SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2015 Backlund scores in OT as Flames beat Flyers 2-1 CALGARY: Mikael Backlund scored 35 seconds into overtime and also had an assist to give the Calgary Flames a 2-1 victory over the skidding Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. With the Flames breaking in on a 2-on-1, Johnny Gaudreau’s shot was stopped by Michal Neuvirth. The rebound popped straight out, hit Backlund’s leg as he skated toward the crease and went in. Calgary improved to 3-0 in overtime, while Philadelphia fell to 1-3. Josh Jooris also scored for Calgary (4-9-1). The Flames improved to 2-5 at home. Michael Raffl scored his first of the season for Philadelphia (4-6-3). The Flyers are 0-3-1 on a five-game road trip that ends Saturday in Winnipeg. In a matchup between struggling teams - the Flames with one win in their previous six games and the Flyers winless in five - both looked tentative all night in a sloppy affair. Neither side could generate any sustained pressure and there were numerous turnovers and bobbled passes. It appeared Calgary was going to head to the second intermission with a lead for just the sec- ond time this season, but the Flyers tied it 1-all with 36 seconds left in the period. Controlling the puck behind the Flames net, Claude Giroux cen- tered a pass to Raffl, whose shot from 15 feet out fluttered past Karri Ramo, who only got a piece of it. Dating back to last season, it was the first goal in 17 games for Raffl, who scored 21 in 2014-15 as an NHL sophomore. It was a familiar storyline for Calgary, outscored 23-8 in the second period this season. Opening the scoring for the eighth time, the Flames took a 1-0 lead less than 5 minutes into the game. After serving a minor, Jooris stepped out of the penalty box just in time to scoop up the puck at center ice and charge in on a breakaway. Neuvirth stopped his initial shot and stopped Backlund on the CALGARY: Philadelphia Flyers’ Radko Gudas, right, of the Czech Republic, checks Calgary Flames’ Johnny Gaudreau rebound, but the Flyers’ goalie couldn’t control the puck and it squirt- during second-period NHL hockey game action in Calgary, Alberta, Thursday. — AP ed back out front, where Jooris whipped it in for his second of the sea- son. Making his third consecutive start, Ramo had 26 saves. He Nikita Kucherov and defenseman Victor Hedman scored for the the Predators (8-2-2) and goaltender Pekka Rinne had 27 saves in the entered the game ranked second-to-last in the NHL in save percent- Lightning. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 30 saves. Jack Eichel scored win. age at .871. He improved to 2-4. for the Sabres, who replaced starting goalie Linus Ullmark after he sur- rendered three goals on 11 shots in the first period. Chad Johnson Coyotes 4, Avalanche 2 Canadiens 4, Islanders 1 stopped all 10 shots he faced. Coyotes defenseman Nicklas Grossmann posted the first two-goal David Desharnais’ goal stood as the winner as the Montreal game of his 11-year career, and Martin Hanzal notched two assists in Canadiens beat the New York Islanders 4-1 at the Bell Centre. Dale Capitals 4, Bruins 1 his return to the lineup as Arizona snapped a three-game home losing Weise, Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Plekanec also scored for the Goaltender Braden Holtby finally allowed a goal to the Boston streak with a 4-2 win over Colorado. Hanzal missed time with a lower- Habs while Kyle Okposo tallied for the Isles. Goaltender Jaroslav Halak Bruins, but Washington were too strong as they recorded a 4-1 victory. body injury but benefitted from the team’s five-day layoff after their stopped 20 shots for the Islanders (7-4-3) and Mike Condon made 17 Holtby blanked the Bruins in three games last season, but a first-peri- last contest. saves for Montreal (12-2-1). od goal by Jimmy Hayes ended the run. Holtby still finished with 28 saves. Brooks Laich ended a 16-game streak without a goal, while John Sharks 5, Panthers 2 Lightning 4, Sabres 1 Carlson and Alex Ovechkin also scored before defenseman Karl Alzner Five different skaters scored goals and back-up goalie Alex Stalock A three-goal burst in the first period led the Tampa Bay Lightning added an empty-net goal with 1:48 remaining. Boston goaltender won his first game of the year as the San Jose Sharks beat the Florida to a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Steven Stamkos, Tyler Johnson, Tuukka Rask made 27 saves. Panthers 5-2 at SAP Center. Stalock stopped 31 shots while getting his third start of the year in favor of starter Martin Jones, who got pulled NHL Results/Standings Senators 3, Jets 2 (shootout) after two periods from Tuesday’s loss. Stalock, who was 0-2 with a 3.94 The Ottawa Senators rediscovered the feeling of winning on home goals-against average and .847 save percentage, won for the first time Tampa Bay 4, Buffalo 1; Washington 4, Boston 1; Montreal 4, NY ice Thursday night after shootout goals by Bobby Ryan, Kyle Turris and since April 1 last season. Islanders 1; Ottawa 3, Winnipeg 2 (So); Nashville 3, Minnesota 2; Mika Zibanejad gave them a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets at Calgary 2, Philadelphia 1 (OT); Arizona 4, Colorado 2; Columbus 3, Los Canadian Tire Centre. Goalie Craig Anderson made the only save of Blue Jackets 3, Kings 2 Angeles 2; San Jose 5, Florida 2. the shootout, coming out of his net to stop Jets winger Andrew Ladd. Gregory Campbell’s first goal of the season midway through the Western Conference third period lifted the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 3-2 win over the Los Central Division W L OTL GF GA PTS Predators 3, Wild 2 Angeles Kings at Staples Center. Campbell converted a beautiful drop Dallas 10 3 0 46 37 20 Cody Hodgson scored late in the third period to lift the Nashville pass by defenseman Jack Johnson at 10:52 of the third to put the Blue St. Louis 9 3 1 36 31 19 Predators to a 3-2 win over Minnesota, handing the Wild their first Jackets on top 3-1. Brandon Dubinsky finished with a goal and an assist Nashville 8 2 2 35 27 18 home loss of the season. Mike Fisher and Roman Josi also scored for as Columbus (4-10-0) captured their fourth win in six games. — Reuters Winnipeg 8 4 2 42 38 18 Minnesota 7 3 2 37 35 16 Chicago 7 5 1 33 32 15 Colorado 4 8 1 35 40 9 Pacific Division Burgess episode leaves Los Angeles 8 5 0 31 28 16 Vancouver 6 3 4 38 29 16 San Jose 7 6 0 38 35 14 Arizona 6 5 1 34 34 13 England at all-time low Edmonton 5 8 0 36 41 10 Calgary 4 9 1 32 57 9 Anaheim 3 7 2 17 31 8 Eastern Conference LONDON: Sam Burgess’s decision to reject by league’s biggest stars had switched ed to take the blame for England’s World Atlantic Division rugby union and head back to the 13-man codes and his rapid elevation to the Cup debacle, saying the organisation had Montreal 12 2 1 55 27 25 code in Australia has left the English game England ranks suggested a long career “marched confidently into a total mess by Ottawa 7 4 2 40 39 16 Tampa Bay 7 6 2 38 37 16 at an all-time low, according to World Cup- would follow. wrongly appointing Stuart Lancaster as Boston 6 5 1 43 40 13 winning coach Clive Woodward. The 26-year-old Yorkshireman who coach. “The review after (the) 2011 (World Detroit 6 5 1 30 31 13 Weeks after being selected at centre for made his name with Bradford Bulls has seen Cup) was a shambles,” he said. “Players and Florida 5 5 3 36 31 13 England’s World Cup showdown with enough, however, and Woodward does not coaches let down by media leaks, good Buffalo 5 8 0 29 39 10 Toronto 2 8 2 26 40 6 Wales, code-switching Burgess has left his blame him for turning his back on those men exposed as scapegoats and lesser men Metropolitan Division club Bath to rejoin South Sydney Rabbitohs. who welcomed him. “I said last week that hiding and shirking responsibility. Nothing Washington 9 3 0 40 29 18 Although Burgess said his decision was for Sam Burgess is not to blame for this mess has changed. “The panel chosen to identify NY Rangers 8 2 2 36 23 18 family reasons, the timing, just after and I stand by it,” Woodward, who plotted (former coach) Martin Johnson’s successor NY Islanders 7 4 3 39 35 17 Pittsburgh 8 4 0 27 22 16 England’s humiliating early exit from their England’s 2003 World Cup triumph in somehow selected Stuart Lancaster, a coach New Jersey 6 5 1 29 31 13 own World Cup, could not be worse for the Australia, told the Daily Mail. lacking any true coaching experience at any Philadelphia 4 6 3 25 39 11 Rugby Football Union (RFU) as it starts the “But with his return to rugby league level to prepare our national team for a Carolina 5 7 0 26 34 10 post-mortem into what went wrong.