ClubSocial: 2020-01-26

One coronavirus case is a Monash University staff member: vice-chancellor

The Monash vice-chancellor revealed on Sunday that a male, part-time university employee is among the confirmed cases and 'to the best of our knowledge he is fine'.

from Sydney Morning Herald - National
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AFLW 2020 club by club: lists, key players and predictions

Having put a tumultuous period of collective bargaining agreement negotiations behind them, AFLW players are back for the fourth season of the national women’s competition.

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China fires officials for poor job as coronavirus death toll passes 300

The offiicals were criticised over their "poor performance" in handling the outbreak in the city of Huanggang.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
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Aussie women brace for Canada re-match in Sydney Sevens semis

The Australian women are into the final four, but the men are out after a six-try rout at the hands of USA.

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Chinese New Year celebrations dance on despite coronavirus threat

The world's largest dragon will be awakened in Melbourne today, shaking off coronavirus concerns.

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BBC NEWS - Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib regrets booing Hillary Clinton

Rashida Tlaib said she let frustration over comments made by Ms Clinton "get the best of her".

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from BBC News - World https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51345186

BBC NEWS - Parasite: The real people living in Seoul's basement apartments

What's it like living in the semi-underground Seoul flats that feature in hit Korean film Parasite?

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from BBC News - World https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-51321661

BBC NEWS - What are the Iowa caucuses and how do they work?

Americans are again deciding who will run for the White House. How does the process work?

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from BBC News - World https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51273719

BBC NEWS - Loved to death: Turks and Caicos' battle to save the queen conch

The marine snail is a national symbol in Turks and Caicos but overfishing may spell its end.

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from BBC News - World https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-51285893

BBC NEWS - Refugees in South Africa: 'Give us a place where we can be safe'

Refugees crammed into a church in the South African city of Cape Town are desperate to move.

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from BBC News - World https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-51284576

BBC NEWS - ICYMI: Tiny chameleons and a daring crocodile challenge

A few of the stories you may have missed this week.

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from BBC News - World https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-51332744

Chinese New Year celebrations dance on despite coronavirus threat

The world's largest dragon will be awakened in Melbourne today, shaking off coronavirus concerns.

from Sydney Morning Herald - National
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Woman inflicts $375,000 damage on Brisbane camper-trailer company

Bruder Expedition has won two cases against the administrator of a Facebook group about "lemon" caravans and motorhomes.

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Luxury Perth car dealership, director banned from industry

The Commissioner of Consumer Protection has been pursuing Luxuride and Mr Ngo, who is believed to have left the country, for offences under the act since 2018.

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Iran To Launch Satellite In 'Coming Days,' Space Agency Head Says

Iran has confirmed that it plans to launch a new scientific observation satellite in the 'coming days,' the head of the country's national space agency said in an interview with AFP.

Morteza

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How Beijing kept the world in the dark as coronavirus spread

As the virus first began to emerge in late December, Chinese police announced they were investigating eight people for spreading rumours about the outbreak.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
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Woman inflicts $375,000 damage on Brisbane camper-trailer company

Bruder Expedition has won two cases against the administrator of a Facebook group about "lemon" caravans and motorhomes.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
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Luxury Perth car dealership, director banned from industry

BBC NEWS - Iowa Caucus: ‘We voted for Obama, then Trump’

In 2016, Howard County in Iowa was the single largest pivot county in the country, voting for President Donald Trump after supporting Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.

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from BBC News - World https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51330442

New on Sports Illustrated: Jaguars’ Calais Campbell Named 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year

Campbell has given back to his northeast Florida community by forming the CRC Foundation, named for his late father, Charles.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell has been named the 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year honoree.

A five-time Pro Bowl player, Campbell has given back to his northeast Florida community by forming the CRC Foundation, named for his late father, Charles. The foundation has taught critical life skills to young people since 2009, and was founded alongside his mother and seven siblings.

Campbell has rewarded the youth in his community for their hard work. Over the holidays, he held shopping sprees for local children who completed extra financial literacy lessons. He also hosted 250 children at the Calais Campbell JaxPAL Youth Football STEM Camp and makes semi-weekly trips to Northwestern Middle School as part of his CRC Book Club.

In his role as a mentor, Campbell also makes appearances at schools to discuss social justice and offer encouragement with Kids Hope Alliance. He also donates money based on his NFL performances, donating $1,000 for every Jaguars’ win, $5,000 for each of his sacks, $2,500 for every half-sack and $2,000 for every tackle for loss in the 2019 season.

Campbell finished with 6.5 sacks, 25 QB hits and 10 tackles for loss as the Jaguars went 6-10.

Cambell won Man of the Year after being nominated in both 2011 and 2014. He also received the Bart Starr Award in 2018, which acknowledged his character and leadership.

The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award is given to a player that shows “excellence on and off the field.”

February 02, 2020 at 05:48AM
Jaguars’ Calais Campbell Named 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year

New on Sports Illustrated: Three Thoughts on United States Men's National Team's Friendly Win Over Costa Rica

A young U.S. men’s national team beat a more experienced Costa Rica 1-0 in an international friendly match on Saturday.

Minus all of its top European-based players outside of a FIFA international window, a young U.S. men’s national team beat a more experienced Costa Rica 1-0 in Carson, Calif., on Saturday. The standout player for the U.S. was 18-year-old winger Ulysses Llanez, who scored from the penalty spot on his national team debut.

Four months after Costa Rica’s previous coach, Gustavo Matosas, had quit his job by saying he was “bored,” several of the Tico players looked lethargic and bored on Saturday as well.

But that wasn’t the case for the majority of the Americans, who had the upper hand for the first third of the game possession-wise and got a deserved goal early in the second half after right back Reggie Cannon pushed up and earned a penalty after receiving a nice pass from Paul Arriola.

Here are my three thoughts on the game:

• Llanez couldn’t have asked for a much better debut. The Wolfsburg under-19 player was competing in front of his family and home fans, where he used to play for LA Galaxy II, and showed some cojones to step up and take the penalty when he got a chance. Llanez, playing on the left wing, created some dangerous moments in the early parts of the game, but he slowed down for a stretch after a rough collision with Costa Rican goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado. Llanez seemed refreshed after halftime, though, and coolly slotted home the penalty before joining his teammates in a turn-around-jumper goal celebration honoring Kobe Bryant. A Mexican-American who still is eligible to play for both countries at the senior level, Llanez could be a significant part of March’s Olympic qualifying tournament for the U.S. if Wolfsburg can be convinced to release him for the games.

• Several other young Americans had promising games. Sam Vines of the Colorado Rapids started at left back, worked well with Llanez and got upfield on several occasions. Jesús Ferreira got the start at centerforward and had a few good moments on the ball. And Cannon, who has a bit more experience, patrolled the right side well from the back to the front. A bit less impressive was Brenden Aaronson, though he still was able to unspool one good shot on goal. Ultimately, this was a good opportunity for coach Gregg Berhalter to go with several players who will be age-eligible to play in the Olympic qualifying tournament as the U.S. hopes to advance to the Olympics for the first time since 2008. Intriguingly, Costa Rica—whom the U.S. will play in the opening game of that Olympic qualifying tournament—chose not to start several Olympic age-eligible players and instead went with older teammates.

• This was a weak crowd. Granted, this was hardly the varsity playing, but the announced attendance of 9,172—which was far more than the number of actual butts in seats—was a real bummer. Why couldn’t U.S. Soccer give free tickets to kids in L.A. for a game like this? Why couldn’t there be some sort of imaginative idea that would have drawn more fans out to L.A. at a glorious time of the year there weather-wise? Maybe another location for the game would have drawn more attendance? From a soccer sense, this game was promising. From an atmosphere sense, it could have been a lot better.

February 02, 2020 at 05:29AM
Three Thoughts on United States Men's National Team's Friendly Win Over Costa Rica

New on Sports Illustrated: Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Named 2019 NFL MVP in Unanimous Selection

Jackson accounted for 4,333 yards and 43 total touchdowns during the 2019 regular season.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was named the AP's Most Valuable Player on Saturday night. He was a unanimous selection, receiving every first-place vote for only the second time ever.

Jackson delivered plenty of highlights in his second season while leading the Ravens to a league-best 14–2 record. He threw for 3,127 yards and an NFL-leading 36 touchdowns, which set a Ravens single-season record. Jackson also broke an NFL single-season record for quarterbacks with 1,206 rushing yards.

After his stunning regular-season performance, the Ravens surprisingly fell 28–12 to the Titans in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Jackson joins Patrick Mahomes (2018), Dan Marino (1984) and Walter Payton (1977) as the only players to be named MVP at age 23. Browns running back Jim Brown, who won the honor at 21 and 22, is the only person to receive the award at a younger age.

In January, Jackson was selected for the AP's All-Pro first team and received the NFL MVP award from the Pro Football Writers of America.

New on Sports Illustrated: Stephen Curry Out Another Month, Warriors 'Hopeful' For March Return

The Warriors have provided an update regarding Stephen Curry's wrist injury.

Stephen Curry will miss at least another month as he rehabs his broken wrist, but the Warriors are hopeful for a March return, the team announced Saturday. He will be re-evaluated in another four weeks.

Curry is targeting the start of the month and the former MVP is going through an increasing number of shooting drills. If he misses at least 11 more games, the maximum number of games Curry will appear in afterward is 22.

Curry underwent surgery for his broken left hand on Nov. 1.

He collided with Suns center Aron Baynes while driving to the rim. Curry fell hard and immediately grabbed his left wrist after Baynes landed on top of him. The team confirmed after the game that Curry broke his hand.

Not surprisingly, the Warriors have struggled in his absence. Golden State is currently 10-39, has the worst record in the Western Conference and has lost each of its last five games.

February 02, 2020 at 05:07AM
Stephen Curry Out Another Month, Warriors 'Hopeful' For March Return

New on Sports Illustrated: Konecny powers Flyers past Blackhawks 4-3 in Prague

PRAGUE (AP) It was a successful home debut for Flyers coach Alain Vigneault - a long, long way from Philadelphia.

Travis Konecny had two goals and Vigneault won his first game with his new team, directing the Flyers to a season-opening 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.

Oskar Lindblom and Michael Raffl also scored for the Flyers in front of a sellout crowd of 17,463 at Prague's O2 Arena as part of the NHL's Global Series. Carter Hart stopped 28 shots.

It was the first regular-season game outside of North America in Philadelphia's 52-year history.

''I think tonight's game, everybody was down there, everybody was consistent in what we were doing and it was a team win,'' Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux said. ''It was a lot of fun.''

Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists for Chicago, which opened the 2009-10 season in Finland. Alex Nylander and Alex DeBrincat also scored.

''I like the way we fought back,'' said Kane, who had a career-high 110 points last season. ''Whatever the numbers were tonight, I still think I have more to give to the team.''

The Blackhawks are hoping to return to the playoffs after a two-year absence, but defensemen Dennis Gilbert and Slater Koekkoek each made a costly mistake after the blue liners struggled last year.

Konecny turned Gilbert's turnover into a 1-0 lead for Philadelphia 6:24 into the first, beating Corey Crawford on the glove side.

Lindblom was credited with a power-play goal 6:28 into the second when his shot bounced off the crossbar and was deflected by Koekkoek into his own net. Konecny then converted a backhander with 1:56 left in the period, giving the Flyers a 3-1 lead.

Chicago played without defensemen Calvin de Haan and Connor Murphy due to injuries.

''We turned way too many pucks over, that's where we exposed ourselves defensively,'' coach Jeremy Colliton said.

Vigneault became the 21st coach in Flyers history in April after they missed the playoffs for the fourth time in seven seasons. He also has coached Montreal, Vancouver and the New York Rangers.

He was behind the bench as Philadelphia held off Chicago in the 26th NHL regular-season game played in Europe, and the fifth in Prague.

The Blackhawks pulled within one when DeBrincat one-timed a pass from Kane past Hart with 13 seconds left in the second. It was DeBrincat's first goal since he signed a three-year contract extension worth $19.2 million.

Raffl responded for Philadelphia in the third, skating around the net and sliding a backhand between Crawford's pads for a 4-2 lead at 9:48.

Kane scored with 2:07 remaining, but the Flyers held on.

Crawford finished with 34 saves. Nylander scored in the first period in his first game since he was acquired in an offseason trade with Buffalo.

The NHL returned to Europe for the third straight year as part of its efforts to grow the fan base in hockey-mad countries like the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland and others.

It will be back in Europe next month when the Tampa Bay Lightning face the Sabres in the Swedish capital of Stockholm.

NOTES: NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league is planning to play more regular-season games in Europe next year, but the details are still being finalized.

UP NEXT

Blackhawks: Host the San Jose Sharks in their home opener Thursday night.

Flyers: Host the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.

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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Konecny powers Flyers past Blackhawks 4-3 in Prague

New on Sports Illustrated: Predators' Rinne flawless in blanking Wild 4-0

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The way Pekka Rinne was playing, the Predators' slow start was irrelevant.

Rinne made 26 saves, Colton Sissons had a goal and an assist and Nashville beat the Minnesota Wild 4-0 on Thursday night.

Miikka Salomaki, Calle Jarnkrok and Craig Smith also scored for the Predators, who have won two straight.

The shutout was Rinne's first of the season and 56th of his career. He improved his record on the season to 6-0-1, the second-best season-opening run in franchise history after Tomas Vokoun, who started 7-0-1 in 2005-06.

Rinne's best sequence came late in the first period, with the game scoreless.

With 1:09 remaining in the first, Rinne turned aside a backhand shot from Jason Zucker and then denied Mikko Koivu's attempt at the rebound from just outside the crease.

''Anytime you feel like as a team you're not playing to your potential, I think as a goalie it feels good to be able to help your teammates,'' Rinne said. ''I feel like there were a few situations in the first where I made some good saves and was able to keep the game nothing-nothing. After that, I feel like we improved a lot.''

Most of the first period was played in the Predators' end of the ice. Rinne stopped all 13 Minnesota shots he faced in the opening period.

''It was kind of a tale of two periods,'' Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. ''The first period, I think we gave up a little bit too much. They had us on our heels a little bit. In the second and third periods, I thought we did a much better job just competing on pucks, skating and playing in the offensive zone.''

Salomaki scored the game's first goal 37 seconds into the second period.

Sissons carried the puck into the Minnesota zone on the right side. Sissons left a drop pass for Salomaki in the right circle, where he beat Wild goaltender Alex Stalock with a wrist shot high to the far side.

''I knew he was coming up with me, in behind me on the rush, and he did a good job of letting me know where he was,'' Sissons said of Salomaki. ''So I just kind of had to lay it there for him.''

It was Salomaki's first goal of the season. The Finnish winger began the season with Milwaukee of the AHL but played his third consecutive game since being recalled.

Nashville broke through on just its fifth shot of the game.

''We talked about it in between periods, about coming out the same way,'' Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon said. ''Obviously to get an early one against isn't what you want.''

Jarnkrok made it 2-0 with 28 seconds remaining in the second.

After taking a pass from Viktor Arvidsson at the top of the right circle, Jarnkrok beat Stalock with a wrist shot that went off of the far post and into the net for his second goal of the season.

''It's a deflator when they score in the first minute and the last minute of the period,'' Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau said.

Stalock finished with 17 saves.

Smith scored his first of the season at 6:58 of the third off assists from Nick Bonino and Rocco Grimaldi.

Sissons' short-handed goal with 3:07 remaining completed the scoring.

NOTES: Stalock is 0-5-1 in his career against Nashville. ... Minnesota G Devan Dubnyk did not make the trip to Nashville because of an upper-body injury sustained Tuesday night. ... Predators LW Filip Forsberg missed his fourth consecutive game with a lower-body injury. ... Nashville C Matt Duchene left the game in the third period with a lower-body injury and did not return. Laviolette did not have an update on his condition after the game.

UP NEXT

Wild: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

Predators: Visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Predators' Rinne flawless in blanking Wild 4-0

New on Sports Illustrated: Panthers rally from 3 goals down, beat Devils 6-4

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) Another strong third period provided a satisfying conclusion to a three-game road trip for coach Joel Quenneville and the Florida Panthers.

They earned points in the first two stops against the Sabres and Islanders, needing third-period rallies to force overtime before losing in a shootout.

On Monday, they came from behind again in the third period with Mackenzie Weegar scoring the tying goal and setting up Noel Acciari for the go-ahead tally as the Panthers rallied from a three-goal deficit to beat the winless New Jersey Devils 6-4 on Monday.

''It turned out to be a good trip for us and a lot of positive things in the third period.'' Quenneville said. ''We might have played our best period (of the season) in the third.''

And the Devils played one of their worst, falling to 0-4-2 before a disgruntled holiday crowd at the Prudential Center.

''No one sees that coming,'' Taylor Hall, one of the Devils goal scorers, said of the struggle to win a game. ''Hockey's weird that way. You can have a lot of talk before the year, and a lot of positivity and a great training camp like we had, and you come out and start the way that we have. Guys like myself aren't feeling as good about their game as they would want, so it's disheartening for sure.''

For Florida, Brett Connolly scored twice, Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dandonov also had goals as the Panthers snapped a three-game losing streak. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 17 shots as he improved his career mark against the Devils to 17-5-1.

Pavel Zacha, Jesper Bratt and Will Butcher also scored for the Devils. Cory Schneider made 28 saves.

It is the Devils' worst start to a season since beginning 2013-14 with seven straight losses (0-4-3).

Weegar scored 30 seconds into the third as the Panthers tied the score at 4-4 with a point shot through traffic.

''Getting that goal right away, we carried that moment the rest of the way,'' Weegar said. ''We just kept bringing it to them. We ended up getting the two points that we needed.''

It was the third time in the game a goal was scored on the opening shift of a period.

Acciari then gave the Panthers their first lead at 5-4, deflecting home Weegar's point shot at 7:30. Dadonov added a power-play goal 15:32.

Zacha set up both first-period goals as the Devils regrouped to take a 2-1 lead.

New Jersey was rocked as Florida struck only 16 seconds in as Huberdeau converted a backhand no-look feed from Dadonov.

Hall, taking a drop pass from Zacha, pulled New Jersey even at 2:28 with a blast from the top of the right circle.

Bratt gave the Devils the lead at 19:13 as Zacha fed him the puck from the left boards. Bratt skated toward the slot to whip a backhand by Bobrovsky.

The Devils expanded the lead to 4-1 early in the second as Butcher and Zacha scored 36 seconds apart.

Butcher drilled a wrister from the left point 32 seconds into the period and Zacha followed with a deflection in front following Hall's pass.

Connolly scored the next two goals in the period to put the Panthers back in the contest.

He beat Schneider from the high slot at 9:50. Connolly closed out the scoring in the period with 7.5 seconds remaining as he flicked a shot under the crossbar.

The momentum had shifted, and the Devils never recovered.

''You just coach them and you go in and you're winning or losing, your job is to make sure that you focus on helping the group get better and that's what we've done and it doesn't change and never has changed in any year I've coached,'' Devils coach John Hynes said of the mounting pressure on him to turn the team around.

NOTES: The worst start in Devils franchise history was 0-8-1 in 1974-75 when they were the Kansas City Scouts. ... Panthers D Keith Yandle played in his league-leading 803rd consecutive game. ... The game kicked off a season-high six game homestand for the Devils. They don't hit the road again until Nov. 2 at Carolina. ... Devils C Nico Hischier did not return for the second period. The team did not offer a medical update.

