Literatur » Buffaloes by 16 points in the paint and held a 41-26 edge i

BROSSARD, Que. -- Dale Weise is finding out what its like to be a Montreal Canadien when theyre winning in the springtime. The city groaned when general manager Marc Bergevin sent defenceman Raphael Diaz to Vancouver Canucks for the little-known Weise on Feb. 3, but now the energetic fourth-line right-winger is becoming a folk hero. His breakaway goal in Game 3 of a NHL Eastern Conference semifinal on Tuesday night became his second game-winner of the playoffs as the Canadiens downed the rival Boston Bruins 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Weise had scored in overtime in the first game of an opening round sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning. His first taste of his new-found fame came this week when he was out for a stroll with his fiancee, with seven-month-old son Hunter in a stroller. "This car pulled over right on the sidewalk," Weise said Wednesday. "The guy was in the drivers seat and I was on the right side. "In the middle of the green light hes reached across and hes banging on the window and yelling. My fiancees like what is this guy doing? Shes freaking out, and hes giving me the thumbs up. It was pretty outrageous." Weise will have a chance to grow his legend even more in Game 4 on Thursday night at the Bell Centre, as the Canadiens attempt to put a choke hold on the series. Taking a lead on the favoured Bruins has built a considerable buzz in Montreal, but a series in which Boston has looked overwhelming at times is far from over. The Canadiens blew 2-0 and 3-2 leads before winning in overtime in the series opener. Then they wasted a 3-1 lead by conceding four third-period goal in a 5-3 setback in Game 2 in Boston. At home on Tuesday night, Montreal scored twice in the first period and made it 3-0 on Weises goal before the Bruins struck back with a pair. Lars Eller ended the threat with a final-minute empty-net goal. "This is such a huge rivalry," said Weise. "When they meet in the regular season its looked at like a playoff match-up. Its such a cool thing to be a part of." The Bruins acknowledge they did not have their best game, staring with goalie Tuukka Rask who allowed three goals on 25 shots and who now has let in 10 in three games. Perhaps for the first time in the playoffs, they missed injured defence veterans Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid, as youngster Dougie Hamilton in particular struggled at times. McQuaid is gone for the season, and while Seidenberg is skating, there was no word on when he may return. But the Bruins can never be counted out, as theyve shown repeatedly in recent seasons. "Were a group thats confident, but we have guys now that are frustrated," said Boston coach Claude Julien. "They know they have to be better and they will be better. "Its a 2-1 series. Its not the end of the world here. Weve just got to battle back. Theres no reason to panic. We havent in the past and were not about to panic now." The Canadiens had surprises for Boston, including a tweak of the top two lines that saw Thomas Vanek put on the second unit with Tomas Plekanec and Michael Bournival while the pesky Brendan Gallagher moved up with David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty. Montreal also got a strong 26-save outing from goalie Carey Price and a third straight two-point game from defenceman P.K. Subban, who has 11 points in the last six playoff games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Subban is the first Canadiens defenceman to record a six-game playoff point streak since Larry Robinson in 1985. "He is a game changer," Gallagher said of Subban. "Hes just giving us a lot of energy right now." The Canadiens also used one of their strengths, shot-blocking, to turn away 29 attempts before they could reach Price. "Theyre taking away a lot of scoring chances," said Boston forward Shawn Thornton. "They came out with a lot of energy. "I thought our pace was pretty good, but if you give up a couple of goals, then youre chasing. We have to shore it up and hopefully get back to the way we were used to playing." It has all conspired to make it a pleasant time to be Canadien, especially for a newcomer like Weise. The 25-year-old had a goal and an assist for his first playoff game with more than one point and only the second of his 192-game NHL career. He was one of three pickups ahead of the March 5 NHL trade deadline, along with defenceman Mike Weaver and Vanek, who have been key contributors to the Canadiens playoff run. Weise may not even have had a chance to play had Travis Moen and Alex Galchenyuk not been injured when the playoff started. Now it is hard to see how coach Michel Therrien could take him out. Although he is from Winnipeg, Weise grew up a Montreal fan, mainly because his father worshipped the Canadiens. So he considered the trade a dream come true. In his third season in Vancouver, Weise was ignored by coach John Tortorella, but landed on his feet as a regular fourth liner in Montreal. He was scratched three games in a row late in the season, but