Der Fremde » I would have started the season off a little better

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In a game in which both teams badly needed a win to stay in the playoff picture, Jason Spezza did what captains do. Hakim Warrick Jersey . Spezza scored a power-play goal with 5 minutes left and Stephane Da Costa had the other two goals to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. "It was a tie game and we got a faceoff play and then a little bit of puck luck in front of the net," Spezza said. "Johnny on the spot." After Nathan Horton went off for tripping at 13:08, the Senators took advantage late in the power play. Colin Greenings pass through the crease was deflected by Blue Jackets defenceman Fedor Tyutin, with Spezza closest to the loose puck. His first shot was blocked by Tyutin, but he took another whack at it and got it past McElhinney for the tiebreaker. Spezza, named captain in September, is having a solid if unspectacular season. He also picked up his 23rd assist to go with his 14th goal. But he came into the game with a minus-21 plus/minus rating. "No doubt Ive had much better years in the past," he said. "But theres a lot of hockey left, and I have a lot to give." Craig Anderson had 34 saves for the Senators, who had lost two in a row and four of five but picked up a critical win against another team theyre battling for contention in the Eastern Conference. "Youve just got to be patient," Anderson said while improving to 17-10-7 on the year. "Thats the key to any position, especially goalie. You start chasing (the puck), they can make you look silly or foolish. Patience is a virtue." Down a goal headed into the third period, the Blue Jackets tied it on a power play. Anderson turned away one hard shot by James Wisniewski from the top of the right circle, but moments later the Columbus defenceman got another chance and this time he found the net. Matt Calvert helped set it up with a screen that completely blocked Andersons vision. The goal was Wisniewskis fifth of the year and came at the 7:16 mark. But that just set up Spezzas big goal. Anderson made several clutch saves in the waning moments after the Blue Jackets pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. Up 1-0 after the opening period, the Senators made it 2-0 at the 6:24 mark of the second -- and again it was Da Costa getting the goal. Spezza corraled a loose puck along the back wall and waited patiently before feeding Da Costa for his second of the night and second of the season. "Its real good to see him score," coach Paul MacLean said. "He was a good player for us tonight. Since hes come up, hes been good." Calvert carried the puck around the back of the goal and fed it to the point, eventually getting it back at the right doorstep. He slipped a blind, between-his-legs and backward pass to Atkinson, who had an empty net for his 16th at the 12-minute mark. Ottawas Milan Michalek split two defenders in the high slot but lost the puck, with Da Costa trailing the play. He jabbed at the puck and got it through heavy traffic at the 8:06 mark of the first period. The first one was just lying there on the power play so I kind of jumped on it," said Da Costa, playing only his eighth game with the Senators this season. "The second one was a real good pass from Spez to the backdoor and I just tapped it in." The Blue Jackets, playing their third game in four nights and second of a back-to-back, looked tired and sluggish most of the evening. "It took a long time (to get everyone skating) and some guys still arent going," Columbus coach Todd Richards said. "To me, thats it right there. Were a good team when we have 18 skaters going and we were missing too many tonight." NOTES: Columbus LW Blake Comeau saw his first action after missing nine games with a sprained medial-collateral ligament in his left knee. ... Ottawa improved to 12-9-5 on the road this year, better than the 11-11-5 the Senators are at home. ... Senators D Chris Phillips did not play after suffering a minor injury during Saturdays 6-3 loss at Carolina. Custom Milwaukee Bucks Jerseys . - The first sign that Kansas Speedway was going to be a heartbreaker for Hendrick Motorsports should have come during qualifying when Jimmie Johnson inexplicably spun and earned one of his worst starting spots since 2005. Greg Monroe Jersey . Now, the hottest team on the ATP are pointing their sights on qualifying for the eight-team season finals in London next November. Pospisil has now established the year-end World Tour Finals as the benchmark for a breakthrough season, with Pospisil and Sock provisionally standing ninth. https://www.cheapbucksonline.com/446t-dave-cowens-jersey-bucks.html .C. United to a 4-1 victory over short-handed FC Dallas on Saturday night. ST. LOUIS -- Marco Estrada is making up for lost time. The Milwaukee right-hander continued his string of strong performances in the Brewers 5-1 loss at St. Louis on Wednesday. Estrada allowed two hits and one earned run in 6 2-3 innings. He did not allow a hit until Matt Carpenter singled with two outs in the sixth. Estrada left the game with a 1-0 lead. Estrada is 2-0 with a 2.39 ERA in six starts since coming off the disabled list Aug. 7 after missing 62 days with a strained left hamstring muscle. "Obviously, any time you have a good game, youre happy," he said. "I just wish I would have started the season off a little better." Estrada has nine quality starts in 18 starts this season. He has allowed one earned run or fewer in four of his last six starts. Against the Cardinals, Estrada retired the side in order in four of the first five innings. "Marco came out with great command and good stuff," Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said. "He did a really nice job. Its unfortunate, hes had a couple of great starts and we didnt win the games." Estrada, who struck out six and walked three, was pitching on 12 days rest. He struggled early in the season giving up 13 earned runs over two outings in late April and early May. But he has come on of late and Wednesdays performance was another in a series of impressive outings. "The (stint) on the DL hurt me, but Im trying to make the best of it," Estrada said. "Ive got a couple starts left and I hope I can keep throwing well." Unfortunately, the Brewers didnt back him with enough offence. It marked their third loss in five games. Matt Adams had a two-run home run and the Cardinals broke open a tight game with four in the eighth. St. Louis won its fifth consecutive game to maintain a one-game lead over Pittsburgh and a three-game advantage on Cincinnati in the NL Central. The Pirates finished a three-game sweep at Texas and the Reds knocked off the Chicago Cubs earlier in the day. Lance Lynn had one of his best starts in more than a month. He went six innings and gave up an unearned run on five hits. "Yeah, but its only one game," he said. "You still got to get ready for the next one and try to improve off of tonight. There were a couple of mistakes I made and they went for hits and I walkeed a few guys, you dont want to do that ever. Bucks Jerseys 2019. "But tonight was a good building block going down the stretch here and get myself right for this team in this run were trying to make." He also struck out 10, the third time this season hes reached double digits and the sixth time in 61 starts. The effort marked the first since May 24 that Lynn didnt allow an earned run, a stretch of 20 games. He last won Aug. 4, when he gave up two runs in eight innings in a 15-2 victory at Cincinnati. Brandon Kintzler (3-2) gave up three runs on two hits and a walk while only getting two outs. He surrendered a game-tying hit in the seventh before loading the bases with one out in the eighth. Carlos Beltrans sacrifice fly off Michael Gonzalez scored Matt Carpenter to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. An error by catcher Jonathan Lucroy allowed Jon Jay to score and Adams followed with his 12th homer of the season. Trevor Rosenthal (2-3) had a hitless eighth inning for the win. "Im frustrated," Roenicke said. "Im tired of getting leads and just giving them away. Weve got to win some of these games where we get leads." Lynn allowed a hit in each of the first five innings but got hurt most because of one of his two walks in the second. His one-out pass of Scooter Gennett pushed Carlos Gomez to second. On a successful double steal, Gomez came home when Tony Cruzs attempt to get Gennett bounced into centerfield. The Cardinals broke through on an RBI hit from David Descalso. Matt Holliday led off with a single, the second hit against starter Estrada, and moved to second on a two-out walk to David Freese. Descalso sent Kintzlers second pitch down the left field line to score Holliday and tie the game at 1-1. NOTES: St. Louis C Yadier Molina missed the game for "family matters," according to Matheny. The Cardinals did not elaborate on the reason or say when the All-Star catcher would return to the team. ... St. Louis distributed 7,906 complimentary tickets to first responders and military personnel in honour of Sept. 11. ... Tyler Thornburg (1-1, 2.08) is scheduled to start for Milwaukee in the finale of the three-game set Thursday and will face Joe Kelly (8-3, 2.74). Kelly has won his past five starts. ... Hockey great Wayne Gretzky watched the game from the front row. ' ' '