Tuesday, 26 April 2016
All Android phone secret code
Monday, 25 April 2016
Did we just witness the moment when the Dallas....
Stars go from regular-season overachievers to a
championship team?
The vibe left behind in their six-game series win
over the Minnesota Wild was that it was their
hockey bar mitzvah: ‘Before today, you were but
playoff boys; now, you are playoff men!
Baruuuuuch atah adonai …”
They needed this scare from a Minnesota Wild
team that was overmatched, even without Tyler
Seguin wearing the Dallas green. They needed to
see their defense and goaltending being good
enough to win a playoff round, albeit one against
a Minnesota team that was 18th in the League in
goals-per-game and was missing Zach Parise.
[ Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey contest
today ]
But more than anything, they needed to feel that
crashing wave of momentum as a team they
pushed to the brink of the abyss conjured
everything they could muster in their last period
of the season.
You can’t gameplan that, or watch it in practice.
You have to experience it.
Jason Spezza had experienced it a few times in
Ottawa. He was 22 when the Senators beat the
Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 in Round 1 of the 2006
playoffs. He was 23 when the Senators
eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey
Devils and Buffalo Sabres – all by a 4-1 count –
en route to their Stanley Cup Final loss to the
Anaheim Ducks in 2007.
Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya and Antti Niemi
spring to mind when you talk about playoff
experience, because they all have rings. Spezza
is seeking his first, but he’s seen it all before,
too.
"I think it's good for a young team to see that
and go through it," Spezza said last night, via
Mike Heika. "I know we'll use that going forward.
This will show how hard it is to put teams away,
how much they don't want their season to end.
This is a lesson we will definitely remember."
Spezza finished with a goal and three assists.
"We have to learn to be better in the third, but I
know we have never been pressured like that by
another team,” he said. “They were fighting for
their lives, and we felt it. It was real. They were
throwing five guys at us, everything but the
kitchen sink, and we found a way to survive."
And they’re obviously better for it.
There’s a lot to like with this Dallas Stars team
right now . Jamie Benn has elevated his game, if
that was possible, and is leading the playoffs in
points. And while the Dallas defense isn’t going
to win them games, it managed to not lose them
the series. For example, their EV Corsi rating
with a one-goal third-period lead in the regular
season was 45.6 percent, and a minus-37 count;
through four games in the playoffs in that
situation, it’s 51.5 with a plus-2.
And yet there’s a lot we don’t know about this
Dallas Stars team. Like the health of Seguin.
Like what happens when it’s the Chicago
Blackhawks or St. Louis Blues on the other side
of the ice instead of a flailing Wild team, and
Alex Goligoski and John Klingberg decide to put
down a “WELCOME” mat and call it “defense.”
And, of course, what the hell to think about that
goaltending.
Niemi and his putrid .857 EV save percentage
were kicked to the bench in favor of Kari
Lehtonen for Game 6, who hung in their and won
both his first road playoff game and his first
playoff series. He game up four goals on 29
shots, the second straight game he surrendered
a four-spot; but he has only given up five even-
strength goals on 86 shots for a .942 save
percentage.
"I guess it's 12 years in the league now and this
is the first time I'm on a serious winning team,"
Lehtonen said. "So I enjoyed it a lot, and it
makes me want to get more."
As Tim Cowlishaw writes, the goaltending
situation has been a cause for concern for pretty
much the entire season, and yet the team
finished with 109 points in the regular season,
despite a 2.78 team GAA, the highest for any
playoff team. The goaltending wasn’t good,
frequently, but it was good enough.
Many wondered if all of this was ever going to
be a recipe for playoff success. And yet here are
the Dallas Stars, now eight wins away from the
Stanley Cup Final.
--
Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or
find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE
OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and
wherever books are sold.
For John Tavares, Success Means Striking While the Islanders Are Hot
By DAVE CALDWELL
APRIL 25, 2016
John Tavares, the Islanders ’ center
and captain, is still only 25, but he has
a pretty good knack of tracking things
— loose pucks in the crease, for one,
and landmark victories for his star-
crossed hockey team, for another.
Because Tavares was able to steady a
wobbly puck and wrap the rebound of
a shot past Florida Panthers
goaltender Roberto Luongo at 10
minutes 41 seconds of the second
overtime Sunday night, the Islanders
won their first N.H.L. playoff series
since 1993.
