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OTTAWA -- A week ago it was unthinkable, but the Ottawa Senators are back in playoff contention. Ales Hemsky scored the only goal of the shootout Monday night as the Senators earned a huge 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Hemsky moved in and fired a shot off the post and into the back of the net behind goaltender Cam Ward to give the Senators their third straight win, and fourth in their past fifth games. They have nine points over that stretch. As it stands now, the Senators are in 12th in the Eastern Conference four points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets, who currently possess the second wild-card berth with 82 points. The Hurricanes are seven back. "All Im doing is going game-by-game still. We won today, now we have to get ready for Wednesday and again well see where we are at (in) 82 games," said Senators coach Paul MacLean. Craig Anderson stopped all three Carolina shooters, including Elias Lindholm with the final shot to earn the victory. Mika Zibanejad scored in regulation for the Senators (32-29-14) while Anderson made 30 saves. Jeff Skinner had the Carolina goal while Ward backstopped the Hurricanes (32-32-11) through regulation with 28 saves. Coincidental minor penalties in overtime meant the teams played two minutes of three-on-three hockey. Kyle Turris had the best opportunity for the Senators during that span but his shot went over the net. Alex Semin had Anderson beat on a two-on-one but his backhand went wide. "Structure wise we werent really sure what to do, but you need guys that are creative and are able to beat guys one-on-one because thats what it comes down to," Senators defenceman Marc Methot said of the rare three-on-three. "The guys handled it well." There was very little in the way of scoring opportunities through most of the third period. That changed in the final few minutes as both teams started to apply pressure as neither wanted the other to claim a bonus point in the tight playoff race. "There were definitely opportunities and a little spark at the end. The fans started getting into it knowing the pressure of the last five minutes and that any mistake could be in the back of the net," said Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal. "It raised the intensity of the game for sure." The way the first period started it seemed as though the goaltenders were going to have nightmares even before they went to bed. The score was tied 1-1 before the five-minute mark and the non-defensive style was allowing for several opportunities on both sides. Zibanejad opened the scoring at 1:41 of the first period when he deflected a Patrick Wiercioch point shot past Ward. The play was reviewed but quickly announced that the call on the ice stood and it was in fact a goal. "Youve got to look at it as a lucky break on their side, and just get ready for the next shot," Ward said of the goal. "The puck was bouncing a little more than I would have liked, but other than that we gave our team a chance to win. Unfortunately, it doesnt feel good to lose in a shootout." Zibanejad continues to improve on his career-high numbers as he now has 14 goals and 29 points in 64 games. "Lately weve been taking it one game at a time. Its cliche but we are. And were doing whatever we can to make sure we get the points," said Zibanejad. "The pressure is not on us, the pressure is on the teams above us and by winning were putting more pressure on them." It wasnt all good news for the Senators though as Erik Karlsson gave the puck away behind his own goal and then was the last player to touch it before it went into the back of the Ottawa goal behind Anderson. Karlsson tried to sweep the puck around the boards behind the net but fanned on his attempt, giving skinner possession of the puck behind the goal. He danced from side-to-side before banking the puck off Karlsson and in to tie the game at the 4:03 mark. Notes- Jason Spezza, Bobby Ryan, Jared Cowen and Colin Greening were scratches for the Senators. Mike Komisarek, Radek Dvorak and Justin Peters were scratches for the HurricanesaThe Senators recalled Jean-Gabriel Pageau from Binghamton on MondayaSenators forward Kyle Turris was named the NHLs First Star of the Week Monday after collecting four goals and three assists in four gamesaJeff Skinner now has points in five straight games and recorded his 30th goal of the season MondayaThe Carolina Hurricanes are scheduled to play back-to-back games 20 times this season, second only to the Malik Monk Jersey . Harris has played in six games since joining the Argos in 2012, completing 17-of-35 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown. Glen Rice Jersey . The 25-year-old Brazilian player has only made four Premier League appearances for United this season and underwent a medical test in