UP NEXT:

Panthers: Host Colorado on Friday night.

Devils: Host New York Rangers on Thursday night.

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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Panthers rally from 3 goals down, beat Devils 6-4

New on Sports Illustrated: Kadri, Calvert score twice, Avalanche beats Vegas 6-1

LAS VEGAS (AP) Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was a little lost as a visitor to T-Mobile Arena.

While the rest of his Colorado Avalanche teammates knew their way around the visitors' locker room, Bellemare was a newcomer, even after spending the last two seasons with Vegas.

But, everything looked familiar once Bellemare got onto the ice.

Nadem Kadri and Matt Calvert each scored twice, Bellemare had a goal and two assists against his former team and the Avalanche beat the Golden Knights 6-1 on Friday.

Cale Makar also scored for the Avalanche, who improved to 8-1-1.

In a matinee on the Las Vegas Strip on the observance of Nevada Day, it was Colorado's day in Bellemare's first game against his former team since signing with the Avalanche in the summer.

''It was weird, I've got to be honest,'' Bellemare said. ''It's so soon (into the season). I thought that wasn't going to be a difference if it's now or if it's later in the season. ... Once the game starts you just think about your job and then you work.

''It makes it easier that we got the win.''

Colorado, which has scored at least one goal in 23 of its 30 regulation periods, dominated Vegas from the drop, sparked by Bellemare's goal 28 seconds into the game.

Vegas' former fourth-line center intercepted Mark Stone's cross-ice pass, skated around Deryk Engelland and sent a shot past Marc-Andre Fleury to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead.

''Everything went my way, the puck was like a magnet,'' Bellemare said. ''It felt like it just stayed with me. I tried stuff that I've probably never tried before and I fired, and it was in the net. And I'm like, `What the heck just happened?' It was a good game for me.''

It wasn't too long after Bellemare's goal a touching video tribute played, highlighting his time with the Golden Knights - including their run to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season - drawing a standing ovation from the sell-out crowd.

''I've never really had that before, so I don't know how to compare it to anything, but it felt good,'' Bellemare said. ''Thank God the video wasn't too long because I would have had a hard time focusing on the (penalty) kill right after that.''

It was an area the Avalanche were clearly focused by dominating Vegas, as Colorado was 4 for 4 with its penalty kill, thwarting a Golden Knights power play that came into the game ranked seventh with the man-advantage at home.

The Avalanche closed out an impressive six-game road trip with a 4-1-1 record, but it was a quick trip home between the fifth and sixth games of the junket that coach Jared Bednar said was a huge boost for his weary troops.

''We played some real tough games there and I think just to get home and have the day off and get a little bit of rest physically, but also to get a mental break away from the game, spend some time with friends and family for a day, it paid off for us tonight,'' Bednar said. ''I liked our legs. I thought we were skating real well, we looked real focused on the details tonight as well.''

William Karlsson was the only who could find the back of the net for Vegas, which dropped to 3-3-0 at home this season. Colorado goaltender Phillip Grubauer was stellar thereafter, finishing with 25 saves. Vegas' 26 shots on goal were its second lowest this season.

''It's about doing the right things and playing the right way. I don't care who scores, I really don't,'' Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. ''But we gotta keep the puck out of our net, that's our biggest thing right now and we gotta play a lot better team defense than that.''

Fleury was replaced by Garret Sparks with 7:24 left in the second period after allowing four goals and making just 22 saves. Sparks, who won 14 of his 37 career appearances with Toronto, allowed two goals and made 13 saves in his first appearance with Vegas since being acquired from the Maple Leafs in July.

Kadri made it 2-1 just before the end of the first period, and Makar extended Colorado's lead to two with his first NHL goal. Kadri's second goal midway through the second period essentially ended Fleury's night.

Calvert scored Colorado's last two goals, both assisted by Bellemare.

NOTES: Makar leads all NHL rookies in assists (8) and is tied for first with Buffalo's Victor Olofsson with nine points. ... MacKinnon is the first Avalanche in franchise history to open the season on a 10-game point streak.

UP NEXT

Colorado: Hosts the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday

Vegas: Hosts the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday in the second of a four-game homestand.

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February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Kadri, Calvert score twice, Avalanche beats Vegas 6-1

New on Sports Illustrated: Nelson scores in shootout, Islanders beat Panthers 3-2

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) The New York Islanders are slowly rediscovering their disciplined style and beginning to play the way they did when they made it to the second round of playoffs last season.

Brock Nelson scored in the shootout and the Islanders beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 Saturday night to snap a two-game skid.

Anders Lee and Josh Bailey scored in regulation for the Islanders.

''We didn't focus on the outcome, we just focused on the process and how we have to get back to playing our way,'' Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. ''We didn't have any passengers, it was a team win.''

Semyon Varlamov, signed to a four-year, $20 million deal in the offseason, stopped 35 shots through overtime and all three Florida attempts in the tiebreaker to pick up his first win with New York.

''A win tastes great,'' Varlamov said. ''After two losses, we needed this win and I thought everybody played well.''

Evgenii Dadonov had a goal and an assist, Denis Malgin also scored, and Sam Montembeault stopped 26 shots through overtime in his firs start of the season for Florida. The Panthers lost in a shootout for the second straight game to fall to 1-2-2 through five games.

Dadonov tied the score at 2-2 when his wrist shot beat Varlamov with 6:02 left in the third period. Jonathan Huberdeau entered the offensive zone with possession of the puck and crisscrossed with Dadonov to throw off the Islanders' defense.

''We got to learn to play the way we played in the third period, how we battled back, that needs to be our 60-minute game,'' Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said.

Florida opened the scoring at 5:34 of the first period when Malgin hammered a one-timer off a pass from Dadonov for his first of the season.

Lee tied it when he recorded his second goal of the season at 5:40 of the second. Lee sent a slap shot from the high slot after Mathew Barzal masterfully manipulated the Panthers' defense behind the net and found an opening to deliver a pass to the Islanders' captain.

''I know (Barzal) sees me and he knows I am in the slot,'' Lee said when describing his thought process. ''I have to find a lane for him as well, I can't just stand there. I have to be patient and be ready to shoot when it gets to me.''

Bailey gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead with 2:29 left in the middle period when he finished a cross-ice pass from Jordan Eberle, firing a wrist shot past Montembeault's glove.

Late in the third period, Eberle absorbed a hard check from Mike Matheson and did not return. Trotz did not offer an update after the game.

The Panthers outshot the Islanders 12-9 in the first 20 minutes but failed to capitalize on the power play, squandering three opportunities.

''In the second period, we got a little cute, started to make stupid plays,'' Barkov said. ''It cost us a couple of goals.''

NOTES: The Islanders celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 1979-80 championship season and welcomed back alumni from throughout the franchise's history. Clark Gillies, Bobby Nystrom, Denis Potvin, John Tonelli, Bryan Trottier were all in attendance along with several others. ... F Ross Johnston made his season debut for New York, and dropped gloves with Panthers D Josh Brown in the third period. ... Islanders fourth-line C Casey Cizikas missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. ... New York scratched rookie D Noah Dobson and veteran F Matt Martin. ... Florida's Keith Yandle, the NHL's current ''Iron Man'' streak holder, played in his 802nd consecutive game. ... Panthers scratched F Henrik Borgrstrom and D Mark Pysyk. ... Montembeault, a third-round pick from the 2015 NHL draft, is expected to contribute despite the team signing Sergei Bobrovsky to a seven-year, $70 million contract this summer to solve the team's goaltending woes.

UP NEXT:

Panthers: At New Jersey on Monday.

Islanders: Host St. Louis on Monday.

---

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February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Nelson scores in shootout, Islanders beat Panthers 3-2

New on Sports Illustrated: Rantanen extends hot start, leads Avs past Wild 4-2

DENVER (AP) Colorado lost the lead and momentum, yet a great pass and quick stick put the Avalanche back in the lead.

Philipp Grubauer made it stand up with some big saves in the final minutes.

Gabriel Landeskog scored a tiebreaking goal late in the second period on a feed from Mikko Rantanen to lead Colorado to a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.

Grubauer had 29 saves, including one on Kevin Fiala when Minnesota pulled goalie Devan Dubnyk for an extra skater and was pressing for the equalizer. Ryan Graves scored into the empty net with 39.1 seconds left after a flurry of shots by the Wild.

''I was kind of scrambling around a little bit. I couldn't get up. Desperation save,'' Grubauer said. ''The guys played it really well, they got the puck out and scored. Game over, two points.''

Dubnyk had 28 saves.

Rantanen, who missed training camp and the preseason before agreeing to a contract with Colorado last weekend, also scored and has three goals in two games. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare got his first goal with Colorado and Nathan MacKinnon had two assists.

Colorado, which has won its first two games for the third time in the last four years, gets a five-day break before playing Boston on Thursday.

''Good start. We want to keep it going,'' Landeskog said.

Ryan Suter had a goal and an assist, and Zach Parise got his first of the season for the Wild, who have lost their first two games against Central Division rivals. Minnesota allowed four goals in the third period at Nashville on Thursday and gave up two quick goals to Colorado before settling down.

''You take the first 10 minutes out of the game, as you take the first 10 minutes of the game in Nashville, we were really good,'' Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. ''We played really hard. The effort we put in was really good. It was a hard-fought game.''

Minnesota recovered from an early 2-0 deficit but Landeskog put Colorado back in front when he tipped in a pass from Rantanen at 18:54 of the second.

''I'm not surprised when I get those on my tape from Mikko anymore,'' Landeskog said. ''He's been serving those for years. I'm glad I was able to put it in, especially losing that 2-0 lead.''

Rantanen and Bellemare scored 1:27 apart early in the first period. Rantanen's goal came just 23 seconds after Colorado went on the power play.

Suter cut the lead in half at 10:17 of the first, and Parise's power-play goal at 8:31 of the second period got the Wild even.

''When we got the second one, I thought we had chances to go ahead,'' Parise said. ''They came out buzzing, which you have to expect in this building. We had looks and opportunities, the effort was there and we played hard. They capitalized and that was it.''

Minnesota had two breakaways, but couldn't convert either. Grubauer made a glove save on Ryan Donato's backhander in the first period, and Ryan Hartman's chance just ahead of the Colorado defense went wide right in the second.

NOTES: Colorado C Nazem Kadri was hit in the left skate by a teammate's shot late in the second period and he went to straight to the locker room. He returned for the third period. ... Dubnyk played in his 300th game for the franchise. He ranks second behind Niklas Backstrom (409) for goaltenders. ... Avalanche LW Matt Calvert played in his 500th NHL game. ... Minnesota LW Zach Parise has 37 points in 37 career regular-season games against Colorado.

UP NEXT

Wild: Plays at Winnipeg on Thursday.

Avalanche: Hosts Boston on Thursday.

---

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February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Rantanen extends hot start, leads Avs past Wild 4-2

New on Sports Illustrated: Ritchie beats former team on 1st shift, Bruins top Stars 2-1

DALLAS (AP) Brett Ritchie had never taken the ice in an NHL game with a team other than the Dallas Stars when he debuted for the Boston Bruins.

After scoring on his first shift, Ritchie watched his former teammates basically form a parade route out of the rink with injuries.

The new Boston forward scored barely a minute in, Dallas defenseman Roman Polak was taken off on a stretcher just before the Stars' only goal and the Bruins opened defense of their Eastern Conference title with a 2-1 victory Thursday night.

Danton Heinen had a power-play goal in the first period as the Bruins beat Vezina Trophy finalist Ben Bishop with their first two shots in a season-opening meeting of teams that lost Game 7s in the playoffs to Stanley Cup champion St. Louis last season.

''You're not going to score on your first two shots very often," said Ritchie, who was with the Stars when they lost in double overtime in the second round last spring before the Bruins fell to the Blues in the Cup finals.

''We jumped out to the lead there and built the momentum for the first, and then they took it to us in the second."

Dallas' goal came less than a minute after Polak had to be taken off on a stretcher after going head-first into the boards when he tried to check Chris Wagner with 12:56 remaining in the second period.

Polak barely moved while face down on the ice before being rolled onto a board and lifted onto the stretcher during a delay that lasted almost 10 minutes. Coach Jim Montgomery said after the game Polak was OK after an evaluation at a hospital and could return soon.

''I think obviously we kind of didn't want to think about it after it happened," defenseman John Klingberg said. ''We got to get back playing again. It's tough to see a teammate go down like that."

Roope Hintz's goal came 51 seconds later when the 22-year-old beat Tuukka Rask stick side on a partial breakaway after Mattias Janmark split two defenders with a pass. Joe Pavelski got his first point with the Stars with an assist on the takeaway that started the rush.

''You've got to find ways to stay in games and give yourself a chance," Pavelski said. ''I thought we did a good job with that. We kept coming, kept getting better. It was right there for us."

The Stars had 16 of their 29 shots in the third period, and Rask stopped them all to finish with 28 saves. The 13th-year pro entered the season with the best goals-against average among actives goalies at 2.28.

''I felt the best in the third," Rask said. ''I don't know if that's because it was the most action or what, but a big win."

Before Polak's injury, forward Blake Comeau sustained a lower body injury when he fell awkwardly after getting hit in the cheek by a puck in the first period. Montgomery said he would miss multiple weeks.

The Stars lost another forward after the first period when Jason Dickinson didn't return with an upper body injury.

''It's life in the NHL," Montgomery said. ''Next man up. We went through it all of last year and we're a resilient group. We're a deep organization and we're going to be OK."

Ritchie's goal came 1:09 in when Andrew Cogliano couldn't get a clearing pass from Bishop out of the zone and turned over the puck near the blue line. Charlie Coyle got an assist.

The 26-year-old Ritchie spent his first five NHL seasons with Stars as a 2011 second-round pick, signing as a free agent in Boston following two disappointing seasons in Dallas after he scored 16 goals - nearly half his career total - in 2016-17.

''I'm still confident in what I can do," Ritchie said. ''New team, new opportunity, fresh start, whatever you want to call it. I just tried to take advantage of it."

Heinen beat Bishop from the left circle about five minutes later after Alexander Radulov was called for holding. Bishop stopped all 18 Boston shots after that.

NOTES: Former President George W. Bush did the ceremonial puck drop. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush live in Dallas. ... The Bruins improved to 9-21-5 in season openers on the road. The previous road win in an opener was 4-3 in overtime at New Jersey in 2010. ... The Stars opened the season at home for the ninth straight year. They are 5-3-1 in those games.

UP NEXT

Bruins: A four-game road trip to open the season continues Saturday at Arizona.

Stars: At St. Louis on Saturday in their first game there since losing Game 7 in the second round last season.

---

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February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Ritchie beats former team on 1st shift, Bruins top Stars 2-1

New on Sports Illustrated: Backlund propels Flames to 2-1 victory over Ducks

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Cam Talbot and Michael Stone haven't played much through the first three weeks of the Calgary Flames' season. They made the most of their opportunities Sunday night.

Talbot made 29 saves and Stone scored the Flames' first goal as they rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.

Mikael Backlund broke a tie with 11:03 left, and Calgary snapped a three-game road losing streak, bouncing back from a disappointing 4-1 loss at Los Angeles on Saturday which some called ''embarrassing'' due to their effort.

''I thought everyone took accountability for last night,'' Talbot said. ''I liked our work ethic and dedication in our zone to get the pucks out.''

It was Talbot's second start and first win with the Flames. The seven-year veteran, who was with Edmonton and Philadelphia last season, signed with Calgary as a free agent.

He allowed up an early second-period goal to Jakob Silfverberg but stopped Silfverberg on a breakaway midway through the period before making 11 saves in the third, many on one-timers. Nick Ritchie had a point-blank chance in front of the net but could not convert.

''When they pushed, Talbot was there,'' Calgary coach Bill Peters said. ''The work he has had with us has been good. We have a lot of confidence in him and as we get busier you will see him more.''

Stone - who was playing in only his third game - tied it at 15:32 of the second with a one-timer from near the blueline for his first point. Anaheim goaltender John Gibson didn't get a clear look as Calgary's Sean Monahan and Anaheim's Michael Del Zotto were battling in front of the net when Stone's slap shot got through.

''It felt good to contribute, it's been a while since I've done that,'' Stone said. ''To get in there and get rewarded was nice.''

Backlund scored when he got a pass from Matthew Tkachuk on a 2-on-1 rush after a neutral zone turnover and beat Gibson with a snap shot from the right faceoff circle.

''I don't think Gibson expected an early pass. I was going to catch it and just changed my mind,'' said Backlund, who has a goal in two straight games.

Gibson made 27 saves for Anaheim, which lost for the first time in five home games.

Silfverberg opened the scoring 12 seconds into the second when he beat Talbot top shelf from the left faceoff circle after taking the pass from Hampus Lindholm. Silfverberg - who has five goals this season - has scored in three straight games.

''I thought we had numerous chances to not only tie it but go ahead by a couple and we just couldn't get it in the net,'' Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said.

NOTES: The Ducks were 0 for 3 on the power play and have just one goal in 22 chances this season. ... Calgary forward Milan Lucic skated in his 900th game. He is in his first season with the Flames after previous stints with Boston, Los Angeles and Edmonton. ... Anaheim D Josh Manson has three assists in the last three games. ... The 16 goals allowed by the Ducks at home are the least they have allowed through five games. The previous mark was 17 in 2006-07.

UP NEXT

Flames: Return home to face Washington on Tuesday.

Ducks: Hit the road for four games starting Tuesday at Nashville.

---

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February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Backlund propels Flames to 2-1 victory over Ducks

New on Sports Illustrated: van Riemsdyk scores 2, Flyers beat Blue Jackets 7-4

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Trailing by two goals early in the third period, the Philadelphia Flyers didn't get discouraged. They simply maintained their focus and came through with their biggest late rally in nearly six years

Kevin Hayes scored the go-ahead short-handed goal late in Philadelphia's five-goal third period, and the Flyers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-4 Saturday night.

''When you have five goals in nine minutes, it's just an example of sticking to it,'' Hayes said. ''We're getting a lot of shots on net each night and that's been big for us.''

James van Riemsdyk had two goals and an assist, Jake Voracek added a goal and two assists, Shayne Gostisbehere had a goal and an assist, and Michael Raffl and Travis Konecny also scored for Philadelphia. Hayes and Ivan Provorov also each had two assists, and Brian Elliott finished with 22 saves to help the Flyers end a five-game losing streak to their Metropolitan Division rivals.

The five goal outburst was the first time that Philadelphia had that many tallies in the third period since Dec. 19, 2013, when they rallied to beat Columbus 5-4.

''I thought we deserved to win this game,'' Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said. ''We were the better team. We had a real strong second period, tied it up, saw them score one (at the end of the second) and one (early in the third) to take the lead. But we said that we were going to find a way to win this game and we did.''

Boone Jenner scored twice, and Pierre-Luc Dubois and Josh Anderson also had goals for Columbus. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 39 shots.

Anderson's goal 2:15 into the third period gave the Blue Jackets a 4-2 lead.

''It is smoke and mirrors that we are up by two at that time,'' Columbus coach John Tortorella said. ''I just don't think we played well enough. I don't think we played hard enough. I think we got what we deserved.''

The Flyers then scored five times in an 8:54 stretch in the latter half of the period to get the win.

''After that goal we got to have a push and stay on it,'' Jenner said. ''I don't think we did that tonight and they were able to come back.''

Gostisbehere got the rally started with a slap shot with 9:08 remaining, and van Riemsdyk tipped in his second of the night to tie the score with 7:23 to go.

