Jets beat Coyotes in shooout

Blake Wheeler says his Winnipeg Jets are racing for a Western Conference playoff spot.

Winnipeg got out of the post-Olympic starting blocks quickly with a 3-2 shootout win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday night as Wheeler scored his 23rd goal of the season.

"A vast percentage of the league is going to be pretty rested after a 2 1/2-week break," said Wheeler, who played for the United States in Sochi, but saw limited minutes as the Americans' 13th forward. "I think it's an all-out sprint. There's no time to be tired."

Wheeler was joined on the score sheet by Bryan Little. Olli Jokinen put away the shootout winner in the fourth round for Winnipeg (29-26-6). 

'It was tough at times, but just from the stuff I watched the last two days [around the league], it was a better game than I thought I was going to see.'- Jets head coach Paul Maurice

Devin Setoguchi also beat Coyotes goalie Mike Smith in the shootout, while Antoine Vermette was the only Coyote to solve Ondrej Pavelec.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Martin Hanzal scored in regulation for Phoenix (27-21-11) in the first game for both teams after a 19-day break for the Winter Olympics.

The Jets continued their winning ways under new head coach Paul Maurice, improving to 10-3-1 since he replaced the fired Claude Noel.

Despite some less-than-crisp play, the coach said he was pleasantly surprised by how well his team played after such a long layoff.

"It was tough at times, but just from the stuff I watched the last two days (around the league), it was a better game than I thought I was going to see," Maurice said.

Winnipeg pulled within one point of the Coyotes as both teams chase a wild-card playoff spot, although Phoenix has two games in hand. Dallas sits in the final spot with 66 points, one better than Phoenix and Vancouver, and two ahead of Winnipeg.

Pavelec made 34 saves for the Jets, with two of his toughest stops coming in overtime.

"It wasn't an easy game for both teams. It was the first game back and we didn't know what to expect a little bit," said Pavelec, who stopped Mike Ribeiro to end the shootout.

Smith stopped 27 shots for the visitors, including a pair of scoring chances in the final seconds of regulation.

"For the most part I felt not too bad," said Smith, who was a member of Canada's gold medal-winning team in Sochi but didn't see any playing time. "But like I said, it doesn't matter how you feel, you need to come out on the better side of things."

Hanzal put away a rebound to tie the game at 2-2 with Jets centre Jim Slater in the penalty box 6:40 into the third period.

Winnipeg took advantage of a giveaway by Coyotes defenceman Zbynek Michalek to take the lead late in the second period. With Ekman-Larsson in the penalty box, Little intercepted Michalek's pass in the low slot and beat Smith's glove hand to make it 2-1.

The teams wasted no time reminding fans of one of the differences between international hockey and the NHL game. Winnipeg's Zach Bogosian and Phoenix's Rob Klinkhammer dropped the gloves just 78 seconds into the game after Klinkhammer shoved Bogosian's defence partner Toby Enstrom into the boards.

The Coyotes opened the scoring with an Ekman-Larsson wrist shot from the high slot that went in off the post 12:17 into the first period.

It took the Jets less than three minutes to respond, as Wheeler's shot from the corner hit Coyotes defenceman Michael Stone in the leg and bounced into the net. Smith was distracted earlier in the sequence by Winnipeg forward Dustin Byfuglien, and the Coyotes argued for an interference call.

Smith and Coyotes coach Dave Tippett both said they disagreed with the non-call in their post-game comments.

"Personally, I think if there's incidental contact in the net and then the puck goes in after, it should've been not a penalty, but it shouldn't have been allowed," Smith said.

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HNIC Radio: Kevin Dineen relives Canada's golden moment

Audio

Coach led women's team to 4th straight Olympic title

CBC Sports Posted: Feb 27, 2014 7:20 PM ET Last Updated: Feb 27, 2014 7:44 PM ET

When coach Kevin Dineen watched Marie-Philip Poulin tie the game for Canada and force overtime, he didn't even crack a smile. 

Instead, he was focused on how to recreate that same magic to win the game for Canada's historic fourth Olympic gold medal in women's hockey.

Dineen joined Hockey Night in Canda Radio on SiriusXM hosts Rob Pizzo and Cassie Campbell-Pascall Thursday to relive his team's golden moment in Sochi and the decisions he made behind the bench that led to taking down their American rivals.

Click above to listen to the full interview. 

Rob Pizzo and co-hosts Elliotte Friedman, Kelly Hrudey, Craig Simpson, Tim Wharnbsy and Cassie Campbell-Pascall discuss the game of hockey in an entertaining way on Hockey Night in Canada Radio, the flagship of NHL Network radio on SiriusXM. Weekdays from 3-5pm ET on Sirius 207 and XM 211.

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Canadiens edge Penguins in shootout after goal-fest

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens are still adjusting to NHL play after a nearly three-week Olympic layoff. And it showed Thursday night.

The Canadiens, playing in their second game in as many days, however, got a good performance in the end from their backup goaltender as he filled in for an injured Olympic gold medallist .

Peter Budaj stopped all three shooters in the shootout and David Desharnais scored the only goal, leading the Canadiens to a wild 6-5 victory.

"He battled back in the second and third and in the shootout he was outstanding," Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said of Budaj. 

