Thursday, April 30, 2015

Local Players Selected In NFL Draft

     Several former South Florida high school football players were selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft in Chicago on Thursday night. In addition, four of the first nine picks of the draft once played high school football in Florida.
     Wide receiver Amari Cooper was the fourth overall pick of the draft by the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at the University of Alabama, won the 2012 national championship and was a 2014 finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Cooper started for the Miami Northwestern Bulls from 2008 until 2011.
     The New York Giants selected University of Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Ereck Flowers as the ninth overall pick. Prior to playing three seasons with the Canes, Flowers attended Norland and helped the Vikings win the FHSAA Class 5A state title in 2011 as a senior.
     Phillip Dorsett was selected as the 29th overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts. He played four seasons at wide receiver for the University of Miami and had 36 catches, 871 receiving yards and ten touchdowns during his senior year. Dorsett was with the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders in high school and captured two national high school titles in 2008 and 2010. He also won two FHSAA state championships as STA got the Class 5A title in 2008 and the Class 7A title in 2010.
   

Monday, April 27, 2015

Mets Edge Marlins In Fast Game

     The Miami Marlins had their win streak of five games snapped as they lost to the New York Mets 3-1 on Monday night at Marlins Park. The Fish fell to seven games behind the Mets for first place in the National League East in a game that lasted just one hour and 58 minutes.
     Both clubs got great pitching performances as Miami(8-12) starting pitcher Jarred Cosart went eight innings and allowed no runs on two hits while New York(15-5) starting pitcher Dillon Gee gave up one run on six hits in 7 2/3 innings of work. Neither player figured in the decision.
     The Marlins scored during the bottom of the eighth inning with a two-out rally. Pinch-hitter Justin Bour got a base hit to short center and was replaced by Reid Brignac as a pinch-runner. He advanced to second on a Dee Gordon single to shallow left field. Martin Prado then singled into right-center field to score Brignac.
     Steve Cishek was brought in from the bullpen for the ninth and was unable to hold the lead. Juan Lagares led off with a double to the right-center field wall and Lucas Duda followed with a walk. Michael Cuddyer flew out to right field and neither runner advanced. Daniel Murphy came up and smashed a three-run homer to right field on a 1-1 pitch as the Mets took a 3-1 lead.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

David Selig Sun Sentinel Sports Editor

     David Selig will begin as the new sports editor of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Monday. He recently left his deputy sports editor position at the Baltimore Sun and replaces Gregory H. Lee Jr. who moved on to NBA.com several months ago to become the director of editorial content.
     Selig, a University of Maryland grad, had previous roles with the Baltimore Sun as the Baltimore Orioles beat writer, high school sports editor and an internship with the newspaper. He once worked at the Winchester Star in Virginia as a sports editor prior to that.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Aaron Ekblad Calder Trophy Finalist

     Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been named a 2015 finalist for the Calder Trophy. Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames and Mark Stone of the Ottawa Senators were also named finalist for the award given to the best rookie in the National Hockey League. The winner will be announced in Las Vegas on June 24. Jonathan Huberdeau won the trophy in his first season with the Panthers in 2012-13.
     Ekblad was the first overall pick by the Florida Panthers at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft in Philadelphia. He played 81 games for the Cats this season and set several franchise records with the club. They included 12 goals, 27 assists and 39 points for a Panthers rookie defenseman.

Marlins Pound Phillies

     The Miami Marlins completed a ten-game road trip as they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 9-1 on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park. The Fish finished the road spurt with a 4-6 record and are now tied with the Phils for fourth place in the National League East.
     In the fourth inning, Philadelphia(5-11) surrendered four runs. Dustin McGowan first walked both Michael Morse and Marcell Ozuna. After Ichiro Suzuki grounded out to short, Jarrod Saltalamacchia walked to load the bases. Adeiny Hechavarria then hit a two-run single into right field to score Morse and Ozuna for a Marlins 2-0 lead. Hechavarria advanced to second with the relay to the plate on the play. Hector Neris replaced McGowan on the mound for the Phillies and later gave up a two-out, two-run base hit to Martin Prado into shallow left as Saltalamacchia and Hechavarria scored.
     Miami(5-11) put up another four-spot during the sixth inning to make it 8-0 against Justin De Fratus. Prado doubled to right field with one out for Hechavarria and Dee Gordon to score. Giancarlo Stanton followed with his fourth home run of the season as he hit the ball to left field on a full count.
     The Marlins added another when they faced Jeanmar Gomez in the top of the ninth. Ozuna led off with a double to deep center field. Three batters later, he scored on a single by Hechavarria into shallow center.

