Kritik und Lob » iday.Cubs: RHP John Lackey (strain

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Tampa Bay Lightnings offense looks fine so far minus captain Steven Stamkos.A few acrobatic saves by goalie Ben Bishop didnt hurt either.Nikita Kucherov scored to increase his team-leading point total to 22, and Alex Killorn snapped a 10-game goal drought in leading a the Lightning to a 4-1 victory over the injury-depleted and scoring challenged Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.Tampa Bay won its third straight, and improved to 6-2-1 in its past nine in its first game since Stamkos was sidelined by a torn ligament in his right knee.Obviously, were going to miss him. Hes a great leader. Its just one of those things where youve got to step up, said Bishop, who stopped 32 shots. Youve got to go more as a team effort because you cant rely on your big dog to come through. ... But weve got a lot of big dogs here.The Lightning were certainly barking with a spread-out attack that also included goals from Nikita Nesterov and Brayden Point, while Valtteri Filppula set up two goals with no-look passes.Its a necessary approach for a team that will be missing its two-time NHL scoring champion, who is expected to be sidelined for four months after having surgery earlier in the day.We know the drill and its going to be up to certain guys to kind of fill it up, said Killorn, who also had an assist. Thats 40 goals a year, and weve got to kind of make up for it.Its a different story for Buffalo, which continues to struggle to overcome its growing number of injuries.The Sabres are winless in their past six (0-4-2), a stretch in which theyve managed just six goals.It must be a joke right now: If you score two goals against the Buffalo Sabres youre going to win the game, forward Evander Kane said. Weve got to end that.Buffalo is playing without two top-line forwards, Ryan OReilly (mid-section) and Jack Eichel (left ankle), and two regular defensemen, Zach Bogosian (knee) and Dmitry Kulikov (lower back).Except for defenseman Cody Franson scoring on the power play, the Sabres couldnt buy a goal against Bishop.The most telling moment came a little over three minutes into the second period, when Bishop played the puck behind his own net and inexplicably sent a pass through the middle. The puck landed directly on the stick of Sabres forward Kyle Okposo, who snapped a shot at the wide-open net.Bishop, however, scrambled back and dived across the crease to glove the shot.Its a 1-0 game at that point and I just though he was completely out of it and wanted to make sure I settled it for a half second and shot it, Okposo said, before letting out a sigh. He made a heck of a save.Phew, said Bishop.I dove and I felt it hit my glove and I was kind of like, `Are you kidding me? Bishop said. Sometimes its good to be a little lucky, I guess.He was fortunate again in the second period when defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen slipped a shot through his legs only to have the puck dribble wide of the left post. Bishop did make several big stops on forward Sam Reinhart parked in front.Kucherovs goal with 18 seconds remaining in the second period proved to be a backbreaker for Buffalo. It allowed the Lightning to reclaim a two-goal lead after Franson had cut the margin seven minutes earlier.Killorn pounced on a turnover in Buffalos zone and fed Kucherov, who drove to left circle. Kucherov then snapped a shot that beat goalie Robin Lehner, who was screened by Tampa Bay forward Tyler Johnson.Game notes Lightning LW Jonathan Drouin returned after missing seven games with an upper body injury. ... The Sabres Dan Bylsma became the NHLs 66th coach to reach 500 games. ... Franson became Buffalos first defenseman to score a goal this season. ... D Anton Stralman (upper body) missed his third straight game and is not expected to miss the final two games of Lightings five-game road trip.UP NEXTLightning: At Philadelphia on Saturday.Sabres: Host Pittsburgh on Saturday night. Custom High School Jerseys Sale . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. Custom High School Shirts .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. http://www.customjerseyshighschool.com/ . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Cheap Custom High School Jerseys .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. Authentic Custom High School Shirts . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. CHICAGO -- There it was, another big at-bat staring at Addison Russell. And once again, the young star delivered.Russell hit a two-run single with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, and three relievers combined for five perfect innings to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night.Hes growing up, manager Joe Maddon said. As a major league baseball player, his confidence could not be higher.The Cubs spoiled a shaky Jeff Samardzijas return to Wrigley Field and started September on a winning note after going 22-6 to match the 1932 team for the best August in franchise history.The major league leaders also moved a season-high 39 games over .500 and a jaw-dropping 15 1/2 games ahead of St. Louis in the NL Central -- their largest lead in the standings since the 1907 team finished 17 games ahead of Pittsburgh, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Russells bloop single off Cory Gearrin gave the Cubs a 5-4 lead. Dexter Fowler had two singles and scored two runs.Kris Bryant added an RBI single to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, matching a career high. And the Cubs rallied behind a dominant bullpen and another big hit by Russell.I kind of embrace those situations, he said. In that situation, I didnt try to do too much. I just wanted to see a pitch, really, and just try to go about my approach the same way.The 22-year-old Russells 88 RBI are tops among National League shortstops. He is 8 for 18 and has driven in 23 runs with the bases loaded. On top of that, he is playing a Gold Glove-level defense.His go-ahead hit wiped out a 4-3 deficit and capped a rally that began when Hunter Strickland (3-2) gave up a leadoff single to Fowler and walked Bryant after two close pitches were called balls.Will Smith walked Ben Zobrist with one out to load the bases before retiring Jason Heyward on a pop fly. But Russell then drove in Fowler and Bryant with a bloop single to left.It obviously felt like I had a good game plan, Gearrin said. Made two good pitches and broke his bat and he just found a hole. Its just frustrating because you want to get the result no matter what. At the same time as a pitcher, you can only do so much.Thatt made a winner of Joe Smith (2-4), who worked two innings after returning from a strained left hamstring.ddddddddddddCarl Edwards Jr. worked the ninth for his first career save with Aroldis Chapman getting the night off after pitching in the previous three games. And the Cubs came away with the win on a cool and windy night in which both starting pitchers lasted just four innings.SHAKY STARTSSamardzija gave up three runs and five hits, walked three and threw 87 pitches in his second start against Chicago and first as a visitor at Wrigley Field. The right-hander played for the Cubs from 2008 until he was traded to Oakland during the 2014 season in the deal for Russell.Chicagos Mike Montgomery gave up four runs -- three earned -- and three hits, including a long two-run homer to Hunter Pence in the first.TRANSACTIONSThe Giants reinstated LHP Josh Osich and OF Mac Williamson from the DL and recalled LHP Ty Blach, LHP Matt Reynolds, LHP Steven Okert and INF Kelby Tomlinson from Triple-A.TRAINERS ROOMGiants: RHP Matt Cain (lower back strain) is expected to come off the DL and head to the bullpen rather than the rotation. Manager Bruce Bochy said the three-time All-Star, who has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, was all for the assignment. RHP Albert Suarez will start Friday.Cubs: RHP John Lackey (strained right shoulder) will likely return to the rotation this weekend. Thursdays throwing session went well, and assuming no setbacks, the veteran will start Sunday. ... RHP Hector Rondon (strained right triceps) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Saturday and likely make another appearance for the minor league club before returning. ... Pedro Strop (torn meniscus in left knee) tweaked his right groin in a workout on Wednesday. The Cubs expect him to miss about six weeks after initially projecting him to be out four to six following his injury on Aug. 10.UP NEXTThe Cubs send LHP Jon Lester (14-4, 2.70 ERA), unbeaten in his past six starts, to the mound while Suarez (3-2, 4.35) makes his eighth start for San Francisco. ' ' '