COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard felt the deciding goal shouldnt have counted in the Red Wings 4-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. "I guess its something to remember here and keep in the back of our minds -- if you knock the net off, just throw (the puck) in there," he said. "It should count." Cam Atkinson scored a goal confirmed by video replay in the third period, and Ryan Johansen added an empty-netter for his second of the game to lead the Blue Jackets to a win that further tightens the already close Eastern Conference playoff race. On an odd-man rush, Matt Calverts shot from the left wing was stopped by Howard, although the puck popped loose behind the goalie. Atkinson, racing down the right wing, was hit by Detroit defenceman Brendan Smith. Atkinsons leg knocked the net off its moorings as he backhanded the loose puck into the cage as it was sliding away from the goal line. The goal, at 6:58 of the third, was ruled good because Smiths hit on Atkinson had knocked the net loose -- bringing a loud cheer from the crowd of 15,103. "I wasnt really sure," Atkinson said about the goal. "The net went off, but their explanation was the puck was going in as the net was coming off. Matty just made a good play. The puck kind of snuck out between his legs, and I was at the right place at the right time." Columbus, Detroit, Washington and Toronto are all tied with 80 points for places 7-10 in the East. The Blue Jackets win any tiebreaker, and Detroit and Columbus also have more games left (10) than the Capitals (9) and Maple Leafs (8). Columbus had lost three of four. "We got some fortunate bounces," Johansen said after goals 28 and 29. "Thats what we needed." Brandon Dubinsky and Johansen had power-play goals in the first period after the Blue Jackets had failed to score on their previous 36 opportunities with a man advantage over a 10-game span. James Wisniewski assisted on both and added another helper. "You know what Im pleased about? Hopefully after tonight I wont get any more questions about the power play," Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said. "When we scored the first one I said, Good. Now we can stop talking about it." Curtis McElhinney stopped 22 of 23 shots in relief of Sergei Bobrovsky, who left after the first period because of the flu. McElhinney made Atkinsons goal stand with big stops on Darren Helm with 8 minutes left, making a sprawling pad save, and again a minute later on Johan Franzens wraparound. With 1:44 left, he deflected Kyle Quinceys wicked blast from the high slot with his right shoulder. Red Wings coach Mike Babcock refused to blame the call on the Atkinson goal for the loss. "It doesnt matter what I think, obviously," he said. "They made a decision. I thought when the net was off, the goal didnt count but they evidently thought our guy pushed their guy in. So its a goal. Theres no sense disputing that. We had to get one more goal." Gustav Nyquist, last weeks No. 1 star in the NHL, maintained his hot hand with two goals for the Red Wings, who were 3-0-1 in their previous four. He has 20 goals in his last 24 games. "It doesnt really matter," he said of his two goals. "It was an important game. Well forget about this one and move on." NOTES: With a TV camera just a couple of feet away on the other side of the glass during a break, Johansen grinned and tore off a piece of athletic tape and playfully stuck it on the glass to shield the cameras view. ... Howard stopped 23 of 26 shots. ... Last week, Nyquist had six goals and seven points in four games; the Blue Jackets had six goals as a team in their previous five games. ... RW Mitch Callahan, recalled on Monday from AHL Grand Rapids, made his NHL debut for the Red Wings, skating on the fourth line. . - Even with a new coach, the Denver Nuggets still love to push the basketball. . -- Washington Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo is going to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks.
http://www.officialbaltimoreravensfootb ... womens.com) - World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and four-time Australian Open titlist Roger Federer were among Mondays fourth-round winners at Melbourne Park. . Replay backed him up. Adeiny Hechavarria immediately followed the ruling with a go-ahead sacrifice fly for the Miami Marlins, who held on to beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Sunday completing a three-game sweep. . Completely. Two days after releasing Peyton Manning, the longtime face of the franchise, the Colts announced they were cutting four fan favourites: running back Joseph Addai, linebacker Gary Brackett, safety Melvin Bullitt and tight end Dallas Clark.Lille, France (SportsNetwork.com) - The great Roger Federer added to his legacy by raising Switzerland to its first-ever Davis Cup title on Sunday when he whipped Frances Richard Gasquet in straight sets. Federer defeated Gasquet in 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 fashion to give the visiting Swiss an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five tie on an indoor red clay surface at Lilles Pierre Mauroy Stadium. The final scheduled match of the weekend between Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils was abandoned on Sunday. The 17-time Grand Slam king Federer has now captured every coveted title in mens tennis, with the exception of an Olympic gold medal in singles. He paired with Wawrinka to win a gold medal in doubles at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. Federer pulled out of last weeks championship match at the prestigious ATP World Tour Finals in London because of a back injury, which appeared to slow him here on Friday, but not Sunday in Lille, where he would not be denied. The 33-year-old superstar was ultra clean on Day 3, striking seven aces, without committing a double fault, and breaking Gasquet five times, while not getting broken in the rout. The iconic Swiss struck 28 more winners in the 1- hour, 52-minute match (62-34), which ended with a backhand drop shot winner. Federer improved to 38-12 in his career Davis Cup singles affairs. Switzerland headed into Sundays reverse singles with a 2-1 lead against the host Frrench after Federer and Wawrinka teamed up for a straight-set doubles victory over Gasquet and Julien Benneteau on Saturday.dddddddddddd The capable Gasquet replaced Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the French draw on Sunday. The former Australian Open runner-up Tsonga lost to this years Aussie champion Wawrinka in four sets in Fridays opening singles rubber, while Day 1s other match saw Monfils thrash the former world No. 1 and currently second-ranked Federer in straights. The Davis Cup, which was first contested in 1900, has been captured by France on nine occasions, while the Swiss were seeking that elusive maiden championship and became the 14th nation to do so. Switzerland finished as a runner-up back in 1992. The Swiss were captained by Severin Luthi, while the French were guided by former Aussie Open runner-up Arnaud Clement. Switzerland is now 3-10 all-time versus France in Davis Cup play. The two nations last met in a 2004 quarterfinal, which was won by the French. France was seeking its first title in 13 years. Prior to Sundays action, the French celebrated their rich Davis Cup history by honoring members of their championship teams of 1991, 1996 and 2001. Arnaud Boetsch, Olivier Delaitre, Nicolas Escude, Guy Forget, Henri Leconte, Cedric Pioline, Guillaume Raoux and Fabrice Santoro took to the court at Mauroy to be presented in a ceremony in front of a 27,000-strong crowd. ' ' '