has been ball of energy since then. He considered it a wake-up call. And now hes getting the rock star treatment from Canadiens fans, which he said never happened before, even in a hockey market like Vancouver. "I was in a grocery store and I was walking into an elevator and this guy wouldnt let me get on the elevator," a grinning Weise recalled of another recent incident. "He was grabbing my shoulder, he was so excited and pumped up. "Then his buddy beside him said relax, relax and the elevator was closing and he kept saying Im sorry, Im sorry. I love the passionate fans. I think its awesome." Riley Dixon Giants Jersey . -- Omar Infante walked past the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium, where he dressed so many times as a member of the Detroit Tigers, and slipped on a crisp, new Kansas City Royals jersey. Ray-Ray Armstrong Giants Jersey . After Andrew Romine served up two monster home runs in the inning, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said he thought Romine was one of the bright spots on the night, showing just how bad the series opener against the last-place Minnesota Twins went for the Tigers. http://www.nygiantsfanatic.com/c-87-giants-ray-ray-armstrong-jersey.aspx . The deals were announced on Friday. Beckham will receive $4.175 million in base salary, while De Aza will receive $4.25 million. Beckham hit .267 with five home runs and 24 RBIs over 103 games last season, his fifth with the White Sox. Kareem Martin Giants Jersey . PAUL, Minn. Kyle Lauletta Giants Jersey .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons.Tucson, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - A top-10 showdown is on tap in at the McKale Center on Saturday, as the 10th-ranked Arizona Wildcats play host to the eighth-ranked Utah Utes in a key Pac-12 matchup. Sean Millers Wildcats are currently riding a 31-game homecourt winning streak and moved to 15-2 on the season with Thursdays 68-54 win over Colorado. The victory was the third in the last four games for Arizona and put some distance between itself and last weekends tough loss at Oregon State (58-56). Larry Krystkowiaks Utes have quietly gone about their business this season and enter this game with a 14-2 overall record. Utah is sporting a 4-0 league ledger and comes in with a seven-game win streak after blowing out Arizona State in Tempe on Thursday, 76-59. This marks the 57th all-time meeting between these two teams with the series all knotted up at 28-28. Arizona however, holds a 16-8 edge in games played in Tucson and has won each of the last 10 meetings overall. The Utes have looked impressive this year, especially in league play and that definitely carried over to Thursdays outing against the Sun Devils. Utah shot a sterling .537 from the floor in the game, including a 9-of-17 mark from behind the arc (.529). Delon Wright led the way with a game-high 21 points, fueled by a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line. Jordan Loveridge played a huge role in the win as well, finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Brandon Taylor tacked on 13 points. Utah as excelled at both ends of the floor this season and has a +20.5 scoring margin to show for it. The team is netting 75.8 ppg on a conference-best .503 shooting, while limiting foees to just 55.dddddddddddd3 ppg (first in the Pac-12) and a mere .366 shooting percentage (second in the Pac-12). Wright has been the driving force at the offensive end, shooting .555 overall, while posting 15.3 ppg. Loveridge is next in the scoring column at 11.1 ppg. Taylor (9.9 ppg) and Jakob Poeltl (9.3 ppg) are just under the double-digit mark. Poeltl leads the conference in field-goal percentage (.663) and ranks fourth in rebounding (8.2 rpg). Arizona used a strong interior game to distance itself from Colorado and continue its win streak at home this week. The Wildcats outscored the Buffaloes by 16 points in the paint and held a 41-26 edge in rebounding in the win. Stanley Johnson led the way with 22 points. Kaleb Tarczewski added 14 points, while Elliot Pitts came off the bench to provide 12 points in the victory. The Wildcats also play a balanced game at both ends of the floor, as they rank third in the conference in both scoring (74.6 ppg) and scoring defense (59.2 ppg). The teams .489 field-goal percentage is second in the league, while its .395 field-goal percentage defense ranks sixth. Johnson is just a freshman, but the 6-foot-7 youngster is tops on the team in both scoring (14.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg). Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (11.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg), Brandon Ashley (11.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Tarczewski (8.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg) provide plenty of frontcourt depth, while Gabe York (9.2 ppg) and T.J. McConnell (8.7 ppg) are the backcourt leaders. McConnell ranks second in the league in assists (5.9 apg). York however, did not play in the win over Colorado and is listed as questionable for this game with an ankle injury. ' ' '