Italy on Friday. http://www.cheaphornetsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-percy-miller-jersey . - The Pittsburgh Pirates plan on keeping promising left fielder Starling Marte playing alongside National League MVP Andrew McCutchen for years to come. Kemba Walker Jersey . Minutes before the final whistle of Sporting Kansas Citys 3-0 victory over a shorthanded Montreal Impact squad on Saturday afternoon, Saputo tweeted: "Our fans deserve better. Frank Kaminsky Jersey .com) - The Carolina Hurricanes hope to remain perfect at home in January on Friday night as they welcome the Vancouver Canucks to PNC Arena.KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Chiefs were clinging to the lead early in the second half against Oakland on Sunday when Travis Kelce was stripped of the ball deep in their own territory.The young tight end also lost a fumble a week ago against Arizona, depriving the Chiefs of a chance to score the go-ahead touchdown in the waning minutes. So when Kelce coughed another one up against the Raiders, he could have easily thrown his arms up and quit.With a little help from his teammates, he decided on a different response.Kelce caught a 20-yard touchdown pass during a five-minute stretch when the Chiefs scored three unanswered TDs, sending them to a 31-13 win over their long-time AFC West rivals and giving a big boost to their fading playoff hopes.Its a long game, 60 minutes. Youve got to leave the previous play in the past, Kelce said. We have a lot of leaders on this team to help me with that. We have a lot of playmakers to get the momentum on our side and let me forget about the bad that I did.Alex Smith threw for 297 yards and two scores. Knile Davis ran for a touchdown and caught a 70-yard pass for his first career receiving touchdown. Rookie punt returner DeAnthony Thomas trumped both of them with an 81-yard touchdown that gave Kansas City the lead early in the game.Were a playoff team, Thomas said. We have to come back next week and just play like the Chiefs again, go out there with a lot of effort, aggression, and go out there and make plays.Derek Carr was 27 of 56 for 222 yards for Oakland, throwing a TD pass in the final minute. But he also was sacked four times and fumbled a snap that led to a Kansas City touchdown.The Chiefs (8-6), who had been poor against the run the past three weeks, even managed to bottle up Raiders running back Latavius Murray. The second-year pro had 112 yards and two scores on just four carries in their first meeting, but was held to 59 yards on 12 carries Sunday.Their athletes made more plays than we did, Raiders defensive end Justin Tuck said. Pretty much it.The Raiders (2-12) have lost 10 straight on the road, and still have not won back-to-back ggames since Weeks 7 and 8 of the 2012 season.dddddddddddd. That includes a pair of duds in the Show-Me State.You cant just blame one area, Carr said. This is a team thing.Here are a couple things to remember from Kansas Citys victory:JANIKOW-SKI BOOTS: Sebastian Janikowski may have been the Raiders most valuable player, kicking a 53-yard field goal before halftime and another early in the third quarter to help them close to 10-6. But his solid showing should not have been surprising. The veteran kicker has hit four game-winning field goals against Kansas City.INJURY NEWS: Chiefs linebacker Josh Mauga strained an oblique and cornerback Sean Smith had cramps, though both finished the game. Raiders defensive end C.J. Wilson had knee and ankle injuries that he sustained while returning Kelces fumble early in the third quarter.HANKIES EVERYWHERE: The teams combined for 21 penalties, though far more flags than that were thrown. In many cases, there were offsetting penalties or penalties were declined, leaving that number slightly skewed. The result was a lengthy game without much rhythm.THIRD DOWN: Penalties werent the only problem the teams shared. They also combined to convert eight of 31 third downs, resulting in a busy day for their punters. The Raiders Marquette King punted 11 times for 477 yards and the Chiefs Dustin Colquitt punted seven times for 279 yards.CHARLES SCARE: Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles took a wicked blow near the goal line in the second half and appeared to be woozy when he stood up. He went to the sideline and was put through the leagues concussion protocol, and was eventually cleared to continue. But the Chiefs had the game out of reach moments later and coach Andy Reid rested his star the rest of the game.It was a big win. Steelers next week — theyre big, they have confidence. Going over there and playing Pittsburgh next week is going to be big for us, Charles said. Every game is playoff mode. Its lose-or-go home. Were hungry. Were young. Every week we play is playoff mentality.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '