Boxengasse » 264 of those targets went to Thomas (141) and Deck

PHOENIX -- The Columbus Blue Jackets led 13 seconds in and then poured on a flurry of shots -- and still needed a late rally and shootout to beat Mike Smith and the Arizona Coyotes.Columbus pummeled Smith with a franchise-record 60 shots, Alexander Wennberg scored with 2:16 left in the third period and the Blue Jackets beat the Coyotes 3-2 in a shootout Saturday night.Boone Jenner put Columbus ahead early off a pass from Jack Johnson, but then Smith stopped 47 consecutive shots until Wennbergs tying tally.I think they have a belief, Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. They werent playing terribly. Smitty played so well. But we kept working at it.Columbus is the first NHL team with 60 shots in a game since Toronto against the New York Islanders on Nov. 23, 2009, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Jackets previous high was 54 shots on April 3, 2012 -- a 2-0 loss to Smith and the Coyotes.Smith set a franchise record with 58 saves, but the Coyotes still lost their third straight. He has faced 40 or more shots in four of Arizonas past eight games.Frustration would be a good word, but its even more than that right now, Smith said. At some point, youd like to see the team move forward and take the step to be able to win hockey games. But we take one step forward and two steps back. Its hard to win hockey games like that.Cam Atkinson and Sam Gagner scored on Smith in the shootout while Curtis McElhinney stopped both Arizona shooters. Columbus has won three straight.The big thing for me is to give them a chance to win the game, said McElhinney, who made 32 saves and earned his first career overtime win. (Smith) was really good, so I had to do it on my end.Shane Doan got his 399th career goal and Radim Vrbata also scored for Arizona, which was playing its eighth overtime game in 23 contests.Doan put Arizona ahead 2-1 at 11:04 of the second when he redirected Michael Stones lobbed shot from just inside the blue line along the right boards.Wennberg tied it at 2 by backhanding the puck between Smiths pads off a pass from Brandon Saad.It was a heck of a pass from Saader, Wennberg said. It goes so quickly but the five-hole is my spot right there.After failing to take advantage of a two-man advantage late in the first, the Coyotes evened the score on Vrbatas rising shot off McElhinneys blocker from the left faceoff circle for a power-play goal 63 seconds into the second period.Smith helped preserve the lead with 5:30 left in the second, stopping Saads breakaway attempt with a sprawling pad save.In overtime, McElhinney stared down Doan on a 2-on-1 break to make a pad save. Thirty seconds later, Smith covered Wennberg on a breakaway the other direction.Game notes Smiths 58 saves were the most in the NHL this season. ... McElhinney was making his fourth start of the season and first since Nov. 21. ... The Blue Jackets activated LW Matt Calvert from injured reserve on Friday. Calvert, who had missed Columbus past five games with an upper-body injury, has two goals and an assist in 17 games this season. ... The Coyotes recalled C Tyler Gaudet from Tucson of the American Hockey League on Friday, giving Arizona 13 forwards on its roster. Its Gaudets second stint with the Coyotes following a one-game appearance in early November.UP NEXTThe teams will complete a home-and-home series Monday night in Columbus. Nick Ritchie Jersey . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Ondrej Kase Ducks Jersey .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. http://www.authenticduckspro.com/Hampus-lindholm-ducks-jersey/ . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Cam Fowler Jersey . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Teemu Selanne Jersey . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St.TSN.cas NFL Editor Justin Boone and Fantasy Editor Scott Cullen go head-to-head with their fantasy football rankings and debate some of the more notable differences in their opinions. Tom Brady (Patriots) vs. Robert Griffin III (Redskins) Cullen (Brady #5, Griffin III #9): In the last six seasons, Tom Brady has either thrown for 4,000-plus yards and/or at least 34 touchdowns in five of them, with 2008 the only exception because he got hurt in the first game of the year. I dont know if he can keep it alive with his cast of receivers, but if Danny Amendola is Welker-lite and Rob Gronkowski is reasonably healthy, then Im inclined to see if Brady can drag production out of the rest of the unprovens on the Patriots offence. RGIII is obviously great, but its also fair to be cautious considering part of what makes him great is his running ability and hes coming off a torn ACL that will likely keep him out for the entire preseason. If hes waiting right up until the bullets fly for real, shouldnt that present some uncertainty about his readiness for the season? Maybe a couple of series in the third pre-season game wouldnt mean much, but it would probably make me feel better about committing my 2013 fantasy hopes to him. Boone (Griffin III #6, Brady #9): Not everyone has Adrian Petersons Wolverine-like recovery ability, but all reports have Griffin on track to play in Week 1. On the first day of Redskins training camp, Jim Corbett of USA Today said that Griffin "look(ed) explosive," which is all I need to hear to draft him at his current ADP in the sixth round (12-team leagues). Griffin will wear a brace on his knee this season, and hopefully that makes him think twice before taking contact. If he learns to scramble for a gain and then slide, it could also reduce his risk of another injury. If other owners in your league are like Scott, and want to pass on Griffin, dont hesistate to take advantage. Brady is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league and the Patriots offence will still put up points even after all the off-season turmoil. However, Bill Belichick is the type of coach that alters his scheme to fit the talent he has. Entering the season, the Patriots have an elite offensive line and a stable of versatile running backs, while their receiving corps is full of rookies behind Danny Amendola. If Gronkowski is healthy, he is one of the two best tight ends in the game, but he may miss time or be slowed early in the year. Unless rookie wideouts Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins learn the Pats system faster than any other young receiver ever has, Bradys numbers will be impacted. I dont see Brady falling off the map, instead regressing closer to his 2006 numbers when a pedestrian talent like Reche Caldwell was his top receiver, something like 3,800 yards and 28 touchdowns. Maurice Jones-Drew (Jaguars) vs. Alfred Morris (Redskins) Cullen (MJD #8, Morris #13): Just as I hold concern for Robert Griffin III, it would be reasonable to have some skepticism regarding Jones-Drew, who only played six games last season and required off-season surgery for a Lisfranc injury in his foot. At the same time, hes one season removed from leading the league in rushing and is still the one and only threat in the Jaguars offence, so as long as Jones-Drew doesnt suffer any setbacks in camp, hes capable of piling up 1,600-plus yards from scrimmage like he did in each of the three seasons prior to 2012. There is lots to like about Alfred Morris and Mike Shanahan has had success with low-round draft picks in the running game, but I suppose Im wary of Shanahans fickle history with running backs and maybe a little concerned about Morriss heavy workload as a rookie -- only five backs in history have had more than the 335 carries as a rookie that Morris had in 2012. Boone (Morris #6, MJD #14): Morris finished his rookie season second in the NFL in both yards (1,613) and touchdowns (13), yet somehow he is being drafted at the back end of the first round.dddddddddddd Some people might doubt Morris and consider him a one-year wonder as a low-round pick in a Mike Shanahan offence, but you shouldnt. Morris running style works perfectly in the Redskins system and he runs hard on every play. He might not catch a lot of passes, but he doesnt have to if he is averaging over a 100 yards a game on the ground, which he did last season. The only thing that could hold him back is injuries, but that can be said about any running back. Morris is part of the endangered group of NFL workhorse backs and is easily a top six rusher heading into this season. Jones-Drew has led the Jaguars in rushing the last five seasons, which is impressive since he only played in six games in 2012. However, MJD is coming back from a Lisfranc injury that is not something to be written off and can potentially be career threatening. While a healthy Jones-Drew is definitely the best option in the Jaguars arsenal, I disagree with Scott that he is the only threat. Cecil Shorts showed that he can be a go-to receiver for the Jags and when Justin Blackmon returns from his four-game suspension, Jacksonville will feature two decent targets in the passing game. The Jaguars are also a team that will likely find themselves trailing, so they may need to spend their second halves putting the ball in the air as they play catch up. Its not that I dont like Jones-Drew, but the foot injury makes him too much of a risk in the second round where he is being drafted. Victor Cruz (Giants) vs. Demaryius Thomas (Broncos) Cullen (Cruz #3, Thomas #13): For the past couple seasons, Ive leaned more toward Hakeem Nicks in the Giants passing game, but Im sold on Cruz, who has 2,628 yards and 19 touchdowns over the last two years, ranking fifth and sixth, respectively, in those categories among NFL receivers over that time frame. That production also included the 2012 season during which QB Eli Manning had his lowest passing yardage and fewest passing touchdowns since 2008, so slight improvement from Eli figures to bump Cruzs production too. The challenge with forecasting the Broncos passing game is knowing just how many balls will find their way to Wes Welker. If Peyton Manning treats Welker like hes Brandon Stokley in the slot then, sure, Thomas and Eric Decker will keep putting up big numbers like they did in 2012. If, however, Welker is good for 100-plus catches, like he has been for five of the past six seasons, then it becomes more difficult for Thomas (and Decker) to get the same number of targets that they did last season. Boone (Thomas #6, Cruz #13): Thomas targets will almost definitely see a slight decline with Welker on board, so Scott and I have finally found something to agree on. However, I think worries over Thomas or Decker seeing a massive drop in targets in overblown. Peyton Manning threw 583 times in 2012 and 264 of those targets went to Thomas (141) and Decker (123). While they may lose 10-20 combined targets to their new teammate, I believe the majority of Welkers targets will come from the departed Brandon Stokley (58 in 2012) and tight ends Jacob Tamme (85 in 2012) and Joel Dressen (58 in 2012). Thomas remains the most talented pass catcher in Denver and the best downfield threat. Manning will spread the ball around, but he wont forget about his number one receiver, who is coming off a breakout season where he had 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns. Two years ago, Cruz had 1,536 yards and helped countless fantasy owners reach their championship after they picked him up as a free agent after Week 1. The bar was set high and despite starting all 16 games last season, Cruz came up short with 1,092 yards. Teams began to key on Cruz and he was often unable to overcome the added attention. After signing a nice new contract this off-season, Cruz will only be focused on more and that worries me in a fantasy year where receiver is one of the deepest positions. ' ' '