Marlins Cover Rockies

     The Miami Marlins finished the month of March with a 3-0 shutout win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday at Marlins Park. Both teams were able to split the four-game series. The Fish will next host the New York Mets while Colorado(2-2) heads to Tampa Bay and face the Rays.
     In the fourth inning, Florida(2-2) compiled two runs to take the lead. Jorge Alfaro singled into center field for Brian Anderson and Neil Walker to score.
     The Marlins increased their margin to 3-0 during the bottom of the seventh. J.T. Riddle smacked his second home run of the season over the right-field fence on a 1-1 pitch.
     Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara hurled eight shutout innings and allowed only four hits for his first victory of the season. Sergio Romo picked up his first save as a Marlins player.

Marlins Get First Win Over Rockies

     The Miami Marlins picked up their first win of the regular season with a 7-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night at Marlins Park. Both clubs finish the four-game set against each other on Sunday.

Heat Defeat Knicks

     The Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks 100-92 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. The Heat have won seven of their last 10 games. The Knicks have the worst record in the National Basketball Association.
     New York(14-62) went in front 33-29 after one quarter and stayed ahead 61-55 by halftime. Miami(38-38) came back and tied it up 79-79 after the third quarter. They outscored the Knicks 21-13 in the fourth to get the victory.
     Dion Waiters led the Heat with a game-high 28 points while Dwyane Wade dropped in 16 points. Hassan Whiteside, Goran Dragic and Kelly Olynyk all compiled double-doubles for Miami. Emmanuel Mudiay got a team-high 24 points for New York.

Panthers Stop Bruins

     The Florida Panthers played their final road game of the 2018-19 season and got a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday. The Bruins had their 12-game home winning streak snapped. The Panthers finish the regular season with a three-game home stand starting Monday night against the defending Stanley Cup champions the Washington Capitals.
     Florida(35-32-12) picked up a power-play goal with 6:23 left in the first period. Keith Yandle skated the puck to the top of the zone and angled a pass to Dryden Hunt in the right circle. His one-time slap shot went off the stick of Riley Sheahan and past Tuukka Rask.
     They set a franchise record with the most goals in a season with that tally. The Panthers had scored 254 goals back in 1995-96 when they went on to win the Eastern Conference championship.
     The Panthers increased their lead to 2-0 with 4:16 remaining in the opening frame. Jonathan Huberdeau connected a pass from the blue line to Aaron Ekblad above the right circle. His wrist shot from the right circle was saved, however Dadonov put in the rebound with a forehand shot from the crease area for his 27th goal of the season. Rask had given up two goals on the first six Florida shots on goal. Huberdeau compiled his 60th assist of the season on that play.
     Boston(47-22-9) woke up and cut it down to 2-1 with 6:48 to go in the second period. Torey Krug raced for a loose puck on the end wall and moved to the low right circle. He sent a cross-ice pass to the crease where Noel Acciari spun and lifted a backhand shot by Roberto Luongo.
     The Cats pulled off a shorthanded goal with 5:41 left. Mike Matheson cleared it out of the defensive zone and Troy Brouwer hustled into the Bruins zone and got the puck.. He released a wrist shot for his 11th goal of the campaign. It was only the second shorthanded tally for the Panthers this season.
     The B's pulled Rask from the net for an extra attacker with three minutes to go. Aleksander Barkov passed to Huberdeau as he entered the neutral zone. He carried the puck down to the left side of the Boston zone, sent a lead pass to the low slot and Dadonov tapped in his second goal of the contest for a 4-1 margin with 2:19 remaining. Huberdeau passed Scott Mellanby for third all-time in Panthers franchise history with 355 career points. Barkov piled on his 91st point of year which tied Olli Jokinen back in 2006-07 for third best season in points by a Florida Panthers player.

Ozzie Guillen Joins NBC Sports Chicago

     Former Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen has joined NBC Sports Chicago on a full-time basis. Guillen will be the Chicago White Sox pregame and postgame studio analyst. He began on that network last year as a studio analyst for Baseball Night In Chicago.
     Guillen worked for ESPN and ESPN Deportes for the last five years as a studio analyst and game analyst. He was the manager of the Miami Marlins for one season in 2012 in which they had a 69-93 record. Guillen managed the Chicago White Sox to their first World Series title in 2005. It was their first championship in 88 years.

Rockies Stand Over Marlins

     The Colorado Rockies downed the Miami Marlins 6-1 at Marlins Park on Friday night. Both clubs will meet each other two more times this weekend. 

     Miami(0-2) took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. New Marlins outfielder Curtis Granderson powered a solo home run to right field on a 3-1 count against German Marquez. 

     Colorado(2-0) evened the contest up 1-1 during the top of the sixth. David Dahl doubled to right field to bring in Trevor Story.
     The Rockies went in front 2-1 in the seventh inning. Charlie Blackmon hit a double into left field and Ryan McMahon scored.
     They were able to blow the game open in the top of the ninth with four runs. Tony Wolters knocked in Rosell Herrera with a line-drive double to right field. Blackmon followed with a base hit to left field and Herrera crossed the plate. Nolan Arenado came up and drove in Herrera on a single to right for a 5-1 lead. 

Heat Slip By Mavercks

     The Miami Heat got by the Dallas Mavericks 105-99 at American Airlines Arena on Thursday night. The Heat moved ahead by half-a-game over the Orlando Magic for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Mavericks have the second worst record in the Western Conference.
     Both Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki faced each other for the final time in their NBA careers because both players are retiring after the 2018-19 season. Wade and Nowitzki played in two NBA Finals against one another. The Heat captured their first NBA championship in 2006 against Dallas and the Mavericks won their only NBA title in 2011 over the Heat.
     Dallas(29-46) had a 29-26 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 59-49 by halftime. Miami(37-38) responded in the second half and trailed 75-69 after three quarters. The Heat went on a 9-2 spurt at the end of the contest to get the victory.
     Goran Dragic compiled a triple-double for Miami with 21 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds. Dion Waiters dropped in 17 points while Bam Adebayo hit a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Luke Doncic put together 19 points and eight rebounds for Dallas. Nowitzki and Jalen Brunson both added 13 points.

Senorise Perry Joins Buffalo

     Former Miami Dolphins kick returner and running back Senorise Perry has signed a deal with the Buffalo Bills. He was with the Chicago Bears prior to arriving in Miami.
     Perry played the past two seasons with Fins and last year just was involved with special teams. He had eight kickoff returns for 164 yards in 2018.

Dolphins Trade Robert Quinn

     The Miami Dolphins have traded defensive end Robert Quinn to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2020 sixth-round draft pick. Quinn played only one season with Dolphins as he started 16 games and had 6.5 sacks in 2018.
     Quinn played his first seven seasons in the NFL with the Rams when they were in St. Louis and Los Angeles. He was able to compile 62.5 sacks with them.

Panthers Handle Senators

     Panthers defenseman Brady Keeper made his NHL debut as Florida defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-2 on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre. It was the first contest for the Panthers since they were eliminated from playoff contention.
     Florida(34-32-12) wasted no time and got up 1-0 just 30 seconds into the first period. Keith Yandle found Aleksander Barkov in the high slot. His shot was deflected in by Evgenii Dadonov in the crease past Anders Nilsson for his 26th goal of the season. Yandle accounted for his 50th assist of the year.
     Ottawa(27-44-6) was able to even it up with 7:01 left in the first. Colin White carried the puck from his own defensive zone, through the neutral zone and to the Panthers blue line. He evaded a check of Aaron Ekblad and took a snap shot from the bottom left circle that beat Roberto Luongo for his 14th goal.
     In the second period, the Cats regained the lead 2-1 at the 2:35 mark. Troy Brouwer scored his 10th goal with assists by Riley Sheahan and Dryden Hunt. They made it a two-goal margin at 6:31 as Jonathan Huberdeau chalked up his 26th goal. Barkov and Dadonov were credited with assists on the play and Barkov marked down his 90th point this campaign.
     The Sens closed the gap to 3-2 at the 3:01 mark. Brady Tkachuk compiled his 20th goal of the season on a feed from Brian Gibbons.
     The Senators pulled their goalie for an extra attacker in the final two minutes. It failed as Hunt put the puck into an empty net with 1:28 remaining. Huberdeau added an empty-net goal from the slot area on a pass from Dadonov behind the Ottawa cage with 13.8 seconds left.

Marlins Lose Home Opener To Rockies

     The Miami Marlins opened up their 27th Major League Baseball season and lost to the Colorado Rockies 6-3 at Marlins Park on Thursday. The Marlins wore their new logo and color scheme on their caps and jerseys.
     In the fourth inning, Colorado(1-0) piled on four runs against Marlins starting pitcher Jose Urena. David Dahl singled into right field which brought in Nolan Arenado. Two batters later, Ryan McMahon lined a base hit up the middle for Trevor Story to score. Chris Iannetta came up next, doubled to center field and McMahon crossed the plate.
     The Rockies increased the gap to 6-0 in the fifth inning. Story blasted a solo homer to left field on a 1-2 count. Ian Desmond later knocked in Dahl with a double to center.
     Miami(0-1) broke the shutout and got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth against Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland. J.T. Riddle was able to rip a solo home run to right field on a 1-0 pitch.
     Neil Walker made his debut with the Marlins in their home opener. He faced Colorado relief pitcher Scott Oberg and homered to right-center field on the first pitch during the eighth inning.
     Another Marlins player who made his team debut also had an impact in the ninth inning. Jorge Alfaro blasted a solo home run to right field with two out on a 0-2 pitch.

