OTTAWA, Ont. -- The Ottawa Senators know they need to make the most of every advantage if they want to be part of the playoff picture. On Thursday night, the Senators benefited from the Tampa Bay Lightnings misfortune and walked away with a 5-3 win. While the Lightning were disappointed by their performance, they were more concerned with their star goaltenders well being. Ben Bishop, who has been nothing short of outstanding for Tampa this season, was injured in the opening minutes of the game and did not return. "I had a little bit of a headache, but its gotten better as the game went on," said Bishop. "Hopefully Ill wake up (Friday) and feel better and be able to practice." Bishop, who was playing his first game in Ottawa since being traded to the Lightning last April, came way out of his net to play the puck and ended up getting kicked in the head by teammate Nikita Kucherov. The goalie lay on the ice motionless, silencing the 19,757 on hand before he was able to leave the game on his own volition. "It was very disappointing," said Bishop. "Its almost sad. I was happy to be back and excited to play and then that happens right away." On the same play, the Senators Marc Methot scored into a wide-open net picking up his fifth of the season for a career high. Erik Karlsson, Zack Smith, Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan also scored for the Senators (24-20-10) as Craig Anderson stopped 35 shots. The win allowed the Senators, with 58 points, to move into a tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the eighth and final playoff spot, but the Blue Jackets hold the tie-breaker with more wins (27). "You have to take care of the games you have and we did that (Thursday)," said Ryan. "If you dont, youre going to be on the outside looking in and thats not where we want to be." Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson and Victor Hedman scored for the Lightning (31-18-5), who have now lost two straight. Anders Lindback faced 28 shots. "It was a tale of two different teams," said Tampa coach Jon Cooper. "The one thing that concerned me was we didnt play desperate. Theres one thing about competing really hard, but we just didnt seem to have that desperation. Whether that was because of the way the game started, but at some point you have to turn the page." Ottawa made it 2-0 with 25 seconds remaining in the period as Jason Spezza took a stretch pass from Milan Michalek, froze the Lightning defence, and found Karlsson all alone in front of a wide-open net. The Lightning cut the lead in half as Killorn beat Anderson cleanly, but it wasnt enough as the Senators went on to score two more by the end of the period to take a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes. Smith made it 3-1 as he grabbed a loose puck at the side of the net, moved in front and put a shot off the crossbar that bounced off Lindback and in. Turris then picked up his 18th late in the period as Ryan fought off Victor Hedman and left the puck back for Turris who buried it. Ryan made it 5-1 early in the third as he picked up his team-leading 20th of the season. It was his first goal in six games. "You hope therell be a domino effect (from the goal) and I can move forward with it," said Ryan. Johnson made it 5-2 scoring shorthanded late in the third. Tampa pulled Lindback with over three minutes remaining in regulation and made the most of the man advantage as Hedman made it 5-3. The Lightning made the final minutes exciting as they kept Lindback on the bench, but were unable to complete the comeback. "I thought we battled really hard in the last few minutes," said St. Louis. "I guess the desperation came in too late I guess." In addition to losing Bishop, the Lightning also lost leading scorer Valterri Filpulla early in the second. Filpulla returned briefly, but then left the game with a lower body injury. Cooper had no update on Filpulla and said he would be re-evaluated Friday. Notes: LW Milan Michalek picked up his 200th career NHL assist on Ottawas second goal. D Chris Phillips missed his second straight game with a lower body injury. D Joe Corvo and LW Matt Kassian were healthy scratches for Ottawa. D Keith Aulie and C Tom Pyatt were healthy scratches for the Lightning. With an assist on the Lightnings third goal Martin St. Louis, with 965 career points, moved into a tie with Maurice Richard for 85th place in the NHLs all-time scoring leaders. It was also St. Louis 600th NHL assist. Nike Shox Discount . Last year, Matt Kuchar closed with a 4-under 68 to beat Kevin Chappell by two strokes for his second win of the 2013 season and sixth of his career. Cheap Nike Shox Online . Wheeler said Kane was just making a joke that was misunderstood and misinterpreted by "Winnipeg folks" and the media once again. Wheeler repeated that he believes Kane is a player who has the ability to help the Jets get to the next level as they try once again to reach the playoffs in 2014. He made the comments initially in an interview, when asked how the Jets could compete in the Central Division with teams that have made some high-profile off-season signings. http://www.nikeshoxaustralia.com/ . Altidore strained his left hamstring in the Americans opener against Ghana on June 16 and didnt play in their next two games. "We dont know how much because we need to see how hes going, but hes available," U. Nike Shox Clearance Sale . Western and the second-ranked Laval Rouge et Or (7-0) once again received 20 and 10 first-place votes from the Football Reporters of Canada panel, respectively. Rounding out the Top 10 are the Calgary Dinos (7-0), Queens Gaels (7-1), Guelph Gryphons (7-1), Montreal Carabins (5-2), Bishops Gaiters (5-2), McMaster Marauders (5-3), Manitoba Bisons (4-3) and the Saskatchewan Huskies (4-3) Western crushed York 50-10 last Saturday in its league finale to secure first place in the OUA standings and a bye in the first round of the conference playoffs. Nike Shox Australia . Richard Jefferson scored 17 points and Diante Garrett had a career-high 15 points as the Jazz had seven players with 10 points or more in Utahs largest margin of victory this season.CALGARY - The Canadian freestyle skiing program is getting a significant bump in Own The Podium funding this winter, while money for skeleton has been slashed almost to the bone.Own The Podium doles out federal government money based on a sport federations ability to produce Olympic medallists.Freestyle skiers led Canadas medal haul at this years Winter Olympics with seven, including three gold.Out of OTPs budget of $21,605,000 for the 2014-15 winter season, freestyle skiing will have $3.78 million at its disposal. Thats a significant raise on the average of $2.58 million annually in the four years between the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.Skeleton, by contrast, will receive just $20,000 this winter and far less than the average of $876,250 in the previous quadrennial.OTP meets with each sport federation to identify athletes with medal potential and come up with a training and competition plan to get them on the podium. Chief executive officer Anne Merklinger emphasizes the financial allotments for 2014-15 were not rewards for results in Sochi in February.Where the money went reflected a sports ability to not only win medals in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018, but also in 2022, she said.It is very much about investing in future podium potential athletes and teams, Merklinger said in an interview. Sure, the past result is important because it indicates an organization has been successful in getting athletes on the podium, so its embedded in their culture. Thats important, but at the same time, if theres no athletes in the pipeline particularly for zero to four years out for the upcoming set of Games, then thats OTPs mandate, to help Canadian athletes and coaches win more medals.No athletes, no money.OTP is the organization established five years out from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics to get the home team on the podium.The majority of its money comes from taxpayers via Sport Canada, although the Canadian Olympic Committee contributes to OTPs budget from its own corporate sponsorship campaign.Canada topped the gold-medal count in 2010 with 14, which is a Winter Games record, and ranked third in the overall medal count with 26. In Sochi, Canada was third in the gold-medal count with 10 and fourth overall with 25.Canada achieved the goal of a top-three ranking in gold medals won at both Paralympic Winter Games with 10 in 2010 and seven in Sochi.But a troubling stat for Merklinger is the number of Canadians who finished in the top eight at the Winter Games fell from 72 in 2010 to 57 in Sochi. That decline is one indicator of a shrinking pool of athletes with medal potential, which would impact Canadas performance at future Games.Canada needs to widen and deepen that pool and not just for Pyeongchang, Merklinger said.Going into Sochi, going into Vancouver, the lens from OTP was pretty narrow, she explained. It was about podium performance in the upcoming set of Games.We made a very deliberate decision to look at the top sports that have multiple medal potential and invest a little bit deeper in the pathway, so looking at athletes who are eight to five years away from a podium performance in addition to those sports that have athletes who are four to zero years away.So the Canadian Freestyle Association is using its increased funding to hire staff and operate projects for athletes who are competing at a level between the provincial and national teams.The most visible sign of the increased money will be seen this winter at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.The CFSA has hired the best half-pipe course designer in the world, according to chief executive officer Bruce Robinson, to construct and maintain this years edition of the half-pipe.In half-pipe skiing, the quality of the pipe is incredibly important, Robinson said.It allows our team to have the best training possible in their home country and not always having to go to the United States or overseas. Thats a huge benefit for us.The CFSA also hired a staff to work with developmental athletes across the four freestyle disciplines of moguls, aerials, half-pipe and freestyle.A moguls program of 10 to 15 athletes who race on the NorAm circuit, one level below the World Cup, was also established in Whistler, B.C.Canada won gold and silver in Sochi in skicross, which falls under the freestyle umbrella internationally. OTP funds it separately from freestyle, however, as it is administered domestically by Alpine Canada.After skeleton made its Olympic debut in 2002, Canadians won World Cups, world titles and Olympic medals over the next decade. But Canada has been overtaken by Europeans and Americans. OTP has determined there isnt another Duff Gibson or Jon Montgomery on the near hoorizon.ddddddddddddOur analysis was skeleton does not at this point does not have medal potential for 2018, Merklinger said.The head of Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton disagrees with that assessment.I believe and I think the organization believes that OTP underestimated the talent we have and their prospects of medalling in 2018 and 2022, Sarah Storey said. That being said, we need to demonstrate that to a degree.Im confident well be able to show OTP these athletes are worth OTP investing in because they do have the talent and the potential and we do have a plan to get them there.Skeletons coaching staff has been reduced to one, Ivo Pakalns, who oversees all athletes in the program. Gibson, the 2006 Olympic gold medallist who coached the Canadian team in Sochi, says he returned to his job as a firefighter for family, not funding, reasons. BCS will provide financial support for Canadian skeleton athletes who qualify to race World Cups this winter, Storey said.It is still our responsibility and mandate to develop world-class athletes to get medals, she said.Its a major setback, but were not going to let it affect these athletes and the next athletes coming through. Its very important we restore funding next year and were working on that.The majority of winter sports saw more modest gains or drops in funding ranging from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands.But long-track speed skatings piece of the OTP pie shrunk to $1.35 million from an average of $1.75 million in the previous quadrennial. The athletes are feeling the pinch.Ottawas Ivanie Blondin says she and her teammates were told earlier this month they must pay $1,500 in team fees out of their own pocket to race on the national team this winter. I just finished paying off my tuition, Blondin said.We kind of saw it coming, but moving forward I will have to look for sponsorship somewhere for myself. I do have a spot available on my racing skinsuit that I can fill, but its trying to find that one company or one supporter that would will be willing to give me that per season is really hard right now with the economy.After winning a combined 13 medals in 2006 and 2010, the long-track team produced two in Sochi. The national team is smaller this winter with just 11 skaters named to the senior team, but there are 20 on the developmental squad.Long track was cut significantly from every year of the quad previously, Merklinger acknowledged. We certainly cant abandon the podium potential athletes that are there now and we need to work closely with long track to strengthen the program.For Canada to continue to be a strong winter sport nation, we need long track to get back to where they were.Ski jumping and its cousin Nordic combined will receive no funding this winter. Ski jumpings OTP funding in 2013-14 was just $54,000. Even with the introduction of womens ski jumping to the Olympics, OTP determined Canada is not close to having a medal threat.___WINNERS AND LOSERS: A QUICK LOOK AT SPORTS IMPACTED MOST BY NEW OTP FUNDINGWINNERSFreestyle skiing, $3.78 million — Freestyle is one of the few winter sports where Canada has the depth to get more than one athlete on the podium in moguls, half-pipe and slopestyle. Moguls skier Mikael Kingsbury, half-pipe skiers Mike Riddle, Noah Bowman and Matt Margetts and womens slopestyle specialists Dara Howell, Kim Lamarre and Kaya Turski are among them.Luge, $1.020 million — A trio of fourth-place finishes and two women in the top five in Sochi indicates the lugers are on track to claim Canadas first Olympic medal in the sport. Keep your eye on Kimberley McRae, who was fifth in Sochi, en route to 2018.Figure Skating, $1.1 million — Canada must keep its world-class talent across singles, pairs and ice dance to remain a medal threat in the team event, as well as contend for individual medals. Nam Nguyen in mens singles and the ice dance team of Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje are the ones to watch for the next four years.LOSERSSki jumping/Nordic combined, $0 — The introduction of womens ski jumping in Sochi was four years too late for Canada, whose best medal prospects were competing prior to 2010. There are just two ski jump venues in the country and few people who participate, so the talent pool is very shallow.Skeleton, $20,000 — It was a glorious decade of Canadian World Cup, world and Olympic champions after the sport made its Olympic debut in 2002, but OTP has determined no slider is currently tracking to get there again.Long-track speedskating, $1.35 million — Looks like a lot of money, but down significantly from previous years because of fewer potential medallists.---Follow Donna Spencer on Twitter at @DLSpencer10 China NFL JerseysCheap Nike NFL JerseysNFL Jerseys CheapWholesale NFL JerseysCheap Basketball Jerseys OnlineStitched Hockey JerseysWholesale Baseball JerseysFootball Jerseys OutletCollege Jerseys For SaleCheap MLB JerseysWholesale Soccer JerseysWholesale Jerseys For SaleWholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '