Dies & Das » us Peppers and Mike Neal have reportedly giv

Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson has identified better home performances as a key to the Senators climbing into playoff contention. After an impressive win on home ice their last time out, another could be on the way with the last-place Carolina Hurricanes heading to Ottawa Saturday night to complete a back-to-back set. The Senators (18-17-8) havent won back-to-back home games in over two months, going 5-5-2 since a 4-0-2 start at Canadian Tire Centre. Weve got to take care of business at home, Anderson said. The teams that are in the playoffs right now have got really good home records. For us, weve got to win some games and put some pressure on the teams in front of us. Thursdays 4-1 victory over Montreal fit that description with the Senators in tune offensively. Theyve managed 13 goals over a 2-1-0 span with 10 different players scoring. Only Edmonton and New Jersey have fewer home wins than the Senators, who are 9-5-4 in their own building. Montreal, like Carolina will be, was playing the second of a back-to-back. Ottawa took a 2-1 first-period lead and is outscoring opponents 7-3 in the first over the last three games. It felt like we had more energy coming out from the start here and we never let off the gas, defenseman Erik Karlsson told the teams official website. I think for the first time in a while we played three periods really well. It gave us the win. Anderson stopped 25 shots and has allowed three goals just twice in 10 starts, going 6-2-2 with a 1.78 goals-against average in that time. Anderson has a 1.88 GAA over a 4-2-2 stretch against Carolina. Should Anderson get the start, hell face Anton Khudobin. Cam Ward started in Fridays 3-0 home loss to Vancouver, but Khudobin replaced him after two periods. Khudobin got off to a terrible start this season, going winless over his first 10 starts with a 3.11 GAA through his first nine. Hes won his last three, all in shootouts, and is 3-1-0 with a 1.10 GAA in his last five appearances. Hes also won his four career games against Ottawa with a 1.75 GAA and .952 save percentage. The shutout suffered at the hands of the Canucks ended a 2-0-1 stretch on which the Hurricanes (14-25-4) had shown some offensive aptitude with 11 goals. For the season, though, their 2.00 goals per game rank ahead of only Buffalo, and theyve averaged a league-low 1.60 in their last 20 contests. Coach Bill Peters was complimentary of Canucks goalie Ryan Miller, but also critical of his own offense, which has a league-low 6.75 shooting percentage. Youve got to tip your hat to him, but I think we could have made it quite a bit harder, Peters said. On a positive note, the Carolina penalty kill was 2 for 2 and is 30 for 30 over the past 12 games. Ottawa was 0 for 4 on the power play against Montreal but is 4 for 12 (33.3 percent) over three games. 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The Windsor, Ont., native will be especially important to a team that has lost veteran quarterback Anthony Calvillo to retirement and is expected to go with the less experienced Troy Smith and Tanner Marsh this season. Terrell Owens Jersey . On Thursday, they signed former Browns linebacker DQwell Jackson. Terms of the deal were not immediately available.The NFL has rejected written statements from four players named in a report alleging use of performance-enhancing drugs as sufficient cooperation, and will need to interview them, the league said on its website on Friday. Pittsburghs James Harrison and Green Bay players Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers and Mike Neal have reportedly given written statements regarding a December report by Al Jazeera America that they received the illegal drugs from an anti-aging clinic.But the NFL will require in-person interviews, beginning with Neal, and plans to speak to Harrison, Matthews and Peppers on the first day of their respective training camps. The Al Jazeera report cited a former unpaid Guyer Institute intern pharmacist, Charlie Sly, who allegedly spoke to an undercover reporter working for the network. Green Bay duo Mike Neal and Julius Peppers will also be interviewed Sly later recanted his statements about the players receiving the drugs, and Harrison claimed to have never met him in an affidavit obtained earlier this month.dddddddddddd Bell facing four-game ban Pittsburgh Steelers LeVeon Bell facing four-game suspension The NFL Players Association has argued that there should be no need to interview someone based on an allegation that has no proven merit. Also See: NFL Video Rookies guide NFL on Sky Sports Pundits ' ' '