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GREEN BAY Cheap Taven Bryan Jersey , Wis. (AP) Another week, another change of direction for the Green Bay Packers.

And another change of teams for tight end Martellus Bennett.

The Packers, already dealing with quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ absence because of a broken collarbone, will have to make further adjustments after waiving Bennett on Wednesday.

Bennett was claimed off waivers on Thursday by the New England Patriots, the team with which Bennett won a Super Bowl last season.

Bennett, the team’s big offseason free-agent acquisition Wholesale James Washington Jersey , gave the Packers one of the deepest tight end groups in the NFL with Richard Rodgers and Lance Kendricks. A powerful line-of-scrimmage blocker with five consecutive seasons of 50-plus receptions, Bennett provided fresh options to a potent offense.

Coach Mike McCarthy leaned heavily on Bennett, who played on 83 percent of snaps. While he is fourth on the team with 24 receptions for 233 yards, his biggest contributions came in the run game. The Packers rank fifth in the NFL at 4.53 yards per carry.

”Any time you lose one of your top-caliber players it’s an adjustment,” McCarthy said on Thursday. ”You look at the adjustment you make with Aaron lost at quarterback and having three veteran tight ends on a roster, now you’re down to two. You adjust the way you do things http://www.sandiegochargersteamonline.com/uchenna-nwosu-jersey , the way you game plan and the way you move forward.”

The Packers released Bennett for failing to disclose a physical condition.

During the Packers’ bye week, Bennett posted on Instagram that he was ”pretty sure” he would retire at the end of the season.

Bennett practiced on the Tuesday after the bye. After a day off Wednesday, Bennett did not participate in the practice the rest of the week and was inactive for Monday night’s loss against Detroit because of a shoulder injury.

McCarthy said he did not talk to Bennett about retiring, and he wouldn’t speculate on whether there was any connection between Bennett’s Instagram post, the injury and the team’s sagging fortunes without Aaron Rodgers. Bennett has also played for the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Chicago Bears.

”I think we know where we’re trying to go. If someone is not on that boat http://www.carolinapanthersteamonline.com/ian-thomas-jersey , it’s better that they’re not here,” Richard Rodgers said. ”We’re looking to move on. We know our ultimate goal.”

Asked if he didn’t believe Bennett was ”on the boat,” Richard Rodgers said, ”I really can’t answer that.”

Bennett’s agent, Kennard McGuire, declined a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Rodgers Brandon Parker Super Bowl LI Jersey , a third-round pick in 2014, played 33 snaps against Detroit and Kendricks, a seventh-year player from Wisconsin who also was signed in free agency, played 29. Both are capable receivers.

Rodgers caught 58 passes in 2015 before ceding time last season to then-starter Jared Cook. Kendricks caught a career-high 50 passes for the Rams last season. This season, Kendricks has caught eight passes for 126 yards and one touchdown and Rodgers has caught four passes for 43 yards.

”He took on a very heavy role and I thought he did a good job with it,” Kendricks said. ”Luckily Wholesale Sam Hubbard Jersey , I have Rich, who’s been here for four years. Hopefully we can build off that.”

NOTES: DT Quinton Dial (chest) did not practice. … OLB Ahmad Brooks (back), who has missed the past three games, was limited.

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More AP NFL: http://pro32.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-NFL

NEW YORK — The New York Islanders solved their biggest long-term issue Wednesday http://www.baltimoreravensteamauthentic.com/jaleel-scott-jersey , when owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin won a bid to build a new arena at Belmont Park in Nassau County. But the Islanders will have decidedly short-term goals in mind Thursday night when they host the Anaheim Ducks in a battle of reeling teams at Barclays Center.

Both the Islanders and Ducks were off Wednesday after absorbing losses on Tuesday. New York fell to the visiting Detroit Red Wings, 6-3. Anaheim suffered its third straight defeat by dropping a 4-1 decision to the New York Rangers.

The results Tuesday removed the last margin of error for the Islanders (18-13-3) in the Eastern Conference playoff race. New York, which began the month one point out of first place in the Metropolitan Division, has gone 3-6-1 in December to fall into the second wild card Kevin Hogan Super Bowl LI Jersey , where it will open Thursday two points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The issue for the Islanders has been a sieve-like defense. New York entered Wednesday ranks second in the NHL in both goals scored (121) and goals allowed (120). Goalies Thomas Greiss and Jaroslav Halak have combined to stop just 87.1 percent of shots they’ve faced this month.

