New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are 41-20-2, making them 1st in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division with a two-point lead over the 2nd place New York Rangers. New York is 22-8 at home this season. The team has reached the 40-win mark for the 1st time since 2006-2007. Earlier in February, the Islanders won eight games in a row and have won 19 of their past 25 home games. Talk about hot streaks!

The Islanders are one of metropolitan New York’s three NHL teams, whose primary fan base is Long Island. The team has not made a playoff appearance since 1992-1993, and last won a Stanley Cup in 1983. The team will be moving into the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, beginning with the 2015-2016 season.

Earlier this week, the team defeated the Phoenix Coyotes 5-1. In the 3rd period, the Islanders scored four unanswered goals in just under six minutes to break a tied game. After a scoreless opening period, Anders Lee scored the Islanders’ 1st goal in the 2nd period. Phoenix’s Mark Arcobello scored next to tie the game. The team’s four unanswered 3rd period goals were scored by: Matt Martin, Johnny Boychuk, Kael Mouillierat and Brock Nelson.

On Tuesday, the Islanders announced that defenseman Nick Leddy agreed to terms on a seven-year contract through 2021-2022, reportedly worth over $38 million. Leddy is 23 years old and has scored eight goals this season so far. The Islanders acquired him in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks in October 2014 along with goalie Kent Simpson. Leddy was with the Blackhawks when they won the Stanley Cup in 2013.

The Islanders also defeated the Calgary Flames at home on Friday night, 2-1. Ryan Strome scored New York’s initial goal in the 1st period and after a scoreless 2nd period, Cal Clutterbuck scored the 2nd in the final period. The Islanders have seven home games out of their upcoming thirteen through the month of March.

St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are currently 2nd in the NHL’s central division with a record of 38-18, nine points behind the division’s 1st place leader, the Nashville Predators.

The Blues were one of six expansion teams added to the NHL in 1967. As a result of the playoff format in place at the time, the Blues made it to three straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances from 1968-1970, although their opponents in each of these series swept them. Hockey greats Brett Hull and Brendan Shanahan played for St. Louis in the 1980s and ‘90s and from 1980-2004 the Blues continued to maintained a playoff presence. In 2005-2006, the team finished with their worst season record in more than 26 years. The next playoff appearance for the Blues came in 2009, where they faced off against Vancouver Canucks, but did not advance to the 2nd round. In 2013-2014, the team reached the 100-point mark for the 6th time in franchise history and also obtained 52 wins, a franchise record.

On Thursday of this week, the Blues announced their acquisition of Adam Cracknell, a forward from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for future considerations. Cracknell actually spent his 1st four years in the NHL with the Blues from 2010-2014 and with this trade, will initially report to the Chicago Wolves, the Blues’ AHL affiliate team.

The Blues have lost three of their last four games and will play 11 of their next 14 games on the road. With that said, the team is 16-10-2 on the road, currently making them the 6th best team on the road in the NHL. The Blues face off against the Winnipeg Jets Thursday, February 26th. The Blues have won their last five games against the Jets. To extend that streak to six, the Blues will need to get back to their strong style of play that led them to success earlier in the season. This is something the team has been struggling with recently and the players must continue to stay healthy and free of injuries as the playoffs are approaching in the near future.

Chicago Bulls

When you think of the Chicago Bulls, what do you think of?

Perhaps you might think of Derrick Rose and the team’s moderate success in recent years, however, it’s likely you (as with so many others) get nostalgic remembering the NBA’s undoubtable, dominating dynasty Chicago Bulls from the 1990s. You know, the team led by NBA legend, Michael Jordan, whose supporting cast including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr and more? The team that was coached by iconic, 11 time champion Phil Jackson and the franchise that won six championship titles in the span of eight years. The 1995–1966 Chicago Bulls team is widely regarded as one of the greatest in NBA history.

