Cano, Yanks down Rockies to claim three-game series

Published May 09, 2013

Sports Network

Denver, CO –  Robinson Cano belted a solo home run to help lift the New York Yankees to a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies in the rubber match of a three-game series at Coors Field.

Thursday's tilt became a battle of the bullpens when a two-hour, seven- minute rain delay knocked both starting pitchers, New York's CC Sabathia and Colorado's Jeff Francis (1-3), out after four innings.

Once play resumed, Cano launched a two-out shot to right field off Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino to put New York up 3-1 in the fifth.

Colorado had its chances against Yankees' relievers Adam Warren (1-0), Boone Logan, Preston Claiborne and David Robertson, but stranded two runners in both the sixth and seventh innings.

Robertson recovered after issuing a walk to the Rockies' leadoff hitter, Eric Young, in the eighth, then Mariano Rivera overcame plunking a batter in the ninth to earn his 13th save of the season.

Vernon Wells gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the opening frame, but the Rockies answered in the bottom of the first on a Carlos Gonzalez sacrifice fly.

New York went back in front in the fourth. Former Rockie Chris Nelson stroked a leadoff double and eventually scored on Chris Stewart's sac fly to center field.

After Sabathia retired the Rockies in order in the home half, heavy rain halted play. Sabathia had allowed just one hit prior to the stoppage.

Game Notes

Cano picked up his 1,500th career hit with a two-out single in the third inning ... Joe Girardi notched his 499th win as Yankees manager.

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Sharks pound Canucks to take 3-0 series lead

San Jose, CA –  A change in the Vancouver net didn't produce a different outcome for the Canucks.

Antti Niemi made 28 saves, and the San Jose Sharks erupted for three third- period goals in a 5-2 win at HP Pavilion that gave them a 3-0 stranglehold over Vancouver in this Western Conference quarterfinal series.

Logan Couture registered two power-play goals in the final frame to go with two assists for the Sharks, who will look to complete the sweep on Tuesday.

Joe Pavelski netted the first two San Jose goals, with Patrick Marleau supplying the other tally during the third-period blitz.

The Canucks turned to Cory Schneider in hopes of reversing their fortunes, instead they find themselves in an 0-3 first-round hole for a second straight year.

Schneider missed the final two games of the regular season and did not dress the first two playoff contests with what the team termed a "body" injury. He was replaced in the third by Roberto Luongo, who started both games in Vancouver.

Clinging to a 2-1 lead, the Sharks broke the game open earlier in the third period by lighting the lamp three times in a span of 2:27.

San Jose opened the frame on a power play after Joe Thornton drew a cross- checking penalty on a breakaway with 15 seconds left in the second period.

Couture skated down the left wing and beat Schneider to the far side at the 1:40 mark. Marleau scored nine seconds later, cutting to the middle and firing a shot while falling down.

Couture converted on another man advantage at 4:07 to make it 5-1 and end Schneider's outing.

Dan Hamhuis scored for Vancouver at 13:12.

The Sharks grabbed a 1-0 lead at 14:08 of the first period on a two-man advantage. San Jose moved the puck around the Vancouver zone and Pavelski elevated a feed from Couture over Schneider at the left post.

Pavelski made it 2-0 when he flashed deft hand-eye coordination from the front of the net and redirected Tommy Wingels' shot 7:20 into the second period.

Alexandre Burrows put the Canucks on the board, hammering a cross-ice pass from Henrik Sedin at 11:07 of the middle stanza.

Game Notes

The Canucks have lost nine of their last 10 playoff games since taking a 3-2 lead over the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals two years ago ... Marleau has recorded at least one point in all eight career playoff games against Vancouver (7 goals, 3 assists) .. Schneider stopped 23 shots.

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Islanders miss chance to grab lead in series vs. Penguins with deflating OT loss in Game 3

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  Pittsburgh Penguins' Chris Kunitz (14) celebrates his goal with teammates Kris Letang (58) and Evgeni Malkin (71) while New York Islanders' Andrew MacDonald, right, reacts during overtime of Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Sunday, May 5, 2013, in Uniondale, N.Y. The Penguins won 5-4. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)The Associated Press

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  Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby, left, passes past New York Islanders' Lubomir Visnovsky during the first period of Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Sunday, May 5, 2013, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)The Associated Press

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  Pittsburgh Penguins' Matt Cooke, right, takes down New York Islanders' John Tavares during the third period of Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series on Sunday, May 5, 2013, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)The Associated Press

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  Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, right, reacts after New York Islanders' John Tavares scored to tie the game during the third period of Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series on Sunday, May 5, 2013, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)The Associated Press

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  New York Islanders' Matt Moulson reacts after scoring during the first period of Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sunday, May 5, 2013, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)The Associated Press

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. –  The New York Islanders' rallying cry in their return to the postseason for the first time in six years is "Believe."

Even the most ardent of supporters might find that optimism difficult following a deflating home loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Buoyed by a split of the first two games of the first-round series in Pittsburgh, the Islanders came home to Nassau Coliseum with the feeling they could upset the Penguins — the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference. New York jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first period on Sunday only to be behind by the time the intermission arrived.

The Islanders then climbed out of a two-goal hole in the third period, but couldn't seal the deal before falling 5-4 in overtime on Chris Kunitz's second power-play goal of the game.

Pittsburgh has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, yet this advantage seems to be even greater.

"The sun is going to come up tomorrow," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said shortly after the sudden loss. "It takes four to win the series."

While that is true, the Islanders were counting on winning these two games at Nassau Coliseum to build off their Game 2 victory and keep home-ice advantage in their favor. Now the best New York can hope for is to go back to Pittsburgh tied at 2 after Game 4 on Tuesday.

If the Islanders lose again, they will face elimination without any guarantee of returning home for another game.

"We played a good game," said star forward John Tavares, whose first NHL playoff goal lifted the Islanders into a 4-4 tie in the third. "We need to regroup and know that we're playing some good hockey. We're creating opportunities and believe in ourselves."

There is that hopeful word again.

Very few expected the Islanders to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win Game 2 on the road, but they did. Perhaps they have another surprising comeback in them.

It isn't often that four goals isn't enough to win a playoff game, so if they can keep the offense rolling and figure out a way to slow the Penguins' power play, they could turn the series back around.

Kunitz scored Pittsburgh's third man-advantage goal of the game 8:44 into overtime, off the third assist of the day by Sidney Crosby, and the Penguins rode a slew of ups and downs en route to the win.

Crosby, playing his second game after missing a month because of a broken jaw, drew the decisive penalty against Brian Strait, who held the Penguins captain as he drove the net 33 seconds before the winning goal.

"He kind of wrapped me up," Crosby said. "I pulled up looking for someone. I didn't see anyone, so I thought I would take it to the net.

"We were hoping we could get it done quickly."

The Penguins went 3 for 5 on the power play and yielded Kyle Okposo's short-handed goal, but held New York scoreless on its three advantages.

"We had our chances. They scored on the power plays and we didn't," said Capuano, who declined to comment on the officiating.

When New York scored twice in the first 5:41 to go up 2-0 in Game 3, old Nassau Coliseum rocked as it did in the Stanley Cup-winning days of the early 1980s. However, this was the Islanders' first home playoff game since 2007, and the fans were soaking it all in.

Not so fast.

The Penguins stormed back with a pair of power-play goals 19 seconds apart — first by Jarome Iginla on a 5-on-3 advantage, and then by Kunitz on the second half. When Pascal Dupuis gave Pittsburgh its first lead with 1 minute left in the opening period — capping the three-goal spurt in 5:42 — the early euphoria was gone in a flash.

"You have to give them credit. They got up two and they showed no quit," said Iginla, a key late-season trade pickup by the Penguins. "It meant a lot on the road to get those two back.

"There is a lot of emotion, unpredictability in the playoffs. You have to learn to control that."

Douglas Murray pushed Pittsburgh's lead to 4-2 in the second, and it appeared the Penguins would cruise. But it was a bumpy road back against the upstart Islanders.

Okposo, who had a game-turning fight and game-winning goal in Game 2, started this comeback with a short-handed goal that made it 4-3 at 5:31 of the third. Tavares tied it with 9:12 remaining in regulation.

"I'm not worried about our hockey team," Capuano said. "We've bounced back all year. I know the resiliency of these guys and the way they've battled."

After Strait took down Crosby in overtime, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma used his timeout to rest his power-play unit, and the move paid off. Crosby fed Kunitz in the slot for a hard shot that beat goalie Evgeni Nabokov to win it.

Evgeni Malkin added two assists, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves for Pittsburgh.

Matt Moulson and Casey Cizikas scored 3:58 apart in the first period for the Islanders.

Tavares got the party restarted with his late tying goal. He was serenaded with chants of "M-V-P" when he scored and after the goal was announced to the crowd.

The Penguins started their comeback and cut the deficit in half when Iginla deflected in Kris Letang's hard one-timer, off a pass from Crosby, past Nabokov on Pittsburgh's only shot of the two-man advantage. The Penguins needed only one more drive to get even.

Malkin sent a pass from blue line to blue line to Kunitz, who streaked in alone on Nabokov and snapped a shot inside the right post at 13:37.

"With the 5-on-3 they got back in the game," Nabokov said. "It seems like every time we go down two men, we don't win hockey games. We have to find a way to stay out of the box as much as possible.

"I thought other than that we played really well."

Crosby showed off his exceptional passing skills again after he surged into the right circle. Crouched down, putting his weight toward his backhand side, Crosby deftly eluded a defenseman and slid the puck in front to the hard-charging Dupuis, who crashed into Tavares — covering late — and shoved the puck in to give the Penguins a 3-2 edge.

"It's great to see him back, making all those plays," Kunitz said of Crosby.

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Nyquist's OT winner helps Red Wings even series with Ducks

Anaheim, CA –  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.

Detroit got off to a quick start as Abdelkader scored 48 seconds in when his wrister from the slot tipped off the stick of Francois Beauchemin and went in, and it was 2-0 less than four minutes later as a pass through the middle in his own zone by Selanne saw it tipped by Kyle Quincey over to the slot where Brunner one-timed it home.

The Red Wings made it a 3-0 game at 1:04 of the second on the power play as Brunner's shot from the low left side was stopped, but Franzen snuck in the rebound.

Anaheim, though, got back in it with a power-play goal at 10:53 of the second after Selanne's shot from the left circle was stopped, but the rebound kicked out to the right and Koivu snuck it in.

The Red Wings made it a three-goal game 20 seconds into the third on the power play as Franzen took a pass from Henrik Zetterberg in the right corner and wrapped it in from the right side.

Anaheim, though, rallied with the next three goals to send the game to overtime.

At the 7:50 mark, Getzlaf made it a 4-2 game when he brought the puck out from the left side of the net and from the slot he was able to get a backhand past Howard.

Less than five minutes later, the Ducks cut the margin to one as Nick Bonino sent a turnaround pass from the top of the left circle over to the right circle where Kyle Palmieri's shot was tipped by Selanne and past Howard.

The Ducks capped the comeback with 2:22 to play as Cam Fowler sent a short pass from the low left side to the circle where Ryan one-timed it home.

Game Notes

Datsyuk and Palmieri each posted two assists in the game ... This is the fifth time these two sides are meeting in the playoffs and each team has won two series ... Detroit was 3-for-6 on the man advantage while Anaheim went 1-for-5 ... Detroit took two of three in the regular season against Anaheim.

