the ice in August for a few days." Str

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With the Anaheim Ducks bearing down on him all night, Jaroslav Halak couldnt relax for even a moment in front of the Washington Capitals net until the horn sounded on another victory. None of the Caps can afford to take many more breathers if they hope to make it back to the post-season. Alex Ovechkin scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and the Capitals kept up their playoff push with a 3-2 victory Tuesday night. Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer also scored for the Capitals, who have won three straight to pull into an eighth-place tie with Columbus for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They barely held off the Ducks, who threw 45 shots at Halak and pressed right up to the final seconds. "We cant worry about anything else thats going to happen except for our games," said Halak, who made 43 saves in his sixth consecutive start. "Right now, two points are all huge, any way we can get them." The Caps havent trailed during their winning streak. But even after Ovechkin scored his 46th goal early in a power play, they were in a nail-biter against Anaheim. "That was a huge game," Ovechkin said. "We prepared for it, and we were ready for it. We played one of the best teams in the league." Ovechkins goal was just the second in seven games for last seasons NHL MVP, but the Capitals need every goal and victory possible on their three-game California road trip. The Blue Jackets and Detroit, one point back in ninth place, both have two games in hand on Washington. Ben Lovejoy and Mathieu Perreault scored for the Ducks, who have lost four straight home games while falling out of first place in the overall NHL standings. Anaheim is still near the top of the Western Conference playoff race, but San Jose has caught the Ducks atop the Pacific Division standings. The teams meet Thursday at the Shark Tank. Jonas Hiller stopped 27 shots, but the Ducks have lost to the Capitals in each of their last four visits to Honda Center. "I think we had a lot of looks and were shooting the puck, but we werent getting to any loose pucks," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "You can make a million and one excuses, but were just not getting the job done." Washington hadnt visited Honda Center since Feb. 16, 2011, nine months before the Capitals fired Boudreau, who was hired by Anaheim two days later. "This was a big one for Bruce, and we all knew it," Lovejoy said. "I think we came out with a lot of passion. When were skating and playing tough hockey, we get our forecheck going, and we had that going tonight. We just werent able to put more than two in the net." Ward got his 21st goal on a fat rebound just 2:11 in, scoring in his third consecutive game. Lovejoy tied it 59 seconds later on an unobstructed slap shot set up by a terrible Washington line change. Brouwer scored on a power play in the final seconds of the first period for the Caps, getting his third goal in two games off another rebound. Anaheim generated nothing from a two-man advantage for 1:51 early in the second period, adding to the power-play woes of an otherwise powerful offensive club. The Ducks entered the game in a 2-for-42 slump in their previous 13 games, and they went scoreless in their first four chances against Washington. "At the end, it came down to the fact that our special teams werent special," Lovejoy said. Perreault, the former Capitals centre, put a wrist shot past Halak, who was thoroughly screened by Patrick Maroon, to tie it right after a power play expired early in the third period. But just 1:12 later, Nicklas Backstrom won a faceoff and John Carlson got the puck to Ovechkin, who put a typically vicious one-timer past Hiller. Stephane Robidas played more than 13 minutes in his debut for the Ducks, who acquired the veteran defenceman from Dallas two weeks ago for the playoff push. Robidas filled in for Cam Fowler, who missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. "It wasnt my best, but the first one is out of the way now," Robidas said. NOTES: Dustin Penner returned to Honda Center for the first time since Anaheim traded him to Washington on March 4. Penner had 13 goals and 19 assists in 49 games this season in his second stint with the Ducks, but was a frequent healthy scratch. ... Halak was in Anaheim with the Blues on Feb. 28 when he was traded to Buffalo, forcing him to leave Honda Center early while St. Louis faced the Ducks with a locker room attendant as their backup goalie. ... Boudreau won his first game against his former team when the Ducks beat the Capitals 3-2 on Dec. 23. Cheap Shoes NZ .com) - The Buffalo Bills will return to the friendly confines of Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday when they welcome the upstart Cleveland Browns to town. Wholesale Shoes NZ . The 27th-ranked Austrian underwent surgery on a torn tendon in October and needs more time to recover, the Austria Press Agency reports on Saturday. https://www.shoesnzonline.com/ . The Canadians led for much