Outshot and outplayed most of the way, the lowly Philadelphia Flyers still found a way to beat the defending Stanley Cup champions Sunday night. Alexei Zhitnik scored the go-ahead goal while Robert Esche played a strong game in net to lead the Flyers past the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2, giving Philadelphia its second straight victory after a franchise record 10-game losing streak.
The San Jose Sharks didn’t waste any time bouncing back from a lopsided defeat. Joe Thornton scored his 200th career goal and added two assists to help the Sharks snap a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Sunday night. Joe Pavelski, Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau also had first-period goals for the Sharks, coming off a season-worst 8-0 road loss to the…
AP - Now Mike Shanahan wishes he hadn’t gotten his wish. Denver’s coach wanted Kansas City to win on Sunday so that the Broncos wouldn’t back into the playoffs but be motivated to play their best football.
Columbus’ game plan was to keep Chicago bottled up. It worked almost to perfection. Manny Malhotra scored the winner late in the second period to lift the Blue Jackets to a 3-1 victory over the Blackhawks on Sunday night. “It’s one of the teams we have to catch,” said Malhotra, who scored his first goal in 11 games.
The Sporting News - With the recent reelection of Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, major league teams are growing more wary of sending players there for winter ball or even having their Venezuelan stars visit home during the offseason. “The political climate down there is brutal,” one leading international scout says, “and it’s only going to get worse.” A National League club official with significant experience in Venezuela insists Chavez never would follow his buddy Fidel Castro and ban Venezuelan players from coming to North America. …
AP - The Philadelphia Eagles got their bye a week early. Thanks to the Detroit Lions, Jeff Garcia and the rest of Philadelphia’s starters rested up for the playoffs while the backups finished off a remarkable late-season run with a 24-17 victory over Atlanta on Sunday.
AP - If it had been, say, the Super Bowl, Philip Rivers and LaDainian Tomlinson would have played on. Both were on the sideline, though, as the San Diego Chargers finished their most remarkable regular season with a 27-20 win Sunday over the Arizona Cardinals.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Jets weren’t supposed to make the playoffs, but don’t be surprised if they hang around for more than a game.
Now Mike Shanahan wishes he hadn’t gotten his wish. Denver’s coach wanted Kansas City to win on Sunday so that the Broncos wouldn’t back into the playoffs but be motivated to play their best football. Instead, the Broncos tumbled into the offseason when Joe Nedney’s 36-yard field goal with 1:56 left in overtime sent the San Francisco 49ers past the stunned Broncos 26-23.
Detroit showed that persistence pays, especially when the Red Wings face the Los Angeles Kings. Detroit got goals from six players Sunday night in a 6-2 win over Los Angeles, the Red Wings’ 12th straight victory over the Kings. After struggling on offense early in the season, the Red Wings scored at least five goals for the fifth time in their last 13 games.
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