(SportsNetwork. Blake Griffin Jersey .com) - The Toronto Maple Leafs return home from a disappointing road trip with a new look on their bench Wednesday night as they take on the Washington Capitals. The Maple Leafs were outscored 8-2 in losing the final two contests of a seven-game swing to Minnesota and Winnipeg, with the defeats on back-to-back days wrapping up a 2-5-0 road trip. Toronto has lost seven of its past nine and owns just a one-point lead over the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conferences second wild card, but despite currently having a playoff spot head coach Randy Carlyle was fired on Tuesday. It just fell into place that this is where were at. If this would have happened and we felt we were trending this way a month from now we would have done the same thing, said Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis. Earlier in the season we had some pretty good stretches where we thought we were going to be the consistent team we wanted to be. That didnt happen and we couldnt wait longer. At this point we felt we needed to make this change. Carlyle was hired by the Maple Leafs during the 2011-12 campaign, not long after being relieved of his coaching duties by the Anaheim Ducks, and led Toronto to the postseason the following campaign. That snapped a franchise- worst seven-season span without a playoff appearance, but Toronto failed to make it back to the 2014 postseason. Assistants Peter Horachek and Steve Spott will handle coaching duties on an interim basis beginning tonight. Horachek previously served as an interim head coach for the Florida Panthers beginning in November of 2013 before joining Toronto the following summer and also spent 10 seasons in Nashville as an assistant under current Capitals head coach Barry Trotz. Spott spent a season coaching the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League prior to his promotion to an assistant coach in July. The Maple Leafs try to pick up the pieces following a 5-1 loss to the Jets on Saturday. James Reimer gave No. 1 netminder Jonathan Bernier a breather and was peppered with 40 shots, allowing all five goals. Mike Santorelli recorded Torontos only goal 2:19 into the second period when he batted in James van Riemsdyks cross-ice pass into the back of the net. Maybe we were a little tired, but I dont want to give that as an excuse, Reimer said. Were professionals, and we have to find ways to win these games. Toronto has been able to pick up some wins over Washington as of late, winning each of the previous three meetings. The Maple Leafs took the first of three meetings with the Capitals this season 6-2 at home on Nov. 29. Bernier made 35 saves and is 3-1-0 with a 2.01 goals against average and .932 save percentage versus Washington. Tyler Bozak scored twice. Justin Peters played the first and third periods in net for Washington, allowing three goals on 11 shots. Braden Holtby took over in the second and gave up three scores on 12 shots. Peters has not started since and Holtby is likely to make his 16th straight start tonight. He is 2-1-1 versus the Leafs with a 1.76 GAA and .943 save percentage in four meetings, including three starts. Holtby came up with 29 saves in Sundays 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers. It marked the Capitals sixth victory in eight games and improved them to 10-1-3 in their past 14 games. We are doing a lot of the right things and playing sometimes a boring style of hockey, but its the winning style of hockey and its way more fun playing that way for us, Caps defenseman Karl Alzner told NHL.com. Alzner, Brooks Laich and Andre Burakovsky all scored and Alex Ovechkin tallied and added an assist for his third multi-point game in a row. Ovechkin has three goals and six points over that span, which includes a win over the Chicago Blackhawks in the Winter Classic on New Years Day. Danilo Gallinari Jersey . -- Billy Andrade hasnt played much competitive golf over the past four years. Sam Dekker Jersey . This is Lowry’s third time winning the award in his career. He won the award last season and as a member of the Houston Rockets in 2011. http://www.clippersnbateamshop.com/Customized/ . The 28-year-old from Rochester, Alta., was selected by the Redblacks from the Saskatchewan Roughriders roster in the 2013 CFL Expansion Draft.A group of Aston Villa-supporting businessmen are in pole position to purchase the club from Randy Lerner in a deal which could rise to £100m, according to Sky sources. The consortium, which is based partly in the UK and partly in mainland Europe, is carrying out due diligence having been given access to the clubs accounts. Significant progress has already been made as American Lerner looks to sell the club he has owned for almost a decade.Sky Sports News HQ understands there are as many as eight groups which have come forward to buy the now-relegated Premier League club.The departure of Mervyn King and David Bernstein frrom the board has left the club in turmoil. Wesley Johnson Jersey. owever, cost-cutting and the announcement of 500 job losses at Villa Park, has cleared the path for meaningful takeover talks.Negotiations were continuing on Thursday with lawyers in Birmingham and London and are at a key stage, with sources indicating significant progress towards a deal could be made in the next 48 hours. Also See: King confident on Villa future Villa directors resign Whats happened to Agbonlahor? Your teams pros and cons Cheap Nike Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap Nike Packers Jerseys Cheap Nike Vikings Jerseys Cheap Nike Lions Jerseys Cheap Nike Colts Jerseys Cheap Nike Texans Jerseys Cheap Nike Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Nike Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Nike Patriots Jerseys Cheap Nike Jets Jerseys Cheap Nike Browns Jerseys Cheap Nike Broncos Jerseys Cheap Nike Chiefs Jerseys Cheap Nike Bengals Jerseys Cheap Nike Steelers Jerseys Cheap Nike Titans Jerseys ' ' '