ANAHEIM – It will be their longest and most arduous road trip of the season. wholesale nfl jerseys . Five games in 10 days for the Toronto Maple Leafs with stops in some of the NHLs most unforgiving terrain. Theres the impending swing through the treacherous California triangle followed by clashes with playoff chasers in Washington and Detroit. Just a hair up on the Lightning for third spot in the Atlantic division, points will be harder to come by in the days ahead for a Toronto squad thats lost just three times in regulation in the past 19 games. “Its a good measuring stick for us,” said Joffrey Lupul, securing his teams 13th win since Jan. 12 with the overtime winner against Philadelphia over the weekend. Two times a Duck himself, Lupul and the Leafs will start their grueling sprint through the California triangle with a Monday date in Anaheim. Almost unbeatable at home – they went 22 games before losing their first game in regulation at the Honda Center – only the Blues have been better this season than the league-best Ducks, who square off with Randy Carlyle, their former bench boss, for the first time since his dismissal in Dec. 2011. From SoCal to NorCal, the Leafs get right back at it a day later in San Jose. Just a smidge behind the Ducks, Blackhawks and Blues for tops in the West, the Sharks – like the Ducks – are dominant at home. Theyve lost just four times in regulation at the SAP Center and are amongst the top defensive teams in the league this season. Following that hearty challenge the Leafs will conclude their stay in Cali opposite a stingy Kings team thats won seven straight and gives up fewer goals than any other team. Itll be the first visit to Staples Center for Jonathan Bernier since he was dealt to Toronto last summer. The Leafs have already faced each of these clubs once this season, managing a single victory over the Ducks at the ACC in late October. They lost to both the Sharks and Kings at home in December, currently 12-8-2 opposite Western opponents this year. It was in December that they endured a similar three-game test; one that saw them dealt the Kings, Blues and Blackhawks in a four-day stretch. Beaten by L.A. and St. Louis on a hellacious back-to-back, the Leafs managed to stun the defending champions at home on a Saturday night. Theyll need to raise their game to a similar level to survive Californias best. “Weve got to understand that theres a certain style of game that we have to play when we get out on the road,” said Carlyle. “We have to skate. Were a skating hockey club.” Winners in 11 of 14 before the Olympic break, Toronto has been a different team in the days after. Theyve lacked the same zip and have fumbled away third period leads in four of the five games – twice against the Flyers – splitting the difference with a pair of wins and pair of losses in overtime. Whether they get lost or not in the California triangle, the Leafs will continue their season-long road swing with a Sunday stop in D.C. against Alex Ovechkin before ending the trip once and for all at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday. The Capitals and Wings sit just outside of a playoff spot currently, chasing the likes of Toronto for entry. Though in good standing at the moment for their second straight postseason berth with 17 games to play the Leafs have an opportunity to assert their worth against some of the leagues elite while pushing Montreal for second spot in the division. “Five big games coming up here,” said Troy Bodie. “We need some points out there. Theres not many left to be had.” cheap nfl jerseys . LOUIS -- Walking Billy Hamilton to start the ninth inning was a bad sign for Trevor Rosenthal. jerseys from china . 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.NEW YORK -- John Wall had the swipe, then the swat. Add 21 points to Walls two big defensive plays on Deron Williams down the stretch, and the Washington Wizards won the point guard matchup -- and the game. The Wizards completed a New York sweep on Wednesday night, beating the Brooklyn Nets 113-107. Nene added 17 points in his return from injury for the Wizards, who had lost four in a row before beating the Knicks on Monday. "Coming on this trip to New York and over the bridge to Brooklyn, its huge," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "Its huge." Trevor Ariza and Bradley Beal each finished with 15 points for the Wizards, who got healthier during their stay in the Big Apple. Beal returned Monday after missing nine games with a stress injury to his right fibula and scored 21 points, and Nene was back Wednesday with 6-of-10 shooting off the bench after missing four games with right foot tendinitis. Paul Pierce had a season-high 27 points for the Nets, and Brook Lopez added 22 after missing two games with a sprained left ankle. Joe Johnson finished with 20. Pierce, who has been coming off the bench since returning from a broken right hand, made his first seven shots and finished 10 of 12. The Nets shot 53 per cent from the field, but the Wizards put seven players in double figures, made 12 3-pointers and outrebounded Brooklyn 51-31. "Its easy to sit here and talk to you guys about what kind of night I had, but bottom line, I really dont care. We lost the game. Thats pretty much all that matters," Pierce said. "We come out here and try to win as a team. Its not about how good Paul Pierce is scoring. Tonight we had the inability to rebound, we didnt defend the 3 and it cost us the game. Thats all that Im worried about right now." The Nets were chipping away at a 12-point deficit when Wall stopped their momentum with under 5 minutes left when he swiped the ball from Williams and went in alone for a layup to make it 99-93. Williams brought the Nets to 101-100 with a jumper, but Marcin Gortat tipped in a miss before Beals 3-pointer made it 106-100 with 1:08 to play. jerseys cheap nfl. "We just stayed calm. We weathered the storm," Wall said. "We didnt get down even when they cut it to one. Came back down and made a big play." Nene then hit two free throws on Kevin Garnetts sixth foul for an eight-point advantage, but Williams scored four straight points. He was attacking the basket again after Martell Websters free throw gave Washington a 109-104 edge, but Wall blocked the shot, Webster made two free throws and the Wizards held on. "I just knew D-Wills been playing very well since he came back from his ankle injury and I know he can definitely shoot the ball from deep," Wall said. "He attacks the basket. Hes a very tough guard. I just wanted to be physical with him and try to disrupt his rhythm." Webster finished with 13 points and Gortat had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Wizards made seven of their first nine 3-point attempts and built a quick 11-point lead, but the Nets trailed only 30-28 after one. Washington went back up by 10 late in the half, but the Nets got the final four points to make it 59-53. Brooklyn shot 56 per cent in the first half, but Washington made up for that by going 9 of 12 from behind the arc. Williams had 15 points and 13 assists but shot just 5 of 13 from the field. Trevor Booker grabbed 13 rebounds for Washington, including nine on the offensive end. The Wizards had 19 offensive boards to five for Brooklyn. "That was it. Rebounding," Williams said. "Its been a couple of games that weve lost because of offensive rebounds. Its not just the bigs, its the guards. They shot a lot of 3s, a lot of long rebounds. So its on us, too, to get in there and rebound." NOTES: The Nets had a three-game home winning streak snapped. ... Wizards G Glen Rice had surgery in New York on a broken right wrist and will be sidelined three to six weeks. cheap nfl jerseyscheap jerseys ' ' '
