NHL playoff hockey is a different game Louie Belpedio Hoodie. Fans, media, coaches, and players will all wax poetic about how it heavier, harder, and how there is less space on the ice. It may be anecdotal, but there is some truth to it. If the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild intended to set a physical tone in the opening game of their first-round playoff matchup, let it be known that the message was heard loud and clear. In their 1-0 thrilling overtime win over the Golden Knights, the hits came heavy and fast:93 hits through two periods, a franchise-record 53 already for the mnwild. Greenway with a franchise-record nine. As Michael Russo of The Athletic points out, the hits statistic can be a bit bogus at times. It not as clear-cut as a faceoff wins or a shot on goal, and what constitutes a it is completely subjective. Hit totals can fluctuate depending on where the game is taking place and who the scorekeeper is that night. What is undeniable is the totals that we saw by the end of the night: 71 hits for the Wild and 57 for the Golden Knights. That total for the Wild was well beyond anything the team had put up in the regular season https://www.storeminnesotaonline.com/Jared_Spurgeon_Pet_Jersey-128, where their season-high was 36 against the Los Angeles Kings in a bad 4-0 loss in February. It also resulted in a single-player season-high; Jordan Greenway notched 11 hits, and Marcus Foligno wasn far behind with 10 of his own. The previous high this season was seven from Joel Eriksson Ek in that same game against the Kings. The Wild econd line was responsible for the lone goal in the game and 26 of the 71 hits, and it didn go unnoticed by head coach Dean Evason. In the post-game presser, Evason espoused the advantages of having a line that can play that style in the playoffs. ou watch the game last night and how physical it was, Evason said. ee got people that have been through it, and we aren afraid of the physicality. You mentioned Ek line, and they are as physical as any line there is. Wel match up that way. he Golden Knights have their own physically dominant line in Ryan Reaves, William Carrier, and Keegan Kolesar. While that trio doesn't have nearly the offensive production of their Wild counterparts, Vegas head coach Pete DeBoer was comfortable trying to match the two lines against each other all night. When the heaviest lines from each squad are going toe-to-toe, youe bound to witness some intense minutes. hat's playoff hockey. On the other side, theye doing the same things with their big guys. DeBoer said, ou know it's going to be some tough heavy hockey. [It] going to take a lot out of you physically and when you lose a game like that Andrew Hammond Flag, mentally too. ere hoping we see the same sort of game in round two, but with a few more goals from the Minnesota Wild side of the lineup card.

