ANAHEIM, Calif. Patrick Marleau Sharks Jersey . -- For a team that once appeared almost invincible at home -- and dominated the NHL for two full months -- the Anaheim Ducks suddenly have slipped into mediocrity. By contrast, the Columbus Blue Jackets have become one of the leagues hottest teams. Sergei Bobrovsky made 34 saves, Nick Foligno scored twice in the third period and the inspired Blue Jackets also got goals from Ryan Johansen and R.J. Umberger in a 4-2 victory over the Ducks on Monday night. "We are really playing to our identity right now," Umberger said. "We are working hard. We are a gritty team. We let our forecheck do the work for us. We dont score too many pretty goals. Were just kind of a team that grinds it out. We got rewarded with some rebounds and some deflections tonight. And we get big saves from Bob when we need them." The Blue Jackets are 11-0-3 since Jan. 6, a stretch that began with a franchise-record, eight-game winning streak. Bobrovsky, last seasons Vezina Trophy winner, is 10-2-0 with a 2.17 goals-against average in his last 12 starts after missing 14 games because of a groin strain. "Theyre playing good hockey," Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. "I mean, if you watch the game tape, every time they touch the puck in their zone they chip it out and they go skate onto it. That was a solid road game they played. Right now were playing teams that are fighting for that last playoff spot, and those are things weve got to notice and take into account." Getzlaf and Mathieu Perreault scored for Anaheim. Frederik Andersen stopped 29 shots. The Ducks, who started 22-0-2 on home ice and enjoyed a comfortable lead atop the overall standings about two weeks ago, are 4-5-0 since Jan. 15 and have lost three of four on their five-game homestand. But they still lead Chicago by three points for the leagues best total with two games left before the Olympic break. "If we were a .500 hockey club, this would be the norm. But its not," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "It all boils down to will and want, and they wanted it a lot more than us. You could see it on the loose pucks. They were getting them and we werent. And anytime there was a 1-on-1 confrontation, I didnt see us winning the battles. Thats a pure indicator, to me, that we didnt have a sense of urgency." The Ducks host the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks on Wednesday night, less than three weeks after Chicago ended Anaheims phenomenal 18-1 surge with a 4-2 win at United Center. "Its never good to see Chicago because theyre a great team, but its probably great that Chicagos coming in," Boudreau said. "Thats maybe what we need, because if we dont play up to our best level against a team like that, then were going to get our butts kicked." Bobrovskys best save came at 5:25 of the second period, when he flicked out his right leg at the last instant to thwart Andrew Cogliano at the end of a 2-on-1 rush with Corey Perry. The Ducks got on the board at 5:45 of the third when Perreault converted a centring pass from Patrick Maroon at the edge of the crease to trim Columbus lead to 2-1. "We havent had a lot of emotion lately. Were just going through the motions," Perreault said. "Weve been winning so much that we kind of got into a lull right now. We have to find a way to get out of it." Foligno got that goal back with 11:12 remaining, popping the puck over Andersens shoulder after the Ducks goalie stopped Umbergers wide-angle shot from the right corner. The other assist went to Artem Anisimov. Foligno added his 15th goal with 6:53 to play, converting a rebound with 17 seconds left on a 5-on-3 advantage after Saku Koivu and defenceman Hampus Lindholm were sent off simultaneously for high-sticking and cross-checking. Johansen won all six faceoffs he took in the first period and opened the scoring at the 11:10 mark with his team-high 23rd goal, sending a one-timer between Perrys legs and over Andersens glove from 25 feet out after Nathan Horton set him up in the left circle. "Its frustrating, as far as the start of the game. We werent ready to play," Getzlaf said. "They came out and played hard and did their thing. Their goaltender played well early, and we just didnt respond. We kind of showed 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there, but we didnt play a complete game. Were not focused. Were not playing the way we can and doing the things we do well." Umberger made it 2-0 at 16:43 of the second with his 15th of the season, after Ducks defenceman Bryan Allen was sent off for tripping him. Former Anaheim defenceman James Wisniewski got the puck at the top of the left circle from Mark Letestu and took a slap shot that ricocheted into the net off Umbergers right skate. NOTES: Andersen came in 7-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average at home. ... Anaheim is 4 for 26 on the power play since scoring six times in 11 opportunities against Vancouver on Jan. 15. ... D Sami Vatanen played his first game with the Ducks since Jan. 17. He spent the past 1 1/2 weeks with Norfolk of the AHL, but was recalled Monday when D Mark Fistric was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Antti Niemi Jersey . During the morning loop on TSN, SportsCentre presents Purple Hearts, a TSN Original feature on Daron Richardson, daughter of former NHL