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(2014-12-21 22:13:00) 下一個
The Toronto Maple Leafs have picked a bad time to go on a four-game losing streak, but the struggling club hopes to end its slide Sunday evening in New Jersey. cheap jerseys from china . Toronto has dropped four straight in regulation and has five losses in its last six games. The rough patch has the Maple Leafs barely hanging on to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 80 points. The Leafs are one point in front of Detroit for the first wild card spot. The Red Wings currently occupy the second wild card, but are tied in the standings with Washington. Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets are lurking just two points behind Toronto. The Red Wings and Blue Jackets have games on Sunday, while Washington is off. The Devils, meanwhile, are six points behind Detroit for the last playoff spot in the East. New Jersey also hasnt helped its postseason cause lately with four losses in five games. Torontos most recent setback came in Saturdays home test against the rival Montreal Canadiens. Tomas Plekanec scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and the Habs held on for the 4-3 win at Air Canada Centre. The Leafs are 0-4 with Reimer in net since starting goalie Jonathan Bernier went down with a groin injury on March 13 in Los Angeles. Bernier is nearing a return from his injury but he didnt make the trip to New Jersey on Sunday, meaning Reimer could get another start. Some good news for the Maple Leafs? Center Dave Bolland played his first game Saturday since suffering a severed tendon in his ankle on Nov. 2. "I felt great," said Bolland. "I felt good with everything that was going on out there." Bolland had one shot in nine minutes and Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri scored Torontos goals. Reimer stopped 32 shots in the loss. "We win and lose as a team," said Carlyle. "The work ethic of our group has been strong. Our execution is the area we need to get better at." Toronto hopes to continue its recent dominance of the Devils on Sunday. The Maple Leafs have won the last six encounters in this series overall and have claimed three straight and four of five in New Jersey. Both meetings between the clubs this season have ended in shootouts. James van Riemsdyk, a native of New Jersey, provided the decisive shootout goal for Toronto on both occasions. Sundays game will mark Toronto forward David Clarksons first game back in New Jersey. Clarkson, who played in 426 games for the Devils, had a 30-goal season for Jersey in 2011-12 but left the Garden State over the summer to sign a seven-year, $36.75 million contract with Toronto. It has been a trying first season with the Leafs for Clarkson. The 29-year-old has missed significant time due to suspensions and injuries and only has four goals and six assists in 49 games this season. Clarkson has so far failed to register a point in two games against the Devils in 2013-14. "I would be lying if I said (this game) was something that you dont think about," Clarkson told NorthJersey.com. "I dont know how the fans will act, but I am looking forward to going back." The Devils were blanked in Saturdays home battle against the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist recorded his 50th career shutout, a new franchise record, to help New York record the 2-0 win at Prudential Center. The loss dropped New Jersey nine points behind the Rangers for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Martin Brodeur was solid in defeat, stopping 25-of-26 shots for the Devils, who only have 11 games left to make a playoff push. "Weve got to regroup because we have a game tomorrow and it starts right there," said New Jersey forward Stephen Gionta. "Were going to have to claw our way back because were not going to give up until the end." New Jersey fell to 1-2-0 on a crucial five-game homestand after Saturdays setback and the club is 17-10-7 as the host this season. Cory Schneider will get the call in net for New Jersey on Sunday. He is 0-2 with a 1.40 goals against average in two career games against Toronto.cheap jerseys . For now, Joe Girardi and the rest of the New York Yankees are just thankful they have the Japanese right-hander pitching like one of the best in baseball. wholesale jerseys . Blown save in the ninth inning? No problem.VANCOUVER -- Jordan Harvey didnt quite know what to make of the Vancouver Whitecaps coming into the 2014 campaign. After a tumultuous off-season that included the teams head coach getting fired -- as well as its best player forcing his way out of town -- the defender wasnt alone. "I had a lot of questions," Harvey said this week. "It was a young team and everything, but we acquired some really quality players. We had that first game (a 4-1 home victory over the New York Red Bulls) and the expectations were huge, but we also saw how high we could reach and the bar was set. "I think we have the consistency, the depth to maintain that." Nearly a third of the way through the season, those characteristics will be put to the test on Saturday when the Whitecaps (4-2-4) host the top team in Major League Soccer at B.C. Place Stadium as the Seattle Sounders (8-3-1) travel north to face their bitter geographic rivals. Watch the game live on TSN2 and TSN GO at 7pm et/4pm pt. "Arguably theyre the best team