The Montreal Canadiens recent skid couldnt have arrived at a worse time. Not to say theres ever a good time for four losses in a row, but thats the Habs reality and in doing so have seen themselves drop into wild card territory behind the hated Toronto Maple Leafs. Granted, Montreal has two games in hand, but with the three teams ahead of them all riding hot streaks - the Boston Bruins earning points in four straight, the Tampa Bay Lightning on a three-game winning streak and the Leafs having earned points in seven of their last eight - the alarm is rightfully going off. Its not just the losses or even the standings that are of highest concern to Montreal fans. The Canadiens have given up at least four goals in each of their last six and Carey Price has been chased out of the net in two of his last three games. Even the lone win that they have managed to garner over the stretch – a 5-4 overtime victory over the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 16 – was a puck that trickled past Craig Anderson and led to a firestorm with P.K. Subbans game-winning celebration. Add that to a near-goalie fight against the Pittsburgh Penguins last Wednesday and the Canadiens are grabbing headlines for the wrong reasons. So what gives? Mired in the longest stretch of futility since general manager Marc Bergevin took over, the Canadiens dont have a single player among the NHLs Top 50 scorers and their current leading scorer is a defenceman (Subban). A defenceman - mind you - that will once again be the centre of contract negotiations and all sorts of rumours until his name is once again down on a contract. However, with 55 points through the first 44 games of the season, perhaps the Habs should be granted some slack as they endure this skid. After all, the Detroit Red Wings - currently two points back of Montreal and in the second wild card spot - rattled off a six-game losing streak in December. The Maple Leafs, too, lost four straight before going on their current streak, giving up even more goals in their four-game skid than the Canadiens have on their current slide. Even if they should win both their remaining games, the Canadiens will post their worst monthly record of the season for January. They will then have five games in eight nights in early February to try to make some hay before the Olympic break. But then what? If Price or Subban are unable to thrive – or not even feature – for Canada at the Olympics, will it affect their play after the break? Will the likes of Alexei Emelin and Andrei Markov return jubilant if Russia captures gold at home? Or will they be crushed by disappointment? The Canadiens have time to turn the ship around with more than a third of the schedule left to play, but the closer the playoffs get, the tougher the games will get. The Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning are both keeping pace with one another, meaning a failure to gain ground could soon result in a first-round date with one or the other. Or even the Pittsburgh Penguins. Or even failing to make the postseason for the second time in three seasons. So are the Habs going through a bad stretch? Or are they just a bad team? As always, its Your! Call. Matt Schaub Jersey .com) - Manu Ginobili capped off a 26-point night with a go-ahead layup with 24 seconds left in overtime, with the basket giving the San Antonio Spurs a much-needed 95-93 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Justin Bethel Jersey . The Rangers announced after Thursdays 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees that they would purchase Williams contract from Triple-A Round Rock. The 32-year-old Williams was released by Houston earlier this month after going 1-4 with a 6. http://www.officialatlantafalconsfootbal...s-jersey-womens. And fellow Leaf, Jake Gardiner, hiking in Whistler. Brooks Reed Jersey . The Brazilian driver had the second-best time in last months tests at Jerez and said the "good start" could play to his advantage when the season gets underway in Australia in March. Alex Mack Jersey . Nainggolan scored his first Italian league goal at Bologna, in October 2010, and he also opened his Roma account there following his January move from Cagliari. The Belgium midfielder volleyed home Miralem Pjanics cross from close range eight minutes from time.MANCHESTER, England - Ryan Giggs path to becoming the most durable and decorated player of the English Premier League era can be traced back almost 32 years, to the moment his precocious talents were spotted by a milkman on a muddy school pitch in north-west Manchester. "He was just like a gazelle, flying up the wing," recalled Dennis Schofield, who happened to also be a scout at Manchester City. "I thought, Flipping heck, hes good this kid." Giggs was just 8 at the time, but his close control, pace and skills had Schofield salivating. "He is the most outstanding player Ive seen at that age, even now. Like Stanley Matthews," Schofield, now 82, told The Associated Press. Three decades on and the comparison with Matthews could not be more apt. Like the England great, who played top-level football until he was 50, Giggs longevity is going down in folklore. On Friday, the Manchester United midfielder turned 40. His hair is thinning and greying, his turn of pace isnt what it was, and he is used more sparingly by the English champions, where he is now also part of the coaching staff under manager David Moyes. But Giggs the player is showing no sign of decline. From central midfield, he was the driving force behind Uniteds devastating 5-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday in the Champions League, club footballs top and most intense competition. He played 90 minutes, too. And dont be surprised to see him featuring for United against Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. That would be his 953rd club appearance, all coming for United since his debut in 1991. "I dont know what the younger lads think of me," Giggs said. "When I was 17 and 18, I thought 31 was ancient. Here I am, at 40." Teddy Sheringham, Kevin Phillips (who is still playing in the top flight for Crystal Palace) and Gordon Strachan are the only other outfield footballers to have played in the Premier League in their fifth decade. But none of the trio performed at the elite level throughout their careers as Giggs has done — and no one has come near his haul of titles and medals. The list keeps growing: 13 Premier Leagues, four FA Cups, three League Cups, two Champions Leagues, one UEFA Super Cup, an Intercontinental Cup and a Club World Cup. He is the only player to have scored a goal in every Premier League season, has the most appearances in the Champions League (148), and played 1,021 professional games for club and country. His solo goal in the FA Cup semifinal replay against Arsenal in 1999, where he set off from inside his own half, jinked round three defenders and slammed a shot into the roof of the net, has gone down as one of the greatest goals in English football. Giggs doesnt ssee himself quitting any time soon, either.ddddddddddddSince turning 30, he has undertaken regular yoga sessions, which is an accepted method of keeping in shape even if, years ago, it earned funny looks in the macho world of football. He has also refined his game, playing deeper in midfield rather than on the wings. He relies on speed of thought rather than the speed of his legs, and he is way ahead of the rest. "Hes an unbelievable footballer," Moyes said, "and is even getting better." Tributes to Giggs poured in from across the country on Friday. Moyes said he "undoubtedly" the leagues best ever player and former teammate Mark Hughes — now manager at Stoke — said the success Giggs has had "wont be replicated by anyone." "Maybe he is like a good Bordeaux (wine)," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger mused, "he gets better as he gets older." Schofield believes the natural fitness Giggs is blessed with means he could go on for another four of five years — and he has been right about the Welshman before. Schofield recalls his chance first encounter with Giggs as if it was yesterday. "I was on my milkfloat this day and all these kids came out of school," he said in a phone interview. "I said, Are you going playing? and they said, Yeah, just down the road. "So I parked my milkfloat up and went and watched them. They kicked off and this young lad, 8 years old, playing on the left wing. My, he had some pace on him, good control. Everything." Schofield spoke to Giggs mother, who was watching on the touchline, and invited the youngster to train with a local team, Deans. He spent years nurturing Giggs, taking him on tours to the Isle of Wight where, Schofield reminisces, "parents left their own teams, their own kids who were playing, to come across and watch Ryan play." Then came the moment Schofield has forever regretted. "I got him down to Man City and told the chief scout, When he is 14, youd better be down at his house because there will be quite a few clubs knocking on his door. He told me not to worry, that (Giggs) father has shaken hands on it and will sign for us. "Well, on that morning he was 14, the only people who were at his house were Alex Ferguson and (former United scout) Joe Brown. They signed him on. Our chief scout was still sat in his office, waiting for him to come down to City. And the rest is history." Citys loss was Uniteds gain — and 26 years later, Giggs is still ramming that message home. "I still enjoy training, the buzz before the game, the buzz when we win," Giggs told The Times of London. "As long as that lasts, Ill carry on." 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