DENVER -- Phil Kessel keeps scoring and the Toronto Maple Leafs keep on winning. That four-game skid in early January seems as if its a long time ago. Kessel scored twice, James van Riemsdyk had a goal and an assist and the Maple Leafs beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight win. Nazem Kadri also scored and James Reimer stopped 35 shots for Toronto. Kessel has been one of the hottest players in the league over the past 12 days, and it came at the right time for his team. The Maple Leafs were struggling when Kessel started scoring. He has six goals and eight assists during Torontos winning streak. "With Phil, if he continues to get chances, hes got a history behind him and he knows how to score goals," Toronto coach Randy Carlyle said. The Maple Leafs are on their longest winning streak in eight years after losing four in a row. Toronto has climbed to fourth in the Eastern Conference during its win streak. The previous time Toronto won six straight was Dec. 23, 2005-Jan. 2, 2006. "Theres a lot more life in the room," defenceman Dion Phaneuf said. "Weve got a confidence in our dressing room that we feel good about ourselves." Kessel was playing for the University of Minnesota during Torontos previous six-game winning streak, but now hes leading the way for the Leafs ahead of the Sochi Olympics next month, where he will be part of Team USA once again. "Were winning, thats the most important thing," Kessel said. Rookie Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals for the Avalanche, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere had 19 saves in relief of Semyon Varlamov. "We lost the game in the second period," MacKinnon said. "Their goalie made some good saves for them. Weve been playing well of late, but we cant let this game get us down too much." Colorado generated more early chances but Toronto scored first. Phaneuf sent a puck from his own end off the backboards and Kessel, who got behind the Avalanche defence, put a soft shot past Varlamov 3:56 into the game. "Dion made a good play, I kind of whiffed on it but it went in," Kessel said. The Avalanche failed to capitalize on two early power plays, and the Maple Leafs made it 2-0 on their first try on van Riemsdyks 20th goal at 17:41. Kadri redirected Jake Gardiners shot from the point 2:55 into the second period, giving Toronto a 3-0 lead and chasing Varlamov. Varlamov allowed three goals on 10 shots. "I think Varly was just a bit tired," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said. "I almost took him out after the first period. I didnt see in him the same energy that hes shown since the start of the year. When he gave up that third goal theres no need to push that." Giguere came in and Kessel made it 4-0 with his second of the night and team-leading 26th of the season. He nearly had his second hat trick of the season, but was denied by Jean-Sebastien Giguere in the third. Kessel finished with eight shots on goal. "I had a bunch tonight," Kessel said. "I missed some good chances." Giguere settled down, and the Avalanche finally got on the board when MacKinnon scored on a 2-on-1 break with P.A. Parenteau at 18:35 of the second period. Colorado turned up the pressure in the third and scored again on MacKinnons high wrist shot at 5:07. It was his 17th goal of the season. Colorado pulled Giguere for an extra skater with 2:56 remaining, but Jay McClement scored into the empty net to seal the win. "We played a decent enough of a hockey game to give ourselves a chance," Carlyle said. "The home teams going to come with a push and we withstood that." NOTES: Toronto RW Joffrey Lupul had two assists. ... Kessel extended his point streak to seven games. ... The Avalanche honoured referee Brad Watson before the game. Watson was officiating in his 1,000th NHL game. ... Colorado activated Parenteau and D Nate Guenin from the injured list. Parenteau missed 10 games with a sprained left knee and Guenin was out for seven games with an ankle injury. Cheap Jerseys . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. Cheap Jerseys Authentic . JOHNS, N. http://www.cheapauthenticjerseys.u... . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. [url=http://www.cheapauthenticjerseys.us.com/]Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Cheap Jerseys China .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King.ATLANTA -- When Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed found out a neighbouring community had made a generous offer to help finance a new Braves stadium, he balked and said the city simply couldnt compete. Reeds decision comes a few months after the mayor faced tough criticism for pushing through a plan to use public money to support a new NFL stadium downtown. And it underscores the challenges facing cash-strapped communities nationwide as they weigh the risks and rewards of using public money to help finance major sports venues. "The bottom line is that the city was presented with a choice, and that choice was encumbering between $150 million to $250 million in debt and not having money to do anything else," Reed said, referring to the citys share of costs for desired improvements at Turner Field. Instead, the mayor announced Tuesday that Turner Field would be demolished when the Braves leave in 2017, making way for a new large-scale development. Reed has said the city couldnt match Cobb Countys offer of $450 million in public support to the Braves, though the team disputes that figure. When faced with the question of how much to contribute to stadium construction or refurbishment, local leaders have to weigh the state of their communitys finances. In Atlantas case, Reed said the city has a $900 million backlog in infrastructure projects. There have been instances of communities not putting up public money, but those are the exception, said Judith Grant Long, an associate professor of urban planning at Harvard University. Most notable is the current home of the San Francisco Giants, which was the first privately financed major league stadium in decades. On the other end of the spectrum, Long pointed to the $975 million Minnesota Vikings stadium project. There, the public contribution has been estimated at $498 million. "The impact of the recent recession on state and local tax revenues, and consequently fiscal management, should influence thinking about all new capital projects and the role of public debt," Long said. The new 42,000-seat Braves stadium would be located about 10 miles north of downtown and cost $672 million to build. Reed has said he was informed of the $450 million in public financing during a meeting with the team, but the Braves said the costs havent been finalized and "reports of this figure are erroneous." Cobb County appears to have at least three financing options that would not involve raising taxes on residents, including a hotel/motel tax that brought in $10 million in revenue last year, a community improvement district that pools money from area businesses for infrastructure projects and a budget surplus. The proposal does include options for commercial development, including restaurants, retail, hotel and entertainment facilities that would surround the stadium and also woould boost revenues.dddddddddddd Details on the public funding are expected to be released in the next few weeks. In defending his decision, Reed argued the Braves situation was much different than the citys plan to contribute at least $200 million in public funding to support a new $1.2 billion, retractable-roof stadium for the Atlanta Falcons. Reed said the Falcons deal will use the citys hotel/motel tax for improvements to state-owned property where the NFL stadium will be built. There was no such funding mechanism for the Braves, so any contributions would have forced the city to take on significant debt, Reed said. "It doesnt mean I dont want the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta," Reed said. "Were not going to put the city on its back financially." Reed touted the publics relatively small share of costs for the NFL stadium. Long said that was lower than the average of about 70 per cent in public money for stadium projects. William Perry, executive director of the government watchdog group Common Cause Georgia, was a vocal critic of the mayor for not seeking more public input on the Falcons stadium deal. He said this week that the mayor appeared to be applying inconsistent logic by fighting for the Falcons but letting the Braves leave. Braves executives said the decision to leave Turner Field was based on several factors, including $150 million needed to replace seats and pay for other upgrades as well as another $200 million to improve the fan experience. The team cited a lack of mass transit options in the area, too few parking spaces and limited freeway access. "Our new location will give us the opportunity to develop the surrounding area of the new ballpark, transforming it into a mixed use, 365-day destination and creating an enhanced atmosphere for our fans during Braves games," the team said in a statement. Studies have shown stadium projects create only modest increases in overall tax revenue and job creation, Long said, although more teams are taking a role in developing lodging, entertainment and retail around the venues. "In part, this is evidence of a trend where teams are more interested in development around the stadium as part of their evolving business model," Long said, adding that it can also help with gaining approval. "However, these urban development benefits ... are slow to materialize." For Cobb County, the benefits of the project are clearly worth any risk. "This makes Cobbs marketability so much stronger, and it helps us become more than a suburban community," said Brooks Mathis, an executive with the Cobb Chamber of Commerce who helped negotiate the deal. "We are going to see huge benefits for many, many years to come especially having such a wonderful organization like the Braves be a part of our community." wholesale jerseys authentic wholesale jerseys store cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys china wholesale jerseys ' ' '