“I feel good where I am right now,” Howard said about the injury. “I don’t know what everybody else’s expectations for me were, but I feel good. I’m not exactly where I want to be yet. Obviously the goal is to get out there as soon as possible, but with this I’m just listening to my body. I’ve been talking with the training staff and doing baseball type movements.”

Howard, who tore the Achilles’ tendon in his left foot while running to first base in the final game and the final out of the 2011 Phillies season, hasn’t spoken to the press since that time. He did add that he may not have full-strength until possibly the All-Star Break.

Jenkins signed a five-year, $25 million contract last offseason and recorded 5.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 61 total tackles during his first season with the Eagles. He spent his first seven seasons with Green Bay.

The Philadelphia Inquirer, citing a league source, reported that Jenkins’ deal was shortened by one year. Jenkins was slated to earn $6 million in 2015, the final year of the original contract.

“We are very excited about having Cullen back on our football team,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said Tuesday. “Cullen made an immediate impact for us this year on and off the field. We look forward to a great future together with him in an Eagles uniform.”

Jenkins said during a conference call Tuesday that security was one of his motivating factors in getting a deal done.

The Eagles went 8-8 last season.

Jordan, picked 32nd overall in the 2012 SuperDraft, was named to the NSCAA All-American Second Team in 2011 as a senior, as well as the All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team as both a junior and senior.

Gaddis, selected 35th overall in the 2012 SuperDraft, played for Union PDL affiliate Reading United in 2010 and 2011. Considered one of the top right backs in the draft, Gaddis earned second team all-BIG EAST honors as a senior in 2011.

Harrison returns to the Union after intially signing with the club in September of 2011. Formerly a member of the Harrisburg City Islanders, Harrison led the Islanders to the 2011 USL-Pro final but the team lost in a penalty shootout to the Orlando City Lions.

Witkowski, a midfielder out of Marist College, was the 26th overall pick in the 2012 Supplemental Draft. He collected three consecutive All-MAAC First Team awards and in 2011 was named to the All-North Atlantic Region second team.

Hoppenot, taken 39th overall in the Supplemental Draft, was a three time First-Team All-Ivy selection and was ranked 20th on the Top Drawer Soccer Men’s National Top 100 list as a senior.

The Grizzlies allowed Philadelphia to get no closer than four points in the fourth. Tony Allen made a pair of key defensive plays down the stretch for the Grizzlies, forcing an airball by Iguodala with Memphis leading by five and later getting a steal on a Sixers fast break.

The Jets nearly survived Philadelphia’s bombardment to steal two points, only to have Wayne Simmonds score with 10.8 seconds left, stuffing a centering feed from James van Riemsdyk behind Ondrej Pavelec.

The Flyers had six of the seven shots in overtime. The last one came after Daniel Briere stole the puck behind the net and fed Jagr for a quick snap shot that beat Pavelec cleanly.

Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell and Max Talbot also scored for the Flyers, who outshot the Jets 55-26 in the opener of a four-game trip. The 55 shots were the most by any team in a game this season.

But Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, whom coach Peter Laviolette pulled in last Saturday’s home loss to Pittsburgh, struggled again, stopping only 22 shots.

The single point gives the Jets 65, matching Florida for the most in the Southeast Division and Toronto for eighth place in the East. But the Jets trail both teams because they’ve played more games.

1.   Detroit Red Wings (41-17-2)

By now you have surely heard about the incredible home winning streak that the 2011-12 Red Wings have used to cement themselves in the NHL record books.  But more important than the streak may the question “How do they do it?”  Initially the credit is attributed to Datsyuk, Franzen, Zetterberg, and Howard – but this team is so much more than those four names.  One quick look at the Red Wings player statistics page shows the enormous depth that this team has.  It is the combination of those 2nd, 3rd, and 4th line players and the steady hand of Mike Babcock that has this team riding higher than any other in the league.  Other teams in the Western Conference may have viewed Jimmy Howard’s injury as a chance to gain some ground on the Wings, but unfortunately for them the Wings have found depth at the goaltender position as well in Joey MacDonald – .934 sv %, 1.66 GAA.

2. New York Rangers (38-14-5)

As impressive as the Red Wings have been in the West, the Rangers have been equally remarkable in the East.  At this point in time, Henrik Lundqvist appears to be the run away candidate for the Vezina Trophy.  King Henrik is on the cusp of his 30th win of the season and flirting with the highly revered .940 sv % that NHL fans saw Dominik Hasek post several times during his Vezina seasons.  Much like the Red Wings, the Rangers have extraordinary depth from the 1st to 4th line and are guided by a man who knows what it takes to win – John Tortorella. With Brandon Dubinsky performing well below what is expected of him, the Rangers are one forward away from being the most dominant team in the East by a long shot.  Only time, and the trade deadline, will tell if they can resolve this minor problem.