''The biggest thing was how we responded going down two goals in the third,'' Gostisbehere said. ''Maybe some past games, we would have folded and gave that one away. I think it was a big character win. Got from everyone tonight so it was huge.''

While killing off a tripping penalty on Sean Couturier, Hayes stuck his stick in a Columbus passing lane, picked up the puck at center ice and then backhanded it past Korpisalo with 5:36 left for his fourth of the season and his third in the last three games.

Raffl had an empty-netter to make it 6-4 with 1:39 remaining, and Konecny capped the scoring with the Flyers' second power-play goal of the night in the final minute.

NOTES: After the game, the Flyers announced that forward Scott Laughton had suffered a broken finger and would miss at least four weeks of action. . Columbus F Alexandre Texier did not return to the game after suffering a lower body injury in the second period. ... Columbus was 0 for 5 on the power play while Philadelphia was 2-for-4. ... This was the first of four meetings between the two division rivals this season. Columbus lost for just the sixth time in 25 meetings (23-5-1) with Philadelphia, dating back to December 2013.

UP NEXT

Flyers: Visit the New York Islanders on Sunday night to begin a three-game road trip within the Metropolitan Division.

Blue Jackets: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night to begin six straight games against the Western Conference.

---

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February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
van Riemsdyk scores 2, Flyers beat Blue Jackets 7-4

New on Sports Illustrated: Dallas ends 5-game losing streak with 4-1 win over Flyers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) The Stars are set to start a four-game homestand they hope can spark a needed turnaround.

But first, one for the road - a win in Philadelphia that ended a winless road trip.

Roope Hintz, Esa Lindell and Corey Perry all scored to help Dallas snap a five-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Flyers on Saturday night.

Ben Bishop stopped 38 shots to help the slow-starting Stars improve to just 2-7-1. The Stars only took 16 shots against a listless Flyers team playing their first home game in 10 days. The Stars dropped games at Buffalo, Columbus and Pittsburgh before they trudged into Philly.

''Two points is all we really wanted,'' Stars forward Jamie Benn said. ''Don't really care how we did it.''

The Stars took only one shot in the second period and added two goals in the third. Miro Heiskanen added an empty-netter.

Dallas made the most of its attempts for a rare dose of good news for a team trying to make the playoffs for the second straight season. The Stars appeared well-positioned for a run at the division title and the top seed in the West. Instead, only Minnesota had scored fewer points in the Western Conference headed into Saturday night.

''We can't have any more sluggish starts,'' coach Jim Montgomery said. ''We missed some good looks, but you want to get more shots.''

The Stars scored two straight goals in the first period to start the trend of fantastic goal-to-shot efficiency. Hintz scored his sixth of the season when he stuck the puck through defenseman Matt Niskanen's skate. Lindell got his first of the season on the power play off a slapper from the circle.

Perry sealed it when he scored on a backhander in the third for the 3-1 lead. Perry is on a one-year contract after a buyout in Anaheim, where he played his first 14 years.

''We haven't made it easy on ourselves,'' Perry said. ''We've been in a lot of hockey games. Tonight, we stuck with it and found a way.''

The Flyers could have brought along the Griswalds on a crazy road trip to start the season. The Flyers played a final preseason game in Switzerland and opened the season with a win over Chicago in the Czech Republic before they returned to Philly for the Oct. 9 home opener. The Flyers then headed to Western Canada for three games in five days. The Flyers went 0-2-1 for one point out of a possible six in Canada and played four of the first five games in four time zones.

Carter Hart grew up near Edmonton and had a happy homecoming planned for the final game of the trip when the Flyers played the Oilers. He allowed four goals on 14 shots before he was yanked in one of the worst starts of his brief career. Against Dallas, he allowed three goals on just 15 shots.

The Flyers got a quick boost back on home ice when Sean Couturier beat Bishop only 43 seconds into the game for his second goal of the season. The Flyers pounded Bishop with shots, and came up empty.

''For two periods, we controlled the play, we just couldn't score,'' Couturier said. ''Every chance they would get, they would score.''

Notes: There was an old school hockey fight in the first period between Flyers winger Chris Stewart and Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak. They were each hit with 5-minute major penalties. Oleksiak lost his helmet in the scrap and went to the locker room with a bloodied nose.

UP NEXT

The Flyers host the Golden Knights on Monday.

Dallas returns home Monday to play Ottawa.

---

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February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Dallas ends 5-game losing streak with 4-1 win over Flyers

New on Sports Illustrated: Roy scores first career NHL goal, Vegas tops Anaheim 5-2

LAS VEGAS (AP) Nicolas Roy was a six-year-old when Marc-Andre Fleury made his NHL debut.

The two are teammates now, and on Sunday night Roy scored his first career NHL goal and Fleury made 13 saves, leading the Vegas Golden Knights to a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

Roy, making his first appearance as a member of the Golden Knights, showed off his blazing speed when he split two Anaheim defenders and slipped a shot through Ducks goaltender John Gibson's pads for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

''Usually I don't even celly after a goal, but that one I had to, it was so fun,'' said Roy, who celebrated by jumping into the glass that separated him and a slew of frenzied Golden Knights fans. ''It was such a great feeling, a really great night.''

Roy, who was drafted 96th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, was inserted into the lineup in place of Brandon Pirri and centered a fourth line better known for its rugged play with wings Ryan Reaves and William Carrier, two of the league leaders in hits. Sunday, the trio finished with a total of three points, as Carrier assisted on Reaves' second goal of the season and team-leading career seventh against the Ducks.

''I don't know what it is,'' Reaves said of his success against Anaheim. ''I played a lot of Duck Hunter when I was young.''

Reaves complimented Roy's immediate chemistry on the fourth line, which in just 7:18 of time on ice had an impressive Corsi edge of 11-2.

''(He was) really good, solid, all over the ice, some crazy speed on his goal,'' Reaves said. ''Really solid defensively and nice offensive touch.''

Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Paul Stastny also scored for Vegas, which moved ahead of the Ducks and into sole possession of second place in the Pacific Division.

Vegas has 16 points, one point behind first-place Edmonton. Anaheim has 14 points.

The Golden Knights, who were outshot 40-26 in a 6-1 loss to Colorado on Friday, outshot the Ducks 49-15, including a whopping 17-5 in the first period when they seized control with a 3-1 lead.

The 15 shots on goal were the fewest Vegas has allowed this season.

''They were awesome, from start to finish,'' said Fleury, who improved to 14-4 all-time against Anaheim. ''That was a tough loss to Colorado, not just because of the score, but maybe the way that the game played out. That wasn't us, and I think tonight, it's the type of games that we want to be playing.''

Ryan Getzlaf and Adam Henrique scored for the Ducks, while Gibson dropped to 1-7-1 against Vegas after allowing five goals. Gibson, who made 44 saves, has started every game for Anaheim against the Golden Knights since Vegas entered the league in 2017.

The Ducks appeared to have carried their momentum from Saturday's 5-2 win at Colorado, as Getzlaf opened the scoring when he took a pass from Max Comtois and slipped it through Fleury's pads, making it 1-0 just 4:12 into the game.

The lead didn't last. Stone was credited with tying the game 34 seconds later, when his wrist shot off the post ended up on the end of Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler's stick. Fowler accidentally knocked the puck into his own net to tie the game at 1-1. The onslaught of shots at Gibson continued in the second period. Karlsson made it 4-1 with a power-play goal midway through the period.

Stastny put the game out of reach early in the third when he netted Vegas' second power-play goal. He took a pass from Max Pacioretty and netted his fifth goal of the season.

''They have three lines of high skill and high speed,'' Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. ''Then their fourth line is about as heavy as it gets. That's why they are a top team in this league.''

NOTES: Stone, who is three games shy of playing in the 400th of his career, has picked up at least one point in 11 of Vegas' 13 games. ... The Ducks are three games shy of their 2,000th game in franchise history, which is scheduled for Nov. 3 vs. Chicago. ... Gibson entered the game tied for the highest career save percentage (.922) among all-time NHL goaltenders with at least 200 games played. ... The Ducks' power-play woes continued, as they were 0 for 1 with a man advantage, and are now 3 for 31 this season, fifth-worst in the league.

UP NEXT

Ducks: Host Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.

Golden Knights: Host Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

---

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February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Roy scores first career NHL goal, Vegas tops Anaheim 5-2

New on Sports Illustrated: Fleury shuts out former team; Knights defeat Penguins

PITTSBURGH (AP) Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury wasn't happy with his performance in his return to Pittsburgh two seasons ago.

He had a much better time Saturday night.

Fleury stopped 29 shots against his former team, leading the Golden Knights to a 3-0 victory over the Penguins.

''Last time I was in Pittsburgh, I let in five goals,'' Fleury said. ''I wanted to make sure that wasn't happening again. I was just happy that it was a better showing.''

Fleury recorded his 445th win, tying Terry Sawchuck for seventh on the NHL career list. Fleury, who made his second career start for Vegas against the Penguins in Pittsburgh, also registered his 57th career shutout.

The Golden Knights won for the fourth time in five games. Paul Stastny scored his fourth of the season, a power-play goal in the second period, and William Karlsson and Mark Stone added empty-netters in the final 90 seconds.

Fleury kept the puck out with a sliding cross-crease shoulder save on Juuso Riikola's power-play chance in the third period. Pittsburgh had several quality chances during another third-period power play, but came up empty against Fleury. Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese hit the crossbar earlier in the period.

''I just tried to read the play,'' Fleury said. ''They find guys across the crease on both sides. I just tried to be aware of where guys were at and got lucky with a couple posts.''

The Penguins played without six regulars, including five of their top nine forwards and a defenseman from their No. 1 pairing.

