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Athanasiou leads Blackhawks past Sens in OT; Neil honoured

Published

1 month ago

February 18, 2023

Harry Miller

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators know they let two points slip away from them.

Andreas Athanasiou capped the Chicago Blackhawks’ comeback with the game-winning goal 2:52 into overtime to defeat the Senators 4-3 Friday. It was a disappointing ending to a night that started with celebrations to honour Chris Neil’s number 25 being raised to the rafters.

“We just made too many turnovers to finish off the game,” said Ottawa forward Brady Tkachuk. “It can’t happen, especially on a night like tonight where we’re honouring a Sens legend, a legend in this community.

“It stinks.”

Patrick Kane scored twice, including the game-tying marker, for Chicago (17-32-5) to send the contest to extra time. Sam Lafferty also scored for the Blackhawks, who snapped a three-game skid.

Petr Mrazek stopped 28 shots.

Tkachuk, Claude Giroux and Shane Pinto each scored for Ottawa (26-24-4), while Mads Sogaard made 28 saves. The Senators had won six of their last seven coming into the game.

“I think we’re just frustrated right now,” said Giroux. “Any time you have a 3-1 lead, you want to be a team that knows how to shut teams down.”

After entering the third period tied 1-1, the Senators put away two early goals to take control of the game.

Giroux capitalized on a pass from Alex DeBrincat, a former Blackhawk, and beat Mrazek off his backhand 2:11 into the frame. Just over two minutes later, Tkachuk padded Ottawa’s lead.

But the Blackhawks fought back. Lafferty took advantage of a puck bouncing past Thomas Chabot and broke in alone to beat Sogaard for a short-handed goal 10:49 into the period.

With 3:05 remaining, Kane scored his second of the night to tie it. The goal was Kane’s 1,217th career point, giving him the third most points among U.S.-born players.

“(I was) just kind of reading what the defenceman was doing,” said Kane. “He looked like he was kind of playing the middle, didn’t really come over at me at the start and then he slipped at the end and I thought I had a good chance to shoot and picked my corner.”

Sogaard took much of the responsibility for the loss.

“It’s pretty obvious if you give (Kane) just a little bit of room he’s going to capitalize,” he said. “You’re going to see that in this league.

“There’s great players on every team and his skill set is obviously at the top of the league, but that’s short side and that’s my responsibility and I’ve got to do a better job.”

Senators head coach D.J. Smith, meanwhile, was visibly frustrated post-game.

“We had three grade “A” looks (in overtime) … but it shouldn’t get there, that’s what it really comes down to,” he said. “It’s the NHL and if you lay off the gas just for a second that’s what happens.”

The win allowed the Blackhawks to salvage a disappointing road trip that saw them go 0-3-0 before Friday.

“Give our team a lot of credit,” said Chicago head coach Luke Richardson. “We have guts and we played hard right until the end. (Our players) really pushed to tie that game up and I’m really glad they persevered and got the win.”

The Blackhawks opened the scoring just 44 seconds into the game when Max Domi fed a wide-open Kane, who roofed it over Sogaard’s shoulder. Kane has a 12-game point streak against the Senators (nine goals, 20 assists) dating back to Dec. 2015.

Derick Brassard sent a point shot that went off Pinto to make it 1-1 7:31 into the second period.

INTERESTING FACT OR STAT

The Senators raised Neil’s jersey to the rafters before the game. Neil played 1,026 games across 15 seasons with Ottawa. The 43-year-old is one of only two players in NHL history to play over 1,000 games and compile over 2,500 penalty minutes while playing his entire career for one team.

A number of former teammates were on hand, including Daniel Alfredsson and Chris Phillips, who are the only other two former Senators to have their number retired. Richardson, a former teammate and coach of Neil’s, stood to watch the ceremony.

NOTES

Ottawa goalie Cam Talbot skated for the first time since he got injured on Jan. 25, but there is no timetable for his return. Austin Watson missed the game due to illness.

UP NEXT

The Senators are back in action Sunday afternoon when they take on the St. Louis Blues, while the Blackhawks will return home and host the Toronto Maple Leafs Sunday night.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2023.

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Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors Live Score and Stats – March 26, 2023 Gametracker – CBS Sports

Published

40 mins ago

March 27, 2023

Harry Miller

TORONTO (AP) O.G. Anunoby scored 29 points, Fred VanVleet had 28 and the Toronto Raptors never trailed in a 114-104 win over Washington Wizards on Sunday.

Pascal Siakam had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Jakob Poeltl had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Anunoby had 11 made baskets, two shy of his career-high. All four of his 3-pointers came in the first quarter.

“O.G. obviously had it going tonight,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

Ninth-place Toronto clinched the three-game season series with the Wizards and maintained a three-game lead over 11th-place Washington in the Eastern Conference standings. Both teams have seven games remaining.

Toronto and Atlanta have identical 37-38 records, but the Hawks won two of three against the Raptors this season to clinch the tiebreaker.

Scottie Barnes scored 13 points in his return to the starting lineup after missing two games because of a sore left wrist as the Raptors won for the ninth time in 10 home games.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 26 points and Corey Kispert had 19 for the Wizards, who have lost eight of 10.

