Herzlich Willkommen » but shes a tough competitor

TORONTO – His teammates have said all the right things. Theyve defended him, branded the furious finger-pointing as unfair and claimed that they, not he alone, were responsible for the anxious beginnings of a slide that nearly and may still sweep them out of the playoff picture in the East. With Jonathan Bernier sidelined for the remainder of the regular season – he has an MCL strain in his left knee and will be out three weeks – the Maple Leafs will turn once more to the beleaguered, doubted and frequently dissected James Reimer in what may be his final days as a Leaf. But their goal of reviving playoff hopes that simmer tepidly with four games left dont rest solely on his 26-year-old shoulders. "Now its about time we have his back and step up to the plate," said Nazem Kadri defiantly after a much-needed overtime win against Boston on Thursday night. That wasnt the case the first time around. Reimer, who hasnt won a start in more than two and a half months, may have struggled badly in his first rescue attempt for Bernier last month – he posted an .871 save percentage in five starts (all losses) – but he was deserted on an island through much of the wreckage. Of the 18 goals he allowed in relief of his younger counterpart, four came via breakaway, two via odd-man rush and two more from the back-door with little to no opportunity for a save. "At that point when we were losing the team in front of him just couldnt bring it together and figure things out and obviously the goalies left out there to dry by himself," Kadri said. "We didnt play too good as a team," Carl Gunnarsson concurred. "We didnt help him out." That will have to change, starting Saturday when the Leafs host the Jets in the final regular season game at the ACC this spring. Trailing Detroit and Columbus for the final two wild card positions in the East, their hopes cannot rest on Reimer alone – especially at a point when his confidence has sunk to its lowest at the NHL level. Improvement isnt likely to magically appear in the teams defensive play – a struggle from start to finish – but the glut of glaring and often fatal mistakes needs to be kept to a minimum. Errors like two-time Rocket Richard winner Steven Stamkos being left alone to score three goals or Gustav Nyquist burning away for a pair of breakaway markers on the same night. Until recently, Bernier proved an acrobat at masking such deficiencies, piling up eight wins when he faced more than 40 shots in a game this season. Those theatrics, however, have evolved into expectation in Toronto, an unfair burden that became Reimers to shoulder when Bernier went down with a groin injury last month. The situation may have bubbled over in Detroit on Mar. 18. It was after that game against the Red Wings – a 3-2 loss for the Leafs – that head coach Randy Carlyle described his struggling goaltenders performance as "okay, just okay", comments that ignited a firestorm back home. While he later downplayed the remarks – addressing them with Reimer personally a day later – Carlyles blunt post-game observation seemed to ignore the manner in which Reimer was beat that night – two of the three goals came via the Nyquist breakaway, the third circa the odd-man rush – and thereby singled out the goaltender on a night when he was left alone on far too many occasions. It was the culmination of doubt which has surrounded Reimer upon his landing in Toronto for good in January 2011. "Its a non-issue as far as were concerned," Carlyle said Friday of the since quieted controversy. Reimer hasnt won a start since Jan. 21. Like his teammates, his level will need to rise substantially from where its been for the Leafs to have any hope of spicing up a late season race. For all the follies of those around him during the spiral last month, he could not deliver the one or two timely, game-changing saves needed most nights for success. That will have to change in the days ahead. A restricted free agent and almost certainly playing elsewhere next season, Reimer wondered before Thursdays surprise relief appearance if he had seen his last game as a Leaf. Now comes one final (in all likelihood) opportunity to exit on a positive and perhaps even uplifting note – if he and the Leafs can somehow defy the odds and get into the playoffs. "Honestly right now theres lots of thoughts swirling in your head about a lot of things," he said ahead of a clash with the Jets, "but now its just time to stop the puck. It doesnt really matter what transpires after the season or all that white noise per se. All Im trying to do is just play my best, get those two points (Saturday), and then go on to Florida. Try not to think about other stuff." "Ive had a lot of success in the past and had to carry the load in different scenarios and Ive been successful in that. I feel confident." Mike Koplove Jersey . The 25-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has 18 points in 41 games this season. The five-foot-eight 166-pound centre also has 28 points (10-18) in 15 games with AHL Oklahoma City. Curt Schilling Jersey . "Im not even that added up," the 39-year-old Australian replied. And to the Hall of Famers surprise, when all the math was done Sunday in the JTBC Founders Cup, she was the one posing for pictures with the big trophy. https://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.us/. Gomes drove in all three runs, including a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning, and Cleveland rallied for a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. Jake Lamb Jersey . For the first time all night, as the Raptors were on the clock to make the 20th overall selection, no one had the slightest idea what was about to happen. No leaks, no whispers, nothing. Jay Bell Jersey . On July 27 cyclings best-known race will host "La Course by Le Tour de France" -- a one-day womens competition staged hours before Tour riders race on the same circuit to finish the three-week event on Paris Champs-Elysees.WINNIPEG -- Despite the heated womens soccer rivalry between Canada and the United States that has developed since the London Olympics, coach John Herdman says its important not to make too much of their meeting next week in Winnipeg. "I know for the U.S., at times, they just look at it as another game and they come into the game nice and light and bright, whereas our girls often see it as something bigger than it is," he said Thursday from Vancouver, as the Canadian roster for the exhibition game next Thursday was announced. "Were looking at some new strategies to try and retain the passion but remove the psychological burden." For Winnipeg-born midfielder Desiree Scott, the pressure will be even greater than he suggested. It will be the first time her parents have ever seen her play live. "Its a massive thing for Desiree and weve all got a big smile on our faces," Herdman said. But he says part of the teams job will be to help her focus on doing what she does best and ignore the added pressure. This is a good chance to see how much development has taken place since Herdman started to refocus the team on the kind of game he says they need to play to be competitive at the 2015 World Cup, being held in cities across Canada, including Winnipeg. "This is where your true gap analysis comes in and you get a great sense of how far youve come along the line towards success at the World Cup," he said. "Theres a certain style and approach we want to go with. . . Its more abouut in this game the attacking processes of managing the ball better under the sort of pressure the U.ddddddddddddS. put you under, as well as being a lot more clinical in those key moments, that transitional moment where we are getting chances but not converting." Canada, currently ranked seventh, lost to the No. 1-ranked Americans 1-0 in Texas in their first meeting this year and hasnt managed to beat the Americans since 2001. Then there was the bitter semi-final loss to the Americans at the 2012 Olympics, where a controversial call by a referee left Canadian fans, and players, outraged. One player from that heartbreaker will be returning for this match. Striker Melissa Tancredi is back after taking a couple of years off to return to school. "Shes close to returning back to professional football in the NWSL and to be back full-time with Canada so shell come into this squad a little bit behind the eight-ball but Melissas presence is always felt." He says shes not going to be able to play 90 minutes after being off for two years, but shes a tough competitor with the kind of spirit and grit that can rub off on young players. One player Herdman would have liked still hasnt recovered enough from an ACL injury to play, natural left-footer Lauren Sesselmann, and hes also missing those who play for Swedish teams because of the travel time and a short turnaround. It provides a chance for Herdman to introduce some young players such as 16-year-old Jessie Fleming and 17-year-old Sura Yekka. ' ' '