lot of guys fight for so many reasons besides trying to be

The Toronto Maple Leafs have picked a bad time to go on a four-game losing streak, but the struggling club hopes to end its slide Sunday evening in New Jersey. Toronto has dropped four straight in regulation and has five losses in its last six games. The rough patch has the Maple Leafs barely hanging on to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 80 points. The Leafs are one point in front of Detroit for the first wild card spot. The Red Wings currently occupy the second wild card, but are tied in the standings with Washington. Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets are lurking just two points behind Toronto. The Red Wings and Blue Jackets have games on Sunday, while Washington is off. The Devils, meanwhile, are six points behind Detroit for the last playoff spot in the East. New Jersey also hasnt helped its postseason cause lately with four losses in five games. Torontos most recent setback came in Saturdays home test against the rival Montreal Canadiens. Tomas Plekanec scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and the Habs held on for the 4-3 win at Air Canada Centre. The Leafs are 0-4 with Reimer in net since starting goalie Jonathan Bernier went down with a groin injury on March 13 in Los Angeles. Bernier is nearing a return from his injury but he didnt make the trip to New Jersey on Sunday, meaning Reimer could get another start. Some good news for the Maple Leafs? Center Dave Bolland played his first game Saturday since suffering a severed tendon in his ankle on Nov. 2. "I felt great," said Bolland. "I felt good with everything that was going on out there." Bolland had one shot in nine minutes and Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri scored Torontos goals. Reimer stopped 32 shots in the loss. "We win and lose as a team," said Carlyle. "The work ethic of our group has been strong. Our execution is the area we need to get better at." Toronto hopes to continue its recent dominance of the Devils on Sunday. The Maple Leafs have won the last six encounters in this series overall and have claimed three straight and four of five in New Jersey. Both meetings between the clubs this season have ended in shootouts. James van Riemsdyk, a native of New Jersey, provided the decisive shootout goal for Toronto on both occasions. Sundays game will mark Toronto forward David Clarksons first game back in New Jersey. Clarkson, who played in 426 games for the Devils, had a 30-goal season for Jersey in 2011-12 but left the Garden State over the summer to sign a seven-year, $36.75 million contract with Toronto. It has been a trying first season with the Leafs for Clarkson. The 29-year-old has missed significant time due to suspensions and injuries and only has four goals and six assists in 49 games this season. Clarkson has so far failed to register a point in two games against the Devils in 2013-14. "I would be lying if I said (this game) was something that you dont think about," Clarkson told NorthJersey.com. "I dont know how the fans will act, but I am looking forward to going back." The Devils were blanked in Saturdays home battle against the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist recorded his 50th career shutout, a new franchise record, to help New York record the 2-0 win at Prudential Center. The loss dropped New Jersey nine points behind the Rangers for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Martin Brodeur was solid in defeat, stopping 25-of-26 shots for the Devils, who only have 11 games left to make a playoff push. "Weve got to regroup because we have a game tomorrow and it starts right there," said New Jersey forward Stephen Gionta. "Were going to have to claw our way back because were not going to give up until the end." New Jersey fell to 1-2-0 on a crucial five-game homestand after Saturdays setback and the club is 17-10-7 as the host this season. Cory Schneider will get the call in net for New Jersey on Sunday. He is 0-2 with a 1.40 goals against average in two career games against Toronto. Maury Wills Jersey .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Mike Piazza Jersey . Calgary finished atop the CFL standings with a 14-4 record and earned the right to host the West Division final at McMahon Stadium on Nov. http://www.dodgerssale.com/ . -- Pelicans coach Monty Williams does not expect guard Eric Gordon to play in any of New Orleans final five games this season. A. J. Pollock Dodgers Jersey . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Max Muncy Jersey .ca presents a week long look at some of the teams and stories that will shape the up coming campaign. LOS ANGELES -- When Carla Esparza and Jessica Penne agreed to spend several weeks of the summer sequestered in a house with 14 fellow mixed martial artists, they didnt do it because it sounded like fun. They joined the cast of the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter" because their sport is growing in ways they never imagined just a few months earlier. After years of training, sacrificing and getting punched for little more than personal satisfaction, they embraced the chance to showcase womens MMA to a new audience, even if it meant living in what Esparza called "a combination of a prison and a sorority." "Were getting an amazing opportunity I never thought I would see," added Penne, who was fired from her job as a boxing instructor during her stint on the show this summer. "In this sport, you go through people not taking you seriously, not being able to pay your bills because youre chasing a dream," Penne said. "It gets really difficult. Its a crazy, up-and-down life, but I feel lucky to be able to do something I love every single day. Not many people get the opportunity to do that. Ill suffer while I can to chase my dream." When the UFC added an entire 115-pound womens division this year, the promotion decided to use its long-running reality television show to pick a champion for the first time. The UFC signed most of the worlds top strawweights out of the Invicta FC womens promotion and filmed them living and training together in Las Vegas. The results air on Fox Sports 1 starting Wednesday night, culminating in the title fight Dec. 12. "It was a good experience," said Esparza, a wrestler from Redondo Beach. "I wouldnt trade it for anything in the world, but I dont know if I would do it again." The visibility of womens MMA has skyrocketed in the last two years with the ascent of Ronda Rousey, the UFCs undefeated bantamweight champion and a budding movie star. Rouseys charisma and MMA skills were the main reasons UFC President Dana White reversed his long-standing reluctance to promote female fighters, and Rousey has become arguably the UFCs biggest star. With Rousey topping a thriving bantamweight division, White decided to double down on womens MMA.dddddddddddd Suddenly, 115-pound fighters who had barely made any money after years in their sport had the chance to become reality-TV stars and eventual fighters in MMAs biggest showcases. "I had no clue that this was even going to be possible," Esparza said. "I started off fighting for pennies. I thought I was going to fight for a couple of years. It wasnt something I could survive on. I was just fighting because I love it." "Through all my years of training and competing, I never thought of it as my profession," Penne added. "It was just something that I loved to do. I enjoyed and just never really thought of it in that way. I think Ronda did a great service to womens MMA and gave us that catapult to be taken seriously." The UFC appointed lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and top contender Gilbert Melendez as the coaches. Melendez has been a supporter of womens MMA since he taught his first all-women jiu jitsu class in 2004, and his wife, Keri Anne, competes in muay thai. "I was never like, Oh, theyre girls," Melendez said. "Theyre all gamers. A lot of guys fight for so many reasons besides trying to be a true champion. Some of them fight for what it brings to them. These ladies fight straight because they like it." The strawweights needed the UFC, but the worlds dominant MMA promotion also needs them. Even White acknowledged "The Ultimate Fighter" had grown stagnant and repetitive after 19 seasons of the same formula. Most seasons showcase up-and-coming fighters from regional promotions trying to break into the big time -- and usually failing. The 20th season showcases most of the worlds best fighters in the 115-pound weight class, and a title awaits at the end. "The Ultimate Fighter" hasnt featured this much top-end talent since mens flyweights and bantamweights joined the promotion three years ago in a season that featured current bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, John Dodson and Dennis Bermudez. "I think there will be a couple of stars coming out of this season that can help the company," Melendez said. "And they can use it." ' ' '