Stanley Cup Playoffs 2014: Blackhawks force Game 5 against Kings in instant classic

The defending champions have been impossible to beat in the final three games of a series since last year, and that trend continues after the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Los Angeles Kings, 5-4, in double-overtime.

I expected a win from the home team coming into the game, but I didn't expect a game quite like that. Chicago started things off by taking advantage of power plays and going up 2-0 early in the contest. Los Angeles answered by scoring two goals themselves and the Blackhawks added one more keep a 3-2 lead after just one period.

The goals slowed down as the game went on. The Kings eventually took a 4-3 lead in the second period, but they didn't enjoy it long after the third period began. Ben Smith had his third goal of the postseason to tie it up at 4-4 just a 1:17 into the final period regulation.

After non-stop action in the first overtime, Chicago finally scored just over two minute into the second overtime to stay alive in Round 3. It was by former Kings player, Michal Handzus.

The game honestly had it all. Anybody that's not a hockey fan would be instantly transformed with all the drama, hard hits, and just great hockey play all around. It had everything. Your high-scoring affair in the first period and then both goalies seemingly getting hotter as the game went on. There was rarely an overtime that thrilling with non-stop action on both ends. At one point, there were eight minutes of hockey without a whistle.

Sure, the NBA is more popular and the general public still scoffs at the sport, but do what I did and put both games side-by-side together. Trust me, you can have your foul frenzy of a game that takes out the best player in the game for over half the game. You can take your final minute of the game lasting a half-hour and endless views of instant replay.

While suckers were watching to see who touched the ball last, NHL fans were treated to back-and-forth game action. NHL fans got over 82 minutes of game action, NBA fans got 48 and the runtime of both games weren't that much different.

Los Angeles Clippers didn't 'get robbed' in loss to Oklahoma City Thunder

Late last night, controversy surrounds Game 5 between the Clippers and Thunder, again showing that cooler heads always prevail and there were always more than one reason teams lose a game.

It's a natural reaction to look at last night's game and completely dismiss how everything went down. The ball should have been called out on Oklahoma City on the Matt Barnes' reach in and even more controversy surrounds Chris Paul's foul on Russel Westbrook, sending him to the line for 3 shots as they then sat down by two points.

Doc Rivers went on a horrible tirade after the game and both killed the calls and killed the refs. Despite actually admitting that the Clippers could have played better down the stretch, they "got robbed." Yup. Having a 13-point lead and blowing it with a shade over four minutes left is certainly getting robbed.

Even more nauseating than Rivers was the absolute breakdown over Twitter. College basketball analysts were spouting off, oh, where are the people that defended NBA refs and crucified NCAA officials? Please, go back to watching tape on the Ivy League. Naturally college refs are going to be worse because there's a bigger pool to select from, and they clearly get more calls wrong and remain inconsistent at best throughout games.

Replay haters were spouting off how it failed again. Enough. We all know replay rules are stupid and I've explained multiple times how they can create a replay system that works fast and can look at everything. And replay haters don't understand what they're complaining about because replay actually gets it right -- it's the refs that can't go back and say something was a foul. So first, replay haters need to figure out what to bitch about before yelling off their soap box.

Then there's Clippers fans, who go off on tangents about how the refs are the worst -- never mind refs helping them advance in one of the games against Golden State -- and that this could cost them the series! Oh, the stupidity. There's so many things that happen throughout the course of the game, plenty of other things could have happened to prevent last night's outcome. Begins with finishing a game and Chris Paul doing anything differently than that disaster he owned up for in the final seconds. Maybe Westbrook could have missed a free throw.

But no, let's just bitch about the controversy because that's easy fodder to throw around on Twitter and sports media. God help us all when some people can't look past a couple plays and don't realize that there is always, always more than one reason why there's an outcome of the game -- unless rain forces a postponement.

The sooner people figure that out, the less vitrol, bitterness, and hatred will spew on social media.

• NHL: Rangers complete comeback, Blackhawks advance - Pittsburgh chokes as they'll face uncertainty heading to the offseason, and Sidney Crosby will face plenty of scrutiny after scoring just one goal -- a game winner in Game 3 -- during the entire playoffs. On the flipside, Patrick Kane had his sixth goal in the game-winner and lucky bounces are always the king of hockey.
• NBA: Pacers back to normal after Wizards beatdown - Marcin Gortat had 31 points and 16 rebounds. Roy Hibbert had 4 points and 2 rebounds. Let me know when you figure it out, Indiana.
• MLB: Braves 5, Giants 0 - Ryan Vogelsong wasn't backed up by the offense, who had just one hit through the first six innings. This was Mike Minor's first win of the season.
• NCAA: ACC considers non-conference games against itself. It sounds weird at first, but it's better than seeing Clemson take on The Citadel.
• MEDIA: Clay Travis tries to defend Donald Sterling with some horrible rant about how actions should speak louder than words. Travis also never brings up Sterling heckling players, being sued by Elgin Baylor, and forcing out Latino tenants. Why? Because research is a hard thing, and it's much easier to go on a 1,000-word tirade filled with one-sentence fragments.

Today's Slate:

(Central times listed)

TENNIS

ATP BNL d'Italia - 4:00a TNNS

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - CHAMPIONSHIP

Benfica at Sevilla - 1:45 FS1

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - ROUND 2

Canadiens at Bruins (Game 7) - 6:00 NBCS

-Ducks at Kings (ANA 3-2) - 8:30 NBCS

NBA PLAYOFFS - ROUND 2

Nets at Heat (MIA 3-1) - 6:00 TNT

Blazers at Spurs (SA 3-1) - 8:30 TNT

MLB

Rockies at Royals - 1:10 FSKC

Nationals at D'backs - 2:40 MLBTV

-Braves at Giants - 2:45 MLBTV

Padres at Reds - 6:10 MLBTV

Marlins at Dodgers - 9:10 MLBTV

WSD Sports Page (5-3-14): Damian Lillard leads Portland Trail Blazers to the Western Conference Semifinals

Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge are men amongst boys in Portland, the San Francisco 49ers pick up the option for Aldon Smith, and college lacrosse continues to dazzle. All in today's sports page.

The Lede

It took 24 Western Conference first round games, but a team finally advances to the next round. Damian Lillard makes a shot with 0.9 seconds on the clock, giving the Portland Trail Blazers a ticket to the next round over the Houston Rockets.

How much of a badass was Lillard? Against Houston, the man can do everything. In this playoff series, Lillard averaged 25.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in 45 minutes of action. All of that is above his normal season averages.

Also tack on an incredible 45.9 percent shooting from downtown and constant drilling from the free throw line. The man had it all, and he was one of the two big reasons why the Blazers are headed to the next round.

Another one is LaMarcus Aldridge, who rebounded from his off night in Game 5 and put down 30 in the series clincher. His efficiency died when compared to his first two games in the series, but it knocked his percentage down to 50 percent, which just explains how freaking nuts he was in the first two games at Houston -- which was about a 59 percent average for those scoring at home.

These last two games in the series weren't like the insane, zero-defense affairs. But at some point you just gotta be a little tired from scoring all the time, right?

Poor Dwight Howard. He was non-existent in his first and only playoff series with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was certainly the man for the Rockets averaging 26 points and 14.2 rebounds per game, but the Laker fans already having fun slapping him on the ass as he exits the door.

Can't blame them for how he left, but he was certainly not the reason why Houston isn't moving on.

Their defense is.


Other Headlines

1. NBA: The latest on Donald Sterling and V. Stiviano -- Sterling admits that he should have "just paid her off" while the woman spoke to Barbara Walters on 20/20 and insists that Sterling should publicly apologize. Considering Sterling's history, he is a racist, and any sort of apology would be fabricated garbage that would just be wasting everybody's time.
2. NBA: Dallas, Brooklyn force even more Game 7s. That brings us to a total of five Game 7s in the NBA this weekend. Most of the time you'd be lucky to have a single game on Saturday night, and the second round usually began the next day. Enjoy it!
3. NHL: Chicago lays the wood down with 5-2 shellacking. Patrick Kane closes it out with two goals in the third period.
4. NFL: 49ers pick up the option for Aldon Smith. I'm still firmly against it, but ultimately it was the right move in a business sense and it's not a surprise after hearing all signs pointing to go in the past couple days. It's only guaranteed until next March, and again, I've got the under on that bet he'll stay clean until then.
5. NFL: Colin Kaepernick comes out and says the Miami "incident" has changed him. Unless you're an idiot like Aldon and haven't grown up after screwing up royally over three times in your life, you quickly learn that a target is on your back when you're a big figure. But, perhaps Joshua David should just tell him to shut the f*ck up.
6. LAX: Ivy League semifinals both ended in one-goal games. The only time Ivy League sports is exciting is when the Harvard men's basketball team has their moments and when their teams meet on the field for men's lacrosse.

Yesterday's Favorites

• Giants 2, Braves 1 - Tim Lincecum picks up his second win of the season thanks to Angel Pagan's leadoff home run and Michael Morse's solo shot in the sixth inning to break a 1-run tie. Sergio Romo's eighth save was like watching the end of an NBA game. Long and brutal.
• NCAA Baseball: West Virginia 5, Texas 3 - It's the Longhorn's third straight Big 12 loss despite Brooks Marlow going 4-for-5 and the team getting the same amount of hits as the Mountaineers (11). Texas was down 4-0 until the seventh inning when they put up three straight runs. And that was it.

Today's Slate

Central times listed.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

-Tottenham at West Ham - 6:45a NBCS

Sunderland at Man United - 9:00a NBCS

Man City at Everton - 11:30a CNBC

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - ROUND 2

Canadiens at Bruins (MON 1-0) - 11:30 NBC

-Kings at Ducks (Game 1) - 7:00 NBCS

NBA PLAYOFFS - ROUND 1

Hawks at Pacers (Game 7) - 4:30 TNT

Grizzlies at Thunder (Game 7) - 7:00 TNT

Warriors at Clippers (Game 7) - 9:30 TNT

MLB

Dodgers at Marlins - 6:10 SNLA/FSFL

-Giants at Braves - 6:10 CBA/FSS

Mets at Rockies - 7:10 SNY/RSRM

D'backs at Padres - 7:40 FSAZ/FSSD

LAX

AE: UMBC vs Albany (Final) - 9:00a ESPNU

-Johns Hopkins at Loyola - 11:00a CBSS

Army at Notre Dame - 11:00a ESPNU

Colgate at Syracuse - 3:00 ESPN3 (ONL)

BE: Denver at Villanova (Final) - 3:30 FS1

ECAC: Fairfield vs Air Force (Final) - 4:00 FS2

Lizards at Bayhawks - 6:00 PT

Hounds at Launch - 6:00 TLN (ONL)

CBB

Baylor at Oklahoma - 2:00 FSOK

Texas Tech at Kansas - 2:00 ESPN3 (ONL)

-Texas at West Virginia - 3:00

Kansas St at TCU - 4:00 FSSW

WSD Sports Page: Los Angeles Clippers' playoff run likely over

More on the Donald Sterling mess, a San Francisco 49ers fan sues the NFL for not being able to buy a tickeet to the NFC Championship, and recapping all the sports in today's sports page.

The Lede

The Los Angeles Clippers are probably done and it's a damn shame

On Sunday, the Clippers played a lifeless game against Golden State, losing 118-97 in a game that was essentially over after Stephen Curry made all the baskets in the first quarter. Despite deciding to play the game after a team meeting on Saturday, they certainly didn't show up mentally. And they shouldn't have played the game.

What does it take to supplant Donald Sterling, an NBA owner that's incredibly racist, believing that he still owns black people by clothing them and feeding them on his team? What does it take to cancel an NBA game? Apparently more than this.

Before disaster hit, the Clippers were looking like the best team in the West heading into the weekend. They held on to a victory on the road against an exciting Warriors team on Thursday. San Antonio now is down 2-1 against Dallas. Oklahoma City is barely getting past a tenacious defense in Memphis. Portland and Houston don't have the defense to continue on in the postseason. The East's biggest threat is Miami, and the Clippers obviously wouldn't have to worry about that until the final series of the postseason.

Now? It's probably over. The NBA is too late on its swift action to mentally repair the team. Doc Rivers is mulling over working for Sterling right now. Some players should feel the same way. In fact, this whole team might implode because why would anyone want to play under Sterling? Say what you will about sticking together and playing as a team, but more of what transpired on Sunday will happen.

Other Headlines

1. NFL: San Francisco 49ers fan sues NFL because he couldn't buy tickets for NFC Championship. He lives in Nevada, and that was one of the 44 states that wasn't allowed to purchase a ticket. This isn't new for the NFL, the Broncos even did it without the scrutiny because they didn't cut off a close geographical location like the Seahawks did with California. There's honestly a valid point here to be made, but we'll see how far this really gets in the court system -- especially since the suit is referring to Qwest and not CenturyLink, the old name for the Seahawks' stadium.
2. SOCCER: Barcelona player Dani Alves eats a banana that was thrown at him during a game. It's the greatest video of the weekend.
3. NBA: Shaq tried to race Kenny Smith to the video board, but falls over thanks to a trash can. This is the second greatest video of the weekend.
4. MLB: Ryan Braun injures teammate Jean Segura, then gets injured himself. Milwaukee is having one hell of a great start to the season at 18-6 after Saturday night, but Braun apparently has had enough of it.
5. NCAA: SEC sticks with eight game schedule, but demands teams schedule one game from a power conference. So, why not just have a nine-game conference schedule so that each team will be forced to play nine good teams? Whatever, maybe this means Iowa State and Vanderbilt can get a series going.

Yesterday's Favorites -- includes San Francisco Giants, Texas Longhorns baseball

Playoff Report -- recapping everything that happened in the Stanley Cup and NBA playoffs.

Today's Slate

SOCCER

Newcastle at Arsenal - 2:00 NBCS

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - ROUND 1

Penguins at Blue Jackets (PIT 3-2) - 6:00 NBCS

Avalanche at Wild (MIN 3-2) - 8:00 CNBC

-Sharks at Kings (SJ 3-2) - 9:00 NBCS

NBA PLAYOFFS - ROUND 1

Heat at Bobcats (MIA 3-0) - 6:00 TNT

Hawks at Pacers (Tied 2-2) - 7:00 NBATV

Spurs at Mavericks (DAL 2-1) - 8:30 TNT

MLB

Rockies at D'backs - 8:40 RSRM/FSAZ

-Padres at Giants - 9:15 FSSD/CSBA

WSD Daily Sports Page (4-23-14): Should Frank Vogel be fired if the Indiana Pacers don't advance?

Will Indiana's Frank Vogel get fired if the Pacers don't advance to the next round? "Stone Cold" Steve Austin gives his thoughts on gay marriage and says it exactly how we thought he would say it, and your daily recaps of NBA and NHL action -- including Drake's lint roller -- all today in the sports page.

The Lede



It's crazy, but Frank Vogel should be coaching for his job

Despite achieving a 56-26 record and being the first seed in the Eastern Conference, Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel is apparently coaching to keep his job.

ESPN's Marc Stein reports that sources close to the Pacers believe that if Indiana underwhelms in the playoffs, Vogel will likely get the axe. That sounds pretty severe considering everything Vogel has done for the Pacers during his tenure, but there's been a clear drop off by Indiana that's lasted since February.

Clearly, it's not just Indiana coming back to Earth. They're a really great team filled with superstars, but team chemistry must be on the same page. Otherwise, it doesn't matter who is on the team. This is why many teams that are filled with nothing but superstars end up disappointing -- it's incredibly hard to get those egos together.

Team chemistry is completely collapsing with the Pacers, and a lot of it reportedly is from Lance Stephenson beginning in late March. Yahoo! Sports reported on a fight between Stephenson and Evan Turner during practice right before their first game against the Atlanta Hawks. Stephenson had a scuffle with George Hill on March 31st, and Roy Hibbert calling out "some selfish dudes" was likely referring to Stephenson.

Perhaps Stephenson has big head on his shoulders after becoming one of the most improved players in the NBA this season. The problem for Vogel is that he can't pin it on Stephenson. In fact, president Larry Bird is on Stephenson's side and criticized Vogel in March for his disappointment in how the team is prepared.

It's truly unfortunate for Vogel. Since taking over during the 2010-11 season, the Pacers haven't missed the playoffs, haven't finished lower than second in the Central division, and the team is 167-97 in the regular season. Despite just an 18-17 playoff record, they've improved every season and were looking to finally break through into The Finals this year.

There's still time to get that done, but Miami is the clear favorite right now in the East. And perhaps Frank won't get another chance if he doesn't even make it to the Heat.


Top Five Stories that Matter to Me

1. NHL: Los Angeles drops to 0-3 hole against San Jose. There's nothing more pivotal than a Game 3 when a team holds a 2-0 lead. Now the Kings will have to win four straight games
2. NFL: The regular season schedule is officially released tonight. This is the only sport that devotes a 3-hour show for a freaking schedule. Yet it will probably score higher ratings than every baseball game, all the NHL games, and even the Spurs-Mavs game on NBATV.
3. WWE: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin gives vulgar rant about gay marriage. He focuses on religion, and it really "chaps [his] ass." But hey, he gets the point across.
4. NFL: LaMarr Woodley believes the Oakland Raiders will make the postseason. For those that don't know who Woodley is (that's a lot of you) the linebacker spent his first seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It good to have goals, no matter how unrealistic they are.
5. NBA: Aubrey Drake Graham uses a lint roller during the Nets-Raptors game. Real Instagram comment: "habibiz lint roller on deck"

Yesterday's Favorites

MLB: Rockies 2, Giants 1

The hits finally came for San Francisco, but they were unable to bring in the runs scoring just once on a solo home run by Hunter Pence. They were able to get baserunners against Colorado starting pitcher Franklin Morales, but all nine runners in scoring position were stranded. Madison Bumgarner gave up nine hits but recorded six strikeouts in a complete effort that went eight innings.

NCAA Baseball: Texas 5, UT-Pan American 4

It was a bit closer than the Longhorns wanted it, but they finally break a 3-game losing streak after getting bulldozed by TCU over the weekend. Mark Payton hit a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the eighth to give Texas their first lead of the night and they held on to finish off UTPA in the ninth. Ben Johnson hit a solo home run in the sixth inning to tie the game up.


Stanley Cup Playoffs

• Canadiens 4, Lightning 3 (MON 4-0)
• Bruins 3, Red Wings 0 (BOS 2-1)
• Rangers 4, Flyers 1 (NYR 2-1)
• Sharks 4, Kings 3 (F/OT) (SJ 3-0)

After coming back in the 3rd period down two goals, Montreal smacked in the game winner with under one minute left.

Boston is also starting to flex their muscles. After getting zero goals in the first game, they've outscored Detroit 7-1 in the last two games with seven different players.

NBA Playoffs

• Pacers 101, Hawks 85 (Tied 1-1)
• Raptors 100, Nets 95 (Tied 1-1)
• Wizards 101, Bulls 99 (F/OT) (WSH 2-0)

Great night in The Association. The Pacers pulled away in the 3rd quarter outscoring the Hawks 31-13. Toronto outrebounded Brooklyn 52-30 to overcome shooting just 12.5 percent from downtown and turning the ball over 10 more times to even the series. Chicago loses another heartbreaker at home and will have to find answers in Washington.

Today's Slate

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - SEMIFINALS
Bayern Munich at Real Madrid (Leg 1) - 1:45 FS1

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - ROUND 1
Penguins at Blue Jackets (PIT 2-1) - 6:00 NBCS
Ducks at Stars (ANA 2-1) - 7:00 CNBC
Blues at Blackhawks (STL 2-1) - 8:30 NBCS

NBA PLAYOFFS - ROUND 1
Bobcats at Heat (MIA 1-0) - 6:00 TNT
Mavericks at Spurs (SA 1-0) - 7:00 NBATV
Blazers at Rockets (POR 1-0) - 8:30 TNT

MLB (NL West)
D'backs at Cubs - 1:20 WGN
-Giants at Rockies - 2:10 CSBA/RSRM
Padres at Brewers - 7:10 FSSD/FSMW
Phillies at Dodgers - 9:10 CSPH/SNLA

LAX
-Villanova at Johns Hopkins - 6:00 ESPNU

CBB (Big 12)
Missouri State at Kansas - 6:00 ESPN3
Baylor at Texas State - 6:30 ESPN3

WSD Daily Sports Page (4-19-14): How Nick Saban got the Denver Broncos in trouble, and exposed a dumb NFL rule

Is Nick Saban in hot water after having a Denver Broncos coach and quarterback meet in the offseason? Did Johns Hopkins finally break a losing skid at Annapolis? Is Mike Woodson getting canned from his job with the New York Knicks? Has James Harden ever played defense this season.

All that and more in today's sports page at The World of Santa Destroy.

The Lede




Dumb NFL rule exposed as Nick Saban questioned about meeting with Peyton Manning, Adam Gase

Alabama's head football coach, Nick Saban, may have gotten both Peyton Manning and Adam Gase in trouble, breaking an NFL rule that ultimately makes it look like the league has as many ridiculous rules at the NCAA.

Saban said during a press conference on Thursday that he talked to both the Denver Broncos quarterback and offensive coordinator, and reporters that knew of a certain NFL rule ran wild with it.

What was the rule? The NFl's collective-bargaining agreement doesn't allow for players or coaches to meet with each other before off-season workouts begin. Which is probably the worst rule the NFL has in the CBA.

Saban followed up with reports in his usual Saban way, groaning about how reporters just assumed that he sat down with both of them at the same time (via ESPN).

On the eve of Alabama's final spring scrimmage, he told the newspaper that he was "shocked that anybody would think someone did anything wrong" and that this is "what happens when people assume."
"I was asked about their visit at my coach's clinic press conference but I never said we sat down together. Because we didn't."

There's a reason why Saban reacted in an annoyed way, and I can't blame him. This rule that the NFL has is incredibly stupid, even though it does make sense on why it's there.

NFL coaches are insane crazy, and they would love to be with their players 24/7 and drill them with information to make them better. They'd love to hold more practices and create a year-long relationship with them.

Players certainly need the rest from that. But here's the thing: It's a job. This rule gives the players mandatory vacation away from their job. And it forces two or more people not having a chance to hang out who have developed relationships at a workplace.

You can't just keep people from meeting up with each other. If Manning and John Fox want to meet at Hooters and scarf down some wings and a few cold ones while watching Peyton's alma-mater's men's basketball team cause a stir in the NCAA tournament, that should happen. But no. Under the CBA, that could be deemed inappropriate and the whole team would be under investigation.

It's an inhumane rule that's really stupid, creating stupid witch hunts like the one sparked by Saban. Like he needs even more on his plate while he's trying to please a fanbase that has fans wanting him gone after last season's Iron Bowl loss.


Top Five

1. Soccer: Tottenham stays in Europa League race with 3-1 win over Fulham. 3 different players not named Emmanuel Adebayor scored for the Spurs. Harry Kane scored the go-ahead minutes into the second half that made it 2-1, and Youries Kaboul made the game-ender. Steve Sidwell made the lone goal for Fulham, and missed a penalty kick in the 77th minute.
2. NHL: Detroit takes 1-0 series lead after lone goal 57 minutes into the game. It was a defensive slugfest at Boston, but the Red Wings take a big one on the road after Pavel Datsyuk's goal with 3:01 left in the contest.
3. NBA: New York Knicks' Mike Woodson could be gone early next week. He'll know of his fate early next week, and he's expected to be canned. If the Knicks want Mike D'Antoni back, he should be on the market by then too.
4. MLB: Former New York Mets pitcher Aaron Harang puts a no-hit bid toward Mets. Harang parted ways with Seattle with a 5.76 ERA, heading to the Mets to finish up his season. Afterwards, he was picked up by the Atlanta Braves. He held the Mets to zero hits, but the bullpen broke up the team no-hit bid. This Mets team came off of a dominating sweep against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The only other team that could pull off a feat like that is the Chicago Cubs.
5. NBA: Here's James Harden not playing defense all season long. The Houston Rockets are about as defensively inept as the Los Angeles Lakers, which is why they're not getting backed by the talking heads NBA experts and public opinion. This 11-minute video of Harden never making a stop is pretty jaw-dropping.

Other Scores from Yesterday

NCAA Men's Lacrosse: Johns Hopkins 6, Nay 5

The Blue Jays finally broke a 2-game skid at Annapolis with a defensive victory against the Midshipmen. Nothing seems to go Navy's way in close battles. They had three easy opportunities for goals in the third quarter, but all three attempts bounced off the pipes. JHU also turned the ball over twice late in the game to give Navy additional opportunites to tie the game, but the Midshipmen responded with futile attempts on offensive, fumbling the ball away.

Brandon Benn had four of JHU's six goals. Navy has won just one one-goal games out of their last seven dating back to last season.

NCAA Baseball: TCU 2, Texas 0

The Longhorns still haven't scored in an early 3-game series against the Horned Frogs before the Easter holiday. TCU's Preston Morrison outdueled Dillon Peters by giving up just four hits and recorded seven strikeouts in seven innings. Peters had the same amount of SOs but double the hits in 6.2 innings of work. Texas also had just four hits on Thursday, and they'll hope to change that in the series finale.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Recap

• Canadiens 4, Lightning 1 (MON 2-0)
• Red Wings 1, Burins 0 (DET 1-0)
• Ducks 3, Stars 2 (ANA 2-0)

Montreal takes firm control of the series, adding insult to injury by scoring the first four goals in the game after defeating the team in overtime on Wednesday night. Both games were in Tampa Bay, putting extreme pressure on the Lightning. Home ice didn't help end up helping them after securing it with four straight wins to end the regular season, finishing one point higher than the Canadiens.

Elsewhere, Anaheim takes both games at home too. They cruised to a 3-0 lead after the first period and held on after Dallas scored the last three goals of the game. Ryan Getzlaf, who scored the second goal of the game, took a nasty hit as the puck nailed him in the face. He also finished with an assist on the team's third goal with just seconds left in the first period.

NL West Recap

• Rockies 12, Phillies 1
• Padres 2, Giants 1
• Diamondbacks 4, Dodgers 2 (F/12)

Colorado broke out the bats against Philly, dominating the game early with eight runs in the first four innings, crushing Jonathan Pettibone with nine hits and all the runs were earned. Troy Tulowitzki hit a 3-run jack in the second inning with two outs.

San Francisco continues their inept offense with just one run, a home run by Brandon Belt in the ninth inning. Starting pitcher Matt Cain now falls to 0-3 on the season, getting absolutely no run support by his team and getting tagged with a loss despite giving up just four hits, one run, and recording eight strikeouts in seven innings. But they remain tied with LA after the Dodgers lost in extras to the worst team in baseball.

Today's Slate

BARCLAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE

Sunderland at Chelsea - 11:30a NBC

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - ROUND 1

B'hawks at Blues (STL 1-0) - 2:00 NBC

B Jackets at Penguins (PIT 1-0) - 6:00  NBCS

Wild at Avalanche (COL 1-0) - 8:30 NBCS

NBA PLAYOFFS - ROUND 1

Nets at Raptors - 11:30a ESPN

Warriors at Clippers - 2:30 ABC

Hawks at Pacers - 6:00 ESPN

Grizzlies at Thunder - 8:30 ESPN

MLB - NL WEST

Phillies at Rockies - 7:10 RSRM

D'backs at Dodgers - 7:10 FS1

-Giants at Padres - 7:40 CSBA/FSSD

NCAA LAX

Maryland at Notre Dame - 11:00a ESPNU

Stony Brook at Binghamton - 12:00 AETV (ONL)

Sacred Heart at St. Joseph's - 12:00 NEC (ONL)

Bryant at Robert Morris - 12:00 NEC (ONL)

Princeton at Harvard - 12:00 ESPN3 (ONL)

Rutgers at Duke - 12:00 ESPN3 (ONL)

Villanova at St. John's 12:00 ESPN3 (ONL)

Albany at UMBC - 2:30 AETV (ONL)

CBB - BIG 12

W Virginia at Oklahoma - 12:00 FCS

PV A&M at Texas Tech - 2:00 ESPN3

Kansas at Okie St - 3:00

-TCU at Texas - 4:00

Baylor at Kansas St - 7:00 ESPNU

WSD Daily Sports Page (4-18-14): MLB replay isn't the problem, the whole sports replay process is wrong

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