Miami Marlins Television Broadcasts 2019

     The Miami Marlins will have their baseball games televised on Fox Sports Florida for the 2019 season. All on-air personnel return from last season while the Marlins have changed their logo along with team colors for this year.
     Paul Severino will work his second season as the play-by-play announcer. Todd Hollandsworth stays in the broadcast booth for his third season behind the microphone.
     Craig Minervini will be the primary pregame and postgame studio host for home and away games. Minervini has hosted Marlins broadcasts since 2002. Jessica Blaylock remains as the sideline reporter for contests at home and on the road along with being the backup studio host. She is in her fifth season on the job.
     Jeff Nelson and Tommy Hutton share duties as the pregame and postgame show studio analysts. Nelson joined Marlins telecasts in 2016 while Hutton returns for a second season in the new role and was the television game analyst for the club from 1997 until 2015.

Local Radio Baseball Broadcasts 2019

     Some South Florida radio stations will have baseball broadcasts for the 2019 season. The Miami Marlins games will once again be on local iHeartMedia radio stations at the flagship Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM in Miami and Sports Radio 1230 The Zone WBZT-AM in West Palm Beach. Dave Van Horne along with Glenn Geffner return as the radio play-by-play announcers for the club on the Miami Marlins Radio Network. Van Horne has been at the post since 2001 while Geffner''s tenure began in 2008. Kyle Sielaff will host their pregame and postgame shows. The Marlins will appear on WINZ for the sixth straight season.
     640 The Hurricane WMEN-AM will have the New York Yankees Radio Network beamed in. John Sterling is the play-by-play announcer and Suzyn Waldman is the game analyst. Sweeny Murti will handle the postgame show. WMEN has been the South Florida home of the New York Yankees since 2008.
     ESPN Radio will have baseball game broadcasts on Sunday nights and on some Saturdays. They will also have the annual All-Star Game and the entire Major League Baseball postseason which includes the 2019 World Series. Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM in Miami and ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM in West Palm Beach will carry those broadcasts.

Habs Eliminate Panthers

     The Montreal Canadiens eliminated the Florida Panthers from playoff contention with a 6-1 win at Bell Centre on Tuesday night. Florida, who have lost five of their last six games, has surrendered 20 goals in their last three games.
     The Panthers will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight year. The Cats have got to the postseason only twice since the 2000-01 season.
     Montreal(41-28-8) waited until 6:02 into the first to take a 1-0 lead. Jeff Petry wrapped puck around the right corner from the right point. Andrew Shaw received it behind the Panthers net, centered it and Tomas Tatar blasted a one-time slap shot from the left circle past James Reimer.
     The Canadiens opened it up to 2-0 with 7:21 remaining as Brett Kulak got his fifth goal of the year. Jesperi Kolkaniemi and Jordan Weal were credited with assists on the play.
     The Habs expanded it to a three-goal margin 5:32 left in the first period. Tatar scored his second goal of the game on assists from Shea Weber and Brendan Gallagher. Reimer gave up three goals on eight shots and was replaced in goal by Sam Montembeault.
     Florida(33-32-12) trailed by four goals at 2:52 of the second period. Artturi Lehkonen compiled a goal on a feed from Shaw. It became 5-0 for the Canadiens on a Phillip Danault tally with 7:20 to go in the frame.
     In the third period, the Panthers finally broke the shutout when they were on the power play at the 1:35 mark. Frank Vatrano chalked up his 23rd goal of the season as he beat Carey Price. Denis Malgin and Vincent Trocheck were able to get assists on the Vatrano tally.
     Montreal made it 6-1 with 8:12 remaining in the contest. Max Domi collected his 27th goal of the season on an unassisted play.

Chris Bosh Number Retired, Heat Fall To Magic

     The Miami Heat retired Chris Bosh's number 1 jersey on Tuesday night as they lost to the Orlando Magic 104-99 at American Airlines Arena. Bosh joined Alonzo Mourning(No. 33),Tim Hardaway(No. 10) and Shaquille O'Neal(No. 32) as the only players to have their uniform numbers retired by the club. The Magic passed the Heat for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and are ahead by a half game.
     Miami(36-38) jumped out to a 14-5 lead to begin the contest and were up 32-18 after one quarter. They stayed ahead 51-42 by the time halftime approached. After the banner ceremony for Bosh, Orlando(37-38) went on a 34-19 run to start the second half and led 76-70 at the end of three quarters. The Magic had a 91-84 lead with 5:56 left in the fourth. The Heat chopped the deficit and the closest they got to Orlando was when they trailed 93-91 with 3:20 to go.
     Dwyane Wade compiled 22 points, seven assists and seven rebounds for the Heat. Dion Waiters dropped in a team-high 26 points while Josh Richardson added 17. Nikola Vucevic put together a double-double for the Magic with 24 points and 16 rebounds.

Maple Leafs Bury Panthers

     John Tavares scored four goals as the Toronto Maple Leafs rolled over the Florida Panthers 7-5 at Scotiabank Arena on Monday night. The Panthers have lost four of their last five games and surrendered 14 goals in the last two games.
     The Montreal Canadiens are two points away from eliminating Florida from the Eastern Conference playoff race and can eliminate them in person on Tuesday. The Maple Leafs are 3-4-1 in their last eight contests.
     Toronto(45-35-6) struck early at 2:06 as Patrick Marleau made it 1-0. Jake Muzzin added the lead with a tally at the 4:21 mark. Sam Montembeualt was pulled from the cage for Roberto Luongo after giving up two goals on four shots.
     It did not help as the Maple Leafs found the net again for a 3-0 lead. John Tavares converted on a power-play goal with assists from Mitchell Marner and Auston Matthews at 11:05.
     Florida(33-31-12) stopped the bleeding with 6:37 remaining in the first on a give-and-go play. Jayce Hawryluk tapped the puck to Mike Hoffman in the neutral zone and he crossed into Leafs territory. He made a turnaround pass in the right circle and Hawryluk redirected it from the low slot by Frederik Andersen for his sixth goal of the year.
     The Maple Leafs brought it back to a three-goal margin with 4:56 left. William Nylander angled a pass from the left point to Zach Hyman in the high slot. He skated into the left circle, centered the puck with a backhand and Tavares flicked the puck in from the right side of the blue paint by Luongo for his second tally of the game and 43rd of the season.
     The Cats cut it down to 4-2 when they scored with 3:35 to go. Vincent Trocheck cycled the puck from the left corner up to the left point. Mike Matheson snapped a shot for his eighth goal of the campaign.
     In the second period, Toronto moved ahead 5-2 at 5:51. Morgan Rielly shot the puck from the left circle which was saved, however Tavares put in a wrist shot for the hat trick and 44th goal of the season.
     Tavares picked up his fourth goal of the contest at 3:57 of the third period. Marner slapped the puck on goal and Tavares chipped in the rebound shot from the top of the crease. It was the first time in his NHL career that Tavares was able to score four goals in a game.
     The Panthers answered back at the 5:34 mark to make it 6-3. Aleksander Barkov made a left-outlet pass from the high slot to Evgenii Dadonov in the left circle. His centering pass went off a Toronto skate in the crease area and Jonathan Huberdeau batted the puck in from the right goal line for his 24th goal of the year.
     Toronto kept going and got a four-goal gap again at 6:51.  Marner was at the blue line and sent a short pass tom Reilly on the left wing. He connected a pass to Hyman all alone in the blue paint and he shoveled in a forehand shot for his 20th goal. Marner became the first Maple Leafs player with 90 points in a season since Mats Sundin in 1996-97.
     Florida put together two goals in the final minutes of the contest.  Huberdeau placed in a power-play tally for his second goal with 6:24 left and Hawryluk got his second goal and his first career three-point game with 2:24 remaining.

Marlins Let Go Dan Straily

     The Miami Marlins have released pitcher Dan Straily. He is expected to become a free agent on Wednesday after he goes through waivers.
     Straily played the last two seasons with the club and was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in January 2017. He went 10-9 in 2017 and 5-6 in 2018. Straily started in 56 games with Miami and had 269 strikeouts and a 4.20 ERA over the past two years.

Marlins Releasing Bryan Holaday

     Miami Marlins catcher Bryan Holaday will be released by the club. He optioned out of his minor-league deal with the team.
     Holaday played last season with the Marlins. He had one home run, 16 runs batted in and a .206 batting average in 61 games last year. Holaday was previous with the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox during his seven years in the majors.

Heat Edge Wizards

     The Miami Heat made a trip up to Washington D.C. and cruised by the Wizards 113-108. The Heat have been victorious in four of their last five games.
     Washington(30-45) was up 27-25 after the first quarter and led 53-52 at halftime. Miami(36-37) was barely behind 79-78 at the end of three quarters and outscored their opponent 35-29 in the final frame to get the victory.
     Dwyane Wade fell short of a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds for Miami. Dion Waiters contributed 19 points while Josh Richardson poured in 18 points. Jeff Green had a game-high 25 points for the Wizards.

Bruins Rout Panthers

     The Florida Panthers ended a quick two-game home stand as they were dismantled by the Boston Bruins 7-3 at BB&T Center on Saturday night. The Panthers head out of road to play their next four games before finishing off the 2018-19 regular season with three home games. Keith Yandle participated in his 900th NHL game. The Bruins clinched a playoff berth and will make the postseason for the third straight year.
     Boston(46-20-9) roared out to a 1-0 lead at 2:23 of the first period. David Backes had the puck at the end wall and centered it. Noel Acciari snapped a shot from the low slot by Sam Montembeault for his fifth goal. Connor Clifton was credited with a secondary assist for his first NHL point.
     The B's exploded and made it 2-0 just 28 seconds into the second period. Patrice Bergeron took the puck from Mike Matheson behind the Cats cage. His centering pass went to Brad Marchand and he one-timed a shot from the top of the crease for his 32nd goal of the season. It was the 42nd assist by Bergeron.
     Florida(33-30-12) responded quickly 22 second later and they trailed 2-1. Jayce Hawryluk angled the puck from the top of the zone to his right. Mike Hoffman placed a backhand cross-ice pass from the low right circle and Hawryluk poked the puck past Jaroslav Halak from the crease area.
     The Bruins would regained to a two-goal margin again at the 5:05 mark. A Josh Brown clearing pass was stopped by Charlie Coyle at the right point. His lead pass got to Danton Heinen in the low right circle. He dropped it off to the high slot and Zdeno Chara powered in a wrist shot for his fifth goal.
     It became a 4-1 lead for Boston at 6:38. Karson Kuhlman carried the puck from the center ice and past the Panthers blue line. He then scored on a rising snap shot from the top left circle for an unassisted goal.
     The Panthers pulled it to 4-2 with 9:56 to go in the second. MacKenzie Weegar sent an outlet pass from behind the Florida net to Hoffman at the red line. He skated down the right wing into the Boston zone and ripped a wrist shot for his 35th goal. He joined Pavel Bure and Olli Jokinen as the only players in Florida Panthers history to reach the 35-goal mark in a season.
     The Bruins scored on a power-play tally with 4:12 remaining. John Moore was on the left point and forwarded it to Heinen in the high slot. He squared a pass to the top right circle and former Panther Steven Kampfer fired a slapshot for the goal.
     The rout continued as the B's converted again with the man advantage 48 seconds later for a 6-2 gap. Halak stopped the puck and backhanded ahead to Chara on his left. He connected a pass to David Pastrnak in the neutral zone. He raced into the Florida zone and smashed a slapshot from the high slot for his 33rd goal of the year and 200th goal of his NHL career.
     In the third period, the Panthers scored on the power play at 3:57 and were down 6-3. Henrik Borgstom moved the puck from above the right circle to Aaron Ekblad at the top of the Bruins zone. His backhand pass to the left wing was followed by a one-time slapshot by Vincent Trocheck for his eighth goal of the year.
     Florida pulled their goalie and the Bruins made them pay. Bergeron received a pass in the offensive zone from Pastrnak and put the puck into the empty net with 26.8 seconds left.

Robert Grieper And Carlos Pickerie Join 1210 The Man

     Longtime Miami radio producer Robert Grieper has joined 1210 The Man WNMA-AM as a weekend producer. He is producing Milian In The 305 Show with The Amigo Larry Milian on Saturday mornings.
     Grieper, known as The Reaper, left Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM last week after being their for over 20 years. He started as a board operator in the late 1990s and later was promoted to a producer position of different sports shows and game broadcasts.
     1210 The Man also picked up former WQAM staffer Carlos Pickerie. He had worked at WQAM for over 20 years as a board operator and producer. Pickerie is the new 1210 The Man evening co-host on an esports show called Boss Fight.
     Sean Stanley also has been added to the station as a late morning producer for the VIP Show. He worked as a sports talk host at SportsOvertime.com and later co-hosted The Sports Bosses podcast and a SB Nation Radio late morning program with current 1210 The Man late night co-host Jim Rodriguez. Stanley was recently a board operator at 560 WQAM.

The Amigo And Jeff Fox On 1210 The Man

     Larry Milian, a.k.a. The Amigo, and Jeff Fox return to local radio on Saturday at 1210 The Man WNMA-AM. Both their shows will emphasize on sports instead of whet their weekday lineup does with guy talk.
     Milian will broadcast a Saturday morning program from 8AM to 10AM. The Amigo has hosted different shows on Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM, 640 Sports WMEN-AM, Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM, StateOfTheU.com, SoFloRadio.com, SportsOvertime.com, 880 WZAB-AM and SLAM Radio on SirusXM Radio.
     Fox will host a Saturday afternoon show with Gigi Fontaine from 2PM to 4PM. He has hosted sports shows with Ed Freeman as the Sports Brothers on WTSB-AM 1080, Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM, 640 Sports WMEN-AM, Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM and 880 WZAB-AM.

Bucks Smash Heat

     The Miami Heat continued their road swing as they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 116-87 on Friday night at Fiserv Forum. The three-game winning streak for the Heat ended.
     Milwaukee(54-19) had a 33-32 edge after one quarter and expanded it to 63-51 by halftime. Miami(35-37) was behind 94-69 after three quarters.
     Dwyane Wade played his final game in his college town and had 12 points for the Heat. Hassan Whiteside compiled 14 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Giannis Antetokounmpo put together 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Bucks while Khris Middleton fell short of a triple-double with 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Dave Wannstedt Not On Fox Sports Show

     Former Miami Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt will not be on the revamped college football pregame show that is being shifted from Fox Sports 1 to Fox Sports. He is expected to continue on the NFL pregame program on Fox Sports.
     Wannstedt was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2000 until 2004. He won an AFC East Division title during his first season in 2000 and made the playoffs again in 2001. His record in five seasons with the Fins was 42-31. Wannstedt also was the Chicago Bears head coach from 1993 to 1998 with a 40-56 record.

Inter Miami At Lockhart Stadium

     The city commissioners of Fort Lauderdale approved that Inter Miami will be able to use Lockhart Stadium before they move into a new venue in Miami. The club is expected to play their first two seasons in Major League Soccer at Lockhart Stadium beginning in 2020.

Panthers Run Through Coyotes

     The Florida Panthers returned to South Florida following a four-game west coast road trip and topped the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 on Thursday night at BB&T Center. The Panthers stopped a two-game losing streak and have won five of their last seven games. The Coyotes continue a four-game road swing on the east coast.
     Florida(33-29-12) went on their first power play of the contest and Arizona(36-32-6) scored a shorthanded goal at 7:45 of the first period. Michael Grabner stole the puck from Jonathan Huberdeau on the left point. He skated through the neutral zone and into the Panthers zone on a breakaway. He snapped a shot from the low slot past Roberto Luongo for his ninth goal of the year.
     The Cats got on the scoreboard during the first with 14.6 seconds left. Evgenii Dadonov went into the Coyotes zone on the left side and dropped the puck off to Huberdeau at the left point. His cross-ice pass got to Alekander Barkov in the high slot and he released a wrist shot by Darcy Kuemper. He and Huberdeau became the first Panthers teammates to score at 80 points in a season. It was the 33rd goal of the season for Barkov.
     In the second period, the Cats took their first lead 2-1 on the man advantage with 9:05 remaining. Keith Yandle was at the top of the zone and angled a pass to Huberdeau at the top left circle. His diagonal pass went to Mike Hoffman and he blasted a one-time slapshot from the right circle for his 34th goal of the season.
     Yandle passed Robert Svehla for most points by a Panthers defenseman with 57. Svehla set the mark back in 1995-96. Yandle also surpassed Olli Jokinen for the most power-play points in a season with 38.  
     Florida expanded it to a two-goal gap at 5:09 of the third period. Dadonov got the puck on the left wing and found Hubedeau at the top left circle. He connected a pass to MacKenzie Weegar above the top right circle and Weegar scored his fourth goal of the campaign on a snap shot.
     Arizona added an extra attacker as Kuemper left the cage open. It worked as Brad Richardson pounded in a slapshot from the high left circle with 2:26 left for an unassisted goal.
     The Coyotes pulled their goalie for a second time, however they could not tie the game. Barkov skated through center ice to the right circle and backhanded the puck into an empty net with 50 seconds left for his second tally of the game and 34th goal of the season.

West Palm Beach Ratings February 2019

     The radio ratings came up for sports format stations in the West Palm Beach market. ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM did not subscribe, even though the Florida Atlantic University basketball team had been having a good season.
     640 The Hurricane WMEN-AM fell from a 0.3 to a 0.1 in February. It was their worst month since March 2018. They carried Florida Panthers broadcasts as the club played 11 home games in a 23-day stretch.
     Sports Radio 1230 The Zone WBZT-AM remained the same for the sixth consecutive month with a 0.0 in the period. The organization has broadcast University of Florida basketball contests.

1210 The Man Begins

     1210 The Man WNMA-AM officially launched their new format on Thursday. It will be similar to a guy talk format during the weekdays.
     The most recognizable personality on the station is The Big O Orlando Alzugaray. He is the afternoon host along with being the station manager. Alzugaray recently finished his second stint with Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. He was the midday host there from August 2014 until November 2018. The Big O worked his first stint at WQAM from 1995 to September 2010 and was the afternoon host on 640 Sports WMEN-AM from October 2010 to August 2014.
     The syndicated Bob and Tom Show will be on morning drive. The late morning program will consist of Tony Calatayud, Anthony Calatayud and Lisa Concepcion. Tony Calatayud is the 1210 The Man president and CEO. His former positions included WPBF-TV Channel 25 sports anchor in West Palm Beach, general manager of 1700 The Fan WAFN-AM and Salem Communications Miami general manager. Anthony Calatayud, who goes by A.C., is a former WQAM producer.
     Jim Rodriguez will host a late night show with Boss Lady. Rodriguez has done sports podcasts and a national show on SB Nation Radio.

Ichiro Retires

     Former Miami Marlins player Ichiro Suzuki retired on Thursday. He played in his final game for the Seattle Mariners against the Oakland A's in Japan which opened the 2019 Major League Baseball season.

Heat Hold Off Spurs

     The Miami Heat got by the San Antonio Spurs 110-105 on Wednesday night at AT&T Center. The Heat have won three straight contests and four of their last five games.
     It was just the fourth time ever that Miami won a regular-season game in San Antonio. The Heat swept a two-game season series from the Spurs for the third time in franchise history.
     Miami(35-36) led 24-22 after one quarter and were up 62-47 at halftime. San Antonio(42-30) cut the margin down to 90-78 by the end of the third quarter. Dwyane Wade made a left-handed bank shot from the foul line with 1:23 left in the fourth to give the Heat a 108-103 lead.
     Goran Dragic dropped in 22 points for Miami while Dion Waiters added 18 points. Josh Richardson scored 15 points and Bam Adebayo made 15 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan got a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Spurs. LaMarcus Aldridge and Marco Belinelli both had 17 points.

Panthers Fall To Stars

     The Florida Panthers lost to the Dallas Stars 4-2 at American Airlines Center on Tuesday night. It was the final game of a four-game Western Conference road trip for the Panthers.
     Florida(32-29-12) wasted no time and make it 1-0 just 2:11 into the first period. Aleksander Barkov scored on a Jonathan Huberdeau assist. It was the 56th assist for Huberdeau this season while Barkov extended his point streak to seven games.
     The contest was tied 1-1 by Dallas(38-29-6) with 2:11 left in the first. Tyler Seguin went to the end wall and centered the puck. Alexander Radulov one-time shot was saved by Sam Montembeault, however Jamie Benn put in the rebound with a forehand at the top of the crease for his 27th goal of the campaign.
     In the second period, the Stars moved out in front on the power play at the 10:38 mark. John Klingberg notched his 10th goal of the year on assists from Roope Hintz and Seguin.
     The Panthers answered back with their tally with the man advantage with 3:03 remaining in the second. Barkov picked up his second goal of the contest and 13th goal in the last 17 games when he snapped a shot from the left circle past Ben Bishop. Keith Yandle and Vincent Trocheck were credited with assists on the play. Yandle got his 57th point of the season which tied the franchise mark with Robert Svehla back in 1995-96. He also tied Olli Jokinen for first place with his 37th power-play point of the season.
     The Cats were unable to clear their zone and Dallas capitalized with 9:28 to go in the third period for a 3-2 lead. Seguin caught the puck at the left point and angled it to Benn above the left circle. He skated by Aaron Ekblad in the left circle, connected a cross-ice pass through the low slot and Radulov slapped in a one-time shot from the low right circle for his 23rd goal.
     Radulov would add an open-net goal with 39.9 seconds left for a two-goal margin. Seguin got his fourth assist of the game as he set the play up.

Miami Ratings February 2019

     The Miami/Fort Lauderdale ratings for sports radio format stations in the market were released. The previous month in January was the closest race among the three local competitors in over five years.

     Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM rose from a 0.6 to a 0.7 in the period. They finished in first place alone for the first time since November and second time since last May. The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz has been the anchor of the organization. The Miami Heat remained to stay on pace for an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
     Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM moved down from a 0.6 to a 0.5 in the month. They have lost almost half of their audience since December. WQAM matched their lowest ratings since the holiday season in December 2012. University of Miami Hurricanes basketball has been mediocre this season while the Florida Panthers played 11 home games in 23 days. 

     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM stayed at a 0.2. It was the third straight period and the sixth time in the last seven months that they were at that level. The Greek finished his first full month as the mid-afternoon host and Jeff DeForest has been consistent in mornings.
     640 The Hurricane WMEN-AM improved from a 0.0 to a 0.1 in February. They have appeared on a regular basis in the Miami market ratings since last August. The station continued to depend on Andy Slater in afternoon drive. 

Heat Upset Thunder

     The Miami Heat upended the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 on Monday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Heat were coming off a five-game home stand. 

     Miami(34-36) was barely ahead 27-25 after one quarter and 58-55 by halftime. Oklahoma City(42-29) dropped off and trailed 86-75 after the third quarter. 

     Goran Dragic compiled a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat. Dwyane Wade poured in 25 points and Kelly Olynyk added 18 points. Paul George scored a game-high 31 points for the Thunder while Jerami Grant put together 27 points and 10 rebounds. 

David Schultz Exits KLWB-FM

     Former Miami radio sportscaster David Schultz has left his position as the morning show host and program director at 103.7 The Game in Lafayette, Louisiana. He joined that organization in September 2013 and his final day on the program was on March 15. His show was simulcast on television at KXKW-TV.
     Schultz, a SUNY-Oswego grad, worked at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM in Miami from 2009 until 2011. He was the Florida Marlins and Florida Panthers sports reporter along with being a sports anchor and a fill-in host at that station.
     He had made several stops as a minor league baseball radio play-by-play announcer from 1992 to 2005. Some of the clubs he was employed with included the Syracuse Chiefs, Harrisburg Senators, Somerset Patriots, Jacksonville Suns and Peoria Chiefs.
     Schultz was a media liaison with PGA Tour events at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami from 2005 until 2011. He was a membership manager at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo from 2011 to 2013.

Heath Bell Joining KLSD-AM

     Former Miami Marlins relief pitcher Heath Bell is beginning a career in radio. He is joining XTRA 1360 KLSD-AM in San Diego as a midday show contributor.
     Bell played for the Miami Marlins in their first season at Marlins Park in 2012. He had 19 saves in 73 games pitched that year. Bell played for the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays during his 11-year Major League Baseball career.

Ducks Slide By Panthers

     The Florida Panthers were defeated by the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 at Honda Center on Sunday night. The Panthers had their four-game winning streak stopped and end their four-game road trip on Tuesday in Dallas.
     Anaheim(30-35-9) moved ahead 1-0 just 1:29 into the first period on a power-play goal. Ryan Getzlaf snapped a shot from the above the top right circle that hit off Nick Ritchie at the edge of the crease. Devin Shore followed with a wrist shot from the slot area by Sam Montembeault for his ninth goal of the year.
     Florida(32-29-12) struck back early in the second period at 11 seconds. Aleksander Barkov had the puck on the left wing and centered it to Jonathan Huberdeau in the high slot. He slid a backhand pass to his left and Evgenni Dadonov and he put in a one-time snap shot from the left of the crease for his 25th goal of the campaign. Huberdeau set a Panthers franchise record with his 54th assist of the season. He passed Viktor Kozlov who had 53 assists back in 1999-2000.
     The Ducks made it 2-1 with 7:56 to go in the second. Adam Henrique received a pass from Getzlaf inside the Florida blue line, skated to the left circle and scored his 17th goal on a wrist shot from the low slot. It was his first goal in the last five games.
     In the third period, the Panthers tied it up again at the 3:33 mark. Huberdeau brought the puck across the Ducks blue line to the high slot and angled a pass to his right. Aaron Ekblad redirected it past John Gibson from the right of the crease. Barkov was also credited with an assist on that play.
     Anaheim waited until 4:43 left in the third to lead 3-2. Rickard Rakell took the puck from Mike Matheson behind the Panthers cage. He softly passed it to the crease area and Jakob Silverberg shoveled in a backhand shot for his 22nd tally of the season.

Miami Dolphins Sign Ryan Fitzpatrick

     The Miami Dolphins have signed quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. It is a two-year deal for $11 million. He is expected to become their starting quarterback replacing Ryan Tannehill.

     Fitzpatrick played the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had 164 completions for 2,366 passing yards and 17 touchdown passes in eight games last season. 

     He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams back in the 2005 NFL Draft during the seventh round. He had a stint with them along with the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans and New York Jets. 

Heat Swat Hornets

     The Miami Heat handled the Charlotte Hornets 93-75 on Sunday at American Airlines Arena. This was the last game of a five-game home stand for the Heat. They lead the Hornets by two games for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
     Bam Adebayo scored the first seven of eight points for the Heat and Miami(33-36) trailed after one quarter 20-19. Both teams were tied at halftime 39-39. Charlotte(31-38) was down by one point 61-60 after three and were outscored 32-15 in the final quarter.
     Goran Dragic had 19 points while Dwyane Wade added 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Heat. Adebayo finished short of a double-double with 16 points along with nine rebounds. Jeremy Lamb got a game-high 21 points for the Hornets.

Panthers Reign Over Kings

     The Florida Panthers continued their four-game west coast road trip with a 4-3 victory to the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Saturday. The Panthers extended their winning streak to four games. The Kings have fallen in five of their last six games. The Cats swept Los Angeles in the two-game season series for the first time since 1996-97.
     Florida(32-27-12) jumped out in front 1-1 on a power-play tally at 4:10 of the first period. Henrik Borgstrom backtracked the puck to Keith Yandle at the left point. His diagonal pass went to Mike Hoffman and he blasted a one-time slapshot from the top right circle for his 33rd goal of the season.
     Los Angeles (25-38-8) answered back as they scored with the man advantage at the 7:35 mark. Drew Doughty made a long lead pass from his own defenseman zone to Dustin Brown at the Panthers blue line for a breakaway. He went through the left circle and scored on a backhand shot for his 18th goal of the campaign. Brown compiled the only goal against Florida on February 23 in their earlier meeting this season in Sunrise. He also passed Rob Blake for fifth all-time in Kings franchise history with his 93rd career power-play goal.
     In the second period, the Panthers mustered the only goal of the frame at 4:04. Evgenni Dadonov, who played in his 200th NHL game, gave them a 2-1 lead from the edge of the blue paint on assists from Aleksander Barkov and Mike Matheson. Barkov set a career-high with his 79th point this season after he had 78 points in 2017-18.
     The Kings picked up an early goal during the third period just 1:05 in to tie it at 2-2. Jeff Carter shot twice from the left circle which Sam Montembeault saved. Brendan Leipsic got on a rebound at the left side of the crease and scored on a forehand shot. Jeff Carter chalked up his 700th career point with an assist on the initial shot from close range.
     They kept the momentum in the third and took their first lead of the contest at 9:44. Brown brought the puck into the Panthers zone and down the right wing to the right corner. His centering pass to the slot area was slapped in by Anze Kopitar for his 20th goal of the campaign.
     The Cats evened it up with 6:12 remaining in the period. Jonathan Quick poked away the puck from Jonathan Huberdeau at the top of the crease and Evgenii Dadonov followed up with a wrist shot from the low slot. Dadonov compiled his 24th goal of the campaign and second goal of the contest on the play. Barkov got an assist to become the third player in Panthers franchise history behind Pavel Bure and Olli Jokinen to reach the 80-point mark in a season.
     Florida pulled ahead 4-3 with 1:54 left in the third. Dadonov pushed the puck from above the left circle to Barkov in the left corner. Barkov backhanded it to the middle where Huberdeau deked in the crease and slipped a backhand shot by Quick.

Bucks Rip By Heat

     The Miami Heat blew a 23-point lead and lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 113-98 at American Airlines Arena on Friday night. The Bucks have the best record in the National Basketball Association. The Heat have lost two of their last three games.
     Miami(32-36) raced out to a 37-19 lead at the end of one quarter and were ahead 62-42 by halftime. Milwaukee(52-17) make it a game and were down 80-79 after three quarters. The Bucks went on a 16-6 run at the start of the fourth quarter with a couple of three-pointers and outscored the Heat 34-18 in the final frame.
     Giannis Antetokounmpo almost completed a triple-double for the Bucks with game-highs of 33 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists. Justice Winslow led the Heat with 20 points while Hassan Whiteside had a double-double of 14 points along with 11 rebounds.

Miami Dolphins Trade Ryan Tannehill

     The Miami Dolphins have traded quarterback Ryan Tannehill to the Tennessee Titans with a 2019 sixth-round selection. The Dolphins will receive and 2019 seventh-round pick and a 2020 fourth-round pick in the deal.
     Tannehill was drafted by Miami with the eighth overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. He played 88 games in seven seasons with the Fins as he compiled 1,829 completions for 20,434 yards and 123 touchdowns. The team made the playoffs once in 2016 as a wild card and lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round.

Sharks Eaten Up By Panthers

     The Florida Panthers began a four-game road trip out west and topped the San Jose Sharks 4-2 at SAP Center on Thursday night. The Panthers, who swept the Sharks this season, won in the Shark Tank for the third straight season. The Sharks, who had their six-game winning streak snapped, have the best record in the Western Conference.
     San Jose(43-20-8) moved ahead 1-0 at the 7:22 mark. Melker Karlsson got his 12th goal of the year on assists from Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Tim Heed.
     Florida(31-27-12) was able to tie it up with 8:15 left in the first period. Aaron Ekblad snapped a shot from the right point which was saved by Martin Jones, however Jamie McGinn scored on a forehand shot from the blue paint. Ekblad has compiled eight points in his last 10 games.
     The Sharks regained the lead 2-1 with 5:24 remaining. Brenden Dillon zipped a pass from the left point to Justin Braun on the right point. His diagonal pass to the top left circle was nailed by Kevin Lebanc with a one-time slapshot past Sam Montembeault.
     The Cats evened it at 2-2 just 1:25 into the second period. Riley Sheahan won a neutral-zone faceoff then Troy Brouwer was at the right point and passed to his left. Dryden Hunt released a high wrist shot for his second NHL goal.
     The Panthers got their first lead of the game on the power play with 1:11 to go. Aleksander Barkov dropped the puck from the right wing to Keith Yandle at the right point and he made a cross-ice pass. Mike Hoffman powered in a slapshot from the above the left circle for his 32nd goal of the season. It tied Ray Whitney back in 1997-98 for most goals by a first-year player with Florida.
     In the third period, Florida extended their lead to 4-2 at 8:15. Hoffman carried the puck into the Sharks zone and made give-and-go pass with Vincent Trocheck. Hoffman backhanded a soft pass in the crease and Frank Vatrano finished the play with a forehand shot for his 22nd goal of the season.

Heat Dominate Pistons

     The Miami Heat slammed the Detroit Pistons 108-74 on Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat, who led the entire contest, have compiled four wins in their last five games.
     Miami(32-35) blasted out to a 30-18 advantage after one quarter and were up 54-49 at halftime. Detroit(34-33) were outscored 33-8 during the third quarter and trailed 77-57.
     Justice Winslow dropped in a game-high 16 points for the Heat while Hassan Whiteside put together a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Dion Waiters added 14 points and Josh Richardson had 13. Blake Griffin got a team-high 13 points for the Pistons and former Heat player Wayne Ellington returned to South Florida with 11 points.

Dolphins Get Dwayne Allen

     The Miami Dolphins have picked up tight end Dwayne Allen. The terms of the deal is two years for $3.5 million.
     Allen played with the New England Patriots for the last two years and helped them win Super Bowl LIII over the Los Angeles Rams. He had three catches for 27 yards in 13 games last season. Allen was with the Indianapolis Colts from 2012 until 2016.

Dolphins Release Josh Sitton

     The Miami Dolphins have released guard Josh Sitton. He was with the Dolphins last season and only played one game for them.
     Sitton has been in the NFL for 11 seasons. He joined the Green Bay Packers in 2008 and helped the team win Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sitton was with the Chicago Bears in 2016 and 2017.

Ted Larsen Goes To Chicago Bears

     Miami Dolphins guard Ted Larsen will be joining the Chicago Bears. It will be his second stint with that organization. He played for the Bears during the 2016 regular season.
     Larsen leaves the Dolphins after two seasons with the team. He participated in 23 games for the Fins over the past two years.

Eric Rowe To Join Dolphins

     Cornerback Eric Rowe is expected to join the Miami Dolphins. The length of the contract is one year for $3.5 million.
     Rowe played the past three seasons with the New England Patriots. He was part of the squad that won Super Bowl LI and Super Bowl LIII. Rowe had one interception and 50 tackles in 21 games with the Patriots. He entered the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015.
   

Frank Gore Heads To Buffalo Bills

     Running back Frank Gore is joining the Buffalo Bills. He has signed a one-yard contract for $2 million. Gore is currently fourth all-time in NFL history with 14,748 rushing yards.
     Gore, who played college football with the University of Miami Hurricanes, was with the Miami Dolphins for one season. He started 14 games for the Fins in 2018 and had 156 carries for 722 rushing yards. He had 124 receiving yards and caught one touchdown.
     He was with the San Francisco for ten seasons from 2005 to 2014 and played in Super Bowl XLVII. Gore then joined the Indianapolis Colts for three years from 2015 until 2017.

Danny Amendola Going To Lions

     Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Danny Amendola is signing with the Detroit Lions. The contract is one year for $4.5 million.
     Amendola only spent one season with the Dolphins. He started 15 games for the Fins in 2018 and compiled 59 receptions for 575 yards along with one touchdown. Amendola was with the New England Patriots from 2013 until 2017 and won two Super Bowl titles with them.

Broncos Sign Ja'Wuan James

     The Denver Broncos have picked up offensive tackle Ja'Wuan James. It is expected to be a four-year, $51 million contract.
     James has played for the past five season with the Miami Dolphins. He was mainly used as a right tackles and participated in 62 games.

Cameron Wake Joining Titans

     Longtime Miami Dolphins linebacker Cameron Wake will be joining the Tennessee Titans. He has signed a three-year, $23 million contract with that club.
     Wake has played the last ten seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He had 98 sacks, which is tied for 33rd all-time, in 146 games. The Fins made one playoff appearance in 2016 and lost in the wild-card round to the Pittsburgh Steelers 10-7.

Ozzie Guillen Leaves ESPN

     Ozzie Gullien has left ESPN and ESPN Deportes. He was a baseball studio analyst and game analyst with them for the past five years.
     Guillen had a short run as the Miami Marlins manager. He was traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Florida Marlins before the last game of the 2011 season. He was introduced as the next manager of the Marlins franchise at the final home game for the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium.
     He was their first manager of the Miami Marlins when they played at their new venue Marlins Park in April 2012. Guillen was let go by the club in October 2012 after one season with a 69-93 record. He did manage the Chicago White Sox to their first World Series championship in 2005 after 88 years.

Panthers Trounce Red Wings

     The Florida Panthers topped the Detroit Red Wings 6-1 at BB&T Center on Sunday night. The Cats won their second straight game while the Red Wings have lost 10 of their last 11 games.
     Josh Brown got his first NHL goal at 6:42 of the first period to give Florida(30-27-12) a 1-0 lead. Troy Brouwer made a pass from the left corner and Brown rifled a wrist shot from the top right circle by Jimmy Howard.
     The Panthers added a power-play tally at 9:22 in the period. Henrik Borgstrom placed a pass from the high slot to Aaron Ekblad for a one-time slapshot which Howard stopped. Jamie McGinn flipped in a shot from the crease for his third goal of the season. It was the 100th career assist for Ekblad.
     The momentum stayed with the Cats as they make it a three-goal gap at 8:26 of the second period. Mike Hoffman passed the puck from the right corner back to Ekblad at the right point. His slapshot was redirected in by Frank Vatrano from the low slot for his 21st goal of the campaign.  
     Detroit(24-35-10) put in a power-play goal with 7:36 left in the second. Frans Nielsen sent a diagonal pass from the top right circle and Thomas Vanek one-timed a slapshot past Sam Montembeault for his 14th goal.
     In the third period, Florida extended their lead to 4-1 at 1:26. Alekander Barkov passed to Jonathan Huberdeau in the slot area. He made a give-and-go pass with Dadonov and eventually put the puck into the Detroit cage from the edge of the blue paint for his 22nd goal.
     Dryden Hunt compiled his first NHL goal at the 2:51 mark for a Panthers 5-1 lead. Riley Sheahan carried the puck through the right circle and centered it with the backhand. Hunt scored on a wrist shot from the crease area.
     Alekander Barkov, who played in his 400th NHL game, nailed his 30th goal of the season with 12:16 remaining in the third from the low slot and Florida had a 6-1 gap. Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar were credited with assists on the play. Barkov has 11 goals along with 24 points in his last 13 games. He and Hoffman are the second Florida teammates ever to score at least 30 goals in a season. Olli Jokinen and Nathan Horton accomplished the feat back in 2006-07.

Raptors Crush Heat

     The Toronto Raptors took care of the Miami Heat 125-104 on Sunday at American Airlines Arena. The Heat had their four-game winning streak snapped. The Raptors have the second best record in the Eastern Conference.
     Toronto(48-19) went up 32-27 after the first quarter and stayed ahead 68-54 at halftime. Miami(31-35) trailed at the end of three quarters 91-79 and never came closer.
     Bam Adebayo had a team-high 19 points. Dwyane Wade and Dion Waiters both added 15 points each. Kyle Lowry put in a game-high 24 points for the Raptors while Pascal Siakam dropped in 20 points.

Heat Jump By Cavaliers

     The Miami Heat began a five-game home stand and topped the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-110 at American Airlines Arena on Friday night. The Heat have been victorious in four straight and five of their last six games.
     Cleveland(16-50) had a 29-28 edge at the end of the first quarter. Miami(31-34) stayed close and the game was tied 57-57 at halftime. The Heat moved ahead 94-83 after three quarters and they went on a 15-6 run late in the final quarter for the victory.
     Josh Richardson had a team-high 20 points while Bam Adebayo added 17 points. Justice Winslow fell short of a triple-double with 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Collin Sexton dropped in a game-high 27 points for the Cavaliers and Kevin Love contributed 19 points.

Panthers Bash Wild

     Sam Montembault picked up his first NHL victory and Aleksander Barkov broke a franchise record with five assists in a game as the Florida Panthers smashed the Minnesota Wild 6-2 on Friday night at BB&T Center. The Panthers ended a six-game winless streak with the victory. The Wild lost a contest in regulation for the first time in nine games.
     Florida(29-27-12) took just over a minute in to lead 1-0. Evengii Dadonov had the puck in the left corner and Barkov got the puck. He made a pass from behind the Wild cage to Jonathan Huberdeau and he quickly released a wrist shot past Devan Dubnyk.
     The Panthers thought they extended the margin by two goals with 8:42 left in the first period on an Aaron Ekblad goal with a backhand shot from the slot area, however it was reviewed and the Cats were offside.
     They increased their lead to 2-0 with 3:09 remaining. Barkov sent the puck from the right wing to the right point. MacKenzie Weegar snapped a shot from the right point that went off the backside of a Wild defender to the left of the crease and into the cage.
     Minnesota(33-28-8) would turn the puck over in their own zone which led to another Panthers goal with 1:29 to go. Dadonov backhanded a cross-ice pass at the blue line and Weegar smoked a slapshot for his second goal of the contest and third of the year. Dadonov compiled his third assist of the game on that play. Dubnyk was replaced in net by Alex Stalock at the end of the first period after he allowed three goals on seven Panthers shots.
     In the second period, the Panthers continued their barrage with a 5-on-3 power-play goal at the 3:34 mark. Mike Hoffman got his 31st goal of the season as he powered a one-time slapshot from the top right circle. Barkov and Huberdeau were credited with assists on the play. Hoffman set a career-high with his 14th power-play goal of the campaign.
     The Wild broke the shoutout at 9:02. Eric Fehr reversed the puck from the left-wing boards to Jonas Brodin on the left point. His snap shot was redirected in by J.T. Brown in the crease.
     Florida got it back to a four-goal gap with 2:20 remaining. Huberdeau connected a cross-ice pass from the right circle and Mike Matheson scored on a wrist shot from the left circle.
     Minnesota answered back 15 seconds later to make it 5-2. Montembealt gave away the puck on a clearing pass to the right wing. Nick Seeler fired a slapshot from the left point which was touched by Brown and then by Marcus Foligno in the low slot for a goal.
     The Panthers got a goal during a 4-on-4 situation with 9:37 left in the third period. Barkov skated the puck from the neutral zone, down the right wing and behind the net. He handed the puck off the Matheson in the left circle. Matheson went around the Wild cage and stuffed in a wraparound shot for his second goal of the contest. It was the first time in Florida franchise history that they had multiple defensemen score two goals in a game. Barkov now has 22 points in his last 12 games.

2019 FHSAA Boys Basketball Title Recap

     The FHSAA High School Boys Basketball championship games were held at RP Funding Center in Lakeland this past week. South Florida was represented by several schools.
     University School repeated as Class 5A state champions with a 72-46 victory over Andrew Jackson. The Sharks accomplished this without their best player Vernon Carey Jr. who was injured and did not participate.
     Stranahan brought its school their first FHSAA state title in any sport since 1975. The Dragons defeated Lakewood 63-54 in the Class 6A state title game.
     Westminster Academy captured their third consecutive Class 4A state championship. The Lions edged out Seffner Christian 77-73 in the championship game.
     Blanche Ely captured their second straight Class 8A state title and eighth state championship. The Tigers were able to top Lakewood Ranch 57-52.
     Their local rival Dillard fell in the Class 7A title game to Crestview 50-40. Wellington lost to Osceola in the Class 9A championship 50-43.

Panthers Beaten By Bruins

     The Florida Panthers were overcome by the Boston Bruins in the final minute of the contest and lost 4-3 at TD Garden on Thursday night. The Panthers stretched their winless streak to six games with the defeat. The Bruins extended their long point streak to 18 games and their winning streak to five games
     Florida(28-27-12) took the lead 1-0 on a power-play goal at 2:48 of the second period. Jonathan Huberdeau placed a pass from the left wing to the top of the zone. Keith Yandle snapped a shot that was deflected by Aleksander Barkov from the crease past Tuukka Rask. It was the 29th goal of the season for Barkov which is a career-high for him. He had 28 goals back in the 2015-16 regular season.
     The Panthers put up another tally on the power play at the 6:27 mark. Yandle angled a pass from the blue line to Barkov in the top right circle. A Barkov centering pass popped into the air and Huberdeau batted the puck in from the low slot for his 19th goal of the campaign.
     The lead was cut by Boston(41-17-9) with 9:31 left in the second. Josh Brown turned the puck over his defensive zone to Danton Heinen at the left point. He performed a give-and-go with David Krejci above the top left circle. Heinen found him again with a cross-ice pass through the low slot and Krejci double-tapped the puck into the cage with a forehand shot from the low right circle.
     The Bruins pulled off a shorthanded goal at 8:50 of the third period. Charlie McAvoy carried the puck through the neutral zone and connected a pass to his left at the blue line. Patrice Bergeron scored on a wrist shot by Roberto Luongo for his 24th goal of the season.
     The Cats answered back with 9:05 remaining to go ahead 3-2. Evgenii Dadonov sent a long diagonal pass from his own defensive zone to Huberdeau at the Bruins blue line. He charged to the low right circle with Zdeno Chara on him and made a turnaround wrist shot for his third point of the contest and 20th goal of the year. It was the third time of his NHL career that he had at least 20 goals in a season.
     Boston pulled Rask from goal when they had a power play in the final two minutes and they tied it up 3-3 with 36.5 seconds left. Brad Marchand sent the puck back from the top left circle to the top zone and Matt Grzelcyk buried a one-time slapshot for his second goal this year.
     The B's finished off an incredible comeback by scoring with 6.7 seconds to go for their first lead of the game. Marchand made a set-up pass from the left wing and Bergeron put in a snap shot from just above the left-circle dot for his second tally of the contest.

