games, capitalizing on a tripping call against Bryce Salvador.

MADISON, Wis. -- Step back, dribble between the legs and fire away. Nik Stauskas played it cool in front of a raucous road crowd late in the second half to hit a clutch shot that helped Michigan hold on for a rare win at Wisconsin. Stauskas scored 23 points, including his key 3 with less than a minute left, and the Wolverines fended off a late surge for the 77-70 victory Saturday over the third-ranked Badgers. Stauskas said his first thought was to go to the rim, but that defender Nigel Hayes was overplaying him. "He kind of slid forward a little bit and I was open for 3 and I just tried to be aggressive and shoot it," Stauskas said. Caris LeVert added 20 for the Wolverines (13-4, 5-0 Big Ten), who celebrated a victory in Madison for the first time since 1999. But wins usually dont come easy at the Kohl Center for any team, and the Badgers (16-2, 3-2) made it difficult for Michigan in nearly overcoming a 15-point deficit. Wisconsin went on a 14-2 run late, and Ben Brusts putback got them within 68-67 with about 2 minutes left. But after whiffing on a 3 from the right wing, Stauskas hit his step-back 3 from the left side to give Michigan a 71-67 lead. "That step back is so fast, and that release is so fast," coach Bo Ryan said. "Hes quick, hes like a cat." Josh Gasser had 16 points for the Badgers, who lost their second straight after a school-best 16-0 start. "Kid just made a great play," Gasser said about Stauskas. Gasser, Wisconsins best defender, said he was supposed to be covering him, but a switch ended up with Hayes guarding on the play. Wisconsins hopes of another nail-biting win over Michigan were dashed. Last year, Brust hit a shot from just inside midcourt before time expired in regulation, then hit a 3 with less than 40 seconds in overtime to give Wisconsin a 65-62 victory. No such luck this year. Stauskas added four foul shots in the final 24.7 seconds to seal Michigans seventh straight win. He had 16 in the second half. "This game wasnt going to be over until that buzzer went off and we had the win," coach John Beilein said. "That was a great shot by Nik, but thats a lot of time left still for them to win the game." The Wolverines benefited from the cushion built from a first half in which they shot 60 per cent. Thats especially impressive given it was against Wisconsin, perennially one of the leagues best defensive teams under coach Bo Ryan. But defence was a problem again for the Badgers in their second straight loss after allowing Indiana to shoot 51 per cent earlier in the week. Ryan liked the effort for the most part. The Badgers credited their opponents for making their share of tough shots. Michigan got good looks inside early with crisp interior passing, though Ryan said he was happy overall with his teams ball-screen defence. But it was two 3s by LeVert in the first half that especially frustrated Wisconsins coach. "Sometimes when youre trying to fix something, guys arent quite sure and you just have to keep working through it," Ryan said. Still, the Badgers came back, bolstered by boisterous students back in town for the spring semester. The Kohl Center was rocking after the Badgers late run, during which Michigan at one point missed four shots and committed two turnovers. Hayes short jumper got Wisconsin within six with 4:45 to go before Brust put back his own rebound to get Wisconsin within a point. Thats when Michigan turned to Stauskas. His first 3-point attempt glanced off the rim but Michigan retained possession after a foul was called on Gasser. The ball went back to Stauskas, who shook off Hayes on the perimeter and coolly hit his 3 for a late four-point lead. "Were going to win this game and were going to win the game by being aggressive and if youre afraid to shoot it, youre afraid to take it at them, then lets get (you) out of the game, is the message," Beilein said. "And nobody checked out." Glenn Robinson III added 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting for Michigan, while Brust finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Michigan also took advantage of uncharacteristically sloppy play by the usually savvy Badgers, stretching a five-point halftime lead to as much as 15 midway through the second half. Louis Domingue Lightning Jersey .4 seconds left and dribbled up court, weaving through Pitts defence. Nikita Kucherov Lightning Jersey . The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the league hasnt announced the award. Crawford was the Clippers third-leading scorer and the NBAs top-scoring reserve with 18. http://www.lightninghockeystore.us/Alex-Killorn-Jersey/ . Of course that doesnt mean hes ignoring it. Thats actually rather impossible given the behind-the-scenes access to the Toronto Maple Leafs