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. cheap jerseys from china . 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." cheap nfl jerseys . New Orleans All-Star forward would have difficulty convincing the Hawks. Davis had 34 points, including 13 in the Pelicans fourth quarter, and New Orleans beat Atlanta 111-105 on Friday night. Cheap Los Angeles Angels Jerseys . Convincing evidence came in the way the Blue Devils kept their focus in a win over Georgia Tech. Jabari Parker had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and No.CHICAGO -- Derrick Roses comeback turned out to be a cameo, and the Chicago Bulls worst nightmare became a reality again. The Bulls hopes about contending for a championship this season took a serious hit. Their long-term plans appear to be up in the air, too. The team said Rose will miss the remainder of the season after having surgery Monday morning in Chicago to repair a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. For the Bulls and their point guard, its an all-too-familiar spot. "I felt for him. He is a great person, first and foremost," coach Tom Thibodeau said before Chicago played at Utah. Rose was injured Friday night at Portland, a huge setback for him and the organization. The 2011 NBA MVP missed all of last season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Chicagos 2012 playoff opener against Philadelphia. He has played in just 50 NBA games -- 49 in the regular season and that lone playoff game -- since the Bulls run to the Eastern Conference finals during his MVP season. The latest injury occurred in the third quarter against the Trail Blazers. He lost his footing while trying to change direction to get back on defence when Nicolas Batum stole a pass from Joakim Noah and started the other way. Rose limped across the court and couldnt put any weight on his knee. After the Blazers scored, he came out of the game during a timeout. It didnt appear there was any contact on the play. Rose was unable to return and was on crutches afterward. With Rose back, the Bulls were expected to challenge LeBron James and the Miami Heat for supremacy in the Eastern Conference and contend for their first championship since the Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen era. Instead, theyre in a familiar spot -- trying to get by without their cornerstone player. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement he was "heartbroken" when he heard about Roses injury. "Everyone at the Bulls knows firsthand how extremely hard Derrick worked to return to the court this year, and I have no doubt he will do the same with regards to his recovery from this injury," Reinsdorf added. "Despite Derricks absence, this is still a good team. I know from last year, this team and coaching staff will continue to make our fans proud." He added that doctors expect Rose to make a full recovery. But the latest injury raises big questions about whether they should continue to build around him as their cornerstone player and how this will impact the rest of the roster. "Its obviously too soon to go down that road," general manager Gar Forman told the teams website. "Derrick had surgery this morning. Look, we are always evaluating our team, just like everyone else does. Cheap Manchester City Jerseys. . "We felt good about this season, but we were hardly perfect. So we always are looking to get better. Everything we do is geared toward winning a championship and we will continue to evaluate any moves that will help us in attaining that goal." Asked if the Bulls can trust Rose after two season-ending knee injuries, Forman said. "We see no reason not to. Thats what the best doctors in the world tell us." Rose had insisted he could regain the form that made him the leagues youngest MVP, that he was coming back as good as ever, but he was off to a shaky start. Rose was averaging 15.9 points and was shooting just over 35 per cent, although he looked a little better in his final two games with 19 points in a loss at Denver and 20 against Portland. The Bulls were built to win this season with Rose. Hes their lone superstar, the only player who can consistently create his own shot, and its hard to envision them hanging with the Heat or Indiana without him. "You feel for him," the Pacers Paul George said. "No matter what our rivalry is or the dislike in teams in being in the same division, you never want to see guys go down. Especially a season-ending injury." Roses injury could send ripples through the roster. Luol Deng has an expiring contract. Do the Bulls try to trade him with the idea that the championship window for this team is shut or risk letting him leave at the end of the season without getting anything in return? Then, theres Carlos Boozer. A candidate to be amnestied, the Bulls might try to trade him. For now, hes their No. 1 scoring option. Without Rose, the Bulls figure to be a middle-of-the-road team. His torn ACL in 2012 sent top-seeded Chicago to a first-round exit against Philadelphia, capping a season in which he was in and out of the lineup due to injuries. Last season, while Roses recovery became a running soap opera, the Bulls clawed their way to 45 wins and the second round of the playoffs even though players kept going down because they were hurt or sick. But several key contributors are gone. The Bulls let Nate Robinson leave because they had Rose coming back, meaning that veteran Kirk Hinrich is now the starter with third-year pro Marquis Teague backing him up. They also decided not to re-sign swingman Marco Belinelli and brought in Mike Dunleavy Jr., instead. "Its tough for everybody," Dunleavy said. "I certainly feel for (Rose). Ironically, one of the reasons I came here is because of the way this team performed under adversity. Now, here we are again in the same boat." wholesale jerseyscheap jerseys ' ' '
