Vintage Edelman gets the job done
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — His face was still a little flushed from stepping out of the subfreezing temperatures at Gillette Stadium field just minutes following the Patriots' 41-28 divisional-round win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Still, Julian Edelman stood at his locker satisfied — at least for a moment.
Then he was asked when he would start his preparations for their AFCchampionship game matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Immediately,” he said without hesitation. “We're going to go play the best team in the AFC, the No. 1 seed.
“It's going to start with an unbelievable week of practice, preparation. We need to do that to give ourselves the best chance to win.”
Making the most of every one of his opportunities has become a hallmark of Edelman's 10 seasons in New England.
The Patriots were dealt a blow before their final two regular-season games when Josh Gordon was suspended for a violation of the league's substance abuse policy.
But what could have created a hole in New England's receiving group has been plugged by its oldest member.
The 32-year-old Edelman has put together backto-back vintage performances and is expected to again play a big role during Sunday's AFC championship game.
Edelman tied his regular-season high of nine catches and had a career playoff-best 151 yards receiving in New England's win over Los Angeles.
With 98 playoff receptions during his career, he moved past Reggie Wayne (93) and is second all-time behind Jerry Rice with 151. Edelman's five career 100yard receiving games in the postseason trail only Rice's eight and Michael Irvin's six.
Edelman, who missed last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and sat out the first four games of this season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancers, empathizes with Gordon's situation.
“He was making plays for us. We wish him the best to get himself right,” Edelman said. “That's a tough thing to go through. We're here to support him.
“But sometimes the train just has to keep on going. And as much as you miss him, you gotta start thinking about what you gotta do to keep on going out and try to win ballgames.”
The week after Gordon's suspension, Edelman caught five of the six balls thrown to him for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Over the past three games, including the playoff win over the Chargers, Edelman has been targeted by Brady 29 times, catching 20 passes for 290 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
NEW YORK — Mika Zibanejad had two goals and two assists to help the New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 on Tuesday night.
Pavel Buchnevich and Tony DeAngelo each scored two goals, and Mats Zuccarello added three assists as the Rangers won for only the second time in eight games.
Henrik Lundqvist made 24 saves for his 444th win, one behind Terry Sawchuk for sixth place on the NHL's career list.
Saku Maenalanen had two goals and Curtis McElhinney stopped 22 shots, but the Hurricanes lost for just the second time this month.
Zibanejad got his first goal after McElhinney misread a long carom off the end boards. Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk sent the puck deep from just inside the red line, and Chris Kreider controlled the puck a few feet in front of the goalie.
McElhinney misjudged the bounce and came out too far, allowing Zibanejad an easy tap-in opportunity at 12:41 of the first period.
Zibanejad scored again when Zuccarello delivered a backhand pass from below the goal line at 14:22 to give New York a 3-1 lead. Kreider got his second assist on the play.
DeAngelo, skating in his 100th NHL game, opened the scoring when a fluttering wrist shot sailed past McElhinney at 1:16 of the first. Jimmy Vesey and Boo Nieves assisted.
Antti Niemi made a career-high 52 saves and the Canadiens extended their winning streak to three games with a 5-1 victory over the Panthers on Tuesday night in Montreal.
Shea Weber, Phillip Danault, Max Domi, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Brendan Gallagher scored for the Habs.
Mike Hoffman scored in the first period for the Panthers, who dropped their season-high seventh straight game. Their last victory was Dec. 31, against the Red Wings.
Gustav Nyquist broke a tie with 4:16 left and Darren Helm scored with 2:33 remaining, lifting the Red Wings over the Ducks 3-1. The Ducks saw their franchise-record losing streak reach 12 games. ... Valtteri Filppula scored 1:37 into OT and the Islanders beat the Blues 2-1 for their 12th win in 15 games. The Blues had won three straight. ... Artemi Panarin, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Cam Atkinson each had a goal and an assist and Joonas Korpisalo made 29 saves to lift the Blue Jackets to a 4-1 victory over the Devils. It was the Blue Jackets' fourth straight win. ... Mika Zibanejad had two goals and two assists to lead the Rangers to a 6-2 victory over the Hurricanes. Henrik Lundqvist made 24 saves for his 444th career win. AP