Marlins Down Phillies

     The Miami Marlins snapped a five-game losing streak with a 6-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. The Fish remain in last place in the National League East and stand eight games behind the New York Mets.
     Both teams scored runs during the second inning. Marcell Ozuna scored the first run for the Marlins when Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels committed an error. Philadelphia(5-10) tied the game 1-1 on a lead-off homer by Cody Asche against Jarred Cosart. He hit his second home run of the season to right field on a 3-2 count. It was be the only blemish for Cosart who went six innings and gave up one run on four hits.
     In the seventh inning, Miami(4-11) pulled ahead 2-1 in an unusual way with one out. Luis Garcia balked and Adeiny Hechavarria crossed the plate on the play.
     The Marlins extended their margin to 6-1 with a four-run rally with two outs in the top of the eighth. After Ichiro Suzuki got an infield hit against Ken Giles, he moved to second on a single to center field by Hechavarria. Pinch-hitter Jeff Baker reached base on an error by Chase Utley to load the bases. All three runners scored on a fielding error by Odubel Herrera. Justin De Fratus relieved Giles and surrendered a double to Martin Prado for Dee Gordon to score.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

WMEN Moving To Palm Beach County

      640 Sports WMEN-AM will move their studios and offices to Palm Beach County in the near future. They are currently located off Andrews Avenue Extension in Pompano Beach and prior to that were on Andrews Avenue north of Cypress Creek Road in Fort Lauderdale. The transmitter for the radio signal remains west of Royal Palm Beach.
     Their new studios will be near Palm Beach Broadcasting studios on Northpoint Parkway which is north of West Palm Beach. Palm Beach Broadcasting is providing several services including sales for the new broadcasting group of 640 Sports which is headed by Mark Jorgenson.
    

Monday, April 20, 2015

Fox Sports Adds Dontrelle Willis

     Fox Sports has named Dontrelle Willis as a baseball studio analyst. Many former Marlin players have moved on to television roles following their playing careers. Fox Sports Florida has Jeff Conine, Preston Wilson and Carl Pavano as studio analysts while MLB Network have Kevin Millar and Cliff Floyd working in studio shows.
     Willis joined the Florida Marlins in 2003 and helped the team win their second World Series in franchise history. He was given the 2003 National League Rookie of the Year Award when he went 14-6 with a 3.30 earned run average. He finished second to Chris Carpenter for the National League Cy Young Award winner in 2005 as he posted a 22-10 record with seven complete games, five shutouts and a 2.63 earned run average. Willis was traded by the Marlins along with Miguel Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers in December 2007 for Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller and four other players.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Mets Outlast Marlins

     It was a good start for the Miami Marlins on Friday night, but they were overtaken by the New York Mets 4-1 at Citi Field. The Mets won their sixth straight game and lead the National League East division while the Fish trail them in the standings by five games.
     Giancarlo Stanton struck again in the first inning for Miami(3-8) in his second consecutive game with a homer. He hit his second home run of the season off Bartolo Colon on a 0-2 pitch to right-center field. Colon gave up one run on six hits in seven innings and improved his record to 3-0 this year.
     In the fifth inning, New York(8-3) tied the game at 1-1 when Eric Campbell scored on a sacrifice fly by Colon to center field against David Phelps.
     The Mets got two runs during the bottom of the sixth and took the lead. Juan Lagares led off with a single to left-center field and advanced to third on a base hit to center by Lucas Duda. They pulled ahead 2-1 when Lagares scored on a Michael Cuddyer infield hit. Following a ground out by Daniel Murphy, Sam Dyson relieved for Brad Hand. Campbell knocked in Duda on a sacrifice fly into right field.
     The Marlins surrendered another run in the eighth inning as Bryan Morris came in to pitch. Cuddyer doubled to right field with one out then crossed the plate on a double by Murphy into right.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Stanton Sets Marlins Home Run Mark

