, is now on the cusp of a fourth straight appearance in the semifinals | Forum
miaowang123
Feb 6 '18
WASHINGTON - Alex Ovechkin scored goals. Jason Kasdorf Jersey . Sidney Crosby lost faceoffs.Lots and lots of faceoffs.The latest Ovi-Sid showdown was a no-contest. Ovechkin netted twice to take the NHL lead in goals, and Crosby struggled mightily in his return from his latest injury as the Washington Capitals snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.That was more of the team that Im used to seeing, said Capitals coach Barry Trotz, clearly relieved after a recent spate of too much finesse and too many blown leads.Ovechkin had a tip-in goal in the first period and then scored from his customary spot in the left circle with a one-timer on a power play in the second. His 29 goals are one more than Rick Nash and Tyler Seguin.Eric Fehr and Mike Green scored in the third, and Braden Holtby recovered from a mini-slump to get his fifth shutout of the season.But nothing was more jarring than the sight of Crosby lining up again and again in the faceoff circle and having the puck go the opposite way time after time. He lost 15 of his first 18 faceoffs and finished 17 of 24, a 29 per cent success rate that is among the worst in his 594 NHL games.Im not sure what it was, Penguins coach Mike Johnston said. But I know after the first period and partway through the second we were monitoring faceoffs and we werent doing too well as a team on draws. Usually on nights like that its help from your wingers on draws. Its not always the centres.It was Crosbys first appearance since receiving an injection last week to treat a lower-body injury that caused him to miss one game as well as the NHL All-Star game.Crosby didnt seem fazed much by the faceoff struggles. He said there are nights that for whatever reason, bounces and stuff like that dont go a centres way.I thought we wanted to win them, he said. Its a matter of executing it.The chief beneficiary was Fehr, who is getting more comfortable as a centre and won 17 of 22 draws. When the teams met in Pittsburgh last month, both Crosby and Fehr were 7 for 18.He got me pretty good in Pittsburgh, Fehr said, so maybe just the home-ice advantage helped. ... I was confident in the circle today and felt good.The Penguins also played their third straight without franchise stalwart Evgeni Malkin, who also has a lower-body injury. Pittsburgh has lost five of six.Holtby had been the stabilizing force that helped the Capitals recover from a slow start to the season, but had allowed four goals in each of his last three starts. On Wednesday he was back to his reliable self, stopping 27 shots to blank the Penguins for the second time in a little over a month. Pittsburgh hasnt scored on Washington in 120 minutes this season.You cant just keep saying theres more time left in the season. You want to fix these things as soon as they happen, Pittsburgh defenceman Rob Scuderi said. I dont think its certainly any time to panic yet, but we certainly would like to get our fingers on the problem immediately.NOTES: Ovechkin has 43 points in 37 regular-season games vs. the Penguins. ... The Capitals have earned a point in 10 consecutive home games. ... Looking to shake things up because of the losing streak, Trotz played Michael Latta after sitting the young centre for nine of the previous 10 games. Lattas most noticeable contribution was a tussle with Steve Downie in a fight-filled third period. Andre Burakovsky was scratched for the first time since New Years Day. ... Johnston said Malkin might return for next weeks Canada road trip: If he gets on the ice (for practice) this weekend, then we would plan on probably taking him out west.___Follow Joseph White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP ;Ryan Miller Jersey . Cammalleri suffered a concussion in the Flames 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. The 31-year-old forward did not travel with the team to Carolina. Robin Lehner Jersey . The Indians scored twice in the top of the ninth, getting the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by closer Matt Lindstrom. Axford (0-1) came in seeking his fifth save in as many chances.MADRID, Spain -- Cristiano Ronaldo scored a record equaling goal before exiting to injury as Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 on Wednesday to take a big step toward the Champions League semifinals. Ronaldo netted his 14th goal of the season in Europes top competition to give Madrid a clear advantage ahead of next weeks quarterfinal return leg in Germany. But it came at a price as the Portugal forward, who came into the first-leg nursing a sore left knee, came off in the 80th minute. Gareth Bale scored early and Isco added another before the half hour mark at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. "Ronaldo has a problem with his knee but at this moment Im not worried about it," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. The Spaniards opened against Dortmund as the Germans had against them in the semifinals last season -- when they thrashed Madrid 4-1 en route to reaching the final with a 4-3 victory on aggregate. In Wednesdays other quarterfinal first leg, Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea 3-1 in the French capital. Madrid certainly didnt need inspiration after last seasons loss to Dortmund, which was without suspended striker Robert Lewandowski and five more regulars to injury as it fielded just four of the players present in last seasons 4-1 win. "The goals we gave up tonight were not because of this," Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said. "It was too easy (for them), and thats not what we wanted. We made some mistakes and we were punished." The energetic start saw Bale nearly miss Dani Carvajals short pass inside the area before stretching to toe poke his fifth goal of the competition under goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller after just three minutes. Weidenfeller was sharp despite Madrids early onslaught as he punched free kicks from Ronaldo and Bale over the bar. He also stayed in the game despite wincing in pain after Marco Reus made a clearance that also connected with the keepers hands. With forward Angeel Di Maria out to a gastro virus, Isco showed good poise to gather a loose ball in front of the area and slide home a low shot for 2-0 in the 27th minute. Evan Rodrigues Jersey. . The Spain midfielders goal was just the boost Madrid needed as Dortmund began to find its rhythm, with Kevin Grosskreutz forcing Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas into a low stop in the 33rd. Ronaldo, playing in his 100th Champions League game, was clearly eager to match the record 14 goals scored by Lionel Messi in one Champions League campaign. Luka Modric made it happen as the Croat pounced on a poor Dortmund pass deep in its own area in the 57th minute and picked out Ronaldo, who dribbled around Weidenfeller for his 45th goal of the season. Jose Altafini also scored 14 goals in the 1962/63 European Cup campaign for AC Milan. "We did what we prepared for well," Ancelotti said. "We used a lot of energy in the first half and were tired. So we dropped the team back a little in the second half -- while looking to score on the counter." While Ronaldo and Karim Benzema continued to threaten Dortmunds goal, Madrid was fortunate not to concede under pressure as Pepe blocked Reus shot from inside the area after Casillas failed to control a cross. Madrids defence blocked several Dortmund shots during the final stages. "You have to do the right tactical things against the best teams in the world. We can do better than we did tonight," said Klopp, who rued the late misses. "(Losing) 3-0 you are not cool, you are not confident, you are under pressure and you are not confident in the box. We had chances." Madrid, which is vying for a record 10th European Cup, is now on the cusp of a fourth straight appearance in the semifinals -- a welcome lift after a difficult run in the Spanish league. In Tuesdays matches, defending champion Bayern Munich drew 1-1 at Manchester United, and Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 at Barcelona. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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