The NHL is a quarter of the way through the 2013-14 season. It is usually at this time of the campaign that teams start looking to quickly make their way up the standings. Unfortunately, some Canadian teams have not had the strongest start to the season and it is up to each team to turn things around in the coming months, but which one has the best chance to make significant improvements? The Edmonton Oilers have the largest ground to make up as they sit at the bottom of the Western Conference. The Oilers are a young team still working to grow and improve their dynamic, though they have proven lately that they can win. Currently, they are in the midst of their second three-game winning streak of the season. Seated just above Edmonton in the Western Conference are fellow Albertans, the Calgary Flames. With just as much to prove as the Oilers, the Flames certainly have some work to do if they want to turn things around this season. Calgary has won only two of their last 10 games. They have made some progress though, earning points in shootout and overtime losses. The Vancouver Canucks are currently ninth in the West and will have to get out of their current funk and back to how things were earlier this season in order to make a playoff push. After a solid October, the Canucks have lost their last five games. It is projected that there may be a 20-point difference between what it takes to make the playoffs in the Eastern and Western Conferences this season. The Winnipeg Jets are a new member of the Western Conference and the adjustment has surely been difficult for the team. If the Jets were to finish just over 100 points this season, they could possibly miss the playoffs because of the strength of their conference. Had they remained in the Eastern Conference this season, they would have more than enough to earn a spot in the playoffs at that level. Over in the East, the Ottawa Senators have been struggling as of late, with goaltending problems contributing to their worries. They have lost four of their last five games with starter Craig Anderson between the pipes for three of the defeats. Backup Robin Lehner proved himself earlier this month when pressed into action, but has stepped aside since the return of Anderson. Currently 11th in the East, the team has been inconsistent, putting out strong performances one night and letting games slip through their fingers the next. The other two Canadian teams in the East, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens are both slowly nearing the top of their conference. The Maple Leafs, who have been preforming recently without some of their big names, such as Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak, are still holding onto their place in the top five of the conference. The Canadiens, meanwhile, are in seventh spot and have won three of their last five games. Unlike their Western counterparts, these two have less reason for concern but could quickly climb their way to the top. With all things considered, which of the seven Canadian teams have the best chance to turn things around this season? As always, its Your! Call. . Mired in an offensive slump, Lowry - the NBAs leader in taking charges this season - did what he has learned to do best, standing his ground and drawing a crucial offensive foul on the Cavaliers all-star point guard. Fast forward 30 seconds to the Cavs next possession, with the home team still trailing by three, Spencer Hawes - one of the leagues best passing big men - threw an interception, intended for Tyler Zeller and picked off by DeMar DeRozan. . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.
http://www.cheapredskinsjerseysonline.c ... sey-online. With the results, North America claimed 2.5 of the three available points, opening up a 17.5-12.5 lead in the overall standings. A total of 60 points are available, meaning the first team to 30.5 points will win the Continental Cup. . Basketball fans around the globe will be watching as Kobe Bryant makes his season debut - 240 days after tearing his left Achilles - against Toronto, a team he has used as his own personal punching bag. . - Josh Sterk scored twice to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 7-1 rout of the Ottawa 67s in Mondays Ontario Hockey League action.Kara Langs brave bid to return to Canadas womens soccer team is over. The 27-year-old from Oakville, Ont., has suffered a third devastating knee injury, ending an attempted comeback she started nearly a year ago. Lang tweeted the news early Thursday morning. "2 days after being cleared to train w/ #CanWNT my knee literally exploded yesterday. Ive torn just about everything you can in a knee," Lang wrote. The former national team star striker launched a comeback last March nearly two years after two torn ACLs forced her to walk away from the game at the age of 24, tearfully announcing her retirement at a news conference in Oakville. She put her broadcasting career on hold last March in hopes of returning to the game, and then spent three weeks out of every month in Montreal training with athletic therapists, in a total "rebuild" -- a tedious breaking down-building up process meant to prevent her from reinjuring her knee. She joined the womens residency program in Vancouver in the fall. "Thank UU to everyone whos been there for me along this crazy trip.dddddddddddd Staying positive b/c I have the best support system anyone could ask for," Lang tweeted Thursday. The five-foot-eight striker, known for her booming shot, scored 34 goals in 92 games, and played in two World Cups -- in 2003 and 2007 -- as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "Its just kind of one of those things where I have to try it," Lang told The Canadian Press last summer. "Nothing is guaranteed when you really look at it. I just need to know that I tried." Having Lang back in the lineup would have been a big boost for Canadas World Cup campaign, and great news to the fans whove followed the five-foot-eight striker since she was part of Canadas silver-medal performance at the FIFA U-19 world championships in Edmonton in 2002. Lang, who was 15 at that tournament, scored three goals in six games. Shes also the youngest player to be named to the national senior side, making her debut at 15 in March of 2002. ' ' '