Heat Drive Through Hornets

     The Miami Heat got by the Charlotte Hornets 91-84 at Spectrum Center on Wednesday night. The Heat have won three straight games and four of their last five. Both clubs were battling out for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
     Miami(30-34) had a 29-18 advantage after one quarter and they were tied 43-43 at halftime. Charlotte(29-35) trailed 61-58 after three quarters and the Heat held on during the final quarter.
     Two players from the Heat compiled double-doubles. Kelly Olynyk put up 22 points and 11 rebounds while Hassan Whiteside had 18 points and 15 rebounds. Josh Richardson was able to 13 points. Kemba Walker and Frank Kaminsky both got 20 points each for the Hornets.

Bruce Silverman Joins 1210 The Man

     Former local soccer play-by-play announcer Bruce Silverman will be joining 1210 The Man WNMA-AM as a Sunday afternoon host. His show will be on from 4PM to 6PM.
     Silverman is starting his first season as the radio play-by-play announcer for Orlando City Soccer Club in Major League Soccer this Saturday. He was the play-by-play announcer of Miami FC from 2016 to 2018.
     Prior to that, he was the play-by-play announcer of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the North American Soccer League for several seasons on SoFloRadio.com up until 2015. Silverman also once hosted a Monday evening sports show on that website.

Tony Calatayud Named 1210 The Man Host

     Former West Palm Beach television sportscaster Tony Calatayud will be hosting a late morning program on 1210 The Man WNMA-AM as of March 23. He is the president and CEO of Cielo Media Holdings and they currently operate that radio station.
     Calatayud was a sports anchor at WPBF-TV Channel 25 in West Palm Beach during the 1990s. He along with his business partner and former Florida Marlins first baseman Orestes Destrade decided to start a sports radio format station in Miami. 1700 The Fan WAFN-AM was launched in September 1999 and lasted until December 2000. Talent that worked at that station included Jorge Sedano, Armando Salguero, Jim Berry, Craig Mish, Manny Munoz and John Renshaw.
     Several years later, Calatayud joins Salem Media Group in Miami as general manager of several stations which included WKAT-AM 1360 and WZAB-AM 880. He added national duties as the president of the Spanish division for Salem Media Group. Calatayud became the radio play-by-play announcer for FIU football from 2011 until 2013. His game analyst for those contests was former WSVN-TV Channel 7 and WTVJ-TV Channel 6 news anchor Rick Sanchez.
     Anthony Calatayud will be an on-air sidekick on the show. He was a producer at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM until 2018. He recently has been working as a producer for ESPN podcasts in Connecticut.

Penguins Ice Down Panthers

     The Florida Panthers were defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena. The Panthers, who are now winless in their last five games, stand 11 points behind for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
     Things began quickly for Florida(28-26-12) as they made it 1-0 just 1:45 in on the power play. Henrik Borgstrom got a tally on assists from Aaron Ekblad and Mike Hoffman. Borgstrom has scored three goals in the last three games.
     The second period would belong to Pittsburgh(35-22-9). Jake Guentzel got his 32nd goal of the season at 16 seconds on a snap shot from the high slot. Jared McCann and Sidney Crosby were credited with assists on the play.
     They added a power-play goal at the 10:01 mark of the period to go up 2-1. Patrick Hornqvist angled a pass to his left where Sidney Crosby was at the Panthers blue line. He sent a diagonal pass to Phil Kessel in the right circle. His forehand shot was saved by Roberto Luongo, however Crosby scored on the rebound from the low slot for his 30th goal of the season. It was the ninth time that he has reached the 30-goal mark during his NHL career.
     The Panthers tied the contest up 2-2 with 2:29 remaining in the second. Hoffman forwarded a pass from the top left circle and Vincent Trocheck one-timed a slapshot from the low left circle past Matt Murray for his seventh goal of the campaign.
     The Penguins got the victory at with 2:16 left in overtime. Crosby took away the puck from Mike Matheson in the Pittsburgh zone. He sent a lead pass through the neutral zone and Guentzel raced for it at the Panthers blue line. He went through the slot, deked in the crease and swept in a backhand shot by Luongo. Crosby now has five goals and eight assists in the last five games.

Heat Step By Hawks

     Dwyane Wade passed Michael Jordan for the most blocked shots by a guard in NBA history with 1,052 as the Miami Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks 114-113 at on Monday night at American Airlines Arena. The Hawks have the fourth worst record in the Eastern Conference.
     Miami(29-34) had a 32-31 advantage after the first quarter and the game was tied 61-61 at halftime. Both clubs were still even after three quarters 85-85. Atlanta(22-43) gave up a 15-4 run midway in the final quarter and fell short in the last seconds of the contest.
     Wade led Miami with 23 points while Josh Richardson contributed 19 points. Justice Winslow dropped in 18 points and Dion Waiters added 14. Vince Carter had a team-high 21 points for the Hawks.

1210 The Man Gets Esports Show

     1210 The Man WNMA-AM will add an evening show about electronic games on their station. The program will begin on March 23 from 7PM to 9PM.
     David Alen of Guardian Outpost will host the show. He has been streaming an esports show on the internet since August 2015 at Twitch.tv and recently on Mixer.com since the start of January 2019.
     Alen has usually worked behind the scenes in radio. He was the producer of the Miami Heat Radio Network from 2002 to 2007 on News Radio 610 WIOD-AM. He worked with two different studio hosts on the network with Jason Solodkin from 2002 to 2004 and Jorge Sedano from 2004 to 2007.
     He joined Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM in late 2007 as a morning show producer. He helped five separate morning drive programs that included Sid Rosenberg, Sedano, Brandon Guzio(interim host), Marc Hochman and Stugotz Jon Weiner(temporary co-hosts), then with Marc Hochman and Jonathan Zaslow. Alen did host a fantasy football weekend show on that station.

The Sports Brothers Return To Miami

     The Sports Brothers consisting of Jeff Fox and Ed Freeman are returning to Miami radio. They will be the early afternoon co-hosts with Miko Grimes on 1210 The Man WNMA-AM from 1PM to 3PM as of March 23. The show will lead into the afternoon program The Big O Show with station manager Orlando Alzugaray.
     Both Fox and Freeman have co-hosted a sports show on several different South Florida radio stations. They were first noticed locally on WTPS-AM 1080 until that station changed its format. The Sports Brothers moved to Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM to host a weekend show in 2009. They were elevated to the early afternoon spot in January 2010 and held it until December 2011 when their contracts were not renewed.
     Their next stop was at 640 Sports WMEN-AM. They co-hosted a weekend program at that station from January 2012 until August 2012. The Sports Brothers did a weekend show on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM back in 2015 and then were part of The Sports Brothers Radio Network with an online stream in 2015 and 2016. They joined the 305 Sports Talk Radio Network in July 2016 and did a Saturday sports show on 880 WZAB-AM for a couple of months.
     Fox has co-hosted a sports show on 2LiveStewsRadio.com for the last couple of years. He recently was a digital contributor and guest host on 640 The Hurricane.
     Grimes was once heard on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. She started off as on-air guest on several of their programs during the 2014 NFL season. Grimes became a weekend co-host alongside South Florida Sun-Sentinel Miami Dolphins beat writer Omar Kelly from early 2015 until September 2015.

Gordon Banks Remembered

     Former Fort Lauderdale Strikers goalkeeper Gordon Banks was remembered in England on Monday. His memorial service was held in Stoke. He passed away on February 12 at the age of 81.
     Banks joined the Strikers during their first season in 1977, after they moved from Miami, and helped the club win the American Conference Eastern Division title with a league-high 121 points and a 19-7 record. They had an 11-2 record at their home field of Lockhart Stadium. He was named the NASL Goalkeeper of the Year when he allowed a league-low 29 goals in 26 games. Banks played another 11 games with Fort Lauderdale in 1978.
     He is most known as the starting goalkeeper for leading England to their only World Cup title when they hosted the event in 1966. They won the championship game 4-2 over West Germany in extra time. He played in the Football Association First Division for Leicester City from 1959 until 1967 and with Stoke City from 1967 to 1973.

Jim Rodriguez Joining 1210 The Man

     Local sports talk host Jim Rodriguez will be a part of 1210 The Man WNMA-AM. He will co-host a weekday late night program on the station from 9PM to midnight with Boss Lady.
     Rodriguez once did a national sports radio show. He co-hosted a late morning weekday program The Sports Bosses with Sean Stanley on SB Nation Radio from June 2017 to July 2018. The program was streamed on the internet prior to that. Rodriguez has also worked as a sports producer at Univision until early 2018 and is currently is a coordinating producer for DAZN.

1210 The Man Adds Donovan Campbell

     1210 The Man WNMA-AM will be adding WSVN-TV Channel 7 sportscaster Donovan Campbell as a morning co-host along with Lisa Concepcion. They are expected to launch their program in late March and it will be on weekdays from 7AM to 9AM.
     Campbell has worked as a weekend sports anchor and weekday sports reporter at WSVN for a while. He will continue at that television station in the sports department that includes Steve Shapiro and Mike DiPasquale.