'I would like to have some goals back, but we scored five goals against Pittsburgh. We have to learn from the mistakes we made. We have to keep going and getting better.'- Canadiens goalie Peter Budaj

Budaj, in his second straight start for injured starter Carey Price, stopped Penguins shooters James Neal and Sidney Crosby before denying Evgeni Malkin's slap shot for the win.

Desharnais, the third shooter for Montreal, slammed on the brakes at the top of the crease before sliding the puck by Marc-Andre Fleury.

"I would like to have some goals back, but we scored five goals against Pittsburgh," Budaj said. "We have to learn from the mistakes we made. We have to keep going and getting better."

Daniel Briere scored twice, once on the power play, and Max Pacioretty also scored with the man advantage, his 27th of the year. Brendan Gallagher netted his 15th for the Canadiens and Alexei Emelin also scored his second of the season.

Budaj, who stopped 27 shots, made his second straight start after turning aside 28 shots during an overtime loss one day earlier against Detroit.

"You can tell the bench guys wanted to battle back for him because he certainly worked hard," Therrien said.

He filled in for Price, who was named the top goaltender at the Olympic games after going 5-0 with a 0.59 goals-against average and two shutouts, leading Team Canada to a gold medal. Price, who aggravated a lower-body injury sustained in Sochi, will be re-evaluated Friday.

"Credit to the team because they stuck with it, they battled for me and we got the two points," Budaj said.

Crosby, who leads the NHL with 80 points, scored his 29th and added an assist. Neal scored his 21st for his 300th career point and also had an assist, while Malkin provided two assists, both extending six-game point streaks.

Olli Maatta scored his seventh of the season on the power play and had an assist, while Brandon Sutter had a short-handed goal, his 10th of the year. Deryk Engelland also scored his career-high fifth goal.

"We worked hard," Crosby said. "It was a little sloppy, and a lot of special teams. ... Probably a tough first one for everybody to get into."

The teams were tied at 3 after two periods and both scored twice in the third, sending the game to overtime.

Three of the four third-period goals were scored by special teams units, Sutter giving the Penguins a 4-3 lead with a short-handed breakaway goal and Crosby later putting Pittsburgh ahead 5-4 on the power play.

Emelin tied it 24 seconds after Sutter gave the Penguins the initial lead and Briere sent the game to overtime with his second goal of the game.

With the Canadiens trailing, the Penguins' Tanner Glass was issued a five-minute major for a hit on Emelin. The call was elbowing, but video replays showed Emelin's stick came up and hit him in the head.

"That's why I kind of followed through the way I did, to get his stick away from my face," Glass said. "It's a hockey play, it happens. I can understand why he made the call."

The Canadiens cashed in anyway, Briere tying it with his second of the game when he feathered a back-door rebound behind Fleury, who made 24 saves.

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Johan Franzen scores hat trick as Red Wings rout Senators

Johan Franzen has no explanation for his success in Ottawa, but can't deny he definitely enjoys playing in the nation's capital.

The Detroit Red Wings' winger was at his best once again scoring three goals in a 6-1 win over the Ottawa Senators Thursday night.

Franzen, who returned to the Red Wings lineup Wednesday after playing just one of the past 24 games due to a concussion, has previously enjoyed success against the Senators. In February 2011, Franzen scored five goals against the Senators.

"I like playing here," said Franzen. "We have Erik Karlsson on the other side and we grew up in the same little town so it's always fun to play him. It's something special every time. I'm just happy to keep him from the scoreboard. It's always fun to play him." 

'I like playing here. We have Erik Karlsson on the other side and we grew up in the same little town so it's always fun to play him. It's something special every time. I'm just happy to keep him from the scoreboard. It's always fun to play him.'- Red Wings forward Johan Franzen

Detroit coach Mike Babcock is pleased to see Franzen having success.

"He's an important player for us," said Babcock. "He has the ability, he has the touch. Lots of guys play real hard and can't score (Franzen) can score."

It appears he also has the ability to get under his opponent's skin. Ottawa's Chris Neil went after Franzen late in the game and while nothing came of it Franzen was less than impressed.

"He tried to hit me and he couldn't move me so I think he got a little upset," said Franzen. "I have no clue. He usually shows up when the game is over and tries to be the hero. He puts his cape on and goes and flies out there. I don't know."

Riley Sheahan, Tomas Jurco and Tomas Tatar also scored for Detroit. Jonas Gustavsson stopped 37 shots.

With the win the Red Wings (28-20-12) have a five-point lead over the Senators (26-23-11) for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

"Coming back from the break and you start 2-0 it's way better than the opposite way," said Babcock. "We know we're in a battle for our playoff life. We understand that so getting off to a good start is imperative."

The Senators had little explanation for their performance.

"It's an extremely disappointing loss," said Ottawa captain Jason Spezza. "We knew that it was a very important game for us and to lose it by that score is obviously not what we were looking for."

Bobby Ryan scored the lone goal for the Senators, who were playing their first game since the Olympic break. Robin Lehner allowed six goals on 15 shots before Andrew Hammond made his NHL debut, stopping all nine shots he faced.

Things fell apart for the Senators in a nine-minute span in the first period.

Ryan had a goal called back after it was ruled that he kicked it in and then the Senators leading goal scorer missed two great chances on the power play.

Things began to unravel after the Red Wings scored on consecutive shots.

Ottawa's Cody Ceci gave the puck up deep in the Senators' end as he made a no-look behind-the-back pass that landed right on the stick of Sheahan who ripped a shot past Lehner. Just 29 seconds later Franzen scored his first as he was left all alone to give Detroit a 2-0 lead.

Franzen then made it 3-0 with a power-play goal as once again he was left alone, this time on the opposite side of the ice.

Following the game Lehner could not hide his disappointment.

"They got a few goals pretty fast and then it snowballed," said Lehner. "I think we've all got to do better in our zone and I've got to do better. It was one of the most toughest games I've played personally, but it's over now. There's not much to say."

Detroit made it 4-0 on a delayed penalty call with two minutes remaining in the period. Niklas Kronwall, who finished with three assists, had a shot from just inside the blue-line deflected and ended up on Jurco's stick, who roofed it over Lehner.

The 18,931 on hand at Canadian Tire Centre were so disappointed they booed the home team off the ice.

Senators coach Paul MacLean had few words to explain his team's performance.

"We played a lot better than the score maybe indicated, but the score is what it is and you can't change that," said MacLean.

When asked who was the best player MacLean couldn't help but say "Johan Franzen I think. I think we're all tied for the worst."

Franzen completed his hat trick early in the second period.

Ryan finally got the Senators on board at the four-minute mark of the second, but any celebration was short-lived as Detroit made it 6-1 as Tatar beat Lehner from in close.

That marked the end of Lehner's appearance, opening the door for Hammond to make his first NHL appearance. Craig Anderson was unavailable due to the birth of his second child.

Despite the surprise appearance Hammond held his own and made a number of big saves.

"Not letting anything in was a good start," said Hammond. "Any kid from Canada growing up playing hockey it's their dream to play in the NHL and it's pretty special for me to be one of those guys that's lucky enough now to say I've played in the NHL. It's very special."

This was the fourth and final meeting between the teams as they split the season series.

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NHL Heritage Classic: By the numbers

Fun facts from Canadian outdoor games

CBC Sports Posted: Feb 28, 2014 8:41 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 28, 2014 8:41 AM ET

Before the Canucks host the Senators at B.C. Place on Sunday (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 3 p.m. ET), take a look at some interesting facts and figures around the game, previous Heritage Classic tilts, and the Vancouver and Ottawa teams that fought for the 1915 Stanley Cup:

• 3 — Games played in the best-of-five Stanley Cup final in 1915.
• 26 — Goals scored in that series by the champion Vancouver Millionaires.
• 8 — Goals scored in that series by the Ottawa Senators.
• 4 — Goals scored by Vancouver's Barney Stanley in the deciding game.
• 0 — Vancouver teams to win the Stanley Cup before that series.
• 0 — Vancouver teams to win the Stanley Cup after that series.
• 4 — Stanley Cup wins by Ottawa after that series.
• 13 — Regular-season NHL games that will have been played outdoors after Sunday's game.
• 46 — Percentage of those games played in 2014.
• 1 — Outdoor games played in a stadium with a retractable roof.
• 20 — Minutes it takes the B.C. Place roof to open or close.
• 57,167 — Attendance at 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton.
• 41,022 — Attendance at 2011 Heritage Classic in Calgary.
• 54,500 — Maximum capacity  for B.C. Lions home games.
• -30C — Temperature (with wind chill) during the 2003 Heritage Classic.
• -21C — Temperature (with wind chill) during the 2011 Heritage Classic.
• +3C — Temperature expected for 2014 Heritage Classic.
• 1 — Shutouts in Heritage Classic games (Flames' Miikka Kiprusoff in 2011).

Who will win the 2014 Heritage Classic?

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Canucks blank Blues to snap 7-game skid

Eddie Lack helped the Vancouver Canucks overcome a case of the blues Wednesday night.

Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night.

The win was like sweet music to the Canucks (28-24-9) as they ended their losing streak at seven games while moving into sole possession of eighth place in the Western Conference. The Blues (39-13-6) dropped their third straight decision to Vancouver this season as they were shut out for the first time in 2013-14.

"It feels very good to be able to shut the door," said Lack. "It was very big for our team. "It's a big relief."

The Canucks outshot the Blues 35-20, but Lack, Vancouver's backup who is in his first full NHL season, was forced to make many difficult saves.

"I feel like I have been working on this start for a while and I was really excited to play, and Rollie (Melanson, Vancouver's goalie coach) has been bugging me for weeks saying we need to win these 1-0 games, so it's huge," said Lack.

Jannik Hansen scored the game's only goal as he finally broke a scoreless deadlock at 11:13 of the third period. He took a backhand stretch pass from Tom Sestito from deep in the Vancouver zone just past centre ice, raced in on a breakaway and beat Halak with a high shot.

It was Hansen's first goal in just over a month, a span of eight games, after he last scored Jan. 26 against Phoenix.

"Great play by Tommy, he could see I was taking off a little early and he fed me a nice pass, and I was able to get it through the goalie," said Hansen.

"You don't have to look at the standings very long to see we need to win a lot of games here to make the playoffs, and it's obviously a very strong opponent today, a playoff team. These are the teams you have to beat. We can't just beat the teams below us."