“They’re going through a rough time now,” Islanders head coach Doug Weight said. “It gets in your head and you feel like you can’t give anything up.”

The game Thursday will be the first for the Islanders as official lame ducks at Barclays Center. The club, which is in its third season in Brooklyn following 42 seasons at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, plans to move back to the Island in an arena that could be ready for the 2020-21 season. Fans Wholesale Sam Darnold Jersey , tired of the treacherous commute to Brooklyn, universally lauded the move.

“For our fans, this day is for you,” Ledecky said during a press conference Wednesday. “You’ve been passionate supporters of the team both on and off the ice. Today is a huge day for the franchise and you deserve it more than anyone else.”

The Ducks (14-13-8) are also in the midst of a 10-game slide (3-3-4). Anaheim is 1-2-1 on a six-game east coast road trip that ends Saturday against the Penguins.

The loss to the Rangers on Tuesday was the first one this month in which the Ducks fell by more than two goals. Anaheim Cheap Avonte Maddox Jersey , which is two points behind the third-place San Jose Sharks in the Pacific Division, has suffered four of its last seven losses in overtime.

“I hate to say it, but I think we are finding ways to lose hockey games at the moment,” Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf said. “You have to find ways to win games.”

While the Ducks’ defensive woes are not as pronounced as the Islanders Barkevious Mingo Super Bowl LI Jersey , Anaheim has been outscored 9-4 in the last two games.

“We have to dig in, buckle down defensively and win one of these games 1-0, something like that,” Getzlaf said. “We have to give our goaltenders more help than that.”

OTTAWA — A week off helped the Ottawa Senators get back to health Wholesale Josh Sitton Jersey , but their playoff hopes remain on life support.

The Senators need to go on a run unlike any they’ve had to avoid a shakeup before the trade deadline, and they need to start with Thursday’s game against the St. Louis Blues at Canadian Tire Centre.

Even that might not get them into the playoffs, but it would at least show general manager Pierre Dorion there’s reason to keep the band together.

The Senators (15-18-9) showed some fighting spirit before the break, winning three of five games and claiming seven of a possible 10 points. They also started getting some offence from Matt Duchene, who scored three goals and three assists in the past four games to match his production in the first 24 games after being acquired from Colorado.

But they’re still 15 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the third spot in the Atlantic Division Cheap Christian Kirk Jersey , with a slightly smaller gap — but more teams to pass — to get to the final wild card spot.

“Guys are generally really, really excited to get back this time,” winger Mark Stone said after Wednesday night’s practice. “We were playing some good hockey going into the break, so compared to the Christmas break, guys are a lot more excited about how we’re playing.

“We can’t give up now Seahawks Michael Dickson Jersey , we still have half the year to make up for it, so we have to keep things simple game by game and day by day. And we got better (Wednesday) at practice.”

While the Senators will likely still be without center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, they are expected to have winger Bobby Ryan, center Nate Thompson and defenseman Mark Borowiecki back for Thursday’s game.

Borowiecki, the team’s most physical blue liner Authentic Jason Heyward Jersey , hasn’t played since suffering a concussion on Nov. 19.

“I would love to (get a hit early), try to set a bit of energy in this building, but when you chase it, that’s when things don’t go your way,” he said. “You have to find your spot. It’s just a matter of making sure you’re in the right places and being able to make those hits if they do come.”

Each game is big for the Blues (27-17-3) these days. They are two points out of top spot in the Central Division Authentic Antonio Callaway Jersey , but also two up on the Dallas Stars in the race for third.

It appears Vince Dunn has kept hold of a spot on the blue line after playing a strong game, and scoring the winning goal, in a 2-1 overtime victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

The Blues could also stick with goalie Carter Hutton, who made 30 saves to snap the team out of a three-game losing streak.

“I thought he did a heck of a job,” coach Mike Yeo told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of Hutton on Wednesday. “I don’t know that he was tested a lot early. Obviously Authentic Anthony Averett Jersey , the big moment for me was when they scored (a short-handed goal), I thought he made two, three really good saves. It could’ve been 2-0, 3-0 there right off the hop. And that was when he played his best and that gave us a chance to tie the game.”

The Senators need some strong goaltending of their own as starter Craig Anderson has struggled through the first half of the season with a 12-13-5 record to go along with a 3.22 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage.

What a difference a year has made for the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Giants.

In 2016 Authentic Avonte Maddox Jersey , the Giants and Rams, both 3-3 at the time they met on the field of Twickenham Stadium in London, battled to a 17-10 Giants win.

That win was part of a run that saw the Giants cruise to an 11-5 record and their first playoff berth since 2011 under first-year head coach Ben McAdoo while the Rams limped to a 4-12 record.

Since then, a lot has happened.

The Rams have a new coaching staff that is led by Sean McVay, the grandson of John McVay, the one-time Giants head coach from 1976-78, and the one-time assistant coach for Washington, where he worked with the tight ends from 2010-2013 before being promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2014-2016 seasons.

The Rams revamped their offensive line, adding three new starters that includes left tackle Andrew Whitworth; they upgraded their perimeter players by adding receiver Sammy Watkins and tight end Gerald Everett; and they converted their defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

The result so far?

A Rams team that is a half game out of first place in the NFC West, behind the Seattle Seahawks.

The Giants Authentic Larry Doby Jersey , meanwhile have gone in the opposite direction from 2016. They have won just one game out of their first seven. Their offense, which was supposed to be vastly improved from a year ago, is averaging 16 points per game (30th in the NFL) and has been forced to continue the rest of the season without receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall.

And their top-10 defense, which returned most of the starters from last year, has lost its bite thanks in part to injuries to key starters like defensive end Olivier Vernon, and linebackers Jonathan Casillas and B.J. Goodson.

On Sunday, the Rams, who like the Giants are coming off their bye week, will visit the Giants at MetLife Stadium in search of their first win against New York since 2001, a 15-14 triumph in a game played in St. Louis.

Despite the Giants’ recent struggles Authentic Hayden Hurst Jersey , McVay isn’t exactly licking his chops over what many perceive as a wounded Giants team.

“This is a very tough football team,” he said of the Giants. “I know, just from being in that division the last couple years, what a great leader Coach McAdoo is and how competitive they are on all three phases and what a great challenge it’s going to be. There’s excellent players all over the place and it’s a tough place to go and play, at MetLife (Stadium).”

One “excellent” player the Giants aren’t going to have Sunday is Janoris Jenkins, their top cover cornerback. Jenkins, who signed with the Giants after starting his career with the Rams, has been suspended by McAdoo for violating team rules.

McVay said it’s important that his offense, led by second-year quarterback Jared Goff and featuring receivers Tavon Austin, Robert Woods and Watkins Authentic Andre Ethier Jersey , not become complacent given Jenkins’ absence.

“While you do look at what a great player Janoris Jenkins is, they’ve got a lot of good players stepping up. You look at (Dominique) Rodgers-Cromartie, (Ross) Cockrell’s done some good things, I think Eli Apple’s a very good football player and there’s a lot of depth on that defensive backfield.”

That approach is part of the large-scale message McVay has for his players: don’t become complacent because the Giants are in a state of turmoil.

“I think the one thing that you appreciate about this league is that every single team on any given week can win and if you’re not ready to go, you get exposed and you get humbled very quickly,” he said.

The Giants, meanwhile are hoping to put behind them the ugliness of their first half of the season and turn things around.

“I think it’s just a time to understand the circumstances we’re going through, understand what we have, be excited about our opportunities to go out there and compete every week,” said Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

If the Giants are to have a chance to stay toe-to-toe with the Rams Wholesale Kyle Lauletta Jersey , it starts on offense. Since losing Beckham and Marshall to season-ending injuries, Manning has targeted his receivers 21 times over two games, with just seven completions for 67 yards and 1 touchdown.

He’s hoping that now he’s been able to spend more time working with Roger Lewis, Tavarres King and Travis Rudolph, and with Sterling Shepard on track to return from a sprained ankle that kept him sidelined for two games, the opportunities will be there for the passing offense which has failed to crack 200 yards total in each of its last three games.

“(The Rams) play a good bit of man (coverage) and it still give you some opportunities to make some plays,” Manning said. “We’re excited about just figuring out what guys do well, how can we put them in a position to do the things they do well so we can be successful as a team and as an offense.”

The Giants’ success is also predicated on their offensive line, which could be without Justin Pugh, their current starting right tackle and best offensive lineman http://www.newyorkjetsteamonline.com/bryce-petty-jersey , who has been nursing a back injury. The Rams defense has recorded at least one sack in every game played this season, with all but one game being a multi-sack affair.

“(The Rams) are a talented team. They got a good front seven, got a lot of speed. Their corners play well. They do a good job of getting to the quarterback, good job stopping the run. So, we got to be sound up front, know our assignments,” Manning said.

Defensively, among the Giants objectives will be to clamp down on Rams running back Todd . Derek Carr Jersey , New Orleans Saints Customized Jerseys , David Johnson Jersey , Green Bay Packers Customized Jerseys ,

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Cast aside once in Philadelphia Authentic David Ross Jersey , Nick Foles delivered the city its first Super Bowl title.

He outdueled the great Tom Brady to do it.

”Being a part of this and being drafted to Philadelphia, and being fortunate enough to come back and be a part of this team, to be a piece of this puzzle, I mean, it’s been a long time coming and I know there’s going to be a lot of celebrating tonight,” Foles said.

Foles, who took over when Carson Wentz injured his right knee in mid-December, matched Brady Cheap Rasheem Green Jersey , the five-time champion and three-time MVP, big play for big play Sunday in leading the Eagles past the New England Patriots 41-33 .

After an unusually slow start, Brady led the favored Patriots to scores on five of six possessions, and Foles kept right on coming, executing coach Doug Pederson’s aggressive calls.

”I wasn’t worrying about the scoreboard, I wasn’t worrying about the time, I was just playing ball,” Foles said. ”I think sometimes you start worrying about that too much Dante Pettis Super Bowl LI Jersey , it starts creeping in your brain. I was just playing, whatever play Doug called, I was just going to go out there and rip it.”

After watching Brady put the Patriots ahead 33-32 with 9:22 left, Foles drove the Eagles 75 yards in 14 plays, hitting tight end Zach Ertz from 11 yards on third-and-7 for the go-ahead TD with 2:21 left.

That drive lasted a tick more than seven minutes and kept Brady cooling his cleats on the sideline while allowing the Eagles’ exhausted defenders to catch their collective breath in a game that featured 1,151 total yards, the most in any NFL game in the Super Bowl era.

That meant the world when Brady got the ball back and Brandon Graham swept in and jarred the ball loose for the game’s lone sack. Derek Barnett smothered it at the 31 with just over two minutes remaining, and Jake Elliott’s 46-yard field goal Authentic Anthony Rizzo Jersey , the longest in a Super Bowl by a rookie, made it an eight-point cushion.

It also gave Brady just a minute to work his magic.

He started at his 9 with 58 seconds remaining and drove the Patriots to midfield before time ran out on New England as a desperation pass fell in the end zone.

Foles searched out Brady, but never did find him in all the chaos and confetti.

”I didn’t get to see Tom. I was looking for Tom. It got pretty crazy really fast,” Foles said. ”I mean, he’s one of the greatest of all time. He’s been unbelievable. He was unbelievable tonight. I can’t say enough about him.”

Brady threw for more yards – a playoff career-high 505 to Foles’ 373 – but Foles matched Brady’s three touchdown tosses and even caught another .

He hauled in tight end Trey Burton’s toss from the 1 that gave Philadelphia a 22-12 halftime edge and made him the first player in Super Bowl history to be on both ends of a touchdown pass in the same game.

Brady nearly beat him to it.

Although wide open, the ambling Brady couldn’t quite haul in receiver Danny Amendola’s high pass for what would have been a nifty over-the-shoulder reception which might have gone all 35 yards for the score.

That brought to mind Gisele Bundchen’s famous dig after one of Brady’s two losses to Eli Manning and the Giants in the Super Bowl, when his supermodel wife responded to hecklers by complaining about the Patriots’ many dropped passes that day.

”You’ve to catch the ball when you’re supposed to catch the ball,” she fumed. ”My husband cannot … throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.”

Nor could he haul in Amendola’s throw early in the second quarter with New England trailing 9-3.

Foles had never caught a pass in the NFL before his TD grab.

