Black- and Whitelist » y Rays bench coach Dave Martin

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Even as two early power-play goals helped establish a 3-0 lead Toronto Marlies coach Steve Spott said he still felt uneasy Friday. He didnt need to worry. The Marlies never trailed on the way to a 5-2 American Hockey League playoff victory over the Chicago Wolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal. "Its a little bit scary. Youre up 3-0 and two of those goals came pretty early," Spott said. "It definitely didnt feel like a 3-0 game. We knew they were going to come at us, they did." The Marlies used two power-play goals to grab an the early advantage while goaltender Drew MacIntyre turned back 37 shots. "It was a 60-minute effort," Spott said. "All four lines played very hard tonight." Centre Trevor Smith opened the scoring with his first goal of the post-season, a power-play goal on a short backhand at 10:54 of the first period. Toronto converted another power-play chance at 14:55 as centre Peter Holland slipped a backhand over the glove of Wolves goaltender Jake Allen. The teams were at even strength in the second when Greg McKegg scored his second goal of the playoffs at 5:02 with a slapshot for a 3-0 lead. "Once they got up a couple of goals they (played) a little freer, they felt good about themselves and it took us a while to get back on track," said Chicago coach John Anderson. The Wolves got on the board five minutes later as Christian Hanson dumped a short rebound shot past MacIntyre. Chicago winger Michael Davies cut the deficit to 3-2 at 17:26, beating MacIntyre on a one-on-one. Toronto restored a two-goal lead at 3:53 of the third period. Winger Carter Ashton slipped while shooting but his wide, wobbly shot was deflected off Allens stick into the net. The Marlies closed out the Wolves on Sam Carricks fourth post-season goal at 17:19. "There were a couple of mistakes that cost us goals," Spott said. "We didnt get in the shot lane when we should have and had a bad line change in the second period. But beyond those two mistakes I thought we played a pretty thorough road game." Allen finished with 30 saves for Chicago. In two regular season meetings this season, seven-of-eight combined goals by the Wolves and Marlies came on power plays. The Marlies claimed a 3-2 overtime win at Chicago on Jan. 17 while the Wolves had a 2-1 triumph eight days later in Toronto. The series resumes Saturday in suburban Chicago then shifts to Torontos Ricoh Coliseum next Wednesday for at least two games, and three if necessary. The post-season series is the first between the teams since 2008. The Wolves went 4-1 on the way to their most recent Calder Cup. Derek Jeter Jersey . - Chris Davis hit a two-run double, scoring Nelson Cruz in his Orioles debut in Baltimores 9-7 win over to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. Thairo Estrada Yankees Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, Lynch wants a new contract from the Seahawks, and will likely skip all off-season workouts until he can renegotiate his deal with the Seahawks. https://www.cheapyankees.com/501g-tyler-...ankees.html.com) - Hassan Whiteside scored 20 points with nine rebounds in the Miami Heats 83-75 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. New York Yankees Shirts . - The Denver Broncos kept rookie wide receiver Tavarres King from joining the Green Bay Packers by promoting him to their active roster Tuesday. Andy Pettitte Jersey . QUARTERBACKS Carson Palmer (vs Colts)Last week: 30/42, 419 yards, 2 TDsWinners of their last three and now tied for the final wild card spot in the NFC, the Cardinals are worth keeping an eye on.CHICAGO - A person familiar with the situation says the Chicago Cubs were interviewing Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Dave Martinez for their managers job. The person spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the search. The Cubs are looking for a manager to help develop their young players, a big reason they cited for firing Dale Sveum. He was 127-1997 over two seasons.dddddddddddd Martinez, who played for the Cubs in the 1980s, has spent the past six seasons as the Rays bench coach. He could be a good fit with Chicagos management because Tampa Bay relies heavily on statistical analysis. The Cubs have also met with San Diego bench coach Rick Renteria along with former major league managers Manny Acta and A.J. Hinch. ' ' '