Vancouver was blanked on four power plays while St. Louis failed to score on three.

Lack drew the start after backstopping the Canucks to a pair of wins over St. Louis earlier this season. Three of his nine wins have come against the Blues, and he has allowed only three goals to them.

The Canucks came out with the added aggression that coach John Tortorella has been seeking as they outshot the Blues 14-6 in the first period. But for most of the night, the hosts could not beat a steady Halak, who felt fresh after playing just two games for Slovakia in the Olympics and getting plenty of rest after arriving back in St. Louis last Thursday.

"It was a pretty good pace for 60 minutes," said Halak. "It was just that we came up short. We couldn't score.

"I tried to do my best. I tried to give the guys a chance to win. I'd like to get (Hansen's goal) back."

St. Louis had nine players in Sochi and the Canucks had seven. But Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who served as an assistant with Canada's gold-medal-winning team, did not think post-Olympic fatigue was a factor.

"It was a hard fought, well played game for the most part," said Hitchcock. "I didn't think we had the energy in the third period than we did in the end of the first and the second. We had a great second period. But we've had trouble beating (Lack.) We haven't scored on him, and he's made some big saves and he's won a lot of the scrambles. We had all the penetration in the second period for all the scoring chances."

Hitchcock lamented his team's inability to score on odd-man rushes in two losses in Vancouver this season.

"When you get two-on-ones and three-on-ones on the road, you've got to capitalize," he said. "I think that was the difference in the hockey game."

Lack's best moments came late in the second period as he denied Blues captain David Backes on a one-timer during a delayed penalty and Alex Steen on a deflection, and got his pad on a T.J. Oshie shot before defenceman Alex Edler blocked the puck as he attempted to put in the rebound.

After the save, fans chanted "Eddie! Eddie!"

But Oshie, who played for the U.S. in the Olympics, was not willing to give Lack too much credit.

"He made some good saves, but I don't think we really tested him like we could have," said Oshie. "We let him see a lot of pucks."

There was no denying Vancouver's desperation though.

"They're a desperate team right now," said Halak. "For them, every game is a playoff game. They need to get every point that they can."

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Did You See That? Habs honour hockey gold medallists

Video

Montreal holds pre-game ceremony celebrating Team Canada's double hockey gold

By Rod Perry, CBC Sports Posted: Feb 26, 2014 8:47 PM ET Last Updated: Feb 26, 2014 8:49 PM ET

For a brief moment before the game Wednesday, Montreal Canadiens fans ignored the fact Mike Babcock coaches the visiting Detroit Red Wings. 

More importantly, for them, he was behind the bench when Team Canada's men took home hockey gold at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games last week. 

Babcock was among those honoured in a special pre-game ceremony at the Bell Centre, along with P.K. Subban and Carey Price. The women's hockey team was also in attendance and received a rousing ovation from the Canadiens faithful. 

Watch the ceremony by clicking above and tell us what you think in the comments section below.

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HNIC Radio: Tyler Seguin has next Olympics on his radar

Audio

Stars scorer left off 2014 Sochi squad

CBC Sports Posted: Feb 26, 2014 7:35 PM ET Last Updated: Feb 26, 2014 8:12 PM ET

Tyler Seguin watched his Dallas Stars linemate Jamie Benn earn gold in Sochi, and now he wants his shot at making an Olympic team.

Seguin joined Hockey Night in Canda Radio on SiriusXM hosts Rob Pizzo and Kelly Hrudey Wednesday to talk about his desire to earn a spot on Canada's men's hockey team for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Click above to listen to the full interview. 

Rob Pizzo and co-hosts Elliotte Friedman, Kelly Hrudey, Craig Simpson, Tim Wharnbsy and Cassie Campbell-Pascall discuss the game of hockey in an entertaining way on Hockey Night in Canada Radio, the flagship of NHL Network radio on SiriusXM. Weekdays from 3-5pm ET on Sirius 207 and XM 211.

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Red Wings take down Canadiens in OT thriller

There was something familiar about the way coach Mike Babcock's Detroit Red Wings' checking smothered the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.

It was almost exactly like the way Babcock's Team Canada won gold at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

The result was a 2-1 Red Wings' victory on Swedish Olympian Gustav Nyquist's rebound goal with 28 seconds left in overtime.

"[Babcock] always stressed that we play this way," said Johan Franzen, who returned from a concussion to assist on both Detroit goals. "This is how you win games. 

'The execution was not there tonight for both teams. Both teams played solid defensively...But we put ourselves in position to get a point.'- Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien

"Especially coming down the stretch here and going into the playoffs, this is how you have to play hockey. You've got to track like never before, and always be above their guys and make it small for them so you can create turnovers. Then you give your team a lot of opportunities."

Franzen set up a power-play goal 14:01 into the first period by Todd Bertuzzi for Detroit (27-20-12).

Captain Brian Gionta scored for Montreal (32-21-7) with 29 seconds left in regulation time after goalie Peter Budaj was pulled for an extra attacker.

Babcock's defence-first style helped Canada go 6-0 at the Olympics, surrendering only three goals along the way. Gionta's goal was the first against a Babcock-coached team since Lauris Darzins got one at 15:41 of the first period of Canada's 2-1 quarter-final win over Latvia.

