DALLAS - Patrick Sharp scored yet another goal against the Dallas Stars. The Chicago forward figured it made a difference only because of goalie Corey Crawford.Sharp scored the tying goal in the third period, Patrick Kane had the only goal in the shootout and the Blackhawks beat Dallas 3-2 Thursday night.Kane beat Kari Lehtonen high on the glove side with Chicagos second attempt in the shootout, and Crawford stopped Dallas tries from Tyler Seguin and newcomers Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky after bailing out the sluggish Blackhawks for the first two periods.All night long he was great, so we can be happy getting out of here with a win, said Sharp, who had 10 points in five games a€” including six goals a€” against the Stars last season. But if it wasnt for Corey, itd be a different situation.Crawford stopped 32 of 34 shots for the Blackhawks in their first meaningful game since losing Game 7 of the Western Conference finals to the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings last June. They won their seventh straight in Dallas.We have to call the cops. We stole two points tonight, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. Certainly call that a goalie win.The Stars opened on the same ice where last season ended in a first-round playoff series against Anaheim after they broke a five-year post-season drought.Dallas had turned away several good scoring chances for the high-scoring duo of Kane and Jonathan Toews before Sharp sent a shot from the circle past Lehtonen 11:10 into the third.The Stars forced overtime by killing Jordie Benns delay-of-game penalty in the final 2 minutes of regulation. Vernon Fiddler was stopped by Crawford on a good short-handed chance early in the penalty, and the two got tangled up while play continued at the other end. The Blackhawks didnt get a great scoring chance in what amounted to a 5-on-3 opportunity.I do feel good, Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. We had questions on our defence, and our defence was real good. Thats going to be a fun game to look back at.The Stars outshot Chicago 24-11 through two periods before the Blackhawks controlled the pace in the third period and overtime.Chicago had only one shot in the extra period but had the puck in the Dallas end throughout. Kane just missed on a spinning attempt and later sent the puck through an empty crease after some nifty stick-handling.It definitely was a pretty slow start for us, Crawford said. We gained our timing as the game went on and gained our confidence and that speed and puck possession game as we went further into the game. You could see that.Spezza and Hemsky assisted on a tying goal by Trevor Daley in their Dallas debuts after playing part of last season together in Ottawa. Spezza was acquired in a trade just before Hemsky signed a free-agent deal with the Stars.The Stars scored again for a 2-1 lead in the second when Cody Eakin slipped a shot from just above the crease past Crawford.The 23-year-old Eakin got the first opening-night point of his career less than two weeks after ending a contract holdout by signing a two-year deal worth an average of $1.9 million per season.If we work that hard during a game, were going to win a lot of them, Eakin said. The shootout didnt go our way but for the most part we skated well and worked really hard and played our systems well.NOTES: The Stars lost for the first time in three season openers against the Blackhawks. They had previously won at home in Dallas and when the franchise was still in Minnesota. ... Stars D Alex Goligoski played his 400th career game. ... The Blackhawks won their third straight season opener after going winless in the previous three. ... Daleys goal came during a 4-minute high-sticking penalty against Niklas Hjalmarsson, who caught Patrick Eaves in the face. . (AP) -- The head of the committee that developed Major League Baseballs plan to expand instant replay says he is optimistic the system will be in place this season, even though owners and unions for players and umpires have yet to approve. .com) - The New York Islanders will try to solve their issues against Central Division opponents when they visit the Minnesota Wild for Tuesdays battle at Xcel Energy Center.
http://www.cheapcapitalsjerseysauthentic.com/. -- A 25-year-old freelance journalist from British Columbia was formally charged on Thursday with a felony, five days after she was arrested in the United States over allegations she threatened to kill her hockey player boyfriend. .C. -- Charles Oakley, one of the NBAs all-time tough guys, may not return to the Charlotte Bobcats bench next season because of a painful back condition he says was caused during an assault last year in Las Vegas. . -- Wichita State is all alone in the record book.BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The NHL is already interested in Sabres owner Terry Pegulas $172-million downtown Buffalo hockey/entertainment complex, even though the facility is not completed yet. Commissioner Gary Bettman told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the league is considering the Sabres pitch to relocate the NHLs annual pre-draft scouting combine from Toronto to Buffalo. "Its something thats being discussed, and I know its something that Ted Black is vigorously pursuing," Bettman said by phone, referring to the Sabres president. "Its a work in progress. We havent made any decisions. But were taking the expression of interest very seriously." Bettman made the revelation during an interview regarding Pegula and the facility hes building. Its called HarborCenter, and is currently under construction across the street from the Sabres arena. In a text to the AP, Black said discussions with the NHL regarding Buffalo hosting the combine have been taking place for the past several months. "The NHLs interest in Buffalo is very flattering and it is another example of the ways that were trying to promote Buffalo and HarborCenter as an international hockey destination," Black wrote. The facility is set to open in October and feature two ice rinks, 11 locker rooms, classroom space and a high-performance training facility.dddddddddddd HarbourCenter will be connected to the Sabres arena and eventually also include a full-service hotel, which is set to open next year. The combine is run by the NHLs Central Scouting Bureau and is traditionally held in Toronto in late May. It brings together the leagues top draft-eligible prospects for testing and workouts that are open to the NHLs 30 teams. The testing is exclusively done off-ice inside a convention centre room. Some teams, including the Sabres, prefer to also hold additional on-ice workouts with prospects. HarborCenter has the potential to do both on- and off-ice testing under one roof. The complex is already attracting interest in hockey circles. Earlier this month, USA Hockey announced its annual All-American Prospects game will be played in Buffalo for the next two years. USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean has called HarborCenter a one-of-a-kind hockey facility in America. Ogrean anticipates HarborCenter will lead to USA Hockey hosting other events in Buffalo. The Sabres are preparing to make a bid to host the 2018 World Junior Hockey Championships. ' ' '