     Giancarlo Stanton hit his Miami Marlins franchise record 155th career home run as they fell to the New York Mets 7-5 at Citi Field on Thursday night. He passed former Marlin second baseman Dan Uggla for that record. The Mets, who extended their winning streak to five games, last time accomplished that was back in May 2013.
     Stanton, the defending National League home run champion, smashed his first homer of the season during the first inning toward right-center field and gave Miami(3-7) a 2-0 lead. New York(7-3) now has the best record in the National League East after they finished with a losing record in their previous six seasons.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Ryan Maguire New WQAM Program Director

      Ryan Maguire has been named the new program director at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM and will begin on May 4. He replaces Andy King who was the program director at WQAM since September 2013 when he replaced Jorge Sedano. King will remain at the station as the producer for the afternoon show with Marc Hochman and Zach Krantz.
     Maguire comes from KDKA-FM in Pittsburgh where he was the program director since November 2012. He had previous stints as a program director at KCSP-AM in Kansas City, WSSP-AM in Milwaukee and WTKA-AM along with WLBY-AM in Ann Arbor.
     King, a University of Miami grad, began his professional broadcasting career as a producer at 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM from 2004 until 2012. He moved to WQAM in the spring of 2012 as the assistant program director and executive producer for the Dan Sileo afternoon show. He was given the title of interim program director when Lee Feldman left in July 2012 and later returned to the assistant program director position when Jorge Sedano arrived in late August 2012.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Miami Heat To Miss NBA Playoffs

     The Miami Heat will not appear in the 2014-15 NBA Playoffs and their reign as the four-time Eastern Conference champions has ended. The Indiana Pacers defeated the Washington Wizards in double overtime 99-95 on Tuesday night and at the same time eliminated the Heat from playoff contention. Miami will play their final game of the regular season against the 76ers in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
      It will be the first time that the club will not participate in the NBA postseason since 2008. The only other occasions that the Heat failed to make the playoffs in the last twenty seasons was in 2002 and 2003. It is the first time that all four South Florida professional teams consisting of the Heat, Dolphins, Marlins and Panthers have not played a playoff game in a calendar year since 2002.

Miami Ratings March 2015

     It was a rare month in which there was just about no movement in the ratings for sports format radio stations in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale market. 104.3 The Ticket WAXY-FM was on top of their two competitors for the 19th consecutive month while Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM and Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM did not gain any ground.
     104.3 The Ticket slightly went up from a 1.6 to a 1.7 in the month of March. It was a minor rise as the Miami Heat was winding down their regular season trying to get a playoff spot.
     WQAM stayed the same for the second straight month with a 0.9 as the Florida Panthers chased for a postseason berth and University of Miami basketball did not make the NCAA tournament. Without the push of the Miami Dolphins in the off-season, WINZ remained at 0.2 in the month of March.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Jamomir Jagr Stays With Panthers

     The Florida Panthers re-signed Jaromir Jagr to a new one-year contract on Sunday. He was acquired by the Panthers from the New Jersey Devils on February 26. Jagr had six goals and 12 assists in 20 games with the Panthers in the final stretch of the regular season. He played on the same forward line with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau.
     Jagr is currently leads active NHL players in several categories. He has 722 goals, 1,080 assists, 1,802 points, 204 power-play goals and 1,550 games played. Jagr won two Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1990-91 and 1991-92. He has also played for the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins. Following the completion of the 2014-15 regular season, Jagr stands on the NHL all-time list fifth in goals, sixth in assists, fourth in points, 11th in games played, first in game-winning goals and tied for fourth in power-play goals.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Rays Blank Marlins

     The pitchers dominated in a game which the Tampa Bay Rays shut out the Miami Marlins 2-0 at Marlins Park on Saturday. Miami(1-4) only compiled two hits in the contest as Jarred Cosart dropped his record to 0-2 this season.
     Tampa Bay(2-3) picked up a two-out rally during the sixth inning. Asdrubal Cabrera tripled to deep center then scored on an Evan Longoria double to right-center field.
      The Rays extended their lead to 2-0 in the following frame against Mike Dunn. Tim Beckham pinched hit for Allan Dykstra to begin the top of the seventh and smacked a solo home run to left-center field on a 2-2 pitch for his first homer of the season.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Panthers Win Season Finale Over Devils

