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PITTSBURGH -- When Daniel Alfredsson pulled off the stunner of the NHL off-season by leaving the Ottawa Senators as a free agent, the rationale he gave was simple: He thought the Detroit Red Wings offered him a better chance to win the Stanley Cup. At the time, skeptics looked at the Senators and questioned if that was true. They had just overcome injuries to Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and Craig Anderson to reach the second round of the playoffs, and even Alfredsson saw a bright future ahead. Playing into his 40s, Alfredsson just didnt "have the time to wait for that." As a disappointing season unfolded in Ottawa, it became clear the longtime Senators captain was right, and on Wednesday night the Red Wings validated his decision to sign in Detroit by making the playoffs and giving him another opportunity to chase the Cup. "Thats what you play for: to get into the playoffs," Alfredsson said after the Red Wings clinched with a shootout loss in Pittsburgh. "I played a long time in this league, I played a lot of playoff games but I havent won the Stanley Cup, and thats what you dream about. Thats the only reason Im still playing." The easy move, as Alfredsson acknowledged July 5, wouldve been to re-sign with the Senators and play out a career that would then include his No. 11 being raised to the rafters and maybe a statue being built outside Canadian Tire Centre. Leaving immediately clouded his legacy. In the wake of Alfredssons departure, the Senators couldnt seem to get out of a fog early and were never able to catch up. They missed the playoffs for the third time in six years, but even from afar the former face of that franchise didnt get any satisfaction in watching the Sens struggle. "I was hoping that they would do well, theres no question," Alfredsson said Tuesday in Buffalo. "Other than that, my focus is solely on this team and on the present and finishing out this season strong." Led by Alfredsson and fellow Swede Gustav Nyquist, the Red Wings made a strong push to qualify for the playoffs on the night they played their 80th game of the season. And they did so despite missing stars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg for almost half the season due to injuries, while Alfredsson, himself, missed 13 games. Thanks to major contributions from young players like Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, Detroit overcame those and many more injuries to make a 23rd consecutive playoff appearance. The Red Wings also leaned heavily veteran defenceman Niklas Kronwall, Alfredsson and coach Mike Babcock to steady the ship. "I think theres a few factors: goaltendings been consistent for us, I think Kronwall has pulled a really heavy load throughout the year on and off the ice for this team," Alfredsson said. "And (the) coaching staff, as well, adjusting to the team we have and giving us a chance and a game plan to win every night. Theyve been pushing us hard. Its been hard-fought to get here, but it feels great." A season full of injuries putting a coach in line for a Jack Adams Award -- sound familiar? Ottawas Paul MacLean won it last year, and Babcock will be a serious candidate given how many Red Wings regulars missed time this season. Of course someone has to score to make that happen. Alfredssons 49 points on 18 goals and 31 assists have him tied with Kronwall for the team lead with two games left. Alfredsson was all smiles in the visiting locker room Wednesday night after helping Detroit pick up the one point it needed to make it. And while clinching a playoff spot was a proud accomplishment, he didnt deny doubts crept in when the Red Wings learned Datsyuk and Zetterberg would be out for a while. "We knew it was going to be tough," Alfredsson said. "We had a similar situation in Ottawa last year where we lost Spezza, Karlsson, (Milan) Michalek and Anderson for longer periods of time. "If you get something going and you get a good feeling within a locker-room, you can accomplish a lot of things, and I think thats what weve done. Were a good group, we have fun and we know how to work for each other. Its kind of contagious when you see everybody going. Everybody kind of drags along and knows that they have to pull their share, as well." Taking a step back from the situations, Alfredsson didnt see much more of a correlation between the triumphs of the 2013 Senators and the 2013-14 Red Wings. In his estimation, this year was worse. "I think in Ottawa it was more right away we knew a few guys were out for longer periods of time," he said. "It wasnt as much guys coming back, guys coming out. Weve been shuffling lines for most of the year but still found ways to get everybody contributing." Alfredsson was one of 34 skaters to dress for the Red Wings this season, second only to the Penguins (37) among playoff teams. Beyond Nyquist and Tatar, Detroit likely wouldnt have extended its NHL-best playoff streak were it not for minor-league call-ups Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening and Tomas Jurco. The kids -- a couple of whom werent even alive the last time the Red Wings missed the playoffs -- are all right in Alfredssons eyes. But he also believes Babcock and his staff deserve some credit. "They gave them that chance and didnt make it a big deal," Alfredsson said. "Its just, You can do this. I think that gave them confidence. They definitely made the most of it. I think Coach gave them a chance, and they repaid him with solid play." Anything less than solid play wouldve meant an early summer for the Red Wings and a quicker