There needs to be accountability. Theyre not separate.Scott was killed Tuesday

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers have to wipe away the disappointment, and they have to do so quickly.The Washington Capitals, who had the best record in the NHL last season and are off to a 2-0-1 start, will visit the Panthers (2-1-0) on Thursday night at the BB&T Center. And this is no time for Florida to be thinking about the past.True, Tuesday nights 4-3 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning was tough for Florida to swallow. The Panthers were so close to a third straight win before allowing Steven Stamkos game-tying goal on a sharp-angled shot with just 5.5 seconds left.Then in the shootout backup goalie James Reimer, who was making his Panthers debut, stopped four of the first five shots he faced before getting beaten by rookie Brayden Point. It was the first shootout attempt of Points NHL career.Youd like to make those saves at the end, Reimer told the media after Tuesdays game, but sometimes its not possible.Panthers starting goalie Roberto Luongo, who has allowed just two goals in his two games this year, is expected to return to the starting lineup on Thursday.He will be opposed by Capitals goalie Braden Holtby, who won 48 games and the Vezina Trophy last season.Luongo will have to contend with Capitals star left winger Alex Ovechkin, who scored 50 goals last season. It was the third straight year he reached that milestone, and he has done it seven times overall in his career.The Capitals, who beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-0 on Tuesday, got off to a slow start on their power play this season, enduring a 0-for-8 drought. But they got two power-play goals on Tuesday, including one by Ovechkin, so that issue has seemingly been corrected heading into Thursdays game.Ovechkin, who had 19 power-play goals last season, is certainly feeling confident about his teams play with the man advantage.We have so much skill with the five guys who play there, and we use it, Ovechkin told the media after Washingtons 2-of-5 power-play performance. You cant stop it.Washingtons Barry Trotz, who won the Jack Adams Award last season for the NHLs top coach, also had a quote that bordered on cockiness.I thought we could have scored every power play we got tonight, Trotz said. We were sharp, and we got rewarded.That Capitals brashness tends to disappear in the playoffs. Washington has never made it past the second round, including last seasons loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.But in the regular season, its hard to find much fault with the Capitals, who brought back almost their entire team from last year. This is a veteran team. Just about the only new addition is third-line center Lars Eller.The Panthers, meanwhile, had a different offseason philosophy. Even though they won the Atlantic Division and set franchise records for victories (47) and points (103), the Panthers were aggressive in the offseason, changing their uniforms, promoting Tom Rowe to general manager and re-signing many of their core players.Florida also brought in nine new players, and so far they have meshed well.The Panthers dont have anybody of Ovechkins caliber -- very few teams do -- but Finland native Aleksander Barkov, who also holds Russian citizenship, might be the player who emerges as Floridas singular star.Barkov, who signed a six-year, $35 million contract extension in January, is still only 21 years old. But the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder has improved in each of his three NHL seasons, from eight goals as a rookie, 16 in his second year and then 28 last season.This season, Barkov has two goals and one assist in three games, and he is a plus-four.Ovechkin, a native of Russia who has one goal and one assist this season, is 31 -- a decade older than Barkov.Besides the fact that the Panthers and Capitals are reigning division champs -- and besides the fact that Luongo vs. Holtby is an excellent goalie matchup -- there is also the subtext of Ovechkin, the proven superstar, against young gunslinger Barkov. Riley Ridley Womens Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Womens Jersey . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Bears-Dan-Hampton-Jersey/ . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. Brian Urlacher Bears Jersey . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. Riley Ridley Youth Jersey . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Chanting No Justice! No Peace! as they converged outside Bank of America Stadium, about 100 people peacefully demonstrated the fatal police shooting of a black man before the Carolina Panthers game Sunday.Nothing felt normal about what should have been a typical fall day of NFL football.A heavy police presence surrounded the stadium, where officers in black riot gear stood side-by-side around the entrances. There had been concerns that a sixth day of protests over Tuesday nights fatal shooting of Keith Scott would disrupt the game, or prevent fans from entering the stadium.Instead, it was quiet in the hours leading up to the game, as many fans stopped to hug officers and pose for pictures. Protesters didnt gather until about an hour before kickoff, when the group used bullhorns and held signs in demonstration.As kickoff neared, most of the protesters dropped to one knee when the national anthem played inside the stadium. Along the sideline inside the game, Carolina safety Marcus Ball raised his fist during the national anthem.Last month, San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick started a protest movement by not standing during the national anthem. He has said he wants to draw attention to racial oppression and police brutality in the United States. Many athletes have since joined him or said they support him, even before the recent police shootings in Charlotte and Tulsa, Oklahoma.As Sundays protest in Charlotte went on, fans heading for the stadium strolled by, many appearing to ignore the demonstrators. From inside the stadium, people stopped on access ramps on the upper level to watch the demonstrators.The crowd inside was flat, the Panthers didnt play well, and many fans didnt return to their seats after halftime. Carolina lost its first home game since November, 2014, but coach Ron Rivera said it was unfair to blame the unrest in Charlotte for the way the Panthers played.When we are here, we practice, we do the things we are supposed to do, Rivera said. What happened here (the shooting) was very tragic, and what we were hoping to do was be able to come out and put that aside.We just didnt play very well. I am not looking for excuses. The tragedy is its own entity, and we have to respect that.Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly said the Panthers failed to bring unity to the Charlotte.You want to go out and win a game with whats going on right now, he said. It was an opportunity for us to bring the community together, and add something positive. We wanted to win, as Im sure everyone in Charlotte did.Outside the stadium, National Guard troops rode by the protest in two Hummvees, followed by an unmarked N.ddddddddddddC. Highway Patrol car.Many protesters held signs, others chanted Scotts name. It coincided with the music of the Brass Connection Band, a group that plays outside the stadium prior to home games. The band on Sunday played Parliaments We Want The Funk, as protesters slowed their chants to match the rhythm of the song.The bands drummer, Bill Banks, said he and his fellow musicians were just trying to use their talents to maintain calm.Were just out here to lighten the mood, Banks said. I dont have nothing against them protesting as long as its peaceful. Were just trying to do our part.Moments later, a woman carrying a free hugs sign made her way through the crowd, hugging both the bicycle officers watching over the crowd and some of the protesters who were locked arm-in-arm.It doesnt negate justice, accountability and equity, said Dani Cook, who said she was self-employed, in reference to her hugs. I can want to hug people. I can want to love people. I can also say there needs to be justice. There needs to be accountability. Theyre not separate.Scott was killed Tuesday by a black police undercover police officer trying to serve a warrant on someone else. Police maintain that Scott had a gun, though residents have said he was unarmed.In the dashboard camera video released Saturday night, Scott could be seen slowly backing away from his SUV with his hands down. Four shots are heard in quick succession, and he crumples to the ground mortally wounded.After the police vehicle dashboard camera and police body-cam videos were released, protests continued but were largely peaceful.City officials designated Sundays NFL game an extraordinary event, that gave officers the ability to search backpacks, coolers and anything else people might be carrying.Meanwhile, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton wore a T-shirt emblazoned with a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. on the back as he warmed up for the game. The dark shirt read Injustice Anywhere Is A Threat to Justice Everywhere.Newton earlier this week called Scotts fatal shooting embarrassing and touched on a state of oppression in our community.My big thing is holding people accountable- no matter what the race, no matter what the gender is, no matter what the age is, the league MVP said. Im an African-American and Im not happy how the justice has been dealt with over the years, and the state of oppression in our community, but we also as black people have to do right by ourselves. We cant be hypocrites. ' ' '