The Washington Post - USA (2021-10-26)

D4 EZ M2 THE WASHINGTON POST.TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26 , 2021

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Victor Olofsson scored two
goals and Craig Anderson made
35 saves for the Buffalo Sabres in
a 5-1 win against the visiting
Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday
night.
Drake Caggiula, Vinnie Hinos-
troza and Robert Hagg also
scored for the Sabres in their first
win against the Lightning in eight
meetings. Tage Thompson had
two assists.
Bouncing back from a 2-1 over-
time loss in their road opener at
the New Jersey Devils on Satur-
day, the Sabres continued their
strong start by beating the two-
time Stanley Cup champions to
improve to 4-1-0 at home.
After finishing in last place for
the fourth time in eight years,
Buffalo is building belief it can
compete on a nightly basis, Coach
Don Granato said.
“We don’t have a long body of
work on this, so it’s still a major
work in progress,” Granato said.
“But tonight, obviously, is one
more night of hopeful reassur-
ance that you can do things. And
the core guys, the core older guys,
really, really are key in that.”
Alex Killorn had a goal for the
Lightning, which opened a back-
to-back trip with its first road loss
of the season. Brian Elliott
stopped 20 shots in his Tampa
Bay debut.
Caggiula bounced in a wrist
shot off the far post to beat Elliott
on an unassisted breakaway with
38 seconds left in the second,
giving the Sabres a 2-1 lead during
a period when they did not have a
shot on goal for the first 13 min-
utes.
l PANTHERS 5, COYOTES 3:
In Sunrise, Fla., Frank Vatrano
and Joe Thornton each scored
their first goals of the season and
Florida stretched its unbeaten
streak to six games by beating
winless Arizona.
Anthony Duclair, Jonathan
Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad
also scored goals for the Panthers.
Spencer Knight made 18 saves.
Brandon Montour had two as-
sists.
Liam O’Brien and Phil Kessel

scored late goals for the Coyotes.

Clayton Keller also had a goal.

Florida’s 6-0-0 record extends

the best start in franchise history

and is the first 6-0-0 start in the

NHL since Montreal’s in 2015-16.

The Arizona loss marks the

second time in the franchise’s 42

seasons that it doesn’t have a win

after six games (it went 0-5- 1 to

start the 2017-18 season).

Carter Hutton made 10 saves

before leaving the game after the

first period with a lower-body

injury. Karel Vejmelka started the

second period and stopped 26

shots.

l HURRICANES 4, MAPLE

LEAFS 1: Frederik Andersen

made 24 saves against his former

team, and unbeaten Carolina

matched the best five-game start

in franchise history by defeating

Toronto in Raleigh, N.C.

Sebastian Aho, Steven Lorentz

and Nino Niederreiter scored sec-

ond-period goals for the Hurri-

canes.

Andrei Svechnikov added an

empty-netter, and Jaccob Slavin

had two assists.

Carolina also was 5-0-0 in

2019 -20.

Jack Campbell stopped 31

shots for Toronto, which is 0-3- 1

in its past four games and has

managed just one goal in three of

them.

l BLUES 3, KINGS 0: Vladi-

mir Tarasenko scored two goals

and Ville Husso recorded his sec-

ond career shutout as St. Louis

remained undefeated in five

games by beating visiting Los

Angeles.

The Blues are off to a 5-0 start

for the first time in franchise

history. The Kings haven’t won

since their season opener.

l FLAMES 5, RANGERS 1:

Andrew Mangiapane scored

twice, and visiting Calgary won

its third in a row.

Blak e Coleman and Mikael

Backlund each had a goal and an

assist and Christopher Tanev also

scored for the Flames.

l BLUE JACKETS 4, STARS

1: In Columbus, Ohio, Gregory

Hofmann scored his first NHL

goal and added an assist, leading

the Blue Jackets past Dallas.

Oliver Bjorkstrand added a

goal and his 100th career assist

and Zach Werenski had a goal and

an assist as Columbus won for the

second time in three games.

NHL ROUNDUP

Surprising Bu≠alo routs

the defending champs

SABRES 5,

LIGHTNING 1

promising a year ago, is

cratering.

Sam Darnold got benched.

Darnold’s r evival in his first

season with the Carolina

Panthers was short-lived. The

Panthers started 3-0, and then

Darnold posted a 62.1 rating

during a three-game losing

streak. It extended to a fourth

game Sunday in Darnold’s w orst

performance, which ended with

him watching from the sideline

as the New York Giants finished

off a 25-3 blowout.

Darnold completed 16 of 25

attempts for only 111 yards, or 4.4

per attempt, while taking three

sacks and throwing an

interception. In the past four

weeks, Darnold has thrown

seven picks and four touchdown

passes. Coach Matt Rhule

benched Darnold early in the

fourth quarter for P.J. Walker,

who played for Rhule at Temple.

It’s u nderstandable why the

Panthers tried to buy low on

Darnold, a 24-year-old who was

the No. 3 pick in 2018. The past

month, though, has made clear

Darnold will not be a long-term

savior in Carolina. Owner David

Tepper is known to be both

aggressive and maniacal in his

desire to land a franchise

quarterback. It could lead the

Panthers to get involved in the

market for Watson.

Somebody should trade for

Allen Robinson II. The Chicago

Bears are going nowhere, as

made clear Sunday while the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

bludgeoned them, 38-3. It was

the listless kind of game that

gets coaches fired.

The Bears aren’t even using

Robinson, an eight-year veteran

whom they signed to the

franchise tag this offseason.

Robinson has one touchdown

and hasn’t surpassed 63 yards in

a game this season. He hasn’t

connected a bit with rookie

quarterback Justin Fields and

caught only two passes for 16

yards Sunday. With the trade

deadline coming Nov. 2, the

Bears have no reason not to

move him.

A playoff hopeful in need of

receiving help could use

Robinson. The San Francisco

49ers, perhaps?

[email protected]

referendum for a second-year

quarterback. By engaging in

trade talks for Watson, or even

by not forcefully denying them,

the Dolphins have invited that.

Tagova iloa has played for three

offensive coordinators in two

years, and the Dolphins have not

surrounded him with a top-tier

supporting cast.

The Dolphins have managed

to pursue a completely

irresponsible transaction —

which is what a trade for Watson

would be, given that nobody

knows how the situation will

unfold as he stands accused by

22 women of sexual harassment

and assault — while

undermining the quarterback

they selected fifth overall last

year. They’re also 1-6 with a first-

round pick headed to

Philadelphia. The rebuild of

Brian Flores and Chris Grier, so

troubled Houston Texans

quarterback Deshaun Watson

bubbled up this week when the

Houston Chronicle reported the

Dolphins could trade for him by

the end of the week. Tagova iloa’s

uneven performance and

Miami’s 1-6 record will only

amplify the discussion.

The Atlanta Falcons beat the

Dolphins, 30-28, on Younghoe

Koo’s last-play field goal.

Tagova iloa had given the

Dolphins the lead with a fourth-

quarter touchdown drive that

included a handful of excellent

throws, including a perfect

third-and-15 teardrop to tight

end Mike Gesicki. But he also

threw two ine xcusable

interceptions — one into the end

zone at the end of the first half

and one when he should have

taken a sack.

Every game should not be a

no longer tell themselves they

are a good team playing poorly.

They are simply a bad team.

Their offense hasn’t played

with the precision and patience

necessary against defenses

playing safeties back and

challenging the Chiefs to move

slowly down the field without a

turnover or drive-killing penalty.

Their defense is atrocious. They

don’t tackle and can’t cover. They

yielded nine first downs in their

first 17 plays. Mahomes admitted

he was “pressing a little bit too

early in the game,” which is what

happens to a quarterback who

knows his defense can’t stop

anybody.

There are still 10 weeks left.

It’s n ot a guarantee the Chiefs

will be a playoff team.

Tua Tagovailoa didn’t solidify

his future in Miami. The

Dolphins’ perceived interest in

record.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ bad

season got so much worse. The

most unsettling concern after

the Chiefs’ 27-3 loss at the

Tennessee Titans is the condition

of Mahomes, who left the field

after a sickening hit. Mammoth

defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons

crunched Mahomes from the

front as another defender

tackled him from behind, folding

his head and neck backward.

Mahomes stumbled as he rose,

and his eyes were glassy as

teammates and trainers helped

him to the sideline.

Mahomes cleared the

concussion protocol and should

return next week, but the Chiefs

still had to sift through a

startling loss. At 3-4 after failing

to score a touchdown in a

regular season game for the first

time since 2017, the Chiefs can

The strangeness
of this NFL
season reached
new heights in
Week 7. Patrick
Mahomes failed
to account for a touchdown. The
Cincinnati Bengals grabbed hold
of the top seed in the AFC playoff
race. The Arizona Cardinals
remain the final unbeaten at 7-0.
Bill Belichick and Andy Reid
own losing records in late
October. It’s a n upside-down
season, and here is what to
know.
The team to beat in the AFC
North is... the Bengals?
There’s n o other conclusion after
Cincinnati destroyed the Ravens,
41-17, in Baltimore to move to 5-
2, the same record as the Ravens.
Nothing about the victory felt
like a fluke. The Bengals took a
13-10 lead at halftime and
smothered the Ravens to the
point that they benched Lamar
Jackson to protect him from an
injury.
“We got beat soundly,” Ravens
Coach John Harbaugh said.
Second-year quarterback Joe
Burrow further established
himself as elite by passing for
416 yards and three touchdowns,
a mark of how far he and his
team have come. In Burrow’s
only game against Baltimore last
season, the Bengals’ only points
came on a last-minute, cosmetic
field goal as Burrow took seven
sacks and threw an interception.
On Sunday, he shredded Don
Martindale’s d efense.
There may not be a more
lethal duo in the NFL than
Burrow and wide receiver
Ja’Marr Chase, who caught eight
passes for 201 yards and a score
despite being guarded primarily
by Marlon Humphrey, one of the
best cornerbacks in the NFL.
Chase is the runaway leader for
offensive rookie of the year
honors. He’ll contend for first-
team all-pro, too, which is
ridiculous for a rookie given the
quality and depth at the
position. Chase is second in the
NFL to the Rams’ Cooper Kupp
with 754 receiving yards.
In the wide-open AFC, the
Bengals may be more than an
early-season darling. Every team
has at least two losses, which
means they’re tied for the best

Weird Week 7 showed the Bengals are f or real and the Chiefs are in real trouble

On the
NFL

ADAM
KILGORE

ROB CARR/GETTY IMAGES

Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase is the runaway leader for offensive rookie of the year after burning the Ravens for 201 yards and a s core.

had that in the back of my mind

the whole game.”

Samsonov’s mixed bag

Capitals goalie Ilya Samsonov

had mixed results. While he

made some timely saves, he was

unable to stop a few shots from

sharp angles.

Samsonov finished with 32

saves on 37 shots. He made a

strong stop to open the third

period, denying Alex Formenton

on a breakaway with a kick save.

He made a sliding save on Nick

Paul moments later, denying him

a chance from a t ight angle.

“There were probably a couple

that he would like back, and

there are probably a couple that

they were incredible saves,” Lavi-

olette said. “That’s probably the

best way to describe it. He made

a lot of good saves.”

Ottawa goalie Anton Forsberg

was pulled after the Capitals

scored their fourth goal on their

16th shot. Filip Gustavsson

played the rest of the way, yield-

ing three goals on 15 shots.

[email protected]

while Lapierre played with

Conor Sheary and Daniel

Sprong.

McMichael recorded the first

two points of his NHL career: He

had the secondary assist on Os-

hie’s second goal and the pri-

mary assist on Oshie’s third.

McMichael skated a career-high

14:01, while Lapierre played 7:46.

“It was cool,” McMichael said

of playing in front of family. “I

the young season.

“I just really want to keep

proving that I can play and I can

be an effective player here,” Lapi-

erre said before the game. “... I

really want to keep working,

keep doing the right things cor-

rectly and keep pl aying my game,

do the right details correctly.

And I t hink if I do that, good

things will happen.”

McMichael’s parents saw him

play in a regular season game for

the first time. He skated on a line

with Oshie and Anthony Mantha,

Senators rattled off three

straight goals in the first 12

minutes to tie it. With his team

needing a spark, Ovechkin gave

the Capitals a 5-4 lead on a

breakaway at 16:27. Then Oshie

tallied his third of the night at

19:52 by banking in a wrap-

around attempt off an Ottawa

player, giving him four goals on

the season.

Washington (4-0-2) was sit-

ting pretty with a 6-4 lead head-

ing into the final period before

Batherson made things interest-

ing with his third goal at 6:32.

Ovechkin gave the Capitals some

margin for error, Ottawa (2 -4-0)

could not respond, and the Capi-

tals escaped with two points.

“It was not your typical game,

but we found a way to win it,”

Coach Peter Laviolette said.

Here’s what to know from the

wild win:

Back and forth

Ottawa started strong, grab-

bing a 1-0 lead just 2:26 in on a

long snipe from Batherson. But

Washington’s offense quickly

cam e to life. Oshie answered

first, scoring twice in less than

five minutes to put the Capitals

ahead.

Nick Jensen had the third goal

with a right-point shot before

fellow defenseman John Carlson

added the Capitals’ fourth with a

slick fake leading to a snipe from

the circle.

Then Ottawa made its run.

Josh Norris cut the Capitals’ lead

to 4-2 with a one-timer from the

right circle 5:57 into the second.

Not long after, the Senators capi-

talized with Oshie in the penalty

box after an interference call.

Chris Tierney scored on the pow-

er pl ay, cutting the Capitals’ lead

to 4-3 at 9:37. Batherson got his

second goal when a loose puck

ended up in front of the Capitals’

net to tie the score at 4 a t 11:16.

McMichael, Lapierre in

Connor McMichael and Hen-

drix Lapierre were both in the

lineup after center Nic Dowd did

not travel with the team because

of a lower-body injury. He is

considered day-to-day.

Lapierre, who grew up in near-

by Gatineau, Quebec, was play-

ing in front of 15 to 20 family

members in addition to plenty

more people from his hometown.

He was ushered onto the ice

before warmups to do his second

solo lap — a rookie tradition — of

CAPITALS FROM D1

Oshie nets fifth career hat trick to lift Caps in Ottawa

CAPITALS’ NEXT THREE

vs. Detroit Red Wings

Tomorrow 7NBCSW Plus

vs. Arizona Coyotes

Fr iday7NBCSW

at Tampa Bay Lightning

Monday7NBCSW

Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM),

WFED (1500 AM)

Capitals 7, Senators 5

WASHINGTON ......................... 4 21 —7

OTTAWA .................................. 1 31 —5

FIRST PERIOD

Scoring: 1, Ottawa, Batherson 2, 2:26. 2, Washington,

Oshie 2 (van Riemsdyk), 6:26. 3, Washington, Oshie 3

(Mantha, McMichael), 11:10. 4, Washington, Jensen 2

(Orlov, Sheary), 13:37. 5, Washington, Carlson 1 (Eller,

Fehervary), 15:43.

SECOND PERIOD

Scoring: 6, Ottawa, Norris 3 (Zub, Batherson), 5:57. 7,

Ottawa, Tierney 4 (Ennis, Chabot), 9:37 (pp). 8, Ottawa,

Batherson 3 (Tkachuk), 11:16. 9, Washington, Ovechkin

6, 16:27. 10, Washington, Oshie 4 (McMichael), 19:52.

THIRD PERIOD

Scoring: 11, Ottawa, Batherson 4 (Norris, Chabot), 6:32.

12, Washington, Ovechkin 7 (Wilson), 10:46.

SHOTS ON GOAL

WASHINGTON ....................... 1867 —31

OTTAWA ................................ 13168 —37

Power-play opportunities: Washington 0 of 1; Ottawa 1

of 3. Goalies: Washington, Samsonov 2-0-1 (37 shots-32

saves). Ottawa, Forsberg 1-2-0 (16-12), Ottawa,

Gustavsson 1-1-0 (15-12). A: 11,387 (18,572). T: 2:42.

JUSTIN TANG/ASSOCIATED PRESS

T.J. Oshie, center, scored twice in the first period and again in the second in Washington’s 7-5 victory.