e intrigue.Temple led DePaul by as many as 25 points in the

PITTSBURGH -- Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau was more than understated when he assessed the current play of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the reigning Stanley Cup champion and the Wilds opponent Thursday night.Yeah, theyre OK, Boudreau said Wednesday, the last day of a four-day break for Minnesota.Right now, the Penguins (9-2-2) are more than OK -- theyve gained a point in seven straight games (6-0-1) and theyre coming off a 4-3 win Tuesday over the very young and very fast Edmonton Oilers, who couldnt hold an early 3-1 lead.Thats been a trend for the Penguins, whove rallied to win four times recently despite being down by multiple goals.As usual, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was right in the middle of it, despite being held without a point for the first time this season. Crosbys dangerous speed game allowed the Penguins to catch up to the fast-starting Oilers, and Boudreau knows that could mean trouble for the Wild, even though theyre currently the NHLs top defensive team.Before losing their last two games, 2-1 to Buffalo and 1-0 to Colorado, the Wild won three straight games, all by shutout.Hes the best player in the world, Boudreau said of Crosby. And the best player in the world in any sport (is a challenge) ... the way hes playing right now, hes hard to handle.But they have a lot of other players, he said, mentioning Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Chris Kunitz. Theres a reason why they won the Cup.Its also a reason why theres been no Stanley Cup letdown for the Penguins. Their Crosby-led arsenal of scorers produced nine goals in the last two games, and they look comfortable regardless of whether Stanley Cup-winning goalie Matt Murray (3-0) or former starter Marc-Andre Fleury (6-2) is in net. Murray started the last two games.He made timely saves for us, and you look around the league, and thats what separates winning from losing, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Murray making a succession of key saves in the third period Tuesday. I thought he was real solid in the third period.And Boudreau didnt even mention forward Conor Sheary, the breakout rookie of a season ago who scored their first and last goals against Edmonton, including the game-winner in the final two minutes.The challenge for Crosby on Thursday might be that theres no immediate head-to-head young star matchup for him. On Tuesday, it was 2015 No. 1 draft pick Connor McDavid, who was more than impressive by setting up three speed-driven goals -- even if it was Crosby who got the win.On Saturday, it will be the Toronto Maple Leafs and 2016 No. 1 pick Auston Matthews, who, like McDavid earlier in the week, is certain to get tossed a ton of questions about that it will be like to oppose Crosby for the first time.You get up for games like that, Crosby said after the Oilers game.The Wild and Penguins havent played for 11 months. The Penguins won both games last season, including a 3-1 road win on Dec. 26 that was their fourth in a row over Minnesota. Ross Barkley Jersey . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. 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Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. PHILADELPHIA -- Villanovas senior class is on the verge of an incredible record.Josh Hart, Darryl Reynolds and Kris Jenkins have never dropped a Big 5 game since joining the Wildcats and theyll have a chance to go undefeated when they host Temple Tuesday night at 7 p.m. EST at The Pavilion.No. 1-ranked Villanova improved to 3-0 in the Big 5 this season with a hard-fought 89-79 win over La Salle last Tuesday at the Palestra. Then the Wildcats stayed perfect on the season overall (10-0) with a 74-66 victory over No. 23 Notre Dame on Saturday in Newark, N.J.Villanova is also going for its 18th straight Big 5 victory.Its unbelievable to think about, Villanova head coach Jay Wright told the Philadelphia Daily News. I dont want to think about it because its monumental. It really is.Hart is coming off a memorable game with a career-best 37 points to go along with 11 rebounds and four assists in the eight-point win over the Fighting Irish.I was just out there playing, Hart told reporters. In a game like that we were battling, battling, battling, to the end. Fatigue wasnt a factor.The Wildcats came back from an 11-point deficit in the inaugural Never Forget Tribute Classic honoring the families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.That was just a great college basketball game, Wright told reporters. Were really proud to be a part of the cause. It was a great atmosphere with what felt like a Villanova crowd. Notre Dame is so tough to play against. I think Mike (Brey) is one of the best coaches in the country. Theyre an underrrated defensive team.ddddddddddddTemple elevated its record to 7-3 with a 74-65 victory over DePaul Saturday at the Hoophall Miami Invitational.The Owls will enter Tuesdays game on the Main Line also at 3-0 in the Big 5, adding to the intrigue.Temple led DePaul by as many as 25 points in the second half before holding on for the victory.I thought we made a couple of foolish mistakes on both ends, and a team is going to take advantage of that, Temple head coach Fran Dunphy told the Philadelphia Inquirer. We got tight, they were playing loose, and as a result the lead got cut.Obi Enechionyia and Shizz Alston Jr. scored 15 points each while Quinton Rose added 12 points. Enechionyia and Alston also had seven rebounds apiece.Temple received a lift from Josh Brown as he had 11 points and five assists in his first start of the year. Brown was named Hoophall Miami Invitational Most Valuable Player.And he also contributed a career-high seven steals, the most for a Temple player since Will Cummings at SMU on Feb. 19, 2015.It was just the fourth game for Brown in his return from an Achilles tendon injury in the offseason.Well see how he feels like tomorrow (Sunday), lets see how he feels in one day, and obviously Tuesday for the Villanova game, Dunphy told the Inquirer about Browns status. He deserves that opportunity to be in the lineup. Now I just have got to manage his minutes as best as possible. ' ' '