announced he will skip the 2015 Aussie due to a rig

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Chicago and Anaheim had the NHLs two best records and a combined 15 Olympians on the ice at Honda Center. Before all that world-class talent heads to Sochi this weekend, the Blackhawks demonstrated why theyre still the team to beat when the NHL gets back to work in three short weeks. Corey Crawford made 29 saves in his first shutout of the season and Chicago pulled within one point of Anaheim for the overall NHL lead with a 2-0 victory over the Ducks on Wednesday night. Marian Hossa scored in the second period and captain Jonathan Toews added a late goal for the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks, who improved to 3-0-2 on their six-game trip before the Olympic break. Chicago followed up its victory in Los Angeles two days ago with another solid effort against the Ducks, suggesting the defending champs are hitting their stride right before Sochi. "The last handful of games on this trip, weve got back to the way we need to play," Toews said. "Thats a tough team to do that to, and we have to feel good about what we were able to accomplish." After keeping the Ducks off the scoreboard in a fast, well-played game, the Blackhawks also won the Western Conference powers season series, taking two of three from Anaheim. Chicago (35-10-14, 84 points) is right behind Anaheim (40-14-5, 85 points) with one game left before the break. "(Crawford) made some key saves, and we had some breaks and some fortunate bounces," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "(Anaheim) had that run there, 19 of 20 (wins), but I think this trip really put us in a spot where were back in the mix. We played the right way, and were getting some good points." Quenneville also announced Patrick Kane wont be with the Blackhawks when they wrap up their trip in Phoenix. The American Olympians grandfather, Donald, died two days ago, and Kane is going back home to Buffalo before heading to Sochi. Jonas Hiller stopped 23 shots for the Ducks, who have lost four of five. Anaheim also has lost three straight home games after starting the season 20-0-2 at Honda Center. "We will overcome this," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I thought we put in a great effort. We just didnt score goals. Were not going to cry about it. Were just going to get back to work and put another big run together." Chicago mostly beat the Ducks with defence, a minor surprise in a meeting between two of the NHLs highest-scoring teams. Crawford turned away every chance generated by the Ducks, who hadnt been shut out in their first 56 games this season before getting blanked twice in their last three games by Dallas and Chicago. Anaheim improved its effort from recent games, yet struggled mightily to get clean scoring chances. The Ducks had a 15-3 shots edge early on, but couldnt score during 40 seconds of 5-on-3 play in the scoreless first period. "We were doing a lot of things right, but unfortunately we cant buy a goal right now," Ducks defenceman Cam Fowler said. "All we can do is continue to push, continue to work on it." Both rosters are dotted with Olympic talent, including five key members of the Canadian team headed to Sochi. In addition, two members of the Swedish team — Chicagos Johnny Oduya and Anaheims Jakob Silfverberg — were scratched. Just 39 seconds into the second period, Hossa sneaked into Anaheims defence and beat Hiller for his 24th goal. The Slovak Olympian also had two goals in Chicagos win over the Ducks last month. The Blackhawks matched the Ducks effort after the midway point of the game. Anaheims Daniel Winnik had an outstanding short-handed chance in the slot in the third period, but couldnt settle a bouncing puck in time. Toews wrapped it up with 2:31 to play with a slippery move off the wall. After Hossa grabbed a turnover by Fowler, Toews went toward the middle and put a shot past Hillers left arm for his 19th goal. NOTES: Oduya missed his first game of the season with a lower-body injury. Quenneville said the injury shouldnt prevent Oduya from playing in Sochi. ... Hossa has scored in five consecutive games. ... Ducks C Nick Bonino missed his third straight game with an apparent wrist injury. Before the game, Anaheim recalled F Emerson Etem for his first game with the Ducks since Dec. 9. Esa Lindell Jersey . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Jason Dickinson Stars Jersey . The Cavs announced the move Saturday, one day after LeBron James said hes returning to Cleveland. A 12-year veteran, Haywood has played in 794 NBA games, averaging 6. http://www.thedallasstarshockey.com/anton-khudobin-hockey-jersey/ . And, just for good measure, lets say the lottery team finishes the game short-handed because two starters come down with the very same injury. Craig Hartsburg Stars Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN2 and TSN GO at 9pm et/6pm pt. San Antonio took the series lead Monday night with a 122-105 home victory in Game 1. The Spurs used a balanced scoring attack and clamped down defensively late in the third quarter to claim the win. Miro Heiskanen Stars Jersey . - Vince Wilfork has played only two career games in Kansas City.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - In less than a week, Grand Slam tennis will be on the menu once again for the first time in four months. Stan Wawrinka will return as the defending mens champion, but he certainly wont be the favorite heading into the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic failed in his bid to capture a fourth straight and fifth overall title in Oz a year ago, but many expect him to return to the winners circle this time around. Djokovics 2015 season got off to a rough start with a loss at the hands of 6-foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic in a quarterfinal in Doha last week, but rest assured, hell be ready to go for another run at his best Grand Slam event. The top-ranked Serb has won four of the last seven championships in Oz and is 4-0 when reaching the final round at Melbourne Park. Last years Wimbledon champ and French Open runner-up probably figures his stiffest competition will come from last weeks season-opening Brisbane champion, Roger Federer, who claimed his 1,000th career match win with the victory in Brisbane, joining Jimmy Connors (1,253) and Ivan Lendl (1,071) on that exclusive short list. The 17-time Grand Slam king is a four-time Aussie champ and former runner-up who hasnt run the Down Under table since 2010. The former world No. 1 Federer was last years Wimbledon runner-up to Djokovic and hasnt captured a major title since the 2012 Wimbledon Championships. Note: If Djokovic or Federer capture this years Aussie, that future Hall of Famer would set the Open Era record with five such championships. Then theres the great Rafael Nadal. The Spanish bull has been sidelined since October before returning to action in Doha just last week only to suffer a first-round setback against German fellow left-hander Michael Berrer. Rafa was rusty and it showed. Can he shake off the rust in time to make a big run in Melbourne? The former No. 1 star captured his lone Aussie title six years ago and is a two-time runner-up Down Under, including last year when he was shocked by Wawrinka in four sets in the final. Rafa was slowed mightily by a back injury in the title match and that back problem plagued him for much of the 2014 campaign, as did a wrist injury and a bout with appendicitis, which led to a season-ending appendectomy. Sure, Rafa captured yet another French Open title last year, but 2014 was basically a lost season for the 14-time Grand Slam champ, as he battled that bevy of physical ailments. Having said all that, I would still expect Rafa to be in the mix in Melbourne. The current world No. 4 Wawrinka broke through for his first-ever major title at the 14 Aussie, but he certainly benefited from that Nadal back injury, as the Spanish great was running at less than half speed in that particular final. Dont get me wrong, Stan played great at last years Aussie, but Im not expectiing a repeat performance.dddddddddddd He also had that tremendous gutsy victory over Djokovic in the quarterfinals, as Wawrinka prevailed in arguably the match of the year by outlasting the then-reigning champ in five sets, including a dramatic 9-7 fifth set. The Swiss slugger opened his latest campaign with a title in India last week. Note: Djokovic, Federer and Nadal had combined to win the previous eight Aussie Opens before Stan the Man broke through last year; and Federer, Nadal and Murray have combined to produce the last six runners-up at the physically demanding major. Kei Nishikori will look to become the first-ever Asian mens champion in Melbourne ... or at any major for that matter. The world No. 5 was last years surprise U.S. Open runner-up and just might have enough game to challenge the big boys this month. He reached the fourth round in Melbourne in each of the last two years and was a quarterfinalist there back in 2012. How bout Andy Murray? Is he all the way back from that back injury? Murray hasnt reached a major final since winning it all at Wimbledon in 2013. The athletic Brit is a three-time Aussie Open runner-up and has reached at least the quarterfinals there every year since 2010. He crashed out in the quarters a year ago while still on the mend from back surgery, but I think hes primed for another big run in the Bourne. Murray is a two-time Grand Slam champion and an Olympic gold medalist who hasnt missed a major quarterfinal (when competing) since the 2010 U.S. Open. The mens Top 10 is rounded out by last weeks Doha runner-up and former Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, rising Canadian Milos Raonic, U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, and last weeks Doha champ David Ferrer. Cilic has already announced he will skip the 2015 Aussie due to a right shoulder injury, which will make world No. 11 Grigor Dimitrov a Top 10 seed in Oz. My favorites out of this lot of players to make a run are Raonic and Dimitrov. Raonic, who was last weeks Brisbane runner-up to the great Federer, possesses perhaps the best service game on the planet right now and is in the best shape of his young career, while Maria Sharapovas beau, Dimitrov, is a Grand Slam ace in the making, with his all-around game and fluid style that has forced the comparisons to Federer, thus prompting the nickname Baby Fed. Dimitrov reached the Aussie quarters a year ago. On the comeback front, former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro returned to action this week in Sydney, this after being out of commission since last February with a wrist injury. I dont expect too much from Delpo right now. FYI: The last American man to capture the Aussie was Andre Agassi back in 2003. An American will not win it again this time around. The easy pick here would be Djokovic ... and thats exactly who Im goin with. ' ' '