After finding ways to lose the past two weeks, the Washington Capitals turned the tables on a tough opponent.Andre Burakovsky, Marcus Johansson, and Joel Ward scored in a 4:52 span late in the second period, and Washington rallied to beat the Blackhawks 3-2 Friday night, ending a five-game losing streak.Braden Holtby made 38 saves for the Capitals, who were 0-4-1 since winning at Calgary on Oct. 25.Brandon Saad and Duncan Keith scored for the Hawks, who led 2-0, but then came unglued after Burakovsky scored with just under 5 minutes left in the second.

”Chicago is a very good hockey team and they made us look pretty normal,” Washington coach Barry Trotz said. ”But we were resilient.

”Holts was good in net and we got some timely goals, finally. Back-to-back-to-back.”

And for the first time since their last victory, the Capitals allowed fewer than four goals.For the Blackhawks, that turn was in the wrong direction.

”I thought we played a perfect 35 minutes, then basically shot ourselves in the foot with mental mistakes,” Joel Quenneville said. ”A couple of plays that are totally unacceptable.”

Corey Crawford made 21 saves for the Blackhawks, who have lost three of four and are 3-6-0 in their last nine.The Blackhawks played their first game without forward Patrick Sharp, who is expected to miss a month after injuring his right knee Tuesday at Montreal. Sharp led the Hawks last season with 34 goals and 44 assists.Washington star Alex Ovechkin was held without a point after having two assists on Tuesday to become the leading scorer in franchise history.The Blackhawks dominated as the first period progressed. Saad opened the scoring with 2:48 left in the period on the Hawks 15th shot to complete a 2-on-1 break with Marian Hossa.After taking Hossa’s cross-ice pass, Saad fired a low one-timer that struck the inside of Holtby’s left pad and slid into the net.Ovechkin was penalized for an illegal hit to the head of Niklas Hjalmarsson with 16 seconds left in the first, and Keith scored on the power play 56 seconds into the second to make it 2-0. He swooped into the right circle and fired in a rebound through traffic.The Capitals then connected three times late in the period to take the lead. The last two goals came 42 seconds apart in the final minute.

”We were doing a lot of things right, had a 2-0 lead and nothing serious and giving up nothing,” Quenneville said. ”Then we make a bad decision and it’s in our net. And it’s in our net. And it’s in out net.”

Burakovsky cut it to 2-1 with 4:57 left to complete a 2-on-1 with former Blackhawk Troy Brouwer. After faking a pass, he closed in and fired a perfect shot over Crawford’s left shoulder and just under the crossbar.

”We got an unbelievable goal by (Burakovsky) there to get us going,” Ward said. ”That transitioned for a couple of other guys to chip in.”

The Blackhawks were scrambling in their zone following a failed clearing attempt, and Johansson tied it at 2 with 47 seconds remaining in the period on a low shot from right circle that ticked in off the stick of Brent Seabrook.Ward’s goalmouth deflection of Matt Niskanen‘s shot from the point with 5 seconds left in the frame put Washington ahead.The Blackhawks didn’t regroup and didn’t sustain consistent pressure until late in the third. Holtby made an sharp save on Kris Versteeg‘s shot from the left circle with about 90 seconds left.

NOTES—Washington C Brooks Laich returned after missing seven games with an injured shoulder. … The Blackhawks recalled F Peter Regin from Rockford of the AHL to fill Sharp’s roster spot. Also still out for the Hawks is F Daniel Carcillo (lower body), who missed his seventh game. … The Capitals and Blackhawks meet again in the NHL Winter Classic at Nationals Park on Jan. 1. To promote the outdoor game, the two teams wore Winter Classic stocking caps in Friday’s warm-ups.

