Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Panthers Come Back On Senators

     The Florida Panthers got by the Ottawa Senators 6-5 at BB&T Center on Tuesday night. It was their first game for the Panthers since the All-Star Game break.
     It did not take long before Florida(22-19-10) was able to take the lead. Michael Matheson raced through the right circle, released a wrist shot from the low right circle which went off Chris Wideman's skate and trickled by Mike Condon at 2:24.
     Ottawa(26-16-6) tied it up just several minutes later at 4:58. Kyle Turris skated the puck from the center ice to the Panthers zone. He sent a cross-ice pass to Ryan Dzingel in the left circle and he snapped a shot past Roberto Luongo.
     The tie lasted 25 seconds when the Panthers bounced back at 5:23. Michael Sgarbossa moved the puck from the high slot to Derek MacKenzie in the left circle. He forwarded it across to Mark Pysyk and he tipped it in.
     The Senators added another two goals before the end of the first period. Dzingel put in his second tally of the game at 8:34 and Wideman followed with a goal with 31 seconds left in the first.
      Both teams combined for more goals during the second period. Erik Karlsson made it 4-2 with his eighth goal of the season at 2:19. The Cats responded just 18 seconds later at 2:37 as Colton Sceviour scored his first goal in 39 games.
     Florida tied it at the 9:53 mark when Sgarbossa won a face-off in the left circle and Matheson blasted home a slapshot. It was the first career multi-goal game for Matheson and first career multi-point game for Sgarbossa.
     In the third period, the Cats regained the lead 5-4 with 6:03 remaining. Condon lost the handle of the puck behind the Senators cage. Jonathan Marchessault got to it and placed a backhand shot from the right of the crease area into the empty net. Marchessault extended his point streak to five games.   
     Jason Demers added an empty-net goal for Florida with 34.5 to go in the contest to make it 6-4. Derick Brassard closed the gap when Ottawa had an extra attacker on the ice with 11 seconds left.

Baseball Magazine Predictions

     The annual baseball magazines were available at news stands and book stores on Tuesday. Sporting News, Athlon Sports and Lindy's all picked the Miami Marlins to finish third in the National League East and not make the playoffs in 2017.
      Sporting News and Athlon Sports both had the Chicago Cubs defeating the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. Lindy's selected the Washington Nationals to represent the National League and the Cleveland Indians in the American League for the World Series.

Heat Sweep Nets

     The Miami Heat extended their winning streak to eight games with a 104-96 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at American Airlines Arena on Monday night. The Heat were able to beat the Nets for the second time in the last five days.
     Brooklyn(9-39) pulled out to a 32-28 advantage after one quarter and were ahead 52-39 midway through the second quarter. Miami(19-30) responded with 17 consecutive points and finished the first half up 56-52. The Heat led 84-77 after three quarters and held on the rest of the way. Goran Dragic had a team-high 20 points and eight assists for Miami.

Monday, January 30, 2017

Joe Rose Show On National Poll

     Barrett Sports Media has named the Joe Rose Show 18th in the 2016 major market sports talk radio morning shows in the United States. The program consists of former Miami Dolphins player Joe Rose, on-air sidekick Curtis Stevenson and sports anchor Danny Rabinowitz.
     The Joe Rose Show has been on Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM since 2007. It originally had Zach Krantz as producer, show sidekick and sports anchor until he moved to the afternoon show with Marc Hochman in April 2014. The Joe Rose Show was previously on 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM from August 2004 until 2007.

West Palm Beach Ratings Holiday 2016

     640 Fox Sports South Florida WMEN-AM was the only local sports format radio station listed in the monthly ratings for the West Palm Beach market. It was the holiday season in which only a couple of weeks of December were used.
     It was a slight increase for 640 Fox Sports as they moved from a 0.6 in December to a 0.7 during the holidays. The station had NFL football games from Westwood One that had an unopposed time window in Palm Beach County for several weeks.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Vincent Trocheck At NHL All-Star Game

     The Atlantic Division lost to the Metropolitan Division 10-6 at the NHL All-Star Game on Sunday at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Metropolitan Division went on to defeat the Pacific Division in the final round 4-3
     Vincent Trocheck was the only representative of the Florida Panthers in the NHL All-Star Game. He had one goal and three assists against the Metropolitan Division in the loss. He tied the team-high of four points in the contest with Tampa Bay Lightning player Nikita Kucherov.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Heat Nail Pistons

     The Miami Heat returned from a short two-game road swing and beat the Detroit Pistons 116-103 at American Airlines Arena on Saturday night. The Heat have now been victorious in their last seven consecutive games.
     The game was close in the first half as Miami(18-30) led 35-33 after one quarter and were up 64-60 at halftime. Detroit(21-26) was able to go ahead 91-90 after three quarters. The Pistons were down 99-98 midway through the fourth quarter and then Miami came out with a 13-2 to put the contest away. Goran Dragic had 23 points for Miami while Reggie Jackson dropped 24 points for Detroit.

Panthers Make NHL 100 All-Time Players

     The Florida Panthers had three players with their franchise announced for the top 100 players in National Hockey League history on Friday in Los Angeles. Players that were listed included Pavel Bure, Joe Nieuwendyk and Jaromir Jagr. The Panthers first general manager Bobby Clarke and current television game analyst Denis Potvin were also mentioned.
     Bure was acquired by the Panthers from Vancouver during the 1998-99 season. He led the NHL in goals for two consecutive seasons with over 50 goals and received the first two Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophies. Bure also helped Florida make their third playoff appearance in 1999-2000.
     Nieuwendyk signed with the Panthers as a free agent following the NHL lockout to start the 2005-06 seasons. He played his last two seasons in the league with the club before he retired.
     Jagr was traded by the New Jersey Devils to Florida during the 2014-15 season. He helped the Panthers win the Atlantic Division title in 2015-16. Jagr has climbed the all-time list for most goals, assists, points and games played in NHL history in his three seasons with the team.

Friday, January 27, 2017

Heat Get Revenge On Dwyane Wade And Bulls

     The Miami Heat extracted some revenge on Friday night as they topped Dwyane Wade and the Chicago Bulls 100-88 at United Center. The Heat extended their season-high winning streak to six games with the victory.
     Miami(17-30) jumped out to a 33-24 lead after one quarter and were tied with the Bulls 53-53 at halftime. The Heat expanded their margin and were up 77-67 after three quarters. Chicago(23-25) was unable to cut into the deficit during the fourth quarter.
     Goran Dragic led the way for the Heat with 26 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and three steals. Wade had a team-high 15 points along with six rebounds and three assists against his former team.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Panthers Zap Lightning

     The Florida Panthers returned back to Sunrise on Thursday night following a four-game road trip and stopped the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in overtime at BB&T Center. The Panthers started a four-game homestand which is stretched out over a two-week period.
     Florida(21-19-10) was able to pick up a shorthanded goal during the first power play for the Lightning at 9:55 of the first period. Keith Yandle entered the Bolts zone and passed to the right side. Vincent Trocheck then sent a cross-ice pass to Jussi Jokinen in the low left circle and put in a wrist shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy.
     Tampa Bay(22-22-6) completed the same man-advantage situation with a power-play tally at the 11:33 mark. Alex Killorn had the puck near the side of the Panthers net and passed it out to Jonathan Drouin in the left circle. He connected a pass to Nikita Kucherov and he ripped a slapshot by James Reimer to tie the contest.
     The Panthers received a 4-on-3 power play in overtime when Tyler Johnson tripped up Jason Demers in the neutral zone as he headed for a breakaway. They converted it when Yandle sailed a cross-ice pass from the right circle to the left circle and Jonathan Marchessault burned his former team with his 14th goal of the season.

Erik Lengyel Joins WINZ

     Longtime South Florida radio producer Erik Lengyel has joined Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM. He replaces Dio Garcia and will work on the Andy Slater Show as a producer and on-air sidekick. Both had worked together previously on the same program. He was the midday producer and sports anchor for Andy Slater on 640 Sports WMEN-AM from August 2012 to September 2012.
     Lengyel had a long tenure at James Crystal Radio for over a decade. He was with 640 Sports when they flipped to a sports talk format in March 2008. He started as a board operator and producer for the Jeff DeForrest morning show. Lengyel later held the same spot for shows hosted by Armando Salguero, Larry Milian and Chris Perkins. He became the producer, sports anchor and morning show sidekick for Sid Rosenberg from September 2012 until December 2015.
     He was recently with 93.5 The Bar WBGF-FM in Palm Beach County as an afternoon producer and fill-in disc jockey until the end of last year when they flipped their format. Lengyel one time worked as a game analyst on Broward County high school football games with Adam Baron on WWNN-AM for several years earlier this decade.

Jay Mohr Off 640 Sports

     Jay Mohr will not longer be heard during the afternoon shift on 640 Fox Sports South Florida WMEN-AM. His show was eliminated from the nationally syndicated Fox Sports Radio on Thursday. He has been on that radio station since January 2016.
     Mohr was first heard on the local airwaves at Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM in January 2013 during middays when he replaced Jim Rome. His show was cut down to two hours when Andy Slater joined that station in January 2014. Mohr was dropped by WINZ when his program moved to the afternoon shift nationally and was replaced by Rich Eisen in October 2014.

Heat Pull Comeback On Nets

     The Brooklyn Nets blew an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter as the Miami Heat completed a 109-106 comeback victory at Barclays Center on Wednesday night. The Heat moved their season-long winning streak to five games. Both clubs entered the contest with the two worst records in the Eastern Conference.
     Miami(16-30) started out well with a 34-30 lead after one quarter. The Nets responded and had over a ten-point margin at halftime 66-55. Brooklyn(9-36) was able to extend their lead to 89-71 after three quarters. The Heat outscored the Nets 38-17 in the fourth quarter to get the win. Dion Waiters led Miami with a team-high 24 points and eight rebounds.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

John Everson Exiting WPEC-TV

     John Everson will soon be leaving his position as a sports reporter and sports anchor at WPEC-TV Channel 12 in West Palm Beach. He has been employed at WPEC since February 2013.
     Everson previously worked at WSTM-TV and WTVH-TV in Syracuse as a sports director and sports anchor from 2006 until 2013. He began his professional broadcasting career in his hometown of Toronto at Global Television. Everson moved on to become the sports director at CITY-TV in Winnipeg.

Miami Ratings Holiday 2016

     The holidays came around and all things seemed unchanged during the time period among sports format radio stations in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region. It is the only time during the year where a specific calendar month is used instead of parts of two months.
     Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM dropped from a 1.4 to a 1.3 during the holiday season. The University of Miami Hurricanes football team created an impact as they won their first bowl game in ten years along with the Miami Dolphins clinching a playoff spot.
     790 The Ticket WAXY-AM stayed in their holding pattern of a 0.7 for a fifth consecutive period. The Miami Heat have underachieved in their first two months of the regular season. They did not play on the NBA Christmas Day schedule for the first time since before 2010 because their profile has shrunk nationally.
     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM remained the same at a 0.2 for the fourth straight time. They did have the exclusive rights to several unopposed NFL games from Westwood One during the period.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Miami Marlins Remain On WINZ

     The Miami Marlins have signed a multi-year deal to remain at Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM. It has been the flagship station of the Miami Marlins Radio Network since the 2013 season. WBZT-AM in West Palm Beach, WSTU-AM in Fort Pierce, WKWF-AM in Key West, WJBX-FM along with WJBX-AM in Fort Myers, WMMB-AM in Melbourne, WHOO-AM in Orlando and WIXC-AM in Titusville will also be affiliates of the radio network.
     Dave Van Horne returns to the Marlins broadcast booth as the primary radio play-by-play announcer for the 17th year with the club and his 49th season calling Major League Baseball. Glenn Geffner also comes back for his 10th season with the organization as the secondary play-by-play announcer. Kyle Sielaff will be the pregame studio host for his fifth season on radio game broadcasts.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Coyotes Get By Panthers

     The Florida Panthers finished a four-game road trip with a 3-2 overtime loss the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night at Gila River Arena. The Panthers return home to play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday prior to the All-Star Game weekend break. Former Coyote player Keith Yandle played in his 600th consecutive game.
     Vincent Trocheck picked up his 18th goal of the season at 14:24 of the first period to give Florida(20-19-10) a 1-0 lead. Jakub Kindl and Jonathan Marchessault made the assists on the play.
     Arizona(15-26-6) put in two goals in 12 seconds early in the second period to make it 2-1. Christian Fischer scored at 2:03 and Ryan White added a tally at 2:15. Boca Raton native Jakob Chychrun had the primary assists on both goals.
     The Panthers tied it up 2-2 when Michael Sgarbossa got his second NHL goal at 6:34. Colton Sceviour fired a shot from the right point which was saved by Mike Smith and Sgarbossa scored on the rebound from close range.
     The Coyotes got the game-winning goal 48 seconds into overtime. Alex Burmistrov skated around the Panthers cage and backhanded the puck through the slot. Tobias Rieder blasted a one-time slapshot by Roberto Luongo to end the game.

Heat Upset Warriors

     The Miami Heat shocked the defending Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors with a 105-102 victory at American Airlines Arena on Monday night. The Heat stretched their season-high winning streak to four games.
     The Warriors entered the contest with the best regular season record in the National Basketball Association. The Heat came into the game with the second worst record in the league.
     Golden State(38-7) got out ahead 30-28 after one quarter and were up 48-46 at halftime. Miami(15-30) pulled off a spurt early in the second half and led 77-73 after three quarters. The Heat were able to hold off an 8-0 scoring run by the Warriors late in the fourth quarter.
     Kevin Durant scored a driving lay-up down the right baseline with 11.7 seconds remaining to tie it at 102-102. Dion Waiters nailed a three-point shot from the top of the arc to give Miami a 105-102 lead with 0.6 seconds left. Waiters tied his career-high which he scored in his previous game with 33 points.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Heat Drop Bucks

     The Miami Heat were able to top the Milwaukee Bucks 109-97 on Saturday night at American Airlines Arena. It is the first time that the Heat have won three straight games this season.
     Miami(14-30) got out to a 25-22 lead after one quarter and were up 53-43 at halftime. Milwaukee(20-23) fell behind 82-71 after three quarters and could not cut into the deficit during the fourth quarter. Dion Waiters led the Heat as he scored a season-high 33 points in the victory.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Canucks Stop Panthers

     The Florida Panthers continued their Western Canada road trip with a 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night at Rogers Arena. The Cats had their franchise-record 12-game winning streak snapped in the same venue last season.
     After no scoring in the first period, Florida(20-19-9) converted on a power play at 3:45 of the second. Jaromir Jagr connected with his ninth goal of the season and 758th NHL goal from the right side of the crease on assists by Jared McCann and Jonathan Marchessault.
      It was two minutes later when Vancouver(22-19-6) tied the contest at 5:50. Henrik Sedin put in his 11th goal of the campaign and 1,000th career point on an odd-man rush in which he was fed by his brother Daniel Sedin.
     In the third period, the Canucks took their first lead at 3:07. Luca Sbisa was able to score on an unassisted goal following a bad clearing pass by the Panthers.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Edwin Pope Passes Away

     Longtime Miami Herald sports columnist and sports editor Edwin Pope passed away on Thursday at the age of 88. He had the distinction of being one of the few media members to cover the first 47 Super Bowls. He received the Dick McCamm Memorial Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002 for his reporting of the Miami Dolphins and the NFL.
     Pope was known for writing with the Miami Herald for over 50 years. He covered the Miami Dolphins throughout their franchise history and wrote columns about different South Florida sports while working at that newspaper.

Dan Le Batard Show On ESPN2

     The noon hour of the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz began to be broadcast on ESPN2 this week as a replacement to His and Hers. The first two hours of the show continues to be shown on ESPNU. The program first started as a television simulcast on Fusion in early 2015.
     The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz had their first radio broadcast as an afternoon program on 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM in August 2004. They began national syndication with ESPN Radio in September 2013. Their show was moved on The Ticket and ESPN Radio from afternoon drive to the midday shift in September 2015.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Oilers Slip By Panthers

     The Florida Panthers dropped a 4-3 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Wednesday night. The Panthers have lost the first two games of their road trip.
     Zack Kassian and Mark Letestu combined for two goals in the first period to give Edmonton(25-15-7) a 2-0 margin. Vincent Trocheck closed the gap for Florida(20-18-9) with his 17th goal of the season with 2:47 to go in the first.
     In the second period, Michael Sgarbossa got his first NHL goal during a power play at the 18:35 mark to tie the contest 2-2. The Panthers took their first lead of the game at 14:45 of the third period as Greg McKegg collected his third goal of the campaign.
     Edmonton fought back and make it 3-3 with 2:59 left in the third as Jordan Eberle put in a tally. The Oilers got the winning goal with two seconds remaining in overtime. Connor McDavid raced in on a breakaway put a shot barely over the goal line for the victory.

Pudge Rodriguez Elected To Baseball Hall Of Fame

     Former Marlins catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America on Wednesday.  He becomes the third player in Marlins franchise history to reach Cooperstown and joins Andre Dawson and Mike Piazza.
     Rodriguez played just one season with the Florida Marlins and helped the club win the 2003 World Series over the New York Yankees in six games. He batted .297 with 16 home runs and 85 runs batted in during 144 regular season games that season.

Flames Burn Panthers

     The Florida Panthers had their four-game road winning streak snapped as they lost to the Calgary Flames 5-2 on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Saddledome. It was the first game of a four-game road trip for the Cats against Western Conference opponents.
    The first period started fine for Florida(20-18-8) as they got out to a 2-1 lead. Vincent Trocheck scored two goals for the Panthers at 3:46 and 8:25 while former Panther Kris Versteeg added a goal for the Flames at 6:39.
     Calgary(24-20-3) would dominate the second period. Mark Giordano put in a power-play goal at 4:25 and several minutes later was followed when Mikael Backlund scored two goals in a span of 16 seconds. Sean Monahan added an empty-net tally with 2:08 left in the third.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Chris Kokell ESPN West Palm Evening Co-Host

     Chris Kokell has joined Joe Colella as the new evening co-host on ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM. Their first show together was on Tuesday night. They both replace Jeremy Marks-Peltz in that time slot.
     Kokell is currently the head football coach for the Olympic Heights Lions. He has co-hosted weekend programs at that station for several years. Kokell did work as a game analyst for high school football games with Alex Kushel in 2014 on WTVX-TV Channel 34 in West Palm Beach. He was a game analyst for the 2014 FHSAA Class 3A state championship game on ESPN West Palm alongside Ken LaVicka.

Pahokee Stripped Of State Title

     The Pahokee Blue Devils were stripped of the 2016 FHSAA Class 1A state title on Monday due to an ineligible player. They had to forfeit all 14 games that they played and won during the 2016 season.
     Pahokee knocked off Baker 34-21 in the Class 1A state championship game in Orlando back on December 8. The Blue Devils returned back to six state championships and have not won a state title since 2008.

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Panthers Down Blue Jackets

     The Florida Panthers finished a quick two-game homestand as they the league leader in points the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Saturday night at BB&T Center. The Cats now head out on the road for four games against the Western Conference.
     It took 8:22 into the first period for Florida(20-17-8) to get out ahead 1-0. Aaron Ekblad was on the right-wing wall when he passed toward the net. Shawn Thornton put in a shot from the blue point by Joonas Korpisalo for his 100th NHL point.
     Columbus(29-9-4) was able to score on their first power play at the 10:57 mark. Ryan Murray sent a slapshot from the left point which redirected in the Panthers cage by Scott Hartnell past James Reimer for his 11th tally of the campaign.
     The Blue Jackets capitalized on a giveaway that led to a goal with 1:50 left in the first. Derek MacKenzie knocked the puck in mid-air to the middle of the ice. Cam Atkinson took it at the high slot and scored on a wrist shot for an unassisted goal.
     The Cats evened the contest midway through the second period. Jason Demers passed the puck from the right point to Vincent Trocheck in the right corner. He flicked it toward the net from below the goal line and it squeezed on through at 8:24.
     The Panthers regained the lead 3-2 at the 10:46 mark. Jonathan Marchessault stole the puck from Markus Nutivaara in his own zone. He skated through the crease area then lifted a wrist shot in for his 13th goal of the season.
     Florida extended their margin to 4-2 at the 1:27 mark of the third period. Trocheck skated across the slot area to the right circle and put a slapshot on net. Jaromir Jagr poked in the loose rebound from the blue paint for his eighth goal this season and 757th NHL goal.
     Boone Jenner closed the gap to 4-3 at 6:17 for the Blue Jackets. He skated with the puck through center ice and into the Panthers zone. He snapped a shot from the high slot which hit off the left post and into the net.

National Wins Palm Beach All-Star Game

      The National came back to defeat the American 24-17 on Saturday at John I. Leonard High School in the 21st Annual Palm Beach County All-Star Game. It was the first time that the squads were not separated by North and South regions in the county. They were organized by individual cities.
     Wellington's Logan Robinson gave the National their first points with a 36-yard field goal at 6:31 of the first quarter. Running back Anthony Wynds of Palm Beach Central responded with a nine-yard touchdown run at the 4:04 mark to give the American their first lead 7-3.
     The American extended their margin to 14-3 as Glades Central running back Demetrius Martin raced in from three yards away with 7:20 left in the second quarter. Boynton Beach's kicker Marcos Rodriguez nailed a 23-yard field goal with 2:33 to go in the first half for a ten-point lead 17-7.
     After no scoring in the third quarter, the National poured on 17 points in the fourth quarter. Palm Beach Gardens quarterback Eli Matthews threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to West Boca Raton wide receiver Shavon Taylor and cut the American lead to 17-10 at the 10:51 mark. Kings Academy running back Will Bayonne tied the game 17-17 for the National as he rushed in from eight yards out with 6:15 remaining in the fourth.
     The National completed the comeback when Palm Beach Lakes quarterback Armani Edden completed a 49-yard pass to Dondre Swint of Atlantic for a go-ahead touchdown with 4:59 left to make it 24-17.

Friday, January 13, 2017

Tavares Hat Trick Sinks Panthers

     John Tavares scored a hat trick as the Florida Panthers fell to the New York Islanders 5-2 on Friday night at BB&T Center. The Cats failed to reach a season-high three-game win streak with the loss. Both clubs faced each other in the 2016 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals where the Isles won in six games.
     It did not take long for New York(16-16-8) to score in the first period as they got ahead at 2:22. Anthony Beauvillier broke his stick when he took a slapshot from the left point. Jason Chimera controlled the slowed-down puck at the top of the crease, went to his backhand and put in a shot by Roberto Luongo.
     The Islanders quickly made it a two-goal margin at the 3:48 mark. Nick Leddy brought the puck into the slot area and dropped it off to John Tavares. He then scored on a wrist shot from the edge of the left circle. The Isles scored on their first two shots of the contest.
     Florida(19-17-8) waited until 9:55 of the frame to cut into the deficit. Jaromir Jagr fed the puck from the left corner to the front of the net. Vincent Trocheck nailed in a tally on a second effort in the crease for his 13th goal of the season.
     The Isles regained their two-goal gap with 3:54 left in the second period. The puck ringed around the end boards to the left wing. Leddy ripped a high slapshot for his second point of the game. New York compiled 20 shots during the second.
     The Panthers converted on their third power play of the game at 1:42 of the third period to make it 3-2. Trocheck had the puck on the left side and passed back to the blue line. Reilly Smith blasted home a slapshot for his ninth tally of the year.
     Tavares would add to the Islanders lead with his second goal of the contest with 7:50 remaining in the third. Josh Bailey sent a lead pass to Tavares at the Panthers blue line. He carried the puck through the right circle and then snapped a shot from the slot. Tavares reached the hat trick as he scored from the neutral zone into an empty net with 1:44 to go for his 14th goal of the season. 

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Panthers Edge Islanders

     The Florida Panthers got by the New York Islanders 2-1 at Barclays Center on Wednesday night. It was the first time that the Panthers had played in Brooklyn since they were eliminated by the Islanders in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
     Florida(19-16-8) moved out to a 1-0 lead at 5:47 the first period. Keith Yandle blasted a slapshot from the left point by Thomas Greiss. Jared McCann and Vincent Trocheck were credited with assists on the play.
     New York(15-16-8) evened the contest at 1-1 later in the period at 10:47. Nick Leddy snapped a shot from the top left circle that went through traffic and past Roberto Luongo.
     In the second period, the Panthers retook the lead 2-1. Jussi Jokinen won a face-off in the left circle and the puck was cycled by Jonathan Marchessault to the right wing. Jason Demers delivered a shot from the right circle for the game-winning goal at 1:09.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Vincent Trocheck Named All-Star

     Vincent Trocheck has been named to the Atlantic Division All-Star team and will play in the NHL All-Star Game on January 29 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. It is the first time that he will appear in the All-Star Game. He has compiled 12 goals and 12 assists in 42 games this season.
     Trocheck was the only member of the Florida Panthers selected for the contest. The Panthers had three players chosen for the All-Star Game last year which included Jaromir Jagr, Aaron Ekblad and Roberto Luongo. Gerard Gallant was named the head coach of the 2016 Atlantic Division squad.

Monday, January 9, 2017

Luongo Passes Sawchuk And Panthers Top Devils

     Roberto Luongo passed Terry Sawchuk for fifth all-time in NHL history with his 448th career victory as the Florida Panthers blanked the New Jersey Devils 3-0 at Prudential Center on Monday night. It was the 73th career shutout for Luongo. The Panthers were able to sweep the season series against New Jersey(16-18-8) for the first time in franchise history.
     Florida(18-16-8) scored with 3:05 left in the first period on the power play. Reilly Smith got his eighth tally of the season with assists from Jussi Jokinen and Vincent Trocheck.
     In the third period, Jokinen would make it 2-0 as he put the puck into an empty net with 59.6 seconds remaining. Trocheck added another empty-net goal with 16 seconds to go.

Steelers Knock Off Dolphins From Playoffs

     The Miami Dolphins were eliminated from the NFL playoffs by the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-12 at Heinz Field on Sunday. The Fins participated in a playoff game for the first time since 2008. The Steelers pulled out to a 14-0 margin and never relinquished the lead.
     The Dolphins set a new NFL record as they lost a playoff game for the fourth consecutive time by 14 points or more. The last time Miami won a postseason game was in December 2000 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Bruins Slam Panthers

     The Florida Panthers finished a three-game homestand as they were shut out by the Boston Bruins 4-0 on Saturday night at BB&T Center. The Panthers completed a stretch in which they played eight of their last nine games at home. Aaron Ekblad participated in his 200th NHL game.
     In the first period, Boston(21-7-4) scored a shorthanded goal on the Panthers first power play at 12:48. Brad Marchand blocked a shot by Ketih Yandle from the blue line and skated away with the puck on a breakaway. He switched to the backhand and put it by James Reimer for a 1-0 lead.
     The B's extended to a two-goal margin at 4:13 of the second period. Zdeno Chara had the puck at the left point and put a square pass to David Krejci in the high slot. He fired a slapshot that David Backes redirected for a tally from the low slot area.
     The Bruins scored with the man-advantage during their third power play midway in the frame. David Pastrnak passed back from the low left circle to Torey Krug on the left point. He blasted a slapshot which was saved, however Marchand put in his second goal of the contest from the right side of the crease.
     Florida(17-16-8) gave up another goal at 4:59 of the third period. Kevan Miller moved the puck from the left wing around the boards to the right corner. Riley Nash flicked a shot from a sharp angle that went into the Panthers cage.

Lakers Rout Heat

     The Miami Heat continued on their long west coast road trip and were pounded by the Los Angeles Lakes 127-100 at Staples Center on Friday night. The 27-point difference was the largest point margin by Miami in a defeat this season.
     Los Angeles(14-26) beat the Heat for the third time in the last 16 games. The Heat had won the last nine games against each other. The last time Los Angeles was victorious in this rivalry was on March 27, 2012. All the victories by the Lakers against Miami(11-27) over the last eight seasons were at home.
     The Lakers jumped out to a 32-23 lead after one quarter and they remained up 58-56 at halftime. Los Angeles increased their margin after three quarters to 90-79 before they closed the contest out in the fourth quarter.

Friday, January 6, 2017

Panthers Take Predators

     The Florida Panthers stopped the Nashville Predators 2-1 on Friday night at BB&T Center. The Panthers have played seven of their last eight games at home.
     Florida(17-15-8) quickly struck as they scored 2:24 into the contest. Derek MacKenzie dumped the puck off the end wall from the top of the zone. It took a hard rebound from the boards and Greg McKegg followed up with a wrist shot from the low slot by Juuse Saros for his second goal of the campaign.
     Nashville(17-15-7) waited until 5:03 of the third period to get on the scoreboard. Mike Ribeiro made a cross-ice pass from the left circle to the the middle. Craig Smith then snapped in a shot past James Reimer for his first goal since Novermber 23.
     The Panthers regained the lead 2-1 with 9:53 remaining in the frame. Jonathan Marchessault and Vincent Trocheck passed the puck back and forth in the right corner. Marchessault was able to spin and score from an acute angle for his 12th tally of the season.

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Jagr Passes Coffey In Assists And Panthers Fall

     Jaromir Jagr passed one-time teammate Paul Coffey for fifth all-time in NHL history with his 1,136th assist as the Florida Panthers lost to the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 at BB&T Center on Wednesday night. It was the first game of a three-game homestand for the club. Keith Yandle played in his 700th career game.
     In the second period, Shawn Matthias burned his former team with a tally at 5:03 to give Winnipeg(19-19-3) a 1-0 lead. Adam Lowry won the face-off in the left circle and drew it back to Paul Postma at the left point. His slapshot was redirected in by Matthias from the slot area past Roberto Luongo.
     The Jets made it 2-0 at the 7:24 mark. Bryan Little stripped Michael Matheson in the slot and passed it to his left. Patrik Laine then blasted a one-timer for his 21st goal of the season.
     Jagr collected the milestone assist with 1:42 left in the second for Florida(16-15-8). He sent a lead pass to Greg McKegg in the neutral zone. He skated up the right side to the circle and snapped a shot by Connor Hellebucyk for his first goal of the year.
     Winnipeg regained a two-goal cushion early in the third period at 2:46. Little was in the left corner and centered the puck to the middle. Nikolaj Ehlers received it and put in a wrist shot from the edge of the left circle.
     The Jets added another goal with 7:55 remaining in the third. Jacob Trouba was to the left of the crease and sent a cross-ice pass to Mark Scheifele and he flipped in a backhand shot from the right of the crease.

Thomas Drance New Panthers PR Person

     The Florida Panthers have named Thomas Drance as the new vice president of communications and public relations. He replaces Chris Wojcik who now works at the National Hockey League office in New York City. Wojcik was employed with the Panthers from September 2015 until July 2016.
     Drance leaves his position as the editor in chief at Nation Network in Western Canada. He had previously worked as a writer at The Score, Rogers Sportsnet and Triumph Publishing.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Joe Colella ESPN West Palm Evening Host

     Joe Colella has been named the new evening host on ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM. His new program will begin on January 16 from 6 P.M. to 8 P.M. He takes over for Jeremy Marks-Peltz in that post.
     Colella started as an intern at ESPN Radio 760 WEFL-AM in 2003. He would add duties as a producer at that station.
     He was elevated to producer, show sidekick and midday sports anchor with Josh Cohen and The Home Team on ESPN West Palm 106.3 in August 2013. Colella later joined the Evan Cohen Show in January 2015 as the afternoon sports anchor and contributor.
     Colella has co-hosted weekend shows at ESPN West Palm since February 2013. He has worked as the Friday night studio co-host of High School Hysteria on high school football and as a studio host of Oxbridge Academy high school football games.

Miami Dolphins 2017 Schedule

     The opponents for the Miami Dolphins 2017 regular season schedule was determined on Sunday following the final game of the 2016 season. Miami will as usual face AFC East Division rivals the New England Patriots, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills once at home and once away.
     The Dolphins will meet every team in the AFC West Division. They host the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders while they play on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers.
     The Fins also play two clubs that finished in second place from the other AFC divisions. They play the Tennessee Titans at home and visit the Baltimore Ravens.
     Miami is slated to face all the NFC South Division teams. They travel to play the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. Their in-state rivals the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins will be the designated home team when they are challenged by the New Orleans Saints in London, England. That contest is expected to be during either the third or fourth week of the 2017 regular season.

Monday, January 2, 2017

No Local Talent On Radio Ink List

     Radio Ink came out with their annual list of the top 40 sports talk shows in the United States and nobody appeared from the Miami or West Palm Beach media markets. Dan Le Batard and Stugotz from 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM and ESPN Radio appeared on the magazine cover, however they were considered as a national show and not a local program.
     Former South Florida sports hosts did appear on the list and they are currently based in San Diego. Dan Sileo resides as the morning host at XEPRS-AM and was ranked number 21. He was a afternoon host on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM from April 2012 until September 2012 and then held the midday host position until March 2013. Sileo also worked as a midday host at 640 Sports WMEN-AM from August 2013 to November 2013.
     Scott Kaplan also showed up at number 30 with Billy Ray Smith as they host the afternoon program at XEPRS-AM. Kaplan had a stint with WQAM as a sports anchor. He later co-hosted a sports show with Sid Rosenberg at CBS Sportsline in Fort Lauderdale during the late 1990s.

Dolphins Open Playoffs In Pittsburgh

     The Miami Dolphins played their final game of the 2016 regular season and lost to the New England Patriots 35-14 at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday. Miami finished with a 10-6 record and already qualified for a wild card position in the prior week.
     The Dolphins will travel to Pittsburgh and face the Steelers at Heinz Field in a first round playoff game next Sunday. Miami has not participated in a postseason game since 2008 when they captured the AFC East Division title and lost at home to the Baltimore Ravens. The Fins have not won a playoff game since 2000 against the Indianapolis Colts.