rs. He is currently the national leader in touchbacks and ha

TORONTO -- Confidence was running high moments after the Toronto Maple Leafs sealed an overtime victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions.We played about as good as we could tonight, said defenseman Jake Gardiner, who scored the winner in Torontos 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. But it also shows we can play with anybody.Gardiner scored 2 minutes into overtime after being set up by Mitch Marner, whose shot just shuffled past defenseman Derrick Pouliot in front. Nikita Zaitsev also scored for Toronto.The Leafs had dropped three straight -- including the last two by shootout -- and six of the previous seven games (1-3-3) despite outshooting and often outplaying the opposition. A 41-shot barrage against Mike Smith and the Arizona Coyotes ended in a 3-2 shootout defeat on Thursday night.The young Maple Leafs outshot the defending Stanley Cup champions 49-34 and got 33 saves from Frederik Andersen.Shot counts have been through the roof, Torontos Nazem Kadri said when asked about the Leafs inability to score in recent weeks. Lots of opportunities. Sometimes you just run into some hot goaltenders and theyre hard to beat.Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins, and Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray combined to make 47 saves. Fleury was forced to leave briefly in the first period after being cut on his neck by a skate. He got five stitches around his Adams apple.The game got a frantic start when Carl Hagelin was hooked on a breakaway attempt by Connor Carrick in the opening two minutes. Hagelin was awarded a penalty shot but was stopped by Andersen.Less than a minute later, Fleury was injured on a dangerous play in front of his net.Leafs winger James van Riemsdyk was tussling with Penguins defenseman Steve Oleksy when van Riemsdyk lost his balance. His left skate kicked up and caught Fleury right under his mask, and as the action turned the other way, Fleury signaled to the bench and the play was whistled dead.The 32-year-old received treatment on the ice from a trainer before heading to the dressing room. Murray entered in his place, stopping all six shots he faced.Fleury returned just past the midway point of the first period.I got lucky you know, Fleury said. I was talking to the (doctors) and it was close to the jugular.Pittsburgh went up 1-0 just under two minutes later on Malkins 13th goal of the year. He was set up nicely by defenseman Justin Schultz, who faked a shot from atop the slot before sliding it over to Malkin. The Russian center whipped a one-time shot from one knee.Sidney Crosby added an assist on the play. The Penguins captain had a season-long nine-game point streak end Friday night in a 1-0 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings.The Leafs evened it up 14 seconds after Malkins goal on Zaitsevs first in the NHL. The 25-year-old, a free agent signing from Russia last summer, fired a shot from the right point that was batted by Oleksy in front before caroming off Fleurys mask and in.Zaitsev said he felt like he was 17 again after finally scoring. He had family in town for the game, but they opted to watch from a bar as opposed to in person.Its the joke of the day I think, Zaitsev said.Toronto generated quality opportunities on a power play a short while later, including van Riemsdyks attempt from the door-step that was stopped by the left toe of Fleury. Nikita Soshnikov sent Marners feed from the slot wide moments later.Game notes The Penguins were playing without two of their top defensemen, Kris Letang and Trevor Daley, because of injuries.UP NEXTPenguins: Host the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.Maple Leafs: Host Anaheim on Monday night. Kai Forbath Jersey . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Xavier Rhodes Jersey . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. http://www.shopvikingsauthentic.com/Youth-Dalvin-Cook-Elite-Jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Stefon Diggs Jersey .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Sam Bradford Jersey .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The pro-style offense of UTSA will try to out-duel the triple-option threat of New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday.Its the Roadrunners first bowl appearance in their brief six-year history. The Lobos have only won two bowl games in the last 55 years.Both coaches said a bowl win will give their programs a needed push in branding and recruiting. How we play will define us, UTSA head coach Frank Wilson said. We came here to win.New Mexico head coach Bob Davie said although he knows the coaching staff and UTSA athletic director Lynn Hickey, the friends have opted not to make friendly wagers on the game. We very competitive, Davie said. Its not, `lets bet a taco on the game.Players could see 25 mph wind gusts and high temperatures hovering around the mid-40s on Saturday. That could affect the Roadrunners game plan since UTSA relies heavily on a deep receiving crew who can grab a big play. But Wilson said he didnt think it would be too much of a factor. Whatever the weather is, its UTSA weather, he said.Davie said the high winds also could affect how the Lobos pitch in the option. New Mexico leads the nation in rushing yards per game with 360.9.Here are some other things to watch for in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday:GROUND ATTACK: The Lobos have racked up 4,331 rushing yards, the most in school history. New Mexico has two running backs -- Teriyon Gipson and Tyrone Owens -- with 1,000 rushing yards each and rarely turns the ball over. Gipson has 131 carries for 1,209 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 9.23 yards per carry average leads the FBS. Owens is second with 1,084 rushing yards. Both led the Mountain West in rushing yards.UTSA has its own rushing threat in senior running back Jarveon Williams. The All-Conference USA selection rushed for a team-leading 775 yards on 191 carries. He rushed for 100 yards or more seven times in his career as a Roadrunner.ddddddddddddIRING IT OUT: Wind or not, the Roadrunners will need a mistake-free passing game to keep the Lobos from controlling the tempo and clock. Quarterback Dalton Sturm, who threw for 2,052 yards and 18 touchdowns this season, will have to spread the ball around UTSAs speedy receiving corps. Junior wide receiver Josh Stewart leads the Roadrunners with 36 receptions for the schools single-season record of 682 receiving yards.Even if Sturm cant get the ball to Stewart, he has junior receiver Kerry Thomas Jr. as a nice back up. Thomas set a program single-game record with 145 receiving yards in the Nov. 26 win against Charlotte that clinched a bowl appearance for UTSA.ASSIGNMENT FOOTBALL: Stopping New Mexicos quick and speedy ground game will rest with a defense anchored by UTSA senior safety Michael Egwuagu. He ranks third on the team with 76 tackles -- 6.5 have come behind the line of scrimmage. The 6-foot, 200-pounder plays the Lion safety in UTSAs 4-2-5 defensive scheme. He believes everyone will need to play assignment football for the Roadrunners to be able to stop the Lobos.Wilson said that means all defensive players will have to stay disciplined and make individual tackles. Its not a time to get cute, Wilson said.BY A FOOT: Should the game come down to the wire, Davie will turn to kicker Jason Sanders. He is currently the national leader in touchbacks and has made 81 extra points in a row. This year, the junior went 11-for-12 on field goals and 59-for-59 on extra points.---Follow Russell Contreras on Twitter at http://twitter.com/russcontreras . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/russell-contreras .---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '