ak with Lauri Korpikoski, who passed from the goal line back to Roussel in front for a shot into the upp | Forum

AUBURN, Ala. Swell Wood Bottle Nz . -- Deshaun Watson and Clemson pick up where they left off last season -- sort of.The second-ranked Tigers open against another Southeastern Conference team from the state of Alabama, visiting Auburn Saturday night hoping to resume their pursuit of a national title and, perhaps, a Heisman Trophy for Watson.They finished an otherwise unblemished season with a 45-40 loss to Alabama in the national championship game. Watson was at his playmaking best in racking up nearly 500 total yards against one of the nations top defenses.The task now will be to beat an Auburn team seeking redemption after a disappointing season.Its a big challenge out of the gate for us, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.Not so big as the one Swinneys Tigers faced to finish off last season. Auburn opens picked to finish sixth in the Southeastern Conference Western Division after flopping last season amid much higher expectations.Auburn also lost its top three rushers from last season to a dismissal, a transfer and an early entry into the NFL draft. The receivers are mostly unknown, and Sean White won a renewed quarterback battle after throwing one touchdown pass in five starts last season.It makes for a tough opening challenge for coach Gus Malzahns team. Swinney points out that openers carry a certain amount of mystery for both sides.There are a lot of unknowns, he said. They have players we dont know a lot about, and we have players they dont know a lot about. You dont ever really know until you see a team for two or three games.---Here are some things to watch in the Clemson-Auburn matchup:WATSONS ENCORE? Watson enters the season among the favorites to win the Heisman after a third-place finish. His 478-yard performance passing and rushing in the title game was nearly enough to pull off the win. Their quarterback is one of the best players in college football, if not the best player, Malzahn said.AND AUBURN? White beat out Jeremy Johnson and junior college transfer John Franklin III to emerge as the starter. Of the three, Franklin is the biggest rushing threat and could potentially play in a Wildcat role though Malzahn has been mum on the pecking order behind White. White has impressed Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables. Hes a quality, quality player, Venables said. He beat out Deshaun at the Elite 11 for top quarterback. Hes got that `it. Hes a very good leader, all the qualities that you love. The intangibles, his toughness, his confidence, he makes everybody around him better.SEEING STEELE: Swinney will face one of his former defensive coordinators in Kevin Steele, now leading Auburns defense. Steele spent three seasons under Swinney and helped the Tigers to the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference title. But soon after Clemson was embarrassed 70-33 by West Virginia in the Orange Bowl, Swinney fired Steele and replaced him with Venables. Steele skipped his normal session with reporters this week.TAILBACK COMPARISONS: Wayne Gallman is coming off a school record-setting season, 1,500-yard season for Clemson. Auburn is high on Kerryon Johnson but he had only 52 carries as a freshman, vaulting to the starting spot when Jovon Robinson was kicked off the team in preseason camp.GETTING DEFENSIVE: Auburn has struggled defensively in recent seasons but Steeles side of the ball might be the teams strength. Veteran defenders Carl Lawson, Montravius Adams and Johnathan Ford are all back and joined by Illinois graduate transfer T.J. Neal at linebacker.---AP Sports Writer Pete Iacobelli contributed to this report. Swell Bottle Wenge Wood . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. Swell Bottle Lily Wood . -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside. http://www.swellwaterbottlenz.com/swell-traveler-bottle.html . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. DALLAS -- For the first time this season, Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff started Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin on a line centered by Jason Spezza.They came up big against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.Benn scored his 200th career goal and added two assists, Spezza also had a goal and two assists, and Seguin added a goal and an assist to lead the Stars to a 5-2 win over the Predators.Its been no secret around here that our top players havent been our top players, Benn said. Its something we take personally, and weve got to be better, and we all know it.Benn wasnt impressed by his milestone goal, focusing on the win instead.It felt like any other goal, he said. Its not really a big deal to me. Its much better to get two points and get a win.Spezzas goal was his first in 13 games, and Benn hadnt scored in his previous four. Seguin has three goals in the last four games.The new line could be together for a while.Ill keep anything together that works, Ruff said. Its good to see all those guys get a goal.Antoine Roussel had a goal and assist and Brett Ritche also scored for the Stars. Kari Lehtonen stopped 33 shots, including all 21 in the second period.(Lehtonen) didnt have a lot of action but what he really did well was he fought through traffic to find some pucks, Ruff said. Really well, especially second period.Viktor Arvidsson and Calle Jarnkrok scored for Nashville. Pekka Rinne came in with a 2.23 goals-against average, but gave up four goals on 18 shots in 25:47 before leaving early in the second period. Marek Mazanec came on and stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced.Predators coach Peter Laviolette was brief in his postgame comments, saying: Well, they showed up to play and we were a no-show. Frustrating. Thank you.Dallas extended a 2-1 lead to 5-1 on second-period goals by Spezza, Roussel and Seguin.Before that, Benn and Ritchie had scored 23 seconds apart midway through the first to put Dallas up 2-0.Spezza passed from the right boards past Seguin to Benn for a shot from the slot at 9.55. Ritchie sccored at 10:18 when his shot went through Rinne and barely crossed the goal line. Swell Bottle NZ. .Arvidssons short-handed goal with 3:57 left in the first came after Dallas John Klingberg broke his stick on an attempted slap shot from the blue line. Austin Watson took the puck and passed ahead to Arvidsson. He shot past the stickless Klingberg, and the puck went in off Lehtonens glove.The Stars outshot Nashville 15-6 in the first period. The shots turned around in the second -- the Predators had a 21-13 edge -- but the Stars scored all three goals in the period.Spezza skated from the left boards past a defender and Rinne to put the puck into the right corner of the net at 3:27.Roussel came out of the penalty box for a 2-on-1 break with Lauri Korpikoski, who passed from the goal line back to Roussel in front for a shot into the upper left of the net at 5:47.Laviolette successfully challenged an apparent goal by Dallas Radek Faksa because of goaltender interference. Sixteen seconds later, Seguin took a pass from Benn in the left circle and one-timed the puck past Mazanec.Game notes Benn, Spezza and Seguin started on the same line for the first time this season. ... Spezza has seven goals and four assists in his last nine games against the Predators. His goal was his first in his last 13 games overall. ... Nashvilles short-handed goal was the fifth Dallas has allowed this season, tied for second-most in the NHL. ... The Predators James Neal had scored a goal in each of his previous three games. ... Dallas has won two of three from Nashville this season. Spezza scored a goal in each of the wins. ... It was the first time in 17 games dating back to Oct. 26 that Rinne was pulled for ineffectiveness.UP NEXTPredators: At Arizona on Saturday to complete a two-game trip. Nashville lost to the Coyotes 3-2 in a shootout at home on Nov. 3.Stars: At Philadelphia on Saturday to begin a two-game trip. ' ' '