Regardless of your associations, like for or dislike of the Chicago franchise, they are one of the NBA’s most iconic and historic teams. In 2011, Derrick Rose was named MVP and also signed a 5-year contract extension with Chicago worth more than $94 million. The Bulls have had their ups and downs since 2011 and are attempting to reclaim their image as a powerhouse team after a rough 2013-2014 season, where leader Rose was injured after 10 games. Rose missed the entire 2012-2013 season due to an ACL injury. 

The Bulls are currently in first place in the Central Division of the NBA with a record of 33-20, and will face off against their division rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. The Cavs are in second place (32-21) and this is sure to be an intense matchup. While the Detroit Pistons have been a historic rival of Chicago’s since the Jordan days, the Cavs/Bulls rivalry has risen especially with Derrick Rose and Lebron James as the faces of their respective franchises.

Most recently the Bulls defeated the Kings, 104-86. This was the team’s third straight win.
The Bulls’ roster is stacked with veterans including Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah, as well as Aaron Brooks, Jimmy Butler and Mike Dunleavy among others.

In order to continue being successful this season, the Bulls will need to stay healthy and continue to improve their shooting. Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau is a firm believer in drills, fundamentals and set rotations. These factors will also be critical to the Bulls maintaining a top position in their division.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are currently 39-13, making them first in the Southwest division of the Western Conference of the NBA. The team most recently defeated the Brooklyn Nets by nine points, winning 95-86.

The Grizzlies franchise originated in 1995 in Vancouver. The team relocated to Memphis for the 2001-2002 season and added several new players including rookie forwards Shane Battier and Pau Gasol, who have since gone on to have successful and impressive basketball careers. The Grizzlies made three straight playoff appearances from 2003-2006. In 2006, Gasol also became the Grizzlies’ first All-Star player.

In the 2010-2011 season, the team’s 10th year in Memphis, the Grizzlies made it back into the playoffs for the first time in five years. They defeated the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the first round but fell in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Conference Semifinals. Since then, the Grizzlies have made it to at least the first round of playoffs and in 2012, made it as far as the Conference Finals where they were then swept by the Spurs in four games.

This season, Memphis has been successful due to their “Grit ’N’ Grind” style of play and continuing to remain a physical team. The team’s roster includes experienced veterans Tony Allen, Vince Carter, Courtney Lee and Zach Randolph. Earlier this week, Jarnell Stokes (forward) and Russ Smith (guard) were recalled from the Iowa Energy, Memphis’s NBA Development League affiliate.

Last week, the Grizzlies defeated the Atlanta Hawks who had been on a long hot winning streak. The Grizzlies were victorious, winning 94-88. Memphis outscored Atlanta in the paint, outrebounded them and went on an 8-2 run to finish the game strong, which had been tied at 86 with 2:48 left to play.

The Grizzlies will next take on the OKC Thunder on the road Wednesday night. This will be the team’s last game before pausing for All-Star break, which takes place this weekend in New York City. The Grizzlies will then head out West for three games on the road, facing off against the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings before returning home.

NFC Championship Game

The NFC Championship game occurred last Sunday in a noisy CenturyLink Field in Seattle. The Seattle Seahawks hosted the Green Bay Packers, both well fairing teams for all of 2014’s season and both having some of the most loyal fan bases in the league. Unlike the AFC Championship game being an utter blowout, the NFC game was a very competitive one. So competitive in fact that it went into overtime. Ultimately, the Seahawks were victorious, finishing the game with a final score of 28-22.

The Packers got off to an early lead but Seattle was able to make a resilient comeback after halftime. The Seahawks were down 12 points with only 5 minutes of play remaining in the game. The team struggled with turnovers for a good portion of the game. Quarterback Russell Wilson scored a touchdown and then running back Marshawn Lynch scored too. The Packers kicked a field goal, tying the game and sending it to overtime. The game winning play occurred when Wilson connected a pass with wide receiver Jermaine Kearse for a Seahawks touchdown, less than 4 minutes into OT play.

