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TAMPA, Fla. -- Daniel Briere might have been the most comfortable player on the ice. Playing in his 109th career playoff game and first for the Montreal Canadiens, Briere skated around in overtime feeling fresh and like something good was going to happen. The least surprising thing was that Briere, a patented playoff performer, made the play to set up Dale Weises goal to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1. It was Brieres 110th point in the Stanley Cup playoffs but also evidence of how strong an overall game he played. "I had lots of chances," Briere said. "I really liked the play of our line. Talking to ourselves before the game, we wanted to bring energy to our team. I believe we were able to do that. Personally I felt like I had a lot of jump and probably couldve scored a few goals before that overtime." Briere had a couple of the games better scoring chances despite playing in a role with Weise and Michael Bournival in which he wasnt expected to bring offence. But thats exactly what he brought on the game-winner, taking advantage of a Tampa Bay defensive breakdown to feed Weise for the winner. "It was an excellent reward for them because they played an excellent game," coach Michel Therrien said. "They deserved to score the winning goal." Given his noticeable play for much of the night, Briere probably deserved more than just a point. But Weise will take what he got. "I thought he was awesome tonight," Weise said of Briere. "Hes a guy that I grew up as a little kid watching him play, and he just raises his level in the playoffs and you saw that tonight." Briere helped beat the Habs in the 2010 Eastern Conference final while with the Philadelphia Flyers, putting up three points in the series first two games. He led all players in those playoffs with 30 points in 23 games. Even though his minutes arent that of a top-liner, Montreal hopes to continue to reap the benefits of Brieres playoff prowess, as it did Wednesday night. "Hes played a ton of playoff games and played some big games," captain Brian Gionta said. "No different tonight." Briere didnt want to blow one primary assist out of proportion, even though it was a significant one. "I dont know, its just one game," he said. "I dont want to get too crazy. Its a huge win. Its a great feeling." .J. -- Freshman Eli Carter scored a career-high 31 points and hit the go-ahead basket in the second overtime as Rutgers rallied to stun No. . "I love the game, its the best job you can have," he explained Tuesday as the players left Joe Louis Arena for the summer. "Ill sit down with my wife and well go from there. .5 million. University officials released the term sheet signed by Harsin Wednesday, the day the former Broncos walk-on player and Boise native was named the successor to Chris Petersen, who left for Washington last week. . For the Bombers it has been a combination of things coming together at the most inappropriate moments in time. Quarterback, injuries, Canadian talent or depth and leadership are all issues. Trust me when I say being a Bomber is no fun right now in a city that embraces football the way Winnipeg does. While Buck Pierce will be getting another shot, I think Max Hall does deserve another opportunity. . -- Oakland Athletics third baseman Scott Sizemore has undergone surgery on his left knee to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.FLIMS, Switzerland - Canadas Kelsey Rocque defeated the United States 8-4 to move into a first-place tie in the womens division at the world junior curling championships. Canada (5-2) is tied with Korea, Switzerland and Russia for top spot. Rocques rink from Edmonton led the Americans 6-4 after eight ends and scored two in the ninth to cement its third straight win. Canada finished the round-robin Sunday with games against Scotland (2-5) and Denmark (0-7). In mens action, Winnipegs Braden Calvert earned two wins, including a 6-5 decision over previously unbeaten Norway. "I guess well take the win after a game like that," said Calvert. "We got off to a bad start. I threw a really bad rock in five and we had to come back from that. "Luckily, we did and we pulled through." Canada gave up consecutive steals to tail 3-0 at the break. But Calverts rink rallied in the sixth ass she made a tricky angle-raise double to score two.dddddddddddd He followed that up with a steal of two in the seventh to go ahead. "That was huge in terms of the momentum we got from that shot," Calvert said of the sixth. "We gained a lot of confidence and basically got back at them." Canada also beat Switzerland 7-2 to improve its record to 4-3, leaving it in a three-way tie for third. "Were starting to get on a bit of a roll," said Calvert. "Were starting to gain some momentum and confidence. "We were really sharp out of the gate tonight and grabbed an early deuce. That was definitely the turning point in the game and we kept fighting and were able to pull it off. All the teams here are tough and each game is going to be a battle." Canada finishes the round-robin Sunday with games against the United States (2-5) and Austria (3-4). ' ' '
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