Breitmann Tuning » results against Cincinnati, Maryland, Iowa, Nebra

What do you need to know about last nights big stories? Pierre LeBrun gives us his take on the biggest and best.Feast at the Shark Tank: It was worth staying up for, to be sure, as I watched a potential Western Conference finals preview between the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks?at the Shark Tank on Wednesday night. Joel Wards short-handed goal in the first period held up as the winner in the Sharks 2-1 win, a high-end affair between two top contenders. I picked the Sharks to win the Pacific Division before the season and I certainly stand by that prediction, although Connor McDavid?scored the winner to give the?Edmonton Oilers?a 6-3 on the same night against the?Colorado Avalanche, keeping them two points clear of the Sharks. I truly believe the Oilers playoff chances are for real, finally, after a 10-year hiatus, but I think the Sharks will take the top spot in the Pacific. Reason to believe in a potential Blackhawks-Sharks conference finals showdown? The two guys in goal. Martin Jones and Corey Crawford were outstanding Wednesday night -- this should have been a higher-scoring game, but both masked men were unreal. Of concern for the Blackhawks is that captain Jonathan Toews left the game in the second period and didnt return. There was no immediate word from the club. Blackhawks fans are certainly hoping he doesnt join the long list of star players already hurt in this, the Year of the Injury.Superstar reminders: I wonder whether?Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby didnt text each other Wednesday afternoon to suggest putting on a show in their respective games to remind people theyre still around. I jest, of course, but in a season when the narrative has focused on the kids taking over the league, I love it when No. 8 and No. 87 make sure everyone remembers they can still play. Ovechkins hat trick led the Washington Capitals to a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues, while Crosbys two goals and assist was at the heart of the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-1 thumping of the New York Rangers as they avenged Mondays loss to the Blueshirts. Oh, and Crosby now leads the NHL with 14 goals -- in just 14 games. I think last springs Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP and recent World Cup MVP is feeling just fine, thank you.Told you so: Speaking of the kids, though, didnt I say just Wednesday not to fret about Auston Matthews? That 13-game goalless drought is a thing of the past after the Toronto Maple Leafs center scored twice and added an assist Wednesday night against the New Jersey Devils. Watch the goals and assists come in bunches now. Problem is, the Leafs blew 3-0 and 4-3 leads in a 5-4 shootout loss to the determined Devils. The game was a perfect microcosm of the young Leafs squad through the first quarter of the season: entertaining, high-scoring, but not much of a clue defensively. Theyll get better defensively under Mike Babcock, thats a guarantee, but the growing pains will continue.Cheap Eagles Jerseys . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Andre Dillard Jersey Large . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. http://www.customeaglesjersey.com/ . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Custom Eagles Jersey China . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Custom Andre Dillard Jersey . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games.WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue hasnt won a game in November since 2012 and the Boilermakers are surrendering astonishing numbers in their five losses this season.Interim coach Gerad Parker, who also coaches Purdues wide receivers, pointed to turnovers as the key to why opponents are rolling over the Boilermakers. Purdue is minus-10 in turnovers in their losses, including 0-4 against Penn State, which converted two fumbles and two interceptions into 28 points last weekend on the way to a 62-24 rout.Everyone knows the turnover margin is the key, Parker said. Its putting ourselves in bad position not only turning it over on the plus side of the field, and thats killing us. That turnover margin also is on our defense, because we are not getting takeaways. Were putting our offense on long fields, and our defense is playing on short fields.The Boilermakers (3-5, 1-4 Big Ten), whose fourth-year coach Darrell Hazell was fired on Oct. 16 with a 9-33 record, visits Minnesota (6-2, 3-2) on Saturday. The Golden Gophers have won three in a row.In their defeats, the Boilermakers are allowing 45.2 points a game and 489.6 yards of total offense. The five teams that have beaten Purdue have run 345 plays for 2,448 yards, or 7.1 yards each time theyve snapped the ball, and it might not change this weekend. Minnesota has the fourth-ranked Big Ten rushing offense (207.3 yards a game) and Purdue is 13th in rushing defense (250 yards a game) and scoring defense (36.9) and last in total defense (449.8).And the November schedule is not promising foor a team that has lost 13 in a row in the 11th month.dddddddddddd After Minnesota, Purdue has Northwestern (4-4), Wisconsin (6-2) and visits rival Indiana (4-4).Purdue cornerback DaWan Hunte, who watched his team be outscored 45-7 in the second half by Penn State, said the Boilermakers simply arent making enough plays on the ball.When the ball is in the air, our job is to get it down and take it away, and we just didnt do that, Hunte said.Quarterback David Blough, who leads the Big Ten in passing at 293.3 yards a game, said the offenses inability to protect the football is every bit as much to blame for the negative results against Cincinnati, Maryland, Iowa, Nebraska and Penn State.When things start going the other way, we have to stand up and fight like men after bad stuff happens during the game, Blough said. We have to be able to do it for one another.Parker is well aware of Purdues lack of November success.Winning creates positive thoughts, and when you lose, it creates the opposite kind of thoughts, Parker said.Game notesIncluding the loss to Penn State, Purdue is 3-26 in Big Ten games from the beginning of the 2013 season, including 1-14 in Ross-Ade Stadium ... Senior DT Jake Replogle has missed three consecutive games with a concussion. Parker hopes he passes concussion protocol and will be cleared to play at Minnesota. ... Purdues last victory in November came against Indiana in 2012. ' ' '