(SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Maple Leafs hope to pick up where they left off before the Olympic break when they visit the John Tavares-less New York Islanders in Thursdays clash at Nassau Coliseum.Toronto was one of several NHL teams that had hot streaks interrupted by the NHLs Olympic break. The Maple Leafs had won five of six right before the hiatus and the club is 11-2-1 over its last 14 games.With 70 points, the Maple Leafs are currently holding on to the seventh of eight playoff spots in the East. Toronto also is just one point in back of both Tampa Bay and Montreal for second place in the Atlantic Division. The top three teams in each division get an automatic bid to the postseason.Toronto is aiming to qualify for the postseason for the second straight spring. Last season the Leafs halted the longest playoff drought in franchise history by making the postseason for the first time since 2004.The Maple Leafs emerge from the break with a road-heavy schedule ahead of them over the next few weeks. Toronto, which is just 11-12-5 as the away club this season, will play two straight and eight of its next 10 on the road.The Islanders, meanwhile, get to continue a five-game homestand on Thursday, but theyll do so without the services of captain and star centerman Tavares.Tavares helped Team Canada win the Olympic tournament, although he missed the semifinals and gold medal game after suffering a partial tear in the MCL of his left knee. Although the injury was originally feared to be worse, it will still keep Tavares sidelined for the remainder of the regular season. However, he will not need surgery as was originally believed.The culmination of the regular season could mark the end of the 2013-14 campaign for the Islanders, who are already 14 points out of the Easts final playoff berth.Tavares, who expects to miss 8-to-12 weeks while recovering, is New Yorks leading scorer with 66 points and is tied for the team lead with 24 goals. He is also third in the NHL in points.The Islanders lost seven of eight games before the break in a stretch that did serious damage to the clubs postseason chances. Without Tavares, the club expects to have a difficult time getting back into the thick of the playoff race.New York and the Leafs have split two meetings so far in 2013-14, but the Isles are 4-1-1 over the last six encounters between the clubs. Toronto, however, has won three straight and four of the past five games at the Coliseum.The Isles are 8-14-8 as the host team this season. The club is playing the third test of its five-game homestand tonight and will complete the stay on Long Island after welcoming New Jersey and Florida on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Drew Pomeranz Red Sox Jersey . None of them are Finlands Pekka Rinne, who stands as Canadas biggest challenge in Thursdays quarter-final round. Even while a young Finnish team has struggled with penalties, turnovers and a lack of offensive depth, Rinne has been a rock with a 1. Wade Boggs Jersey . -- Manager Bob Melvin shuffled the Athletics batting order and got the type of production he was looking for from the top of the lineup. https://www.cheapredsox.com/791z-david-price-jersey-red-sox.html . The Blue Jackets play Thursday night at New Jersey in their first game after the NHLs Olympic hiatus. A native of Trencin, Slovakia, Gaborik has represented his country at the 2006 and 2010 Olympics but was unable to play in Sochi because of his injury. Josh Taylor Red Sox Jersey . New York secured second place in the Metropolitan Division when the Philadelphia Flyers lost at Tampa Bay later Thursday. The Rangers will face either the Flyers or Columbus in the opening round of the post-season. The Rangers struggled throughout against the lowly Sabres and goalie Matt Hackett, who played in just his seventh NHL game of the season. Rick Porcello Jersey . Amaro broke the NCAA all-time record for receiving yards in a season for a tight end with 1,352 during his junior campaign, eclipsing the mark of 1,329 set by Rices James Casey in 2008.Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyle Lowry had 20 points and 12 assists and the Toronto Raptors pulled away for a 105-89 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, becoming the first Eastern Conference team to 20 wins. Patrick Patterson and Lou Williams each had eight points in the fourth quarter and Lowry scored six as the Raptors outscored the Nets 29-16 over the last 12 minutes to wrap up their fourth consecutive win. From the players all the way up to the management, it just shows how close we are and how focused we are, said Patterson. Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points and 10 assists with Patterson, Amir Johnson and Greivis Vasquez each scoring 13. The Raptors (20-6) have had three winning streaks of at least four games this season. Mason Plumlee had 23 points to lead the Nets, Joe Johnson scored 17 and Mirza Teletovic added 14 in the first meeting between the Atlantic Division foes since Brooklyns seven-game win in the first round of the playoffs. Having that time on the court has given my teammates confidence in me, said Plumlee. Its a great opportunity for me. The Nets were coming off a 95-91 loss at home to Miami on Tuesday night in a game that was delayed because the Barclays Center roof was leaking rain.dddddddddddd Williams buried a 3-pointer that sparked a 9-2 flurry for the Raptors in the fourth quarter that pushed their lead from six points to 13 with a little more than five minutes remaining. Brooklyn was never within single digits after that. Earlier, Lowry had 10 points in the first quarter but Toronto trailed by as many as 11. The Raptors shot better than 61 percent in the second and took a 53-52 lead into halftime. They led 76-73 going into the fourth quarter. Game Notes Deron Williams had 11 points and seven assists for the Nets ... The teams split their four regular-season meetings last season ... The Raptors face the Pistons in Detroit on Friday ... The Nets remain on the road to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday ... Wednesday was Drake Night at Air Canada Centre, the second year in a row the Raptors honored the Toronto-born rapper. Ticket holders received a T-shirt bearing the teams logo and Drake Night on the back. ' ' '