NEWS » Golberg of Norway clocked 2:54.12,

RUKA, Finland -- Scandinavians dominated the mens and womens 1.4-kilometer sprints on Saturday in the seasons World Cup cross-country opener.In the mens event, Paal Golberg of Norway clocked 2:54.12, followed by Calle Halfvarsson of Sweden 75 seconds back. Norwegian skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo was third, 87 seconds behind Golberg.In the womens event, Stina Nilsson of Sweden covered the distance in 3:21.61, beating Maiken Caspersen Falla and Heidi Weng, both of Norway, by 17 and 69 seconds respectively.Athletes were challenged by snowfall, making it hard to stay in the tracks. Both Nilsson -- who claimed her first win in classic technique -- and Golberg proved strongest on the final stretch to the finish. Mark Howe Jersey . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Nolan Patrick Jersey .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. http://www.cheapflyersjerseyschina.com/eric-lindros-jersey/ . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Matt Read Jersey . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Michael Raffl Jersey . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Youve heard of Buccis Overtime Challenge? Well, this is Buccis Hat Trick Challenge. Whats the challenge part? Regularly coming up with three hits about the World Cup of Hockey. Mondays games are Team Czech Republic vs. Team Europe (3 p.m., ESPN2) and Team North America vs. Team Russia (8 p.m., ESPN2).1. Youth was served: Well, the kids are fine. No surprise. These North American beauts are elite, first-line NHL players. Aaron Ekblad and Morgan Rielly are an excellent shutdown pair, certainly better than most other teams outside of Canada and Sweden. Johnny Gaudreau is a big-time, big-moment player who reminds one of Patrick Kane. Last year, in his 22-year-old season, Gaudreau was 30-48-78. Kanes 22-year-old season? 27-46-73. I dont know what the Calgary Flames trepidation is with a long-term Gaudreau deal (besides cap management, which is always understandable), but its time for the two sides to stop fooling around and get this done. He is not only one of the most productive players in the NHL but also a human Christmas tree lit from bucket to pedaals.dddddddddddd2. MacKinnon storms in: Nathan MacKinnon was a certified wagon for Team North America versus Finland. He played a classic, old-school, Cam Neely,?Rick Tocchet-winger game. He was skating, banging and going to the net. You wonder if this is who/what he could be in the NHL playing with Matt Duchene in the middle. Centers are obviously the arteries of an NHL team, but McKinnon looked like he was in his natural habitat.3. Game of Hoodies: North American gear is flying off the shelves. The light hoodies are my favorite. The uniforms and gear are an interesting Game of Thrones meets Bell Biv Devoe 1990, neon-orange amalgamation. With his pads and ranginess, Matt Murray could be one of the dragons. Gaudreau as Tyrion Lannister. Connor McDavid as Jon Snow. Aaron Ekblad as Khal Drogo. Auston Matthews as Tormund Giantsbane. Brandon Saad as Jaime Lannister. Jon Cooper as Jorah Mormont. I could go on, but Ill stop. ' ' '