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The red-hot Toronto Maple Leafs will aim for their seventh win in eight games to begin the season when they host the Carolina Hurricanes in Thursdays battle at Air Canada Centre. James Reimer will get the start for Toronto after his solid outing on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. The team will have to do it without James van Riemsdyk however, as head coach Randy Carlyle said Thursday morning the forward is suffering from back spasms. The Maple Leafs currently are on their second three-game winning streak of the season, having opened the campaign with three straight victories before suffering their only loss on Oct. 8 against Colorado. Toronto has beaten Nashville, Edmonton and Minnesota since that home loss to the Avalanche and is sitting atop the Atlantic Division with 12 points. Torontos last two wins came on home ice and the club is wrapping a three-game stand at ACC on Thursday. The Maple Leafs were last in action on Tuesday, when Mason Raymond tallied a pair of goals to help Toronto record a 4-1 decision over the Minnesota Wild. Raymond scored his first of the game in the second period and added a late empty-netter for Toronto, which is shooting for its first four-game winning streak since Feb. 5-11 of last season. Tyler Bozak and Trevor Smith also scored in Tuesdays victory. "It was tough, theyre a good team," said Bozak. "They play hard, they dont give you much out there. We found a way to get it done, and thats the most important thing." Reimer, making his first appearance in goal after he was pulled for Jonathan Bernier in the second period of a win over Ottawa on Oct. 5, stood tall between the pipes, stopping 37-of-38 shots. "You want contribution from everybody all over the ice," said Raymond. "Reims tonight was huge. From our standpoint, we didnt have the best game ever, didnt have a lot of shots on net, but at the end of the day we found a way to win." Carolina has lost three straight heading into Thursdays contest, but the Canes were able to record a point in two of those setbacks, including Tuesdays 3-2 shootout loss against visiting Chicago. Patrick Sharp scored in the third round of the shootout to help the Blackhawks take a 3-2 win, but Carolina overcame a 2-0 deficit in the third period to steal a point from the defending Stanley Cup champions. Alexander Semin and Ron Hainsey scored in the third period for the Hurricanes, who havent won since beating Washington on Oct. 10. Cam Ward finished the game with 34 saves, but fell to 0-2-3 on the season. Trailing by two goals entering the third period, the Hurricanes made it a one- goal game 3:54 in as a big slap shot from the right circle by Eric Staal was stopped, but the rebound sat on the doorstep and Semin swept it in for his second of the year. Carolina tied the game with 7:27 to play, as Hainsey wound up with the puck at the left point and threw it on net. The disc sailed past several players and beat a screened Crawford. "To come back and tie the game in the third period is a huge confidence booster for this team," said Ward. "We just have to learn how to finish these games." Ward is 13-8-2 with a 2.78 GAA in 23 career outings against Toronto and is expected to get the call on Thursday. Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk sat out Tuesdays game with an undisclosed injury and he is questionable for tonight. Carolinas Elias Lindholm has sat out the last two tilts with an upper-body issue and the centerman is also questionable for Thursdays contest. Toronto posted a 6-3 home win over the Hurricanes when the clubs last met on March 28. That victory ended a four-game slide in the series for the Maple Leafs, who only have two wins in the last seven games against Carolina. Toronto has claimed three of the last five meetings at Air Canada Centre, but the Hurricanes have taken seven of the past 10 encounters on the road. New Jersey Devils at Ottawa Senators The New Jersey Devils once again will aim for their first victory of the season when the Ottawa Senators host Thursdays home opener at Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators shook up their lines during morning skate Wednesday with Cory Conacher taking Bobby Ryans spot on the top line and Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Zack Smith swapping spots as well. The Devils are 0-3-3 on the season and are coming off consecutive regulation losses. New Jersey does enter Thursdays game in Ottawa well rested, however, as the club hasnt played since Sundays 3-0 setback in Winnipeg. New Jersey sent 24 shots Al Montoyas way on Sunday, but the Jets goaltender stopped ever single one to lead Winnipeg to the win. Evander Kane added two goals to the home teams cause, while Cory Schneider stopped 32 shots in a losing effort. The Devils, who have tallied just 11 goals in six games this season, have scored once on 15 opportunities on the power play in 2013-14. The club was 0- for-5 on the power play against the Jets and failed to score on a two-man advantage for 1:12 early in the second period. "You got a full five-on-three there. If we score, I think its a different game. We have to generate something there," New Jersey head coach Peter DeBoer remarked. The Devils will turn to Martin Brodeur in net on Thursday. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer is 0-1-2 with a 3.19 goals against average this season, but is 36-23-3 with four ties and a 2.17 GAA in 67 career games against the Senators. New Jersey will play Thursday without forward Ryane Clowe, who suffered a head injury in the loss to the Jets and has been placed on injured reserve. Clowe, who signed a five-year, $24.25 million deal with the Devils in the offseason, has one assist in six games this season. The Senators, meanwhile, are happy to be home after going 2-2-2 on a season- opening six-game road trip. Ottawa had lost four straight before closing the swing with Tuesdays overtime decision against the Phoenix Coyotes. Cory Conacher scored 2:48 into the extra session to lift the Sens to the 4-3 triumph in the desert. Jason Spezza completed the fifth hat trick of his career for the Senators and his third goal gave Ottawa a 3-2 lead with 12:41 left in the third, but Phoenixs Mike Ribeiro was credited with a power-play goal with 3:30 remaining to force overtime. In the extra session, Marc Methot sent a diagonal slap pass to below the right circle for a successful one-timer by Conacher. Craig Anderson made 34 saves for Ottawa. "We end up with a .500 record to start the season with six games on the road. We can go home and feel good about that, not really feel good about maybe the way we played in all those games but we did find a way to get some points out of four of the games," said Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean. The Senators are playing two straight and four of their next five games on home ice. Ottawa was 15-6-3 as the host during the lockout-shortened 2013 season compared to a 10-11-3 mark on the road. Ottawa also won all three of its games against New Jersey last season and has taken six of nine overall in the series. The Devils have lost five of their last six games in Canadas capital city. Stitched Soccer Jerseys . The former Toronto FC designated player played three of his 15 professional seasons with the team. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic . Mars announced Saturday that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will join him as part of his halftime show. Super Bowl halftime performers often have collaborators. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ . Yet heading to New York, the Habs remain positive as it all comes down to the one main ingredient that the organization has built its team on - character. Replica Soccer Jerseys . But the young forward is more than willing to shed a little blood if thats what it takes to make the team this season. "It caught me pretty good, dazed me for that shift, but I didnt want to be off the ice for too long," he said after practice, his lip still bleeding a little despite the plastic stitches holding it together. Soccer Jerseys China . Lineup news, Fantasy tips and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES Blake Comeau – The Penguins winger had a hat trick in a 4-3 overtime win against Toronto.ALAMEDA, Calif. - Rookie Derek Carrs first NFL start as Oakland Raiders quarterback was a learning experience. He saw new defences, exotic blitzes and got to see firsthand what playing in the NFL is like after years of watching big brother David do it. Perhaps the most important thing Carr learned was that he belonged on that big stage already at the start of his rookie season even if the end result against the New York Jets wasnt quite what he hoped with a 19-14 loss last Sunday. "I can do this," Carr said Wednesday. "I was able to go out there and play against a great defence. ... To play against them for your first game, I was fired up because you want to see as much as you can, as early as you can in your career." Carr had an up-and-down performance that would be expected from a rookie making his first career start going up against a Rex Ryan defence. He threw an early touchdown pass to Rod Streater and avoided any turnovers or egregious mistakes. But he also struggled to get the ball downfield, relying mostly on screens and quick passes. Carr completed 20 of 32 passes for 151 yards. Only three of those completions travelled at least 10 yards downfield, including a 30-yard touchdown pass to James Jones in the closing minutes. Carr said the lack of downfield throws was more about situations and the defence than a cautious game plan looking to protect a rookie. "They were called, theres no doubt they were called," Carr said of the deep passes. "It we went down there and out of the 30-something throws, we threw it down the field 28 times, it would probably have been even worse than it looked. It doesnt always work out the way you want to. But they were called and theyll continue to be called." Carrs first start at MetLife Stadium came in the same building that his brother threw his final NFL pass as a backup for the New York Giants in 2012. Derek Carrs first hoome start with the Raiders comes against the Houston Texans, the team that drafted David first overall in 2002 to be the face of the expansion franchise.dddddddddddd That did not work out as planned as David Carr struggled at the start on an overmatched team, getting sacked an NFL-record 76 times as a rookie. Those beatings took a toll on David Carr that he was never able to overcome and left an impression on young Derek. "All I knew is I grew up a Cowboys and Raiders fan and I never saw those quarterbacks get hit that much," he said. "Just being honest. Thats what my thought was as a kid. Being older and going back and watching those games, I understand what was going on." While Derek Carr joined a team that hadnt posted a winning record for 11 straight seasons, it is not anything like an expansion team. But even with a veteran offensive line, Carr was pressured on 47.1 per cent of his drop backs, according to Pro Football Focus, third most in the league last week. Making matters worse is the team that generated the most pressure is the Texans with star end J.J. Watt leading the charge. But coach Dennis Allen said he expects to see a step forward this week from Carr and the line. "I thought he handled himself well in the game last week," Allen said. "I think well see improvement. Just like you see from season one to season two, you always see improvement, the most improvement you see during the season is from Week 1 to Week 2. Im excited about watching him play." NOTES: RB Maurice Jones-Drew missed practice with a hand injury and his status is day to day. ... LB Nick Roach practiced after missing the opener because of a concussion sustained in the third exhibition game but has still not been cleared to play. ... CB Chimdi Chekwa was back at practice on a limited basis after being sidelined during the preseason with a knee injury. ' ' '