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OTTAWA, Ont. -- The Ottawa Senators know they need to make the most of every advantage if they want to be part of the playoff picture. On Thursday night, the Senators benefited from the Tampa Bay Lightnings misfortune and walked away with a 5-3 win. While the Lightning were disappointed by their performance, they were more concerned with their star goaltenders well being. Ben Bishop, who has been nothing short of outstanding for Tampa this season, was injured in the opening minutes of the game and did not return. "I had a little bit of a headache, but its gotten better as the game went on," said Bishop. "Hopefully Ill wake up (Friday) and feel better and be able to practice." Bishop, who was playing his first game in Ottawa since being traded to the Lightning last April, came way out of his net to play the puck and ended up getting kicked in the head by teammate Nikita Kucherov. The goalie lay on the ice motionless, silencing the 19,757 on hand before he was able to leave the game on his own volition. "It was very disappointing," said Bishop. "Its almost sad. I was happy to be back and excited to play and then that happens right away." On the same play, the Senators Marc Methot scored into a wide-open net picking up his fifth of the season for a career high. Erik Karlsson, Zack Smith, Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan also scored for the Senators (24-20-10) as Craig Anderson stopped 35 shots. The win allowed the Senators, with 58 points, to move into a tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the eighth and final playoff spot, but the Blue Jackets hold the tie-breaker with more wins (27). "You have to take care of the games you have and we did that (Thursday)," said Ryan. "If you dont, youre going to be on the outside looking in and thats not where we want to be." Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson and Victor Hedman scored for the Lightning (31-18-5), who have now lost two straight. Anders Lindback faced 28 shots. "It was a tale of two different teams," said Tampa coach Jon Cooper. "The one thing that concerned me was we didnt play desperate. Theres one thing about competing really hard, but we just didnt seem to have that desperation. Whether that was because of the way the game started, but at some point you have to turn the page." Ottawa made it 2-0 with 25 seconds remaining in the period as Jason Spezza took a stretch pass from Milan Michalek, froze the Lightning defence, and found Karlsson all alone in front of a wide-open net. The Lightning cut the lead in half as Killorn beat Anderson cleanly, but it wasnt enough as the Senators went on to score two more by the end of the period to take a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes. Smith made it 3-1 as he grabbed a loose puck at the side of the net, moved in front and put a shot off the crossbar that bounced off Lindback and in. Turris then picked up his 18th late in the period as Ryan fought off Victor Hedman and left the puck back for Turris who buried it. Ryan made it 5-1 early in the third as he picked up his team-leading 20th of the season. It was his first goal in six games. "You hope therell be a domino effect (from the goal) and I can move forward with it," said Ryan. Johnson made it 5-2 scoring shorthanded late in the third. Tampa pulled Lindback with over three minutes remaining in regulation and made the most of the man advantage as Hedman made it 5-3. The Lightning made the final minutes exciting as they kept Lindback on the bench, but were unable to complete the comeback. "I thought we battled really hard in the last few minutes," said St. Louis. "I guess the desperation came in too late I guess." In addition to losing Bishop, the Lightning also lost leading scorer Valterri Filpulla early in the second. Filpulla returned briefly, but then left the game with a lower body injury. Cooper had no update on Filpulla and said he would be re-evaluated Friday. Notes: LW Milan Michalek picked up his 200th career NHL assist on Ottawas second goal. D Chris Phillips missed his second straight game with a lower body injury. D Joe Corvo and LW Matt Kassian were healthy scratches for Ottawa. D Keith Aulie and C Tom Pyatt were healthy scratches for the Lightning. With an assist on the Lightnings third goal Martin St. Louis, with 965 career points, moved into a tie with Maurice Richard for 85th place in the NHLs all-time scoring leaders. It was also St. Louis 600th NHL assist. Saucony Grid 9000 Premium Sale . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Discount Saucony Running Shoes . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. http://www.sauconyshoesonsale.com/saucony-grid-9000-premium. html . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. Saucony Grid 9000 Premium Grey . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Saucony Grid 9000 Premium Black . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost .BUFFALO – Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis has a pretty good understanding of all that Mason Raymond can offer. But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. “Its not really me,” Nonis said, minutes before the Leafs and Sabres squared off at First Niagara Center on Saturday. “Im comfortable with Mason. I know what hes like as a person and I think everyone is comfortable with him as a player. Its where Randy sees him. Where does he fit in the lineup?” Nonis and his management team will certainly have their input in the series of roster decisions still looming for the Leafs, but according to Nonis, Carlyle will have the final say. “I cant tell him to put someone into the lineup that he doesnt want in the lineup,” Nonis opined of the decision-making process. “He has full control over who makes this team and who doesnt. But we all spend a lot of time discussing the benefits of certain people and their strengths and weaknesses. I think its a pretty healthy relationship and open dialogue both ways to make sure that were all on the same page and were all pushing toward the same goal with the same pieces.” Signed to a professional tryout on the eve of training camp and a second round selection of Nonis in Vancouver, Raymond is among the more intriguing pieces vying for a place on the Toronto roster. With loads of speed and a fair amount of skill, the now 27-year-old offers Carlyle the prospect of depth and versatility in the forward ranks. Scoring twice in his first two exhibition matches, he has made an immediate impression. Surely a more complex case for the head coach is 19-year-old Morgan Rielly, whom the Leafs can either keep in the NHL or return to the junior circuit in Moose Jaw. “Hes making it as hard as I thought hed make it,” Nonis said of Rielly, who suited up for the first three exhibition games, sitting out in Buffalo. Carlyle suggested at the outset of camp that the determination process