who was hired as the Falcons offensive co-ordinator after Mi

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TORONTO – Asked if he ever envisioned this level of potential from Joffrey Lupul when the two were first linked in Anaheim years back, Randy Carlyle replied firmly in the negative. "No," said Carlyle flatly, "I didnt. Or we probably never wouldve traded him." Lupul was a force yet again on Tuesday night, scoring twice alongside a familiar duo as the Leafs extended their point streak to six games (3-0-3) with a close 3-2 victory over the Panthers. Rejoining Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak on the top unit midway through the game, Lupul added his fifth and sixth goals of the year. He now has a marker in every game since his return from a fractured right forearm 10 days ago. "Youve just got to enjoy this while it goes," he said of the four-game goal streak. "Im not expecting it to last forever so Ive got to just keep doing other things on the ice right and continue to be a factor in every game." Charged and simply electric whenever hes been on the ice – he served a two-game suspension in addition to the injury – Lupul seems to be gunning at a different level since his return from a 25-game absence earlier this month. An All-Star for the first time a year ago when he scored a career-best 67 points, Lupuls game continues to climb. "Hes playing really good hockey right now," Bozak said. "Hes burying his opportunities and hes working hard, doing great in the corners and playing good defensively so hes really doing it all." Five Points 1. Shuffling the deck With Tuesday being their fifth game in seven nights, the Leafs were a sluggish bunch coming out of the gate and found themselves down a goal and outshot 16-7 after the opening frame. "eeing nothing" from his group in a potential letdown game following an emotional pair against the Bruins, Carlyle decided it was time to pull the plug and try something new – relatively speaking that is. He reconnected Kessel and Bozak with their regular running mate from the past two seasons – replacing the struggling James van Riemsdyk – and the trio came together for two Lupul goals in the final frame. "I think we clicked right off the bat," said Bozak, who tallied assists on both goals, including a direct feed to Lupul for the second marker. "Weve played with each other a lot in the past couple years so it wasnt anything different. It seemed like we knew where each other were and we were lucky enough to get a couple there." "We didnt have a lot going," Carlyle said of his decision to shake things up with the Leafs down 1-0. "We were a step and a half behind. We just werent skating and they were much more eager than we were. They won a lot more puck battles and they executed to a higher level so we had to do something. Just couldnt continue to go on that way." 2. Carlyles reward Moments after he shuffled the deck – van Riemsdyk took a shift or two with Nazem Kadri before concluding the night alongside Mikhail Grabovski – Carlyle was rewarded with a game-tying goal, Dion Phaneuf burying his sixth of the year past Jacob Markstrom. "Its like youre pounding on a horse thats given up down the stretch and youre hoping that he finds a little bit more heart and thats what I believe they did," Carlyle said of trying to establish an emotional charge from his group after taking three of four points from Boston. "They reached back and found some more. Theyre to be commended." The two sides exchanged goals early in the third before Lupul sealed it with his second of the night on a laser between the pads of Markstrom. "Things were a little stagnant for us probably in the first period," Lupul said. "Sometimes a little switch can freshen everyone up a little bit so thats what happened and we made [Carlyle] look good." Also required in victory was a sharp outing from Ben Scrivens. The 26-year-old set a career-high with 40 saves, the only two pucks that snuck by both ricocheted off skates in front. "Again you focus on what you can control," he said. "Its hockey. Its a dynamic game. Weird bounces happen. At least it didnt go in off a stanchion." Luck did end up on Scrivens side after all. Tuesday marked the first victory for him in over a month, his last win coming all the way back on February 25th, a 4-2 defeat of the Flyers in Philadelphia. 3. Ditching the skid An early March skid is now firmly in the past for the Leafs, who have taken at least a point in six consecutive games. "We know how important every single game is this year," Bozak said, questioned on how the team stayed on the rails this March as opposed to last seasons epic collapse. "Theres teams chasing us and were trying to catch teams ahead of us. Obviously weve got a good group of leaders in here that are keeping us mentally focused and prepared. Good coaching staff. Were just trying to not have any lapses or go too many games without a win because if youve do that youre out of the race again." The Leafs remain sixth in the East with 40 points, two back of the Senators in fifth, but maybe more importantly, seven up of the Islanders in ninth. 4. Lupul, Leafs leadership A prominent presence around the Toronto dressing room, Lupul was designated an alternate captain before the year began and with good reason. "When you come and watch us practice he definitely separates himself the first day of practice when you watch him out there," Carlyle said of Lupul. "He just plays the game at a higher level and works at a higher level than a lot of people and thats a great example for our younger players." "You cant say enough positive things that hes brought to the room," Scrivens said. "But really, hes just supplemented all the great leadership that we already have in this room. Dion and Johnny Liles, Clarke MacArthur, a lot of old guys. Old. Well say veteran guys whove played a lot of games in this league who know how to lead by example. The two Russian guys [Grabovski and Nik Kulemin] have been around for a while. They dont speak a ton but their work ethic is second to none. Every time we watch video its Match yourself to Kulie, match yourself to Grabo. I think weve got a lot of guys that are stepping up into different leadership roles and Joffreys definitely one of them." 5. Kadris penalties While his five-game point streak came to an end, Nazem Kadri continued to draw minor penalties at an incredible rate. Kadri drew two calls against the Panthers, a tripping call against Filip Kuba and a hooking infraction on Colby Robak. The 22-year-old has drawn an astounding 22 penalties in 34 games this season or about 19 per cent of his teams power-plays. Quote of the Night "Its like youre pounding on a horse thats given up down stretch and youre hoping that he finds a little bit more heart and thats what I believe they did. They reached back and found some more. Theyre to be commended." -Randy Carlyle, on his team finding an extra gear Tuesday following a sluggish start. Stat Watch 6: Goals for Joffrey Lupul in four games since his return from injury. 20: Assists for Phil Kessel this season, including a pair on Tuesday. 16: Points for Kessel in March, first on the team. 22-57: Leafs on the draw versus the Panthers. 42: Shots for the Panthers, second-highest for a Leaf opponent this season. 18: Points for Dion Phaneuf, tied with Cody Franson for the team lead among defenders. 3-0-3: Leafs record in the past six games. 9-6-2: Leafs home record this season. Minute Watch 18:39: Joffrey Lupul. Up Next The Leafs host the Hurricanes at the ACC on Thursday before heading to Ottawa for a Saturday clash with the Senators. Martin Brodeur Olympic Jersey . -- From Notre Dames unbeaten regular season to college footballs biggest awards, Manti Teo just keeps winning. Sidney Crosby Olympic Jersey . 24 Boise State against No. 13 Michigan State. The junior will make his first career start after spending two seasons backing up four-year starter Kellen Moore, who started more winning games than any quarterback in major college football history. www.teamcahockeyjerseyshop.com/Olympic-Scott-Niedermayer-Team-Canada-Jersey/ . Join our Game Night Blog at 8pm et/5pm pt. The top-seeded Rangers hold a 2-1 edge in this series after taking Games 1 and 3 by identical 3-0 scores. New Jersey recorded its one victory on the road in Game 2, beating New York in 3-2 fashion. Chris Pronger Olympic Jersey . Marois had a brief face-to-face chat Sunday with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone at Montreals Circuit Gilles Villeneuve during the Canadian Grand Prix. Martin St. Louis Jersey . A new coach will be in place before Canada plays two exhibition matches against the United States in September, Peter Montopoli, the CSAs general secretary, said Thursday.FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons have signed offensive guard Vince Manuwai, reuniting him with his former offensive co-ordinator. Manuwai started 105 games over eight years with the Jaguars, who picked him in the third round of the 2003 draft. He speent his last four seasons in Jacksonville working under Dirk Koetter, who was hired as the Falcons offensive co-ordinator after Mike Mularkey took over as the Jaguars head coach.dddddddddddd Manuwai was released by Jacksonville before last season. ' ' '