Gruppen » -- to announce plans for collaboration with national Olympic

WASHINGTON -- Washington goalie Philipp Grubauer insisted his focus Friday night was like any other, even with his parents watching for the first time.Whatever he did worked.Grubauer made 32 saves in relief of normal starter Braden Holtby, helping the Capitals scrap their way to a 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.When the puck drops, its all business, said the German-born Grubauer, who also turned 25 on the day his parents first watched their son in an NHL arena. But its pretty special for me. Its one of my favorite moments.Marcus Johansson scored his eighth goal of the season, and Daniel Winnik and Brett Connolly also added goals as Washington closed its five-game homestand with its fourth victory.Connollys goal on a late third-period power play added some needed insurance.With Holtby resting for Saturdays game at Toronto, Grubauer made 26 saves after the first intermission, and seven seven came against a Buffalo power play that entered Friday ranked ninth in efficiency.He played really well, (and) we played well in front of him, Capitals coach Barry Trotz said of Grubauer, who has won three of his five starts. When things got a little hairy on the penalty kill, he came up with a couple of big stops.Sam Reinharts third-period goal helped Buffalos NHL-worst offense avoid being shut out for the third this time this season. The Sabres are averaging 1.81 goals.Anders Nilsson made 29 stops for the Sabres, as coach Dan Bylsma also gave No. 1 netminder Robin Lehner the night off.We dont have the bounces with us right now, Nilsson said. Weve been having to work really hard for every goal we score. Hopefully we can turn it around soon.Two days after Alex Ovechkins hat trick pushed the Capitals to a 4-3 victory over St. Louis, Washington grinded out a more workmanlike victory, with each goal coming off a rebound or redirection.Winnik put Washington ahead early in the first after Lars Ellers shot from the left struck off Nilssons pads.Johansson made it 2-0 about a third of the way through the second on another broken play that began when he found Justin Williams on the right to spark an odd-man rush.Williams tried to pass across the crease to Nicklas Backstrom. The puck knocked off defender Josh Gorges skate and to the trailing Johansson, who beat Nilsson over his stick side.Reinhart cut it to 2-1 midway through the third. But the Capitals added insurance on their fourth power play with 3:55 left, as Connolly slammed home a rebound after Ovechkin forced Nilsson into another pad save.It was a good time of the game to get one, Connolly said. They were coming pretty hard there and it was good to see that one go in.Buffalo was left frustrated by its inability to find a similar goal.I think we couldve probably had more than a handful of scoring chances with the power play, but nothing to show for it, Bylsma said.Game notes The Capitals have earned at least a point in 13 of their last 15 home games against the Sabres. ... The Sabres have scored two goals or fewer in 12 of their last 13 games. ... Washington RW Nate Schmidt was a healthy scratch for the first time this homestand. ... 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DOHA, Qatar -- Donald Trumps victory in the U.S. presidential election looms over the race for the 2024 Summer Games as the three bid cities prepare to make their first presentations to a key gathering of global Olympic officials.With 10 months before the vote, bid leaders from Los Angeles, Paris and Budapest, Hungary, have traveled to Doha to pitch their case to the general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees -- a meeting attended by more than 1,000 delegates from around the world.The Los Angeles bid team may have the most at stake in Tuesdays 20-minute presentations, which will occur exactly a week after Trumps election victory over Hillary Clinton. Trumps comments during the campaign about Muslims and Mexicans and his foreign policy plans could hurt the U.S. citys standing with some of the IOCs 98 members, who represent a wide range of countries and cultural and religious backgrounds.Los Angeles bid leader Casey Wasserman, who was a prominent Clinton supporter, said his group has already been in contact with members of Trumps transition team.My personal support of Clinton isnt an indictment of president-elect Trumps ability to support our effort, Wasserman told The Associated Press. Were fully confident that he will be an enthusiastic supporter of the Olympics and our bid.Having said that, I think the Olympics are at its best when they rise above politics, he added. It has the ability to unite people. Our bid isnt a political bid. Its a private bid with political support. We are privately funded and privately operated. We are one step removed from the politics and the ups and downs of politics.While details have been kept secret, the Los Angeles presentation -- which includes Mayor Eric Garcetti, a Democrat -- is likely to deal head-on with the U.S. election result and seek to reassure Olympic officials that the bid represents openness, diversity and inclusiveness.Were not going to pretend like there wasnt an election but were not going to be defensive about it, Wasserman said. I think there are some things were going to say that will surprise some people.Perhaps as a contrast to Trumps image, the bid team selected sprint star Allyson Felix, a Los Angeles-born African-American athlete who has won six Olympic gold medals and three silvers -- as one of its key speakers for the presentation. Felix won two relay gold medals and a silver medal in the 400 meters in Rio de Janeiro in August.Shes born, bred, raised and developed in Los Angeles. Shes a hometown girl, Wasserman said. I cant think of anybody better to tell our sttory.ddddddddddddThe Doha audience will include officials from 205 national Olympic committees, dozens of international sports federations and, most importantly, dozens of members of the International Olympic Committee, which will vote on the host city next September in Lima, Peru.Under tighter IOC rules, these are the first of only three presentations during the two-year bid race. The second will be at a private technical briefing for IOC members in Switzerland in July, and the third will be the final presentations on the day of the vote in Lima.Whether Trump will be part of the Los Angeles bid team in Lima remains to be seen. President Barack Obama went to Copenhagen in 2009 to speak on behalf of Chicagos bid for the 2016 Olympics, but his appearance didnt help as the city went out in the first round of an election won by Rio de Janeiro.Were getting way ahead of the game, Wasserman said. Were going to make the right judgment at the right time for our bid.Paris and Los Angeles, which have each held the Olympics twice, have been viewed as close front-runners in the 2024 race. Paris last held the games in 1924, with Los Angeles hosting in 1984.Paris bid leaders said they plan to use Tuesdays presentation -- which includes Mayor Anne Hidalgo and two-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner -- to announce plans for collaboration with national Olympic committees.We are feeling the excitement, Paris bid co-chairman and three-time Olympic canoeing gold medalist Tony Estanguet said Monday. I feel like an athlete. I feel the adrenaline.Like Los Angeles, the Paris bid could be influenced by a presidential election. Far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen is among the contenders in next springs French presidential race.Estanguet downplayed any concerns over a potential Le Pen victory, saying the bid has support across the political spectrum in France. He said France was also working hard to guarantee security following a spate of deadly attacks in the country.It can happen anywhere in the world, but we have a strong base and lots of experience in security, he said.Budapest, meanwhile, is expected to portray itself as the right-sized, affordable alternative from central Europe.Holding the Olympic Games in Budapest would help to pave the way for a greater range of mid-sized cities to host the games, in addition to the larger capitals and mega cities that have hosted the games in recent times, bid chairman Balazs Furjes said. ' ' '