His only interception was a fluke Authentic Calvin Ridley Jersey , but it did help Brady and the Patriots staunch an early stumble to stay in it until the very end.

Foles was 28 of 43 and wasn’t sacked. Brady was 28 of 48, and while he didn’t throw any interceptions, his only sack was a doozy.

A third-round pick by former Eagles coach Andy Reid in 2012, Foles had tremendous success as a starter under Chip Kelly his sophomore season. He threw 29 TDs and two picks in 11 starts, including playoffs in 2013. Foles posted a passer rating of 119.2, third-highest in league history. He tied an NFL record with seven TD passes in a game at Oakland in November 2013 and won an offensive MVP award at a Pro Bowl.

But Foles was traded to St. Louis for Sam Bradford in March 2015. He lost his starting job to Case Keenum and asked for his release after Jared Goff was drafted No. 1 overall when the Rams relocated to Los Angeles. Foles even considered hanging up his cleats before Reid persuaded him to go to Kansas City to be Alex Smith’s backup.

”As people we deal with struggles and that was a moment in my life where I thought about it, I prayed about it,” Foles said of quitting. ”And I’m grateful that I made a decision to come back and play.”

So is Philadelphia Authentic Kenny Young Jersey , where Foles returned after one season with the Chiefs, signing a two-year, $12 million deal to provide insurance behind Wentz.

Now he’s a folk hero for a franchise that had gone 0 for 2 in Super Bowls, and for a legion of fans who were rooting for anybody other than the Patriots.

”Just to be in this moment,” Foles said, shaking his head. ”Unbelievable.”

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Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights conclude the first half of their inaugural season with a Sunday night home game with the New York Rangers. And it’s fair to say Gerard Gallant’s surprising squad heads into the final game before a six-day break playing with some house money.

No matter what the outcome against the Rangers Authentic Marcus Davenport Jersey , Vegas (28-10-2) will hit the halfway point leading the Western Conference in points. The Golden Knights, who are 17-2-1 at T-Mobile Arena, will also have the most home wins of any team in the NHL. And their eight-game winning streak, which was snapped with a 2-1 loss at St. Louis on Thursday night, is tied for the longest in the NHL this season.

But one thing Vegas doesn’t have this season is a win over the Rangers, who won their only previous meeting 6-4 on Halloween night at Madison Square Garden.

Vegas Authentic Tom Glavine Jersey , playing with fourth-string goalie Maxime Lagace because of injuries to starter Marc-Andre Fleury (concussion), and backups Malcolm Subban (lower-body injury) and Oscar Dansk (lower-body injury), led that one 4-2 heading into the third period. But David Perron was whistled for a double-minor that Chris Kreider scored on to cut it to 4-3 and jumpstart a four-goal third period for the Rangers that included a game-winning goal by Mika Zibanejad with 5:39 left.

Afterward, Gallant, known for being a straight shooter, openly criticized his team’s play for one of the few times this season.

“Until (Perron’s) penalty Adidas Andrew Ladd Jersey , we were in control of the game and playing well,” Gallant said. “The rest of the period we looked like an expansion team.”

Boom. Anyone who has been around the Vegas locker room knows nothing hurts the players than to be reminded they are a squad of castoffs, players who were made available to be part of an expansion draft.

Vegas has gone 20-7-2 since that loss, including an amazing 13-1-1 in its last 15 games. The Golden Knights bounced back from Thursday’s tough loss in St. Louis — goalie Carter Hutton had 32 saves including two tough stops in the third period to help the Blues hold on — to win at Chicago 5-4 on Friday night.

“It’s huge,” Reilly Smith, who had three points and scored the game-winner on a breakaway with 5:07 remaining Wholesale Saquon Barkley Jersey , said. “It’s usually tough on that second game of a back-to-back. It’s nice to get the win now and get back to .500 for the trip.”

The Rangers (22-14-5) will be playing their second game in a 27-hour span on the second half of a back-to-back that started with a 2-1 shootout win at Arizona on Saturday night.

Zibanejad scored the game-winner in the first round of the shootout. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist had 38 saves and then stopped all three shots in the shootout to notch his 424th career victory, passing Tony Esposito (423) for eighth place on the NHL’s all-time victory list.