More than 300 days later, after a bubble Stanley Cup Final run and a COVID-19 outbreak that forced the start of the season to be delayed over a week, the Dallas Stars finally returned to the American Airlines Center. In front of 4,212 fans in a limited capacity arena open as the pandemic rages on https://www.denverproshoponline.com/Peter_Kalambayi_Pet_Jersey-610, the Stars got to celebrate their Western Conference championship by raising the banner to the rafters. But as the puck dropped for the opening faceoff, the team sights were set squarely on getting back there. nfinished business as theye been using in the days leading up to the season opener. It a tall order, considering how very not likely it is for teams to make back-to-back runs at winning it all. Made even harder for the Stars, considering that their new division mates are none other than the team that kept them from achieving the ultimate glory last fall. They made a strong statement tonight that theye intent to get back there. They combined scoring and good defense, with a dose of Anton Khudobin magic when they needed it, to result in a 7-0 pummeling of the Nashville Predators. In a season filled with nothing but divisional games, every win could mean a big swing for those teams bunched around you in the standings. Dallas got their first chance to bank some for themselves and walked away with the full freight. It wasn a start-to-finish beauty of a game Kevin Toliver II Hoodie, though. After so much time off, and no matter how much skating is done in practices, it takes a little bit of time to get up to game speed. In the first period, the Stars looked like a team that hadn had any preseason action (like is usually part of a season) or game play while the rest of the league got underway. hen your team is off, youe going to need your goaltender, head coach Rick Bowness said after the game. e certainly needed Dobby in that first period. here were missed passes and several instances where two Stars players ended up in the same area of the ice, both in the offensive zone and the defensive zone. It was generally just not crisp hockey. Khudobin, however, picked up right where he left off in the Edmonton bubble. He was cool and collected in net, and put up the brick wall to allow the team in front of him time to get into the flow of a NHL game again. The second period provided the Stars with the chance to kick-start their offense after keeping the game at goose eggs in the first 20 minutes. A 5-on-3 power play featured John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen, who wore out the defenders and opened up the space necessary for Joe Pavelski Bradley Chubb Pet Jersey, sporting a fresh in the absence of the injured Tyler Seguin, to fire home the opening goal of the season. Dallas followed it up with six more goals. After the 5-on-3 expired came Alexander Radulov first goal of the season on the remaining power play. Six minutes later Denis Gurianov got on the board on the power play, followed four minutes later by an even-strength effort off of the most ridiculous between-the-legs redirect by Radulov. Esa Lindell added salt to the wound with an unassisted effort on a shorthanded goal, slipping the puck through Juuse Saros five hole and effectively ending his outing. Pekka Rinne would step into net to start the third period, while the Stars stepped on the ice without their captain Jamie Benn. After an awkward collision in the second period, Benn sat on the bench before being helped by trainers down the tunnel. He stopped, and then eventually continued on putting weight on the leg by himself. He would play another shift, as he was on the ice for a power play goal not long after the hit. However, he missed some of the last period of the second and all of the third period with a lower-body injury. Bowness had no update on Benn after the game, so wel have to wait to see if he takes the ice for practice tomorrow or if the team orders any additional testing. Dallas tacked on two more power play goals in the final frame https://www.denverproshoponline.com/Dennis_Smith_T_shirt-5, one courtesy of a bank shot by Roope Hintz that deflected off Pavelski and in and the other a redirect of a floating shot by John Klingberg that hit Joel Kiviranta on the way into the net. As Radulov said after the game, sometimes you get lucky, but the team won question it theyl take it. The Stars know not every night will come as easy. They had some adventures on the penalty kill as well as at least two posts that saved some goals by the Nashville Predators. They also won get all of the calls they did tonight, partly because things tend to not be called as tightly as the season progresses and partly because the Predators did a lot of it to themselves tonight. There also some concern Dallas couldn get a lot going at even strength (partly a reflection of the fact that there wasn a whole lot of that game condition from the second period on Taylor Russolino Hoodie. )But for tonight, the Stars can take the luck that was on their side and be happy that it resulted in two points in their bank. Tomorrow they can work on fixing some of those concerns and hoping for good news for their captain health. The season is officially off to the races, and every point counts, especially in this crazy condensed year. More FromDefending Big D Your Winter Classic Schedule of Events: A Private Tailgating Party, Meetups, and New Years Day Activities Announcing The Defending Big D Winter Classic Meetup! Your Definitive Visitor Guide To Dallas Is Here!

The last 24 hours have been a whirlwind of emotions for Winnipeg fans. Most of us were dreading a Patrik Laine trade Teemu Selanne Pet Jersey. How many Jets supporters really expected him to still be in navy at the end of evening And then, to completely flip the table over, the Jets somehow managed to pull off the heist of the draft with Cole Perfetti. Now, Winnipeg appears to have one more trick up its sleeve, re-signing Dylan DeMelo to a 4-year contract at an average annual value of $3M. Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty ImagesFor a low-scoring D who brings a calm Blake Wheeler T-Shirt, steadying presence to the line-up and pushes play up the ice, this contract is great value. I thought Dylan would get somewhere around 3 years at $2. 5M per, but the extra year and slightly higher AAV is fine with me. Winnipeg is extremely short on NHL-calibre D, and DeMelo track record of quality transition play makes him an important signing for the near future. There is some sort of limited no-trade clause in effect, but I not sure anyone can truly complain https://www.storewinnipeg.com/Connor_Hellebuyck_Face_Mask-126. The Jets got a quality skater and character in DeMelo locked up for a great deal, adding yet another win for a team that desperately needed them. How are you feeling about the sudden change in fortunes this week

The Blues disappointing overtime loss, regardless of what particular defensive lapse you believe caused it within the last minute of the third period, snapped the team four game win streak. It also left them with one point out of two; thankfully, the Golden Knights managed to keep the Coyotes to just one point as well on Thursday Jacques Plante Flag. The Blues are still up by three points heading into tonight game against the Anaheim Ducks. Arizona are playing the Kings tonight, so neither playoff bubble team may have a huge challenge ahead of them tonight. That means that the Blues need to win. The last time the Ducks were in town, the Blues did anything but. Back in March, when the Blues were mired in the doldrums of early spring, they dropped both games to the Ducks, losing 4-1 on March 26th, and losing again on March 28th by a score of 3-2 in overtime. Overall this season, the Ducks have been prime point targets. Since the Blues look like theye starting to click into playoff mode, the Ducks might have something to worry about tonight. Anaheim playing for pride at this point, and that something that the Blues should take note of. Teams with nothing to lose can still have something to gain; St https://www.stprostoreonline.com/Barclay_Plager_Pet_Jersey-83. Louis might be in trouble if they take their foot off of the gas. With a 4-1-1 record against the Ducks overall this season, keeping their foot on the gas could mean the Blues snagging two more points tonight, and two more on Wednesday. Chances are good that theyl have to run with the same lines tonight that they did for the series in Minnesota Glenn Hall Face Mask. Overall, they performed well, though one has to wonder what Zach Sanford was doing out there in Sammy Blais spot the last minute of the third period. His track record as of late hasn been stellar, and he turned into Blues fans latest whipping boy - and this one warranted. Klim Kostin should be here tomorrow, so that something to look forward to, even if he may have to sit out for a bit due to quarantine rules.

Pro Football Talk (PFT) is reporting that the Tennessee Titans are the erceived favorites to land Julio Jones Greg Mabin Flag. he current thinking in league circles is that the Falcons eventually will trade Julio Jones to the Titans for a second-round pick. 1The story illustrates an apparent belief in league circles that the Atlanta Falcons will eventually send Jones to the Titans in return for a 2022 second-round pick. This would obviously be great news. Jones is still a legit game changer. The Titans would quickly go from lacking depth at receiver to possibly having the best one-two punch at the position in the league. This is directly from the story:n league circles, the current expectation is that, eventually, the Falcons will send Jones to the Titans for a second-round pick. This isn a report that the Titans have offered or will offer a second-round pick, or that the Falcons will take a second-round pick for Jones. They continue to want a first-rounder for Jones, with the Falcons contributing nothing to his salary in 2021 or 2022. This is simply a reflection of the current thinking among folks in the know about where this is all likely to end up. eague circles could literally mean anyone https://www.tennesseefanstoreonline.com/Denico_Autry_Hoodie-196. PFT has been hit and miss when it comes to things like this. We sure hope they it on this one. PFT is also reporting that the Los Angeles Rams have pulled OUT of the Jones sweepstakes. Theye been linked for a while. As more and more teams are getting linked to Julio Jones; one team can be un-linked. Word is that the Rams are out. 1There a still a lot to unpack here. According to ESPN Dianna Russini, the Seattle Seahawks have also had discussions with the Falcons. The Falcons continue to field calls from teams interested in trading for Julio Jones. The Seahawks have had discussions about a possible trade with Atlanta, per sources. In fact, QB Russell Wilson Julio Jones have spoken to discuss the possibility of playing together Senorise Perry Hoodie. As far as local sources go, 3HL Brent Dougherty has heard that the Titans are going to make an ggressive push for Jones. You may recall that Dougherty was the first local source to report that the Titans were signing Jadeveon Clowney. Dougherty has a solid track record. All Ie heard is what I said more than a week ago on 3HL1045. I heard they were going to make an aggressive push to land Julio. Wel see what happens. 1Leave your thoughts in the comments.

The Houston Texans are making an assistant coaching hire right on the precipice of that coach upcoming season. Sources tell FootballScoop that the Texans are hiring Allen Smith to be their assistant defensive line coach. Smith arrives at the Texans after spending the past three years as the defensive line coach at his alma mater Zach Cunningham T-Shirt, Wofford. The Terriers, a Football Championship Subdivision team and regular playoff contender under coach Josh Conklin, are set to open their eight-game spring schedule on February 20. They host Southern Conference rival Mercer. The move is another piece of the puzzle for new Houston coach David Culley, hired in late January to replace Bill OBrien after the organization fired OBrien as both its coach and general manager following an 0-4 start to the 2020 campaign. Like Smith, Culley spent some of his formative years in coaching at the FCS level with spots in Tennessee at both Austin Peay and Chattanooga Tremon Smith Pillow Cover. Allen Smith will work on the Houston defensive line alongside Bobby King and for new Texans defensive coordinator Lovie Smith, the former Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Bucs head coach. Lovie Smith, who was the University of Illinois head coach the previous five seasons, retained King from the previous Texans staff but changed his duties. King coached linebackers last year for Houston but has been shifted down a level to the defensive front upon Smith arrival https://www.houstongearonline.com/Carson_Green_Flag-295. Allen Smith rise through the coaching ranks has been a relatively swift one. A 2012 Wofford graduate and letter-winning defensive end on a trio of FCS playoffs teams during his Terriers career, he has logged time at Appalachian State, Duke and Virginia Military Institute. His wife, Joy Smith, is an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Clemson women basketball team. As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest news.

Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of The Phinsider CAPTION THIS! Contest. Phase three of the Miami Dolphins OTAs (Organized Team Activities) kicked off yesterday afternoon, and Twitter was in rare midseason form, to say the least. But while everyone was too busy overreacting over Jaylen Waddle muffed punts or Tua Tagovailoa arm strength https://www.miamigearonline.com/Jaylen_Waddle_Face_Mask-432, the Sun Sentinel Mike Stocker was busy capturing this iconic photo Larry Csonka Face Mask. A photo so iconic, I had to make it this week Caption This! Entry. For those that don know, Caption This! is, here are the rules, per its creator ASuttonPFN. aption This! That it. If you like someone else caption, be so kind as to give them a REC. (If you don know how to REC something, please ask!) Most REC win. (Please remember site rules. Innuendo = good; profanity = bad. )My Entry:ee-yoo, Patrick! I told you not to eat the cuttlefish!it me with your favorite caption in the comments section below. The winner receives a one-year subscription to The Phinsider and internet fame and glory. Previous Caption This! ArticlesTua Tagovailoa out with the boysChris Grier and George Godsey meet with JaMarr Chase at LSU Pro Day Jaylen Waddle Pillow Cover. All eyes were on Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle this past week in Davie.

Every week I get an email from Zebra. They are the official on-field tracking provider of the NFL - at least that what they say. The Titans were all over the nuggets from week 15. The first Titan on the list was Ryan Tannehill Natrez Patrick Flag. Here was part of said nugget:Ryan Tannehill reached a top speed of 20. 13 mph on his 17-yard TD run, the 3rd fastest speed reached by a QB on a TD run this season. Lamar Jackson has the first two fastest runs of the season. I don know if you know this or not, but Tannehill was a receiver in college. The second nugget had to do with Derrick Henry https://www.denverproshoponline.com/Patrick_Morris_Hoodie-169, who continues to make those people who said you can pay a running back look dumb:Derrick Henry added to his league leading +303 RYOE with +37 in Week 15. Even though he saw a stacked box (8+ defenders) on 41. 7% of his attempts, he gained yards over expectation on 62. 5% of his carries. That seems like it is adding value to the offense. Finally, we get to some love for Corey Davis:Corey Davis caught 4/6 targets for 110 yards and 1 TD Jerry Jeudy Hoodie. He averaged 10. 1 YAC/reception, the 4th highest mark among all pass catchers. He also averaged 16. 8 air yards/target. We need to take a minute to realize how blessed we are to be watching this offense.