The Bears stopped the Seahawks on their first second half series,but after Ryan punted them inside the five,Cutler was sacked,just inside his endzone for a safety and the Seahawks took a 16-13 lead.Hasselbeck on a third down was hit and lost the ball,but it was called an incomplete pass,and Ryan punted out at the Bears 36.On first down,Hester came up with a ice leaping catch for 19 yards to the Seattle 45,but two downs(and another sack) later,Maynard punted to Tate,who recovered his own fumble at his own seven.The Bears held and Ryan kicked to Hester who returned it four yards to the Seahawks 48.Cutler scrambled to the 34, then on third and six, Cutler was sacked at his 41,taking the Bears out of field goal range. Maynard punted to the Seattle 8. Williams again beat Tillman for 21 yards to the 32,then beat him again for 18 to midfield.On a third and 4, Butler caught a 15 yard pass to the Bears 29.Forcett than ran right through the defensive line for 13 yards to the Bears 11 as the third quarter ended.Forcett broke two more tackled and ran for four yards to the seven.Williams then caught a pass at the one for a first and goal. Lynch then(sounds like a broken record)broke three more tackles and scored to cap the 92 yard drive and give the Seahawks a 23-13 lead. A long TD return by Manning was called back due to a holding penalty on Rod Wilson,forcing the Bears instead to start at their 8.They picked up one first down,but then had to punt again-out of bounds at the Seattle 29 with 11:54 remaining.The Seahawks went nowhere,but Ryan punted 54 yards,out of bounds at the Bears 8.They had to punt again(this is a recording),and Tate broke a few tackles to get 5 to the Seahawks 38.Again,Ryan punted and Hester got out of the way and let it roll, and roll, and roll DEAD on the 1 yard line after a 56 yard kick.The Bears drove deep enough for Gould to try what would have been a career long 54 yard field goal,but it was wide right.The Seahawks were again stopped,but this time Hester returned Ryan’s punt 89 yards for his second return TD of the season and with 1:54 left and no timeout remaining, the Bears closed to within 23-20. The Bears on side kick try was recovered by Seattle,and with the Bears out time outs, Hasselbeck took three knee downs to run out the clock.

NOTES—Cutler was only 17-39 for 290 yards, was sacked 6 times for losses of 44 yards and had a QB rating of 69.4…..Hasselbeck was 25-40 for 242 yds, 1 TD and a QB rating of 87.7…..The Bears only ran the ball 14 times for a net 61 yds….The Bears were an awful 0-12 in third down conversions….The Seahawks won the time of possession battle 34:23 to 25:37.

LES

Patrick Sharp made the most of his few opportunities Saturday night.Sharp scored his second goal of the game with 7:08 left in the third, powering the Blackhawks to a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres.Sharp rammed in a rebound off Tomas Kopecky’s point-blank attempt on the power play, sending defending the Stanley Cup champion Hawks to their first win at home this season after two losses. He converted two of his three shots to give him four goals in two nights.Red hot Marian Hossa and Dave Bolland also scored for the Blackhawks, who were outshot 41-21. Marty Turco made 38 stops to earn his first home win with the Blackhawks.And Turco, who signed as a free agent over the summer to replace playoff hero Antti Niemi, was a huge part of the equation.Drew Stafford, Paul Gaustad and Cody McCormick scored for the Sabres, whose winless streak reached five games (0-4-1). Backup goalie and former HawkPatrick Lalime made 17 saves in his first start of the season.Bolland tied it at 3 midway through the third by slipping behind the Buffalo defense, breaking in on goal and sliding a shot under Lalime.Buffalo had a couple of late power plays but remains winless since a season-opening victory over Ottawa on Oct. 8.Patrick Kane returned after missing Friday’s victory with an undisclosed illness. Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson also was back after serving a two-game suspension for a hit on Buffalo’s Jason Pominville last Monday. The Sabres, who lost to Montreal at home on Friday night, controlled the first period and led 2-1 after 20 minutes.After Buffalo took the first seven shots, Sharp scored on the Blackhawks first shot on goal at 6:25. He finished a 2-on-1 break with Kane with his fourth goal of the season.The rush was set up when Kane pounced on a turnover by Buffalo’s Tyler Myers at the Sabres’ blue line and raced the length of the ice.The Sabres responded immediately, scoring twice in 15 seconds.Stafford beat Turco at 6:52, converting a backhander off a rebound of Steve Montador’s drive from the right circle. Gaustad’s goal at 7:07 withstood a video review and made it 2-1.Turco stopped Gaustad’s shot from the left circle, but rookie defenseman Nick Leddy knocked the puck in with his skate as he and Buffalo’s Nathan Gerbe drove to and collided with the net.Hossa tied it at 1:04 of the second when he broke in alone from just outside the Buffalo blue line after taking Brent Seabrook’s pass from deep in the Hawk zone.McCormick put Buffalo in front again with 2:45 left in the second. He was left uncovered in front of the net, and jammed Jochen Hecht’s feed under Turco.

