WASHINGTON -- Buffalo Sabres interim head coach Ted Nolan said Sunday the organization was surprised by prospect Mikhail Grigorenkos decision not to report to a junior club in Canada. Clearance Nike Shox . "We knew obviously players would be disappointed when something like that happened," Nolan said, "but no indication that he wouldnt report." The Sabres assigned the Russian centre to the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Saturday, hoping the 19-year-old former first-round draft pick would get some top-line minutes. Grigorenko has struggled to adapt to the NHL in parts of two seasons, with eight points in 43 career games since he was selected No. 12 overall in 2012. But Grigorenko says he wont go to Quebec. He apologized on Facebook on Saturday, adding: "We just need to find a place for me where I can develop and be the best hockey player I can be." Nolan said he doesnt know what the next step will be for Grigorenko and Sabres team president Pat LaFontaine. "Its one thing that you learn -- what you can control, what you cant control," Nolan said. "Him and Pat will take care of that." The Sabres would prefer that Grigorenko play for their Rochester AHL affiliate, but an agreement between the NHL and the Canadian Hockey League doesnt allow teenagers to play in the AHL. Buffalo tried to send Grigorenko to Rochester on a conditioning assignment in November, but the NHL denied the request. Grigorenko has played well in previous stints in juniors, posting 139 points in two seasons with Quebec, including 30 goals in 33 games last season. "P.K. Subban played four years in Belleville, and he turned out pretty good," Nolan said of the Montreal Canadiens defenceman. "Junior hockeys a good place to develop." Grigorenko recently returned from the world junior championships in Malmo, Sweden, where he led Russia to the bronze medal with eight points in seven games. Cheap Air Jordan 1 China . -- Ryan Millers debut for the St. Wholesale Nike Shoes For Sale . And while taking highly-touted Simon Fraser offensive lineman Matthias Goossen second overall on Tuesday night will definitely help in an area of need for the club, it was a swap of draft picks that may prove to be his most shrewd move. "When Jesse Briggs started to fall a little bit, you could just see Kyle perk up in his chair.BOSTON -- DeMar DeRozan understands that a playoff berth for the Raptors has meaning beyond Torontos locker room. Terrence Ross scored 24 points, Kyle Lowry 23 and the Raptors edged closer to their first playoff spot since 2008 with a 99-90 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. "Not just the franchise, the whole city of Toronto and Canada," said DeRozan, sitting at his locker with his left foot in a bucket of ice. "Ive been here five years and see how passionate the fans are. It definitely means a lot. We feed off them, the energy they bring every single night. That would be great for the city and we have to take advantage of the opportunity." DeRozan added 20 points for Toronto, which increased its Atlantic Division lead to 2 1/2 games over Brooklyn. The Raptors could have clinched a playoff spot if the Knicks lost at Sacramento later Wednesday, but New York beat the Kings 107-99. It was Lowrys eighth straight game of 20 or more points and helped the Raptors snap an 11-game losing streak in Boston. "Im not going to lie," Lowry said. "I think everybody tonight is rooting for that Western Conference team over there." The Raptors are also chasing a division title. They face Boston in the back end of a home and home on Friday. "We cant be satisfied just making the playoffs," DeRozan said. "We could go out there and play four games and be home. Weve worked too hard to get to this point just to slow down and pace ourselves. Weve got a long, long way to go." Jared Sullinger led Boston with 26 points, going 4 of 6 from 3-point range, and Avery Bradley scored 16. Boston lost for the seventh time in eight games. "Sully got hot and I thought even though we were really undersized we played pretty well in that time," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. Toronto captured its 19th road win, one off the club record set 2000-01. Boston guard Rajon Rondo was cut on the forehead midway into the third quarter and received nine stitches. He returned to tthe bench early in the fourth quarter with a bandage that ran from the bridge of his nose straight up to his forehead and he re-entered the game with 8:05 to play. Air Force 1 Low Outlet . . He finished with 15 assists and nine points. "I think it obviously says a lot," Stevens said. "He wants to play and I think the most important part about it is he came back in and guarded DeRozan. He went after it and I think he did a pretty good job on him." The Raptors had opened a 79-64 lead early the fourth quarter, but Boston went on a 9-0 run. Toronto pushed it back to 85-75 before Sullinger nailed consecutive 3s 34 seconds apart, narrowing it to four points with just under 6 minutes to play. "I saw that Rondo went down so I saw that we needed production, so I took it upon myself and just tried to get the best shots possible," Sullinger said. Chris Johnsons basket -- on an officials reviewed goaltending call -- closed it to 93-90 with 1:49 left, but Lowry and