and fired a slap shot from inside the blue line past Hellebuyck. That gave Hayes a goal in four straight games.Laine tied it with 9:15

NEW ORLEANS -- Saints linebacker Craig Robertson sounded confident that he knew the main reason why New Orleans looked as locked-in as the club has been all season during a lopsided victory over Los Angeles Rams.It wasnt because of a motivational speech. It wasnt because of a desire to show up a certain former Saints defensive coordinator now serving in the same capacity in Los Angeles.And it wasnt because the Saints have adopted as their theme song The Circle of Life from the Disney movie, The Lion King, which blared from the Superdome sound system after a second-half touchdown.Really theres only one factor, Robertson said. We just know we have to win. Thats it.In their 49-21 victory over the Rams on Sunday, the Saints improved to 5-6, keeping them two games behind Atlanta (7-4) in the NFC South and 1+ games behind Washington (6-4-1), which is in the final wild-card playoff spot.Like Robertson, right tackle Zach Strief suggested that a sense of desperation might have brought out the best in the Saints.I dont know how exceptionally motivated anybody was by the Rams game so much as the fact that were essentially in a win-or-go-home situation, Strief said.This team right now feels like its back is against the wall and we dont have any room for error.And maybe, for this team, thats what we need, Strief said.New Orleans has five games left to make up ground, starting when the Detroit Lions (7-4) visit the Superdome this Sunday.The recent adoption of the Lion King theme song is coincidental, said Strief, who declined to get into specifics of why the song has meaning to the club beyond saying it has to do with the position that were in and the mentality that we need to have going forward.The Saints have played in a slew of close games this season, but often struggled to pull them out. Five of their six losses have come by six or fewer points, including four by a field goal or less, one by two points and one by a single point.Saints coach Sean Payton said that with so many close games across the NFL, the ability to minimize errors and make plays in the clutch can be the difference between a successful season and a disappointing one.Its an emotional game to begin with, Payton said. If you had the exact recipe each week, it would be a lot easier.The Lions, Payton noted, have found a way to win some of those (close) games, and as a result of that, theyre having a real good football season.Detroit has won five games by four or fewer points, including its most recent triumph over Minnesota on Thanksgiving Day, won by a late field goal set up by an interception.Time will tell if the Saints are evolving into the type of team the Lions have been to this point.There are several reasons for optimism, though, starting with a league-leading offense that put up a whopping 555 yards on a Rams defense that arrived in New Orleans ranked sixth in the NFL.Meanwhile, New Orleans defense has steadily performed better while benefiting from the return of key players whod been injured earlier this season -- namely, defensive tackle Sheldon Ranks, linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and cornerback Delvin Breaux.Rankins, a first-round draft choice last spring, had a sack and strip that resulted in a turnover in the red zone against the Rams. Ellerbe also had a sack for a third game in a row.And while Saints defenders lambasted themselves for first-half breakdowns that allowed the Rams to score 21 points, they were pleased at their ability to make adjustments at halftime and shut out Los Angeles the rest of the way.By games end, the Saints had limited a second straight foe to fewer than 300 yards -- a far cry from their first five games, when four teams gained more than 400 yards.This team feels were better that our record shows, Strief said. We put ourselves in this situation, but this team still has a chance to do something special and I think theres confidence in the building that we can still do that.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLCheap Authentic NFL Jerseys . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. Jerseys NFL Wholesale . 1, meaning problems for the doping controls at both major international sports events next year. The World Anti-Doping Agency provisionally suspended the Moscow Antidoping Center on Sunday, saying its operations must improve or a six-month ban on the facilitys accreditation will be imposed. http://www.cheapauthenticnfljerseys.net/ .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. NFL Jerseys Cheap .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Cheap NFL Jerseys . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments.NEW YORK -- Although the New York Rangers didnt play an especially dominant style, they did enough to keep up their winning play.J.T. Miller, Jesper Fast and Pavel Buchnevich scored 4:04 apart late in the second period to lead the high-scoring Rangers to their fifth straight victory, 5-2 over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday night.Tonight is a good night to use `never critique a win, just take the win, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. It was our fifth game in eight nights, fourth game in six nights. ... These are tough on players, tough physically, tough mentally. Youve got to grind it out.Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello also scored, Kevin Klein and Brandon Pirri had two assists and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 24 shots as New York won for the eighth time in nine games. The Rangers, who lead the NHL with 55 goals and 4.23 per game, have scored at least five in each game of their winning streak.Weve played a lot of hockey lately, Miller said. Some games you dont really have it, but you find ways to get it done. ... I think were finding a way for everybody to contribute right now and its hard to stop for the opposition if you have four lines rolling like that.Patrik Laine and Mark Scheifele scored for Winnipeg, which has lost four of its last five (1-3-1). Connor Hellebuyck started and gave up four goals on 16 shots before he was replaced late in the second period by Michael Hutchinson, who finished with one save.After a scoreless first half of the second period in which Winnipeg had a 4-1 advantage on shots, the Rangers outscored the Jets 4-1 over the final 10 minutes.I think we are a little bit guilty of getting too excited about our zone time and some of our lateral plays that we tried to make instead of getting right to the net, Jets coach Paul Maurice said. Thats what (the Rangers) are good at, theyll transition off of that. They can shoot the puck off the rush and we got burned by it.Zuccarello fired a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle past Hellebuyck for his sixth to put the Rangers up 2-1 just past the midpoint of the second.Scheifele tied it 2 minutes later as he pounced on a puck sitting in front of an open net after a shot bby Paul Postma was stopped by Lundqvist.dddddddddddd It was Scheifeles seventh of the season.Miller skated up the right side and fired a wrist shot over Hellebuycks right shoulder for his fifth, putting the Rangers up 3-2 with 6:59 remaining.Fast gave New York a two-goal lead with 3:36 left as he tipped a point shot by Klein from the right faceoff circle for his second goal. That chased Hellebuyck and brought on Hutchinson.Buchnevich made it 5-2 just 41 seconds later as he slid the puck from his backhand across to the left side in front of Hutchinson and fired it over the sprawled goalie. It was Buchnevichs second of the season and second in two games.It should be on the highlights, Vigneault said. Its going to be up in Canada anyway, they look for goals like that. It was a great goal.The Jets controlled play in the scoreless third period, outshooting the Rangers 9-1, but couldnt get anything past Lundqvist.I dont think we are super pleased with everything in our game but we are finding ways to win games, Lundqvist said.Hayes got the Rangers off to a fast start with his sixth of the season 2:12 into the game. Skating with an extra attacker on a delayed penalty, Hayes took a pass from Klein and fired a slap shot from inside the blue line past Hellebuyck. That gave Hayes a goal in four straight games.Laine tied it with 9:15 left in the first, tipping a point shot by Ben Chiarot for the 18-year-old rookies eighth of the season.Game notesLaine, selected by Winnipeg with the No. 2 overall pick in this years draft, scored for the second straight game after going without a point in his previous four. ... The teams conclude their season series Dec. 8 at Winnipeg. ... Hayes has a point in five straight games (four goals, five assists). ... Brady Skjei had an assist on Hayes goal, giving him a point in five straight games (six assists).UP NEXTJets: Host Dallas on Tuesday night.Rangers: Host Vancouver on Tuesday night before heading out on a four-game road trip.---Follow Vin Cherwoo at www.twitter.com/VinCherwooAP ' ' '