UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders won the game. And then, they didnt. And theyre still trying to figure out why. Kevin Shattenkirk and Alexander Steen scored in the shootout to give the St. Louis Blues a 4-3 win over the Islanders on Saturday following a puzzling goal reversal call in overtime. After T.J. Oshie tied it for the Blues with 27 seconds left in regulation, Thomas Vanek appeared to score the winner for the Islanders on the power play with 1:15 left in overtime -- but the play was overturned on review at the NHL offices in Toronto. The puck hit Vaneks skate blade and dribbled past Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak, but a distinct kicking motion that usually negates goals wasnt apparent. "I thought it was a terrible call," Vanek said. "I think we all know what a kicking motion is. My skate never elevated, it was on the ice the whole time. I dont know if its because who we are. I think if thats Pittsburgh or some of those top teams, its maybe a goal. "For that to be overturned is just too bad." Islanders coach Jack Capuano wouldnt be drawn into the controversy -- but knew what he saw. "The referees made the right call on the ice," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "Then they must have seen something in Toronto that was conclusive." Added Blues coach Ken Hitchcock: "They arent going to make a mistake when it goes to Toronto." The Islanders had an early 2-0 lead for the second straight game. And again, they found themselves tied and in a battle. The Islanders (21-25-8) have led by two or more goals 15 times in 54 games this season -- and are 6-4-5 in those contests. Matt Martin put the Islanders ahead 3-2 midway through the second period. The home team was almost able to withstand the Blues relentless pressure in the games closing minutes. Earlier in the period, Oshies shot hit both posts but didnt cross the goal line behind Islanders goalie Kevin Poulin. Vanek and Kyle Okposo scored in the first for the Islanders, who lost for the fifth time in 15 games. Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice for the Blues. Poulin made a number of acrobatic saves for New York, with his best being a point-blank pad save on Blues leading scorer Steen midway through the second. He also denied Steen and Oshie during a power play midway through the third. But the Blues (35-11-5) wouldnt quit, leaving Hitchcock pleased. "This was good, gritty road win," he said. "I like the way the team played in the third period." Vanek opened the scoring at 4:01 of the first, slapping the puck by Halak for his 19th of the season. Vanek has points in 17 of his last 19 games with nine goals and 16 assists during the stretch. The 30-year-old left wing was acquired from Buffalo on Oct. 27 for Matt Moulson and two high draft picks. The line of Vanek, John Tavares and Kyle Okposo was at it again at 15:11 when Okposo jammed the puck past Halak for his 22nd goal of the year. Fans at Nassau Coliseum also chanted "U-S-A! U-S-A!" for Okposo, who wasnt picked for the U.S. team for the Winter Games next month in Russia even though hes having a breakout season. Okposo already has a career-high 54 points. Tarasenko cut the margin in half at 17:17 of the first, beating Poulin high from about 30 feet out. The 22-year-old right wing scored again at 1:17 of the second, his 17th goal this season. He hit the left post late in second and had a golden chance midway through the third when his rebound shot appeared to hit both posts without going into the net. The Blues won the previous meeting this season, 5-1 at the Scottrade Center on Dec. 5. They were completing visits to all three local teams. They defeated the Rangers 2-1 on Thursday after losing 7-1 in Newark to the Devils. "This a great way to end the trip with a bonus point," Oshie said. "We found a way to battle back and well have a fun ride home." NOTES: The Blues host the Devils on Tuesday. St. Louis is 16-3-1 against the East this season. They are 40-10-6 against the East since 2010-11, league-best intra-conference play. ... The Islanders are 19-6-3 when they score at least three goals and are 2-19-5 when they do not. ... Ten members of the Blues will represent their countries at the Olympics, tying Chicago and Detroit for the most among NHL teams. .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. . Virtanen opened the scoring at 6:45 of the first period, then gave Canada a two-goal lead with a power-play goal 1:03 into the second. Sweden cut the lead in half when Daniel Muzito Bagenda scored a power-play goal at 10:57 of the second.
http://www.cheapbucksjerseysauthentic.com/.com) - Devin Booker scored 19 points and top-ranked Kentucky put on a defensive clinic in an 83-44 obliteration of UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic. . Lauzon rushed for 42 yards on 15 carries for the Vert et Or (2-3) while quarterback Jeremi Roch completed 19-of-32 passes for 251 yards and one interception. Alexandre Aube scored the other touchdown for Sherbrooke. . Yet now its time for the most important pick of them all; the Grey Cup. The thought of going 5-0 with the correct choice is quite intoxicating, I dont think I have ever gone perfect in my CFL futuristic playoff speculations and would take great pride in guessing - I mean analyzing - correctly.KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Jordan Spieth thought the Plantation Course was a blast to play when he arrived at Kapalua. He had even more fun Friday. Coming off a sensational rookie season, Spieth opened the new year by never coming close to bogey and making a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 7-under 66. That gave him a share of the lead at the Tournament of Champions with fellow newcomer Michael Thompson, Chris Kirk and Webb Simpson. "Its a course that I shouldnt make a lot of bogeys on if you keep the ball in play and just think your way around the course," Spieth said. "Ultimately, I did some good preparation and did a lot of hard work the last two or three weeks getting ready for today, and now just happy to be in good position after the first round." The wind off the west coast of Maui was the biggest surprise, shifting direction and speed throughout the opening round on a mostly sunny afternoon. But with an inch of rain overnight, the Plantation Course was soft enough that only two players in the 30-man field of PGA Tour winners failed to break par. Kirk thought he might be one of them when he first got to this slice of paradise. He had not played since winning the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island two months ago, and his first practice round was a skins game with Matt Kuchar and Scott Brown. Kirk got shut out and figures he shot about 80. When it counted, he was on the money, especially late in the round by closing with five straight birdies. The last two were not easy, especially with the wind blasting into him on the 17th hole, a par 4 that measures 545 yards down the hill. He hit a poor tee shot and had to smash a 3-wood into 30 feet for an unlikely birdie. He had to hit 3-wood and 9-iron for his final two shots on 18 to make birdie. "Some slightly more exciting birdies in the last few holes," he said. For the opening round of the year, where players are still trying to shake off some rust, the leaderboard has rarely been this tight. PGA champion Jason Dufner had four birdies and an eagle on his front-nine 30, only to settle into a string of pars on the back nine for a 6-under 67. Kevin Streelman bogeyed his last two holes and also was at 67, along with Zach Johnson and Ryan Moore. The top 10 players were separated by three shots. Adam Scott, coming off a two wins and a runner-up in Australia, and defending champion Dustin Johnson were among those at 70 On a day like this, experience might have been overrated.dddddddddddd "I think the more times you play it, the more advantage you have," Kirk said. "Today was a little bit funny. Today was a day with the wind ... Ive never played in this wind. All the guys who have played here a bunch of times, youre very rarely going to see that wind. So that could throw some people off that were used to it." Even the players at Kapalua for the first time have watched enough of it on television to know how the ball reacts on the ground. Thats why Thompson was so surprised to see that his tee shot on the 18th bounced back a few feet. "From what I understand from guys that Ive talked to, that ball at least rolls 40 yards," Thompson said. "So its playing obviously very different." Spieth is getting plenty of attention going into a new year, mostly to see if he can back up his amazing rookie season. He had no status on any tour at this time a year ago, and by the end of the year he had won a tournament (John Deere Classic), finished No. 7 in the FedEx Cup and played on the Presidents Cup team. He is easing his way into the year, coming out to Maui with only his agent, still finding time to enjoy the Pacific and everything else at Kapalua. "Its almost like a vacation tournament in a sense," Spieth said. "Its been an awesome week so far. Obviously, Im here for this reason, and I dont have my family here with me. So theres definitely more of an emphasis on golf than maybe some other guys are putting into it here. Maybe thats an advantage." DIVOTS: Along with 13 newcomers to Kapalua, there were a few new -- or different -- faces on the bags. Simpson is using the caddie of Bubba Watson because the wife of his regular looper, Paul Tesori, is about to have a baby. The biggest change was with Patrick Reed, whose wife has carried his bag for his entire professional career. She is expecting their first child, so her brother is taking over. ... Kapalua is the toughest walk on tour, especially for the caddies. So it didnt help when Kip Henley, the caddie for Brian Gay, felt the bag heavier than usual on the fourth tee. He searched into the umbrella pocket and found a bottle of red wine that had been in the bag since the OHL Classic in Mexico last November. Gay gave it to his wife, who was in the gallery. ' ' '