     The Florida Panthers completed their regular season with a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils at BB&T Center on Saturday night. The Panthers finished 25 points ahead of last season which was the biggest improvement in the NHL. They also played in the most one-goal games in the league this season with 48. The Devils went 1-6-3 in their last ten games of the season.
     It was a great night for Jaromir Jagr as he set more milestones in this game against his former team. He passed Alex Delvecchio for 11th all-time in NHL history with 1,550 games played, surpassed Adam Oates with his 1,080th assist for sixth all-time and tied Wayne Gretzky for fourth all-time with his 204th power-play goal.
     New Jersey(32-6-14) had to wait until the second period to get on the scoreboard at 1:50. Jordin Tootoo dropped a pass from the left circle to Travis Zajac and he returned it to him. Tootoo snapped a shot from the left-circle dot for a 1-0 lead.
     The Panthers evened it up at 11:08 as Dave Bolland scored his sixth goal of the year. Jussi Jokinen had it in the low right circle and connected with Brad Boyes in the slot area. His lead pass was redirected into the Devils cage by Bolland from the left of the crease.
     In the third period, Florida(38-29-15) took their first lead of the contest at 7:59. Jagr fired a shot from the right circle which Cory Schneider saved, however Jonathan Huberdeau scrambled for the rebound and scored from the crease area for his career-high 15th goal of the season. Huberdeau recorded his 13th point in his last 13 games while Jagr passed Oates in career assists on that play.
     The Devils came back and tied the game at 2-2 during a 4-on-4 situation with 8:59 left in the third. Mike Cammalleri was on the left wing when he sent a cross-ice pass to Damon Severson in the middle and he released a wrist shot by the right shoulder of Al Montoya.
     Jagr tied Gretzky on the all-time list with a power-play goal at 12:23. Dmitry Kulikov blasted a shot from the right point which was stopped and Jagr got the game-winning goal on his second attempt from close range.      

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Jagr Sets Milestones Panthers Top Bruins

     The Florida Panthers were able to play the spoiler on Thursday night as they defeated the Boston Bruins 4-2 at BB&T Center. Jaromir Jagr collected several milestones in the contest which included tying Alex Delvecchio for 11th all-time in NHL history as he played in his 1,549th game. He also became the fourth player in NHL history to compile 1,800 points in a career.
     It was not until the second period when Boston(41-27-13) got up 1-0. It was their third power-play opportunity when they scored at 15:02. Torey Krug fired a slapshot from the top left circle which was saved by Roberto Luongo. The rebound skipped off Loui Eriksson in front and Patrice Bergeron followed through with a backhand shot for his 23rd goal of the season.
     Florida(37-29-15) responded with their own goal on the power play with 1:20 left in the second. Jagr was in the neutral zone when he placed a right-outlet pass to Aleksander Barkov at the Bruins blue line. He skated through the right circle and snapped a shot that went between the legs of Tuukka Rask. Jagr passed former teammate Ron Francis for fourth all-time in NHL history with his 1,799 point on the play.
     In the third period, the Panthers took their first lead of the game at 4:02. Jagr had the puck in the left corner and passed it to Jonathan Huberdeau. He lifted a backhand shot from the left of the crease that went into the top shelf of the net. Jagr added his 1,800th NHL point along with tying Adam Oates for sixth all-time in assists with 1,079.
     The B's surrendered another goal to the Cats at 8:03 and trailed 3-1. Willie Mitchell moved the puck from the left point to Dave Bolland behind the Bruins cage and he centered a pass to Brad Boyes in the low slot. His one-time shot beat Rask for his 14th goal.
     The Bruins closed the gap to 3-2 with 6:45 remaining in the third. Brad Marchand was behind the Panthers net, skated out with the puck to the low right circle and scored on a wrist shot over the left shoulder of Luongo.
     Jimmy Hayes increased the Panthers margin to 4-2 with 4:46 left in regulation time with his 19th goal. Boston gave the puck away deep in their own zone and Hayes fired home a shot from the slot area. Jussi Jokinen posted his 300th career assist on the setup. Luongo tied Chris Osgood for tenth all-time in NHL wins for a goalie with 401.  

Brad Steinke In Cincinnati

     Former Miami television sportscaster Brad Steinke has moved to Cincinnati following 14 years in Arizona. He joined WKRC-TV in Cincinnati as a sports anchor earlier this week. He was a sports anchor and sports reporter with Fox Sports Arizona since 2001.
     Steinke worked as an evening sports anchor on WAMI-TV Channel 69 in Miami from 1999 until 2001. He along with Tim Ring and current Minnesota Timberwolves television voice Dave Benz co-hosted Sportstown, Miami Heat game broadcasts and Florida Marlins game broadcasts.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Marlins Swept By Braves

     The Atlanta Braves were able to sweep a three-game series as they got a 2-0 shutout victory over the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on Wednesday night. Miami(0-3), who were held to six hits in this game, will host their cross-state rivals the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend. Ichiro Suzuki picked up his first hit as a Marlin on a bunt single as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning.
     Atlanta(3-0) compiled the only two runs of the contest during the seventh inning against Tom Koehler. Freddie Freeman led off with a base hit into right field. A.J. Pierzynski followed with a two-run homer to right field to give the Braves the lead.

Monday, April 6, 2015

Rain Delay And Braves Stop Marlins

     It was the home opener for the Miami Marlins as they were edged 2-1 by the Atlanta Braves on Monday. It was the fourth home opener for the Fish at Marlins Park, but this game will be long remembered for a second-inning rain delay in a stadium that has a sliding roof to prevent weather stoppages.
     Atlanta(1-0) jumped quickly out to a 1-0 lead against Henderson Alvarez in the first inning. Jace Peterson singled into right-center field with one out and went to second on a balk. Nick Markakis, who made his first plate appearance with his new team after signing as a free agent during the off-season, knocked in Peterson with a base hit to center.
     In the third inning, Miami(0-1) tied the game on a two-out rally. Alvarez doubled to deep left field then scored on RBI-single to center by Dee Gordon against Julio Teheran. It was the first base hit by Gordon as a Marlin. He was acquired by the Fish in a trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers several months ago.
     The Bravos got the game-winning run in the sixth inning. Eric Young Jr. led off with a double to center and advanced to third on a sacrifice by Peterson. Markakis grounded out to second for Young Jr. to score.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Habs Beat Panthers

     After being eliminated from playoff contention in the previous game, the Florida Panthers played their third-to-last game of the regular season and lost to the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 on Sunday at BB&T Center. It was the third game of a five-game homestand for the Cats who have fallen in three of their last four games. The Canadiens are now two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the first place in the Atlantic Division.
     Montreal(48-22-10) commanded the beginning of the contest as they made the Panthers commit two penalties in a three-second span. The Habs scored on the 5-on-3 power play at 6:33. Tomas Plekanec passed the puck back-and-forth between him in the low right circle and Andrei Markov at the right point. Plekanec placed a cross-ice pass that went off Dan Ellis and into the Florida(36-29-15) cage for his 24th tally.
     In the second period, the Panthers converted on their second power-play opportunity at 6:20. Alekander Barkov began the man-advantage with a win in the left faceoff circle and Jonathan Huberdeau tapped it back to the left point. Aaron Ekblad skated in a couple of feet in with the puck then blasted a slapshot by Carey Price to tie the game 1-1.
     It took only 46 seconds for the Canadiens to regain the lead. P.K. Subban raced in on the right wing and sent a cross-ice pass through the slot area where Brandan Gallagher nailed a one-timer for his 24th goal of the season.
     The Habs increased their margin to 3-1 at 11:27. Following a feed by Jeff Petry, P.A. Parenteau took a slaphsot from the slot which was saved, however he forwarded and scored on a wrist shot from the low right circle.  
     The deficit for Florida became three goals when Montreal moved it up to 4-1 with 2:18 left in the second. Willie Mitchell lost control of the puck in his own left defensive corner. Parenteau capitalized as he centered it to the top of the crease and Devante Smith-Pelly scored from close range.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Lightning Eliminate Panthers

     The Florida Panthers were officially eliminated from playoff contention as they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 at BB&T Center on Saturday night. The Panthers will not be in the postseason for the third straight year and the 13th time in the last 14 seasons.
     It was not until the second period when Tampa Bay(48-24-8) scored twice on Florida(36-28-15). Steven Stamkos, who was held without a goal in his last seven games. converted on the first power play for the Lightning. Tyler Johnson sent a cross-ice pass from the right circle and Stamkos one-timed a slapshot from the top left circle by Roberto Luongo at 6:10.
     The Bolts increased their margin to 2-0 at 11:19 when got his 42nd goal of the season. Ryan Callahan intercepted a pass from Erik Gudbranson on the left-wing wall. He fed a cross-ice pass to Stamkos and he snapped in a shot from the right-circle dot.
     In the third period, Stamkos returned the favor to Callahan 63 seconds into the final frame. Stamkos gave a lead pass in the neutral zone to Callahan on the right side. He crossed the Panthers blue line and scored on a wrist shot from the right-circle dot for his 24th goal.

Felix DeJesus Adds New York Radio Shows

     Former South Florida Spanish-language sportscaster Felix DeJesus has been hired by WEPN-AM in New York City to host two different sports shows. He will co-host a weekday late night program with Nestor Rosario and Santiago Dolcine. DeJesus also will host a Sunday early evening one-hour baseball show.
     He was the Spanish-language radio game analyst along with play-by-play announcer Arley Londono on WCMQ 1210 AM when they broadcast the Florida Panthers during their first three seasons as an NHL franchise from October 1993 until June 1996. DeJesus moved north several years later and joined the New York Yankees Spanish broadcast booth in 2009. In addition, he has worked several seasons as the Spanish radio game analyst for Philadelphia Eagles broadcasts alongside Rickie Ricardo on WHAT-AM.

Friday, April 3, 2015

Atalaya Capital Acquires WMEN

     Atalaya Capital Management placed a credit bid last month to acquire 640 Sports WMEN-AM from James Crystal Enterprises. Jorgenson Broadcast Brokerage conducted the auction on March 2 at their offices in Fort Lauderdale for the United States Southern District Bankruptcy Court.
     The license of the station is expected to be transferred to a new broadcasting group headed by Mark Jorgenson. 640 Sports will continue with their sports format which was launched in March 2008. Palm Beach Broadcasting, which is a subsidiary of Digity Media owned by Dean Goodman, will handle sales for the station.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Luongo Gets 400th Win As Panthers Prevail

     Roberto Luongo compiled his 400th career NHL victory and Jaromir Jagr moved into a tie for fourth all-time in NHL points as the Florida Panthers pounded the Carolina Hurricanes 6-1 on Thursday night at BB&T Center. The Panthers, who have won five of their last six home contests, remained six points behind the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Brian Campbell played in his 300th consecutive regular season NHL game.
     Following the initial eight minutes of non-stop hockey, Florida(36-27-15) scored with just 49.4 left in the first period on a set play to get ahead 1-0. Vincent Trocheck won the faceoff in the left circle, Jimmy Hayes touched it to Willie Mitchell and he fired a slapshot from the top left circle that went under the right arm of Anton Khudobin.
     The Panthers extended their margin to 2-0 at 5:01 of the second period. Jagr carried the puck through the right circle until he was checked and Brandon Pirri put in a turnaround shot from the low right circle. Pirri scored for the ninth time in 11 games and the 19th time in his last 26 games.
     Jagr collected his 16th goal of the season with 6:59 remaining in the second. He tied Ron Francis for fourth place all-time in NHL history with his 1,798th point on the play. Aleksander Barkov skated with the puck behind the Canes cage and centered it to Jagr in the low slot for the one-time shot.
     Carolina(28-38-11)trailed by four goals as the Cats scored again at 16:27. Jonathan Huberdeau handed a pass to Barkov in the neutral zone and he skated into the Hurricanes zone. The first shot by Barkov from the right face-off dot was saved, however he backhanded the second shot in for his 15th goal.
     In the third period, the Cats made it a five-goal gap at 6:07. Tomas Kopecky connected with Trocheck with a cross-ice pass in the neutral zone. Trocheck skated by the Hurricanes blue line and scored on a wrist shot from the high slot.
     Florida moved it up to a 6-0 just 38 seconds later as they continued to dominate. Trocheck left the puck for Jimmy Hayes in the left circle and he followed with a shot. After a high rebound on a blocker save by Khudobin, Trocheck brought it down and ripped in a shot from the low slot for his second tally of the game.
     Luongo fell short of the shutout with 1:19 to go as Carolina scored on their second power-play attempt. Justin Faulk blasted a slapshot from the top of the zone which Luongo saved, but Chris Terry put in the rebound from the high crease.