AUFNAHMESPERRE » cks team president, on Friday night

TORONTO – High above the ice, while practice took place on Thursday afternoon in Toronto, stood Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis. He watched his team work through various drills, hash out lingering points of confusion and prepare for the latest biggest game of the year - a Friday clash with the Philadelphia Flyers. Nonis can do nothing, however, to affect the fortunes of his skidding team at this very late stage in the season, one tumbling precariously close to another late-season collapse. "Eight games left," said Phil Kessel, shortly before departure to Philadelphia. "Weve got to win some games and get in the playoffs here." "This is desperation time," Nazem Kadri added. "Were playing for our lives, so weve got to go start acting like it." It was exactly two years ago that the 18-wheeler of 2012 officially crashed for good. Losing for a stunning 19th time in 24 games against the Carolina Hurricanes on a late March night, the Leafs were eliminated from the postseason, the culmination of an epic unraveling that would cost Ron Wilson his job. Can they avoid a similar and yet perhaps more stinging fate this time around? The thought would have been almost unthinkable only two weeks earlier, but with six straight losses - all in regulation - and not a single point gained, the Leafs are indeed facing that reality. With a blink or two of the eye, theyve been passed by seven teams, now trailing the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets for the final two wild card positions, and are in danger of fumbling away a second-straight trip to the postseason. Aspirations of capturing second spot in the Atlantic Division and home-ice advantage in the first round have been replaced by simply making it outright. The shift has been stunning. "I know right now it seems like were at a low point, but we will come through it," said captain Dion Phaneuf, speaking after a near 90-minute practice in Toronto, his performance and subsequent absence afterward a point of much consternation just a couple days earlier. "Im not going to stand here and say that weve played well. We havent. We havent won games, but theres been stretches that weve done some good things, we just havent found a way to win a game and were going to have to do that Friday." The pressure to do so has never been higher. At some point, the pit of despair becomes just too deep to dig out of, the snowball too large to stop from rolling. That was the case for the club in 2012. Four straight early February losses rapidly morphed into nine of 10, a souring fan-base and the sudden dismissal of Wilson. Things would get no better in the early days of Carlyles tenure with 10 more losses in the next 14 games, including the aforementioned knockout blow on March 27. "Theres pressure in any situation like this," said Kessel, "[but] weve just got to bounce back. If we can get a couple wins here, it would be positive for our group. Weve just got to keep going then." Fear of it all slipping away has seemingly seeped in. Head coach Randy Carlyle observed "tenseness" in the early stages of Tuesdays loss to St. Louis, pushing his club to be more assertive against Philadelphia, currently third in the Metropolitan Division - three points ahead of Toronto. "If youre going to stand there and youre in a street fight and youre not going to move, youre going to allow somebody to swing away, youre going to get hit," said Carlyle. "But if you move and try to avoid the hit and do what you do youre not going to get hit as many times, simple as that." Starts have become the most obvious foe to success during the two-week slide, early and often deep deficits too much to overcome. "So we have to move ourselves," said Carlyle. "We have to move our feet, we have to continue to move the puck effectively, we have to skate … Those are the things that we have to correct and we have to correct it for [Friday] night." "Were starting the games terrible," Kessel said. "Were getting down a couple goals. Theyre out-playing us the first half of the game and then all of a sudden we wake up and we come [back] and its just too late." The same could be said of their playoff fortunes. A collapse under these circumstances might pale in comparison to 2012, given their comfortable state with just weeks to go - they were up three points on the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning as recently as two weeks ago, now trailing both by a wide margin - and the heightened expectations of a club seemingly on the rise. Its a sting they wont want to experience again. "It snowballed on us," Phaneuf said after that season-sealing loss to Carolina two years ago. "We lost a lot of tight games and we just could not recover or find a way out of it as a group." Will they this time around time around? The answer will come soon enough. Kendall Fuller Jersey . His head snapped back from the impact and hit the floor. The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Demarcus Robinson Chiefs Jersey . All of 46 seconds into the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 victory over Alex Ovechkins struggling Washington Capitals, Crosby assisted on Chris Kunitzs goal. http://www.chiefsauthenticofficialstore....nne-jersey.html. Kerr said he had dinner with Jackson, his former coach with Chicago and the new Knicks team president, on Friday night and they talked again Saturday. Kerr is in New York to work the game between the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors for TNT. Chad Henne Chiefs Jersey Dorian ODaniel Chiefs Jersey . The New York Rangers centre had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators ending a 13-game goal-scoring drought.ATHENS, Ga. -- Sony Michel ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns to highlight a big day for freshmen in No. 13 Georgias 66-0 win over Troy on Saturday. Michel, playing behind Todd Gurley, had a 75-yard gain to set up his second touchdown. Among other standout freshmen for Georgia (2-1) were receiver Isaiah McKenzie, who scored on a 52-yard punt return, and Bryce Ramsey, who threw his first career touchdown pass. Dontreal Pruitt started at quarterback for Troy (0-4) as Brandon Silvers was held out after leaving last weeks loss to Abilene Christian with a concussion. The Trojans last 0-4 start was in 1982. The Bulldogs posted their highest scoring game since a 70-6 win over Northeast Louisiana in 1994 and their most lopsided victory since beating The Citadel 76-0 in 1958. Troy finished with only 216 yards, including 68 on its first possession. The Trojans held the ball for 12 plays on the opening drive, but it ended when Ryan Kay was wide right on a 26-yard field goal attempt. Pruitt completed 16 of 27 passes for 158 yards with an interception. Georgia freshman tailback Nick Chubb had four carries for 10 yards less than a week after surgery on his broken left thumb. He wore a big cast on the hand. Keeith Marshall, whose 2013 season ended with right knee surgery, left the game after taking a hit to the same knee late in the third quarter.dddddddddddd Gurley was pulled quickly as the Bulldogs built a big early lead. He carried the ball on Georgias first four plays, including a 48-yard run, and finished with 73 yards on only six carries. Georgia led 45-0 at halftime. The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 52-0 on Hutson Masons 10-yard touchdown pass to Michael Bennett, who also had a 6-yard scoring catch from Ramsey. Mason completed 8 of 11 passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Georgias third quarterback, Faton Bauta, had scoring runs of 7 and 1 yards in the fourth quarter. Troy quarterbacks had a streak of 176 consecutive passes without an interception end in the third quarter. Troys hopes for its first points ended when Georgia freshman safety Tramel Terry intercepted a pass from Pruitt in the end zone. Georgia lost two safeties early in the game. J.J. Green was ejected after drawing a targeting penalty on his helmet-to-helmet hit on receiver Chandler Worthy on the third play. Quincy Mauger was escorted to the locker room with an apparent right shoulder injury later in the same drive. 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