Jared McCann was held out after he scored in Friday's home win against Dallas. He has missed two of the team's last three games after also sitting out on Wednesday. Defenseman Brian Dumoulin was a late scratch after taking pregame warmups. Forwards Evgeni Malkin, Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Bjugstad and Bryan Rust are all on injured reserve.

Tristan Jarry made 21 saves for Pittsburgh, which had won five in a row.

''I think we did some good things, we just couldn't find a way to score,'' Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. ''(Fleury) made some good saves. We had a couple that got behind him and hit posts. Some of those usually go in.''

Fleury allowed five goals on 38 shots in a 5-4 loss against the Penguins in his initial return to Pittsburgh on Feb. 6, 2018. He didn't start when Vegas last played in Pittsburgh on Oct. 11, 2018.

Fleury, the No. 1 overall pick in 2003, spent his first 13 seasons in Pittsburgh and helped the Penguins win three Stanley Cup titles before Vegas selected him in the 2017 expansion draft.

Fans gave Fleury a loud ovation as soon as he hit the ice for pregame warmups. Fleury chatted with several former teammates prior to the game, including starting goaltender Matt Murray, who had the night off. Fleury also playfully threw passes to Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang during pregame warmups.

''I saw so many people with signs and my jersey, waving and cheering,'' Fleury said. ''It's always fun to come back.''

Fleury made a sharp first-period pad save on a Patric Hornqvist one-timer during a Pittsburgh power play. Letang hit the post on Fleury's blocker side later in the period.

Vegas opened the scoring after Aston-Reese was whistled for goaltender interference. Stastny one-timed a Cody Glass pass into a partially open net at 3:48 for his fourth goal in five games.

That was more than enough for Fleury.

''I was so excited he got a shutout,'' Stastny said. ''I think he earned it. He deserves it.''

NOTES: Stone continued a five-game point streak with his sixth goal of the year. ... The Golden Knights recorded their 100th win in 173 regular-season games. Only three franchises have required less than 200 games to reach 100 wins in the regular season, with each entering the league in 1917-18. ... Coach Gerard Gallant registered his 100th win with the Golden Knights. ... Penguins F Jake Guentzel lost a career-high seven-game point streak. ... Vegas D Jake Bischoff made his NHL debut.

UP NEXT

Golden Knights: Continue a three-game road trip Monday at Philadelphia.

Penguins: Begin a three-game road trip Tuesday at Florida.

---

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February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Fleury shuts out former team; Knights defeat Penguins

New on Sports Illustrated: Ellis, Forsberg help rally Predators past Wild 5-2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Matt Duchene was feeling a bit nervous before his debut with Nashville. A misstep in the pregame warmup helped the Predators’ new free agent feel more at ease.

As the warmup came to an end, Duchene was the last Predators player on the ice. He caught an edge and fell in the right faceoff circle. From his backside, he fired a puck into the net, much to the delight of the sellout crowd, who cheered the new center.

“That was my best 1972 Phil Esposito impression,” Duchene said. “It gave the fans a good laugh. Honestly, it took a little bit of butterflies out of me. I got a good laugh and you’ve got to laugh at yourself sometimes.”

Duchene finished with three assists, Ryan Ellis and Filip Forsberg each had a goal and an assist and Nashville rallied with four goals in the final period and beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 on Thursday night in the season opener for both teams.

Mikael Granlund, Austin Watson and Viktor Arvidsson also scored for the defending Central Division champion Predators.

Duchene signed a seven-year, $56 million deal with Nashville as a free agent this offseason.

“I think for him, if you ask him, this is his home,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “Nashville is his home. He wants to be here. He wants this to be a place where he thrives. He’s bringing that to work right now, and it really shows.”

Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba scored for Minnesota.

“We played a solid game,” Minnesota forward Mats Zuccarello said. “We created a bunch of chances. We could have scored two, three more goals, but that’s hockey for you. A few mistakes ended up in the back of the net and that’s the game.”

Zuccarello signed a five-year, $30 million contract on July 1 with the Wild.

Nashville trailed 2-1 entering the final period before Granlund and Watson scored at 27 seconds and 1:56, respectively, to put the Predators ahead for good. Granlund tipped home a slap shot by Roman Josi and Watson tipped in a shot by Ellis.

Ellis scored the game’s first goal at 3:37 of the second period.

As Ellis skated down from the right point, Forsberg sent a pass his way. The puck deflected off of Ellis’ skate and trickled by Minnesota goaltender Devan Dubnyk.

“I thought for the most part we outplayed them in the first two periods,” Ellis said. “They got a push. Give them credit, they worked hard too, but overall, I liked our game more.”

Dubnyk finished with 27 saves.

Earlier in the second, Dubnyk robbed former Wild teammate Granlund with an impressive glove save. Moving right to left, Dubnyk made a sweeping glove stop on Granlund’s one-timer from the right faceoff dot.

Nashville had an apparent power-play goal waived off after a video review determined Granlund made contact with the puck with a high stick.

Minnesota took the lead with two goals in a 43-second span in the second.

Zucker struck first at 16:04 on the power play.

Former Predator Brad Hunt’s slap shot from the right point was deflected by Nashville’s Nick Bonino and then glanced off of Zucker’s jersey and past Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne high to the stick side.

“When we started doing what we were supposed to do, we started creating opportunities,” Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We were just giving the puck away too much in the neutral zone to that team. That’s what they thrive on.”

Dumba pounced on a rebound and blasted it by Rinne at 16:47.

Rinne finished with 22 saves.

Shortly after Watson put Nashville up 3-2 early in the third, Rinne made a pair of stellar saves on Zucker 30 seconds apart. The Finn denied Zucker on a breakaway at 4:45 and then gloved a backhand from in close 30 seconds later.

Arvidsson scored his first of the season at 7:32 of the third. The Swede set a Nashville franchise record with 34 goals last season.

Forsberg added an empty-net goal late in the third to account for the final margin.

NOTES: Country music superstar Keith Urban performed for the crowd during the first intermission. Urban’s wife, actress Nicole Kidman, also attended the game. ... Nashville C Craig Smith recorded an assist in the game, his 300th career NHL point. ... Dumba missed Minnesota’s last 50 games last season due to a torn pectoralis muscle.

UP NEXT:

Wild: Visit the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

Predators: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.

---

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February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Ellis, Forsberg help rally Predators past Wild 5-2

New on Sports Illustrated: Jets snap 3-game losing streak, beat Oilers in shootout

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) Connor Hellebuyck's first shutout of the season couldn't have come at a better time for the Winnipeg Jets.

Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine scored in the shootout and the Jets snapped a three-game losing skid with a 1-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night.

''I wasn't trying to do too much, sticking with my game and relaxing and reading the game as it came to me,'' Hellebuyck said of his 28-save performance.

''I thought I was a calming presence for the guys out there, and it helps when they were clearing rebounds like they were. I'll enjoy this one. You don't get too many shutouts.''

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid were stopped in the shootout.

The overtime period was highlighted by tight goaltending.

Edmonton goalie Mike Smith robbed Mark Scheifele in close and Hellebuyck followed that up by denying Connor McDavid on a breakaway.

''That's what 3-on-3 hockey does with the best players in the world out there,'' said Smith, who made 23 saves. ''It's exciting for you guys, not so much for the goalies.''

Winnipeg (5-5-0) was playing its fourth game of a five-game homestand.

''It's good to get a result,'' Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. ''Obviously, it's been tough around here. I think the quality of our play isn't reflective of the results we're getting recently. So, it's good to finally get one.''

The Jets are undefeated in regulation in their last seven games against the Oilers. Their last loss was Dec. 1, 2016.

The victory also marked Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice's 700th career win. He's seventh all-time and third behind active NHL coaches Joel Quenneville of the Florida Panthers (893) and New York Islanders' Barry Trotz (815).

Jets defenseman Carl Dahlstrom appeared to score his first NHL goal at 8:23 of the third period, but the play was reviewed, and Scheifele was ruled offside. The goal was wiped away.

Edmonton outshot Winnipeg 7-2 in the first period.

The Jets didn't get their first shot on goal until 8:06 and finished with another 11 attempts in the period, five that missed the net and six that were blocked.

The Oilers went on a power play with 1:56 left in the opening period and had one shot that Hellebuyck turned aside.

Winnipeg went on its first power play seven minutes in the second period and got four shots on Smith.

McDavid was then called for slashing Blake Wheeler late in the second. Winnipeg managed three shots on goal.

Shots on goal after the middle frame were 15-12 in Edmonton's favor.

Winnipeg had its third power play of the game 26 seconds into the third and Smith stopped Laine's low, one-timer blast and a shot from Dmitry Kulikov.

Less than a minute after Dahlstrom's goal was disallowed, the Jets went on the power play again. Smith denied three shot attempts, including two quick ones from close in.

NOTES: Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl had his point streak end at eight games. He had six goals and 10 assists in that span. ... Edmonton defenseman Kris Russell played his 800th NHL game.

UP NEXT

Oilers: At Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

Jets: Finish a five-game homestand against Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

---

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Jets snap 3-game losing streak, beat Oilers in shootout

New on Sports Illustrated: Crosby has 3 points, Penguins drill Flyers 7-1

PITTSBURGH (AP) The Pittsburgh Penguins endured a brutal stretch in the opening days of the season in which high-profile players headed to injured reserve with alarming regularity.

Yet rather than panic, head coach Mike Sullivan used it as an opportunity to make sure the good habits he believes his team will need to win in one of the NHL's most competitive divisions become ingrained. Take fewer risks on defense. Make the simple pass on offense.

Do both well enough for long enough and Sullivan knows the scoring will take care of itself, kind of the way it did during a 7-1 demolition of the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.

The Penguins poured in four goals during a 6:05 span of the first period - matching their first-period total on the season coming in - and Pittsburgh rarely let up in its biggest regular-season blowout over their cross-state rivals in 11 years.

