|  Wys³any: 2018-12-27 03:39:38 Temat postu: performance against Vancouver. Up Next
VANCOUVER – A day that began dark, gloomy and full of rain finished that same way for the Leafs. Not only did they suffer their worst defeat of the year -- shutout for the first time this season as a three-game winning streak came to an end -- they also lost Dave Bolland to a scary injury that will severely hamper the club at centre moving forward. "Terrible game for us," said Randy Carlyle, outwardly peeved at his teams performance in a 4-0 loss to the Canucks on Saturday evening. "Probably the worst game weve played this year." "Thats probably not too far off of an assessment," James van Riemsdyk agreed, the dreadful effort coming exactly one week after the Leafs beat Pittsburgh in arguably their best game of the season. Pounded in more ways than one early, often and throughout a dreary affair at Rogers Arena – they took 11 minor penalties – the Leafs were ultimately outshot 47-21. The third consecutive game theyve yielded more than 40 and the 13th time in 15 games this season where theyve managed fewer than their opponent. "Thats a theme and were not happy about it," said Carlyle with frustration. James Reimer was sharp early and kept the game close throughout, but even he could not withstand the constant barrage of Vancouver shots. The Canucks fired 18 in the first, 12 in the second and another 17 in the third. Reimer made 44 saves, following up a 43-save shutout in Edmonton earlier in the week. "Weve got to find a way to play better for these goalies," David Clarkson said of Reimer and Jonathan Bernier. "Both these two have stood on their head for us and been unbelievable all season." It took eight minutes for the Leafs to land their first shot on goal – the shot clock at that point favouring the Canucks by an 11-0 margin and 1-0 lead. After some pushback late in the opening frame, the Leafs unraveled when Bolland went down on the second shift of middle period. The 27-year-old was cut by the left skate of Zack Kassian deep in the defensive zone, left hobbling on the ice as the Vancouver forward scored his teams second goal. The Canucks would add a third marker just a short while later burying the Leafs for good in the third. It was just three nights earlier, during the second leg of a three-game swing through western Canada, that the Leafs played poorly – outshot 43-22 – and yet managed a 4-2 victory, their third straight despite some underlying flaws. A concerning theme throughout an ultimately successful start, which has seen the club outshot and often outplayed but held up by terrific goaltending, special teams and accurate shooting, Saturdays lopsided defeat was probably overdue. "I dont know if I necessarily buy that," van Riemsdyk said. "Each game is a little bit different. Obviously you dont want to get outshot like that every game. Weve got to find ways to improve upon that." The wound is likely to sting for the next six days. The Leafs dont play again until Friday when they host the New Jersey Devils at the ACC. Five Points 1. Bolland injured It was the left skate of Kassian that forced Bolland from Saturdays action and damaged the Leafs further down the middle. Kassian strode in to finish a check on the Leafs centre deep in the Toronto zone, his left skate rising to slice the left leg of his opponent. Helped off the ice, Bolland eventually departed the arena on a stretcher and was due for immediate surgery to repair the laceration. Acquired from Chicago in the offseason, Bolland had been one of the teams better players to date this season, a jack of all trades for Carlyle. The Mimico, Ontario native had totaled six goals, ten points and was averaging 16-plus minutes per game in his first season in Toronto. "Obviously its a blow for us," said Jay McClement, who replaced Bolland alongside Clarkson and Mason Raymond. "Hes been really good for us in all situations." As noted further below, moving forward without Bolland will be a challenge, a further bit of adversity to a club thats faced a slew of injuries, in addition to a 10-game suspension for Clarkson, and yet managed to win. "Thats what good teams do," said Clarkson. "I think its something you can weather," Reimer added. "Winning in this league is all about competing and competing honestly. If you do those two things anybody can beat anyone. You look at some teams in the playoffs who are clearly not nearly as skilled as other teams and yet they find ways to win, why? Because they outwork them; they do little things right. Its a stupid cliché, but thats the way it is." The Maple Leaf starters combined have already missed 43 games due to injury. They missed 91 all of last season (48 game-campaign). 2. Centre ice issues Increasingly thin at centre, the Leafs move forward without their top two at the position. Sidelined the past four games with a lower-body injury, Tyler Bozak was placed on long-term injured reserve Saturday (lower-body) and wont be eligible to return until Nov. 21. That leaves the club with Nazem Kadri, Jay McClement and Trevor Smith. "I might start stretching," Nonis said with a laugh. Experience at the position within the system is sparse. Signed to a professional tryout last month, the only Marlie with NHL experience is 34-year-old Jerred Smithson (588 games). Smithson spent most of his career with Nashville, playing 35 games with the Panthers last season and 10 more with the Oilers. Playing centre at the University of New Hampshire but never in the NHL, van Riemsdyk manned the position at times in Saturdays loss. "Whatever they need me to do Im more than willing to try," he said. Though a move is highly unlikely, Phil Kessel too spent a brief game or two down the middle under Ron Wilson. 3. Accidental injury The Bolland incident mirrored a similar collision last season between Senators defender Erik Karlsson and then-Penguins forward Matt Cooke. Unlike Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk, Leafs general manager Dave Nonis refused to point a finger at Kassian. "It would be hard for me to imagine how that was on purpose," Nonis said shortly after the game. "I guess its possible, but I dont believe it. I dont think a player would try to do that." His Achilles tendon partly sliced, Karlsson would miss ten weeks for the Senators. "I dont know the degree of severity or which tendon, but he did suffer a cut to that area," said Carlyle, recalling the Karlsson incident. Back in Nov. 2011, the Leafs endured a similar injury to Dion Phaneuf. Weeks into his first season as captain, Phaneuf was cut by the skate of then-Senators forward Peter Regin. He would miss 16 games with a left leg laceration. 4. Reimers fight Under siege all night, Reimer managed to keep his team alive until the final hammer from Dan Hamhuis late in the third period. His efforts were most impressive during a furious Vancouver start. Having already turned down Mike Santorelli and Christopher Higgins on an odd-man rush, Reimer made the best save of the Leafs season. Moving left to right as the play developed, the 25-year-old extended his right leg out, his right skate keeping an Alex Burrows shot from crossing the goal-line. "He had four feet to shoot at," said Reimer with some degree of pride. "Luckily he put it back and it got my skate. Youve got to do that as a goaltender; youve got to compete, youve got to battle and youve got to try and stop the puck. Nine times out of ten youre not going to make that save, but today was the tenth one." Making his first career start in the month of November (odd, but true), Reimer dropped his first decision of the season, now 4-1-0 on the year. He holds a .942 save percentage, good for third overall at the position. 5. Kessel Scrap It was nearly four years ago that Phil Kessel last fought in the NHL. Kessel scrapped for the second time in his NHL career against the Canucks, trading attempted punches with Alex Burrows in the opening period. The 26-year-old fought Kris Russell in Columbus on Dec. 3, 2009. Stat-Pack 47 – Shots for the Canucks, the most the Leafs have allowed all season. 54-27 – Shot attempt advantage for the Canucks at even-strength on Saturday. 36.8 – Average shots against the Leafs this season. 75- Minor penalties for the Leafs this season, most in the league. They took 11 on Saturday. -10.7 – Shot differential between the Leafs and their opponents this season. 1st – NHL game for James Reimer in the month of November. 87.1 – Leaf penalty kill this season, good for fourth-best overall. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-4 PK: 8-9 Quote of the Night "Terrible game for us. Probably the worst game weve played this year." -Randy Carlyle on his teams performance against Vancouver. Up Next The Leafs wait six days before finally hosting the Devils on Friday. Tomas Hyka Jersey .J. -- Fabian Johnson scored his first international goal and Clint Dempsey doubled the lead after a defensive lapse as the United States beat Turkey 2-1 Sunday in the second of three World Cup warm-up matches for the Americans before they head to Brazil. Tomas Tatar Jersey . Then Klay Thompson put his foot on the gas. Thompson scored 19 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and Harrison Barnes scored 14 points in his season debut to help the Golden State Warriors to a 106-93 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. http://www.officialgoldenknightsfanstore.com/reilly-smith-golden-knights-jersey-c-11/.ca. In addition to the game being aired in its entirety on CTV Two Vancouver Island and TSN.ca, TSN2 will also have coverage of Whitecaps FC immediately following NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Toyota Owners 400. Curtis McKenzie Jersey . Although head coach Randy Carlyle jokingly wondered how much actual training Bolland got done while in London. "I dont know how much training goes on when you go back to the junior team that you played for so I wouldnt read too much into that," laughed Carlyle after the Maple Leafs were put through an up-tempo practice that concluded with a 10-minute bag skate on Thursday. Vadim Shipachyov Jersey . The 20-year-old overager has appeared in 35 games for the Ontario Hockey Leagues Erie Otters this season, scoring 41 goals and adding 27 assists with a plus-28 rating.Jacksonville, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Fullback Greg Jones signed a one-day contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday and retired with the team that drafted him in 2004. Jones spent the 2013 season with the Houston Texans after nine seasons with the Jaguars. He went to training camp with the New Orleans Saints last year before getting cut. A second-round ddraft pick in 2004, Jones played in 115 games with 67 starts during his tenure in Jacksonville.dddddddddddd. He blocked for Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, star running backs that made a combined four Pro Bowls. Jones rushed for 913 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career. The Florida State product also caught 73 passes for 471 yards and three scores. 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performance against Vancouver. Up Next
