What pressure? Anaheim Ducks enjoying the playoff ride heading to Game 5 vs tenacious Detroit

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  Anaheim Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy (6) checks Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Eaves (17) in the third period of Game 4 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Detroit, Monday, May 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)The Associated Press

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  Anaheim Ducks center Daniel Winnik (34) shoots at Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard (35) as defenseman Niklas Kronwall (55), of Sweden, defends in the third period of Game 4 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Detroit, Monday, May 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)The Associated Press

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  Anaheim Ducks right wing Emerson Etem (65) celebrates his goal with David Steckel (20) against the Detroit Red Wings in the third period of Game 4 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Detroit, Monday, May 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)The Associated Press

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  Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard celebrates with Niklas Kronwall (55), of Sweden, Daniel Cleary (11) and Henrik Zetterberg after beating the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in overtime of Game 4 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Detroit, Monday, May 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)The Associated Press

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ANAHEIM, Calif. –  Ryan Getzlaf knows the Anaheim Ducks could be getting frustrated.

Instead, he thinks they're just getting started.

The Ducks have controlled long stretches of their matchup with Detroit, outshooting and outscoring the Red Wings over the first four games while getting superior goaltending from Jonas Hiller. Yet the series is even heading into Game 5 on Wednesday night at Honda Center.

Second-seeded Anaheim's stellar regular-season record and formidable talent haven't mattered to the Red Wings, who sneaked out two overtime victories despite playing with a lead in just one of the series' four games.

It's a recipe for tension in the Ducks' dressing room heading into a pivotal point of the first-round series. But to Getzlaf and his teammates, every element of the playoff march is a privilege, particularly after the Ducks missed the postseason in two of the past three years.

"We're far from frustrated," the Anaheim captain said Tuesday after the Ducks' long flight from Detroit to Orange County. "This is playoff hockey. This is the best time of the year, and we're in a best-of-three series now. We always knew it was going to be a long series. ... It's been a grind throughout the year. We've always been able to rise up to the occasion, and we're hoping for that tomorrow (in Game 5)."

The Ducks expect to have little trouble regrouping after they barely missed a chance to take a 3-1 series lead in Game 4 on Monday night. After Anaheim blew a third-period lead, Damien Brunner's overtime goal evened the series for the Red Wings, who appeared to be on the ropes after getting shut out by Hiller in the first 100 minutes of the teams' two games at Joe Louis Arena.

"One goal the other way (in Game 4), and everybody is happy around here," Getzlaf said.

Instead, the Ducks must find additional determination to get past their playoff-tested opponents. Anaheim will have the advantage of its favored matchups on home ice in Game 5 and a potential Game 7, yet neither team believes matchups or friendly crowds have made much impact on this series.

"Quite frankly, the matchups only work if your team is playing well and you get a lead," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "If you don't get a lead, you may have some great defensive matchups, but you're going to have to change because you need to score goals. We'll get the last change (in Game 5), which will help, because I thought the last game they were definitely trying to get (Pavel) Datsyuk's line against one specific line, and we tried to change it a few times. It's a difficult thing to do."

Datsyuk scored the tying goal with 6:33 left in regulation in Game 4 for the Red Wings, who finally flexed their offensive skills at home after five-plus periods without a score.

The Red Wings made an obvious effort to get more shots at Hiller in Game 4, sending pucks at the Anaheim net at every opportunity. Hiller was solid all night, but the Red Wings' mentality eventually led to Brunner's winning goal.

"The plan was to get more shots, and shoot from worse angles," Detroit's Valtteri Filppula said. "We did a good job. We were able to get pucks back in the offensive zone. I didn't think we did that enough in the previous game."

The Ducks are hoping to increase their own offensive pressure on Jimmy Howard on Wednesday. Howard acknowledged he hadn't been Hiller's equal in the series, giving up 12 goals on 120 shots, but he played tremendously well in Game 4 when the Ducks pressed for a possible clinching goal.

"I just wanted to give the guys a chance to win," Howard said. "They deserved that. I knew I had to be better. I wanted to be better. ... In the playoffs, all it takes is a goalie to get hot, and anything can happen."

Although Anaheim has generated plenty of offensive chances, the Ducks could use a goal from high-scoring Corey Perry, who won the Richard Trophy with 50 goals in 2011 during his MVP season. He hasn't found the net in the playoffs, and he missed on a couple of golden chances in Game 4.

"If those went in, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Perry said Tuesday. "They had a lot of shots (in Game 4), but we had some good chances, too. We've got to create more chances, keep plugging away, and hopefully get some ugly ones."

Boudreau criticized a few unnamed Ducks after Game 4 for being "passengers" — passive participants who didn't do enough work to help Anaheim. Major lineup changes seem unlikely after the Ducks' fairly solid play throughout the series, but Boudreau is eager to get his team rolling quickly, before any struggles lead to a potential elimination game.

