OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators three smallest players made the biggest impact in training camp and were rewarded for their efforts with roster spots. The trio of Cory Conacher, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Stephane Da Costa took advantage of a day off Monday to enjoy the news before returning their focus to the hard work that lies ahead. Da Costas performance was perhaps the biggest surprise. The 24-year-old centre seemed to fall out of favour with the Senators last season and was told to commit to his summer training regimen and be willing to make some adjustments. He took the advice and spent the summer in Poland training with his older brother Teddy, who is currently playing in Finland. "I knew what they were saying and I took it seriously," said Da Costa. "Im not the biggest player physically so I knew I had to work on that and I tried to focus on my defensive play." While he spent much of the pre-season centring the teams top line as Jason Spezza recovered from a mild groin sprain, Da Costa found himself on a line between Zack Smith and Chris Neil at Tuesdays practice. "Hes a player that plays with speed and some tenacity and hes got good skill level," said head coach Paul MacLean. "He was good in the faceoff circle so we expect him to do the same things. The expectation is that hell continue to play well and should be able to create more opportunities for those guys to maybe have an opportunity to score." Conacher had been one of four players being considered to play on the left wing on the second line with Clarke MacArthur and Kyle Turris, but he was easily the most consistent of all. The trio seemed to generate some early chemistry. "Theyre two guys who are pretty easy to play with," said Conacher. "I just want to try and create space for them because theyre two guys who are really good with the puck. As long as Im being a little bit of a pest in the (offensive) zone that will create a little bit more room for them." At five foot eight, Conacher is the Senators smallest player and hes also diabetic, but he wont let his size or his illness define his career. He refuses to allow anything to be used as an excuse should his play begin to slide. "Theres so much competition so you cant be too comfortable," said Conacher. "I have to show that Im willing to get better every day and it starts off by the things I eat and how I track my diabetes. "I think I worked a lot this summer to be more focused and more reliable on the ice to allow the coach to put me on the ice with two minutes left in the game rather than sit me on the bench." After an impressive start to his pro career last season -- which featured a playoff hat trick -- many wondered if Jean-Gabriel Pageau would be able to thrive under the high expectations. Pageau, 20, participated in the teams summer development camp and was strong at the rookie tournament. He earned regular praise from MacLean through the pre-season. "Its a great feeling (to be here)," said Pageau. "But even today I dont want to take anything for granted. I know theres always players pushing to come back here, but Im ready to do all the sacrifices to stay with the big team." As the teams youngest player, Pageau isnt afraid to take advice from his older and more experienced teammates. He also believes last years experience allowed him to come into camp with more confidence. "It helped me be more comfortable both on and off the ice," admitted Pageau. "I think when youre more comfortable you can play your real game. You dont have to think between every play you can just go and play like you can play." While all three players will face different challenges, the one thing the Senators will be looking for is a consistent effort. "As young players the hardest thing to find in the league is consistency," said MacLean. "At some point and time someone or all three could struggle with that, but at this point theyve been probably the most consistent players from the start of training camp to the end of training camp and as a result theyre here to start the season." Notes: Spezza has been sidelined by a mild groin sprain was able to take part in a full practice Tuesday and believes progress has been made. "It seemed to hold up pretty good," said Spezza. "I got through a whole practice and it felt pretty good. There was some hard skating." Spezza doesnt anticipate any more setbacks and is looking forward to Ottawas season opener at Buffalo on Friday. Rogelio Armenteros Jersey .Y. -- The Buffalo Bills will head into the regular season short on experience at quarterback after trimming the roster on Friday. Andy Pettitte Astros Jersey . The Raptors two leading scorers were never able to co-exist the way they hoped or the team had envisioned, but individually DeRozan was thriving, in the midst of a career season. https://www.cheapastros.com/1403o-jeff-k...sey-astros.html. Stiverne stopped Chris Arreola in the sixth round Saturday night, claiming the WBC heavyweight title belt vacated by Vitali Klitschko. Yordan Alvarez Jersey . DeGrom outpitched Jake Peavy in a tantalizing hitless duel that carried into the seventh inning Saturday night before the New York Mets broke loose and beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2. Garrett Stubbs Astros Jersey . - Justin Turner is at his best with runners in scoring position, and he delivered again in a big spot for the Los Angeles Dodgers.SAN ANTONIO -- The Spurs play a style thats been described as boring and ugly at times, so it only made sense that they felt comfortable down the stretch against Charlotte in a game their own coach said was "hard to watch." Tim Duncan had 17 points and 16 rebounds, and San Antonio overcame a sluggish start to beat the Bobcats 92-82 on Friday night. The Spurs clinched their 17th consecutive winning season, dating to Duncans first with the team. Manu Ginobili scored 15 points, Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills added 14 each and Kawhi Leonard had 12 for San Antonio (42-16). "Im really proud of how they hung in and realized it was a 48-minute game," coach Gregg Popovich said. "Manu didnt have a good game for a while, but down the stretch he came through. He and Timmy, they executed well; Patty really well (and), obviously, Marco was a big help. Overall it was a hell of a win against a very good basketball team." Al Jefferson scored 20 points and former Spurs guard Gary Neal added 15 for Charlotte (27-31), which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Gerald Henderson scored 12 and Kemba Walker 11. San Antonio had 19 turnovers, but only one in the final 6 minutes of the game. That helped the Spurs overcome a 14-point deficit in the first half. "Fourteen points in this league is nothing," Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said. "Especially against a team like that, that shoots the ball like that. I think the way you look at it, to me, is you want to have a chance on the road at the end of the game to win, which we did." There were three ties and two lead changes in the final 7 minutes as the Spurs celebrated Military Appreciation Night with camouflage uniforms. Ginobili blocked Walkers layup attempt and drew a charge on Jefferson on consecutive possessions. Duncan followed with a 15-foot jumper that gave San Antonio an 82-80 lead with 1:43 remaining. Duncan then fired a pass to Belinelli in the right corner for a 3-pointer over Neal that gave the Spurs an 85-80 edge. "We know (Neals) a bad defender. All he wants to do is shoot," Duncan said, smiling afterward. "We took advantage of that. Gary was great tonight, actually. He played hard, played well." Neal said he knew that play was coming off an inbounds set, but Duncan simply executed it well. "Ive made a couple of 3s like that from Timmy over the 207 games I played here," Neal said. "Tim is a Hall of Famer. He made a great play. Thats what he does. Thats why the Spurs are so successful." Duncan had six assists and shot 6 for 12 from the field, including 4 of 4 in thee second half.dddddddddddd Ginobili later completed a three-point play after rolling in a left-handed layup from the right side of the rim just beyond the reach of Jefferson and Henderson to put San Antonio up 88-80. The rally helped the Spurs wipe away a second straight sluggish start at home. "Its frustrating at times that were not able to come out of the gates and play the way we want to play night in and night out," Duncan said. "To play through the ups and downs and find a way to win a game like that is good for us." Charlotte led throughout the first half, extending its cushion to 34-20 with 8:26 remaining on three free throws by Anthony Tolliver. Showing the type of ball movement the Spurs are normally known for, the Bobcats had 15 assists on 19 first-half baskets. San Antonio had only three assists early in the game, missing all but five of its first 17 shots while shooting 30 per cent. "Its hard to watch, isnt it?" Popovich said, laughing when a reporter responded that the game was ugly. "Appreciate your honesty. The turnovers are how we dug a hole for ourselves in the first half. The only thing that kept us in the first half is we hit five 3s." Charlotte built its advantage with little help from Walker, the teams second-leading scorer. He had only three points, going 1 for 8 from the field in the first half. Ginobilis 3-pointer gave the Spurs their first lead at 51-49 with 5:21 left in the third. His second 3 gave San Antonio a 64-57 advantage and brought a loud cheer from the sold-out crowd, which began buzzing in anticipation before he even released the ball. "We made too many mistakes and we got away from our defensive principles," Jefferson said. "The one thing we know about San Antonio is you have to play 48 minutes because they are not going to stop what theyre doing." NOTES: With his 12th rebound, Duncan passed Hakeem Olajuwon (13,748) for 12th on the NBAs career list. At 13,753 rebounds, Duncan is 16 shy of tying Wes Unseld for 11th. "Obviously, I watched (Olajuwon) growing up playing and played against him for a little while," Duncan said. "I respect what he did throughout his career. Its an honour." ... Neal and Duncan shook hands and hugged following a timeout with 4 minutes remaining after Duncan glared at his former teammate before giving a sly smile. ... Spurs point guard Tony Parker sat behind the teams bench as he continues to recover from a series of leg maladies that began before the All-Star break. ... Charlotte C Brenden Haywood (broken left foot) and F Jeff Taylor (ruptured right Achilles) sat out. ' ' '