Basics und Grundinfos » Goretzka was allowed plenty of time and space to f

TORONTO - When Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price looks at the Toronto Maple Leafs, he sees a big, physically strong team. "Theyre in your face," Price said. "Theyre a playoff team." The Leafs may be built for playoff hockey, but getting there could be a challenge down the stretch, especially after losing 4-3 to the Canadiens on Saturday night at Air Canada Centre. Montreal moved five points up on Toronto in the Atlantic Division standings and in the process made it far less likely that this thrilling, back-and-forth affair could be a first-round playoff preview. "I think thats what everybody would want to see, and Im sure its going to happen sooner or later," said Habs forward Rene Bourque, who had a goal and an assist and was not yet born the last time these teams met in the playoffs back in 1979. As the Habs won for the fourth time in five games, the Leafs (36-28-8) dropped their fourth in a row as part of a troubling late-season swoon in the absence of injured goalie Jonathan Bernier. Toronto still occupies the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference but leads Detroit by just one point and Columbus by two and has played two more games that the Red Wings and Blue Jackets. The Leafs could fall out of playoff position by the end of Sunday. James Reimer, who allowed four goals on 37 shots, including a short-side game-winner by Tomas Plekanec, said he and his teammates have a "healthy sense of urgency" with 10 games remaining. "I think we know we played well tonight and I think we made some mistakes but I think they made some mistakes too," Reimer said. "Really, it was kind of one bad bounce that decided the game. I think we can hold our heads high on this one and go into tomorrow (at the New Jersey Devils) feeling good about ourselves." The Habs are feeling good about themselves after winning a track meet of a hockey game that featured three goals in the first period — by Montreals Max Pacioretty, Bourque and captain Brian Gionta and Torontos Joffrey Lupul and Tyler Bozak. Montreal coach Michel Therrien liked the way his team dictated the play early. But it was bouncing back in the third period after Nazem Kadri tied the score for the Leafs that impressed Price, who finished with 33 saves. "That was definitely a test of character," Price said. "When a team scores in the third period to tie it up when theyre at home, youre on the road, they grab a lot of momentum. ... Being able to grab the lead and then hold it with a good team effort like that is, I think, rewarding." The Habs reward if these winning ways keep up is either second or third place in the Atlantic Division, crucial spots that would mean avoiding Mondays opponent, the Boston Bruins, or the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. Now five points back of Montreal and six behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won in Toronto on Wednesday night, the Leafs will need an uphill climb to avoid a wild-card spot and a tough matchup. But now theres some legitimate concern, given recent woes, that a playoff spot altogether might be in danger. This loss, which winger Mason Raymond said "stings" and captain Dion Phanuef called "disappointing," didnt help that cause. "You have to turn the page," Phaneuf said. "Theres no looking back on today, tomorrow. Tomorrows a new day, weve got to pull ourselves out of it. Its this group thats going to get us out of this bind. Weve been close, but close isnt good enough right now. We know that were going to get out of it, weve just got to find a way." The Leafs and Habs (29-26-7) were close because this was such a back-and-forth game with plenty of chances at either end. The turning point came 9:14 into the third when Toronto winger James van Riemsdyk was called for goaltender interference when he steam-rolled Price. Habs defenceman Andrei Markov appeared to make contact with van Riemsdyk before he hit Price, but the goalie went to the ice and believed he was interfered with. "Its contact to my head, so I thought it was a penalty, personally," Price said. Leafs coach Randy Carlyle, who conceded he didnt see a replay of the incident, was more worried about the impact of the penalty. Plekanec scored just as van Riemsdyk was being released from the box at 11:14, sneaking a shot in the tiny space between Reimer and the right post. "We clawed back into the hockey game and then we take a penalty early in the third and they score," Carlyle said. "It was the difference in the hockey game, and the margin of error now in these games is so close that one bounce or one mis-play or one unfortunate mistake cost us points." Mistakes — be it turnovers by Phil Kessel, David Clarkson and Kadri or soft goals allowed by Reimer — hurt the Leafs dearly. Another slow start wasnt ideal, either. "Obviously we were behind the 8-ball a little bit early on giving up two goals," Raymond said of allowing two goals in the games first seven minutes. "I like the way we battled back, but turnovers killed us a bit and thats tough." The Habs benefited because they pounced on so many mistakes the Leafs committed. In front of an early-spring crowd of 19,789 thats hungry for playoff hockey, Montreal executed like a team ready for that next step. "Both teams need those points. We were ready to play," Therrien said. "At this time of the year, you need to be in a playoff mindset. And our mindsets like that." NOTES — Montreals streak of consecutive penalties killed was snapped at 25 on Kadris power-play goal at 2:49 of the third. The last time the Habs surrendered a goal on the power play was March 6 at the Phoenix Coyotes. ... Leafs centre Dave Bolland played just 9 minutes 1 second in his return to the lineup. Bolland missed the previous 56 games after suffering a severed tendon in the back of his ankle Nov. 2. ... Habs forward Lars Eller suffered a lower-body injury, Therrien said, and did not play in the third period. Michael Bournival was called up, and he will meet the team in Boston. .... Bernier, who has now missed four straight games with a groin injury, will miss his fifth in a row Sunday when the Leafs visit the Devils. Carlyle said the 25-year-old will not make the trip. Cheap Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys .C. -- Al Jefferson knows few people will be giving the Charlotte Bobcats a chance to upset the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Wholesale Blue Jackets Jerseys . Scrivens stopped 48 shots and captain Andrew Ference scored in overtime as the Oilers pulled off a 4-3 upset of the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. http://www.cheapbluejacketsjerseys.com/ . The Brewers finalized a US$36 million, three-year contract with free agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez on Wednesday, adding a much-needed bat to their lineup. Cheap Blue Jackets Jerseys Authentic . "Ive still got it," Seattles ace said with a sly grin. Riding that fastball carrying a little more zip, Hernandez took a shutout bid into the ninth inning as the Mariners beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-1 on Wednesday night. On the verge of a brilliant shutout and first complete game since Aug. Cheap Adidas Blue Jackets Jerseys . It was the most lopsided loss in Lakers history. Darren Collison had a team-high 24 points while starting at shooting guard for the injured Jamal Crawford. Chris Paul added 13 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who apparently are trying to make up for decades of humiliation at the hands of the Lakers all in one season; theyve won the last two meetings by a combined 84 points.BERLIN -- Bayern Munich left it late to grind out a 2-0 win in Mainz on Saturday and move one victory away from the Bundesliga title. Bastian Schweinsteiger broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute and substitute Mario Goetze added another goal four minutes later to secure Bayerns league-record 18th consecutive win and stretch its unbeaten run to 51 games -- also a record. Second-place Borussia Dortmund won 3-0 at Hannover but remains 23 points behind Bayern with eight games remaining. "We dont really care when were champions," said Schweinsteiger, whose side can secure the quickest title in 51 years of the Bundesliga by winning at Hertha Berlin on Tuesday, regardless of Dortmunds result against Schalke in the Ruhr derby the same evening. "Its really great that we can be champions in Berlin, where it all began for me," Bayern defender Jerome Boateng said. "We laid the groundwork today." Schalke consolidated third with a 3-1 win over bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig. Stuttgart beat 10-man Hamburger SV 1-0 to move above the visiting side and climb provisionally out of the relegation zone. It was the home sides first win in two games under new coach Huub Stevens. Wolfsburg also ended with 10 men in a 1-1 draw with Augsburg. Kevin de Bruyne was sent off in injury time with his second yellow card for arguing the first. Borussia Moenchengladbach was hosting Hertha Berlin later. Mainz suffered its first defeat in six games but the home side frustrated Bayern for long periods and might have scored after the break, when Eric Maxim Choupo-Motings effort crashed back off the crossbar with Manuel Neuer beaten. Mainz goalkeeper Loris Karius was busier, blocking Arjen Robbens effort in the fourth minute and producing good saves to deny Mario Mandzukic and Franck Ribery in the second half. Claudio Pizarro came on for Mandzukic in the 81st and made an immediate impact, playing the ball out left to Xherdan Shaqiri, who crossed for Schweinsteiger to head home from five meters. Then Ribery capitalized on a botched clearance to set up Goetze for a clinical finish. &quuot;Its not easy for us to play outstanding games all the time with a 23-point lead," said Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, whose side has won 24 of 26 games and drawn the other two.dddddddddddd Sky television reported at halftime that Uli Hoeness was not in the stadium. The former Bayern president is expected to soon begin his 3 1/2 year prison term for tax evasion. Dortmund failed to impress in Hannover, where Andre Hoffmann hit the post for the home side in the 18th. Mats Hummels scored two minutes before the interval, prodding the ball home from close range after Sokratis headed it on. Robert Lewandowski made it 2-0 in the 52nd, cutting in from the left wing, gliding past four Hannover defenders before shooting inside the left post from a central position, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan set up substitute Marco Reus for a flattering score in injury time. "Everything went in the right direction after the second goal but I could only breathe easily after the third," Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said. In Gelsenkirchen, Leon Goretzka was allowed plenty of time and space to fire Schalke into a 17th-minute lead from 23 metres. Klaas Jan Huntelaar made it 2-0 with a deflected free kick in the 66th, before Benjamin Kessel pulled one back with another deflected shot in the 81st. Adam Szalai settled Schalkes nerves in injury time. Hamburgs hopes took a blow when Hakan Calhanoglu was sent off with his second yellow card for a tactical foul in the 53rd. Ibrahima Traore capitalized on a mistake from Hamburg captain Heiko Westermann to set up Alexandru Maxim to score in the 69th. Stevens had introduced the Romanian midfielder six minutes before. "It was a difficult game in a difficult situation," said Maxim, whose goal ended a 10-game winless streak. Second-to-last Nuremberg can overtake both Hamburg and Stuttgart by beating Eintracht Frankfurt at home on Sunday. Wolfsburg moved provisionally fifth thanks to Ivica Olics 81st-minute equalizer. Tobias Werner fired Augsburg ahead in the 43rd, when he cut inside two defenders before unleashing inside the far post. ' ' '