ce could be key to their chances. Only Burton conceded fewer goals than the B

NEWARK – The Maple Leafs are teetering on the edge of another late season collapse. Five straight losses (and six in the past seven) now dot the schedule – matching their longest skid of the year – after they fell again in New Jersey on Sunday night, topped 3-2 by Cory Schneider and the Devils. Playoff fortunes that once appeared secure have slipped into a more precarious state with a troubling tumble in the past week. All-too-recently fighting for second spot in the Atlantic division, Toronto has fallen to the edge of the playoffs, now in the second wild card position – mere inches ahead of Washington and Columbus – with only nine games to play. “The bottom line,” said head coach Randy Carlyle after the latest loss, “is its a results-orientated sport and we have to find a way to stop the bleeding here and do everything in our power to regroup with this hockey club and get them playing to a higher level.” If not playing entirely badly these days, the Leafs are doing just enough to lose, be it through sluggish starts, highly visible defensive breakdowns, and ordinary goaltending. On this night they fell behind for the seventh straight game, allowed a pair of goals via odd-man rush and breakaway, and had their backup goaltender struggle again to come up with a timely save. “I dont think were playing that bad,” said Phil Kessel, who scored his 36th of the year in defeat, crashing into the goal-post in doing so. “[But] its a tough stretch Ill tell you that much.” Tough stretch, indeed. It was only 11 days earlier, after James Reimer stole victory in Los Angeles, that the Leafs appeared in prime position for their second straight playoff spring. They sat three points up on the Lightning and Canadiens, 10 on the Capitals, nine on the Red Wings, seven on the Flyers, and six on the Rangers and Blue Jackets. Five of the seven has since passed them over, only Columbus and Washington trailing – just barely, mind you, with games in hand. Its been a remarkable spiral in a very short window, different in that way from the infamous 18-wheeler collapse of 2012 which cost Ron Wilson his job. The Leafs couldnt emerge unscathed from that storm, but can they find a way out of this one? Pressure is building, time is ticking, and the race is kicking into high gear with the Blues, Flyers and Wings all on deck in the coming week. Concern was evident as they exited the visitors dressing room, one by one at Prudential Center, keen to the reality of whats at stake. “We lost five in a row here right so its building here,” said Kessel of the pressure. “Obviously we need some wins.” Five Points 1. The Struggle Continues His confidence all but shattered at this point, Reimer was yanked for the sixth time this season. He yielded three goals on 10 shots, his save percentage in relief of the injured Jonathan Bernier dipping to .889 in six appearances. The 26-year-old has not won a start in more than two months (Jan. 21). Of that sunken confidence, Reimer concurred. “Its never high after a loss obviously and getting pulled,” he said. “[But] as crazy as it sounds I know Im becoming a better goalie and obviously a better person.” Ever the optimist, Reimer explained why. “Its been a ton of adversity in many different forms,” he said. “And so when you can weather it and keep your chin up you just get better.” Appearing in just his fifth NHL game, Drew MacIntyre stopped all 14 shots he faced in place of Reimer. Where that leaves the Leafs crease with St. Louis on deck is unclear. Carlyle didnt know if Bernier (groin) would be available for the Tuesday affair. If hes not for the sixth straight game, its not hard to envision MacIntyre getting his first NHL start. 2. Finger Pointing The Leafs have been a poor defensive team all year, requiring fantastic goaltending most nights from Bernier to have success. Theyve not gotten such heroics in relief with Reimer. His days in Toronto soon to be numbered, Reimer could not fend off an odd-man rush late in the opening frame – Morgan Rielly caught up ice, Nazem Kadri stuck on a bad line change – beaten glove-side by Damien Brunner. Faked out by Patrik Elias when he snuck behind the defence on the second Devils goal, Reimer then yielded a late squeaker that ultimately drove the hook from Carlyle. “We havent helped him out one bit,” said Tyler Bozak, charged in his defence of Reimer. “Obviously its easy to pick on the goalie when things are going bad for a team. But its a team game. We win and lose as a team. We havent been playing near well enough to win games. It hasnt been him at all.” “Usually in this type of playoff atmosphere youve got to find a way to knuckle down and play a tighter brand of defensive hockey,” Carlyle said. “We seem to be able to give up those opportunities early and then we seem to tighten up as the game goes on.” 3. Season Gone Wrong Just a night before his first game back in New Jersey as a member of the Leafs, David Clarkson barely saw the ice. He played just eight minutes and 54 seconds in the 4-3 loss to Montreal, his lowest total (save for injury) since Nov. 5, 2010. A season gone wrong has seen no signs of let-up for the 29-year-old, who left the Devils last summer for a seven-year deal with the Leafs worth more than $36 million. From suspension to injuries to suspension to struggles to find a role, Clarkson has had few, if any, positives this season. “The way this years gone I could never imagine it,” said Clarkson, before facing his former team. His four goals and 10 points are matched by Dave Bolland, who missed nearly five months with an ankle injury, and Troy Bodie, who has garnered half the ice-time in 13 fewer games. Barring an unforeseeable late season surge, Clarkson would set career-lows in goals, points and shooting percentage (he missed 21 games) – his previous low for points coming in the 2010-11 season when he posted just 18 in 82 games, including only two on the power-play. And if there is one similarity to that year in Jersey to his first in Toronto its the power-play and his opportunity on it. When Clarkson exploded for 45 goals and 70 points in the two seasons which preceded his signing in Toronto he did so in large part because of the power-play. About a third of his production came that way in fact, the Mimico native totaling 14 power-play goals (31 per cent of the total) and 24 power-play points (34 per cent). His ice-time had not surprisingly sky-rocketed from where it had been previously (up to nearly four minutes per game a year ago). This season, that opportunity has tumbled back downward. Buried behind the more skilled likes of Kessel, van Riemsdyk, Bozak, Kadri, Lupul and Raymond, Clarkson has rarely seen the power-play – about 54 minutes total – and thusly has just two points from it. Combine that with a considerable drop in shot attempts and shooting percentage, far less crash and bang and an unending search for a clear-cut role and the season has simply evolved into a nightmare for the former Devil. He played 10 minutes on this night, stuck without a point for the 22nd time in the past 24 games. 4. Falling Behind When Brunner beat Reimer he gave the Devils a 1-0 lead and handed the Leafs their seventh straight deficit to start a game. They fell behind 2-0 for the fifth time in those seven games when Elias snuck by Rielly at the Toronto blue-line before faking out Reimer on the breakaway goal. Sluggish starts continue to be a problem for the Leafs. “Weve been playing from behind a lot lately and just been running out of time I guess you could say,” said Bozak. “Gotta have better starts and try and get a lead early.” The Leafs are now 8-19-4 when they trail after a period and 11-23-4 when their opponent scores first. Bozak and Kessel scored to slice the 3-0 deficit to one, but like their failed comebacks in each of the previous four losses, it was not enough. “Theres no easy way when youre down three on the road to think that youre going to consistently come back in the hockey game,” said Carlyle. 5. JVR Accountability Speaking after the game, James van Riemsdyk made sure to shoulder some of the blame personally for the Leafs failings. Though he had five shots and multiple opportunities on Schneider in a career-high 26 minutes, van Riemsdyk failed to score for the 10th time in the past 11 games. “Its my job to score goals and obviously right now its not good enough,” he said unprovoked on the subject. “Were not winning games, Im not scoring goals, and Ill have to be better.” Stats-Pack 1-6-0 – Leafs record in their past seven games. 7 – Consecutive games in which the Leafs allowed the first goal. 8-19-4 – Leafs record this season when trailing after the first period. 1 – Goal for James van Riemsdyk in the past 11 games. 10:00 – Ice-time for David Clarkson in his first game back to New Jersey. 