Game 7: Blackhawks and Blues tied at 2-2 after two periods

Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville claimed he isn't "great at giving motivational speeches," but he shouldn't have had to say much before his team faced the St. Louis Blues in a do-or-die Game 7 on Monday night at the Scottrade Center.

After falling behind 3-1 in the series, the defending Stanley Cup champion Hawks were looking to complete the comeback and advance to the Western Conference semifinals against the Dallas Stars.

After two periods, the game was tied at 2-2. Jori Lehtera and Colton Parayko scored for the Blues to put the Hawks on their heels but Marian Hossa and Andrew Shaw each found the back of the net to tie it. The Hawks held a 24-21 shot advantage.

"I believe there is momentum, especially in the playoffs," Hossa said before the game. "It’s a huge thing. It could be crucial."

Playing in a Game 7 creates a lot of pressure as a bounce here or there could determine which team has its season ended. 

"I think it's going to be fun," Hawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said. "I don't think it's really too much nerves involved. These are the kind of games that you want to play, unless you win in four, five or six. But we'll take a Game 7 and it's going to be a lot of fun. It's been a great series so far. Entertaining games. I think the crowd has enjoyed it as well, so hopefully we can give them a good finish here."

The Hawks were expected to stick with the same lineup while Blues coach Ken Hitchcock tweaked his, inserting Joel Edmundson in at defense for Robert Bortuzzo.Here are the Hawks' forward lines:

Richard-Panik-Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane

Artemi Panarin-Artem Anisimov-Teuvo Teravainen

Andrew Ladd-Marcus Kruger-Marian Hossa

Andrew Desjardins-Andrew Shaw-Dale Weise

Corey Crawford got the start in goal for the Hawks and was opposed by Brian Elliott for the Blues.

Dallas Mavericks Vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Live Stream — Watch Game 4 Of The NBA Playoffs

Courtesy Of AP Images

View Gallery 
38Photos

Game time! The Dallas Mavericks look to even up the series at home against the talented Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team who have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven, first round of the playoffs. Watch all the hard court action on April 23rd, at 7:00pm EST, online here!

American Airlines Center will host game 4 of this peculiar match-up. So far in this series, theDallas Mavericks have either won or been completely blown away. The Thunder dominated the first and third games by 38 & 29 points respectively. But game 2 went to Dallas who beat the Thunder by one, 85-84. Will Dallas get rolled again or can they stand up and fight like they did in game 2? Watch game 4 of the first round of NBA playoffs here online and find out.

In game 2 however, Kevin was flat and shot 7-33 from the floor. Then boom! The Mavericks jumped up and stole away a win. If the Mavericks can remember how to keep a lid on Kevin, maybe they have a shot at another win, tying the series at 2 games each.The Thunder have a really great player on their team and his name is Kevin Durant, 27. The 6’9″ forward from Washington, DC weighs in at lean 240 lbs. This man is a baller. When he is having a good night, which is all the time, the Thunder are almost unstoppable. In games 1 & 3 Kevin was dropping dimes on the Mavs who did not stand a chance. KD was in a zone.

Stream music, completely unlimited and ad-free, RIGHT HERE

Regardless of the outcome of game 4, the series will head back to Oklahoma for games 5 and possibly 7. With the better regular season record, 55-27, the Thunder have the home field advantage in round one. Defense wins championships and the only way for Dallas to get a second win in this series is if they can control the tempo of the fast-paced Thunder squad. The only loss by the Thunder in this series came when they were held to under 90 points. If the Mavs D up on the Thunder, this series might get real interesting.

What do you think HollywoodLifers? Who will win this crucial game 4? Do the Mavericks have a chance at containing KD or are the Thunder just too hot to handle?

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone accepted his dismissal in Saturday’s 1-0 win against Malaga but hinted he did not throw the ball.

Simeone appeared to throw a second ball onto the pitch in a bid to stop Malaga from counterattacking, which prompted referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz to send the Coach to the stands, but he claimed it was more a case of taking one for the team as “it was a boy beside me”.

“The images will show [what happened]. It’ll become clear,” he said after the game.

“It’s clear that the referee made ​​the right decision as per the regulations. He did what he had to do. There’s little more that can be said. It was a boy beside me [who threw the ball], but that doesn’t mean anything.

[SUAREZ OPTIMISTIC OVER TITLE CHANCES]

“We didn’t start well. We struggled for the first 25 minutes as we played too individualistically and that led us to be hasty and not having the clearest path to attack. After that, we improved and Correa revolutionised the team in the second half.

Diego Simeone - Eurosport

“Both of those factors took us to a very important win, and it gives us momentum to stay in this race until the end. [Correa] marked a very important step in changing the game.

“He can play in several positions and revolutionised the team by creating numerical superiority with his movement. He still needs to improve, but the only way he can is by performing when he gets minutes, and he took advantage [on Saturday].

“[Augusto Fernandez] did well, as did the whole team. The second half was much more balanced, better managed and we forced our opponents to defend. [On Atleti’s approach to the final three games], we’ll do so with the same approach as the start of the season: going game by game at our strongest and not looking beyond [each game].

“In these three games, we’ll experience important moments. Watching the game from the stands gives you a different perspective. It was there where I thought about bringing on Correa, but hopefully I’m not punished for many games.

“[On Atleti’s perceived preference to win by a single goal], no, not really. I feel safer when we score the second goal. One-nil never gives you a peace of mind. We can play [for 1-0s], we’ve shown it, but our objective is to extend the result so we can be more comfortable.”

Read the original article on Football Espana - The ultimate website for English-speaking fans of Spanish football

Iron Banner returns to Destiny next week

Crucible mode in Destiny is bringing back the Iron Banner event starting at the end of this month.

From April 26th until May 3rd, the Iron Banner will feature the Clash game type with improved loot drops, Bungie announced this week.

“In the first Iron Banner after the April Update, you’ll experience some changes we’ve made to improve the reward experience, Bungie wrote. “Legendary Engrams are great and all, but if you’re playing Iron Banner, it’s more likely that you want some of that sweet Iron Banner gear. So you should expect to see more Iron Banner gear next week instead of Legendary Engrams. Iron Banner gear will now have a chance to drop after every match you play – no more waiting until Rank 2. Given that many players spend more time playing at lower ranks due to the tempered mechanic, it was important to make sure those earlier games were rewarding as well.”

Possible rewards for completing the Iron Banner include the new Auto Rifle and Rocket Launcher, which can both be seen below.

Bungie said they believe these changes will “significantly improve your experience in Iron Banner next week” and are waiting for your feedback. Let us know if you’ll be tackling it in the comments below.

Sunderland 0-0 Arsenal: Wilshere back, but Arsenal held at Sunderland

Sunderland 0-0 Arsenal: Wilshere back, but Arsenal held at Sunderland AFP Updated Sunday, April 24th 2016 at 18:49 GMT +3 0 inShare Arsenal's Jack Wilshere in action with Sunderland's Lee Cattermole Action Images via Reuters Arsenal remain on course for a 20th consecutive top-four Premier League finish, but Arsene Wenger's men had to settle for a 0-0 draw at relegation-threatened Sunderland on Sunday. The Gunners' hopes of catching second-place north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur diminished after they were unable to find a way past their former goalkeeper Vito Mannone at the Stadium of Light. The point took them level with third-place Manchester City, five points clear of Manchester United, who have a game in hand, but was of more use to Sunderland, who climbed out of the relegation zone on goal difference. Arsenal still look a decent bet to finish in the top four and reach the Champions League for an 18th straight campaign under Wenger, but the Frenchman's detractors were hardly silenced by a largely listless display. Along with moving level with City, the other main highlight for Wenger was the return from injury of Jack Wilshere, as the England midfielder made his first domestic appearance since last season's FA Cup final after coming on as a late substitute following a lengthy injury absence. Arsenal had the better of the first half in front of another 45,000-plus Stadium of Light crowd as Mannone excelled against his old club. But they were decidedly second-best after the interval, and would have returned to the capital with nothing to show for their efforts had Sunderland shown a little more composure in front of goal. In front of their billionaire US-based owner Ellis Short, the hosts came closest to breaking the deadlock before the interval despite being outplayed for long spells. Former Chelsea defender Patrick van Aanholt saw his curling left-foot free-kick from 20 yards come back off the angle of post and crossbar after a foul on Jermain Defoe in a rare moment of first-half danger for the visitors. For the most part, Wenger's side were on the front foot, but were unable to produce anything good enough to beat Mannone, who moved to Wearside in a £1.5 million ($2.2 million, 1.9 million euros) deal in 2013 after eight years with the Gunners. - Handball shouts - The Sunderland goalkeeper produced a string of fine saves, the stand-out of which was a full-stretch stop low to his right to keep out a long-range free-kick from Alexis Sanchez.

Full-time: Barcelona 6-0 Sporting Gijon

The referee puts Sporting out of their misery. Barcelona go top after being off the perch for around six hours. Suárez scored four for a second game running after a much-improved second-half performance in which Sporting just ran out of gas. Vranjes should appeal against his sending off, though. He didn’t even appear to foul Neymar for the third penalty so a booking was a very harsh decision. They remain in the bottom three. What a strange game. It didn’t look like it was going to turn into a shellacking. It did. Football is a cruel world. Suárez has now scored 54 goals in all competitions too. Not bad. Thanks for your emails. GoodnighWith four games remaining, United remains fifth, 4 points behind Arsenal. Manchester City is a further point ahead in third place after beating Stoke, 4-0, in one of four league games.

Newcastle remained in the relegation zone even after coming from behind to draw, 2-2, at Liverpool. Southampton preserved its outside shot at qualifying for the Europa League by defeating already-relegated Aston Villa, 4-2. Chelsea, the deposed champion, won, 4-1, at Bournemouth.

The focus shifts to the title race in the coming days. Leicester, which has a 5-point lead over Tottenham, hosts Swansea on Sunday. Tottenham faces West Bromwich Albion at White Hart Lane the following day.

BAYERN NEARS TITLE Bayern Munich ground past Hertha Berlin, 2-0, and Borussia Dortmund kept the Bundesliga title race alive for at least one more week with a 3-0 victory at Stuttgart. Bayern would have won the title with a win and a Dortmund loss.

Bayern can seal an unprecedented fourth title with a win at home against Borussia Mönchengladbach next weekend, but it first visits Atlético Madrid for the opening leg of their Champions League semifinal on Wednesday.

“It’s not easy to keep pushing every three or four days, especially when everyone expects you to win,” Bayern’s Thomas Müller said.

Arturo Vidal scored three minutes after the break, and Douglas Costa sealed the win late to keep Bayern 7 points clear of Dortmund with three games left.

P.S.G. ON COURSE FOR TREBLEÁngel Di María scored with his side down to 10 men as Paris St.-Germain beat Lille, 2-1, to win the French League Cup and remain on track to defend its domestic treble.Henrikh Mkhitaryan starred for Dortmund, setting up Shinji Kagawa, then Christian Pulisic before the break, and crowning his effort by scoring in the 56th. Pulisic, an American, scored for the second straight game and, at 17, became the youngest player to score two goals for Dortmund.

P.S.G., the French champion, can repeat the treble by beating its bitter rival Marseille in the French Cup final on May 21.

Lille dominated much of the second half only to be undone by Di María’s 75th-minute goal.

The win may ease some of the recent disappointment of P.S.G.’s elimination from the quarterfinals of the Champions League, where it was knocked out by Manchester City.

INTER KEEPS HOPES ALIVE Stevan Jovetic scored twice, and Inter Milan beat Udinese, 3-1, in Serie A to preserve its hopes of catching Roma for the final Champions League spot.

With three matches remaining, fourth-place Inter moved within 4 points of Roma, which hosts second-place Napoli on Monday.

The match was the first time in Serie A history that neither squad had an Italian in its starting lineup.

Juventus, which visits Fiorentina on Sunday, can clinch a fifth straight title if it gains more points than Napoli in this round.

Evgeny Kuznetsov really appreciated T.J. Oshie’s Game 5 fight with Brayden Schenn

Capitals forward T.J. Oshie fought Flyers forward Brayden Schenn during Game 5 in defense of teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov pounded his heart with his hand and looked across the team’s Kettler Capitals Iceplex locker room at the empty stall usually occupied by teammate T.J. Oshie. Asked about Oshie’s fight with Flyers forward Brayden Schenn 10 seconds into the Capitals’ 2-0 loss to Philadelphia in Game 5, Washington’s emerging young center made sure the gesture didn’t go unnoticed.

“I had no idea about that before the game and then when I saw that I feel unbelievable, like somebody behind you,” Kuznetsov said Saturday after the Capitals held an optional skate at their Arlington practice facility. “I really appreciate it.”

Oshie’s decision to drop gloves with Schenn off the opening faceoff was a measure of retaliation after Schenn cross-checked the back of Kuznetsov’s knee after the whistle during Game 4 of this Eastern Conference quarterfinals series. Schenn expressed remorse about the situation before Game 5, calling it “a pretty dumb play by me.”

But with Schenn frequently in the middle of the fray in recent games, the Capitals felt compelled to send a message on behalf of Kuznetsov.

“Had to be done,” said Oshie, who had only been in four previous fights during his eight-year NHL career.

“I talked with Osh about that after the game and said lots of good words,” Kuznetsov said. “I just want to say thanks. … It sets the tone. Let’s not worry about that slash [cross-check] forever. It’s history. We just have to focus on next game.”

