Thomas Godoj Thread » drive culminating in Gaffneys 16-yard

Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Eric Staal posted a goal and one assist while Jordan Staal contributed a pair of helpers to Carolinas 4-2 decision over Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Nathan Gerbe, Justin Faulk and Jiri Tlusty also lit the lamp for the Hurricanes, who have won three in a row. Anton Khudobin won thanks to a 28- save effort. Before the game I was preparing myself to have fun. Its fun to play against really good teams, said Khudobin. Cedric Paquette and Brian Boyle supplied offense for the Lightning, who were denied a season-series sweep. Ben Bishop took the loss after stopping only 18 pucks. Tlusty beat Bishop from the left side off a 2-on-1 rush and pass from Faulk before eight minutes elapsed in the third and the hosts were on top by a 4-2 count. Khudobin preserved the winning margin with eight saves in the final 20 minutes, as the Lightning couldnt generate quality chances with Bishop on the bench for an extra skater in the final two-plus minutes. Eric Staal scored just 22 seconds after the opening faceoff with an assist from brother Jordan, who stripped the puck from Tampa captain Steven Stamkos at the right-wing boards near the blue line. You come out and give a goal up in the first 20 seconds of the game, unacceptable, and it?s basically an own goal, said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. It was 2-0 for Carolina at 6:05, when a shot by Brett Bellemore from the right point bounced off the end boards and Gerbe potted the carom from the left side. Tampa got one back when Paquette crashed the crease and swept home a Jonathan Drouin rebound with 5:55 left in the first. Faulks point shot through traffic on a power play at 8:27 of the second restored the Hurricanes two-goal margin, before Boyles short-handed breakaway made it a one-goal game once more inside of six minutes to play. Game Notes Carolina improved to 7-2-1 in January ... Tampa Bay collected its fifth short- handed goal of the season thanks to Boyle, and is tied with three other clubs for the fourth-most in the NHL ... Before the game, the Hurricanes recalled defenseman Ryan Murphy from Charlotte of the AHL. Bernd Leno Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN starting at 10:30pm et/7:30pm pt. Toronto won at Denver and Utah, but lost in Portland and Sacramento. The Kings loss was the most recent game for the Raptors. Mohamed Elneny Arsenal Jersey .A. Happ. The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to improve the starting rotation ahead of next season and pitchers like Happ have a chance to show they belong as the disastrous 2013 campaign draws to a close. http://www.arsenalsoccerproshop.com/Auth...Arsenal-Jersey/. A strong fastball. A big, bending curveball that can buckle hitters at the knees. Against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, Elias put the entire package together against one of the leagues strongest lineups. Carl Jenkinson Jersey .Y. - Terry and Kim Pegula have no immediate plans to tinker with their new NFL team. Konstantinos Mavropanos Arsenal Jersey . In Englands first game since its worst-ever World Cup showing, Roy Hodgsons side rarely looked like scoring against unambitious opposition and the breakthrough in the friendly only came when Raheem Sterling was tripped in the penalty area.PASADENA, Calif. -- Connor Cook passed for a career-high 332 yards and hit Tony Lippett with a tiebreaking 25-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter, leading No. 4 Michigan State to a 24-20 victory over No. 5 Stanford on Wednesday night in the 100th Rose Bowl. Cook also threw a TD pass to Trevon Pendleton, and Jeremy Langford rushed for 84 yards and a score in the first Rose Bowl victory in 26 years for the Big Ten champion Spartans (13-1), who finished the season with 10 straight wins. Michigan States defence capped its dominant season with one more old-school, smash-mouth performance during the centennial celebration of the Granddaddy of Them All. "Its a special time for all Spartans, and we came here in force," coach Mark Dantonio said. "Im very happy for our football team, the resilience we showed all season long." The nations best defence ended it by stopping the Pac-12 champion Cardinal (11-3) on fourth-and-1 with 1:46 to play, utterly stuffing a run play up the middle. Kyler Elsworth, who started in place of suspended senior leader Max Bullough, hurdled the pile to deliver an electrifying, head-on hit to fullback Ryan Hewitt. "When I saw their offensive linemens stance, I knew the way to make a play was to go over the top," said Elsworth, selected the games defensive MVP. Tyler Gaffney ran for 91 yards and an early TD for Stanford, and linebacker Kevin Anderson returned an interception 40 yards for a score late in the first half. But the Cardinal couldnt follow up last seasons victory in Pasadena with back-to-back Rose Bowl wins, managing just three points from their offence after the first quarter. The Spartans have long laboured in the shadow of Michigan and Ohio State, but coach Dantonios seven-year rebuilding project in East Lansing has put them on top of the Midwest this season with an unbeaten run through conference play. After knocking off the unbeaten Buckeyes in the league title game, Michigan State earned only the Big Tens second Rose Bowl win since 2000, even rallying from its first double-digit deficit of the entire season to do it. Cook led the way in his own inimitable fashion, making incredible plays and huge mistakes along the way. Along with his costly interception to Anderson, he also thrrew two passes that went through the hands of Cardinal defenders, and an interception in the third quarter was wiped out by a defensive holding call.dddddddddddd But when the Spartans needed big plays in the second half, Cook repeatedly delivered, finishing 22 for 36. Kevin Hogan beat Wisconsin in last years Rose Bowl, but he couldnt match Cook, going 10 for 18 for 143 yards and a key interception for Stanford. A mere 112 years after the game considered the first Rose Bowl was played in a park elsewhere in Pasadena, Stanford and Michigan State engaged in an old-fashioned slugfest in the venerable stadium that will host the BCS title game Monday night. Michigan State fans dominated the Rose Bowl grounds and stands, with about 70 per cent wearing green in the crowd of 95,173 -- the games largest turnout since 1998. After Tournament of Roses Parade grand marshal Vin Scully flipped the coin, Stanford started with a 77-yard drive culminating in Gaffneys 16-yard TD run. Michigan State had never trailed by double digits all season long until Jordan Williamsons field goal put Stanford up 10-0 late in the first quarter, but the Spartans finally connected with a 13-play, 75-yard drive culminating in Langfords bounce outside for a 2-yard TD. The Spartans dominated the second quarter, but Cook handed seven points to the Cardinal shortly before halftime. With Usua Amanam bearing down on him unblocked, Cook inexplicably threw a soft looping pass directly to Anderson, who returned his first career interception untouched for a score -- the first defensive touchdown allowed by Michigan State all season. A hush fell over the partisan crowd, but Cook responded with a stellar drive in the waning minutes, moving Michigan State 75 yards in 99 seconds and evading pursuit to deliver Pendletons 2-yard TD catch 28 seconds before halftime. The Spartans had every bit of momentum after Michael Geiger hit a tying field goal, Trae Waynes made a diving interception and the Michigan State defence stuffed Gaffney on a big fourth down. Stanfords Shayne Skov forced a fumble by Langford inside the Cardinal 10 late in the third quarter, but Cook connected down the middle with Lippett for the go-ahead score early in the fourth. Stanford kicked a field goal with 5:05 left. ' ' '