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Depending on ones level of optimism, the Toronto Maple Leafs are either running out of time or are completely out of it in their search for a playoff berth. The Leafs have lost eight straight games and have tumbled all the way from second in the Atlantic Division to two spots back of the final Eastern Conference wild card position. Reminiscent of the teams struggles in February of 2012 that saw them drop 10 of 11 games and fall from fourth in the Eastern Conference all the way to 10th, it appears that the proverbial 18-wheeler is going off the cliff once again, to borrow former Leafs general manager Brian Burkes immortal turn-of-phrase. The 2011-12 failure would cost head coach Ron Wilson his job, with Randy Carlyle taking over before the Leafs March schedule even began. Burke, too, would become a casualty in the seasons aftermath. He would be replaced by his colleague - Dave Nonis – prior to the lockout-delayed start to the 2012-13 season. The Leafs are still mathematically in the thick of the wild card hunt – two points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets entering Monday night. But with games-in-hand to be factored, the hill could become steeper still. Regardless of whether the team makes the playoffs or not, they have certainly done themselves no favours with the slide. With the skid, the Leafs have lost the possibility of home-ice advantage against the likes of the Montreal Canadiens or Tampa Bay Lightning and have painted themselves into a black-and-gold corner that would likely see them draw the Boston Bruins (again) in the first round - that is, if they even make the playoffs. So who takes the blame this time around? Traditionally, the coach is the first to shoulder the load. So does Carlyle wear the horns? He has been a polarizing figure if former players like Mikhail Grabovski are to be believed and as the old adage goes, "you cant fire the team." Dion Phaneuf has drawn his share of criticism over the streak as well, making notable on-ice gaffes against both the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues and taking additional heat after refusing to speak to the media after the streak hit seven. He has posted a minus-8 rating in the Leafs past three games. Nonis, too, could shoulder some of the blame for failing to add to a team that many had predicted was overachieving earlier in the season. Not only did Nonis not make a trade leading up to the Mar. 5 trade deadline, the Leafs war room was shown deserted in the minutes leading up to 3pm et that day. A lack of deadline activity is nothing new to Toronto as the team has avoided big name additions in each of the last three seasons, but should Nonis have pressed harder to improve his club? Or does the blame fall to the teams long-term core? The Leafs have five forwards - Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul, David Clarkson, James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak – locked up over the next four seasons beyond 2013-14 at a combined cost of just under $27 million. While Lupuls productivity has actually trended upwards during the slump (three goals in his last five games and six points over the eight games), the big line of Kessel, van Riemsdyk and Bozak has not been up to the lofty standards it set earlier this season. Kessel has scored just twice in eight games and the entire line has combined for just 12 points with only one player (Bozak) having managed a multi-point game over the stretch, and that only once. As for Clarkson, his career lows in goals and assists this season speak for themselves. The blame game could go on and on. The team has given up three goals or more eight straight games. That statistic could be pinned on the defence corps, overall team defence, or a four-game stretch without Jonathan Bernier. So who takes the blame for the Leafs late-season struggles? As always, its Your! Call. Peyton Manning Youth Jersey . Lowry and the Raptors officially announced a four-year US$48 million dollar deal Thursday. The deal was reported last week but couldnt be made official until Thursday, when the moratorium on signings was lifted. "They were real factors. I did my homework. Marshall Faulk Youth Jersey .com) - Nicolas Colsaerts fired an 11-under 60 on Thursday and grabbed a 3-stroke lead with the opening round of the Portugal Masters suspended by rain. http://www.officialindianapoliscoltspro....e-colts-jersey/. You can see all the action on TSN2 beginning at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. Chicago won two of three games during its stay at the United Center. The club began the homestand with a 5-1 win over Pittsburgh on March 1 and fell to Colorado on Tuesday before posting another blowout win in Thursdays tilt against Columbus. Margus Hunt Jersey . In the late match, Shinji Okazaki scored two goals to pace Mainz to a 3-2 victory at Werder Bremen. Goals from Milan Badelj, Maximilian Beister and Hakan Calhanoglu ended Hamburgs two-match losing run and kept Hannover winless in seven games. Ben Banogu Colts Jersey .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Dallas Mavericks have struggled at times this season to close out. They didnt let that happen against the Memphis Grizzlies. Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points, Brandan Wright added 17 and the Mavericks used a second-half surge to grab a 110-96 victory over Memphis on Wednesday night. "Weve obviously had a little trouble sometimes finishing games with leads, especially on the road," said Nowitzki, who was 10 of 14 from the field, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. "Teams are putting pressure on us and really getting into us, and we havent really responded well to that. But (against the Grizzlies) I thought we were solid." Samuel Dalembert and Monta Ellis had 14 points apiece and Dalembert added 10 rebounds. Vince Carter had 13 points and seven assists to help the Mavericks win their third straight game. Zach Randolph scored 25 points for Memphis, while Courtney Lee finished with 22. James Johnson added 17 and Nick Calathes scored 16 starting his third game in place of injured starting point guard Mike Conley. Dallas began its rally in the closing minutes of the third quarter and carried it into the fourth, eventually leading by as many as 17. The Mavericks are eighth in the Western Conference, two games ahead of the Grizzlies for the last playoff spot. Dallas also assured itself of winning the season series with its third win over Memphis this season. "If we would have won it, we would still be able to make the playoffs. If we lose, it doesnt change anything," said Memphis centre Marc Gasol, who had 12 points. "We have a lot of games left. . Of course, we would like to win every game, but if you lose, you move on. If you win, you move on. Theres no other way around it." The Mavericks dominated the paint, holding a 56-32 advantage in points and 35-32 edge on the glass. "To get 40, 50 points in the paint on them is impressive," Nowitzki said. "It means we were driving the ball and sharing.dddddddddddd . Anytime we hold our own on the boards with this team and almost double them on points in the paint, thats a fantastic job for us." Memphis led 55-52 at halftime after having a basket taken away by a clock malfunction at the end of the half. Ellis scored with 10.1 seconds left, and on the ensuing Memphis possession Johnson appeared to hit a layup with less than a second left. But the clock didnt start properly following Ellis basket, and officials ruled that if it had, Johnson would not have gotten the shot off in time. "In the first half, we didnt defend very well," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "We knew we were going to play better in the second half." The Mavericks took their first lead of the game on a 3-pointer by Nowitzki early in the third period, but then the game settled into poor shooting on both sides. The result was a quarter with six ties and three lead changes. Dallas broke a 71-all tie by closing the period with a 7-1 push for a 78-72 lead. That started a 14-3 Mavericks rally spanning the quarters. When Wright converted a 3-point play with 8:27 left, Dallas had stretched the lead to 14 points. The Mavericks 110 points snapped a Memphis string of seven games during which the Grizzlies had not allowed an opponent to surpass 90 points. "They always have five guys on the floor that you have to guard, and they can all shoot," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "I did a poor job at getting us ready against the multiple action pick-and-rolls that they ran. "Defensively, we were awful." NOTES: It took 7 minutes after the teams left the floor at halftime for officials to review the final play before disallowing Johnsons basket. ... Mavericks F Shawn Marion returned after missing two games with shoulder and rib contusions and had eight points. ... Calathes, who hadnt committed a turnover in the last two games starting for Conley, had six turnovers. ... Nowitzki has five straight games with at least 23 points. ' ' '