Panthers Put Down By Senators

     The Florida Panthers finished a quick two-game home stand and fell to the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Sunday night at BB&T Center. The Senators have the worst record in the National Hockey League.
     The Panthers are now winless in their last four games and 5-2-3 in their last ten games overall. The Sens snapped a seven-game losing streak with the victory. Marc Crawford compiled his first win as Ottawa's new head coach.
     Ottawa(23-38-5) got their fourth line to score at the 5:10 mark of the first period. Magnus Paajarvi snapped a shot from the right circle which was saved by Roberto Luongo and Jean-Gabriel Pageau followed with his shot from close range. Zack Smith got another rebound and flicked the puck in from the crease for his seventh goal.
     Florida(28-26-11) tied it up 1-1 at 9:02. Keith Yandle sent a cross-ice pass from the left point to the right point. Mark Pysyk fired a wrist shot that was redirected by Aleksander Barkov from the low left circle by Anders Nilsson. It was his 28th goal of the season and his ninth goal in the last nine games. Barkov now has amassed 15 points in the past nine games.
     The Cats moved in front 2-1 with 4:24 remaining in the first. Brady Tkachuk attempted a clearing pass from deep in his zone that was intercepted by Troy Brouwer at the right point. He connected a diagonal pass to Riley Sheahan in the high slot. Sheahan returned it to him in the right circle for a forehand shot and his ninth goal this year.
     In the second period, the Sens would even it 2-2 at 5:06. Colin White handed the puck to Cody Ceci below the right circle and he went around the Florida cage. He placed a pass to the middle and Brian Gibbons scored on a one-time shot from the low slot for his first goal of the campaign.
    The Senators would add a power-play tally with 2:35 to go in the period. Christian Wolanin moved the puck to his right where Dylan DeMelo was at the right point. He took a slapshot that Rudolfs Balcers redirected in from the low slot.

Larry Milian On 1210 The Man

     The Amigo Larry Milian will be joining 1210 The Man WNMA-AM as a Saturday morning host. His debut with the station is on March 23. He will continue as the morning host and program director of SLAM Radio on Sirius XM Radio.
     Milian has made several stops in South Florida radio. He started at Sports Talk 790 The Ticket with Alan Strauss as a weekend co-host on Dos Amigos in late 2005. They were later elevated to late nights and worked there until 2009.
     He ended up at 640 Sports WMEN-AM in late 2009 as a weekend co-host with Andy Slater. He joined the morning show alongside Armando Salguero in July 2010. They later added Chris Perkins as a morning co-host. Milian left the program and that station in December 2011.
     Milian went back to Dade County and began with Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM in January 2012. He partnered with Phil Domanic and later Troy Stradford for a mid-afternoon show until August 2013.
     He would spent the next couple of years working with different websites. He had stints with StateOfTheU.com, SoFloRadio.com and SportsOvertime.com as a talk host.
     The Amigo returned to local radio in August 2016 as a Saturday late morning co-host with Stefano Fusaro on 880 WZAB-AM. That program finished its run in February 2017.

Heat Pile On Nets

     The Miami Heat trounced the Brooklyn Nets 117-88 on Saturday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat have won two of their last six games. The Nets have fallen in their last three games.
     Miami(28-34) was ahead 28-23 after one quarter and stayed in front 54-44 at halftime. The Heat got the lead out to 16 points as they had a 67-51 lead near the midway point of the third. Brooklyn(32-33) trailed 84-64 after three quarters.
     Kelly Olynyk powered in a game-high 25 points for the Heat. Rodney McGruder added 17 points and Bam Adebayo fell short of a double-double with nine points along with 16 rebounds. Joe Harris led the Nets with 15 points.

Hurricanes Storm By Panthers

     Sam Montembeault made his NHL debut in net for the Cats as the Florida Panthers returned home following a three-game road swing and lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in overtime at BB&T Center on Saturday night. The Panthers have a 2-0-3 record in their last five games.
     The Hurricanes have won five straight contests and 11 of their last 13 games. The Canes will be wearing their Hartford Whalers green jerseys in Boston against the Bruins on Tuesday.
     Carolina(36-23-6) blasted out to a 2-0 lead less than three minutes into the first period. Brock McGinn stole the puck from Keith Yandle in the low circle and scored on a wrist shot from close range past Montembeault for his eighth goal of the campaign at 1:26.
     The Hurricanes made it a two-goal gap at the 2:05 mark. Lucas Wallmark centered the puck from behind the Florida cage and Greg McKegg snapped as shot from the slot area for his fifth goal.
     Florida(28-25-11) responded with a goal at 5:01. Dryden Hunt made a lead pass at center ice. Henrik Borgstrom skated into the left circle and rifled a slapshot by Petr Mrazek.
     The Panthers tied the contest 2-2 with 8:10 left in the first. Borgstrom won a faceoff in the left circle and Jamie McGinn dropped it back. Mark Pysyk got his first goal of the year on a wrist shot from the high slot.
     In the third period, the Cats finally took the lead at the 5:32 mark. McGinn was in the left corner and backhanded a pass to the middle. Borgstrom blasted a one-time slapshot from the low slot for his second of the contest and seventh tally of the season. It was the first three-point game for Borgstrom in his NHL career.
     The Canes quickly came back with 11:41 remaining to make it 3-3. Jordan Staal released a wrist shot from the top right circle that bounced off a defender high in the air. Brett Pesce snapped in a shot from the crease for his sixth goal of the campaign.
     The contest was decided in overtime when Carolina scored at 1:46. Nino Niderreiter carried the puck to the low right circle, backhanded a pass through the crease and Sebastian Aho slid it through the blue paint for the winning tally. Aho set a Hurricanes/Whalers franchise record scoring the winning goal in three consecutive games.

Golden Knights Shine On Panthers

     The Vegas Golden Knights slipped by the Florida Panthers 6-5 in a shootout at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday night. There were three lead changes during regulation.
     The Panthers ended the three-game road trip with a 1-0-2 record. The Golden Knights finished a four-game home stand and have played eight of their last nine games in Las Vegas.
     Vegas(34-26-5) drew first blood at 3:09 of the opening period. Paul Stastny won a right-circle faceoff against Vincent Trocheck, handled the puck past Keith Yandle to the crease area and placed a forehand shot by Roberto Luongo for his eighth goal.
     The rest of the first period belonged to Florida(28-25-10) as they compiled three goals. They got a power-play goal with 5:26 to go. Yandle was at the blue line, faked a slapshot and passed to his right. Mike Hoffman snapped a shot by Malcolm Subban to tie the game 1-1. Hoffman extended his point streak to five games with that tally.
     Hoffman got his career-high 30th goal of the season on another power play with 1:29 remaining. Jonathan Huberdeau backhanded a pass from the left circle to Yandle on top of the zone. He angled a pass to the high right circle where Hoffman blasted a one-time slapshot for his second goal of the contest.
     The Panthers made it 3-1 just 28 seconds later. Trocheck crossed the Golden Knights blue line and made a backhand pass to the right wing. Huberdeau chipped the puck back to the right point and Aaron Ekblad nailed in a one-time slapshot.
     The second period was taken over by Vegas with three unanswered goals. Jon Merrill passed it from the right point to Jonathan Marchessault on the right-wing boards and he found Reilly Smith in the crease. Smith put the puck back between his legs near the blue paint and flicked in a forehand shot at the 7:40 mark.
     They tied it up 3-3 with 5:38 left in the period. Shea Theodore made a cross-ice pass from the right point to the left point. Merrill slowly inched a couple of steps and scored on a slapshot from the top left circle.
     The Golden Knights regained the lead with 3:51 to go during a 4-on-4 situation. Stastny won another faceoff in the right circle versus Trocheck, Nate Schmidt tapped the puck from the top right circle and Colin Miller smashed a one-time slapshot from above the high slot.
     The Cats stopped the bleeding with 53.9 seconds remaining in the second. A Yandle slapshot from the blue line hit the end glass. Jamie McGinn got it behind the Vegas cage, skated to the right goal line and passed across the crease. Aleksander Barkov pushed the puck in on a second effort for his 27th goal of the season. Barkov increased his point streak to seven games and now has scored eight times in the last seven games.
     In the third period, Florida made it 5-4 at 3:18 of the third period. Mike Matheson took a shot from the left circle which was saved. Huberdeau was stopped on his rebound shot, however he was lying on the ice when he converted on his second shot from the crease. He tied a career-high, four-point game with his 18th goal.
     Vegas took advantage of a delayed penalty to tie it up 5-5 with 4:19 left. Theodore made a lead pass from deep in his defensive zone to Smith at center ice. He skated past the Panthers blue line and into the left circle. His snap shot went off Matheson's stick and by the left shoulder of Luongo for his second goal of the contest and 12th goal of the campaign.
     The game was not decided until a shootout. The Golden Knights converted only once, during their second attempt, which was enough. Theodore went into the crease area and lifted in a backhand shot for the eventual victory.

Rockets Burn Heat

     The Miami Heat lost to the Houston Rockets 121-118 at Toyota Center on Thursday night. The Heat have fallen in five of their last six games on the road.
     Houston(37-25) had a 33-32 edge after one quarter, however Miami(27-34) moved to a double-digit lead and were up 69-55 by halftime. The Heat still were in front by double digits 98-86 at the end of three quarters. The Rockets outscored Miami 35-20 in the final quarter to win the game.
     James Harden blasted the Heat with game highs of 58 points and 10 assists for Houston. Austin Rivers dropped in 17 points and Chris Paul added 14 points. Goran Dragic and Kelly Olynyk both had a team-high 21 points for the Heat. Justise Winslow scored 19 points while Josh Richardson put in 18 points.