Tagged: Jonathan Bernier
James Reimer Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking
BY: JEFF Schneberk
@Game7overtime
The Leafs were down 2-0 early but goals by Dion Phaneuf, Carl Gunnarsson and Mason Raymond would give the Leafs the comeback win in Los Angeles.
As important, they take four of a possible six points from a road trip that not many so-called experts ever game them a chance of even capturing an OT or SO loss point.
“We need every point we can possibly get,” insists Head Coach Randy Carlyle, who added that he believes the team is already in “desperation mode.”
We found a way to gut it out.”
Carlyle credited Phaneuf’s goal, which was possibly the nicest he has scored all season.
“Dion’s goal was a power play goal, I think, then we started skating.”
The goaltending helped huge, too, he said.
“With Reimer replacing Bernier…he shut the door. Big time.”
Carlyle also noted that this time Reimer wasn’t giving up any rebounds.
“The rebound control was definitely in his favour.”
Coming off a 2 goal game on Tuesday against the Sharks, Jake Gardiner once again looked impressive. He was one of the few players to have a above 50 percent Corsi at around 52% per extraskater.com he although did not score he is such a joy to watch and was no different tonight.
And despite the Herculean efforts by possibly the best 1-2 punch for goaltending duos in the National Hockey League, there should be some concern over the stability of Reimer and Jonathan Bernier.
The win was not all roses and smiles as goaltender Jonathan Bernier had to sit on the bench after what is being called a “lower body injury” which happened just as the second period had started. According to Carlyle though it is a pre-existing injury.
It was great to complete the western road swing with two wins but at least one of those two goaltenders will not be available to play Sunday in Washington or next Tuesday in Detroit.
And the final two weeks of March has eight games on the schedule.
Kick save!
While saviour James Riemer was hit hard after Jarred Stoll apparently had his skate hit the forehead of Riemer. He would be down before staying in the game and getting the win. Carlyle though seems to think it is a shoulder injury rather then a head injury, While Riemer thinks more of the latter than the former making it a very confusing and worrying situation for both the club and its fans. Riemer has had a history of concussion injuries dating back to the Brian Gionta incident in Montreal so having Riemer say it is “just a headache” is very concerning.
DIZZY?
Apparently whatever Stoll did isn’t even a memory. Reimer was asked afterwards what happened on the Stoll play.
“I’m not even quite sure,” he responded. “I went for it (the puck) to try and shoot it away and dove for it. His knee, or skate just hit me in the head.”
Getting back to the scoring for a second here, LA made things look bad early, Anze Kopitar scored and Marian Gaborik got his first as a King. Both goals were nice.
Then Dion Phaneuf scored what was probably his nicest goal as a Maple Leaf (he did what Kadri did a few weeks ago in that game where he nearly had the hat trick, found himself in alone, put on a single deke, and beat the tendy to the far side. Nice move, Dion. Also quite interesting that it was Kadri’s puck sense that resulted in that opportunity, making a no-look pass with two Kings trying to kontrol Kadri in the korner
That cut the LA lead to 2-1 in the second period. Blueliner Carl Gunnarsson’s shot from the point had Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick moving the other way and the puck sailed into the corner to tie the game up at 2-2.
The goal was Gunnarsson’s second of the season. Here it is
That set the stage for what would be the GWG, Mason Raymond absolutely blowing one past Quick with 14:54 remaining in the game, top corner, glove side, beauty.
I think the best part of it was it was a shortie. Shorthanded goals are awfully hard to recover from in pro hockey. LA nearly did it but that guy named Reimer completely shut the door.
The other nice thing about watching this game was seeing the LA Kings wearing their throwback jerseys in purple and gold.
I think the only thing that did not go in Leafs’ favour last night (asides from the goaltending situation) was Nikolai Kulemin’s missed empty netter that would have sealed the victory with 22 seconds remaining. So that meant Reimer was going to have to come up big one more time, and that he did.
Also, last night’s game might have been the first I have ever seen where both Leaf goalies get called on, and both make phenomenal saves.
Kadri recorded his 45th point of the season last night.
Definitely a highlight of Kadri’s young career.
Apparently after the Bernier injury, and after Reimer was hit by Stoll, Leaf Dman Gunnarsson and forward Kadri said they would step up and dress in Reimer or Bernier’s pads. What a team!
Coach Carlyle even asked Colton Orr if he had even played in net before. His response was ‘no’.
James Reimer’s biggest save followed immediately by Mason Raymond’s winning goal Here it is
Yet Another SO Loss For Leafs
BY:JEFF SCHNEBERK
@Game7overtime
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost a hockey game they thoroughly deserved to lose tonight, but ended up with a point anyway in a 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers. The Leafs were abysmal in the second period and for much of the third too, but a Nazem Kadri goal with about a minute-and-a-half left sent the game to overtime.
The New York Rangers escaped with two points they believed they deserved even though they gave up a goal they felt the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t earn.
Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night.
The game was forced into overtime because of Nazem Kadri‘s goal with 1:24 left in regulation – one the Rangers thought shouldn’t have counted.
Here is what Rangers bench boss Alain Vigneault had to say about it:
“In my opinion, that was the wrong call,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. “The referee told Brad (Richards) on the ice that if they didn’t score on the wraparound, then it wasn’t a goal. They didn’t score on the wraparound.
“The puck was underneath Cam’s pad. How (the reviewers) saw it differently, I’m not quite sure. You’ve just got to play through those things, and that’s what we did.”
The two-goalie system continues to provide reasons to doubt the team each and every game. Some people want one guy, other fans want the other guy. Honest to goodness, there has to be some better way to play Bernier and Reimer. I know these guys are professional athletes, and the money they take home keeps some people from feeling bad for them night in and night out, but if the playoffs were to begin tomorrow night, and the Leafs were in, which goalie does Randy Carlyle go with?
Having two goalies on the team that can both help the team win, ends up becoming a divider, especially on the team where fan support happens to be fickle. When you win, you are the hero, when you lose, you are the goat.
Case in point was last night as Leafs took on the NY Rangers. Both goalies were phenomenal when they had to be. Bernier is particular, because, as it has become commonplace, he stops (nearly) everything thrown at him, then Kadri scores and they go into overtime, where Bernier stops everything (again), then they go into a shootout where he stops nothing.
James Reimer on the other hand goes into a shootout against the Phoenix Coyotes and makes the stop when his team needs him to.
Both teams traded chances in the extra frame, but Jonathan Bernier and Cam Talbot kept the game tied for their respective clubs. The Leafs would play in their ninth shootout this season, but unfortunately ended up on the losing end for the fifth time. Here are some more thoughts from tonight’s game:
• Make no mistake, Bernier was the only reason the Leafs came away with a point in this one. The goalie made 42 saves in regulation and overtime, 22 of which came in the second period. If there’s one knock against Bernier, it’s his poor shootout record, which got worse tonight. He allowed two goals on three shooters. But the only reason the team even made it to the shootout was because of Bernier.
• On a positive note, the top line of Phil Kessel, Kadri and James van Riemsdyk had moments of brilliance. The unit has faced a lot of criticism lately for failing to score, but it’s definitely not from lack of chances. The line was dominant in the first period, and had some great chances in overtime too. A lot of pressure is put on the top line, but the rest of the forwards need to find a way to be better.
@Game7overtime
Game 32 Preview: Leafs vs Kings
Leafs tonight vs the Kings!
Bernier vs some kid named Jones tonight as Leafs Host the LA Kings
BY: Jeff Schneberk
@Game7overtime
Kings 20-7-4 at Maple Leafs 16-12-2
Anybody who woke up this morning with any thoughts of a ‘battle-of-the-former-friends’ matchup tonight when the LA Kings come to town to play against our Leafs tonight, are already in for at least one disappointment.
Announced earlier this morning online, Ben Scrivens won’t be getting the start for his ‘new’ team when they come to Toronto to play against his old team.
Due to an injury to Kings’ usual starter Jonathan Quick back on Nov. 12, LA will be going with their usual-third stringer.
Thanks to the good people of TSN, I’m going to get to watch this game on my TV.
This marks the first time the teams have met in Toronto going back to Dec. 19, 2011 when the Kings made off with a 3-2 shootout victory.
So far all the media seems to care about in this tilt is that it won’t be the goaltender battle that we all thought it might be (Reimer vs. Scrivens), and asides of course from the return to the Leaf lineup for winger Joffrey Lupul, it would have been cool to see Scrivens get the start against his former team; of course we all know what usually happens when Leafs trade someone to another team and then he comes back to beat Leafs every time!
The Kings have not lost to Leafs in Toronto since November of 2002.
Big story: the other ‘half’ of the big story has current Toronto goalie Jonathan Bernier set to start against the team that traded him June 23. Rookie goalie Martin Jones was first off the ice at the Kings’ morning skate Thursday and likely starts for the Kings.
“Probably a lot of excitement, maybe nervous a little bit,” Bernier told the Maple Leafs website Tuesday. “And after the first shot, probably it will go away. But it definitely will be a first for me, to get traded and play against my old team. It’s going to be fun.”
Bernier is 9-8-2 with a 2.49 goals-against average and .929 save percentage splitting time with James Reimer (7-4-1; 2.63; .932).
“Obviously, everyone wants to play every game, but with the situation right now, it’s pretty good,” Bernier said. “It’s not like we’re waiting three weeks to get in. We know we’re going to play at least one game a week, which keeps your head in the game.”
Ben Scrivens (7-2-4; 1.56; .943), who was sent to L.A. in the June trade, played 10 straight games for the Kings after Jonathan Quick was injured Nov. 12, but Jones has played the past three, with two straight shutouts, including a 6-0 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
“They’re both kids, and they’re both trying to buy us some time until Jonathan Quick comes back, and whichever one plays best gets to play,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter told LA Kings Insider.
Kings: Los Angeles has allowed two goals or fewer in a team-record 16 straight games, and has not allowed a first-period goal in any of those. The Kings are 11-1-4 in that stretch.
Scrivens missed a start and has not gotten back into the net.
“Basically, we were going to rotate ’em the last few games, but Ben wasn’t ready to play in the start he was supposed to have,” Sutter said.
Maple Leafs: Toronto will be without captain Dion Phaneuf after the defenseman on Tuesday was suspended for two games by the NHL Department of Player Safety for boarding Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller in a game Sunday.
“Again, it’s another challenge,” coach Randy Carlyle said. “But the challenges are bountiful as we go forward into the season,” he added with a laugh.
INJURIES“But again, somebody else now gets an opportunity to fill those minutes, and some other people get a chance to play the power play and the penalty killing and to chew the 23-28 minutes that Dion plays night in, night out. That’s the way we have to approach it and that’s the way we brought it to our players, it’s seize this as an opportunity.”
Phaneuf leads the Maple Leafs in time on ice at 24:13, three minutes more than any teammate.
“The reality is we have to have somebody, or a group, share in the responsibility,” Carlyle said. “I don’t think, at this point, maybe we can look at one player or two players or three players. I think the level of our defense play has to go up. Now we’re taxing it to a point where we’re going to have to ask more of players that traditionally don’t play those minutes. They play part of those minutes, but they’re going to play the brunt of those minutes. … Honestly, I believe that there are people capable of doing it, and our window to view that will be tomorrow night against the L.A. Kings.”
One of them will be Jake Gardiner, whose ice time was increasing before Phaneuf was suspended. Gardiner played more than 25:00 in three of the past five games.
“We think that he’s calmed down in his play from a turnover standpoint and trying to do too much high-risk, high-reward,” Carlyle said.
STANDINGS
Leafs’ dominance in the Atlantic division has tapered off in recent weeks but they still remain above .500 but for how long? They sit in fifth place at 16-12-3 and have a five-point lead over the Ottawa Senators. A win tonight vs the Kings will lift them into a tie with Tampa. Boston continues to dominate the division with 44 points. Montreal is next-best with 41 and Detroit sits one point above Tampa.
LA is tied for second spot in the Pacific division with the San Jose Sharks. LA is at 20 wins and seven losses for 44 points, three less than first-place Anaheim.
@Game7overtime
Nazem Kadri is Back and Hopefully Back To Stay
Jonathan Bernier was back to his usual self last night against a persistent Dallas Stars team, winning 3-2 in a shootout.
BY: Jeff Schneberk
@Game7overtime
The Leafs made it close again, like they usually do, gave up the tying goal late in the game, but for only the second time this season, finished the game in overtime.
Nazem Kadri scored only his eighth and ninth goals of the season; the first was a low shot from point-blank range, the second was deflection of a point shot by Jake Gardiner, who has been the subject of trade rumours lately.
“I still get choked up talking about it,” Kadri told reporters after the game after they bombarded the Leafs’ top centre with question about Kadri’s family tragedy this week as he lost his grandfather.
“I still think we can play better, but I think tonight was definitely one of my better ones,” Kadri added. “That (win) was big for us, obviously we’re decimated with some injuries.”
Head Coach Randy Carlyle gave his usual press conference after the game, saying that considering all the games they have played without a full line up, they are sitting right in the middle of the pack in the NHL.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J30SQ0nCcoU&feature=youtu.be
It didn’t come easy after giving up a late power-play goal, but the Leafs snapped their five-game skid by beating the Dallas Stars 3-2 in overtime Thursday night at Air Canada Centre.
Trevor Smith scored 4:18 into overtime for the Leafs, who won for the first time since Nov. 23 despite being outshot for the 10th consecutive game, this time 50-24.
See it here: http://video.mapleleafs.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=802&id=503243&lang=en
Nazem Kadri scored twice for the Leafs (15-11-3) in his return from a one-game absence to attend his grandfather’s funeral. It looked like his second goal would stand up as goaltender Jonathan Bernier made 42 saves in regulation.
Here are the best parts in a video called ‘The Game in Six Minutes’. Keep an eye out for Bernier’s save of the season about a minute in, and Trevor’s Smith’s OT winner with 23 seconds left.
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=694673 (courtesy of the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club).
Bernier made 48 saves counting overtime, but it didn’t have to get to that point. Toronto’s best penalty-killerJay McClement took a tripping penalty late in the third and former Edmonton Oilers captain Shawn Horcoff scored when he tipped Kevin Connauton’s shot past Bernier at 17:14.
It looked like Horcoff had a goal at the 9:42 mark of the third when he deflected Vernon Fiddler’s power-play point shot in. But referees waved it off immediately and video review upheld the no-goal decision because of a high stick.
Before that moment, it was Kadri’s night.
The day after his grandfather’s funeral, Kadri acknowledged that the failing health of the 77-year-old, also his namesake, distracted him. He kept checking in to see how his grandfather was doing and was caught by surprise when he died Monday morning.
Kadri had just three points in six games after returning from suspension Nov. 23. Injury woes up and down the lineup deserve some responsibility for that.
But yet another injury — this time Tyler Bozak’s oblique strain — gave Kadri a prime opportunity to centre the top line of James van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel. With Dave Bolland also out, it wasn’t like coach Randy Carlyle had any other choice but to slide Kadri into that spot.
Nevertheless Kadri made the most of his promotion against the Stars (13-10-4), scoring 58 seconds into the second period off some sharp passes from Kessel and van Riemsdyk, who got tangled up with Dallas defenceman Trevor Daley before setting up the goal.
With Daley writhing in pain in the corner, Kessel won a puck battle with Stars centre Tyler Seguin, who returned after missing two games with a concussion, and sent the puck to van Riemsdyk, who found Kadri for his eighth of the season.
Daley had to be helped off the ice by teammates Alex Chiasson and Alex Goligoski and did not return with what the Stars announced as a lower-body injury. Dallas is already short on its blue-line without Stephane Robidas, who suffered a broken leg Nov. 19 against Chicago.
The Stars tied it early in the third period, taking advantage of a bad change by the Leafs. Erik Cole left the puck in open ice for rookie Valeri Nichushkin, then went to the net.
Nichushkin got it to Horcoff, who tapped it to Cole at the side of the net for his fourth goal of the season 1:58 into the third.
But Kadri wasn’t done making an impact in his return. At the 6:58 mark of the third, Kadri skated in front of the net and tipped defenceman Cody Franson’s point shot past Lehtonen to make it 2-1 Leafs.
This was the first game between the Stars and Leafs since Nov. 25, 2011. Only 10 players who took part in that game played Thursday night, including Lehtonen.
A lack of familiarity didn’t stop some chippiness in the first period. Van Riemsdyk went at it with Jamie Oleksiak, Kadri with Brendan Dillon and Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf with Stars counterpart Jamie Benn. Phaneuf and Benn each got two-minute minors for roughing as linesmen prevented full-fledged fights from breaking out.
NOTES — The Leafs held a pre-game moment of silence to honour the death of Nelson Mandela. His name along with his dates of birth and death were put on the scoreboard along with a profile photo of the South African leader. … Winger Jerry D’Amigo, called up earlier in the day as the Leafs placed Bozak and enforcerColton Orr on injured reserve and Jerred Smithson cleared waivers, made his NHL debut playing on the fourth line. … Defenceman Morgan Rielly was a healthy scratch for the Leafs as Cody Franson returned after missing three games with a lower-body injury. … Van Riemsdyk was presented with the Molson Cup as Toronto’s top player in November. He had five goals and two assists last month.
#SeaofBlue
The Maple Leafs have set up a web page dedicated to their first-ever appearance in an outdoor hockey game. On January 1 they play Detroit at the University of Michigan Stadium.
NEXT GAME: At Sens
Leafs and Sens Mirror Images of Each Other
MAPLE LEAFS (15-11-3) at SENATORS (11-14-4)
Last 10: Toronto 4-4-2; Ottawa 3-7-0
Season series: This is the second of four games between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. The Atlantic Division rivals played on Oct. 5, when Mason Raymond scored in the shootout to deliver the Maple Leafs a 5-4 victory. Raymond had a goal and two assists in regulation, as did Kyle Turris of the Senators.
On the Line: Ottawa sits only four points back of the Blue and White, and everyone knows anything goes when the two clubs get together. If this was April and a playoff spot was on the line tonight’s game could determine who makes it and who doesn’t. Leafs are fifth place in the Atlantic which translates into eighth seed overall in the Conference.
The results are huge for Leafs at this point, December will be the roughest month of the season so far with eight matches against Western conference teams, plus a date with Boston on Sunday night.
Maple Leafs: Trevor Smith (callup from the Marlies) scored perhaps Toronto’s biggest goal to this point and goalie Jonathan Bernier turned in a lights-out performance at just right the time when the Maple Leafs snapped a five-game losing streak Thursday with a 3-2 overtime win against the Dallas Stars.
Smith, who’s taken on a larger role of late due to injuries, deflected a Jake Gardiner shot with 41.4 seconds left in OT to reward Bernier, who stopped 48 shots. It was a nice rebound effort after he yielded 13 goals over his past three starts.
“My job is to go out there and give my team a chance to win and I thought my last couple of games I wasn’t very good,” Bernier said in the Toronto Sun. “I needed to come here and play the way I could play.”
Senators: The Sens are coming off of a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Patrick Wiercioch scored a power-play goal during a second period in which the Senators held an 18-7 advantage in shots, but that was all the offense they could manage.
Coach Paul MacLean said his team must play harder. The players realize something needs to change.
“We’re just finding ways to lose,” Wiercioch said in the Ottawa Citizen. “It becomes a habit. When you’re winning, you don’t accept getting down in games.”
Who’s hot: Nazem Kadri scored both of the Maple Leafs’ goals in regulation Thursday after missing the previous game due to the death of his grandfather. Phil Kessel has three goals and three assists during a five-game point streak. … Wiercioch has one goal and three assists in the past five games for the Senators.
Injury report: Toronto placed forwards Tyler Bozak (oblique strain) and Colton Orr (elbow) on injured reserve Thursday, where they joined forwards Dave Bolland (ankle) and Joffrey Lupul (groin). … The Senators report no injuries
#SeaofBlue
Leafs Must Do Without a Star…Again
Leaf wing Joffrey Lupul will not play in Pittsburgh tonight. Head coach Randy Carlyle said he doesn’t look good for the weekend, either.
BY: Jeff Schneberk @Game7overtime
Playing hockey games without their top guns is nothing new for Leafs these days. Coming up with ways of winning those games is nothing new either.
The team did just fine while waiting for David Clarkson to return to the lineup following his suspension in the pre-season, they also managed a few wins while Tyler Bozak was out with his lower body injury. They even picked up a couple wins right after the nasty injury suffered by David Bolland in Vancouver on Nov. 2.
Injuries shouldn’t be a problem for this team right? Now they have the challenge of winning a few games without Saturday night’s shootout here, Joffrey Lupul.
Expect the beneficiary to be Peter Holland.
Don’t know how long they can continue to hold the fort though. They are going to have play through another one beginning tonight at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, who is currently 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. Sidney Crosby scored a goal against Boston the other night with .3 seconds left in the game before Boston beat them in OT when Torey Krug scored the first OT goal by a Bruins defenseman. Boston is currently the top team in the Atlantic Division.
The point gap between Leafs and Pens is down to two points so tonight’s game is big.
“We’re going into Pittsburgh (tonight) and there’s no secret who’s there, so we’ve got to be at the top of our game,” Carlyle said. “What we’re looking for from our group is a response, because the response we had from our group [Monday] night wasn’t positive.”
It is going to have to be positive tonight, Pittsburgh packs a 10-3 record on home ice this season.
Who’s hot: After not recording a point in his first eight games, Maple Leafs forward David Clarkson has four in his past six. … Neal, who started the season with one goal over his first six games, has five goals during a four-game point streak.
Injury report: Lupul is not making the trip to Pittsburgh and is expected to miss at least three games. Maple Leafs center Dave Bolland (ankle) remains out indefinitely. … Penguins wing Beau Bennett will miss 8-10 weeks after undergoing hand and wrist surgery this week. Paul Martin (lower body) and Tanner Glass (broken hand) are also out of the lineup. Tomas Vokoun (blood clot in hip), Rob Scuderi (ankle) and Chuck Kobasew (lower body) are on injured reserve.
Stats: Toronto’s penalty kill this year, and their power play efficiency are right in line with Pittsburgh’s going into tonight’s contest. All numbers are between 2.46 – 2.82. The Maple Leafs’ shots-allowed-per-game continue to be an area to improve upon, allowing nine shots more per game, than shots they take.
Points: Crosby continues to lead the Pens in the points category with 13 goals and 18 assists through 25 games. Evgeni Malkin is next with four goals and 23 assists for 27 points.
Phil Kessel continues to lead Toronto with 21 points through 24 games (12 goals, nine assists), Mason Raymond is next in line with 17 points in 24 games, with eight goals and nine assists and James van Riemsdyk is one point behind Raymond with nine goals and seven assists.
Goaltenders James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier both sport a save percentage of .934 while Pittsburgh’s duo of MA Fleury and J Zattkoff are around .900.
Last 10: Toronto 4-5-1; Pittsburgh 4-5-1
Tonight’s matchup will be the second meeting of the season between Toronto and Pittsburgh. The first game resulted in a 4-1 Leaf win on Oct. 26.
@Game7overtime
Leafs Host Blue Jackets Right Now!
Leafs and Jackets tonight!
Toronto (14-8) vs Columbus (8-12)
BY: Jeff Schneberk
@Game7overtime
This is the second of three meetings this season between Columbus and Toronto. The first one was all Blue Jackets as LeafsNation was so excited about the return (and first appearance) of scrappy forward David Clarkson back to the lineup that they forgot to show up and play. The Jackets made off with a rather easy 5-2 victory on their home ice of NationWide Arena.
Tonight however the show comes to Toronto where the boys in blue are a very comfortable 9-3 this season, however Leafs have that notion of losing to teams that they should have no problem beating up on.
Columbus is 8-12 this season and are 4-6 on the road but like we saw back on Oct. 25 when Toronto played there, they beat Leafs with ease.
However, his play at home lately has been only a few steps from perfection.
Coming off one of the best performances of his career, Reimer seems likely to be back in net Monday night when the Maple Leafs host the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Although Toronto ranks 29th in the league in allowing 36.2 shots per game, that lack of defense hasn’t been too costly thanks to the goaltending tandem of Reimer and Jonathan Bernier.
Reimer is 6-2-0 with a league-best .947 save percentage and a 2.10 goals-against average, while Bernier is 8-6-1 and ranks seventh with a .934 save percentage and among the league’s best with a 2.19 GAA.
Saturday’s win over the Capitals was the sixth in seven home games for the Maple Leafs, who are 7 for 19 on the power play during that span. They are averaging 3.1 goals on home ice compared to 2.3 on the road.
JUST THE REMEDY?: Leading scorer Phil Kessel has been relatively quiet lately for Toronto, going without a point in six of seven games. He scored his only two goals in that stretch Tuesday in a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders. Facing the Blue Jackets could help him get back on track. Kessel has three goals and five points in his last four meetings with Columbus, which has allowed 14 goals in its last three games overall.
After a 23-save performance in a 2-1 win over Calgary on Wednesday, Sergei Bobrovsky allowed all six goals on 35 shots against the Canucks. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has a 3.39 GAA in his past six starts, but has won four straight against Toronto with a 2.00 GAA.
The Blue Jackets scored four third-period goals in a 5-2 win over the visiting Maple Leafs on Oct. 25. Columbus has won the last two meetings in Toronto.
AND AWAY WE GO: Tonight’s game is the finale of a five-game homestand for the Buds who will try and make it four wins out of five tries before they hit the road for the rest of the week. Their home loss was a 4-1 defeat to Nashville.
WHO TO WATCH OUT FOR: Columbus D-man Nikita Nikitan has one goal and two assists in the past two games. James Reimer now has a league-leading .947 save percentage. Nazem Kadri has one goal and two assists during a three-game point streak.
INJURY REPORT: Former Boston Bruin Nathan Horton will not dress for the Jackets tonight, he is out with a shoulder injury. Brandon Dubinsky is also out of the lineup with a bruised foot and defenceman James Wisniewski is experiencing flu-like symptoms and he won’t play either. Marian Gaborik is also on the IR with a knee injury.
Toronto’s IR still includes David Bolland (ankle).
The game is being televised by Sportsnet-Ontario.
LINES:
Van Riemsdyk Bozak Kessel
Lupul Kadri Clarkson
Raymond McClement Kulemin
Orr Smithson McLaren
EXTRAS: Holland Smith
DEFENCE PAIRS:
Phaneuf Gunnarsson
Gardiner Franson
Reilly Fraser
EXTRA: Ranger
Leafs Win Ugly One vs New Jersey
BY: Jeff Schneberk @Game7overtime
I think that a Phil Kessel ‘Superman’ goal when he raced the entire length of the ice and beat NJ goaltender Corey Schneider was exactly what the Leafs and the entire City of Toronto desperately needed.
New Jersey would wind up tying the game at the 15:00 minute mark of the third period (five minutes left), then it was back to playing New Jersey Devils hockey.
That same type of hockey that helped them to win the Stanley Cup the last time they won it (2002-03).
That wasn’t good for Toronto, or anyone else that plays the no-name Devils.
Toronto prevailed of course, winning 2-1 thanks to James Van Riemsdyk’s shootout effort.
But it did little to convince anyone that the Leafs absorbed the back-to-the-fundamentals message that had been incessantly delivered by head coach Randy Carlyle
During a rare open week of practice. Friday’s circumstances favoured the Leafs in a zillion ways. Toronto hadn’t played since Saturday’s 4-0 loss in Vancouver. The Devils were playing their second game in as many nights. Toronto had produced 10 wins and 20 points in their opening 15 games.
Head Coach Randy Carlyle stressed afterwards that Leafs forced six Devils into taking penalties.
The gutted Devils, whose recent personnel depletion had seen prized forward David Clarkson flee to the Maple Leafs in free agency and star player Ilya Kovalchuk retire to the Russian league, had managed just four victories and 12 points in the same number of outings. Zach Parise is long gone and Patrick Elias was injured.
And yet for much of the night — before Phil Kessel potted the marvelous power-play goal that gave the home team a 1-0 lead midway through the third period and had Carlyle name-checking the wind-up rushes of hall of
famer Frank Mahovlich — the Leafs looked like a team struggling to shake off rust. Meanwhile the Devils, who outshot Toronto 35-28, spent long stretches of five-on-five play controlling the puck in the home zone. Solid goaltending from Jonathan Bernier kept the Devils off the board until the
Toronto netminder made a rare mistake with about five minutes to go in the third period; on the power-play goal by Michael Ryder that tied the game 1-1, the puck took a strange bounce off Bernier’s paddle and found the top corner.
Credit Cory Schneider with the save of the night that repelled a Leafs 3-on-1 in overtime, Kessel thwarted by a split-padded reach across the crease. James van Riemsdyk scored the shootout winner.
Carlyle, for his part, stuck to accentuating the positives. He said he was pleased that the Leafs had drawn six power plays — this after averaging just 2.5 man advantage situations in the previous half-dozen games. The coach said it was a hint, albeit a small one, that the team’s blase 5-on-5 play was improving.
“(Drawing those penalties indicated) we were doing things right as far as getting the puck into their zone, creating more offensive zone time,” Carlyle said. “But it’s only a stepping stone for our club.”
Said centreman Nazem Kadri: “We’re slowly getting it.”
Not that the Leafs weren’t dealing with their own set of issues. Friday was their first game since centreman Dave Bolland severed a tendon that is expected to keep him out of the lineup for an extended period. They were also without Tyler Bozak, who missed his fifth straight game with a hamstring injury that won’t see him back in blue and white until Nov. 21 at the earliest.
Van Riemsdyk, a career winger charged with playing centre during the shortage, flashed his obvious inexperience in the middle. He lost nine of 13 faceoffs. But his line, flanked by Kessel and Joffrey Lupul, produced some of Toronto’s only credible offence.
Clarkson, playing in his first game against his old team, also nearly did some damage, narrowly missing on a couple of glorious chances in the game’s opening minutes.
Despite widespread speculation that Morgan Rielly would be a healthy scratch — this after a substandard effort in Vancouver — he was in the lineup. With forward Colton Orr out with an unspecified injury, the Leafs ran with seven defencemen, among them Mark Fraser, who returned after missing 13 games with a bum knee.
All week Carlyle had been asking his team to commit to the game’s meat and potatoes. Move the puck quickly and quit turning it over, the coach implored his team — and when you do give it up, hit somebody.
“We realize there’s a lot of positives (including special teams and goaltending). But we want to point out the negatives,” Kadri said. “We’re making turnovers in crucial areas. Our forecheck hasn’t been nearly as good as it has to be. Our neutral-zone play — just letting teams attack us. We’re receiving the game when we’re not playing well. And a lot of times that results in being outshot and being out-chanced.”
As Carlyle said this week: “It’s not just wins — we need more compete level, we need more doggedness around the puck. It all has to go up . . . I think we have to get back to a more workmanlike game versus the cute game that we’ve been trying to play.”
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Leafs: Lost in Chicago, Won vs. Ducks
The Maple Leafs now sit at 7-3 following their win tonight over the Anaheim Ducks. RW Phil Kessel scored 3 goals.
BY:Jeff Schneberk
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I am from Hamilton, but I act like I am from Toronto. When the Leafs win, I am on top of the world, when they lose, I would rather not talk about it. I still haven’t seen any replays of the goal that killed them in the Game 7 travesty in Beantown that night a long time ago.
When Leafs took a trip to Chicago on Saturday, I balanced with about 6 US College football games that were on that day. Surprisingly, Leafs were my only team that did not win their game that night. How it is possible that that team, as loaded as they are, could only muster up 1 measly goal, is beyond me.
What made it even worse is knowing that none of Chicago’s big guns did any damage. Three goals, no Kane or Toews, or Sharp, or Hossa. Just Nick Leddy with a couple assists and Brandon Purri with 1g, 1a.
Nothing wonderful happened that night, obviously, saw their record drop to 6-3. New goaltender Jonathan Bernier did not have one of those nights to remember like he did a week or so back in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Brian Bickell beat him on the insurance goal that never should have happened, but anyways, they lost, it’s over, let’s move on…
…to tonight, where the 6-3 Leafs came back home to re-acquaint themselves with the somewhat friendly confines of the ACC. It was anything but comfortable for the first 20 minutes or so. 1-0 Anaheim on a goal by Nick Bonino (who?) and then when it looked like it was gonna be a real long night for Leafs fans again, Matthieu Perrault scored to make it 2-0. Anyone who knows this Leafs team knows that, at times, when they trail by two goals or more, it may be a sign to head for the exits (not like I have ever done that of course
Seriously, I haven’t, and I find it funny watching people who do because anyone who left tonight’s game this early because they feared the worst, probably feels like a complete idiot now….because….you missed a PHIL KESSEL HATTY!
A what? Who what why where when? Lol.
For the first time since last winter ( I was going to say 10-15 years but Nazem Kadri did it on Long Island last winter), a Maple Leafs players scored three goals…..in the same game!
I’m not sure what is the bigger highlight for the Buds…to have a player perform that feat, or to win the game??!
I’ll take both. Kessel’s trick did the trick and it was too much for the visiting Ducks to fight back, and they were moreless done like dinner from that point on. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf were basically non-existent tonight. The other Leaf to get his name on the score sheet was Captain Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf has been the victim of a lot of heat over the past couple days, couple weeks, even couple years. That is known to happen around Toronto. Kessel’s hatty gave him five goals on the season.
The other thing that doesn’t happen very often around Toronto unless it’s the other team doing it (talking about hatty’s) is the penalty shot. I just perfected my penalty-shot tactics on the Xbox 360, and it’s still hard to watch, but there was a penalty shot in Toronto tonight. James van Riemsdyk was the recipient. Joe Bowe, or whoever was calling the game from the pressbox, mentioned that he made a “cute move” when he went in for the shot.
Can anyone please tell me what the hell a “cute move” on a penalty shot is? A backhand effort is a perfectly legitimate choice when taking a penalty shot, isn’t it?
Maybe Mr. Announcer was as bored as some of us were after that dreadful opening period in which Leafs were outshot by a margin of 6-2. And they trailed 1-0.
Part of Anaheim’s self-destruction saw them blow a golden opportunity to go ahead when they were given a 5-on-3 opportunity for 87 seconds late in the second period.
STREAK SNAPPED
It was the Ducks’ first defeat since a season-opening 6-1 loss in Colorado. Anaheim arrived in Toronto on a seven-game win streak, tied for the longest in club history (set previously between Feb. 20 and March 7, 1999). Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller had Leaf fans screaming at the TV sets for more than half of the game, but he was probably the one screaming as Leafs got the better of him in the end. The Ducks are now 3-12-4 at the ACC and Hiller is a dismal 0-4-0 against Toronto.
The last time the two clubs met, a 5-2 Toronto win at the Honda Center on Nov. 27, 2011, Randy Carlyle was behind the Ducks’ bench. He was fired three days later and replaced by Bruce Boudreau.
INTERESTING
Steve Yzerman and Peter Chiarelli of the Canadian Olympic team brain trust took in the game. … Anaheim continues its road trip Thursday in Montreal and Friday in Ottawa. … The Leafs will finally get forward David Clarkson back from his 10-game suspension on Friday in Columbus.
NEXT UP
Leafs next take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night at 7pm. The game is being broadcast on LeafsTV. The following night, Leafs return to the ACC to host Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Saturday and Sunday Sports (Leafs, Irish, Aggies/Broncos)
BY:Jeff Schneberk
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Well this was another of those weekends where you have about 50 games to choose from and as always, it is impossible to watch all of them. Given so many games on TV in about a four-day period (Thursday night right through to Monday night), covering all of the major North American sports leagues, it can be a task watching as many as I can.
If one of your teams did not win (like was the case with me), there was still a 50/50 chance that one of your other teams will pull one out (like one of mine did).
We go back to Thursday night in the Div I NCAA football schedule saw the North Carolina Tar Heels entertain the Miami (FLA) Hurricanes. The only ones ‘entertained’ that night included you if you were watching it.
Miami won on a last-second play. By 4 points. I didn’t really care who won, I don’t know much about either team; my guys played last night.
Which brings us to last night (there was not much on the sched on Friday night, Notre Dame hockey, Battle of Alberta in the CFL and a whitewashing in the MLB postseason that most people saw coming.
The Maple Leafs were in Chicago last night. It did not go well.
MAPLE LEAFS
Anyways, last night we start with the NHL and the crazy good season the Leafs had been having; I say ‘had’ because it looks to be a case where the party time is over. Going into Chicago’s United Centre for the first time with a former Blackhawk on the team, I was looking for a lot more from the Leafs, who played one of the worst performances of the entire weekend-so far.
Toronto center Dave Bolland was kept off the scoresheet in his first game in Chicago since he was traded to his hometown Maple Leafs in June. Bolland helped the Blackhawks win two Stanley Cups in the previous four seasons and received a warm welcome from the sellout crowd.
Everybody was brutal in this one, including Leafs’ top players. Jonathan Bernier was not strong in net. They have 2 strong goalies on this team, one of them is going to falter. We just hope that they don’t both falter at the same time. Bernier is starting to see that playing pro hockey in Toronto is not fun and games all the time.
Offensively, one goal is not going to win you any games. The chances of a shutout in the game these days is zero to none. The effort factor is the most important factor in these games. Last night, Leafs had none. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near Randy Carlyle today. Or tomorrow.
Toronto went only 1/5 on the powerplay. They had a total of 20 shots on goal last night. I heard someone on Twitter mention in disgust that they had 6 SOG in one of the first two periods. That’s disgusting.
Brian Bickell got the Blackhawks going in what was the first of four goals in that period. All of the scoring came in that period so Chicago went on to win 3-1. That feeling that you get late in the game when things are still within reach got a lot harder last night, nothing came of it and that’s how it ended. Let’s all hope that Reimer will be good to go on Tuesday night when Leafs play Anaheim.
Bernier failed to grab a stopped shot in the second, and Bickell made the most of the opportunity. He skated around a prone Bernier before stuffing it into the net to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 5:32.
It was just the second point on the season for the 6-foot-4 Bickell, who is being counted on for more scoring after he got a big new contract during the summer. He began the season on Chicago’s top line, but looks more at home in his spot lower in the lineup.
It will be truly interesting to see which goaltender Carlyle starts on Tuesday.
Some of us all still waiting for big Colton Orr to drop the gloves again and start laying down the old fashioned law. It does nobody any good to sit back and wait for the other ‘Bash Brothers’ to return (Mark Fraser, David Clarkson can fight of course, and Frazer McLaren), the more the rest of the team waits for those guys to return, and the team falls in the standings. Nobody wants that.
Toronto had a chance to get back in the game in the third, but it failed to convert two power plays and went 1/5 with the man advantage for the game.
“They play a pretty high-tempo game and we didn’t seem to be able to keep the pace up until the third period,” Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said. “Then we got desperate and we started to play a lot more of a skating game and do a few things that we should be doing for 60 minutes versus 20 minutes.”
Game notes
Leafs F James van Riemsdyk was back in the lineup after missing two straight games with back spasms. … The Blackhawks wore white warm-up jerseys with lavender lettering as part of “Hockey Fights Cancer Night,” and the coaches wore lavender ties. All the jerseys and ties will be autographed for an online auction benefiting the team’s charity organization and local cancer awareness organizations … Fs Trevor Smith, Carter Ashton and David Clarkson were scratched for the Maple Leafs. … Ds Sheldon Brookbank and Michal Rozsival and F Ben Smith were scratched for the Blackhawks.
If Leafs are not your only team, then there is still a chance you will be doing some celebrating this weekend.
In US College sports, another handful games keep everyone busy. The Texas A&M Aggies fall for the second time this year as QB Johnny Manziel took a beating, then took another beating, and lost the game, 45-41.
The Fighting Irish held off a late USC attack-again.
TEXAS A&M and NOTRE DAME
Give Johnny Manziel some credit, he took a lickin’ and kept on ticking. Injured his right shoulder early in the 4th quarter, then came back, made some plays, and got his team in position to win the game. They kept dropping passes, and Auburn holds on to win.
Don’t fault Manziel in this, blame all the receivers. The game was good, better than watching Alabama dismantle someone, again.
Then the night got good, Notre Dame hosting University of Southern California. These game are always close. Then someone gets hurt, then it comes down to the last couple of plays (usually with less than a minute play), then someone wins it.
Notre Dame upps their record to 5-2, USC falls to 4-3. T.J. Jones caught the winning TD pass for the Irish. For at least the 2nd game in a row, ND led at the half, they led Arizona State at the half too. Notre Dame did not completely beat USC. Penalties helped beat USC. USC took more penalties than a Junior A or B hockey game.
There are far too many NCAAF games to keep track of on a typical Saturday afternoon.
Some of the other scores saw Michigan and Indiana break a bunch of records. Michigan won 63-47, Alabama crowned Arkansas, 52-0 and Oregon demolished Washington State, 62-38 and Florida State manhandled Clemson, 51-14; that game was over in the first quarter lol.
So if one of those winners is you team, that is good.
Hamilton’s CFL team was in Montreal today. They probably wish they slept in this morning because they played like it.
The biggest game of the entire week is still 1 1/2 hours away.
TIGER-CATS
And…there are still several games left before the end of the so-called ‘sports week’. The New York Jets used overtime to hand Tom Brady another loss, the Steelers are looking to improve (again) at home to Baltimore, and the granddaddy of them all comes along at 7pm when Peyton Manning returns home to Lucas Oil Stadium to play the Colts.
The other good news is the Steelers have the Ravens trailing, and the 49ers are riding Colin Kaepernick’s arms and legs, leading, also at the half.
Also, in CFL play, Hamilton was blown out of the water in Montreal, a game which was a thorough embarrassment to anyone who associates themselves with the Tiger-Cats, who couldn’t score a touchdown in a 35-5 loss.
Tomorrow night’s schedule has the Minnesota Vikings playing with their new quarterback against the NY Giants. Josh Freeman will take his first snap NOT playing for the Tampa Bay Bucaneers.
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Fluke Goal Costs Leafs 2 Points
BY:Jeff Schneberk
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The Toronto Maple Leafs were looking good last night for more than two periods, then a fluke goal late in the third gave Carolina a 3-2 victory.
After opening up a 2-0 lead, Leafs got complacent and Carolina took advantage, tallying three times, all in the third period.
The third goal, which was credited to Hurricane defenseman Ron Hainsey, bounced off of the boards behind Leaf goaltender Jonathan Bernier, and found its way between Bernier’s legs, hit his left skate and trickled in.
It was the only moment this season (5 games) in which the ACC crowd went silent.
Oh, no it wasn’t! Starting goaltender James Reimer also had a rough start, less than a minute into the opening period, when rookie Josh Leivo collided with him to the right of Reimer’s net and accidentally struck the goaltender in the head with his knee. Reimer was basically knocked out, and had a headache later in the night; Bernier took over for him.
“Some tough bounces, but it’s almost karma for the way we’ve been playing a little bit loose,” defenseman Cody Franson said.
Lupul was going for a line change as the puck was going down the ice.
Asked if the play made him reconsider his thoughts on hybrid icing, he made it clear he didn’t see the goal either live or on replay.
“Whatever, we (the players) voted yes on hybrid icing,” he said. “I won’t say my opinion, but you can tell what I voted.”
The NHL experimented with hybrid icing during the preseason and it was implemented for the regular season after a vote by the players’ association.
The rest of the Leafs did their part to build up a 2-0 lead on goals by Leivo (the second Leaf goal and his first of his NHL career, and Joffrey Lupul opened the scoring 2:30 into the second period from Paul Ranger.
The only lesson he could tell his players was to “never give up on the puck.”
Bernier, who finished with 34 saves on 37 shots, figures that “fluke” goals like that will happen from time to time.
“Obviously throughout an 82-game schedule, you’re going to win some games you shouldn’t and lose some that you probably should’ve won,” Lupul said. “It has a way of equaling out in the end.”
Notes
Leivo scored his first career NHL goal 6:47 into the second period on a shot that went over Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward’s left shoulder. “It’s a great feeling,” Leivo said. “It’s a little bittersweet right now but a good chip by Bolland, I got past that D-man two-on-one, (Jay) McClement played a good decoy there and I just saw the top corner and put it short side.” … Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk missed his second straight game with back spasms. … Ward finished with 24 saves on 26 shots.
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