Following a somewhat predictable letdown in Carolina on Thursday night – a 4-1 loss that snapped a season high six-game winning

TORONTO - Following a somewhat predictable letdown in Carolina on Thursday night – a 4-1 loss that snapped a season high six-game winning streak - the Leafs began what would be a relatively relaxed hour-long practice on Friday with a somewhat unpredictable activity. Jacob Markstrom Jersey . Right-handed shooting players held their sticks as lefties and left-handers held their sticks as righties. Everybody took the ice along with a couple of pucks and fun was had for five minutes or so. For head coach Randy Carlyle, there’s a method to this madness. “There’s a heavy workload coming so it can’t be all doom and gloom,” said Carlyle, whose team will play three games in four night beginning on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers before the Christmas break. “When you come to work, we believe that you have to come in a positive frame of mind. We met before [practice] and went over some video; we explained what we were seeing and how it has to change going forward. We find that if you can lighten up the start of practice a little bit, it usually is more productive and you get a more productive group coming [Saturday], which we feel is the most important day.” Players begrudgingly recalled some aspects of a disappointing loss to the Hurricanes when asked, but it was clear that the team’s focus was solely pointed at rebounding on Saturday night, their final home game before embarking on a seven game road trip that won’t see them back at Air Canada Centre until January 7 against the Washington Capitals. “It’s a long season and you’re not going to have your “A” game for all 82, unfortunately,” explained James van Riemsdyk. “That’s what you strive for, but realistically, that’s not what happens.You take it for what it’s worth and move on to get ready for the next one.” The challenge now for the Leafs is to ensure a poor result does not shake the confidence developed over a stretch that saw them earn 21 of a possible 24 points prior to the loss. Where at times earlier in the season, the Leafs would appear fragile in the face of adversity, letting poor starts in games against Pittsburgh, Detroit and Boston snowball into one-sided defeats or allowing the quality of their play to erode from game to game to game in losses to Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Nashville in mid-November, Dion Phaneuf insisted the team has moved beyond those dark days. “[The media] want to look back on the past and the negatives of our year and I respect that. Thats what you have to do. You have to ask those questions,” Phaneuf acknowledged. “But for us as a team, we have to focus on [Saturday]. We can sit here and say we got beat in Carolina and hang our heads and mope and pout, but that doesnt do any good. We have to come back, we have to be focused, we have to be ready to play Philadelphia. Weve got a big weekend ahead of us here. We have to respond the right way and I believe well do that.” Perhaps the most reassuring message the Leafs have delivered this season is an acknowledgement of deficient areas in their play when ugly habits have cropped up. Throughout the 10-1-1 run that ended with Thursday’s loss, there were wins against the Tampa Bay Lightning and a pair against the Detroit Red Wings that perfectly illustrated the desired style the coaching staff is consistently pleading for. However, recently the Leafs have returned to a heavier reliance on spectacular goaltending and high octane offence in order to see success. “We can’t start the way that we started [against Carolina] or the game previous [against Anaheim],” said Phaneuf. “We’re giving up too many shots in the first period, we’re receiving the game too much. That’s on us as players to be more prepared to start games.” Saturday’s match up will be the first of the season for the Leafs against the struggling Flyers, winners of just three of their last 10 games. While Philly sits eight points out of a playoff spot, the Leafs learned the hard way on Thursday that no game is a given anymore. “We know what they’re capable of over there and it doesn’t matter who you’re playing, any team can beat any team if you’re not ready to go,” said van Riemsdyk. PRACTICE NOTES Komarov Skates Leo Komarov skated with strength and conditioning coach Anthony Belza prior to practice on Friday for about 20 minutes. It marked just the second time Komarov had skated since taking a hit to the head from Alexander Ovechkin on November 29. But despite missing nine games thus far, his return is still uncertain. “Its the first step back into the process that a player returning needs to be testing himself both in the gym and on the ice, said Carlyle. Other than that, hes in testing mode.” Carlyle Assesses Jake Gardiner Jake Gardiner has had an up and down season to this point, but this past week has arguably been his toughest stretch. A pair of mistakes on Sunday against the LA Kings directly led to two goals against. On Thursday against Carolina, Gardiner was unable to tie up Chris Terry at the top of the crease despite being in good position. Terry tapped in a pass from Eric Staal to get the Hurricanes on the board first. Asked about Gardiner’s play of late, head coach Randy Carlyle was succinct in his assessment, “I think Jakes been very erratic, simple as that.” Already a healthy scratch twice this season in consecutive games (wins against the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche in October) and now with seven defencemen healthy once again, could Gardiner be sat in favour of Korbinian Holzer with back-to-back games this weekend against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday? Polak Returns Roman Polak played 18:58 in his return to the line-up on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes after missing the past 10 games with a knee injury. He admitted on Friday that the long stretch of time off left him feeling somewhat behind in terms of game speed. “Of course, I didn’t have any practice with the boys; I was skating a lot on my own,” Polak explained after practice. “Ten games out, you can feel it; it was like three-and-a-half weeks or so. You feel a little slow out there, my reads are maybe not as accurate as you did before. You need a couple games to get back into shape and the groove that you were in before.” But other than being a little sore and tired on Friday, Polak declared himself all good. New Look Lines Randy Carlyle shuffled his forward lines against the Hurricanes in an effort to spark some offense after a lacklustre first period. Those same lines remained intact at practice on Friday. “I thought we were getting we were getting a little bit more from that group and who knows, we could change it back tomorrow,” said Carlyle. “We don’t know if we’re going to go with that specifically but we liked what we saw last night.” NEW LINES Left Wing Centre Right Wing Joffrey Lupul Tyler Bozak Phil Kessel James van Riemsdyk Nazem Kadri Mike Santorelli Daniel Winnik Peter Holland David Clarkson Richard Panik Trevor Smith David Both OLD LINES Left Wing Centre Right Wing James van Riemsdyk Tyler Bozak Phil Kessel Daniel Winnik Nazem Kadri Mike Santorelli Joffrey Lupul Peter Holland David Clarkson Richard Panik Trevor Smith David Booth Trevor Linden Jersey . Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel also accused Pistorius of tailoring his testimony to fit the evidence at the scene. Pistorius denied the accusations. Nel alleged that the Olympic runner changed his aim with his 9 mm pistol to ensure that he hit Steenkamp as she fell back against a magazine rack in a toilet cubicle. Patrick Wiercioch Jersey .com) - Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett is active for Sundays matchup with the Miami Dolphins. http://www.authentichockeyshopcanucks.com/Christopher-Tanev-Jersey/ .com) - The Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics both entered Wednesday nights game riding lengthy losing streaks. OTTAWA -- Brett Mahers first career game-winning field goal was a historic one. Mahers 23-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining earned the Ottawa Redblacks a thrilling 18-17 win over the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night. The victory was not only the first for the expansion club but came in the first CFL game played in the Canadian capital since 2005. "In my whole career Ive kicked a bunch of field goals but never a game-winner," said the University of Nebraska rookie. "Id never even tried one. "I was just excited to be there and excited to cash it in. Mahers boot, his sixth of the game, came after Swayze Waters connected from 46 yards out to put Toronto ahead 17-15 with 1:33 remaining. It looked like the Argos (1-3) would spoil the party for a TD Place Stadium sellout of 24,000, which included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and explained the presence of sharpshooters on the opposite roofs of the facility. But quarterback Henry Burris calmly moved Ottawa (1-2) 60 yards on six plays to set up Mahers boot in what was anything but just another football game. It marked the first time since November 2005 that Ottawa had hosted a CFL regular-season game and the city hasnt celebrated a Grey Cup championship since 1976. "The atmosphere was great, a blast to be part of," Maher said. "Its a great feeling to win. "If I wouldve had the same night and we wouldve lost, it wouldve been sick." The exciting win capped what was a party atmosphere throughout the contest, with many fans standing and grooving to the tunes during timeouts. Ottawas home opener had been much anticipated, with supporters proudly sporting their