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OTTAWA, Ont. Nike Seahawks Russell Wilson Steel Blue Team Color Super Bowl XLIX Mens Stitched NFL Elite Autographed Jersey . -- The Ottawa Senators know they need to make the most of every advantage if they want to be part of the playoff picture. On Thursday night, the Senators benefited from the Tampa Bay Lightnings misfortune and walked away with a 5-3 win. While the Lightning were disappointed by their performance, they were more concerned with their star goaltenders well being. Ben Bishop, who has been nothing short of outstanding for Tampa this season, was injured in the opening minutes of the game and did not return. "I had a little bit of a headache, but its gotten better as the game went on," said Bishop. "Hopefully Ill wake up (Friday) and feel better and be able to practice." Bishop, who was playing his first game in Ottawa since being traded to the Lightning last April, came way out of his net to play the puck and ended up getting kicked in the head by teammate Nikita Kucherov. The goalie lay on the ice motionless, silencing the 19,757 on hand before he was able to leave the game on his own volition. "It was very disappointing," said Bishop. "Its almost sad. I was happy to be back and excited to play and then that happens right away." On the same play, the Senators Marc Methot scored into a wide-open net picking up his fifth of the season for a career high. Erik Karlsson, Zack Smith, Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan also scored for the Senators (24-20-10) as Craig Anderson stopped 35 shots. The win allowed the Senators, with 58 points, to move into a tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the eighth and final playoff spot, but the Blue Jackets hold the tie-breaker with more wins (27). "You have to take care of the games you have and we did that (Thursday)," said Ryan. "If you dont, youre going to be on the outside looking in and thats not where we want to be." Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson and Victor Hedman scored for the Lightning (31-18-5), who have now lost two straight. Anders Lindback faced 28 shots. "It was a tale of two different teams," said Tampa coach Jon Cooper. "The one thing that concerned me was we didnt play desperate. Theres one thing about competing really hard, but we just didnt seem to have that desperation. Whether that was because of the way the game started, but at some point you have to turn the page." Ottawa made it 2-0 with 25 seconds remaining in the period as Jason Spezza took a stretch pass from Milan Michalek, froze the Lightning defence, and found Karlsson all alone in front of a wide-open net. The Lightning cut the lead in half as Killorn beat Anderson cleanly, but it wasnt enough as the Senators went on to score two more by the end of the period to take a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes. Smith made it 3-1 as he grabbed a loose puck at the side of the net, moved in front and put a shot off the crossbar that bounced off Lindback and in. Turris then picked up his 18th late in the period as Ryan fought off Victor Hedman and left the puck back for Turris who buried it. Ryan made it 5-1 early in the third as he picked up his team-leading 20th of the season. It was his first goal in six games. "You hope therell be a domino effect (from the goal) and I can move forward with it," said Ryan. Johnson made it 5-2 scoring shorthanded late in the third. Tampa pulled Lindback with over three minutes remaining in regulation and made the most of the man advantage as Hedman made it 5-3. The Lightning made the final minutes exciting as they kept Lindback on the bench, but were unable to complete the comeback. "I thought we battled really hard in the last few minutes," said St. Louis. "I guess the desperation came in too late I guess." In addition to losing Bishop, the Lightning also lost leading scorer Valterri Filpulla early in the second. Filpulla returned briefly, but then left the game with a lower body injury. Cooper had no update on Filpulla and said he would be re-evaluated Friday. Notes: LW Milan Michalek picked up his 200th career NHL assist on Ottawas second goal. D Chris Phillips missed his second straight game with a lower body injury. D Joe Corvo and LW Matt Kassian were healthy scratches for Ottawa. D Keith Aulie and C Tom Pyatt were healthy scratches for the Lightning. With an assist on the Lightnings third goal Martin St. Louis, with 965 career points, moved into a tie with Maurice Richard for 85th place in the NHLs all-time scoring leaders. It was also St. Louis 600th NHL assist. Womens Stitched Nike Seahawks Kam Chancellor White Super Bowl XLIX Elite Jersey . KINGS TAKE FREEWAY SERIES The Los Angeles Kings stormed the Anaheim Ducks