o was without backup point guard Beno Udrih (knee). ... Lav | Forum

TORONTO – Ten years into the NHL career of Joffrey Lupul and it would appear as though a ceiling has not been reached. Saku Koivu Jersey . 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." Jacques Plante Jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Guy Lafleur Jersey . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. http://www.hockeycanadiensfanshop.com/Dickie-Moore-Jersey/ . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. PHILADELPHIA -- J.R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Smith returned from a one-game benching for unsportsmanlike conduct and scored all of his 11 points in the game-turning second quarter Saturday night to help the New York Knicks to a 102-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Amare Stoudemire scored 21 points and Carmelo Anthony added 18 for the Knicks (14-22), who have won four straight. "I just wanted to be aggressive, attack, get back to my old self, play with a chip on my shoulder and it worked," Smith said. "It was very important for me as well as the team to get out there and be successful with scoring the ball and getting my teammates open shots." Knicks coach Mike Woodson benched Smith for the entire first quarter before inserting him at the start of the second. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year was benched on Thursday and was fined $50,000 by the league for unsportsmanlike conduct after untying or attempting to untie the shoelaces of opponents in two straight games. "Thats the worst feeling in the world, someone takes the game away from you, especially something you love," Smith said. "Its all you know, youve been doing it your whole life." "Be serious, be a professional and dont take this opportunity for granted," Smith on the lesson he learned. "Theres a lot of people in the world who want our jobs and we cant take it for granted. It can be taken away just that fast." Said Woodson: "It was a total team effort, not just about J.R. He played well and were going to need him to play well but Im proud of everybody." Besides Smith, the Knicks got a boost from Stoudemire, who went 8 for 10 from the field. "Fantastic," Woodson said of Stoudemires performance. "He got stronger as the game went on. He was a force and defensively he was solid. Hes playing well and we have to keep him at that level." Anthony added nine rebounds and seven assists. Spencer Hawes and James Anderson each had 17 points to lead the Sixers (12-25). Thaddeus Young chipped in 15 points for Philadelphia, losers of four in a row. "It was a snowball effort," Hawes said. "We didnt put out the fire early enough." After outscoring the Sixers 32-12 in the second quarter to take a 52-40 halftime lead, the Knicks came out strong after the break. They sccored the first four points to open their biggest lead to that point -- 10:56 left in the third quarter. Dominic Moore Jersey. The Sixers never got closer than eight the rest of the way. "We put a full game together tonight," Stoudemire said. "That was a great win for us." After dropping 13 of 16 to start the season, the Knicks have turned things around. Defence has been a big reason for their success of late. New York has given up just 87.3 points per game and limited opponents to 29.3 per cent 3-point shooting during the winning streak that includes Thursdays 102-92 home victory over defending champion Miami. The Sixers, meanwhile, entered ranked last in the league in scoring defence (111.2 points per game) and have been even worse lately, allowing 113.3 points during their losing skid that followed a four-game road winning streak. New York got a big boost from Smith in the second quarter that began with the Knicks down 28-20. Smith nearly eclipsed his season average of 11.3 points per game entering Saturday in the second quarter alone, scoring 11 points by making all four of his field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers, to go with four assists and two rebounds. "We got sloppy in that first quarter," Woodson said. "We couldnt stay at that pace. In the second quarter, we settled in and the defence picked up." The shoelace incident was the latest in a series of transgressions this season for Smith, who was fined $25,000 in November for sending a threatening Tweet to the Pistons Brandon Jennings. That followed a five-game suspension without pay to start the season due to a violation of the leagues anti-drug policy in the off-season. "Im still trying to find myself, trying to find the right way to be a professional," Smith, a nine-year pro, said. "Its a short span we get to play this game and I cant be selfish with it, gotta think team first." NOTES: Kenyon Martin was charged with a Flagrant 1 foul with 8:53 left in the third quarter for elbowing Young. ... Tyson Chandler (illness) missed his third straight game for the Knicks. New York also was without backup point guard Beno Udrih (knee). ... Lavoy Allen (calf) missed his second straight game for Philadelphia. . Knicks baskets received the loudest cheers as there was a large contingent of vising fans among the 16,278 at the Wells Fargo Center. ... Rapper Meek Mill, a Philadelphia native, was seated courtside. 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