the network is getting. Tyler Johnson Lightning Jersey . - Olympic champion Marielle Thompson accomplished her mission of defending her skicross World Cup title at Nakiska Ski Area on Saturday. Martin St. Louis Jersey . "This doesnt end anything," he said. "Weve got 10-1 in our last 11 games, and were going home in first place. We just have to keep playing the way we are right now.ST. LOUIS -- A week ago, Jaroslav Halak couldnt wait to get off the ice and find a place to hide. Hed been no relief at all after replacing Brian Elliott in net in New Jersey and was embarrassed along with the rest of St. Louis Blues. "I can speak for myself: I was hoping the game was over after the second period," Halak said. The bad taste is all gone now. Alexander Steen gave the Blues the early lead and Halak earned his fourth shutout of the season and was the games first star in a 3-0 victory over the Devils on Tuesday night. New Jersey had 23 shots, the same as it needed in a 7-1 rout at home last week, but, this time, had nothing to show for it. "It was weird, going to New York and getting back and playing Jersey again," Halak said. "It was a good thing we got it over with and we didnt have to wait." Brenden Morrow added a power-play goal midway through the third period and Maxim Lapierre scored into an empty net with 2:08 left. Patrik Berglund assisted on both third-period scores. "I think the more we learn from those types of games the better, because thats never a good recipe when youre chasing games," Morrow said. "Good teams stay with their structure, stay with their system and let that roll over and get back into the game that way, and I think we learned our lesson there." The Blues have won three straight and moved a point ahead of the Blackhawks, who played later at Calgary, for the Central Division lead. St. Louis cleaned up on defence a week after getting whipped in New Jersey when Halak allowed four goals in 14 shots after relieving Elliott. Halak has started all three games since that setback, allowing a total of four goals. Hes 7-1-1 in his last nine starts with a 1.77 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. The Devils mustered little offensively coming off a 7-3 loss to the Rangers at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. They were shut out for the sixth time, although this was the first time in 35 games. "Well, we didnt have many chances to score, but they played great tight defence and we had nothing," said forward Jaromir Jagr, held to two shots. "We had chances but not 100 per cent chances." The Devils have the NHLs second-best power play but were 0 for 5 against Halak.dddddddddddd. "Two totally different games," coach Peter DeBoer said. "Both goaltenders were very good. I dont think that was the case last week in New Jersey." The Blues are an NHL-best 17-3-1 against the Eastern Conference, and 9-0 at home. Steen was the NHLs second-leading goal scorer in late December before missing 11 games with a concussion. Hes been back six games and has a point in the last five with three goals and four assists. "He is a very dynamic player," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "For him to get to the elite level where he was before, I think he just has to learn to get back to the right balance between reward and risk. "He had an unbelievable balance of reward and risk going before he got hurt." Halak and Brian Elliott have combined for seven shutouts this season. Halak has won four straight starts with two shutouts this month, and holds the franchise mark with 20 shutouts in four seasons. Morrow deflected a waist-high shot past Cory Schneider for his eighth goal and first point in nine games, capitalizing on a tripping call against Bryce Salvador. St. Louis killed off Roman Polaks high-sticking penalty just nine seconds into the game, and then took the lead on Steens 27th goal at 3:25. Steen scored his 100th goal in six seasons with St. Louis scoring from the slot on an odd-man rush with assists by Jaden Schwartz and David Backes. Alex Pietrangelo took a holding call foiling a break-in by Stephen Gionta late in the period and, again, the St. Louis penalty killers came through. The Blues Vladimir Sobotka hit the goal post on an odd-man rush with just under five minutes to go. The Devils played in St. Louis for the first time since Nov. 20, 2010, a 3-2 Blues victory. NOTES: NFL Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf, who recently retired from broadcasting, wore a Blues jersey with his number 72 while watching from a private box. ... New Jersey is 5-16-3 when trailing after two periods. ... Jagr had totalled two goals and four assists the previous four games. ... Steen has seven game-winners in 41 games this season. The previous two seasons, he totalled six game-winners in 83 games. ' ' '