early in Game Seven, building a 3-0 first-period lead on their way to a 6-2 decision, earning the Kings a rematch with the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Final. Nike Patriots Tom Brady Navy Blue Team Color Super Bowl XLIX Womens Portrait Fashion Game Jersey . PAUL, Minn.TORONTO - The Raptors learned a little bit about themselves in a narrow defeat to the Chicago Bulls Wednesday, a game with playoff-type intensity and their third consecutive against an opponent directly behind them in the standings. On Thursday theyll learn even more. Despite the cloud of uncertainty that has followed them around from the moment general manager Masai Ujiri was brought in to put his stamp on the franchise, the Raptors have surpassed all pre-season expectations. They have navigated through early-season tank speculation, theyve come together after a momentum shifting seven-player deal and they continue to block out the noise emitting from the incessant batch of rumours surrounding their starting point guard. At 3:00 PM et Thursday afternoon all that noise will be muzzled until the offseason, all the uncertainty finally put to bed. Finally, they will all know where they stand, at least for the next couple months. So, with the big day rapidly approaching, will Kyle Lowry - the primary subject of trade speculation - be losing any sleep on the eve of the deadline? "Nope," scoffed the Raptors point guard, as that question was posed following his teams 94-92 loss to the Bulls. "Not at all." "Any other questions about that," he asked, daring the hoard of local media to try their luck again. There were no more questions. It was worth a try, after all, its the question thats on everyones mind. Will Lowry be wearing a Raptors jersey when the team hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday? Still, it was a futile attempt to get a rise out of a player who has been relatively unshakable all season. Lowry, like the rest of his teammates, is fully aware of whats at stake as he waits to learn his fate. The upcoming deadline has been on the their minds, whether they care to admit it or not, but its not a subject thats welcome for discussion in the locker room. "Thankfully on this team, no, no ones talked about it, no ones mentioned it," said Patrick Patterson, ahead of the teams win in Washington Tuesday. "The only thing Ive seen is just stuff on Twitter, the internet, Bleacher Report, whatever, yada, yada, yada, rumours but as far as this group of guys from tthe coaching staff on down to each player on the roster, no one has mentioned anything.Youth Nike Seahawks Marshawn Lynch Steel Blue C Patch Super Bowl XLIX Stitched Elite Jersey. quot; Patterson arrived in the trade from Sacramento on Dec. 9, along with Kings teammates Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons and Chuck Hayes. Since then, this team has gelled in a way that no one could have possibly imagined, going 22-12 with the new additions in uniform. Chemistry is a word thats been used to describe this group both on and off the floor and, as Ujiri has insisted, its something the Raptors general manager values above all else. Ujiri, in conversation with TSN.ca over the weekend, expressed a reluctance to disrupt that newfound chemistry unless the right deal comes along. Hes not alone. Dwane Casey wouldnt mind seeing 15 familiar faces in the locker room when he comes into work on Friday. "I like our guys," Casey said. "I know Masai is working 24/7 on the phones and looking at different scenarios. We talked a long time today. But I like our guys. If we (bring) our team back Im happy." "I always said since I came (here), the players will dictate where we go and the team will dictate where we go," Ujiri told TSN.ca on Sunday. "Thats kind of how its been." The players have spoken. The Raptors hold third place in the Eastern Conference, a 1/2 game in front of the fourth-seeded Bulls after Wednesdays loss. They were outplayed on both ends of the floor in the second night of a back-to-back. It was a brutally physical and fiercely competitive game in which seven technical fouls were handed out. The Raptors were down and out early but they fought back, as they have done time and time again, showing mental and physical toughness. Theyre a resilient bunch, theyve proven that, and they believe theyve earned the right to see this thing out. "I believe that nothing will (happen Thursday)," Patterson predicted. "No trades will be made due to the success that weve had since the (Sacramento deal)." "Why break up something thats been going so well," he asked, rhetorically. "None of us are talking about trades, none of us are talking about wanting to leave and everyone is happy with the current situation."cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' ' |
