 Louisville. Throw in then-No. 11 Kentucky in December, and the Tar Heels have beaten the top four teams from The Associated Press preseason Top 25. Not bad for a team that never had top player P.J. Hairston due to NCAA violations for improper benefits. "It was a bunch of guys that fought really hard," coach Roy Williams said, "and I couldnt be prouder of my team than I am right now." After filling the entire court after the horn, thousands of fans mobbed Franklin Street on the north end of campus to continue a celebration that came eight days later than they had hoped due to last weeks winter storm. The storm brought enough snow and ice to paralyze area roads and kept Dukes bus from even making it to Durham to pick up the team for the 11-mile drive to the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels made it worth the wait for their fans by being tough enough to wrestle control from the Blue Devils. They shot 50 per cent from the field after halftime and even made theeir last 10 free throws after a disastrous start at the line.dddddddddddd. Jabari Parker and Quinn Cook both scored 17 points for Duke, which led 51-40 with about 15 minutes left before going ice cold from the field. The Blue Devils missed 13 straight shots and went scoreless for 6 minutes at one point, helping the Tar Heels climb back in it by mixing a 1-3-1 zone with man defence. "They would just keep switching," Cook said. "Wed come down, and we wouldnt know what theyd be in. They kept us on our toes with their defence." Duke shot 36 per cent (11 for 31) after halftime and made 5 of 22 3-pointers for the game, Coach Mike Krzyzewski said he thought his team "played young" in the second half. "We looked tired or we didnt have life," Krzyzewski said. "And no matter what we did in a timeout, we just didnt have that spark -- the anger, the emotion, the thing you have to have to match what their crowd, their team is doing. You have to try to counter that. And I just felt we were, we didnt have the life that you needed to have." Paige provided plenty of that fight for the Tar Heels. After being hounded by Duke defenders Cook and Rasheed Sulaimon through his scoreless first half, he scored nine points in the final 5 1/2 minutes starting with his only 3-pointer of the night. McDonald hit the go-ahead jumper to make it 62-60 with 3:54 left, capping his own strong performance after two straight 1-for-8 shooting performances. Paige followed with a stepback jumper over Rodney Hood with 2:11 left, then answered Parkers free throws by driving for a scooping layup through the heart of Dukes defence. After Sulaimon missed a 3 on the ensuing possession, freshman Nate Britt followed with two free throws that pushed the lead to 68-62 with 46.2 seconds left and soon had the rowdy home crowd inching closer to the court. It marked the 11th time Paige has scored in double figures in the second half this season after scoring four or fewer in the first. The postponement created a four-games-in-eight-days stretch for both teams, though its particularly challenging for Duke with No. 1 Syracuse visiting Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night in a rematch of the overtime classic won by the Orange earlier this month. UNC hosts Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon. ' ' '

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Nothing seems to bother Florida State. Distractions off the field, deficits on the field, nothing has derailed the Seminoles for 26 games and counting. And after yet another comeback, the defending national champions are squarely in the mix for another title. Dalvin Cook ran for two scores, including the go-ahead touchdown with 3:05 remaining and the second-ranked Seminoles (10-0, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 3 CFP) rallied from 16 points down to beat Miami 30-26 on Saturday night, their fifth straight win over their archrival and the fifth straight times theyve won on Hurricane turf. Just the way we do things at Florida State, Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher said. Amid another batch of twists and turns -- uncertainty over Cooks status early in the week because of a sore hip, then a Friday report in The New York Times about how starting cornerback P.J. Williams was ticketed but not charged after briefly leaving the scene of a car accident last month -- Florida State remained unscathed. Jameis Winston completed 25 of 42 passes for 304 yards for the Seminoles, who clinched the ACCs Atlantic Division title earlier in the day when Clemson lost. They were down 16-0 and 23-7 before outscoring the Hurricanes 23-3 in the final 2 1/2 quarters. We just kept our poise and kept playing, Fisher said. Brad Kaaya threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns for Miami, which got to the Florida State 43 on their final drive but fell short when Jalen Ramsey intercepted a fourth-down pass with 39 seconds left. Duke Johnson rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown for the Hurricanes (6-4, 3-3), who were eliminated from the ACCs Coastal race. Phillip Dorsett and Clive Walford caught scoring passes for Miami. With that, the cardiac Noles saw their chances of a second straight unbeaten run to a national title live on. They love each other and it gets down to that, Fisher said. They play for each other. They dont panic. This is a heck of a Miami football team. Give them credit ... but our kids just execute when they have to. The stadium was packed -- a rarity for Miami -- and filled with star power. Former Miami coach Howard Schnellenberger was on the sideline pregame, as was Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton. They all got what they came to see: another Miami-FSU classic. Down 13 at the half, Florida State got a huge break to get the comeback rolling. Facing a third down at the Miami 11, Winston dropped back and had his throw deflected by the Hurricanes Tyriq McCord, whose hand sent the ball flying high into the night. Karlos Williams caught the carom in stride, waltzed into the end zone and just like that it was a one-possession game, Miamis lead down to 23-17. The Hurricanes rolled up 320 yards in the first half, then got just about nothing going after halftime, with two punts and a fumble on their first three possessions after returning from the locker room. Meanwhile, Florida State chipped away. Aguyao connected from 37 to get the Seminoles within three, and after Michael Badgley tacked a field goal on for Miami, Aguayo answered again with a 53-yarder. Cooks go-ahead run came with 3:05 left, the first and only time FSU would lead all night. Trouble signs were there early for Florida State, which punted twice in the games first three minutes. Then again, early issues are commonplace for the Seminoles, who have faced second-quarter deficits in seven of their last eight games. By now, thats no big deal for Florida State. Kaaya found Dorsett with a perfect 27-yard strike that opened the scoring, Johnson got in from a yard out late in the first and Badgleys field goal on the next Hurricane possession pushed the lead to 16-0. It was Miamis biggest lead over Florida State since 2003. It was 23-7 after Kaaya and Walford connected on a 61-yard catch-and-run with 11:37 left in the second, and Miami was rolling. The Hurricanes roll stopped there. The rest of the night was all Florida State. Nathaniel Phillips Liverpool Jersey . Olsen, who is 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, can play either centre or guard. The 25-year-old Olsen played 16 games and made four starts in 2012 with the New Orleans Saints. Fabinho Liverpool Jersey . The English Football Association had charged the German right back with violent conduct after retrospectively reviewing video evidence of an incident that was missed by match officials at Craven Cottage on Saturday. http://www.footballliverpoolstore.com/Wo...verpool-Jersey/. The 33-year-old Spaniard, who held the lead since the second round, turned in a solid final round that featured six birdies and two bogeys to finish on 22-under 266. The victory is Garcias first this year with his last win coming at the Johor Open, an Asian Tour event in Malaysia last December. Dejan Lovren Liverpool Jersey . The Thunder earned the Game 1 win with a 100-86 victory Saturday night. Oklahoma City dominated the first half and led by 22 at the break, but saw its lead shrink to just two points in the fourth quarter. Dejan Lovren Jersey . -- David Ortiz saved his only hit for a key moment for the Boston Red Sox.Middlesbroughs promotion hopes suffered a blow after they were denied victory at Birmingham. Boro drew 2-2 at St Andrews to move top of the Sky Bet Championship by a point, but they were left frustrated after Daniel Ayalas goal was ruled out for offside - video replays showing the defender in an onside position with the score locked at 2-2.Jordan Rhodes and Gaston Ramirez had given the visitors the lead after Stephen Gleesons opener, but David Davis fine strike earned Birmingham an entertaining draw. Middlesbrough thought they had scored a crucial winner against Birmingham Middlesbroughs future is still in their own hands as they face Brighton on the final day with the Seagulls a point behind in third and a win would end Boros seven-year exile from the Premier League.But they face an anxious wait until Monday when Brighton host Derby and Burnley, who sit second, welcome QPR. Both games are live Sky Sports.All three started the day on 87 points and Boro will count the cost of a host of missed chances. Reaction from Daniel Ayala and Grant Leadbitter after Birmingham and Middlesbrough drew 2-2 at St Andrews It took until the the 25th minute for them to carve out an opening - and it was a glorious one which Rhodes should have taken.Grant Leadbitter barged his way through in the middle and when the ball ricocheted to Rhodes, the Scotland international was left with just Adam Legzdins to beat but the goalkeeper made a superb sprawling save.Two minutes later the hosts almost took the lead when Dimi Konstantopoulos palmed Maikel Kieftenbelds drive away and then claimed Clayton Donaldsons tame follow-up. Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett praised his players after the 2-2 draw with promotion chasing Middlesbrough The game suddenly opened up and Legzdins raced off his line to deny Rhodes again before Birmingham struck first after 33 minutes.ddddddddddddLoanee Ritchie De Laet - who will earn a Premier League winners medal if Leicester win the title - could only clear as far as Gleeson and the midfielder was given too much time to steady himself and while Konstantopoulos got a hand to his 25-yard drive, he could not keep it out.Boro hit back almost immediately when Legzdins thwarted Albert Adomah but the keeper then undid all his fine work with a fumble five minutes before the break. Birmingham City keeper Adam Legzdins gifted Middlesbrough a first-half equaliser The visitors were awarded a free kick 25-yards out and Legzdins spilled Ramirezs strike straight to Rhodes who bundled in from four yards.The chances continued to flow after the break as Ryan Shottons header dropped just wide before Boro missed three golden chances in the space of 10 seconds. Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka gives his post-match reaction after his sides 2-2 draw against Birmingham First, Rhodes volleyed Leadbitters free-kick against the post, only to then block Adomahs follow-up and see Ramirez fire a third attempt over the bar, but Boro finally took the lead after 57 minutes with a goal of true simplicity.Adomahs deep cross found Rhodes peeling off at the far post and his header across goal was met by Ramirez to nod in from barely a yard. Birmingham Citys Jonathan Grounds and Middlesbroughs Albert Adomah battle for the ball Back came Birmingham, though, and Davis levelled 11 minutes later with a brilliant half-volley from the edge of the area after Ayala could only half clear.And an enthralling game continued to spark within 90 seconds when Ayala had a goal ruled out for offside having curled into the far corner from 12 yards.Boro then almost lost the game when Diego Fabbrini headed over and Konstanopoulos twice denied David Cotterill in the final 10 minutes.But Leadbitter nearly won it with two minutes left when Legzdins turned his rasping drive onto the bar. ' ' '

LONDON -- Fulhams miserable season reached a new low on Tuesday as the Premier League club was sensationally beaten 1-0 at home by League One struggler Sheffield United after extra time in an FA Cup fourth-round replay. Shaun Miller headed a dramatic winner for the third-tier club just a minute before the end of extra time of a particularly dour contest in the rain at Craven Cottage. United, which claimed its second Premier League scalp of the campaign after knocking out Aston Villa in the third round, is second from bottom in League One. But the difference in status hardly showed as the visitors fought for every ball and created the better chances against a Fulham side that is bottom of the Premier League and on its second manager of the season in Rene Meulensteen. With the match looking destined for a penalty shootout, Miller reacted quickly to glance home Harry Maguires header across goal, giving the Fulham keeper no chance. Nigel Cloughs team will now play either Nottingham Forest or Preston North End, who meet in another replay on Wednesday, in the fifth round. "If you hang on in there at 0-0 youve always got that opportunity," Clough said. "A remarkable effort again by the players tonight." Meulensteen made no excuses for his sides failure to break through Uniteds well-organized defence. "It is very disappointing. It is as bad as the weather -- the result, the outcome, the performance," he said. "That sums it up. It was a poor night all-round." Travis Konecny Jersey . The 23-year-old Poland international is back as first choice at Arsenal after losing his regular spot in the team on occasions over the last three seasons. Scott Laughton Flyers Jersey . Cellino was ordered by a judge to pay a 600,000 euro ($800,000) fine for evading import taxes on a yacht he purchased in the United States and brought to Italy, the ANSA news agency reported. http://www.flyersteamstoreonline.com/aut...-flyers-jersey/. He made the comment at a media availability Saturday prior to Game 2 of the Boston-Montreal playoff series when a Quebec reporter said there is sentiment in Quebec that the NHL looks more favourably on Seattle than Quebec City when it comes to future expansion. Jaromir Jagr Jersey . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play. Eric Lindros Flyers Jersey . This is Lowry’s third time winning the award in his career. He won the award last season and as a member of the Houston Rockets in 2011. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nathan Horton had surgery Friday to repair an abdominal injury and will be sidelined for approximately six weeks. The club makes its second playoff appearance next week. Horton, a prized free-agent signing from Boston last summer, missed the firsst half of the season after shoulder surgery.dddddddddddd He had five goals and 14 assists in 36 games before missing recent games with his most recent injury. The Blue Jackets also reassigned defenceman Tim Erixon to their American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield, Mass. ' ' '

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- UCLA scored three defensive touchdowns before Brett Hundley led them on a critical second-half scoring drive and the No. 7 Bruins escaped Virginia 28-20 in the opener for both teams Saturday. Hundley, widely regarded as one of the nations top quarterbacks, was harassed all day by Virginias pressure defence, and made the biggest play of the day for UCLA with his feet. It came on a 6-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter when he overpowered safety Quin Blanding on a 6-yard TD run. The Cavaliers, 21-point underdogs, trailed 28-20 and had a first down at the Bruins 19 late in the game, but three consecutive running plays netted just two yards and irritated the fans, and linebacker Myles Jack disrupted Matt Johns fourth-and-8 pass to Doni Dowling and it fell to the ground. L.C. Greenwood Youth Jersey . Head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed on Sunday that his starting goalie has a head injury and the team will take it day by day. Hines Ward Womens Jersey . The 23-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., defeated Germanys Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday in the fourth round of the Sony Open in just 89 minutes. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steel...ell-Jersey/.com) - Eric Fehr and Marcus Johansson each registered a pair of goals, as Washington spoiled the head coaching debut of Peter Horachek by picking up a 6-2 victory in Toronto on Wednesday. Rocky Bleier Jersey . The light-heavyweight champion and number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world is on an 11-fight UFC winning streak, the longest in the history of the weight class. Justin Layne Steelers Jersey . The Detroit Tigers slugger fell short in his bid to become the first player to win the Triple Crown in successive seasons. PRETORIA, South Africa - In a day of potentially damaging testimony, a former girlfriend of Oscar Pistorius said at his murder trial Friday that he once shot his gun out of a car sunroof and later cheated on her with the woman he killed last year. And a security guard recalled the athlete telling him everything was "fine" after neighbours reported gunshots coming from Pistorius house on the night of her death. The gripping accounts capped the first week of the televised trial of the double-amputee Olympian, whose chief defence lawyer has tried to sow doubt about the testimony of neighbours who said they heard a womans screams before gunshots. Proceedings have also focused on past incidents involving alleged gunplay, part of an apparent prosecution effort to portray Pistorius, 27, as a hothead who sometimes thought he was above authority. Prosecutors say he intentionally killed Reeva Steenkamp during an argument, but he insists it was a mistake, and that he fired through the locked toilet door in his bathroom believing an intruder was behind it. The security guard, Pieter Baba, testified that he telephoned Pistorius after the reported gunshots in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14, 2013, and that the athlete assured him in their brief conversation: "Security, everything is fine." Moments later, Baba said, Pistorius phoned him back, started crying and didnt say anything and then the line went dead. It was minutes after he shot Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model. "Not everything was in order as Mr. Pistorius was telling me," Baba recalled saying to a fellow guard as they were outside the runners villa. Earlier, ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor, who cried twice during her time on the stand in the Pretoria court, said Pistorius always carried a firearm when they dated and sometimes shouted angrily at her and her friends. There were murmurs in court when Taylor said their relationship ended because Pistorius cheated on her with Steenkamp. Taylor said she started going out with Pistorius in 2011 when she was 17 and that the relationship ended in November 2012. She described some of Pistorius habits, including what side of the bed he slept on at home, the fact that he placed his gun on the bedside table or next to his prostheses on the floor at night and how he would balance against things if he was walking on his stumps. Pistorius was born without fibula bones because of a congenital defect, and his legs were amputated when he was 11 months old. He ran on carbon-fiber blades and is a multiple Paralympic medallist . He also competed at the Lonndon Olympics but didnt win a medal.dddddddddddd Taylor described one occasion in which Pistorius fired his gun out of a sunroof soon after a policeman stopped their car for speeding. She also mentioned another incident in which she and Pistorius were followed by a car as he drove home. "When we arrived at his estate, he jumped out of the car with his gun and held it to someones window, and then they drove away," Taylor said. Defence lawyer Barry Roux raised the possibility that Pistorius was trying to protect Taylor, though she said did not feel threatened. Taylor also described problems in her relationship with Pistorius, the first amputee to run in the Olympics. "He cheated on me with Reeva Steenkamp," Taylor said. The court later adjourned briefly after Taylor broke down in tears while describing how Pistorius had earlier cheated on her with a different woman, and then again when she cried while discussing her problems with him. Roux, the defence lawyer, said he would produce emails between Taylor and Pistorius to show that her testimony was untrue, and he also sought to highlight apparent gaps in Taylors memory of the alleged sunroof gunfire in September 2012. Roux said Pistorius denies the shooting took place. Taylor also described previous incidents when Pistorius thought there was an intruder trying to get into his home, saying he reacted by waking her up. "There was one occasion when something hit the bathroom window and Oscar woke me up and asked me if I heard it," Taylor said. "He got up with his gun." But he woke you up, asked prosecutor Gerrie Nel. "Yes. There was probably one or two occasions when he woke me up to ask me if I heard something," Taylor replied. Pistorius did not attempt to wake or locate Steenkamp before he shot her by mistake, according to his own version of events. On the night Steenkamp died, security guard Baba said he drove from the main gate of the gated community to Pistorius home with a colleague after neighbours called to report sounds like gunshots from that direction. A few minutes after Babas two brief phone calls with Pistorius, two other people showed up: Johan Stander, a manager of the housing complex whom Pistorius says he called to get an ambulance, and Standers daughter. The group went to the front door of the house and someone pushed it open. Baba said he saw Pistorius coming down the stairs, carrying the bloodied Steenkamp. "I was so shocked," Baba said. "I started regaining my senses when Mr. Stander said Oscar." ' ' '

Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler has been busy looking into your questions and has come up with the answers. Scroll down the page to see them and dont forget to have a go at this weeks Tylers Teaser!How to send your questions to Martin: 1: Email your posers to skysportsclub@bskyb.com2. Tweet @SkyFootball using the hashtag #TylersTeasersMartins starting statsI didnt do a Sky Sports commentary this weekend because Liverpool against Chelsea has been rearranged to May 11 due to the Blues involvement in the FA Cup - but I covered Leicester versus Newcastle for the world feed.It was the first league double Leicester had done over Newcastle since the 1974/75 season. The Magpies have lost their last seven away games in the Premier League and its 50 years since they last lost seven consecutive away games in a single league season. Shinji Okazakis goal against Newcastle was first home goal for Leicester Shinji Okazaki scored his sixth Leicester City goal and his fifth in the Premier League - but it was his first goal at home. One of his away goals was at Newcastle in November. He has started the last 10 Premier League games and been substituted in all of them.By contrast, Georginio Wijnaldum, Newcastles top scorer with nine, is still waiting for his first away goal for the club.We referred to the partnership of Robert Huth and Wes Morgan last week - and it has gone to 43 Premier League games and 24 wins to go with 12 draws and only seven defeats.Jeffrey Schlupp came on as a substitute for the fourth consecutive game to reach 50 Premier League appearances.Jack Colback, quite conspicuously, avoided any risk of getting a 10th yellow card that would have kept him out of a game that means so much to him against Sunderland - and he is ready to face the Black Cats on Sky Sports on Super Sunday.Fewest points for fourth Manchester City are currently fourth in the table Whats the lowest points tally a Premier League team has needed to qualify for the Champions League? RikMARTIN SAYS: Since the Premier League was awarded a fourth Champions League spot at the start of the 2001/02 season, the average points of the team that has finished fourth is 69.35.However, the lowest points total any team has mustered and still come fourth were Liverpool with 60 in 2003/04, while the most is Arsenal who managed to come fourth in 2013/14 with 79 points.The four main contenders for the final Champions League place this season - Arsenal, Manchester City, West Ham and Manchester United - are all on track to finish on more than the record low of 60 - but less than the average of 69.35.Arsenal are third on 52 points and have picked up 1.79 points per game. At that rate they will finish on 68 points at the end of the season.City are currently in fourth on 51 points, and will finish on 67 if they continue on their current points per game rate. While West Ham would finish on 64 and Manchester United on 62.If City finish on 67 points and finish fourth, it will be the lowest tally since Arsenal finished fourth with the same total in 2005/06.When Chelsea finished sixth in 2011/12 and won the Champions League to qualify for the next seasons competition, they still amassed 64 points - which in some seasons would have been enough to finish fourth.Villas goalscoring woes Aston Villa have only scored 22 goals this season What is the lowest number of goals scored in a Premier League season, and are Aston Villa in danger of beating this record? Stephen BonifaceMARTIN SAYS: Aston Villa are not in danger of becoming the lowest scorers in Premier League history during a single season, having already scored 22 goals - two more than Derby County managed when they were relegated in 2007/08.Remi Gardes side, however, could join an exclusive club of nine other teams that have mustered fewer than 30 goals in a single campaign.Sunderland lead the way having done so three times (29 goals in 2001/02, 21 goals 2002/03 and 26 in 2005/06), while Burnley scored just 28 times last season.Norwich (28 in 2013/14), Middlesbrough (28 in 2008/09), Birmingham (28 in 2005/06) and West Brom (29 in 2002/03) were also relegated after scoring less than 30 goals in a season.However, Manchester City (29 in 2006/07), Leeds United (28 in 1996/97) stayed up with fewer than 30 goals scored, a feat also managed by Sunderland in 2005/06.League leaders Tottenham have not been top of the Premier League yet this season If Tottenham go on to win the Primer League, would it be the least amount of time any side has spent at the top in a title-winning season?MARTIN SAYS: Tottenham have not finished a matchday top of the Premier League at all so far this season (and have only spent 33 days on top in the history of the competition).They currently trail Leicester by five points, so Saturday, April 2 is the earliest they could go top of the Premier League this season.Should they do so on that date, which would rely on Leicester to lose their next game at Crystal Palace and Spurs to win both of theirs, then the longest that Mauricio Pochettinos side could top the table for this season is 43 days.Only two sides have led the Premier League for less time in one season and lifted the title.Manchester City led for just 15 days in 2013/14 when they overtook Liverpool in the final days of the season, while Manchester United were on top for just 31 days of the 2002/03 season.At the other end of the spectrum, Chelsea led for an impressive 274 days last season after going top in August.Southamptons poor discipline Sadio Mane became the sixth Southampton player sent off this season in the Premier League Southampton have had six red cards this season. Whats the highest any team has finished after getting so many? PaddyMARTIN SAYS: To date, 37 teams have had at least six red cards in a season since the inception of the Premier League.Perhaps surprisingly, only seven of those clubs have been relegated during that campaign (Hull - 6 in 2014/15 and 2009/10, Nottingham Forest - 6 in 1998/99, Birmingham - 7 in 2005/06, Newcastle - 8 in 2008/09, Blackburn, - 8 in 1998/99 and Leicester - 8 in 1994/95).As you can see from the above, three of the four sides to finish a season on eight red cards were relegated - but the other side to do so - West Ham in 1999/2000 - finished ninth.No Premier League side has yet reached double figures for red cards in a single season, although QPR (2011/12) and Sunderland (2009/10) went close with nine dismissals. QPR finished 17th that year and Sunderland were 13th.Southampton are seventh in the Premier League table, despite their six red cards this season, and could become just the eighth side with at least that many to finish in the top eight.Arsenal have been the best performing side with a poor disciplinary record, winning the league in 2001/02 with six red cards, while they finished second in 1998/99 with seven and fourth in 2010/11 with six.They are the three highest finishes of any team with six red cards in a season. Also See: Alan Smith on Arsenal Rafa v Premier League Rafa Benitez stats La Liga v Premier League Brian ONeill Womens Jersey . -- Josh Smith made a 3-pointer as time expired and finished with 20 points to lift the Detroit Pistons to a 99-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night in both teams exhibition finale. Irv Smith Jr. Youth Jersey . -- Wes Welker is unlikely to suit up for Denvers game Thursday against San Diego after leaving Sundays win over Tennessee with his second concussion in four games. http://www.thevikingsshoponline.com/Yout...vikings-jersey/. The future hall of famers stole the show at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night, with Jagr moving into seventh place in all-time goal scoring and Brodeur stopping 29 shots as the Devils downed the Montreal Canadiens 4-1. Chris Doleman Jersey . Jeff Green and Jordan Crawford each scored 19 points, Bass added 15 points and had a game-saving block in the closing seconds Saturday, and the Celtics held on for a 103-100 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Brett Favre Womens Jersey . Here is a look at all the moves through the first week of NHL Free Agency. The most significant deals will get the full Numbers Game column treatment, like these:Briere-for-Parenteau trade. TORONTO -- The lid has been lifted a little on the cost of Toronto FCs rebirth, with a 2014 player payroll almost quadrupled from last season. Figures released Thursday by the MLS Players Union show that Toronto is home to three of the 12 players in the league making million-dollar-plus salaries in 2014. Seattle Sounders striker Clint Dempsey is the leagues highest-paid player at $6.695 million (all figures U.S.). Two Toronto players are next with U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley at $6.5 million and England striker Jermain Defoe at $6.18 million. Los Angeles Galaxy players ranked fourth and fifth with forward Landon Donovan listed at $4.583 million and Irish striker Robbie Keane at $4.5 million. Two New York Red Bulls are next: French striker Thierry Henry at $4.35 million and Australian midfielder Tim Cahill at $3.625. Montreal forward Marco Di Vaio is the highest-paid Impact player at $2.6 million (eighth in the league) while midfielder Pedro Morales leads the Vancouver Whitecaps at $1.41 million (10th). Torontos Brazilian striker Gilberto earns $1.2 million (12th), making for a total TFC payroll of $16.65 million. That compares to a team total of $4.35 million last season, according to the unions September 2013 numbers. The TFC spending spree is paying dividends with Toronto (3-1-0) currently second in the Eastern Conference standings. The team managed only six wins in 2013 when it went 6-17-11. Tim Leiweke, CEO and president of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, has said the soccer club will lose money this season because of the outlay, however. The other million-dollar-plus earners are Seattle forward Obafemi Martins ($1.753 million, ninth) and Los Angeles defender Omar Gonzalez ($125 million, 11th). All 12 are designated players, meaning that only $387,500 of their pay counts against their clubs $3.1-million salary cap. The union figures do not include performance bonuses. Not do they show instances where players are provided accommodations, which an union spokesman said was rare but can happen. And its safe to assume that Julio Cesar, the Brazilian international goalkeeper on loan with Toronto from Queens Park Rangers, is not having to scrape by on a mere $202,000. QPR is no doubt topping up his bank account big-time. Thanks to the leagues complicated rules, player salaries may be larger than listed by the union. Teams can used so-called allocation money to buy down player salaries, including the cap hit of DPs. MLS rules state:: "Clubs have the option of buying down the budget charge of a designated player with allocation money.dddddddddddd The reduced charge may not be less than $150,000." Still the union salary figures offer a look at a league of haves and have nots. Mark Bloom, a 26-year-old fullback who has played every minute of Torontos first four games, is listed as making $48,825. On the plus side, Blooms salary was $46,500 last season. The extra money will come in handy now that Blooms wife is expecting their first child. To put Bradleys and Defoes $6-million-plus 2014 salaries in perspective, Toronto Maple Leafs stars Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf signed eight-year, $64-million and seven year, $49-million contract extensions, respectively, earlier this season. Phaneuf is making $5.5 million this season while Kessel is getting $5.4 million. Raptors forward Amir Johnson, another member of the MLSE family, reportedly makes the same money as Bradley at $6.5 million. Thats some $6 million more than Toronto Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray reportedly will make this season and hes the highest-paid player in the CFL. Veteran Canadian international Dwayne De Rosario, who rejoined Toronto FC during the off-season, is listed at $173,000. Thats down from the $645,333 he got last year with D.C. United. Toronto captain Steven Caldwells listed salary is $364,167 while Vancouver skipper Jay DeMerit is at $2457,500 and Montreal captain Patrice Bernier makes $205,000. Canadian international midfielder Will Johnson, who captains the Portland Timbers, is listed at $325,000. Newly acquired Impact striker Jack McInerney is making $294,167 while Vancouver forward Kenny Miller is at $940,000, down from $1.25 million a year ago. Toronto midfielder Jonathan Osorio got a healthy raise, moving to $142,600 from $46,500. Goalie Joe Bendik went to $147,375 from $46,500, only to lose his starting job to Cesar. U.S. international midfielder Graham Zusi, at $398,250, is the highest-paid member of defending champion Sporting Kansas City. But he is also one of six players making more than $200,000 on the roster. Toronto has five players above $200,000. MLS has a ways to go to catch other leagues. Barcelona pays Argentine star Lionel Messi more than $21 million a year, according to Forbes magazine. The MLS union numbers include the players base salary and all signing and guaranteed bonuses annualized over the term of the players contract, including option years. ' ' '

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- It took only one pitch Tuesday night for the Texas Rangers to take the lead in a game for the first time in more than a week. Ian Kinsler drove Jeremy Hellicksons first fastball for a home run, and the Rangers went on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-1, breaking a seven-game losing streak. "Obviously weve been fighting from behind a lot in this last week or so," Kinsler said. "So to be able to get a first hit out of the way, and a first run out of the way, gave (Alexi) Ogando a little bit of breathing room." Elvis Andrus felt it from the on-deck circle. "I think the homer by Ian made the whole team just relax," he said. "We havent scored first in a little while." Kinsler and Andrus homered and drove in three runs each to help the Rangers pull even with the Rays at the top of the AL wild-card race. The Rangers, who held the No. 1 wild-card spot or the AL West lead for most of the summer, won for only the fourth time in 17 games. "Given the circumstances, its a big win," Kinsler said. "Youve got to have a sense of relief when you lose seven in a row and you know youre a better team than that," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. Kinslers 12th home run broke a streak of seven homerless games for the Rangers, their longest in 23 years. The 1-0 lead marked the first time Texas has led in a game since its last victory, on Sept. 8. Kinsler added a two-run single in the Rangers four-run third, driving in three runs on the first two pitches he saw from Helickson (11-9). Andrus followed with his third home run of the season to put the Rangers up 5-0. "The first pitch of the game was not a good fastball," Hellickson said. "Then I settled down a bit, but in the third I walked the leadoff guy (Mitch Moreland) and you cant do that against a lineup like that." Ogando (7-4) won in his first start since Aug. 13, giving up two hits in five innings. He had made four relief appearances after spending three weeks on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation. Ogando retired the first seven Rays he faced, the last four with strikeouts, before Jose Lobaton homered in the third inning. Washington said after the game that Ogando will start Sunday at Kansas City. "Ogando went out there and did way beyond the call of duty, and I think he deserves a lot of credit," Washington said. "We werent expecting five (innings). I was hoping he could go deep, but he gave us five quality innings." Leonys Martin doubled twice and added a ninth-inning home run, his eighth of the season. Rookie Wil Myers had two of Tampa Bays four hits. Hellickson, who is 1-6 in his last nine starts, gave up five earned runs in 2 2-3 innings. NOTES: Kinsler has led off 29 games with a home run, two this season. ... Rangers OF Nelson Cruz, who is suspended for the rest of the regular season, began workouts at the teams training facility in Arizona. ... The Rangers 43-33 road record is the best in the majors. ... The Rays promoted 32-year-old outfielder Freddy Guzman and added him to the active roster. Guzman has played in 47 major league games, most recently in 2009 with the New York Yankees. ... . RHP Jesse Crain, who has been on the DL with a right shoulder strain since the Rays acquired him from the Chicago White Sox on July 29, could be activated as early as Wednesday. ... The Rays announced a renewal of their relationship with Montgomery, their Double-A affiliate. They will play an exhibition game on March 29 at Montgomerys Riverwalk Stadium. Andrew Robertson Liverpool Jersey .Just like old times.Only this time, just one got to enjoy a victory.James return to Miami as an opponent was a success — for the Heat, that is. Wade scored 24 of his 31 points in the first half, Luol Deng had 25 points and dogged James defensively all night, and the Heat beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-91 in a hyped Christmas matchup Thursday. Naby Keita Jersey . "Im proud of him," Jones said in an interview from Sacramento, site of the UFCs weekend televised card. "I think hes listening to his body and hes doing what makes him happy and thats what life is about ultimately. http://www.liverpoolgear.us/Authentic-Ge...verpool-Jersey/. -- Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno was admitted to the hospital Friday for observation due to minor complications from cancer treatments, his family said. Divock Origi Liverpool Jersey . Various media outlets, including the Detroit Free Press, indicate a deal is close, while USA Today cited an unidentified person directly involved with the negotiations as saying the pact is for two years. Rhian Brewster Jersey . -- Miguel Angel Jimenez quickly shifted his focus back to the Ryder Cup after winning his first Champions Tour event.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Kerry, Sorry to say, but in two of the last three Senators games its blatantly obvious who the referees are pulling for. Calling penalties on Milan Michalek for grabbing a guy after the St. Louis Blues did it for two full periods without a call and then that horrible call on Bobby Ryan for holding his stick the proper way and Steen obviously skating into it. Terrible officiating and its obvious to us fans watching on TV. Im getting to the point of shutting it off completely and trying basketball, where I know they will call terrible penalties but on both teams! Dr. Adam Hoirch --- Hi Kerry, I was curious about if referees review their own calls/non calls in the intermission. In watching the Ottawa/St. Louis game last night I have to say there were some calls that seemed unwarranted against the Senators and some non-calls against for the Blues that seemed to be blatant. Ive seen games where it appears the refs give a soft call to the team that has been wrongly punished, but that wasnt the case last night. With the Blues getting over nine minutes of power play time including a full two minutes of 5-on-3 while the Senators got only 37 seconds of total power play time it is hard to imagine any attempt was made to balance unfair or missed calls. Do the refs really try to make amends for errors or do they just forge on? Cheers,Scott --- Bobby Ryan received an elbowing penalty in the first period of the Ottawa-St. Louis game. Alex Steen ran into Ryan. Can you explain what Ryan did wrong? Thanks,Greg Moffatt --- Hi, Many have probably heard of the Senators vs. Blues game. It was pretty obvious all the calls were one-sided, at a point that I was expecting a supervisor coming down during the intermission and talking to the guys. The Senators were called on cases were the Blues did exactly the same thing, on multiple occasions, with the ref right there smiling with both hands down. As a Senators fan and hockey fan, I felt for the first time betrayed. This game was controlled and it made me so mad! My Twitter account went crazy! Fans were all on the same page, they all felt sick to their stomach. What is going on against the Senators? The Pittsburgh and St. Louis games were really weird. Example of identical play on both side were the Senators were in the box and not the Blues: - High stick- Crosscheck- Tripping- Roughing (I guess) on Michalek for coming on after the whistle and grabbing a Blues player from behind (which was done all night)- Misconduct to MacArthur because he too had enough of this circus! Last night, the Senators won against the Blues and the Refs. Please looks at the game and comment...its weird! Cheers,Jean-Francois Labonte --- Hi Mr. Fraser, To be blunt: what are the repercussions for bad referees, and what do you think the league can do to minimize games turning on bad calls in the future? Context: Im a very angry Ottawa Senators fan. We recently lost a game in part because of a blown boarding call against the Leafs and nearly lost a game against the Blues where the Blues had seven power plays and the Sens had one power play. Ill spare you most of the details of the Blues game, but it was the worst officiated game Ive ever seen. It included a comically bad call against Bobby Ryan for elbowing a player who skated into his arm while Ryan was looking away and playing a puck on the boards. A ten-minute misconduct against Clarke MacArthur for, what I gather, saying something to the referee that the referee did not like. As far as Im concerned, good referees arent just being fair, they look like theyre being fair. In a well-officiated game, all of the fans – win or lose - leave believing the players decided the game, not the referees. If that doesnt happen, everyone loses. What do you think? Yours truly,Anthony Moffatt --- Hi Kerry, Doing my best not to wear Sens-coloured glasses, I still am shocked at what I believe to be a display of inconsistent and at times downright incompetent officiating by the referees in Ottawas game at St. Louis on Tuesday night. Despite the Sens winning the game I cant help but feel uncomfortable with officiating like that in a sport at the professional level. The Senators were assessed 10 penalties to the Blues three. I am in no way stating that some of these werent deserved as discipline has been a major issue for them this year, but such a huge discrepancy when clearly the Blues were up to antics of their own (it seemed like there was a scrum after every whistle) is very disappointing. The fact that the Blues failed to capitalize on any of their six (seven?) power play chances just added to the feel that Ottawa was in fact playing against the officials and not St. Louis. What is your opinion on the job the refs did during that game and, knowing how the league protects its refs, is there any channel through which the Senators could possibly launch a formal complaint? It was clear during the game that the team was frustrated by the seemingly unfair parade of white jerseys to the penalty box. Regards,Dave Peters --- Dr. Hoirch, Scott, Greg, Jean-Francois, Anthony and Dave: (Almost 1,000 words in the questions alone!) Since I am not qualified to provide anger management counseling for you, I will instead analyze the game from my area of officiating expertise. If the Ottawa management feels, as each of you does, they can request an official review of the officiating crews performance presented throughout this game. That performance review must be requested in writing and would be conducted by VP of Officiating Stephen Walkom. His findings would be returned to Senators General Manager Bryan Murray in a written report. Having watched every second from the opening puck drop to the end of the second period and portions of the third period and OT, I find some evidence that Brian might have already requested a formal review. Heres my analysis. It is not intended to be work of prose but simply a breakdown of calls and missed calls from my perspective. First Period: The game began with some negative energy and carryover from their previous meeting on December 16 resulting from a high hit by Zach Smith on Alex Steen. Steen subsequently missed some games with concussion like symptoms. The first clue of what the refs might have in store came when Ken Hitchcock not only started his fourth line but intended for Ryan Reeves to line up out of his normal position to take the opening draw against Zack Smith. Referee Marc Joannette wisely ejected Reeves prior to the puck drop following some trash talk. That first shift lasted 36 seconds before unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were assessed to both Reeves and Smith. Given the negative energy I referred to, the referees should have been on high alert to bring the temperature down if and when they deemed it necessary. It was apparent to me that St. Louis Blues were the more aggressive team from the onset. With 13:42 remaining in thee first period David Backes took exception to a solid, but legal hit by Chris Neil in the Senators end zone.dddddddddddd When play stopped in the Blues zone (13:29 remaining) David Backes initiate a scrum by first grabbing Clarke MacArthur after the whistle and then dropped his gloves and grabbed Kyle Turris. This was a perfect opportunity for the referees to set a good standard on scrums by assessing a single penalty to Blues captain David Backes. This was a key moment in the game when a stand-alone penalty to the Blues should have resulted to address the scrum issue but was not called. With 4:34 remaining, Kevin Shattenkirk got away with a high hit and charge against Milan Michalek on a play that was signaled for an offside at the Blues blue line. Shattenkirk travelled a distance, left his feet and made some contact with the head of Michalek. A charging minor was warranted but not called. With 2:06 remaining in the first, Clarke MacArthur was correctly penalized for tripping when he kicked T.J. Oshies skates out from behind to take down the Blue player. Even though Sens coach Paul McLean and MacArthur protested, the referee made the right call! Another correct penalty call by the referee was then assessed to Derek Roy of the Blues with 29 seconds remaining when he grabbed and stretched the jersey of Marc Methot from behind. Second Period: This period was when missed and incorrect penalty calls resulted in frustration for the Senator players, their coach and their fans. With 17:01 remaining, Kyle Turris cleanly won a Senators end zone faceoff against Alex Steen. Steen then hooked his stick through the left leg of Turris, lifting the leg almost waist high and depositing the Senators player hard to the ice. Steen gave Turris an additional shot once he was down just for good measure! Although nothing was called this was clearly an aggressive trip that should have resulted in a penalty to Steen and resulted in another major scrum taking place. When play stopped 13 seconds later, Turris had words with Steen, punches were exchanged in the scrum. Chris Stewart and Bobby Ryan were assessed coincidental roughing minor penalties. The main event was between Turris and Steen and following the failed tripping call, these two players should have been sent to the penalty box to cool off. There was a good non-call by referee Joannette during the resulting four on four when Alex Steen grabbed a stretch pass at the Ottawa blue line and went in all alone. Eric Gryba made an excellent, legal defensive stick lift with the referee looking on. Scrums persisted in rapid-fire that were not addressed by the referees. With 12:02 remaining, Kyle Turris of the Sens pushed the back of Roman Polaks head with force following a stoppage of play in the Blues goal crease. Turris should have received a penalty as the initiator of the scrum that followed. No call was made. Eric Condra jammed his stick at a puck that was frozen by Jaroslav Halak, resulting in a major scrum where no penalties resulted with 11:42 remaining in the period. Shortly thereafter (10:24 left) a four player scrum following the stoppage took place that included a couple of heavyweights in Chris Neil and Ryan Reeves. Once again, no penalties were assessed by either referee.A pattern clearly had developed by this point with the number of non-penalized scrums that had taken place within a relatively short span of time on the game clock. What can I say about the Bobby Ryan elbowing penalty? In an attempt to put it nicely. Ill state that Bobby Ryan did not deserve an elbowing penalty on the play when Alexander Steen ran into Ryans elbow. Penalty calls are rated in three categories: i) Good ii) Marginal and iii) Poor. This call clearly falls into category iii). The Senators lost their composure (justified or not) and verbally shared their disdain for the referees call and most likely got personal. The referees standard on scrums was somehow was altered at this point in the game when just 5 seconds into the Bobby Ryan elbowing penalty, Patrik Berglund went to the net and lightly bumped Sens goalie Robin Lehner. Milan Michalek was then assessed a roughing penalty, putting the Sens two men short when he grabbed Berglund around the neck from behind to pull the Blues player back from his goalkeeper. No punch or push to the head as witnessed previously but a grab around the neck. The penalty call was an overreaction and completely inconsistent with the standard set to on the multiple scrums that had occurred to this point in the game. Much more aggressive incidents had been committed by players of both teams had not resulted in penalties to this point in the game; especially to place a team at a two man disadvantage. Perhaps there is also a lesson to be learned by the Sens as well regarding their lack of anger and frustration management? The penalty assessed to Marc Methot with approximately four seconds remaining in the roughing minor to Michalek was justified, once Methot extended his arms and delivered a solid cross-check in the corner to T.J. Oshie. The tripping penalty assessed to Mika Zibanejad on Jay Bouwmeester with 2:59 remaining in the second period was also a must call for the referee to make. The negative energy that was first initiated by the Blues against the Senators at the start of the game was now clearly being transferred by the Sens toward the refs! Clarke MacArthurs 10 minutes misconduct at the 20:00 minute mark clearly demonstrates the Sens frustration. Third Period: I hope no one would argue with the errant high-stick by Eric Gryba that clipped Brenden Morrow or the free two-handed slash to Morrows leg before the whistle blew to assess the high-sticking penalty. What I would point out here is that rather aggressive scrums continued with a couple in the final minute of regulation time. The score was tied and I would expect, as was the case, no penalties resulted. I would have hoped the scrums had been dealt with by the referees in an assertive and appropriate manner in the early going of the game and not through a stand-alone penalty to Milan Michalek that placed his team in a two-man disadvantage. OT Period: Regardless of what the player or his coach thought the hooking penalty to Clarke MacArthur when he reached and placed his stick across the arms and body of T.J. Oshie to restrain the Blues forward on a path to the net was absolutely the correct call! The bottom line is that the Senators persevered and picked up two points in a shootout win. Whether an Officials Performance Review is requested by Bryan Murray, we will most likely never know. Perhaps more important than this, as the Senators move forward, is for coach Paul McLean and his players to review their response to the officiating they received in this game. It can only better prepare them for other emotional situations they might have to overcome in the future. ' ' '

FRASERVILLE, Ont. – Scott Steckly has been battling back all season. He won the Pintys 250 at Kawartha Speedway in a green-white-checkered finish on Sunday to come from behind to win the 2013 championship in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 by just two points. The Milverton, Ontario driver had to win the race and lead the most laps to earn the maximum 48 points to overcome a five-point deficit coming into the event in order to become the first three-time series champion. Steckly led a race-high 113 laps en route to the victory. "Its just great," said Steckly. "I really cant put into words what this means to everyone involved in 22 Racing. My crew works hard to give me good cars and my thanks goes out to them. (Thanks) to the fans. We get great support we get from the fans week in and week out. To do this is just amazing." After beginning the 2013 campaign with a pair of finishes outside the top 20, Steckly mounted a charge that included three straight wins in July. He entered the final race, which was delayed a day by rain, trailing defending champion D.J. Kennington in the championship standings. Steckly, whose previous titles came in 2008 and 2011, demonstrated the strength of his No. 22 Canadian Tire Dodge early in the day on Sunday, topping the practice charts and winning his 12th career series pole. He led the early portion of the race, making a point of staying ahead of Kennington. After pitting twice during the second caution, Steckly and Kennington restarted 12th and 13th, respectively. The pair steadily worked their way to the front as Jason Hathaway, who entered the event with a mathematical shot at the title, pulled away with a big lead. All three title contenders stopped for right side tires during a caution on Lap 150 and from there set sail to the finish. Jeff Lapcevich led initially, but soon gave way to Pete Shepherd III. The trio of title contenders battled among themselves as they closed in and moved by Lapcevich for second. Hathaway, who slipped by Kennington, challenged Shepherd for the lead following a restart - but saw his hopes dashed with a spin in Turn 4. Steckly took advantage on the restart and raced Shepherd side-by-side for the lead - eventually getting the top spot for good after contact coming out of Turn 4. Steckly went on to win by a margin of .580 seconds over Shepherd. "The lapped cars make it difficult sometimes and we just stayed as patient as we could," said Steckly. "The caution there at the end is pretty much a given in this race and we were able to hold everybody off." Shepherd, who was looking for his third win in four starts this year, came up just short in that bid. "Scott just outdrove me there at the end," said the driver of the No. 7 National Exhaust Dodge. "I didnt make it easy for him to pass me, but he was able to get around me. If I could have gotten to the outside of him in Turn 1, I would have bound him down pretty good, but I respect the championship battle he was in and he earned every inch of it today." Lapcevich was able to hang on for a finish in third which gave him his third top-five finish of the season. "Overall, the Tim Hortons Dodge was really good today," said Lapcevich. "I had some trouble getting going on restarts, but all of the pit stops were good. We came in, I think, three times and we picked up positions each time. Im satisfied with what we did today." Kennington ended up in fourth while Martin Roy came home fifth. Finishing sixth through 10th were Noel Dowler, Donald Chisholm, Mark Dilley, Ron Beauchamp Jr. and Ryley Seibert. The Pintys 250 will premiere on TSN2 on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 5:30pm et/2:30pm pt and on the French-language RDS2 at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 18. Both shows are special 90-minute programs. Colin Moran Jersey . On Wednesday night, they showed that stellar defence and a little small ball can get the job done too. With pinch-runner Kevin Pillar aboard after Dioner Navarro opened the bottom of the ninth with a single, Anthony Gose dropped down an excellent bunt along the first-base line. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . -- San Francisco 49ers offensive co-ordinator Greg Roman is a finalist to replace Joe Paterno at Penn State, his agent said Monday. http://www.pittsburghpiratesprostore.us/...pirates-jersey/. You can, too, Clay Buchholz, if we ignore the sixth inning of Game 2. Doug Fister and Jake Peavy, youre up next in Game 4 and theres a lot to live up to. Melky Cabrera Jersey . -- Marty Havlat scored three goals for the first time in nearly nine years, and the San Jose Sharks prevented Colorado from clinching the Central Division title with a 5-1 victory over the Avalanche on Friday night. Chris Archer Jersey . -- Kole Calhoun homered and drove in three runs, Albert Pujols also went deep and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 8-4 Friday night.Seattle, WA - Seattle Sounders FC will attempt to extend their lead atop the Western Conference on Monday as the club welcomes the Los Angeles Galaxy to CenturyLink Field. The Sounders sit six points clear of second-place Real Salt Lake at the top of the West, and Sigi Schmids side will be attempting to collect a fifth win in six league games when his men come up against the Galaxy. You can watch the game live tonight on TSN2 starting at 10pm et/7pm pt. Seattle returns to league action for the first time in two weeks after notching a 2-0 win over Cascadia Cup rivals Portland. Clint Dempsey scored in the 76th minute against the Timbers to hand his team the lead, and Marco Pappa added a second goal to secure all three points for the Sounders. Pappas goal was his second this season and the second goal he has scored in the past five games. With DeAndre Yedlin away on international duty with the United States, Pappas defensive responsibilities on the left side increased, and Schmid believes that the 26-year-old has shown signs that his game is continuing to develop. "I see his game continuing to grow and develop," Schmid said of Pappa. "Theres some good, good defensive moments hes given us on the flank, and that was nnever considered a trait of Marcos.ddddddddddddHes on the field because he helps our attack, not because we want him to be a great left side defender, but hes got to do some of that work and has really grown as a player. He has found a mix and he knows how to find those pockets of space, which are really important." The Galaxy saw their eight-match unbeaten run ended last weekend at Sporting Kansas City in a 2-1 defeat, and the club will be eager to get back in the win column in an effort to climb toward the top of the conference. Los Angeles went behind in the 10th minute to a Benny Feilhaber free kick before Lawrence Olum scored just after the hour mark to double the advantage. Robbie Keane found the net for the Galaxy 11 minutes from time to notch his 10th goal of the season and his third in the last two games, but his team was unable to equalize. "The more I get on the ball, the more I can make things happen," Keane said. "Ive done that my whole career and the way we play certainly suits my style of play. But at the end of the day, weve lost the game. We gave up a good goal, then scored a good goal to get back (into the game). We showed good spirit in the second half and gave a good battle." ' ' '

Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) - Damian Lillard had 21 points and nine assists in three quarters of work as the Portland Trail Blazers thrashed the Chicago Bulls 105-87 on Friday night. LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Blazers, who won their sixth straight game. Obviously Chicago didnt have three of their main guys, but I liked our demeanor, Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. Nikola Mirotic supplied 24 points and 11 boards for Chicago, which was without point guard Derrick Rose and power forward Pau Gasol again. Rose missed his fourth consecutive game with a hamstring injury, while Gasol didnt play for a third time in a row due to a left calf strain. The Bulls lost forward Taj Gibson in the third quarter of this one with a left ankle sprain. Its just the same lingering injury, Gibson said. I keep trying to play through it, try and be there for my teammates. I pushed through a whole summer of trying to rehab the same ankle and it just keeps flaring up. The Blazers led by as many as 17 in the opening frame before the Bulls cut the gap to 39-35 in the second. Portland later responded with an 18-2 run and were never threatened again. Lillard hit consecutive triples at one point and netted eight points during the surge. Allen Crabbe capped the surge with a dunk to stake Portland to a healthy 59-39 advantage late in the first half. The Blazers led 61-43 at the break and by as many as 28 in the third before settling for an 89-65 cushion heading into the fourth, where they cruised to the easy win. Earlier, Aldridge and Lillard nailed triples in the first few minutes as Portland raced out to an 18-3 margin. The spread swelled to 26-9 late in the first. A 10-2 Bulls flurry pulled them within 30-21, but Chris Kamans reverse at the horn gave the Blazers a 32-21 lead going into the second. Game Notes The Blazers held a 48-28 points in the paint advantage ... Portland shot 49.4 percent (39-of-79) from the field and 9-of-16 from beyond the arc ... The Bulls shot just 36.1 percent (30-of-83) from the floor. Sale Football Jerseys Throwback . Heck, we might just miss the BCS. Maybe? It sort of worked out this season. Top-ranked Florida State (13-0) was the only team to get through the regular season unbeaten, and the Seminoles did it in dominating fashion. Custom Football Jerseys Throwback . Meeks has agreed to a $19.5 million, three-year deal with Detroit, a person familiar with the situation said Tuesday night. The person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because free agents cant sign contracts until the leagues moratorium ends July 10, also said Cartier Martin had agreed to a one-year contract with the rebuilding franchise. http://www.cheapfootballthrowback.com/. - Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has signed with WME-IMG, saying the sports management powerhouse will help maximize the value of my brand. Wholesale Football Jerseys Throwback . LaQuinton Ross scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half, hitting his first four 3-pointers, to send No. Cheap Football Jerseys Throwback China .com Tours Nova Scotia Open. The 27-year-old Sloan, a former Texas-El Paso player from Calgary matched first-round leader Rodriguez at 10-under 132 on Ashburn Golf Clubs New Course.The Los Angeles Kings won their second Stanley Cup in three years and have a core in place to contend for the forseeable future. Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Kings roster that might have some tweaking around the edges, but wont have to make dramatic changes in order to be a Cup contender again next season. Since winning their first Stanley Cup, in 2012, the Kings have been the leagues best puck possession team, carrying the play at even strength to the tune of nearly 57% possession in the past two seasons. Thats dominant stuff. Possession alone doesnt assure success because, as the Kings have found at times, actual goals are required to wins games and sometimes those dont come so easily. But, the Kings have enough guys with scoring pedigree, so even if Dustin Brown and Justin Williams arent scoring at usual rates, maybe its Tyler Toffoli or Tanner Pearson or Marian Gaborik that fills the offensive void. In the case of the playoffs, they all contributed and that was enough for the Kings to get crowned. Thats not to suggest it was easy. Winning three seven-game series and three overtime games in the Final requires a certain amount of good fortune to be smiling down on the team, but that was also a Murderers Row for the Kings to face in the Western Conference playoffs. The Boston Bruins were the only team in the league with fewer regulation losses than the Sharks, Ducks and Blackhawks, so any team going through that opposition needs a favourable bounce or two. But theres a reason that the Kings are in position to take advantage of those bounces and that goes back to their dominant puck possession and a team that has skill, size and skating throughout the lineup. Maybe the Kings will make a move or two in the offseason. Bringing back Gaborik would seem to be a priority, and there are a couple of free agent defencemen whose status needs to be addressed, but this is a team built to win now and, with a solid group of young players, theyre built to keep winning in the future. The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- Corsi, adjusted for zone starts, quality of competition and quality of teammates, hits, blocked shots, penalty differential and faceoffs. Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be around 70, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013-2014 regular season ratings at 87.12. Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com. CF% = Corsi percentage (ie. percentage of 5-on-5 shot attempts), via www.extraskater.com. GM/COACH Dean Lombardi/Darryl Sutter Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Anze Kopitar 78.37 82 29 41 70 61.0% $7.8M Jeff Carter 76.33 72 27 23 50 56.8% $5.272M Justin Williams 73.87 82 19 24 43 60.6% $3.65M Tyler Toffoli 68.42 62 12 17 29 60.4% $717K Dustin Brown 67.34 79 15 12 27 57.9% $5.875M Tanner Pearson 65.52 25 3 4 7 55.0% $735K Mike Richards 65.49 82 11 30 41 54.6% $5.75M Jaret Stoll 63.74 78 8 19 27 55.9% $3.25M Trevor Lewis 58.73 73 6 5 11 53.4% $1.525M Jordan Nolan 57.66 64 6 4 10 53.1% $700K Kyle Clifford 57.55 71 3 5 8 53.9% $1.075M Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Marian Gaborik 72.91 41 11 19 30 54.2% UFA $7.5M Dwight King 65.94 77 15 15 30 58.5% RFA $750K One of the games premier two-way players, Anze Kopitar is a rare player who takes on the toughest matchups, yet dominates anyway. Since 2009-2010, he ranks 11th in the league with 342 points, to go with elite puck possession numbers. The 26-year-old has won two Stanley Cups, leading the playoffs in scoring in both of those seasons, and is likely among the top handful of all-around players in the sport. Hes also missed eight games, total, in the past seven seasons. Since 2008-2009, Jeff Carter ranks sixth in the NHL with 189 goals, and his arrival in Los Angeles elevated the Kings into the championship tier. On the way to this latest Cup win, Carter frequently skated between rookies Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli, and the line was so effective that there are high hopes for what they might be able to do over a full season. Conn Smythe Trophy winner Justin Williams had an outstanding playoff run, but hes been an exceptional puck possession player since arriving in Los Angeles and his playoff production offset what was really an underwhelming regular season; his 0.52 points per game was the second-lowest since his rookie year. Even after a good showing in the 2013 playoffs, Tyler Toffoli started last season in the AHL, scoring 15 goals and 23 points in 18 games before getting recalled. Hes fit right in to the Kings puck possession game and, with improved skating and a quick release on his shot, Toffoli has the offensive skills to be a big contributor. It was a tough season for team captain Dustin Brown, whose 27 points were his fewest in a season since his 31-game rookie year in 2003-2004. His hit totals were down and his 15:50 average time on ice per game was his lowest since 2005-2006. And yet, by the end of the playoffs, he was back on Kopitars wing and scored eight points in the last eight playoff games. Browns new contract, which runs for eight years, kicks in next season and the Kings had better hope that Brown can get back to being a productive scorer for at least a portion of those years. The 30th pick in the 2012 Draft, Tanner Pearson had 79 points in 105 AHL games then worked his way up the Kings depth chart, playing fourth-line minutes before he ended up with Carter and Toffoli, using his speed to create opportunities. Getting notable contributions from Pearson and Toffoli, on inexpensive rookie deals, allows the Kings more flexibility when it comes to signing others. Declining productitivity resulted in Mike Richards getting demoted to the Kings fourth line at times during the playoffs, which sends him into the offseason with questions about his status because his contract has six years left and, unless there is a sudden reversal, the next six years for Richards could be trouble. In some circumstances, Richards might be a buyout candidate, but he likely has enough of a reputation that he could be traded if the Kings are looking to create room under the cap. A reliable two-way player who has missed eight games in the past four seasons, Jarret Stoll is a consistent physical presence who has won nearly 56% of his faceoffs over the past five seasons, yet his time on ice (15:52) was his lowest since his rookie season, 2003-2004. There arent many forwards that play as much as Trevor Lewis, yet score so rarely, but he consistently generates positive possession stats, making him a useful checker in the Kings bottom six. Jordan Nolan provides a physical presence on the fourth line, though he was bumped out of the lineup for all but three games in the postseason. Nolan has 20 points in 134 career games, which is easily replaceable, yet hes also an inexpensive depth option for the Kings. In four NHL seasons, Kyle Clifford has fought 42 times and scored 48 points (22 G, 26 A) with positive possession stats in 276 games. He was a regular in the lineup during the run to the Stanley Cup and was terrific in the final series, scoring four points in five games and Clifford was a standout in the deciding game. Can the 23-year-old produce enough to take on a bigger role? Dwight King had something of a breakthrough season, scoring a career-high 30 points, spending significant time on the first line, which led to his stellar possession stats. Hes not a first-line type of player, but as a physical third-line winger who can chip in offensively, King fits the bill. Marian Gaboriks impressive production -- 19 goals, 38 points in 45 (regular season plus playoff) games -- after he was acquired at the trade deadline should earn him a good contract as a free agent and the Kings are likely interested in retaining his services, but if they cant keep Gaborik, the Kings could also dip in for other marquee free agents, whether thats Paul Stastny, Matt Moulson, Mike Cammalleri, Ales Hemsky or others. Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Drew Doughty 73.83 78 100 27 37 58.dddddddddddd5% $7.0M Jake Muzzin 71.10 76 5 19 24 61.1% $1.0M Alec Martinez 69.19 61 11 11 22 56.3% $1.1M Slava Voynov 67.95 82 4 30 34 55.0% $4.167M Robyn Regehr 62.03 79 3 11 14 53.4% $3.0M Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Matt Greene 64.07 38 2 4 6 58.4% UFA $2.95M Willie Mitchell 63.69 76 1 11 12 55.5% UFA $3.5M While his regular-season point production doesnt always live up to expectations, Drew Doughty has been a standout in puck possession terms; best in the league among defencemen to play at least 4000 5-on-5 minutes over the past four seasons. In the Kings two Stanley Cup runs, Doughty has put his full game on display, playing big minutes against tough opponents and simultaneously producing offensively. He can skate, hit and has seemingly boundless confidence in his ability, which serves him well most of the time. Jake Muzzin has been positively remarkable in terms of puck possession over the past couple seasons and while he started on the Kings third pairing, he finished the year alongside Doughty, and acquitted himself well. So, just like that, 25-year-old Muzzin is a top pair defenceman, with good size and a good shot from the point. Not bad for an undrafted free agent out of junior hockey. Even before he scored the Stanley-Cup-winning goal, Alec Martinez had something of a breakout campaign, scoring 11 goals during the regular season -- an amazing rate for a guy getting less than 16 minutes of ice time per game. While he tends to play easier minutes, Martinez has consistently put up good possession numbers. Playing more than 22 minutes per game for the past couple seasons, Slava Voynov has solid possession numbers and his 59 points over those two seasons puts him in a six-way tie for 28th among defencemen, with a group that includes Doughty, Zdeno Chara and Dion Phaneuf. Thats good, and the 24-year-old probably has more to give as he matures. Robyn Regehr has clearly lost a step, which isnt unusual fora 34-year-old that has spent many years matched up against the oppositions best forwards, but he had his role cut back and was injured in the playoffs, playing only eight of the Kings 26 games. With Willie Mitchell and Matt Greene headed for unrestricted free agency, Regehr does offer some insurance as a physical, stay-at-home defenceman. If both Greene and Mitchell head elsewhere, that would open up some holes on the blueline, but Brayden McNabb, a prospect acquired from Buffalo, should have a shot to earn one spot on the blueline and there shouldnt be great difficulty finding a veteran defenceman that would be interested in playing with this group. Returning Goaltenders Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Jonathan Quick 68.84 49 27 17 4 2.07 .915 $5.8M Martin Jones 77.59 19 12 6 0 1.81 .934 $550K Jonathan Quick has been an above-average starting goaltender over the last four seasons, though his perceived value may be inflated somewhat since he is a two-time Stanley Cup winner. Since having back surgery following the Kings 2012 Cup, Quick has a .910 save percentage during the regular season, ranking 26th out of 33 goaltenders to play in at least 50 games over that span. With Quick signed through 2023, the Kings could really use him getting back to his previous form, but theyre such a dominant possession team that they dont need Quick to be great in order to win.. When the Kings dealt Ben Scrivens to Edmonton, that opened up a spot for Martin Jones, who excelled when Quick was hurt in December. The 24-year-old, who was undrafted out of junior, has great size and should be able to handle a decent workload as Quicks backup. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Brayden McNabb D Manchester (AHL) 10-26-36, +14, 52 GP Valentin Zykov RW Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) 23-40-63, +32, 53 GP Linden Vey C Manchester (AHL) 14-34-48, +8, 43 GP Derek Forbort D Manchester (AHL) 1-16-17, +19, 74 GP Nick Shore RW Manchester (AHL) 14-24-38, +18, 68 GP Michael Mersch RW Wisconsin (Big 10) 22-13-35, +7, 37 GP Nic Dowd C St. Cloud St. (NCHC) 22-18-40, +17, 38 GP Jordan Weal C Manchester (AHL) 23-47-70, +28, 76 GP Kevin Gravel D St. Cloud St. (NCHC) 10-13-23, +9, 38 GP Nikolai Prokhorkin LW CSKA Moscow (KHL) 19-18-37, +12, 52 GP Jonny Brodzinski RW St. Cloud St. (NCHC) 21-20-41, +15, 38 GP Patrik Bartosak G Red Deer (WHL) 2.80 GAA, .924 SV%, 65 GP A big, physical defenceman who can handle the puck, Brayden McNabb was acquired from Buffalo last season and, with three AHL seasons under his belt, the 23-year-old ought to be ready for an NHL job. Drafted in the second round last summer, Valentin Zykov is a big winger who can score, but needs time to improve his skating before he challenges for a spot with the Kings. Given the development of Pearson and Toffoli in that regard, it seems reasonable to have hopes Zykov can achieve similar improvement. A fourth-round pick in 2009, Linden Vey has produced in the AHL, scoring 115 points in 117 games over the past two seasons, and did get into 18 games with the Kings last season. He needs to get stronger, but could have a chance to challenge for a job if the Kings have any turnover up front. Taken with the 15th pick in 2010, Derek Forbort has been slow developing, but the 6-foot-4 defensive defenceman moves well and could put himself in consideration for promotion with improved passing and puck skills. Picked in the third round in 2011, Nick Shore had a sold, if unspectacular, first pro season after three years at Denver University. If he continues to progress next season, hell be closing in on a shot at the NHL. A big forward who gets to the net to score goals, Michael Mersch was a fourth-round pick in 2011 and scored 45 goals in 79 games over his last two seasons at Wisconsin. He had four points in 11 (regular season plus playoff) games with Manchester of the AHL after his collegiate season finished. Alabama native is a big centre, drafted in the seventh round in 2009, Nic Dowd wrapped up a productive career at St. Cloud State, scoing 79 points (36 G, 43 A) in 80 games over his junior and senior seasons, before adding four points in 11 (regular season plus playoff) games with Manchester. While the Kings load up on big forwards, Jordan Weal is on the small side, but there is no ignoring his production -- 198 points in his last two years of junior or 70 points in 76 AHL games last season -- so the 22-year-old has to be on the Kings radar. A defensive defenceman with good size, Kevin Gravel played four years at St. Cloud State after he was a fifth-round pick of the Kings in 2010. Selected in the fourth round of the 2012 Draft, Nikolai Prokhorkin is plying his trade in Russia, but after a very productive year, leading his team in scoring, hes one to watch with significant upside should he decide to come to North America. Picked in the fifth round last summer, Jonny Brodzinski is something of a late bloomer who has scored 43 goals and 74 points in 80 games for St. Cloud State. A fifth-round selection last summer, Patrik Bartosak put up great numbers -- including a .929 save percentage in 120 games played -- over the past couple seasons in the WHL, and played well in four late-season AHL games. Lets see what he does with a couple of years of pro development. Kings advanced stats and player usage chart from Extra Skater DRAFT 29th - Nikolay Goldobin, Nikita Scherbak, Brayden Point. FREE AGENCY According to www.capgeek.com, the Kings have approximately $54.0M committed to the 2014-2015 salary cap for 13 players. Check out my possible Kings lineup for next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: One top six winger, one top four defenceman, another defenceman. What I said the Kings needed last year: One top four defenceman. They added: Matt Frattin, Dan Carcillo, Ben Scrivens. TRADE MARKET Mike Richards, Robyn Regehr. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Russian and Ukrainian boxing teams will compete as scheduled in the World Series of Boxing quarterfinals despite tensions between the countries. The International Boxing Association says the Russian Boxing Team and Ukraine Otamans will meet on March 30 in Moscow and April 4 in Donetsk. The eastern Ukraine city has recently seen pro-Europe groups clash with Russia supporters. AIBA says both teams agreed "sport should always be dealt with outside of politics." The Russian franchise is owned by oil and gas engineering company Stroytransgaz, which is controlled by Kremlin-linked billionaire Gennady Timchenko. The Ukrainian franchise is run by the national boxing federation. The winner is scheduled to face either the USA Knockouts or Cuba Domadores in the semifinals on April 25 and May 2. Giorgio Chiellini Jersey .com) - The NBA will be on display overseas Thursday with the New York Knicks taking on the Milwaukee Bucks at O2 Arena in London. Blank Jersey . The 25-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has 18 points in 41 games this season. The five-foot-eight 166-pound centre also has 28 points (10-18) in 15 games with AHL Oklahoma City. http://www.juventusfcpro.com/Kids-Cristi...Jersey/.DeMarco Murray got his 20th carry late in the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead, not long after Dez Bryant made his final catch of the day.Sure enough, a 44-17 win over Washington didnt change Dallas post-season position. Mattia Perin Juventus Jersey . According to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, Brodeurs agent Pat Brisson has spoken to six teams so far regarding the veteran goaltender. Medhi Benatia Juventus Jersey . The group of Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Sergei Fedorov, & Slava Kozlov were a dominant force for The Wings at one point in the 90s.The Chicago Blackhawks got out to a good start, with captain Jonathan Toews burying a couple of first-period goals, but it was all Los Angeles after that, and the Kings took Game Three by a 4-3 score, taking a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference Final. Los Angeles attack was paced by Jeff Carter, who had a goal and two assists, giving him 19 points in 17 playoff games, one behind teammate Anze Kopitar for the league lead. Carter, along with rookie linemates Tanner Pearson (1 A in Game Three) and Tyler Toffoli (1 G in Game Three), has been a difference-maker in the series. While the Blackhawkw arent shy about playing Toews line head-to-head against Kopitars line, the Kings are getting the better of the other matchups, and none moreso than when Carter, Pearson and Toffoli take the ice. Through three games against Chicago, Carter has eight points (4 G, 4 A) overall and has been on for 46 shot attempts for and 30 against (60.5%) during 5-on-5 play. Its not only the Carter line getting it done for the Kings though. D Drew Doughty has been on top of his game, with a goal and an assist while playing a game-high 28:32 in Game Three giving him a dozen points in the postseason, tied with Montreals P.K. Subban for the lead among defencemen. Chicago is getting the best of the top line matchup, as Toews, Bryan Bickell and Marian Hossa had strong possession games in Game Three, with Hossa leading the way, with 76% of the even-strength shot attempts when he was on the ice.dddddddddddd. While the final score was close, the Blackhawks didnt really threaten once the Kings had the lead. Los Angeles controlled play in the third period, outshooting Chicago 18-7, and the Blackhawks managed to break through for a goal (by Patrick Sharp, his first point since Game Five vs. Minnesota) with four seconds remaining to make the final margin close. Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane had been held off the scoresheet in the series, which poses a real problem for the Blackhawks and further illustrates the advantage that the Kings are gaining through the production of Carters line. One challenge for the Blackhawks is that they are running Michal Handzus between Kane and Sharp on the second line and that unit was under 31% in possession terms in Game Three and, by the third period, Handzus was replaced by Ben Smith in that role. Andrew Shaw returned to the Blackhawks lineup and played 12:28. He didnt have any shots on goal, but tied Bickell with a game-high six hits. This has already been a hard-fought series, but the Blackhawks are now facing a difficult situation, down two games to one, with Game Four in Los Angeles. If the Blackhawks are going to get back to even, they will need the supporting cast to contribute more. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '

Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hey Kerry, Real simple one for you. How did Luke Glendening get called for goalie interference when he appeared to not even touch Braden Holtby who fell on his own? Thanks, Confused Wings Fan Kerry, Watching the Red Wings and Caps game - why was the good goal scored by Detroit in the first period disallowed? Is this not subject to review? Ref clearly did not see what happened on play or he would not have waived off goal. If he wasnt sure why not go to video review? Isnt the goal of the ref to get it right? Could he not have allowed the goal (because he clearly did not see what happened) and go to video review to confirm? E. Parsons Dear Fan and E., You werent the only confused fans when this potential game-changing decision was made by trailing referee Ghislain Hebert to disallow Drew Millers legitimate goal. Instead of the Wings being credited with scoring the first goal of the game they went on the penalty kill when a phantom goalkeeper interference penalty was assessed to Luke Glendening. There is no way to sugar-coat this blown call. Im certain the referee would be the first to admit the play did not happen the way that he thought it did from his position in the neutral zone. There is no value in beating him up over it as mistakes happen. What I want to focus our attention on is the breakdown in the two-referee system that took place in hopes it wont happen again; along with options that might have been available to alter this decision on the ice. Video review is presently unable to provide information or confirmation to referees on penalty infractions so there was no option for them to get involved on this play once the penalty was assessed. Each referee is primarily responsible for areas of coverage dependent upon where the puck is located in respect to their position on the ice. Simply put, the terms action (on and around the puck) and non-action divide these responsibilities and continuously shift between each referee as play transitions to avoid gaps in coverage. Once Braden Holtby vacated his goal crease to play the puck behind the net, end zone referee Mike Leggo was responsible for the action on and around the puck. It was his job to ensure there was no foul committed by Glendening as he pursued the puck. Holtby reversed the puck away from Glendening to teammate Matt Niskanen in the opposite corner to where Leggo was positioned. The referee should have moved off the side boards toward the action in the corner where an aggressive Wings forecheck forced a turnover. From this more ideal vantage point, the end zone referee could have seen that Holtby was untouched by Glendening in addition to viewing the action in the corner. Instead, the referee enters the camera frame off the wall late to wave off a goal having heard his partners whistle blow an instant prior to the puck entering the net. So how could this have altered the decision by the referee in the neutral zone, you might ask? Had it been me on the goal line that clearly observed Holtby trip on his own I would immediately convene a conference with the crew of officials. Hopefully one or both of the linesmen observed the play accurately, but even if they did not I would provide the necessary information to present considerable doubt in the mind of my partner to negate his initial penalty call. With no penalty on the play we would still have to face the problem of his whistle blowing prior to the puck entering the net. By virtue of this whistle, play was officially stopped and therefore the goal could not be allowed under the rules from the ice. This is a time when the whistle would be hard to swallow because the sound did not cause Holtby to stop or affect his ability to defend against the shot into the open net. Even though it would appear morally right to allow the goal, the fact that play had been stopped could not be disregarded on the ice. At this juncture, if no penalty was to be assessed, perhaps the expanded responsibilities granted to Video Review this season in rule 38.4 (viii) could be implemented to make the right call? It states that: The video review process shall be permitted to assist the Referees in determining the legitimacy of all potential goals (e.g. to ensure they are good hockey goals)...This would also include situations whereby the Referee stops play or is in the process of stopping the play because he has lost sight of the puck and it is subsequently determined by video review that the puck crosses (or has crossed) the goal line and enters the net as the culmination of a continuous player where the result was unaffected by the whistle (i.e., the timing of the whistle was irrelevant to the puck entering the net as the end of a continuous play.) One or three of the other officials on the ice should have observed this play accurately and informed referee Hebert of the error of his decision to justly negate a penalty call and perhaps allow Video Review to get involved. If that had been the case the timing of the whistle was irrelevant to the puck entering the net as a result of the continuous play executed by Drew Miller and the right and just decision could be rendered on this good hockey goal. I provide these potential remedies on this play in the absence of a Coaches Challenge that is much needed. Balenciaga Sneakers Wholesale . -- Michigan coach John Beilein is willing to give Nik Stauskas a little leeway when it comes to shot selection. Balenciaga Uk Website . JOHNS, N. http://www.balenciagaoutletuk.com/. Fielder has been out with a herniated disk in his neck, and surgery was recommended after a follow-up exam and another scan Thursday with Dr. Balenciaga Shoes Outlet Uk . Gorges is believed to have suffered the injury while blocking a shot with a hand during Montreals win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Canadiens added to their defensive depth this week by acquiring veteran Mike Weaver from the Florida Panthers. Balenciaga Sneakers Buy Uk . Ribery terrorized the Schalke defence throughout and put the home side ahead in the 36th minute when he chipped the goalkeeper before stroking the ball into the empty net. The French winger struck again after the interval, combining with Thomas Mueller on the left before firing a deflected shot beyond the helpless Timo Hildebrand in the 55th, as Bayern bounced back from Wednesdays 1-0 loss at FC Basel in the Champions League.INDIANAPOLIS - LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard provided the 1-2 punch Portland needed Saturday night.As usual, it was a knockout combination.The All-Stars made back-to-back 19-foot jumpers in the fourth quarter, helping to fend off Indianas desperate rally for a 95-85 victory that snapped the Trail Blazers two-game losing streak.Aldridge finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds while Lillard added 18 points, enough to hand the Pacers an eighth consecutive loss.We really realized, because of outcomes of previous games, weve got to do whatever it takes to put ourselves in a position to win this game, centre Robin Lopez said after finishing with eight points and eight rebounds.Neither the road trip nor their final game on it went the way the Trail Blazers (18-6) envisioned.After starting with wins at New York and Detroit, Portland arrived in Indiana following losses at Minnesota and Chicago. They started slow Monday, too, but Aldridge and Lillard helped them turn the game in the second quarter when they shot 77.8 per cent from the field and outscored the Pacers 36-15 to take a 58-38 halftime lead.Another fast start in the third quarter seemingly put away the game. Aldridges 20-foot jumper with 8:03 left gave Portland a 69-40 lead.But the staggered Pacers refused to stay down and instead slowly fought their way back into contention.They got within 82-66 after three, closed the deficit to 82-71 early in the fourth and then suddenly were within 86-78 when David West hit a 20-footer with 4:18 left. Thats when Aldridge and Lillard made their back-to-back baskets to finally put the Pacers away.They made a lot of shots and they were being aggressive going to the basket, coach Terry Stotts said of the Pacers comeback. Games have a teendency of swaying one way or the other, they did make their run but we took care of it at the end.ddddddddddddIndiana was led by C.J. Watson, who had 23 points and Rodney Stuckey, who had 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. The Pacers have now shot less than 40 per cent in five of their last eight games and have lost the last four by an average of 11.5 points.We just took our foot off the gas for a short period of time and that lead went up, Stuckey said. A team like that, you cant do that.___TIP-INSTrail Blazers: Portland has been strong in the West, but it has dominated the East. The Northwest Division leaders are now 11-1 against the Eastern Conference foes this season after winning at Indiana for the first time since December 2009.Pacers: Roy Hibbert has played more like the struggling centre from the second half of last season than a two-time All-Star. While his own injury and those to teammates have posed obstacles, Indiana needs more from its big man. Hibbert entered Saturday averaging 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds. Against Portland, he was 4 of 11 from the field with 10 points and 10 rebounds.BETTER STARTIndiana has struggled mightily all season in the first quarter. On Saturday, they looked better, outscoring Portland 23-22. Its only the seventh time this season the Pacers have taken a lead into the second quarter. Theyre 3-13 when trailing after one.THE SWEEPIn addition to ending this seasons losing streak and its four-game skid at Indiana, Portland also pulled off a rare season sweep of the Pacers. The last time they did that was 2009-10. Five players scored in double figures for Portland on Saturday.UP NEXTTrail Blazers: Host San Antonio on Monday.Pacers: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. ' ' '