Dein erstes Forum » hing were going to focus on

TORONTO – The wins havent come pretty, but for Randy Carlyle and the Leafs the points count all the same. “Coaches arent here to cut up wins,” said Carlyle with a lasting grin. His team rallied for a third straight victory to open the season – a perfect 3-0-0 – outlasting the Senators 5-4 in what proved a wildly entertaining and imperfect home opener at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday evening. Mason Raymond and Jonathan Bernier highlighted the good in victory, as did a team-wide rally from two goals down midway through the hockey game. Doing so in spite of a shaky start from James Reimer, some wobbly defensive play, and an increasing cast of injuries (and one key suspension) which forced the NHL debuts of three players – including 19-year-old Morgan Rielly – is surely why Carlyle was all smiles after another win, incomplete as it may have been. “We didnt play to the level were capable of playing,” he said. “But we still found a way to get two points, so well take that and move on.” The Leafs deserve full credit for scratching out three victories, especially in light of circumstances which included a back-to-back in two fiery road buildings to begin the season. But concerns have to be simmering beneath the surface of all the good, notably a defensive game at even-strength which has often appeared scrambled and sloppy in the opening three games (opponents have averaged 35 shots per game), instability and inexperience on the blue-line accentuating such trouble. Ottawa scored twice in such instances during a rocky first frame for both teams, adding two more in the second, the fourth and final goal certainly one that Reimer would like back. “Obviously we didnt play our best hockey game,” said Bernier, “but we found a way again to make it happen. Thats what good teams do.” Because of terrific special teams, solid goaltending and an incredibly potent offence, troubles in such areas last season were often overlooked, but in 2013, the Leafs finished as the fifth-worst defensive team at even-strength (tied with Tampa). They still managed an incredibly successful season, which concluded in the first playoff appearance in nine years, and have gotten off to a quick start this season, but such flaws are likely to become magnified if not addressed. “When you play as sloppy as we did tonight theres a long list [of concerns],” Carlyle concurred afterward of his teams defensive play. “Obviously weve got to play to a tighter brand of hockey and we know that. They know that. But the good thing is we played poorly, we were down two goals in our building, we found a way to claw back into the game and we won it in a shootout. Are we going to forget about this? No, were not going to forget about it. But you cant be a taskmaster every day of the week. Weve played three hockey games, weve got six points, what more do you want?” Five Points 1. Raymonds fast start Raymond opened the scoring with his second of the season, the 27-year-old capitalizing on the hard-nosed work of Troy Bodie and Dave Bolland. He would add two assists in 19 minutes, teaming with Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul on a lethal second power-play unit which scored twice against a Senators penalty kill that ranked as the NHLs best last season. “Adjusting,” he said of his transition to Toronto. “The more I get out on the ice the better I feel. Im learning. Im learning every shift. Theres things to learn in different systems, but so far so good.” A Canuck for six seasons, Raymond would cap a fine evening with the shootout winner, a spin-o-rama that beat Craig Anderson in spite of some controversy. “Its one that seems to raise some debate,” said Raymond of the move, called into question with forward progress seemingly halted. “But nonetheless, its something that has worked successful for me and if I can use it why not?” Inked to a professional tryout on the eve of training camp, the Raymond addition has proved increasingly valuable in the early going. In light of the suspension to David Clarkson and an ankle injury for Nikolai Kulemin, the Leafs depth at forward has been robbed, but with Raymonds early impact that has been minimized. 2. Reimers rocky start A careers worth of brilliance against the Senators took a hit on Saturday for James Reimer. The 25-year-old was yanked after he allowed four goals on 21 shots, the final marker from Jason Spezza squeezing through the five-hole midway through the second frame. “Some bad luck maybe,” he said of the evening, “but at the same time as a goaltender, youre the last line of defence so youve got to be there and youve got to a find a way to keep the puck out of the net.” “The rebounds and the pucks were bouncing away from James Reimer versus bouncing for him,” Carlyle said, no better example of that than the Senators third goal from Jared Cowen, a direct result of one leaky rebound from Reimer. Battling for the No. 1 job, Reimer entered the evening with an 8-1-1 career mark against Ottawa, boasting a 1.69 goals against average and .949 save percentage. But on the night of the opener he got the hook. “I know what kind of team we have in here and I knew we were going to come back so I was a little disappointed in getting pulled,” he chimed afterward. 3. A perfect night for Bernier Standing in for Reimer, Bernier stopped all 15 shots he faced in regulation and overtime, adding two more stops in the shootout. His quiet and quite effective performance in the crease Saturday mirrored his effort on Wednesday, the 25-year-old making his Leafs debut with a near-perfect 31-save night against the Flyers. “You always got to be ready for those kind of games and prepare like you play every night,” Bernier said. “I didnt think it was Reims fault, I just thought [Carlyle] wanted to change the momentum and it worked.” Early in the third with his team down a goal at 4-3, Bernier stopped a hard-charging Clarke MacArthur, the former Leaf picking off a Morgan Rielly feed and bursting in with speed at the Toronto crease. The stop proved consequential. James van Riemsdyk would score a minute later to knot the score at four. “The one thing that you notice when he went in, there wasnt a lot of extra rebounds hanging around,” Carlyle said of Bernier. “When he made the save the puck was either in his glove or he was able to freeze it. He controlled the puck which allowed us to box out. There werent so many wild scrambles around the net.” Though its far too early to gain any real window into the goaltending competition this season, Bernier has certainly grasped the initial edge. “It makes it easier,” said Carlyle simply of the impending choice in goal. “Our main focus is to win games and thats the only thing were going to focus on,” Bernier added. “Were not going to worry about whos going to play, we just got to support each other.” 4. Rielly debut Morgan Rielly logged 18 minutes in his NHL debut, partnered with Cody Franson against the Senators. “As the game went on he got better,” said Carlyle of the rookies performance. “You got to see more of what hes about.” Rielly and Franson had a challenging first period, the pair caught on the ice for goals against on back-to-back shifts, the more experienced Franson struggling to support his rookie teammate early. The 26-year-old Franson, who was among the Leafs best players in the opening two games, instigated the Senators first goal with a defensive zone giveaway, unable to tie up Cory Conacher on the marker that followed three minutes later. Perhaps tentative early, Rielly was confident as the game wore on, initiating the offence with his legs by the third frame and into overtime. “On paper its probably not the greatest game Ive ever played,” he said, “but Im pretty happy with how it went. I felt like I improved as I kept playing.” “You can see he can separate himself with his skating ability, he can read plays, he just needs to get his feet underneath him at the NHL level,” Carlyle observed. 5. A Carlyle type Of Dave Bolland, who slid onto a line with Joffrey Lupul and Mason Raymond shortly after the Senators fourth goal, Carlyle recalled an inkling he had previously of the Toronto natives prowess while coaching in Anaheim. Carlyle noticed that when his team played the Blackhawks, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville would select either Selke Trophy winner Jonathan Toews or Bolland to match up with his top guns Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. “The little light goes on,” he said. “You remember those things.” Bollands versatility has been a quick plus for the Leafs, his ability to move up and down the lineup with ease a definite asset. Bonus Point Though he winced in pain in the moment, Nik Kulemin didnt appear injured when a puck struck his ankle at practice on Friday. But the result was a small broken bone, one that will sideline the 27-year-old for at least the next two weeks, the initial stage of which will see him in a walking boot. Already down the suspended David Clarkson and additionally injured Frazer McLaren, the Leafs depth up front is being tested in a hurry. Spencer Abbott briefly filled the void Kulemin previously occupied alongside Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul on Saturday, the 25-year-old Hamilton native making his NHL debut against the Senators. The Leafs will miss the two-way presence Kulemin offers, especially on the penalty kill, where he teamed with Jay McClement on the first forward unit. “Were going to need other people to step up and fill those minutes,” Carlyle said, Raymond, Bolland, van Riemsdyk among the options for increased opportunity. Stat-Pack 18:07 – Ice-time for Morgan Rielly in his NHL debut. 26.7 – Percentage for the Leafs power-play through three games, including a 2-6 showing against the Senators, who owned the top-ranked penalty kill last season. 3-1-1 – Leafs record in the past five home openers. 13-22 – Proficiency for Dave Bolland in the faceoff circle. .806 – Save percentage for James Reimer. 7 – Shots for Joffrey Lupul, who scored his first of the season, adding an assist. 24:46 – Ice-time for Phil Kessel to lead all Leaf forwards. Special Teams Capsule PP: 2-6 PK: 1-1 Quote of the Night “How could they say something unkind about me?” -Randy Carlyle, asked about critical comments from former Leaf Clarke MacArthur. Up Next The Leafs get their first look at first overall pick Nathan MacKinnon when the Avalanche visit Toronto on Tuesday night. Shaquille ONeal Jersey . Its like being on Broadway, everything you do matters. Id want to be good though! I couldnt play here if I wasnt very good. #83217388 / gettyimages. Melvin Frazier Jersey . But that changed when he committed a five-minute major penalty and helped pave the way for a comeback by the Philadelphia Flyers. Vincent Lecavalier scored at 2:45 of overtime and the Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 5-4 victory on Sunday. http://www.magicauthentic.com/kids-dwigh...d-magic-jersey/. Linemates Ryan Johansen and Boone Jenner each had a goal and an assist in the first period, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves to lead the Blue Jackets past the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Saturday night. Aaron Gordon Jersey . Gordon reportedly failed another drug test and is facing a one-year ban. Gordon led the NFL in yards receiving last season despite being suspended two games for violating the leagues substance-abuse policy. Nikola Vucevic Jersey . A night later, he was back to help lead a rout of the Detroit Pistons. John Wall had 20 points and 11 assists, and Beal scored 10 of his 15 points during the second quarter as Washington pulled away for a 106-82 victory on Saturday.ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota is hardly a marquee place in major professional sports, a midsized market in the middle of the country best known on the coasts for the length and extremity of its winters.In the NHL, though, theres evidence mounting to the contrary. Thomas Vanek was the latest free agent to pick the Wild, two summers after Zach Parise and Ryan Suter jolted the league by coming as a package deal.Its a good city to live in and play in, so I dont see why this wouldnt be a destination of choice, said Jason Pominville, who was traded to the Wild last year and liked the surroundings enough to sign a new contract.After advancing to the Western Conference semifinals last season, the Wild have returned with a roster to match the hockey-maven populace and quality-of-life features in the Twin Cities area. Winning, of course, is the ultimate sell.Good players want to play with good players. Hopefully that trend is going to continue, Parise said.Vanek was the one, ironically, who first encouraged Pominville to embrace this place when he was traded by Buffalo. Vanek and Pominville were teammates with the Sabres for eight years and neighbours, too, and the Montreal-area native wasnt familiar with Minnesota.He loved Buffalo a lot, which I did too, Vanek said. But I told him, Youll like it there. Theres a lot of good fans. And after a week or so, he called me and said, You know what? Youre right. I do like it here a lot.Pominville signed a five-year, $28 million deal a few days before last season, and that has now kicked in. Vanek signed for three years and $19.5 million. Two seasons ago, Parise and Suter each signed 13-year, $98 million contracts.People recognize the talent that you have. So were getting better, general manager Chuck Fletcher said.Another factor in the Wilds favour has been the cultivation of prospects who have begun to contribute. With Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle and Jonas Brodin the standouts, the Wild will likely send a 20--man lineup to the ice for the season opener Thursday against Colorado that includes 11 players age 24 or younger.ddddddddddddThe 14-year-old Wild dont have much on an original six franchise and the Twin Cities area is dwarfed by New York or Los Angeles in glamour and density, but Minnesota has produced more NHL players than any other state. Canada will always be king, but the land of frequently frozen lakes is a legitimate landing spot for many of this sports best.Vanek was raised in Austria but played at the University of Minnesota, winning an NCAA championship in 2003. Parise grew up in the Twin Cities area, the son of a former NHL star. Suters roots are across the border in Wisconsin, but his wife is from Bloomington, where the North Stars used to play before moving to Dallas and creating the void filled by the Wild.Stephon Marbury once infamously swore off a long-term NBA career with the Timberwolves because of Minnesotas cold weather, but for players in this league the climate during the season feels no different than western Canada or northern Europe. Good schools for the kids and postcard-quality summer days help, too, and the depth, history and passion of the fan base is a plus.With the Suter-Parise signings as the impetus, the season-ticket base for 2014-15 is the highest in owner Craig Leipolds nearly seven years running the team.Weve got the total package here and I think we need to continue to push that, Leipold said. We have a really great product to sell, and thats one reason we know that Thomas Vanek was interested. Anybody who has ever played in Minnesota wants to come back.Vanek has kept an off-season home in the Twin Cities area, so he had opportunity to settle his family. He wasnt going to pick the Wild, though, if they hadnt shown the same promise on the ice.I liked the team, I liked the depth, I liked the veteran players that we have, I like the young guys, Vanek said, and overall I think its a good mix. Cheap Celtics Jerseys Wholesale Nets Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Cheap Stitched 76ers Jerseys Raptors Jerseys China Cheap Bulls Jerseys Wholesale Cavaliers Jerseys Pistons Jerseys China Pacers Jerseys China Cheap Bucks Jerseys Online Wholesale Hawks Jerseys Cheap Hornets Jerseys Wholesale Heat Jerseys Cheap Magic Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Wizards Jerseys Nuggets Jerseys China Timberwolves Jerseys China Cheap Thunder Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Blazers Jerseys Wholesale Jazz Jerseys Cheap Warriors Jerseys For Sale Cheap Clippers Jerseys Lakers Jerseys China Wholesale Suns Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Authentic Cheap Mavericks Jerseys Rockets Jerseys China Cheap Grizzlies Jerseys Wholesale Pelicans Jerseys Spurs Jerseys China ' ' '