Dein erstes Forum » North Carolina and Kansas before Jan. 1. Th

ST. LOUIS - Vladimir Sobotka needed just a couple shifts to return to top form Thursday night. Back after missed the previous 12 games because of a left knee injury, Sobotka had a goal and two assists to help the NHL-leading St. Louis Blues beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 on Thursday night. "I just kept it simple," Sobotka said after the fifth three-point game of his career. "It was about timing. As the game went along, I got a little faster and a little stronger." St. Louis has won six of seven overall and eight of nine against Edmonton. Alex Pietrangelo started a four-goal third period and Jaden Schwartz added two goals for the Blues, who outscored Edmonton 17-4 in sweeping the three-game season series. Pietrangelo, Schwartz and T.J. Oshie scored in 7:14 span at the outset of the third period to break a 2-2 tie, and Schwartz added his second goal of the period at 12:56. Ryan Miller made 23 saves to improve to 5-0-1 since joining the Blues in a trade with Buffalo on Feb. 28. Hes 7-0 against Edmonton. Sobotka scored late in the first period and then set up the winning goal 42 seconds into the third period. He stole the puck from Andrew Ference in the corner and found Pietrangelo wide open in the slot for a 3-2 lead. "We knew he was going to bring some energy and some bite back into our lineup," Pietrangelo said. "Whether he felt his best or not, it certainly looked like he didnt miss a beat. We kind of needed a little extra jump and he seems to have brought it." Pietrangelo felt he had to capitalize on Sobotkas hard work in the corner "It was a great pass, Id better bury it," Pietrangelo said. Vladimir Tarasenko also scored for St. Louis, and Oshie added two assists. Miller has stopped 134 of 145 shots in six games with St. Louis and has yet to lose in regulation. He has a 1.82 goals-against-average and .924 save percentage with the Blues. David Perron and Mark Fraser scored for Edmonton. Perron spent six seasons in St. Louis and leads the Oilers with 25 goals. Edmonton tied it at 2 late in the second period on Frasers shot from close range. The Blues then took over with a near-perfect third period. "We played with tempo and we played with speed in the neutral zone," St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We were really effective. We put a lot of pressure on people." St. Louis outshot Edmonton 14-11 over the final 20 minutes, peppering goalie Ben Scrivens from start to finish. "They capitalized on their scoring chances," Scrivens said. "But I needed to make more saves than I did." The Oilers appeared to have gained the momentum with Frasers tying goal. "I dont care how good they are, we were able to play with them for two periods," Edmonton coach Dallas Eakins said. "We certainly should be able to do it for another 20 more minutes." Notes: St. Louis D Barret Jackman left the game briefly late in the second period after colliding with Jesse Joensuu. Jackman returned for the third period. ...The Oilers have used six goalies this season. ... Ten of the Blues last 13 games have been decided by one goal. ... Edmonton C Sam Gagner had a five-game points streak snapped. ... The Oilers are 7-2-3 in their last 12 games, their best stretch since going 8-3 at the start of the 2011-12 season. ... Oshies two assists give him a career-high 36 this season. Erik Johnson Jersey . Next up is another showdown with Michigan. Payne scored 18 points, Branden Dawson had 14 and No. 22 Michigan State beat No. 12 Wisconsin 83-75 on Saturday to reach the Big Ten tournament championship. Tyson Jost Jersey .Brooks, a three-year veteran, was slow to get up after suffering the injury during a 5-yard run by Arian Foster.Brooks limped off the field midway through the quarter and then slowly walked to the locker room a few minutes later. http://www.cheapavalanchejerseys.com/?tag=adidas-sven-andrighetto-jersey . INJURIES - Reds RF Jay Bruce is facing knee surgery for a torn meniscus and it could cost him a month of playing time. Chris Heisey, who has shown some pop (43 home runs, . Carl Soderberg Jersey . With the Rangers already leading 2-0, Carey Price was taken down early in the second period of New Yorks 7-2 pounding of the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Saturday afternoon. Mikko Rantanen Jersey . -- Theres something about playing on Orlandos floor lately that seems to bring out the best in the Dallas Mavericks.CHICAGO -- Experience trumps talent. At least at this point in the year. Branden Dawson tipped in a miss with less than six seconds left, and No. 2 Michigan State hung on for a 78-74 victory over top-ranked Kentucky and its latest cast of young phenoms in the first game of the Champions Classic on Tuesday night. As James Young missed a 3-pointer, the Michigan State fans -- including the Spartan in Chief, Magic Johnson, erupted. Gary Harris held up his index finger, indicating the No. 1 ranking the Spartans (2-0) are sure to have next week. But this might not be the last these two teams see of each other. With four of the top five teams in the one-day tournament -- Duke and Kansas played in the nightcap -- its no stretch to imagine this as a sneak peek at the Final Four. The Spartans Keith Appling came within two rebounds and two assists of a triple-double, finishing with 22 points, and eight rebounds and assists. Harris had 20 points and Adreian Payne had 15 points and four rebounds. Julius Randle led the Wildcats (2-1) with 27 points -- all but four in the second half -- and 13 rebounds. Andrew Harrison had 11. But the Wildcats were hurt by early turnovers and they were just 20 of 36 from the free throw line. This was the earliest 1 vs. 2 match-up, and first since Feb. 23, 2008, when Tennessee beat top-ranked Memphis. The Tigers coach then? None other than John Calipari. This game had even more hype, mostly because of the Kiddie Cats. Much has been made of the youngsters, with good reason. The last time Calipari had a roster this star-studded, the Wildcats won a national title. And this group might be even more impressive. Six were McDonalds All-Americans, and all are considered lottery picks in next suummers NBA draft, with Randle a possibility for the overall No.dddddddddddd. 1. The youngsters did nothing to lessen the hype in their first two games, with Randle averaging 22.5 points and 15 rebounds, and the Harrison twins averaging in double figures. No wonder the game brought out scouts from almost every NBA team and celebrities including Nazr Mohammed and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. But the Spartans arent exactly slouches, returning six of their top seven scorers. Just as important, big-time games like this are nothing new to them, with coach Tom Izzo routinely scheduling the likes of Connecticut, Duke, North Carolina and Kansas before Jan. 1. The experience showed early, as the Spartans harassed Kentucky relentlessly on both ends of the court. But Kentucky has too much talent to stay down for long. After trailing by 13 with 11:32 to play, the Wildcats came roaring back behind Randle, who left little doubt why coaches throughout the NBA covet him. He scored nine points in Kentuckys 13-1 run, including a "Howd he do that?" off-balance jumper from behind a sea of green jerseys. Andrew Harrison followed with a layup to cut Michigan States lead to 60-59 with 8:05 to play. Andrew Harrison and Randle each made a pair of free throws, tying the game at 66 with 4:48 left. But Appling drilled a 3, and Harris stripped Randle at the other end and took it in for a layup that put Michigan State back in front, 71-66. Randle wasnt done just yet. After Andrew Harrisons free throws Kentucky within 76-72 with 1:33 to play, the Wildcats pounced on an Appling turnover and Randle scored on a jumper. But Dawson tipped in a miss by Denzel Valentine at the other end to seal the win. ' ' '