''We're playing the game the right way, the way we want to play it and when we all buy in the way the guys are buying in right now, I think we're a very good hockey team,'' Sullivan said. ''Tonight we were able to finish on some of the chances we got early in the first period. I give our players credit. They had the right mindset from the drop of the puck.''

Sidney Crosby, wearing a facemask as extra protection after getting hit in the head by a shot over the weekend, had a goal and two assists to boost his career point total against the Flyers to 102. Dominik Simon and Dominik Kahun also had a goal and two assists apiece for Pittsburgh, which finished a busy October 8-5-0, not bad considering forwards Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Nick Bjugstad and Alex Galchenyuk were among the group that watched the majority of the action from the press box while sidelined with injuries.

Though Malkin remains out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, the others have made their way back, giving an already confident group a noticeable boost.

''I think you feel the energy,'' Crosby said. ''When guys come back in the lineup they've been sitting around for a while, they're eager to get out there and I think that energy can help you. I think everyone for the first period there especially, everyone was involved and that really feeds the whole team when you can get everyone going like that.''

Jared McCann, Justin Schultz, Zach Aston-Reese and Jake Guentzel also scored for Pittsburgh. Matt Murray stopped 29 shots to win for the sixth time in his last seven starts.

Oskar Lindblom got his sixth goal for the Flyers, but Philadelphia was simply overwhelmed by the Penguins during a first-period onslaught in which Pittsburgh beat Brian Elliott four times in just more than six minutes. Elliott, given the start two days after Carter Hart was pulled in a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders, stuck around to finish with 30 saves but the Flyers were never in it over the final two periods.

''For sure, there's some anger in here,'' Elliott said. ''We have to be controlled about it, too. You have to take what you can from this game and move on. We know we didn't have what we needed to win out here. You could see that in pretty much every aspect of the game.''

Schultz's first goal of the season came on an innocent flick from above the right circle 5:57 into the game on a shot that fluttered over Elliott's right shoulder. While Rust and Kahun occupied three Philadelphia defenders at the side of the net just more than two minutes later, McCann skated into the slot and flipped the puck past Elliott to double Pittsburgh's lead. The din from McCann's goal had barely died down when Crosby's drop pass to Simon gave him plenty of room to beat Elliott and give the Penguins their third goal in a span of 2:49.

Crosby's assist gave him 100 points in 68 career games against the Flyers. By the end of the period, he pushed the total to 101 thanks to a pretty cross-ice pass from Simon that Crosby turned into his fifth goal of the season and 42nd all-time against Philadelphia. The score also capped Pittsburgh's first four-goal first period since Dec. 17, 2011, against Buffalo.

Murray, given little to do while his teammates pounded Elliott early, made sure the cushion stood up. Only Lindblom's goal 1:57 into the third prevented Murray from posting a second straight shutout.

''It was horrible,'' Philadelphia center Sean Couturier said. ''Embarrassing. We didn't come out strong. They were ready. They gave it to us.''

NOTES: Philadelphia went 0 for 4 on the power play. The Penguins were 0 for 3. ... The Flyers scratched D Samuel Morin. ... Pittsburgh scratched D Chad Ruhwedel and Juuso Riikola and C Sam Lafferty. ... Pittsburgh has allowed five even-strength goals in its last five games.

UP NEXT

Flyers: Visit New Jersey on Friday. Philadelphia drummed the Devils 4-0 on Oct. 9.

Penguins: Get three days off at home before hosting Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

---

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Crosby has 3 points, Penguins drill Flyers 7-1

New on Sports Illustrated: Backstrom scores in shootout, Capitals beat Canucks 6-5

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Vancouver captain Bo Horvat says the Canucks simply weren't good enough to steal a win from the Washington Capitals on Friday night.

Though the Canucks led by four goals late in the second period, Washington rallied late and beat Vancouver 6-5 in a shootout.

''It's a 60-minute hockey game for a reason and (Washington) won the Stanley Cup for a reason,'' Horvat said. ''They've got some good players over there. We had to play a full 60 to beat that squad.''

Tim Schaller scored twice for Vancouver, Brock Boeser had a goal and an assist, and Elias Pettersson and Jake Virtanen also scored.

Jacob Markstrom had 24 saves for the Canucks.

Vancouver scored three times in the second period and led 5-1 with less than a second remaining in the period.

Schaller scored his second of the game 13:59 into the period, batting a rebound out of the air and into Washington's net.

It was the Canucks forward's third goal of the season, matching his total of last year when he finished with 10 points (three goals, seven assists).

''My mentality's been get pucks to the net one way or the other,'' Schaller said.

Still, settling for a single point on Friday night was frustrating, he added.

''Just one more blocked shot, one more puck deep would have got the job done,'' he said. ''They came hard and we played well enough to win, but they just had one more bounce than we did.''

Nicklas Backstrom sealed the comeback for Washington, beating Markstrom on the stick side in the third round of the shootout.

Evgeny Kuznetsov and Michal Kempny each scored two goals for the Capitals in regulation. Lars Eller added a goal and an assist.

Goalie Ilya Samsonov stopped 29 of 34 shots for Washington in his fifth start of the season.

It was a big performance for the rookie goaltender, Capitals coach Todd Reirden said.

''They converted on some mistakes by us, he still made some big saves in the third and overtime and great to see him in the shootout,'' he said of the 22-year-old Samsonov.

''He just looks so comfortable back there, give up a goal or doesn't give up a goal, it doesn't really change how he acts, which is a rarity for young goaltender and a special presence he has. He has a really bright future ahead of him.''

Finishing strong Friday was a big deal for Washington, Kuznetzov said.

''I feel like these types of moments, they build the team spirit and build the team together and that's huge for us,'' said Kuznetzov , who put a wrist shot past Markstrom with just 0.3 seconds left in the second period to get the comeback started.

''Get back from 5-1,that means a lot for guys,'' he said. ''We stick with each other, we stick to the game plan even though the game never went well, we give up some bad goals, but we stick with our plan and we get the results.''

Reirden felt that Kuznetsov's late tally gave his group something to work with heading into the third.

''We were able to talk about that between periods and really feel like we could build some momentum and get some opportunities if we played the right way,'' he said. ''We didn't feel like we needed to cheat to get the offense but we thought we could get some chances.''

Washington scored three goals on six shots in the game's final period, and was outshot 32-22 by the Canucks in regulation.

During a timeout midway through the third period, Canucks coach Travis Green reminded his team to breath and pointed out that they weren't being hemmed in their own zone.

He encouraged them to get back on the ice and win the final minutes of the contest.

''We were probably the better team the last 10 to 12 minutes of the game,'' he said. ''But this is one game. We got a point. We definitely wanted two. ... You play 82 games and you've got to learn from every one of them.''

NOTES: The Capitals were coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. ... Washington defenseman John Carlson saw his nine-game point streak snapped on Friday. He continues to lead the league in scoring with 21 points (five goals, 16 assists).

UP NEXT

Capitals: At Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Canucks: Host Florida Panthers on Monday.

---

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Backstrom scores in shootout, Capitals beat Canucks 6-5

New on Sports Illustrated: Maple Leafs beat Red Wings 5-2 to snap 3-game skid

DETROIT (AP) On a night when their biggest stars were quiet offensively, the Toronto Maple Leafs still scored plenty.

Ilya Mikheyev put the Maple Leafs ahead in the final minute of the second period when goalie Jimmy Howard's gamble backfired, and Toronto went on to beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 on Saturday night, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Toronto's Auston Matthews and Detroit's Anthony Mantha, who entered the night with six goals apiece, were both held without a point. Instead, the Maple Leafs got goals from Mikheyev, Nicholas Shore, Alexander Kerfoot, Jake Muzzin and Trevor Moore.

''We have lots of depth here,'' Muzzin said. ''We have smart hockey players and guys that are working hard and hungry, so that's a great combination to have.''

Jacob de la Rose and Darren Helm scored for Detroit.

With the game tied at 1, Toronto's Kasperi Kapanen flipped the puck up the ice, and Mikheyev appeared to have a step on Detroit defenseman Madison Bowey as the two chased it. Howard came well out of his net, hoping to beat Mikheyev to the puck, but the rookie forward got there first, stickhandled to his left and shot into the empty net with 29.5 seconds left in the period.

''That goal there at the end of the period, that they went up 2-1, was a tough one,'' Detroit forward Dylan Larkin said. ''I thought we did a good job responding after that, starting the third. They scored and then we scored again. Just came up short.''

Kerfoot put Toronto up 3-1 in the third, collecting a rebound that Howard left in his crease. Helm answered 24 seconds later, beating goalie Frederik Andersen with a wrist shot from the slot. Muzzin put Toronto back up by two when he converted a nice cross-ice pass from Dmytro Timashov with 6:26 remaining.

Moore's empty-net goal closed out the scoring.

John Tavares had an assist on that final goal, but Mitchell Marner and William Nylander went pointless in addition to Matthews.

Fresh off a 7-3 loss to Tampa Bay two days earlier, the Maple Leafs fell behind 1-0 when de la Rose capped a busy shift in the Toronto zone by knocking in a rebound while falling to the ice in front of the net. The Maple Leafs tied it when Timashov won a battle for the puck behind the net and found Shore, who had plenty of time to beat Howard from in front.

''We thought our work ethic was really good in camp, really good at the start,'' Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. ''Liked it all the way through. We didn't like it last game, but to me, that's got to be our calling card. If we go to work, our talent will show. You've got to outwork the other team. That's the bottom line.''

The Red Wings could take some encouragement from their own depth, after a solid game from the line of de la Rose, Helm and Justin Abdelkader.

''I think it's repeatable. They've got three games in a row where they've been big, strong, heavy, created scoring chances,'' coach Jeff Blashill said. ''They ended up going a decent amount against Matthews. ... I think they've been a real good line for us, the last little bit.''

