MONTREAL -- The Montreal Canadiens werent a big offensive power to begin with but now their scoring has come to a standstill. Cortez Kennedy Jersey . A 2-0 loss Saturday night to the visiting Washington Capitals marked the third straight game the Canadiens have been shut out, following losses of 2-0 to Buffalo and 7-0 to Boston last week. It is the first time they have been blanked three games in a row since October, 1949. If it happens again when the Atlanta Thrashers visit on Tuesday night, it will match the team record of four straight shutout losses set in 1928. It was the ninth time this season they failed to score a goal, tying the team record set five times previously, most recently in 2000-01. "Its not good stuff, its not fun," said forward Michael Cammalleri. "But its time to stick together, lean on one another." The curious part is that the defeats came after the teams biggest offensive outburst of the season, an 8-1 victory in Minnesota. Since Tom Pyatts goal at 13:55 of the third period of that game, no more have gone in. What concerns the Canadiens is that they have not been stoned by hot goalies. Theyre just not getting many chances to score. "Our execution has been a little poor with the puck and I guess that can be a factor," said Cammalleri, whose specialty is goal-scoring. "Passing seems to be off. "Were not making many good, clean tape-to-tape passes. Its amazing how you break it down to simple things you can tell to 10 year old kids, but you make one tape-to-tape pass coming out of your end and youre probably getting through the zone. We seem to be hitting a lot of skates." Coach Jacques Martin and his players agreed the team has abandoned their formula for winning -- moving up the ice with quick, short passes and always having a player open to support the puck carrier. Instead, theyve been trying to beat defences with long passes, especially cross-ice feeds that more often than not are intercepted and may turn into chances for the opposing team. Normally, it is Montreal that feeds off opponents mistakes in the neutral zone. The newly defensive-minded Capitals did it to them last night and held the Canadiens to a season-low 18 shots, making for an easy second career shutout for Braden Holtby. They have also hurt themselves by taking needless rhythm-breaking penalties, especially early in games. "I dont think were playing very well in a few areas, like our discipline," added Cammalleri. "It starts with taking penalties. "Its a tough way to play when we start all these games taxing ourselves shorthanded. And discipline as far as the way were playing the game and our execution. What can I say? It hasnt been good." For captain Brian Gionta, its "a matter of finding a way to get our feet moving for each other without the puck. "Its not a lack of effort. Its playing smart. Right now were wasting too much energy and not exerting it when we need to. Its displaced energy. When youre making five or six foot passes its a lot easier than making that 40 foot pass. Thats what we got away from." The Canadiens are also not getting much production from key players like Cammalleri, who has only 16 goals in 60 games, and especially centre Scott Gomez, who has only seven goals in 74 games and is a team-worst minus-16. With 26 goals, Gionta is on his average, and Tomas Plekanec isnt far off with 21, nor Andrei Kostitsyn with 19. Gionta showed some hustle in the final minute when, with goaltender Carey Price pulled for an extra attacker, he made a sliding save on Nicklas Backstrom to prevent an empty-net goal. Backstrom had assisted on a goal at 1:24 of the first period by Marco Sturm and at 16:19 of the third by Alexander Semin as the Capitals won for the 12th time in 14 games. The Bell Centre crowd of 21,271 booed the Canadiens off the ice. The club is still safely in playoff position with 87 points -- seven more than ninth-place Carolina, who they will visit on Wednesday night before facing the Devils in New Jersey on Saturday. But they have been caught for sixth place in the Eastern Conference by the New York Rangers and are only two points clear of eighth-place Buffalo. "Lets forget about who is ahead of us or behind us," said Gomez, who shrugged off the personal boos he got from the crowd. "We have to worry about ourselves. "Weve got to come out next game like its a Game 7." Bobby Wagner Jersey . Cammalleri scored two goals, Corban Knight netted the winner in a shootout, and the Flames erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to beat the Stars 4-3 on Friday night. Jon Ryan Jersey . Madrid lost Cristiano Ronaldo