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Orioles pound A's to open series

Published April 26, 2013

Sports Network

Oakland, CA –  Nate McLouth, Nick Markakis and Chris Davis drove in two runs apiece as the Baltimore Orioles cruised to a 10-2 win over the Oakland Athletics to open a four-game set on Thursday.

McLouth and Markakis also scored a pair of runs and Davis had two hits, including a solo homer in the sixth inning. Adam Jones had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run, while Matt Wieters and J.J. Hardy both had an RBI for the Orioles, winners in six of their last eight games.

Jason Hammel (3-1) held the A's to just two unearned runs on three hits over six innings.

Josh Donaldson drove in both runs for Oakland, which saw starter Jarrod Parker (0-4) give up six runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings.

The A's have dropped six of their last seven games following a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros April 15-17.

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Heat pull away from Bucks, grab 3-0 series lead

Milwaukee, WI –  The Miami Heat are making it fairly clear that they aren't too intimidated by the Milwaukee Bucks.

LeBron James scored 22 points, Chris Bosh posted a double-double and Ray Allen became the all-time postseason leader in 3-pointers as Miami took a stranglehold of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with a 104-91 victory over Milwaukee on Thursday.

The Heat came out of the gate slow, but won the second half by a 56-41 margin and now have put the Bucks on the brink of elimination by taking a 3-0 series lead.

James was 9-of-14 from the field and Bosh tallied 16 points with 14 rebounds. Allen was 5-for-8 from beyond the arc en route to 23 points to surpass Reggie Miller for most 3-pointers made in NBA playoff history.

"We don't take him for granted," said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra about Allen. "To have somebody of his caliber and his resume coming off the bench is significant."

Dwyane Wade had a poor shooting night, going just 1-for-12 from the field, but chipped in with 11 assists, nine rebounds and five steals in the victory.

The Bucks once again got very little from their two best players, with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis combining for 23 points on 7-of-24 shooting. Milwaukee was also doomed by 20 turnovers.

Larry Sanders posted 16 points and 11 rebounds as Milwaukee fell into a three- game hole, a position that no team has ever recovered from. The Bucks will look to keep the series alive when they host the Heat in Game 4 on Sunday.

After collapsing down the stretch in Miami in Game 2, the Bucks seemed to receive a jolt from the home crowd and led for the last 18 minutes of the first half.

However, the Heat got within 50-48 at the break by closing out the second quarter on an 8-2 spurt and jumped ahead early in the third quarter after two straight buckets from Bosh.

The Bucks briefly retook the lead by converting five free throws during a 9-0 run, but mistakes began to catch up with them. Milwaukee committed six turnovers as well as a shot clock violation in the last 6:37 of the third.

Like they've done in their previous two wins, the Heat took control with a monster run. James spearheaded a quarter-closing 23-7 surge with nine points and ended it with a dish to Chris Andersen underneath for a 78-68 advantage.

Miami continued to pour it on in the fourth with the Bucks struggling to make a shot, and its lead grew to 17 after a 3-pointer from Allen less than four minutes in made the score 90-73. Milwaukee would only come as close as 11 points down during the final minute.

The Bucks began the game on fire from the field, making four 3-pointers in the last three-plus minutes of the opening frame to build a 30-21 lead.

J.J. Redick made his third triple of the game just over two minutes into the second period to keep the Bucks' lead at nine, and they would hold an advantage of at least five for the first eight minutes of the quarter. However, the lead soon began to dwindle.

Allen caught fire from downtown, burying a trio of shots from beyond the arc to cut Milwaukee's lead to two. The margin remained when James knocked down a buzzer-beating jumper from the corner to pull the Heat within 50-48 at the half.

Game Notes

Allen has made 322 3-pointers in the playoffs, surpassing Miller's 320 ... Miami's Mario Chalmers finished with seven points and eight assists ... The Heat have won at least one road game in nine consecutive playoff series, the longest current streak in the NBA ... Redick scored all 11 of his points in the first half.

