Chat » GAA. Jonathan Bernier gets the start in goal for Toronto after

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Syracuse was dangerously close to letting another less talented opponent pull off the upset when C.J. Fair took over Sunday. The seventh-ranked Orange had let a sporadic Florida State team rally late in the first half and get within a point in the second. Then Fair got going. The senior forward scored 15 of his 22 points after halftime and led Syracuse to a 74-58 victory in the programs first trip to Florida State. "We saw right away he got it going," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "He had the hot hand. When he gets it, were going to get him the ball. "This was his best offensive game probably since Duke." The Orange, who ended a two-game losing streak, had lost 4 of 5 -- including two to sub-.500 teams -- after starting the season 25-0. They had been ranked No. 1 for three weeks and No. 2 for the previous eight weeks before the losses started piling up. "It was huge for us to get this," Boeheim said. "Last year we went through this and we had lost (three) and went to Georgetown to try to get momentum back and got beat by 35. "Weve struggled to score. We scored the ball. Did a good job on the boards and our defence was good. ... Momentum can be a funny thing. We turned it around last year in one game. You can do that and this will help us." Jerami Grant, who had been bothered by back problems recently, had 16 points and eight rebounds while Tyler Ennis finished with 16 points for Syracuse (27-4, 14-4 Atlantic Coast Conference). Syracuses athleticism was too much for Florida State to handle as the Orange had a 43-24 advantage on the glass, including 17 offensive rebounds. "Im definitely feeling a lot better," Grant said. "I was able to come out and help my team however they needed me to help today. I think that definitely helped us get the victory today." Boeheim said, "Were a completely different team with Jerami Grant. If he wasnt able to go tonight, we wouldnt be very happy right now. Hes key to what we do." Okaro White led Florida State with 20 points and 10 rebounds to record his fifth double-double of the season. Fellow senior Ian Miller scored 16 points in his last home game while Aaron Thomas chipped in 14. "Their zone was pretty good today," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said. "It was a challenge for our guys to execute the things we had in their game plan because they kept making adjustments, and thats what their defence does to you." Syracuse ran away from the Seminoles in the second half behind Fair and two big baskets from Trevor Cooney. A 6-0 Florida State run cut the lead to 47-46, but the Orange answered with a burst that put the game away. Miller forced a bad 3-point attempt and Cooney responded with his first 3-pointer of the game on the following possession. Cooney buried another after a defensive stop and Syracuse went on to an 18-6 run that extended the lead to 65-52. The Florida State offence didnt have enough juice against the Syracuse zone to make another run. The Orange outshot the Seminoles 48.3 per cent to 38.0 per cent. "Every team goes through those rough stretches," Grant said. "We went through a little rough stretch, but were back and were flying just in time for the tournament." White kept the Seminoles in the game during the first half, scoring 14 of Florida States 27 points. He scored 10 consecutive points for Florida State to take an 18-17 lead after a putback. The Orange answered with a 14-2 run that nearly put the Seminoles away before the break. The run was capped by consecutive fast-break layups from Ennis, one part of a three-point play, to go up 31-20. Syracuse was shooting 47 per cent from the field at the time, 11 per cent better than Florida State, and had a 20-10 rebounding advantage. The Seminoles worked the deficit back to single digits with a 7-2 stretch to close the half, highlighted by a tip-dunk off an offensive rebound by White with 1 second left. Syracuse will be the No. 2 seed when the ACC tournament begins March 14 in Greensboro, N.C. Air Max 270 Clearance Australia . The fourth-year guard from Carleton University kicked off his varsity career with rookie of the year honours in 2011, before racking up three straight Mike Moser Memorial Trophies for outstanding player. Cheap Air Max 270 Australia . That was OK with him. He was just happy his team came away with two points. Letestu redirected Jack Johnsons shot from the point with 2:38 left, lifting the Blue Jackets past the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Monday night. http://www.cheapaustraliaairmax270.com/ . Although taking two of three from the Baltimore Orioles wasnt nearly as uplifting as winning the World Series, it still felt pretty darn good. Felix Doubront and four relievers combined kept Baltimores potent lineup in check, and David Ortiz had three of Bostons 12 hits off Wei-Yin Chen in a 4-3 victory Thursday night. Nike Air Max 270 Australia . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell. Wholesale Air Max 270 Australia . Starting from pole, the 26-year-old Vettel turned in a trademark clinical performance to win the Indian Grand Prix on Sunday and join F1 greats Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as just the third driver to win four consecutive championships.The last time the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals met, the former was on its way to winning four of five while the latter was in the midst of dropping four of five. The outcome of that game was as would be expected. When the teams meet tonight in Toronto, recent form will be entirely flipped, and the club with extended struggles will have a new coach on the bench. Since that 1-3-1 stretch from Nov. 22-Dec. 2, which included a 6-2 loss at Toronto on Nov. 29, the Capitals (20-11-7) have been one of the best team in hockey with a 10-1-3 record making for a furious ascent in the Metropolitan Division. We dont get flustered as much as we did earlier in the year, coach Barry Trotz said. Early in the year our highs were very high and our lows were low ... (now) theres not too many highs or too many lows. We just say Hey, things are going to happen, lets just get the momentum back, lets get the next one, lets go. The Maple Leafs (21-16-3) havent struggled for as long of a time, but theyve clearly had enough after a 2-7-0 span. On Tuesday, it cost coach Randy Carlyle his job. Assistants Peter Horacek and Steve Spott will take over for the time being, and theres been no indication as to which avenue the club will take toward finding a full-time solution. I think wed all agree weve had some good periods, good stretches, but I dont think I can stand here in front of you and say that weve been consistent, general manager Dave Nonis said. We just felt at this point this was the right time to make the change and move ahead and try to get this team back playing like we have played for periods this season. The new coaches will debut before a home crowd after a seven-game road trip that ended with a 5-1 loss Saturday at Winnipeg. Maple Leafs centre Nazem Kadri missed the past two games with a lower-body injury but looks to be in line for a return tonight. He was expected to miss 7-10 days. Stephane Robidas, who sat as a healthy scratch the past four games, appears to be back in the lineup for tonights contestt as well.dddddddddddd Torontos defensive struggles figure to be at the forefront of the new regimes focus, having allowed 3.89 goals per game over the nine-game span with a power-play goal conceded in five straight (70.6 percent). Its been too much of a roller-coaster, Nonis said. Its not that (players are) not capable because they are. Its not that they havent done it because they have. Thats probably the biggest reason, or one of the biggest reasons, for the change today. The Capitals, meanwhile, can match a season-best three-game winning streak after Sundays 4-3 home win over Florida. Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist, splitting a multipoint effort for a third straight game, and he and Nicklas Backstrom had a fresh face on the top line. Rookie Andre Burakovsky skated with the top Capitals forwards for the first time, and he scored his fifth goal of the season for his only point in seven games. He was playing with two big stars and he didnt look intimidated, Trotz said. Braden Holtby has been in goal for the entire 14-game stretch with a 2.05 goals-against average. As a starter against Toronto, hes 2-0-1 with a 0.97 GAA. Jonathan Bernier gets the start in goal for Toronto after James Reimer faced the Jets. Against Washington, Bernier is 3-1-0 with a 2.01 GAA, including a 35-save effort in the November meeting. Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen is questionable after suffering a lower-body injury against Florida. Capitals (47PTS) at Maple Leafs (45PTS) - 7PM TOR is 1-0-0 vs WSH this season, winning at home TOR has won 3 straight at home vs WSH TOR (21-16-3): lost 2 straight, 1GF in each game, 1/8 on PP JVR (3G, 5A) past 6 games WSH (20-11-7): 3-0-1 past 4 games, 3GF in each game, 2/15 on PP Ovechkin (3G, 3A) 3 game PT streak Projected Leafs lines vs. Capitals FORWARD Winnik - Kadri - Kessel van Riemsdyk - Bozak - Santorelli Komarov - Smith - Clarkson Panik - Carrick - McKegg DEFENCE Phaneuf - Franson Rielly - Polak Gardiner - Robidas GOALIE Bernier Starts ' ' '