Patriots inactive report out: Aaron Dobson in, Rob Nincovich long snapping in place of concussed Danny Aiken

by Dakota Antelman

The Patriots released their official inactive list to the media Sunday ahead of their game with Green Bay. The report assuredly stirred up some controversy and questions regarding the names it features.

Among those listed were predicted inactives: Cameron Fleming, Chandler Jones, Malcom Butler, James White and others. It also surprised Patriots fans by listing long snapper, Danny Aiken, as being out with a concussion.

Aiken suffered a concussion late in last week’s game with Detroit when he was hit on the top of the head on a punt play.

Rob Nincovich who was warming up as a long snapper during pregame will be filling Aiken’s role on punts and kicks vs the Packers.

Nincovich will likely not lose the game for the Patriots from the long snapping position. He actually spent time as a long snapper for the New Orleans Saints early in his career and as recently as this past preseason has occasionally sent snaps back to Patriots punters and kickers.

Needless to say though, the situation is somewhat unexpected as the Patriots only recently released long snapper Charley Hughlett. Hughlett was brought in midweek when Aiken’s concussion seemed like it would keep him out of Sunday’s game. He was then dropped Friday with coaches and management citing that Aiken would likely be well enough to participate.

Of course, that is will not be happening. This recent actions are begging the question of how and why either Hughlett was prematurely released or Aiken was falsely diagnosed.

Beyond the long snapping situation, Sunday’s roster has wide receiver Aaron Dobson playing in his first game since Week Six in Buffalo. This move comes after Dobson was named practice player of the week for the Patriots.

The Patriots take the field at 4:25 and will be looking to put aside any pregame controversy. They have their minds set on winning their eighth straight game.

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Jonas Gray ready to ease back into the mix vs. Packers

by Dakota Antelman

24 year old Patriots running back Jonas Gray has had an up and down past three weeks. But at the end of it all, reports indicate that Gray will get back into game action Sunday vs. the Packers.

Gray made headlines back in Week Eleven when he rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns on 37 carries vs. the Colts. He earned the nickname “Supreme”, was named the AFC Player of the Week and was also featured on the national cover of Sports Illustrated.

But then, the very next week, the Patriots brought in a proven competitor for Gray’s playing time in LeGarret Blount. Further complicating things was the disciplinary actions taken against Gray after he was late to practice. He was turned away from that practice and effectively suspended that Sunday vs. the Lions.

Watching from the sidelines, Gray witnessed LeGarret Blount retake the role of number one running back.

But ahead of Gray’s perceived return to action Sunday, the young running back was not overtly bitter. Rather, he thanked his teammates and coaches for “sticking with him”.

“These guys rallied around me,” Gray said. “No matter what I was going through, they were always there for me. I think the best thing about it is they were all concerned. But we’re moving on from it. I’m already past it. I feel like it’s been a while already. I’m ready to go play, get out there and finally get a chance to hit the field again.”

He will hit the field again when the Patriots match up against the Packers at 4:25 on Sunday. The game is one that could very quickly turn into a rush centered one for the Patriots as a 25 degree F game time temperature, combined with the Packers’ being ranked 30th in the league in run defense, seem to beg Brady to perpetually hand the ball off.

But within the run scheme it is still unclear how much of his old starting role will still be Gray’s to fill.

“They really never let you know,” Gray said on the subject of snap distribution. “I feel like a lot of these guys, no matter what position you're at or what you're doing, you're going to get some reps.”

But still, the Patriots have shown in recent years a predictable tendency to pick the running back that has “it” going on any given day and simply stick with him right through the end of the game. That was true for Gray vs. the Colts just as it was true for Blount last week vs. Detroit.

In an outing vs Detroit where he was given the ball 12 times, Blount was present on the field for 17 snaps. In comparison, secondary running back Brandon Boulden was on the field for two snaps while of course, Gray was completely absent.

What these statistics dictate is the fact that the Patriots could be leaving this game wide open in regards to who carries them in the run game.

Needless to say, Gray will be looking to remind them why he was offensive player of the week with a strong first quarter vs. Green Bay. 

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New England Revolution advancing to MLS Cup demands recognition

by Dakota Antelman

They got their trophy and they would not give it back.

After a thrilling game that served as a thrilling climax to a thrilling season, the Revolution swiped their Eastern Conference Championship Trophy before the official presentation could be made. As NBC Sports Network camera came back from their commercial break and calls were made from the makeshift stage for the trophy to be returned for the ceremony, there was no answer.

Instead one MLS official stood off to the side and spoke briefly into the camera as a mob of sweaty Revolution players and falling confetti completely enveloped the trophy and the monumental win it represented.

For the first time since 2007, this team, omnipresent in the history of soccer in the United States but deprived of a championship, was back in the title game, just one win away from reversing that negative mark against them.

And after a season and an Eastern Conference Finals like the one concluded on the cold and windy night that Saturday November 29^thpresented, that reversal, that next, new, chance was even more holy to the team. It elevated the game they had just played and the cold silver trophy they had just won to a level of desire and euphoric joy bestowed upon its possessor that was previously unknown to many local soccer fans.

Seven years removed from their last bandwagon passenger soliciting season, the Revolution played out this year with limited recognition or coverage. Their stands were often less than half full for much of the year while the results of their games were rarely cast a second thought in the media.

Even so, New England was soon a superior team in the MLS in terms of standings and statistical prows. By the end of the regular season in October, the team had put up a record of 17-4-13 and had the second best record in the Eastern Conference.

Very few paid attention when they qualified for the playoffs in October. As a result very few even paid attention to their first round series against Columbus. Only after the Revolution took out the Columbus Crew and proceeded to beat up on the New York Red Bulls two weeks later in the first leg of the Eastern Conference Finals did the sports world finally begin to take notice. What many within the MLS had known all season was finally recognized by Boston sports fans ahead of Saturday’s final leg of the Conference Finals; the Revolution are a really good team.

But who was complaining. The Revolution had a fan base; there was assuredly room on the bandwagon.

And so, with record attendance, they brought the conference finals home for the second leg of their series with New York.

But things did not get off on the right foot for the Revolution who soon found themselves trailing 1-0 in the game and tied in the series’ aggregate scoring. Australian native, Tim Cahill punched in a shot early in the game that seemed to give the Red Bulls life.

New England turned things around soon after though when forward Charley Davis headed in a screaming shot off a set piece play.

"I liked that we were able to get a set-piece goal. It was something that we worked on all week on that exact play," Revolution coach Jay Heaps said. "It was actually a very similar play we ran in New York, [and] we missed that chance, so we knew there was going to be some space in that area, and we were able to hit on it."

The Red Bulls eventually managed to get the lead back with a second half strike by Peguy Luyindula. Needless to say, with things suddenly getting a little hairy in Foxboro, the Revs buckled down and began to once again turn the tide of the game in their favor.

Young goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth took ownership of the goal area and finished the night with two saves and the memory of several aggressive plays that broke up potential shots.

Beyond Shuttleworth, things got physical as the game wound down with two yellow cards being handed out and several huge challenges being made. In the 70^th minute however, it was Davis again who seized the moment and reminded Revs fans why he was the hero of the night. His shot from 15 feet out, gave the Revolution back their 4-3 lead on aggregate scoring.

The Revolution and their fan base were more than grateful.

"Today, from the opening whistle, the number of times he got behind their back line early -- and then the two chances -- you know Charlie Davies can score," Heaps said. "And I think that when he gets into those areas, he's going to put them away."

After seven years without an MLS Cup appearance, the New England Revolution are back in the big game. And after over two decades of seasons ending without a championship victory for this team, New England will take the field next Saturday ready to put it all aside and just win one more game.

This team has the mentality to get that one more win. After all, they did not even wait for the MLS to 

give them their Eastern Conference Finals trophy; no, they went up on that stage and got it for themselves. The same mantra, the same we-win-our-own-battles mentality could make this 2014 Revs team the first ever to return to Foxboro in the second week of December as MLS Cup victors. 

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Patriots vs Packers preview: New England, Green Bay poised for painfully close game

by Dakota Antelman

The Patriots and Packers, perhaps the NFL’s two hottest teams, will clash in what could be a rather brilliant display of quarterback power and defensive execution.

New England, fresh off an offensive dismantling of the Lions will head to Lambeau Field in Green Bay with the understanding that their romp of the NFL may very soon come to an end. 

 "It's not realistic for us to expect to continue to blow teams out like that, or, I don't want to say blow out, but win by a large margin," coach Bill Belichick said. "I can't really put my finger on what it is. I think it's a culmination of things and preparation, I think, is at the forefront of that."

The Packers are one of the closest teams to the Patriots in terms of statistical ranking that New England has and will face for the remainder of the year. They have a top 10 passing game, average over 100 yards in the run game per game and their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, is looking confident as ever in the pocket. Their starting running back, Eddie Lacey, has been running over defenses all season while prime receivers Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson are both on pace for 80+ catch seasons.

The Packers, an 8-3 team that is a more impressive 7-1 since week three, pose a threat to the soaring Patriots. Needless to say however, the threat is recognized.  

"We're playing Green Bay in Green Bay," Belichick said. "That's where they've been very dominant, really, in terms of getting ahead and playing from ahead, first quarter. The numbers are staggering."

The Packers are scoring nearly 33 points per game with Rogers throwing two or more touchdowns on six different occasions this season. But at the same time there have been moments this season where the Packers defense has struggled.

They rank 12^th in the league in pass defense and 30^th in run defense. In some of the same games that Rodgers has dominated, so have the Packer’s opponents.

As New England has prepared for this marquee meeting, finding and isolating the weaknesses in the Packers secondary and defensive line has been a focal point.

The Packers in turn understand this and know they will have to step their game up if they want to stem the flow of big Patriots players; especially streaky tight end Rob Gronkowski.

“I don't know that a lot of people have had great success covering him," Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers said Friday. "He can go vertical. He's a big guy. He's got a big wing span. You've seen him catch a ball thrown behind him and pull it in. He likes the physical part of the game. He's going to challenge you in terms of tackling. If you go up on his upper body, the guy's big and strong. Tacklers bounce off of him.”

Beyond Gronkowski, tight end Tim Wright is coming off a two touchdown performance last week vs. Detroit while wide receiver Brandon LaFell has added an extra passing target for New England along the sidelines.

Tom Brady’s distribution of the ball to his varied list of receivers has the Packers unsure of how to neutralize his abilities.

As of Friday, they still seemed unsure of who would be covering who. There was even talk of 225 pound linebacker, Clay Matthews, being matched up on Gronkowski.

There is indecision in regards to how either team will combat the other. Such becomes commonplace when two teams of immeasurable greatness like the Patriots and Packers meet.

Needless to say, after weeks of games decided in the first quarter, the Patriots and Packers game could very well have Patriots fans watching a kind of game they have not seen in months; a close one. 

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Tuukka Rask bails out slow Bruins offense: Bruins beat Jets 2-1 on Hamilton OT winner

November 29, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

The Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets engaged in a gritty, up and down game Friday night that ultimately culminated in an overtime decision in favor of the Bruins.

The Bruins, fresh off back to back losses to Montreal and Pittsburgh entered the game rested and revamped after a week of tough practice.

But after all their preparation, things did not get off on the right foot for Boston. An early penalty kill situation in the first period was not executed adequately by the Bruins and resulted in Jets forward, Dustin Byfuglien scoring with just four minutes left in the opening frame.

The late goal served as a bit of a slap in the face for the Bruins. They had spent most of the week addressing their scoring problems and stressing the need to work harder defensively in the middle portions of the ice. Of course, none of that happened.

“Everything we talked about (yesterday) morning didn’t happen in the first period,” said Julien.

The Bruins did manage to turn things around following the Byfuglien goal however. Bruins goalie, Tuukka Rask stopped a seemingly endless quartet of breakaways while stuffing countless shots on any number of the ensuing power plays that the Jets got.

“Tuukka’s one of the best goalies, if not the best goalie, in the league,” said forward Reilly Smith. “Sometimes we rely on him too much, but he does a good job handling the pressure that’s put on him.”

Rask ended the game with 35 saves, several of which came in some key moments during a four minute penalty kill at the end of regulation and the beginning of overtime. 

As for the goal that got the Bruins to overtime; that came from big bodied left winger, Milan Lucic.

After Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said earlier this week that the Bruins needed more size and physicality in front of the net, Lucic demolished Jets forward Mark Scheifele by skating hard to tip teammate Carl Soderberg’s pass into the net.

Finally, something they had worked on in practice paid off for Boston.

“We worked on that this week – going D-to-D and up, and that’s what we did,” Soderberg said. 

“Looch skated to the middle and left the puck for me, and I drove the net. So that’s how we scored.”

With the game tied, the onus was put back on Rask to at the very least keep it that way. Things were complicated in the final three minutes of the game though when Bruins pest, Brad Marchand, took a double minor penalty for high sticking.

Even then though, Rask stood tall once even gloving the puck down to his stick and clearing it out of the zone on his own.

“You’re just in survival mode there,” laughed Rask after the game. “You’re trying to secure that point.”

His work was finally rewarded by the rest of the team roughly four minutes later when defensemen Dougie Hamilton smacked a wrist shot from the hash marks into the net to win the game for Boston.

The goal was yet another product of a Bruins odd man rush that seemed to get better and better as the game went on. Carl Soderberg took the puck in the neutral zone and skated with it into the Jets end as Lucic and rookie David Pastrnak curled in towards the net. Rather than passing it to them though, Soderberg turned towards a trailing Hamilton and slid the puck to his stick.

Hamilton, using the screen of Pastrnak and Lucic let rip a screaming shot that decisively ended the game for Boston.

“Obviously, it felt pretty good. I don't know if I ever scored an overtime goal before, so a pretty — pretty good feeling, and a pretty good feeling to get the win after the start that we had.”

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Thoughts on Ray Rice reinstatment

November 28, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

The NFL was the subject of headlines today when former Ravens running back Ray Rice won his appeal of an indefinite suspension given after a TMZ video surface showing him knocking out his then girlfriend, now wife Janay Rice.

The Rice appeal process, which was moderated and judged by U.S District Judge Barbara S. Jones, concluded earlier this week with its verdict being announced Friday. 

Jones ruled the suspension “arbitrary because it lacked evidence” after commissioner Roger Goodell, Ravens GM, Ozzie Newsome, Rice and Janay Rice all testified. The general consensus was that Rice never lied to Goodell about his hitting and subsequently knocking out Janay in a casino elevator back in February while Goodell and the NFL also never actually provided enough evidence to justify calling Rice on an infraction of their player conduct polices.

In the end, the simplest outcome of this decision is that Rice will be eligible to play immediately. As of November 28^th, 2014, an NFL team with a need for a running back and with the guts to sign Rice could ink a contract with him and have him play in any game.

That is not okay.

Regardless of the process, regardless of Jones’ statement that the indefinite ban is “arbitrary”, there should be no way that Rice could play this Sunday or on any subsequent Sunday. This statement is built off of a greater one that has been repeated time and time again since February. Yet still, the NFL seems unable to comprehend it. Men who beat their wives should be allowed to sustain jobs, much less ones that involve their image being broadcast on TV and their words being syndicated across the internet.

That is that.

What Ray Rice did that night in February was a criminal act! Regardless of his relation to Janay, knocking someone out like he did is considered assault and battery, a crime punishable with up to 20 years in prison.

The short and long is that no matter what the process dictates, no matter what the final answer is, the NFL and its executives should not be able to, with good conscience, proceed with daily football operations while they do not have people fighting to keep a man like this out of their organization.

Their leniency with this case is reprehensible.

The NFL needs to fight this decision as ferociously as Rice fought the initial suspension. This is the kind of situation where a multi-billion dollar organization that the NFL is, needs to use its financial and political power to quash Rice’s ability to associate with them.

But they have done nothing of the sort. In the immediate wake of the suspension repeal, the NFL has laid down and accepted it all.

In the end, Ray Rice got off on a few technicalities. Ms. Jones found enough small discrepancies in the witness testimonies to say that the NFL’s suspension unfairly barred Rice from play.

Though, it is unlikely that any team will sign him this season, the ease with which the NFL was beaten in this case is worrisome. A league like this, with the unthinkable cultural influence that it exacts on the nation and the world, that also has a history of criminal activity by its players as documented as is currently true, should not in any way shape or form let a man like Rice be available to its teams.

There should be no second chances for batterers in the NFL. 

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Practice squad experiments Charley Hughlett, Xavier Grimble released

November 28, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

After last week’s running back shakeups, the Patriots worked out several roster moves with their practice squad this week.

After they were signed on Wednesday, long snapper Charley Hughlett and tight end, Xavier Grimble were both suddenly dropped Friday.

Hughlett, a 24 year old had spent time with the Jaguars, Cowboys, Browns before being picked up by the Patriots mid-week. He was signed in a package deal with former Giants and 49ers tight end Xavier Grimble.

Those deals were in turn made in direct correlation with the release of linebacker Deontae Skinner and Daxton Swanson from the New England practice squad.

In their place, Hughlett and Grimble attended both Patriots practices before they were dropped Sunday.

The moves were puzzling to some who pointed towards a recent concussion suffered by starting long snapper Danny Aiken as at least the reason for Hughlett’s hiring. Aiken was hit at the line of scrimmage late in last Sunday’s game vs. Detroit and was limited in practice all week.

Though always stating that the Hughlett signing was for “precautionary reasons,” the general assumption Wednesday was that Hughlett was signed to fill in for Aiken vs. a rough and tumble Packer’s special teams unit this Sunday.

As for Xavier Grimble, his signing seemed to serve as an opportunity for the Patriots to build depth at tight end. Before the Grimble signing, New England only had three tight ends under contract, none of whom were on the practice squad. His presence served to only add an extra layer of protection should Rob Gronkowski, Michael Hohomanonui or Tim Wright go down with injuries.

Removing him from the mix however still does not do much to damage the Patriots as a team. The same can be said for Hughlett as even if Danny Aiken does not play like he should Sunday, the team could easily work past it.

Such is proven by the fact that for portions of the preseason the Patriots did not even carry a long snapper.

Furthermore, the release of Hughlett and Grimble now opens up two extra spots for players to be brought in. New England has an opening on the active roster as well. 

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No rest for Bruins during Thanksgiving layoff: David Pastrnak skates with first line, Chara, Kelly making progress after injuries

November 28, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

During a time while many were out digging out from this week’s snowstorm or relaxing ahead of their holiday feasts, the Boston Bruins were hard at work at their Wilmington practice facility, the Ristuccia Arena.

This three day period without any games has given the Bruins a chance to step away from the drama and competition of the NHL season and address some of the internal issues that have plagued them for much of the year.

Among the biggest and most publicized of those issues has been the injury bug that has bitten the Bruins badly this season. Going into the break they had five players on the injury report with at least three out long term.  Names like Zdeno Chara, Adam McQuaid, Chris Kelly and David Krejci were all among those listed.

During the break however, considerable progress was made with milestones reached by several of those players.

Chara and fellow defender David Warsofsky were both skating for the first time since their injuries Tuesday morning. The next day, Kelly returned to practice and was seen running drills with the Bruins fourth line.

Kelly suffered an undisclosed injury last Friday vs Columbus and had been out of the spotlight since. When speaking to reporters on Wednesday however, he detailed the plan that the team training staff had set out for him. He spoke on the subject of how caution was an important quality in his rehab plan.

"I think we thought [it was] better to be on the cautious side of things," Kelly said. "It was exactly kind of how we thought it would be. And it felt good today [Wednesday], and we'll see how it feels again [on Thursday]."

Bruins fans and coaches alike were excited to see the returns of so many big names this week. But at the same time, Krejci, whose injury has still not been announced, was not present at any practices. Krejci, who might very well miss Friday’s game, has currently sat out three straight games. This recent absence comes during a stretch where Krejci has missed 9 of 11 games.

Bruins coach Claude Julian was non-descript in his discussing the terms of Krejci’s injury or his recovery plan.

“[we have to] Get the situation fixed so he's not in and out, in and out [of the lineup]," Julian said.

Beyond injuries, a myriad of transactions with AHL Providence saw rookie sensation Seth Griffith return to the team while Alex Kohoklachv and Jordan Caron were both sent back down. Among those who stayed with the Bruins, was first round draft pick David Pastrnak.

Pastrnak was promoted to the first line for Wednesday morning’s practice. He was seen skating alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.

Pastrnak made his NHL debut Monday vs. Pittsburgh skating 10 shifts for a total of 7 minutes and 53 seconds of ice time. He provided a presence in front of the net but did not manage to get a shot on goal.

The Bruins, who currently rank 20^th in the NHL in goals per game (2.5), are searching for a spark offensively and understand the need to put a flashy Pastrnak in a scenario where he can score. The first line, with Bergeron dishing out passes from the center position might very well be that perfect scenario.

"You try not to put him in a situation that may be too much, but at the same time, he's a good player, we know he's a good player - he showed that the other night, too," said Julien. "Offensively, he's a real good player, explosive, makes plays and he's pretty dynamic, and he'll only get better, so we need to continue to give him that opportunity to grow in the right environment."

Though experimenting with various positions in the lineup are definitely a positive for Pastrnak, with each new position comes a sort of acclamation period. The team is hoping Pastrnak can get into a grove on the first line as quickly as possible. 

The team's lack of scoring has definitely been noticed just as it has troubled team management.

“…The goal scoring, the offensive chances, the nature of the chances — getting better, but still has to get better,” GM Peter Chiarelli said. “I’m talking about heaviness on the puck, about competing, about not being stripped,” he said. “It’s a collective team thing.”

The Bruins understand that it takes goals to win hockey games. The Pastrnak move, as well as the Griffith call up, are both examples of the Bruins taking strides to give their team the best chance to get those goals.

Boston does currently hold a playoff spot; but with stalling goal scoring and nagging injuries, any number of teams currently breathing down their necks could very well come up and knock them out of that spot.

That is why nobody was resting within the Bruins organization this week. With the exception of a three hour Thanksgiving Day Dinner at Milan Lucic’s house, it was all work – top to bottom.

“I think what’s important with this group is that even with all of the injuries and everything, it can be easy to say we’re in a good spot right now,” said defensemen Torey Krug. “We’re happy with where we’re at, but we’re not a satisfied group, so I think that’s really important — especially when guys start to return. We’re a hungry group looking to move up in the standings, and that’s where that sits.”

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NHL Power Rankings: Top 5 teams through November 27th, 2014

November 27, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

For NHL teams, Thanksgiving is a major telling point in their season. 

Usually occurring just past the quarter pole of the season, teams have played enough games to get a sense of who their scorers and surprise rookie sensations are and who their fourth line grinders are. Teams have usually had to deal with injuries showing their ability to compensate and exercise depth just as goaltenders have usually logged enough starts to get a sense of their own abilities and how their defenders play the game of hockey. 

All and all, it is around this time of year that we begin to see which NHL teams are destined for postseason contention and which ones will be going back to the drawing board come summer. 

For the occasion, Go Titletown has compiled a brief ranking of the top five NHL teams to this point in the season...

1) New York Islanders (16-6-0)

There's been nothing flashy about the Islanders to this point in the season aside from the fact that they are simply and reliably winning hockey games.

Johnny Boycuck has fit in well since being traded away from Boston. He is averaging over 22 minutes of ice time per game and has started every Islanders contest this season.

Behind him, Jaraslov Halak is playing lights out hockey. His three shutouts this season are second best in the league while his GAA of 2.21 has the Islanders often outscoring opponents by two or even three goals.

The men scoring those goals are of a diverse list. 18 Islanders have scored this season with names like John Tavares and Brock Nelson leading the charge.