“We are going to play against one of the better home teams in the league,” Lungqvist, who has started 35 of the New York’s 41 games in net, said of Vegas. “A confident group. I remember the game in New York. They’re a really fast, skilled team and if you’re not careful they’re going to make you pay. Quick turnaround and we need all-in tomorrow.”

New York played Saturday without two of its top six scorers in forward Mats Zuccarello Wholesale Jaleel Scott Jersey , who missed his first game of the season because of illness, and Kreider, who will be out indefinitely because of surgery to resect a rib. Zuccarello leads the team in scoring (31 points) and assists (23) while Kreider is sixth with 22 points, including 11 goals.

WASHINGTON — Maybe the Washington Capitals got a little too comfortable during their league-mandated five-day break. The Philadelphia Flyers are hoping to take advantage.

“If you’ve watched us play lately Wholesale Josh Rosen Jersey , we’ve gone a bit stale,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz told reporters after Saturday’s morning skate.

Washington is looking to avoid a three-game losing streak when it hosts Philadelphia on Sunday in a showdown between the Metropolitan Division rivals. The Capitals are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday, marking the first time they’ve dropped two straight at home since October.

“The last couple of games, we haven’t made it tough on the opposition. I don’t know if it’s the break, but even before the break Authentic Mark Walton Jersey , I’ve been contemplating that maybe it’s time for a little switch,” Trotz said. “Eighty-two games — teams have lulls in the way they play and how they play.”

On the other hand, the Flyers are rolling after a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, giving Philadelphia six wins in its last seven games to get back into the playoff picture, one point out of a wild-card spot.

“It’s definitely more fun to be in a position that you’re in the playoffs Authentic Jason Kipnis Jersey ,” Flyers forward Valtteri Filppula told reporters after the game. “At the same time, if you make the playoffs now, you’re going to be more prepared.

“You’ve played a lot of those kinds of games already when you’re not in a must-win, but wins are really important. It keeps us focused and in the long run, if we make the playoffs Wholesale Daniel Kilgore Jersey , it’s going to help us out.”

Leading the way has been Sean Couturier, who has 11 goals in his last 13 games. His solid play has also helped pay dividends for Travis Konecny, who has nine points (three goals) in his last 11 games since being shifted to the top line alongside Couturier and center Claude Giroux.

“We played a really strong game,” Konecny said after recording a goal and an assist against the Devils. “We came out really hot, and that’s what we need to keep doing. It makes it a lot easier when you’re playing ahead.”

The Capitals made some moves in order to shake the doldrums Authentic Vinny Curry Jersey , moving forward Andre Burakovsky to a top-six position after he struggled during the early part of the season.

“I think I’ve been trying to stick with it when I was a healthy scratch and on the fourth line,” Burakovsky told the team’s website. “I was trying to learn from the mistakes. Just stay positive and work hard every day and now I’m back in the top six.”

Braden Holtby figures to get the nod between the pipes for the Capitals. The Flyers may keep the hot hand in net as Michal Neuvirth has won his last two starts in place of Brian Elliott.

“You don’t have to think about the little things,” Neuvirth said of getting increased playing time. “You just do it automatically. For us, it’s going to be huge games the rest of the season.”

This is the second meeting of the season. Philadelphia routed Washington 8-2 on Oct. 14. The teams meet again on Jan. 31 in Washington.

RALEIGH Taven Bryan Super Bowl LI Jersey , N.C. (AP) The new owner of the Carolina Hurricanes is new to owning a professional sports team and, for that matter, relatively new to hockey.

But Tom Dundon knows how to run a successful business – and he wants to win soon.

”The blueprint for the business is fairly obvious – not too different from every other business in the world,” Dundon said Friday during his introduction as the team’s majority owner.

”On the hockey side, the advice (has been) repeatedly, you’ve got to trust” his hockey-minded employees, he added. ”I don’t think I’m going to walk in and understand more hockey than (general manager Ron Francis). That would be ridiculous.”

Dundon, a 46-year-old billionaire from Dallas Adidas Patrice Bergeron Jersey , is the former CEO of Santander Consumer USA, a Dallas-based lending firm. He’s also an investor in the Top Golf chain of golf and entertainment facilities and a key financier of a new golf course in Dallas.

Now he’s part of the exclusive club of pro sports owners.

