Forum » NASCAR investigation

DENVER - There was a time when an early two-goal deficit wouldve deflated the Colorado Avalanche.That was so two weeks ago, though. This is a way more confident group, especially with a healthy Semyon Varlamov in goal.Nathan MacKinnon broke a second-period tie and Varlamov stopped 37 shots, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.Erik Johnson, John Mitchell and Matt Duchene also scored as the Avalanche won for the fifth time in six games to leapfrog Dallas in the Central Division standings.Our top guys have been playing good hockey, said Colorado coach Patrick Roy, whose team bounced back from a 2-0 deficit after the first period.MacKinnons score with 8.4 seconds left in the second was part of a three-goal period for the Avalanche. They came out fast to start the third, too, with Duchene scoring just 12 seconds into period. It was Duchenes first goal since Dec. 11.We stayed with it and Varly made big saves the rest of the way, Duchene said.The pivotal play of the game was early in the third when Tyler Seguin, the NHLs leading goal scorer, was stuffed on a breakaway by Varlamov. The save kept Colorados lead in tact as the crowd chanted Varly, Varly.I made a quick move on net, but (Varly) made the save, Seguin said.Varlamov improved to 6-2 with two shutouts in eight starts since returning from a groin injury. Hes stopped 127 of 132 shots over his past three games.I thought that he was focused, Roy said. He was capable of regrouping.Brett Ritchie, Colton Sceviour and Ales Hemsky had goals for the Stars, who have dropped five straight in Denver.The Stars pulled Kari Lehtonen with about 1:20 remaining and had a great chance to tie the game, only to have Jason Spezzas shot from down low clang off the post.We played well enough to win — hard enough, well enough, Stars coach Lindy Ruff said.Colorado erupted for three goals in the second period to turn around a game the Stars were dominating. MacKinnons goal that gave Colorado the lead was upheld after a lengthy review.The play started when Maxime Talbot intercepted a pass near the blue line and sent it over to MacKinnon. The teenager tried to push the puck past Lehtonens left pad. The referee signalled good, the horn blew and the Avalanche celebrated.It was reviewed for several minutes, with one replay appearing to show the puck just barely creeping over the line. The officials said the play was inconclusive and the goal stood.Regardless of the wait, I got the result I wanted, MacKinnon said.Asked what he thought of the call, Ruff said, doesnt matter what I think. I know what they called.Lehtonen was cruising along with a 2-0 lead in the second period, making pad save after pad save, until the Avalanche finally got something by him. It started with Johnson, who backhanded a shot that trickled past Lehtonens left skate and into the goal.Lucky goal, Ruff said.Just the way things have been going this season for Johnson, who was selected to his first All-Star game on Saturday. Johnson has a career-high 12 goals this season.I think hes been doing a super job, Roy said.Just 1:25 after Johnsons goal, Mitchell sent a low liner from the blue line into traffic that got by Lehtonen to tie the game at 2.The Stars caught Colorado napping in the Avalanches only home afternoon game of the season, scoring 27 seconds into the game.Seguin was originally credited with the goal after he turned and lined a shot on Varlamov. But it was given to Ritchie, who redirected the puck. Ritchie has three goals since being recalled from Texas of the American Hockey League on New Years Eve.NOTES: Stars LW Erik Cole was a late scratch because of an illness. ... Dallas players have their fathers and mentors on the trip. ... Duchenes goal 12 seconds into the third was the fastest goal by Colorado to start a period this season. ... LW Alex Tanguay was limping after the game. He caught a slap shot in the right leg during the third period. ... Roy said backup goalie Reto Berra would be sent to the minors for conditioning. He will play five games over two weeks before being brought back. Calvin Pickard will join the team and play in Carolina on Tuesday. Air Max 90 China Wholesale . -- Its been 21 years since Joe Gibbs Racing celebrated its only Daytona 500 victory. Air Max 270 React Discount . Cleveland released the troubled wide receiver on Wednesday, an expected ending after Bess was arrested in January for assaulting a law enforcement officer at an airport and other bizarre behaviour. http://www.cheapairmaxchinawholesale.com...act-outlet.html. -- Conor Casey scored two goals, his first of the season, as the Philadelphia Union beat Chivas USA 3-0 on Saturday night. Cheap Air Max 95 Fake . Bilbaos first victory in four rounds lifted it four points clear of Real Sociedad and kept it in command of Spains last Champions League berth for next season. In contrast, Betis was left 11 points from safety after a dismal performance that at times bordered on self-destruction amid some questionable refereeing decisions. Cheap Fake Air Max . Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN Canadiens at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The game can also be heard on TSN Radio Montreal 690. The Calgary Flames will see if they can take their recent hot streak on the road when they shoot for a sixth consecutive win Monday night in Montreal.RICHMOND, Va. -- Joey Logano punched his ticket to NASCARS playoffs. Marcos Ambrose punched Casey Mears. Logano used a savvy move to get around three dueling former champions in the final laps Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, and the classic short-track ending caused tempers to flare in a big way in the garage afterward. The biggest skirmish had Marcos Ambrose, who finished 18th, confronting Casey Mears, who was 19th. Mears first pushed Ambrose out of the way, and Ambrose retaliated with a thundering punch in the face that appeared to draw blood. It was unclear what caused the two to confront each other, but NASCAR vice-president of competition Robin Pemberton said the governing body would review the matter. Logano, meanwhile, needed 26 races and two trips to Richmond before putting himself in NASCARs playoff last season. There will be no such nail-biting this year, and it took just one Richmond race to make it so. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver took advantage of the late-race duel to grab the lead and then outran former champions Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski. Loganos second victory essentially assured him a spot in the 10-race Chase for the championship, which he only achieved on his last chance a year ago. Loganos first career victory on the 0.75-mile oval came when Gordon, Kenseth and Keselowski raced in a triangle jockeying for position, and Logano went underneath all three and held off Gordon for his fifth career Sprint Cup victory. "Im more surprised than anyone else here," Logano said. "This is one of my worst tracks. ... What a crazy finish." It got crazier afterward, with Keselowski vowing to remember how Kenseth blocked him from a chance at winning. "I had a shot at winning the race and felt like he ran me off the track," said Keselowski, who was fifth on the final restart, but had the fastest car on short runs all night. "You race to win and he definitely was racing to win, but you hope when somebody races to win that they at least win the race if theyre going to wreck you or run you off the race track. "It was just a mind-boggling move to me, but I made sure I got him back and made sure my teammate could win the race. ... I thought it was uncalled for. ... Just got to put that in the bank and remember it," Keselowski said. Gordon said Kenseth was just doing what he needed to do to try and hang on. "II think Matt did what he thought he had to do to win," Gordon said.dddddddddddd "He started making his car real wide. He probably didnt make the guys behind him real happy." Kenseth had come from nowhere after lurking in the back of the top 10 all race long, suddenly charging through the field and passing Gordon to grab the lead with 38 laps to go. It was his first lead. "I was trying to win the race. I think thats what all five of us were trying to do," Kenseth said. Logano, meanwhile, looks forward to the next 15 races knowing hes already got a spot in the playoffs. "At this point, we really have nothing to lose," Logano said of the remaining 15 races before the Chase field is set. "Its all about going for wins and having fun out there and making sure were ready for when the Chase starts." Gordon said the three-way battle helped create the opening for Logano. "I was really just trying to battle with those guys to get the best finish that we could," Gordon said. "(Logano) was in a great position while we were all sitting there sliding around battling it out. To come home second is still a great finish." Kyle Busch, never in contention, rose to finish third, followed by Keselowski and Kenseth. "That last restart was intense. ... I just drove by everybody," Busch said. Gordon, who led 173 laps, and teammate Earnhardt both seemed poised to challenge at the end, but after the final restart, Team Penske teammates Logano and Keselowski became the ones to watch. Their cars had easily been the fastest on fresh rubber all night, so much so that Gordon said, "I just had to let the 2 and the 22 go right by me because they were so fast" on fresh tires. Signs of the wild ending may have come very early. Clint Bowyer started third and hoped a return to one of his best tracks would allow him to put last September behind him. That was when Bowyers intentional spin late in the last race before the playoffs jumbled the finishing order, and the drivers who made the Chase, leading to a NASCAR investigation. Instead of a clean run, Bowyer hit rookie pole-sitter Kyle Larson on the opening lap, sending Larson spinning. He also twice pitted under a green flag, right before a caution flag came out, and was battling Danica Patrick for 38th place when a fire in his engine ultimately caused him to park for the night. ' ' '