of the game before Argentina forced overtime in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. Canada weathered the storm after squandering a lead with a series of made shots. "Its a fantastic win for our country with 11 first-time Canadian national team members," said head coach Roy Rana. Shoes NZ 2020 . Dallas also Monday recalled defenceman Aaron Rome from his conditioning assignment with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and assigned goaltender Jack Campbell to the AHL squad. Shoes NZ From China . -- Ryan Millers debut for the St.CALGARY -- Steve Yzerman would prefer to get Canadas players on the ice at the upcoming orientation camp for the Olympic mens hockey team. But the price tag to insure players against injury is too high for Hockey Canada, so the four-day camp starting Sunday in Calgary will consist of informational meetings about the Games in Sochi, Russia, and fostering team chemistry off the ice. "Not going on the ice isnt the end of the world," says Yzerman, the executive director of the national mens team. "Theres lot of other things that need to be done in preparation, logistically going through how were going to get there, where well stay, where family and friends may stay, a walkthrough of the venues, drug testing policy, a lot of informational things we need to go through and get out of the way. This is a good time to do it." Forty-seven players -- five goaltenders, 17 defencemen and 25 forwards -- are scheduled to arrive in Calgary on Sunday and head to Hockey Canadas headquarters at Canada Olympic Park on the citys west side. Canada can take three goaltenders and 22 skaters to Sochi. Among the summer camp invitees are 15 players who won Olympic gold in Vancouver in 2010, including Sidney Crosby. The Pittsburgh stars overtime goal lifted Canada to a 3-2 win over the U.S. in the final. Players invited to the same orientation camp in the summer of 2009 skated daily and finished with an intra-squad game that drew a sellout crowd to the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Saddledome is undergoing restoration from severe flooding in June, but thats not keeping the players off the ice next week, says Yzerman. "Its strictly insurance," he explains. "Its because of the high cost of insurance Hockey Canada is obligated to place on the players were not going to skate." Its up to each countrys federation to insure NHL players against injury at summer camps. Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson has said that would cost over $1 million for the invited 47, whose combined 2013-14 salaries total $259 million, according to capgeek.com. Canadas isnt the only ice-free summer camp. USA Hockey has also decided against an on-ice component to its mens Olympic camp in Arlington, Va., on Monday and Tuesday. The 2014 mens Olympic hockey tournament will be played on wide, internationnal ice, which places a premium on a players skating ability.dddddddddddd The new Markin MacPhail Centre at COP boasts a rink that size. When asked if he wished the Canadians could make use of it next week, Yzerman said "yes" twice. The 2002 Olympic gold medallist was also executive director of the victorious 2010 squad. He says even a couple of practices could lay important groundwork for the Winter Games in February. "We have such a limited amount of time to prepare," said Yzerman, the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. "I think well have two, maybe three, practices in Sochi prior to the Olympics. "The summer camp, and its only a few days and six months in advance, but its a little time for the players and coaches to get on the ice and kind of run through some of the systems, the way theyll play, the power play, penalty killing, neutral zone and things like that. "At least youll have an idea way ahead of time as to how were going to play. That, to me, was the most important part of going on the ice in August for a few days." Strategy can still be communicated without skating, Yzerman adds. Head coach Mike Babcock and assistants Lindy Ruff, Claude Julien and Ken Hitchcock will have a video session with the players in Calgary. "Im sure well go over different stuff," says Pittsburgh Penguins forward and camp invitee James Neal. "Its a lot tougher when youre not on the ice, but were going there for a reason and Im sure it will help us," Its also crucial players get face time with the coaches, support staff and each other, Yzerman says. "The more time they can spend together, the more comfortable theyll be when they get to Sochi and thats a big part of it, particularly for the young players that havent been to NHL all-star games, havent been to Olympic camps before," Yzerman says. "Theyll walk into the (dressing) room and have spent time with Sidney Crosby before, theyve spent time with some of these veteran guys and theyll be much more comfortable around them." He says players will have time to golf, fish and go for dinner together, as well as work out while theyre in Calgary. NHL training camps start earlier this season because the league breaks Feb. 9-26 for the Winter Games. ' ' '