”I value winning more than money,” Dundon said, ”but it doesn’t mean I want to burn it.”

Dundon, who repeatedly described himself as impatient, has taken over the team with the NHL’s longest active postseason drought – eight years. Carolina entered Friday night’s home game against first-place Washington in playoff position after beating the Capitals 3-1 on Thursday night.

”I’m not patient. It’s not going to work for me to be patient,” Dundon said. ”And the fact that they had a team that can win right now, and we can then hopefully do some things to bring more fans and more resources and they can sustain what Ron and these guys have built Authentic Michael Dickson Jersey , that was the big difference.”

One of Dundon’s top challenges is attracting more fans. The Hurricanes rank next to last in attendance this season, averaging about 12,500 at the 18,680-seat building. Their average attendance of 11,776 last season was the team’s smallest since moving into PNC Arena in 1999.

”If we don’t sell more tickets, it’s not the fans’ fault – it’s our fault,” Dundon said. ”Clearly, this is a winning town Authentic Roger Maris Jersey , this is a winning place with a team that is ready to win. … They’ll come when we give them a reason to come.”

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says Dundon’s purchase of the team and commitment to the Raleigh area should bury the talk about possible relocation.

”This is a community that has embraced NHL hockey and the Hurricanes,” Bettman said. ”I know over the years, there has been speculation and rumor and innuendo about the future of this franchise. Let me tell you, as I repeatedly said over the years, this franchise wasn’t going anywhere and isn’t going anywhere.”

Under the ownership transition, Peter Karmanos Jr. will retain a minority piece of the club he purchased in 1994 and moved from Hartford, Connecticut, to North Carolina three years later.

Karmanos had been publicly seeking a local buyer for at least three years. He acknowledged over the summer that he and a group led by former Texas Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg had agreed to an outline but could not settle on terms for a purchase agreement. He also said he was looking for a sale price of about $500 million.

Dundon said Karmanos initially rejected his first bid for the franchise. He said he usually can shake off a failed deal and move on to the next one Adidas Joe Thornton Jersey , but described himself as ”depressed” because ”I was watching the team and now I’m (emotionally) invested, and it’s done.

”And I called (Karmanos) back, groveling, and that’s how we came to our deal,” Dundon added. ”I’ve already sort of proven that I’ll make an irrational financial decision if it means that we can win something.”

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For more NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

COLUMBUS Authentic Oren Burks Jersey , Ohio (AP) The San Jose Sharks took advantage of its power plays and a Columbus scoring slump to get a needed win.

Kevin Labanc and Logan Couture each had a goal and an assist, and Martin Jones stopped 28 shots to lift the Sharks to a 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets on Friday night, snapping a four-game skid.

The Sharks’ first two goals came on power plays, with Labanc getting a wide-open look at the net with a 5-on-3 advantage in the second period. Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for San Jose.

”The power play has been the key for us for the last 2 1/2 months,” San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. ”The one thing we have is a lot of options there. We have a lot of guys who are comfortable on the power play J'Mon Moore Super Bowl LI Jersey , and they’re playing with a lot of confidence right now.”

Sergei Bobrovsky had 25 saves for the Blue Jackets, who have lost two in a row and five of their last seven. Boone Jenner had the lone goal as Columbus continues to have trouble finding the back of the net. The team has scored two or fewer goals in regulation in 11 of the last 12 games.

”We just have no rhythm offensively,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said.

Couture tallied 5:07 into the game with the Blue Jackets’ Matt Calvert in the penalty box for tripping. Couture got his 22nd goal of the season when he snapped a shot from the high slot over the glove of Bobrovsky, who was shielded by 6-foot-5 defenseman Brent Burns.

Jenner tied the score 4:30 into the second period with his fifth goal of the season and first in 13 games when he rifled a shot off the bar from the top of the left circle.

Columbus was victimized on another power play at 10:20 in the second when Labanc scored from 15 feet out while Seth Jones and Nick Foligno served penalties. Tororella was so angry that he benched Foligno, the Blue Jackets’ captain Rick Leonard Jersey Elite , for the rest of the period and much of the third.

Tortorella said the punishment didn’t result from just the untimely penalty. ”It was a few other things,” he said, but declined to discuss it any further.

