The Toronto Maple Leafs hope to give their fading playoff chances an injection of life when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning for Tuesdays battle in Central Florida. The Maple Leafs are three points behind Columbus for the last playoff spot in the East with only three games left on their schedule. You can listen to the game live on TSN 1050 starting at 7:30pm et/4:30 pm pt. All three of Torontos remaining games are on the road and the club likely needs to win every one and hope for help from other teams to make the postseason for a second straight spring. The Leafs, who are just 14-17-7 on the road in 2013-14, had missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons before returning to the tournament last year. Already without No. 1 goaltender Jonathan Bernier for the rest of the regular season, Toronto also will not have forward Joffrey Lupul for the remaining three games. The club announced Monday that Lupul, who is third on the Maple Leafs with 22 goals this season, will undergo surgery on his knee and be sidelined for the next 3-to-4 weeks while centre David Bolland is a game-time decision. The club announced Tuesday morning that forward Carter Ashton and goaltender Drew MacIntyre have been called up from the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies. Torontos postseason dreams were severely damaged when the club lost its last eight games of March in regulation. The Leafs won two straight to begin April to get back in the playoff conversation, but then lost their final home game of the regular season in Saturdays 4-2 setback against Winnipeg. The Maple Leafs held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the first period of Saturdays game, but the Jets scored three unanswered markers to finish the contest. Tobias Enstrom scored the eventual game-winning goal when he converted on the power play with 2:58 left in the second period. Phil Kessel and Nazem Kadri provided Torontos two goals and James Reimer allowed all four goals on 41 shots. "I think they outplayed us," Kessel said. "We need to play better." Reimer, who is 1-6-0 over his last seven starts, expects to get the call again on Tuesday. The 26-year-old is 2-4-0 with a 3.31 goals against average in six career games against the Lightning. Toronto won the first two meetings with the Lightning this season before dropping a 5-3 home decision against Tampa on March 19. Reimer allowed five goals on 30 shots in the setback, as the Leafs lost to Tampa for only the third time in 10 outings. Toronto has claimed three of the past five road meetings against the Bolts. Tampa Bay already has locked up a playoff spot and is five points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings for third place in the Atlantic Division standings with four games left for both teams. The Lightning will face Montreal in the opening round of the playoffs unless Detroit, which visits Buffalo on Tuesday, beats them in the standings. The Lightning have lost their last two games in regulation, including Saturdays 5-2 setback against the visiting Dallas Stars. Jamie Benn had two goals and an assist to help Dallas rout the Bolts at Tampa Bay Times Forum. Andrej Sustr and Steven Stamkos scored for the Lightning, who have dropped three of their last four. Ben Bishop allowed all five goals on 28 shots. Sustrs goal was the first of his NHL career and his eighth point. "It was exciting and something I will always remember for the rest of my life," said Sustr of his first goal. "Unfortunately Ill associate it with a loss and Id rather it be the other way around." Tampa Bay fell to 22-10-6 on home ice and is playing the fourth part of a six- game homestand on Tuesday. The Lightning will cap the regular season with Sundays road test in Washington. In other news, the Lightning signed vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman to a four-year contract extension on Monday. Yzerman has one more year remaining on his initial contract with the club and is completing his fourth season as the Lightnings lead hockey operations executive. Authentic Mats Sundin Jersey . Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed. Authentic Josh Jooris Jersey .ca. Mr. Fraser, I think everyone would like to hear your opinion on what sort of suspension Zac Rinaldo should get. His comment after the game of I changed the whole game, man. 22 because of a bruised foot and have added forward Sean Collins to the roster on emergency recall from Springfield of the AHL. Authentic Garret Sparks Jersey . Infante hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning and had an RBI single in a four-run fifth against former teammate Justin Verlander, helping the Kansas City Royals beat the Tigers 11-8 Monday night. Authentic Ted Kennedy Jersey . Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris, city natives, handled the catering for teammates that begged them for the tasty postgame feast.GREEN BAY, Wis. - Go ahead, take shots at the Green Bay Packers and their barely-above .500 record. Question the defence, and make light of how they needed to scratch and claw to win three of their last four games. All that matters to coach Mike McCarthy is that Green Bay won the NFC North and is in the NFL playoffs. "I love our defence. I love our football team. Throw the stats out the window," a rejuvenated McCarthy said Monday at Lambeau Field. "You can throw the bad ones at me and Ill throw the good ones back at you. "Were a playoff football team. Our identity has changed. This team has embraced it, and we know its going to take the full game to get it done, and thats the way we play." The Packers (8-7-1) have grown accustomed to nail-biters on their way to winning a third straight division crown. The most important close call came Sunday at Chicagos Soldier Field, when Aaron Rodgers found Randall Cobb for an unlikely 48-yard touchdown catch on fourth-and-8 with 38 seconds left to cap the comeback from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 33-28 win. Whats more, it sent the Bears — Green Bays fiercest division rival — home for the winter. The victory and touchdown reception that featured two key Packers who returned from injuries had sports talk radio shows buzzing throughout Wisconsin on Monday. "Oh man, Its a great a feeling," running back Eddie Lacy said Sunday night about watching time expire on the clock. "Were about to go to the (playoffs), and now we have to keep it going." But the Packers had only Sunday night to celebrate. "Im sure some guys went past midnight," McCarthy said. It was back to business on Monday in Titletown, and as if to emphasize the point, McCarthy sported a suit and tie when he spoke to reporters. "It is playoff time, and were focused on the 49ers," he said. Coach Jim Harbaughs team will visit Lambeau Field on Sunday for an NFC wild-card game..dddddddddddd The 49ers beat the Packers 34-28 in San Francisco in Week 1, back in September. Last season, the 49ers eliminated Green Bay from the playoffs en route to the Super Bowl. As much as McCarthy would like to disregard the statistics, on defence at least, the numbers dont paint a pretty picture. Green Bay is 25th in the NFL in total defence, giving up 372 yards a game. After a solid start to the season, the Packers have fallen to 25th against the run, allowing 125 yards per game. It is unknown if pass-rushing linebacker Clay Matthews will return to action after breaking his right thumb for a second time this year. He wont play on Sunday. But the Packers do have Rodgers back after the 2011 NFL MVP missed nearly two months because of a fractured left collarbone. He is the ultimate game-changer, a franchise quarterback who can help mask other flaws on the team. McCarthy said he cant think of a better two-minute drill in his coaching career than the one the Packers executed Sunday night to help win the game. "I think this is probably his finest hour as a Green Bay Packer," McCarthy said of Rodgers. The road back to the post-season has been strewn with obstacles. Besides Rodgers, Cobb and Matthews, injuries have also deprived Green Bay of tight end Jermichael Finley, defensive end Johnny Jolly and cornerback Casey Hayward. Projected left tackle Bryan Bulaga was lost in training camp. But McCarthy believes a team identity has emerged late in games over the last month. The defence staved off the Bears last-ditch drive with an interception by cornerback Sam Shields. Call em the "never-give-up" Packers. "When you really have to earn it to get in," McCarthy said, "yeah, its very rewarding." Notes: Lacy has been bothered by a sprained right ankle the last three games, but McCarthy said Monday that early information indicated the rookie came out of Sundays game in better condition than after the previous game. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '