Heat Take Pacers

     The Miami Heat got by the Indiana Pacers 92-87 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. The Heat, who have won two straight, now return to Miami for a four-game homestand. 

     Indiana(21-25) was up 28-23 after one quarter and had a slight 45-43 lead at halftime. Miami(24-24) kept up and were down 67-65 at the end of three quarters. The Heat went on an 11-5 spurt in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter to win the contest. 

     Duncan Robinson led the Heat with a game-high 20 points and eight rebounds. Jimmy Butler poured in 18 points while Tyler Herro added 17 points. Bam Adebayo contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. 

     Myles Turner scored a team-high 15 points for Indiana. Caris LeVert and Doug McDermott both had 14 points each. Domantas Sabonis fell short of a double-double with nine points along with 14 rebounds. 

Panthers Blitz Red Wings

     The Florida Panthers returned home from a five-game road trip and beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 at BB&T Center on Tuesday night. It was the first game that the Cats played since the left leg injury to Aaron Ekblad. Jonathan Huberdeau tied Roberto Luongo for fourth all-time in franchise history playing in his 572nd game. 

     Florida(23-9-4) blasted out to a 1-0 lead just 17 seconds into the first period. Huberdeau won a faceoff in the left circle. Mason Marchment put a pass into the low slot and Huberdeau slipped a soft wrist shot by Calvin Pickard for his 14th goal of the season. Huberdeau expanded his three-game point streak with his third goal in two games. Marchment picked up a point for the first time in 10 games. 

     The Panthers extended it to 2-0 with 8:33 remaining in the first. Anthony Duclair backhanded a centering pass from the low left circle and Carter Verhaeghe scored on a snap shot from the low slot.

     The Cats made it a three-goal margin with 7:35 to go in the frame. Gustav Forsling snapped a shot from the right point and Brett Connolly redirected the puck from top of the crease. Connolly chalked up his 100th NHL goal on the play. The Red Wings made a change in goal as Pickard left the game for Thomas Greiss. 

     In the second period, Detroit(12-21-4) converted on a power-play goal at the 7:29 mark and closed it to 3-1. Filip Hronek passed the the puck from the left wing to Dylan Larkin in the left corner. He centered it and Filip Zadina rifled a slap shot from the right circle for his fourth goal of the campaign. Florida surrendered a power-play tally to the Red Wings for the first time in 10 meetings. The point streak for Hronek rose up to three games. 

    The Panthers increased their lead to 4-1 with 7:49 left in the second. Verhaeghe raced around the Red Wings cage and made a wraparound forehand shot past Greiss. It was Verhaeghe's team-high 17th goal of the year and fifth tally in the past three contests. Owen Tippett was credited with an assist to begin the play. 

Entercom Communications Now Audacy

     Entercom Communications has renamed their organization to Audacy. It has been known as Entercom since October 1968. The new company will have an impact on the South Florida community. 

     Audacy owns seven radio stations in the Miami market. They include two sports talk radio format stations 560 The Joe WQAM-AM and Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM.

Marlins Trade James Hoyt

     The Miami Marlins have traded pitcher James Hoyt to the Los Angeles Angels for cash considerations. Hoyt was acquired by the Marlins from the Cleveland Indians back in August. 

     Hoyt had a 2-0 record and a 1.23 earned-run-average in 24 games in relief. He helped the Marlins to their first postseason appearance since 2003. 

Heat Handle Knicks

     The Miami Heat knocked off the New York Knicks 98-88 at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. The Heat have won seven of their last nine road games and have defeated the Knicks in nine of their last 11 meetings. 

     Miami(23-24) climbed to a 21-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. New York(24-23) bounced and moved ahead 43-36 by halftime. The Heat opened up the second half with a 9-2 spurt and outscored the Knicks 39-21 during the third quarter for a 75-64 lead.  

     The Heat was led by Jimmy Butler with a game-high 27 points. Bam Adebayo compiled 20 points and 17 rebounds for a double-double. Tyler Herro put in 18 points while Duncan Robinson scored 14 points. 

     Julius Randle compiled 22 points and eight rebounds for New York. Derrick Rose poured in 16 points and Immanuel Quickley added 12 points. 

Dolphins To Host Extra 2021 Game

     The National Football League will expand their 2021 schedule with an extra game. The NFL has gone by a 16-game regular season schedule since 1978. 

     The Miami Dolphins will get to host one more home contest for the 2021 campaign based on the NFL criteria. The Dolphins are slated to play at home against the New York Giants. 

Panthers Ride By Stars

     The Florida Panthers defeated the Dallas Stars 4-1 at American Airlines Center on Sunday night. The Panthers concluded their five-game road trip with the victory. 

     Dallas(11-12-9) moved ahead 1-0 on the power play at the 4:32 mark. Jason Robertson put in his sixth goal of the campaign past Chris Driedger with assists from Roope Hintz and John Klingberg. 

     It was quickly answered back by Florida(22-9-4) 31 seconds later to tie it up 1-1. Jonathan Huberdeau stole the puck from Jamie Benn on the right wing. He scored on a snap shot from the inner edge of the right circle by Jake Oettinger. 

     Anthony Duclair was awarded a penalty shot at 6:29 of the first. He skated in and snapped a shot off the left post that went into the cage for his fourth goal this year. It was the first time in his NHL career that Duclair converted on a penalty shot after three previous missed attempts. 

     The Panthers opened up a 3-1 lead on the man advantage with 6:23 remaining in the frame. Keith Yandle angled a pass from the top of the zone to his right. Huberdeau released a wrist shot from the top right circle for his second goal of the contest and 13rd goal of the season. Ekblad, who had the secondary assist on the play, was hurt with a serious leg injury with 11:02 to go in the second period. 

     Owen Tippett got an empty-net goal with 1:05 left for a three-goal margin. Huberdeau gathered his third point in the game on an assist. 

Panthers Game Rescheduled

     The Florida Panthers will have a game rescheduled. It was to take place near the end of the 2020-21 regular season.

     The Panthers will host the Tampa Bay Lightning on May 10. The original date for the contest was to be on May 6. 

Known Agenda Wins Florida Derby

     Known Agenda captured the 2021 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach on Saturday. It was his third victory in six races so far in his career. Soup and Sandwich finished in second place behind 2 3/4 lengths. 

     Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola is the owner of Known Agenda and Todd Pletcher is the trainer. Viola owned Always Dreaming when that horse won the Florida Derby back in 2017. 

Carter Verhaeghe Hat Trick Stops Stars

     Carter Verhaeghe compiled a hat trick as the Florida Panthers jumped by the Dallas Stars 4-3 in overtime on Saturday night at American Airlines Center. The Cats were able to snap a three-game losing streak. 

     It was the first of the four games the Panthers will play at Dallas in the next 18 days. Keith Yandle played in his 900th consecutive NHL game. He became only the third NHL player to reach that mark. 

     Florida(21-9-4) struck fast just 24 seconds into the contest. Noel Acciari blocked a shot in his own  zone and he gathered it at the Stars blue line. He sent a diagonal pass to the left circle and Carter Verhaegje lifted a snap shot from the left circle by Anton Khudobin for his 13th goal of the season. It was the first goal for Verhaeghe in the last four games. 

     Dallas(11-11-9) evened it up 1-1 at the 8:01 mark. Jamie Benn had the puck behind the Panthers cage and centered it. Denis Gurianov put in a wrist shot from the top of the crease for his sixth goal this year. It was the first tally for Gurianov in the past eight contests. 

     The Stars pulled ahead at 9:57 to make it 2-1. Radek Faksa connected a pass from the end wall to Esa Lindell at the blue line. He angled a pass to his left and John Klingberg blasted a one-time slap shot from the top left circle by Sergei Bobrovsky. Klingberg found the net for the first time in nine games. 

     The Panthers tied it up 2-2 on the power play with three minutes remaining in the first. Owen Tippett released a shot toward the net which was saved. Acciari tipped it in the low slot and Verhaeghe swept in a backhand shot from the top of the crease for his second tally of the game.

     In the second period, the Cats regained the lead on a shorthanded goal with 2:20 left in the frame. Verhaeghe sailed a high wrist shot from the left-circle dot for his third goal of the game and 15th goal of the campaign. 

     It became a 3-3 game three minutes into the third period. Joel L'Espance was able to nail his first NHL goal. 

     Florida won the contest in overtime with 9.3 seconds remaining. Jonathan Huberdeau sent a cross-ice pass from above the left circle and Aaron Ekblad scored on a backhand shot from the top of the crease for his 11th goal of the year. Verhaeghe had the second assist on the play for his first four-point game of his NHL career. 

Howard Schnellenberger Passes Away

     Former University of Miami Hurricanes and Florida Atlantic University Owls head football coach Howard Schnellenberger passed away on Saturday at the age of 87. He had a definitive impact on all levels of football in South Florida. Schnellenberger was undefeated in college football bowl games with a 6-0 record. 
     Schnellenberger was on the Miami Dolphins coaching staff under head coach Don Shula from 1970 to 1972. He helped the Dolphins go undefeated with a perfect 17-0 record and captured Super Bowl VII over the Washington Redskins. After a two-year stint as the head coach of the Baltimore Colts, he returned to the Dolphins as an offensive coordinator from 1975 to 1978. 

     He became the head coach of the University of Miami in 1979. Schnellenberger guided the Hurricanes to their first national championship in 1983 with an Orange Bowl victory over Nebraska. 

     Schnellenberger left South Florida for other head coaching stints. They included the proposed Miami franchise of the USFL in 1984, the Louisville Cardinals from 1985 to 1994 and the Oklahoma Sooners in 1995. 

     He returned to the local area and organized a new college football program at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Schnellenberger was the head coach of the Owls from 2001 until 2011. A football stadium was built on the FAU campus and the field was named after him. 

Willie Snead IV Joining Raiders

     Former Palm Beach County high school football player Willie Snead IV has joined the Las Vegas Raiders. It is a one-year deal between him and the team. 

     Snead played his freshman year of high school football with the Glades Central Raiders before moving to Michigan. He went on to participate in college football with Ball State. 

     He played three seasons with the New Orleans Saints. Snead signed with the Baltimore Ravens and stayed their three years. He compiled 126 pass receptions for 1,422 yards and nine touchdowns in 45 games during his three-year tenure with the Ravens. 

Hornets Sink Heat

     The Charlotte Hornets took the Miami Heat 110-105 at Spectrum Center on Friday night. The Heat have now lost six consecutive games. 

     Charlotte(23-22) blasted out to a 40-23 lead after one quarter and were way ahead 72-49 at halftime. Miami(22-24) tried to cut into the deficit and were down 92-79 at the end of third quarter. 

     The Hornets had a 105-88 lead with 4:35 remaining in the final quarter. The Heat scored 12 straight points and went on a 20-3 run in the last four minutes of the contest, however it was still not enough. 

     Jimmy Butler was barely short of a double-double with 20 points and nine assists for Miami. Duncan Robinson dropped in 20 points while Trevor Ariza had 14 points and nine rebounds. Bam Adebayo contributed 17 points along with eight rebounds. 

     Malik Monk came off the bench and poured in a game-high 32 points for Charlotte. Terry Rozier got 26 points and 11 assists for a double-double. Devonte' Graham had 16 points and eight assists. 

Miami Dolphins Trade High Draft Picks

     The Miami Dolphins have dealt the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to the San Francisco 49ers for the 12th overall pick, a 2021 third-round selection, a 2022 first-round pick and a 2023 first-round pick. The trade eliminated the idea that the Dolphins may select a quarterback early in the draft to compete with Tua Tugovailoa. 

     Miami followed that will another deal. They traded the 12th overall pick for this year, a 2021 fourth-round pick and and a 2022 first-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and the 2021 fifth-round selection. 

     The Dolphins continue to hold another first-round selection for the upcoming draft with the 18th overall pick. The three-day 2021 NFL Draft will be held in Cleveland beginning on April 29. 

Panthers Put Anton Stralman On Waivers

     The Florida Panthers have placed defenseman Anton Stralman on waivers. He has played with the Panthers for the past two seasons.

     Stralman has compiled three goals and six assists in 29 games this season. He joined Florida for the 2019-20 campaign and had 19 points in 69 regular season games on their way to the postseason for the first time since the 2015-16 season. 

     He has been on several teams during his 14-season NHL career. They included the Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning. He participated in the Stanley Cup Finals with New York in 2014 and Tampa Bay in 2015. 

Steve Cishek Released By Astros

     The Houston Astros have released relief pitcher Steve Cishek. He was invited to their spring training camp to compete for a major league roster spot after signing a minor league deal on February 9.

     Cishek was with the Marlins organization from 2010 until 2015. He had 94 saves in 284 games over six seasons. 

Blackhawks Shut Out Panthers

     The Chicago Blackhawks blanked the Florida Panthers 3-0 at United Center on Thursday night. Florida(20-9-4) was shut out for the second time during the 2020-21 campaign. The Panthers have lost three straight games and four of their last five contests. Kevin Lankinen picked up his second career shutout with the victory. 

     In the second period, Chicago(16-13-5) got a 1-0 lead on the power play at the 1:05 mark. 

Brandon Hagel took wrist shot from  left wing that was saved by Sergei Bobrovsky. Carl Soderberg poked at the puck several times from blue paint and then Patrick Kane swept it into the cage for his 13th goal of the season. 

     It become 2-0 for the Blackhawks at 3:34. Kane sent a diagonal pass from the neutral zone to the top left circle. Alex DeBrincat snapped a shot from the left circle that Bobrovsky stopped. Pius Suter guided the puck into an open net from the top of the crease for his 10th goal this year. 

     The Hawks added an empty-net goal with 1:24 left in the third period for a three-goal margin. Hagel flicked a shot from his own zone for his fourth tally this season.  

Trail Blazers Slip By Heat

     The Miami Heat were edged by the Portland Trail Blazers 125-122 on Thursday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat had their losing streak extended to five games and have a losing record for the first time since March 2. 

     Portland(26-18) pulled ahead 31-24 after one quarter and had a 59-58 edge at halftime. Miami(22-23) stuck with them and had the contest tied 91-91 at the end of three quarters. 

     The Heat scored 11 straight points, however the Trail Blazers matched it and scored 11 consecutive points to go up 111-110 with 3:48 left in the fourth. It came down to the final shot as Derrick Jones Jr. slammed the ball through the hoop on a three-point play with 13.9 seconds remaining for a 122-120 lead. Bam Adebayo made a layup underneath the basket to tie it up 122-122 with 10.8 seconds to go. Damian Lillard made three free throws with one second left. 

     Two Miami players fell short of a double-double. Adebayo had 29 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while Tyler Herro compiled 29 points along with eight assists. Kendrick Nunn was able to drop in 22 points. 

     Lillard put together 22 points and nine assists for the Trail Blazers. C.J. McCollum scored a game-high 35 points and Carmelo Anthony poured in 20 points. Enes Kanter had a double-double of 18 points and 16 rebounds. 

Matt Breida Exits For Buffalo

     Running back Matt Breida has signed a deal with the Buffalo Bills. It is a one-year contract between him and his new club. 

     Breida was picked up by the Miami Dolphins from the San Francisco 49ers for a 2020 fifth-round draft pick on April 25, 2020. He played in 12 games with the Dolphins last season and compiled 59 rushing attempts for 254 yards. Breida participated for three years with the 49ers and won an NFC title in 2019. 

West Palm Beach Ratings February 2021

     West Palm Beach sports format radio stations were issued their ratings. The time period went from the first week of February until the first week of March. 

     Fox Sports 640 South Florida WMEN-AM remained at a 0.2 for the third straight period and the seventh time in the last nine months. The Florida Panthers continued to be near the top of the Central Division standings. 

     Sports Radio 1230 The Zone WBZT-AM dropped from a 0.2 to a 0.0. The station had a 0.0 for the 11th time in the past 12 months. University of Florida basketball was the highlight of the schedule. 

     Two Miami-based radio stations disappeared from the local ratings. Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM had a 0.7 while 560 The Joe WQAM-AM had a 0.4 in the previous month. 

Gio Gonzalez Announces Retirement

     Gio Gonzalez announced he is retiring from Major League Baseball on Thursday afternoon. He agreed to a minor league deal in early March with the Miami Marlins and to attend their spring training camp in Jupiter. 

     Gonzalez, a Hialeah native, participated in the majors for 13 seasons. He played for the Oakland A's, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox. Gonzalez finished with a 131-101 career record, 3.70 earned-run-average and 1,860 strikeouts. 

Miami Heat To Pick Up Victor Oladipo

     The Miami Heat will make a trade getting Victor Oladipo and a 2022 first-round draft pick from the Houston Rockets for Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley and a 2022 first-round draft pick. Oladipo had a short stint with Houston and was traded from the Indiana Pacers to the Rockets back on January 13.. 

     Oladipo has played a combined 29 games with the two clubs this season. He has averaged 20.8 points-per-game, 5.0 rebounds-per-game and 4.7 assists-per-game. Oladipo has a career 17.8 point average in eight NBA seasons. 

Heat To Acquire Nemanja Bjelica

     The Miami Heat will acquire Nemanja Bjelica from the Sacramento Kings for Maurice Harkless and Chris Silva. Bjelica has played the last three seasons with Sacramento. He has participated in 26 games this season and averaged 7.2 points-per-game and 3.8 rebounds-per-game. 

     Harkless was in his first season with the Heat and averaged 1.4 points-per-game in 11 contests. Silva averaged 3.0 points-per-game in 55 games over two seasons with Miami. 

Dick Stockton Retires

     Boca Raton resident Dick Stockton has decided to retire. He has been a sportscaster in the broadcasting industry for over 55 years. 

     Stockton, a Syracuse University grad, announced Miami Dolphins preseason games as the play-by-play announcer on WFOR-TV Channel 4 since 2010. The exception was in 2013 when Jesse Agler had the role. 

     He was employed as a sportscaster in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh at the start of his broadcasting career. Stockton landed in 1971 at WBZ-TV and WBZ-AM in Boston. He would become the television voice of the Boston Celtics from 1974 to 1977 and the Boston Red Sox from 1975 to 1978. 

     Stockton has been heard on a national basis on several television networks. He spent two years as an NFL play-by-play announcer at NBC Sports until 1977. 

     He was with CBS Sports as a NFL play-by-play announcer from 1978 to 1993. Stockton became the primary television voice of the National Basketball Association on CBS Sports from 1981 to 1990. His game analysts included Bill Russell, Tommy Heinsohn, Billy Cunningham and Hubie Brown. Stockton worked as the secondary voice on the Major League Baseball from 1990 until 1993. He added Turner Broadcasting duties in the late 1980's and called NBA games for over 25 years. 

     He joined Fox Sports when they began to carry the National Football League in 1994. Stockton added play-by-play announcer duties of Major League Baseball in 1996. He also called the National Hockey League with that organization during the 1994-95 season. Stockton did his final NFL game with Fox Sports in 2020. 

Ken LaVicka To Middays At ESPN West Palm

     ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM will be making a change to their weekday lineup. Josh Cohen and The Hometeam co-host and sports anchor Ken LaVicka will host his own show. He will move to the midday shift as of April 5 and air from noon to 1PM. It will replace the noon hour of Alan Hahn and Bart Scott from ESPN Radio, which began at the radio station of January 5. 

     LaVicka will continue as the radio play-by-play announcer of Florida Atlantic University game broadcasts. He has been associated with Josh Cohen and The Hometeam since 2015. 

     Chris Kokell will also be on the new program as an on-air sidekick. Kokell rejoined ESPN West Palm from Fox Sports 640 South Florida WMEN-AM in October 2020 and has been a co-host on the Evan Cohen Show for the last couple of months. 

A.J. Ramos Joins Angels Organization

     Former Miami Marlins pitcher A.J. Ramos has agreed to a contract with the Los Angeles Angels. It is a minor league deal and he will report to their training site to start the 2021 season. 

     Ramos pitched with the Marlins from 2012 until 2017. He was their closer during his last three seasons with the team. Ramos had a 2.78 earned run average and 92 saves in 325 relief appearances. 

Dolphins Ink Elandon Roberts

     The Miami Dolphins have re-signed linebacker Elandon Roberts to a one-year deal worth $1.995 million. He had 61 tackles in 13 games last season with the Dolphins. 

     Roberts was with the New England Patriots from 2016 to 2019. He was able to capture two Super Bowl championships with that club. 

James White Remaining With Patriots

     Former local high school football running back James White is expected to re-sign with the New England Patriots. White played with the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders and helped them win the FHSAA Class 5A state title and national championship in 2008. He moved on to the University of Wisconsin for four years. 

     White was selected in the fourth round by the Patriots during the 2014 NFL Draft. He has been a part of three Super Bowl teams while with New England. White is best known for scoring an overtime touchdown in Super Bowl LI to overcome the Atlanta Falcons. 

Jeff Mathis Released By Phillies

     Former Miami Marlins Jeff Mathis has been released by the Philadelphia Phillies. He was invited to the Phillies spring training camp to make their major league roster for the upcoming 2021 campaign. 

     Mathis was with the Marlins from 2013 until 2016. He did have stints with the Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers. 

Blackhawks Edge Panthers

     The Florida Panthers were defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 at United Center on Tuesday night. The Panthers have lost three of their last four games. The Blackhawks were able to end a four-game losing streak. 

     Chicago(15-13-5) raced out to a 1-0 lead at the 6:24 mark of the first period. Connor Murphy advanced the puck from his own zone. Brandon Hagel brought it into the Panthers zone on the right side. He slid a cross-ice pass from the right circle to Dominik Kubalik and he scored on a snap shot from the low slot past Chris Driedger for his 11th goal this season. Kubalik extended his point streak up to six games.  It was the first point for Murphy in nine contests. 

     The Blackhawks made it 2-0 with 1:30 remaining in the first. Patrick Kane backhanded the puck from the left corner. Nikita Zadorov released a wrist shot from the left point and it was deflected in by Pius Suter from the top of the crease for his ninth goal of the season. It was Suter's first goal and first point in seven games while it was Zadorov's first point in the last 10 games. 

     In the second period, the Hawks got a power-play goal at 4:22. Carl Soderberg picked up his sixth goal of the campaign on assists from Kane and Alex DeBrincat. Kane is now third in the National Hockey League with 32 assists. 

     Florida(20-8-4) broke the shutout at the 8:53 mark. Owen Tippett pushed it ahead from the left wing to Noel Acciari at the left-circle dot. His backhand centering pass went to Anton Stralman and he snapped a shot from the inner edge of the right circle by Kevin Lankinen for his third tally this year. It was the first goal for Stralman since February 25 against the Dallas Stars. 

     The Panthers closed it to 3-2 on the man advantage with 4:38 left in the third period. Jonathan Huberdeau put a forehand shot from the top right circle and it was tipped by Acciari in the slot area. Alex Wennberg got the puck on the right side of the crease and stuffed it in for his seventh goal of the year. 

Suns Down Heat

     The Phoenix Suns topped the Miami Heat 110-100 on Tuesday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat have lost their last four games. 

     Phoenix(29-13) was up 25-20 at the end of one quarter and extended their lead to 58-43 by halftime. Miami(22-22) gained some ground with a 17-7 spurt late in the third quarter and trailed 85-73. The Suns began the fourth quarter on a 14-5 run to put the contest away. 

     Kendrick Nunn had a game-high 25 points for the Heat. Jimmy Butler put together a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Bam Adebayo was able to add 16 points along with eight rebounds. 

     Devin Booker led Phoenix with 23 points while Jae Crowder returned to Miami and faced his former team with 13 points. Deandre Ayton compiled a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds. 

Miami Ratings February 2021

     The ratings were released for Miami/Fort Lauderdale sports format radio stations. The time period went from the first week of February to the first week of March.

     There is a new leader in the local region. Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM finished ahead of 560 The Joe WQAM-AM for the first time since July 2019 when Dan Le Batard with Stugotz was still on their longtime home. 

     The Ticket moved from a 0.3 to a 0.5 in the period. The Miami Heat climbed out from near the bottom of the Eastern Conference to a playoff position with a six-game winning streak. The midday program with Jonathan Zaslow and Amber Wilson saw an increase in audience. 

     WQAM fell from a 0.5 to a 0.4 in the month. The Florida Panthers stayed near the top of the Central Division standings. The midday slot with two nationally syndicated ESPN Radio shows has not succeeded in listenership. 

     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM stayed at a 0.1 for the second straight period. NASCAR auto racing returned on Sundays and University of Florida basketball filled their schedule.  

Isaiah McKenzie Remains In Buffalo

     The Buffalo Bills will re-sign wide receiver and special teams returner Isaiah McKenzie. It will be a one-year pact with the club. 

     He had 30 pass receptions for 282 yards and five touchdowns last season. McKenzie helped the Bills win the AFC East Division in 2020. 

     McKenzie played high school football with the American Heritage Patriots and led them to the FHSAA Class 5A state championship in 2013. He then attended the University of Georgia to play college football for three years.  

Dolphins Sign Kai Locksley

     The Miami Dolphins have signed Kai Locksley to a contract. He is slated to play quarterback and wide receiver. 

     Locksley was at two schools while in college football. He was at the University of Texas and never played a down with the Longhorns. Locksley participated as a quarterback with UTEP for two seasons in 2018 and 2019. He had 186 passes for 2,266 yards and nine touchdowns in 20 games. 

Florida Panthers On National Television

     Two Florida Panthers will have two of their games broadcast exclusively on NBCSN in April. Florida will host the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 15 and visit the Chicago Blackhawks on April 29. Fox Sports Florida will end up broadcasting 54 regular season games of the Panthers this year. 

     The Panthers did have one game scheduled prior to the start of the 2020-21 season at the Detroit Red Wings on February 21. It was eliminated when the Panthers had to reset their schedule after their two home contests against the Dallas Stars were postponed during the first week of the regular season. 

Matt Jones Wins The Honda Classic

     Matt Jones captured The Honda Classic at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens on Sunday. He finished the tournament with a -12 which was five strokes ahead of Brandon Hagy. Jones picked up $1.26 million in prize money for the win. 

     Jones was -9 at the end of the first round and leading by three strokes over Aaron Wise and Russell Henley. Wise led by three strokes after two rounds with Jones and Hagy behind him. 

     In the third round, Jones was back on top of the leaderboard with a -10 followed by Wise and J.B. Holmes with a -7. Jones shot a -2 in the final round with nobody near to challenge for the victory. 

Lightning Hold Off Panthers

     The Florida Panthers lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Sunday at Amalie Arena. Both teams entered today with the two best records in the National Hockey League. 

     Florida(20-7-4) moved ahead 1-0 at 3:22 of the first period. Aleksander Barkov took the puck away from Ondrej Palat at the right points. He skated to the low right circle and centered it. Carter Verhaeghe shoveled the puck with a backhand shot from the low slot by Curtis McElhinney for his 12th goal this season. Verhaeghe got his third goal in the past five contests. Barkov has compiled a point in 11 of his last 13 games. 

     Tampa Bay(23-6-2) answered back quickly just 32 seconds late to even it up 1-1. Erik Cernak angled a pass back from the right wing and it was tipped ahead by Blake Coleman in the high slot. Barclay Goodnow softly put a backhand shot from the low slot which was saved by Sergei Bobrovsky, however Yanni Gourde snapped a shot from the left of the crease for his 11th goal of the season. Gourde increased his goal streak to three games while Goodrow had his second point in the last 13 contests.

     It became 2-1 for the Bolts with 8:37 remaining in the second period. Cernak carried it down the right wing and around the Florida cage. He sent the puck toward the net from the left wing and Aaron Ekblad knocked it away. Alex Killorn fired a wrist shot from the low right circle for his ninth goal of the year. Killorn scored for the second time in the last three games and now has a three-game point streak.

     The Cats had a goal disallowed with 5:03 to go due to being offside earlier in the play. Frank Vatrano finished it off with a one-handed forehand shot from the top of the crease. 

     The Panthers would to it 2-2- on a power-play goal with 1:36 left in the second. Alex Wennberg fed the puck from the right wing and Gustav Forling blasted a slap shot from the right corner for his second goal of the campaign. 

     In the third period, the Lightning regained the lead 3-2 at the 5:22 mark. Ross Colton came out from the right corner and took a forehand shot from the right of the crease which was saved. Mathieu Joseph hustled in and put in the rebound from the edge of the blue paint for his eighth goal this season.  

     The Panthers converted with the man advantage at 6:25 and tied it 3-3. Patric Hornqvist got his 12th goal this year on a deflection from the slot area following a slap shot by Keith Yandle from the right point. It was Hornqvist's 250th NHL goal and his first goal in the last five contests. 

     Tampa Bay picked up a power-play tally with 9:04 remaining. Anthony Cirelli made a drop pass at the top left circle, Gourde sent a diagonal pass to his right and Tyler Johnson tapped in a shot from the top of the crease for his seventh goal of the season. Brayden Point added an empty-net goal with 14.3 seconds left for a 5-3 lead. 

Pacers Sweep Heat

     The Indiana Pacers raced by the Miami Heat 109-106 in overtime at American Airlines Arena on Sunday. The Pacers won both contests in Miami this weekend.   