Detroit again will be without Justin Abdelkader, who must finish his two-game suspension for a big hit on Anaheim's Toni Lydman. The veteran defenseman sat out Game 4 with apparent after-effects from the collision, and Lydman didn't skate in the Ducks' optional practice after traveling Tuesday.

While the Ducks prepared for the pressure of Game 5, the Red Wings worked on minor adjustments for their latest trip to Honda Center, where they've won three of their four games this season.

"We have to go in their barn and steal another game," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.

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Kerr wins in playoff in Williamsburg

Williamsburg, VA –  Cristie Kerr parred the second playoff hole on Sunday to top Suzann Pettersen and win the Kingsmill Championship for the third time.

Kerr carded a 2-under 69 during her final round at Kingsmill Resort & Spa to finish the tournament at 12-under-par 272. Pettersen shot a 4-under 67 in the final round to meet her there.

The two played the 18th hole for both playoffs.

After Kerr missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the first playoff to force the second extra hole, Kerr hit her second shot to about 20 feet from the pin on the right of the green.

Pettersen's second rolled off the back of the green and her third shot stopped well short of the hole.

Kerr's first attempt at the win stopped a couple feet short of the hole, but she was able to tap in for her 16th career LPGA Tour title when Pettersen missed her 15-foot par attempt.

It was Pettersen's only bogey of the day.

"It's the first time my dad got to see me win, so it's really special for me," said an emotional Kerr after her win.

Ariya Jutanugarn, who held the lead at the end of the first and second rounds, tied the low round of the day with a 5-under 66 to grab a share of third place with Ilhee Lee (67) at 10-under 274.

Angela Stanford (69) and Stacy Lewis (70) tied for fifth at minus-9.

Kerr opened the day with a 2-stroke lead over Pettersen, but Pettersen quickly pulled within a shot of Kerr with a birdie at the third.

Kerr then bogeyed the fifth to fall into a tie with Pettersen for the top spot at 9-under before regaining the lead with a birdie at the seventh.

After both players, who were playing alongside each other, birdied the 12th to keep it a 1-stroke difference, Pettersen was able to move ahead with a birdie at the 14th as Kerr tripped to a bogey at the same hole.

Kerr was joined in second place at 10-under by Lee, Stanford and Jutanugarn at that time, but pulled away from the pack with a birdie at the 15th.

Jutanugarn and Lee closed with pars to stay there, while Stanford bogeyed the 18th to finish at 9-under.

Pettersen also birdied the 15th to move to minus-12 and maintain her stroke advantage.

Kerr, however, birdied the 16th to join Pettersen atop the leaderboard.

"I wasn't going to lose, not today, not with my dad here," Kerr said.

Pettersen had a chance for the win with a 20-foot birdie putt at the 18th, but her effort stopped just to the right of the hole and she tapped in for par to force the playoff.

"I probably played my best today out of the four rounds. Can't complain with how I played," said Pettersen. "Obviously it's disappointing to lose in the playoff, but there was a lot of good to take from it."

NOTES: Kerr improved to 3-2 in playoffs, while Pettersen fell to 5-3 ... Kerr also won here in 2005 and 2009. She is the only three-time winner of this event ... Kerr is the sixth different winner this year on the LPGA Tour ... Kerr collected $195,000 with the victory.

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National Basketball Association Playoff Game Capsules

Published May 03, 2013

Sports Network

Chicago, IL –  The Barclays Center will host a Game 7 in its inaugural season after the Brooklyn Nets escaped Chicago with a 95-92 win over the short-handed Bulls on Thursday to force a deciding game in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Deron Williams scored 17 points, handed out 11 assists and won a jump ball against Joakim Noah in the closing seconds of Game 6 to seal the victory. Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson also netted 17 points apiece while Gerald Wallace had 15 for the Nets, who forced the series back to Brooklyn for Saturday's Game 7 despite shooting 28 percent from the field in the second half. The Bulls were playing without starting point guard Kirk Hinrich for the second straight game because of a calf injury, while their leading scorer during the regular season, Luol Deng, was sidelined due to flu-like symptoms. Nate Robinson and Taj Gibson were also slowed with the flu, but played through as the Bulls squandered a second chance at advancing to the conference semis. Robinson put in 18 points, Noah and Carlos Boozer each recorded double-doubles and Marco Belinelli led Chicago with 22 points over 46-plus minutes. Belinelli, though, missed a potential tying 3-pointer on Chicago's final possession.

Final Score: Golden State 92, Denver 88

Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - The Golden State Warriors are headed to the Western Conference semifinals, but only after nearly blowing an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter. Stephen Curry scored 14 of his 22 points in a momentum- changing third quarter and Golden State fended off a furious Denver comeback to win Game 6 in a 92-88 thriller. Andrew Bogut stepped up with 14 points and 21 rebounds after a silent start to the series, and the sixth-seeded Warriors, appearing in the postseason for the first time since 2007, held Denver to 35 percent shooting to advance. Draymond Green chipped in 16 points with 10 boards and netted six critical points after the Nuggets made things interesting with a late 13-0 run. David Lee surprisingly made a brief appearance in the first quarter, and it's unclear whether the All-Star forward will play in the next round against the San Antonio Spurs. Denver, the West's No. 3 seed, lost all three games at Oracle Arena and heads home early following its 57-win regular season. Andre Iguodala led the way Thursday with 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Ty Lawson added 17 points, though the point guard had just five after halftime. Wilson Chandler scored 11 points, but shot just 5-of-17 from the floor and missed a potential tying runner in the final minute.

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National Hockey League Playoff Game Capsules

Pittsburgh, PA –  Jakob Silfverberg and Marc Methot scored in a 1:53 span early in the third period and Craig Anderson stopped a season-high 48 shots as the Ottawa Senators took a 4-2 decision over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference quarterfinal from Bell Centre. Erik Karlsson and Guillaume Latendresse also lit the lamp, while Mika Zibanejad added a pair of assists for the Senators, who face their Canadian rivals in the postseason for the first time since 1927. Rene Bourque and Brendan Gallagher scored 59 seconds apart in the second period for the Canadiens, who lost the game and forward Lars Eller to a head injury late in the second period on a hard hit from Sens defenseman Eric Gryba. Carey Price surrendered all four goals on 31 shots in the loss, but Montreal has a chance to square the series in Game 2 on home ice Friday.

Final Score: Washington 3, NY Rangers 1

Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Braden Holtby made 35 saves to help the Washington Capitals grab a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the teams' Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Alex Ovechkin, Jason Chimera and Marcus Johansson all scored in the second period for the third-seeded Capitals, who won the Southeast Division for the fifth time in the past six seasons. Carl Hagelin had the lone goal of the game for the sixth-seeded Rangers, who are in the playoffs for a third straight year. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 27 shots in the loss. These two clubs are familiar foes in the postseason of late, as this is the fourth time in the past five years they have met. The Capitals took the first two matchups, but the Rangers won a seven-game series in the conference semifinals last year. Game 2 of this best-of-seven series will be played Saturday afternoon in Washington.

Final Score: St. Louis 2, Los Angeles 1

St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Barret Jackman's first career playoff goal came with 50.4 seconds to play as the St. Louis Blues took a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2 of this Western Conference quarterfinal series. Patrik Berglund tied the game early in the third period to back a 28-save effort by Brian Elliott for the Blues, who now own a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series after consecutive 2-1 victories. St. Louis is hoping to avenge last year's sweep at the hands of the Kings in the conference semifinals. Dustin Brown scored the lone goal of the game for the Kings, who only lost four games total during last year's run to the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship. Jonathan Quick posted 23 saves in the loss. This series heads back to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Saturday night.

Final Score: Detroit 5, Anaheim 4 (OT)

Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Gustav Nyquist's first career playoff goal came 1:21 into overtime to help the Detroit Red Wings take a 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 2 of this Western Conference quarterfinal series. Detroit had blown a three-goal lead in the third period, but went into overtime on the power play as Sheldon Souray was whistled for slashing with 38 seconds to play in regulation. With time winding down on the man advantage, Daniel Cleary passed the puck from the right corner over to the right circle for Valtteri Filppula, who skated down low before sending it back to the left wing where Nyquist fired it in for the win. Damien Brunner had a goal and two assists, Johan Franzen tallied twice while Justin Abdelkader also scored for the seventh-seeded Red Wings, who evened this best-of-seven series at 1-1. Jimmy Howard made 28 saves. Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu each posted a goal and an assist, while Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf scored for the second-seeded Ducks, who got 27 saves from Jonas Hiller -- including a game-saver late in the third period on Pavel Datsyuk. This series heads back to Detroit for the next two games, with Game 3 set for Saturday night.

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Ian Poulter birdies first playoff hole, lifts Albany past Lake Nona in Tavistock Cup

Published March 26, 2013

Associated Press

WINDERMERE, Fla. –  Ian Poulter birdied the first hole of a playoff to lift Albany past Lake Nona in the Tavistock Cup on Tuesday, ending Lake Nona's event winning streak at four in the team tournament.

Poulter shot an even-par 72 at Isleworth, then teamed with Tiger Woods in the best-ball playoff against Lake Nona's Graeme McDowell and Henrik Stenson.

Albany tied Lake Nona at 7 over, with Woods and Tim Clark shooting 73, and Justin Rose finishing with a 77. The event was shortened to one day of stroke play because of the Monday finish in Arnold Palmer Invitational.

McDowell had a 71 to lead Lake Nona. Ross Fisher had a 72, Stenson shot 74, and Peter Hanson 78.

Primland and Isleworth tied for third at 8 over, Oak Tree was 12 over and Queenwood 20 over.

Primland's Webb Simpson had the best round, shooting 70.

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Mavericks return from All-Star break badly needing wins to keep long playoff streak alive

DALLAS –  With or without Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks have virtually the same record this season — a losing one.

If they don't start winning at a pace reminiscent of the three 60-win seasons they've had in the Nowitzki era, the Mavericks are likely to miss the playoffs for the first time since the big German's second year in 2000.

But Dallas better be careful weighing all that history, Vince Carter figures.

"I don't think we can board watch as far as the standings are concerned," said Carter, who came into the league the same year as Nowitzki. "I think it just drives you crazy. You just go out there and you press, press, press, because you know you need the game. That's already understood anyway."

It's been understood since the season started. For the second straight year since winning the franchise's first championship, Dallas rebuilt the roster with Nowitzki as the anchor. But this time the Mavericks realized they needed to grab every win they could after they found out he would miss the beginning of the season because of the first knee surgery of his career.

When their star came back after missing 27 games, the Mavericks were in a brutal stretch of their schedule and couldn't find a way to win close games.

Nearly two months later, Dallas (23-29) is still finding ways to lose and entered the All-Star break 4½ games behind Houston for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Mavericks, who play for the first time in a week when Orlando visits on Wednesday night, were 12-15 before Nowitzki returned Dec. 23 against San Antonio, and they're 11-14 since.

"Some of that is guys sharing court time and chemistry and certain guys zigging while the other guy thought he was zagging," said Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson. "The whole mantra of the first half of the season was, 'Hey, let's win our share, let's stay in the hunt, let's get the big German back and see where things take us."

A lot of that strategy relied on new backcourt mates Darren Collison and O.J. Mayo, who helped Dallas to a 4-1 start before Collison started regressing and teams realized Mayo was the most dangerous scoring threat and started taking him away.

Collison lost his starting job after a particularly bad game in a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Mavericks brought in veterans Derek Fisher and Mike James as mentors, and even as replacements in certain situations in case Collison's struggles continued.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle admittedly has been hard on the replacement for Jason Kidd, and Collison has responded by re-establishing himself as the starter.

"It's not about my mood," Carlisle said. "It's about us playing well and doing everything we can possibly do to play our best to give ourselves a chance to trend upward. I understand that this job that I'm in is about being demanding and it's about having standards of excellence that are uncompromised. We just haven't been able to sustain, but I still believe we can do it."

Mayo's biggest problem has been turnovers — he has a team-high 149 — and the issue was never more evident than the last time the Mavericks looked like they finally might be on to something before faltering.

Dallas had won two straight and had a chance to beat East playoff contender Atlanta two games before the break when Mayo stole the ball and was headed for a layup trailing by one in the final minute. He switched hands on the dribble just before he got to the basket, giving Devin Harris a chance to steal it back. Mayo had another turnover on a bad pass when the Mavericks had one last chance to tie.

"It's tough when you look at it now," said Nowitzki, whose scoring (15.2) and rebounding (5.7) averages are the lowest since his rookie season. "We've had close losses that could come back and haunt us. Atlanta, we shouldn't have lost. We've had too many of those close games where we've been on the short end of the stick."

The Mavericks thought they built a playoff contender even after Deron Williams spurned them in free agency, and they still have a chance to prove it assuming center Chris Kaman returns soon from a concussion that has sidelined him for eight games. The other significant offseason addition was Elton Brand, who was picked up in an amnesty claim from Philadelphia.

Carter came to Dallas in the first roster purge last year, when the Mavericks didn't bring back center Tyson Chandler and other important pieces of their title team and got swept in the first round by Oklahoma City. Carter's 10.1-point scoring average last season was the lowest of his career, but he's emerged recently as the biggest scoring threat behind Mayo and Nowitzki.

In the last game before the break, Carter scored 26 and hit five 3-pointers in the third quarter to carry Dallas past Sacramento, another reason the Mavericks probably will end up keeping him and Shawn Marion despite both names being popular in rumors leading to Thursday's trading deadline.

"I don't get caught up in what's being read and if we have a shot or not," Carter said. "If we don't believe in the locker room that we have a shot, we won't ever have a shot. It doesn't matter what's said outside the locker room, and I think our guys are pretty confident."

The playoffs start now for the Mavericks and their 12-year postseason streak.

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Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lschuylerd

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