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yyys123 · Joined: 08 Jul 2019 Posts: 855

VANCOUVER -- Senators rookie Cody Ceci is trying to help his team by helping his own cause. Cecis second-period goal stood up as the winner as the Ottawa Senators downed the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 before a disappointed crowd of more than 50,000 people Sunday in the NHL Heritage Classic. "It means a lot," said Ceci, a 20-year-old Ottawa native. "These are points that we need right now going down the stretch, and it means a lot to me. Im just trying to earn my spot here." The Senators (27-23-11) posted their first win in three games and kept pace in the race for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. The Canucks (28-25-10) suffered their ninth loss in 10 games and remained on the bubble in their quest for eighth in the Western Conference. Ceci put the Senators ahead 3-2 midway through the second. The defenceman moved up, took a pass from Jason Spezza, and fired home a shot from right wing on a three-on-two rush. He helped the Sens make a classic comeback as they produced four unanswered goals after trailing 2-0 in the first five minutes. The score was tied 2-2 after the first period before Ceci decided the outcome in the second and Greening closed out the scoring in the third. "I think it was huge that we tied the game before going into the intermission," said Ceci. "That was big for us, just because weve had it tough lately before the (Olympic) break and the game right after it." The Senators bounced back from a humiliating 6-1 home loss to Detroit on Thursday in their first game after the Olympic break. Ceci went minus-2 in the loss. "Its great to be young," said Senators coach Paul MacLean. "They have short memories." Both of Cecis goals this season have been game-winners. He led the Sens to a win over St. Louis in mid-December. Clarke MacArthur, Erik Karlsson and Colin Greening, into an empty net with 1:33 left in the game, also scored for Ottawa. Jason Garrison and Zack Kassian scored for the Canucks before Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson shut them out the rest of the game. Anderson, who appeared to have little difficulty playing in a stadium venue with different lighting than a traditional arena, posted his 20th win of the season, recording 29 saves as Vancouver outshot the Sens 31-28. MacLean praised Anderson for making difficult saves look easy, but the goaltenders calm demeanour between the pipes defied how he actually felt at the outset of the game. "It was one of those things where you have the butterflies going and the nerves going," he said. "Everythings just a little bit different than your usual normal routine. a Its a big win for us and its a great venue and its one of those things that well be smiling about for while, because its kind of a once-in-a-lifetime experience." Canucks goalie Eddie Lack, who appeared to be fighting the puck at times and gave up more rebounds than usual, suffered the loss as he drew his third consecutive start following the NHLs Olympic break. Nominal No. 1 Roberto Luongo watched from the bench while sporting a toque and replica vintage pads and gloves. Vancouver coach John Tortorella spent much of his post-game news conference talking about his goaltending decision rather than Vancouvers continued scoring struggles, which were made worse by Daniel Sedins departure due to injury in the second period. "Before this game, the way Eddie was playing, I thought (he) was our best chance to get these two points," said Tortorella. Fans chanted for Luongo during the game but Tortorella, who said he didnt notice the crowd activities, stuck with Lack. The coach said Luongo was angry about the decision, but believes the veteran goaltender will use the sit-down as motivation. "I thought (Lack) looked not himself, but he made some big saves, too," said Tortorella. "Im sure hed like to have that third one back." The game was designed as a tribute to the 1915 Stanley Cup final series between the eventual-champion Vancouver Millionaires and Ottawa Senators. The Canucks wore maroon and cream-coloured replica Millionaires jerseys while the Senators sported duds similar to those of their predecessors. Coaches wore varsity-styled jackets rather than their usual suits. "It was a pretty cool setting, just to have that many people watch the game, and it was loud all game long," said Ceci. "We were in Vancouver, but there was a lot of Ottawa fans, so its good to see fans come out all that way." The NHLs outdoor series was forced to go indoors as the B.C. Place Stadium roof was closed due to rain. The weather teased Vancouver and Ottawa players who had hoped the roof would remain open. "I was glad (organizers) had the option to close it, because it probably would have ruined the game if it was raining out," said Spezza. "The ice got bad as it was with it closed." While the main goal was to get two points, Spezza enjoyed playing the role of spoiler before the large crowd. "There was so much hype around the game and so much talk about it," he said. "Its nice to get the win. It makes it more enjoyable for everybody, our families included. We dont have to tippy-toe around tonight." Spezza, who provided a nifty backhand pass on Cecis winning goal, hopes the win is also the start of Ottawas march to the playoffs. "We had a tough one against Detroit," he said. "It was a very important game, and we knew that we needed this one." Tortorella felt the loss of Daniel Sedin, who was hurt in a collision with Ottawa defenceman Marc Methot affected his team offensively because lines had to be juggled. His twin brother Henrik was less than pleased with the outcome. "Thats a game we should have won," he said. Notes: Canadian music star Sarah McLachlan sang the national anthem. aMembers of the 1994 Canucks team that reached the Stanley Cup final and Canadas 2014 Olympic gold-medal-winning womens hockey squad were saluted before the game. a NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was in attendance. a The stadiums field was covered with fake snow and featured vintage Vancouver and Ottawa logos. Nike Vapormax Tilbud Danmark .ca. Kerry, In Mondays Habs/Bruins game, there were three questionable/brutal calls against the Habs late in the game - Tomas Plekanec, then Douglas Murray, then Brendan Gallagher. Vapormax Dame Tilbud Danmark . - Connor McDavid scored twice and added two assists as the Erie Otters beat the Sarnia Sting 7-3 on Saturday night in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.vapormaxdanmark.com/ . Atletico Madrid made it three wins from three thanks to a double from in-form striker Diego Costa in a 3-0 victory at Austria Vienna, leaving the Spanish side on the brink of the last 16 already to continue its brilliant start to the season. Vapormax Dame Danmark .Y. -- Florida Panthers captain Ed Jovanovski finally has something to show for all the pain he went through in overcoming a string of injuries that kept him sidelined for much of the past two years. Vapormax Sort Danmark . They kicked off the still-going trend of host cities winning the Grey Cup and sent Hall of Fame head coach Wally Buono to the front office a champion.MIAMI - Generally, the Raptors dont tend to play the what ifgame following a loss, Sundays being their first of the young season, but even they couldnt help but wonder what might have been if they had their starting power forward in uniform against the Heat. We missed him, theres no question about it, Dwane Casey said of Amir Johnson, a late scratch just ahead of the Raptors 107-102 loss in Miami, their 16th-straight defeat to the Heat and 10th-consecutive in South Beach. He gives you another roller to the basket, a guy who can score a little bit in the paint, he continued. He’s been doing a good job of scoring, he’s been doing a good job defensively. Johnson tweaked his troublesome left ankle early in Saturdays win over the Magic, staying in that game, but logging only 24 minutes. After getting pre-game treatment Sunday, he was ruled out - the teams medical staff opting for caution thisearly in the season. The Heat were without a couple of their bigs, as well. Chris Andersen missed the game with a bruised rib, while veteran Udonis Haslem continues to nurse a quad ailment. Returning from an injury, Josh McRoberts was only available to play spot minutes. With Miami playing small ball around the versatile Chris Bosh, this was a game in which the Raptors could have used their best help and rim defender. Tonight would have been a perfect game for Amir, DeMar DeRozan admitted after the loss. That’s Amir’s game. Do all the dirty work, rebound or even the tap outs to give us the chance to get the rebound. The most glaring disparity was the one on the boards. Toronto grabbed just 10 rebounds in the first half - compared to 24 for Miami - and was bested 43-28 on the glass in the game. Almost as concerning, the Heat shot an alarming 72 per cent at the rim and 63 per cent in the paint. Although they led the NBA in that category last year, they did it with LeBron James and managed 47 per cent in the painted area. The Raptors held opponents to 39 per cent shooting in the paint last season. That just wasn’t us, said DeRozan, who led Toronto with 30 points on the night. We just didn’t play good at all. You have to give credit to the Heat. They still played good, but things we can control, like making free throws and rebounding, that’s on us. Certainly, there were issues that went beyond the absence of Johnson and its purely speculative thinking to suggest that the final result would have been different with him in the line-up. Although Johnson would have probably put a dent in the rebounding disparity, its unlikely he would have pulled down 15. Bosh and Dwyane Wade each nearly out-rebounded the Raptors starters on their own.ddddddddddddHe also wouldnt have made up for the missed free throws - uncharacteristic for Toronto. They missed 15 of 39 attempts at the line, 11 courtesy of DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. Patrick Patterson started in place of Johnson and was held without a point or rebound in just under 15 minutes of action, a night after shooting 1-for-7 in Orlando. For Pat to have an off-night, it shouldn’t have been tonight, Casey said, unprompted after the game A lot of times guys will let their offensive woes go to the defensive end, he said of Pattersons early-season struggles. He had no rebounds and we’ve got to have him on the boards if Amir’s not there and he didn’t do that. Missing Amir was there, but that can’t be an excuse. Someone has to step up. The Raptors need more from Patterson, with or without Johnson in the line-up. A big part of their post-trade success last season and anchoring the teams improved second unit, Patterson was re-signed over the summer to replicate his 2013-14 impact and serve as insurance for Johnson. Prior to coming over from Sacramento, he had gotten off to a slow start last year as well. The forward shot just 41 per cent from the field and 23 per cent from three-point range in 17 games with the Kings before improving those clips to 48 per cent and 41 per cent, respectively, in Toronto. I will fix this, Patterson tweeted Monday. Of course, Johnson will be a free agent at the end of the campaign. Sunday nights game served as an early-season reminder of what makes him so valuable - his defence, rebounding, screening and spacing - and what makes him such a long-term risk - his wonky ankles. Johnson under went a procedure on his left ankle back in 2011. Although he didnt require surgery this summer - after turning both ankles on several occasions last season - he took a more innovative, preventative approach, spending time at the P3 (Peak Performance Project) sports clinic in Santa Barbara, California, studying methods that may help avoid future injury. A lot of those techniques - planting, jumping and landing differently - require him to alter learned muscle memory. Theyre helpful tools, but wont necessarily stave off the injury bug. More than ever the Raptors will need him as close to full health as possible at the end of the season and into the playoffs, a big reason why they made the decision to rest him early in the year. Hes considered day-to-day, but theyll continue to monitor his health and wont risk this becoming a nagging issue. ' ' '