TORONTO -- It was nothing new to see these Toronto Maple Leafs beaten. DaeSean Hamilton Jersey . A 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings was their eighth straight in regulation. But Saturday night in the home locker room at Air Canada Centre, the Leafs looked defeated for the first time during this losing streak or this once-hopeful season that has quickly gone off the rails. "I cant describe it right now," winger Joffrey Lupul said. "This was as close to a do-or-die as you can get. But obviously were not going to throw out hope until its mathematically set in stone. But we pretty much had to have this game." Seven losses piled up and yet the Leafs still sounded like a team that had hope. Giving up huge leads in the standings to the Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals to fall into a four-way tie at 80 points was one thing. Squandering the most important game of this stretch so far to a fellow Eastern Conference wild-card competitor felt like the breaking point. "This loss is the most disappointing out of the eight. Theres no hiding that," captain Dion Phaneuf said. "We come tonight against a team that was battling for that same spot and they win this hockey game. This is the toughest loss for sure." Detroit (34-26-14) got a hat trick from Darren Helm and another from the NHLs hottest goal-scorer, Gustav Nyquist, to reach 82 points. "It was the first hat trick I ever had, which is pretty special," Helm said. "Big game to win, too. I was happy to win the game, first off, but the hat trick is a nice thing to take home." The Red Wings werent the only ones in the race to win Saturday night, as the Blue Jackets beat the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime to take over the top wild-card spot in the East at 82 points. Columbus leads Detroit because they have more regulation and overtime wins (33 to 29). With just six games remaining -- two less than each of the three teams theyre competing with for two spots -- the Leafs are fourth among those teams and know the difficult task in front of them. "Weve got to win the rest of our games and get help now, I think," said Lupul, who scored the Leafs second goal of the night late in the second period to give some life that evaporated in the third. "All we can control right now is winning the rest of our games, and were going to have to have every one, probably." Phaneuf didnt want to consider that daunting task. The defenceman whose miscues cost the Leafs in previous defeats didnt want to think too far ahead but also called this a "very trying" time for a group that was in second place in the Atlantic Division as recently as Mar. 16. This was the first time in franchise history that Toronto (36-32-8) went eight straight games without a point since 1996 and the first time it lost eight consecutive in regulation since 1985. "Its not like were playing bad hockey, its just one of those things where every mistake that we do make ends up (in our net)," said defenceman Cody Franson, who opened the scoring 10:57 into the first period. "Its the end of the season, everybodys clamping down and your little mistakes end up costing you. Plain and simple." Mistakes like a turnover by Phil Kessel on the power play early in the second that led to Helms first, a short-handed goal. Or like the puck taking a bad hop off Franson and right to Helm for his third. "It just isnt meant to be for us right now, and this is the tough ones," coach Randy Carlyle said. Asked what he figured the difference was in the loss, his third straight since returning from a groin injury, goaltender Jonathan Bernier (24 saves on 28 shots) said: "Odd-man rushes." Lupul agreed. "We gave up odd-man situations repeatedly for whatever reason," he said. "Its tough to say from the bench, thats something you notice when you watch the game again. But the try is there, just we didnt get the job done and we have to pay for that now." The Leafs have been paying since they last won a game, Mar. 13 at the Los Angeles Kings. Most importantly they havent been picking up valuable points with the games whittling down to the end of the regular season. On the other hand, Detroit has picked up 11 points and gone on an impressive run without star forward Pavel Datsyuk and captain Henrik Zetterberg. The injuries have piled up, but the Red Wings have gotten 21 goals in 26 games from Nyquist and continued solid performances from goalie Jimmy Howard (25 saves) to remain in the playoff race. "Weve been devastated this year, no question about it, but we found all these kids and were better for it going ahead, so thats a positive thing," coach Mike Babcock said. "Weve had a lot of fun doing it. Weve been in the grinder since day one, theres no question about it, but weve had a lot of fun doing it and weve got a big game against Tampa tomorrow." Every game down the stretch is big for the Leafs now. They return to Air Canada Centre on Tuesday night to face the Calgary Flames before hosting the Atlantic Division-champion Boston Bruins on Thursday and the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. They finish the season with three on the road: at the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators. But unless they manage to string together a home winning streak, those games will be too late. The task in front of them is to prevent doing even once more what theyve done eight consecutive times. As the Leafs seemed to realize Saturday night, they can no longer afford to lose. "Weve won six in a row in the season," Bernier said. "Obviously its hard to snap the long losing streak like that, but weve got to find a way. If not, then well be home very soon." NOTE -- Winger Phil Kessel took a pass from James van Riemsdyk off his right foot in the first period and laboured to the bench in pain. Kessel was seen limping after the game, but Carlyle did not have any information on his condition. ... Bernier started on back-to-back days for the first time this season and just the second time in his NHL career. The only previous time was March 5, 2013 with the Los Angeles Kings, when Bernier was pulled after giving up three goals on eight shots. ... Defenceman Paul Ranger and enforcer Colton Orr were scratched for the Leafs, who recalled forward Jerry DAmigo earlier in the day from the AHLs Toronto Marlies. ... The Red Wings were playing their 14th straight game without Datsyuk (knee) and 16th straight without Zetterberg (back). Theyve played 35 total without Datsyuk and 29 without Zetterberg. ... The game was broadcast live on CCTV in China. Isaac Yiadom Jersey . The Brewers finalized a US$36 million, three-year contract with free agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez on Wednesday, adding a much-needed bat to their lineup. Case Keenum Broncos Jersey . It was the quickest three-goal sequence in Olympic history, with the latter two coming just eight seconds apart. Kessel, Lamoureux and Kendall Coyne all scored twice for the Americans, and Molly Schaus made 10 saves in her Sochi debut. http://www.broncosrookiestore.com/Broncos-Jared-Veldheer-Jersey/ . Sure, Josh Browns 45-yard field goal on the third drive of overtime lifted the New York Giants to a 23-20 win over Detroit on Sunday. But the Lions (7-8) dropped themselves out of the NFC North race by losing five of their last six games, blowing fourth-quarter leads in each setback.DENVER -- Ned Yost never has a bad birthday, but a win helps make the occasion much more special. Omar Infante had three doubles and drove in four runs to help the streaking Kansas City Royals beat the Colorado Rockies 7-4 on Tuesday night. It also brought a smile to Yost, who turned 60. "For 35 years Ive always thought Ive been a winner on every one of my birthdays because Im with a group of guys I really like and have fun being around," he said. "But when you win the game it makes it that much more sweeter." The Royals have been celebrating a lot lately. Since dropping two games below .500 on July 21 they have won 22 of 27 to move two games ahead of Detroit in the AL Central. They even won with ace James Shields not having his best stuff. "It was a grind day. It was one of those days where I didnt have my good stuff at all," he said. "Youre going to go through days like that and you battle through it." Shields pitched six solid innings to get the win for the Royals, who are a major league best 15-4 in interleague play. It took a while but they did get to Colorado rookie Tyler Matzek in the seventh. Matzek (2-9) came into Tuesday with a 9.60 ERA in August but was having his best outing since blanking Pittsburgh over seven innings on July 26 when he ran into trouble with two outs in the seventh. Matzek got the first two outs before allowing a pinch-hit single to Josh Willingham and walking Nori Aoki. Adam Ottavino came on and gave up consecutive doubles to Infante and Salvador Perez to give the Royals a 4-2 lead. "It was a great at-bat. Ottavino was throwing hard, good slider," Billy Butler said. "It woke me up. He had good stuff and Omar stepped up." The Royals scored three more runs in the eighth off Colorados bullpen. Infante had a two-run double with the bases loaded. It was the second time in his career he has had three doubles in a game. The last time, May 27, 2004, came against the Royals when he was playing for Detroit. "Omars swing is so simple, its not a lot of moving parts," Yost said. "He can get on a streak in a hurry." That made a winner of Shiellds (12-6), who allowed two runs on nine hits and struck out six. Jared Veldheer Broncos Jersey. He wasnt sharp, allowing base runners in every inning but his last and struck out Drew Stubbs with the bases loaded to end the fourth. Stubbs and Nolan Arenado each had three hits and a home run for Colorado. Arenado went deep in the fifth to give Colorado a 2-1 lead and Stubbs hit a two-run homer in the ninth, when the Rockies mounted a rally. Greg Holland came on and threw one pitch to record his 39th save in 40 chances. "They get a lead after six innings, they pretty much wipe you out," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "Thats been the formula for them this year. Guys come in throwing in the upper 90s and throwing strikes." Justin Morneau, back in the lineup after missing two games with a stiff neck, gave Colorado a 1-0 lead with a double-play grounder in the first. Kansas City tied it in the fourth on Lorenzo Cains RBI double. BIRTHDAY BOY Yost was starting his postgame news conference when first base coach Rusty Kuntz interrupted to present the manager with a cake. Kuntz then sang "Happy Birthday" and gave Yost a hug before leaving his office. DOUBLE TROUBLE Infante wasnt the only Royals player to record a two-bagger. Kansas City had six doubles for the first time since July 29, 2011, at Cleveland. TRAINERS ROOM Royals: Perez returned to the lineup after being pulled from Mondays game with a sore knee. Rockies: OF Michael Cuddyer was scratched from the lineup with a sore left hamstring. Manager Walt Weiss said it wasnt a long-term issue, adding that playing a doubleheader Sunday led to the soreness. Cuddyer hit for the cycle in the second game of the Rockies sweep. UP NEXT Royals: Red-hot Kansas City will go for a season sweep of the Rockies with lefty Danny Duffy on the mound. Duffy (8-10) has won a career-high three straight starts. Rockies: Colorados lone bright spot on the mound, LHP Jorge De La Rosa, will face his former team Wednesday. De La Rosa (12-8) made 33 starts for the Royals in 2006-07 before joining the Rockies. He has accounted for nearly a quarter of Colorados 49 wins this season. Cheap Philadelphia Eagles Jersesys Cheap Oakland Raiders Jerseys Cheap Minnesota Vikings Jerseys Cheap Los Angeles Chargers Jersesys Cheap Cleveland Browns Jersesys Cheap Chicago Bears Jersesys Cheap Miami Dolphins Jerseys Cheap New Orleans Saints Jerseys Cheap Seattle Seahawks Jersesys Cheap Green Bay Packers Jersesys Cheap Pittsburgh Steelers Jersesys Cheap New York Giants Jersesys Cheap New England Patriots Jerseys Cheap Denver Broncos Jersesys Cheap Dallas Cowboys Jersesys Cheap San Francisco 49ers Jersesys ' ' '