”It sucks,” Foligno said of the benching. ”It’s the worst feeling in the world. You just want to be out there helping your teammates, especially after a mistake. That’s a really hard one to sit there and watch Authentic Joe DiMaggio Jersey , but that’s the standard that (Tortorella) has.”

Vlasic got the insurance goal when he beat Bobrovsky with a backhand 6:51 into the final period.

Labanc said the Sharks, trying to emerge from a knot of teams behind Vegas in the Pacific Division, have got to keep capitalizing on the other team’s penalties. They are fourth in the NHL on power-play percentage.

”We’ve just got to keep scoring on those opportunities,” Labanc said. ”We get those 5-on-3s and 5-on-4s, and that’s what is winning us games. So we’ve just got to be consistent with that.”

NOTES: San Jose is 19-0-1 this season when leading after two periods. … Couture left the game in the third period after getting hit in the face with the puck. … Sharks F Tomas Hertl played in his 300th NHL game. … Blue Jackets F Lukas Sedlak played in his 100th game. … Columbus recalled F Markus Hannikainen from Cleveland (AHL) on Friday Authentic Justin Reid Jersey , but he was a scratch for the game, along with D Scott Harrington. … Forwards Jannick Hansen and Marcus Sorensen, and D Tim Heed were scratched for the Sharks.

UP NEXT

San Jose: Plays at Carolina on Sunday.

Columbus: Plays at New York Islanders on Saturday in first of five straight games against Metropolitan Division opponents.

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NEW YORK — Now it’s the New York Rangers‘ turn to try and do something that more than a quarter of the NHL has failed to do over the last two-plus weeks: Beat the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Rangers will attempt to slow the hottest team in the league Tuesday night Authentic Da'Shawn Hand Jersey , when the Blue Jackets visit Madison Square Garden for the final game this season between the Metropolitan Division rivals.

The Blue Jackets ran their winning streak to eight games Monday night, when they came back from a two-goal deficit to edge the host Boston Bruins, 5-4. The Rangers last played Saturday, when they fell to the host St. Louis Blues, 4-3, in overtime.

While the Rangers (32-32-8) are playing out the string after embarking upon a rebuilding project in February Cliff Avril Jersey Elite , the surge by the Blue Jackets (40-28-5) has dramatically enhanced their playoff prospects.

Columbus, which was tied for the Eastern Conference’s second wild card before its winning streak began on March 4, is now six points ahead of the Florida Panthers, who are in ninth place in the East, and tied for third place in the Metropolitan with the Philadelphia Flyers. The two teams are two points behind the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins and four points behind the first-place Washington Capitals.

The Blue Jackets’ streak appeared imperiled Monday, when they trailed the Bruins 3-1 late in the third period. The victory was the fourth one-goal decision over the eight-game run for Columbus.

“We’re a resilient group — I don’t think we played nearly our best Authentic Fernando Rodney Jersey , found a way to just stick with it,” said Blue Jackets right winger Cam Atkinson, who scored the game-winning goal 2:55 into overtime. “It was a huge two points.”

The Blue Jackets’ No. 1 goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, will likely draw the start after backup Joonas Korpisalo earned the win Monday by recording 34 saves. Bobrovsky last played Saturday, when he stopped 23 shots and was credited with the win in Columbus’ 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators.

The Rangers will shift away from evaluation mode for at least one game Tuesday Tracy Walker Super Bowl LI Jersey , when star goalie Henrik Lundqvist returns to the lineup after sitting in favor of rookie Alexandar Georgiev the previous three games. Lundqvist hasn’t played since March 10, when he made 32 saves and took the loss as the Rangers fell to the Florida Panthers, 4-3, in the shootout.

“Ten games to go, we’ve got to make the most out of this stretch here,” Lundqvist told reporters following practice Monday. “Nobody knows who’s going to be here next year. But right now Authentic Josey Jewell Jersey , let’s make the most of it as a group and we’ll see how many wins we end up with in the end.”

Bobrovsky is 7-10-2 in 20 career regular-season appearances against the Rangers. Lundqvist is 11-7-1 in 20 games against the Blue Jackets.

The home team has won each of the first three games this season between the Rangers and Blue Jackets. Columbus earned a 3-1 win at Nationwide Arena on Oct. 13 and a 2-0 victory on Nov. 17. New York notched a 5-3 win at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 6.