TORONTO – High above the ice, while practice took place on Thursday afternoon in Toronto, stood Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis. Jacob deGrom Jersey . 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 Aspirations of capturing second spot in the Atlantic Division and home-ice advantage in the first round have been replaced by simply making it outright.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. New York Mets Jerseys .C. Lions signed cornerback Dante Marsh to a contract extension on Friay and released receiver Paris Jackson. Mike Piazza Jersey .Y. - Matt Harvey wants to make sure hes on the mound in late October — if the New York Mets get there for the first time since 2006. http://www.metsrookiestore.com/Mets-Noah-Syndergaard-Kids-Jersey/ .com) - The Tennessee Titans agreed to terms with running back Jackie Battle on a one-year contract Friday. TAMPA, Fla. -- Revis Island is relocating again. Less than a year after moving from the New York Jets to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a blockbuster trade that enabled him to become the highest paid cornerback in the NFL, the three-time All-Pro known for stranding opposing receivers in man coverage is out of work. He was dumped in a cost-cutting move. The Bucs released Revis on Wednesday after efforts to trade him and his $16 million annual salary. "It was a tough decision. Hes a very good player," general manager Jason Licht said during a news conference introducing four of the five free agents as he and new coach Lovie Smith push forward with plans to overhaul a team that went 4-12 last season. "We were able to get three very good players," Smith chimed at one point in support of what Licht described as a roadmap for success "for almost for the price of one." Cutting the 28-year-old Revis saved the Bucs a $1.5 million bonus that the five-time Pro Bowl selection would have been due if he remained on the roster. It also freed additional space under the salary cap, which the team intends to use to try to improve a roster that has several glaring weaknesses. "Were not trying to build slowly," Smith added. "We were a 4-12 team. Theres a lot we have to do." Revis was obtained in a pre-draft trade from the New York Jets last spring, a deal orchestrated by former coach Greg Schiano and GM Mark Dominik that cost the Bucs a first-round draft in 2013, as well as a fourth-rounder this year. If Revis had remained on Tampa Bays roster at 4 p.m. Wednesday, he would have been due the bonus and the 2014 pick the Bucs sent to the Jets would have become a third-rounder. Revis was recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee when he joined the Bucs and was given a six-year, $96 million contract. Despite not being 100 per cent physically, he appeared in all 16 games and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl last season, when he had two interceptions, a sack and two forced fumbles. "Darrelle showed a lot of heart last year as he worked extremely hard to get himself back on the field following his knee injury sustained the previous season," Licht said. "We have specific ideas regarding the best way to build this defence and, wwhile you never like to lose a good player, we believe this is in the best interests of our team moving forward," the GM added. Adrian Gonzalez Jersey. "Darrelle was a true professional here in Tampa Bay and we wish him continued success in his career." The release came less than an hour after the Bucs confirmed free agent quarterback Josh McCown had agreed to terms of a two-year contract, a move that reunites him with Smith. A career backup, the 12th-year pro is coming off the best season of his career with Chicago. McCown started five games in place of the injured Jay Cutler for the Bears in 2013, going 3-2 and finishing the year with 13 touchdown passes vs. one interception. McCown was a third-round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2002. He spent the past two seasons with the Bears, including 2012 -- Smiths last year in Chicago. McCown, who turns 35 in July, will compete with second-year pro Mike Glennon for the starting job. Glennon started 13 games as a rookie for the Bucs, who fired Schiano and Dominik after missing the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Smith and Licht were hired in January and entered free agency determined to make some bold moves. In addition to signing McCown, the Bucs landed defensive end Michael Johnson, cornerback Alterraun Verner, defensive tackle Clinton McDonald and tight end Brandon Myers on Tuesday, the first day team could complete deals. "Were not simply talent collectors," Licht said. "Were finding the right fits." Improving the pass rush is a major priority. Signing Johnson (15 sacks over the past two seasons with Cincinnati) to a five-year, $47.5 million contract, and also nabbing McDonald (5 1-2 sacks in 2013 with Super Bowl champion Seattle) addresses that need. Myers was a productive tight end with Oakland and the New York Giants the past two seasons. Verner received a four-year, $26.5 million deal to fill the void created by the departure of Revis, regarded as one of the top players in the league at his position. The 25-year-old Verner had a career-best five interceptions and made the Pro Bowl last season with the Tennessee Titans. "I wouldnt say Im here to replace Revis," Verner said. "Im looking to try to be the very best player I can be." Cheap Baseball Braves Jerseys Cheap Baseball Marlins Jerseys Cheap Baseball Mets Jerseys Cheap Baseball Phillies Jerseys Cheap Baseball Nationals Jerseys Cheap Baseball Cubs Jerseys Cheap Baseball Reds Jerseys Cheap Baseball Brewers Jerseys Cheap Baseball Pirates Jerseys Cheap Baseball Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Baseball Diamondbacks Jerseys Cheap Baseball Rockies Jerseys Cheap Baseball Dodgers Jerseys Cheap Baseball Padres Jerseys Cheap Baseball Giants Jerseys ' ' '