WOMBAT-Empfang » d 16 points and 14 rebounds, and No. 5 Duke roll

The defending Stanley Cup champions will begin the second round on home ice, as the Chicago Blackhawks host the Minnesota Wild at United Center in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Watch the Blackhawks vs. Wild live tonight on TSN2 at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt. This series is rematch of a 2013 postseason matchup, as the Wild were the Blackhawks first victim in their march to the Cup last year. Chicago knocked Minnesota out of the first round in five games, losing only Game 3 on the road and holding a 17-7 edge in scoring. That was the first playoff meeting between these clubs, but the Wild can lean on the fact they went 3-1-1 versus the Blackhawks this season, splitting two games in Chicago. Game 2 of this series also will be staged in the Windy City on Sunday afternoon. For a little while, the Blackhawks quest to repeat as NHL champions appeared as if it was going to come to an end with a first-round exit. Then the Blackhawks reminded everyone just whey they are coming off their second Stanley Cup in four years. It looked as if Chicagos inability to claim home-ice advantage in its quarterfinals matchup with the St. Louis Blues would be the difference, as the Blackhawks lost a pair of overtime decisions to begin the set. That included a triple-overtime setback in Game 1 at Scottrade Center and the fact that the Hawks followed up with another 4-3 overtime setback in Game 2 could have left the club with slumped shoulders going back to the Windy City. Instead of rolling over, the Blackhawks got a 34-save shutout from Corey Crawford to win Game 3 before Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews potted back-to- back overtime-winning goals in Games 4 and 5. Toews then started a four-goal barrage in the third period of Game 6s series-clinching 5-1 win. Toews showed why he wears the captains "C" on his jersey as all three of his goals in the series were game-winners and he matched defenseman and Norris Trophy nominee Duncan Keith for the club lead with seven points. Toews was one of six multi-goal scorers for the Blackhawks in the series, with Kane also potting three goals. Keith and fellow defenseman Brent Seabrook added two goals and Seabrook finished with six points despite missing three games due to suspension for a hit to the head in Game 2. As expected, the duo of Keith and Seabrook logged a ton of minutes. Keith was on the ice for nearly 30 minutes a game, while Seabrook averaged 27 minutes and 41 seconds of ice time. Hell need to maintain his discipline in Round 2. Chicago also had the best penalty kill percentage coming out of the first round, limiting St. Louis to two goals on 29 chances. Crawford, meanwhile, settled down after a rough start to keep the Blackhawks chances of becoming the first repeat champions since the 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings alive. Rocked for eight goals in the two losses, Crawford followed up his third career postseason shutout by yielding just six goals on 98 shots over the final three games. He ended the series with a 2.03 goals against average and .926 save percentage. The Wild survived Round 1 despite playing from behind seemingly the whole time during their quarterfinals matchup with the Central Division champion Colorado Avalanche. A road team did not win a game in the series until Minnesotas 5-4 victory in Game 7. In that contest, the Wild overcame four one-goal deficits, getting a game-tying goal with 2:27 left in regulation before Nino Niederreiters tally 5:02 into overtime. Niederreiters second goal of the game capped the latest comeback of the series for the Wild. They trailed 2-0 in the series after losing the first two on the road and then were behind 3-2 ahead of a Game 6 victory. Rookie netminder Darcy Kuemper was seen as the savior at the early portion of the series, relieving Ilya Bryzgalov in Game 2 and going perfect with 14 saves. He then allowed just one goal in total in back-to-back home victories, including a defensive 22-save gem in Game 3. Like the rest of Minnesotas roster, Kuemper showed an ability to bounce back, following up a Game 5 defeat with a 21-save effort in the next game to extend the series. However, Kuemper was forced to exit Game 7 after 51 minutes of action due to an unknown injury and Bryzgalov had to make just one save in 13 minutes and 15 seconds of relief before Niederreiters goal. The injury will leave Bryzgalov as the starter for at least Game 1 of this series and he posted just a 4.25 goals against average and .826 save percentage in his three games that totaled 112:41 of ice time. John Curry, a 30-year-old journeyman, will suit up as Bryzgalovs backup. Curry has seen action in six career NHL games and none in the playoffs. Head coach Mike Yeo said that Kuemper is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury following Fridays morning skate. Minnesota has made it to the playoffs in both seasons since signing forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter to monster contracts and both were solid in Round 1. Parise had three goals and seven assists, tying him with three other players -- two of those on the Avalanche -- for the postseason lead in points. Mikko Koivu was second on the club with six points off a goal and five helpers. Suter, meanwhile, averaged 29:47 of ice time and had a goal with three assists to lead Wild defensemen in points. Thirteen different skaters scored a goal for the Wild