NOTES—Pominville missed his third game with a concussion suffered in the collision with Hjalmarsson. Buffalo D Shaone Morrisonn missed the game with a groin injury…Jordan Hendry and RW Jack Skille were healthy scratches.

PHILADELPHIA—All those derisive whistles sounded like cheers to Tim Lincecum.The Freak outdueled Roy Halladay, Cody Ross hit a pair of solo home runs and the San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Saturday night in the NL Championship Series opener.In a mega-hyped matchup between marquee pitchers, neither starter came close to matching his sensational postseason debut last week. Both gave up home runs to No. 8 hitters.Halladay’s bid for a second successive no-hitter lasted until Ross connected with one out in the third.Lincecum, who tossed a two-hit shutout in the division series opener, gave up three runs on home runs to Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz in seven innings.But Lincecum got the big outs when he needed them, and the Giants earned their fourth one-run victory in the playoffs. The two-time NL champion Phillies lost their first series opener since getting swept by Colorado in 2007.Game 2 will be Sunday night. Jonathan Sanchez tries to send the Giants back to San Francisco only two victories from their first World Series appearance since 2002. Roy Oswalt goes for the Phillies.Halladay threw the second no-hitter in postseason history in a 4-0 victory against Cincinnati in the first-round opener. The only runner he allowed was a fifth-inning walk to Jay Bruce.Pitching on nine days’ rest, Halladay didn’t have the same, dominant stuff. He allowed four runs and eight hits in seven innings.A day after Halladay’s gem, Lincecum had 14 strikeouts in San Francisco’s 1-0 victory against Atlanta. He gave up six hits and struck out eight against the Phillies.Lincecum, the reigning two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, had some adventures with a bat in his hands, though.The notoriously tough Philly fans came up with a unique way to mock Lincecum instead of the usual boos. They serenaded him with whistles when he batted in the fifth and seventh, presumably poking fun at his long, shaggy hair.His first time up, Lincecum struck out, spinning on one leg after swinging at a slow curve.Lincecum gave way to Javier Lopez, who got two outs in the eighth. All-Star closer Brian Wilson finished with a four-out save.The Phillies led the majors in victories (97) for the first time in franchise history, captured their fourth consecutive division title and are trying to become the first NL team in 66 years to win three consecutive pennants.The Giants are seeking their first World Series title since moving from New York before the 1958 season.Ross, a Phillies nemesis, ripped a 2-0 pitch to the seats in left to give the Giants a 2-1 lead in the fifth. He was 3 for 16 off Halladay before taking him deep his first two at-bats.San Francisco got two key hits with two outs in the sixth to increase the advantage to 4-1. Halladay thought he struck out Pat Burrell to end the inning and walked off the mound after an 0-2 pitch only to return because plate umpire Derryl Cousins called it a ball. Burrell hit an RBI double on the next pitch — left fielder Raul Ibanez made a leaping attempt in front of the wall and the ball bounced out of his glove.Juan Uribe followed with an RBI single up the middle, scoring pinch-runner Nate Schierholtz to give the Giants a three-run cushion.Philadelphia quickly answered in the bottom half. Chase Utley hustled out an infield single and Werth hit a two-run shot to right-center to cut it to 4-3.Halladay retired the first seven batters before Ross drove a fastball into the seats in left-center. Players in the Giants’ dugout jumped out of their seats and a fired-up Burrell smacked the railing as Ross rounded the bases.Ruiz led off the bottom half with an opposite-field shot to right to tie it up at 1. Halladay followed with a single, getting his second postseason hit before giving up two. After Shane Victorino bounced into a double play, Placido Polanco lined a double.Lincecum then walked Utley and drew a visit from manager Bruce Bochy after gesturing and yelling at Cousins. Bochy’s pep talk worked. Lincecum struck out Ryan Howard swinging at a slider after a passed ball put runners at second and third.The Phillies wasted a chance in the second when Howard, the only major-league player to have as many as three career home runs off Lincecum, lined a double to left-center to start the inning. But Lincecum fanned Werth. Jimmy Rollins popped out two pitches after Cousins mistakenly rung him up on strike two. Ibanez flied out to center, stranding Howard.Philadelphia eliminated the Reds in three games for its first postseason sweep in round one. The Giants beat the Braves in four games — all decided by one run.Halladay lived up to giant expectations in his first season in Philadelphia after 12 years with Toronto. The 33-year-old right-hander finished 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA. He tied CC Sabathia for most wins and led the majors in complete games (nine), shutouts (four) and innings (250 2/3).Halladay threw a perfect game in May, made his seventh All-Star Game and is the leading candidate to win his second Cy Young.He was acquired from the Blue Jays on the same day the Phillies traded Cliff Lee to Seattle. Lee is 6-0 in the postseason, including 4-0 for the Phillies last year, heading into his start for Texas against the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS on Monday night.Lincecum had an up-and-down year after dominating in his first two full seasons. The 26-year-old righty had a career-worst five-start losing streak in August, but rebounded nicely and finished 16-10 with a 3.43 ERA.

NOTES—The Phillies are 23-10 in the postseason since 2008…..The Phillies are making their ninth appearance in the NLCS. They’re 5-3…..The Giants are 2-2 in the NLCS….Former Phillies and Giants CF Garry Maddox, a member of Philadelphia’s 1980 championship team, threw out the first pitch…..Former Phillies outfielders Burrell and Aaron Rowand got loud ovations during pregame introductions. Burrell was booed each time he came up…..The teams split six games in the regular season, each going 2-1 at home…..Ross has 15 career home runs vs. Philadelphia…..Ruiz has reached safely in 24 consecutive playoff games…..Johnny Vander Meer remains the only pitcher to throw successive no-hitters, doing it in 1938 for Cincinnati….A crowd of 45,929 was the 134th consecutive sellout at Citizens Bank Park…..Halladay’s hitless streak of 11 innings is second longest in postseason history to Don Larsen who was perfect for Yankees against Brooklyn in 1956 World Series and for 2 1/3 innings of relief in 1957 series against Milwaukee.

ORLANDO—Vince Carter scored all of his 21 points in the first half and the Magic rolled past another opponent for their 19th straight preseason win, 105-67 over the listless Bulls on Saturday night.Dwight Howard had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and J.J. Redick scored 16 points to help the Magic (5-0) rout the opposition in a game that will mean little in June. They held a 28-point halftime lead, went ahead by 38 through three quarters and as many as 47 in the fourth.The Magic have won so big so far that veteran players had to remind the team after the game to stay focused.A tired Bulls team playing a back-to-back was content with resting starters once it was blown out early.C.J. Watson had 13 points, and Derrick Rose had seven points in limited minutes for the Bulls, who shot 31 percent and now have lost four of its six preseason games.Magic coach Stan Van Gundy rested most of his starters in the previous game but seemed content pushing players in this one.The Bulls lost at home in overtime against Dallas a night earlier and didn’t arrive in Orlando until the early morning. And they played like it, too.The Magic rode a wave of streaky shooting by Carter – who made his first three shots from beyond the arc – to go ahead 25-10 and quickly turn another exhibition game into a rout. The Bulls didn’t do much to counter, playing sluggish, sloppy basketball and showing little energy defensively.Coach Tom Thibodeau also relied on his reserves more than usual because starters such as Rose logged heavy minutes the night before. Not that his usuals fared any better.Howard continued to draw double-teams from Chicago’s undersized frontline, Carter let loose with hard-driving layups and potent perimeter shooting and Orlando ran away with a 51-23 halftime lead that was never seriously challenged. “Definitely embarrassing,” Bulls forward Joakim Noah said.The Magic haven’t lost a preseason game since they were defeated by Atlanta in the 2008 opener. And they’re not just winning this preseason, they’re winning big.Orlando has beaten its last three opponents by 38 (Bulls), 13 (Charlotte) and 54 (New Orleans). And 11 of the 19 victories during the preseason streak have come by double digits.

NOTES—Taj Gibson missed his second straight game because of a sore right heel. Omer Asik started in his place. … Magic SF Mickael Pietrus missed the game with a sore right wrist, and SG Quentin Richardson sat out with because of stiffness.

ROSEMONT—The Wolves scored three times in the shootout to collect their third straight win, a 3-2 defeat of the Milwaukee Admirals, before a crowd of 10,924 in their home opener at the Allstate Arena Saturday night.Trailing, 2-1, midway through the third period, the Wolves (3-1-0-0) drew even with a power-play goal from defenseman Mike Siklenka that sent the game into overtime. The blueliner wound up and fired a blast from just outside the right face-off circle that blew past Admirals goaltender Chet Pickard’s glove side.After a scoreless overtime period, the Home team got shootout goals from forwards Andrew Kozek, Akim Aliu and Spencer Machacek, while rookie goaltender Edward Pasquale thwarted three of Milwaukee’s four attempts to collect his third straight win.Milwaukee (1-1-1-1) opened scoring with 61 seconds remaining in the first period. Bret Palin took a shot from the blueline, which Pasquale stopped, but coughed the rebound out into traffic in front of the net, where Mark Santorelli eventually snapped it out of Pasquale’s reach and into the net.Center Jared Ross evened the score, 1-1, when he got the Wolves on the board at 12:41 of the second period. Defenseman Jaime Sifers took a long shot, which got caught in traffic in front of the net. Ross collected it in the scrum, broke away and was able to flick the puck past Pickard.Pickard (0-3-0) posted 30 saves for Milwaukee in regulation and overtime, and stopped two of the Wolves five shootout attempts.Milwaukee regained the lead, 2-1, just 91 seconds later when Van Guilder one-timed a blast from the right face-off circle past Pasquale’s glove side.Pasquale (3-0-0) posted 28 saves in regulation and overtime for the Wolves, who will host the Abbotsford Heat at the Allstate Arena on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