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Red Sox down A's, take three-game series

Boston, MA –  Daniel Nava had a pinch-hit RBI single which proved to be the eventual game-winner as part of a three-run fifth inning, and the Boston Red Sox survived with a 6-5 win over the Oakland Athletics to take the three-game series at Fenway Park.

David Ortiz and Shane Victorino also drove in runs in the decisive fifth frame for Boston, which responded well after dropping last night's contest, 13-0. Stephen Drew added two RBI.

Jon Lester (4-0) remained perfect on the season despite walking six batters in 5 2/3 innings of work. He also allowed three runs and struck out five.

Oakland was paced by Chris Young, who hit two home runs and drove in four of the team's five runs. Jed Lowrie went 3-for-5 with a run scored while Josh Donaldson had two hits and an RBI.

Brett Anderson (1-4) lasted just four-plus innings for the A's, yielding six runs and eight hits while striking out five.

In the deciding inning, Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a single and stole second before coming in on Victorino's double to put the hosts ahead for good. Dustin Pedroia added an infield hit ahead of an Ortiz single to plate Victorino which sent Anderson from the mound.

Chris Resop entered only to hit Mike Napoli and serve up Nava's pinch-single for a 6-3 game.

In the sixth, Lester loaded the bases with two down and was lifted in favor of Junichi Tazawa, who got Coco Crisp to fly out to left to get out of trouble.

Oakland tacked on one run apiece in the seventh and eighth innings on Donaldson's single to right and Young's second homer, this one a leadoff solo shot.

Andrew Bailey, filling in for an injured Joel Hanrahan, then struck out the side in the ninth for his fifth save of the campaign.

Oakland opened the scoring in the top of the fourth inning. Following singles by Lowrie and Brandon Moss, Young cranked his first home run of the afternoon to left field for a 3-0 game.

The Red Sox responded quickly, plating three runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth. Ortiz started the rally with a one-out double to left field. Napoli followed with a double, scoring Ortiz, then Jonny Gomes walked. Two batters later, Drew brought in two more runs with a triple to right field.

Game Notes

Home plate umpire Jerry Layne left the game in the top of the fourth inning after being struck on the hand by a foul ball ... Victorino also left in the seventh inning with an apparent back injury ... Ellsbury stole his league-best 10th base of the season.

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Thomas scores 31 points, leads Kings past Warriors 105-98 to take season series 3-1

Published March 28, 2013

Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. –  Isaiah Thomas had 31 points and seven assists, DeMarcus Cousins added 14 points and the Sacramento Kings put another dent in Golden State's playoff chase by beating the Warriors 105-98 on Wednesday night.

Marcus Thornton scored 13 points off the bench and helped harass Stephen Curry to send Sacramento to its first road win against a team with a winning record all season. The Kings entered the game an NBA-worst 6-30 on the road.

Sacramento won the season series 3-1.

David Lee had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Curry finished with 17 points and 12 assists on a difficult shooting night for the Warriors point guard. Golden State (41-32) missed an opportunity to build its lead on seventh-place Houston (39-32), which remains a game back after losing 100-91 to Indiana.

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Canucks edge Avalanche, stay hot in series

Published March 24, 2013

Sports Network

Denver, CO –  Alexandre Burrows' second-period marker proved to be the difference-maker, as the Vancouver Canucks continued their dominance over the Colorado Avalanche with a 3-2 victory on Sunday at Pepsi Center.

Jason Garrison and Mason Raymond each scored once for the Canucks, who have won nine straight against the Avalanche.

Cory Schneider stopped 26-of-28 shots in the victory, Vancouver's fourth in a row overall.

PA Parenteau posted a goal and an assist, while Jamie McGinn also lit the lamp for the Avs, who have lost two straight and six of their last seven games.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere gave up all three goals on 30 shots in the setback.

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