TORONTO – Ten years into the NHL career of Joffrey Lupul and it would appear as though a ceiling has not been reached. Nike Vapormax 2019 Heren Sale . Instead, at the ripe old age of 30, his performance would suggest that he is only getting better with age. Lupul has already scored five times this season, giving him 16 goals in 19 regular season games dating back to the 2013 campaign. His career, once legitimately in doubt because of injuries, has only climbed higher in Toronto. Through 116 games as a Leaf, he has scored 50 goals and 111 points, numbers that quash anything he had accomplished in previous stops with the Ducks, Oilers, and Flyers. So has the seventh overall pick in the 2002 draft reached his ceiling? "No, no, never," he told the Leaf Report, following practice on a quiet holiday Monday. For one, Lupul says, his dedication to the craft has improved substantially with time. Landing in the league as a 19-year-old in Anaheim, "you just have this feeling you made it to the NHL and now youre here and thats kind of where you stop practicing for some reason. Thats one thing Ive figured out, that even as an old guy on this team you can still work on your skills and get better." His back-hand, for example, had once been a source of weakness; he had trouble both making and receiving passes. But with due diligence and attention to detail as far as improvement, that subtle aspect has improved to the point that he now has supreme confidence in it. "Sometimes I look back to when I was younger and just think Man, if I wouldve worked a little harder on this or this or had [skating consultant] Barb Underhill or had the Rapid Shot machine. If I wouldve done stuff like this when I was younger how much better would I be now? Maybe not at all, maybe a bit, you never know." Lupul was forced to confront the state of his career when lingering back injuries nearly put an end to it four years ago. He realized at that precarious stage that his dedication to the game would have to rise to a "new level". He would practice differently, train differently, scrutinize video differently, do everything with greater diligence and attention, all of this with a new team in Toronto. "When I first came back after the injury I wasnt sure, to be honest, if I was going to be able to do it at the NHL level anymore," said Lupul, who missed 80 games with the Ducks following multiple back surgeries. "It was a long time off and obviously a pretty devastating injury so I didnt know." Upon his return, Lupul "wanted to see how good of a player I could be in this league because I didnt really know. I knew I could be a solid second line player, but I wanted to see if I could take that jump. A lot of it came because of getting traded here." Made a Leaf in Feb. 2011, he quickly got the opportunity to take that jump. Short on wingers of his size and caliber, then-head coach Ron Wilson asked Lupul if he could play the left side, running shotgun with Phil Kessel on the top line. "It was an easy decision," Lupul recalled with a laugh. "Do you want to play with Phil? Sure." The results were career-changing. Thrust into the spotlight of Toronto in a marquee position, Lupul would score nine goals and 18 points alongside Kessel in 28 games, returning the following season with 25 goals and a career-high 67 points in 66 games. He was a staple amongst the league leaders in scoring before a shoulder injury ended his season. "And then I realized that I could be a top-level player in this league," he said. Injuries have remained the only hurdle to Lupul entrenching himself in that conversation; he missed all but 16 games last season because of a fractured right forearm and subsequent concussion. His role, though critical to the Leafs attack, has also shifted. He no longer runs on the top unit alongside Kessel – 24-year-old James van Riemsdyk manning such a spot – nor on the first power-play unit. Instead, Randy Carlyle has aligned him with Nazem Kadri, hoping the two can connect for bursts of offence, thus offering greater balance throughout the lineup. Lupul has additionally put his own best interests to the side in the interim, back to playing right wing with David Clarkson suspended and Nik Kulemin hurt. "Obviously I prefer left, I think Im a better player on the left, but we have two right-wingers down right now so its important that someone fills that role and its something I take pride to be versatile and do different things." And though his minutes have dipped, from a career-high of nearly 19 minutes in 2011-12 to about 17 this season, his responsibilities have increased. An alternate captain once more this season, Lupul has been employed by Carlyle in the last minute of periods and late in games to protect leads, something he hadnt done previously. Now a 10-year veteran, Lupul heads into a Tuesday night affair against the Minnesota Wild with at least a goal in four straight games. He leads the 5-1-0 Leafs in scoring at this early stage in the season and is currently nestled amongst the league leaders with eight points. Fittingly with age though, those things no longer seem to matter as much. "Obviously from the day you start playing the Stanley Cup is your goal, but earlier in your career when youre trying to establish yourself ... it was always 30 goals, 30 goals, I want to get 30 goals," he reflected. "And now I really couldnt care less. Obviously I want to score every game – I love scoring goals – but I just want to do whatever the team needs me to do. "Earlier in my career I probably used to set goals as far as goals, assists and points. Right now, I just want to do whatever I can to help the team win. Winning the Stanley Cup is the only goal I have now." Nike Vapormax Heren Sale . (January 11, 2014) – Once again Kevin Martin proved why he is the all-time TSN skins leader, winning $11,500 in prize money and a spot in the Travelers All-Star Curling Skins Game presented by Pintys final following a semifinal victory over Brad Jacobs earlier this evening at the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre in Banff, Alta. Nike Vapormax Nederland . Hes still nowhere close to throwing yet. The four-time MVP was in good spirits when he made his first public appearance on the field since having neck surgery Sept. http://www.vapormaxsalenederland.com/nike-react-element-55-goedkoop-kopen.html . Three pitches later, he was hugging Mike Napoli at home plate after his teammates winning home run. Napoli and Ortiz hit consecutive homers with one out in the 10th inning and the Boston Red Sox rallied past Minnesota 2-1 Wednesday, sending the Twins to their fifth straight loss.GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Between a three-day layoff and a quirk in the schedule, the San Jose Sharks were concerned about getting off to a slow start. They did, yet still found a way to pull out a road victory, something that had been hard to come by recently. Patrick Marleau scored in regulation and in the shootout, Joe Pavelski had a goal and an assist, and the Sharks beat the Phoenix Coyotes 4-3 on Friday night. "They had a little more jump and much better execution than we did early in the game, in fact off the opening faceoff," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "But I was pleased with the way our guys stuck with it and fought through it." San Jose had to fly out Friday morning because the new NHL labour agreement requires teams to take three full days off for the holiday break. The Sharks were flat early, and the Coyotes jumped on them, creating numerous good scoring chances in the first period to go up 1-0. The Sharks found their rhythm after they fought back. In regulation, Brent Burns had a goal and an assist, and Joe Thornton had two assists. Once San Jose hit the shootout, Logan Couture and Marleau scored, and Antti Niemi stopped Radim Vrbata and Oliver Ekman-Larsson for the Sharks second win in their past seven road games. "Its been tough for us on the road, so for us to go out and get the two points was nice," Marleau said. The Coyotes were much better in their own end than previously against the Sharks, allowing 28 shots in regulation after giving up 101 combined in a pair of games in San Jose earlier this season. Phoenix pulled out a victory in one of those first two games, but couldnt earn the extra point Friday after struggling in the shootout. David Moss had two goals, and Vrbata scored late in the third period to help Phoenix earn a point in its fourth straight game -- all after regulation. "The last time we got two points on San Jose, we probably didnt deserve those two points," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "Tonight, I thought that game was a toss-up. Unfortunately, we didnt get the extra point, but we put the work in to get the two points." With their early travel, the Sharks seemed a step slow in the openingg period, and the Coyotes jumped on them, generating several good scoring chances. Vapormax Flyknit 3 Goedkoop. San Jose gave them an extra one midway through the period, when Sharks forward Matt Nieto flipped an errant pass right to Moss, who whirled around in the slot and beat Niemi. The Sharks nearly scored early in the second period when a shot by Justin Braun hit the left post, bounced off a stick and hit the right post before being cleared away. They did get one through after a Coyotes turnover. Thornton ended up with the stray puck, skated up the middle and found Pavelski, who beat Smith over the glove shoulder from the left circle. The next two goals came quickly. Phoenix answered 68 seconds after Pavelskis goal when Moss fought off Nieto and redirected a shot from David Schlemko past Niemi. San Jose responded on a power play two minutes after that, tying it when Marleau gathered a pass from Tommy Wingels and beat Smith with a wrist shot from between two defenders. The Sharks made a big push to start the third period, and Burns scored midway through, one-timing a feed from Pavelski behind the net that went through Phoenix defenceman Derek Morris legs. Phoenix again had an answer, scoring with just over 6 minutes left on a power play when Mike Ribeiro sent a pass through traffic to Vrbata, who scored his 11th of the season from the left circle to tie it at 3-all. Smith made a big save on Burns after a turnover right in front in overtime, but couldnt stop Couture or Marleau in the shootout. "Theyre such a good team, those first two lines have really good players," Vrbata said. "We played much tighter defensively and didnt give them much. Obviously, (they scored) three goals, but its a good team." NOTES: Friday night was the 10th anniversary of the Coyotes first game at Jobing.com Arena -- a 3-1 loss to Nashville. ... Thornton, the NHL assists leader with 37, has five in his past two games. ... Coyotes captain Shane Doan missed his ninth straight game because of Rocky Mountain Fever. He skated Friday morning, but no timetable has been set for his return. ... Couture has gone seven games without a point, leaving him stuck on 99 goals and 98 assists for his career. ' ' '