Mark Streit sent the puck from behind the net to the blue

On Monday night at Madison Square Garden, a UConn Huskies team that had attracted a great deal of early-season, negative attention, made positive headlines by defeating Syracuse, 52-50. This was easily their best victory of the young season -- their first when not favored by Basketball Power Index (BPI) -- and evened their record at 4-4. The win gave Huskies fans hope that their team has turned the corner after a rough opening stretch. ?As if the season-opening loss to Wagner on their home court wasnt embarrassing enough for the preseason No. 18 team in the country, UConn followed that performance by losing to Northeastern for the first time since Jim Calhoun was the coach of the Huskies -- the Northeastern Huskies. In fact, Connecticut underperformed their predicted point spread according to the BPI in six of their first seven games, and by an average of 7 points per game, which ranked No. 324 in the country.Now, with the positive momentum of the Syracuse win, can we expect to see UConn in the field of 68 come March? The Huskies projected strength of record may offer a clue.ESPNs Strength of Record (SOR) is a metric that explains how difficult a given won-loss record is to achieve. It can be thought of as a combination of wins and losses versus schedule strength, and helps answer the question of who deserves to be in the tournament. While it doesnt necessarily predict who will get in, over the last nine seasons, 91 percent of at-large NCAA Tournament teams were deemed deserving of an at-large bid by SOR. Since 2008, the worst SOR rank to get an at-large bid was VCU in 2011, which had the 71st best SOR on Selection Sunday (and famously justified their inclusion by making a run to the Final Four). In an average year, the lowest SOR rank that deserves to be in the tournament is 48.If we make the assumption that name recognition would help UConns case if it could achieve an SOR rank of 50 or better, we can perform simulations to determine how likely it is that the Huskies can get to that number.Unfortunately for Huskies fans, the simulations still tell a bleak story. Strength-of-record simulations show that UConn has only about a 3 percent chance of having a strong enough résumé to be considered for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Even if they are as fortunate as VCU in 2011, there is only a 12.3 percent chance of having a résumé at least as strong as the Rams that year.The Huskies have been known to redeem weak regular seasons with strong conference tournament (and NCAA) runs in the past, including last season when an improbable AAC Tournament victory got them in the NCAA field despite a subpar regular season résumé. Our numbers say theyll likely need a repeat of that scenario. Although beating Syracuse has them trending in the right direction, that Husky March magic may just be their best shot of reaching the field of 68.For more from ESPN Analytics, visit the ESPN Analytics Index.? Fake Nike Shoes From China .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Nike Shoes China .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. https://www.nikeshoeschina.us/ . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Wholesale Nike Shoes From China .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. Nike Shoes From China Online . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. PHILADELPHIA -- Just as they hoped they would, Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers bounced back from a dismal performance.Matt Puempel scored in his first game with the Rangers, and Henrik Lundqvist made 40 saves to help New York defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Friday.Derek Stepan and Kevin Hayes also netted goals for the Rangers, who rebounded from Wednesdays 6-1 home drubbing against Pittsburgh. Lundqvist was lifted after allowing four goals on seven shots in the second period of that one, but he responded with a strong performance against the Flyers to improve to 32-13-4 in his career against Philadelphia.You just regroup and everybody tried to hold everybody accountable to play their absolute best, Lundqvist said. When we dont play that well, we want to come back with a better performance. Thats what we were looking for.It was a good game for us and a good game for me.Shayne Gostibehere and Chris VandeVelde scored in the third period for Philadelphia, which threatened throughout the final period. The Flyers opened a three-game homestand with a third loss in the last four games.Stepan gave New York a 1-0 lead in the first period when he beat Steve Mason with a wrist shot from the slot. J.T. Miller set up the goal with an assist from behind the net after a turnover by Philadelphias Scott Laughton, playing in his second game since being recalled from Lehigh Valley of the AHL.Youre not going to have your `A stuff every night, and the next game is so important, Stepan said.Stepan has 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 30 career games vs. Philadelphia.Puempel, claimed off waivers from Ottawa on Monday, gave the Rangers a 2-0 advantage 1:34 later with his first goal of the season.Good for the kid, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. Its got to help his confidence and it was without a doubt helpful for our team.A 2011 first-round pick of the Senators, Puempel went without a point in 13 games with Ottawa this season and had just four goals and two assists in 52 career games. But he showed a deft scoring touch when he skated past Philadelphias Andrew MacDonald, settled a bouuncing backhand pass from Jimmy Vesey and buried the puck past Mason from close range.ddddddddddddUnbelievable, he said. I couldnt be happier right now.The first period featured a pair of fights and physical play that is typical of the rivalry.Philadelphias Travis Konecny took on Brandon Pirri after Pirri boarded Brandon Manning. Konecny drew an instigation minor in addition to a fighting major to erase a Flyers power-play opportunity.Chris Kreider got the better of Manning in a fight with 1.8 seconds left in the period.Hayes extended New Yorks lead to 3-0 in the second period after another bad Philadelphia turnover in its zone. Mark Streit sent the puck from behind the net to the blue line right on the stick of New Yorks Nick Holden. Holden passed to a wide-open Hayes in the slot, and Hayes re-directed the puck over Masons left shoulder for his 10th goal of the season.We have to get them out of our game, Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said of the turnovers.VandeVelde got the Flyers on the board early in the third period. MacDonald sent the puck in front and it caromed off VandeVeldes skate past Lundqvist. The play was reviewed but officials allowed the goal.Gostisbeheres slap shot from the slot with 2:04 left made it 3-2. But Philadelphia couldnt get anything else past Lundqvist.One of his best saves came midway through the second period when he used his mask to deny Claude Giroux from close range on a 2-on-1 break.He played an incredible game, Stepan said of Lundqvist.Game notes Laughton is replacing Sean Couturier, who is out four to six weeks with a lower body injury after being hurt in Tuesdays game at Florida. . The Rangers went ahead in the all-time series that has been played 340 times. New York has 152 wins to Philadelphias 151. There have been 37 ties. Friday was the first of four meetings between the teams. . Giroux hasnt scored a goal in seven straight games.UP NEXTRangers: Host Ottawa on Sunday night.Flyers: Host Calgary on Sunday night. ' ' '