Washington made 18 turnovers, leading to 25 points for Toronto, and was outscored 27-11 in second-chance points.

“Our ball security wasn’t where it should be,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “Obviously they thrive in that area. We allowed their strengths to beat us.”

Deni Avdija and Johnny Davis each scored 15 points for Washington and Daniel Gafford had 10.

The short-handed Wizards played without guard Bradley Beal (left knee) for the third straight game, while forward Kyle Kuzma (right ankle) sat for the fourth straight game. Washington was also without guard Monte Morris (left groin).

“Right now, those guys are a level higher,” Porzingis said of Toronto. “ Us without our main guys, it’s a difficult task.”

Anunoby almost single-handedly outscored the Wizards with a career-high 18 points in the first quarter as Toronto led 37-21 after one. Anunoby shot 7 for 10 in the first, making 4 of 6 from long range.

“He got hot,” Porzingis said. “He was hitting 3’s, he was hitting some post-up shots. He was hitting everything else.”

Held scoreless in the opening quarter, Siakam scored 11 points in the second to give the Raptors a 63-46 halftime lead.

Porzingis scored 12 points in the third as Washington outscored Toronto 38-24. The Wizards closed to within a point, 80-79, on a 3 by Davis with 2:16 left in the quarter, but were unable to take the lead. Toronto took an 87-84 lead to the fourth.

Anunoby scored five points as the Raptors opened the fourth with a 13-3 run to restore their double-digit lead.

TIP-INS

Wizards: Shot 1 for 8 from 3-point range in the first quarter, but went 15 for 28 over the final three quarters. Washington shot 8 for 12 from long range in the third. … Former Raptor Delon Wright shot 2 for 9 and scored five points. Wright had eight assists and seven rebounds. … Lost their fourth straight road game. … Avdija had nine rebounds and seven assists.

Raptors: F Precious Achiuwa also returned after missing two games because of a sore right hamstring. … G Gary Trent Jr. (right elbow) sat for the third straight game. … G Will Barton left in the first quarter because of a sprained left ankle and did not return.

SPIN TO WIN

Barnes forced a steal and finished with a 360-degree dunk for his first basket of the game.

“I thought it was great,” Anunoby said.

MAGIC TOUCH

Toronto has won or tied the past 12 season series with Washington. The Raptors lost three of four to the Wizards in 2007-08.

WIRE-TO-WIRE WINS

The Raptors won without trailing for the fifth time. They also did it Dec. 7 against the Lakers, Jan. 12 against Charlotte, Jan. 28 at Portland, and March 14 against Denver.

UP NEXT

Wizards: Host Boston on Tuesday.

Raptors: Host Miami on Tuesday. —

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

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Maple Leafs @ Predators 3/26 | NHL Highlights 2023 – NHL

Published

2 hours ago

March 27, 2023

Harry Miller

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Switzerland win LGT World Women’s Curling Championship 2023

Published

13 hours ago

March 26, 2023

Harry Miller

Defending champions Switzerland beat Norway by 6-3 in Sunday afternoon’s gold medal final at the LGT World Women’s Curling Championship 2023.

This was a fourth successive world title for skip Silvana Tirinzoni, fourth player Alina Paetz and second Carole Howald. For Paetz and Howald it is a sixth world women’s championship title.

After blanking the first end, Switzerland’s fourth player Alina Paetz opened the scoring with a single point in the second end when she played a raise take-out.

The Swiss still led by 1-0 in the fourth end when Norway’s fourth player Kristin Skaslien had a complete miss on an attempt to blank the end and gave up a steal of one point to double Switzerland’s lead to 2-0.

In the fifth end, Skaslien made amends with a draw to put two points on the board for Norway, that levelled the score at 2-2.

After another blank end in the sixth, Switzerland took the lead again in the seventh end when Paetz brought her last stone draw inside three Norwegian stones to score one (3-2).

Norway levelled again at 3-3, in the eighth end when Skaslien played a hit to promote one of her own stones into scoring position.

In the ninth end, Switzerland’s Paetz played her final draw precisely onto the button and inside three Norwegian stones, to score one and nudge her team into a 4-3 lead.

In the tenth end, Norway’s Skaslien had a draw to tie the game and force an extra end, but her shot came up short to hand Switzerland a steal of two points and a 6-3 win.

Swiss celebration after the final © WCF / Jeffrey Au

The gold medal winning Swiss team are: skip and third player Silvana Tirinzoni, fourth Alina Paetz, second Carole Howald and lead Briar Schwaller-Huerlimann, supported by their coach Pierre Charette.

The silver medal winning Norwegian team are: skip Marianne Roervik, fourth Kristin Skaslien, second Mille Haslev Nordbye, lead Martine Roenning and alternate Maia Ramsfjell, supported by their coach Rune Steen Hansen.

Gold medal game result

Norway-Switzerland: 3-6

Engage with the World Curling Federation about the LGT World Women’s Curling Championship 2023 on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Weibo and be searching the hashtags #WWCC2023 #curling