If one wanted to file it under the category of short sample size, it would certainly be understandable. After all, the Nashville Predators are just two games into an 82-game NHL season that they hope includes a long playoff run.But if those games are any indication, it looks like they can count on a lethal power play to provide a consistent scoring punch.In splitting a weekend home-and-home series with the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville (1-1-0) scored four of its six goals while a man up, including all three in Friday nights 3-2 win. Its power play marker in Saturday nights 5-3 defeat at the United Center was scored six seconds after Artem Amisimov went into the box for tripping.So the Dallas Stars, who visit Bridgestone Arena Tuesday night, might want to try to stay out of the box and not give the Predators man-advantage opportunities.Coach Peter Laviolette had a simple explanation for Nashvilles early power play success.Shooting the puck ... I mean, thats a big thing, he said. Getting that front presence -- we seem to be supporting the puck well. So good things are happening there.Between the Predators potent power play and Dallas ability to light the lamp, this might be a free-flowing game. The Stars (1-1-0) have scored nine goals in their first two games, although theyve also allowed eight.Dallas inability to stop the other guy was the reason for its 6-5 loss Saturday night in Colorado, which tallied five straight markers after the Stars grabbed a 2-0 lead.We had our chances, but we gave up a lot, left wing Jamie Benn said. We didnt do enough to win the hockey game and we didnt deserve to win. When you play like that, it doesnt matter if you scored five. Its unacceptable.Dallas goalie Antti Niemi was victimized by poor defense in front of him at Colorado, allowing five goals on just 20 shots before being replaced by Kari Lehtonen at 7:05 of the second period. Lehtonen stopped 12 of 13 shots, but the damage was done.Stars coach Lindy Ruff said Niemi struggled with rebound control.The puck wasnt sticking to him, Ruff said of Niemi. Some of the pucks were getting away from him, that created the extra chances.Ruff wants to see Dallas get off to quicker starts. It was outshot 17-1 in the first period of its season-opening 4-2 win over Anaheim on Thursday night and then buried itself Saturday night after potting two goals in the games first seven minutes.Nashville would probably like to get out of the blocks a bit faster, too. It gave up the first goal in its win against Chicago and then dug a 3-0 hole before the first periods end Saturday night, which essentially decided the game even though it outshot the Blackhawks 36-28.Regardless, the Predators have seen enough positives from the first two games, especially with the power play, to reinforce their notion that this will be a banner season.Its a special group, said defenseman P.K. Subban. If we just focus on what were doing on the ice, were going to have a lot of success. We have to play hard and keep moving forward.Custom Philadelphia Phillies Jerseys . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. Cheap Phillies Jerseys . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. https://www.cheapphilliesjerseys.us/ . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. Philadelphia Phillies Gear . PAUL, Minn. Stitched Phillies Jerseys .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore.The new College Football Playoff rankings are good news for No. 4 Washington, if only because the Huskies already are ahead of No. 5 Michigan and get to play one more game -- and make one more impression -- while the Wolverines stay home. Its hard to believe that the committee would take Ohio State and Michigan ahead of the Big Ten champion, and its hard to believe that the committee would take Ohio State, Michigan?and?the Big Ten champion. One damaging factoid from the Michigan résumé: 2-2 on the road, with the wins against Rutgers (2-10) and Michigan State (3-9). You want to schedule eight home games? Dont travel at your own risk.1. The same can be said for Penn State, which, as ESPN Stats & Information points out, has road wins over Purdue (3-9), Indiana (6-6), and the aforementioned Scarlet Knights. So that raises the question: Which team performed the best on the road this season? Western Michigan is the only team that went 6-0 on the road; Washington and Clemson both went 5-0 on the road, and the Tigers beat Auburn and Florida State, which trumps the Huskies wins over Utah and Washington State. Alabama and Oklahoma went 4-0; the Sooners loss at Houston, played at NRG Stadium was neutral-site in name only.2. Florida head coach Jim McElwain cut short speculation that he might be interested in the Oregon job. Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, who had six winning seasons at Rutgers, makes a lot of sense. He is a seasoned head coach with a knack for defense, two traits that Oregon could use. He has never coached west of Chicago, but he has a national name and he can hire West Coast assistants. Unlike Schiano, USF head coach Willie Taggart coached for three years as an assistant at Stanford. He built winners at Western Kentucky and USF. Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin checks the geographic boxes and has shown he can win.3. Bar bet trivia time: Name the five schools that have appeared in all 18 rankings issued by the CFP selection committee over three seasons. If you got Alabama, Clemson, Florida State and Ohio State, youre an attentive fan. But if you named Utah?as the fifth team, youre either a die-hard Ute or you need a hobby. Heres whats doubly amazing about that stat. Utah is the only Pac-12 South team that has yet to play in the conference championship game in its six years of existence. The Utes tied for first in 2015, but USC went to the championship game.4. Its not the ending that Taysom Hill wanted for his college football carreer, but the sixth-year senior cant say its not an appropriate one.dddddddddddd BYU?announced Tuesday that its starting quarterback will miss the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl because of an elbow strain he suffered last weekend against Utah State. Hill suffered four season-ending injuries in his Cougars career, three of them against Utah State. But he did finish as the most prolific rushing quarterback at the pass-happy program. Hill, who is pursuing his MBA at BYU, is one of 12 finalists for the Campbell Trophy, the Academic Heisman, which will be awarded in New York next week.5. East Carolina?wide receiver Zay Jones has 158 catches this season. Thats a lot of catches. In fact, its an FBS record. Heres context: Jones broke a record set by Freddie Barnes of Bowling Green, who caught 155 passes in 2009 in a 13-game season; East Carolina has played 12 games this season. Heres more context: 12 other Pirates caught a total of 201 passes. Jones never caught fewer than seven passes in any one game. And Jones, like Hill, is a Campbell Trophy finalist. Wow.6. Just as the Heisman Trophy is usually awarded to the best offensive playmaker, the coach of the year is usually awarded to the coach whose team finished higher above expectations than did any other. Thats why Nick Saban gets overlooked. He won it in 2003, when LSU won the BCS title, and in 2008, when Alabama improved from 7-6 to 12-2. And in a season when Mike MacIntyre has taken Colorado to the brink of a Pac-12 title, his shadow might blot out every other candidate. But as my colleague Alex Scarborough wrote this week, its pretty silly that Saban has won five national titles and two COY awards.7. Of the many awards that have been started in recent years, one of my favorites is the Broyles Award, given in Little Rock, Arkansas, to the nations top assistant coach by the Frank and Barbara Broyles Foundation. Assistant coaches dont get enough recognition, but Broyles finalists sure do. The award names five finalists per season, and nine of the past 20 have gone on to become head coaches. This years finalists include defensive coordinators Don Brown of Michigan and Jim Leavitt of Colorado, both former head coaches; defensive coordinators Jeremy Pruitt of Alabama and Brent Venables of Clemson, both two-time finalists, and offensive coordinator Matt Canada of Pitt. ' ' '