3.  Vancouver Canucks (38-15-6)

Statistically speaking, the best team in the NHL over their last 10 games – the Canucks appear to have hit playoff form well in advance.  To be frank, there really are no loose ends that this team needs to fix with the trade deadline.  The secondary scoring has been operating on all cylinders, Luongo and Schneider have become a two-headed monster, and the defense has hardly noticed the loss of Christian Ehrhoff to the Buffalo Sabres.  The most difficult task for this team in the up coming months will be for coaches, players, and management to stay focused on the game at hand, rather than ponder over the possibility of returning to the Stanley Cup to avenge their Game 7 performance last year.

4.  St. Louis Blues (36-16-7)

By the time the 2011-12 NHL season draws to a close, regardless of where the Blues finish, the term “the Hitchcock effect” really ought to be considered by Merriam-Webster for the 2013 dictionary.  Currently, at 79 points and 4th in the league Standings (4th in the Western Conference) the Blues are only 8 points (or 4 wins) away from matching the 87 points that the team put up last year in just 59 games played.  In spite of all the great goaltedning duo’s in the NHL, the Blues really have something special going with Brian Elliot and Jaroslav Halak.  Where other goaltenders may resent the competition for the number one spot, the two seem to use it as motivation to perform at their best every night.  And isn’t it fitting that a comeback team like the Blues is composed of a few players that should be up for comeback performer of the year.  David Perron and Andy McDonald both suffered from severe concussions for the majority of the season, and both players are now back in the starting lineup and have made the Blues a legitimate offensive threat come playoff time.

5.  Boston Bruins (35-20-2)

The B’s have not had their most impressive last 10 games; However, the Bruins have been able to maintain their league leading goal differential of +58, and their strangle hold lead on the Northeast division in the Eastern Conference.  But the Bruins could be treading down soon enough due to pivotal injuries to Rich Peverley and Nathan Horton.  Both forwards have produced over 30 points, and are crucial to the success of the superstarless Bruins offensive unit.  These injuries may force management to trade away some draft picks and prospects to pick up some much needed help before the deadline of February 28th.  But for the time being, the ship is steady as she goes.

6.  Nashville Predators (34-19-6)

It may not be possible to overstate the importance of Pekka Rinne.  With 32 wins on the season, Rinne is just one shy of matching his career best 33.  And although Rinne does not have the most impressive sv %, shutouts, or goals against averaged, it goes without saying that no other goaltender plays a more important role on their team in the league.  As for the rest of the team, the new addition of the towering Hal Gill may pay huge dividends for a team that is looking to go deep into the playoffs this year.  A season veteran and Stanley Cup Champion, Hal Gill is yet another big name on the blue line for the Barry Trotz to experiment with.  Now that the offense is producing on a regular basis, it appears Trotz and Nashville management are trying to re-institute the conservative, defensive style of play that the Predators have built their reputation, and success, upon.

7.  New Jersey Devils (34-20-4)

When was the last time we saw a New Jersey Devils team where Martin Brodeur was not the star player? In the eyes of many around the league, this season is being regarded as Ilya Kovalchuck’s real, first season with the team.  Plagued by injuries and misfortune, the Devils were one of the teams that dwelt in the basement of the league in 2010-11.  But all of that seems far in the past, as Kovalchuck, Elias, and Parise all have produced over 50 points each.  Veteran power forward Dainus Zubrus has also resurrected his carer with 34 points.  But back to the goaltending – Brodeur has played sensational in his last couple starts, while Hedberg has been able to fill in wherever needed.  The Devils certainly are a legitimate playoff contender in the East – the two big questions for this team are: Will they add any depth at the deadline? Which Martin Brodeur are we going to see for the rest of the season? Old man? Or the Hall of Famer?

8.  Pittsburgh Penguins (33-21-5)

The Malkin train just keeps on rolling for the Penguins.  Geno has raised his season total to 71 points, including 32 goals and 39 assists.  5-4-1 in their last 10, the Penguins appear to be showing the effects of missing Captain Sidney Crosby, despite the contributions from Jordan Staal and Kris Letang.  The Penguins have really been on a remarkable year long run in which they have maintained their status as a powerhouse team in the East, without their star player (and the best player in the NHL).  With Crosby’s future still uncertain, the Penguins may have to consider looking for some additional support via the trade deadline, if they intend to be a force to be reckoned with in the Spring.

9.  Chicago Blackhawks (32-21-7)

In hindsight, it seems that the Blackhawks would have rather not had an NHL All-Star game/break, because since then the team has not played up to snuff.  This second half disappointment is the result of a team that has overall underperformed – Forwards, Defense, and Goaltending.  Still, the Hawks appear to be turning out of this funk, and are poised to return to the top of the league. Although, a deadline move for a improvement at the goaltending position would certainly help the Hawks chances this year…..something for Joe Quenville to think about.

10.  Philadelphia Flyers (32-19-7)

Speaking of goaltending issues, is there any team suffering from poor play between the pipes than the Fly guys?  Although hockey is a team sport, almost all of the blame has to be attributed to the poor play of Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky all season long.  Both goaltenders are at an identical .900 sv %, which is hardly acceptable, and the goals that has been let is as of late have been very weak.  Even Flyers commentator Bill Clement was willing to place all of the blame on the goaltending after the 6-4 loss to the Penguins the Flyers suffered this weekend.  If this team manages to find any help or improvement at all in the crease, they will excel in the playoffs – if not, they will be hitting the links after the first round.

11. San Jose Sharks (31-19-7)

The Sharks have fallen from grace as shown in their 4-5-1 record over the last 10 games.  Similar to the two teams above them in the rankings, the Sharks are also suffering from poor play from their goaltenders.  After his very impressive first 2 years in the NHL, Antti Niemi has shown that he is indeed human, dipping under his average sv % at .914.  On the bright side, the Sharks still have one of the deepest teams in the NHL and have been able to hide Niemi’s poor play by averaging 2.82 goals per game.  Still, this team cannot break through the Western Conference Finals if they cannot get Niemi back to his form from previous years – even with Thornton, Marleau, Pavelski, Couture, Clowe, Boyle, Burns, etc…

12. Ottawa Senators (31-22-8)

For the first time in several years, the Senators find themselves in the role of buyer during the trade deadline.  After the All-Star Break, the Sens have quietly been hard at work, doing everything they can to prove they belong in the playoffs.  Undoubtedly fans of the Senators are pondering the possibilities for their team with a player like Rick Nash on deck – but for now the Senators have other issues that need attention.  With a goal differential of just +2, something has to give if this team plans on making it into the top eight of the East come the end of the regular season.  Anderson’s play as of late has been less than satisfactory, and his GAA is almost at a dismal 2.9.  Yet another team that could use a improvement or upgrade between the pipes going forward.

13. Phoenix Coyotes (29-21-9)

8-1-1 in their last 10 games, the Coyotes have once again become relevant in the playoff picture.  Upon the uproar of criticism of Ilya Bryzgalov in Philadelphia, it seems the Coyotes have actually benefited from letting go of Bryz for Smith – Mike Smith that is.  With a .928 sv % and 25 wins, Smith has been consistent all year long for the Coyotes.  Unfortunately, the play of Captain Shane Doan has been sub-par as of late, but Ray “The Wizard” Whitney is having as good of a season as he has ever had in his 19 year career.  The Coyotes may not have the depth that other playoff bound teams in the West may have, and at the same time they cannot afford to give too much away.  With that being said, a huge trade in the near future may be out of the questions for the Coyotes.

14. Florida Panthers (27-20-11)

Mike Millbury may have said it best during NHL Live last week when he said that the Panthers were “the only team in the Southeast Division that looks like they want to make the playoffs.”  Although the Panthers recently took a loss from rival Southeast competitor, the Washington Capitals, they have been able to sustain a minor lead in the division.  At the beginning of the season, many questioned how the handful of free agents that Florida signed would come together.  Thankfully for management, the Panthers have developed into a success – for now.  Although, the Panthers seem to follow suit with this edition of the power rankings, in the sense that goaltending is their biggest issue – as indicated by their -18 goal differential.

15. Calgary Flames (28-22-9)

Much like the 2010-11 season, the Flames appear to be mounting a late season rally to find a way into the playoffs.  Mikka Kiprusoff is back to his All-Star form with a .924 sv % and 27 wins on the season.  While on the other hand, the Flames are led offensively by veterans Olli Jokinen and Jarome Iginla, and welcome the return of Calgary favorite Mike Cammalleri.  A big trade is exactly what this team needs to fend off the bottom eight teams of the Western Conference in pursuit of a playoff spot.

16.  Los Angeles Kings (27-21-11)

Still almost no scoring from an otherwise stagnant offense.  Nothing has changed over the past two weeks to be honest.  It is still all about Quick, Kopitar, and good coaching.  Just another team that is practically foaming at the mouth to bid on Rick Nash.
Alexander Crofoot
Writer/Editor
Neumann Joust

Victorino plays a business executive on a company retreat, CBS said Thursday, during an episode involving the murder of a man dressed as a Hawaiian NaKoa warrior.

Speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, winner of 2 Olympic gold medals, also appears as a Hawaiian history buff.

Here’s a sneak peek of Shane Victorino’s appearance on “Hawaii Five-0,” which airs Tonight, Monday at 10 pm ET on CBS. Watch Here.

Hamels said he has no deadline to reach an agreement on a contract extension, like Albert Pujols had with the St. Louis Cardinals last year.

He also said he wants to stay in Philadelphia.

Hamels will become a free agent following this season, unless he signs an extension first.

Despite what Hamels said Monday, nothing should be considered a certainty. And for good reason. Hamels is likely seeking a contract worth more than $100 million, and the Phillies already have three players on their roster making $20 million or more per year: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Ryan Howard. The Phillies have other notable players who will become free agents in upcoming seasons: Shane Victorino, following this season, and Hunter Pence following 2013.

How many high-priced talents can the Phillies afford, knowing they already are so close to the luxury-tax threshold?

With the Target Center crowd standing and roaring, Love drove to the basket with his head down and tempted Andre Iguodala to reach in and try to swipe the ball away. The whistle sounded, Love walked to the line and calmly swished both shots. He also had 15 rebounds after starting the game 3 for 16 from the floor.

Ricky Rubio had a career-high 22 points to go with six rebounds and five assists. His backup, J.J. Barea, added 14 points to help offset another strong game by Jrue Holiday of the Sixers. Holiday had 20 points on 10-for-20 shooting, plus five rebounds and three steals.

Neither team led by more than one over the final 6½ minutes. Love, who had only six points at halftime, drained a 3-pointer down the stretch and hit a 21-footer with less than a minute to go to push the Wolves to a 90-89 lead.

Thaddeus Young answered on the other end for the Sixers with a jumper from the wing, and Love missed a 3-pointer.

Lou Williams, who got it going in the second half after Philadelphia’s leading scorer attempted only three shots before the break, tried a crossover step-back jumper from the top of the key with Martell Webster in his face that rimmed out. Love grabbed the rebound with less than 4 seconds left, setting up the final possession.

Nikola Pekovic had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Timberwolves (16-16), who notched their third three-game winning streak of the season to move back to the .500 mark. They play at Denver on Monday night, starting a stretch of 16 out of 23 games on the road. Coach Rick Adelman shortened his rotation to eight again, and the Pekovic-Love starting lineup improved to 6-3 on the season.

Sixers coach Doug Collins spoke about how “exceptionally proud” he’s been of his team during this difficult month on the schedule, encouraging the players to keep the positive energy they created earlier in the season despite four losses in their previous six games.

Still in command of the Atlantic Division, the Sixers (20-12) played seven of their past nine games against some of the toughest teams in the NBA, including a loss on Friday night to defending champion Dallas. This is their first three-game losing streak of the season.

Collins has been pushing Holiday to assert himself more offensively rather than being so focused on getting all his teammates involved, and the third-year point guard tried to do that, taking 10 shots in the first half. It looked as if Rubio, who is fast becoming one of the NBA’s premiere pass-first point guards, was listening in on the other team’s pep talk judging by the first half.

He had a scorer’s mentality over the first 24 minutes for sure, helping the Wolves dig out of an 18-7 deficit early with a tying 3-pointer late in the first quarter. He also reached the free throw line six times, making all six.

The floppy-haired rookie went back to distribution mode after halftime, assisting on each of Minnesota’s first four baskets and setting up Pekovic inside for a potential fifth, but the big guy got fouled.

With Love and Pekovic playing together now in the post, the Wolves are even more of a handful for anyone to keep away from rebounds, putbacks and soft hook shots around the basket. They spent much of the third quarter attacking inside and parading to the foul line, but they were unable to build any more than a brief one or two-point lead against the Sixers and their rugged, active defense.

Philadelphia leads the league with an average of less than 88 points allowed per game.

Kendrick, 27, went 8-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 34 games (15 starts) for the Phillies last year. He shuttled between the rotation and the bullpen all season while reaching career bests in ERA and games. In 18 games against the NL East, he went 5-2 with a 2.14 ERA.

Last month, the Phillies and Kendrick had avoided the salary-arbitration process by agreeing to a one-year contract for the 2012 season.

Originally selected by the Phillies in the seventh round of the 2003 draft, Kendrick has a career record of 43-30 with a 4.41 ERA in 127 games (98 starts) in parts of five seasons (2007-11), all with Philadelphia.