Staring down a six-game stretch heading into the Olympic break, the Maple Leafs gathered as a group and discussed the importance of yielding as many points as possible out of a pair of match-ups with the Panthers and Lightning as well as games against the Senators and Canucks.
Vans Shoes Clearance . Already with four wins out of five, a victory on Saturday night against Vancouver would make it mission accomplished. "We want to end this part of the year off on a winning note," said Dion Phaneuf after the team took part in an off-ice workout on Friday. "We talked about it two weeks ago, how we wanted to get as many points as possible to set ourselves up going into the break in a good position." Despite the Leafs rolling to a 10-2-1 record in their last 13 games, a playoff position is still far from secured though. On Jan. 12, the day they beat the Devils 3-2 in a shootout to begin this impressive stretch, the Leafs sat two points out of a Wild Card spot. As of Feb. 7, they sit with a five-point Wild Card cushion and have gained ten points on the Montreal Canadiens to draw even at 68 points. Though still with 23 games remaining, Toronto is nowhere close to a position where they can ease up on their effort. "I dont think any team wants to give away any points," said Carl Gunnarsson. "Were in kind of a tight spot too. We really need the points." So too do the Canucks who have struggled mightily of late, losing six straight games and posting a dismal 4-12-2 record since the turn of the calendar to see their six-point Wild Card cushion evaporate to just one. That doesnt, however, mean the Leafs are taking anything for granted. "When youre playing a team that hasnt had as much success as theyd like, theyre going to want to end their pre-Olympic break on the right note," Phaneuf said. "Were expecting a push out of them." How hard the Canucks can push though is the question, since they are missing Henrik Sedin, Kevin Bieksa, Dan Hamhuis, Chris Tanev, Andrew Alberts, Mike Santorelli and Yannick Weber to various injuries and ailments. "Quite honestly, Ive never been through so many injuries at one time in all the years that Ive coached," said head coach John Tortorella after putting his team through practice at the MasterCard Center on Friday. "I dont want to paint this as Woe is me and were getting all the bad breaks, we have to find a way to get out of it. I think we have in the past three games regained our structure and hopefully itll get things going our way tomorrow." Outscored 23-10 during their six-game skid, an inspired performance from both Daniel Sedin and Roberto Luongo would be most welcomed by the Canucks. Sedin has not scored in 2014 and has just five assists in the 18 games he has played since the turn of the calendar. Luongo meanwhile has lost his last four starts, posting an ugly 3.50 GAA and .881 save percentage. With their playoff cushion all but evaporated, the Canucks no longer have time to slowly work their way out of this slump. They need points, and fast. "I think a win is the top priority," Luongo insisted. "I dont want to sit here and make excuses, injuries are part of every team in the NHL, and everybody goes through it. You still have to find a way to accumulate points. That being said, were missing a lot of guys but sometimes its little things and then all of a sudden it snowballs into bigger things and next thing you know, you dont realize it but youre in a six-game losing streak."
Vans Shoes Clearance Sale . Pistorius denied the allegation that he said to the close friend of the girlfriend he killed: "How can you sleep at night?" The accusation by Kim Myers provided a bizarre twist during the trial of the world-famous double-amputee Olympian, who is facing 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder for shooting dead Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, at his home last year.
Vans Sk8 Hi Reissue . The 23-year-old restricted free agent appeared in all 48 games last season, finishing second among all Sabres skaters with 15 goals and 34 points.With the series tied 1-1, the NBA Finals shift to South Beach tonight for Game 3 between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs at AmericanAirlines Arena. You can watch the game live on TSN and TSN GO at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt or listen live on TSN Radio 1050 Toronto and TSN Radio 1260 Edmonton. The Heat knotted things up with a 98-96 victory Sunday night at the AT&T Center. The storyline of Game 1 was LeBron James missing the final four minutes due to leg cramps. Part of the reason for the injury was the air conditioning malfunction, but with a temperate climate in Game 2, James played like the two-time Finals MVP. James poured in 35 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and assisted on Chris Boshs go-ahead 3-pointer down the stretch. Bosh finished with 18 points, while Dwyane Wade and Rashard Lewis added 14 apiece for the Heat, who have now won their last 13 postseason games following a loss. James received plenty of criticism for not completing Game 1 despite not being able to walk. In the Eastern Conference Finals, James found a wide-open Bosh in the corner late in Game 5. Bosh didnt make it on that night and once again, the vultures circled, suggesting James didnt want the ball late. On Sunday, with the Spurs up by one, James drew two defenders and hit Bosh in the corner. Bosh buried the jumper to give the Heat a one-point cushion. Bosh sealed the victory by finding Wade for an easy layup, and Miami escaped with a much-needed road victory heading into Game 3. "All we worry about is what we can control and thats just how we play the game, how we approach the game both physically and mentally," said James. "And we live with the results." Now, the Heat are back in the drivers seat, reclaiming the homecourt advantage. They havent lost back-to-back playoff games since the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics and snappeed the Spurs eight-game home winning streak where all of the victories were by 15-plus points.
Vans Shoes Wholesale. The Spurs were led by Tony Parkers 21 points and seven assists, while Tim Duncan totaled 18 points with 15 rebounds to tie Magic Johnson for the most postseason double-doubles in NBA history with 157. Manu Ginobili donated 19 points off San Antonios bench, but missed two shots and committed a crucial turnover in the final minute. After Boshs go-ahead 3-pointer, Ginobili threw an errant pass. James went 1- for-2 from the line to move the Heat three clear, then Ginobili missed a chance to tie with 29.9 seconds left. "We were in a good spot. We played an OK game, not perfect but we were right there. And it slipped away," said Ginobili. "Now we are in a tough situation because we gotta go to Miami and we gotta get one. We dont want to come back here 3-1 down, its very hard to overcome that." The Spurs do face some serious challenges heading to Miami. Including last seasons Finals, the Heat have won four straight over the Spurs in South Beach and seven of the last eight. Miami is a perfect 8-0 at AmericanAirlines Arena this postseason. And San Antonio didnt help itself at all from the foul line on Sunday. The Spurs went 12-for-20 and missed free throws became a critical part of the game. San Antonio was ahead by two halfway through the final frame when Miamis Mario Chalmers was whistled for a flagrant foul for elbowing Parker. He missed both at the line, then Duncan was fouled on the next possession and he too, went 0-for-2. "We cant miss four free throws in a row," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said. San Antonio can take solace in knowing they won in Miami last year during the Finals. "The series is just beginning," said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. Game 4 will be Thursday night in Miami.
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