The Islanders will now face Tampa
Bay in the second round, and the
Islanders are likely to be viewed as
underdogs, even though the Lightning
do not have center Steven Stamkos or
defenseman Anton Stralman and
finished with fewer points in the
regular season than the Islanders. The
Lightning lost in the Stanley Cup finals
last year.
Hard as it may be to believe, Tavares
has been an Islander for seven
seasons, but that is just a portion of
the franchise’s 23-year wandering
through the desert for playoff success.
He understands what the fans have
endured. And now, he said, it is time
to move on.
When he played hockey as a child in
Ontario, he said, he dreamed of
winning the Stanley Cup, not just one
of four playoff rounds. “We want to enjoy tonight, but this
isn’t over,” Tavares said Sunday as he
sat at his dressing-room stall at
Barclays Center in Brooklyn. “We
want to keep this thing going. We have
a special group. We believe we can do
something special.”
In two of the past three seasons,
Tavares has been one of three finalists
for the Hart Trophy, awarded to the
N.H.L. player “most valuable to his
team.” Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and
Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, who
have each won the Hart Trophy
multiple times in recent years, have
received much more attention, in
large part because their teams have
been more successful.
But look again: Tavares, Crosby and
Ovechkin are still in the running for
the Stanley Cup, and with the
Penguins facing the Capitals in the
second round, no more than two will
make the conference finals.
The Islanders have come far since
Tavares joined the team in 2009 as the
No. 1 overall draft pick, in part
because the core of the team has
stayed together, and it has learned a
lot.
Last April 27, the Islanders had a
chance to advance to the second round
of the playoffs. They took all of 11
shots on goal — none by Tavares —
and lost to the Washington Capitals,
2-1 .
Two years earlier, they split the first
two games of a series against the top-
seeded Pittsburgh Penguins, but they
lost the last two games, the second in
overtime at home. These experiences
have served as building blocks.
“I think we put that to good use this
year,” said center Frans Nielsen, an
Islander since the 2006-7 season. “We
knew what we had to do. We knew it
was going to be a long series, and it
was going to be a grind. But we just
kept going at it.”
And they went at it for as long as it
took. Of the Islanders’ four victories
over the Panthers, the Atlantic
Division champions, three were in
overtime and the last two were in
double overtime.
APRIL 25, 2016
John Tavares, the Islanders ’ center
and captain, is still only 25, but he has
a pretty good knack of tracking things
— loose pucks in the crease, for one,
and landmark victories for his star-
crossed hockey team, for another.
Because Tavares was able to steady a
wobbly puck and wrap the rebound of
a shot past Florida Panthers
goaltender Roberto Luongo at 10
minutes 41 seconds of the second
overtime Sunday night, the Islanders
won their first N.H.L. playoff series
since 1993.
The Islanders will now face Tampa
Bay in the second round, and the
Islanders are likely to be viewed as
underdogs, even though the Lightning
do not have center Steven Stamkos or
defenseman Anton Stralman and
finished with fewer points in the
regular season than the Islanders. The
Lightning lost in the Stanley Cup finals
last year.
Hard as it may be to believe, Tavares
has been an Islander for seven
seasons, but that is just a portion of
the franchise’s 23-year wandering
through the desert for playoff success.
He understands what the fans have
endured. And now, he said, it is time
to move on.
When he played hockey as a child in
Ontario, he said, he dreamed of
winning the Stanley Cup, not just one
of four playoff rounds. “We want to enjoy tonight, but this
isn’t over,” Tavares said Sunday as he
sat at his dressing-room stall at
Barclays Center in Brooklyn. “We
want to keep this thing going. We have
a special group. We believe we can do
something special.”
In two of the past three seasons,
Tavares has been one of three finalists
for the Hart Trophy, awarded to the
N.H.L. player “most valuable to his
team.” Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and
Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, who
have each won the Hart Trophy
multiple times in recent years, have
received much more attention, in
large part because their teams have
been more successful.
But look again: Tavares, Crosby and
Ovechkin are still in the running for
the Stanley Cup, and with the
Penguins facing the Capitals in the
second round, no more than two will
make the conference finals.
The Islanders have come far since
Tavares joined the team in 2009 as the
No. 1 overall draft pick, in part
because the core of the team has
stayed together, and it has learned a
lot.
Last April 27, the Islanders had a
chance to advance to the second round
of the playoffs. They took all of 11
shots on goal — none by Tavares —
and lost to the Washington Capitals,
2-1 .
Two years earlier, they split the first
two games of a series against the top-
seeded Pittsburgh Penguins, but they
lost the last two games, the second in
overtime at home. These experiences
have served as building blocks.
“I think we put that to good use this
year,” said center Frans Nielsen, an
Islander since the 2006-7 season. “We
knew what we had to do. We knew it
was going to be a long series, and it
was going to be a grind. But we just
kept going at it.”
And they went at it for as long as it
took. Of the Islanders’ four victories
over the Panthers, the Atlantic
Division champions, three were in
overtime and the last two were in
double overtime.
The Best Party In England Is A Leicester City Game
stadium or tuned in to watch Leicester
play Swansea this weekend would’ve
come away overly impressed by the
quality of the game itself. Leicester
did play well, dominating from the
first whistle until the last, and sent
four goals past the Swans’ keeper. But
what made this match such a
exhilarating affair, like all the Foxes’
home ones during this final stretch of
their unbelievable season, was
everything that happened outside the
parameters of the game itself.
Leicester home games are something
closer to concerts than soccer matches
at this point. In the stadium, a sea of
fans watch the performances of their
idols in the center with rapt attention
, singing in unison the whole time, as
their unending waves of vocal support
cascade down onto the pitch and
imbue the entire place and every
person there with an overwhelming
sense of joy and confidence and love.
In turn, the players themselves run
around with a visible charge, both
feeding off the songs and cheers of
the crowd and inspiring more of it
with their tricky dribbles and shots
and tackles and saves. It’s a
communal atmosphere with thousands
of people sharing their deep and
abiding love for Leicester City, and
with Leicester City paying it right
back with goals and victories.
Here are the game highlights NBC
Sports culled from the contest, which
are fine if besides the poi
As you can see, every Leicester goal
was facilitated by at least one major
Swansea mistake, which curbed their
aesthetic appeal by a good amount.
And since the home team scored twice
early on, the game was pretty much
over as a meaningful contest a half an
hour in. A real highlight video would show you
a mundane Robert Huth clearance in
the middle of a game that had already
been won, and the thunderous
applause the simple kick of the ball
received—a response, by comparison,
that dwarfed any cheer Barcelona’s
fans could muster during a 6-0 home
win on Saturday that was just as
crucial for their La Liga title hopes.
And more than the goals themselves, a
real highlight video would show the
Leicester goal scorers’ ecstatic
celebrations after hitting the net, the
way it looked like they wanted to
jump out of their own skin.
Every win the Foxes pull out from
here on inches the team closer to
realizing a dream that once seemed
impossible. At this point in the season,
and after everything they’ve gone
through, the fans and players, once
burdened by the idea that the title
was something they’d come close to
and miss out on, show up to the
matches with the feeling that winning
it is an inevitability.
NFL wins 'Deflategate' appeal; Tom Brady's suspension reinstated
favor of the NFL in the "Deflategate" case,
reinstating New England Patriots quarterback
Tom Brady's original four-game suspension
imposed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
Two judges on panel ruled in favor of NFL, one
judge ruled for Brady
It's not immediately clear if NFL will choose to
reinstate suspension
(CNN) — A federal appeals court on Monday
ruled in favor of the NFL in the "Deflategate"
case, reinstating New England Patriots
quarterback Tom Brady's original four-game
suspension imposed by NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell.
Judges Denny Chin and Barrington D. Parker
ruled in favor of the league, while Chief Judge
Robert A. Katzmann ruled for Brady.
"We are pleased the United States Court of
Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled today that
the Commissioner properly exercised his
authority under the collective bargaining
agreement to act in cases involving the integrity
of the game," the NFL said in a statement.
"That authority has been recognized by many
courts and has been expressly incorporated into
every collective bargaining agreement between
the NFL and (the NFL Players Assocation) for
the past 40 years."
A week ago, Prince was healthy
enough to give what would be his final
public performance. He played two
sets in one night at the Fox Theater in
Atlanta, making up for shows canceled
earlier this month. Addressing the
crowd that evening, Prince said he
had been “a little under the weather”
on April 7, when the shows were
originally scheduled, but added,
“We’re here now.”
Nicholas Wolaver, a fan who attended
the early performance, said: “You
would not believe that he was singing
ill. He sounded true to his talents and
it was an amazing performance.” And
although he was performing with only
a piano, Prince “got up and danced,”
Mr. Wolaver said, adding that even
after three encores, “he left people
wanting a little more.”
But by the following day, TMZ
reported that Prince’s plane had made
an emergency landing in Moline, Ill.,
en route to Minnesota. After what was
reportedly a brief hospital visit,
Prince tweeted , “I am #transformed.”
On Saturday, there seemed no cause
for concern as Prince announced the
party at Paisley Park, which also
served as a community gathering
place. “2 GIVE THANX 4 THE GOOD
WEATHER AND 4 ALL THE LOVE AND
SUPPORT,” Prince tweeted, attaching a
flyer for the night’s festivities. The
cover charge was $10.
Scott Gregoria was among the few
hundred fans to show up. Prince
looked “a little more weak, a little
more pale than when I had seen him
before,” Mr. Gregoria said outside
Paisley Park on Thursday. But he
noted that Prince was also in a
gregarious mood, joking around with
the crowd and showing off a new
guitar in his trademark shade of
purple. In lieu of a performance, he
played a recording of the Atlanta show
over the speaker system.
enough to give what would be his final
public performance. He played two
sets in one night at the Fox Theater in
Atlanta, making up for shows canceled
earlier this month. Addressing the
crowd that evening, Prince said he
had been “a little under the weather”
on April 7, when the shows were
originally scheduled, but added,
“We’re here now.”
Nicholas Wolaver, a fan who attended
the early performance, said: “You
would not believe that he was singing
ill. He sounded true to his talents and
it was an amazing performance.” And
although he was performing with only
a piano, Prince “got up and danced,”
Mr. Wolaver said, adding that even
after three encores, “he left people
wanting a little more.”
But by the following day, TMZ
reported that Prince’s plane had made
an emergency landing in Moline, Ill.,
en route to Minnesota. After what was
reportedly a brief hospital visit,
Prince tweeted , “I am #transformed.”
On Saturday, there seemed no cause
for concern as Prince announced the
party at Paisley Park, which also
served as a community gathering
place. “2 GIVE THANX 4 THE GOOD
WEATHER AND 4 ALL THE LOVE AND
SUPPORT,” Prince tweeted, attaching a
flyer for the night’s festivities. The
cover charge was $10.
Scott Gregoria was among the few
hundred fans to show up. Prince
looked “a little more weak, a little
more pale than when I had seen him
before,” Mr. Gregoria said outside
Paisley Park on Thursday. But he
noted that Prince was also in a
gregarious mood, joking around with
the crowd and showing off a new
guitar in his trademark shade of
purple. In lieu of a performance, he
played a recording of the Atlanta show
over the speaker system.
Prince had been out and about earlier
on Saturday as well. Kaitlyn Powell,
17, saw him riding bikes with a
companion around a strip mall as she
waited for her 3 p.m. shift to start at
the local Office Max.
“I saw this person biking pretty
quickly around the parking lot, but it
wasn’t until he got close to my car and
I made eye contact with him that I
realized it was actually Prince,” she
said. “I kind of second-guessed myself
because he wasn’t wearing purple.”
But when she left her car, there he
was, just sitting on the sidewalk. “I got
my phone out to take a picture and he
asked me not to,” Ms. Powell said. “I
said, O.K., I respect that, put my phone
away and went to work.”
That morning, Prince had also noted
that it was Record Store Day. “PLEASE
SUPPORT UR LOCAL RECORD STORE
2DAY: (THROAT CLEARS 2 ATTRACT
ATTENTION): ELECTRIC FETUS,” he
tweeted, referring to the south
Minneapolis shop he was known to
frequent. Sure enough, he stopped in
that evening to make a purchase,
according to The Star Tribune.
On Tuesday night, he was spotted
again, this time at the Dakota Jazz
Club in downtown Minneapolis, still
walking the line, even in his final
days, between unknowable cipher and
local fixture.
“For the residents of Minneapolis, the
loss of Prince is too large to describe,”
wrote the city’s mayor, Betsy Hodges,
in a statement. “Prince never left us
and we never left him.”
Christina Capecchi and Sheila Eldred
contributed reporting.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)