Saros with a stick-side deke move. It was Athanasiou’s first goal in 12 games.”I think we needed something to kind of get the momentum going, so it was definitely good to help out,” Athanasiou said.After Arvidsson restored N

BUFFALO San Jose Sharks Hoodies Authentic , N.Y. (AP) Don’t tell Jason Pominville and the Buffalo Sabres they have nothing to play for.For a team all but mathematically out of playoff contention, the Sabres continued making a dent in in the Eastern Conference playoff race with a 5-3 win against their cross-border and Atlantic Division rival Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.”It’s an easy game to get prepared for,” said Pominville, one of four Sabres to score a goal and assist. ”You know it’s going to be a great atmosphere in our building with the fans they get.”The Sabres silenced the large contingent of ”Go, Leafs, Go!”-chanting fans by building a 2-0 lead within the first four minutes. And after the Maple Leafs tied the game, Buffalo responded by scoring three times and sealed the victory on Johan Larsson’s goal midway through the third period.Ryan O’Reilly, Sam Reinhart and Zemgus Girgensons also scored for Buffalo, while Chad Johnson stopped 38 shots in extending the Maple Leafs’ skid to 0-2-2.Though the Sabres remain at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, they improved to 7-5-2 in their last 14 games. It’s a three-week stretch during which Buffalo has defeated each of the division’s three top teams, including Boston twice.Pominville also showed he hasn’t lost his touch against Toronto.Re-acquired by the Sabres in a trade last summer after a four-plus-season stint in Minnesota, Pominville now has 19 goals and 50 points in 51 career games with Buffalo against Toronto.”Wow,” the former Sabres captain said. ”I should play them more often.”Leo Komarov had two goals and Mitch Marner also scored for Toronto.Frederik Andersen stopped 19 shots in allowing five goals for the second consecutive outing after being yanked midway through a 5-2 loss to Washington in an outdoor game played at the U.S. Naval Academy on Saturday.The only consolation for Andersen this time was he couldn’t be faulted on Buffalo’s first four goals San Jose Sharks Hats Authentic , all of which were set up by fortunate bounces.The Sabres led 2-0 after Reinhart and Pominville deflected in shots from the right point by Rasmus Ristolainen. Girgensons put Buffalo up 3-2 when Reinhart’s shot from a bad angle banked in off his skate.The Sabres received yet another break in going up 4-2 when Toronto defenseman Ron Hainsey’s clearing attempt struck referee Kendrick Nicholson’s skate. The puck caromed directly to O’Reilly, who scored from the right circle.”That was pretty crazy. I think it seemed like everything just hit something and found a way into the net,” Andersen said. ”In the big picture, they earned their bounces.”Leafs coach Mike Babcock couldn’t fault Andersen, though he took issue with the NHL for allowing Larsson’s goal to stand up following a video review for goaltender interference.After stopping Pominville’s one-timer from the left circle, Andersen was knocked off balance from behind by Larsson, who was skating through the crease. Larsson then corralled the rebound and swept it under Andersen.Babcock challenged the call by saying Larsson first collided with Andersen while the two were in the crease.”What they told me is he was interfered with outside the paint, which is not true and that, tonight, was goalie interference no matter what way you look at it,” Babcock said.Toronto has matched its longest skid of the season, which comes after the Leafs enjoyed a 13-2 run.”The bottom line is you’ve got to get it turned around. We can’t continue to lose hockey games,” Babcock said.NOTES: The Sabres continued their home dominance over Toronto Custom San Jose Sharks Jerseys , improving to 19-3-1 in their past 23 meetings at Buffalo. … One of the more amusing moments came when television cameras captured an exchange between Ristolainen and Toronto’s Nazem Kadri, after the two were sent to the penalty box for fighting in the second period. Ristolainen held up four fingers in telling Kadri the teams play four more times. Kadri responded by correcting Ristolainen, saying it’s only three more times because Monday’s game didn’t count. … Maple Leafs LW Matt Martin had an assist while playing for the first time since a 4-2 loss to Colorado on Jan. 22. Martin had been a healthy scratch for 18 consecutive games.UP NEXTMaple Leafs: Get four-day break before hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.Sabres: Host the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.— DETROIT (AP) Viktor Arvidsson is playing some of his best hockey of the season and helping the Nashville Predators get some big wins.Arvidsson scored his third goal in two games and the Predators ended their seven-game losing skid against Detroit with a 3-2 victory over the Red Wings on Tuesday.Scott Hartnell and Kyle Turris also scored, and Juuse Saros stopped 34 shots for the Predators, who improved to 7-2-2 in their last nine games. Nashville also ended a three-game losing streak in Detroit since a win on Nov. 19, 2013.Article continues below ...Arvidsson, who scored twice in the Predators’ 5-2 win over Ottawa on Monday, now has eight goals and five assists in the last 14 games.”The last two games, I think our line has been a lot better and we’re playing with a lot of confidence,” Nashville’s Ryan Johansen said. ”Arvie has been a huge factor in that, because he’s been making plays all over the ice lately.”Arvidsson’s goal at 4:50 of the third period pushed the Predators’ lead to 3-1. The puck skipped over the stick of Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson, allowing Arvidsson to get in alone and snap a shot by Howard on the stick side.Andreas Athanasiou and Tomas Tatar scored for the Red Wings, and Jimmy Howard finished with 26 saves.The Predators grabbed the lead just 4:18 into the opening period. Roman Josi’s wrist shot from the point deflected off the right skate of Nashville forward Hartnell before settling into the net behind Howard.It was 2-0 Predators at 9:35 of the first. Josi’s wrist shot squeezed through the legs of Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall and landed right in front of Nashville center Kyle Turris www.officialblues.com , who tucked the puck past Howard. It was the first goal by Turris since Jan. 30, ending a nine-game drought.”We got off to a good start, but the second period wasn’t good at all,” Arvidsson said. ”The third period was a lot better, but we still made too many bad decisions.”The Red Wings got on the board at 10:12 of the second as Athanasiou slipped behind the Nashville defense, took a pass from Dylan Larkin and beat Saros with a stick-side deke move. It was Athanasiou’s first goal in 12 games.”I think we needed something to kind of get the momentum going, so it was definitely good to help out,” Athanasiou said.After Arvidsson restored Nashville’s two-goal lead, Detroit pulled back within one at 7:54 of the third. From a goalmouth scramble, Tatar jammed a loose puck past Saros.”I thought the second half we took it to them,” Detroit forward Justin Abdelkader said. ”I felt from the drop of the puck we weren’t winning battles. I thought in the second and third period we were better.”It’s tough to spot a team like that two goals. You’ve got to fight and scratch and claw to get back. We did. We had a lot of chances as the game went. It’s tough to finally lose it.”NOTES: The Red Wings recalled G Jared Coreau from AHL Grand Rapids to replace G Petr Mrazek, traded Monday to Philadelphia. … Red Wings D Mike Green missed his third straight game due to an upper-body injury. … The Predators are 5-1-1 in the second game of back to backs this season.UP NEXTPredators: Host San Jose on Thursday night.Red Wings: Host Buffalo on Thursday night.

Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your Post and wished to say that I have really enjoyed surfing around your posts.