PHILADELPHIA—Mike Dunleavy had a hot hand and his unselfish teammates kept feeding him.Dunleavy scored 12 of his season-high 27 points in the decisive third quarter and the Bulls held off a late Philadelphia rally in a 118-115 victory over the 76ers on Friday night.Jimmy Butler added 23 points and Pau Gasol chipped in 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls, whose 4-0 road start is their best since going 6-0 on the road to start the 1996-97 season. The Bulls’ Derrick Rose missed his third game in the last four after aggravating his sprained ankles in Wednesday’s 95-86 win over Milwaukee when the former MVP had 13 points and seven assists in 31 minutes. He is day-to-day.Dunleavy made 4 of 6 field goals, including 3 of 4 3-pointers in the third period.

”Our guys did a good job of recognizing he was going well,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. ”That’s what I like about our team; it’s a very unselfish team.”

Dunleavy said playing with this group is enjoyable.

”It’s great when you have a bunch of unselfish guys, focused on sharing the ball and whatever it takes to win,” he said. ”It’s what every player wants.”

Tony Wroten led four Sixers in double-figures with a career-high 31 points. Philadelphia fell to 0-6 – their worst start to the season since losing their first 15 in 1972-73 when they set an NBA mark for futility by finishing 9-73.The Bulls led by as many as 18 points after halftime. But the Sixers used a late 13-3 run to close within 116-115 with five seconds left when Chris Johnson made a 3-pointer after Kirk Hinrich missed two free throws on the Bulls previous possession. Hinrich followed Johnson’s 3 by making a pair of free throws to put his team ahead by three with 2.1 seconds left. Johnson’s shot from 43 feet that would have tied it at the buzzer wasn’t close.Coach Brett Brown appreciated his team’s resilience, as the Sixers continue to field a team more intent on setting up their future rather than winning in the present.

”We ask our guys often, `What would you want other teams to say about you?”’ Brown said. ”We want respect. We want to work hard. We want to have a tenacity and a spirit that reflects the city and reflects a bunch of young guys.”

Philadelphia rookie Nerlens Noel sat out after spraining his left ankle in Wednesday’s 91-89 loss to Orlando. Henry Sims started in place of Noel and had 16 points and eight rebounds. Hollis Thompson also set a career-high with 21 points and Luc Mbah a Moute had 16 points and 11 boards for the Sixers.Dunleavy’s 3-pointer from the left wing capped a 14-5 Bulls spurt over the first 3:53 of the third quarter that gave the visitors their largest lead to that point, 71-62. The Bulls ultimately outscored the Sixers 35-19 in the third quarter to take a decisive 92-76 advantage into the final period.It didn’t look like it would be close until Philadelphia’s late surge.

”We found a way to win,” Thibodeau said. ”And at the end of the day that’s what you have to do, keep finding a way to scratch out wins.”

Dunleavy shot 9-for-15 from the field, including 5-for-8 from the arc.The Sixers led by as many as nine points in the first half that ended with the teams tied at 57. Wroten led Philadelphia at the break with 14 points.Joakim Noah returned to the lineup for the Bulls after missing the last two games with flu-like symptoms, finishing with five points and nine rebounds.

AFC GAMES:
BALTIMORE over Tennessee
Kansas City over BUFFALO
Pittsburgh over NY JETS
Denver over OAKLAND

NFC GAMES:
NEW ORLEANS over San Francisco
Atlanta over TAMPA BAY
ARIZONA over St.Louis
SEATTLE over N.Y.Giants

INTER-CONFERENCE GAME:
Dallas over JACKSONVILLE at London,England

THURSDAY NIGHT:
CINCINNATI over Cleveland

MONDAY NIGHT:
PHILADELPHIA over Carolina

NFC NORTH GAMES:
DETROIT over Miami
GREEN BAY over Bears

HOME TEAMS in ALL CAPS
LAST WEEK: LES 7-6, ADAM 6-7, KEVIN 10-3, ZACH 7-6
THROUGH WEEK 9: LES 88-49-1, ADAM and KEVIN 83-54-1, ZACH 79-58-1

With Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah out, Pau Gasol showed how much of a difference he can make for the Bulls.Gasol had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bulls beat the winless Orlando Magic 98-90 on Tuesday night.Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 21 points and Taj Gibson added 16 for the Bulls, who finally pulled away in the final minutes of a game that was tied after three quarters.