     Miami lost three straight games for the first time since mid-February. Miami dropped to 0-4 in overtime while the Pacers moved to 4-1 in overtime. 

     Indiana(19-22) had a 32-28 advantage after one quarter and were up 57-49 by the midway point. Miami(22-21) still were down 79-70 at the end of three quarters. The Heat trailed 96-90 with 3:04 left in the fourth, however they went on a 8-2 spurt to put the game into overtime. 

     Miami scored the first five points of the extra session for their largest lead of the contest. The Pacers answered back with nine straight points on their way to an 11-3 run.      

     The Heat were led by Bam Adedayo with 29 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Jimmy Butler also compiled a double-double of 21 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. Duncan Robinson placed in 13 points and Tyler Herro dropped in 11 points. 

     Domantus Sabonis nailed a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana. Myles Turner added 16 points while Doug McDermott came off the bench and had 15 points.

Bally Sports Starts March 31

     The two local regional sports networks will have a new name as of March 31. Fox Sports Florida will become Bally Sports Florida while Fox Sports Sun will be renamed Bally Sports Sun.

     Three South Florida professional sports teams will remain on their specific channels. The Florida Panthers along with the Miami Marlins are listed on Bally Sports Florida and the Miami Heat is slated for Bally Sports Sun. 

Panthers Blank Predators

     The Florida Panthers completed a four-game homestand with a 2-0 shutout victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday at BB&T Center. Chris Driedger compiled his second career shutout and it was against the Predators again. 

     The Panthers have won seven of their last nine contests. Patric Hornqvist participated in his 800th NHL game. 

     Neither team was able to score during the first period. The Panthers outshot the Predators 21-5 in the first 18 minutes of play. 

     Florida(20-6-4) got out to a 1-0 lead at the 9:15 mark of the second period. MacKenzie Weegar fired a wrist shot which was saved and touched by Anthony Duclair. Aleksander Barkov carried the puck across the low slot and roofed a backhand shot over Juuse Saros for his 13th goal of the season. Barkov now has seven points in his last four contests while Weegar extended his career-high point streak to seven games and tied a Panthers franchise record of consecutive games with a point by a defenseman with Keith Yandle in 2018. 

     In the third period, the Panthers scored with 14.2 seconds left to make it 2-0. Nashville(13-17-1) had an extra attacker on the ice for their pulled goalie when a pass to the blue line from the right corner went out of the zone. Duclair raced for it in the neutral zone, skated with it to the low slot and put the puck into the empty net. It was the first tally for Duclair in the last nine games. 

Dolphins Let Go Isaiah Wilson

     The Miami Dolphins have released offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson. He was acquired by the Dolphins from the Tennessee Titans along with a 2022 seventh-round pick for a 2021 seventh-round pick on March 17. 

     Wilson was selected 29th overall by the Titans in the 2020 NFL Draft. He played just four snaps in one game last season. 

Dolphins Signing More Linebackers

     Two linebackers have agreed to sign deals with the Miami Dolphins. They are Duke Riley and Brennan Scarlett. 

     Riley spent the last two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and had 55 total tackles in 13 games during 2020. Scarlett was with the Houston Texans for the past five years and compiled 139 total tackles in 56 contests. 

Pacers Pound Heat

     The Indiana Pacers routed the Miami Heat 137-110 at American Airlines Arena on Friday night. Both clubs will meet again on Sunday in the same venue. Trevor Ariza played in his first game with the Heat and had two assists in six minutes. 

     Indiana(18-22) took a 32-30 after one quarter and remained in front 68-58 by halftime. Miami(22-20) could not keep up and trailed 99-82 at the end of three quarters. 

     Bam Adebayo compiled  20 points and eight rebounds for the Heat. Jimmy Butler chalked up 17 points along with eight rebounds. Goran Dragic poured in 16 points while Tyler Herro scored 15 points. 

     The Pacers had seven players with double-digit scoring. Malcolm Brogdon led the team with 27 points and Justin Holiday dropped in 17 points. Domantas Sabonis put together a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds. 

Jeremy Loper Staying At WRKZ-FM

     Former South Florida radio personality Jeremy Loper will remain as a morning co-host with WRKZ-FM in Columbus, Ohio. He has signed a four-year extension with that radio station. He began at WRKZ-FM back in April 2012. 

     Loper once had a long reign as the morning co-host on 103.1 The Buzz WPBZ-FM in West Palm Beach. After he left the region, he co-hosted a MMA podcast on Fox Sports.com along with Damon Martin and Matt Brown. Loper later became the mixed martial arts television play-by-play announcer of Merger Of Alliance MMA and Iron Tiger Fight Series on CBS Sports Network in June 2017. 

Geno Atkins Out From Bengals

     Former St. Thomas Aquinas defensive lineman Geno Atkins has been released by the Cincinnati Bengals. Atkins has been with the Bengals for his entire 11-year NFL career. 

     He was selected by that club during the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Atkins made the Pro Bowl on eight different occasions. He was able to make 75.5 sacks and 384 total tackles in 161 games with Cincinnati. 

     Atkins was with the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders and helped them reach the FHSAA Class 5A state championship game against Lakeland twice in 2004 and 2005. He moved on to play college football with the University of Georgia for four years. 

Bobby Hart Released By Bengals

     Former Cardinal Gibbons and  St. Thomas Aquinas offensive lineman Bobby Hart was let go by the Cincinnati Bengals. He played in 46 games with the Bengals over the last three seasons. 

     Hart was drafted in the seventh round by the New York Giants back in 2015. He stayed there for three seasons.

     He played high school football first with the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs and transferred to the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders. Hart ended up capturing a FHSAA Class 5A state title and a national championship in 2010. He went on to Florida State University for the next four years. 

Lamarcus Joyner Going To Jets

     Former St. Thomas Aquinas defensive back Lamarcus Joyner will be signing a contract with the New York Jets. It is expected to be a one-year deal for $4.5 million. 

     Joyner played the last two seasons with the Raiders organization in Oakland and Las Vegas. He was invovled in 28 games for the Raiders. He started his NFL career with the St. Louis Rams in 2014, helped the Los Angeles Rams win the 2018 NFC title and faced the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. 

Predators Streak By Panthers

     The Nashville Predators edged the Florida Panthers 2-1 at BB&T Center on Thursday night. The Panthers had their four-game winning streak snapped.

     Florida(19-6-4) got out to 1-0 lead with 1:22 left in the first period. MacKenzie Weegar banked the puck off the neutral-zone boards on a lead pass. Patric Hornqvist made a sailing cross-ice pass from the right circle over a sliding Predators defenseman into the low crease and Jonathan Huberdeau put in a backhand shot past Juuse Saros for his 11th goal this season. Hornqvist extended his point streak to five games while Huberdeau has a point in seven of last eight contests. 

      In the second period, Nashville(13-16-1) tied in up 1-1 at the 7:25 mark. Mattias Ekholm angled a pass from the top of the zone to Alexandre Carrier in the right circle. He passed to the middle and Calle Jarnkrok batted the puck in from the slot area by Sergei Bobrovsky. Jarnkrok scored for the second straight game and Carrier compiled his first NHL assist on the play. . 

     The Predators jumped ahead 2-1 just 1:37 into the third. Mikael Granlund stole the puck from Bobrovsky on the end wall and centered it. Jarnkrok snapped a forehand shot into the open net from the low slot for his second tally of the contest and ninth goal this season. Jarnkrok now has seven points in the last three games and Granlund chalked up his second point in the last 11 contests. 

Charles Harris Going To Detroit

     Former Miami Dolphins defensive end Charles Harris has signed a with the Detroit Lions. He played the 2020 season with the Atlanta Falcons. 

     Harris was selected by the Dolphins 22nd overall  of the 2017 NFL Draft. He only had 34 solo tackles and 3.5 sacks in 41 games during three seasons with Miami. 

Kenyan Drake Drops On Las Vegas

     Former Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake is about to join the Las Vegas Raiders with a two-year contract worth $11 million. He spent the last two years with the Arizona Cardinals. 

     Drake once played 54 games with the Miami Dolphins from 2016 until 2019. His best season in Miami was in 2017 with 133 carries for 644 rushing yards and three touchdowns. 

Will Fuller Signing With Miami Dolphins

     Will Fuller has agreed to a contract with the Miami Dolphins. The wide receiver will sign a one-year deal for  $10.63 million deal. 

     Fuller has spent his entire five-year NFL career with the Houston Texans. He had a career-high 879 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 53 pass receptions last season. 

Matt Skura Lands With Dolphins

     The Miami Dolphins are expected to sign center Matt Skura. It will be a one-year deal for an unspecified amount. 

     Skura has played the last four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He begin as a right guard in 2017 and moved to center the following year. 

Ted Karras Leaves Dolphins

     Offensive guard Ted Karras has left the Miami Dolpihns organization. He has rejoined the New England Patriots and signed one-year deal for $4 million. 

     Karras played every snap on offense for the Dolphins last year. He played his first four NFL seasons with the Patriots and won two Super Bowl titles. 

Heat Acquire Trevor Ariza

     The Miami Heat have acquired Trevor Ariza from the Oklahoma City Thunder for Meyers Leonard and a 2027 second-round draft pick. Leonard will not report to the Thunder due to a derogatory statement he made during a video game live feed last week and he was fined along with being suspended by the NBA. 

     Ariza was on the Oklahoma City roster and has not played a game this season with that club by waiting for a trade. He has played on nine different teams in 17 seasons and won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2009. 

Grizzlies Run Down Heat

     The Memphis Grizzlies held off the Miami Heat 89-85 at FedExForum on Wednesday night. The Heat have lost two of their last 13 contests. Miami had their five-game winning streak and six-game road winning streak snapped. 

     Memphis(18-19) jumped out to a 25-22 at the end of the first quarter, however Miami(22-19) overtook them by halftime 47-46. The Grizzlies outscored the Heat by 10 points in the third quarter and moved ahead 72-63. The Heat went on a 9-2 spurt late in the fourth to tie it 85-85, but Ja Morant made a deciding layup with 1.2 seconds left. 

     Miami got a team-high 24 points and seven rebounds from Jimmy Butler. Bam Adebayo put together a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Duncan Robinson put in 13 points and Tyler Herro added 11 points. 

     The Grizzlies picked up output from Morant, Kyle Anderson and De'Anthony Melton. All three players had 13 points each in the winning effort. Melton also pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double. 

Patrick Peterson Heads For Minnesota Vikings

     Former local high school football player Patrick Peterson has signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. He spent his entire 10-year career with the Arizona Cardinals and missed only six games. Peterson had 28 interceptions in 154 games played. 

     Peterson participated in high school football with the Blanche Ely Tigers until 2007. He played several positions which included cornerback, running back, kick returner and punt returner and punter. Peterson went on to Louisiana State University for three seasons. 

Kyle Van Noy Returns To New England

     Linebacker Kyle Van Noy will begin a second stint with the New England Patriots as he has signed a two-year deal worth up to $13.2 million. He helped the Patriots win two Super Bowl titles during his first stay with the club.

    Van Noy spent last season with the Miami Dolphins. He compiled 46 solo tackles during the 14 contests that he participated in. 

Dolphins Ink Adam Butler

     Defensive tackle Adam Butler has agreed to a deal with the Miami Dolphins. It is a two-year deal which may be possibly worth up to $9.5 million. 

     Butler played his first four seasons with the New England Patriots. He helped that club win Super Bowl LIII over the Los Angeles Rams. Butler has played 63 of a possible 64 regular season games over the past four years and compiled 15 sacks. 

Robert Foster Added By Dolphins

     The Miami Dolphins have signed wide receiver Robert Foster to a contract. There are no details of the length or amount of the contract. 

     Foster played his first two seasons with the Buffalo Bills and last year with the Washington Football Team. He compiled two catches for 37 yards in four games during 2020. 

Dolphins To Get Justin Coleman

     The Miami Dolphins are about to sign cornerback Justin Coleman to a contract. It is expected to be a one-year deal worth $2.75 million. 

     Coleman has bounced around the National Football League. He has spent two seasons each with the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions. Coleman has started 29 of his 79 games he has played and made four career interceptions. 

Lamar Miller Re-Signs With Washington

     Running back Lamar Miller will re-sign a one-year contract with the Washington Football Team. He did sign a deal with them back in December and did not play in a game. 

     Miller once played with Miami Killian in high school football and the University of Miami Hurricanes in college football. He was drafted and participated in 61 games for the Miami Dolphins from 2012 until 2015. His best season with them was in 2014 when he had 1,099 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Miller spent the next three seasons with the Houston Texans. 

Heat Rout Cavaliers

     The Miami Heat handled the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98 at American Airlines Arena on Tuesday night. The Heat have been victorious in 11 of their last 12 games. 

     Miami(22-18) came out strong and were up 37-28 after one quarter. They extended it to 62-48 by halftime. Cleveland(14-25) were unable to keep up and trailed 95-76 at the end of three quarters. 

     The Heat were led by Jimmy Butler as he compiled a game-high 28 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double. Kelly Olynyk poured in 17 points while Tyler Herro added 15 points. Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson both scored 14 points each. 

     Collin Sexton dropped in 21 points for the Cavs. Javale McGee contributed 16 points and Larry Nance Jr. had 14 points. 

Jacoby Brissett Signing With Miami Dolphins

     Former local high school football quarterback Jacoby Brissett will be signing one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins. The deal is expected to be at $5 million. 

     Brissett played high school football with the Dwyer Panthers. He helped them capture the FHSAA Class 4A state championship in 2009. 

     He went to the University of Florida in 2011 and participated there for two seasons. Brissett eventually transferred to North Carolina State in 2013 and stayed there for three years.

     Brissett was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. The team ended up winning Super Bowl LI in his only season with that club. 

     He was traded to the Indianapolis Colts on September 2, 2017 for former St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Phillip Dorsett. Brissett threw for 3,098 yards in 2017 and 2,942 yards in 2019. 

Malcolm Brown To Sign With Dolphins

     The Miami Dolphins are about to sign running back Malcolm Brown to a contract. He is expected to compete for the starting spot in their backfield. 

     Brown has played his entire six-year NFL career with the Rams organization. The first season was in St. Louis and the most recent five seasons were in Los Angeles. 

     He helped the Rams become NFC Champions in 2018 before they fell to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. Brown had his best season last year as he had 101 rushing attempts for 419 yards and five touchdowns. 

Matt Haack Goes To Buffalo

     Matt Haack has inked a deal with the Buffalo Bills. He will be staying in the AFC East Division for the upcoming 2021 campaign. 

     Haack has punted with the Miami Dolphins for the last four seasons. He played in 64 contests for Miami and did not miss a regular season game. 

Dolphins Tender Adam Pankey

     The Miami Dolphins tendered an offer to offensive lineman Adam Pankey. He had the status of restricted free agent for this offseason. 

     Pankey has been with the Dolphins for the past two seasons. He participated in two games during 2019 and four contests in 2020. 

Vince Biegel Staying With Dolphins

     Linebacker Vince Biegel will be re-signing a deal with the Miami Dolphins. It is expected to be a one-year contract. 

     Biegel ended up not playing in the 2020 campaign because of an Achilles tendon injury near the end of August. He did participate in 15 contests back in 2019 with the Dolphins and compiled 59 combined tackles along with one interception. 

Cethan Carter Signs With Dolphins

     The Miami Dolphins have inked tight end Cethan Carter to a contract. It is likely a one-year deal with him and the club. 

     Carter played with the Cincinnati Bengals for the last three seasons. He had his best season last season with five catches for 53 yards in 15 games. 

Ryan Fitzpatrick Heads For Washington

     Ryan Fitzpatrick is on the verge to sign a deal with the Washington Football Team. It is expected to be a one-year contract worth $10 million. 

     Fitzpatrick was with the Miami Dolphins for the past two seasons and started in 20 games with them. Fitzpatrick had 494 completions for 5,620 passing yards and 33 touchdown passes during his two-year tenure with the Dolphins. 

Panthers Rally By Blackhawks

     The Florida Panthers breezed by the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3 on Monday night at BB&T Center. Th4 Panthers jumped to first place in the National Hockey League and the Central Division. The last time Florida was in first place in the National Hockey League beyond the second game of the season was on December 28, 1996. 

     Chicago(14-11-5) struck first with 9:22 remaining in the first period. David Kampf took a shot that was stopped in front and Patrick Kane was able to snap a shot from the low slot past Sergei Bobrovsky for his 12th goal of the season. Kane and Kampf both extended their point streaks up to three games.

     Florida(19-5-4), who won a season-high fourth consecutive game, evened it up 1-1 on the power play with 1:45 to go in the first. Gustav Forling angled a pass to the top left circle and Owen Tippett smashed a slap shot for his fourth goal of the campaign. Tippett now has a career-high, four-game point streak. Alex Wennberg was credited with a secondary assist on the play. 

     The Blackhawks regained the lead 2-1 at the 10:19 mark in the second period. Calvin de Haan sent a long lead pass to Mattias Janmark at the Florida blue line. He brought the puck into the left circle and made a cross-ice pass. Philipp Kurashev blasted a one-time slap shot from the right circle for his seventh goal this season. 

     It became 3-1 for the Hawks with 6:58 remaining in the frame. Duncan Keith released a slap shot from the left point that was saved. Brandon Hagel poked in the rebound from the top of the crease for his second straight contest with a tally. 

     The Panthers closed it to 3-2 with 5:02 to go in the second. Jonathan Huberdeau pushed the puck back to Keith Yandle at the top of the zone. He passed to his left and Aaron Ekblad powered a slap shot from the top left circle for his 10th goal of the year. It was the sixth time that Ekblad compiled a double-digit total for goals in a season. 

     It was tied again at 3-3 with four minutes left in the period.  Carter Verhaeghe shifted the puck in the right corner to Aleksander Barkov. He connected a pass to the top of the Blackhawks zone and Forsling put a high wrist shot from the blue line past Kevin Lankinen to get his first goal this season. Barkov chalked up a point in nine of his last 10 contests while Verhaeghe expanded his point streak to four games.

     In the third period, Florida got the 4-3 lead on a shorthanded goal with 6:34 remaining. MacKenzie Weegar, who played in his 200th NHL game, took a slap shot from the left point that was saved. Noel Acciari tried to stuff in the rebound several times from the top of the crease. Barkov charged in and scored on a forehand shot from the edge of the blue paint. It was the first shorthanded goal for the Cats in the 2020-21 season. 

     The Blackhawks pulled their goalie with 2:43 to go in the third for an extra attacker. It did not work as Verhaeghe put in an empty-net goal with 1:44 left and Wennberg added another with 55.5 seconds remaining. 

Phillip Dorsett Signing With Jaguars

     Former local high school and college football player Phillip Dorsett will be signing a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. It is expected to be a one-year deal between him and the club. He played last season with the Seattle Seahawks

     Dorsett participated in high school football with the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders. He helped them win a two FHSAA Class 5A state titles and two national championships in 2008 and 2010. Dorsett landed at the University of Miami for four years as he compiled 121 catches for 2,132 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in 43 games. 

     He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in 2015 NFL Draft as the 29th overall pick. Dorsett lasted two seasons and was traded to the New England Patriots for former Dwyer quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Dorsett was on the Patriots when they won Super Bowl LIII. 

FHSAA Football Classifications Large Schools

     The Florida High School Athletic Association released the high school football classifications and districts for the upcoming 2021 season. Several local large high schools did switch classifications in South Florida. 

     Palm Beach County high schools consist of two districts in Class 8A for Region 4. District 7 saw the promotion of Palm Beach Lakes and Royal Palm Beach from Class 7A. They will clash in the same district with Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach Central, Wellington and Jupiter. District 8 has Park Vista, Santaluces, Lake Worth, John I. Leonard and Forest Hill. 

     All districts in Region 4 for Class 8A are in the South Florida area. District 13 is a mix of Palm Beach County and north Broward County with Deerfield Beach, Coral Springs, Stoneman Douglas, Monarch, Boca Raton and West Boca Raton, who switched from Class 7A. District 14 has Broward County schools that includes Taravella, Coral Glades, Cypress Bay, Western and Flanagan. 

     District 15 brings in Miami Beach from Class 7A and Dr. Krop from independent status. They will challenge Coral Gables, Miami and West Broward. Dade County teams represent District 16 with Columbus, Miami Palmetto, South Dade, Coral Reef and Southwest Miami. 

     Two different regions in Class 7A have South Florida local schools. District 8 in Region 2 will consist of Dwyer, Seminole Ridge and Martin County. Two teams from up the coast were elevated from Class 6A which were Fort Pierce Westwood and Sebastian River.

     Region 4 in Class 7A has all four districts from the tri-county area. District 13 will have Atlantic, Olympic Heights, Blanche Ely and Fort Lauderdale. Piper drops down from Class 8A. The defending FHSAA Class 7A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas has a new slate of District 14 opponents for 2021. It includes South Plantation and Cooper City while Dillard was promoted from Class 6A and Nova from an independent school. 

     Broward County teams make up most of District 15 with Everglades, McArthur, Miramar, South Broward and North Miami. District 16 has Dade County schools that consists of Doral Academy, Mater Academy, Homestead, Hialeah and recently promoted Miami Southridge from Class 6A. 

     Class 6A saw several changes in two districts. Plantation shifts from Class 7A and Coconut Creek shows up from Class 5A in District 15. The other schools are Boyd Anderson, Hollywood Hills and Northeast.

     District 16 has Miami Northwestern come in from Class 5A while American appears from Class 7A. They will compete with Miami Norland, South Miami and Belen Jesuit. 

     Class 5A had South Florida high schools in three districts. District 14 has the defending state champion American Heritage along with Hallandale, Boynton Beach, Stranahan and Jensen Beach. 

     District 15 has Miami Central drop from Class 6A while also having North Miami Beach and Miami Springs. Hialeah Miami Lakes entered from independent status and Somerset Academy Pembroke Pines comes from Class 4A. District 16 has Miami Jackson, Miami Killian, Key West and St. Brendan, who moved from independent circuit. 

FHSAA Football Classifications Small Schools

     The Florida High School Athletic Association issued their high school football classifications for the 2021 season. There is not much movement for small schools in South Florida. 

     Class 4A in Region 4 added one school with Cavalry Christian Academy moving up from Class 3A. The region is led by Cardinal Gibbons and Booker T. Washington. They also include Miami Carol City, Gulliver Prep, Coral Springs Charter, Monsignor Pace, University School, North Broward Prep, Pine Crest and LaSalle.

     The only local schools in Region 3 are Glades Central, American Heritage-Delray, Somerset Academy Canyons and Clewiston. The rest of the region is from West Florida. 

     Class 3A in Region 4 has powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna leading the way. It also has Cardinal Newman, The King's Academy, Miami Edison, Everglades Prep, St. Andrew's, St. John Paul, Westminster Christian, Palmer Trinity and Somerset Academy Silver Palms. Somerset South Homestead and Florida Christian move in from independent status. 

     Region 2 has only one local school with Benjamin. The rest of the teams are from the Central Florida area. 

     There are local schools in just Region 4 for Class 2A. They include defending champion Champagnat Catholic, Glades Day, Marathon, Miami Christian, Westminster Academy and Moore Haven. Village Academy, Archbishop Carroll and Avant Garde come in from being independents while John Carroll dropped down from Class 3A. Pahokee is the only one representative in Class 1A in South Florida. 

     The independent schools will not be able to participate in the FHSAA Playoffs. One large local school is Spanish River as they left Class 8A. Other independent teams are Boca Raton Christian, Ferguson, Goleman, Ronald Reagan, Jupiter Christian, Pompano Beach, Palm Glades Prep, Ransom Everglades, Varela, True North, Somerset Academy Key, Pembroke Pines Charter, Miami Country Day, Miami Sunset and Miami Coral Park.  

Frankie De La Cruz Passes Away

     Former Florida Marlins pitcher Frankie De La Cruz passed away at the age of 37. He is remembered being acquired in an eight-player trade by the Marlins from the Detroit Tigers for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis on December 4, 2007. 

     De La Cruz only pitched for one season with the Marlins in 2008. He had a 0-0 record with an 18.00 earned run average in six games. De La Cruz did help the Milwaukee Brewers win their first division title in 29 years back in 2011. 

Heat Get By Magic

     The Miami Heat pushed by the Orlando Magic 102-97 at Amway Center on Sunday night. The Heat have prevailed in 10 of their last 11 games. 

     Miami(21-18) got out to a 22-19 lead after one quarter and led 48-45 at halftime. Orlando(13-26) moved in front 77-73 at the end of three quarters. The Heat went on a 17-8 run to conclude the contest. 

     Jimmy Butler fell short of a double-double with a club-high 29 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for Miami. Tyler Herro had 22 points along with eight rebounds while Kelly Olynyk drained in 18 points. 

     The Magic was led by Nikola Vucevic with a game-high 38 points and 10 rebounds. Terrence Ross was able to score 31 points. 

Dolphins Trade For Benardrick McKinney

     The Miami Dolphins made a transaction to improve the middle of their defense. They acquired inside linebacker Bernardrick McKinney and a 2021 seventh-round draft pick from the Houston Texans for outside linebacker Shaq Larson and a 2021 sixth-round draft pick. 

     McKinney has played with the Houston Texans for the last six years. He had at least 100 combined tackles during three of his first five seasons with the Texans. McKinney only participated in four contests during 2020 with Houston. 

     Lawson was with the Dolphins in 2020 following four seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He had 32 combined tackles in 14 games last year with the Fins. 

Panthers Charge By Blackhawks

     The Florida Panthers returned to begin a four-game homestand and defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 at BB&T Center on Saturday night. The Cats with play the Hawks in four of the next seven contests. Florida defenseman Keith Yandle received a silver stick for playing in his 1,000th NHL game in a pregame ceremony.     

     Neither team scored during the first period. Chicago(14-10-5) made it 1-0 just 28 seconds into the second period. Brandon Hagel passed the puck to his left where Dominik Kubalik got it in the left circle. He returned it to him for a one-time tap shot from the top of the crease past Sergei Bobrovsky. Hagel collected his second career goal and his first tally in the last nine games. 

     Florida(18-5-4) tied in up 1-1 at the 7:46 mark of the second. Aleksander Barkov forwarded a pass from the left circle to Anthony Duclair in the left corner and he returned it on a give-and-go. Barkov flicked a soft shot which was saved by Kevin Lankinen, however Barkov snapped in the rebound from the top of the crease. It was his 10th goal this season and has a point in eight of the last nine contests. 

     The Panthers moved in front 2-1 with 9:00 remaining in the frame. Barkov knocked the puck to MacKenzie Weegar in the right circle. Carter Verhaeghe charged in and blasted a slap shot from the high slot for his 10th tally of the year. Weegar increased his point streak up to four games. 

     It became 3-1 for the Cats with 7:31 to go. Owen Tippett backhanded a centering pass from the end wall and Frank Vartrano scored from the crease area for his 10th goal of the campaign. Tippett was able to extend his point streak to three games while Vatrano found the net for the second straight contest. 

     In the third period, Florida expanded it to a three-goal margin at 10:01. Verhaeghe send a cross-ice pass from the left point to Duclair on the right point. He angled a pass to Barkov in the slot area and he scored on a snap shot for his second goal of the game. 

     The Blackhawks cut it down to 4-2 with 1:32 left in the third. Patrick Kane moved the puck back from the right circle, Duncan Keith fed the puck from the right point and Adam Boqvist ripped a slap shot from the top of the zone for his second tally this year. 

Heat Knock Off Bulls

     The Miami Heat disposed of the Chicago Bulls 101-90 on Friday night at United Center. The Heat have won nine of their last 10 contests. 

     Miami(20-18) had a 29-21 advantage at the end of one quarter and were tied with the Bulls 42-42 at halftime. Chicago(16-20) trailed 70-68 after three quarters. The Heat had a 14-6 spurt to begin the final quarter. 

     Jimmy Butler contributed a team-high 27 points and eight assists for the Heat. Goran Dragic had 25 points and seven rebounds. Duncan Robinson was able to pour in 15 points. 

     The Bulls were led by Zach LaVine with 30 points, six assists and six rebounds. Lauri Markkanen added 20 points while Thaddeus Young compiled a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. 

Michael Palardy Signs With Dolphins

     Michael Palardy has returned home and signed a contract with the Miami Dolphins. Palardy played high school football with the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders and helped them capture one FHSAA Class 5A state title and one national championship in 2008. 

     He went on to the University of Tennessee for four years. Palardy signed with the Carolina Panthers in 2016 and punted in 55 games over five seasons. He did not play on the team last season due to a torn ACL injury. 

Heat Outscore Magic

     The Miami Heat topped the Orlando Magic 111-103 at American Airlines Arena on Thursday night. It was the first game for both clubs since the NBA All-Star Game break. The Heat have a winning record for the first time this season. 

     Orlando(13-24) broke out to a 32-30 lead after one quarter, however Miami(19-18) overtook them by halftime 63-58. Both teams were tied 82-82 at the end of the third quarter. The Heat outscored the Magic 29-21 in the final quarter. 

     Jimmy Butler put together a double-double for Miami with 27 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Kelly Olynyk dropped in 20 points while Tyler Herro scored 17 points.  

     The Magic was led by Nikola Vucevic with 24 points and 17 rebounds for a double-double. Dwayne Bacon poured in 21 points and Michael Carter-Williams contributed 17 points along seven assists. 

Panthers Come Back On Blue Jackets

     The Florida Panthers overcame the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 in overtime at Nationwide Arena on Thursday. It completed a five-game road trip for the Panthers.

     After a scoreless first period, Columbus(10-12-6) took a 1-0 lead six minutes into the second. Max Domi came into the Cats zone on a 2-on-1 breakaway. He connected a cross-ice pass from the left circle to the low slot and Oliver Bjorkstrand guided a one-time forehand shot by Sergei Bobrovsky for his ninth goal this season. 

     The Blue Jackets expanded their lead to 2-0 with 9:46 left in the frame. Riley Nash centered the puck from behind the Panthers cage and Bjorkstrand snapped a shot from the low right circle for his second tally and his fourth goal in the last four contests. 

     Florida(17-5-4) made it 2-1 with 3:10 remaining in the second. Gustav Forsling sent a wrist shot from the high slot which was deflected by Patric Hornqvist in the slot area past Elvis Merzlikins for his second straight game with a goal and 11th of the campaign. Carter Verhaeghe was given the secondary assist on the play. 

     In the third period, Columbus got a power-play goal at 3:23. Zach Werenski angled a pass from the top of the zone and Patrik Laine blasted a one-time slap shot from top left circle for his ninth goal of the season. 

     It became a three-goal cushion for the Blue Jackets at the 4:43 mark. Domi carried the puck from his own zone, through the neutral zone and into the Panthers zone on the left side. His attempted pass from the low left circle went off MacKenzie Weegar's stick and into the net. 

     Florida started to come back in the game and trailed 4-2 with 13:26 to go. Radko Gudas fed a lead pass from his own zone to Ryan Lomberg at the red line. He sent the puck to Noel Acciari on the right side and he placed a shot from the right circle. Lomberg batted the rebound in from the left of the crease and scored his first NHL goal.

     The Cats pulled the contest to 4-3 with 7:39 remaining in the third. Weegar brought the puck to the left corner and passed it out. Owen Tippett ripped a wrist shot from the left-circle dot for his third goal this season. 

     The Panthers evened it up 4-4 with 5:34 left on a power-play goal. Jonathan Huberdeau backhanded the puck from the left-circle dot to Yandle on the left point. He sent a diagonal pass to the right circle and Alekander Barkov rifled a one-time slap shot for his ninth goal. Huberdeau extended his assist and point streak to five games. 

     Florida completed the comeback at 2:48 in overtime. Huberdeau had a 2-on-1 break and took a shot from the low right circle which was saved. Frank Vatrano, playing in his 300th NHL game, followed in and tapped the rebound into the Blue Jackets cage from the left side of the crease. Ekblad got his 151st NHL assist which surpassed Jay Bouwmeester for third all-time in franchise history for assists by a defenseman. 

COVID-19 One Year Anniversary

     The Covid-19 pandemic reached the one-year mark on Thursday. The pandemic had a impact on the local South Florida sports scene on March 11, 2020 as all local sporting events were suspended. 

     The Miami Heat played a home game against the Charlotte Hornets that night at American Airlines Arena and lost. NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced the stoppage of the regular season. The Heat would not play another game during the regular season until August 1 at Walt Disney World in Orlando versus the Denver Nuggets. 

     The Florida Panthers had played at St. Louis versus the Blues two days earlier. The National Hockey League halted their regular season on March 12 when Florida was to play in Dallas. The Panthers restarted their campaign in the Stanley Cup Qualifier Series at Toronto against the New York Islanders on August 1. 

     Inter Miami CF was ready to host their first home game in franchise history at Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on March 14 and take on LA Galaxy. The club had played their first two games on the road visiting LAFC and D.C. United. They later competed in the MLS Tournament in Orlando versus Orlando City SC on July 8. 

     Local spring training baseball games in Jupiter and West Palm Beach were not played as of March 12. The Major League Baseball regular season would not begin for the Miami Marlins until July 24 at the Philadelphia Phillies.

     Other sporting events locally were also eliminated. The Miami Open tennis tournament stopped on March 12 and was never completed. NASCAR races at Homestead- Miami Speedway for late March were suspended and were relaunched on June 13 and June 14. Contests for high school athletics during the spring session was also scrapped.

Dolphins Release Kyle Van Noy

     The Miami Dolphins have let go linebacker Kyle Van Noy. He signed a four-year, $51 million contract with the Dolphins prior to the 2020 season. 

     Van Noy had 46 solo tackles in 14 games with the Fins during the 2020 campaign. He helped the New England Patriots win two Super Bowl titles prior to his arrival in Miami. 

Panthers Pass By Blue Jackets

     The Florida Panthers drove by the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena. The Panthers have won three of their last four games. 

     Florida(16-5-4) went out to a 1-0 lead at the 4:59 of the first period. MnacKenzie Weegar fed a lead  pass from his own zone to the red line and Juho Lammikko backhanded the puck from the right-circle dot for his third goal this year. Lammikko scored for the first time in the last 10 games. 

     In the second period, the Panthers expanded their lead to 2-0 at 2:45. Patric Hornqvist was in the crease area and scored a power-play goal for his 10th goal of the season. Aaron Ekblad and Jonathan Huberdeau were credited with assists on the play. 

     Columbus(10-12-5) got on the scoreboard at the 5:45 mark and cut it to 2-1. Michael Del Zotto put in the puck for his second tally this season and first goal since February 11. 

     The Cats added another power-play goal with 1:48 remaining in the second. Gustav Forsling angled a pass from the top of the zone to his right. Owen Tippett snapped a shot from above the top right circle for his second goal of the campaign. Forsling got his first point in a  Panthers uniform. 

     The Blue Jackets scored and trailed 3-2 with 8:22 to go in the third period. Huberdeau had his clearing pass intercepted by Zach Werenski at the left point. His wrist shot was deflected in by Oliver Bjorkstrand from the low slot. 

     Columbus went with an a extra attacker for their power play with 1:45 remaining. It did not work as Carter Verhaeghe put the puck into an empty net with 22.4 seconds left for his ninth goal this year. 

Dolphins Tender Several Players

     The Miami Dolphins have made tender decisions to several exclusive rights free agents. They included linebacker Calvin Munson, defensive back Nik Needham and defensive back Jamal Perry. 

     Munson was involved in 16 games and made nine tackles. Needham made two interceptions in 16 games last season while Perry participated in 13 contests. 

Dolphins To Acquire Isaiah Wilson

     The Miami Dolphins are expected to acquire offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson  and a 2022 seventh-round draft pick from the Tennessee Titans for a 2021 seventh-round draft pick. Wilson participated in college football with the University of Georgia Bulldogs. 

     Wilson was selected by the Titans in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He only played in one contest with that club last year. 

Colton Sceviour Put On Waivers

     Former Florida Panthers right wing Colton Sceviour has been put on waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was acquired by the Penguins from Florida with Mike Matheson for Patric Hornqvist during the offseason. Sceviour has two goals in 12 games with the Pens this year. 

     He spent four seasons with the Panthers from 2016 to 2020. Sceviour had 31 goals and 48 assists in 284 games with Florida. 

Hurricanes Move Through Panthers

     The Florida Panthers lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 at PNC Arena on Sunday. Keith Yandle of the Panthers played in his 1,000th game in the National Hockey League. 

     The Panthers lost in regulation for just the fifth time during the regular season. The Hurricanes extended their winning streak to five games and jumped over the Panthers for second place in the Central Division.  

     In the first period, Carolina(17-6-1) moved ahead 1-0 on the power play with 4:05 remaining. Dougie Hamilton angled a pass from the blue line to Andrei Svechnikov on the left point. He connected a pass to the left of the crease and Vincent Trocheck put in a wrist shot by Chris Driedger for his 13th goal this season. Trocheck got his fourth goal this year against his former team and now has a five-game point streak. 

     The Hurricanes made it 2-0 at 4:52 of the second period. Martin Necas carried the puck through the neutral zone and into the high slot. His outlet pass went to Nino Niederreiter on the left-circle dot and he snapped a shot from the left wing for his 11th goal of the campaign. Niederreiter scored in his second straight contest while Necas expanded his assist and point streak to four games. 

     Florida(15-5-4) cut the lead to 2-1 with 9:19 to go in the second. Noel Acciari won a right-circle faceoff and MacKenzie Weegar blasted a slap shot from above the right circle past James Reimer. It was Weegar's first goal in the last nine games. 

     The Canes were able to get a shorthanded goal just 38 seconds into the third period. Jaccob Slavin forwarded a lead pass from the Carolina goal line to Jordan Martinook at the Panthers blue line for a 2-on-1 break. He backhanded it from the right circle to the high slot and Sebastian Aho released a wrist shot for his ninth goal this season. 

     It became a two-goal margin again for Carolina at the 3:41 mark with the man advantage. Brock McGinn made a clearing pass from his own zone. Warren Foegele brought the puck in on a breakaway and scored with a forehand shot from the left of the crease. 

     The Panthers chopped it down to 4-2 at 9:09 of the third. Alekander Barkov was on the left point and passed to Jonathan Huberdeau. He dashed to the low left circle, centered it and Mason Marchment roofed a wrist shot into a wide-open net from the right of the crease for his second NHL goal. Bavkov increased his point streak to six games. Huberdeau placed his point streak to three games with two goals and three assists during that span.     

Acciari Hat Trick And Panthers Sweep Predators

     Noel Acciari compiled a hat trick as the Florida Panthers overtook the Nashville Predators 6-2 on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena. Acciari scored at least three games in an NHL game for the third time in his career and his second time against the Predators. It was the second contest of a two-game set between both clubs. 