26:14 – Ice-time for van Riemsdyk, a career-high. 36 – Goals for Phil Kessel, one off matching a career-high. .889 – Save percentage for James Reimer in place of Jonathan Bernier (six appearances). Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-4 Season: 20.8% (T-3rd) PK: 2-2 Season: 78.7% (28th) Quote of the Night “I think everyones just got to relax a little bit and give him some breathing space because we know James is a great goaltender.” - Nazem Kadri, on recent criticism of James Reimer. Up Next The Leafs return home to face one of the leagues top teams with the Blues visiting the ACC on Tuesday. Ruben Loftus-Cheek Jersey . a€“ All signs point to the Maple Leafs having their top offseason acquisition in the lineup on opening night. Kieran Trippier Jersey . The Raptors general manager has his list of possible draft selections whittled down to a handful ahead of Thursday nights NBA draft in Brooklyn, New York. The Raptors, who have auditioned dozens of players over the past couple of weeks, have the 20th overall pick in the first round, as well as the 37th and 58th picks in the second. http://www.englandsoccerpro.com/Danny-Welbeck-England-Jersey/ . Paire broke Giraldo twice and lost his serve once in both sets to wrap up the win in 1 hour, 10 minutes. He will next face Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain, who advanced when Jurgen Zopp of Estonia retired with an injury at 5-5 in the first set. Trent Alexander-Arnold England Jersey . Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Raptors have traded forward Steve Novak along with a second-round pick to the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Diante Garrett - who will then be waived. Marcus Rashford Jersey . Notes on Bergeron, Marchand, Gorges, Vanek, Gaborik, Doughty, Hiller and more. BRUINS STORM BACK TO TAKE GAME TWO The Boston Bruins rallied from a 3-1 deficit, scoring four unanswered goals, to win Game Two, 5-3 over the Montreal Canadiens.We examine the Sky Bet League One play-offs as Walsall, Millwall, Bradford and Barnsley battle it out for a place in the Championship. Who? What? When? How?With the help of Ian Holloway, we analyse each teams chances of promotion to the Championship. Semi-final 1: Barnsley/WalsallLeg 1: Barnsley 3-0 Walsall - Saturday, May 14 Highlights of Barnsleys 3-0 first-leg win over Walsall Leg 2: Walsall v Barnsley - Thursday, May 19 (live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7.30pm) Barnsley Final position: 6th (74 points)Manager: Paul HeckingbottomRecent form: WDWDDWSeason summary: Having been tipped as potential promotion contenders at the start of the season, it was an up-and-down campaign for Barnsley.An eight-game losing run saw them slip into the relegation zone in November but, by the start of February, they were within five points of the play-offs. The departure of manager Lee Johnson for Bristol City threatened to disrupt the campaign, but, under caretaker boss Paul Heckingbottom, the Tykes finished strongly. Barnsley manager Paul Heckingbottom said his side still have work to do in the second leg Along with winning the Johnstones Paint Trophy at Wembley, they only lost three times in the last three months and pipped Scunthorpe to the final play-off spot on goal difference after a 4-1 win over champions Wigan. Sam Winnalls goals have been key, with his total of 21 putting him in the top three scorers in the division. Barnsley have also never lost a play-off semi-final.Play-off history: Winners (2006). Beaten finalists (2000).Ollies key man: Sam Winnall: Ive been a big admirer of his work for a while now. Hes a natural goalscorer who will find the net wherever he goes. Reaction from Barnsley goalscorer Sam Winnall WalsallFinal position: 3rd (84 points)Manager: Jon WhitneyRecent form: WDLWWWSeason summary: Having spent much of the season in and around the automatic promotion places, Walsall missed out on the final day as Burton got the point they needed at Doncaster.Still, the Saddlers enter the play-offs in decent form. After cruising past Port Vale 5-0 in their last fixture, they have won five of their last seven games and eight of 12 since Jon Whitney took charge in early March. Walsall boss was Jon Whitney was disappointed with his sides 3-0 defeat at Barnsley Whitney was appointed after the surprise sacking of Sean ODriscoll, who lasted just 16 games and left the club fourth in the league. Tom Bradshaws 19 goals have been key for the Saddlers this season.Play-off history: Winners (2001). Beaten semi-finalists (1993)Ollies key man: Romaine Sawyers: I love this kid. Hes a fantastic footballer. He starts off so many of Walsalls move from deep. Romaine Sawyers (R) was named in the League One Team of the Year Ollies first-leg prediction: This has all the making of a wham, bam game! Goals galore.ddddddddddddBoth teams will be full of confidence. Barnsley sensationally hammered the champions last weekend while Walsall scored some absolute screamers as they dismantled Port Vale. I do feel sorry for Walsall, though - a bit like Brighton, theyve had a fantastic season but just fell short despite amassing a big total of points.Winall has bagged 21 goals this season for Barnsley and I feel he has to be at his clinical best if Barnsley, who have had a strange yet sensational season, are to really trouble Walsall over two legs.OLLIE PREDICTS: 2-2 (Sky Bet odds 18/1) How to win the play-offs Ian Holloways five-step guide to getting promoted Semi-final 2: Bradford/MillwallLeg 1: Bradford v Millwall - Sunday, May 15 (live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 12pm)Leg 2: Millwall v Bradford - Friday, May 20 (live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7.30pm) BradfordFinal position: 5th (80 points)The manager: Phil ParkinsonRecent form: WDLWWWSeason summary: Like many of the teams in the play-offs this season, Bradford finished the campaign strongly, and it was their form in the last few months that saw them surge into the top six.Having been mid-table in February, the Bantams were particularly impressive at home in the final stretch, winning all their matches at Valley Parade after March 1, including beating top-six rivals Millwall and Walsall. It is the first time they have won seven in a row at home since 1968. Watch highlights of Bradfords 2-0 win over Chesterfield on the last day No team outside the top four has reached the League One final for the past five seasons, and Bradfords defence could be key to their chances. Only Burton conceded fewer goals than the Bantams in the regular season.Play-off history: Winners (1996, 2013).Ollies key man: Rory McArdle: Hes a rock at the heart of the Bradford back four and will need to play very well to stop a very exciting Millwall forward line.Millwall Final position: 4th (81 points)Manager: Neil HarrisRecent form: WLWWWWSeason summary: Millwall could be set for an immediate return to the Championship after a promising season which saw a number of youngsters seize the first-team opportunities handed to them by boss Neil Harris.Academy graduates Aiden OBrien, Ben Thompson and Fred Onyedinma have come to the fore and have been supported by impressive campaigns from goalkeeper Jordan Archer - Millwalls player of the season - full-back Mahlon Romeo and winger Shane Ferguson, who converted his loan deal from Newcastle into a permanent move in January. Millwall finished the campaign with victory over Gillingham However, it will be strike duo Steve Morison and Lee Gregory who will be of most concern to play-off opponents Bradford. The pair have scored 43 goals between them in all competitions this season.The play-offs seemed a long way off for Millwall at the end of August, when theyd taken just four points from the first 15 available and languished in 19th spot. However, steady progress under Harris - in his first full season in management - saw the Lions climb the table and, despite a run of five defeats in seven from the end of November, a strong second half to the season saw them fall just four points short of automatic promotion.Play-off history: Winners (2010). Beaten semi-finalists (1991, 1994, 2000, 2002). Beaten finalists (2009).Ollies key man: Steve Morison: Hes one of their own and hell be desperate to play a huge role to get them back up. Ian Holloway is backing Steve Morison to make an impact Ollies first-leg prediction: I fancy Millwall strongly to win the play-offs.Neil Harris is leading a fresh young team into a new era and hes done a brilliant job. They probably couldve done with avoiding Bradford in the play-offs as theyre a dangerous outfit at Valley Parade and have only conceded one goal there in the last seven games.However, over two legs Millwall should have enough firepower in Lee Gregory and Steve Morison to get the job done. A draw here would be a great result for the Lions.OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds 6/1)Watch all the League One play-offs live on Sky Sports. 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