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WINNIPEG - For centre Olli Jokinen, one loss does not a confidence-shaking setback make despite the Winnipeg Jets falling back into the Central Division cellar following a 4-3 loss to Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.Its not going to be our last game we lose, were not going to win every game, Jokinen said Wednesday, joining most of his teammates taking the day off to rest or work out in preparation to face the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.I think as a team were moving in the right direction and we just try to get our energy levels up and try to get a win Friday, he added.The Jets coaches and a handful of players were on the ice Wednesday but things will get more serious Thursday as the squad gears up for another important game against a Western Conference rival.Although theyve gone 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and lost 4-2 to Edmonton on Monday, the Canucks (27-18-9 before playing Chicago on Wednesday) are at least currently where the Jets want to be — holding down the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.The Jets stand 12th, eight points behind the Canucks before Wednesdays action. They have plenty of distance to cover and not much time to do it as they head into the Olympic break. After Fridays game they play four more road contests before the Olympics, then return Feb. 27 at the MTS Centre.But with the hiring of new coach Paul Maurice, the Jets have already done some surprising things in a relatively short period of time. They earned road wins over both the league-leading Anaheim Ducks and defending Stanley Cup-champion Chicago Blackhawks have won six-of-eight games with Maurice behind the bench.And neither Jokinen nor Maurice viewed Tuesdays loss as a step backwards from the kind of defensive zone game hes trying to teach.This defensive zone concept, its not like you write it on the board you get it and you go and theres your defence for the rest of your life, its a work in progress, Maurice said. There wasnt a letdown (Tuesday night).They werent running out of position, getting away from what they were trying to do to break a game open.Maurice said players are starting to see things and there are fewer questions coming back. Hes pleased with the compete level of one of the NHLs youngest teams.The biggest thing hes instilled in us is play for each other in every game, said centre Mark Scheifele.That approach seems to be working for the 20-year-old Scheifele, who had a goal and an assist against Nashville and is third in scoring among NHL rookies.Four Jets are heading to the Olympics: goalie Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Frolik for their native Czech Republic, Jokinen for Finland and Blake Wheeler, currently tied for Winnipegs scoring lead, for the U.S.The others will have a long layoff and while Maurice says hes had experience with Olympic breaks, with a young team like the Jets it might be different.The last time I went through an Olympic break that I remember, we ended up going to the final (2001-02 with Carolina) and came out fast and quick, Maurice said. We had a bunch of guys . . . that were older, fit men who used that break to rest but came back roaring.Maurice said veterans like former Carolina Hurricanes captain Rod BrindAmour and Martin Gelinas had the experience to know how to use the break.The concern is there will be a bunch of these guys that havent gone through an Olympic break, he said. Theres not much we can do in terms of structuring anything that is mandatory for our players.Maurice isnt worrying about the four Jets heading to Sochi, Russia.Theyre going to go and play at a really, really high level and theyre going to get better from it, he said. Id prefer to have more guys going than not.Meanwhile, Maurice said left-winger Evander Kanes hand was cleaned up by doctors after he was sidelined again by an infection that caused it to swell up.Everything finished the way we hoped, he said.Kane cut his hand in a fight with Tampa Bays Eric Brewer on Jan. 7 and initially missed four games. He returned Jan. 21 to register a goal and three assists in the next four games but isnt expected back until after the Olympic break. Cheap New England Patriots Gear . -- C.J. Wilson parked his car and laughed while signing autographs for faceless fans who handed bats, balls and cards to the pitcher from the other side of a brick wall. Stitched New England Patriots Jerseys . The 41-year-old Northern Irishman has proved a perfect fit at Liverpool since taking over from Kenny Dalglish in the summer of 2012 and steered the team to an unexpected title challenge in the Premier League last season. http://www.cheappatriots.com/. The All Blacks played their best rugby of recent years when they beat South Africa 38-27 in Johannesburg two weeks ago, clinching the Rugby Championships in a match which has been hailed as one of the best ever played. Wholesale New England Patriots Jerseys . After seven wins in a row, they have to do it one more time to get into the playoffs. Discount New England Patriots Jerseys . Mark Teahen scored the go-ahead run in the home seventh on an error by Scott Sizemore, who had knotted the game with a solo homer in the previous half- inning. Paul Konerko then hit an RBI single which proved to be the winning run.TORONTO - As Rudy Gay took to the Air Canada Centre court for the first time since being traded, moments after being introduced to a chorus of tepid boos, he approached each Raptors starter, slapping hands with his former teammates. They reciprocated, but none of them initiated the round of pre-game pleasantries. On the teams bench sat a quartet of former Sacramento Kings, but you wouldnt know it. Their focus mirrored that of the starters. They meant business. "We all have friends on that team," acknowledged Patrick Patterson, one of the former Kings that came to Toronto in the seven-player trade completed on December 9. "Going into this game, we have to treat it as if theyre the enemy. We have to treat them like theyre the villain and were the superhero, pretty much. We cant be friendly with them. As soon as the game starts, you have to put your hard hat on." The Raptors learnt that lesson the hard way. A month earlier, the two teams faced off in Sacramento, their first meeting since the early-season swap. "I thought the way that we approached the game last time was too friendly, too cool, too lackadaisical, too laid-back," Patterson said, looking back at his return to California. Emotions were high, on both sides, as players embraced their friends and old teammates prior to tip-off, laughing and joking around, having also shared a meal the night before. Only the Kings were laughing 48 minutes later. Embarrassed, the Raptors - a post-trade feel-good story - left with their tail in-between their legs. Dwane Casey questioned his teams disposition and professionalism, Chuck Hayes called it their worst performance since the trade and John Salmons conducted his entire post-game interview head down after a 109-101 loss. Round two would be different, Casey promised leading up to the rematch in Toronto on Friday. From the moment his club took the floor, coming face-to-face with Gay and the Kings, it was clear that message had been received. "I thought the roles were reversed this time," Patterson after his new team closed out their 99-87 win. "I thought we came out the right way, with the right intensity." "Guys were professional, very professional, workman-like, not disrespecting their friends on the other team, but yet still knowing we had a job to do when you walk out between those lines," Casey echoed. "After the game is over you can shake hands, hug, kiss, whatever you want to do, but once the game starts those guys have a different colour jersey and weve got to have that razor-like focus every time we walk on the floor." Like the Kings had done in Sacramento, the Raptors jumped on the visitoors right out of the gate, taking a 29-19 lead into the second quarter.dddddddddddd Although the Kings dominated the paint and lived at the free throw line once again, Toronto neutralized their best player early. DeMarcus Cousins, who has owned the Raptors over his career, played just eight first-half minutes, saddled with foul trouble. After losing some ground in the second frame, the Raptors came out in the third quarter and - like they did in the first - outscored Sacramento 29-19, effectively repaying their old friends for last months debacle. "I think we let go of the personal stuff," said Salmons, who has been preaching forgiveness over the last couple days. "We thought we were doing that the first game, clearly we didnt. This time we just let it go and played basketball." Returning from an ankle injury, Terrence Ross scored half of his team-leading 18 points, hitting half of his six threes in the third. Patterson also added seven of his 15 points in the quarter. "Ill tell you what, hes been a godsend for us, as far as stretching the floor," Casey said of Patterson, who hit three of his four attempts from long range Friday. "Not only that, just his intensity, his work ethic, how hard how plays. Hes got a reputation around the league of playing hard. Hes one of our best pick-and-roll defenders because he uses his quickness and then he can go down and stretch the floor out. Its a big plus, not a lot of guys can do that and he does an excellent job of doing it. The boos for Gay were faint, mostly, but consistent every time he touched the ball. The former Raptors forward scored 15 points on 5-of-13 from the field, a shooting percentage reminiscent of his time spent in Toronto. Gay has shot 50 per cent or better in 23 of 38 games as a King after doing so just once in 18 contests with the Raptors this season. Again, the Raptors won as a team. They got double-digit scoring from five players and although DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry struggled from the field - shooting a combined 6-for-24 - the Raptors backcourt duo totalled 13 assists, one fewer than the entire Kings team. Salmons added eight points off the bench, Greivis Vasquez chipped in with four and, although Hayes was scoreless in 10 minutes, his defence on Cousins changed the game in the third quarter. "He has that old man stretch," Casey said of Hayes. "Youve got to be strong to hold your ground against Cousins. Hes a beast in there and now they bring Reggie Evans in, two of the strongest guys in the league. So I thought his brute strength helped him hold his position." With their 34th victory, the Raptors matched last seasons win total in just 60 games. 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