John Tonellis barometer for a head coach will always be Al Arbour, understandably.

The Islanders were the first of the four teams playing in the Stadium Series to get onto the ice with the Rangers, Devils and Flyers all scheduled to do so Friday.

Facing a bottom-dwelling Blackhawks team, the Rangers blew a two-goal lead in the final frame before Mika Zibanejad salvaged the teams good name with a game-winning goal 2:37 into overtime to take a 4-3 victory Friday night at United Center.

The Islanders are underdogs Monday night when they kick off the second half against the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

The Detroit Lions visit the San Francisco 49ers Sunday for the NFC Championship game.

This is the cost of a world where every game features a dozen gambling ads, where everyone is always looking for grassy knolls.

The Yankees couldnt possibly do worse.

Herman Edwards recalled the phone call as if it took place yesterday.John Lynch, the Hall of Fame safety whom Edwards coached as an assistant with the Buccaneers, was being offered the general manager job with the 49ers.

To say the Rangers had no time to get their legs back underneath them after the All-Star break would be the understatement of the century.