Kuznetsov nonetheless left Verizon Center disappointed Friday after the Capitals were shut out in front of their home fans and talked Saturday about his second line needing to generate more traffic in front of Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth. The jolt of energy Washington got from Oshie’s fight, he noted, must be sustained throughout Game 6 now that its 3-0 series lead has been whittled down to 3-2.

“It’s a positive when you start with a fight that sets the tone and building gets loud,” Kuznetsov said. “But … we have to score the goals and have the whole game in our hands.

euvirth magnificent against Capitals as Flyers force Game 6

WASHINGTON —

WASHINGTON (AP) — Standing in the same crease that Steve Mason allowed a goal from 101 feet out, Philadelphia Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth saw shots from every angle and didn't crack. Not even once.

Neuvirth stopped all 44 shots the Washington Capitals threw his way Friday night, carrying the Flyers to a 2-0 victory and sending the first-round playoff series back to Philadelphia for Game 6 on Sunday.

"They came at us pretty hard and if it's not for Neuvy, we're not winning this game," Flyers captain Claude Giroux said.

After the Capitals took a 3-0 series lead, Neuvirth has been the difference since replacing Mason for Game 4 on Wednesday. Neuvirth has stopped 75 of 76 shots against the team that drafted and developed him after Mason allowed 12 goals on 81 shots.

It didn't matter that Washington outshot Philadelphia 44-11 and an almost unbelievable 35-6 at 5-on-5. It's the first time a team won a Stanley Cup playoff game with 11 shots since the Capitals beat the Ottawa Senators in 1998, and that total is the fewest shots in Flyers history counting the regular season and playoffs.

Neuvirth said he got used to heavy shot totals by playing with the lowly Buffalo Sabres last season, though this tied the second-biggest disparity by a losing playoff team since 1989-90, according to STATS.

"I like to face a lot of shots. It keeps me in the game," said Neuvirth, who set a franchise records for saves in a playoff shutout and saves in a regulation playoff game. "I enjoy it. Guys did a really good job in front of me. I was seeing the puck well. We didn't take any bad penalties, and we stuck to our system and big win for us."

It's the biggest win yet for the Flyers, who are still feeling the emotions of the death of founder Ed Snider, whose public memorial service they attended Thursday before travelling to Washington. Yet they were not at their sharpest in Game 5, which Giroux called the Capitals' "best game of the series."

The Flyers went 0 for 6 on the power play to fall to 1 for 21 in the series. Ryan White scored three seconds after a penalty expired as the puck bounced off Capitals defenseman Taylor Chorney's left skate and past Braden Holtby 7:52 into the second period.

"To get it by that guy, they're not going to be pretty on him," White said about Holtby, who made nine saves. "Doesn't matter how they go in."

It matters to the Capitals, who lost back-to-back games in regulation after not doing so the entire regular season on the way to the Presidents' Trophy. They chalked the loss up almost entirely to Neuvirth, who stopped eight shots from superstar Alex Ovechkin and five each from defensemen John Carlson and Karl Alzner.

"We have lots of perimeter shots, but we don't have traffic in front of the net," Ovechkin said. "You see all these shots that he makes, he sees everything."

Washington coach Barry Trotz pointed to the 82 shot attempts as an indication of his team's dominant play. There's no arguing the Capitals were the better team.

"We had a couple good looks and we didn't finish them," Trotz said. "They got a little bit of a lucky goal. You put the puck to the net, sometimes, it goes in. It did. I went off, I think it was Chorney's toe and went in, and it was really a nothing play. If we play like that, next game, we should be fine."

Game 6 is noon Sunday at Wells Fargo Center. Even the thought of a Game 6 earlier in the week would have been unfathomable, but thanks to Neuvirth it's a reality.

"Neuvy stole us a game," Flyers forward Sam Gagner said. "He's made a lot of big, timely saves for us and kept us alive."

Relying on Neuvirth to withstand onslaught after onslaught is not the Flyers' plan moving forward, but there is some history to that in Washington. A handful of Capitals players need only think back to 2010 when Jaroslav Halak stopped 217 of 231 shots and the Montreal Canadiens erased a 3-1 series deficit to pull off the upset.

That same year, the Flyers erased a 3-0 deficit to beat the Boston Bruins.

NOTES: Chris VandeVelde added an empty-netter for the Flyers with 30.8 seconds left. ... Capitals forward T.J. Oshie fought Flyers forward Brayden Schenn off the opening faceoff. The Capitals were unhappy about Schenn slashing Evgeny Kuznetsov in the leg during Game 4, and Schenn respected Oshie for challenging him to a fight. ... Washington defenseman Brooks Orpik missed his second consecutive game with an upper-body injury suffered on a hit by White on Monday.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Cavs' Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova unsung heroes in Game 3

Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue exalts the play of Tristan Thompson and likes his team's three-point shooting after the 101-91 win over the Pistons in Game 3 at the Palace on Friday. Video by Marlowe Alter/DFP Videolicious

Thompson grabbed eight offensive rebounds; Delly had 12 points and five assists off the bench

(Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier DFP)

As usual, Lebron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are netting all the headlines from Friday night, and they should.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ “Big Three” combined for 66 points in their 101-91 win over the Detroit Pistons at the Palace in Game 3 of this first-round playoff matchup.

Sure, the “Big Three” remained the driving force in giving the Cavs a 3-0 lead and a chance to sweep the Pistons on Sunday in Game 4. They scored 81 of their team's 106 points in Game 1, and 65 points out of 107 in Game 2. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said this stretch has "been the best I’ve seen them play all three together."

But it was the play of two unsung players -- the same two who were incredible during Cleveland’s run to the 2015 NBA Finals -- that titled the scales towards the Cavs.

DETROIT FREE PRESS

Windsor: Pistons show promise, yet flaws exposed again in Game 3

Matthew Dellavedova (12 points and five assists in 16 minutes) and Tristan Thompson (eight points, 10 rebounds and two blocks) ripped the Pistons’ hearts out. Dellavedova did it with smart play in the pick-and-roll with James. Thompson waned Detroit's spirits with key offensive rebounds.

“(Thompson) has been our X-factor,” Love said. “He continues to play hard, he brings it every single night. I just try to feed off his energy, I think we all do. There’s a lot of stuff that he does and Shump (Iman Shumpert) does and guys throughout our entire team that don’t show necessarily show up in the stat sheet, but every single night they’re making the difference.”

Thompson, who broke out by averaging 5.3 offensive boards in six games in the 2015 NBA Finals against Golden State, scored two points in Game 1 and battled foul trouble while playing just 13 minutes in Game 2. Entering Game 3, he had seven rebounds (five offensive) in 44 minutes in this series.

Thompson was fantastic throughout Game 3, but he was especially effective late in both halves.

With under two minutes left in the first half, he corralled offensive boards on consecutive possessions, leading to four points and an eventual 54-53 halftime lead, despite 60% first-half shooting from the Pistons.

FacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedIn

Game 3: Cavaliers 101, Pistons 91

 Fullscreen

Pistons guard Reggie Jackson scores against Cavaliers forward Kevin Love during the fourth period of the Pistons' 101-91 loss in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals Friday at the Palace.  Kirthmon F. Dozier DFP

Fullscreen

• 1 of 30
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Next Slide

30 Photos

Game 3: Cavaliers 101, Pistons 91

Thompson's tip-in over Andre Drummond off a missed corner three from James gave the Cavs their largest lead at the time, 75-69, with 1:53 left in the third quarter. Thompson added a dunk on the next possession, leaving Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy to yell at Tobias Harris and yank him from the game for failing to help box-out Thompson.

“I thought Tristan was unbelievable,” Lue said. “Tristan is a team player and he just stayed with it. And tonight, we decided to stay big and Tristan was phenomenal for us.”

The Cavs opened the fourth quarter with James screening for Dellavedova at the top of key, and the guard's patience paid off. After multiple picks from James, the backup point guard found James for an And-1 lay-up, and a three for an 85-76 lead.

Dellavedova said James’ crushing picks are effective because the defender doesn’t want to leave James. “He’s such a dynamic roller,” Dellavedova said. “He can catch anything and he can also finish but kick it out to three, so it’s pretty dangerous as him as the roll-man.”

And with the Cavs leading, 95-90, with 2:10 left, Thompson’s relentless pursuit paid off when he outhustled Harris and Reggie Jackson for an extra possession, helping the Cavs drain another 24 seconds.

What makes Thompson so effective on the offensive boards? He says it's crashing the glass on every shot.

“There will be some possessions where I don’t get the offensive rebound,” he said. “But I know if I do it every possession, by the third quarter, fourth quarter, that’s when I’ll be able to get those crucial offensive rebounds to set-up a second chance for us to score.”

And it was Dellavedova who slung a perfect chest-high out-of-bounds pass to Irving for the dagger three with 0.7 seconds left on the shot clock, giving the Cavs a 98-90 lead and sending many of the Pistons' faithful slumping to the exits.