BROOKLYN—Jimmy Butler scored 22 points, Dwyane Wade had 12 in the first road game of his career not played for Miami, and the Bulls improved to 3-0 b routing the Brooklyn Nets 118-88 on Monday night.The Bulls had seven players in double figures, with Wade becoming the last of them when he left Bojan Bogdanovic behind with a crossover and was fouled on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter.Nikola Mirotic had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Taj Gibson added 14 points and 11 boards for the Bulls.After home victories against Eastern Conference playoff teams Boston and Indiana to open the season, the Bulls easily handled their road opener, leading by as many as 33 points.

Corey Crawford was perfect when needed, and the Blackhawks finally came through with a complete effort.Crawford made 32 saves, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa each had a power-play goal and the Hawks beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-0 on Sunday night.?

 
”All areas of our game were solid,” coach Joel Quenneville said. ”I thought we had a real good rotation of our lines, had the D moving and skating, and had the puck way more.Much better and more representative of how we need to play.”

 
Artem Anisimov also scored to extend his career-best point streak to seven games. He has six goals and five assists during the run.Toews got his first goal of the season after having just three assists in the Blackhawks’ first eight games.

 
”I still feel like around the net I need a few bounces, and finally got one tonight,” Toews said. ”Whenever you get that result, it gives you confidence.”

 
Hossa scored into an empty net with 1:10 remaining.The Blackhawks jumped to a 2-0 lead, and then managed it well to improve to 3-0-1 in their last four.The Hawks also killed both of Los Angeles’ power plays and for the first time in nine games didn’t allow a power-play goal. For the season, the Blackhawks have allowed a league-worst 15 goals in 32 times short-handed.They’ve killed five straight, dating to a 3-2 overtime win at New Jersey on Friday.

”We’re going to need to keep that going to get that percentage down where it needs to be,” Toews said. ”We got those kills and when we needed him, (Crawford) was big.”
Crawford earned his 20th shutout, and the Kings were blanked for the second straight game. Los Angeles concluded a two-game Midwest swing after losing 1-0 in regulation at St. Louis on Saturday.

”That was our best game defensively,” Crawford said. ”We’re on the same page in our zone. And we were moving the puck out quick, too.”

Hossa was honored in a pregame ceremony for becoming the 44th player with 500 goals, a milestone he reached on Oct. 18.Los Angeles’ Peter Budaj made 26 saves.Kings coach Darryl Sutter remained stuck on 599 wins. Sutter launched his coaching career with the Blackhawks following eight seasons with them as a forward and ranks 14th in NHL coaching victories and fifth among active coaches.The Blackhawks had four power-play chances in the first period and Toews connected on the first one at 6:54 to give Chicago a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.Toews’ wrist shot from the top of the right circle beat Budaj on the glove side while Kings defensemen Jake Muzzin and Tom Gilbert screened Budaj.Anisimov made it 2-0 from the left edge of the crease with 6:30 left in the second, set up after Hossa threaded a pass across the crease. Anisimov didn’t quite handle the feed cleanly but controlled the puck with a quick move and chipped it over Budaj.

NOTES—Hossa held his daughter Zoja while being honored and got a big reaction from the crowd when the 2-year-old pinched his nose and then waved while the scoreboard camera zoomed in…. Blackhawks rookie D Gustav Forsling missed his second game with an injury. … Hawk rookie C Vincent Hinostroza, a scratch for the last four games, returned. … Blackhawks F Andrew Desjardins, out since blocking a shot in the exhibition finale on Oct. 8, has resumed skating.The Blackhawks host Calgary at the United Center for the second time in eight days on Tuesday night.

COLUMBUS—The problems that have bogged down Ohio State’s offense put the Buckeyes in a bind again. J.T. Barrett and Ohio State did enough in the fourth quarter against Northwestern to avoid a second consecutive upset loss.Curtis Samuel ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 9:43 left to give No. 6 Ohio State a lead, and Barrett converted two third downs on the game-sealing drive in a 24-20 victory Saturday.After being upset by Penn State last week, the Buckeyes’ offense struggled against another multi-touchdown underdog. Ohio State (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) punted on five straight drives in one stretch, but responded to Northwestern tying it at 17 with a touchdown drive, capped by Samuel’s run.Northwestern (4-4, 3-2) then got to the Ohio State 3, but settled for a 33-yard Jack Mitchell field goal to close to 24-20 with 3:31 left. The Buckeyes mounted a final clock-eating drive. Barrett hit Noah Brown for 16 yards on third-and-8 and then took off on a 35-yard run to convert a third-and-10 and put the Buckeyes in the clear.

”It was a pretty good chess match back and forth, and I just loved the way we finished it off,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said.

Barrett, who has struggled finding open receivers and whose offensive line had difficulty protecting him last week, was 21 for 32 for 223 yards, but he didn’t complete a pass over 19 yards until the fourth quarter when K.J. Hill turned a sideline completion into a 34-yard gain.

”I’m comfortable where we’re at,” Barrett said. ”I know there’s things we can absolutely be better at as far as our offense. We’re executing.”

Mike Weber rushed 14 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns, the first coming on Ohio State’s opening drive. He found the end zone against in the second quarter, chugging around the right end for a 23-yard score.Samuel ran the ball seven times and caught seven passes for 99 total yards.Clayton Thorson was 25 for 42 for 256 yards with a touchdown and a first-quarter interception for Northwestern. Austin Carr, the Big Ten’s leading receiver, caught eight passes for 158 yards.

”It obviously didn’t start the way we wanted it to, spotting them a couple scores, but the guys didn’t flinch and kept swinging,” NU coach Pat Fitzgerald said. ”And, you know, we ended up one punch short.”
Northwestern: The Wildcats continue to improve and showed their Big Ten wins weren’t a fluke. They nearly pulled off another one in Ohio Stadium. Still, the Wildcats have not won in Columbus since 1971.

”We came here to win, and not getting it done is bitterly disappointing,” Fitzgerald said.

Ohio State: Smarting from last week’s upset, the Buckeyes at least escaped with a win over a big underdog. But problems with their passing game persist, and they need to improve to get through the rest of the schedule unscathed.

”We’re a project, we’re still working things out,” Meyer said. ”But I promise you, I’m going to enjoy this win.”

Ohio State’s effort might cost it a spot or two in the AP Top 25.Northwestern had a chance to take the lead with first-and-goal on the Ohio State 3 with 4:36 left in the game. But a 2-yard loss on a keeper by Thorson, a holding penalty and two incomplete passes forced a field goal try from the Ohio State 15. Fitzgerald said it was a long fourth-and-goal so he opted to kick the field goal and try to stop the Buckeyes on the next drive, which backfired.

”We had two chances to get stops on long third downs, and we didn’t get it done,” he said.

Starting Ohio State wide receiver Parris Campbell left the game after he was injured blocking for Samuel in the fourth quarter. Meyer said he’s got a sprained ankle. X-rays showed it’s not broken.The Wildcats return home to play No. 11 Wisconsin.

SOUTH BEND—DeShone Kizer was running to celebrate what he hoped would be the game-winning touchdown when he found himself grappling in a pile of bodies trying to recover a fumble with the score tied and two minutes left.The 6-foot-4, 230-pound junior somehow muscled his way to the ball after tight end Durham Smythe fumbled near the goal line, allowing Notre Dame to keep possession so Justin Yoon could kick a 23-yard field goal with 30 seconds left to give the Irish a 30-27 victory over Miami on Saturday.

”One of the things I was looking for from him wasn’t whether he could run another dig route. We needed some more toughness from him, some mental toughness,” coach Brian Kelly said. ”That’s an indication. He was not going to be denied. He was going to find a way to get that football.”

Kizer didn’t sound as though he had a strong grasp of the ball, saying a Miami player was kicking it as he tried to get a grip.

”The refs came in and started yelling white and then I heard one blue and as soon as I heard one blue I let go of the ball to allow them to not see anymore. Because obviously that guy had one leg, all 10 fingers and maybe his chin on the ball,” Kizer said.

The victory ended a three-game losing home streak for the Irish (3-5), who rallied back after squandering a 20-point lead.Notre Dame outgained Miami 143-2 in total yards in jumping to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter and extended the lead to 20-0 early in the second quarter. But special teams turned it around for Miami.It began when Travis Homer recovered a punt after it bounced off Notre Dame’s Tony Pride Jr. and the Hurricanes scored four plays later on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Brad Kaaya to David Njoku.Miami scored on the opening possession of the second half and continued to rally.

”Everyone just let it cut loose at all positions,” Kaaya said. ”The o-line played a little bit better and we were able to run the ball a little bit better, and that opened things up for me. We made good plays and guys finally woke up.”

The Hurricanes capped the 27-0 run when Miami’s Michael Jackson recovered a botched punt in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with 6:49 left. But the Hurricanes (4-4) couldn’t finish it off.

”From that point on, Notre Dame pretty much took the game over, and we weren’t able to get the job done on either side of the ball,” Miami coach Mark Richt said.

The Irish tied the score less than a minute later when on third-and-1 Josh Adams bounced out of the pile and raced in for a 41-yard touchdown.

”There wasn’t a belief, when I looked in the eyes of every one of those players, that they weren’t going to figure out and find a way to win,” Kelly said.

The Hurricanes, who gave up eight sacks against Virginia Tech, struggled along the offensive line early, and were held to a season-low 18 yards after being held to 42 yards rushing against the Hokies. The Hurricanes came up big on special teams with the recovery of a punt by Homer after it bounced off Pride to set up Miami’s first touchdown, and a partially blocked punt by linebacker Zach McCloud that set up a field goal. Miami also recovered an onside kick.The Irish finally had a game where their offense and defense played well but still struggled with special team gaffes. The Irish entered the game 125th in the nation in sacks with six in seven games, but sacked Kaaya five times.

”We do sack the quarterback here at Notre Dame. So for you guys that didn’t think that that happened, we do sack the quarterback,” Kelly said.

Defensive tackle Jarron Jones set the tone for the Irish, making three tackles for loss and deflecting a pass in the first five plays by Miami. Jones finished with seven tackles, including six for loss. The Irish finished with 12 tackles for loss, the most since they had 12 against Syracuse in 2005. The Hurricanes return to Atlantic Coast Conference play against Pittsburgh, a team it has beaten nine of the past 10 games.Notre Dame: The Irish face Navy in Jacksonville, Florida, a team it has beaten five straight after losing two of the previous three.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews may have knocked Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer out of the teams’ Thursday night game on Oct. 20, impacting one of the Packers’ biggest rivals, but it also cost him.Matthews has been fined $18,231 for the hit that broke Hoyer’s left arm, after the NFL determined Matthews led with the crown of his helmet on the play. He was not flagged for the hit during the game.Matthews and Julius Peppers sandwiched Hoyer on the tackle.Hoyer was placed on injured reserve and underwent surgery to repair the arm, and is expected to be out for 6-8 weeks.

The Bears have announced they will present special “Rings of Excellence” to Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus, Richard Dent and Dan Hampton during halftime of Monday night’s game against the Vikings

Dwyane Wade got the ball in the corner, took a dribble to his left and stepped back for the dagger 3-pointer.He made a throat slashing gesture with his right hand after the ball swished through the net and started jumping around as the crowd roared.Wade scored 22 points in a triumphant Bulls debut, Jimmy Butler had 24 and the Bulls won their season opener, beating the Boston Celtics 105-99 on Thursday night.Wade hit the clinching 3 with 26.3 seconds left. Taj Gibson added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and the new-look Bulls got off to a winning start after missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 2008.

”To be able to make a shot like that and helps us get this win, it’s like the perfect storm,” Wade said.

Isaiah Thomas led Boston with 25 points. Avery Bradley had 16, and Jae Crowder 14 points, but the Celtics came up short after opening with a win over Brooklyn the previous night.

”We lost the game in a fashion we didn’t want to lose,” Crowder said. ”I feel like we got punked all night.”

The Bulls remade their roster in the offseason, jettisoning one hometown superstar and welcoming another when they traded Derrick Rose to New York and signed Wade to a two-year deal worth about $47 million in a move that stunned Miami.The three-time NBA champion and 12-time All-Star is off to a good start with the Bulls after 13 seasons with the Heat. Wade hit 4 of 6 3-pointers in this game after making just 7 of 44 all of last season.Rajon Rondo, signed by Bulls after a resurgent season with Sacramento, added nine assists. Butler had seven rebounds, and the Bulls pounded the Celtics on the glass 55-36.They showed a scrappiness and edge that was missing last season. They were unselfish, passing the ball around, and hit 11 of 25 3-pointers.

”I think everybody’s having fun out there,” Butler said.

The Bulls were leading 95-81 midway through the fourth quarter after newcomer Michael Carter-Williams buried a 3 and a floater and Butler hit a floater of his own.The Celtics scored 11 straight to get back into it, a driving layup by Thomas cutting it to 95-92.It was 101-99 when Boston’s Jaylen Brown got called for a travel. Wade then nailed that 3 over Bradley to make it a five-point game with 26.3 seconds left, sealing the win for the Bulls.

”We’re learning each other,” Wade said. ”We’re learning what we have in those types of moments at the end of ballgames and those types of moments.”

Butler had some heated words with college teammate Crowder late in the first half.Crowder rebounded a miss by Wade – another Marquette product – and charged into Butler, leading to a heated exchange.Rondo also got into it with Isaiah Thomas, and all four players got called for technicals.

”Jae’s my guy,” Butler said. ”It’s the heat of the moment. That’s what’s supposed to happen.”

Rondo was working his way back from a torn ACL in his right knee and played in 30 games during Stevens’ first season – 2013-14. He started 22 games the following year for Boston before being dealt to Dallas.

NOTES—The Bulls signed former Celtics first-round draft pick R.J. Hunter. The guard from Georgia State was let go by Boston this week in what Stevens called a numbers crunch. ”We had more than 15 NBA players so it was just a matter of time who he was going to get picked up by,” Stevens said. ”I think the way that he plays fits with how they like to play.”…The Bulls host Indiana on Saturday.

AFC GAMES:INDY over K.City, N.Eng over BUFF,NY Jets over CLEVE, DENV over S.Diego
NFC GAMES:CARL over Ariz, Seat over N.ORL
INT CONF GAMES: CIN over Wash(at London,England), Oak over TB
THUR NIGHT: TENN over Jax,
SUN NIGHT:DAL over Phila
NFC NORTH GAMES:Det over HOU, ATL over G.Bay, Minn over BEARS(Mon Nite)
Teams in ALL CAPS are HOME TEAM.
Bye weeks: MIA,LA,PITT,SF,BALT & NYG
Last week and Up to date: LES 9-6-1(62-48-1), ZACH 6-9-1(53-57-1), TONY 10-5-1(55-55-1)SHANE 10-5-1(62-48-1)

Kris Versteeg got a big shootout goal against his old team. Brian Elliott finally got his first win with his new one.Versteeg scored the lone goal in the tiebreaker in the seventh round to give the Calgary Flames a 3-2 win over the Blackhawks on Monday night and just their second victory this season.Versteeg, who won Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in 2010 and 2015, faked Corey Crawford, pulled to a stop while dragging the puck and then fired a wrist shot into a wide-open net.

”It was definitely a little nerve-wracking when everyone kept missing,” said Versteeg, who took part in a shootout for the first time since the 2014-15 season. ”To go in and score is a nice feeling.I’ve probably taken two shots (in the shootout) in the last three years. It doesn’t happen too frequently anymore, so when I do, I just kind of black out.”

Elliott made 31 saves through overtime and blocked all seven in the shootout to win for the first time with Calgary after three losses. Acquired from St. Louis in June, Elliott had allowed 14 goals in his first three starts for the Flames.

”I definitely wanted that one,” Elliott said. ”We haven’t been playing like we wanted to and the guys came out and had a heck of an effort.”

Elliott was at his best with the game tied at 2 late in the third and in overtime, when the Hawks had a power play and outshot Calgary 6-1. He made two point-blank saves on Richard Panik in the final three minutes of regulation, including a toe save from the edge of the crease as time ran out.

”It was a rebound right to him in the slot, and I just tried to throw the furniture at it,” Elliott said. ”Got a piece of it with my skate. It was good but I was on my butt and swimming to get back up.”

Sam Bennett and Sean Monahan scored in regulation for Calgary, which snapped a two-game losing streak.Patrick Kane and Brian Campbell connected in regulation…….Campbell’s goal, his first with the Blackhawks since rejoining them as a free agent in the offseason, tied it 2-all at 4:12 of the third. Campbell’s feed from the right circle, intended for Artem Anisimov, deflected in off Calgary defenseman T.J. Brodie.Crawford blocked 29 shots through overtime and made several close in saves early to keep it close.The Blackhawks’ sputtering penalty killers permitted two power-play goals in five chances to the Flames, who entered the game having scored just once in 25 opportunities with the man advantage. The Hawks allowed 14 goals in 26 short-handed situations this season and at least one power-play goal in each of its seven games.

”It seems like it (penalty-killing) finds a different way each time,” coach Joel Quenneville said.

The Flames connected on their first two power-play chances before the Blackhawks killed the final three.

”I think we got more involved as the game progressed as far as having bodies and pucks to the net,” Quenneville said. ”But not enough initially and it took us a while to get into that department.”

Bennett knocked in Calgary’s second power-play goal of the season at 4:51 of the first period. He converted a rebound of Dougie Hamilton’s shot from the right circle after outmuscling Hawk defenders to the loose puck.Kane tied it at 1 at 1:32 of the second period with a rising shot from the right circle over Elliott’s glove……..Monahan converted the Flames’ second power-play chance at 6:52 of the second to put Calgary ahead 2-1.

NOTES—Hawk rookie D Gustav Forsling suffered an undisclosed injury in the second period and didn’t return. … Veteran Blackhawks D Michal Rozsival made his season debut after sitting out the first six games as a healthy scratch. First-year D Michal Kempny was a scratch for the first time. … Hawk rookie F Vincent Hinostroza was scratched for a third straight game. … Calgary rookie F Matthew Tkachuk, son of former NHL standout F Keith Tkachuk, was scratched for the second straight game…..The Blackhawks play at New Jersey on Friday.