eries, going 16-for-33 in eight games. Thats the third-highest batting average by a player with at least 25 at-bats in a si

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Detroit Red Wings forward Thomas Vanek heard the boos and knew exactly what move he would use in his shootout attempt.Vanek drifted down the ice and waved his stick over the puck before firing a shot past Robin Lehners glove to give the Red Wings a 2-1 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.Vanek spent nine-plus seasons in Buffalo before being dealt to the New York Islanders in October 2013 in what began as the Sabres purge of aging, high-priced players. He played the next two seasons in Minnesota before his contract was bought out by the Wild. The 11-time 20-goal scorer then signed with the Red Wings last summer.Once they booed me, I figured I had to show them the move theyve seen before, Vanek said. Yeah, obviously, I wanted to score for our team. But once that happened, I wanted to score even more.Vanek added an assist in regulation, while Gustav Nyquist scored in regulation and in the shootout as the Red Wings snapped a four-game losing streak. Brian Gionta scored the Sabres regulation goal.Well its a big deal to get two points, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. When you havent had enough points, youve got to find a way to win, and sometimes its not as pretty as you want it to be and theres moments where it wasnt pretty, but we found a way to two points.After 36 scoreless minutes, the Red Wings went ahead when Nyquist found the back of the net following a spinning pass from Vanek. The goal was Nyquists team-leading fourth of the season.Buffalo tied it 1:42 into the third when Gionta stuffed a rebound behind goalie Jimmy Howard. Detroit challenged, but it stood as called.The teams traded scoring chances in the 3-on-3 overtime period. Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen had two scoring opportunities but was twice turned away by Howard, who stopped 32 shots for the Red Wings and turned away two of the Sabres three shootout attempts.After scoring four goals against the Flames on Monday, the Sabres scored just one in regulation, marking the 11th time this season they have scored one or fewer goals in regulation. They have failed to score at least two regulation goals in eight of their last 11 games.Its frustrating being that close, Sabres center Ryan OReilly said. The issue is scoring goals. I thought throughout the lineup guys were playing very well tonight. Its up top, its myself. I got to find a way to do something, to put one away.Meanwhile, the Sabres are 1/3 in shootouts, and Lehner, who made 23 saves, still has not stopped a shot in a shootout this season.Game notesOReilly returned after missing five games with an oblique injury. ... Sabres C Jack Eichel skated with the team Wednesday for the first time since injuring his ankle in practice on Oct. 12, a day before Buffalos season opener. Coach Dan Bylsma did not provide a timetable for his return. ... Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula got some good news about their NFL team, the Buffalo Bills. WR Sammy Watkins returned to practice for the first time since going on injured reserve with a foot injury. Buffalo got two of its biggest stars back Wednesday, but which is more important? Well Sammy Watkins, for me, Bills coach Rex Ryan said. As much as I love Jack Eichel, hes not paying any bills for me. Technically, (Eichel) is paying for somebody else in the organization though, isnt he? But I think, (with) my season tickets -- Id like to see Eichel play. Its a great question. Obviously, Sammy is such a great talent for us, but man the Sabres need scoring. Tough call. ... Red Wings F Tomas Jurco was assigned to Grand Rapids, Detroits AHL affiliate, for conditioning. Hes missed every game this season while recovering from offseason back surgery but is inching closer to a return.NEXT UPRed Wings: Play at New Jersey on Friday night.Sabres: Play at Washington on Friday night.Jerry Rice Womens Jersey . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. Dwight Clark 49ers Jersey . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. http://www.thesf49ersshoponline.com/Youth-Patrick-Willis-49ers-Jersey/ . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Solomon Thomas 49ers Jersey . LUCIE, Fla. Terrell Owens 49ers Jersey .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6.Its here: The countdown of All-Time #MLBRank moves into the top 100 baseball players across all positions.To create our list, an ESPN expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups of 162 players, based on both peak performance and career value.The top 100 will roll out this week. Here are Nos. 70-61.So far, we released Nos. 100-91 | 90-81?| 80-71.Weve also rolled out the top 10 players at each position: LHP | RHP | Catchers | Shortstops | Third basemen | Second basemen | First basemen | Left fielders | Center fielders | Right fieldersAll-Time #MLBRank: 70-61Join the discussion by using the #MLBRank hashtag, and follow along @BBTN and on Facebook.Carlton FiskPosition(s) CatcherTeams Boston Red Sox (1969, 71-80), Chicago White Sox (81-93)Honors Rookie of the Year (1972), 11-time All-Star (72-74, 76-78, 80-82, 85, 91), Gold Glove (72), three Silver Sluggers (81, 85, 88), Hall of Fame (2000)?Championships NoneCareer stats .269/.341/.457, OPS -- .797, Hits -- 2,356, HRs -- 376, RBIs -- 1,330Did you know? Fisk played 24 seasons in the majors and hit 351 home runs, meriting his number being retired by the White Sox (No. 72) and Red Sox (No. 27). Fisks start to his career foreshadowed his success. He was the first player to be named unanimous AL Rookie of the Year in 1972. -- Jacob Nitzberg, ESPN Stats & Info Shoeless Joe JacksonPosition(s) Left fieldTeams Philadelphia As (1908-09), Cleveland Naps (1910-14), Cleveland Indians (1915), Chicago White Sox (1915-20)Honors NoneChampionships 1 -- Chicago (1917)Career stats .356/.423/.517, OPS -- .940, Hits -- 1,772, HRs -- 54, RBIs -- 785Did you know?As a rookie in 1911, Jackson hit .408, the highest batting average ever by a rookie, a mark that seemingly will stand forever. Then, because of the Black Sox Scandal, Jacksons last season was 1920, a year in which he hit .382. Thats the highest batting average ever by a player in his final season. -- Dan Braunstein, ESPN Stats & InfoWhitey FordPosition(s) Left-handed starterTeams New York Yankees (1950, 1953-67)Honors 10-time All-Star (1954-56, 58-61*, 64), Cy Young (61), World Series MVP (61), Hall of Fame (74)*Named to two All-Star teams in 60 and 61Championships 6 -- New York (1950, 53, 56, 58, 61-62)Career stats W-L: 236-106, 45 shutouts, 3,170.1 innings pitched,?2.75 ERA,?1,956 strikeouts, 1.215 WHIPDid you know? Ford won six World Series titles with the Yankees and holds the all-time record with 10 wins in the Fall Classic. Hes still the all-time World Series record holder with 33 consecutive scoreless innings. Ford and Christy Mathewson are the only pitchers to throw a shutout in three straight World Series starts. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & InfoNap LajoiePosition(s) Second base, first baseTeams Philadelphia Phillies (1896-1900), Philadelphia As (1901-02, 15-16), Cleveland Bronchos (1902), Cleveland Naps (1903-14)Honors AL Triple Crown (1901), Hall of Fame (37)?Championships NoneCareer stats .338/.380/.466, OPS -- .847, Hits -- 3,243, HRs -- 82, RBIs -- 1,599Did you know? Lajoie was one of the games great hitters over an extended period of time. He is one of six players to rank in the top five in batting average in two different decades (1900s and 1910s). The others are Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Hank Aaron and Tony Gwynn. -- SimonFrank ThomasPosition(s) Designated hitter, first baseTeams Chicago White Sox (1990-2005), Oakland As (06, 08), Toronto Blue Jays (07-08)Honors Two-time MVP (1993-94), five-time All-Star (93-97), four Silver Sluggers (91, 93-94, 2000), Hall of Fame (14)Championships 1* -- Chicago (2005)*Played for Chicago during 2005 season but was injured during the playoffsCareer stats .301/.419/.555, OPS -- .974, Hits -- 2,468, HRs -- 521, RBIs -- 1,704Did you know? Thomas was a .301 career hitter in 19 seasons for the White Sox, As and Blue Jays. He hit 521 career home runs, tied for 20th-most all time, including five 40-homer seasons.dddddddddddd But Thomas was also great at getting on base. His .419 on-base percentage ranks third-best among those who made their debut in the expansion era (since 1961), behind Barry Bonds and Joey Votto. -- Simon Ichiro SuzukiPosition Right field?Teams Seattle Mariners (2001-12), New York Yankees (12-14), Miami Marlins (15-present)Honors AL Rookie of the Year (2001), AL MVP (01), 10-time AL All-Star (01-10),?All-Star MVP (07), three AL Silver Sluggers (01, 07, 09), 10 AL Gold Gloves (01-10)Championships NoneCareer stats* .314/.358/.406, OPS -- .763, Hits -- 2,994, HRs -- 113, RBIs -- 750*Stats through July?18, 2016Did you know? Ichiros 10 seasons with at least 200 hits ranks tied for first all time with Pete Rose. All 10 of Ichiros 200-hit seasons came in a 10-year span. Rose never had more than three consecutive 200-hit seasons. -- Marty Callinan, ESPN Stats & InfoAl KalinePosition(s) Right field, first baseTeams Detroit Tigers (1953-74)Honors 18-time All-Star (1955-67*, 71, 74), 10 Gold Gloves (57-59, 61-67), Hall of Fame (80)*Played in two All-Star Games in 59, 60, 61Championships 1 -- Detroit (1968)Career stats 297/.376/.480, OPS -- .855, Hits -- 3,007, HRs -- 399, RBIs --1,582Did you know? Al Kaline hit 399 home runs in a 22-season career, the most of any player who never hit 30 home runs in a season. Kaline was known for his defense as much as his offense. His 10 Gold Glove Awards are tied for third-most by an outfielder, trailing only Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays, who had 12 each. -- Simon Harmon KillebrewPosition(s) First base, third base, left fieldTeams Washington Senators (1954-60), Minnesota Twins (61-74), Kansas City Royals (75)Honors MVP (1969), 13-time All-Star (59*, 61*, 63-71), Hall of Fame (84)*Played in two All-Star Games in 59 and 61Championships NoneCareer stats .256/.376/.509, OPS -- .884, Hits -- 2,086, HRs - 573, RBIs -- 1,584Did you know? Killebrew ranks in the top 15 all time in home runs (573, 12th) and walks (1,559, 15th). In 1969, Killebrew led the American League with 49 home runs, 140 RBIs and 145 walks. Only two other players reached all three of those totals in a single season: Babe Ruth for the 1921 Yankees and Mark McGwire for the 1998 Cardinals. -- SimonBrooks RobinsonPosition(s) Third baseTeams Baltimore Orioles (1955-77)Honors 18-time All-Star (1960-74*), 16 Gold Gloves (60-75), MVP (1964), All-Star MVP (66), World Series MVP (70), Hall of Fame (83)*Played in two All-Star Games in 60, 61 and 62Championships 2 -- Baltimore (1966, 70)Career stats .267/.322/.401, OPS -- .723, Hits -- 2,848, HRs -- 268, RBIs -- 1,357Did you know? Robinson is best known for his glove work, particularly during the 1970 World Series. But Robinson came through with the bat in postseason play, too. That year, he hit .485 combining the ALCS and World Series, going 16-for-33 in eight games. Thats the third-highest batting average by a player with at least 25 at-bats in a single postseason since the format went to multiple rounds in 1969. Only Manny Ramirez (2008 Dodgers, .520) and Billy Hatcher (1990 Reds, .519) rank higher. -- SimonChipper JonesPosition(s) Third baseTeams Atlanta Braves (1993, 1995-2012)Honors Eight-time All-Star (1996-98, 2000-01, 08, 11-12), MVP (99), two Silver Sluggers (99-2000)?Championships 1 -- Atlanta (1995)Career stats .303/.401/.529, OPS -- .930, Hits -- 2,726, HRs -- 468, RBIs -- 1,623Did you know? Jones finished his career with a .303 batting average, .401 on-base percentage and .529 slugging percentage. He is the only switch-hitter in major league history to post a .300/.400/.500 slash line, playing in at least 1,000 career games. -- Simon ' ' '