Heat Survive Nets

     The Miami Heat defeated the Brooklyn Nets 116-113 at American Airlines Arena on Saturday night. The Heat, who have won their last two games, remained fourth in the Eastern Conference while the Nets dropped to the final playoff spot in the conference.
     Brooklyn(26-33) had a 27-24 advantage after the first quarter. Miami(38-22) went on a 17-9 spurt to begin the second quarter and were up 57-49 by halftime. The Heat increased their margin by 11 points at the end of three quarters.
     Miami got double-doubles from Goran Dragic of 19 points and 10 assists while Bam Adebayo picked up 16 points and 12 rebounds. Kendrick Nunn had a team-high 21 points for them. Spencer Dinwiddie chalked up game-highs of 25 points and 12 assists for Brooklyn to get the double-double.

Blackhawks Drop Panthers

     The Chicago Blackhawks squeezed by the Florida Panthers 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday night at BB&T Center. The Panthers are winless at home in their last six games. The Cats finished February with a home record of 0-5-1 and have not won a home contest since January 16 against the Los Angeles Kings.
     It was the second time this season that Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville faced his former team. He led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
     Florida(33-25-7) bolted out to a 1-0 lead just 4:07 into the first period with an unassisted goal. Brandon Saad attempted a back pass from the right wing of the Panthers zone and it was intercepted by Mike Hoffman. He skated through the neutral zone down the left side. Hoffman dashed through the left circle to the crease area, deked to the backhand and put in past Corey Crawford for his 27th goal of the season. Hoffman extended his goal-scoring streak to a career-high five games and his point streak to seven games.
     Chicago(29-28-8) battled back and tied the contest 1-1 with 7:06 remaining in the first. Adam Boqvist took a slap shot from the right point that was redirected in by Jonathan Toews from the low slot by Sergei Bobrovsky for his 17th goal of the campaign.
     In the second period, the Blackhawks got their first lead of the contest at the 6:21 mark. Toews was on the right wing and passed it to Connor Murphy at the top of the zone. His slapshot was deflected in by Drake Caggiula in the slot area. It was the 39th assist of the season for Toews.
     The Panthers evened it 2-2 with 1:28 left in the third period. Mike Matheson poked the puck at center ice around a defenseman to himself. He snapped a from the right-circle dot for the tying goal. Hoffman compiled his second point of the game with the only assist on the play.
     Their was no scoring in overtime and the game would reach a shootout. Toews slid the puck in on the first attempt by the Blackhawks. Patrick Kane scored the second attempt for Chicago and they got the victory.

Heat Knock Off Mavericks

     The Miami Heat held off the Dallas Mavericks 126-118 on Friday night at American Airlines Arena. It was a less hyped occasion this year because both Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki retired last season.
     Both clubs were tied 31-31 after one quarter. Miami(37-22) moved ahead during the second quarter and led 63-55 at halftime. Dallas(36-24) came back and were up 93-88 at the end of three quarters. The Heat outscored the Mavs 38-25 in the final frame.
     Jimmy Butler got a game-high 26 points for Miami while Duncan Robinson dropped in 24 points. Bam Adebayo completed a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Seth Curry piled on a game-high 37 points for the Mavericks while Kristaps Porzingis had 24 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double.

Miami Dolphins Returning To London

     The Miami Dolphins will play one home game in London for the 2020 regular season. No announcement has been made who their opponent will be. It will be the fifth time that the Dolphins will play a contest in England.
     Miami last played outside the United States in London against the New Orleans Saints in 2017. The Dolphins played in the first regular season game outside of North America against the New York Giants in 2007.

Maple Leafs Take Panthers

     The Florida Panthers returned home folllowing a five-game road trip and fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 at BB&T Center in a crucial four-point game between both teams. It was the first contest of a five-game home stand for Florida.
     The Maple Leafs extended their margin over the Panthers by four points for third place in the Atlantic Division. Erik Haula, who played in his 400th NHL game, and Linus Ullmark made their home debuts with the Cats. Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville was behind the bench for his 1,700 NHL game.
     Florida(33-24-6) jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the 2:23 mark. Keith Yandle fired a shot which was blocked in the crease. Aaron Ekblad got the rebound in front, fed a pass to the right circle and Mark Pysyk snapped a shot past Frederik Andersen.
     Toronto(34-23-8) quickly answered back at 3:32. Justin Holl forwarded it from the right point. Auston Matthews backhanded a centering pass from the low right circle and Zach Hyman poked in the puck from the top of the crease by Sergei Bobrovsky for his 20th goal of the season.
     The Panthers regained the lead 7:25 into the first period. Haula pushed the puck at the red line to Frank Vatrano. He skated into the Toronto zone on the right side and took a snap shot from the right circle. It was saved by Andersen, however Mike Hoffman put in the rebound with a forehand shot from the low slot for his 26th goal.
     It became 3-1 for the Cats with 7:24 left in the frame. Yandle advanced the puck on the right side and Noel Acciari released a wrist shot from the right circle for his 20th goal of the campaign.
     The Maple Leafs cut the deficit to 3-2 with 2:17 remaining in the first. Alexander Kerfoot backed the puck out from the goal line to Jason Spezza in the right circle. He sent a cross-ice pass and Kasperi Kapanen scored on a slap shot from the left circle.
     The Leafs tied the contest up 3-3 with 1:02 to go. Mitch Marner touched the puck in the low slot ahead to Hyman at the top of the crease. He slid a square pass to his right and Matthews found the net from the right edge of the crease for his 44th goal of the season.
     There was no scoring in the second. Toronto got the lead at the 9:00 mark of the third period. Martin Marancin had a slap shot from the right point that was deflected by Kyle Clifford in the low slot. It bounced out to William Nylander in the low right circle and he scored 29th goal of the season on a snap shot.
     Holl added an open-net goal with 20.8 seconds remaining in the contest to make it 5-3. John Tavares was credited with the only assist on the play.

Timberwolves Surprise Heat

     The Minnesota Timberwolves slipped by the Miami Heat 129-126 at American Airlines Arena on Wednesday night. Miami has won two of their last nine games. The Heat stayed in fourth place among clubs in the Eastern Conference while the Timberwolves jumped up to fifth worst record in the National Basketball Association. 

     Minnesota(17-41) got out to a 29-28 lead after the first quarter and trailed 60-57 at halftime. Miami(36-22) was barely behind 85-84 at the end of three quarters. They began the fourth quarter on a 23-12 spurt, however the Timberwolves went on a 22-9 run down the stretch to gain the victory.
     Kendrick Nunn knocked down 24 points to lead the Heat while Jimmy Butler added 18 points. Bam Adebayo compiled a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. D'Angelo Russell had a game-high 27 points for Minnesota.

Panthers Cover Coyotes

     The Florida Panthers completed a five-game road swing with a 2-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night at Gila River Arena. The Panthers finished with a 3-2-0 record on the road trip.
     The Cats return home on Thursday and face the Toronto Maple Leafs to begin a five-game home stand. Florida will get the chance to jump the Maple Leafs for third place in the Atlantic Division.
     In the opening period, Arizona(31-27-8) drew first blood on a shorthanded goal with 5:44 left. Brad Richardson snapped a shot from the slot area which Sergei Bobrovsky saved, however Richardson put in the rebound on a forehand shot.
     Florida(33-24-6) got the only tally during the second period at the 11:03 mark. Frank Vatrano beat Darcy Kuemper as he scored on a wrist shot from the top right circle for his 16th goal of the season on assists by Mike Hoffman and Aaron Ekblad.
     The Panthers moved ahead 2-1 with a power-play goal at 8:50 of the third period. Keith Yandle advanced the puck from the right point to Aleksander Barkov in the right corner. He sent it behind the Arizona cage to Jonathan Huberdeau on the end wall. He centered it and Hoffman blasted a one-time slap shot from the left circle for his 25th goal of the campaign.

Cavaliers Shock Heat

     The Cleveland Cavaliers upset the Miami Heat 125-119 in overtime on Monday night at the Quicken Loans Arena.The Heat, who blew a 19-point lead in the fourth, were fourth in the Eastern Conference while the Cavaliers were in last place entering the game.
     Miami(36-21) blasted out to a 29-21 lead after one quarter and stayed ahead 68-56 by halftime. Cleveland(16-41) remained down 99-80, however they outscored the Heat 31-12 during the fourth quarter and put the contest into overtime. The Cavs outpaced Miami 14-8 in overtime for the victory.
     Bam Adebayo led the way for Miami as he fell short of a triple-double with 22 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. Goran Dragic contributed 22 points and Kendrick Nunn dropped in 21 points. Kevin Porter Jr. had a game-high 30 points for the Cavaliers while Kevin Love added a double-double of 17 points along with 14 rebounds.

Panthers Get Emil Djuse

     The Florida Panthers received defenseman Emil Djuse from the Dallas Stars for a 2020 sixth-round draft pick. The selection originally belonged to the Buffalo Sabres.
     Djuse is in his first season playing in North America. He appeared in 48 games with the Dallas Stars of the American Hockey League this season and compiled four goals and 25 assists. Djuse will report to the Panthers AHL affiliate in Springfield.

Panthers Trade Vincent Trocheck

     The Florida Panthers have traded center Vincent Trocheck to the Carolina Hurricanes for center Erik Haula and center Lucas Wallmark. The Panthers will also receive defenseman Chase Priskie and center Eetu Luostarinen.
     Trocheck was with Florida for the past seven seasons. He compiled 111 goals and 171 assists in 420 games played with the club. Trocheck had 10 goals and 26 assists in 55 games this season. He led the Panthers to the Atlantic Division title in 2015-16.
     Haula joined the Carolina Hurricanes for the 2019-20 campaign for his seventh season in the NHL. He has 12 goals and 10 assists in 41 games with the Canes this season. Haula helped the Vegas Golden Knights win the Western Conference title in their inaugural season in 2017-18.
     Wallmark has played for the last four seasons with the Hurricanes. He participated in 60 games this season and chalked up 11 goals and 12 assists.
     Priskie is a native Floridian and was born in Pembroke Pines. He had six goals and 25 assists for the Charlotte Checkers of the Ameican Hockey League in 2019-20. Luostarinen was with Carolina this season and had one assist in eight games.

Golden Knights Drive By Panthers

     The Vegas Golden Knights cruised by the Florida Panthers 5-3 at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. The Panthers are now 2-2-0 on their west coast road trip and will next play on Tuesday in Arizona against the Coyotes.
     Players from the 1980 United States Olympic goal medal team, who celebrated the 40th anniversary to the day of their victory over the Soviet Union, were honored with a ceremonial pregame faceoff. Gage Quinney, the first native-born player from Nevada, made his NHL debut for Vegas.
     It took just 3:28 into the contest for Florida(32-24-6) to go ahead 1-0. Mike Hoffman put in his 24th goal of the season.
     Vegas(33-22-8) tied it up 1-1 with 8:08 left in the first period. Tomas Nosek was able to get his seventh goal of the year.
     In the second period, the Panthers regained the lead while on the power play. Evgenii Dadonov scored his 25th goal of the season on assists from Aleksander Barkov and Keith Yandle.
     The rest of the frame belonged to the Golden Knights. William Carrier added his seventh with 7:21 remaining and Max Pacioretty compiled his 29th goal with 52 seconds to go.
     Former Panther Reilly Smith made it a two-goal margin 19 seconds into the third period. Jonathan Marchessault and Paul Stastny added assists on the play.
     The Cats cut it to 4-3 at the 5:11 mark. Aleksi Saarela scored for the second time in the last three games with the club.
     The contest was capped by Vegas with 1:17 left in the third. Smith chalked up his second goal of the game and 25th goal of the season with an empty-net tally.

Dwyane Wade Number 3 Jersey Retired

     Dwyane Wade had his number 3 jersey retired by the Miami Heat on Saturday night. It happened as the Heat hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers at American Airlines Arena.

West Palm Beach Ratings Janauary 2020

     The ratings for West Palm Beach sports talk radio stations were issued. Many of the syndicated sports programs on all three local radio stations were broadcast live in South Florida during the final week of January prior to the Super Bowl in Miami.
     ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM does not subscribe to any service. The station did have almost all of their weekday lineup at radio row in late January.
     Fox Sports 640 South Florida WMEN-AM stayed at a 0.4 in the period for the third straight month. They are in their first season as the flagship station of Florida Atlantic University basketball.
     Sports Radio 1230 The Zone WBZT-AM remained at a 0.1 for the fourth consecutive month. They continued to pipe in University of Florida basketball game broadcasts.

Jon Sciambi ESPN Radio Sunday Baseball

     Former local sportscaster Jon "Boog Sciambi will continue as the radio play-by-play announcer of Sunday night baseball on ESPN Radio. It will be his 11th season at the post.
     No word if Sciambi will be elevated to call the World Series on radio this year. Dan Shulman was used for the 2019 World Series by ESPN Radio, even though he worked a limited schedule with ESPN last year.
     Sciambi was first noticed as an evening host on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. He was the studio host of the Florida Panthers Radio Network for the 1995-96 season. He took time off during their playoff run to work as a radio play-by-play announcer in the Northwest League.
     He returned to the station and co-hosted a midday show with Florida Panthers original radio voice Chris Moore. Sciambi became the studio host of the Florida Marlins Radio Network in 1997. He added duties as their radio play-by-play announcer in 1999 and held that spot until 2004.
     Sciamibi, a Boston College grad, had a stint as a midday host on Sports Talk 790 The Ticket in 2004 and 2005. He began to work part-time at ESPN television as a college basketball and baseball play-by-play announcer. Sciambi was the television play-by-play announcer of the Atlanta Braves from 2007 until 2009. He joined ESPN as a full-time employee as a television and radio play-by-play announcer in late 2009. Sciambi will announce several games on the Boston Red Sox Radio Network in 2020.

Jonathan Zaslow Gets Contract Extension

     Longtime Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM sports talk host Jonathan Zaslow received a multi-year contract extension from Entercom Communications. He has hosted the midday show with Amber Wilson since August 2019.
     Zaslow has worked at The Ticket since 2004. He has held numerous positions which included midday producer, weekend co-host, midday host, weekend host and evening host.
     He was promoted to morning co-host in August 2012 and held the post until August 2019. His co-hosts on that program during the seven-year run included Marc Hochman, Joy Taylor, Brendan Tobin, Amber Wilson and Brett Romberg.
     Zaslow added duties as a studio co-host alongside Tommy Tighe on the Miami Heat Radio Network beginning in the 2010-11 season. He also had two short stints as the studio host of the Florida Panthers Radio Network during the late 2000s.

Kings Escape Panthers

     The Los Angeles Kings got by the Florida Panthers 5-4 at Staples Center on Thursday night. The Panthers played their third game of the five-game road swing.
     Los Angeles(22-34-5) got up 1-0 as Gabriel Vilardi scored his first NHL goal on his first NHL shift at the 1:26 mark. Kurtis MacDermid pushed the puck ahead in the neutral zone. Vilardi crossed the Panthers blue line and released a wrist shot from the top of the zone past Sergei Bobrovsky.
     Florida(32-23-6) answered back at 7:03 to tie the game. Jonathan Huberdeau intercepted a cross-icc pass from Austin Wagner at the Kings blue line and carried it to the right of the crease. He dropped a  backhand pass and Alekander Barkov snapped a shot from the slot area by Jonathan Quick. Huberdeau now has a point in the last five games.
     The Panthers moved ahead 2-1 just 1:40 later as Barkov got his second goal of the game and 20th goal of the season. Noel Acciari brought the puck into the Los Angeles zone and angled a pass to his left. Huberdeau sent a cross-ice pass from the left circle and Barkov scored on a wrist shot from the high slot. It was the fifth straight season that Barkov has reached at least 20-goal plateau.
     The Kings evened it up 2-2 while on the power play with 4:48 left in the first. Drew Doughty made a pass from the blue line to Adrian Kempe above the top right circle and he returned it. Doughty blasted a slap shot for his first goal in 27 games. Anze Kopitar extended his assist streak to four games on that play.
     The Cats finally scored with the man advantage at the 3:19 mark of the second period and led 3-2. The Panthers snapped a scoreless streak on the power play after going 0-for-22. Evgenii Dadonov raced through the neutral zone, down the right wing to the goal line and backhanded a diagonal pass. Huberdeau received it at the top of the left circle and snapped a shot for the tally.
     It was tied by Los Angeles with 9:42 remaining in the second. Blake Lizotte passed from the right corner to the top of the zone. Doughty sent a wrist shot that was deflected in by Trevor Moore at the top of the crease.
     The Kings reclaimed the lead 4-3 with 1:18 to go in the frame. Matt Roy cycled the puck from the right point to Viardi on the end wall. He centered it with a backhand pass and Martin Frk scored on a one-time forehand shot.
     Florida scored 36 seconds into the third period on another power play to tie it up 4-4. Aaron Ekblad flicked the puck from the blue line to Huberdeau above the left circle. His cross-ice pass was deflected into the air and Mike Hoffman half-volleyed it in from the right circle for his 23rd goal of the campaign.
     Los Angeles regained the lead 5-4 with 7:15 remaining in the third. Kopitar put a square pass from the right point to Alex Iafallo. He advanced the puck to Ben Hutton at the right of the crease for a redirection and Hutton tapped in the rebound shot for a goal.

Hawks Soar Above Heat

     The Miami Heat returned to the court on Thursday night and were edged by the Atlanta Hawks 129-124 at State Farm Arena. It was their first contest since the NBA All-Star Game break. The Heat, who capped off a six-game road trip, last played a game back on February 12 in Utah.
     Miami(35-20) got up 36-32 after one quarter and led 64-63 at halftime. Atlanta(16-41) still trailed 97-90 at the end of three quarters. The Hawks tied the contest 124-124 with 54 seconds left in the fourth quarter on a three-point shot from the right wing by De'Andre Hunter. Cam Reddish stole the ball from Goran Dragic and made a slam dunk on a breakaway with 31.4 seconds to go for a two-point lead. Atlanta finished the game on a 19-9 run.
     Bam Adebayo compiled a double-double for the Heat with 28 points and 19 rebounds. Jimmy Butler contributed 17 points, nine assists and eight rebounds while Dragic added 19 points. Trae Young had a game-high 50 points for the Hawks along with eight assists.

Panthers Pick Up Danick Martel

     The Florida Panthers acquired forward Danick Martel from the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward Anthony Greco. Martel will report to the Panthers American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield.
     Martel has played 52 games with Syracuse in the AHL and he compiled 16 goals along with 14 assists. He has seen action previously in the National Hockey League. Martel was with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2017-18 and the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018-19.

Panthers Outlast Ducks

     The Florida Panthers roared by the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 at Honda Center on Wednesday night. It was the second game of a five-game road trip for the Panthers.
     Anaheim(24-29-7) waited to late in the first period to go up 1-0 with 3:56 remaining. Adam Henrique sent a long lead pass from his own zone and it was touched by Rickard Rickell  and Keith Yandle in the high slot. Max Jones recovered and scored on a wrist shot from above the right circle past Sergei Bobrovsky.
     Florida(32-22-6) escaped the end of the first frame tied at 1-1 as they got a tally with 4.1 seconds to go. Jonathan Hubedeau knocked down the puck at the red line, carried it all the way to the right circle and backhanded a cross-ice pass. Aleksander Barkov tapped it in from the left of the crease for his 18th goal of the season.
     In the second period, the Panthers scored on consecutive shots 3:36 apart. They took their first lead 2-1 on the power play at the 10:50 mark. Frank Vatrano made a square pass to his left from the top right circle and Riley Stillman sailed a slap shot off the back glass. Vincent Trocheck batted the puck out of the air and into the Anaheim cage from the right of the crease by John Gibson for his 10th goal of the campaign.
     The Cats extended it to a two-goal margin with 5:34 left in the period. MacKenzie Weegar fed a pass from the left point to Aaron Ekblad on the right point. His slap shot went wide right of the net and bounced off the back wall. Aleksi Saarela fired a one-time slap shot from low left circle for his first NHL goal. Ekblad compiled his sixth assist in the last six contests.
     The Ducks decided to pull their goalie and add an additional attacker with over three minutes to go in the third period. Weegar slapped the puck from the top of the zone into the empty net with 2:09 left.

Miami Ratings January 2020

     The Miami/Fort Lauderdale ratings for sports talk format radio stations in the market was issued. The period went from the start of the year to just before the Super Bowl to be played in Miami. Many syndicated programs piped into all four local sports stations did broadcast their shows in South Florida during the final week of January.
     560 The Joe WQAM-AM finished ahead for the sixth consecutive month as they dropped from a 1.3 to a 0.9 in the period. The drop was due to no more Miami Dolphins and University of Miami Hurricanes football game broadcasts. The Florida Panthers slowly fell in the Eastern Conference standings.
     Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM moved from a 0.6 to a 0.8 in the month. The Miami Heat still led the Southeast Division and was in the Eastern Conference contending for a playoff spot.
     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM rose from a 0.2 to a 0.3 during the time span. They continue to air University of Florida basketball game broadcasts.
     Fox Sports 640 South Florida WMEN-AM also leaped from a 0.2 to a 0.3 in the period. They are in their first season as the flagship station of Florida Atlantic University basketball.

Panthers Trade Denis Malgin

     The Florida Panthers traded center Denis Malgin to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. The Panthers received back forward Mason Marchment.
     Malgin played the last four seasons with the Panthers. He had a 18 goals and 32 assists in 184 games during his career with Florida. Malgin compiled four goals and eight assists in 36 games this season.
     Marchment , the son of former NHL player Bryan Marchment, mainly played with the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League in 2019-20. He was called up earlier this season to the Toronto Maple Leafs where he had one assists in four games.

Nolan Murphy Upped At Good Karma Brands

     Former West Palm Beach sportscaster Nolan Murphy has received a promotion at Good Karma Brands. He was named the new national sales manager of that organization and will be responsible for contributing to radio stations in West Palm Beach, Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago and Cleveland.
     Murphy has been part of Good Karma Brands since 2012. He started as a programming and promotions intern at ESPN Milwaukee WAUK-AM from August 2012 to June 2013 His next stop was at ESPN Cleveland WKNR-AM from July 2013 until April 2016 as a marketing consultant, fantasy football expert and sports reporter.
     He landed at ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM in April 2016 as a marketing consultant and occasional evening co-host. Murphy was the High School Hysteria Friday evening studio host during the 2017 and 2018 high school football seasons. Murphy co-hosted a Sunday morning golf program with former Palm Beach Post sports writer Craig Dolch for several years and he left South Florida at the end of January 2019. He rejoined ESPN Milwaukee and spent a year as a marketing consultant and producer for WAUK-AM and WKTI-FM.

Panthers Hook Sharks

     The Florida Panthers handled the San Jose Sharks 5-3 at SAP Center on Monday. It was the second daytime contest for the Panthers in the last three days. It was also the first stop of a five-game road trip for the Cats.
     In the first period, Florida(31-22-6) took a 1-0 lead at the 4:52 mark. Aaron Ekblad made an outlet pass from his own zone to Evgenii Dadonov at the red line. He passed to his right and Frank Vatrano backhanded a centering pass from the right circle. Dadonov was stopped on a backhand shot from the crease area, but put the puck into the cage past Aaron Dell on a forehand shot for his 24th goal of the season. Ekblad reached a career-high with his 28th assist of the season.
     San Jose(26-29=4) tied the game 1-1 with 8:30 left in the first. Dominic Toninato lost the puck to Alexander True on the end wall and it popped into the low left circle area. Antii Suomela tipped it back and Dylan Gambrell snapped a shot from the slot by Sergei Bobrovsky.
     The Panthers reclaimed the lead 2-1 with 9:00 remaining in the second period. Mike Hoffman intercepted a cross-ice pass from Brent Burns at the top of the Florida zone. He went on a breakaway and slipped the puck in from the top of the crease for his 22nd goal of the campaign.
     Neither team would score again until midway into third period when Florida made it a two-goal lead. Ekblad advanced the puck from his own goal line to Denis Malgin in the neutral zone and his backhand pass went to Colton Sceviour. He entered the San Jose zone, released a snap shot from the high slot, gained the rebound and guided a backhand shot from the low slot for a tally at the 10:04 mark.
     The Sharks cut it down to 3-2 while on the power play at 14:34. Burns keep in an Ekblad clearing pass at the top of the zone and he angled a pass to his right. A Kevin Lebanc wrist shot went off the body of MacKenzie Weegar and sailed into the Panthers cage.
     It became a 4-2 Florida lead with 2:54 to go. Alekander Barkov made a lead pass out of the zone to Jonathan Huberdeau. He carried the puck into the Sharks zone to the left wing, connected a diagonal pass to top slot and Anton Stralman fired a slap shot for his fifth goal. Huberdeau chalked up his team-leading 50th assist while Barkov got his 40th assist on the play.
     San Jose pulled their goalie for an extra attacker and it worked immediately with 1:40 remaining and they were down 4-3. Burns sent a cross-ice pass out of their zone to Joe Thornton at the Panthers blue line. His diagonal pass found Timo Meier and he shoveled in a backhand shot from the right of the crease.
     They tried it again, however the Panthers finished off the contest on an empty-goal with five seconds left. Keith Yandle angled a pass from his own right circle to his left. Vincent Trocheck took a shot from the red line that trickled through the skates of Marc Edouard-Vlasic and into the net.

Jayce Hawryluk Claimed By Senators

     Florida Panthers forward Jayce Hawryluk was claimed off waivers by the Ottawa Senators. He was drafted by Florida 32nd overall during the second round of the 2014 NHL Draft.
     Hawryluk played for the last two seasons with the Panthers. He had one goal and two assists in 15 games with the club in 2019-20.

Panthers Game In St. Louis Changes Date

     The date for the Florida Panthers road game against the St. Louis Blues later this season has been changed. It was originally scheduled for March 10 and shifted to one day before that on March 9.
     The change of schedule was due to recent postponement of a contest between the Blues and the Ducks in Anaheim on February 11 due the emergency incident involving former Panthers defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. Their game is being rescheduled for March 11.

2020 NBA All-Star Game

     Team LeBron defeated Team Giannis 157-155 in the 69th annual NBA All-Star Game in Chicago on Sunday night. A new format was used for this contest with the use of the new Kobe Bryant 24 points needed in the fourth quarter for the team that was ahead. In this case, the team that reached the 157-point mark would be declared the winner.
     Team Giannis led Team LeBron 133-124 after three quarters. Team Giannis needed 24 points in the fourth to be victorious while Team LeBron had to compile 33 points to reached the 157-point mark. Anthony Davis made a free throw for Team LeBron to end the NBA All-Star Game.
     Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo was part of Team Giannis. He ended up with eight points and two rebounds in 12 minutes of play.

Bam Adebayo Wins Skills Competition

     Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo competed and captured the Skills Competition title on Saturday night at United Center in Chicago. He was able to get by Domantas Sabonis of the Indiana Pacers in the final round. Adabayo will be part of the annual NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.
     Adebayo has been a part of the Miami Heat for the last three seasons. He has set career-high marks with the Heat in 2019-20 averaging 15.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

Derrick Jones Jr. Takes Slam Dunk Title

     Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. won the annual NBA Slam Dunk title at United Center in Chicago on Saturday night. He defeated Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic in the final round.
     Jones had played for the past three seasons with the Heat. He has played in 40 games this season for the club averaging 8.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

Oilers Flow By Panthers

     The Florida Panthers played a rare afternoon game at home and fell to the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 on Saturday at BB&T Center. The Panthers are 2-6-1 in their nine games since the All-Star Game break. Next up for the Panthers will be a long five-game road trip out west over the next two weeks. They return home on February 27 versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.
     The Oilers won in South Florida for the 10th time in their last 11 occasions. Former Panther Riley Sheahan played in his 500th NHL contest.
     Edmonton(31-21-6) was able to go ahead 1-0 with 4:46 remaining in the first period. Kailer Yamamoto cycled the puck from the end wall to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the right wing. Adam Larsson blasted a slap shot from the right point past Sam Montembeault for his first goal of the year. Larsson last scored a goal against the Arizona Coyotes 58 games ago.
     After a scoreless second period, the Oilers got a tally 13 seconds into the third. Leon Draisaitl won a faceoff in the left circle and Nugent-Hopkins put a forehand shot on net from the slot area that went off Yamamoto in the low slot. Draisaitl snapped a shot from the top of the crease for his 33rd goal and NHL-leading 91st point of the season.
     Florida(30-22-6) made it 2-1 at the 8:45 mark of the period. Aleksander Barkov took a shot from the left circle that was saved. Aaron Ekblad got the puck in the right wing, carried it to the low right circle and fed it around the net. Jonathan Huberdeau released a wrist shot from the left goal line that squeezed by Mikko Koskinen for his 21st goal of the campaign. Barkov passed Stephen Weiss for second place in Florida Panthers franchise history with his 250th career assist.
     The Panthers pulled their goalie with 2:30 left in the final frame and it did not work. Darnell Nurse whipped the puck from his own left corner into an empty net with 1:58 remaining. Yamamoto added an empty-net goal with 45.5 seconds to go.

Justin Nicolino Joins Taiwan Club

     Former Miami Marlins pitcher Justin Nicolino is leaving the United States to play pro baseball. He has signed a contract with the Racuten Monkeys in Taiwan.
     Nicolino was with the Marlins from 2015 until 2017. He had a 10-13 record, 86 strikeouts, 201 1/3 innings pitched and a 4.65 earned-run-average in three seasons with the club.

No Marlins On Street & Smith's Baseball Cover

     Street & Smith's annual baseball magazine did not have any player from the Miami Marlins on their front cover. It was an unusual move decided by that publication. The southeast region cover has Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies of the Atlanta Braves along with Austin Meadows of the Tampa Bay Rays.
     Some Marlins players did appear on other baseball magazines that were issued in late January. Pitcher Sandy Alacantara appeared on Athlon Sports while third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson showed up on Lindy's Sports.

Flyers Stop Panthers

     The Florida Panthers lost to the Philadelphia Flyers 6-2 at BB&T Center on Thursday night. It was the second time in four days that both clubs faced each other.
     It was a rare national television appearance by the Panthers in the United States on NBCSN. They have appeared several times on Canadian national television this season, which included Hometown Hockey.
     Philadelphia(32-19-7) was able to score at 4:24 of the first period.  Travis Sanheim sent a cross-ice pass from the left point. Matt Niskanen took a shot from above the right circle that was saved, however James van Riemsdyk poked in the rebound from the blue paint for his 17th goal of the season.
     The Flyers got a  two-goal margin with 2:23 left in the period.  Niskanen moved the puck to van Riemsdyk in the neutral zone and he advanded it forward. Tyler Pitlick fired a high wrist shot that went over the left shoulder of former Flyer Sergei Bobrovsky and into the cage.
     It became 3-0 for Philadelphia with 1:28 remaining in the first. Michael Raffl took a snap shot from the left circle which was saved, but Nicolas Aube-Kubel knocked in the rebound from the top of the crease.
     Sam Montembeault replaced Bobrovsky in net for Florida(30-21-6) to begin the second period. Bobrovsky surrendered three goals on nine Flyers shots.
     Philadelphia made it a four-goal gap with 1:02 to go in the second. Justin Braun pushed it from the right wing to van Riemsdyk on the end wall. He backhanded a pass to the low slot and Scott Laughton put in a tally.
     The Panthers broke the shutout 33 second into the third period and trailed 4-1. Aaron Ekblad tipped the puck from the high slot to MacKenzie Weegar and he made a slap pass from the top left circle. Jonathan Huberdeau released a snap shot from the low right circle past Carter Hart for his 20th goal of the season. It was the third straight season that Huberdeau has scored at least 20 goals.
     Florida cut it to 4-2 at the 4:56 mark. Anton Stralman backed the puck from the slot area to Keith Yandle at the top of zone. He angled a pass to his left and Aleksander Barkov snapped a shot from the low left circle for his 17th tally of the campaign. Barkov tied Pavel Bure for second place all-time in Florida Panthers history with his 152nd goal.
     The Flyers stopped the Panthers momentum with 5:08 left in the third. Claude Giroux sent an outlet pass from center ice to Sean Couturier at the blue line. He skated into the slot and scored on a forehand shot.
     They got a goal on the man advantage with 27.3 seconds remaining to make it 6-2. Robert Hagg had a give-and-go pass with Raffl in the right corner and got his third goal of the year from the right edge of the crease.

