TORONTO – His teammates have said all the right things. nfl jerseys china . Theyve defended him, branded the furious finger-pointing as unfair and claimed that they, not he alone, were responsible for the anxious beginnings of a slide that nearly and may still sweep them out of the playoff picture in the East. With Jonathan Bernier sidelined for the remainder of the regular season – he has an MCL strain in his left knee and will be out three weeks – the Maple Leafs will turn once more to the beleaguered, doubted and frequently dissected James Reimer in what may be his final days as a Leaf. But their goal of reviving playoff hopes that simmer tepidly with four games left dont rest solely on his 26-year-old shoulders. "Now its about time we have his back and step up to the plate," said Nazem Kadri defiantly after a much-needed overtime win against Boston on Thursday night. That wasnt the case the first time around. Reimer, who hasnt won a start in more than two and a half months, may have struggled badly in his first rescue attempt for Bernier last month – he posted an .871 save percentage in five starts (all losses) – but he was deserted on an island through much of the wreckage. Of the 18 goals he allowed in relief of his younger counterpart, four came via breakaway, two via odd-man rush and two more from the back-door with little to no opportunity for a save. "At that point when we were losing the team in front of him just couldnt bring it together and figure things out and obviously the goalies left out there to dry by himself," Kadri said. "We didnt play too good as a team," Carl Gunnarsson concurred. "We didnt help him out." That will have to change, starting Saturday when the Leafs host the Jets in the final regular season game at the ACC this spring. Trailing Detroit and Columbus for the final two wild card positions in the East, their hopes cannot rest on Reimer alone – especially at a point when his confidence has sunk to its lowest at the NHL level. Improvement isnt likely to magically appear in the teams defensive play – a struggle from start to finish – but the glut of glaring and often fatal mistakes needs to be kept to a minimum. Errors like two-time Rocket Richard winner Steven Stamkos being left alone to score three goals or Gustav Nyquist burning away for a pair of breakaway markers on the same night. Until recently, Bernier proved an acrobat at masking such deficiencies, piling up eight wins when he faced more than 40 shots in a game this season. Those theatrics, however, have evolved into expectation in Toronto, an unfair burden that became Reimers to shoulder when Bernier went down with a groin injury last month. The situation may have bubbled over in Detroit on Mar. 18. It was after that game against the Red Wings – a 3-2 loss for the Leafs – that head coach Randy Carlyle described his struggling goaltenders performance as "okay, just okay", comments that ignited a firestorm back home. While he later downplayed the remarks – addressing them with Reimer personally a day later – Carlyles blunt post-game observation seemed to ignore the manner in which Reimer was beat that night – two of the three goals came via the Nyquist breakaway, the third circa the odd-man rush – and thereby singled out the goaltender on a night when he was left alone on far too many occasions. It was the culmination of doubt which has surrounded Reimer upon his landing in Toronto for good in January 2011. "Its a non-issue as far as were concerned," Carlyle said Friday of the since quieted controversy. Reimer hasnt won a start since Jan. 21. Like his teammates, his level will need to rise substantially from where its been for the Leafs to have any hope of spicing up a late season race. For all the follies of those around him during the spiral last month, he could not deliver the one or two timely, game-changing saves needed most nights for success. That will have to change in the days ahead. A restricted free agent and almost certainly playing elsewhere next season, Reimer wondered before Thursdays surprise relief appearance if he had seen his last game as a Leaf. Now comes one final (in all likelihood) opportunity to exit on a positive and perhaps even uplifting note – if he and the Leafs can somehow defy the odds and get into the playoffs. "Honestly right now theres lots of thoughts swirling in your head about a lot of things," he said ahead of a clash with the Jets, "but now its just time to stop the puck. It doesnt really matter what transpires after the season or all that white noise per se. All Im trying to do is just play my best, get those two points (Saturday), and then go on to Florida. Try not to think about other stuff." "Ive had a lot of success in the past and had to carry the load in different scenarios and Ive been successful in that. I feel confident." cheap jerseys .com) - The Chicago Bears have agreed to terms with wide receiver Domenik Hixon on a one-year contract. cheap jerseys from china . - The Seattle Mariners have signed right-handed starter Chris Young to a major league deal for the 2014 season in the hopes of solidifying the back end of the rotation.With just one day until the NHL Trade Deadline, check out the latest trade-related reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. And follow TSN.ca right through Wednesdays 3pm et trade deadline for all the updates. Blue line help for Red Wings? In addition to what he reported in Insider Trading, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun wrote on ESPN.com that the Detroit Red Wings are believed among the teams looking at defenceman Christian Ehrhoff. More than half of Ehrhoffs $40 million contract will be paid out by the end of the season. Where Could He Go? The Vancouver Provinces Ben Kuzma writes that Ryan Kesler wont waive his no-trade clause for the Columbus Blue Jackets and adds that the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings are the front runners for his services. Kuzma speculates that Brayden Schenn or Sean Couturier could address the Canucks needs if Philly is in the mix. Fair Return? While the Ottawa Senators contemplate giving Chris Phillips a two-year contract extension, TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger has been told the Senators are looking a first round draft pick in return for the veteran defenceman. Also, Dreger sayys while there is some interest in Flyers defenceman Kimmo Timonen, it appears he wants to stay in Philadelphia. cheap nfl jerseys. As for fellow blueliner Andrej Meszaros, the asking price is a second round draft pick. Options for Columbus Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch examines some deadline options for the Blue Jackets, which includes adding an experienced defenceman, and a gritty forward. Portzline adds that the team could hold on to Marian Gaborik - up to the trade deadline - to see he will generate a good return. If not, they could keep him for the rest of the season. The column also speculates trading forward Cam Atkinson if they can make an improvement in return. Never Count Out Pittsburgh... Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says says Kesler, defenceman Marek Zidlicky of the New Jersey Devils and Edmontons Ales Hemsky are among the players the Penguins have interest in going into Wednesdays deadline. ...Or Philly For That Matter According to Frank Seravalli of The Philadelphia Daily News, the Flyers have tabled a substantial offer for Kesler and are also interested in Canucks defenceman Alex Edler. ' ' '
