Blackhawks rally to beat Oilers, extend winning run
Kings snap Ducks’ streak
CHICAGO, Feb 26, (Agencies): Slovakia’s Marian Hossa scored 1:44 into overtime as the Chicago Blackhawks extended their record for the best start in NHL history by beating the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 on Monday.
Swedish forward Viktor Stalberg and Patrick Kane also scored for Chicago, who are riding a league record of 19 straight games with at least a point (16-03) to open the season.
The Anaheim Ducks held the previous record of 16 games to begin the 2006-07 season.
Canadian goaltender Ray Emery stopped 17 shots for Chicago, who have won six in a row and improved to 8-0-1 at home this season.
American Jeff Petry and Russian rookie forward Nail Yakupov scored goals for the Oilers, who began a ninegame road trip on Monday.
Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 31 of 34 shots in the loss.
Stalberg tied the game 2-2 early in the third period. Michal Rozsival threw the puck toward the crease for Stalberg, who stabbed at it and it slid under Khabibulin, of Russia.
In overtime, Hossa knocked in his own rebound to enable Chicago to extend the streak.
Kings 5, Ducks 2 In Los Angeles, Slava Voynov scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and Los Angeles beat Anaheim for its fourth consecutive victory while snapping the Ducks’ six-game winning streak.
Dustin Brown added a goal and his 200th career assist, and Anze Kopitar had three assists to help the Kings win for the sixth time in seven games. Jonathan Quick stopped 24 shots.
Anaheim’s 30-year-old rookie, Viktor Fasth, made 20 saves in the loss after winning his first eight NHL games, the longest streak in the league this season.
Jake Muzzin, Jeff Carter and Dustin Penner also scored for the Kings.
Senators 2, Canadiens 1, SO In Ottawa, Peter Regin scored in the fifth round of the shootout and Ben Bishop made 44 saves in regulation and overtime, leading Ottawa to a win over Montreal.
Jakob Silfverberg also scored in the shootout, while David Desharnais replied for Montreal.
After Regin gave the Senators the lead in the shootout, Bishop stopped Tomas Plekanec to secure Ottawa’s season-high fifth straight win. Regin had a chance to end the game late in OT but his slap shot hit the post behind Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, who finished with 23 saves.
Maple Leafs 4, Flyers 2 In Philadelphia, Phil Kessel, Nikolai Kulemin, Mikhail Grabovski and Jay McClement scored to lead Toronto to a win over Philadelphia.
Ben Scrivens made 23 saves for Toronto, which survived a doubleminor against leading scorer James van Riemsdyk in the third period. Van Riemsdyk, who was drafted with the second overall pick in the 2007 draft by the Flyers and played three seasons with them before being traded, was held scoreless in his return to Philadelphia.
Scott Hartnell scored his first goal of the season for the Flyers, who had won three of their last four. Jakub Voracek also scored for Philadelphia.
Predators 5, Stars 4, OT In Nashville, Tennessee, Roman Josi scored his second goal 28 seconds into overtime and Nashville edged Dallas in a game featuring six goals scored in the second period.
Josi’s slap shot helped Nashville end a two-game skid, and the defenseman also had two assists.
Mike Fisher, Craig Smith and Patric Hornqvist each scored goals for Nashville. The last two losses had been shutouts, and the Predators ended a scoring drought at 133:43 after threatening the franchise-worst drought that reached 176:18 on Feb. 13 in an overtime win over San Jose.
“If we can we show ourselves as a place for winter holidays, the whole of Switzerland will benefit.”
Tarzisius Caviezel, the head of the bid, rejected any suggestion it would be environmentally destructive.
“This is an unfounded criticism because, from the start, we have given great importance to this ecological aspect and we have ensured that not one piece of wood will have to be pulled up,” he told Reuters.
“The construction of temporary structures in the village area will be done with great care, so no environmental damage will be caused.” But the locals are still worried. “Pressure to say yes to this has been enormous, including from public officials, but I think that pressure in recent days has shifted to the bid committee,” Juerg Grassl, an architect who lives in Davos and works in Chur, told Reuters.
He said that promises such as federal subsidies for the single-track, narrow gauge Rhaetian railway which serves the reason have not panned out.
“It doesn’t make sense financially, it’s much too large an event, and it would burden the region with about 175,000 additional guests daily, about 10 times what we get on a booming day,” he said.
Karin Bravo, a 41-year-old opticians’ receptionist from Davos, said the region was too small for such a big event.
“I find it too risky. It’s much too large an event for Davos and St. Moritz alone, but would be all right if it was carried out in all of Switzerland,” she said.
“I was almost swayed by the good concept the bid committee put together, but the costs are opaque and it will incur a lot of debt.”
She said another problem was affordable housing in Davos, alreading suffering from event fatigue from its annual hosting of the annual World Economic Forum.
“If the bid is accepted, it will mean a lot of construction, which would jeopardize our summer tourism season. The Olympics won’t make up for that shortfall.”
The vote will be held on the same day as the so-called “Fat Cat” nationwide referendum on executive wages where voters will be asked whether shareholders should have a binding say on pay and ban “golden handshakes” for new arrivals and “golden parachutes” for departing managers.
Caviezel said he welcomed the debate as an example of Swiss grass-roots democracy.
“It shows we really live in a democracy where everyone can voice their opinion,” he said.