Martin Prado Retires

     Former Miami Marlins third baseman Martin Prado has officially retired. Prado finished off a 14-year career in the majors where he played for the Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Miami Marlins.
     He was with the Marlins in his final five seasons of his Major League Baseball career. His best season with the Fish was in 2016 when he had a .305 batting average, eight home runs and 75 runs batted in during 153 games. Prado played 104 games in 2019 and compiled two homers, 15 runs batted in and a .233 batting average.

Marlins To Sign Brad Boxberger

     The Miami Marlins will sign relief pitcher Brad Boxberger to a contract. It is a minor-league deal and Boxberger looks to make the Miami Marlins roster at spring training camp in Jupiter.
     Boxberger has been in the majors for eight seasons and made 320 relief appearances. He participated with the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamonbacks and Kansas City Royals.
     He was with the Royals during the 2019 season. Boxberger had a 1-3 record, 5.40 earned-runs-average and 27 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings.

Jazz Tangle Heat

     The Utah Jazz held off the Miami Heat 116-101 on Wednesday night at Vivint.SmartHome Arena. The Heat completed their five-game road trip with a 1-4 record prior to the NBA All-Star Game break. Miami will play 16 of their remaining 28 contests of the regular season at home.
     It was close after one quarter with Miami(35-19) ahead 28-25. They held a five-point margin at halftime of 52-47. Utah(36-18) overtook the Heat and got up 79-74 after three quarters. The Jazz expnaded their lead late in the fourth quarter.
     The Heat were led by Jimmy Butler with 25 points while Duncan Robinson dropped in 20 points. Bam Adebayo fell short of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell had a game-high 26 points for Utah and Bojan Bogdanovic got 22 points.

Panthers Down Devils

     The Florida Panthers breezed by the New Jersey Devils 5-3 on Tuesday night at Prudential Center. Panthers goalie Sam Montembeault made his first NHL start since November 24. The Panthers are now 2-4-1 in their last seven games while the Devils are 3-1-3 in their last seven contests.
     New Jersey(20-25-10) got up 1-0 with the man advantage at the 3:15 mark of the first period. Wayne Simmonds pushed the puck back from the left corner to Jack Hughes on the left point. He slid a pass to the top of the zone to Damon Severson. He returned it back to Hughes for a wrist shot from the left circle.
     Florida(30-20-6) tied it 1-1 with 8:10 remaining in the first. Mike Hoffman backhanded a pass from center ice to his left. Vincent Trocheck brought the puck to the above the top left circle and connected a cross-ice pass to Brett Connolly. His snap shot from the right circle beat Louis Domingue for his 18th goal of the season. It was his second tally in the last 14 games.
     The Cats took the lead with 45.4 seconds to go in the frame. Severson lost the puck to Mark Pysyk in the right corner and he flicked a sharp-angle shot that went off the skate of Noel Acciari. Mike Matheson followed with a forehand shot from the low slot.
     The Panthers scored three goals in a 3:15 span during the second period. Pysyk expnaded their lead to 3-1 when Pysyk scored on assists by Matheson and Acciari at 2:43.
     The Devils kept it close with a tally by Kevin Rooney at 4:17 and they trailed 3-2. Frank Vatrano  of the Panthers got his 15th goal of the campaign from the top right circle near the five-minute mark with assists from Keith Yandle and Colton Sceviour.
     Florida made it a three-goal gap 5-2 at the 5:38 mark. Matheson released a wrist shot from the left wing that glanced off Pysyk in the crease area. Acciari tapped the puck into the cage from the top of the crease.
     New Jersey scored with 5:30 left in the second period. Will Butcher sent a lead pass through the neutral zone. Kyle Palmieri split the defense in the Panthers zone and put in a forehand shot from the low slot for his  21st goal.

Heat Slam Warriors

     The Miami Heat made their first appearance ever in San Francisco at Chase Center and defeated the Golden State Warriors 113-101 on Monday night. The Warriors had played their home games in Oakland since the 1970s.

     The Heat stopped a season-long, three-game losing streak. Andre Iguodala played against his former team for the first time. He helped them win three NBA championships and five consecutive Western Conference titles. 

     Miami(35-18) started with a 20-10 spurt, however Golden State(12-42) scored 10 straight points and were down 24-20 at the end of one quarter. The Heat outscored the Warriors by 15 points in the second and led 62-43 at halftime. Golden State began the second half with a 23-9 run and trailed 83-75 after three quarters. Miami moved the lead back up to 18 points with a 17-7 spurt to go ahead 100-82 with 7:36 remaining in the fourth.
     Heat newcomer Jae Crowder put up 21 points and eight rebounds while Jimmy Butler compiled 21 points and nine rebounds. Kelly Olynyk had a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 11 assists. Bam Adebayo got 13 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Damion Lee dropped in a game-high 26 points for the Warriors and Andrew Wiggins contributed 18 points. Marquese Chriss narrowly had a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds. 

Flyers Sail By Panthers

     The Philadelphia Flyers raced by the Florida Panthers 4-1 at Wells Fargo Center on Monday night. Both clubs will face each other again on Thursday night in Sunrise. Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky played in his 500th NHL game. The Panthers have lost three straight contest and are now 1-4-1 since the All-Star Game break.
     Alekander Barkov continued to climb the Florida Panthers franchise record book. He tied Stephen Weiss for second place with his 249th assist as a Panther and compiled his 400th NHL point. Carter Hart started in goalie for the Flyers after missing the last nine games.
     Florida(29-19-7) stormed out to a 1-0 lead at 3:07 of the opening frame. Barkov cycled the puck from the right wing to Aaron Ekblad on the right point. His slap shot was blocked in front and MacKenzie Weegar followed with a slap shot from the top left circle past Hart.
     It became 1-1 when Philadelphia(31-18-7) evened it up with 6:02 left in the first period. Tyler Pitlick backhanded it from the top zone to Matt Niskanen on the right point. He sent a cross-ice pass and Ivan Provorov snapped a shot from the high slot by Bobrovsky.
     The Flyers took their first lead 2-1 in the second period at the 5:24 mark. Justin Braun advanced the puck from the neutral zone to Jakub Voracek at the Panthers blue line. He skated in on a 2-on-1 breakaway. slid a pass from the low left circle and James van Riemsdyk tapped it in from the top edge of the blue paint his 16th goal of the season.
     They made it a two-goal margin with 51.1 seconds to go in the second. Scott Laughton made a spinning pass from the right circle to the low slot and van Riemsdyk chipped a shot that was saved. Travis Sanheim put in the rebound with a backhand shot from the left of the crease.
     The Panthers pulled their goalie for an extra attacker on a power play with just two minutes left in the third. Jonathan Huberdeau directed a wrist shot from the right of the blue paint that hit the right post. Claude Giroux backhanded the loose puck from his own crease down the ice and it went into an empty net with 1:09 remaining.

Marlins Lose Jarlin Garcia And Jose Quijada

     The Miami Marlins lost left-handed pitchers Jarlin Garcia and Jose Quijada on Monday. Garcia was picked up on waivers by the San Francisco Giants while the Los Angeles Angels nabbed Quijada.
     Garcia played the last three seasons with the Marlins. He had a 4-2 record, 50 2/3 innings pitched, 39 strikeouts and a 3.09 earned-run-average in 53 relief appearances with the team during the 2019 season.
     Quijada made his major league debut with the Fish in 2019. He finished with a 2-3 record in 29 2/3 innings, had 34 relief appearances, struck out 44 batters and surrendered 10 home runs.

