MONTREAL -- Lars Eller was sure the puck was over the line.
Bernard Pierce Jersey . With the score tied 1-1 early in the third period, Eller thought he gave the Canadiens the lead when his shot from a tight angle seemingly trickled under a sprawling Pekka Rinnes arm. Instead, the goal was disallowed, and the Nashville Predators went on to beat the Canadiens 2-1 on Saturday night at the Bell Centre. "The puck was inside," said Eller. "(Rinne) had his glove on it, so technically you couldnt see it was inside. But if its not outside the line, its got to be inside. Its logic." The decision on the ice confirmed Ellers suspicion, that the puck had crossed the line. But the referees, with the help of video replay, overturned the initial call. "In my mind, I know the puck was inside," said Eller. The Canadiens went on to dominate the third period, but wouldnt find the back of the net again. Nashvilles Seth Jones would, though, as he scored the eventual winner. Rookie defenceman Jones, whos already turning heads this early in his career, was selected fourth overall in the 2013 entry draft by the Predators. He now has four points on the season. "Weve been very fortunate," said Predator head coach Barry Trotz. "We really got a special player in Seth Jones. We saw what he can do. He played big minutes tonight, scored the winning goal. Hes earning his own stripes." Jones goal tarnished a solid performance by Carey Price, who made 35 saves in the loss. Price has never beaten Nashville in his career. "Price was big for us," said right-winger Brendan Gallagher, the Canadiens lone goal scorer. "We had a chance to win it late. But the only reason that was, was because he was so good early." Nashville captain Shea Weber opened the scoring with the man advantage at 12:31 of the first period. His cross-crease pass bounced off Montreal defenseman Josh Gorges and deflected past a helpless Price. Gallagher made it 1-1 at 7:02 of the second, finishing up a scramble in front of the net by lobbing the puck over Rinne. After Ellers disallowed goal, Jones walked into the Montreal zone, dangled the puck Gorges with a nifty move, and fired home his second goal of the season at 18:33 of the final period. "On the winning goal, it was bad coverage -- pretty simple," said Montreal head coach Michel Therrien. Rinne made 28 saves for the win. The loss put an end to the Canadiens four-game win streak. Montreal also lost forward Daniel Briere, who suffered a concussion after a second period hit by Nashvilles Eric Nystrom. Briere has a history of concussions, sustaining one in March, and another in January of last year. "I think it was an accident," Therrien said. "The two players ran into each other. I dont think the Nashville player was targeting his head." Brandon Prust also left the game with an upper-body injury. Before the game, Habs assigned defenseman Nathan Beaulieu to Hamilton. The Canadiens welcome the Edmonton Oilers to the Bell Centre on Tuesday.
Torrey Smith Authentic Jersey . Leverkusen came from behind to beat Werder Bremen 2-1 and secure fourth place immediately above Wolfsburg, which beat sixth-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1. "We knew we had to win," Leverkusen striker Eren Derdiyok said.
Steve Smith Sr Jersey . Erik Karlsson and the Ottawa Senators felt good after their 3-1 defeat of the Washington Capitals on Monday, their first back-to-back victory in 51 days and their first three-game winning streak at the Canadian Tire Centre this season.PORTLAND - DeMar DeRozan validated his newly minted All-Star title, spearheading the Raptors comeback on Saturday but theres one play hed like to have back. With just under five seconds remaining - the Raptors having clawed back from a 19-point deficit and pulled within one - DeRozan took the handoff from Chuck Hayes. As he tried to create space, turning the corner with Blazers guard Wesley Matthews draped all over him, the first-time All-Star fumbled the ball off his calf. His reaction was instant and said it all. He knew he, quite literally, dropped the ball. "I lost the ball, I put that one on me," DeRozan said, owning up to the miscue. "Ive got to keep the ball in my hands and not turn it over, at least give us a chance to get a shot off." Fact is the Raptors had that opportunity, a shot to steal a game they had no business hanging around in, because of DeRozans heroics. DeRozan, like the rest of his teammates, came out flat in the first half. Coming off a win in Denver the night before, Toronto shot 35 per cent from the field in the opening 24 minutes, misfiring on all eight attempts from three-point range. As a team they couldnt execute, missed makeable shots and left their defensive effort in the Mile High City. It was ugly. "The first half, we came out with a typical back-to-back approach," said coach Dwane Casey, who was critical of his team after they let up in the fourth quarter of Fridays double digit victory over the Nuggets. "It wasnt us." DeRozan, playing in his second game after missing two with an ankle injury, had just six points, shooting 2-of-8. Whatever was said at the break seemed to wake up the fifth-year guard. DeRozan could do no wrong in the second half, where he scored 30 of his game-high 36 points and recorded 10 of his career-best 12 assists. "I mean, hes an All-Star. Yall see it," said Kyle Lowry, who should be joining DeRozan in New Orleans later this month. "Hes an All-Star for a reason. He did an unbelievable job of making shots, getting to the line and just getting it going. We know. Weve seen it before so its no surprise to us." Lowry, like his backcourt comrade, was also much better in the second half - he had 23 points and eight assists on the night - as were subs Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes, who came in andd helped the Raptors find themselves defensively.
Jonathan Ogden Jersey. . The resilient Raptors dug deep once again - something weve become accustomed to seeing after slow starts this season - and when it came down to one final possession, there was never a doubt who the play was being drawn up for. "[DeRozan] wanted the ball and when your best player, your All-Star wants to the ball you give him the ball," Lowry said. "They did a good job defensively and [Matthews] is strong enough to do that but Im still getting the ball to [DeRozan] every single time in that position." Within seconds of losing the ball, DeRozan walked off with both hands on his head in disappointment. He tapped his chest as if to say, "my bad" and lifted the jersey over his head. "We put ourselves in that position," Casey said, stressing the poor start. "[DeRozan] wanted the ball, we gave it to him, but I give him props for getting us to that point." "I commend DeMar for carrying us. He put us on his shoulders and took us down the stretch and put us in a position to win. Thats all you ask." The loss - Torontos sixth straight in Portland - said a lot about how far the Raptors have come, how far DeRozan has come. If there was ever any doubt about DeRozans All-Star candidacy or his growth as a leader, Saturdays game served as a silencer. He had his full arsenal on display, demanded the ball with the game in the balance and when it was all said and done he took responsibility for his blunder. No excuses, he pointed the finger at himself. Meanwhile, his team fought the good fight, something they failed to do when they last visited Portland. A year ago, the Raptors experienced the absolutely lowest point of an already low season, dropping an embarrassing 92-74 contest to the Blazers on Dec. 10, 2012, the finale of a winless five-game road trip. They lost Lowry and Andrea Bargnani to long-term injuries in the game, while Amir Johnson was ejected for uncharacteristically tossing his mouth-guard at an official. Their skid in Portland continues, they havent won in The City of Roses in seven years, but theyre not the same team that left the city in turmoil 13 months ago. "We put ourselves in a position to win the game even after all that," Casey said. "So thats what you have to ask for." ' ' '