ANAHEIM, Calif. -- For a team that once appeared almost invincible at home -- and dominated the NHL for two full months -- the Anaheim Ducks suddenly have slipped into mediocrity. By contrast, the Columbus Blue Jackets have become one of the leagues hottest teams. Sergei Bobrovsky made 34 saves, Nick Foligno scored twice in the third period and the inspired Blue Jackets also got goals from Ryan Johansen and R.J. Umberger in a 4-2 victory over the Ducks on Monday night. "We are really playing to our identity right now," Umberger said. "We are working hard. We are a gritty team. We let our forecheck do the work for us. We dont score too many pretty goals. Were just kind of a team that grinds it out. We got rewarded with some rebounds and some deflections tonight. And we get big saves from Bob when we need them." The Blue Jackets are 11-0-3 since Jan. 6, a stretch that began with a franchise-record, eight-game winning streak. Bobrovsky, last seasons Vezina Trophy winner, is 10-2-0 with a 2.17 goals-against average in his last 12 starts after missing 14 games because of a groin strain. "Theyre playing good hockey," Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. "I mean, if you watch the game tape, every time they touch the puck in their zone they chip it out and they go skate onto it. That was a solid road game they played. Right now were playing teams that are fighting for that last playoff spot, and those are things weve got to notice and take into account." Getzlaf and Mathieu Perreault scored for Anaheim. Frederik Andersen stopped 29 shots. The Ducks, who started 22-0-2 on home ice and enjoyed a comfortable lead atop the overall standings about two weeks ago, are 4-5-0 since Jan. 15 and have lost three of four on their five-game homestand. But they still lead Chicago by three points for the leagues best total with two games left before the Olympic break. "If we were a .500 hockey club, this would be the norm. But its not," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "It all boils down to will and want, and they wanted it a lot more than us. You could see it on the loose pucks. They were getting them and we werent. And anytime there was a 1-on-1 confrontation, I didnt see us winning the battles. Thats a pure indicator, to me, that we didnt have a sense of urgency." The Ducks host the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks on Wednesday night, less than three weeks after Chicago ended Anaheims phenomenal 18-1 surge with a 4-2 win at United Center. "Its never good to see Chicago because theyre a great team, but its probably great that Chicagos coming in," Boudreau said. "Thats maybe what we need, because if we dont play up to our best level against a team like that, then were going to get our butts kicked." Bobrovskys best save came at 5:25 of the second period, when he flicked out his right leg at the last instant to thwart Andrew Cogliano at the end of a 2-on-1 rush with Corey Perry. The Ducks got on the board at 5:45 of the third when Perreault converted a centring pass from Patrick Maroon at the edge of the crease to trim Columbus lead to 2-1. "We havent had a lot of emotion lately. Were just going through the motions," Perreault said. "Weve been winning so much that we kind of got into a lull right now. We have to find a way to get out of it." Foligno got that goal back with 11:12 remaining, popping the puck over Andersens shoulder after the Ducks goalie stopped Umbergers wide-angle shot from the right corner. The other assist went to Artem Anisimov. Foligno added his 15th goal with 6:53 to play, converting a rebound with 17 seconds left on a 5-on-3 advantage after Saku Koivu and defenceman Hampus Lindholm were sent off simultaneously for high-sticking and cross-checking. Johansen won all six faceoffs he took in the first period and opened the scoring at the 11:10 mark with his team-high 23rd goal, sending a one-timer between Perrys legs and over Andersens glove from 25 feet out after Nathan Horton set him up in the left circle. "Its frustrating, as far as the start of the game. We werent ready to play," Getzlaf said. "They came out and played hard and did their thing. Their goaltender played well early, and we just didnt respond. We kind of showed 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there, but we didnt play a complete game. Were not focused. Were not playing the way we can and doing the things we do well." Umberger made it 2-0 at 16:43 of the second with his 15th of the season, after Ducks defenceman Bryan Allen was sent off for tripping him. Former Anaheim defenceman James Wisniewski got the puck at the top of the left circle from Mark Letestu and took a slap shot that ricocheted into the net off Umbergers right skate. NOTES: Andersen came in 7-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average at home. ... Anaheim is 4 for 26 on the power play since scoring six times in 11 opportunities against Vancouver on Jan. 15. ... D Sami Vatanen played his first game with the Ducks since Jan. 17. He spent the past 1 1/2 weeks with Norfolk of the AHL, but was recalled Monday when D Mark Fistric was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. . Ryan Callahan trade talks caught a lot of people off guard. Details are now emerging about why the Rangers would consider such a move. Darren Dreger: He wants a lot of money. Its been widely reported that Callahan is looking for a seven-year term around $6 million per year. That is not accurate. Im told that it is more than $6. .twitter.com/xBTpoAKLJk — Daryl Zerr (@darylzerr) May 29, 2014 @BarDown I give to you the @SquirrelsNCHL aka the Fighting Squirels.
http://www.cheaplightningjerseysauthent ... hev-jersey. Hawkins severely sprained his left ankle while making a diving catch during training camp and went on injured reserve with a designation he could return midway through the season. He was back at practice Wednesday. . Bilbaos first victory in four rounds lifted it four points clear of Real Sociedad and kept it in command of Spains last Champions League berth for next season. In contrast, Betis was left 11 points from safety after a dismal performance that at times bordered on self-destruction amid some questionable refereeing decisions. . Fifth-seeded Cilic gained his fourth title in Zagreb and became the third Croat overall to win at least 10 career titles. Cilic also lifted his career record in Zagreb to 22-4, winning 20 of his last 21 matches at the event.GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Six straight losses sent the Minnesota Wild into a downward spiral, the weight of the previous game carrying over into the next. Once the Wild learned how to put games behind them, good or bad, the wins started piling up. Justin Fontaine scored three goals, Niklas Backstrom stopped 39 shots and the Wild won their fourth straight game by beating the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1 on Thursday night. "When we were losing games, we were carrying that baggage into the next game with us," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "Success can do some damage to you, too, like winning can. Weve been able to put that behind us and go on to the next one and recognize what we have to do." The Wild had been in a rut, plagued by shaky goaltending, injuries to key players and a big hit to their confidence. Once one of the top teams in the Western Conference, Minnesota plummeted down the standings with four straight road losses that led to two more at home to close out 2013. Once the calendar flipped, the Wild found their way again, starting with a 4-1 win over Buffalo. Minnesota followed a home win over Washington with a shootout road victory over the Kings and backed that up with another superb game against the Coyotes. Fontaine scored late in the first period, gave the Wild a two-goal lead on a power play after a strange bounce in the third and closed out his first career hat trick with an empty-net goal. Kyle Brodziak had a goal and an assist, Matt Cook had two assists and Backstrom was superb, winning his third straight start after allowing 17 goals the previous four. The win moved the Wild ahead of the Coyotes for the eighth spot in the Western Conference with 53 points. "We have a lot of young guys following the leadership and were playing the kind of game we need to play," Fontaine said. The Coyotes had their chances. They doubled Minnesotas shot total in the first period and had numerous good scoring chances, including one shot by Lauri Korpikoski that hit the crossbar. Mikkel Boedker was the only Phoenix player to score, doing it on a power play early in the second period, leaving the Coyotes a bit disheartened after their third loss in four games. "We had opportunities to score and didnt score," Coyotes captain Shane Doan said. "Give tthem credit that they found ways to score when they got theirs and we didnt.dddddddddddd In a game like that, you have to put as much onus on the guys trying to score as the guys who are trying to stop them." Phoenix came out firing, outshooting Minnesota 15-7 in the first period. The Wild scored first, though, thanks to a turnover by Phoenix defenceman Keith Yandle. Trying to clear the puck under pressure in front of the crease, Yandle sent it right to the slot, where Fontaine gathered it and beat Mike Smith to the glove side late in the first period. The Coyotes kept up the pressure early in the second period and tied it on a power play when Boedker spun around and slipped a backhander under Backstrom just before he fell to the ice. Phoenix continued to generate nearly twice as many shots, but Minnesota scored the next goal early in the third period. This one came on a defensive miscue as well: Yandle was caught pinching in Minnesotas zone, Brodziak ended up with a partial breakaway and sent a wrister that went off Smith into the goal. Fontaine put Minnesota up 3-1 a few minutes later when he fought off Antoine Vermette and flicked in a one-handed shot as he was going down. Smith had circled behind the goal to play Jason Pominvilles dump-in and had no chance of getting back when the puck caromed off the boards to the front of the goal. Phoenix tried to pick up the pressure, but couldnt get anything past Backstrom and Fontaine closed it out with his empty-netter. "We had a couple little spurts here and there, but to score youve got to go hard to the net, especially when theyre playing real tight," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "Their goaltender gives them a (good) game, they play tight and we couldnt do enough to get inside to get opportunities and score on our opportunities." Notes: Phoenix D Oliver Ekman-Larsson returned after missing two games with an upper-body injury. ... Wild LW Zach Parise missed his eighth straight game with a lower-body injury and Mikko Koivu missed his second straight with a broken ankle. They have a combined 23 goals and 39 assists. ... Thursday was the 10-year anniversary of Coyotes G Brian Boucher setting the modern-day NHL record with his fifth consecutive shutout -- against Minnesota. ' ' '