Trail Blazers Topple Heat

     The Portland Trail Blazers got by the Miami Heat 115-109 at Moda Center on Sunday night. The Heat extended their season-long losing streak to three games.
     Andre Iguodala made his Miami Heat debut with the club. He and the team will travel to San Francisco to face his former club the Golden State Warriors on Monday.
     Portland(25-29) had a 38-36 edge after one quarter and led 63-60 at halftime. The Trail Blazers got the lead up to 13 points with a 23-13 run and Miami(34-18) trailed 93-83 at the end of three quarters.
     Goran Dragic had 27 points and seven assists for the Heat. Bam Adebayo put together a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds while Jae Crowder, who made his Heat debut, got 18 points and 11 rebounds. Damian Lillard dropped in a game-high 33 points for Portland. Former Heat player Hassan Whiteside compiled a double-double with 11 points and 17 rebounds.

Penguins Handle Panthers

     The Pittsburgh Penguins held off the Florida Panthers 3-2 at BB&T Center on Saturday night. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov returned to action after missing the last two contests due to an upper-body injury. The Panthers will play the Philadelphia Flyers in two games over the next five days.
     In the first period, Pittsburgh(34-15-5) made it 1-0 at the 6:30 mark. The Cats made a backpass out of the Pens zone at the end of their first power-play opportunity. Kris Letang stepped out of the penalty box, skated in alone on a breakaway and then shoveled a backhand shot by Sergei Bobrovsky.
     The Penguins got a 2-0 lead with 9:16 left in the first. Letang sent a cross-ice pass from the right point. Jack Johnson released a snap shot from the left point that went off the stick of MacKenzie Weegar in the crease area. Teddy Blueger pounced on it and scored from the right of the blue paint.
     Florida(29-19-6) cut the lead down to 2-1 with 2:38 remaining in the period. Frank Vatrano brought the puck into the Penguins zone and stopped on the right wing. He centered it to Mike Hoffman and he scored on a snap shot past Tristan Jarry. Dominic Toninato got the secondary assist on the play.
     The Pens converted on a power play at 3:50 of the second period. Evgenii Malkin fired a shot from the top right circle which was saved. Jared McCann created a slap pass from the top left circle and Sidney Crosby redirected the puck from the top of the crease for his 10th goal of the season. Malkin extended his assist and point streaks to four games.
     The Panthers answered back quickly at the 4:59 mark and trailed 3-2. Hoffman backhanded a pass from the neutral zone. Vincent Trocheck raced for the puck in the right circle, centered it and Brett Connolly took a one-time shot from the slot for his 17th goal of the campaign.

Kings Zap Heat

     The Sacramento Kings surprised the Miami Heat 105-97 on Friday night at Golden1 Center. The Heat, who have their second two-game losing streak this season, continued their long road trip out west. They lost consecutive games in Brooklyn on January 10 and New York on January 12.
     Sacramento(20-31) jumped out on an 11-3 spurt and led 30-28 at the end of one quarter. Miami(34-17) stayed on pace and trailed 52-50 at halftime. The Kings extended the gap to 83-76 after three quarters and they started the fourth on a 21-12 run.
     Bem Adedayo dropped in a team-high 26 points for Heat. Duncan Robinson added 18 points while Kendrick Nunn scored 16 points. Bogdan Bogdanovic had a game-high 23 points for the Kings and Buddy Hield pumped in 21 points.

Golden Knights Light Up Panthers

     The Florida Panthers played their first home game in three weeks and fell to the Vegas Golden Knights 7-2 at BB&T Center on Thursday night. The Panthers have not played in Sunrise since January 16 against the Los Angeles Kings.
     Former Panthers head coach Pete DeBoer coached his seventh game with the Golden Knights, who finished off a four-game road trip following the NHL All-Star Game break and eighth straight road contest. The Panthers have lost three of their last four games since their break.
     Vegas(28-21-7) got the scoreboard at 2:15 of the first period to go ahead 1-0. Mark Stone made a lead pass from the neutral zone to Chandler Stephenson on the right circle. He flicked a shot from the right of the crease which was saved by Sergei Bobrovsky. Stone followed up and put in a forehand shot from the top of the crease.
     Florida(29-18-6) evened it up on a power-play goal with 3:38 left in the first. Jonathan Huberdeau advanced the puck from slot area to Vincent Trocheck to the left of the crease. He found Mike Hoffman with a cross-ice pass to the right circle and he one-timed a shot into a half-empty net past Marc-Andre Fleury. It was the 20th goal of the season for Hoffman as he reached the 20-goal plateau for the sixth straight season.
     In the second period, the Golden Knights reclaimed the lead 1:41 in. Nate Schmidt had a Florida shot bounce off of him in the defensive zone. Stone carried the puck out of the zone, through center ice and into the Panthers zone then snapped a shot from the low slot for his second tally of the game.
     The Panthers were awarded a penalty at the 6:40 mark when Brett Connolly was tripped when attempting a shot on goal. He tried a wrist shot on the free opportunity and Fleury made a shoulder save.
     The Cats tied up the contest with 8:08 remaining in the frame. Vincent Trocheck dashed through the right circle and around the cage for a wraparound shot for his eighth goal of the campaign. Huberdeau was credited with an assist on the play.
     It took 26 seconds for Vegas to make it 3-2. Max Pacioretty tapped in a shot from the blue paint for his 22nd goal on a feed from Stone.
     The Golden Knights increased it to a two-goal margin 17 seconds into the third period. Nate Schmidt fired a high wrist shot from the right point off a pass from Paul Stastny.
     Vegas added another tally with a shorthanded goal at 4:11 for a 5-2 lead. Shea Theodore skated with the puck from the neutral zone to the high slot and scored on a snap shot.
     It became 6-2 for the Golden Knights at the 8:53 mark with the man advantage. Pacioretty made a cross-ice pass from the left wing. Stone tipped the puck to his left and former Panther Jonathan Marchessault smacked a one-time slap shot from the high slot. Sam Montembeault replaced Bobrovsky in net after that goal.
     The rout continued for Vegas with 4:54 to go and they made it 7-2. Riley Stillman gave the puck away to Stephenson on the right wing and he centered it to Stone in the slot. Stone angled a pass to his left and Pacioretty got his second tally of the game and 23rd of the season on a forehand shot. Stone compiled his fifth point of the contest on that play and became the first player in Vegas Golden Knights franchise history to accomplish that feat.

Miami Marlins Remain On 940 WINZ

     The Miami Marlins radio broadcasts will continue on Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM. The club signed a multi-year deal with WINZ to stay as the flagship station of the Miami Marlins Radio Network.
     WINZ has been the primary radio station for the Marlins since the 2014 season. Dave Van Horne along with Glenn Geffner are expected to remain the radio play-by-play announcers of the team and so is Kyle Sielaff as pregame and postgame studio host.

Heat Lose To Clippers

     The Miami Heat were defeated by the Los Angeles Clippers 128-111 at Staples Center on Wednesday night. It was the first contest of a six-game road trip for the Heat. Miami acquired Andre Iguodala from the Memphis Grizzlies prior to the game.
     The Clippers had a 25-23 edge after one quarter, however Miami (34-16) bounced back and led 58-55 at halftime. Los Angeles(36-15) went on a 21-7 spurt to begin the second half and were up 92-80 at the end of three quarters. The Heat trailed by six points 109-103 with 3:20 left in the fourth and then the Clippers finished off with a 19-8 run.
     Derrick Jones Jr. had a team-high 25 points along with nine rebounds for Miami. Bam Adebayo compiled a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds. Paul George led the Clippers with a team-high 23 points and 10 assists for a double-double. Kawhi Leonard added 14 points and nine assists while Landry Shamet dropped in 23 points.

Miami Heat Acquire Andre Iguodala

     The Miami Heat acquired forward Andre Iguodala, forward Jae Crowder and forward Solomon Hill from the Memphis Grizzlies for forward Justise Winslow, forward James Johnson and guard Dion Waiters. Iguodala agreed to a two-year, $30 million contract extension with the Heat after the deal was completed.
     Iguodala played for the Golden State Warriors during their dynasty run in the late 2010s. He helped them win three NBA championships and five Western Conference titles between 2015 and 2019.
     He has not participated in one game this season with the Grizzlies. Iguodala was with the Philadelphia 76ers in his first eight seasons, followed by one season with the Denver Nuggets and six seasons with the Warriors.