start to the retirement questions for Alfredsson. Instead, the 41-year-old winger gets to compete in the playoffs for the 15th time in his NHL career. This time is extra special because of how difficult it was. "I think we worked extremely hard to get to this point, and it feels great," Alfredsson said. "This group has overcome a lot of adversity and that makes it even more fun." Air Max Scontate Online . Jovanovski, the 2012 champ seeded fifth, will meet surprise Japanese qualifier Misa Eguchi on Friday. Eguchi, ranked 183rd, qualified for her first WTA main draw this week, then beat No. Air Max Outlet Italia . With the Canadiens leading by one to start the third period, Price turned away 16 shots by the Panthers in the final frame to give Montreal a 2-1 victory over Florida on Monday night. The Panthers (16-21-6) outshot Montreal 16-10 in the final frame, but were repeatedly frustrated by Price, who made 26 saves on the night. http://www.outletairmax.it/ .35 million. The right-hander had agreed last February to a deal that pays him $3.775 million this year and allows him to earn an additional $225,000 in bonuses based on games finished. Air Max Scontate Italia . The future hall of famers stole the show at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night, with Jagr moving into seventh place in all-time goal scoring and Brodeur stopping 29 shots as the Devils downed the Montreal Canadiens 4-1. Air Max Saldi Italia . -- Keith Aulie has joined the Tampa Bay Lightning.TSN.ca presents its latest weekly power rankings for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season. Rankings were weighted evenly between separate lists made by TSN Radio host and soccer analyst Gareth Wheeler as well as TSN.cas soccer editors. 1. Liverpool (Last Week-1) Liverpool are now five points clear at the top of the table after a spirited 3-2 victory over Norwich City. Raheem Sterling scored twice and Luis Suarez added the other for the Reds. 2. Manchester City (LW-3) Pablo Zabaleta, Sergio Aguero and Martín Demichelis were all on target for Manchester City, who kept their slim title hopes alive with a 3-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion. Midfielder David Silva was stretchered off in the 67th minute for City. 3. Chelsea (LW-2) Chelseas title hopes took a major hit as they fell 2-1 to Sunderland at Stamford Bridge, ending Jose Mourinhos perfect league home record. Samuel Etoo gave them the lead after 12 minutes but their fate was sealed after conceding a late penalty. 4. Arsenal (LW-4) Aaron Ramsey and a Lukas Podolski double were more than enough as Arsenal held on to fourth place with a 3-0 victory over Hull City. 5. Everton (LW-5) Everton kept their Champions League hopes alive with a 2-0 victory over Manchester United in David Moyes return to Goodison Park. Leighton Baines and Kevin Mirallas did the damage for Everton who kept pace with Arsenal in the race for fourth place. 6. Tottenham (LW-7) Paulinho, Harry Kane and Younes Kaboul were all on target for Tottenham as they defeated Fulham 3-1 at White Hart Lane. 7. Manchester United (LW-6) David Moyes unsuccessful return to Goodison Park would spell the end of Manchester Uniteds chances to make the Champions League and his tenure as manager of the club. Moyes was fired by United after dropping his 11th league game of the season. 8. Southampton (LW-8) Despite enjoying 68% of the possession, Southampton was not able to strike the decisive blow and instead settled for a 0-0 draw against Aston Villa. 9. Stoke City (LW-9) Marko Arnautoovics first half penalty was canceled out in the second half as Stoke settled for a 1-1 draw with Cardiff City.dddddddddddd. 10. Crystal Palace (LW-10) Mile Jedinaks 59th minute penalty was the difference as Crystal Palace defeated West Ham 1-0, guaranteeing their Premier League survival. 11. Newcastle United (LW-11) Make it five straight Premier League defeats for Newcastle as they fell 2-1 at home against Swansea. Shola Ameobi gave them a lead after 23 minutes but they were not able to find another goal. 12. Swansea City (LW-14) Wilfried Bony scored in injury time of both the first and second half to lead Swansea to a 2-1 victory over Newcastle. His winning marker was from the penalty spot after a foul on teammate Marvin Emnes. 13. Hull City (LW-12) Tough day at KC Stadium as Hull was defeated 3-0 by Arsenal. The Tigers are currently sitting just above the relegation battle. 14. West Ham United (LW-13) Despite being on top of the action, West Ham could not find the net as they fell 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace. 15. Aston Villa (LW-16) After losing four straight games, Aston Villa earned a point in a 0-0 draw against Southampton. 16. West Bromwich Albion (LW-15) Graham Dorrans scored the lone goal as West Bromwich Albion fell 3-1 to Manchester City. 17. Sunderland (LW-18) A recently good run of form is developing for Sunderland as they claimed a shock road 2-1 victory over Chelsea. Connor Wickham and Fabio Borini provided the offence for the Black Cats who inched closer to getting off the bottom of the table. 18. Cardiff City (LW-19) It was a penalty for each side at Cardiff City Stadium as the Welsh side drew 1-1 with Stoke City. 19. Fulham (LW-17) Steve Sidwells 37th minute marker was all Fulham could muster as they were defeated 3-1 on the road against Tottenham. 20. Norwich City (LW-20) Norwich threw everything they had at Liverpool but in the end were forced to settle for a 3-2 defeat at Carrow Road. Gary Hooper and Robert Snodgrass scored the goals for the Canaries. 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