TORONTO – Ten years into the NHL career of Joffrey Lupul and it would appear as though a ceiling has not been reached. 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." Kenny Lofton Jersey . His apology came before a pregame ceremony in which the team honoured its 2004 team that won Bostons first World Series championship since 1918. "I realize that I behaved bad in Boston," Ramirez said. Carlos Baerga Jersey . The San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders are giving it a try, too. http://www.indianssale.com/indians-ricky-vaughn-jersey/ . Peter Dawson took his long before he started the job. "I was playing an American one year at Oxford Golf Club, and he introduced me to this travelling mulligan," Dawson said. Jason Kipnis Jersey . The 25-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has 18 points in 41 games this season. The five-foot-eight 166-pound centre also has 28 points (10-18) in 15 games with AHL Oklahoma City. Custom Cleveland Indians Jerseys . The Brazil defender was substituted 13 minutes into Wednesdays 2-1 Copa del Rey win at Athletic Bilbao because of a right hamstring problem. Scans revealed a second grade tear which could keep him out for a reported four to six weeks.CHICAGO -- The Washington Wizards are winning more on the road than they are at home. They cant quite pinpoint why. John Wall and Nene had 19 points apiece, Trevor Ariza scored 16 and the Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 102-88 on Monday night. "We just play more freely," Marcin Gortat said. "We can focus in the hotel. In the locker room, were just sitting in one little room and trying to get ready for the game. I dont know, at home theres just too many rooms, too many places where you can go. Too many places where you can dance and sing." The Wizards led by 13 early in the fourth and hung on down the stretch after a 12-point lead was cut to five, snapping the Bulls five-game win streak. Nene scored eight points in the final period after getting the start, and Bradley Beal came on strong down the stretch to finish with 13. He hit a jumper and 3-pointer during a nine-point run that bumped Washingtons lead to 96-82 with about 3 minutes left. Wall hit two jumpers during that spurt and had seven assists in the game. Ariza hit a trio of 3-pointers and the Wizards shot 52 per cent to come away with the win after dropping five of seven. Theyre 10-10 on the road and 7-9 at home, where theyll play Miami on Wednesday. "Its kind of hurting us that we dont play as a team at home," Wall said. "We dont come out with a sense of urgency and we get down early." But in this game it was exactly the opposite. The Wizards never trailed. They led by as many as 15 in the second quarter and withstood several pushes by the Bulls in the second half. "Everybody probably thought they were tanking and they were going to try to redo their team," Wall said. "Theyre still one of the best defensive teams in the league." Carlos Boozer scored 19 for Chicago and Joakim Noah grabbed 16 rebounds. But with a chance to reach .500 for the first time since November, the Bulls committed 18 turnovers. They also lost for the first time since traading Luol Deng to Cleveland last week, after winning three without him.dddddddddddd "Games like this humble you," Taj Gibson said. "Right when youre feeling too good about yourself, youre feeling invincible, a team comes in there and smacks you, wakes you up to reality." Washington had no trouble getting inside in the early going and shot 59 per cent while building a 56-43 halftime lead. The Bulls jumped right back into it to start the third quarter, tightening their defence while scoring the first eight points. Boozer capped it with a finger roll after Beal missed an easy layup, making it a five-point game. The Bulls were within four when Trevor Booker scored and Ariza and Martell Webster hit consecutive 3-pointers to push Washingtons lead back to double digits at 73-61 with 2:49 left in the third. For Chicago, it was a letdown after a promising stretch. Coach Tom Thibodeau didnt "think we had an edge tonight." That was clear right from the start, with the Wizards opening the game on an 8-0 run that Gortat punctuated with a hard, running dunk on Boozer. They were up 36-21 early in the second after back-to-back jumpers by Beal, and they answered every time the Bulls threatened in the second half. "We kept saying well work our way out of it," Thibodeau said. "Well, you cant keep saying, youve got to do it. Ive got to make sure that were ready." NOTES: Chicago star Derrick Rose is off crutches and could start travelling with the team in the coming weeks. The 2011 NBA MVP tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. He sat out last season while recovering from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. ... Chicagos Nazr Mohammed sprained his left middle finger in the first half, but Thibodeau didnt think it was broken. ... The Bulls have won nine of their past 11 home games against Washington. 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