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Ottawa Senators suffer devastating and costly loss to Dallas Stars

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STARS 5, SENATORS 4

A stop in the Lone Star state did nothing to brighten the spirits of the Ottawa Senators during the holiday season.

On a night the Senators were trying to find their way out of the hole they have dug themselves into after two straight losses, they let a third-period lead slip away and dropped a 5-4 decision to the Dallas Stars on Friday at the American Airlines Arena.

Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg wasn’t able to shut the door when his teammates need him most and he turned in yet another sub-par performance. Former Senators centre Matt Duchene and Miro Heiskanen scored in a span of 44 seconds in the third period to put the game away.

That ruined a two-goal effort by Drake Batherson. Ottawa also got goals from Josh Norris and Travis Hamonic.

“It was a tough game. We got off to the start we wanted, we got the lead after two and they get a few bounces to take a lead,” Batherson told TSN 1200’s Gord Wilson. “It was good on the guys for battling but we were a bounce away.

“We treated this as a must-win game. We had a great start, we got a few bounces early and then the game turned out the way it did.”

Playing their third game in four days, the Senators were trying to atone themselves for an embarrassing 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and a 4-2 decision in St. Louis on Thursday.

The Senators had the right response, but third period mistakes turned out to be costly.

Not only do your goaltenders have to steal the odd game, they also have to make the necessary saves. Forsberg couldn’t do anything on Duchene’s go-ahead goal at 8:17 of the third because it bounced off Norris’ stick, but the club needed a stop on Heiskenan’s effort at 7:33, which tied the game.

 

Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston (53) and Ottawa Senators center Ridly Greig
Dallas Stars centre Wyatt Johnston (53) and Ottawa Senators centre Ridly Greig (71) fight for control of the puck during the second period. Photo by Michael Ainsworth /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A shorthanded effort by Thomas Harley with 8:39 left in the second allowed the Stars to pull to within a goal. Harley was allowed to push it through Forsberg’s five-hole when he couldn’t find it. That was the second goal that Forsberg should have had on this night.

This just wasn’t NHL goaltending.

As the Senators prepare to face the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday to continue this road trip, the focus has turned to the future of coach D.J. Smith again because this team continues to struggle to get the job done defensively.

“We deserved better for sure,” said Smith. “We played most of the night with nine guys. The effort and the commitment was there for sure on the back-to-back. You just want to get out of here with a win.

“They care in there, everyone cares, and it’s a tough one tonight.”

Unfortunately, Smith and the Senators couldn’t get a save and you wonder how long this can go on without Steve Staios, the club’s interim GM, taking action.

OFF THE GLASS

The Senators finished the game without winger Mathieu Joseph and centre Rourke Chartier. Joseph left after the first period with a lower-body injury. and Chartier didn’t return for the third period because of a lower body injury. That left Ottawa with only 10 forwards and Smith had no update post-game … Batherson’s second goal of the game, which gave the Senators a 4-2 lead at 3:54 of the second period, was a beauty. He picked up a loose puck and went upstairs on Dallas goalie Scott Wedgewood … Ten seconds after Norris scored his first on the road this season at 13:20 of the first period, Esa Lindell cut Ottawa’s lead to 3-2 only 10 seconds later. It beat Forsberg glove side and he has to make that stop. It’s a must … D Jakob Chychrun posted three assists and has eight helpers in his last five games. The TV camera also caught him using Dallas runway to leave the ice after the first period to head to the room. “It’s a tough one to swallow,” Chychrun said.

 

STOPS AND STARTS

The Senators got off to the kind of start they needed by pulling out to an early 2-0 lead on two shots. Batherson’s ninth of the year at 1:51 gave the club the two-goal advantage. He picked up his own rebound and beat Jake Oettinger from the slot. Hamonic scored his first goal since Nov. 11 when his shot from the point changed direction and beat Oettinger only 1:16 into the game. That was Hamonic’s first goal in 12 games … Wedgewood was forced into the net at 8:03 of the first period. Oettinger removed himself with what appeared to be a leg injury after he made an awkward save on Claude Giroux. The Senators had scored two goals on three shots before he left … A first-period goal by Dallas’ Joe Pavelski moved him into a tie for eighth place in NHL career points with defenceman Brian Leetch. That was point No. 1,028 of Pavelski’s career.

 

Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) shoves Dallas Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa
Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) shoves Dallas Stars defenceman Jani Hakanpaa (2) during the third period. Photo by Michael Ainsworth /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TARASENKO MISSES THIS ONE

The Senators were without winger Vladimir Tarasenko in Dallas.

The 32-year-old Tarasenko, signed as an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, was scheduled to suit up for the 700th game of his NHL career. He has six goals and 19 points in 24 games this season.

“With the team’s support, forward Vladimir Tarasenko will miss tonight’s game in Dallas as he attends to a family matter,” the club said in a statement on X a couple of hours before puck drop.

He is about to become the 142nd active player in the NHL to play 700 games in their career.

The decision to allow Tarasenko to leave the team meant Chartier, who was scheduled to be a healthy scratch along with blueliner Jacob Larsson, dressed and was used in a fourth-line role.

Zack MacEwen also returned to the lineup.

Dallas Stars goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) blocks a shot by Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle
Dallas Stars goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) blocks a shot by Ottawa Senators centre Tim Stutzle (18) during the third period. Photo by Michael Ainsworth /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

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Canada’s Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Routliffe pick up second win at WTA Finals

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.

The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.

The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.

Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.

Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.

The final is scheduled for Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.

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Allen nets shutout as Devils burn Oilers 3-0

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EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.

Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.

The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.

Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.

TAKEAWAYS

Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.

Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.

KEY MOMENT

New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.

KEY RETURN?

Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.

OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN

The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.

The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.

UP NEXT

Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.

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Mahomes throws 3 TD passes, unbeaten Chiefs beat Buccaneers 30-24 in OT

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.

DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.

Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.

Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.

Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.

It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.

The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.

Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.

Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.

The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”

Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.

The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.

Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.

UP NEXT

Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Chiefs: Host the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

AP NFL:

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