ght trips there Saturday.Texas Tech: The Red Raiders streak

TORONTO -- When Nathan MacKinnon deked Henrik Lundqvist out for a highlight-reel overtime goal and got mobbed by teammates, he couldnt be happier.Minutes later, MacKinnon found out that the 4-3 victory over Sweden on Wednesday wasnt enough to get Team North America into the semifinals at the World Cup of Hockey. The most exciting show on ice has two victories and a one-goal loss but needs Finland to beat Russia on Thursday to advance.Maybe we shouldnt have celebrated so hard, MacKinnon said.Everything the 23-and-under Team North America does is over the top, most importantly the skill that has made it the focus of the World Cup. Despite playing the two most entertaining games of the tournament, North America is in wait-and-see mode while Sweden is the winner of Group B after getting the point it needed.Henrik Lundqvist stopped 45 of 49 shots to get Sweden into the semifinals after a horrendous start by the skaters in front of him.We gave him a rough start, said two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, who fell victim to the speed of North Americas Connor McDavid and Johnny Gaudreau early. As a goaltender, I dont think I can even imagine how it feels to be that kind of left alone and let in two quick goals. How we can rebound from that I have no idea.Auston Matthews scored on a 2-on-1 with McDavid 30 seconds in, and Vincent Trocheck made it 2-0 North America 95 seconds in. Lundqvist stopped a few breakaways and Gaudreaus penalty shot to keep it from getting out of hand.Sweden eventually got a handle on North Americas blazing speed, which made the best defense in the tournament look pedestrian.We had no choice. We had to. Otherwise it was going to be a disaster, Karlsson said. They gave us a slap in the face right away.North America is one big slap in the face to unsuspecting opponents, who know how fast the mix of U.S. and Canadian players is but cant possibly adjust to it before seeing it. Gaudreau later scored for North America, but Sweden got goals from Filip Forsberg, Nicklas Backstrom and Patrik Berglund to get to overtime.With starting goalie Matt Murray out with a thumb injury, John Gibson stopped 35 of the 38 shots he faced. He looked shaky at times but stopped Daniel Sedin on a breakaway in overtime as one of a few memorable, important saves.Not down at all about the loss, Sweden went into the game with a full understanding of what it needed to do.Always when you step on the ice, you want to win the game, but obviously mission accomplished, coach Rickard Gronborg said.Its the opposite for North America, which went from euphoria to uncertainty. A loss to Russia in the game of the tournament means its on the wrong side of a head-to-head tiebreaker and now must hope for Finland to pull off the upset.Were happy we won, forward Mark Scheifele said. Winning two games in this tournament is a big step. Hopefully we get some help from Finland.Even if North America bows out, more fans will remember this team for its unmatched pace and excitement level than its 2-1 record. Each game featured more than a handful of did-you-see-that moves, and North America left a lasting impact on the sport.I think we definitely have turned some heads, McDavid said. People didnt know what to expect when we came into this tournament, but weve beat two good hockey teams, and ultimately maybe even should have beat the Russians. I think weve definitely turned some heads and opened the eyes of everyone what the future of the NHL is like.MacKinnon provided one last highlight with the overtime winner. All alone, the 2013 No. 1 pick beat Lundqvist top shelf like he has been doing that to goalies for decades.I saw his stick came up for a poke check and managed to beat that and get it up, MacKinnon said. It was fun, a fun goal.Authentic Custom Giants Jersey . 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Cheap Giants Jerseys .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.LUBBOCK, Texas -- Skyler Howard and his West Virginia teammates have had a goal all season to score at least 40 points.They did it and then some on Saturday as the 20th-ranked Mountaineers shut down Texas Tech 48-17. Howard ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to keep the Mountaineers unbeaten and in the hunt for the Big 12 title.It shows that we can do it, Howard said. It all goes back to the confidence.The Mountaineers (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) held Texas Tech (3-3, 1-2) to its lowest offensive output this season, just 379 yards, and harassed quarterback Patrick Mahomes most of the day. He threw for 305 yards, his second-lowest passing total of the season, and was replaced in the fourth quarter by Nic Shimonek.A 14-point turnaround in the second quarter helped the Mountaineers gain momentum. Sean Walters interception at the West Virginia 11 led to a TD pass from Howard to Justin Crawford at the other end of the field to put the Mountaineers up 17-7.We made some plays, got a good lead, Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen said. We were able to control the ball and shorten the game. Thats, in a perfect world, what we wanted to happen and thats what happened.Howard completed 21 of 31 passes for 318 yards. Rushel Shell, who finished with 104 yards rushing for West Virginia, scored two rushing TDs in the fourth quarter as the Mountaineers pulled away.The Mountaineers got solid play from their defense all game, adding to the mojo the offense felt, Howard saidIts always good when the other side of the ball is doing great, he said. The whole team has confidence.Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said his teams performance was embarrassing and not what he expected.Its the worst Ive seen since Ive been associated with Texas Tech, he said. We seemed intimidated and they took it.Kingsbury said some missed practices might be affecting Mahomes rhythm with the team. Holgorsen, though, thought the juniior quarterback was off a bit physically.ddddddddddddMahomes, he needs to get healthy, Holgorsen said. You can tell hes not quite 100 percent right now. But the way he keeps it alive, Ive never seen anything like it. He keeps his eyes down field, makes any throw that you want him to. I mean, hes a fantastic player.TAKEAWAYSWest Virginia: The Mountaineers improved their success dramatically in the red zone. Coming into the game, West Virginia had found the end zone on just eight of 18 trips inside opponents 20 (44 percent). They scored on each of their eight trips there Saturday.Texas Tech: The Red Raiders streak of nine home games with at least 50 points -- an NCAA record -- ended with this loss. Their offense was stymied in every facet by West Virginias defense. Texas Techs run game, which typically sets up the pass, was nearly nonexistent. They finished with just 34 rushing yards.POLL IMPLICATIONS: Its not likely that West Virginia will move up much in The AP Poll after downing an unranked team. But one never knows. They moved up two spots after a bye last weekend.TOO FEW POINTSTexas Techs 17 points were the fewest the Red Raiders have scored since falling to Texas 34-13 in 2014. The second-quarter shutout by WVU snapped a streak of 28 straight quarters in which the Red Raiders have scored.INTERCEPTION STREAKWalters interception was the first of his career, and the team now has one in four straight games. The Mountaineers have forced a turnover in all five games this season and in 10 of their last 11. Walters interception was WVUs sixth of the season.UP NEXT:West Virginia: The Mountaineers host TCU next Saturday.Texas Tech: The Red Raiders host Oklahoma, which is led by former Texas Tech QB Baker Mayfield.---This story corrects spelling of Skyler Howard. ' ' '