in Major League Soccer at the moment. The league table doesnt lie," said Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson. "Its a good test for us to see where we are. Its a test that Im looking forward to as a coach, and I know my players certainly are. "Theyre a very a good team, but let me tell you, so are we." The Whitecaps enter Saturday with 16 points through 10 games, but just one of their four wins have come against Western Conference opponents -- a trend from last season that Vancouver will have to shake if it wants to return to the playoffs after missing out in 2013. "Its vitally important. Winning any game of football is good, but obviously every time you dont win against a Western team youre losing points and theyre gaining points," said Robinson. "Its very important and we need to make sure that we compete with the Western teams and beat the Western teams. Thats a big focus for us this year because we didnt do it enough last year." The Sounders have 25 points from their 12 games, but will be without midfielder Clint Dempsey, who is away with the U.S. national team as it prepares for the World Cup in Brazil. "Its a test for us because Seattle are where they are," said Robinson. "Weve had a very positive start. Weve still got a lot of work to do, a lot of improving to do, and well continue to do that, whatever the result on Saturday. Its just a marker for us to see where we are." The Sounders have won five of six and are coming off a 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes last weekend, while the Whitecaps will have had 10 days off since bowing out of the Amway Canadian Championship semifinals to Toronto FC on May 14. "I think its going to be a game thats going to be a bit open," Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid told the clubs official website. "Theyre a team that likes to counter attack and get forward, so it might open up at certain times during the game." Theres no doubt the Whitecaps have turned heads around MLS ten games into the schedule after a tricky off-season. Robinson was promoted from an assistants role to replace former head coach Martin Rennie in December after a prolonged search, with thhe Welshman taking over just in time to watch star striker Camilo Sanvezzo refuse to honour the final year of his contract. cheap nfl jerseys. Undaunted by that setback, Robinson brought in talented fresh faces, including Matias Laba and Pedro Morales and the roster has gelled quickly. "I think weve surprised a lot of people. I dont think weve surprised the dressing room, though," said Vancouver captain Jay DeMerit. "I think the manager has kept the squad that he wants here because he believes that we can be capable of the things weve been doing the first 10 games. "Its up to us to make sure we go beyond that." The veteran defender has been with the Whitecaps since the club joined MLS in 2011 and knows the importance of beating the top teams in the West -- something Vancouver did twice last season against Seattle. "It has to come from us," said DeMerit. "It has to come from the fact that we believe in it and we believe we can do it and do it consistently." While the Sounders will be without Dempsey on Saturday, the Whitecaps will have to be wary of Seattle striker Obafemi Martins, who has five goals and six assists. "Hes a top player. Hes a world-class footballer," said Robinson. "Hes someone who scores goals and thats why hes paid big money. Weve got to make sure we eliminate the service into him and eliminate him on the ball because hes a fantastic player." Apart from its importance in the standings, the game is also Vancouvers first of the season in the regional Cascadia Cup -- a mini-tournament played between the Whitecaps, Sounders and the Portland Timbers. The team with the most points in the games played amongst the three clubs at the end of the season takes the title, which Vancouver did in 2013. "Its like a playoff atmosphere," said Harvey. "You can feel the support, the energy from the fans and its always one that we want to win for them. The Cascadia Cup -- thats some hardware that we want to keep." DeMerit likens the atmosphere to the local derbies he was a part of during his time playing in England. "You get that full atmosphere, that constant hum of chants, that full intensity that comes with that rivalry and that only rivalry games seem to create," said the 34-year-old. "Both sets of fans are very passionate about their clubs and thats what we want. Thats what were trying to build here in North America and in MLS and theres no better example than the Cascadia rivalry." Notes: The Whitecaps are 3-1-1 at home so far this season, while the Sounders have the same record on the road. ... Seattle and Portland tied the only other Cascadia game played so far this season 4-4. Each team plays six games in the competition. The Whitecaps visit the Timbers on June 1. ... Vancouver announced Thursday that striker Darren Mattocks has obtained a green card in the U.S., freeing up an international roster spot. ... Harvey and DeMerit, who are both American, said they were surprised that Los Angeles Galaxy star Landon Donovan was left off the U.S. World Cup team. Said Harvey: "Thats a crazy decision. Im really shocked by it. Hes a quality player -- best U.S. player in history." cheap jerseys ' ' '
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