with Rielly would lie in whether he could capably contribute 12-15 minutes a night or was better off dominating with the Warriors, conceding the value of both options. “Randy knows what hes looking for,” Nonis continued. “He had a different player but a pretty good example of that in Cam Fowler. I think he was always looking for [Fowler] to falter and he never did and Randy used him more and more. And if he wouldve faltered Im sure Randy wouldve pulled him out. Thats the same kind of scenario here with Morgan. If hes ready then hell go in.” Though Nonis stated explicitly that Carlyle has final say on roster decisions, the coach, for one, seems to value the opinions of those around him, taking stock of a range of voices across the organization before settling on a decision. “We converse daily, sometimes two or three times a day,” Carlyle said of his conversations with management after a lengthy 3-2 shootout victory. “If its not [Dave Nonis], its [Dave Poulin], its Claude Loiselle, Cliff Fletcher, Bobby Carpenters here, Steve Kaspers around; theres an armada of management that we make sure that we all have a voice and an opinion. We as a coaching staff talk behind closed doors quite a bit ourselves about what our feelings are and we want to make sure were consistent with what we see and we voice our opinion to the management staff. “When youre in the situation were in I think that you try to take everybodys opinion.” “Well have long discussions about it,” Nonis concluded. “Its probably the same way that I use Randy when were trying to make a trade, I seek his opinion. And at the end of the day we do what we need to do as a staff. I think its the same way from his standpoint; hell seek our opinion, but hes picking the team.” Five Points 1. Rangers shootout attempt The shootout lasted 15 rounds and exactly 30 shooters on Saturday, capped by Jay McClements eventual winner. But the highlight of the exhibition proceeding had to have been Paul Ranger, who offered a truly creative attempt against the Sabres goaltender. “Its a kick-shot,” Ranger said afterward of his failed effort on Jhonas Enroth. “I dont know how else to describe. I learned it when I was probably 10 or 11 years old.” With the shootout dragging with no end apparently in sight, shot after shot turned aside, Ranger decided that when his name was eventually called he would attempt the unusual and unpredictablle.dddddddddddd “Thats the cool part of it is that I have no idea where its going and the goalie doesnt either ‘cause I sure dont,” he grinned. 2. Reimers second effort James Reimer made his first full outing of the exhibition season, stopping 38 of the 40 shots he saw from the Sabres before adding 15 more in the shootout. “I felt a lot better today compared to London,” Reimer said, referring to his first start a week earlier, which lasted about half the game. “Im feeling better every day on the ice, really seeing the puck better, reading situations and plays better. In the game I felt a lot more comfortable today than I did in London. But having said theres still some situations where you werent as sharp as youd like to be.” Though just an exhibition game, Reimer was pleased with his perfect performance in the shootout, a source of some struggle last season and throughout his career. “Weve been working on some stuff,” he said. “Not going to give away my secrets or anything, but it is something obviously I worked on a bit this summer and tried to really improve on.” Reimer is 0-5 career in the shootout with a .625 save percentage. 3. Lupul nearing exhibition debut The exhibition debut is drawing near for Joffrey Lupul. Returning to practice earlier this week following a bout with back spasms, Lupul remained out against the Sabres on Saturday, but projects to play when the two teams meet again in Toronto on Sunday. “Whats 24 more hours?” Leafs coach Randy Carlyle asked rhetorically before the game. “Well, 24 more hours is a practice underneath [him], an opportunity to stretch, an opportunity for more rest and for his body to tell him that hes 110 per cent, ready to go.” Lupul began experiencing trouble with his back in the days leading up to training camp, remaining off the ice for the first week of camp. Troubled by injuries over the course of his career, including last season when he played in just 16 games, Lupul appeared to have put his most recent back difficulties behind him with four consecutive days of practice. “Wed love to see him in our lineup on a regular basis,” Carlyle said of Lupul. “Weve tried to maintain that he has to change some of the things that he does from a standpoint of maybe being less reckless. I commented on it last week, I thought it was more not being so much reckless, but I think he was just dying to make a contribution.” Lupul fractured his right forearm in the third game of 2013, the victim of a flailing Dion Phaneuf point shot. He returned to the lineup 25 games later, offering two weeks of mesmerizing hockey before suffering a concussion, crunched by Jay Rosehill and Adam Hall. 4. More Rielly Watch Questioned further on the junior option for Rielly, Nonis said the coaching staff in Moose Jaw certainly factored into the Leafs equation. “If he does go back he has a good coach there,” Nonis said of Warriors head coach Mike Stothers. “I think thats one area you look at and say is he being coached by a quality staff and the answer is yes. Would he have a major impact on the World Junior team? I think the answer there is yes. Theres some things that could happen to him that would be good for him. That doesnt mean that he should go back. If he really is ready to play here and he can play a significant role then theres nothing wrong with keeping him at 19.” 5. Smiths dream Vying for a job with the Leafs in a depth capacity, Trevor Smith was born in Ottawa, spent a few years of his youth in Thornhill, Ontario, before finally settling in Vancouver. And he grew up a Leafs fan. “A lot of my buddies were giving me some cr**,” he said of signing with the organization this summer, “but for me personally this is a huge opportunity and something Ive dreamed of as a kid. Im really excited to be here.” Smith spent last season in the Pittsburgh organization – he dressed for one game with the Penguins – a member of the Lightning organization the year prior to that. The 28-year-old has played in 24 career NHL games, his AHL resume chalk full of gaudy offensive stats. Smith has the ability to play both centre and the wing, realizing that his versatility is perhaps the best asset to finding a job with the Leafs at this point. “I think if Im going to play in this league I need to be able to kill penalties and be really good at it,” he explained, “be able to block shots and be versatile, not only five-on-five defensively but on the PK as well.” Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China ' ' '
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