runner-up finish at the Olympics. Stenson had a moment of greatness at the Open but not a season of greatness.Harig: The Race to Dubai title seems a bit hollow when Stenson was no

PITTSBURGH -- Two teams searching for consistency collide Thursday when the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Dallas Stars at PPG Paints Arena.The Penguins (13-7-3) finished 7-5-2 in November with a 5-3 road loss Wednesday against the New York Islanders during which they squandered a three-goal comeback following two scoreless periods.Weve got to bury our chances, Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby said.Its not just the lack of 60-minute efforts at times such as against the Islanders, or a fluctuation between wins and losses that makes Pittsburgh inconsistent -- after all, the Penguins overall are winning more than losing. It has been, at times, wild swings between dominant games that might be expected from the defending Stanley Cup champions who returned their club nearly intact, and games in which they seem discombobulated and even disinterested and have let opponents set the pace and tone.Its hard for me to try to explain it, Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said last week. If I could, I could probably solve it.The Stars, meanwhile, are chugging along at .500 (9-9-6) but have lost two in a row and three of four as they hit the third contest of a four-game road trip.Its tough for us to string some wins together, but its not the time to point fingers. Its not the time to get negative, Patrick Sharp told the Dallas Morning News. Now is the time to come together and dig deep and find a way to win.In addition to overtime losses piling up, Dallas is struggling to solidify a lineup on defense. With eight defensemen -- nine when Johnny Oduya returns from a lower-body injury -- coach Lindy Ruff has been sitting out different players nearly every game.Dan Hamhuis and Stephen Johns played Tuesday after being scratched a game earlier while John Klingberg and Patrik Nemeth sat, and Ruff liked the performance of his defense despite a 3-1 loss at Detroit, but still isnt set on a defensive lineup. He said he would re-evaluate before deciding which six defensemen will play against Pittsburgh.The Stars met but did not skate Wednesday. Ruff, contrary to Sharps assessment, decided it was time to point fingers -- at himself.I have to do a better job, Ruff told the Morning News. I have to hold them more accountable. Ive let too many guys off the hook.It seems likely that Dallas will go with goaltender Antti Niemi in net. Pittsburghs Marc-Andre Fleury probably will start after Matt Murray played Wednesday.Fleury started well but has struggled since Murray returned from a broken hand, with no wins in his past five starts. On the season, Fleury is 6-5-3 with a 3.38 goals-against average and .901 save percentage. There is widespread belief that the Penguins have played better in front of Murray than in front of Fleury.I dont think his record, the way it is, it all falls on his shoulders, Sullivan said. Its a collective effort on both sides, both when we win and when we lose. Marc has fallen victim of some tough bounces. Hes just got to continue to work through it and keep working on his game.Despite some consistency issues for both clubs, the game matches two of the leagues best offensive talents.Dallas Tyler Seguin has 24 points, ranking him fourth in the NHL, although his minus-9 rating is the worst of anyone among the top 50 in scoring.Crosby leads the NHL with 15 goals in only 17 games after missing the start of the season because of a concussion.Adidas NMD Greece . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. Adidas NMD R2 Ελλαδα . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. http://www.nmdgreece.com/adidas-gazelle-greece.html . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Adidas NMD γυναικεια φθηνα . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Adidas NMD ασπρα . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91.Jordan Spieths win at Royal Sydney Golf Club in the Australian Open showed, yet again, that the Americans game travels well. But how much does a November title mean for his 2017?And where does Race to Dubai winner Henrik Stensons season rank among his peers?Our experts debate those topics and more in this weeks edition of Monday Four-Ball.1. What does Jordan Spieths Australian Open win mean for his 2017?SportsCenter anchor Jonathan Coachman: It means big things. I thought he was in complete control of his game and his swing. Considering Spieth was off for seven weeks, his short game was incredible. He has figured out that to maximize his performance; he cant be globetrotting in order to chase the paydays. He makes enough off the course now that he is chasing history and legacy. Its about being fresh and ready. And he was both of those things Down Under and it showed.ESPN.com senior golf writer Michael Collins: It means that hes back in the saddle again. It means that he gets to look forward to the 2017 calendar year with almost the same confidence as he did in 2015, except without the burden of the expectations of 2016.ESPN.com senior golf writer Bob Harig: He suggested it is the same as two years ago, when a win in Australia and then at the Hero World Challenge sprung him into his five-victory, two-major 2015 season. Im not sure it will produce those results, but Spieth surely sees it as a big confidence booster, and its hard to argue with him.ESPN.com senior golf writer Jason Sobel:? Well, the last time he won this tournament, he used it as a springboard for five wins, including two majors, the next year. It would be too presumptuous to believe history will repeat itself in the exact same fashion this time around, but for a guy who plays his best golf based on momentum and confidence, this should definitely be viewed as a good sign for the next 12 months.2. Five women from five countries won majors this year on the LPGA Tour. Is that good or bad for the game?Coachman: I have mixed emotions about this stat. I always think having an American star is the best thing for the game. It needs to become more popular here in the States so there can be more tournaments here. And the ladies will have to understand that in order to continue to grow, they will have to continue to play everywhere. And players from everywhere will continue to get better.Collins: Bad. At first glance, that fact would seem to be a really good thing. But in reality, the more parity there is at that level on the LPGA Tour, the harder it is to bring new fans to the game. Womens golf needs a dominant figure.Harig: It is great for the game globally, probably not so great for the game domestically. The LPGA is truly a world tour with tournaments and stars from around the globe. But that means fewer from America -- where the biggest audiences and most tournaments reside -- are winning, which can be viewed as a problem in some circles.Sobel: Too often, we in the U.S. measure golfs impact on a domestic scale, but we should view it more as the global game that it is. Thats especially the case for the LPGA, which plays so many tournaments abroad and has such a strong outreach in other countries. Theres nothing bad about having these victories spread out among players from around the globe. In fact, its just the opposite.3. Biggest surprise winner in the first portion of the 2016-17 PGA Tour season?Coachman: To me, it had too be Pat Perezs OHL Classic win in Mexico?I thought his future was in increasing his media presence because he would never be healthy enough to truly compete at the PGA Tour level again.dddddddddddd When he won, his emotions showed me that maybe he also felt that way. But thats why you tee it up, and good for him finding lightning in a bottle. Hopefully it will continue into the new year.Collins: Rod Pamplings victory this month in Las Vegas?because he had the most baggage. Golfers his age (47) who have been winless for that long normally have an amount of scar tissue that prevents them from getting back into the winners circle again. For him to overcome that is a testament not only to his golf game but also to his mental fortitude -- with a small shout-out/nod to his sports psychologist wife.Harig: Rod Pampling. His victory in Las Vegas came at age 47, 10 years after his last win on the PGA Tour and after three years competing on the Web.com Tour. The fact that a tour oversight -- the field was supposed to be 132 but went to 144 -- allowed him into the tournament made it all the more incredible.Sobel: That would have to be Rod Pampling, who got into the Las Vegas event based only on a PGA Tour clerical error, then wound up winning for the first time in more than a decade. Thats called taking advantage of an opportunity. Honorable mention goes to Pat Perez, who returned from shoulder surgery to win for the second time in his career.4. After winning the Race to Dubai, where does Henrik Stensons season rank among his peers in 2016?Coachman: I think it ranks as a really good year. The problem is the Race to Dubai ends so late that I dont know how many people even realize that its over except for those at his bank when he makes the deposit. I think we will remember his near flawless performance at the Open, and his peers will remember his good year as just that: the Open and then a big check at the end.Collins: Although Stenson said it was the greatest year of his career, 10 years from now when we look back on this season, it will rank nowhere near one of the greats of all time. When it comes down to it, Stenson had a two-win season and earned a silver medal for a runner-up finish at the Olympics. Stenson had a moment of greatness at the Open but not a season of greatness.Harig: The Race to Dubai title seems a bit hollow when Stenson was not in contention at the two (of three) Final Series events in which he competed. Nonetheless, it tops off a year in which he won The Open, his first major title, and another European Tour event, a season that he calls his best. Is it better than that of?Rory McIlroy,?who won the PGA Tours FedEx Cup without a major? Probably not. Is it better than that of?Dustin Johnson, who finished second in the FedEx Cup but won the U.S. Open and a WGC? Johnson likely tops the list.Sobel: Its nice to have a narrative wrapped in a neat, tight bow about the worlds best players, but if we werent already aware that theres no Big Three or Big Four (and to be sure, we should have been), Stensons performance is yet another reminder that these things dont work this way. I dont know if hes the worlds third-best player or fifth-best player or seventh-best player. But I do know hes really good and his year deserves credit among those of his peers. ' ' '