against the Avalanche, with Charlie Coyle matching Parise for the team lead with three. Youngsters Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund added two each along with veteran Kyle Brodziak, while blueliners Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella also scored twice. Kuemper won his only start versus Chicago this season, stopping 33-of-34 shots faced at home in January, while Bryzgalov took a shootout loss in Chicago. Bryzgalov is 8-6-5 with a 2.51 GAA lifetime versus the Blackhawks. Crawford, meanwhile, went 2-2-0 with a 2.98 GAA in four games versus the Wild this season. Kane had three goals and two assists versus the Wild in 2013-14 Toews, though, was held to just a pair of assists. Parise had two goals against Chicago in the season series, while Suter had three assists and Granlund four helpers. Madison Bumgarner Jersey .com) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to play spoiler as the Los Angeles Kings will try to match their longest winning streak in over four years in Thursdays battle at Staples Center. Tony Watson Jersey . Rasmussen didnt have a decision during his four appearances in May, when he gave up two hits and no runs in two innings. Toronto used five relievers while pulling off the second-biggest comeback in franchise history on Friday night, rallying from an 8-0 deficit to a 14-9 win. http://www.cheapsanfranciscogiantsjersey...ncon-jersey.com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Brandon Crawford Jersey . Its the games against the leagues struggling franchises that have proved to be an issue. Gregor Blanco Jersey .3 seconds remaining, and No. 7 North Carolina held off a resilient No. 25 Virginia team, 54-51, on Saturday. John Henson contributed a double-double with 15 points to go with 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels (25-4, 12-2 ACC), who have won five straight and 10 of 11.ATLANTA -- Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski insists there has been no talk of big games still to come this week. Convincing evidence came in the way the Blue Devils kept their focus in a win over Georgia Tech. Jabari Parker had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and No. 5 Duke rolled to a 68-51 victory on Tuesday night. Duke started strong, kept up the defensive pressure, and maintained its double-figure lead for the final 28 minutes. "Our guys played a heck of a first half," Krzyzewski said. "I mean we played with amazing energy and focus." Rodney Hood sank four 3-pointers and scored 14 points for Duke, which never trailed. The Blue Devils (21-5, 10-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) have won four straight and nine of 10. "We came out with a sense of urgency," Hood said. "We didnt want to take them lightly. "We wanted to come out and try to dominate from the beginning." Duke is in a hectic run of four games in eight days. The Blue Devils will play at North Carolina on Thursday before facing No. 1 Syracuse on Saturday. The North Carolina game was postponed on Feb. 12 because of a winter storm. The stretch began with a win at Maryland on Saturday. "We havent even talked about those two games, so theres no buildup for us," Krzyzewski said. "We respect the heck out of Georgia Tech." Robert Carter Jr. led Georgia Tech (13-13, 4-9 ACC) with 13 points. Kammeon Holsey had 12, and Chris Bolden added 10. Georgia Tech centre Daniel Miller had nine rebounds but only two points. "He didnt get the ball that much because our perimeter defence was the best it has been all year," Krzyzewski said. Duke scored 16 points off Georgia Techs 13 turnovers, including five by freshman guard Corey Heyward. "I think our defence transitioned to offence," Parker said. "We weere able to get stops and able to score, so we put ourselves in a good situation.dddddddddddd" Duke led 50-30 early in the second half before the Yellow Jackets cut the deficit to 52-40. Hoods 3-pointer, followed by Parkers offensive rebound, basket and free throw for a three-point play, pushed the Blue Devils edge back to 18 points. Georgia Tech couldnt muster another comeback attempt. After making only five of 24 3-pointers in Saturdays 69-67 home win over Maryland, Duke made 10 of 18 3s against the Yellow Jackets. The Blue Devils, who lead the ACC in 3-point shooting, made six of their first eight -- including three by Hood -- and pulled ahead 34-16. Duke, which has lost twice on the road to unranked conference opponents Notre Dame and Clemson, was 3-3 in ACC road games before Tuesday. Parker, who recorded the ninth double-double of his rookie season, and Hood helped make sure the Blue Devils were sharp early. Hood had three 3-pointers in the first six minutes, and the Blue Devils led 38-19. Like most teams, Georgia Tech struggled to match up with Parker (6-8, 235). "Unless you have a strong chest in front of him, you have no chance. No chance," Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory said. "Theres no question what hes going to do when he gets the ball. "The way he drives, its impossible not to have contact. Its a foul every time." Georgia Tech, which trailed by only one point at halftime of its 79-57 loss at Duke on Jan. 7, trailed 43-27 at the break of the rematch. "Give Duke a ton of credit," Gregory said. "They came very focused and came with great force on the defensive end. They have improved tremendously since the first time we played them." Rasheed Sulaimon had 11 points for Duke. The crowd of 8,600 was Georgia Techs first sellout of the season. ' ' '