MINSK, Belarus -- Viktor Tikhonov scored twice and Alex Ovechkin added a goal and two assists Monday as Russia routed the United States 6-1 for its third straight victory at the ice hockey world championships. Nikolai Kolyomin opened the scoring for Russia and Alex Ovechkin beat veteran goaltender Tim Thomas with backhand on a penalty shot in the first period for his third goal of the tournament. Ovechkin set up both of Tikhonovs goals in the second, with Yevgeni Kuznetsov and Sergei Plotnikov also scoring for Russia. Justin Abdelkader pulled one back for the U.S. to make it 3-1. Russia leads Group G with nine points from three games, while the U.S. has six. Earlier, France overcame Slovakia 5-3 for another upset victory and host Belarus stunned Switzerland 4-3. France followed up its upset win over Canada in its opening game by coming from 3-1 down to beat Slovakia. Damien Fleury scored the winner on a rebound with 3:41 left in regulation to complete the comeback. Antoine Roussel added his second goal into an empty net for Frances fifth. Baptiste Amar also scored twice for France. "I feel like our team has a lot of character," Roussel said. "We created our chances on the power play. We were so aggressive and we didnt take so many shots." Ladislav Nagy had two goals for Slovakia, with captain Miroslav Satan also scoring. France has five points from three games in Group A, while Slovakia remained on one. "Were not ready to give it up," Satan said. "The tournament is not over yet." Mikhail Grabovski netted the decisive goal with 2:06 remaining in the final period in Belarus second victory at the worlds to thrill 15,000 home fans at the Minsk Arena. "Im really proud of my boys," Belarus coach Glen Hanlon said. "The huge support that we have from our fans was likely the difference for us." Goals from Yannick Weber, Reto Schappi and Etienne Froidevaux had given Switzerland a 3-2 lead in the third but Belarus equalized through Sergei Kostitsys second goal. It was the third straight loss for Switzerland, last years runner-up. "Its a difficult situation for us right now we have to stay positive and look forward but it wont be easy," Switzerland coach Sean Simpson said. Belarus has six points in Group B while Switzerland is on zero. Nike Air Max Tailwind 7 Canada . Solomon Elimimian did not make the trip with the team after suffering what appeared to be a right leg injury in the teams regular season finale against the Calgary Stampeders. Nike Air Max Canada . The young man, never lacking confidence, thought he could be really good. http://www.clearanceairmaxcanada.com/air...anada-sale.html. Goins is the early favourite to win the starting job at second base. Pillar is an outsider to secure a role off the bench, which becomes an even more difficult spot to win if the number of back up jobs is reduced by one. That happens if the Blue Jays decide to start the season with an eight man bullpen. Nike Air Max Flair Canada .com) - Maria Sharapova reached her 10th career grand slam final after beating Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets at the Australian Open on Thursday. Nike Air Max Clearance Canada . Just as the meeting was beginning, Major League Baseball unveiled Rule 7.13, an experimental rule for the 2014 season aimed at eliminating what the league calls “egregious” runner/catcher collisions at home plate.PHILADELPHIA -- Down and out or down to the wire, the 76ers are freefalling toward NBA history. D.J Augustin scored 20 points and Taj Gibson had 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 102-94 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday night, handing the 76ers their 22nd straight loss. The Sixers are four losses shy of matching the NBA record for the longest single-season losing streak. The Cleveland Cavaliers set the record of 26 consecutive losses in the 2010-11 season. The Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-96), Denver Nuggets (1997-98) and Charlotte Bobcats (2011-12) each lost 23 straight. "Winnable game," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "I say that because a group thats been losing ... still stays together. They still compete. Im proud of them." The Sixers also lost their 17th straight home game since beating Charlotte on Jan. 15. They were 8-11 at home at that point and had already defeated Miami, the Bulls, and Houston in Philadelphia. After the Sixers were 3-0 following a Nov. 2 win over Chicago, fans held signs that said, "3-0. Thats No Bull." That seems like another season at times after the Sixers traded Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen at the deadline for draft picks, a necessary step for a rebuilding franchise. Unlike most of the first 21 losses in the streak, the Sixers were competitive until the final possessions, never letting the Bulls lead by more than 11. Sixers centre Byron Mullens, who hadnt attempted a shot all game, hit consecutive 3s to pull the Sixers to 83-80. He made a nifty save on a ball headed out of bounds, leading to Henry Sims bucket and a foul. With a chance to tie the game, Sims missed the free throw with 8:19 left. Thaddeus Young bailed him out a possession later with a 3-pointer that made it 85-all. Joakim Noah buried a go-ahead 3 from the top of the arc and Augustin followed with one from the sideline to put the Bulls up 91-85. Tony Wrotens 3 made it 93-90 but it was just more false hope. Carlos Boozers emphatic dunk stretched the lead to six and the Bulls did enough to hang on and move to .500 onn the road (17-17).dddddddddddd The Sixers have lost three of four by less than 10 points after losing each of the previous 10 games by double-digits. "We knew it would be this type of game," Augustin said. "We just tried to fight them until the end and it was a fight, a real fight." The Sixers could make it 23 straight with a loss Friday to New York. Then three straight on the road at Chicago, San Antonio and Houston. If the Sixers lose all of those games, the potential record 27th loss would come March 29 vs. Detroit. Young scored 24 points for the Sixers and Wroten had 17. "Were going to get one soon," Wroten said. Boozer had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls and Noah added 14 points and 10 boards. The Sixers solid 11-for-24 3-point shooting was undone by a 9 of 19 mark from the free-throw line. "There is just no inch for error," Brown said. "Theres no wiggle room at all." The Sixers stayed tight and chipped away in the third, making it 64-61 on Youngs 3-pointer. Sims was 0 for 7 from the floor until his first basket cut it to 64-63. The Sixers just couldnt make the clutch basket or two to finally take the lead. Theyd get as close again as two points in the third and trailed only 75-69 at the end of the quarter. "I think Bretts done a great job with them," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Theyve got a lot of moving parts. I give a guy like Young a lot of credit for his professionalism -- how hard he plays. They shot the ball well. The Bulls played without Derrick Rose, the former MVP point guard who tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Thibodeau said Rose could could be ready to return if he gets the call to play this summer for Team USA at the world championships. "I know hed like to do it," Thibodeau said. "I know how USA basketball feels about him. If hes cleared to do it, Id love to see him do it." NOTES: The Sixers are 3-32 since a four-game winning streak ended Jan. 4. ... The Bulls have won seven of eight against the Sixers. ' ' '