The Charlotte Checkers team that dominated the first two weeks of the American Hockey League season was nowhere to be seen at Bojangles Coliseum over the weekend.
With Lionel Messi out with a broken arm, the two most expensive signings in Barcelona's history have a perfect opportunity to step up and show their value.
Larrys Mabiala, Diego Chara and Sebastian Blanco scored and the Portland Timbers clinched a spot in the playoffs with a 3-0 victory over Real Salt Lake on Sunday.
Tim Howard had his fifth shutout of the season and the Colorado Rapids played the San Jose Earthquakes to a 0-0 draw in a match between the worst teams in the Western Conference.
Nicolas Lodeiro had the first three-assist game of his career, giving him a Seattle career record of 35 in the regular season, leading the Sounders to a 3-2 win over the Houston Dynamo.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored in his fifth straight game and added an assist and the Los Angeles Galaxy kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-1 win over Minnesota.
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the United States broke the 200-point total for the first time in their long career together and won the ice dance gold medal at Skate America on Sunday.
Mauro Icardi's stoppage-time header gave Inter Milan a 1-0 win over AC Milan in the city derby but it could be left counting the cost of that victory after key midfielder Radja Nainggolan limped off in the first half.
