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BLUES BACK IN ACTION
It was quite the return for the St. Louis Blues on opening night in Colorado. The Blues took care of business with a dominating 4-1 victory over the 2021 Stanley Cup favorites. After a disappointing first-round exit against Vancouver last postseason, the Blues were poised to rebound with a freshened lineup and renewed effort. It’s game one of 56, but the energy ramped up as the game progressed and so did their attention to details.
Trailing 1-0 through five minutes, the Blues fought off four Colorado power plays and struck twice within a four-minute span to grab a 2-1 lead after one period. Kyle Clifford had a nice debut with a goal on his 30th birthday, and Oskar Sundqvist netted his second goal of the game in the third period to pacify the Avalanche. Goaltender Jordan Binnington stopped 26 of 27 shots, including all 15 during a second-period blitz.
The NHL implemented a 56-game schedule and placed the Blues in a newly-outfitted West Division consisting of eight teams. The Blues will play eight games apiece against Anaheim, Arizona, Colorado, Los Angeles, Minnesota, San Jose, and Vegas.
AARON RODGERS CALLS OUT GAVIN NEWSOM
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is slamming California Governor Gavin Newsom over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The NFL star and Chico native was interviewed on “The Pat McAfee Show” and called the help from government leaders during the pandemic “a joke.” Rodgers criticized Newsom for eating at a restaurant while not wearing a mask, referring to the photos that surfaced last year of Newsom dining with friends at the French Laundry in Napa County.
FORMER NFL HC HEADED TO ALABAMA
The Alabama Crimson Tide are reportedly close to making former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien their next offensive coordinator. According to ESPN, O’Brien was at Alabama’s facilities on Wednesday and had spent time with the program before the National Championship. Head coach Nick Saban praised O’Brien during a virtual call with reporters. O’Brien, who was also the GM for the Texans, was fired four games into the 2020 season.
CLEVELAND BROWNS GETTING HEALTHY PRIOR TO GAME VS. KC
The Cleveland Browns are getting a big lift to their secondary heading into this weekend’s Divisional Round playoff game against the Chiefs. The Browns have activated cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Kevin Johnson from the COVID-19 list. Both players missed the previous two games including last Sunday’s upset win over the Steelers in the Wild Card round. It was the Browns’ first playoff victory since 1994. Cleveland visits Kansas City this Sunday with a trip to the AFC Championship Game on the line.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY:
In 1973, the Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins 14-to-seven in Super Bowl Seven. The Dolphins’ victory completed the only undefeated season in NFL history.
In 2013, in a taped interview with Oprah Winfrey, seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs to improve his cycling performance.
>>THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE (All times are Eastern)
NBA
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7:00 p.m. – Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers
7:30 p.m. – Charlotte Hornets at Toronto Raptors (at Tampa, FL)
7:30 p.m. – Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs
10:00 p.m. – Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets
10:00 p.m. – Indiana Pacers at Portland Trail Blazers
NHL
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7:00 p.m. – Washington Capitals at Buffalo Sabres
7:00 p.m. – Boston Bruins at New Jersey Devils
7:00 p.m. – New York Islanders at New York Rangers
7:30 p.m. – Carolina Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings
8:00 p.m. – Columbus Blue Jackets at Nashville Predators
8:00 p.m. – Calgary Flames at Winnipeg Jets
9:00 p.m. – Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers
9:00 p.m. – San Jose Sharks at Arizona Coyotes
10:00 p.m. – Anaheim Ducks at Vegas Golden Knights
10:00 p.m. – Minnesota Wild at Los Angeles Kings
– Dallas Stars at Florida Panthers (Postponed)
Top-25 College Basketball (Coaches’ Poll)
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9:00 p.m. – #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs host Pepperdine Waves
– #8 Iowa Hawkeyes host Michigan State Spartans (Postponed)
– #11 Houston Cougars at South Florida Bulls (Postponed)
– #17 Oregon Ducks host Arizona State Sun Devils (Postponed)
PGA
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Sony Open In Hawaii (at Honolulu, HI)