Following the game on Sunday, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers said he will likely think about this game for the rest of his career. He admitted this was a missed opportunity and was also reported to have said that the Packers were the better team in the game. With 5 Seattle turnovers and up until the 4th quarter, this was in fact true. Rodgers completed 19 of 34 passes and has been playing with a calf injury throughout the playoffs.

The Super Bowl will be held a week from this Sunday at the University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks will face off against the New England Patriots. The New England Patriots have plenty of years of experience in the big game, however, Seattle is a generally young and hungry team, looking to go for a back-to-back championship reign. 34 players on Seattle’s 53-man roster were part of the Super Bowl team last year. With both teams playing hard in their respective conference championship games, this is likely to be another great matchup.

AFC Championship Game

Last Sunday, the New England Patriots hosted the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium for the AFC Championship game. The game was a blowout, with the Patriots dominating and finishing victorious with a final score of 45-7. This was the second largest blowout in history for an AFC game. The biggest blowout in AFC title history was in 1990, where Buffalo beat the Los Angeles Raiders, 51-3.

Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady completed 23 of 35 passes for 226 yards and was eventually replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo for the game’s remaining 3:20 minutes. Brady threw three touchdown passes. Running back LeGarrette Blount ran for 148 yards and three scores.

The Patriots led 17-7 at halftime. It appeared to still be a fairly competitive game at this point. New England then scored touchdowns on all four of their first possessions in the second half of the game, pulling away from the Colts quickly.

It was a tough game for Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who completed just 12 of 33 passes. Luck had no touchdowns and two interceptions in the game. This was the Colts third appearance in the AFC Championship game in three years. They last won the game in 2009 but were defeated by the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl.

Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will break records as they enter the Super Bowl, for the most appearances in the game by a quarterback or a head coach.  This will be the duo’s sixth appearance in a Super Bowl, beating out John Elway and Don Shula’s records respectively. In 2001, which was Brady’s first year as a NFL starter, Brady led the Patriots to a Super Bowl win. This began a run of three championships in just four years.

The Patriots will face the NFC champions and reigning Super Bowl champs, Seattle Seahawks in the big game. Both teams finished 14-4 this season. The Super Bowl is on Sunday, February 1st in Glendale, Arizona.

College Football Playoff National Championship

It’s finally here! The long-awaited inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game is just days away. Oregon (No. 2) and Ohio State (No. 4) face off on Monday, January 12th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Both teams are 13-1 this season and both won their semi-final playoff games.

The Oregon Ducks smoked former national champions, the Florida State Seminoles, winning 59-20 in the Rose Bowl. The game remained competitive through the first half, however Oregon pulled away in the 3rd quarter, scoring 27 points. The Seminoles had 5 turnovers in 6 possessions and did not score in the 4th quarter. Heisman trophy winning Ducks quarterback, Marcus Mariota, threw for 338 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran for another TD. The Ducks had been hyped as a powerhouse team for speed this season and they did not disappoint in the Rose Bowl, living up to all the hype.

The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated first-ranked Alabama 42-35, in the Sugar Bowl. The Buckeyes overcame a 21-6 deficit to defeat the Crimson Tide. This was Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones’ second career start. He has proven himself valuable and worthy to the Buckeyes after first and second string QBs, Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett suffered season-ending injuries earlier this year.

CBS Sports has reported the CFP National Championship Game tickets have a face value of $450 but are selling for an average ticket price of just over $1175 each. The game is sold out and the stadium’s capacity for this game is approximately 75,000 seats. With 2 teams who have played hard and fought on the field all season, it’d be hard to argue against either deserving their place in the big game.

The game is likely to be determined by Oregon’s offense vs. Ohio State’s defense. While the Buckeyes have proven themselves offensively, a key to victory for them will be stopping Mariota and the Ducks’ offense. In addition to both QBs, other players to watch include Ducks RB Royce Freeman, Buckeyes WR Devin Smith and Buckeyes RB Ezekiel Elliott who has an aggressive running style. With a national title on the line and a hunger for more victory, this matchup is sure to be a good one.