Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
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.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
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.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had hole-by-hole reports.
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.
Getty Images fileSpecial Teams
Boston’s power play is ranked fourth in the NHL. As defensemen on the point, Chara and Wideman are as good a combination as can be found in the Eastern Conference. Wideman could finish the season as No. 1 on the team in assists and points on the power play. Lucic serves as a presence around the net, and also as a screener.
The Bruins have passers up front in Savard and Krejci. And with Kessel, Michael Ryder, and Chuck Kobasew, they have forwards who can finish on the power play.
The Bruins have the third best penalty kill in the Eastern Conference, and the seventh best in the league. Remember, if a team’s penalty kill is poor, it will offset the benefits of a strong power play.
Stephane Yelle and P.J. Axelsson are among the preeminent penalty killers in the NHL, even though they don’t get a lot of publicity. Patrice Bergeron also makes valuable contributions to this unit.
Underrated players
Wideman bounced back from a less-than-stellar Boston debut in 2006-07 to significantly improve in all areas last season. He posted personal bests, including over 25 minutes of icetime per game. The rest of the league has not caught on to just how dangerous the defenseman can be, and he’s having a terrific season.
Ryder, a winger who signed with Boston as an unrestricted free agent last summer, has always had the reputation of not working very hard defensively, but he’s changing that in Boston. One of his prime assets is he is a sniper.
What Yelle and Axelsson do defensively is underrated. Bergeron — even though he hasn’t put up big numbers — does everything really well. He’s flying below the radar.
Defenseman Matt Hunwick puts up numbers, and the 23-year-old does a lot of good things for the Bruins.
Leadership
Chara is an incredible leader simply because he leaves it all on the ice. He can be a leader in every situation. He’s dynamic five-on-five, as well as on the power play, and on the penalty kill. He’s physical, and he’s unselfish. To him, it’s all about getting the win.
Besides Chara, there are others who lead. Lucic, whom I mentioned as a potential future captain of the Bruins, has a fearless, gladiator mentality. He knows how to perform in big games, and he will crank it up in big spots. He’s also a ferocious hitter.
Andrew Ference has battled injuries this season, but he provides leadership. He is a highly respected player and leader. There’s also leadership coming from behind the bench through Julien and Ramsay.
Home ice
The Bruins are one of the more dominant home-ice teams in the NHL. The Boston Garden was so intimidating for opposing teams as the fans were ravenous, arguably the most vocal in the league. They haven’t lost those traits at the TD Banknorth Garden.
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.
Check out highlights from the Rangers 3-2 win over the Capitals.
ProHockeyTalk headlines |
 | Video: NHL from NBC Sports |
 NHLI via Getty Images |
 | Slideshow |
 | NHL All-Stars Take a look at the players who competed in Team Chara's 12-9 victory over Team Alfredsson. more photos |
| Slideshow |
 | more photos |
| Slideshow |
 | more photos |
| Slideshow |
 |
| Slideshow |
 | more photos |
 | Slideshow |
 |
The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.
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.