Off Topic » Carolina got going after

WASHINGTON -- Washington linemates Joel Ward and Jason Chimera often play in the shadow of their higher-profile teammates. On Sunday afternoon, they sparked the Capitals to a much-needed victory. On a day when Alex Ovechkin was held to one shot on goal, the Capitals third line scored twice in a three-goal first period and the Capitals held on for 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ward had a goal and an assist and Chimera also tallied for Washington, which scored on three of its first five shots for a 3-0 lead "Ive counted on Wardo and Chimmer all year long," Capitals coach Adam Oates said. "They play together -- penalty kill, power play. Big bodies that we count on for a lot of minutes. "Its good to see them get rewarded because you dont get a lot of accolades based on that. You know, doing grunt work." Ward, in his seventh season, reached the 20-goal plateau for the first time and added his 20th assist, while Chimera scored his 13th goal and has points in seven of his past nine games. "A lot of the time (Ward) and Chimmer and (centre Eric Fehr) get overshadowed because of the names we have on this team," Troy Brouwer said. "Night in night out, I think they are our most consistent line." Brouwer scored the other first-period goal for Washington and added an empty-netter with four seconds left to seal the win after Toronto had pulled within 3-2 in the second period. The Capitals begin a three-game swing Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif. "Youve just got to win them all," Oates said of upcoming games at Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose. "I know theyre better than us in the standings, but youve got to have the attitude youre going to beat them." Recently acquired goalie Jaroslav Halak, making his fifth straight start, had 27 saves in the win. Karl Alzner assisted on two Washington goals. Dion Phaneuf had a goal and an assist for Toronto and Troy Bodie also scored. The Maple Leafs are 2-2 on their five-game road trip. "Obviously we were pretty flat the first period," Toronto coach Randy Carlyle said. "It looked like we were still in our afternoon nap. Playing an afternoon game just took us a good part of the game to get warmed up and get awake." James Reimer, starting in place of regular goalie Jonathan Bernier, who suffered a lower body injury in Thursdays win at Los Angeles, finished with 29 saves. Washingtons power play was 2 for 4. Toronto was 0 for 3. The Capitals have 12 power-play goals in their past 10 games. "They got a good power play," Bodie said. "We know that. They kind of picked us apart." Phaneuf pulled Toronto within 3-2 at 8:05 of the second period when he floated a shot from the point through a screen and past Halak for his eighth goal. Toronto then came up empty on three consecutive power-play chances over a seven-minute stretch. Two of Washingtons first-period goals were the result of crisp passing sequences. With Toronto a man down, Marcus Johansson took a pass behind the goal line from Nicklas Backstrom and fed Brouwer in the slot. Brouwer one-timed low shot past Reimer for his 19th goal just 3:34 into the first period. Wards effort in front made it 2-0 minutes later. Alzners shot was stopped in front, but Ward outdueled Reimer for the puck and his backhand deflected off Chimera, who was credited with the goal. "We werent good enough in the first 10 minutes," Reimer said. "You cant spot a team three goals. We just werent sharp, you know? Myself included. And it cost us." The Capitals soon got another power play, and this time it was Evgeny Kuznetsov who made nice pass in front, to Dustin Penner. Penner, stationed to the left of Reimer, shovelled a backhand pass across to Ward, who buried it in the open net. "Chimmer is one of the fastest guys in the league. I just try to give him the puck," Ward said. "Theres no secret. I just try to hide in the weeds and try to look for some loose pucks." Toronto didnt get its second shot on goal until the 17:15 mark of the first period, but it went in as Bodie beat Halak over his right shoulder. NOTES: The Capitals are 20-0-3 this season when leading after the second period. ... Capitals C Brooks Laich (lower body injury) was a scratch and has missed two of the past three games. Oates said hell visit a doctor in St. Louis this week. ... Toronto concludes its road trip Tuesday in Detroit. Discount Shoes . New York City FC introduced Frank Lampard in Brooklyn on Thursday after signing the 36-year-old former Chelsea midfielder to a two-year contract. Clearance Shoes . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. https://www.fakeshoeswholesale.com/. The 27-year-old forward has informed the Leafs that he will be unable to play in Monday nights home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Cyber Monday Shoes . The game got off to a less-than-ideal start for the Jets as Oliver Ekman-Larsson found a wide open net from the slot and opened the scoring for the Coyotes a lead in the first period, but Olli Jokinen answered back just over half a minute later. Fake Shoes For Sale .2 million in 2012, according to tax returns the league has submitted. SAN FRANCISCO -- The Carolina Panthers can now say they have that signature win everybody has been waiting to see: on the road, against the reigning NFC champions, in November. While facing one of the NFLs brightest young quarterbacks, to boot. Carolinas swarming, opportunistic defence stopped Colin Kaepernick in his tracks. Drayton Florence intercepted a pass by Kaepernick in the final minute to seal a 10-9 victory Sunday to snap the San Francisco 49ers five-game winning streak and give the Panthers their fifth straight win. So much for the idea that Carolina hadnt beaten any team of consequence thus far. "I dont think it really bothers us, it gives us the opportunity to step up to the challenge. We did," said wide receiver Steve Smith, who had six receptions. "A win like this can boost us, a win like this can continue to give us life throughout the season, and make us feel like were working for something, and we are." Graham Gano kicked a 53-yard field goal with 10:05 remaining that held up as the Panthers (6-3) twice shut down Kaepernick on last-ditch drives with swarming defence. DeAngelo Williams broke two tackles for a 27-yard touchdown run late in the first half that pulled Carolina within 9-7. Gano missed wide left on a 48-yard field goal in the third period, but came through later. San Francisco (6-3) got the ball back with 5:25 left at its 1, then again with 1:02 to go. Phil Dawson kicked a season-best 52-yard field goal among his three for the 49ers, who lost tight end Vernon Davis and rookie safety Eric Reid to concussions. Carolina fumbled twice in the closing moments, but recovered each time. First, Jonathan Stewart fumbled and Mike Tolbert pounced on the ball. Cam Newton recovered his own bobble. This was hardly the highly touted showdown between 2011 No. 1 overall pick Newton and Kaepernick, the sixth quarterback drafted that year, in the second round. They roomed together during the scouting combine. For Newton, the numbers hardly mattered. "This game is a maturity jump for us, because in the past what Ive been a part of, weve been somewhat uncertain of how we will turn out in these types of games," Newton said. "We needed that type of game, just to be in a dog fight, in somewhat of a barnburner, to show what type of team this really is." Kaepernick went 11 for 22 for 91 yards with an interception and was sacked six times for a 42.0 passer rating. Newton was only slightly bbetter, going 16 of 32 for 169 yards, an interception and four sacks for a 52.dddddddddddd7 rating. For two teams that have been putting up points at a prolific pace for the past month, the defences dictated this one. "As the game went on, it got more and more intense," Smith said. More than losing the game, the 49ers losses of Davis and Reid could be troublesome for the reigning NFC champions as they hit the road next week for New Orleans, then go to Washington. "Well do what we do, bounce back, regroup, refit and reorganize and come back this week," coach Jim Harbaugh said. Davis didnt return after sustaining a concussion in the second quarter, then Reid went down on a helmet-to-helmet hit on Mike Tolbert in the third. Earlier, Reid recovered a fumble to give him five takeaways in an already-stellar rookie season that also includes three interceptions. Frank Gore had 16 carries for 82 yards, accounting for most of San Franciscos 151 total yards. "For the most part, I dont really think they did anything that necessarily confused us," 49ers centre Jonathan Goodwin said. "They only gave up nine points. Its hard not to give them credit. We expected it to be a physical game. Did we expect to only score nine points? Nah." Dawson put San Francisco ahead on a 52-yard field goal on the teams opening drive, then kicked second-quarter field goals of 43 and 25 yards. But Kaepernick could never get his team in the end zone in its first game since a bye on the heels of a win over Jacksonville in London. 49ers pass-rushing specialist and 2012 All-Pro linebacker Aldon Smith played limited snaps after missing five games to undergo treatment for substance abuse. Wide receiver Mario Manningham started and had three catches in his season debut, nearly 11 months after a serious left knee injury that required surgery. Carolina got going after managing only minus-7 yards passing and 12 total yards in the first quarter. The Panthers finished with 250 total yards. "This one really did come down to the way the defence played," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. "Any time you put yourself in a position where you can force the other team to kick field goals, you get a chance to win." Notes: The 49ers also lost TE Garrett Celek to a hamstring injury in the first quarter, while DT Ray McDonald hurt an ankle. ... Panthers LB Chase Blackburn did not return in the second half because of a foot injury. ' ' '