National Signing Day Palm Beach County 2020

     Palm Beach County had national signing day on Wednesday. Some players choose where they will attend college.
     Former Royal Palm Beach and Dwyer quarterback Toddy Centeio graduated early from Temple and selected Colorado State. He has two more years of eligibility in college football.
     Pahokee had some of their players make their decisions. Defensive end Tamarick Best moves to FIU, defensive lineman Octavious Bouie went with East Tennessee State and offensive lineman Delonus Kabir heads north to Florida A&M.
     Park Vista defensive end Dylan Lacroix lands at Dartmouth, Benjamin wide receiver Addison Matevia goes to Brown, Dwyer defensive end Christian Lee heads for Alabama State, Palm Beach Lakes offensive lineman Novell Brown picked Alabama A&M, Park Vista quarterback Riley Klaus went with Lake Forest College, Forest Hill long snapper Dominic Barr decided on St. Thomas and The King's Academy wide receiver Mark Slider to Plymouth State.
     American Heritage had several players make their announcements. They included quarterback Zachary Bohannon(Midwestern State), defensive back Jamal Potts(FIU), linebacker Hayden Giers(Seton Hill), linebacker Molinsky Desire(East Central) and wide receiver Andison Cody(Northeastern Mississippi).
     John I. Leonard had a slew of offensive players head to college. Moving on will be quarterback Jadiel Cruz(St. Thomas), wide receiver Ahmad Orange(Arkansas Baptist), wide receiver Jonel Dieujuste(St. Thomas) and linebacker Robert Curtis(Kentucky Christian). Cardinal Newman had both running back Chris D'Or and defensive lineman Chris Kaczwara go to Slippery Rock.
     Atlantic had running back Bry'yon Jones(St. Thomas), wide receiver Jordan Cash(Keiser) and defensive back Javone Jackson(Tusculum). Seminole Ridge had defensive back Andre Fuller(Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and wide receiver Logan Feuerbach(Dakota Wesleyan).
     Four players from Suncoast decided on what is next for them. They have running back Aaron Adams(Army), offensive lineman Tyler Lewis(Stetson), offensive lineman Teo Richards(St. Thomas) and defensive lineman Charles Phoenix(Graceland).
     Keiser University got players from Palm Beach County with Olympic Heights quarterback Connor Hone, Palm Beach Gardens offensive lineman Emanus Dorelus, Boynton Beach defensive back Verwayne Alexander, Forest Hill tight end Shaun Tanner, Benjamin defensive lineman Cameron Williams and Wellington long snapper Patrick Tobin.
     North Palm Prep added Inlet Grove running back Keron Hines Ward and Palm Beach Lakes running back Antwoine Anderson.

National Signing Day Broward County 2020

     It was national signing day in Broward County on Wednesday. Some players made their decisions where they will play college football.
     At least nine St. Thomas Aquinas players from the FHSAA Class 7A state champions decided on early national signing day on December 18. Around 20 other Raiders waited until today to sign.
     One-time Dwyer and current STA cornerback Colby Dempsey selected UAB while tight end Jake Ray choose Arizona State. Other players included running back Jaedon Henry(Colgate), defensive lineman Landon Grier(South Carolina), offensive lineman Nathaniel Alperi(FAU), defensive back Blaine Anderson(Colgate), defensive back Damian Anderson(Yale), linebacker Andres Garcia(Central Florida), offensive lineman Kyle Gilliand(Stetson), offensive lineman Derrick Gordon(FAU), tight end Joseph Kirner(Wagner), Denorio Humes(Liberty), defensive lineman Griffin Lampton(Vanderbilt), linebacker Dontae Lunan(Bryant), defensive back Tyler MacKay(Mercer), defensive lineman Jamari Maybin(Bethune Cookman), offensive lineman Alonzo Missick(Florida Memorial), offensive lineman Jahmari Sylvester(FIU), offensive lineman Matthew Taylor(Boston College) and defensive lineman Riyad Wilmot(Maryland).
     Chaminade-Madonna, the three-time defending FHSAA Class 3A state champions, had a bunch of player head to college. Among the Lions were defensive end Claude Laukins Jr.(North Carolina State), defensive back Quadric Bullard(Central Florida), offensive lineman Jai'Mari Herbert(Tennessee State), wide receiver Rony Bourdeau(Notre Dame College), wide receiver Donovan Desir(St. Thomas), offensive lineman Jeremiah Mawali(Tennessee State), offensive lineman Joseph Habinowski(Ohio) and cornerback Benjamin Onwuzo(Florida A&M).
     Cardinal Gibbons, the 2018 FHSAA Class 5A state champs, had running back Coleman Bennett(Bucknell). University School offensive lineman Hunter Zambrano selected Illinois State.
      Coconut Creek defensive lineman Chris Jones decided to stay local at Florida Atlantic and Douglas offensive lineman Gage Gaynor goes across the country to Colorado State and Dillard wide receiver Raphael Williams choose Tusculum. Monarch wide receiver Brady Brauner and Douglas defensive end lands at Florida Tech.
     St. Thomas got several people from Broward County which included Western offensive lineman Jack Thibodeau and Cooper City linebacker Matthew McCausland.

National Signing Day Dade County 2020

     Dade County had national signing day on Wednesday. Most of the top talent in the county signed during the early signing period back in December.
     Two players from the Columbus Explorers, the 2019 FHSAA Class 8A state champions, made their decisions. Running Back Henry Parrish Jr. selected Ole Miss while wide receiver Xzavier Henderson choose Florida.
     Other Dade County players included two recent state champiions with Miami Northwestern running back Andre Stringfield and Booker T. Washington offensive lineman Jeremiah Jenkins going to Florida Memorial.

Wells Dusenbury Off Miami Marlins Beat

     Wells Dusenbury will no longer be covering the Miami Marlins on a daily basis for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He is being transferred to the news department.
     Dusenbury was first noticed locally at ESPN West Palm where he covered all high school sports in Palm Beach County. He joined the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in 2016 to write about Palm Beach County high school sports. Dusenbury was promoted to Miami Marlins beat writer for the 2018 season and replaced Tim Healey. He has worked as a part-time Florida Panthers reporter for the past two seasons.

Panthers Edged By Blue Jackets

     The Florida Panthers lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 in overtime on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena. The Panthers completed a six-game road trip will play a home game for the first time in three weeks on Thursday.
     Neither team was able to score in the first three periods of the contest. It was the fourth time this season in the NHL that there was a 0-0 tie at the end of regulation time.
     Florida(27-17-6) surrendered the game-winning goal at 1:54 of overtime. Mike Matheson gave the puck away on an outlet pass. Alexander Werenski skated through the low right circle and snapped a shot past Sergei Bobrovky to give Columbus(29-16-9) the victory.

Marlins To Ink Sean Rodriguez

     The Miami Marlins are expected to sign infielder/outfielder Sean Rodriguez to a minor-league contract. He will be invited to spring training camp in Jupiter to make the major league squad.
     Rodriguez is a Miami native and played high school baseball with Coral Park and Braddock. He has been in the majors for 13 seasons. Rodriguez had stints with the Los Angeles Angels, Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies. Rodriguez had four home runs, 12 runs batted in and a .223 batting average in 76 games played last season with the Phillies.

Mike Dunn Retires

     Former Miami Marlins pitcher Mike Dunn announced his retirement on Tuesday. He played the last three seasons with the Colorado Rockies.
     Dunn joined the Florida Marlins in 2011 for their final season at Sun Life Stadium. He was acquired from the Atlanta Braves in a three-player trade for Dan Uggla.
     He played six seasons with the Marlins. Dunn had a 34-26 record with a 4.00 earned-run-average in 555 relief appearances in his 11-year Major League Baseball career.

