While projected top draft pick Connor McDavid remains off the ice with a broken right hand, the NHLs race to last place is going strong a quarter of the way through the season. Yellow UA Stephen Curry 5 .And its not quite playing out as everyone expected.The Buffalo Sabres went off-script as one of the hottest teams in the league, while a stunningly poor start has put the Columbus Blue Jackets in the drivers seat to get the best odds of landing the first-overall draft pick.Columbus has been beset by injuries to goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, centre Brandon Dubinsky, forward Mark Letstu and defencemen Fedor Tyutin and Ryan Murray (among others) and has fallen to 6-15-2 with an NHL-worst 14 points. But as recently as the general managers meeting in mid-November, Jarmo Kekalainen said he didnt believe the season was lost.I hope the pace (of injuries) goes down a little bit, Kekalainen said. Hopefully we can ramp it up here and get back healthy and playing the way we want to play.Last in the league in goals-against per game, the Blue Jackets are far away from that. Behind Jack Johnson and James Wisniewski, their blue-line has become a mish-mash of defencemen like Tim Erixon, David Savard, Dalton Prout, Jordan Leopold and Kevin Connauton.Mediocre defence is a common theme among the bottom five teams in the NHL standings. Along with the Blue Jackets, the Edmonton Oilers, Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers have all struggled in that department.Edmonton has lost nine straight games (two of them in overtime) and look like a lock to pick in the top 10 for the seventh straight year.This is an extremely hard and tough situation for everybody in our organization, from the players to the coaches to the managers, embattled coach Dallas Eakins said after Fridays overtime loss in St. Louis. It is hard and it is painful, and somewhere you have to believe that this is going to make you extremely resilient and tough down the road.The Oilers already have three recent first-overall picks on their roster in Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov and at this point will have more than a few ping-pong balls to get a fourth in McDavid.Inconsistent goaltending from Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth hasnt been helped by underachieving play from young defencemen Justin Schultz and Nikita Nikitin, who were counted on to play difficult, top-four minutes.After starting the season 3-12-2, the Sabres have won five of their past six games including each side of a back-to-back against the Montreal Canadiens. Fans in Buffalo would welcome McDavid or Boston University centre Jack Eichel with rebuilding in full swing, but a little winning could go a long way for the Sabres core.We need to keep building on those breaks and stay positive here, goaltender Jhonas Enroth said.In Carolina, Jordan Staal replacement Riley Nash has been a pleasant surprise, but Alex Semin has been so much of a disappointment that the winger in the second season of a US$35-million, five-year contract has been a healthy scratch. Expectations were low in Raleigh just as they are in Buffalo, so first-year GM Ron Francis and rookie coach Bill Peters can spend this season trying to build a system and a culture.The Flyers dont have such a luxury and have dug themselves a deep hole by losing eight of their past nine, seven of them in regulation.This is a better team than were playing right now and that our record is showing, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said after Fridays home loss to the New York Rangers. We have to get going, no doubt about it. Im not happy with our record and our overall performance.Absent top-liners Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek, who are having all-star seasons, Philadelphia has lacked offence and Michael Del Zotto has incredibly been the best piece of a defence missing Kimmo Timonen.And it could get worse before it gets better with the Flyers out West to face the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings this week.The NHL made changes to its lottery format that go into effect this season. The team with the fewest points will have a 20 per cent chance of picking first, down from 25. The team with the second-fewest points has a 13.5 per cent chance instead of 18.8 and the one with the third-fewest 11.5 per cent instead of 14.2.Under the 2014-15 format, the highest-ranked team to miss the playoffs will have double the chance of getting the No. 1 pick, even though the odds are just 1 per cent.With files from The Associated Press---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Black UA Stephen Curry 3 . Rodgers was ruled out on Friday by Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. Matt Flynn will make his second consecutive start for the Packers. Mens UA Stephen Curry 4 . Ryu (8-3) allowed a run and three hits in six innings and struck out six in his 13th start. In his first 13 starts last season -- his first in the major leagues -- the left-hander was 8-5 with a 2.85 ERA. This was the ninth time this year that Ryu has allowed fewer than three earned runs, and he is 7-0 in those games. http://www.cheapuastephencurry.com/ . -- The Los Angeles Clippers chose not to speak publicly about owner Donald Sterling before they faced the Golden State Warriors for Game 4 of their first-round series Sunday.TORONTO - For over a month Nando De Colo was Torontos forgotten man, an afterthought at the bottom of a playoff-bound roster, a masked phantom lurking on the end of the Raptors bench. Who was he and why was he brought here? As the visitors locker room cleared out after Saturdays win in Milwaukee, a reporter approached De Colo, who was suddenly making an impact in an expanded role for his new, undermanned club. Curious about the origins of his first name, which isnt a traditional French moniker, said reporter asked the Raptors guard where it came from. "It came from my parents," he replied, straight-faced, flaunting a quick wit we didnt know he had. Up until last week we didnt know much about him at all. The acquisition of De Colo, trickling in minutes after the trade deadline passed, went under the radar. A player from the end of one bench exchanged for a player on the end of another. Masai Ujiri opted to hold onto Kyle Lowry and keep the band together, that was the headline. Austin Daye for De Colo was a footnote. Now, six weeks later, the move is owed some belated acknowledgement. Ujiri was familiar with De Colo having seen him play overseas and with the Spurs. He knew what he was getting. Dwane Casey was less acquainted with the second-year combo guard but was equally as intrigued by his intangibles and has been looking for a way to find him more playing time. With Lowry resting a sore knee, Casey has been provided that opportunity and De Colo, to his credit, is taking advantage of it. "Its what I was expecting and what we needed and wanted, as far as another ball handler," Casey told TSN.ca. "That was the main thing we saw. We needed another guy that can handle the ball, to create, to be a passer, a facilitator, a transporter of the ball, to get it across the court. "Hes done that." In extended minutes, backing up and playing alongside temporary starter Greivis Vasquez, De Colo has been a sparkplug coming in off the bench to begin the month of April. Over the last two games hes tallied 11 assists to just three turnovers in 42 minutes of action. After easing into his new surroundings, De Colo no longer appears reluctant to let it fly. Hes shooting and scoring with confidence, something he lacked upon arriving in Toronto, playing sporadically last month. "Hes still learning our system," said Casey, "still getting comfortable and the more he gets comfortable the more hes going to knock down shots. I think were seeing that now." The easy explanation for his confidence boost is the increased playing time that has come as a result of Lowrys injury. Womens UA Stephen Curry 3. "Im finding a rhythm," said De Colo, who has attempted 16 shots over the last three games, the same number he hoisted in his first 14 contests with the Raptors. "Im in shape after adjusting to find a rhythm of the game with a new team. Now I just try to play my game, try to be aggressive like everybody wants on the team and since then Ive been good." Since arriving from the Spurs, De Colo has been touted for his basketball intellect and decision-making ability. Teammates and coaches have cited his time playing for the venerable Gregg Popovich with a world-class organization in San Antonio, as well as his experience overseas - where he competed professionally from the age of 19 - and with the French national team. In a year and a half with the Spurs he was sent back and forth from the NBA Development League an astonishing total of nine times, a product of the close proximity between San Antonio and its D-League affiliate in Austin. More so than the path hes traveled to get here, De Colo credits his approach. "I think its something Ive always had in my game," he said. "I try to see what happens and make good decisions. I know I can pass the ball. I must be aggressive on this kind of team and I have to take the open shot." Casey has entrusted De Colo to run his offence, immediately vaulting him over the young Julyan Stone and Dwight Buycks in Torontos backcourt rotation. When Lowry makes his return - hes expected to be cleared this week - the Raptors head coach has a decision to make. Can he afford to juggle minutes for three point guards going into the playoffs or does De Colo go back to the end of the bench? Although Casey has been most impressed with him as the primary ball handler, its conceivable that the Raptors could feature more two point guard lineups in the postseason, when the defence is likely to apply more pressure on Lowry. Of equal importance, the Raptors need to find out what they have in De Colo, a free agent at the end of the season. If Lowry is retained this summer and Vasquez - a restricted free agent - proves too expensive, De Colo may make more sense as an affordable backup, assuming he continues to impress. All of a sudden, De Colo has become more than late-season bench fodder. The Raptors under-the-radar deadline acquisition has helped keep them afloat in the absence of their most important player and could continue paying out come playoff time, and beyond. Nando is a name worth remembering. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '