TORONTO, Ontario - The Leafs wont restart their schedule until Thursday against the New York Islanders but for Randy Carlyle, the Olympic break is now nothing but a distant memory. Greg Little Raiders Jersey . As far as hes concerned, its time to get back to business. "We were playing at a pretty high level and now were expecting to take the next step," said the Leafs head coach after the teams annual outdoor practice on Friday at Greenwood Park in front of several hundred fans. "Were going to have to play to a higher level to have success here in the last 22 games." That message of aspiring to a higher level of play is one that Carlyle has continually preached throughout the season, whether the team was going through a rough stretch as they did in mid-December and early January or experiencing success as they did heading into the Olympic break. Posting an 11-2-1 record in the fourteen games that preceded the break built the Leafs a seven-point cushion on the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals for the final playoff spot but with the Jackets holding two games in hand and the Senators and Capitals each holding one, that gap could shrink quickly if they trip up out of the gate. "It was a time to recharge the batteries but for us its about now getting our team ready for Thursday," said Carlyle. "Thats the most important thing on our plate is to make sure our hockey club picks up where it left off." Given how well the team played heading into the break, that wont be an easy task for several reasons. Firstly, a 14-game stretch that saw them win 11 times (78 per cent of their games) is likely an unsustainable pace. Seventeen wins in their final 22 games is a lot to ask. The key will be to make sure they dont experience too significant a drop off. Secondly, the schedule wont be a cake walk. The Leafs will play 22 games in 45 nights, 13 of them on the road. 14 of those games will be against teams currently in playoff positions. The real test will come on a five-game road trip March 10-18 when they head out west to face the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings before making stops in Washington and Detroit. Additionally, Toronto will face four more sets of games on back-to-back nights. Safe to say, the time for rest has come and gone. "The Olympic break for us, we feel good coming back," said Dion Phaneuf. "We feel rested, we feel rejuvenated and I think its beneficial for everyone to have that." The positive aspect of the break is that with David Bolland nearing a return and so long as James Van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel get through the bronze medal game at the Olympics injury-free, the Leafs should be able to ice their optimal lineup for the first time this season. Believe it or not, due to suspensions and injuries, Bolland, Tyler Bozak, David Clarkson and Joffrey Lupul have yet to all be dressed in the same game. Forwardsvan Riemsdyk - Bozak - KesselLupul - Kadri - ClarksonRaymond - Bolland - KuleminAshton - McClement - BodieExtras: McLaren, Orr DefenceGunnarsson - PhaneufGardiner - FransonGleason - RiellyExtra: Ranger Goaltenders: Bernier and Reimer "I expect the hockey down the stretch to be very good," predicted Phaneuf. "The pace is going to increase like it always does going down the stretch run but I think the break really helps us as players." Menelik Watson Raiders Jersey . -- Josh Smith saved his only 3-pointers for when the Detroit Pistons needed them most. Antonio Smith Jersey . Louis Cardinals 5-3 on Friday night and tightened the top of the NL Central. The Reds moved within three games of the second-place Cardinals, who have won seven of their last nine games while staying right behind the division-leading Brewers.LAS VEGAS -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. is enough of a businessman to know his latest fight would be a tough sell, especially after setting records with Canelo Alvarez his last time out. But sell he must, even though oddsmakers and nearly everyone else give Marcos Maidana little chance in their welterweight title fight Saturday night. A full house is already guaranteed at the MGM Grand hotel arena, but Mayweather needs people at home to pay $64.95 for the fight if he is going to recoup his guaranteed $32 million purse. So Mayweather hinted this week that this might be his last fight, though few in boxing believe that. He also said he planned to stand in front of Maidana and trade punches with the hard-hitting Argentine, though his history in the ring suggests he wont. Oh, and he wants to score a knockout, something hes done only once in the last seven years. "I want to look impressive," Mayweather said. "I want to put on a good show. We dont expect this fight to go the distance." Mayweather returns to the ring for the first time since dominating Alvarez in boxings richest bout, taking on Maidana in a fight that even Mayweather seems to have trouble expressing much enthusiasm about. Hes a bigger, much more skilled fighter than the Argentine, just part of the reason oddsmakers make him a 11-1 pick to remain undefeated in the 46th fight of a pro career that has made him the richest fighter ever. Still, Mayweather (45-0, 26 knockouts) says he has to be wary of the power Maidana brings into the ring. "Hes got an 80 per cent knockout ratio so I cant go to sleep on this guy," he said. "But guys cant go to the mental level Im at. I can beat them many ways." The fight is part of a pay-per-view card that features former champion Amir Khan moving up to welterweight to fight another former champion in Luis Collazo. Khan had campaigned to be Mayweathers opponent and won an online poll set up by Mayweather, who ended up picking Maidana instead. If Khan is impressive, though, and Mayweatther wins as expected, the two could meet later this year. Khalif Barnes Jersey. "I would have loved to fight Floyd Mayweather, but I believe its really for the best," Khan said. "It gives me a chance to get to 147 and feel my way." Maidana (35-3, 31 knockouts) earned the fight with a strong showing in his last bout, twice knocking down Adrien Broner on his way to a decision win in December. Though Maidana hits hard, he will be up against a fighter who is such a defensive wizard that he rarely gets hit with more than one punch in any exchange. "Its very difficult to land a punch against Mayweather," Maidana said. "But when I land a punch Im going to hit him and not let him go. I will go after him." Mayweather, who weighed in Friday at 146 pounds to 146 1/2 for Maidana, said he welcomes the challenge after easily beating Alvarez last September in a fight that was supposed to be his toughest test. "If he brings his best maybe he will be the first guy that actually makes me dig in my bag of tricks and pull out my A game," Mayweather said. "Hopefully he will make me bring out my A game because my whole career all I had to use was a D and C game to beat every guy." If the Alvarez fight showed anything other than Mayweathers talent for making money -- and tons of it -- it was that a conventional fighter stands little chance against him. Hes been dodging punches since before he could walk, and hes a wizard at exploiting whatever weakness he finds in the fighter in front of him. "I can feel when a guys gonna punch. I can feel it," Mayweather said. "I dont even have to see it; I can feel it. You know, this is just with experience and being around the sport so long." Maidana says he can become the first to beat Mayweather because he will be the first to treat him just like any other fighter in the ring. "Other fighters they show respect, they show fear," he said. "Thats one thing I wont show against Mayweather." cheap nfl jerseyscheap jerseys ' ' '