Heat Bash Sixers

     The Miami Heat pounded the Philadelphia 76ers 137-106 on Monday night at American Airlines Arena. It is the last home game for the Heat prior to the NBA All-Star Game break. Their next six games will be on the road.
     Philadelphia(31-20) kept it close as they were down 30-26 after one quarter and trailed 56-52 by halftime. Miami(34-15) outscored the Sixers by 16 points in the third and led 97-77. The Heat scored 81 points during the second half.
     Jimmy Butler carried the Heat with a game-high 38 points. Goran Dragic added 24 points while Bam Adebayo had a double-double of 18 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 27 points and 12 rebounds.

Mark Pysyk Hat Trick And Panthers Top Maple Leafs

     Mark Pysyk got his first career hat trick as the Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 at Scotiabank Arena on Monday night. Florida, who overcame a two-goal deficit in the third period, leaped over Toronto for third place in the Atlantic Division and a potential Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Panthers have won seven of their last eight games. 

     Florida(29-17-5) got the only tally of the first period. Mike Matheson carried the puck through the right circle to the goal line and backhanded a pass to the middle. Pysyk followed with a one-time shot from the low slot past Frederik Andersen with 9:30 left in the frame.
     In the second period, Toronto(28-18-7) got a power-play goal at the 3:21 mark. John Tavares scored his 19th goal of the season with a deflection by Sergei Bobrovsky. Assists were credited to Mitchell Marner and Tyson Barrie.
     The Maple Leafs pulled ahead 2-1 with 54.8 seconds remaining in the second. Kasperi Kapanen skated above the top right circle and made a snap pass from the right wing. It was redirected by William Nylander at the top of the crease.
     Both clubs found the net several times early in the third period. The Maple Leafs struck 38 seconds in for a two-goal lead. Auston Matthews chalked up his 37th goal of the season on assists from Zach Hyman and Marner.
     The Panthers put in two goals in less than a minute. Matheson released a wrist shot from the left point that was saved by Michael Hutchinson, but Pysyk snapped a forehand shot from the crease area on a feed at 2:20.
     The Cats added a power-play goal at the 3:18 mark to move ahead 3-2. Keith Yandle passed the puck from the top of the zone to Mike Hoffman. His angled pass from right circle glanced off the stick of Evgenii Dadonov and was tapped in by Jonathan Huberdeau on the edge of the blue paint for his 19th goal of the campaign. Hoffman compiled a point in 11 of his last 12 games.
     It became a 4-3 lead for Florida with 9:47 to go in the third period. A Matheson pass from the left point went across to Aaron Ekblad on the right point. His slap shot banked off the end wall to Hoffman to the left of the Leafs cage. He backhanded a shot from the goal line for his 19th goal.
     Toronto pulled the goalie for an extra attacker in the final minute of the contest. Pysyk stole the puck from Marner at the Maple Leafs blue line, was tripped in the high slot and still smacked in the puck from the low slot while on his knees with 47.4 seconds left. 

Kansas City Chiefs Win Super Bowl LIV

     The Kansas City Chiefs erased a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 to capture Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Sunday night. South Florida hosted the Super Bowl for the first time in a decade and a record 11th time overall.
     It was the first championship for the Chiefs in 50 years. The 49ers made their first Super Bowl appearance in seven years.
     The American Football Conference tied the National Football Conference with Super Bowl championships. The AFC and NFC both have 27 each. The last time they were tied was 30 years after following Super Bowl XXIV when both conferences had 12 wins.

Steve Hutchinson Makes Pro Football Hall Of Fame

     Former local high school football offensive lineman Steve Hutchinson was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. He played with the Coral Springs Colts in the mid 1990s.
     After attending the University of Michigan, he played for 12 seasons in the National Football League. Hutchinson helped the Seattle Seahawks win the NFC Championship in 2005. He also participated with the Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans later in his NFL career.

Edgerrin James In Pro Football Hall Of Fame

     Former University of Miami Hurricanes running back Edgerrin James was elected to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame on Saturday. James, who went to Immokalee High School, played three years with the Hurricanes from 1996 to 1998. He had 2,960 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns in 28 games.
     James had 12,446 rushing yards and 80 rushing touchdowns in 148 games during his 11-year NFL career. He played for the Indianapolis Colts for seven seasons, led the league in rushing yards twice (1999 and 2000) and helped them win several AFC South Division titles.

Nick Bosa NFL Defensive Rookie Player Of Year

     San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa was named the National Football League Defenisve Rookie Player of the Year. He had nine sacks and 32 solo tackles to help the team win the NFC West Division.

      Bosa played for the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders and led them to two FHSAA Class 7A state championships in 2014 and 2015. He went to Ohio State University and got the Buckeyes several Big 10 championships. 

Heat Moves By Magic

     The Miami Heat downed the Orlando Magic 102-89 at Amway Center on Saturday night. Miami defeated the Magic for the second time in the last six days. The Heat will return home to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday before embarking on a six-game road trip.
     Miami(33-15) got out to a 28-25 advantage after one quarter and stayed in front 57-49 at halftime. Orlando(21-28) could not dent the deficit during the second half.
     Jimmy Butler helped the Heat with a game-high 24 points while Tyler Herro added 23 points. Meyers Leonard was a big surprise with a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds. Aaron Gordon dropped in 24 points for the Magic and Nikola Vucevic fell short of a double-double with 21 points along with nine rebounds.

Lamar Jackson Named NFL Most Valuable Player

     Former local high school quarterback Lamar Jackson was voted unanimously as the Most Valuable Player of the National Football League for the 2019 season. He was only the second player in NFL history to be MVP with a unanimous vote. The other was Tom Brady of the New England Patriots in 2010.
     Jackson was selected 32nd overall by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2018 NFL Draft and overtook Joe Flacco for starting quarterback position during the 2018 season. He completed 266 passes for 3,127 yards and a league-leading 36 touchdown passes last year. Jackson set NFL single-season records for a quarterback with 1,206 rushing yards on 159 rushing attempts and led the entire league with 6.9 yards-per-carry in 2019. He led the Ravens to the best record in the NFL last season at 14-2.
     He played high school football with the Boynton Beach Tigers. Jackson led them to consecutive district runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2014. He lost in the first round of the FHSAA playoffs twice to Miami Central. Jackson played college football at the University of Louisville for three seasons and won the Heisman Trophy during his sophomore year in 2016.

Isaac Bruce Elected To Pro Football Hall Of Fame

     Former Broward County high school football player Isaac Bruce was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. He was a finalist on the ballot for the fourth time.
     Bruce, a Fort Lauderdale native, played with the Dillard Panthers. He led them during his senior year to their last state football championship when they captured the FHSAA Class 4A state title in 1989. Bruce had 39 catches for 644 receiving yards that season.
     He played with the Rams in Los Angeles and St. Louis for 14 seasons. Bruce helped them win Super Bowl XXXIV over the Tennessee Titans. He had 1,024 pass receptions for 15,435 receiving yards and 91 touchdowns in his 16-year NFL career.

Canadiens Shut Out Panthers

     The Montreal Canadiens played in their annual Super Bowl Saturday matinee at Bell Centre and rolled over the Florida Panthers 4-0. The Canadiens have done this tradition since 1991. It continued a string of six consecutive road games for the Panthers, who played their last game on January 21 in Chicago.
     Florida(28-16-5) had their season-long, six-game wininng streak snapped. Their previous defeat was against the Arizona Coyotes on January 7. Mike Hoffman had his 10-game point streak stopped while Carey Price picked up his 47th career shutout.
     The Habs jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the 5:25 mark of the opening frame. Jeff Petry advanced the puck from his own zone and Joel Armia made a touch pass at the red line. Nick Suzuki raced into the Panthers zone and snapped a shot from the right circle by Sergei Bobrovsky for his 10th goal of the campaign.
     Montreal(24-22-7) increased the lead to 2-0 at 6:01 of the second period. Jordan Weal passed it around the boards from the left corner. Petry released a shot from the right wing that was redirected in by Artturi Lehkonen from above the blue paint.
     It became a three-goal gap for the Canadiens with 6:25 left in the second. Tomas Tatar scored his 19th goal of the season on assists from Phillip Danault and Petry.
     In the third period, Petry collected his fourth assist of the game when Montreal converted with the man advantage at the 10:46 mark. His slap shot from the right point was deflected in by Brendan Gallagher in the low slot for his 17th tally of the year to make it 4-0.