TORONTO – It was an easy trap to spot, but the Leafs tripped and fell anyway.
Vincent
Kompany Manchester City Jersey UK . Entering the evening with four
confident wins in five games they were edged neatly out of two points Thursday
by a wounded New Jersey Devils club that hadnt won previously in nearly two
weeks. As hobbled as could be imagined, the Devils were playing without a round
of their top players, including first line wingers, Jaromir Jagr and Patrik
Elias, first line centre, Travis Zajac and captain Bryce Salvador. Theyd also
lost five straight and were struggling mightily to score, managing one goal or
less in three of the five defeats. And yet they managed to beat Jonathan Bernier
and the Leafs five times on this night, including a pair on the power-play. My
message was whatever we did today to prepare ourselves to play dont do it again,
head coach Randy Carlyle said of his directive to players, even managing a
chuckle after the 5-3 loss. His club appeared out of sync all night, veering in
that direction more recently after a string of mostly thorough performances.
Less restrictive and more error-riddled they yielded 75 shots in the previous
two games, including 38 in a mostly reckless affair with the Stars on Tuesday.
Winning is sometimes good deodorant for the stink thats getting into your game,
Peter Holland said afterward. And I think tonight that stink was a little bit
more prevalent so we need to make sure were tidying up a little bit. I think
that the last game we played we played pretty sloppy, Carlyle added, and I think
that just seemed to carry over into tonights game. Carlyle felt his club was
outworked in defeat, no better indicator, he said, than the hits department. New
Jersey won that battle handily (50-36), fighting to win control of more pucks
than the home side. They were physically involved in the game to a much higher
level than we were, Carlyle said. The Leafs were also careless with the puck at
times, didnt generate much speed and offered a litany of quality scoring
opportunities for the Devils, something theyd managed to eradicate somewhat in
the past couple of weeks. Rebounds floating around Bernier landed more often in
Devil hands, including on the go-ahead goal from Mike Cammalleri on a power-play
and the eventual winner from Steve Bernier, the latter outmaneuvering Korbinian
Holzer in front. More intriguing than the defeat though - the first in
regulation for the club since that emphatic 9-2 home loss to Nashville on Nov.
18 - is how this club responds to it. Can they revert back to the simplistic
structure they managed in turning a corner all too recently? Their first test in
doing so comes Saturday against a Vancouver team thats won five of six and is
leading the Western Conference. We need to breathe and just know what we need to
fix, Holland said. Were not freaking out by any means. It was one loss. Weve
been on a good stretch here so just come to practice [Friday] and be ready to
work again. Five Points 1. Top Line The first shot of the night for Phil Kessel
came in the 58th minute with the Leafs on a power-play and their net empty. The
27-year-old would score his 13th of the year minutes later, the lone highlight
in a mostly quiet performance from the Leafs top line. I didnt think our top
line was very good and the minutes showed that, said Carlyle. Kessel and
linemates, James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak, were essentially the third unit
against the Devils in terms of ice-time. The trio typically hover near the
20-minute mark most nights, but were kept under 17 minutes apiece on Thursday.
It seemed like any time we got to the blue-line it was contested, van Riemsdyk
said. We didnt make simple enough plays there and for whatever reason we couldnt
get much going. With that line they need to simplify on nights like tonight and
go into more of a structured game instead of having to play in [the defensive]
zone for the majority of the shift, Carlyle added. Its a lot easier for that
group to play in the offensive zone than it is the defensive zone. Kessel played
just a touch over 16 minutes - his third lowest total of the year - showing
little jump, though Carlyle denied afterward that the teams leading scorer was
hurt. 2. Clarkson Perspective David Clarkson has managed to regain some footing
after a nightmarish first season in Toronto, scoring more goals (7) in a
quarter-season than he did all of last year (5). Still, the grimmer facts
remain. Clarkson trails 210 other NHL forwards with only eight points through 25
games. And while on pace to score 23 goals - due to what would be a career-high
shooting percentage of 16. 3% - the 29-year-old is also on pace to muster just
26 points. More strikingly and indicative of the limits of his game, Clarkson is
on pace for less than four assists and has just 80 career assists in more than
500 NHL games. That kind of productivity just doesnt align with the more than $5
million hitting the Leafs books this season - nor will it for the next five
seasons. Value is critical in the cap system and Toronto has done well recently
to find value in players like Mike Santorelli ($1.5 million for one season) and
Daniel Winnik ($1.3 for one season). But theres almost nothing a player of
Clarksons caliber can do to establish value on a contract of that size, one that
is likely to haunt the Leafs for a while. 3. Gelling One theory van Riemsdyk
posed for the Leafs recent turnaround was the acclimation period that comes with
a whole new set of players joining the roster. It took some time, he said, for
as many as nine new players to integrate. Thats something that never gets talked
about I feel like, he said. Theres guys coming in from different teams, used to
things different ways, used to maybe playing in a different role and it
sometimes takes a little bit of time to be comfortable in the role that youre
being asked to play. I think its gelling better now and I think now everyone
realizes the way we need to play to be successful, he continued. You can only
take so many of those games where you get your ass kicked like that 9-2. I think
that was a good wake-up call for us. We realized that you cant just play on
skill. Its not always the glamourous play where youre making a nice play.
Sometimes youve just got to get it in deep and not make a bad play which is
[really] making a great play. When you buy into doing that it makes everyone
elses job a lot easier. 4. Veteran Effect Now strict in his habits on and off
the ice, van Riemsdyk picked up his daily routine (and the value in it) -
off-ice workouts, post-practice habits, diet, stretching etc. - by observing the
now-retired Ian Laperriere at the end of his career in Philadelphia. Carlyle
hopes 37-year-old Stephane Robidas has a similar effect on his teams younger
players. Hes a pro, said Carlyle of Robidas. [And] we hope that some of that
rubs off on some of our other players, that they would take notice of a veteran
guy doing the things that he does - night in, night out, after games, before
games, before practice - and theyll develop their own program that they can feel
comfortable with and reap some of the benefits of being consistent with that.
Robidas is typically the last player to leave the ice after skates, this after
more than 900 career games. His game is still a work in progress though. Robidas
was beat to the front of the net by Stephen Gionta on the Devils second goal. 5.
Optional Morning Skates Since they were thumped at home by Nashville more than
two weeks ago Leaf players have requested and been granted optional morning
skates. Its a freedom that doesnt really affect the entire group, mostly top
minute-eaters like Kessel, Bozak, van Riemsdyk, and Dion Phaneuf. I do see value
in [morning skates], Carlyle said, [But] they dont. So theres a little bit of
give and take. Theyve asked for this so were giving it to them. Carlyle
suggested that those morning skates - 10:30 a.m. at home, an hour later on the
road - may remain optional for the remainder of the year. Some players prefer
the added rest and take the option - young guys mostly excluded from that
choice. Others like the opportunity to get the legs moving in the morning,
especially if they didnt play much the night before. Stats-Pack 3-9-3 - Leafs
record when failing to score first. 5-games - Point streak for Mike Santorelli,
who has a goal and eight assists in that span. 16:10 - Ice-time for Phil Kessel
on Thursday, his third-lowest total of the season. 2 - Number of times that
Jonathan Bernier has allowed five goals this season. 50-36 - Hits advantage for
the Devils. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-2 Season: 21.3% PK: 1-3 Season: 82.8%
Quote of the Night Winning is sometimes good deodorant for the stink thats
getting into your game. And I think tonight that stink was a little bit more
prevalent so we need to make sure were tidying up a little bit. -Peter Holland,
on the Leafs last two games. Up Next The Leafs host the Canucks on Saturday.
Paul
Pogba Manchester United Jersey UK .com) - Former foes from the Mountain
West Conference battle in the 23rd annual Las Vegas Bowl, as the 23rd-ranked
Utah Utes clash with the Colorado State Rams at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday.
Jason
Denayer Manchester City Jersey UK .com) - Demario Richard posted four
touchdowns and Kweishi Brown came up with a key late interception as No.
http://www.worldsoccersshopuk.com/LIVERPOOL-FC-JON-FLANAGAN-JERSEY-UK/ . The Nevada Athletic Commission voted unanimously in Las Vegas to quit granting
therapeutic use exemptions for fighters undergoing the so-called TRT.The Los
Angeles Kings will try to fight off elimination again and forge a tie in their
Western Conference first round series when they host the San Jose Sharks in Game
6. The Sharks, who had a 3-0 series lead only to see the Kings battle back with
two wins, will turn to Alex Stalock in goal. Stalock will be making his first
career playoff start. Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi was pulled for the second
straight game after allowing three goals on 19 shots. Stalock took over early in
the second and stopped all 22 shots he faced in relief for the Sharks, who
finished 0- for-5 on the power play. "They werent going to roll over and die,"
Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle said of the Kings. "They played well. We just have
to go out there and win a game." The Sharks are hoping for a repeat of the Game
3 result. San Jose had lost eight straight in Los Angeles before posting that
win 4-3 overtime win last Tuesday. A win tonight will get San Jose into the
second round for the fourth time in five seasons. A loss means the Sharks will
host a decisive Game 7 on Wednesday at SAP Center. The winner of this series
will face Anaheim in the second round. The Ducks eliminated Dallas in six games
with a road comeback win on Sunday night. The Sharks will be without defenceman
Marc-Edouard Vlasic tonight after he left Saturdays game with an upper-body
injury following a collision with L.A. forward Jarret Stoll. Vlasic, who helped
Team Canada win gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, did not practice on Sunday.
Vlasic averaged 20 minutes, 42 seconds of ice time for San Jose in 81 regular-
season games. With Vlasic out, the Sharks expect to insert defenceman Matt Irwin
into the lineup. Los Angeles dropped the first three games of this set and are
trying to become only the fourth team in NHL history to win a best-of-seven
series after trailinng 3-0.
Alex
Pritchard Jersey UK. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1975 New York Islanders
and 2010 Philadelphia Flyers are the only clubs to have pulled off the
monumental comeback. If L.A. wins Monday it will become only the ninth team in
NHL history to even force a Game 7 after falling behind three games to none. Los
Angeles does have a few players on its roster that were part of a 3-0 playoff
comeback. Kings forwards Jeff Carter and Mike Richards were both members of the
2010 Flyers team that stormed back to beat Boston in the conference semifinals
after losing the first three games. Carter, however, missed that historic series
with a broken foot before returning later in the playoffs to help Philadelphia
make a surprise run to the Cup Finals. The Kings were outscored 17-8 by the
Sharks in losing the first three games of this series, but L.A. answered with a
6-3 home win on Thursday before notching a 3-0 triumph Saturday in San Jose.
Jonathan Quick stopped 30 shots to secure his eighth career postseason shutout
and help the Kings stay alive. After avoiding a sweep with a lopsided win in
Game 4, the Kings scored twice in the first period Saturday and added another
marker 22 seconds into the second before leaving the rest to their veteran
netminder. Quick was up to the task, posting 24 of his 30 saves over the final
40 minutes to force tonights game at the Staples Center. Anze Kopitar,
Tyler Toffoli and Carter each registered a goal for the Kings, who had lost
their last five playoff games in San Jose before ending the slide Saturday. "We
gave ourselves a chance to play another game," Kopitar remarked. "Its a Game 7,
obviously, for us again. Were going to enjoy this one tonight and start getting
ready tomorrow." Los Angeles hasnt been eliminated in the opening round since
2011, when San Jose beat them in six games.
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