Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 11.10.25
Wildest soccer goal you’ve ever seen, a bicycle kick goal in a blizzard in the Canadian Premier League Final.
There were no 44-22 NFL games in HISTORY until yesterday, when two 44-22 games finished within minutes of each other.Wild’s 4-3 Loss to ‘Canes Turns After Pitlick Match Penalty
Vikings’ Eight False Starts Just the Tip of Iceberg in 27-19 Loss
If you didn’t think NFL teams record eight false starts in a game, you’re right. It’s even more rare at home.
Yes, the Vikings somehow had eight false starts in yesterday’s 27-19 loss at home to Baltimore, becoming the first NFL team to reach that mark in a home game since 2009. The Vikings finally got their entire offensive line together, and it didn’t go well.
It was far from the only problem, too, as their young quarterback routinely either overthrew wide open receivers or threw too-hot-to-handle howitzers straight at the numbers. J.J. McCarthy targeted Justin Jefferson 12 times and only hit him four times. That was far from McCarthy's fault only...Jetta looked disengaged to say the least.
McCarthy also threw two deep interceptions that you just can’t throw. T.J. Hockenson, made the richest tight end in history within the last 12 months, has six catches in the last three games. Myles Price fumbled back-to-back kick returns, losing one.
And despite all that, the Vikings had the ball down eight with a chance to tie near midfield with less than a minute left. But they showed little urgency without any timeouts left, and needed eight and not seven because Kevin O’Connell for some reason went for two with three minutes left when the Vikings got within 27-19. They tell me the analytics tell you to do that, but it’s just a dumb decision.
Minnesota is 4-5 and is two games behind any other team in the NFC North. They start a run of division games this Sunday at home against Chicago in a rematch of a Week 1 win, a game the Bears dominated for three quarters.
Wild Celebrates Johansson’s 1,000th Game with Shutout Win
Marcus Johansson became just the second player in NHL history to reach his 1,000th career game with points in at least eight straight games. That’s rarified air - there are more than 400 to reach 1,000 games - and he continued his stellar play as of late assisting on Matt Boldy’s game-winner in a 2-0 win over Calgary at home last night.
Jesper Wallstedt made 36 saves and Kirill Kaprizov added an empty-net goal as the Wild opened up a five-game homestand by winning for the fourth time in five games. The Wild, you’ll remember, dropped the first four games of a six-game homestand last month.
I’ve been hard on Johansson but he’s making next to nothing and has been the Wild’s most consistent forward. It doesn’t hurt he’s been playing a top six role, but he’s earned it.
The Wild hosts the much-improved Sharks on Tuesday.
Wolves Rip Kings
The Wolves have had a tendency under Chris Finch to play to the level of their opponents. But they’re taking care of business against overmatched foes this season.
Anthony Edwards shook off a slow start with 26 points as the Wolves blitzed the Kings 144-117 in Sacramento last night. The win was the Wolves’ fourth in fifth games heading into tonight’s road trip finale in Utah. Minnesota has scored 281 points over its last two games, and at least 122 in each of its last four wins.
Antman didn’t score a single point in the first quarter, but he unleashed 16 in a 22-9 run to end the first half as the Wolves built an insurmountable lead.
Loons Advance in 10-Round PK Shootout
Minnesota won a vastly different Game 3 than Game 1, despite both games going to penalty kicks. The Loons advanced to the Western Conference semifinal after a 10-round shootout that saw all-MLS goalie Dayne St. Clair score the winning goal. The game was tied 3-3 after regulation; the Loons trailed by two goals early on and actually led 3-2 before the Sounders tied things up in the 88th minute.
Minnesota will face top-seeded San Diego in a one-game Western Conference semifinal TWO WEEKS from tonight thanks to an International window until then…
GMH Sweeps Notre Dame
The Gophers got back on the winning track in Big 10 play, sweeping Notre Dame by a combined 7-1 score at Mariucci this weekend. Minnesota hadn’t led since its win over North Dakota on Oct. 18. The Fighting Irish have lost four straight, but a big-time confidence boost for a Gophers squad that had fallen out of the rankings for the first time in more than 2,000 days. Minnesota gets another boost this weekend playing two home games against Long Island.
The women return to the ice - Abbey Murphy starred for the U.S. in both wins last week against Canada in Olympic tuneups - with two games against Bemidji State this weekend.
Gopher Hoops
The Gopher men’s hoops team is 2-0 after a 95-50 blowout of Alcorn State on Saturday. They’ll get a sterner test Wednesday at Missouri.
The Gopher women blasted Manhattan 99-36 to also move to 2-0. They host Marquette on Tuesday.
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