Laberecke » He and his foundation bought the diagn

OTTAWA -- Milan Michalek hasnt scored much for the Ottawa Senators this season, but his first game-winning goal of the year couldnt have come at a better time. Michalek scored his second goal of the game and 10th of the season with 23 second left as Ottawa defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Thursday. "We believe theres still lots of goals left in Milan, but its taken a long time to get them out this year," Senators coach Paul MacLean said. "With his work ethic and his play without the puck and his abilities on the penalty kill, theres never been a question about his contributions to the team. "We knew if he would just stay with it good things would happen for him." The Sabres had fought back to tie the game with two third-period goals, but Senators captain Jason Spezza found Michalek, who beat Jhonas Enroth over the shoulder for the winner. "Its all about winning and were not doing that right now," said Sabres defenceman Henrik Tallinder, who said the puck hit the referee and went right to Spezza on the winning goal. "Nothing you can do about it. We didnt go the right way that maybe we should have, but it hit the ref and bounces are going to happen but they just werent in our favour." Erik Karlsson also scored for the Senators (26-21-11) while Craig Anderson made 30 saves. Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford scored for the Sabres (15-34-8), who lost for the fourth straight time. Enroth made 33 saves. Following two periods that saw the Senators build a 1-0 lead, things opened up in the third period with four goals off several good scoring opportunities. It started with Michalek doubling the Senators lead to 2-0 just 10 seconds into the period on a perfect pass from Spezza which allowed Michalek to redirect the puck in. The goal was the fastest in team history from the start of a period breaking the old record of 12 seconds set by Spezza back in 2009. "At least Im still involved in (the record) I guess. I would have shot it if I knew that," Spezza joked after the game, quickly getting serious when the Sabres comeback was brought up. "A two goal lead is a tricky lead. We give up the one goal to make it 2-1 and then really anything can happen with a bounce here or a bounce there. Hopefully we learn from it." Ottawa got into penalty trouble but was fortunate when Ennis hit the post on one power-play opportunity. The Sabres also had a five-on three advantage for 17 seconds but were unable to get a shot on goal during that brief stretch. Ennis broke Andersons shutout bid at 10:25 of the third when the puck came to him in front off a failed wrap-around attempt by Stafford. The puck rolled off Staffords stick right to Ennis who had an empty net to shoot at. Stafford then tied the game at 15:46 when he grabbed a rebound and went around Anderson who was down and out on the play. "There were no excuses not to battle as hard as we could going into that third period and we did a really good job," Ennis said. "Its super disappointing to lose that one." Only seven goals, including one in a shootout, have been scored in the previous three matchups between the Sabres and Senators. Karlsson put the Senators on the board first with his shot from along the boards eluded Enroth just 3:12 into the second period. Neither team had many quality scoring chances despite seven power plays between them through the first two periods. But one scoring chance the Sabres did have though came late in the second when Stafford drove the Senators net from just above the goal line but he was unable to tip the puck through Anderson. The Senators stymied the Sabres on all seven of their power-play opportunities. "Weve been winning faceoffs and doing a much better job up the ice and on the initial entry into our zone weve contested it and been hard to play against," MacLean said. The Senators were 0-3 with the man advantage. NOTES: Forwards Linus Omark and Marcus Foligno along with defenceman Tyler Myers were scratches for the Sabres Thursday. Scratches for the Senators were defencemen Chris Phillips and Joe Corvo plus forward Matt Kassian. ... Senators forward Bobby Ryan has gone four consecutive games without a point, his longest such streak this season. ... The Senators are 10-0-3 in games this season when captain Jason Spezza has at least two points. ... Matt DAgostini played his 300th NHL game Thursday night and his 25th with the Sabres. ... While the Senators have a game in Boston Saturday, the game Thursday was the last for the Sabres until after the Olympic break. The team