The Chicago Blackhawks will try to sweep a two-game tour of Ontario when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs in Saturdays battle at Air Canada Centre. The Blackhawks won for the second time in three games on Thursday, picking up a shootout victory over the Ottawa Senators to kick off a brief road trip. Patrick Sharp scored in the third round of the shootout to give Chicago the 5-4 victory in Canadas capital city. Sharp was the final skater of the shootout and he made it count as he faked to the forehand and roofed the puck over Craig Anderson for the win. Its always nice to get a win on the road in a tough place like this, said Sharp. Jonathan Toews scored twice while Kris Versteeg and Marian Hossa each posted a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks. Hossa recorded his 1,000th career point in the victory, becoming the 80th NHL player to reach the milestone. Scott Darling made 28 saves for the win in his third straight start, but with No. 1 netminder Corey Crawford due to return from an upper-body injury tonight, the rookie was reassigned to the clubs AHL affiliate in Rockford on Friday. Darling went 2-1-0 with a 1.98 goals against average during his first foray into the NHL, but, for now at least, it appears head coach Joel Quenneville is content to keep Antti Raanta in the clubs backup role. Crawford is expected to start tonight, while Raanta should get the call in Sundays home tilt versus Winnipeg. The Blackhawks, who are 2-2-0 on the road this season, have dominated Toronto in recent years although the Maple Leafs did post a 7-3 rout when the clubs last met on Dec. 14 of last season at ACC. Chicago had won the previous eight encounters overall between the clubs and had claimed four straight in Toronto. The Maple Leafs, however, enter Saturday having won two straight and three of their last four games. Toronto notched a 4-0 home victory against Buffalo on Tuesday and posted a 4-1 decision Friday evening in Columbus. Phil Kessel and Daniel Winnik both had a goal and two assists, leading the Maple Leafs to the easy win over the Blue Jackets. Kessel, who leads Toronto with 13 points, has recorded four goals and four assists over his last four games and he already has five multi-point games this season. David Clarkson and Nazem Kadri also scored, and Jonathan Bernier made 28 saves for the Maple Leafs. Were feeling good, but the season is full of peaks and valleys, said Winnik, who played in his 500th career game. The Maple Leafs announced before the game that forward Joffrey Lupul will be sidelined indefinitely with a broken bone in his right hand. The oft-injured Lupul has two goals and one assist in nine games this season. James Reimer is likely to start in net tonight for Toronto. His only career appearance against the Blackhawks was on March 5, 2011, when Reimer surrendered five goals in a 5-3 loss. The Maple Leafs recalled centre Sam Carrick from their AHL-affiliate Toronto Marlies on Saturday and the 22-year-old will play in his first NHL game this evening. Carrick was a fifth-round draft pick by the Leafs in 2010 out of the OHLs Brampton Battalion. In 62 games with the Marlies last season, the Markham, Ontario native had 14 goals and 21 assists. He has a lone assist through seven AHL games this season. Deryk Engelland Jersey . That is, how does he keep the red hot bat of Juan Francisco in the lineup when first base is taken by Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind is back as the designated hitter? "Maybe Francisco can play second," joked Gibbons. James Neal Penguins Jersey . The Bombers gauged trade interest in the 34-year-old prior to Thursdays season opener but have not found a deal. Banks was acquired from the British Columbia Lions for Canadian receiver Kito Poblah during the off-season. http://www.penguinshockeyJerseysofficial.com/black-23-chris-conner-womens-Jersey/ . -- As Louisville strives to reach the high level of performance and consistency achieved by last years championship squad, the Cardinals also know that getting there will take time with a bunch of new faces. Olli Maatta Jersey .com) - The Vancouver Canucks hope an upcoming stretch of home games will be enough to get the club into the postseason. Nick Bonino Penguins Jersey . - After playing two games in Southern California during the weekend, Nashville got off to a slow start back home against Carolina.NEW YORK - As the Knicks were on their way to an embarrassing 29-point Christmas Day defeat, the Madison Square Garden faithful chanted the name of their saviour, who just so happens to be the Raptors starting point guard. Their 9-19 record remains identical to the crosstown rivals in Brooklyn and trails both Toronto and Boston in the Atlantic Division. Raymond Felton, their declining point guard, is back on the sideline nursing his third injury of the season. Their owner James Dolan has reassured his team that no one is being traded or fired, at least for the time being. Still, some Knicks fans are holding out hope that help is on the way. "Thats very humbling," Kyle Lowry said, flattered by the thought of Knicks fans chanting his name. "Thats humbling, I appreciate it. Its kind of one of those things where you just dont know what to say, you just are like, wow thats pretty cool but at the end of the day, I play for the Raptors." Exactly two weeks ago, Lowry stood in front of the Toronto media and addressed multiple reports that had surfaced the day prior, connecting him to trade talks with the Knicks. The rumour mill has dried up since then, for the most part, but the Raptors guard found himself answering the same questions prior to Fridays game at MSG, the first in a home-and-home set with the Knicks. Catch both contests against the division-rival Knicks - Friday at 7:30pm et and Saturday at 7pm et - live on TSN2 and listen to Saturdays rematch on TSN 1050 Radio. "That wasnt in my mind," Lowry said, asked about the possibility of playing in New York. "My mind [said] to keep playing and be a competitor and play hard, try to win as many games for the Raptors. If something happens, then it happens, until that day Im a Raptor and I play hard for the Raptors." Reconvening in New York following a brief two-day break for the holidays, the Raptors are feeling good about their place in the putrid Atlantic Division. Despite the trade of Rudy Gay earlier in the month and ongoing speculation that Lowry and/or others could be moved next, no one is panicking. Quite the opposite in fact. The team is as harmonious as ever and thats a credit to their flood general, who hasnt been shaken by the off-court noise and is playing the best basketball of his career. Lowry is avveraging 15.dddddddddddd2 points and 7.0 assists this season, both career-highs. He has recorded six or more assists in a career-best 18 consecutive games, obliterating his previous high, which was eight straight contests. The Raptors sit atop the division, a half game ahead of the Celtics and three games in front of the Knicks and Nets. Although theyve won five of eight since the trade of Gay - including two of three during an exceptionally difficult Western Conference road trip - the Knicks are closing in. New York has won six of its last 12 and has Tyson Chandler, the heart of its defence, back in the lineup. With two straight games against the Knicks and four of the next 11 against Atlantic Division opponents, this stretch could go a long way in mapping out the Raptors next step, as well as the future of Lowry and his expiring contract. "We all want to win, we all want to make the playoffs, we all want to be a better team and continue to get better," said Lowry. "I think guys are just out here, were having fun, were taking advantage of every time we can step on the floor together and just trying to win games." "I just want to keep playing. No matter what, I want to try to win games. I made a commitment to the city of Toronto, to myself and to the fans to get the Raptors to the playoffs so thats what Im here to do." Much-needed rest for DeRozan For the second straight season, DeMar DeRozan is among the league-leaders in minutes played. The Raptors guard has logged 38.5 minutes per night through the teams first 26 games with only the Knicks Carmelo Anthony and Rockets guard James Harden averaging more playing time. The two-day break couldnt have come at a better time for Torontos best player. "I think we just needed that," he said following shootaround at Baruch College in New York Friday afternoon. "Just to have two days to relax, get your mind off things, I think it was definitely needed for us, especially with this push were trying to make to stay on top of the division and win the next couple games." Raptors coach Dwane Casey said he is planning to monitor DeRozans minutes closely and could deploy John Salmons or the sparingly used Landry Fields and Steve Novak to spell him more as the season goes on. cheap nfl Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys cheap nfl Jerseys wholesale Jerseys ' ' '