Ross hit consecutive 3s on the next two possessions to send the Raptors to the victory. In the third quarter, Lowry nailed consecutive 3s on Torontos first two possessions, pushing the Raptors lead to 61-46. They held at least a nine-point lead for the rest of the quarter, opening it to 77-62 after Ross nailed a 3 at the buzzer. Toronto, which blew an 11-point second-quarter lead in less than 2 minutes, held a 55-46 advantage at halftime. NOTES: A few minutes before the opening tip-off and about 10 after the National Anthems were completed, the Celtics asked the crowd to rise for a moment of silence to honour two Boston firefighters that were killed battling a fire in the citys Back Bay section -- about three kilometres away. ... Stevens praised Raptors G Lowry before the game. "(He) is playing terrific," Stevens said. "He was arguably an All-Star earlier. He makes a lot of plays that dont go talked about." ... Sullinger had 25 points and 20 rebounds when the Celtics beat the Raptors at home on Jan. 15. He had eight boards on Wednesday. ' ' '

Scott Cullen has notes on a premier prospect getting the call, changes in the Red Sox rotation, a 40-year-old getting regular at-bats and more. China Jerseys NFL . INJURIES - Cardinals 1B Matt Adams has been put on the DL with calf tightness, resulting in some lineup shifting, with Allen Craig moving from right field to first base, so that the Cardinals could bring up top prospect Oscar Taveras, who was the No. 3 prospect coming into the season, according to Baseball America, MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus. In 49 games at Triple-A, Taveras had 7 HR, 40 RBI, was hitting .325 with an .897 OPS. Hes already homered in his second major-league at-bat and if Taveras keeps hitting, the Cardinals will surely find a way to keep that bat in the lineup. - Bostons rotation is getting some new faces with LHP Felix Doubront and RHP Clay Buchholz on the DL. RHP Brandon Workman has taken one spot, but the more intriguing arm belongs to RHP Rubby De La Rosa, a power pitcher who struck out eight in seven shutout innings in his first major league start since 2011, when he underwent Tommy John surgery. De La Rosas average fastball was 95.0 MPH, a threshold surpassed by only a handful of starters this season. - Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira, who has been surprisingly productive with 9 HR, 25 RBI and a .242 AVG (.847 OPS) in 37 games, has suffered a setback with his ongoing wrist issues and will be evaluated Tuesday. If Tex has to go on the DL, that likely means more playing time for Kelly Johnson at first, though the Pinstripers could also shuffle Brian McCann there on occasion to get C J.R. Murphys bat into the lineup. Murphy has hit .348 with a .796 OPS in 18 games with the Yankees and had a .773 OPS in the minors last season (before hitting .192 with a .500 OPS in seven games at Triple-A this year). - With Mets CF Juan Lagares joining Eric Young Jr. on the DL, there is now an opportunity for 40-year-old Bobby Abreu, who is hitting .314 with an .880 OPS this season. - Rays RF Wil Myers is out with a sprained wrist. Hes struggled, hitting .227 with a .666 OPS in 53 games. Kevin Kiermaier get a crack at regular playing time and the 24-year-old already has a couple of home runs, thoguh hes been more about speed in the minors, hitting .305 with an .823 OPS and 11 stolen bases in 34 games at Triple-A. - Diamondbacks CF A.J. Pollock hits the DL with a broken hand, and will miss six-to-eight weeks. This creates an opportunity for 23-year-old Ender Inciarte, though he has a .380 OPS in 53 plate appearances thus far. He did hit .312 with an .807 OPS and seven steals in 26 games at Triple-A. - With 1B Nick Swisher and DH/3B/C Carlos Santana on the DL, keep an eye on 23-year-old 1B Jesus Aguilar, who had an .889 OPS at Triple-A before getting the call to the majors, where hes managed to hit .188 with a .488 OPS in his first 20 plate appearances. - Jeff Mathis will get some reps behind the plate for the Marlins while Jarrod Saltalamacchia recovers from a concussion. Mathis is hitting .300 with an .867 OPS this year, but hes a career .198 hitter (.573 OPS), so dont bank on that level of production continuing. - Royals 3B Danny Valencia went on the DL with a sprained left hand, giving Mike Moustakas a quick reprieve from his demotion to Triple-A. Moustakas mashed at Triple-A, hitting .355 with a .960 OPS in eight games, but hes been brutal with the Royals, hitting .148 with a .531 OPS. - Dodgers LF Carl Crawford has a sprained ankle, opening the door for Andre Ethier to get regular at-bats, playing centre field while Matt Kemp handles left. Ethier has hit a career-low .256 with a .708 OPS this season, but had an .826 OPS in May following a tough start (.618 OPS in March/April). GOOD ADDS (Available in at least 40% of TSN leagues) Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B/1B, Cleveland - 3 HR, 16 RBI, .361 AVG, 22 R, 133 AB (Available: 41.6%) Brock Holt, 3B, Boston - 1 HR, 11 RBI, .337 AVG, 12 R, 86 AB (Available: 96.4%) Lorenzo Cain, CF, Kansas City - 2 HR, 19 RBI, .328 AVG, 12 R, 122 AB (Available: 71.4%) Michael Saunders, RF, Seattle - 3 HR, 22 RBI, ..275 AVG, 24 R, 131 AB (Available: 86.8%) Kolten Wong, 2B, St. Louis - 0 HR, 11 RBI, .268 AVG, 12 R, 8 SB, 123 AB (Available: 72.5%) Collin McHugh, RHP, Houston - 3-3, 2.80 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 50 K, 45 IP (Available: 80.9%) Jaime Garcia, LHP, St. Louis - 1-0, 4.12 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 19 K, 19 2/3 IP (Available: 72.5%) Cody Allen, RHP, Cleveland - 2-1, 3.24 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 29 K, 23 1/3 IP (Available: 65.0%) Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Tom Greene Jersey Store . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Defensive Depth TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting the Toronto Maple Leafs have considerable interest in unrestricted free-agent defenceman Dan Boyle. Bill Baumgartner Jersey Store . Terry came from Boston along with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce but has appeared in just 35 games after a knee injury, averaging 4.5 points on 36 per cent shooting. Evans was a favourite of fans but not coach Jason Kidd, who used him in just 30 of their 51 games.SQUAW VALLEY, Calif. -- Olympic slalom gold medallist Mikaela Shiffrin won the giant slalom at the U.S. Alpine Championships by nearly 2 seconds on Thursday. The 19-year-old Shiffrin, who is based in Eagle-Vail, Colo., won her third U.S. title overall, after slalom championships in 2011 and 2012. She completed Thursdays two runs in 2 minutes, 30.93 seconds. The race was open to women from other countries, and Marie-Michele Gaggnon of Lac-Etchemin, Que. China Jerseys . , finished second, 1.88 seconds behind. Julia Mancuso, a four-time Olympic medallist who lives in Squaw Valley, was third. Shiffrin became the youngest slalom champion in Olympic history last month at the Sochi Games, then returned to the World Cup circuit to wrap up a second consecutive slalom season title. All nine of her World Cup career race wins have come in slalom. ' ' '

ANAHEIM, Calif. Marcedes Lewis Super Bowl Jersey . -- Los Angeles Angels hitting coach Don Baylor broke his right leg while catching Vladimir Guerreros ceremonial first pitch Monday night. Baylor will have surgery Tuesday on his right femur. The injury cast a pall over opening day at Angel Stadium. Baylor, who joined the Angels coaching staff in the off-season, had to be helped off the field after squatting to catch Guerreros off-target throw. Baylor was taken to a hospital before the Angels 10-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Don right now," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Obviously its a freak (injury). Well see how it turns out." Baylor couldnt stand up after Guerreros throw, his right leg bending awkwardly beneath him while he was held up by Guerrero, who initially thought Baylor was kidding around. Two team employees helped Baylor to the dugout, leaving the Angels in disbelief on the field. "It got me sick when I was warming up and hearing what happened in the dugout," said Mike Trout, who hit a two-run homer in the first inning. The 64-year-old Baylor is a survivor of multiple myeloma, a cancer that attacks bone marrow. He was diagnosed with the cancer in 2003, and he is active in fundraising efforts to combat the disease. Baylor, the former manager of the Rockies and Cubs, left the Arizona Diamondbacks in the off-season to return to Anaheim, where he played six seasons with the California Angels. He replaced Jim Eppard as the Angels hitting coach last October. Los Angeles also hired assistant hitting coach Dave Hansen, who was the Mariners hitting coach last season. Baylor and Guerrero are the only AL MVPs in Angels franchise history. Baylor won the award in 1979 during arguably the best season of his 19-year major league career with seven teams. Guerrero threw the ceremonial first pitch to celebrate his retirement with the Angels on a one-day contract. Dexter Williams Super Bowl Jersey .A. Dickey earned an American League Gold Glove on Tuesday to become the first Toronto Blue Jays pitcher to win the award. Corey Linsley Super Bowl Jersey .com) - The Tennessee Titans agreed to terms with running back Jackie Battle on a one-year contract Friday.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Buffalo Bills guard Chris Williams and wide receiver Marquise Goodwin have been ruled out for Sundays game against the Houston Texans.The team announced on Saturday that both players will not make the trip to Houston. They were previously listed as doubtful.Williams, Buffalos starting left guard, has been limited with a back injury since training camp. He exited Buffalos Week 3 loss to San Diego early after aggravating the injury.Rookie Cyril Richardson is expected to receive his first career start in place of Williams. A fiffth-round pick out of Baylor, Richardson worked with the starting unit at left guard during the portions of practice open to the media during the week. Jamaal Williams Super Bowl Jersey . oodwin is out with a concussion. He took a hard hit late in Buffalos loss to the Chargers, but suffered the head injury at Wednesdays practice according to the Bills.Wide receiver Marcus Easley (knee) and linebacker Randell Johnson (linebacker) are also out. Linebacker Keith Rivers (groin), safety DaNorris Searcy (ankle) and cornerback Ron Brooks (illness) are probable. ' ' '