ARLINGTON—The Rangers relievers got quick redemption, and Texas finally has won a postseason game at home for the first time in its 50-season history.Elvis Andrus got the Rangers off to a running start, David Murphy led a parade of extra-base hits and the bullpen that faltered the night before held strong this time as Texas got even in the AL Championship Series with a 7-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 2 on Saturday.The Rangers again built an early 5-0 lead — and stayed ahead this time, unlike the series opener when the Yankees had their biggest postseason comeback in the seventh inning or later. Texas snapped a 10-game postseason losing streak against New York.The best-of-seven series now switches to Yankee Stadium for Game 3 on Monday night, when Texas will have hired ace left-hander Cliff Lee on the mound. Lee has won his last four starts in New York, including a complete game for Philadelphia in last year’s World Series.Colby Lewis limited New York to two runs over 5 2/3 innings and the bullpen rebounded the eighth-inning debacle in Game 1 that allowed the defending World Series champion Yankees to escape with a 6-5 victory even though CC Sabathia lasted only four innings.New York’s postseason winning streak over the Rangers included knocking them out of the playoffs in their only three previous postseason appearances (1996, 1998 and 1999).These Rangers don’t plan to be easily dismissed by the Bronx Bombers, who have won 27 World Series titles and 40 pennants.Andrus led off the first with an infield single on a chopper that deflected off starter Phil Hughes’ glove. Andrus went to second on a wild pitch, then stole third before Josh Hamilton drew a walk.With Nelson Cruz batting and two outs, Hamilton took off for second base, and Andrus ran home when Jorge Posada threw the ball to second. The double-steal put Texas up 1-0 before Cruz’s inning-ending strikeout. Murphy homered off the facade of the second deck of seats in the second for a 2-0 lead, then an inning later he and Bengie Molina had consecutive RBI doubles to make it 5-0.Texas had lost its first seven home playoffs games, the most by any team before finally getting a victory in front of its own fans, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Five of those losses had been to New York, plus two to Tampa Bay last weekend in the first round when the Rangers had to go back to Florida for a deciding Game 5 with Lee pitching to win a postseason series for the first time ever.Andy Pettitte pitches for the Yankees on Monday night. Manager Joe Girardi decided before this series started to swap the order for Hughes and Pettitte in the rotation.After the Rangers built a 5-0 lead through four innings in Game 1 and chased Sabathia, they didn’t tack on any more runs. New York then finally scored on Robinson Cano’s homer in the seventh and rallied for five runs off five pitchers in the eighth.Cano homered again Saturday, his 435-foot solo shot deep in the second deck of seats in right making it 7-2 in the sixth.Cano also again scored the first Yankees run, leading off the fourth with a double, moving to third on a wild pitch by Lewis and scoring on an RBI single by Lance Berkman, who then got caught off base for the final out.After a majors-best 48 come-from-behind victories in the regular season, and three more this postseason, the Yankees couldn’t pull off another one against the Rangers relievers.When Lewis was pulled with two on in the sixth and a 7-2 lead, Clay Rapada struck out pinch-hitter Marcus Thames for the final out.The previous night, Rapada gave up an RBI single to Cano on the only pitch he threw. And Thames had a broken-bat single that sent Alex Rodriguez home with the tiebreaking run.Reliever Alexi Ogando then allowed a couple of base runners in the seventh, but got out of that jam unscathed when he struck out Cano for the final out.Darren Oliver, who walked the only two batters he faced Friday night, walked the leadoff hitter in the eighth. He then got a strikeout and a grounder before Darren O’Day, who allowed a two-run single on his only pitch the night before, got Thames on a grounder.Rookie All-Star closer Neftali Feliz, who was peaking through the bullpen door waiting for his chance to pitch in the ninth, walked two before finally getting Cano out on a game-ending flyball, setting off a fireworks burst over the ballpark.Lewis struck out six while allowing two runs and six hits in his second postseason start. The rigth-hander, back with his original team after the past two seasons in Japan, threw five scoreless innings in his postseason debut a week earlier against Tampa Bay.Hughes had allowed only three hits in 15 1/3 scoreless innings his three previous games at Rangers Ballpark. In his second major league start three years ago, Hughes had 6 1/3 hitless innings before coming out of that game with a hamstring injury.The Rangers had 10 hits, seven for extra bases, off the 24-year-old right-hander when it counted most.Hughes was coming off seven scoreless innings in his only other postseason start, the clinching game of the AL Division Series over Minnesota a week earlier that the Yankees swept in three games.After Murphy’s homer in the second, rookie first baseman Mitch Moreland singled and came home on Michael Young’s double.Texas had three doubles in the third, when Cruz led off with a ball that hit on the right-field wall only inches from going over. Ian Kinsler then had a sacrifice bunt before the consecutive two-baggers by Murphy and Molina.Cruz just missed hitting a homer again in the fifth, when he led off with a ball that hit off the top of the wall in center field. Kinsler followed with a triple into the right-field corner and Hughes was done.Hughes struck out three — all in the first inning — with three walks while giving up seven runs.

NOTES—Hamilton is the only Rangers starter who didn’t have a hit. But he walked four times, two of them intentional passes. … The three stolen bases by the Rangers in the first tied a championship series record for the most in an inning. That had been done four other times, the last by the New York Mets in the 1999 NLCS. … Texas has homered in all seven postseason games. … The last player to steal home in a postseason game was Brad Fullmer on a double-steal for the Los Angeles Angels in Game 2 of the 2002 World Series.