     Nashville(10-14-0) converted on the power play to go up 1-0 at 5:46 of the first period. Romani Josi tapped the puck from the right point and Filip Forsberg made a cross-ice pass. Eeli Tolvanen smashed a slap shot from the top left circle by Sergei Bobrovsky for his fourth goal this year. 

     Florida (15-4-4) evened it up 1-1 with 12.6 second left in the first. Roman Josi lifted a backhand in the neutral zone and Aaron Ekblad caught it at the red line. He brought the puck into the Nashville zone 

and snapped a rising shot from above the right circle past Pekka Rinne for his ninth goal of the season. 

     The Panthers pulled ahead 2-1 at the 1:15 of the second period. Jonathan Huberdeau scored his 10th goal this season on assists from Patric Hornqvist and Radko Gudas. Huberdeau passed Scott Mellanby for third all-time in Panthers franchise history with his 158th career goal. He collected his third goal in the last five games while Gudas got his first point in nine contests. Hornqvist was able to collect his 500th NHL point. 

     It became a two-goal margin  for the Cats with 8:44 remaining in the frame. Acciari put in his first goal of the campaign on a snap shot from the right circle after carrying the puck from the neutral zone. Ekblad was credited with an assist on the play for a multi-point game and his sixth point in the past two games. 

     Florida made it 4-1 with 1:14 to go in the second with another tally by Acciari on a backhand shot from the left of the crease. Keith Yandle initiated the play with a slap shot from the red line and picked up his 12th assist this year. 

     In the third period, the Predators attempted to make a comeback. It started well as Viktor Arvidsson found the net just 19 seconds in and closed the gap to 4-2. 

     The Panthers expanded their lead to 5-2 with 5:04 left in the third. Aleksander Barkov stole the puck in the left circle of the Predators zone. He dropped it off and Frank Vatrano scored his eighth goal of the season from the slot area on  a forehand shot. Barkov expanded his point streak up to a season-high five games. 

     Acciari completed the hat trick with his third goal of the contest with 3:02 remaining on a backhand shot from the low slot. Yandle and Huberdeau both got multi-point games with their assists on the tally. Rinne was in net for the Preds during two NHL hat tricks by Acciari. 

Justin Bour Signs With Giants

     Former Miami Marlins first baseman Justin Bour has signed with the San Francisco Giants. Bour surprisingly will not be invited to the Giants spring training camp and will begin in the minor leagues on April 1. He spent last season with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan. 

     Bour played five seasons with Marlins from 2014 until 2018. He had 83 home runs and 382 runs batted in during his 478 games with Miami. 

Dwyane Wade Works NBA All-Star Game

     Former Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade will work as a TNT studio analyst for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta on Sunday. He will substitute for Charles Barkley on the Inside The NBA panel. 

     Wade won three NBA titles with the Miami Heat in 2006, 2012 and 2013. He played 15 seasons with the Heat from 2003 until 2019. 

     Barkley will miss the NBA All-Star Game weekend for just the second time since he joined Inside The NBA due to his daughter's wedding. He has been a studio analyst since 2000. 

Heat Run By Pelicans

     The Miami Heat defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 103-93 on Thursday night at Smoothie King Center. It was the final game for the Heat and Pelicans prior to the NBA All-Star Game break. 

     Miami(18-18) rocketed out to a 31-15 lead at the end of the first quarter and stayed ahead 55-45 by halftime. New Orleans(15-21) cut slightly into the deficit and were down 77-70 after three quarters. The Heat had a 12-3 spurt late in the final quarter. 

     Jimmy Butler fell short of a double-double with 29 points and nine assists for Miami. Kelly Olynyk had a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn both had 13 points each. 

     Brandon Ingram also was short of a double-double for the Pelicans with 17 points and nine assists. Steven Adams poured in 15 points while Nickeil Alexander-Walker contributed 13 points. 

Panthers Roll By Predators

     The Florida Panthers beat the Nashville Predators 5-4 at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday night. The Panthers began a five-game road swing. Aaron Ekblad had a career-high four-point game while Radko Gudas played in his 500th NHL game. 

     Florida(14-4-4) got out to a 2-0 lead during the first period. Carter Verhaeghe poked in the puck from the crease area to make it 1-0 at the 6:29 mark. Aleksander Barkov made it a four-game point streak with an assist on the play. Mason Marchment scored his first NHL goal at 9:01 and expanded his point streak to four games. 

     The Panthers extended it to a three-goal margin 59 seconds into the second period. Jonathan Huberdeau got the tally from the low slot and tied Scott Mellanby for third all-time in franchise history with his 157th goal. 

     Nashville(10-13-0) broke the shutout with 7:37 left in the frame. Mattias Ekholm blasted a slap shot from the left point. 

     It became 4-1 for the Cats with 1:16 to go. Aaron Ekblad put in a snap shot from the left circle while on the power play. He passed Robert Svehlan for career power-play goals by a Panthers defenseman with his 27th. 

     The Predators trailed 4-2 with 26 seconds remaining in the second. Viktor Arvidsson fired a shot from the left wing and Filip Forsberg redirected it in from the left of the crease. 

     In the third period, Florida scored again with the man advantage at the 9:07 mark. Ekblad compiled his second goal of the contest and fourth point of the game as he released a wrist shot from the high slot.  

     The Preds were down 5-3 with 7:20 remaining. Colton Sissons chalked up his fourth goal of the campaign as he tapped the puck in from the top of the crease. 

     Nashville pulled their goalie with over three minutes to go. They scored with 1:13 left when Ryan Johansen flipped a rebound shot into the cage from close range for his first goal this year. 

Dominic Moore NBC NHL Game Analyst

     Former Florida Panthers center Dominic Moore was a game analyst on NBCSN Wednesday night alongside Kenny Albert during a contest between the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks. Moore made his debut as a studio game analyst with NBCSN back in January. 

     Moore participated in the National Hockey League for 13 seasons. He was with the Florida Panthers during the 2009-10 season and compiled eight goals and nine assists in 48 games. 

Marlins To Sign Gio Gonzalez

     The Miami Marlins have agreed to sign pitcher Gio Gonzalez to a minor league deal. He will be invited to spring training and will make $1 million if he makes the Marlins big league roster. 

     Gonzalez, a Hialeah native, has been in the majors for 13 seasons. He has played for the Oakland A's, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox. Gonzalez has a 131-101 record, 3.70 earned run average and 1,860 strikeouts during his career. 

Hawks Stuff Heat

     The Atlanta Hawks downed the Miami Heat 94-80 on Tuesday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat had their six-game winning streak snapped and finished up a four-game homestand. 

     The Hawks participated in their first contest with new interim head coach Nate McMillian. Atlanta fired their head coach Lloyd Pierce on Monday. 

     In the first quarter, Atlanta(15-20) had a 23-17 advantage. The Hawks remained in front 44-37 at the midway break. Miami(17-18) came back and led 66-63 at the end of three quarters. The Heat were outscored 31-14 in the fourth. 

     Goran Dragic and Duncan Robinson both led Miami with 14 points each. Bam Adebayo was held to 11 points. 

     The Hawks were led by Trae Young with a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists. John Collins scored 17 points while Kevin Huerter dropped in 16 points. 

Claudia Menegus Entercom Miami Market Manager

     Claudia Menegus has been named the new Market Manager of Entercom Communications Miami and will begin on March 15. She replaces Keriann Worley, who left the organization in October. Menegus will be in charge of 560 The Joe WQAM-AM and Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM.

     Menegus currently holds the role of regional president for Entercom in Miami, Orlando, Gainesville and Memphis. She was the vice president and director of sales for CBS Radio in Orlando before that cluster was acquired by Entercom Communications in 2017. 

Hurricanes Edge Panthers

     The Florida Panthers fell short against the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in overtime at BB&T Center on Monday night. Aleksander Barkov participated in his 500th NHL game with the Panthers. 

     Florida, who lost two straight games for the first time this season, completed their second longest homestand of the regular season. The Cats finished with a 2-1-2 record during their five games in Sunrise. 

     Carolina(14-6-1) picked up a power-play goal with 6:25 left in the first period. Martin Necas moved the puck from the right wing to Jake Bean at the top of the zone. He passed to the top left circle and Brett Pesce pounded a one-time slap shot by Chris Driedger for this third goal this season. Pesce extended his point streak to three games. 

     Neither team got on the scoreboard in the second period. The Panthers did not score once in the first period during their five-game homestand. The Cats had not scored during the second period in the past four contests. 

     In the third period,  Florida(13-4-4) evened it up 1-1 at the 4:40 mark in third  period. Carter Verhaeghe centered the puck from the right circle and Barkov redirected it from the top of the crease. It was saved by Alex Nedeljkovic, however Frank Vatrano put in the rebound from the left of the crease for his seventh tally of the year. Vatrano scored in the third straight game while Barkov increased his point streak up to three games. 

     The Panthers took their first lead 2-1 with 3:09 to go in the frame. Mason Marchment guided it to the slot area and Eetu Luostarinen poked at the puck several times in the crease until it went into the cage. Marchment now has a three-game assist streak since being called up. 

     The Canes responded pulling their goalie and tying it up 2-2 with 1:33 left. Necas pushed the puck from the right wing to Nino Niederreiter at the end wall. He centering pass went to Vincent Trocheck in the low slot and he scored on a snap shot for his 11th goal this year. Trocheck has scored three goals against his former team this season. 

     Carolina got the victory at 1:59 of overtime. Dougie Hamilton made a lead pass from his own defensive zone. Necas brought the puck into the Florida zone and left it for Sebastian Aho in the high slot. He angled a pass to his left and Necas found the net with a wrist shot. It ended up being a three-point game for Necas with one goal and two assists in the victory.