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ST. Jerome Boateng Germany Jersey . PAUL, Minn. -- Now that the Senators have played themselves back into contention, the hard work really begins. Kyle Turris had a goal and an assist, Robin Lehner made 27 saves for his second career shutout and Ottawa beat the Minnesota Wild 3-0 on Tuesday night. Clarke MacArthur and Erik Condra also scored for the Senators, who head home after earning seven of a possible eight points on their four-game road trip. "All weve done now is set the table to keep doing it," said coach Paul MacLean, whose team has bounced back after winning only four times in its first 12 games. "Our team had been playing better and better as December rolled on, so the potential was there for us to have success on this road trip." Despite controlling play and outshooting the Wild 15-3 in the first period, Ottawa led only 1-0 on MacArthurs 16th of the season. With the Wild hanging around thanks to another strong effort from goalie Darcy Kuemper (29 saves), Condra won a race with Marco Scandella to a puck in front of the net and made it 2-0 at 5:55 of the third. Turris scored on the power play at 17:38 of the third to put the game away. "Tough start. Our first period wasnt good enough," Wild forward Jason Pominville said. "We were better in the second, but unfortunately gave up the first goal. Its tough to come back when you give up the first goal." Playing recently without forwards Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise and top goalie Josh Harding, the Wild had won five of their last six, scoring 21 goals during that span. But scoring opportunities were tough to come by against Ottawa, which is a much better defensive team on the road than at home. When the Wild did get scoring chances, Lehner turned them away. Making his first start since losing 5-0 to Boston on Dec. 27, Lehner notched his first shutout since Feb. 28, 2012, against Boston. "It was kind of tough in the beginning. I tried to stay focused, and didnt want to spin off in my head there," Lehner said. "It feels good to come back and get a win." Lehners play picked up right where regular goalie Craig Anderson left off. Anderson is 6-0-2 over his last eight starts. MacArthurs goal was his fifth in six games and it came after he redirected a centring pass from Turris into the net. Wild coach Mike Yeo wanted offside called on the play, and yelled at the officials from the bench as the teams lined up for the ensuing faceoff. "The bottom line is, when youre more engaged in the game, when youre on top of your game, things like that dont beat you," Yeo said. "We werent good enough to win this hockey game tonight." Kuemper was coming off his first career shutout on Sunday and has stopped 91 of 95 shots since being recalled from Iowa of the AHL on Jan. 2. It was the second time Minnesota was shut out this season and the third time Ottawa has blanked an opponent. "We knew that we were going to have to get on a run just to get back into the (playoff) picture, so now we cant let up," Turris said. "We need to keep going. There are five or six teams trying to get into that last spot." NOTES: Harding took part in the morning skate, but theres no timetable yet for his return to game action. He missed his seventh straight game, and 11th out of 13, due to his recovery from an adjustment to his multiple sclerosis treatment. ... Parise skated on his own for the first time since before Christmas. He missed his 11th straight game because of a foot injury. "I cant predict what that means as far as when hell be in the lineup, but an important first step for sure," Yeo said. ... Colin Greening became the 40th player in Ottawa history to skate in 200 games. ... Ottawa D Chris Phillips left midway through the third period after getting hit in the face with a puck. Oliver Kahn Germany . The Vikings announced Saturday they downgraded Peterson from doubtful on the original injury report to out against Detroit Sunday, when the Vikings and Lions will play the last game at the Metrodome. Jerome Boateng Germany .C. -- The Grand Rapids Griffins are back atop the Western Conference thanks to a gritty come-from-behind win Saturday night.VANCOUVER -- Vancouver Canucks 2013 first-round draft choice Hunter Shinkaruk will undergo hip surgery in early January and is expected to miss the rest of the WHL season. "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. Shinkaruks minimum recovery time gives him a chance to return in mid-May for the Memorial Cup tournament, if his Medicine Hat Tigers qualify by winning the WHL championship. But the odds of him coming back quickly appear long, given that hip problems usually rank among the most serious and require extended rehabilitation periods. Shinkaruk was chosen 24th overall in this years NHL draft and was among Vancouvers last pre-season cuts. The Medicine Hat captain was invited to Team Canadas selection camp for the world junior hockey championships, but was released for the second straight year after travelling to Sweden with the club before the tournament started. "Hes got a slightly torn labrum," said Gillis. "But it doesnt matter if its slightly or more torn. He suffered it early on in the season, tried to play through it and wanted to have an opportunity to make the world junior team. Clearly, his play droopped off fairly considerably after the injury. Matthias Ginter Germany Jersey. . "He gave it his best effort and the plan all along was that this (decision to have surgery) was going to happen regardless, so it happened a little bit earlier." Gillis said the injury contributed to Shinkaruk, a 19-year-old Calgary native, not having the best opportunity to make Team Canada. The surgery will be performed in Vail, Colo., by Dr. Marc Phillipon, who specializes in repairing hip disorders. Shinkaruk was among two first-round choices selected by Vancouver this year. The Canucks took London Knights centre Bo Horvat with the ninth pick, which they acquired in a draft-day trade from New Jersey for goaltender Cory Schneider. Gillis expects Shinkaruk to be healthy in time for Vancouvers training camp in the fall. "We think hell make a fully recovery and that hell be fully cleared to try and make the hockey club in September," said Gillis. Shinkaruk has recorded five goals and 11 assists for 16 points with the Tigers this season. His junior team is also optimistic that he will bounce back from the ordeal. "We wish Hunter all the best for a successful surgery and a full recovery," said Medicine Hat general manager and coach Shaun Clouston in a release. ' ' ' |