”It was a good team win,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. ”We can’t feel too good about it. We have to be ready for tomorrow night.”

Rose missed his second straight game after injuring both ankles Friday against Cleveland. He took part in the morning shootaround and was listed as probable to play, but was taken out of the starting lineup about a half hour before the game after going through warmups.Noah was ill and with Gibson battling foul trouble all night, Gasol was asked to carry a heavy load. He did, playing 41 minutes to help Chicagothe Bulls improve to 3-1.The Bulls may be without both Rose and Noah when they play Wednesday in Milwaukee, but if so Gasol will probably be ready.

”You have to always be prepared physically and mentally to face differing and difficult circumstances where you’re going to have to play a little longer, work a little harder,” Gasol said. ”This was what this league is about, as well.”

Kirk Hinrich started in place of Rose, who has played in only 12 games since tearing the ACL in his left knee during the opening round of the 2012 playoffs.But without the former MVP and Noah, the Bulls still pulled away from Orlando, which is 0-4 for the first time since dropping its first six in 1990-91.

”I thought we had a few good looks at the rim, and then you give them credit for really executing down the stretch, getting the basketball where they wanted to and making some tough shots,” Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. ”But I did think we did some good things to put us in position to win the basketball game.”

Tobias Harris scored 21 points and Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 13 rebounds for Orlando. Vucevic, who entered the night leading the league with 15.7 rebounds per game, had his fourth double-double of the season after picking up 36 last season.

NOTES—Noah averaged 19.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists in three games against Orlando last season. . The Bulls started a run of four games in five nights, the first of three such stretches this season…..It appears both Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic have impressed Thibodeau. McDermott scored 12 and Mirotic added eight. ”I keep saying it over and over about (Mirotic) and Doug: I love them both,” Thibodeau said……Tuesday was the 20th anniversary of the Bulls’ first regular-season game at the United Center. Scottie Pippen led the Bulls with 22 points in their 89-83 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 4, 1994…..The Bulls Visit the Bucks at the Bradley Center on Wednesday.

MONTREAL—The Blackhawks seem to have figured out how to fix their scoring woes.Kris Versteeg scored twice, and Corey Crawford made 28 saves in his 11th NHL shutout as the Blackhawks ended a two-game losing streak with a 5-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.

”It was nice to see some bounces go our way,” defenseman Duncan Keith said. ”We had some good chances the last little while and didn’t get some bounces, but we stayed positive and it worked out good.”

The Blackhawks were 2-5 in their previous seven games in which they outshot opponents by wide margins but couldn’t get many pucks in the net.That changed against the Canadiens (8-4-1), who are winless in three games and 1-3-1 in their last five. Montreal absorbed a second straight lopsided defeat at home, following a 6-2 loss to Calgary on Sunday.Jonathan Toews, netted his 200th NHL goal, and Brad Richards and Patrick Kane also scored for the Blackhawks (7-5-1), which came off a 1-0 home loss to Winnipeg on Sunday despite holding a 33-27 edge in shots.In the Blackhawks’ previous game, they outshot Toronto 47-27 and lost 3-2.The Hawks beat goalie Carey Price with five of its 32 shots.

”It’s a good feeling in here right now,” Keith said. ”We know we’ve been struggling to score goals lately, and I thought we did a good job of playing all five guys together on the ice and working as a team.We had guys going to the net and we kept it simple – throw it at the net.”

The win might have come at a cost as forward Patrick Sharp was helped off the ice six minutes into the third period after a solid, but legal hit into the boards by Alexei Emelin.Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said Sharp sustained a lower-body injury and would be evaluated in the next couple of days. He called it a ”tough break” and said Sharp will be ”out for a bit,” but didn’t elaborate.

”We have some guys with skill who want more ice time,” Quenneville said. ”We’ll see how it works out.”

The Canadiens had a solid first period but seemed to come unglued after Versteeg gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead 9:57 into the second.

”Usually we show character after that happens, but this time we didn’t,” Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said. ”We only played a half a game.Our transition game is not there. It’s like a relay race – if you don’t get the baton, you can’t race.”

It was the first shutout of the season for Crawford, a Montreal native.

”There’s nothing that’s been ailing us,” Crawford said. ”We’ve been playing good hockey and creating chances. We just weren’t getting the bounces.Nobody got frustrated in here. We kept playing hard. We created some chances tonight and buried them.”

Montreal’s P.A. Parenteau, David Desharnais and Brendan Gallagher all missed early chances before Toews put the Hawks ahead with a power-play goal at 11:19. The Blackhawks captain deflected in Keith’s point shot.The Blackhawks then scored when Versteeg’s pass from the corner went off Rene Bourque’s leg and in on the short side.Richards was at the doorstep to deflect Sharp’s pass into the top corner 2:22 into the third period to make it 3-0.Four minutes later, Sharp was helped off the ice after he was hit by Emelin.Kane fought off a check from Dale Weise to finish a feed from Toews at 12:31. Versteeg scored his second of the night into an open side off of Bryan Bickell’s pass.Price made a spectacular save late in the first when he got his stick down to thwart Jeremy Morin on the doorstep, and then pushed a puck hovering in the crease over the net with his glove.

NOTES—The Blackhawks hadn’t won in Montreal since Dec. 3, 2001. … The Canadiens have allowed the first goal in 11 of 13 games and haven’t held the lead after the first period this season. …Niklas Hjalmarsson played in his 400th NHL game. … Michael Bournival played his first game of the season for Montreal. … The Blackhawks juggled lines, putting Toews and Kane on the same unit.

Michael Hutchinson stopped 33 shots for his first career shutout, and Michael Frolik scored 20 seconds in on the first shift of the game to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 1-0 win over the Blackhawks on Sunday night.Hutchinson was solid in just his second start, first complete game and third appearance this season.The Jets extended their point streak to five games (4-0-1) and recorded their second shutout in two nights. No. 1 goalie Ondrej Pavelec beat the Rangers 1-0 in New York on Saturday in a shootout.The 24-year-old Hutchinson entered having played only 40 minutes this season.Corey Crawford stopped 26 shots in his second start in two nights after he missed six games with an upper-body injury. The Blackhawks lost their second straight and are 2-5 in their last seven.The Hawks were beaten 1-0 for the second consecutive home game.Both teams played for the third time in four nights. Winnipeg went 3-0-1 on its four-game trip.The Blackhawks entered leading the NHL with an average of 38.9 shots per game, but were only 21st at 2.46 goals.They had a hard time against Hutchinson and the scrappy Jets. As has been the case, the Hawks were unable to generate much traffic in front of the net or pounce on rebounds.The Jets got all the offense they needed early as they moved straight into the Hawk zone off the opening faceoff.Frolik, a former Hawk, skated across the crease, closed in from the left side and lifted the puck past Crawford’s glove as the goalie sprawled trying to stop the shot.Patrick Sharp broke in alone with 3:40 left in the first and faked Hutchinson to the ice, but his shot clanked off the right post.Jonathan Toews fired a drive from the left circle off the left post midway through the second during a Hawk power play. Hutchinson stopped another prime chance by Sharp moments later.The Blackhawks shot wide on some of their best chances in the third period. Hutchinson stopped Patrick Kane‘s quick shot from the left circle with 2:40 left.

NOTES—Hutchinson was pulled early in the second period of his only previous start this season, a 4-1 loss at Los Angeles on Oct. 12, after he allowed three goals on 13 shots. He also replaced Pavelec in the third period of a 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Oct. 24. This was Hutchinson’s sixth career NHL game. … Before the game, Blackhawks RW Marian Hossa was honored by the team and the NHL for becoming the 80th player to record 1,000 points. He reached that mark last Thursday in Ottawa. …Niklas Hjalmarsson skated with a visor after sustaining a cut under his left eye in Toronto on Saturday….Michal Rozsival was a healthy scratch…..The Blackhawks are at Montreal Tuesday night.

MINNEAPOLIS—Jimmy Butler‘s surprise return to the Bulls‘ starting lineup should really come as no surprise at all.Butler is the embodiment of the Bulls’ mind-over-matter mantra, and he returned just in time to teach No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins a hard-to-swallow lesson.Butler coaxed the over-aggressive Wiggins into a foul with 0.2 seconds left. Then Butler calmly knocked down two free throws to help the Bulls weather another absence from Rose in a 106-105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.Butler scored 24 points on 6-for-12 shooting in his season debut and Pau Gasol added 29 points and six rebounds for the Bulls, who missed Rose with a sprained left ankle.

”What a way to kick off the season,” Butler said. ”I’m happy we got a dub. Wins are hard to come by, so on to the next one.”

Kevin Martin scored 33 points and hit a 3-pointer for a 105-104 lead with 2.9 seconds to play.Then Butler took the inbounds pass, stumbled to his knee, gathered himself and pump-faked to get Wiggins up in the air.

”I said, `Oh I’m going to get him, I’m going to get him,”’ Butler said. ”I gave him the pump fake and he bit on it.”

Ricky Rubio tied a career high with 17 assists in his first game since signing a four-year, $55 million contract extension. But the Wolves lost starting power forward Thaddeus Young to a strained neck on a scary collision with Butler just before halftime.The Bulls led by 16 points in the first half, but Anthony Bennett and Martin led a Wolves comeback in the final two quarters. Martin’s big 3 came after two offensive rebounds, but Wiggins was too aggressive on Butler on the final possession.

”I could’ve changed the outcome of the game,” Wiggins said. ”It was a learning experience for me. It hurt, but the good thing about the NBA, I’ve got another game in a couple days.”

Rose warmed up before the game, but the Bulls made a late decision to rest their former MVP who has missed most of the last two seasons with knee problems. Taj Gibson also missed the game with an ankle injury, but the Bulls were buoyed by Butler’s return.The shooting guard missed the first two games of the season with a sprained left thumb that was expected to keep him out much longer, and he made five of his first six shots to get the Bulls out to a 16-point lead in the first half.Showing no signs of disenchantment from the inability to get a new long-term extension done by the Friday deadline, Butler was a force on both ends as usual.Butler played the entire first quarter and scored nine points while making life miserable for Wiggins on the other end. Wiggins was 0 for 3 at halftime and finished with eight points and six rebounds in 31 minutes.

”He came in in great shape, and I think that’s helped him greatly because when you do take on an injury, the conditioning’s not going to be the same during that time but because he was in great shape it allowed him to bounce back very quickly,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. ”And Jimmy’s got a lot of mental toughness. He’s invaluable to us.”

NOTES—Rose said he could’ve played if it was necessary, but didn’t want to push it so early in the season. ”If it was a real need for me to play, I think I could’ve played but I’m just trying to be smart and trying to give it an extra day,” Rose said, ”and thank God that we came out with the win.”…..Tom Thibodeau said he wasn’t concerned with Rose’s injury and also said he had no doubt in his mind his star point guard would get back to the impact player he was before the knee issues. … Aaron Brooks scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half. Nikola Mirotic added 12 points and eight boards…The Bulls host Orlando on Tuesday night.

TORONTO—The Blackhawks keep outshooting opponents, but are having problems finding the back of the net. Usually able to block out crowd noise or ignore it, James Reimer heard the fans loud and clear. With 61 seconds left, they were chanting his name.Reimer had 26 of his 45 saves in the third period, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to an impressive 3-2 victory over the Hawks on Saturday night. ”He was first star, simple as that,” coach Randy Carlyle said. ”They had some point-blank chances and he stood tall to the task.” Peter Holland scored at 2:21 of the third period in Toronto’s third consecutive win. Nazem Kadri and James van Riemsdyk also scored for the Leafs. ”We know they’re obviously a powerhouse team in this league,” Holland said. ”You’ve got to give them a good game if you want to stay in it. I thought we got away from it in the third period a little bit, they started shelling our goalie, but he was there to back us up.” Reimer gave up a pair of power-play goals, one in each of the first two periods to Brad Richards and Brent Seabrook.Seemingly at his best under siege in the third, Reimer made sprawling saves on the penalty kill at one point after a shot hit the crossbar. ”It’s one of those things where obviously the tendency is to get really hyped up and try and work too hard or over-work,” he said. ”The thing is just to stay calm and stay in peace but still keep that competitiveness up to try and fight through the traffic.” After the game was fairly even for the first two periods, the Leafs were outshot 26-7 in the third. Joel Quenneville thought the third period was one of his team’s best of the season so far. ”Had the chances, opportunities, missed a lot of tip shots, as well,” Quenneville said. ”You play like that you’ll find a way to score goals.” In goaltender Corey Crawford‘s first start since Oct. 18 after being out with an upper-body injury, the Blackhawks lost for the fourth time in six games. ”You don’t win, obviously there’s cause for concern,” winger Patrick Kane said. ”Try to regroup here, we’ve got a big one tomorrow obviously going home playing Winnipeg, a division game, hopefully our fans give us a little bit of a boost and we can regroup.” While the Blackhawks return home to face the Jets.In addition to Reimer’s performance, the Leafs got some timely offense. Van Riemsdyk’s 100th career goal came in his first-ever game against brother Trevor, a rookie defenseman for the Blackhawks.Holland’s goal was his first of the season but fourth in four career games against the Hawks. ”I seem to be a bit of a Blackhawk killer,” Holland said. ”I don’t know. Just try and elevate your game against good teams.” NOTES—Niklas Hjalmarsson took a puck to the face in the second period. Hjalmarsson was cut just below his left eye and left the ice. Hjalmarsson returned at the start of the third period wearing a visor. … ”O Canada” was performed by 19-year-old Carley Allison, a survivor of trachea cancer who is battling double lung cancer. … During the second period, PA announcer Andy Frost offered the team’s well-wishes to Gordie Howe, who’s recovering from a serious stroke. Arena videoboards featured the message: ”Stay Strong Mr. Hockey.”

LANDOVER—On a night in which Notre Dame blew a 21-point lead and its youthful defense surrendered 454 yards, coach Brian Kelly still found reason to smile.Mostly because the sixth-ranked Fighting Irish somehow found a way to beat Navy 49-39. ”As a coach that’s really all you can ask for, to win a football game and give a lot of young guys experience,” Kelly said Saturday night. ”And then, not have to play Navy against until next year.” Everett Golson became the first player in Notre Dame history to throw for three touchdowns and run for three scores. The Irish (7-1, No. 10 CFP) needed that kind of performance to win, because their defense had no answer for Navy’s triple option. ”It ended up being a game where we outscored them,” Kelly said. After Notre Dame ended its first four possessions with touchdowns, the Midshipmen (4-5) tallied 24 straight points to move ahead 31-28 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. ”It’s a long game,” Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds said. ”You see time and time again, teams fighting back from 20-something points down. It’s just one play at a time. Just keep fighting.” Golson put Notre Dame back in front with a 3-yard burst into the end zone, and a 25-yard touchdown run by Tarean Folston made it 42-31 with 12:22 remaining.No, it wasn’t over yet.Two missed field goals by the Irish kept Navy’s hopes alive. The Midshipmen took advantage by scoring a touchdown and 2-point conversion to close to 42-39 with 4:18 remaining, but the onside kick failed and Golson wrapped it up with an 8-yard TD run with 1:27 to go.The game was quite similar to last year’s, a 38-34 Notre Dame win. Painfully similar, as far as Reynolds was concerned. ”It’s disappointing,” he said. ”I’m tired of being almost close to beating Notre Dame. We just didn’t make enough plays. We have to point the finger at ourselves.” The Irish have won four straight in college football’s longest continuous intersectional rivalry and now lead the series 75-12-1.