The Islanders are looking good at the Thanksgiving checkpoint. Thus they are granted the first spot in our power rankings.

2) Anaheim Ducks (14-4-5)

Behold the Anaheim Ducks! The long term leaders of the Pacific Division have ridden the return of Cory Perry's excellence to a dominant 14-4-5 record.

Perry has scored 12 times this season while young net minder Fredrik Andersen has dominated with a GAA of 2.10.

The Ducks have suffered some rough times though, losing three straight games to LA, Florida and Calgary last week.

Needless to say though, the Ducks are rolling through Thanksgiving with straight A's

3) Pittsburgh Penguins (15-4-2)

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are doing what they do best this season; scoring goals.

The Penguins lead the NHL in goals scored and have knocked off the Bruins, Canadians and Maple Leafs all in the past week. Their defense is standing tall and their goal-tending has for once managed to not lose games for them.

The one negative this season were stunning losses in back to back games vs the Islanders last week. They were outscored 9-5 in those games and saw their place in the standing drop ever so slightly.

Still though, the Penguins remain one of the NHL's best teams this season.

4) Montreal Canadians (16-6-1)

The Canadians, who currently hold the best record in hockey, would be higher in this week's power rankings if it were not for their recent utter collapses against the Penguins and Rangers respectively.

In all truth, those two shutout losses revealed a lot about this team. Despite their 16 wins the Canadians are a lowly 20th in the NHL in goal scoring. Despite their dominance of lowly teams, the Canadians have been unable to handle some of the better teams the NHL schedule has thrown at them. And despite the omnipresence of Cary Price between the pipes, the Canadians are middle of the pack in goals against.

The Canadians are a good team. But if the Bruins, Redwings or frankly anyone in the Atlantic Division so much as has a good week than the Canadians' place atop the standings could be in jeopardy.

5) St Louis Blues (14-6-2)

Despite a lingering injury to their goalie, Brian Elliot, the Blues are tied for the best record in the central division. They have the best goals against average in the NHL (2.0) and have been on some of the most dominant runs of any team this season.

However, a rough start to the season has the, behind in the league standings and slightly statistically inferior to some of the higher ranked teams.

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Thanksgiving football preview: A brief look at all 3 NFL thanksgiving day games

November 26, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

Over the past few decades, football as an industry has grown to the point where it has become an integral part of a holiday devoted towards spending time with family. We eat our mounds and mounds of food and then collapse into our recliners, stuffed and happy, to watch football that most of the time does not involve our team. 

But at its core, football is tradition. Thanksgiving and football are forever linked. As a result, as much as we pour over making our mashed potatoes and cooking up our turkey just right, we cannot help but glance to the sports world in eager anticipation of an edition of Thursday Night Football that nobody complains about playing on. 

This year's slate of NFL Thanksgiving games includes three match ups. The Bears and Lions will throw down in Detroit at 12:30. The Eagles and Cowboys match up in a 4:30 divisional showdown all before the Seahawks and 49ers cap off the night with an 8:30 kickoff in Santa Clara. 

Ahead of those games, Go Titletown gives you a trio of brief previews to give you all the background you need to fall asleep on the couch with the TV faintly broadcasting Al Michael's play by play across the living room... 

Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions - 12:30pm - Ford Field - Detroit, Michigan

The Detroit Lions (7-4) face off against the Chicago Bears (5-6) in the earliest game of the 2014 season. Kickoff is at 12:30 at Ford Field in Detroit with the Lions looking to avenge a harsh loss to the Patriots a week ago.

Of the Lions players looking to improve upon their performance last Sunday is quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford completed just 39% of his passes vs the Patriots further calling attention to a rather painful year for him.

Beyond Stafford, the Lions receivers will have to get better if they are to win this week. Namely, Calvin Johnson, who caught just four passes when matched up against New England CB Brandon Browner, knows he needs to work harder to simply beat coverage down the field. He is not sure where to start though.

"If I knew what was wrong, I would have already fixed it,” Johnson said.

Nonetheless, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler understands the potency of the Lions offence.

"Their offense is up and down at times but I'm sure they'll play well on Thursday," Cutler said. "They're reeling a bit, so we're going to get their very best shot.”

Even after Tom Brady ripped them apart last week, the Lions defense is one of the best in football allowing just over 17 points per game. Cutler and the Bears offense , which has had its own ups and downs this season, will also have their hands full trying to combat the wide array of defensive excellence that the Lions throw at them.

This game will be a marquee battle of desperate teams with quarterbacks hungry to prove their worth.

Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys - 4:30pm - AT&T Stadium - Arlington, Texas

Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles (8-3) and the surprisingly successful Dallas Cowboys (8-3) face off at 4:30 in balmy Arlington Texas.

The game will be huge for both teams as its winner will walk out of AT&T Stadium as the NFC East division leader.

“It's going to be a great game," Philadelphia DE, Fletcher Cox, said of the game. "I'm really excited, man. I'm looking forward to it. We're ready to roll. We're ready for Thursday."

The Eagles, who dropped 43 points on the Titans last week, will be relying on star running back LeSean McCoy to keep their momentum going through this marquee game. McCoy rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown vs the Titans seemingly rationalizing what was a tough week of preparation for the team.

Furthermore, though for some, a tough week like that, combined with the fact that Thursday’s game will start less than four days after the one in Tennessee, would be tiresome, the Eagles are riding enhanced emotions and intense anticipation of this game.

"I think the excitement and adrenaline can override how tired you are," receiver Jason Witten said. "It's a great opportunity for us. You can't worry about anything else. Just get through it and move forward."

The Cowboys team trying to stop Witten and McCoy, will be one with a similarly cast array of big playmakers. Dallas QB, Tony Romo has been, much to the delight of Cowboys fans, effective in the red zone this year. More specifically he is coming off of a lights out four touchdown performance a week ago in New York.

The Cowboys will also have a chance to take advantage of what is becoming a bit of a quarterback controversy in Philadelphia. Newly instated Mark Sanchez has been decent in the red zone but has thrown four interceptions in two games.  

All and all, the Cowboys and Eagles will participate in what, on paper, seems to be the most competitive of this year’s Thanksgiving games. 

Seattle Seahawks vs San Fransico 49er's -  8:30pm - Levi's Stadium - Santa Clara, California

Playing in the nightcap of Thursday’s set of games are the Seattle Seahawks (7-4) and the San Francisco 49ers (7-4).

Both teams have at times failed to live up to expectations this season but will likely put it all aside in what history predicts to be a great game.

Looking no further than last winter, the memories of Richard Sherman’s famed tip play on Colin Kaepernick’s pass in the final seconds of the NFC Championship Game are rehashed for the Seahawks and made raw for the 49ers.

Though Kaepernick insists that play is in the past, the memory of that game ads distinct fire and excitement to the lead up to this one.

"A Thanksgiving game where everybody will be watching," Seahawks quarterback Russel Wilson said. "Do you hype that up? Do you downgrade it? I don't know. It's going to kind of elevate the game in general, and it's the 49ers. It's one of those things you're gonna get pumped up for."

The game’s storylines go beyond Sherman and Crabtree though. As famous as Century Link Field is for its ability to disrupt games, 49ers fans are almost as loud, especially when the Seahawks are in town. This will also be Wilson’s first time playing in the new Levi’s Stadium.

"It's going to be a tough crowd, first time playing in that stadium," said Wilson.

It will be a tough crowd and a tough game.

 Needless to say, the long awaited rematch of the NFC title game of 2013 will likely not disappoint.

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Discussing the Red Sox options in search of their ace

November 26, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

With their offensive game made considerably better in the wake of this week’s Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez signings, the Red Sox have turned their focus to their biggest remaining weakness; pitching. Their options are plentiful but as time goes on, the once likely concept of a Jon Lester return to Boston is starting to become questionable.

Needless to say, though their chances with Lester have slightly lessened, their need for a high quality pitcher to anchor their staff has not.

If the Red Sox are to succeed next season they will need an ace. They will not find that ace within their current roster or their farm system. As a result, they will need to either acquire said ace through free agency or the trade market.

In terms of free agent options, the Red Sox are in a way lucky. There is an extremely seasoned crop of veteran pitchers searching for contract this offseason. Names like Max Scherzer and James Sheilds highlight that respectable group.

Scherzer and Sheilds both have an ERA under 3.5 and have shown that they are truly capable of shouldering major innings. Their ability to play those long games is characteristic of the kind of ace the Red Sox want. But at the same time, Scherzer’s recent Cy Young win as well as his being the two time defending AL Wins Champion gives him great leverage in forcing teams to give him much more money than they may want to give him. The same could be said for Shields who just recently proved his effectiveness in the playoffs with a dominant playoff run with the Royals.

The Red Sox are not afraid to pay big money. But at the same time they seem to have some strong misgivings about delving into either the Scherzer or the Sheilds market.

As of now, the most likely target for Boston, should they fail to sign Lester, would be a player currently under contract. Looking at the trade market, the options are even more bountiful.

Headliners include Reds pitcher, Johnny Cueto, Mariners’ Hisashi Iwakuma, and White Sox ace, Chris Sale.

Of those three, Sale is statistically superior with an ERA that is almost a full run less than Cueto’s and roughly .8 runs less than Iwakuma’s. However, with the Red Sox possibly shopping either infielder Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Bets or Yoenis Cespedes, a defensively competent White Sox team would likely be reluctant to deal its best pitcher for an unproven prospect and a one dimensional slugger.

With that in mind, the Red Sox are yet to engage in trade talks with the Reds, Mariners, or White Sox. However, the one team and therefore player the Sox have expressed great interest in is Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels.

Earlier this week, Philadelphia baseball reporter Jeff Passan said via Twitter that if the Red Sox miss out on Lester, “Boston's desire for an ace will make a Cole Hamels trade very likely.”

Hamels pitched to a 2.46 ERA last season and has logged 200+ innings in each of his last five seasons. He would work for the Sox although, in order to get him, the team would likely have to part ways with either Xander Bogaerts or Mookie Betts or both.

In the end, the Red Sox could go any one of many ways in the ever changing landscape of this year’s free agent and trade markets. But of the vast array of MLB teams looking for pitchers this offseason, the Red Sox, by virtue of their now immense depth offensively do definitely have an advantage should they go for a trade.

The opposite is true if they try to pay their way into a big money free agent deal as Boston is now just a few million dollars away from activating the luxury tax. 

All fears would be settled nonetheless, if Boston could get Jon Lester back. He is proven in the system and is coming off the best season of his career. Fans love him. His former Boston teammates love him just as much as management does. 

"Obviously we're doing everything we can to sign a top-tier pitcher, Jon Lester. And hopefully he'll come back,'' Red Sox owner John Henry said.

Lester is the Red Sox' priority, he is their favorite candidate. 

To paraphrase Wizard of Oz, the road to Lester is the yellow brick road. The roads to their secondary options are those other colors that nobody sings about. 

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Belated takeaways from Sandoval, Ramirez introductions

November 26, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

After signing free agent third basemen, Pablo Sandoval, to a five year $95 million contract, and short stop, Hanley Ramirez, to a $100 million five year deal, the Red Sox front office hosted a press conference Tuesday to introduce the two newcomers.

There was a general aura of excitement in the Red Sox fan base Tuesday that had been present for the majority of the past few weeks. The long played out, highly political, free agent saga that had engulfed the baseball world for the past month had drawn the attention of baseball figures across the country had come to a stunning, climactic close just days before. Suddenly, with the services of two of baseball’s best sluggers, the Sox appeared to be a much better team than they were in September.  

Red Sox owner, John Henry praised management and coaching for luring such prime targets to town.

"If we can win the World Series every other year and finish last every other year, I'd take that,'' Henry said. "It has been a roller coaster, I can't deny that, but when you have a bad year, like you did this year, just like in 2012, you're determined to rebuild quickly, and I think Ben has taken tremendous steps to do that.”

Beyond Henry however, the main focus Tuesday was on the players who were being introduced as well as the current Red Sox they would soon be playing alongside.

Beginning with the players introduced, character issues were a topic given a large amount of discussion time

Though each powerful in their swings and legendary in their place in baseball history, Sandoval and Ramirez each have personal issues that have been assuredly and loudly pointed out since their singing.

For Sandoval, commitment has been a struggle for much of his career. Standing five feet, 11 inches tall, Sandoval weighs in around 245 pounds. His weight has fluctuated since the beginning of his career and, at times, lack of offseason commitment has resulted in decreased mobility in some of his six seasons in baseball.

He addressed those problems head on Tuesday insisting that he wanted to stay at third base rather than DH. To do so, he will have to stay in shape.

 "I’m going to sit down with the strength and conditioning staff, with the training and figure out the best situation," he said. "The organization will choose the program I have if they make an adjustment they’re going to do it because the organization does those things. So we’ll sit down with training staff and talk about that."

Sandoval further elaborated by voicing his understanding of how and why his weight has been a problem.

"I don't take it personal," he said. "I just take it like advice that they gave me. I want to show them that I can be a better player. I learned a lot of things from that, so now I'm showing that I'm in my new organization and I'm going to show that I'm mature and I'm good enough for that challenge.”

The team’s addressing the very blatant issues that Sandoval has dealt with instead of constantly drawing the conference back to what wonderful things he has done hint at a long term commitment to the player. Such a thing is truly positive as Sandoval is already a world class talent that could get even better with training and commitment to a baseball lifestyle.

But they still were not all grim and gloomy. Sandoval’s position was discussed as he also spoke on the fluidity of the game of baseball as it is played in Boston.

"I want a new challenge. I need a new challenge," he said Tuesday during a Fenway Park news conference. "I know that I had a great career in San Francisco. But I'm going to have a new one here."

Sandoval approached Tuesday’s conference with a kind of genuine will to learn this system. He said the things he had to say while meaning the things he wanted to say.

Ramirez, who was introduced a few hours after Sandoval, saw his conference largely centered around where he would play next season.

The discussion was slightly arbitrary and revealed that the Red Sox really are not sure what moves might be made in the coming weeks and months.

"You're always trying to get a sense of where they might fit in," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "We're not even at Thanksgiving yet. The potential for some other additions might exist.”

Ramirez has been suggested as a possible candidate for the Sox left field position. However, there has been growing talk of a blockbuster trade that would move star prospect Xander Bogaerts out of Boston to make room for Ramirez and gain the services of a star pitcher.

Realistically though, the Red Sox are not sure which way they will go.

Beyond position talk, Ramirez’s past connection with the Red Sox organization was also brought up in relation to his ability to bond with current members of the team.

David Ortiz, who was the Red Sox designated hitter the night of Ramirez’ 2005 MLB debut with the Red Sox, has already embraced his being linked with Ramirez and Sandoval by the nickname “the three amigos”.

Ortiz, who has been one of Boston’s most consistent sluggers since his entry onto the team more than a decade ago, ought to recognize the need to develop Sandoval, and ideally Ramirez as well, into similarly capable hitters.

Judging by Ramirez’ antidotal evidence, that is just was Ortiz has tried to do.

"David, he's like my big brother," Ramirez said. "He's texting me pretty much every day and telling me what I've got to do, what I've got to change. I think he's part of my success in the big leagues ... I can't wait to be on the same team with him. It's going to be great."

One big thing that Ramirez has to change is his worrisome propensity to snap per se. After last season’s AJ Pierzynski debacle that ended with him being moved out for disciplinary reasons, the Red Sox need to keep tight reigns on Ramirez and any behavior issues he runs into.

But Boston showed in their recognition of those issues that they are ready to handle Ramirez and are willing to go to great lengths to get the most out of him.

Basically, the main takeaway from the Sandoval/Ramirez introductions is that the Red Sox are willing to address any problems that arise for the sole sake of utilizing the wide array of helpful qualities that the two bring to the team.

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Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval deals leave Red Sox overstaffed

November 24th, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

In the span of about three hours, the Boston Red Sox unloaded nearly $200 million in payroll over the next five years. In quick succession, reports surfaced confirming and suggesting deals to Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval respectively.

The two high profile free agents have been the talk of the MLB this offseason making today’s stunning news all that more groundbreaking.

Further complicating this though is the fact that should these two deals go final, the Boston Red Sox will have one of the most powerful offensive lineups in baseball.

Ramirez, who was signed to a $88 million four year deal with an option for a fifth year at $22 million salary, carries with him a history of speed and power. Nine years and three teams after making his MLB debut with the Red Sox in 2005, Ramirez has hit an average of 24 home runs per season. He has on seven occasions stolen more than 20 bases while all the while batting a solid .300 from various points in a batting order. He has made three All-Star Games and been named Rookie of the Year, NL Batting Leader, Silver Slugger at various points in his career.

During what has been a rather successful decade long demolition of MLB pitching, one of Ramirez most capable opponents has been long time Giants third basemen Pablo Sandoval.

Sandoval came to Boston on a similar $100 million five year contract that has since been all but signed. The value of whatever contract he would be given has been a hotly contested subject this offseason largely due to the flexibility Sandoval’s being a switch hitter allows him to possess.

The benefits of his manipulated batter/pitcher matchups, include 106 home runs and an assembled batting average of .276 in six professional seasons. Sandoval, like Ramirez, has made his presence felt in the Midsummer Classic, making the All-Star game twice.

After years of being compared to one another though, these two players have been united by a pair of marquee contracts and gargantuan salaries.  

But what does this mean for their playing time?

The answer is further clouded by the fact that there are many more names and positions in play here than those of Sandoval and Ramirez. Names like Yoenis Cespedes, Mike Napoli, Xander Boagaerts and Shane Victorino come to mind.

In short, last season’s last place finish obscured the fact that, at least on paper, this Red Sox team was already stacked with power hitting talent. But paper is not real life and after many of those players failed to live up to expectations the Sox were smart to try to bring in some fresh faces.

Those fresh faces, by nature of the equally fresh memory of the millions upon millions of dollars it took to get them, will likely play big roles for this Red Sox team next year. The other faces, by nature of the largely unsuccessful seasons that they worked towards last seasons could see their playing time suffer to accommodate the inclusion of Sandoval and Ramirez.  

More specifically, the left side of the infield as well as the outfield could see the most noticeable turnover. Sandoval and Ramirez’s natural positions are third base and short stop respectively.

As of now, it looks like Sandoval will ease into the third base position uncontested. Ramirez however might take quite a bit more shuffling to work into the lineup.

Firstly, one must understand that Dustin Pedroia will never leave second base. Second, Xander Bogaerts has already shown how much his game suffered when he made the switch from third base to short stop. Operating off of that previous knowledge the Red Sox ought to know that moving him out of the infield could be met with catastrophic results.

Remembering that Sandoval will likely be locked in at third base, that means that the only position in the infield available is first base which really is not available unless the Red Sox do something drastic and trade away Mike Napoli.

Napoli, who currently serves as a tried and true big bat out of the number four spot in the lineup, feels a little too beloved by Red Sox coaching to be let go.

So what does that leave for Ramirez? Outfield? Likely; yes.

While the Sox infield is stacked with fielding talent, the outfield is much more unstable. Shane Victorino dealt with immense injury trouble last season missing nearly 100 games with various hamstring calamities. To his right, the Red Sox center fielding position was in constant turnover with neither Jackie Bradly Jr. Mookie Betts nor even Brock Holt making a surefire case for why they should be tenured in the position. Though Yoenis Cespedes will not go anywhere, simply due to his bat, the Sox assuredly have room in the outfield to insert Ramirez should he be comfortable playing there.

If he is comfortable, then we will likely see at least one more player leaving Boston in the coming days and months. But that is not to say that the Red Sox could not get something in return.

As of now it looks like the Jon Lester contract roomers of last month have quieted. If they stay that way and the Red Sox do not get Lester, they will still be in dire need of an ace pitcher. To remedy that need, Boston could foreseeably trade a package deal of some of their top prospects for a top tier pitcher.

However, to date, no whispers suggesting the acquisition of a pitcher through the trade market have been hatched.

We may have to wait on that one.

Needless to say, the Red Sox blew things up Monday morning scooping up two of the MLB’s top hitters and dishing out some rather exorbitant sums of money in order to do so. But now they are left with a minor problem that begins to verge on worrisome. They are simply overstaffed. They have more big bats than they know what to do with and though that does not seem like a problem, if they smother any of those high value talents for too long they risk losing them. 

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Tim Wright excels in 34-9 Patriots win over Deroit Lions

November 23rd, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

The Patriots kept things rolling Sunday vs the Lions when they steamrolled the Detroit Lions by a score of 34-9. They clenched their 14th straight winning season just eleven weeks into the season and, in doing so, solidified their place as one of the NFL’s best teams.

Tom Brady tossed a pair of touchdown passes, both to tight end Tim Wright while an old face named LeGarrett Blount managed to run in two touchdowns. The Patriots defense dominated as well, stuffing the Lions consistently and holding them to just three field goals.

“We did a good job today. We were ready to go. Any time you can keep a team like Detroit out of the endzone, that’s good,” Patriots coach Bill Bilichick said. “We were able to put some points on the board and make plays in all three phases of the game.”

Tim Wright staged a belated coming out party in the win. He caught his fourth and fifth touchdown passes of the year and was responsible for 36 of the Patriots 349 total receiving yards Sunday afternoon. 

Wright, who came to the Patriots from Tampa in the Logan Mankins trade before the season began, has definitely made the most of his targets this season. Wright has failed to catch just two of the passes thrown to him this season. Beyond that, now over a quarter of those 20 Wright targets have gone for touchdowns.

Needless to say, the Patriot are impressed with their new receiver’s sudden growth.

“It seems like every time we throw to him it's a touchdown,” Brady said of Wright. “So try to find him more often down there I guess. But he does a great job in coverage and finds the open spots and makes the plays so it was a big day, big day for that.”

Brady spread the ball to top targets Brandon LaFell and Julian Edelman but ran into a roadblock with tight end Rob Gronkowski who was double covered for much of the night.

Despite the lack of Gronkowski, New England still managed to get down the field on a regular basis. They did so largely on the backs of their kick returners who gave New England immaculate starting field position as well as their running backs who accounted for 90 yards of offence.

LeGarrett Blount, who returned to the Patriots midweek, carried the ball 12 times for 78 total yards and a pair of pivotal touchdowns.

“He’s a really great guy, runs hard, runs alot and once he breaks through he can make you pay,” Brady said. “He’s got a little bit of explosion so it was fun to see some of those big plays.”

The Patriots defense limited the effectiveness of Lions WR Calvin Johnson further debilitating the NFL’s most productive offence.

The Patriots went into their home stadium and took care of business Sunday. They kept with the positive trends they had been assembling in recent weeks and reached several key milestones with their ninth win of the season.

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Aaron Dobson fading away on Patriots depth chart

November 23rd, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

Patriots tight end Aaron Dobson was scratched from Sunday’s game vs the Detroit Lions after once again being beaten out by speedy pass catcher Brian Tyms. The absence from Sunday’s game marked the eighth time this season Dobson has been scratched. It also began to beg the question: is Dobson still of worth to the Patriots?

Drafted 59^th overall in the 2013 NFL draft, Dobson was part of the controversial young receiving core of last year’s Patriots team. He, alongside Kenbrell Thompkins specifically earned starting level scrutiny but was up and down in his reliability throughout the year.

Most notably he caught some serious flack in his NFL debut when he caught just 3 of 7 passes in a Week Two Patriots win over the Jets. His second quarter drop of a potential touchdown catch solicited yells of anger from Patriots quarterback Tom Brady that soon spiraled into a national controversy.

While Dobson did eventually build some consistency and a little comfort with his quarterback, he was never given starting reps. Brady targeted him just 74 times in his rookie season with Dobson catching just 37 of those passes. He accounted for just over 500 yards of Patriots offence in 12 total starts.

From there things seemed awkward at best for the 200 pound tight end.

The Patriots brought in the likes of Brian Tyms this off-season and, in working hard in the rehab process, ensured that big bodied tight end Rob Gronkowski would be healthy for the regular season.

Before the season, it was clear that if Gronkowski could play well and if Tyms could find his place within the Patriots offence, Dobson’s place with the team could suddenly vanish.

With almost three quarters of the season played it seems that that has happened. Gronkowski has already caught 54 passes for 734 yards and 9 touchdown passes. He has refined his blocking abilities and has reproven himself to Brady and his offensive coordinators. He is once again a reliable and ideal target in a wide array of potential passing plays.

Beyond Gronkowski, Tyms has been desirable this season. He caught a 43 yard catch in Week Five vs the Bills and has excelled in midweek practices on a regular basis.

Very simply, Aaron Dobson has done nothing this year that has helped separate him from his competitors. Thus the weekly decision to let him play or confine him to the bench is very quickly being made in favor of the latter.

Now theoretically, the weekly nature of this tight end competition would mean that Dobson would get an equal chance each week to prove his worth. But as the healthy scratches pile up, he is very quickly drifting towards a point where the coaching staff will automatically look over him. 

If that is the case, Dobson could fall further than simply the bench. The Patriots have no use carrying the salary of a player who will not ever play.  

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Analyzing the Bruins recent struggles against Montreal

November 23rd, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

The Bruins faced the Montreal Canadians Saturday night in a marquee game in Boston. The matchup, which ultimately ended in a 2-0 loss served as yet another renewal of an old rivalry and featured strong emotions . Like the hundreds of games before it, the hatred felt in the game was one fueled by emotion and long engraved memories of triumph and sadness.

But something is changing with this rivalry and it was only made more real by the loss handed to the Bruins Saturday night. 

Very simply, the Canadians have the Bruins number; they know how to reliably beat Boston. As hard as it is to face, the result of that game was predicatble,

In the 21 games in which the two teams have met since the 2011 Bruins Stanley Cup victory (including last year’s playoff series) the Canadians have beaten the Bruins 14 times. They have outscored the Bruins 70-42 and are averaging nearly 3.33 goals per game. In stark contrast, the Bruins have put up a much lesser scoring output averaging exactly 2 goals per game.

From top to bottom, these past few years, as they pertain to the Bruins’ meetings with Montreal, have been marred with goaltending miscues and offensive deficiencies.

Tuukka Rask is a perfect example of the former of those two.

Rask, who, since the beginning of the 2010-2011 season has produced a GAA of 2.11, has allowed a much less impressive average of 3.10 goals per game in 13 starts against the Canadians during that time. What is worse is that before Saturday's holding the Canadians to two goals, Rask had a GAA of over 6 this season vs Montreal.

After recognizing Rask’s struggles, the Bruins benched him for last week’s meeting with the Canadians where rookie backup goaltender Niklas Svedberg went in and promptly allowed five goals.

But the goalies are not the only ones at fault in what has since spiraled into a four year parade of problems with Montreal. As said before, the Bruins have scored just 2.1 goals in each of the games they have played against Montreal. That, when matched with the 3.5 goals per game that the Canadians are scoring has the majority of these affairs going decisively in favor of Montreal.

Furthermore, 2.00 goals is not a level of goal scoring the Bruins normally fall to. As of Saturday November 22^nd, the Bruins and Canadians had both played 233 games since 2011. In that time, the Bruins had actually outscored them by over 100 goals. They were averaging 3.07 goals per game while Montreal was putting up just under 2.74.

Some of the Bruins best and brightest forwards are struggling to make their mark against the Canadians As a result, we are seeing angrier, lopsided games that ultimately end with the Bruins going home empty handed.

This is a problem for a Bruins team that once elevated its play when the schedule put them up against their most hated foe. Now as excited and pumped up as they get, the Bruins keep losing in a growing trend that is noticeably diminishing the magic of one of the greatest rivalries in sports.

*All statistics from ESPN.com. All statistics valid as of November 23nd, 2014 at 11:30 AM.

**Thank you to everyone who has viewed this blog since it went live on July 4th, 2012. Earlier today Go Titletown received its 10,000th page view almost exactly two and a half years into its existence. This blog means a lot to me and I appreciate any and all who have taken the time to watch and help it grow. Here's to many more years of Boston sports blogging in the ever changing business that is 21st century journalism! Thank you!

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Patriots vs Lions Preview: Patriots seeking 13th straight winning season

November 11th, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

A week of transactions and roster drama will culminate in a Patriots face off with the Detroit Lions at 1pm on Sunday.

After last week’s Jonas Gray excellence, this week’s LeGarret Blount signing as well as the Patriots sudden distancing themselves from the rest of the NFL, the themes evident in this game are vast and plentiful. Furthermore, this game pits two teams going in opposite directions against each other.

 The Lions are coming off a painful loss to the Cardinals last week in which they only scored six points. 

New England however, sits first overall in the AFC with an 8-2 record and has a two game lead on the Broncos in the AFC standings. They are only a few good wins away from clinching their division and one win away from clenching their 13th straight winning season. Needless to say, the Patriots have won their last six games by virtue of the fluidity of their attack.

"We always try to stay balanced," said Tom Brady, who saw his running backs pick up the slack for him when he threw for just 257 yards last Sunday. "You never go in saying we're going to run it this much or throw it this much. You try to get the runs on your terms, and if they're going to load up and stop it, you've got to throw it, but if they're not going to respect the running game, you've got to keep giving it to him."

Jonas Gray blew the Colts away last week with four touchdown runs and over 200 yards of total offence. He was featured as the cover boy for this week’s edition of the magazine “Sports Illustrated” and predicted to dominate vs. the Lions if given starting snaps once again. During the week however the Patriots brought in recently dropped Steelers running back LeGarrett Blount.

Blount, a player with both running back and kick return abilities will likely be utilized in the former of those two positions vs the Lions and not the latter.  That is because earlier this week, Patriots coach Bill Belichick insisted that Blount would have to earn his playing time in a tight system.

"When he gets an opportunity, [it's] how much he can take advantage of it, how much he can be productive and what he can do with those opportunities [that] will determine how many more there are,” Bilichick said. “It's totally up to him”

Beyond the running back battle, the Patriots and Lions game will feature a fierce clash at the line of scrimmage. 304 pound defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh, will test a Patriots offensive line that has been lights out in recent weeks. Suh has 4.5 sacks this season and has made 23 total tackles.

The Patriots and their offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels recognize the threat though and have been preparing relentlessly this week.

"He’s an extremely disruptive player in any alignment that they put him in,” McDaniels said of Suh. “He’s a great football player. He plays the run well, creates a lot of problems in pass protection. He penetrates. He can handle double-teams and beat single blocks and moves with the other defensive linemen very well.”

To counteract what pressure, Suh manages to put on Brady, the Patriots will have to work in short run plays and screen passes that have been used only sparingly during this six game win streak. On top of plentiful targets to dominant players like tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Julian Edelman, the Patriots could start dumping short passes off to running back, Shane Vereen in this game.

Vereen who has caught 35 passes for 305 yards this season, understands the need for quick hitting plays early.

“It’s just about getting the ball rolling,” he said after Friday’s practice. “Hopefully we'll be able to keep doing what we've been doing in recent weeks but also just get the ball going downfield early.”

Finally, the Patriots are in for a tense matchup in the secondary as the highly touted wide receiver Calvin Johnson will happily exploit any miscues the Patriots make. Johnson already has over 500 receiving yards this season and will likely be shadowed closely by Patriots corner Darelle Revis.

Earlier this week Revis praised Johnson as a “man amongst boys.”

“I have a lot of respect for him,” Revis said. “I feel like our defense has a lot of respect for him. He has a lot of respect around the league as well.”

The Patriots will be looking to extend their winning streak to seven games Sunday but will have a wholly capable Lions team standing in their way. They recognize the threat and as they have on countless occasions this season, done their homework and adapted accordingly so as to give them the best chance to win.