defenceman Luke Richardson, who took her own life at the age of 14. Antti Niemi Authentic Jersey . Bradley Johnson headed Norwich in front early in the second half before captain Sebastien Bassong was adjudged to have fouled substitute John Guidetti inside the penalty box.TORONTO - As rumours surrounding the future of Kyle Lowry - this summers biggest free-agent prize at his position - begin to swirl, the most reasonable question that comes to mind is, what took so long? The Raptors breakout point guard has been the subject of recent speculation, originating at ESPN, connecting him to the four-time defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat. The parties are said to have "mutual interest". Often, where theres smoke theres fire, but thats not always the case in the NBA, especially not at this time of the year. Smoke, in this case, comes with the territory. Fresh off a career season, leading the Raptors to an unexpected division title, Lowry is poised to become a coveted commodity in unrestricted free agency when he officially hits the open market on July 1. If the Heat are the first team to come knocking, they assuredly wont be the last. Why wouldnt Miami be interested in Lowrys services? The Heat are less than a week removed from a disheartening trip to the NBA Finals, where they looked vastly inferior to the San Antonio Spurs in a five-game elimination. Their current point guard, Mario Chalmers - also a soon-to-be free agent - was notably ineffective en route to losing his starting job late in the series. And Lowry? Why wouldnt he want to play in South Beach? Under the right circumstances, accompanied by a suitable contract, you would be hard-pressed to find someone unwilling to play in one of the leagues most desirable destinations with LeBron James, the best basketball player on the planet. Therein lies the caveat, and its a big one; money. The Heat, under their current construction, can only offer so much of it. Firstly, in order for Miami to put together a passable offer to Lowry or any other prominent free agent, James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would need to opt out of their contracts - owing them each more than $20 million over the next two season - to renegotiate smaller deals. Udonis Haslem would likely have to do the same. Lowry, underpaid for most of his eight-year career, has been one of the leagues bargain players, earning just over $6 million last season. At best, Miami - or any other capped out team - may be able to offer something in that neighbourhood. From a Raptors perspective, nothing has changed since Masai Ujiri addressed the point guards future six weeks ago, making Lowry the teams top offseason priority. "Its very important for us, in terms of continuity," said the Raptors general manager that afternoon, asked abbout the likelihood of re-signing Lowry. Joe Thornton Authentic Jersey. "For me, negotiating is easy if we want Kyle to be here and Kyle wants to be here." "I think well be fair with Kyle and well figure it out and I think its important. So well go through that process but were optimistic stuff will happen." They remain confident to this day and much of that stems from the fact that they can offer Lowry more than any other team, while also providing him the platform to lead a winning team with a cast that hes comfortable with. The 28-year-old is staring down his first super-sized NBA contract and in a league where so much can change in three-to-four years, there are no guarantees that another one will follow. Certainly, if hes willing to sacrifice in exchange for a better chance at competing for a championship hell have that opportunity but for a player entering his prime, one with a young family to support, it would be surprising to see him leave that much money on the table. With the Raptors he could double the size of his most recent contract, a four-year $23 million deal signed back in 2010. As you might expect, Lowry and his representatives will test the market, see whats out there and leverage the interest hes sure to get from other teams. As he wisely pointed out during a midseason wave of rumours following the trade of his best friend Rudy Gay, its a business. The Raptors will also have a big decision to make, holding the 20th pick in next weeks draft, five days before teams are able to sit down and meet with their free agent point guard. Would they select a lead guard as insurance? "I think the biggest thing is to not make draft decisions based on that, on your current roster and your current situations," Dan Tolzman, the Raptors director of scouting, said last week. "You keep it in the back of your head and youll take it into account when youre drafting players but if the most talented guy or the highest guy on your list happens to be a position that your loaded up with you can work stuff out later." "So I dont think you really approach the draft like, okay we need a point guard because we dont know what the situation is. But at the same time if the best player on the board is a point guard, well figure it out." And so it begins. For four months, primarily in the next two, the game shifts from the court to the boardroom, podium and social media sphere. The sound of sneakers squeaking and whistles whistling are replaced by rumours, bravado and conjecture. Buckle up. cheap jerseys from chinacheap jerseys ' ' '
