Jose (fourth place), Winnipeg (seventh) and Calgary (eighth) — that a

A dejected Lewis Hamilton has refused to blame his disastrous Japanese GP start on difficult track position, admitting he made the mistake. The world champion started second on the grid but quickly lost six places after the poor getaway, eventually fighting back to third, and is now 33 points behind Nico Rosberg in the title race after his team-mates cruise to victory.Nico extends lead over Lewis Hamilton looked concerned when monitoring a damp patch by his starting position before the race but the Brit, who has previously stated that clutch problems could cost him the title, has taken responsibility for his poor getaway.I dont think the damp patch had really anything to do with it, Hamilton said. I made a mistake. Then working my way up from there was tricky, but I did the best I could.I just got some wheel-spin - Im not really sure why. Lewis Hamilton drops back to eighth after a poor start in the Japanese GP. Its not the first time Hamilton has struggled off the line in 2016. From his seven pole positions, he has only kept the lead after Turn One twice, while he has lost a total 23 places on the first lap. Taking Rosbergs first-corner Malaysia GP collision out of the equation, thats nine more than the German this season.The clutch obviously is not perfect we are giving to them, responded Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. Its difficult to handle and weve tried to optimise that.Our first assessment is it didnt function well on the clutch release, but that is obviously an over-simplification. It is a complicated mechanism to deploy and that didnt function today. Mercedes lost positions off the line Race Hamilton Rosberg Australia - 5 - 1 Bahrain - 6 + 1 China + 1 - 1 Russia + 5 0 Spain DNF DNF Monaco 0 0 Canada - 1 - 8 Baku 0 0 Austria 0 + 1 Great Britain 0 0 Hungary + 1 - 1 Germany + 1 - 3 Belgium + 6 0 Italy - 5 + 1 Singapore 0 0 Malaysia 0 - 15 Japan - 6 0 With just four races remaining, Hamilton now faces a mammoth task as he seeks a third consecutive world championship. Even winning every grand prix may not be enough and, for the first time this year, the destination of the title is out of his hands.Following his media snub on Saturday, Hamilton then cancelled his post-race press briefing to fly home with Niki Lauda and added: Im looking forward to getting home and on to the next race.Sky F1s Martin Brundle doubted whether the 31-year-old was completely focused heading into the race due to the storm that has surrounded him, with the tension set to ramp up again ahead the US Grand Prix.But Wolff, who was celebrating another constructors title following the Suzuka triumph, was confident Hamilton would recover. Nico and Lewis in 2016: A sprint to the finish Nico Rosberg Lewis Hamilton Points 313 280 Best possible finish 413 380 What they need for title 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st* *four wins would still not guarantee title We had those little wobbles throughout the weekend, whether that affects him or not I dont know, Wolff told Sky Sports F1. He must know he still has every chance to win the championship, theres four races to go. He will recover. 33 points is quite a big gap if everything goes right. But we have seen that one DNF and the other guy winning is 25 points lost and then the championship is open again.Dont miss The F1 Reports review of the Japanese GP on Sky Sports F1 at 8.30pm on Wednesday evening. Also See: Nico extends lead over Lewis The Formula 1 Gossip Column Could F1 expand to 25 races? What do F1 drivers listen to? Cheap Nike Shoes Black Friday .com) - The Miami Heat stopped a four-game losing streak last time out and thats the same length slide their opponents Wednesday night, the Denver Nuggets, will try to halt when the two teams meet at the Pepsi Center. Nike Shoes Black Friday China .A. Happ. The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to improve the starting rotation ahead of next season and pitchers like Happ have a chance to show they belong as the disastrous 2013 campaign draws to a close. http://www.nikeshoesblackfriday.com/ . Philippe Desrosiers stopped 42 shots through overtime and three more in the shootout to pick up his third shutout of the season for Rimouski (31-15-7). Zachary Fucale made 28 saves for Halifax (34-17-3) in the loss. Fake Nike Shoes Black Friday . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Nike Shoes Black Friday Sale . -- Jonathan Diaz is easy to spot in the Blue Jays clubhouse.COLUMBUS, Ohio - Alex Ovechkins familiar gap-toothed grin has returned with the Washington Capitals in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.Hardly anyones smiling in the West, where the standings are far more convoluted heading into the post-All-Star break of the NHL schedule, which opens with 11 games Tuesday.Its hard, St. Louis Blues defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk said during the All-Star festivities in Columbus, Ohio, over the weekend. If you lose three, four games in a row, its scary because you find yourself in eighth place when you were in first a week ago.Its a tale of two conferences.In the West, seven points separate the fourth-place San Jose Sharks from the 11th-place Dallas Stars. Dont count out the 12th-place Minnesota Wild, who rode a 23-10-7 second-half surge to clinch a playoff spot last year.And then theres the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings who are a single point out of the post-season picture at the moment.Weve had some spurts where we played pretty good, Kings forward Anze Kopitar said. But we also had some moments where we didnt play very good at all.In the East, the Capitals (24-13-9) are seventh, but part of a top-eight group of contenders that have begun separating themselves from the bottom eight.And that, so far, is fine with, Ovechkin who is feeling much better after one his most trying years.Before the season, I said, its a very important year for us, for me, for the whole group of guys on the team, said Ovechkin, who made his fifth career NHL All-Star Game appearance. We all wanted to come back and show last year was maybe a little bit of no luck.The Capitals not only missed the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, Ovechkins frustrations were compounded on the other side of the Atlantic. Thats where he and his fellow Russians wilted under immense national pressure by failing to even sniff an Olympic medal on native soil at the Sochi Games.The Capitals have successfully made the transition under new coach Barry Trotz, and shored up their defence by adding Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen.Ovechkins production has barely slowed, and put him in contention to win his fifth career and third straight scorinng title.dddddddddddd His 27 goals are one off the league-lead shared by Dallas Tyler Seguin and New York Rangers Rick Nash.And Ovechkins defensive numbers are markedly improved. After finishing third-last in the NHL with a minus-35 rating, hes currently 40th with a plus-12.Steven Stamkos, captain of the East-leading Tampa Bay Lightning, isnt exactly rooting for Alex The Greats return to the playoffs. But, he noted, it would be good for hockey to have such a high-profile player competing well into the spring.Its great that hes having a great year, Stamkos said. Any time you have a top player playing well it only adds to building our game.The East teams outside the playoff hunt have plenty of catching up to do. The youth-laden Florida Panthers — whose roster includes rookie No. 1 pick, defenceman Aaron Ekblad — are ninth. Ottawa and Toronto are next with 47 points, and shown few signs of consistency even after both Ontario rivals changed coaches over the past two months.The West is filled with intrigue, which shouldnt come as a surprise after many top teams spent last summer stocking up on high-profile free agents. Still, there are three teams — San Jose (fourth place), Winnipeg (seventh) and Calgary (eighth) — that are in the hunt despite not making many off-season splashes.Chicago and St. Louis both find themselves looking up in the Central Division at Nashville.Its a tough division to be in, but its also a good division to be in, Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook said. Were all playing meaningful games down the stretch, getting ready for the playoffs.Not all will make it.There is a race to watch at the other end of the standings. Buffalo (14-30-3) and Edmonton (12-26-9) have been locked in a battle for futility and, more important, the right to land the top draft prospects — Erie Otters forward Connor McDavid and U.S.-born, Boston University freshman Jack Eichel.The Sabres are suddenly gaining the edge for last place and, with it, a guaranteed top-two selection. They entered the All-Star breaking having lost 11 straight in regulation — the NHLs worst streak since Pittsburgh lost 13 in a row from January to February 2004, according to STATS. ' ' '