HAMILTON, Ont. -- The Hamilton Bulldogs are focused on keeping their composure period by period as their season winds down. Christian Thomass second-period goal stood as the winner and Dustin Tokarski made 27 saves as the Bulldogs defeated the Abbotsford Heat 2-1 on Wednesday in the American Hockey League. "Tonight we stayed composed, even when we thought we had another goal in the third period," said Hamilton head coach Sylvain Lefebvre. "We kept working, and we have to get used to playing those tight hockey games. "Thats what gets you to the playoffs, and thats what helps you win hockey games when you get there." A post-season berth is far from Hamiltons grasp, however. The Bulldogs remain 10 points back of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with just 14 games to play. Mike Blunden and Gabriel Dumont also scored for Hamilton (27-30-5). Chris Breen had the lone goal for the Heat (34-23-7), who have lost 10 of their last 11 games. Aaron Dell stopped 36 shots. Michael Bournival made his debut for the Bulldogs on Wednesday, having been sent to the team by the Montreal Canadiens a day earlier on a conditioning assignment. After playing 50 games for Montreal in his rookie season, the forward suffered a concussion in a Feb. 6 game against the Vancouver Canucks, and was cleared for contact on March 14. His insertion in the Bulldogs lineup provided a much-needed boost to the top line, and the combination of Bournival, Sven Andrighetto and Thomas used its speed to great effect against the Heat in the first period. Thomas was very pleased with the lines first game together, and felt comfortable playing alongside Bournival, who he came across several times at the junior level. "Its always tough playing with a new guy, but (Bournival) fits in really well and brings a lot of speed," he said. "Ive known him for a long time, and grew up playing with him at world junior camps. "Ive seen him quite a bit, and obviously he has some NHL experience. But he plays a hard game and that always helps your line." Hamilton was getting the best of play, but it was Abbotsford that opened the scoring at 8:56. Ex-Bulldog Corey Locke controlled the puck below Hamiltons goal-line, and connected with the open Breen as he glided into the high slot. The defenceman released a mid-range wrist shot that Tokarski only partially connected with, and the puck trickled over the goal-line. It was Breens first goal of the season. Pressure did eventually pay off for Hamilton, as Blunden stole the puck from Abbotsford defender Shane OBrien to create an equalizing goal. The winger moved in alone on Dell and shifted from backhand to forehand before lofting a shot over the far shoulder of the goaltender at 17:55. Blunden nearly scored his second of the game with 10 minutes to play in the second period, as Dell kicked a Morgan Ellis slap shot from the point out to his right and the winger narrowly missed a tap in attempt at the post. Thomas did better with Hamiltons next scoring chance, as the Bulldogs took the lead at 12:42. After a period and a half of successful forechecking, Hamiltons top line got on the board when Bournival fought off a defender along the right wing and fired a low wrist shot that Dell knocked into the path of Thomas to his right. The rookie winger did the rest, slotting a quick shot past the sprawling goaltender from close range. Consecutive penalties to Nathan Beaulieu posed a late challenge for the Bulldogs, but their penalty killing unit responded well to hold the lead through 40 minutes of play. Hamilton entered play on Wednesday with an 18-0-1 record when leading after two periods. Tokarski did his part to preserve the lead, snatching a Max Reinhart wrist shot out of the air from point blank range with just under six minutes to play. His save was rewarded at the other end of the ice, as Dumont was awarded a penalty shot after being tripped with a clear path to the net, and made good on the chance. Slowly skating toward Dell, Dumont stopped abruptly and shifted to his forehand to tuck the puck in behind him at 16:01 of the third period. Neither team made use of their power plays on Wednesday, as Hamilton went 0 for 2 while Abbotsford was 0 for 3. Dave Niehaus Angels Jersey . -- Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer will be out three to six weeks with a stress fracture of the third finger of his right hand. Nolan Ryan Angels Jersey . Seager had another triple, a home run and a double in a rare feat not seen in more than 40 years, leading Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners past the New York Yankees 10-2. "It was a weird play," Seager said of the triple in the fourth inning. https://www.cheapangels.com/ . Fans holding laudatory signs started showing up at Yankee Stadium when the gates opened at 4 p.m. Monday, an hour early in order to give them a chance to watch the New York captain take batting practice. Bobby Knoop Jersey . Gaborik was acquired in a trade with Columbus on Wednesday and skated on the top line with centre Anze Kopitar and right-winger Justin Williams. "We created some things," said Gaborik, who logged 16:38 of ice time. David Fletcher Angels Jersey . Patton was placed on the restricted list testing positive for a banned amphetamine. Patton took Adderall, a drug commonly used to combat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, late in the 2013 season and then was given a random drug test.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Al Jefferson had a pretty good inkling it was Charlottes night when he banked in a 31-footer from well beyond the top of the key to beat the shot clock midway through the fourth quarter. "I didnt call the bank, but I trusted my right hand," Jefferson said with a laugh. Jefferson scored 34 points and the Bobcats stunned NBA-leading Indiana 109-87 Wednesday night, handing the Pacers just their second two-game skid of the season. Jefferson was 16 of 25 from the field and had eight rebounds for the Bobcats (28-33), who won their fifth straight at home to equal their combined win total from the previous two seasons. "Im not accepting that were a team that guys look at on the schedule anymore and say, OK, we have the Bobcats (so) we can take the night off." Jefferson said. Jefferson, whose 38-point, 19-rebound effort Monday night was overshadowed by LeBron James career-high 61-point outing, has scored at least 20 points in 21 of his last 24 games. "I think everybody needs to question the Eastern Conference voting on why Al Jefferson wasnt on the All-Star team because clearly he is one of the best in the game," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "He showed it tonight. Give him credit." Charlotte was finishing a brutal four-game stretch, becoming the first team since the 2009-10 Knicks to play the NBAs top four teams in consecutive games. They previously lost to San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Miami on the road, but left no doubt about this this one. Charlotte jumped out to a 28-8 lead after the first quarter and never trailed. Kemba Walker added 19 points and nine assists for the Bobcats, who have the seventh-best record in the Eastern Conference. Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said he thought his team played well in the road losses to the Spurs, Thunder and Heat and that it carried over some confidence to Wednesday night. "We played a lot of good basketball and you get nothing for it," Clifford said. "To be honest, we took a day off (on Tuesday) and you could tell from our shootaround, not that we were going to win, but that we were going to play well." Evan Turner had 22 points for the Pacers (46-15), who lost back-to-back games for only the second time this season. Charlottes Michael Kidd-Gilchrist said he was "extra fired up" to deffend All-Star Paul George, two nights after James destroyed the Bobcats by knocking down 8 of 10 3-pointers.dddddddddddd Kidd-Gilchrist did his job, holding George without a field goal. George was 0 for 9 and finished with just two points. Jefferson defended Kidd-Gilchrists effort against Miami, saying he did the job asked of him against James. "Against LeBron, the game plan was we didnt want him to get to the basket," Jefferson said. "We want LeBron to shoot jumpers. If he hits 8 of 10 3-pointers, we can live with that." George said he wasnt at the top of his game against Charlotte. "I was sore," George said. "I tried to play through it thinking it would loosen up. It was a tight night for me." The Pacers had won 14 of their last 15 against the Bobcats coming in, including five straight by an average of nearly 18 points. But Indiana was sluggish from the start, shooting 4 of 20 from the field in the opening quarter and turning the ball over six times, leading to 12 Charlotte points and a 20-point deficit. The Pacers, shooting at the home end of the floor where some of the lights were out, were held to eight points -- the fewest allowed in a quarter this season by the Bobcats. While the Pacers were struggling on offence, Jefferson was at it again on the offensive end. He hit his first six shots and had 20 points at the break. The Pacers would battle back to cut the lead to four in the second quarter, but the Bobcats never surrendered the lead and stretched the lead back to 18 again by the end of the third quarter. The Bobcats shot 51 per cent from the field against the NBAs top defensive team. The 22-point loss was the third-largest of the season for the Pacers. "Charlottes a good basketball team," Vogel said. "Theyre rested. We are coming in here in this situation in their house. We beat them pretty handily the first couple of times. So, we knew they were going to come out and we were going to have to play great and we didnt play great." NOTES: Chris Douglas-Roberts got the start in place of Gerald Henderson, who missed his second straight game with a strained calf. ... The only other time the Pacers lost back-to-back games this season came Dec. 16 and 18 against Detroit and Miami. ... The Bobcats are 14-3 at home when scoring at least 91 points. ' ' '