PHILADELPHIA – Like the rest of his teammates, Carl Gunnarsson was doing what he could to remain positive after yet another loss, the seventh straight for the sinking Leafs, but it wasnt easy. cheap jerseys from china . The 27-year-old wants to believe that a turnaround is still possible, that his team can salvage the season, dig out from a deepening slide and claim a second straight playoff berth. But as time ticks down and the results continue to linger in the wrong direction, that belief is tested. "Its a struggle," he said in a near-empty visitors dressing room at Wells Fargo Center. "Ill tell you that. We thought we had something going here tonight." Whatever fight they mustered in a 4-2 loss to the Flyers didt matter by the time the night was through. It was just another empty loss, another opportunity to regain ground for not. "Overall, I didnt think that we had that bad of a night," said coach Randy Carlyle afterward, but we were on the wrong side of the score and thats what counts the most." Never more evident than at this late stage in the season, the difference between winning and losing remained painfully thin. And for the Leafs it was just enough for defeat. Two power-play goals against, a few too many odd-man rushes, a bad break or two and a key mistake at the wrong time. Claude Giroux was the benefactor of one such mistake that sealed defeat for the visitors. The Flyers captain picked off former teammate James van Riemsdyks neutral ice pass attempt - the puck ricocheted off the skate of Scott Hartnell - and zipped a bullet beyond the glove of Jonathan Bernier. "Right now every big scoring chance they get, I think it feels like its going in," said Bernier afterward. "When its not going your way, thats usually what happens." "I thought we played pretty good," he continued. "A few mistakes that end up being goals. From the last game, obviously, I think we played a lot better." But like their harrowing loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, one that saw them manhandled for half the game by the top team in the West, Fridays defeat in Philly counted all the same. It was just another loss at a critical point in the season. "We worked hard," Carlyle said. "Did we work smart enough in some areas? No." Any chance the Leafs have at resuscitation starts Saturday night in a massive showdown with the Detroit Red Wings. A victory reignites whatever belief and hope still lingers. They may have no hope of catching either the Montreal Canadiens or Tampa Bay Lightning, but sitting on near-equal ground with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Red Wings and Washington Capitals - all have 80 points, but with games in hand - a wild card position is still in play. "Obviously, this one, its going to be a tough one to swallow," Bernier said. "But, at the same time, we cant feel sorry for ourselves. [Saturday] is a big game and we all know that." Five Points 1. Carlyles Approach Carlyle has tried to push a few different buttons in midst of his teams recent slide. "Some days, it is a little bit more harsh. Some days, its a pat in the back. Some days its a hug," Carlyle said on Friday morning. "Whatever it is, whatever you feel is necessary. Nobody in life feels like coming to work and being ground into the dirt everyday and thats part of the process. Youve got to pick and choose when to apply pressure and when not to." As to his preferred approach of late, Carlyle said, "Its been more reality of the situation. Just showing and trying to get an understanding that were not that far away. But there are some areas that need to be addressed. Thats as simple as I can put it. Our compete level has to go up. We havent won enough one-on-one battles. Weve given up too many odd-man rushes and breakaways. Weve got to play better on the defensive side of the game." 2. Penalty Kill The Flyers scored twice on the power play, marking the 12th time this season that the Leaf penalty kill has given up two goals in a game this season. Vincent Lecavalier fired a laser for the first of two, a five-on-three goal that was not without some controversy. Jay McClement, taking the draw as Torontos lone forward, was thrown out of the face-off circle, charged with knocking the puck from the hand of linesman Michel Cormier. Dion Phaneuf promptly stepped in and lost the first (and likely last) face-off of his career, Lecavalier blowing the one-timer by Bernier just three seconds later. "Thats not something that you want to happen," McClement said of the face-off incident. "I dont think [Cormier] wanted to do it either. But he explained to me that its black and white when I knocked it out of his hand." Scott Hartnell would add the second power-play marker, redirecting a Kimmo Timonen point shot just beyond the grasp of Bernier. The Toronto penalty kill remains third-worst in the NHL this season. 3. Bollands Comeback Dave Bolland scored for the third time this season in Philadelphia and the first time since his left ankle was sliced by the skate of Zack Kassian on November 2. The 27-year-old hasnt played more than 13 minutes since he returned from the injury and he was kept right in that region against the Flyers. "I just see that in some of the situations, hes struggled with the mobility," Carlyle said of Bolland before the 4-2 loss. "Its not sore, [but] it just doesnt have the strength there. Wre going to try to find a way to get him some more minutes. We know what kind of player he is." 4. The 18-Wheeler Luke Schenn was there in 2012 when the Leafs collapsed and knows all too well how quickly the pressure rises in Toronto. "Lose a couple in a row and everything magnifies that much more," he said. "You lose three in a row and people tend to get on you a little bit. All the fans and the media think that everythings falling apart. Thats just the way it is over there. "Its obviously a tough market to play in when things arent going the way you want them to, but its a great market when things are going well. Theres always adversity in Toronto. Its never going to change. Im sure those guys are going to get through it." Reflecting back to the infamous 18-wheeler skid two years earlier, Schenn couldnt put his finger on just what wrong. "There is no exact reason why. Its probably a combination of different things. Id have to go back and look. Obviously, youre probably getting off to some tough starts in games. Special teams probably werent as good as they need to be. At the end of the day - when I was there - it probably just came down to being outcompeted some nights. Obviously, you lose a couple in a row, confidence isnt always there. Thats just the way it goes. Youve got to find ways to get out of it." 5. Gardiner Offence Just ahead of a clash with the Flyers three weeks ago, Jake Gardiner revealed his disappointment with the offence hed put together to that point. "I dont think my point production has been that great this year,"he said. "Id like to improve on that." The 23-year-old scored a goal the next night in a 4-3 overtime win, rounding up nine points in the past 11 games, including a helper on Bollands seventh goal this season. "Ive tried to jump in the play a lot more and be an offensive threat from the blue line," he explained of his recent surge prior to the game. Gardiner has 26 points on the year. Stats-Pack 1-8-0 – Leafs record in the past nine games. 9 – Points in the last 11 games for Jake Gardiner. 3 – Goals by Dave Bolland in Philadelphia this season. 24:31 – Ice-time for James van Riemsdyk opposite his former team Friday, tied for the team-lead. 15 – Consecutive games without a point for David Clarkson, who has just 10 this season. 8 – Number of times the Leafs have allowed the first goal in the past nine games.4 – Seconds elapsed in the second period before van Riemsdyk scored the first Leafs goal. It was the fastest goal to start a period for the team this season. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-4Season: 20.6% (4th) PK: 2-4Season: 78.1% (28th) Quote of the Night "Overall, I didnt think that we had that bad of a night, but we were on the wrong side of the score and thats what counts the most." -Randy Carlyle, following a seventh straight loss in Philadelphia. Up Next The Leafs return home to host to the Red Wings on Saturday night. nfl jerseys china . The GWAA takes into account more than just a players performance on the PGA Tour. Scott won four times around the world, none bigger than his playoff victory at Augusta National to become the first Australian in a green jacket. cheap nfl jerseys . PAUL, Minn.WINNIPEG -- The experiment is only a couple of games old, but new Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice says hes leaving Dustin Byfuglien at forward for now. "Im going to leave him there until I . . . see something that I need to change," he said Tuesday. "That may be next week, that may be next month, that may be never. But Im not making a decision until I need to." Maurice was impressed with how Byfuglien played in Winnipegs 5-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday night. "I think I have a pretty good handle on what hes capable of doing and I think you saw that," the coach said after a short but intense practice. Byfuglien had two assists versus Phoenix and remains the third highest-scoring defenceman in the league with 37 points. He still jumps back in on the point on power plays although at even strength he plays forward. "Sometimes its a little tough to stay on the point but its good I get out there a little more," Byfuglien says. "Im more comfortable on D so its a lot easier to go back there and just feel comfortable and know that Im doing a lot better." Although he played forward with the Chicago Blackhawks, Byfuglien says he still doesnt feel all that comfortable in the role with the Jets. "Definitely not. It will take a few weeks for that one." Maurice was pleased overall with the energy level the team showed Tuesday and says there may be too much focus on Byfuglien, in particular if he makes a mistake when many other players in a similar position go unnoticed. "We are a far better hockey team with Dustin Byfuglien at forward or at D playing close to his abilities," Maurice said. "Thats my goal. . . At the end of the day, if Ive got a guy I feel can play at the back end and up front, then thats (a) best-case scenario." Maurice replaced Claude Noel, fired on the weekend as thhe Jets floundered and lost five in a row. cheap jerseys. Noel left the new coach a note that Maurice said he didnt get a chance to read immediately. But after reading it Monday, he had nothing but praise for his predecessor. "The point was there are very special people here, its a great town, he made that point, great organization and great players. When you get fired, youre dealing with a lot of tough emotions. For him to take time, that just shows how much he cares and the quality of man that he is. . . "He grew to love the team and the town and he was a good coach." He said he wants to thank Noel for the good work that he did with the team that might have gone unappreciated with his firing. "And Im speaking from experience." Maurice was fired by the Carolina Hurricanes (twice) and the Toronto Maples Leafs. After the win the players were a lot more upbeat than they have been for weeks, although they know it was just one game. "It was good to get back on track but this is a process so we need to bring that same level of energy every night," said forward Blake Wheeler, who enjoyed hearing cheers instead of jeers from fans. "Its been tough. We know when we deserve to get booed off the ice. We know when we deserve to get cheered on." The word "playoffs" even re-entered the Jets vocabulary, although at 20-23-5 theyre still tied on points for last place in the Central Division with the Nashville Predators. "Our goal at the start of the year was to make the playoffs and youre never out of it until youre out of it," said rookie forward Mark Scheifele, the teams No. 1 draft pick in 2011 who has seven goals and 24 points so far this season and sits fifth among rookie scorers in the NHL. "Theres still a lot of games left. All we have to do is make a good push and play as a team." wholesale jerseys ' ' '
