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| 1445 Beiträge - Hardcoreposter
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TORONTO – The Leafs stood toe-to-toe with the defending champs and ultimately came up just a bit short. A 6-3 final doesnt do justice to the closely-cropped nature of Wednesdays tilt at the Air Canada Centre. Blown out by the Bruins in two previous matchups this season – 6-2 in Boston, 7-0 at home – the Leafs required and achieved some measure of assurance, proving that they could hang with the NHLs best team, provided they stuck to their speedy identity. Boston won for the 12th time in November (12-0-1) and recaptured control of the Northeast Division, setting up what will surely be a much-anticipated rematch in Boston on Saturday. "All in all, I think our guys actually played pretty strong tonight," Luke Schenn said after the game. "It wasnt the complete blowout like the score might show or nothing like that. "We put up a pretty good fight and obviously didnt get the result we wanted. But cant hang our heads too much and the good thing is we get another crack at these guys Saturday." A measuring stick of sorts for the injury-ravaged and yet somehow resilient Leafs, Wednesdays game was close for all but the final few minutes. Benoit Pouliot put the Bruins up 4-2 just three minutes into the third with the eventual game-winner. Matt Frattin closed that gap back to one with a lucky shot past Tim Thomas – who made 34 saves – but after a flurry of chances the Leafs could draw no closer. With less than five minutes to play, Milan Lucic iced it, outmuscling Schenn in front of the net for the fifth Boston goal, sealing an incredible month of hockey from the defending Stanley Cup champions. (The Bruins are the second team in NHL history to win at least 12 games in a month in which they were not charged with a loss. The only other team to do so was San Jose (13–0–2) in March 2008.) "We were right there," Schenn continued. "It was one-goal game for most of the game or even tied up, so we were right there with them. The shots were pretty even (40-37 Boston), I think the scoring chances were probably similar. It just came down to a couple third period goals." "Thats a good hockey team," Ron Wilson said. "They seem to have our number. I was actually pleased with the way we played. "We keep playing like that well eventually beat these guys." Five Points 1. Jonas Gustavsson allowed five goals on 37 shots, snapping a personal four-game win streak. Gustavsson explained to the Leaf Report after the game that while none of the goals were bad per se, a few were at least "savable" and certainly needed against a team as stingy as the Bruins. "Its awful hard against the Bruins to score five to get a tie and six to possibly win the game," Wilson said. "Yeah I kind of concur, a couple of those probably couldve been stopped, but thats the way it is." The 27-year-old alluded to Zdeno Charas goal – which made it 3-2 late in the middle frame – as stoppable. He also explained that he failed to see Pouliots goal – seconds after a Jake Gardiner penalty was killed off – until the last second when it was ultimately too late. Gustavsson concludes November with a 5-2-0 record, 2.82 goals against average and .907 save percentage. Contrast that to his numbers in October and the disparity makes itself painfully clear: 3-3-0, 3.72 goals against average, .888 save percentage. Gustavsson conceded earlier in the day that his past struggles did provoke some internal questioning, but never doubt. "Of course you try to look at the tapes, you try to see if you played the way you want to play and the way you practiced," Gustavsson told the Leaf Report. "And if you didnt you try to change it. "I believe in what were doing…with Francois [Allaire] and so on. I didnt doubt it. I believed in our group in here too. I wouldnt say that [I doubted myself] no." Wilson noted last week that the 27-year-old appeared more "settled" in goal. "Of course you want to try play as quiet as possible," Gustavsson said. "You dont want to be all over the place. You just want to be where the puck is basically and be there in time so you can make as simple [a] save as possible. If youre able to do that its going to look like the game is so much easier. But its harder than it looks to be in that right spot at the right time all the time." 2. With a rematch against the Bruins on Saturday, Schenn pointed to at least one improvement he thought the Leafs could make. "I think weve got to be better in front of our net, myself personally too," he said, alluding to the Lucic goal which made it 5-3. "I think that mightve taken the wind out of our sails and thats my bad, Ive got to have that." David Krejci also scored parked right in front, outworking Tyler Bozak just outside of Gustavssons crease. 3. Wilson is clearly wrestling with how best to integrate Mikhail Grabovski back into the lineup. Grabovski played a mere 12:17 on Wednesday night in his second game back from injury, scoring a powerplay goal in the first. The 27-year-old began the game alongside Jay Rosehill and David Steckel on the fourth line, before taking a number of shifts alongside Phil Kessel and later Tim Connolly and Clarke MacArthur. Where best to slot Grabovski at the moment is Wilsons challenge. Bozaks surprising ascendancy alongside Kessel and Joffrey Lupul has forced Connolly into second-line duty where until last night he had produced (five-game point streak snapped). Nikolai Kulemin failed to score for the 18th consecutive game and didnt produce a shot against the Bruins. Perhaps Wilson replaces Kulemin with Grabovski (on the wing) as he did during the third period on Wednesday night. Or the organization realizes it best to send one of Joe Colborne or Matt Frattin back to the Marlies, freeing up a spot for the talented Grabovski in the top nine. It makes little sense to use a sparkplug such as Grabovski so sparingly, but the challenge is finding that ice-time with others playing well. 4. The Leafs finish the month of November with a 7-6-1 record, impressive when you consider that 10 regulars missed at least one game with injury. They include James Reimer, Colby Armstrong, the aforementioned Connolly and Grabovski, MacArthur, Steckel, Mike Komisarek, Matthew Lombardi, Mike Brown, and Carl Gunnarsson. "I think it shows the depth one that we have on this team and in this organization and two, it shows the drive that we have as a team," John-Michael Liles told the Leaf Report before the game. "I think guys that have been given maybe opportunities they wouldnt normally get, I think theyve really stepped up. You look at guys like Joey Crabb, Joe Colborne, and guys like that whove contributed offensively, but at the same time are playing some pretty quality minutes for us – thats what we needed as a team. I think everybody in the room has done a great job of not sitting there and hanging our heads and saying Wow, we cant believe how many injuries we have. Its a matter of just putting that behind us and continuing to play our game." 5. Keith Aulie remained in the lineup – despite Gunnarssons return from injury – playing a shade over 14 minutes. Cody Franson was the odd-man out yet again, sitting for the 15th time this season. Aulie stuck with Dion Phaneuf for the better part of two periods, replaced for much of the third by Jake Gardiner as Wilson shortened his bench. With Aulie alongside Phaneuf, Gunnarsson joined Liles in a pairing that have yet to see any action together this season. How Wilson proceeds moving forward is worth watching. Clearly impressed by Aulies performance with Phaneuf against the Ducks on Sunday, Wilson chose to stick with the size and physicality of the Saskatchewan native against the physical Bruins on Wednesday. The Leafs might be a better team with a third pairing of Gunnarsson and Liles, rather than Franson with Liles as had been the case prior. Bonus Points Wilson voiced his concern with the lack of power plays for his team on Wednesday night. The Bruins had five opportunities compared to just two (one shortened) for the Leafs. The success of his man advantage likely played some factor in his displeasure: the Leafs scored a power play goal (Grabovski) for the eighth consecutive game and ninth time in the last ten (39%)…Interesting to see Connollys subtle veteran presence at the morning skate on Wednesday. Connolly pulled Colborne aside at centre ice as the workout wound down, offering a few tips on the art of faceoffs, primarily perfecting the skill of tying up an opponents stick on the draw…Steckel finished just 3-11 in the faceoff circle in his first game back from injury. The 29-year-old missed Sundays game in Anaheim with a finger injury…Kulemin continues to endure the longest dry spell of his career, now up to 18 games…Kessel added an assist against the Bruins, setting up Lupul with a brilliant feed. The 24-year-old extended his lead in the scoring race (32 points) and with the goal Lupul jumped into sole possession of second place behind Kessel (30 points)…Schenn had two assists, giving him four points in the last two games (one goal, three assists). jersyes nfl wholesale . But after playing in England for more than a decade, Reo-Coker already recognized a key issue. He faces an adjustment as he prepares for his first Major League Soccer season. nfl jerseys china . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. http://www.jerseysnflwholesale.us.com/ . Louis Blues remain at the top spot of the TSN. cheap nfl jerseys . Left guard Clint Boling tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a 17-10 victory in San Diego on Sunday. The Bengals put him on injured reserve Tuesday. jerseys from china . 10 shirt. The Japan forward was presented on Wednesday as an AC Milan player after signing a 3 1/2-year contract on a free transfer from CSKA Moscow.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Relief pitcher Heath Bell has been cut by the Tampa Bay Rays in a costly move for a normally thrifty team. Needing a fresh long man in the bullpen, the Rays recalled right-hander Nathan Karns from Triple-A Durham and designated Bell for assignment before Sundays series finale against the New York Yankees. Bell, a three-time All-Star, was 1-1 with a 7.27 ERA in 13 appearances for the Rays after they acquiired the right-hander from Arizona in December as part of a three-team trade that also included Cincinnati.dddddddddddd Tampa Bay still owes him about $4.5 million this season. Karns was scheduled to start Sunday for Durham, so he provides protection if the Rays need more than a couple of innings from a reliever. Tampa Bay played a doubleheader Thursday in Boston and a 14-inning game Friday night at Yankee Stadium. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '
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| Beitrag vom 14.02.2015 - 04:33 |
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