BUFFALO, New York — Christian Ehrhoff scored his second goal of the game with 43.4 seconds remaining to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in the first NHL action after the Olympic break Tuesday. Ehrhoff was rewarded for his effort on the game-winner after the defenseman skated into the Carolina zone and around the net before putting the puck in the crease, where it deflected off a Hurricanes player and into the net to give Buffalo the victory. Ehrhoff also scored in the second period for Buffalo (16-34-8) and center Tyler Ennis netted in the third. Goaltender Ryan Miller made 36 saves in the win. Right-winger Alexander Semin and center Eric Staal scored for the Hurricanes (26-23-9), whose goalie Cam Ward made 15 saves. It was an unlikely win for the Sabres, who were out-shot 31-10 through 45 minutes and 38-18 overall. Semin tied the game 2-2 on a neat wrist shot from the high slot with four minutes remaining, beating Miller on the goalie's glove side. Ennis had earlier made it 2-1 with 7:43 remaining with a sprawling effort. After two Sabres shots were stopped by Ward, the puck came to a standstill inches from the goal line with Ennis diving in from the left side of the ice to push the puck into the net for his 14th goal of the season. Staal had earlier tied the game at 1-1 on a low wrist shot with 3:08 remaining in the second period. It was his 15th goal of the season. Ehrhoff opened the scoring 5:54 into the second period with a blast from the point on the power-play, his shot appearing to deflect off a player in front of the Carolina net and still having just enough pace to trickle over the goal line. It was Ehrhoff's fifth goal of the season. Ovechkin, Backstrom ready to forget Olympic experience Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom returned to the Washington Capitals Tuesday determined to forget their bitter Olympic experiences and help their National Hockey League club secure a spot in the playoffs. Ovechkin scored just one goal in five games for Russia and never reached the podium in Sochi, while Backstrom was denied a chance to play in Sweden's gold-medal game after he failed a drug test. “I feel sorry for my country people,” Ovechkin told reporters after practice at the Capitals' training facility in suburban Washington. “Everybody was excited, couldn't wait for the game to start. The fans were supporting us and we lost. “First of all, I want to say sorry to the fans. It's a once-in-a-life opportunity to represent your country in the Olympics and we didn't get any medal. “The fans, the media and all the people that supported Russia was upset but life goes on. Right now, we're here and we'll do our best to take a playoff spot and win the (Stanley) Cup.” Backstrom was forced to sit out Sweden's 3-0 loss to Canada in the title game after testing positive for a higher-than-permitted level of a IOC-banned substance found in an allergy medication. The 26-year-old center said he has been taking the medication, which is not banned by the NHL, since joining the Capitals in 2007. — Agencies