EAST LANSING—Michigan State’s latest letdown lasted only a half — and that’s one sign these Spartans could be headed for a memorable season.Kirk Cousins threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Cunningham in the third quarter, helping No. 13 Michigan State to its best start in more than four decades with a 26-6 win over Illinois on Saturday. The Spartans started slowly a week after beating Michigan, but they outscored the Illini 23-0 in the second half.The Spartans are 7-0 for the first time since 1966, when they won their first nine games before famously tying Notre Dame 10-10.Michigan State’s last 6-0 start was in 1999 under Nick Saban, but the Spartans lost their next two games that season by a combined 92-38. Dantonio talked this week about the need to show maturity — to prepare well for Illinois after last weekend’s emotional 34-17 win over Michigan.The Spartans had trouble running the ball the first two quarters against Illinois, but Cousins came out sharp in the third and they took control of the game. Cousins’ touchdown pass over the middle made it 13-6, and the defense kept Illinois (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) at bay.It was an impressive response by Michigan State (7-0, 3-0) after what linebacker Greg Jones described as an intense scene at halftime.Dantonio, who had a mild heart attack last month, coached his second straight game from a box, but he went down to the sideline during the final minutes and received a big ovation from the homecoming crowd.Cousins finished 13 of 24 for 201 yards and shook off a difficult first half. On fourth-and-1 from the Illinois 35 in the second quarter, Cousins fell over after taking the snap, giving the Illini the ball.Both teams appeared disorganized at the end of the second quarter. Illinois ran on third-and-10 from near midfield and didn’t come close to a first down, but Michigan State decided not to call timeout before getting the ball back. That worked in the Spartans’ favor because Keshawn Martin muffed the punt, giving the Illini possession at the 15 with 37 seconds left. mazingly, Illinois ran only one play from scrimmage, a 1-yard loss by quarterback Nathan Scheelhaasse. Instead of calling time out, the Illini tried to set up their next play, and the clock didn’t stop until Michigan State called time out with 8 seconds left, apparently concerned about its defensive plan.At that point, the Illini sent out Derek Dimke to kick a 33-yard field goal and went into halftime ahead 6-3.MSUwasted no time tying the game in the third quarter. After an interception gave the Spartans the ball at the Illinois 16, Dan Conroy kicked his second of four field goals.Cousins put Michigan State ahead to stay with his long touchdown pass. Illinois answered with a 39-yard pass to A.J. Jenkins, but Darqueze Dennard forced a fumble at the end of the play and recovered the ball.Michigan State was playing without suspended defensive back Chris L. Rucker, who was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated last Sunday. arry Caper’s 15-yard touchdown run made it 26-6 with 2:35 remaining in the fourth, putting the finishing touches on an emphatic victory over an Illinois team that played Ohio State tough and routed Penn State.

MILWAUKEE—Wolves defenseman Jaime Sifers scored with 51 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Wolves a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Admirals in the first contest of the Amtrak Rivalry series at the Bradley Center Friday night.Right wing Spencer Machacek flung a pass straight across the ice to Sifers alone on the left side of the net and the blueliner cranked a shot past Admirals netminder Chet Pickard, stick side.After entering the third period trailing, 0-2, the Wolves (2-1-0-0) rallied with a pair of goals to tie the game and send it into overtime. Center Andre Deveaux got the Wolves on the board with a power-play goal 52 seconds into the third frame. Right wing Darren Haydar held the puck along the left boards and slid a pass down to center Jason Krog below the goal line. Krog fired the puck into traffic in the crease and Deveaux was there to push it past Pickard.Left wing Patrick Rissmiller evened the score, 2-2, with a slap shot from the top of the left face-off circle at 9:36 of the third period. Defenseman Paul Postma shipped the puck up the ice where left wing Michael Forney caught it at the blue line and redirected it to Rissmiller, who moved in and fired it past Pickard.Milwaukee (1-1-1-0) took a 1-0 lead when Linus Klasen converted on a penalty shot, 8:31 into the second period. The left wing deked and faked a shot to the left before slipping the puck past Wolves netminder Edward Pasquale, glove side. Klasen made Milwaukee’s lead 2-0 with his second marker of the game, 16:33 into the second frame. With the Admirals working on the power play, Jonathon Blum fed a pass from the right face-off circle across to Klasen near the left post for a quick redirect past Pasquale. Pasquale (2-0) stopped 26 of 28 shots in his second straight win in his second professional start. Pickard (0-2-0) posted 22 saves for the Admirals.The Wolves host Milwaukee in the franchise’s 17th home opener, presented by LifeSource, at the Allstate Arena Saturday at 7 p.m.

COLUMBUS—Marty Turco was so good for the Blackhawks on Friday night that coach Joel Quenneville said he was “sharp.” He didn’t mean it with a capital ‘s’ but maybe he should have.Patrick Sharp broke open a one-goal game with two second-period scores to lead the Blackhawks past the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-2 on Friday. Sharp’s career best in shots coming in was 10; he had nine through two periods and finished with a Hawks team record 13. Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky each added a goal and an assist and Viktor Stalberg also had a goal for the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks. Turco followed a mediocre performance in his first two games with 30 saves.R.J. Umberger’s short-handed goal drew Columbus to 2-1 early in the second period.Midway through the period, Sharp countered with a short-handed goal of his own after Columbus’ Antoine Vermette gave up the puck with an unforced mistake in the offensive zone. Sharp swooped in on a 2-on-1 at the other end, netting a shot from near the left dot.Two minutes later, Troy Brouwer’s shot from a hard angle was deflected by goalie Steve Mason off his left leg pad — but the puck went directly to a waiting Sharp, who jammed it in for his third of the season.A capacity crowd booed the Blue Jackets — opening their 10th season — in the third period when they failed to get off a shot on a power play.Kristian Huselius added a goal in new coach Scott Arniel’s Columbus debut.

NOTES—The Blackhawks were without RW Patrick Kane (undisclosed illness) and D Brian Campbell (sprained knee)….Huselius’ goal was his third of the season and gave him goals in all three Columbus games….Niklas Hjalmarsson also didn’t play, serving the second of his two-game suspension for a hit on Buffalo’s Jason Pominville but he returnd against those likely angry Sabres Saturday night at the U.C…..Hossa has points in all five Blackhawks games, with four goals and three assists.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points and the Dallas Mavericks overcame a late collapse in a 109-105 overtime victory over the Bulls before a sellout crowd of 21,125 at the United Center.In the extra session, Luol Deng gave the Bulls the lead on a three-point play with 2:52 to go, putting the Bulls up 102-101.The Bulls were up 103-101 when Dallas rookie Dominique Jones hit a running layup and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but Ian Mahinmi got the rebound and was also fouled after making a basket. He hit his free throw and the five-point trip put Dallas up 106-103 with 26.4 seconds left to play in the extra session.Deng missed a 3-pointer that could have tied the game and fouled Jones, who made two free throws to put Dallas up 108-103 with 19.7 seconds left.Rose and Deng led the Bulls with 23 points apiece. Joakim Noah added 13 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocked shots, but also committed 6 turnovers. Jones, who was celebrating his 22nd birthday, added 19 points for Dallas.At the end of regulation, Dallas rookie Dominique Jones was fouled with 15.6 seconds left, but made only one of two free throws, leaving the door open for the Bulls.After a timeout, C.J. Watson missed a 3-pointer. Brendan Haywood got the rebound for Dallas and got the ball to Jones, who was fouled. This time, he missed both free throws, giving the Bulls one last chance.Rose inbounded to Deng, then cut off a screen and was left open on the left side. He sank his second 3-pointer of the game. J.J. Barea got a clean look at a winning 3, but his shot rimmed in and out, sending it to overtime.Omer Asik, the Bulls rookie seven-footer from Turkey, got his first start of the preseason.