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Kathrynpires2015
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RALEIGH, N.C. – You could hear a pin drop in the visitors dressing room at PNC Arena after yet another blowout defeat. "I think the talking has to stop," said Jay McClement with evident frustration. "Weve talked all year all about all these things and were just not getting the job done. Nothing seems to be changing. Were just still very inconsistent with our efforts. Somethings got to change. I think weve done so much talking, we just need a little more action." The Maple Leafs lost their third straight and 20th in the past 31 games on Thursday night, blown out 6-1 by the surging Hurricanes. Months of brewing trouble saw the club finally knocked out of a playoff position for the first time all season, now 10th in the Eastern Conference. "I think were searching for answers and thats the hard part," Mason Raymond said. "Its a cliché, but were the only ones that are going to get ourselves out of this mess." It was more of the same from a wildly inconsistent, unpredictable group that has just five wins in regulation since the start of November and not one during that span on the road. The Leafs have been outscored 18-5 during this most recent three-game slide, an "exclamation point" in the words of Randy Carlyle, for the ills of a troubled hockey club. Just when it appears, however, that a low point has been reached does another disastrous performance occur, this one to a Carolina squad that has now won five straight. "We stood around for most of the hockey game tonight," said a noticeably deflated and dejected Carlyle afterward. "For whatever reason that nobody seems to have an answer to right now is were doing things standing still. Were watching teams skate and were not engaged in the hockey game to a level that is required to give yourself a chance for success." Carlyle urged his group to play with more tenacity and bite in recent days, something more in wake of a season veering dangerously off course. But aside from a late and rather meaningless push, he didnt get it. The urgency and intensity remained mysteriously absent as domino after domino toppled over on the ice in Raleigh. "Theres no excuse why we dont compete every night," said McClement. "Thats something that has to be there every night. Youre not going to win every night, but the effort and the compete has to be there every night. Theres no excuse for that." It was yet another mess in a season thats had too many to count already. An identity-less team to this point, the Leafs are searching for answers on how to right the wrongs of a season thats teetering closer and closer to the edge of something perilous. The problem is, these troubles have been brewing for the better part of the season with little to no change in performance. These are tough times in Toronto with no readily apparent end in sight. "It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out that things arent going anywhere near what our expectations are, thats for sure," said Carlyle. Five Points 1. Pushing the Message Preaching for improvement all year, but especially in recent days, Carlyle wouldnt cast the full weight of whats taken place onto the shoulders of his players alone, but what has to be distressing for the head coach and his staff is how few results the message has yielded. Nothing, it seems, has been able to lift the Leafs from a year-long funk. "Theyre not an island out there," he said before Thursdays game. "We dont put our players on an island. We think its very improper to put our players in a situation to say that we dont support them. We support our players to the utmost. And we look back to the players because theyre the ones that are out there doing it. Theyre the ones that are out there sacrificing. Theyre the ones that are out there putting on the performance." Carlyle said that his staffs role is one of guidance. "Were just in a position to try and guide them as a coaching staff. Theres different ways to guide. Weve tried numerous ways to stimulate our group to play a much more competitive brand of hockey. Well continually push for more of that." 2. Reimers First Start in 19 Days Questioned before the game on how he managed to stay sharp with a long layoff – 19 days – between starts, James Reimer, as is the norm, found the bright side. "Its just good preparation for the Olympic break, I guess," he said with a grin. Reimer had no chance yet again in his first start since Dec. 21, on the hook for all six goals in the 6-1 defeat. "Our goaltenders are strung out and left hanging high and dry if you look where the quality of the scoring chances are coming from, theyre coming from that critical area," said Carlyle. "You cant continually give those chances up." Leaf goaltenders were frequently heroic in the opening half of the season, despite inflated shot totals, but have understandably buckled under helpless conditions recently. Reimer and Jonathan Bernier own a .846 save percentage during this most recent three-game slide. "You just want to hang in there and keep it as close as you can so that you can give the boys a chance," said Reimer, who dropped to 4-2-1 lifetime against Carolina. 3. Gardiner Scratched For the second time this season, Jake Gardiner landed as a healthy scratch. Carl Gunnarsson returned from an elbow injury, while Mark Fraser was inserted into the lineup for just the second time in 12 games as Carlyle shook up the defence. "We felt that Jake has struggled in the last couple games," said Carlyle, "his puck movement and decisions with the puck and we felt had a better option in the other two guys at this point with the way our mix was put together." 4. Phaneufs Production Recently signed to a seven-year extension, Dion Phaneufs offensive production has dipped this season, his fifth with the Leafs. Phaneuf totaled a hearty nine goals and 28 points in 48 games in 2013 – a pro-rated 15 goals and 47 points – adding 12 goals and 44 points in 2011-12. But just beyond the midway point this year and the 28-year-old has just four goals and 17 points, an eight-goal and 33-point pace. "I feel good about my game and the way that Ive played," he told the Leaf Report generally on Thursday morning, "But the bottom line is individual seasons dont matter. It matters about team success and weve got to be better as a team and we know that." One area of admitted focus and needed improvement for Phaneuf is the number of pucks directed to the net. He leads the team with 75 shots, but is on pace for a career-low in shots per game, way down from the numbers he accumulated previously. Season Shots Per Game 13-14 1.76 13 1.83 11-12 2.46 10-11 2.88 09-10 2.78 08-09 3.46 07-08 3.21 06-07 2.91 05-06 2.95 5. Ashton, Holland Trade Places The Leafs deemed Wednesday that Peter Hollands progression wasnt being served by remaining on the fourth line, where hes been slotted since the return of Tyler Bozak. They opted to send the 22-year-old to the Marlies, recalling Carter Ashton, who has strung together 15 points in 14 AHL games this season. "He wasnt going to play on the top two lines," Carlyle said of Holland, who had eight points during a 10-game stretch with Bozak out. "We felt it was probably hurting his development curve to leave him as a fourth-line centre." The challenge for the 22-year-old Ashton meanwhile is translating the success hes attained in the minors into something substantial in the NHL. Ashton has just one assist in 33 games with the Leafs, offering only fleeting glimpses of readiness in a bottom-six role. "A young player that has got size and skill and the ability to skate and protect the puck at the American League level doesnt always translate to that in the NHL," said Carlyle. "Its much more difficult, obviously. Youve got a lot less time and space and [youre] playing against bigger and stronger men. We think that hes continually showed some progress." A natural winger, Ashton slotted into the fourth line centre spot against the Hurricanes and barely played, totaling just under four minutes. Stats-Pack 0 – Regulation road victories since Oct. 30. 19 – Days between starts for James Reimer. 3 – Consecutive games with a goal for Joffrey Lupul, who scored his 14th this season in defeat. 18 – Goals allowed by the Leafs in the past three games. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-2Season: 21.4% (5th) PK: 3-5Season: 76.9% (27th) Quote of the Night Up Next The Leafs visit the Capitals in Washington D.C. Friday for the second end of a back-to-back set. Stephen Curry Black Jersey . The 25-year-old from Montreal underwent knee surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in August, and has only been training on snow since Dec 9. After crashing in her first run of the two-run final, Turski needed to post a score higher than 70. Andre Iguodala Jersey Black Friday . The good news; it took until the end of June to have really poor back to back games. But those pre-World Cup break thrills and spills, with seven goals in two away games feels like much more than two-and-a-half weeks ago. http://www.warriorsauthenticonline.com/Adidas-Kevon-Looney-Warriors-Jersey/. -- The Houston Astros saw a completely different Jered Weaver than the one they faced 6 1/2 weeks ago at Minute Maid Park, when they hit four home runs off him. Klay Thompson Blue Jersey . Kekuta Manneh unleashed a 25-yard bomb that even the cat-like Jaime Penedo couldnt catch up to. Andrew Bogut Jersey Cyber Monday .After the game, however, Toronto Maple Leafs 2014 first-round pick William Nylander said his team still has more to give. I think weve got a little ways to go, said Nylander, who had two assists in the win. NEWARK, N.J. -- Devils coach Pete DeBoer has been looking for one of his goalies to get hot and take over the majority of the playing time. Marty Brodeur gave DeBoer a clear answer Saturday night with one of his best games of the season. Dainius Zubrus scored two goals in the third period and Brodeur made 33 saves, leading the New Jersey Devils past the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-0. "Its exactly what we needed at the right time," DeBoer said of Brodeur. "That game (Friday, 3-2 loss to the Penguins) night took a lot out of us and I knew the difference was going to be the goaltending." Brodeur earned his third shutout of the season and 124th of his career. "I know for me, its always been hard not to be there all the time," Brodeur said. "Its the way it is when you have two guys who can play. It always makes decisions difficult." Jaromir Jagr assisted on both goals to raise his assist total to 1,024. Damien Brunners seventh goal had broken the scoreless tie in the second period. "It was a really nice pass and it doesnt happen a lot these days," Brunner said. "I was able to generate some speed and Geli (Eric Gelinas) made a great pass." Jagr skated behind the net and passed to Zubrus on doorstep of the crease for the goal at 6:44 of the period. Then, at 9:36, Jagr put a backhand shot on goal and Zubrus was there to knock in the rebound for his seventh goal and a 3-0 advantage. Brodeur came up with two of his best saves in the third to thwart the Lightning. First, he turned away a breakaway chance with a pad save on Nikita Kucherovs shot. Then he smothered a point-blank shot by J.T. Brown. "I have no clue," when asked how he made the save on Kucherov.dddddddddddd "I didnt feel it and didnt know what it was. I got lucky." Brunner scored at the 15:37 mark. Rookie defenceman Eric Gelinas made a pass up the middle to Brunners stick, just before the blue line. Brunner got between two defenders for a break on goal, deked to his left and then pushed a forehand past Lightning goalie Anders Lindback. Mark Fayne was credited with an assist. The Lightning put pressure on Brodeur in the second period, outshooting the Devils 14-5. Before Brunners goal, Brodeur had Martin St. Louis muttering to himself in the second period after the Devils goalie foiled a scoring chance by the Lightnings star. St. Louis received a pass in front and wristed a high shot from the point that Brodeur managed to grab out of the air with his glove. "Marty was Marty tonight, for sure," St. Louis said. "I didnt get a lot of wood on it and I was frustrated. It was a good save. We were surging and had chances, but they got the second goal, that made it tough." In the first minute of the third period, Brunner was denied a second goal when Lindback came up with ahe right circle. NOTES: The Devils were 3 for 3 in penalty kills vs. the Lighting, giving them the best penalty kill percentage in the NHL .933 (42 of 45). ... Tampa Bay star Steve Stamkos joined his teammates for the morning skate at the Prudential Center on Saturday, 33 days after breaking his leg in a collision with a goal post. "My 4-week X-ray looks good. Im just trying to progress," said Stamkos in a video on the Lightning website. Stamkos had 14 goals and 23 points in 17 games before the Nov. 11 injury sustained in Boston. Cheap Jerseys nfl jerseys cheap authentic wholesale jerseys jerseys from china authentic Cheap Jerseys wholesale stitched jerseys ' ' ' |
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