Canada shut out the United States 1-0 in the semifinals and then topped Sweden 3-0 in the final on Sunday.

"It's tough to compare," said Nyquist. "It's a different style of game on a smaller rink here.

"It was an adjustment for a few guys out there. But it was nice to get the win."

There were a handful of Olympians of both sides who had trickled back over the past week as their teams were eliminated.

It made for slow, scrambling hockey with few good scoring chances on either side. Detroit had a 30-20 shot advantage, and fans booed as Montreal tested Jimmy Howard only twice in the second frame.

"I'm sure guys noticed the time difference a bit," said Nyquist. "You have to battle through it.

"It was the middle of the night in Sochi, but we've been back for three days and we're starting to get it back. We'll get some sleep before we play in Ottawa [on Thursday night]."

The Canadiens salvaged a point when Gionta collected a puck at the side of the net in a scramble and backhanded the tying goal into a top corner.

"The execution was not there tonight for both teams," said Montreal coach Michel Therrien. "Both teams played solid defensively.

"There wasn't much space on the ice. But we put ourselves in position to get a point. It's disappointing that we didn't score in overtime or get to the shootout."

Franzen fed Bertuzzi at the edge of the crease for a power-play goal 14:01 into the game after Canadian Olympian P.K. Subban was called for roughing.

Bertuzzi returned to the lineup after missing eight games with an upper-body problem. Franzen had sat out six in a row and 21 of the last 22 with his concussion, but said he felt fine after the game.

In overtime, Franzen tipped a Danny DeKeyser shot and the rebound went to Nyquist for a shot into an open side.

Budaj had been slated to start in goal for Montreal even before Canadian Olympian Carey Price suffered a lower-body injury during the team's game-day skate. He is to start again when Montreal visits Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

The 21,273 at the Bell Centre gave a rousing ovation to 12 members of Canadian men's and women's hockey gold medallist teams from the Sochi Olympics in a pre-game ceremony.

The biggest cheers went to Marie-Philip Poulin, who had two goals in the women's final, and to Babcock and Canadiens players Price and Subban.

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NHL trade deadline: 10 players who may be dealt

If Nazem Kadri doesn't wish to be moved prior to the March 5 NHL trade deadline, perhaps he needs to get wind of the rumour mill churning like it was in mid-January.

Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis sparked reports at that time that the 23-year-old centre was being shopped around, telling a Toronto sports radio station that there had been "a lot of interest" in Kadri, who had recorded only 14 points in his previous 31 contests.

"Would we be willing to trade him? Yes, we'd be willing to trade him," Nonis said. "But there's a big difference between willing to and trying to."

Kadri, who had piled up 13 points in 14 games in October, responded to the January trade rumours by posting 14 points in 11 outings leading to the just-completed Sochi Olympic break.

"It would be terrible," Kadri, a native of London, Ont., told reporters in January at the thought of being traded. "This is my home and this is where I want to be. … Nobody expects more [from me] than I expect from myself."

Toronto plays three games prior to the 3 p.m. ET deadline on March 5, so the window for Kadri and others like defenceman Jake Gardiner to sway Nonis has shrunk.

There are several other names across the league linked to trade rumours, so it'll be interesting to see which players actually get moved. Only the New York Islanders, Florida and Buffalo appear to be out of the Eastern Conference playoff mix.

In the West, Calgary and Edmonton are well back of eighth-place Dallas and probably sellers over the next week.

The above photo gallery shows 10 players from Canadian teams who soon could be changing hockey addresses.

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Alouettes acquire Larry Taylor from Stampeders

Larry Taylor is returning to the city where he started his CFL career.

The Montreal Alouettes announced Tuesday that they have acquired the return specialist from Calgary, as well as the Stampeders' fifth-round draft pick in the 2014 CFL Canadian Draft.

Going the other way is Montreal's fifth-round draft pick in 2014 and its conditional third-round pick in 2015.

The five-foot-six, 181-pound native for Mort Lauderdale, Fla., began his professional career with the Alouettes in 2008, earning the CFL's special teams player of the year award the following season. He finished the 2009 season with 1,971 combined yards, the most in the CFL, while also scoring three touchdowns.

"We welcome Larry back into the nest. Having obtained another one of our originals and one of the most exciting players in the CFL gives us great competition and depth at the WR and Returner positions," Alouettes general manager Jim Popp said in a statement.

Last year, Taylor returned 53 kickoffs for gains of 1,147 yards and 82 punts for gains of 615 yards, earning a spot on the West Division all-star team.

The Calgary Stampeders signed free-agent import kick returner and running back Jock Sanders on Tuesday.

Sanders, 25, spent the past two seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders after making his CFL debut with the B.C. Lions in 2011.

Sanders played in 12 regular-season games for Saskatchewan last season and accumulated 1,485 all-purpose yards, including 787 on 35 kickoff returns, and 505 on 64 punt returns. He also rushed 21 times for 78 yards and caught nine passes for 115 yards and one touchdown.

Saunders also played in all three post-season contests for the Grey Cup champs.

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Canadian women's hockey team returns from Sochi

Video

Olympic squad won gold in dramatic fashion

CBC Sports Posted: Feb 25, 2014 9:24 PM ET Last Updated: Feb 25, 2014 9:24 PM ET

The Canadian women's hockey team conquered its competition at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. 

Now, it can officially share its gold medal moment with friends, family and fans back home on Canadian soil. 

The Canadian women arrived at Pearson International Airport Tuesday in Toronto with gold medals in tow from their emotional win over the United States in the final. 

Watch the above video to see more. 

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Man U no match for Olympiakos in Champions League

Just when Manchester United thought its troubled season couldn't get any worse, it did.

The English power slumped to a 2-0 loss at Olympiakos in its second-round Champions League opener on Tuesday night, leaving manager David Moyes on the brink of a trophyless first season at Old Trafford.

"It's the worst performance in Europe, that's for sure. It was a very poor performance, and we didn't deserve to get anything. To a man there was nothing," said Moyes, who took last summer over following Alex Ferguson's retirement. "I take responsibility. It's my team and we didn't play well. There is a second game — we'll do everything we possibly can."

Alejandro Dominguez deflected Yiannis Maniatis's shot past David de Gea in the 38th minute, and Joel Campbell caught the goalkeeper off guard with a well-placed strike in the 55th minute at Karaiskaki Stadium.

"This was a great victory against a massive club like Manchester. We were told to hold the midfield, and we did," Maniatis said.

United is just sixth in the Premier League at 13-8-6 and trails Liverpool by 11 points for fourth place, England's final berth in next season's Champions League. Winning this year's competition might be the only route into next year's tournament for United, which would face a major revenue loss if it fails to qualify for Europe's top club tournament.

"We just haven't been getting the right results," United midfielder Michael Carrick said. "As players we have to stand up. ... That's the business we're in."

The second leg of the total-goals series is in Manchester on March 19.

"I will never say anything bad about Manchester United, because I have such great respect for them. The players know that we still have more to do," said Olympiakos coach Michel Gonzalez, whose team has a 20-point lead in the Greek Super League. "But I can't hide it. I am very happy. It's the players I'm so proud of."

United had the 55 per cent possession but was outshot 12-5. Wayne Rooney failed to threaten and Robin van Persie missed his team's best chance, skying a shot over the crossbar following Chris Smalling's cross in the 82nd minute. Olimpiakos became the first home team to win in six second-round matches.

In the night's other game, Robert Lewandowski scored twice and led Borussia Dortmund to a 4-2 victory at Zenit St. Petersburg.

Dortmund, which lost to Bayern Munich in last year's final, took a 2-0 lead when Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored in the fourth minute and Marco Reus added a goal 70 seconds later.

Zenit, playing its first competitive game since Dec. 11, cut the gap on Oleg Shatov's goal in the 57th, but Lewandowski made it 3-1 four minutes later. Hulk converted a penalty kick for Zenit in the 69th and Lukasz Piszczek scored Dortmund's final goal two minutes later.

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John Tortorella sorry for favouring Sweden over Canada

Sorry, Canada.

Vancouver Canucks coach John Tortorella has apologized for favouring Sweden over Canada in the men's Olympic gold-medal hockey game.

"If I have insulted anybody, that certainly wasn't my intention and I think all of you know that," he said after practice Tuesday. "But it was a careless use of words and where I should be more cognizant. I want to clear that up."

Tortorella said he wanted Sweden to win in order to help struggling Canucks defenceman Alex Edler and winger Daniel Sedin turn their seasons around. Edler and Sedin played for Sweden in the Games while goaltender Roberto Luongo and Dan Hamhuis were members of the gold-medal-winning Canada squad. 

'If I have insulted anybody, that certainly wasn't my intention and I think all of you know that. But it was a careless use of words and where I should be more cognizant. I want to clear that up.'- Canucks coach John Tortorella

"My sole intent — and still is — was worrying about the Vancouver Canucks and the players [who were in the Olympics], how good they're feeling," said Tortorella.

The Canucks are mired in a seven-game losing streak that has left them in a battle for a playoff berth heading into the stretch drive of the season.

Canada beat the U.S. in the semifinal to qualify for the final against Sweden. Tortorella, a 55-year-old Boston native known for his outspoken ways that often rankle people, was an assistant with the American squad that lost the 2010 gold-medal game to Canada in Vancouver.

He joined the Canucks after being fired by the New York Rangers in the off-season, and former Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault replaced him in the Big Apple.

"As I said when I was hired here, it's an absolute privilege to coach in Canada, and I still feel that," said Tortorella. "I love everything about it. I love the pressure. I love the scrutiny, all the second-guessing (and) all that stuff that comes with it. I couldn't be happier and, to me, more complete as far as what I want to do as a coach and to coach in this country."

Tortorella said he sent a text message of apology to one Team Canada coach and it was passed on to all of the others after Canada blanked the Swedes 3-0 on Sunday. He also praised Hockey Canada for the work that it does.

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Canadian speed skater Anouk English selling Olympic medal

Video

Won pair of medals at 2006 Sochi Games, trying to fund comeback in sport

CBC Sports Posted: Feb 25, 2014 10:34 PM ET Last Updated: Feb 25, 2014 10:34 PM ET

For many athletes, the experience of competing at the Olympics is priceless. 