colours all week and turning out in droves for the various pre-game festivities and pep rallies. "This crowd support we have here, its definitely going to be a tough place (for opponents) to play," said Burris. "Theres no better fanbase in this league than here in Ottawa. "Redblacks Nation is for real. For the people who arent here and unable to experience this, youre missing out." Thousands entered TD Place Stadium three hours before the opening kickoff to participate in the tailgating festivities. And once fans were allowed to settle into their seats, those on the south side of the stadium resumed the longstanding tradition of chanting "North Side Sucks." However, the entire gathering -- most of which was clad in red -- was on its feet as one, loudly cheering the Redblacks as they took to the field for the pre-game introductions. "That was awesome, the fans were remarkable," said rookie Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell. "I knew the setup of the stadium and how close it is to the field and thought it would be great. "But to experience it firsthand, it really makes a difference for our football team." The night was one of two firsts for Campbell, who also received his inaugural Gatorade shower afterwards. "I was kind of shocked because I was just living in the moment of our football team getting the win," said Campbell, whose father Hugh, the legendary former head coach and GM with the Edmonton Eskimos, was in attendance. "Its an exciting night for us." Despite both offences being inconsistent ffor much of the night, they did manage to move the ball and make for an exciting finish as Mahers 48-yard field goal at 9:53 of the fourth put Ottawa ahead 15-14. Kirk Mclean Jersey. It take after Toronto took a 14-12 advantage on Ricky Rays 20-yard TD strike to Darvin Adams just 43 seconds into the quarter. That was Torontos first TD in eight quarters, dating back to the fourth quarter of its 48-15 home win over Saskatchewan on July 5. The Argos were minus veterans Chad Owens (foot), Andre Durie (clavicle) and Jason Barnes (knee), their top three receivers. Both defences were solid on the night. Toronto recorded five sacks on Burris, but Ottawa did force three turnovers, including Rays first two interceptions of the season. Burris finished 17-of-30 passing for 216 yards while adding 22 yards rushing. Ray was 21-of-37 passing for 298 yards and a TD with the two picks and watched Burris improve to 18-11 in their career head-to-head matchups. Ray also suffered his first loss in six career games against Ottawa. "Ive seen that too many times when hes taken his team down in the last minute and pulled out a victory," Ray said of Burris. "I definitely respect his game, but its tough to give him the ball with the game on the line and be on the sideline watching because he makes a lot of good plays out there." Argos head coach Scott Milanovich said his team gave Burris too much time following Waters field goal. "That (1:33) is forever with Henry Burris back there," Milanovich said. "We just couldnt make it stick. "Its as disappointing a loss Ive had since Ive been here. We have to find a way to win that one, theres no doubt about that." Waters finished with three field goals, a single and convert. Mahers 23-yard field goal at 14:56 of the second quarter earned Ottawa a 9-7 lead in a lacklustre opening half offensively as the kickers accounted for all the scoring. Both offences came close to TDs as Ray underthrew a wide-open John Chiles in the endzone in the first before a streaking Kierrie Johnson got behind Torontos secondary but had Burriss nicely thrown pass go off his outstretched hands. But both offences lacked consistency and finish as Burris , who got little help from his offensive line, was 7-of-12 passing for 75 yards and Ray completed 9-of-16 attempts for 127 yards, but 45 yards came on one completion. For the second time this year, Toronto was victimized by a fake punt that went for a first down. Maher scampered 15 yards on third-and-10 to keep a drive alive in the second that he ultimately capped with a 29-yard field goal at 6:24 to put Ottawa ahead 6-3. NOTES: In their final regular-season game, the Renegades beat Toronto 27-17 on Nov. 5, 2005. Renegades head coach Joe Paopao wore a Hawaiian short on the sidelines, as did his coaching staff and the clubs football operations department. Following the game, Paopao threw his third into the stands . . Burris came into the game needing 65 yards rushing to move ahead of former Rough Riders star Russ Jackson and into fourth in all-time rushing yards by a quarterback. Jackson has 5,122 yards. Retired star Damon Allen, who played for both Ottawa and Toronto over his illustrious career, holds the league record with 11,920 yards. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale NFL Jerseys Stitched NFL Jerseys China Womens NFL Jerseys ' ' '