to injury early in the match and failed to create any clear scoring chances after the Portugal forwards exit. His team now trails city and Champions League final rival Atletico Madrid by four points with two games to play.OAKLAND, Calif. -- When the Seattle Mariners were in the midst of a recent eight-game losing streak, manager Lloyd McClendon reminded his players such stretches happen, and they will happen again. Then he challenged them to respond in a positive way. The club is now doing a little bit of everything right to get back on track. Rookie Roenis Elias struck out six while pitching into the seventh to win consecutive starts for the first time, Justin Smoak drove in three runs and the Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 8-3 on Tuesday night for their season-best fourth straight victory. "Its been something incredible," Elias said. "Everybodys together doing their job. I like my team how theyre playing baseball." Smoak hit an RBI double and Dustin Ackley a run-scoring single in the first to back Elias (3-2), who followed up a 10-strikeout gem at Yankee Stadium his last time out with another impressive start once he settled down. The Mariners jumped on Jesse Chavez (2-1) to take a quick first-inning lead for the second straight game against the As -- and Seattle scored all three of its first-inning runs with two outs on the way to its ninth win in 11 games overall. "We know that were not going to win a playoff spot in April," Michael Saunders said. "However, that being said, losing eight straight was a definite learning experience for us. Its not going to be the last time." Chavez got a scare and escaped injury in the fourth when he saved himself from a hard-hit liner by Saunders by catching the screamer that was going right for his face. "It was all reflexes, I just put my glove up," Chavez said. "As soon as I let go of the pitch I saw him make contact. Ive jumped out of the way at balls at my lower body, but Ive never had one like that at my face before." Making the play knocked him off his feet to end the fourth, and the small Coliseum crowd of 12,106 briefly fell silent. "Luckily no one got hurt. I havent seen the replay but guys said it had a chance to hit him square in the face," Saunders said. Chavez got a double play to face the minimum in the fifth, but his night ended after allowing Mike Zuninos sixth-inning sacrifice fly following a hit battsman and a walk.Seattle Seahawks Jersey. Oakland No. 9 hitter Nick Punto pulled Oakland back in it with a two-run, two-out single in the second. Yoenis Cespedes, back in the starting lineup after nursing a left hamstring injury, hit a leadoff home run in the sixth. The As squandered a scoring chance in the seventh against Dominic Leone, leaving the tying run on third as they again struggled with runners in scoring position. Elias allowed three runs and five hits with three walks in 6 1-3 innings in his seventh career start. Sean Doolittle struck out all four batters he faced in relief of Chavez. But Seattle added on four unearned runs in the top of the ninth against 2013 AL saves leader Jim Johnson, who was booed off the mound when pulled by manager Bob Melvin as fans headed for the exits. Smoak added a two-run single. For Wednesdays doubleheader, Felix Hernandez will pitch Game 1 for Seattle and Erasmo Ramirez the second. As manager Bob Melvin didnt announce his choice for the nightcap, though Dan Straily pitches the opener. Oakland will make right-hander Arnold Leon its 26th player for the second game but is likely to start Drew Pomeranz since he didnt pitch in relief Tuesday. The 25-year-old Leons family was scheduled to fly in from Mexico for his likely major league debut after nine seasons in the minors. ccalled because of a soggy field that had mistakenly gone without its tarp during a heavy rainstorm. NOTES: Saunders, who came in batting .393 with a homer and five RBIs in seven games batting leadoff, went 0 for 4 atop the order. "I dont like messing with success," McClendon said. "Hes been doing great, weve been doing great. Its kind of hard to change that."... As reliever Eric OFlaherty, on the disabled list since undergoing Tommy John surgery in the off-season, threw a 30-pitch bullpen session and could begin throwing to hitters soon, and Melvin said an announcement on the pitchers next step would come Wednesday. ... Melvin said Triple-A catcher Stephen Vogt, an As playoff star last October currently on Sacramentos disabled list, is close to returning from a strained oblique muscle. 02:32ET 07-05-14 cheap jerseyscheap jerseys from china ' ' '
