the Whitecaps ultimately

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(SportsNetwork.com) - The struggling Toronto Maple Leafs hope to get back on track Wednesday when they try to continue their recent success against the rival Boston Bruins. Toronto has lost five of its last six games on the heels of a season-high six- game winning streak from earlier this month. The recent rough patch includes a 1-3-0 record on a seven-game road trip that continues tonight at TD Garden. Wednesdays clash marks the third of four regular-season meetings between these Atlantic Division rivals. The last time the Bruins and Maple Leafs met was on Nov. 12 when Toronto recorded a 6-1 blowout victory at Air Canada Centre behind a two-goal performance from ex-Boston winger Phil Kessel. That lopsided win marked Torontos third victory in the past four meetings with the Bruins, but that success hasnt translated to the road. The Leafs did earn a win their last time in Beantown, notching a 4-3 decision on Jan. 14 of last season, halting a six-game slide at TD Garden. Boston is 12-2-1 in its last 15 home meetings against the Leafs and owns a 12-6-2 record at TD Garden this season. The Bruins picked up their third straight victory as the host on Monday, downing the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 in the opener of a three-game homestand. Carl Soderberg posted a goal and an assist to help Boston rebound from Saturdays 6-2 loss in Columbus, and Tuukka Rask made 28 saves for the win. Reilly Smith, Gregory Campbell, Seth Griffith and Chris Kelly also scored for the Bruins, who beat the Red Wings without the services of injured forwards Patrice Bergeron and Milan Lucic. Thats what I wanted to see from our team, Bruins head coach Claude Julien said. Its the kind of game that we need. Both Bergeron and Lucic were back at practice Tuesday, but Julien said there is no guarantee the duo will return tonight. Theyre still day-to-day, Julien told his teams web site after Tuesdays practice. I havent been told that they are cleared to play yet. Rask is expected to get the start in net. He boasts a 10-3-0 record, 1.85 goals against average and .937 save percentage in his career against Toronto. Toronto also played on Monday and lost its second straight game with a 3-2 setback in Tampa. The Maple Leafs grabbed an early 2-0 lead before the Lightning tallied three unanswered scores to win in regulation. The setback dropped Toronto to 6-6-3 as the road club. Mike Santorelli opened the scoring just 4:28 into the first period and Joffrey Lupul gave the Leafs a two-goal edge at the 7:47 mark. Tampa. however, evened the score with a two-goal second period before Steven Stamkos delivered the game-winner with 8:55 remaining in the third. The Lightning outshot Toronto by a 41-23 margin and that included a 15-4 edge in the opening period when the Leafs grabbed the lead. If youre continually receiving the game, thats going to happen over the course of the night when youre continually not getting the puck in the oppositions zone, said Toronto coach Randy Carlyle. James Reimer made 38 saves in his second straight start in place of No. 1 netminder Jonathan Bernier, who has been battling an illness. With Christopher Gibson being sent down to the AHLs Toronto Marlies on Tuesday, Bernier is expected to at least be able to suit up as the backup tonight. Reimer is 5-5-1 with a 2.64 GAA in his career against Boston. Bernier has a lifetime 2-3-0 record with a 3.86 GAA in this matchup. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . With nothing tangible at stake, the Raptors turned in their most impressive outing of the fall in their seventh and second to last exhibition tilt against their stiffest competition yet, but they lost a couple starters in the process. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! .Murray has played 20 matches in five weeks, winning three titles to climb to fifth in the ATP Race.The two-time Grand Slam champion also seeks to qualify for next months ATP World Tour Finals.Murray said: I always wanted to qualify for it, but also I want to get back into the top 8 players in the world and it makes a huge difference for seedings in the major events. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку!. Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (5) - Simply put, Lundqvist was brilliant. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! .5 million, two-year contract that runs through 2015. Venable, the son of former big leaguer Max Venable, will make $4. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . The star receiver certainly isnt celebrating it with the Texans mired in a franchise-record 13-game skid.Its no secret within the locker room that several members of the Vancouver Whitecaps love to dance. Youll have seen some quality evidence during the wildly successful campaign that surrounded their 40-year, 70s themed anniversary match in May. There have also been some impromptu dance parties involving the Latin-based players grooving to their preferred music sometimes in makeshift dance-halls, like a hotel business centre. So perhaps its appropriate that the Whitecaps as a team prefer a willing, and similarly skilled, dance partner when they pair up on weekends. The proof comes in the form of victories over New York, Houston, Portland, Columbus, Seattle and most recently, Kansas City. The common thread amongst those teams; their own desire to get forward and play. Conversely, teams like Chivas, Chicago and Montreal, ones that didnt appear in the mood to tango, obviously tripped up the Whitecaps rhythm. You could argue that those teams are equally devoid of a midfield maestro; the guy who can dictate tempo. Its an issue that could rear its head this Saturday in Los Angeles when Carl Robinsons young team visits the "Goats." One would think that teams without a dominant middle third would be over-run by the likes of Pedro Morales, Gershon Koffie and Mattias Laba. But thats not the way the story has unfolded for much of 2014. Midfield was where the Whitecaps ultimately won their seventh game against the likes of KCs talented Benny Feilhaber and Honduran World Cup participant Jorge Claros. It was Morales who dropped deep to accept the ball before launching what turned into the 17th minute own goal. Then 23 miinutes later, Labas foresight led to the perfectly executed counter that finished with Darren Mattocks slotting home from 18 yards.dddddddddddd But when Robinsons group is in the mood to hustle while the opponent wants to waltz, it puts a lot of pressure on the leader to freestyle. Morales would benefit greatly from the occasional bounce (as he did on Sunday) or the odd goal from a corner or free kick. They lost their dead ball specialist and proven poacher in the off-season, but in new centreback signing Kendall Waston, the Caps may have found a partial solution. The towering Tico has, by Costa Rican League standards, a simply outstanding goal scoring record. He is difficult to defend on dead ball opportunities, and will potentially remedy an area the Whitecaps have been deficient in since joining MLS. (Vancouver has just three goals from its centre backs in its 3+ year history). He will also aid in preventing those same types of goals from occuring in his own penalty area, where the Whitecaps have also been vulnerable. (Remember the late stages of the Amway Canadian Championship second leg vs Montreal, or the early second half of this years Chivas home game?) Look back since 2011 and its shocking how many points have been erased from those types of goals. Having someone whos willing to take the lead in either box like Waston might help the Whitecaps finally convert even a fraction of the dead ball chances theyve been creating. In doing so, opponents will be forced to drop their attacking inhibitions more often and join the dance party. Which is precisely when the Whitecaps seem to put their best foot forward. ' ' '