NOTES: Abdelkader had two assists, the first of which was his 250th career point. ... Mantha had a partial breakaway stopped by Andersen in the second. ... Toronto outshot Detroit 41-27.

UP NEXT

Maple Leafs: Host Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Red Wings: Visit Vancouver on Tuesday night.

---

Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister

---

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Maple Leafs beat Red Wings 5-2 to snap 3-game skid

New on Sports Illustrated: Ekholm's late goal leads Predators over Capitals, 6-5

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) In a game dominated by offense, a defenseman scored the game-winner.

Mattias Ekholm scored with 4:40 remaining to cap a wild third period and lead the Nashville Predators to a 6-5 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night.

Ryan Johansen scored twice and Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene and Nick Bonino added goals for Nashville, which finished 3-1 on a season-opening, four-game homestand.

Alex Ovechkin scored a pair of power-play goals and Lars Eller, Tom Wilson and T.J. Oshie also scored for Washington. John Carlson had three assists for the Capitals, who lost in regulation for the first time this season.

''There's too many turnovers that are ending up as good scoring chances for one, and then for two, that are ending up in our net,'' Washington coach Todd Reirden said.

Ekholm netted the winner on a slap shot from the middle of the blue line through traffic 28 seconds after Bonino tied the game at 5.

''I saw the guy go down in front of me and that I kind of had a little lane,'' Ekholm said. ''When I saw it went by him, I thought it was going to have a good chance of going in. There were a lot of bodies in front. Nice feeling to see it go in.''

Nashville trailed by two entering the third.

''Going into the third period, I don't think there was any thought that we couldn't win a hockey game. We just had to go out and do the right things,'' Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. ''Guys certainly played well enough to do it.''

Ovechkin's goals were scored in nearly identical fashion coming from the left circle, a familiar spot for the Russian winger on the Washington power play.

His first came at 4:46 of the second from the top of the left circle. Ovechkin took a pass from Carlson and beat Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne with a one-timer, his first career goal against Rinne.

''It's a hard loss,'' Ovechkin said. ''I think we deserved at least a point.''

Rinne finished made 21 saves.

Late in the second, Ovechkin struck again off a feed from Carlson.

Eller scored the game's first goal at 9:17 of the opening period and Forsberg tied it 1:22 later.

From the left side just inside the blue line, Duchene slipped a pass to Forsberg skating through the slot, sending him in alone against Washington goaltender Braden Holtby. Forsberg made a quick move before lifting a wrist shot over the fallen goaltender.

Holtby finished with 32 saves.

Forsberg, originally a Capitals draft pick, has a goal in each of Nashville's first four games, the first player in Predators history to do so.

''It is a little special, I'm not going to lie,'' Forsberg said of playing against the Capitals. ''Obviously nothing is really the same, management and stuff like that. It's fun. It's a lot of fun.''

Johansen tied it again at 7:37 of the second, but Washington went ahead 3-2 at 12:28 on Wilson's short-handed goal.

Notes: Rinne is 6-1-0 in his career against Washington. ... Nashville RW Rocco Grimaldi missed his first game of the season due to a lower-body injury. ... Capitals C Nicklas Backstrom played his 900th career NHL game. ... Ovechkin has now scored against 135 different goaltenders in his NHL career.

UP NEXT:

Capitals: Visit Dallas Stars Saturday.

Predators: Visit Los Angeles Kings Saturday.

---

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February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Ekholm's late goal leads Predators over Capitals, 6-5

New on Sports Illustrated: Maple Leafs overcome slow start, beat Wild 4-2

TORONTO (AP) The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a habit of falling behind early this season.

That didn't matter much against a slow, tired opponent Tuesday.

Mitch Marner had a goal and two assists and Toronto overcame a slow start and beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2.

''We weren't as good as we'd like to be in the first,'' Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said. ''We've got to do a better job.''

Andreas Johnsson had a goal and an assist, and Auston Matthews and John Tavares also scored for Toronto. Frederik Andersen made 27 saves.

Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly added four assists in the second period, tying a franchise record for assists in a period of a regular-season game set by Rick Vaive on March 12, 1984.

''We just talked about being patient and not trying to force too much,'' Rielly said. ''I thought we played a good first and obviously didn't get the results we wanted.''

Luke Kunin and Gerald Mayhew scored for Minnesota. Devan Dubnyk stopped 30 shots for the Wild, who were coming off a 2-0 win at Ottawa on Monday.

''It was definitely not the second period we wanted,'' Dubnyk said. ''You want to try and find a way out of that better than we did.''

Minnesota head coach Bruce Boudreau lamented his veteran roster's lack of foot speed, which was evident against the high-powered Leafs.

''I wish I had a magic potion to make everybody faster,'' Boudreau said. ''But I don't. That's why you've got to grind it out.''

After falling behind early for the sixth time in seven games overall and the fifth time in five home dates, Toronto rallied with four goals in the second period.

Tavares got things going at 1:58 when he scored on a slap shot off the post and past Dubnyk for his second of the season.

The goal came after head coach Mike Babcock moved Trevor Moore up to play with Tavares and Marner. Kasperi Kapanen slid down the lineup to join Alexander Kerfoot and Ilya Mikheyev.

''I've just been watching it ... no one seemed to be going,'' Babcock said of the switch. ''Tried it and it seemed to be OK, so we just stayed with it.''

Marner then gave the Leafs their first lead on a power play at 7:17. He took a no-look pass from Johnsson down low and fired a shot through the pads that Dubnyk.

The Wild, who will play 13 of their first 18 games on the road, appeared to have a chance to even the score later in the period, but Ryan Hartman pulled down Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin with Ryan Donato off to the races on a breakaway.

Toronto made Minnesota pay 10 seconds later when Johnsson batted a puck out of the air in Dubnyk's crease at 8:29. The Leafs connected on two of their first three power-play opportunities after entering 5 for 22 on the season.

Toronto went up 4-1 at 13:05, when Matthews scored his seventh on a pretty give-and-go with Marner off the rush and scoring on his own rebound after Dubnyk, made the initial stop after an awkward Wild change.

Andersen was called on to stop Marcus Foligno on a breakaway in the final minute of the second after the Leafs' fourth line and third defensive pair got caught being too aggressive in the offensive zone.

Andersen had to be sharp five minutes into the third on 3-on-1 break. He robbed Zach Parise after Toronto turned the puck over on an odd-man rush.

Johnsson nearly got his second later in the period, but his blast from the hash marks rattled the crossbar and stayed out.

Mayhew, who was making his NHL debut, scored late for the Wild.

The Wild opened the scoring at 5:29 of the first after Dubnyk stopped William Nylander on a break and killed off an early penalty.

Kunin got the puck at the top of the faceoff circle and fired a shot that beat Andersen.

NOTES: Mayhew, a 26-year-old product of Ferris State University and a veteran of 164 American Hockey League games, did a solo lap before warmups. ... Dubnyk entered the game 0-4-0 with a 4.56 goals-against average and .862 save percentage.

UP NEXT

Wild: At Montreal on Thursday.

Leafs: At the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.

---

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February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Maple Leafs overcome slow start, beat Wild 4-2

New on Sports Illustrated: Jost, Francouz help Avalanche beat Lightning 6-2

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Pavel Francouz overcome soe pregame jitters to get his second win in two career starts.

Francouz made 44 saves, Tyson Jost had three goals, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the high-powered Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 Saturday night to remain the only NHL team without a regulation loss this season.

''It was a great challenge,'' Francouz said. ''Of course I was a little bit nervous about the game. But I was trying to see it as fun. It was a fun night.''

The 29-year-old Francouz followed up his first career start and win Oct. 12 against Arizona with a number of nifty saves, including a post-to-post pad stop in the first on Ondrej Palat.

''Frankie was great,'' Colorado left wing Gabriel Landeskog said. ''He made some really amazing saves.''

Colorado's 7-0-1 start is the second-longest season opening point streak in franchise history, behind only the 9-0-2 start in 2000-01.

Jost opened the scoring 3:09 into the game and completed his first career hat trick with a pair of goals coming 2:49 apart early in the second period.

''We had some big nights from some guys,'' Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. ''The Jost line, for me, was outstanding especially the first half of the game. Those guys were a big difference maker tonight.''

Colorado, 3-0-1 on a six-game road trip, also got goals from Landeskog, Nazem Kadri and Mikko Rantanen. Colin Wilson had three assists.

Yanni Gourde and Victor Hedman scored for the Lightning, who returned home after a 3-2-1 road trip. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 18 shots.

''Look, we've been on the road pretty much the entire year since opening night,'' Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. ''There is a history in this league coming back off long road trips that you're hoping you can get through the game. Did our guys battle, did they work? They did. We got burned by a good team on a few errors in execution.''

The Avalanche went up 2-1 when Jost got his second goal at 3:17 of the second. After Landeskog scored at 5:48, Jost made it 4-1 just 18 seconds later from in-close off a pass by J.T. Compher.

Compher had two assists.

Kadri, Rantanen, who deked out two defenders, and Hedman had third-period goals.

Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov sent a penalty-shot backhander in the third over the net.

''We had enough chances,'' Cooper said. ''But all that matters is how many go into the net and they had way more than us.''

Tampa Bay's top line of Kucherov (six), Steven Stamkos (seven) and Brayden Point (one) combined for 14 shots but were pointless.

NOTES: Referee Kelly Sutherland left early in the first period with an undisclosed injury and did not return. Colorado D Cale Makar lost his balance skating through the low slot during an in-close scoring chance and collided with Sutherland in the corner. ... Avalanche C Nathan MacKinnon assisted on Landeskog's goal and has a point in all eight games this season.

UP NEXT:

Avalanche: At St. Louis on Monday night.

Lightning: Host Pittsburgh Wednesday night in the second of three straight home games.

---

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February 01, 2020 at 05:38AM
Jost, Francouz help Avalanche beat Lightning 6-2

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