ATLANTA -- Rory McIlroy is perplexed that his remarks on Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson being on the "last few holes" of their careers caused so many headlines. McIlroy was asked on the eve of the Tour Championship whether Woods and Mickelson not being eligible for the 30-man field represented a changing of the guard. He disagreed, saying that Woods was injured most of the year and Mickelson had played well in spots but was going through a long stretch. Noting their ages (Woods is 38, Mickelson is 44) and injuries, he said they were "getting into sort of the last few holes of their careers." He went on Twitter that night to explain what he was asked and what he said. "I was going through Twitter last night and it was like, Hold on, did I say something bad here? I dont think I did," McIlroy said Thursday after opening with a 69. "Look, I know Tiger and Phil really well. I get on really well with both guys. Ive said much worse to Tiger before." McIlroy and Woods recently made the rounds on talk shows together. McIlroy said Wednesday: "Phil has played well in parts this year. He came really close to winning the PGA. I feel like hes gotten a little better as the year has went on. But its a lot of golf for him to play in such a short space of time. So you could see he was getting a little tired the last couple of weeks. And, I mean, Tigers not here just because hes been injured or he is injured. He hasnt had the opportunity to play. "But I think if he gets back and when he gets back to full fitness, youll see him back here again. So Im not sure ... theyre just getting older. Phils 43 or whatever he is and Tigers nearly 40. So theyre getting into the sort of last few holes of their career. And thats what happens. You get injured. Phil has to deal with an arthritic condition as well. So it obviously just gets harder as you get older. Ill be able to tell you in 20 years how it feels." McIlroy said he didnt feel he had to defend himself, but that his tweets were to clarify his remarks. "I thought I was very complimentary," he said. "I said the only reason Tiger wasnt here was he didnt have the opportunity. I wasnt writing him or Phil off at all. ... I didnt say anything out of line or wrong." Asked if he felt as though he needed to explain his remarks to Woods, McIlroy smiled and said, "Ive said worse to his face." Roger Crozier Jersey . Last year, Islanders forward Colin Mcdonald released a "Do It For Colin" campaign to promote his teammate and friend John Tavares for the EA sports honour:The most popular sports voting video ever has to go to Chris Bosh who showcased his comedic abilities in his effort to get fans to vote him into the 2008 All Star Game:You can vote for TJ and other star players for the NHL 15 cover vote here. 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Hiller stopped Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane in the tiebreaker, leading the Ducks to a 3-2 win Friday night and sending the Chicago Blackhawks to their third consecutive loss. Anaheim was coming off consecutive shootout losses to Los Angeles and San Jose. It had lost four tiebreaker games in a row since it beat Phoenix 3-2 on Oct. 18 in its first shootout game of the season. "Its been a while," said Hiller, who had 23 saves in regulation and overtime. After Jonathan Toews scored for Chicago on the first shootout attempt, Nick Bonino responded for Anaheim. Hiller then stopped Sharp, and Kyle Palmieri beat Antti Raanta with a backhand to give the Ducks the advantage. When Hiller made the save on Kane at the other end, it was over. "Once the Bonino, the fluky one, went in it was, OK, the monkeys off our back. Were good to go. Were going to start scoring again, because we missed about 18 in a row." Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. Raanta had 24 saves in his first home game. It was the first NHL shootout for the rookie, who won each of his first two starts. He looked as if he could have stopped Boninos attempt in the tiebreaker, but it trickled under him for the score. "Now I know how the shootouts going to be in the NHL, so well have to keep on working with those also," Raanta said. Its the first three-game losing streak for the Blackhawks during the regular season since February 2012. They also lost three in a row against Detroit in the Western Conference playoffs last year, but managed to advance in seven games on their way to the title. "Frustrating. You cant overreact to it," Toews said of the slide. "You just have to keep improving on the little things we do well as a team, and know that if keep working, well eventually get the breaks." Ben Smith and Kris Versteeg scored for Chicago, which trailed 1-0 and 2-1, but rallied each time. The Blackhawks (20-6-5) stilll lead the NHL with 45 points.dddddddddddd Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf scored in regulation for Anaheim (19-7-5), which has won five in a row against Chicago. "We continue to know how to play against these guys," Perry said. "We have a lot of great teams in the West, and theyre one of them." Getzlaf snapped a 1-1 tie at 10:05 of the second, using a screen by Perry to send a slap shot through Raantas legs. Getzlafs 15th goal came with Johnny Oduya in the penalty box for closing his hand on the puck. Anaheim remained in front until Bryan Allen was sent off for boarding Toews. The Blackhawks made the most of the power-play opportunity, with Versteeg beating Hiller into the upper right corner with 2:12 to go in the second. Versteegs second goal since he was reacquired in a trade with Florida on Nov. 14 stopped a streak of 26 consecutive kills for the Ducks. Each team had ample opportunities to move in front in the third, but Hiller and Raanta took turns turning away prime chances. Hiller denied a streaking Sharp right in front of the goal, and Raanta grabbed a slap shot by Matt Beleskey. Hiller also made a terrific kick save on Toews about 35 seconds into overtime, and the Ducks had a potential winning goal waved off. "That was a tight game," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Had a couple good chances late in the game that were dangerous and a couple big stops." NOTES: Getzlaf leads the Ducks with 19 assists. He has at least one point in each of his past 12 games. ... Blackhawks C Michal Handzus returned to the ice after missing two games with an illness. C Andrew Shaw (upper body) could return as soon as Sunday against Florida, while LW Bryan Bickell (lower body) is expected to begin skating again in the next week. ... The Ducks scratched Fs Tim Jackman and Patrick Maroon and defenceman Alex Grant. ... The Blackhawks charity organization launched an online raffle for a chance to win a 2013 Stanley Cup championship ring. The raffle runs through March 21. ' ' '