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SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
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Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
AP
CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks’ power play came to life to give new coach Joel Quenneville his first victory with the team.
Patrick Sharp had two goals — one with a man advantage — and an assist to help the Blackhawks beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 on Sunday night.
The Blackhawks went 2-for-5 on the power play after entered the game 2-for-22.
Quenneville took over behind the bench on Thursday after Denis Savard was fired following a 1-2-1 start. On Saturday night in St. Louis in Quenneville’s first game, the Blackhawks blew a 3-1 lead and lost 4-3 in a shootout.
“I liked the response,” Quenneville said. “It was a real emotional loss for us (in St. Louis). There’s a big picture that’s very bright here.
“The skill level of our kids will get better and better. But as a coach, we’re in a short-term business. We want to win hockey games.”
Patrick Kane added a power-play goal and two assists, and Brent Seabrook also scored for Chicago.
Kane, the NHL’s rookie of the year last season, was in tears following last Friday’s practice when he was asked about Savard’s dismissal. Kane has three goals and three assists in the last two games.
“I don’t know how much (the coaching change) affected him,” said captain Jonathan Toews, also a second-year player. “but I guess it motivated him. We’re reaping the benefits right now.”
Cristobal Huet made 28 saves for his first victory with Chicago.
Huet, who signed a four-year, $24.45 million free-agent contract on July 1, was strong in his third start with the Blackhawks. He’s splitting the goaltending load with veteran Nikolai Khabibulin.
“The way it is now, every chance you have to play you have to take it and respond,” Huet said. “Nik has been playing well. It’s important for me to play well, too.”
Pavol Demitra and Henrik Sedin scored for the Canucks and Roberto Luongo made 22 saves.
Demitra, along Vancouver’s Sami Salo and Darcy Hordichuk were injured,
According to Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, Demitra has a “rib contusion,” Salo a “tweaked groin,” and Hordichuk a “tweaked knee.”
Another team official said Hordichuk’s injury was a mild MCL sprain.
Vancouver has allowed eight power-play goals against in 19 chances in the last four games. Meanwhile, the Canucks failed to convert any of their four power-play chances on Sunday and are 2-for-29 with the advantage.
“We have to find a way to play better,” Vancouver defenseman Mattias Ohlund said. “Maybe there was a goal or two tonight where you can said maybe there was a bad bounce, but overall we’ve had a stretch a games where we haven’t played good defensive hockey.”
Demitra opened the scoring midway through the first period. He connected from just in front of the crease after taking a centering pass from Mason Raymond following a turnover by Chicago’s Aaron Johnson behind the net.
Seabrook tied it just over a minute later on a shot from the top of the right circle that sailed over Luongo’s glove. Kane set up the goal with a pass from behind the Vancouver net.
Sharp was credited with a power-play goal that gave Chicago a 2-1 lead with 4:29 left in the first. Sharp tried to center the puck to Kris Versteeg, but the hard pass deflected off Ohlund’s stick and past Luongo.
Kane’s power-play goal at 6:58 of the third made it 3-1. He stuffed in a rebound of Sharp’s shot from the slot after Chicago’s Dustin Byfuglien failed to convert an initial rebound.
Sharp made it 4-1 with 6:45 left in the third when his shot hit the post and then deflected in off Luongo.
Just under 2 minutes later, Sedin cut it to 4-2 when his shot deflected in off the stick of Chicago’s Duncan Keith.
Notes: Vancouver D Kevin Bieksa returned after missing three game because of a knee injury. Canucks C Rick Rypien sat out because of an undisclosed injury. ... Chicago D Niklas Hjalmarsson missed his fifth game because of bruised ribs.
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
The Red Wings continues their historic winning streak as they down the Flyers 4-3
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.