"We’re going to need to play a good, complementary game all the way across the board; there’s no real weak points, a lot of things we have to deal with," Belichick​ said. "It’s a team we don’t know very well, so we’re going to have to really work hard this week to get on top of them, get familiar with them, but they present a lot of problems."

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Dennis Sidenberg goal catalyzes Bruins comeback: 4-3 final on Kokhlachev shootout winner

November 21st, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

A slow start proved to be nothing that could not be overcome by a resilient Bruins team Friday night.

After falling behind 2-0 early in the first period, the Bruins scored three times in the final 20 minutes of the game to eventually tie things up and secure at least a point . From there they stumbled through a tight OT period and a seven round shootout before finally rookie forward Alex Kohlachev ended things for Boston. 

For those present, the polar changes made between the first two periods and the third were so drastic that they seemed to break Friday’s game in two.

“As a team we kind of let go of our 1st period problems and started going hard in the 3rd period,” said Bruins goalie Niklas Svedberg.

The Bruins were outshot, out hit and generally outplayed early on with Svedberg himself making key positional mistakes. Both of his goals allowed came on deflected shots taken when he was deep in his own net. 

 Beyond that, the Bruins defensive core was physically lacking with younger defenders Matt Bartowski and Kevin Miller surrendering the neutral zone to Columbus’ rushes with frequency.

But however bad as things seemed, the coaching staff seemed to diagnose and remedy their problems with ease and decisiveness during their address to the team during the second intermission.

“We were doing good things in the first two periods but in the end it was those little things that were getting us,” Bruins coach Claude Jullian said of his addressing the team at the break. “Little things we had to get better at. Those being just getting some presence on our shots, we were taking these shots with nobody there for rebounds. We just needed more net and that’s what we got in that third period.”

The Bruins, ignited by whatever was specifically said in that second intermission, saw their 

competitive spirit fanned into a roaring bonfire when Dennis Seidenberg hammered an 80ft slap shot past Sergei Bobrovsky to break the shutout. The goal which was scored just over a minute into the third period was the catalyst of the eventual comeback.

“Those first two periods were kind of boring, but that third period must have been fun to watch!” Said Svedberg.

Svedberg would surrender a late goal that sent the game to overtime but was generally strong. He stopped 8 of 9 third period shots. For him though, the dominance was most notably felt in the shootout where he stopped all of Columbus’ seven shots.

Jullian glowed about his goalie’s performance after the game.

“They got some pretty good shootout players on their team and Svedberg stood tall and really played great in that shootout,” he said.

Needless to say, some sort of scoring must be achieved to win a hockey game. In the end it was another rookie who got the job done. Alex Khokhlachev, who still does not have an NHL goal, grabbed his first shootout winner when he slipped a wrist shot under the pad of Bobrovsky in the seventh round.

The goal served as Boston’s walk off for the night with the Bruins skating over to congratulate Kokhlachev before immediately turning their focus to Saturday’s meeting with the Canadians.

All and all, the team was happy with how they exhibited their ability to turn games around when they seem surely lost.

"That was a good comeback win, knowing we're down two goals going into the third," said Julien. "To be able to get that short-lived 3-2 lead was a good sign from this hockey club."

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Patriots intentions at RB clouded by LeGarrett Blount signing

November 21st, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

For the first time this season, the Patriots had a defined number one running back. Jonas Gray had one of the highest scoring games in years and proved himself capable of handling big time snaps. But then, mere days after Gray’s one man demolition of the Colts, the Patriots complicated the running back picture once again when they signed former player LeGarrett Blount to a two year contract.

Gray, a rookie, came alive verses the Colts. His four touchdowns were the most by any running back in the NFL this season. Beyond that, he rushed for a total of 201 yards on 38 carries; that was also a first for this year’s Patriots running back core.

In the coming days, the overnight sensation was trending on Twitter and dominating both local and national sports headlines. He was put on the cover of Sports Illustrated early this week and had stories about him circulated in the New York Times. More bluntly, a video of teammates chanting his nickname ‘Supreme’ had gone viral by Monday morning.

"I'll probably go home tonight, when we get back around 4 a.m., and just lay in bed, look up at the ceiling and just be astonished at what's going on," Gray said amidst that elated locker room atmosphere after the win. "Just writing a great story."

But at the same time that Gray was writing a great story, Steelers running back LeGarret Blount was erasing one. Controversy had sprung up around Blount angrily leaving the Steelers sideline late in their game vs. the Titans after a dispute with coaches over his playing time.

Though very little was known at the time, it was clear that there was an issue of character within the Pittsburgh locker room. Said issue was addressed swiftly and decisively when, Monday morning, the Steelers announced the release of Blount.

"We believe the decision to release LeGarrette is in the best interest of the organization and wish him the best of luck," said head coach Mike Tomlin in a prepared statement.

Blount had run into trouble with the Steelers before. He had previously expressed displeasure with his receiving sometimes less than 10 carries per game while also getting arrested for Marijuana possession back in August.

From the perspective of a fan, even one who watched Blount blow away the Colts a little less than a year before Gray did the same, Blount did not seem like the kind of player New England should spend its time on. They, a team recently plagued by the legal debacle brought on by Aaron Hernandez and the lesser mess brought on by Alfonzo Dennard’s DUI’s and probation violations, did not seem like one that should pay a guy who just got fired for his behavior.

But alas, the Patriots disregarded Blount’s issues and signed him to a two year deal at minimum salary Thursday afternoon.

Blount was present and practicing at Patriots facilities the next day.

One man who was not was the previously celebrated diamond in the ruff, Gray. He was sent home from Friday’s practice after showing up late. Though the Patriots coaching staff assured the media that the discipline would not affect his Sunday playing time it certainly added insult to injury for Gray.

Furthermore, the absence of Gray and the presence of Blount at Friday’s practice seemed to put a shocking, bow on a week of running back turmoil.

Right now not much is clear about how the Patriots will handle their new depth at running back or how the playing time of Blount and Gray will be managed.

One thing that the Patriots know for sure about Blount though is that he gives the Patriots a proficiency in the return game. He was the king of the kick return in his last stint with the team averaging nearly 30 yards a return in 17 attempts and once logging a stunning 84 yard run back in an explosive season finale win over the Bills.

But beyond the kick return game, Blount and Gray are very similar running backs. They are both powerful players who at the same time possess slick abilities to slip through gaps in defensive lines and then break away from any and all who chase them.

Thus the case could be made that the team should split their playing time, putting Blount on kick return and splitting rushing attempts right down the middle for him and Gray.

Friday at practice however, Bill Belichick seemed to disband any arguments in favor of that approach saying that for the time being, Blount would have to earn every snap he was given.

"That will be up to him, just like everybody else," Belichick said. "When he gets an opportunity, [it's] how much he can take advantage of it, how much he can be productive and what he can do with those opportunities [that] will determine how many more there are. It's totally up to him.”

Blount seemed to also understand that Belichick was putting his foot down and would not tolerate any of the playing time complaints that he assembled down in Pittsburgh.

"Bill is a straight-forward shooter, he's a 100 percent honest person," he said. "I truly believe that if I do what I have to do, then I'll make myself a role on this team. Whatever I have to do, I'm going to do it to be productive."

If Blount can be what he was when he rushed for 166 yards in the 2013 Divisional Playoff game for the Patriots, than they will be in possession of one of the strongest run games in football. But if he cannot than they will be in big trouble.

In short the Pariots have been indecisive in the run game for much of the season. This Blount signing, just a few days after Gray emerged as apparent king of the masses, was an example of that indecision at its most obvious.

It seemed to hint that the Patriots might not trust Gray as a number one back. After the great confidence boost that he was given by Sunday’s excellence, his team undermining him and bringing in this guy to breathe down his neck could do more harm than good. That could be shown as soon as Sunday when the Patriots face the Lions at home.

To keep that from happening, the Patriots need to let Gray defend his statistics with another day of starting reps. After a performance as historic as the one that he put up last Sunday, he does not deserve to fade back into the pot of talented Patriots running backs.

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