Quenneville Returns Blackhawks 3-0 Predators

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)-Joel Quenneville spoke softly with his hoarse voice to his return behind the bench of the Chicago Blackhawks. The coach feels good, is just the price of losing a few games and come back for a game in a building Soldout.

"You can say I was far away. I can not talk now," Quenneville said.

Tomas Kopecky  and Marian Hossa  scored, and goaltender Corey Crawford stopped 31 shots and the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Thursday night for their first game the coach's back. Quenneville lost four games due to a bleeding ulcer.

Not that the Blackhawks missed much of a step without him. They won three without him, and now the defending champions have won three straight and four of five.

"It is entirely up to us what we do with it," Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith  said. "Tonight I thought was a great team effort. That's what it will take. "

No wonder, Quenneville said it was exciting to be back as a big game.

"I felt good the whole match. I saw behind me will be the second for the third voice, suddenly it seems that the first day of training camp or the first game of the regular season resumes. It 'was used for some time. You take up a few decibels. We realized back, "he said.

I only want the Predators offense back. They outshot Chicago 31-25, but were excluded from the second straight defeat and lost three straight and four of five.

"We had some chances but we could not find them," coach Barry Trotz said Nashville. "There were some loose pucks each period, we could not get a handle on."

Crawford scored his third shutout of the season. Patrick Sharp had an empty-netter with 31 seconds left and added an assist. The Blackhawks won their season series with the team that ousted in the first round of the playoffs last April, 3-1-2.

With this game, Nashville and Chicago are among the six teams with 70 points together and fighting for position in the Western Conference.

"I do not think we ever in a place where we should feel good," Quenneville said. "You look at the posts, and next opponent is right in the wheelhouse. Six teams on 70 points is pretty amazing."

Nashville is not content with having lost his lead on the pack.

"No more excuses," said the captain of Nashville Shea Weber. "There is no reason why we make mistakes. If we do, we must do for themselves and for their increase."

Predators opened urgently after giving four goals in the third period of a 4-0 loss to Columbus on Tuesday night. They took the first five shots of the match and spent much of the first half against Crawford.

Kopecky came as an extra attacker during a delayed penalty, and Sharp to him as Kopecky reached the right circle where he snapped a shot past goalie Pekka Rinne at 17:12 for a 1-0 lead and his 11th goal this season.

Chicago was nearly a second goal 1:25 into the second when Ryan Johnson crashed on the slopes with the potential to slide the disc over the goal line, but a careful examination of each goal. The track was another great save, blocking a shot in front of Keith's mid-season.

Predators stop with Crawford, Hossa helped seal the victory early in the third with 14 this season. He lifted a pass, gathered the puck and scored on a breakaway with a wrist under the right arm of Rinne at 2:35.

"Clearly, the breakaway by Hossa was hard to swallow," said Trotz.

Predators thought they had scored 5:59 remaining, but officials immediately sign off the door. David Legwand touched Crawford, knocking him off balance before Colin Wilson to tap the puck in Crawford was also a nice pad save Wilson about 1:20 remaining.

The Impasse in the Standings Riviera

Ten years after Robert Allenby won an extension of six men at Riviera, he was part of a nine-way tie to his head Thursday at the Northern Trust Open.

Allenby kept simple, with a glorious day in Sunset Boulevard, with a 4-under 67 that turned out to result in sufficient proportion of the former Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin faltered late.

It 'was the highest score in a round door to the Riviera for 15 years.

Also on top of the league when the game was suspended darkness was John Senden, Martin Laird, Spencer Levin, Aaron Baddeley, Ben Martin, Bill Haas, Carl Pettersson and JB Holmes.

Peter Tomasulo could join them if he made a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole, when he resumed his round Friday morning. As it is, PGA Tour said nine players tied for the lead were later after one round since the beginning of record keeping in 1970.

Kentucky Wildcats, NCAAB Buckeyes Of Ohio And Other Teams In Action

College basketball is under way in the final straight of the season that we're almost at the short month of February. Conference playoffs and basketball tournament March Madness is just around the corner and the next weekend there are more important games.

At noon ET, Saturday 5 UConn Huskies will be 23 ranked Louisville Cardinals.

At the same time, the Georgetown Hoyas Villanova Wildcats # 21 compared to # 8.

At 13:00 ET the sixteenth row of Minnesota Golden Golphers cons # 12 team, the Purdue Boilermakers.

Texas A & M Aggies (# 13) and Nebraska corn leaves (not ranked) will meet at 02:00 am ET while Syracuse Orange (# 9) against Marquette at 15:00 EST.

Kentucky Wildcats is to serve 16:00 ET in front of the Georgia Bulldogs. Brigham Young Cougars at the same time is to meet again in New Mexico, Wisconsin and Penn State meet.

the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes facing northwest Arkansas, at 06:00 ET while trying to take down Vanderbilt in Nashville at the same time.

Kansas State will face the Kansas Jayhawks instead of 6 to 19:00 and the second, while Rutgers Pittsburgh Panthers at 8:00 pm ET.

One of the better late in games to feature the Tigers of Missouri (# 11), when faced seven ranked Texas Longhorns

The last 25 best teams to take the court on Saturday will be San Diego State, as they seek to recover from his loss to Brigham Young University with a victory over Wyoming in a game that starts at 10:00 pm ET.

Check local listings in your area and on television.

Lakers beat against Cavaliers avenge;55 point

Looking nothing like the NBA champions on two occasions, which have dropped their third straight game, the loss of a magnificent 104-99 Wednesday night to the Cleveland Cavaliers - the worst team in the league, who avenged an embarrassing 55 points against Los Angeles last month.

Ramon Sessions came off the bench and scored 32 points for the Cavaliers, who were beaten by the Lakers 112-57 on Jan. 11. This loss was No. 11 in a series record in the league that eventually reached 26 before Cleveland ended last week with overtime win against the package unless announced in Los Angeles, the Clippers.

Pau Gasol had 30 points and 20 rebounds and the Lakers.

 Playing the final road trip of seven games, the Lakers spent a lot at night, looking as if they were already on vacation. They threw errant passes, forced outside shots and not taking the Cavs down the stretch, despite the frantic comeback.

Mickelson Thought Seve Tribute

Phil Mickelson planned  Spanish menu for Champions dinner menu in honor of the two-time champion Seve Ballesteros of Spain until the implementation was not healthy enough to travel. 

Mickelson said Tuesday during a meeting that had been in contact with Ballesteros, hoping that it would be able to return to Augusta National this year, despite its continuing struggle against brain cancer. 

"I just sent an e-mail telling him that if he could come and feel healthy enough to be able to make this tournament, I'd love to have dinner to be something that he would like - a plate of Spanish paella or what he thought was appropriate, "said Mickelson." I kind of wanted to honor him. " 

Mickelson said he had received some emails recently demonstrated that Ballesteros can not do. 

"Our thoughts and prayers are with him that evening," said Mickelson. 

Ballesteros has been diagnosed with brain cancer in the fall of 2008, a year after announcing his retirement from golf at a news conference at Carnoustie  during the British Open.