But Anouk English knows exactly how much her Olympic experience was worth. 

The Canadian speed skater, who won two medals at the Turin Games in 2006, is selling memorabilia — including a silver medal — to fund a comeback in the sport after an eight-year hiatus.

Watch the above video to find out more.

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Jets hang on to beat slumping Canucks

Devin Setoguchi was hiding his face Friday night but not in shame, as his two goals lifted the Winnipeg Jets to a much-needed 4-3 win over the slumping Vancouver Canucks.

He was wearing a player-of-the-game pilot's helmet, complete with darkened visor, that the team has come up with as a new locker-room tradition.

"This time of year you've got to find a way," Setoguchi said of his timely goals, which ended his seven-game goal-scoring drought.

"They're ahead of us in the standings and the other night Nashville was and we let one slip away there. And if we're going to try and crawl back up in this thing we're going to have to make big wins late in the season here."

Zach Bogosian and Michael Frolik also scored for the Jets (26-25-5). Captain Andrew Ladd picked up two assists.

Alexander Edler, Ryan Kesler and Jason Garrison scored for the Canucks (27-20-9). Daniel Sedin picked up an assist but his goal drought didn't end and has now stretched to 15 games.

The win means the Jets have won seven of the nine games they've played since Paul Maurice took over as head coach.

"I'm really happy for him, it's been a tough stretch of games," Maurice said of Setoguchi's performance.

Not much changed in the standings however. With Nashville's 3-2 overtime win over New Jersey Friday, the Jets remain a point behind in the Central Division cellar.

And, despite the loss, the Canucks sit in eighth place and cling to the final wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference with 63 points.

Phoenix also lost Friday and remain at 60 but things are tightening up with Winnipeg and Dallas both at 57 points and Nashville at 58.

It was also the last game Vancouver has to play without head coach John Tortorella behind the bench, as his suspension for his actions before and after a brawl with the Calgary Flames ends this weekend.

Eddie Lack, in goal instead of Robert Luongo, made a lot of great saves to keep Vancouver in the game as the Jets outshot the Canucks 34-26.

"Their goalie made some huge saves for them to keep them in it," said Ladd.

Lack said it was tough to start the game by giving up the first goal. Though they battled back and twice tied it up, they could pull ahead.

"It's not the first time that happened for us and it kind of feels like we're talking about the same thing," he said.

Assistant coach Mike Sullivan took his time coming out to talk to reporters as Tortorella's stand-in and said late penalties were momentum killers.

"It was frustrating because we fought our way back into the game," said Sullivan. "I thought we had all the momentum in the third period (but) we shot ourselves in the foot."

The Jets outshot the Canucks 15-7 in the first period and Vancouver had managed just one shot when Bogosian scored from the point at 5:02, slamming one past backup Eddie Lack's glove. The Canucks rested Roberto Luongo Friday night.

The Jets kept up the pressure and Vancouver called a time out just over a minute later as Setoguchi backhanded one in from the side of the net to make it 2-0.

The Canucks got their first on a power play when Edler slipped a rebound behind Ondrej Pavelec from the side of the net at 10:27.

Winnipeg continued to control the play, however, and Dustin Byfuglien thought he had another with about a minute and a half left in the period. But Lack caught a piece of it as the big winger swept past.

The Jets started well in the second but turned over the puck in front of their own net and Kesler was right there to backhand his 19th of the season past an unprepared Pavelec at 4:48.

The tie didn't last long. Frolik put the Jets back in the lead when he snapped in Ladd's behind-the-net pass at 6:41 and that was it for the second. Winnipeg kept its edge on shots at 13-10.

But the Canucks tied it up again in the third when Jason Garrison blasted one from the point and Pavelec went down as the puck went high.

Setoguchi's second of the game at 17:04 put the Jets back in the lead and the Canucks took a high-sticking penalty at the same time, their second of the period, to keep them from making another comeback.

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HNIC Radio: Patrice Bergeron 'excited' for Sochi Olympics

Audio

Team Canada forward gearing up for Winter Games

CBC Sports Posted: Jan 31, 2014 6:37 PM ET Last Updated: Jan 31, 2014 6:37 PM ET

Patrice Bergeron is getting caught up in the Olympic hype. 

The Boston Bruins and Team Canada forward joined Hockey Night in Canda Radio on SiriusXM hosts Rob Pizzo and Tim Wharnsby Friday to talk about why he's excited for the fast approaching Sochi Winter Games.

Click above to listen to the full interview. 

Rob Pizzo and co-hosts Elliotte Friedman, Kelly Hrudey, Craig Simpson, Tim Wharnbsy and Cassie Campbell-Pascall discuss the game of hockey in an entertaining way on Hockey Night in Canada Radio, the flagship of NHL Network radio on SiriusXM. Weekdays from 3-5pm ET on Sirius 207 and XM 211.

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Hockey Night Online: Olympic security in Sochi

Video

CBC Sports hockey writer Mike Brophy on Olympic safety concerns

CBC Sports Posted: Jan 31, 2014 12:32 PM ET Last Updated: Jan 31, 2014 12:32 PM ET

Click the video above and watch on demand as host Monika Platek and CBC Sports hockey writer Mike Brophy address the issue of security for Olympic hockey players headed to Sochi, Russia. 

Hockey Night Online streams live weekdays at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Past episodes are available on demand here. 

Follow Monika Platek on Twitter @Monika Platek.

Follow Mike Brophy on Twitter @HockeyBroph.

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Submission Policy

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Canada falls to U.S. in women's soccer friendly

Canadian women's head coach John Herdmann says he's tired of seeing his team lose to the United States.

Winless against its arch rival since 2001, Canada dropped its latest contest — a friendly between the two nations on Friday night — 1-0 on a goal by Canadian-born Sydney Leroux.

"We're disappointed because we're sick of saying 'good try,' 'well done,' and 'we battled hard,"' Herdmann said. "At some point we've got to beat this team and if it's not now, then when? And hopefully it's (at the Women's World Cup) in 2015."

Leroux, who is a U.S. citizen, scored in the 78th minute to break a scoreless tie against Canada and give the U.S. the victory in both teams' 2014 opener.

It was Leroux's fourth goal in the past three games, with two of them coming against the country of her birth.

"I love to watch her," Herdmann said. "She's a phenomenal player and she's great to watch ... and she scores against us. I've just told her (after the game) to stop doing that, man. You do it against anyone else but not us."

The game looked as if it was going to be a scoreless draw before Leroux's late offence, largely thanks to strong play by Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod and no clear goal chances for the U.S.

"I always hope that we're going to get one," said Leroux, who was stopped several times in the first half.

"That's kind of how we play, and we push to the very last second. I'm just happy that we came out on top of the game 1-0. It was a good game. It was physical and I'm glad we came out on top."

The Americans sent plenty of chances into the zone, but McLeod calmly caught and parried several crosses. But in the 78th minute, a bit of nifty footwork gave the U.S. the lead.

Becky Sauerbrunn started a run with the ball outside the 18-yard box, fed the ball to substitute Christen Press and then immediately got it back, going toward the right post.

Press then weaved a pass through McLeod and defenders Kadeisha Buchanan and Sura Yekka to find Leroux waiting all alone 3 yards.

Leroux one-timed the ball with the inside of her left foot for the game-winner.

The Americans extended their home unbeaten streak to 78 games (68-0-10).

The U.S., ranked No. 1 in the world, also remains undefeated under second-year coach Tom Sermanni (14-0-3), and is a perfect 11-0 all time when playing in Texas.

The win marks a strong start to a World Cup qualifying year for the Americans. CONCACAF qualifying is at the end of the year, and the U.S. should be favourites to emerge out of the region.

Canada, the hosts the 2015 Women's World Cup, automatically qualifies for the tournament.

The 20,862 fans at FC Dallas' home stadium were the largest crowd since 2003.

"I was a bit anxious about this game because we haven't played a game for a long time," said Sermanni, whose team hadn't played since a 4-1 victory against Brazil.

"The players have had time off. Canada has played some international recently."

The Americans thought they took the lead in the 38th minute when defender Whitney Engen popped in a headed pass, but she was called offside by about 6 yards.

Canadian midfielder Josee Belanger took possession at the top of the U.S. zone moments after Engen's offside and dinked the ball through two American defenders to Diana Matheson.

U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo cut down the angle and Matheson's cross-body chip from about 6 yards trickled past the far post to preserve the scoreless half.

It was Solo's only test of the first half, and she didn't have to make a save until diving to her right in the 87th minute to stop Jonelle Filigno and preserve the shutout.

"You know they're going to score," Herdmann said. "I've never known a game where the U.S. doesn't score."

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Canada falls behind Japan at Davis Cup

Canada is down 2-1 to Japan in its best-of-five World Group Davis Cup series following a doubles match loss on Saturday.

Toronto's Daniel Nestor and Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., fell to Japan's Kei Nishikori and Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-3, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4.

Both teams made player substitutions prior to the match as Dancevic went in for Vancouver's Vasek Pospisil, who is still recovering from a back injury. Nishikori subbed in for Yuichi Sugita on the Japanese side.

The match marked the first time Dancevic and Nestor had played together in three years.

"I thought those guys came out really strong and we really didn't take advantage of our chances," said Canadian captain Martin Laurendeau. "The guys fought really hard and it was really a matter of a few points."

The Canadian pair got out to an early lead in the second set but Japan broke back to force the tiebreak, and capitalized to take a two-set advantage before Nestor and Dancevic captured the third set.

For Nestor, the loss was only his eighth in Davis Cup doubles play in his entire 22-year career representing Canada. It was also the first loss for Dancevic and Nestor as a pair, who entered the contest undefeated together with a 3-0 record.

Canada is currently ranked No. 7 on the Davis Cup Nations ranking while Japan sits at No. 12. Japan owns a 5-0 record against Canada in Davis Cup action, but the two countries had not played each other since 1938 prior to this tournament.

Dancevic will play World No. 18 Nishikori in a must-win singles match on Sunday. If a fifth and final match is needed, Peter Polansky of Thornhill, Ont., will face Go Soeda, also on Sunday.

The winner will advance to the quarterfinals to face either the Czech Republic or the Netherlands.

The nations split their opening pair of first-round singles matches on Friday, with Nishikori defeating Polansky in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, before Canada pulled even on the strength of Dancevic's 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-1 victory over Soeda.

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