will be off until Feb. 25 except for Ryan Miller (USA), Jonas Enroth (Sweden), Henrik Tallinder (Sweden) and Zemgus Girgensons (Latvia) who will all represent their countries at the Sochi Olympics. ... Sabres coach Ted Nolan will also be the head coach of Team Latvia. San Jose Sharks Jerseys .com) - Nicklas Backstrom scored a pair of goals and Alex Ovechkin notched a highlight-reel tally, leading the Washington Capitals to a 4-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at the Prudential Center. Erik Karlsson Jersey . Chris Capuano. Shane Greene. And now, Esmil Rogers. http://www.sharkssale.com/authentic-brent-burns-sharks-jersey/ .C. Lions signed cornerback Dante Marsh to a contract extension on Friay and released receiver Paris Jackson. Evander Kane Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Custom San Jose Sharks Jerseys . He spent the rest of the game making up for lost playing time. Green scored a career-high 36 points, including eight in overtime, and the Phoenix Suns beat Denver 112-107 on Tuesday night to hand the Nuggets their fifth consecutive loss.Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week, they discuss Luol Deng, Craig Leipold, Saku Koivu, and the NHL trying to write an understandable rule covering "kicked in" goals. Bruce Arthur, Toronto Star My thumb is up to Luol Deng of the Miami Heat. Deng, one of the most respected players in the NBA, was the subject of a racist scouting report originating that said Deng "has a little Africa in him," and compared him to a respectable shopkeeper who sells counterfeit goods. It was leaked amid an Atlanta Hawks ownership war, and that revelation has torn the franchise apart: the owner is selling, and general manager Danny Ferry, who read it aloud, is on indefinite leave. Dengs reaction, though, was perfect. He issued a statement that struck exactly the correct tone, and included Deng saying, "Im proud to say I actually have a lot of African in me, not just a little." He showed pride, strength, and grace. In this wretched week for sports, we needed that. Steve Simmons, SUN Media My thumb is up to Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold for offering to fly anyone in his organization to Saturdays funeral of Bob Suter, the first “Miracle on Ice” player to pass away. It wasnt just that Suter did some work for the Wild or was the father of Minnesota star defenceman Ryan Suter. It was who he was in the hockey world and what he represented that mattered so much. Unlike his son and his brother Gary, Bob Suter never played an NHL game. After the gold medal win in Lake Placid in 1980, he moved home to Wisconsin, opened up a sporting goods business, was involved in community, coached kids hockey. Among the non-family members he influenced: Phil and Amanda Kessel. Bob Suter was only 57 years old. The heart atttack that took him too soon came in a hockey arena.ddddddddddddnbsp; Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated My thumb is up to Saku Koivu, who never got his name engraved on the Stanley Cup but whose signature is on something of even more value - a pet scanner at Montreal General Hospital. Koivu retired this week after an end-of-career turn in Anaheim, but he will be remembered as the long-serving captain of the Canadiens, overcoming non-Hodgkins lymphoma and returning to the most thunderous ovation since Rocket Richard closed the Forum. Koivu was a lightning rod for criticism - he never did learn French - but deeds are more significant than words. He and his foundation bought the diagnostic machine that has helped thousands of cancer-stricken Montrealers. That is a proud legacy. Dave Hodge, TSN I sympathize with the NHL, but my thumb is down for the NHLs continuing inability to write an understandable rule that covers a goal scored when a puck goes into the net off an attacking players skate. I sympathize because what the NHL wants to do cant be done. It wants a rule that says some goals off skates should count, and others shouldnt. So the latest attempt requires “more demonstrable video evidence of a distinct kicking motion” to wipe out a goal or to uphold the call of “no goal.” This would be okay if we ever knew what the level of “demonstrable evidence” was previously. Then we could identify more of it when we see it in the coming season. There is a concern that a rule that allows all goals off skates would create wild attempts to kick at pucks in the crease. In fact, that is possible anywhere else on the ice, and isnt regarded as any sort of problem. The “kicked goal” rule is and always will be until it no longer exists. ' ' '