NEWS » d the jeers from frustrated Blue Ja

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Flyers still have that winning feeling.Brayden Schenn scored three power-play goals to lead the Flyers to their eighth straight victory, a 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.Jakub Voracek scored an empty-netter and also had three assists for the Flyers, who matched Montreal for the longest winning streak in the NHL this season.Philadelphia last won eight straight games from Jan. 6-19, 2002.When guys get confident, I think theres always that winning feeling, Schenn said.Schenn recorded his second career hat trick. He also scored three goals on Feb. 29, 2016, against Calgary.Devin Shore had both goals for the Stars.Tied at 1 entering the third period, Dallas went ahead when Shore scored his second goal of the game with 9:28 left.But Schenn tied the game with his second goal of the game that was similar to the first one, a deflection from in front after Voraceks shot from the right side at 16:12.Schenn then put Philadelphia in front with 2:15 left when he scored with a forehand shot on a rebound of Voraceks shot for his seventh goal of the season, resulting in hats flying on the ice.Claude Giroux retrieved a hat for Schenn to save as a keepsake.It was the second straight comeback for the Flyers, who twice responded from two-goal deficits in Thursdays 6-5 win over Edmonton.We have the confidence that if you do it over and over again, you know you can do it every game, Voracek said.Steve Mason made 21 saves for his seventh straight win.When things go your way, they really go your way, Mason said.Philadelphia has received contributions from a variety of areas during the streak. Schenn entered with just three points during the streak, but turned out to be the star this time.Different parts of our game have pushed us over the finish line on different nights, coach Dave Hakstol said.Kari Lehtonen made 18 saves for the Stars, falling to 1-11-3 against Philadelphia.Stars coach Lindy Ruff thought the penalty that set up the tying goal, a cross check on Jamie Oleksiak, was a soft call.I dont see much there, he said.I thought a couple of calls were maybe a little bit light and they still ended up putting it in the back of their net, Ruff added. When you get a call like that, you want to take advantage of it.Voracek had four points, tying his career high, for the second straight game and has 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) during Philadelphias winning streak.Shore gave Dallas a 2-1 lead with 9:28 remaining, scoring just as the Stars power play expired.Antoine Roussel sent the puck toward the net. Shore corralled the rebound at the far post. A sprawling Mason used his stick to stop Shores first attempt, but Shore batted in the loose puck just before Mason could cover it.Radek Faksa almost gave Dallas a two-goal advantage with 4:41 left, but his short-handed attempt on a 2-on-1 break caromed off the post.Weve been on both sides and right now were fortunate to have some lucky breaks, Mason said.That play loomed large as Schenn tied it 53 seconds later.Hakstol said the Flyers are focused on getting better each day rather than the winning streak.It is fun to come to the rink when youre having success, no question about that, he said.Beyond that, I dont know if anybody in our room really gives it much of a second thought. We have another game (Sunday). Were going to show up and try to put another determined effort on the ice.Lehtonen kept it tied 6 1/2 minutes earlier with the save of the game, fully extending his glove to snare Ivan Provorovs drive from the slot. Provorov began to celebrate when it looked as if the puck was headed in the goal.Lehtonens Stars teammates loudly tapped their sticks against the boards after the save.Schenn tied the game at 1 with a power-play goal with 2:42 left in the first period. Schenn scored his fifth of the season on a deflection off Voraceks wrist shot from the side boards. Wayne Simmonds provided the screen of Lehtonen, as the puck went through Simmonds legs and past Lehtonen.Shore gave Dallas a 1-0 lead 7:30 into the game with a backhand that went high over Masons left shoulder. The goal culminated hard work in the offensive zone by the Stars and a poor job of the Philadelphia defense clearing the puck from its goal line. Curtis McKenzie and Adam Cracknell picked up assists on the play.The teams played an even second period that mostly was defensive in nature. Mason turned aside the Stars best two chances, Roussels wrist shot on a rush from close range and Tyler Seguins wrist shot from the high slot.Ruff stuck with a top line of Jamie Benn, Seguin and center Jason Spezza. In Thursdays 5-2 win over Nashville, the trio played together for the first time and combined for eight points. The line didnt register a point against Philadelphia.Game notesThe Flyers held a moment of silence in the pregame for former scout and coach Bill Dineen, who died Saturday at 84. ... The teams will wrap up their two-game season series next Saturday in Dallas. ... Schenn and Stephen Johns fought to a draw in the second period though Schenn received a cut on his forehead.UP NEXTStars: At Blackhawks on Sunday night.Flyers: At Red Wings on Sunday night.Cheap Rockets Jerseys China .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. Cheap NBA Jerseys . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. http://www.cheaprocketsjerseys.com/ . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Wholesale Rockets Jerseys . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. Vincent Edwards Jersey . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid.BOSTON, Massachusetts - There are times over the course of a season when a team needs its ace starter to be a stopper. For the Blue Jays the time was Wednesday and the ace was R.A. Dickey. He stepped up. "I feel some responsibility as a stopper from time to time," said Dickey. "I feel like thats why one of the reasons Alex pursued me and wanted to make the trade because he felt like I could be a guy that could help stop streaks when they werent going in our favour. Its not necessarily extra pressure but you do feel a real responsibility to be your best." Consider the situation: Following a franchise record-tying 11-game win streak the Blue Jays traveled to Tropicana Field, where the worst always seems to happen, and promptly lost the first two games of a three-game set against the division rival Rays. In stepped Dickey for an unusually early 12:10 afternoon start. 93 pitches and only two ground ball singles later, the Jays had won 3-0 and avoided the possibility of a lengthy losing skid. "Thats his job," said veteran Mark DeRosa. "Thats his job. Hes a number one, you know. We fully expected him to go out, maybe not throw a two-hit potential no-hitter the way he was rolling, but I have all the confidence in R.A. He knows, he knows, anybody who reads his post-game comments, this guy is thinking 10 days in advance. He knows what it takes and hes been there before and won a Cy Young." The Jays have won 12 of 15 despite Thursday nights 7-4 loss to the Red Sox. While the club, for the most part, has received excellent starting pitching during the stretch, a clearly defined staff ace has yet to emerge. Dickey is hesitant to discuss Wednesdays outing as a turning point in his season but his personal catcher, Josh Thole, who caught the knuckleballers Cy Young 2012 season with the Mets, suggested it could be. Thole struggled to catch the knuckleball in Wednesdays pregame bullpen session. It was even more difficult in-game. These are good signs. "I mean thats what I remember," said Thole. "What we saw (Wednesday,) is what I remember. Every fifth day it was a challenge to go out there, warm him up, take him into a game. Thats what I remember." "I dont usually say this but you could tell in the bullpen," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "I kind of kept it to myself but I think Pat (Hentgen) knew as well. We were watching him warm up and you could see the action on the ball." As a knuckleballer, Dickey often is left to his own devices. He can confide in Thole and bounce ideas off Walker but because theyve never thrown the pitch, there is a limit to which they can offer advice. As he does with all of his pitchers, Walker studies video of Dickeys work. He keeps a checklist with him, provided by Dickey, which details Dickeys mechanics.dddddddddddd. If Walker notices anything off kilter, even in the slightest, he provides Dickey with feedback. "There are some things he does like a traditional pitcher," said Walker. "Anytime he gets out of whack his front side will open up a little too soon, hell get underneath the ball a little too much and that ball will tend to stay up in the zone and take off on him. Like a traditional pitcher, when he stays closed long enough and gets his arm through the zone where it should be, you know out in front consistently, he gets the action that hes looking for." Dickey often travels into the clubhouse in-between innings to watch video. "So I can make an in-game adjustment," said Dickey. "But sometimes the differences are microscopic. Its the difference in an inch or two landing or an inch or two in my wrist position. I mean, thats what youre up against when you tackle becoming a knuckleball pitcher because you have to go through some things you dont have to go through as a conventional pitcher. Thats just part of the territory." Dickey spent most of the first two months pitching in pain. He had what can best be described as a strain on the right side of his upper back, pain he first felt in Kansas City in his third start of season. Being a knuckleballer coming off a Cy Young award was both a blessing and a curse. Throwing a knuckleball isnt as strenuous on the body so Dickey was able to pitch through the injury. Having been a conventional pitcher early in his career, Dickey says the pain would have sent the old him to the disabled list. On the flip side, hes struggled to live up to lofty expectations. With an overall record of 7-8, an ERA of 4.72 and 41 walks – an unusually high number based on his standard – Dickey has heard the jeers from frustrated Blue Jays fans and accepts them as a reality of the business hes chosen. He, too, has been frustrated. Now, hes focused on building off Wednesdays start and continuing the correction of the bad mechanical habits he developed because of the pain in his neck. "Sometimes its tough, especially when youre thinking about trying to throw without pain," said Dickey. "When youre trying just to throw a ball and not have pain in your back, you know, youre distracted maybe from being able to be in the moment with your mechanic." Now healthy, Dickey expects to be better in the seasons second half. Recent starts in San Francisco and, of course, Wednesday in Tampa Bay suggest hes on the right track. His next test wont be easy. Dickey is scheduled to start Mondays Canada Day matinee, at home, versus the offensively potent Detroit Tigers. ' ' '