Only for Guild Members » Bordeleau, the teams

UNIONDALE, N. ZaDarius Smith Super Bowl Jersey .Y. – It was top line or bust most nights for the Maple Leafs last season. When Phil Kessel and the first unit failed to find the score-sheet the team usually failed to find the win column. Depth, thus, became a priority for management in the offseason – scores of forwards added to the ranks – but it’s a lingering question as to whether that depth can produce enough offensively to shoulder some of the offensive load. More specifically, it’s a question of whether a prospective third unit of Mike Santorelli, David Clarkson, and Leo Komarov, can score some goals – especially if head coach Randy Carlyle leans further and further from rolling four lines. Though Kessel scored twice and added a helper on the third this fall from James van Riemsdyk on Tuesday, Toronto found some needed offence from what’s quickly become an effective third unit. Santorelli set up a pair of goals, Clarkson scored his second of the year, and Komarov notched his fifth assist already – on the verge of matching his 2013 total for points in October alone. “They’re starting to get more of a reward for the work that they put in,” said Carlyle, following a 5-2 win over the Islanders, which snapped a mini two-game losing streak. “If they continue to play in the opposition zone and cycle the puck and get pucks to the net the way they did tonight – and they have in the previous games – goals will come.” And the Leafs need that. Carlyle has already veered away from using four lines – he dressed seven defenders for the first time on this night – meaning the lion’s share of production will have to come from three scoring combinations, just as the head coach specified it would before the season. That’s the obvious detriment of not using four units consistently and one that haunted the club last season. Beyond Mason Raymond, who scored 19 goals, the Leafs got next to nothing from their bottom two lines last season. Their fourth line in particular was an offensive wasteland with limited minutes and a limited skill-set. (It’s worth noting that Santorelli, who has four points now in seven games, is already within reaching distance of the 10 points Jay McClement, the team’s former third line centre, accumulated all of last season.) That was supposed to change with an infusion of depth in the offseason, but save for an increased opportunity for Peter Holland on this night in particular – he had his best game of the season, approaching nearly 12 minutes with his first point – that’s just not been the case. Toronto’s fourth line forwards have gotten sporadic ice-time through the first two weeks. All of which means that Santorelli, Komarov and Clarkson need to contribute offensively, especially as the team’s second unit – Nazem Kadri, Joffrey Lupul and Daniel Winnik – sputters on the score-sheet despite gaudy possession numbers (though that figures to change at some point). The question is whether they can do so on a consistent basis. Santorelli has a checkered history of scoring goals; Komarov managed just four markers in 42 games as a rookie two years ago; Clarkson caught fire for two seasons in New Jersey, but isn’t a prototypical goal-scorer by any means. The line has found its early effectiveness by controlling pucks in the offensive zone, employing the cycle game Carlyle is admittedly fond of. “That group has created more five-on-five scoring chances than any other line on our hockey club right now,” Carlyle said of the Santorelli line before Tuesday’s game. “That’s been their trademark, finding a way to keep the opposition in their zone and thus not playing too much defensive hockey. And that’s one of the traits that we’d like our entire group to follow.” “We want to start bearing down on our chances and putting them in the back of the net,” Santorelli said Tuesday morning. It’s still quite early, but the Leafs remain perfect this season when Kessel notches a point. They’ve yet to win when he doesn’t. And that will remain the question. Five Points 1. Player of the Game The Maple Leafs have a new post-game dressing room tradition this fall. Just as they do in New York with the Broadway Hat, the Leafs are passing out their own player of the game award after wins this season – in Toronto’s case, a camouflage hoodie from a preseason paintball outing. The honour is awarded by the player of the game from the previous outing. Jonathan Bernier earned it on Tuesday, the 26-year-old securing his first win of the season with 34 saves. Bernier was especially effective in a chaotic third period, stopping all 17 shots the Islanders peppered his way. 2. Adjustments Bernier, who’s stopped 65 of 68 shots in his past two starts, said the most difficult transition to make from the offseason is the simple ability to see pucks through a maze of traffic early in the season. “I find that when you come from the summer and training camp that it’s just hard to find the puck all the time,” he said. “You find a way to be better at it. You can’t really work on those [situations] in practice. You’re going to try to do drills where the guy is going to stay in front and tips shots, but it’s not the same when you have 10 guys skating in front of you.” 3. Sophomore Season Before his sophomore year began Morgan Rielly said he didn’t believe in the sophomore jinx and was determined to avoid it. “I’m not going to be okay with being good or average, I want to be even better,” he said. Early into that second season and the 20-year-old is still trying to sharpen up his nightly performance. “I think there’s room for improvement,” said Rielly of his efforts through seven games. “I think I’ve played well at times, but it’s just a matter of being a bit more consistent. I’ve talked with the coaches and they’ve been happy, but I personally want to be better.” It’s clear the Leafs don’t want to thrust too much onto his inexperienced shoulders. Though he’s playing a bit more this season – up slightly to nearly 19 minutes per game – the coaching staff is doing their best to shelter Rielly, giving him the highest share of offensive zone starts and weakest competition. That aligns with Carlyle’s cautious comments prior to the season when he worried about giving Rielly “too much too early”, aiming instead to “get his feet underneath him and do what he did last year until he’s very comfortable.” Indicative of a Leaf defence that’s in flux at the moment, Rielly has already played with four different partners. He started with Jake Gardiner, played a game each with Cody Franson and Stephane Robidas and then settled in with Roman Polak the past two nights. He’s also bounced between his natural left side to the right from time to time. “When you’re a young guy you don’t have a lot of say in it,” he said. “You’ve just got to roll with the punches.” Rielly played nearly 15 minutes against the Islanders. 4. Front Office The Leafs front office refurbishment continued with another addition on Tuesday morning. Long the owner, general manager and sometimes coach of the OHL’s London Knights – 12 seasons – Mark Hunter was added as the team’s new director of player personnel. “I think he’s just got a great eye, great knowledge of players, [and] the hockey world in general,” team president, Brendan Shanahan, said of the hiring. “He’s just a guy that has never rested on his success.” Shanahan, who played junior in London, said the position was one that general manager Dave Nonis had been looking to fill for the last year, waiting for the right candidate to emerge. “What Dave had said to me is he was more interested in finding the right person than just filling the job,” Shanahan said. Hunter will oversee the team’s amateur and pro scouting departments and offer a voice in player evaluation. The Leafs have quite a few voices in that sense, boasting a president, general manager, director of player personnel, assistant general manager, assistant to the general manager, senior consultant, as well as a hockey research and development staff of three. 5. Diligence Many players quickly exit the ice surface when a practice wraps – be it on game-day or otherwise. Others work through specific drills with a group of their teammates and some choose to focus on individual skills, be it shooting or stick-handling. Santorelli falls into the latter category, about as diligent as any Leaf about the regular work he puts in after practice. After each and every session on the ice, when all the schedule activities have ceased, the 28-year-old gathers with Chris Dennis, one of the team’s assistant coaches. Santorelli lines up with the puck in front of the boards at centre-ice, taking pains to protect it and subsequently elude the check of his opponent, in this case, Dennis. They repeat the drill for minutes on end. Arguably the quietest player in the Toronto dressing room, Santorelli won’t say much about the extra work, only that he was working on “stuff”. It’s been clear early though how those skills – puck protection and eluding the intrusion of opponents – have helped him find some early success. Stats-Pack 2 – Three-point games for Phil Kessel so far this season. .956% – Save percentage for Jonathan Bernier in his past two starts. 0-16 – Toronto power-play in the past four games. 17 – Even-strength minutes for Roman Polak to lead the Leafs on Tuesday. 61% – Leafs in the faceoff circle against the Islanders. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-4 Season: 17.9% PK: 5-6 Season: 85.7% Quote of the Night “We’ve been an inconsistent group. What we’re trying to do is trying to force, kick, coddle, hug, kiss, whatever you’ve got to do to get them to play to the type of the game that we played in the last game [versus Detroit]. That’s where the consistency factor has to draw in.” -Randy Carlyle, on his team’s performance early this season. Up Next The Leafs visit the Senators on Wednesday night. Dexter Williams Super Bowl Jersey . Luke Wileman and I stood in the corridor outside of the Vancouver Whitecaps dressing room at BC Place in Vancouver. Kevin King Super Bowl Jersey .Y. -- Syracuse guard Trevor Cooney was mired in a shooting slump, and his woes coincided with a late-season swoon by the Orange. https://www.packersrookiestore.com/Packers-Jason-Spriggs-Jersey/ . The Cavs announced the move Saturday, one day after LeBron James said hes returning to Cleveland. A 12-year veteran, Haywood has played in 794 NBA games, averaging 6. DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche are showing they wont be pushed around this season. Semyon Varlamov stopped 26 shots, P.A. Parenteau scored two goals and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Nashville Predators 3-1 on Friday night. Patrick Bordeleau had a goal and rookie Nathan MacKinnon had an assist for the Avalanche, who have won their first two games under new coach Patrick Roy with another physical showing. Pekka Rinne had 33 saves and Paul Gaustad scored for the Predators, who lost for the second time in as many nights. The game featured two of the top four picks in last Junes draft. MacKinnon was taken first overall and Seth Jones, a Denver native, was picked fourth by the Predators. The friends were on the ice together throughout the game but didnt chat much. "It felt a little different from the Memorial Cup," Jones said. "I didnt really talk to him before the game. Lined up with him a couple of times and small talk." Said MacKinnon: "I talked to him a little bit. Hes my buddy." For the second straight game, the Avalanche created some controversy. Forward Steve Downie drew the ire of the opponent a day after Roy was fined $10,000 by the league for his actions in the opener. Downie left his feet to deliver a hit on Roman Josi and knocked the Nashville defenceman out of the game with an upper-body injury. Shea Weber and Gabriel Bourque went after Downie before the officials broke it up. "Were trying to get all of that out of the game, launching yourself, especially the head shots," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "If you watch the film its pretty self-explanatory and the league will handle it correctly. There will be something to come out of it I think." It was a tough loss for the Predators, who lost a skilled defenceman when theyre struggling defensively. "We need some of our skill guys to step up. No production from some of our skill guys," Trotz said. "Weve got some work to do. There were lots of positivees, but the negative is we didnt win the game. Mason Crosby Super Bowl Jersey. " Colorado saw Downies hit differently. "That was a great hit. I thought it was a fair check," Roy said. "What I like about Steve is he is a great leader and he plays hard. He doesnt go wild. He stays composed, he stays focused and he doesnt get rattled." The Avalanche scored first for the second straight game. Jamie McGinn, who had two goals in Wednesdays win, gloved the puck in the slot and fired a shot on Rinne, who made the initial save. Parenteau jumped on the rebound and knocked it in to give Colorado a 1-0 lead with 1:10 left in the first period. "It was a great play by Jamie McGinn, keeping it in there and shooting at the net," Parenteau said. "It was a strong effort and I was there to get the rebound." Colorado made it 2-0 at 7:54 of the second with a goal from the fourth line. Bordeleau, the teams enforcer, tipped in a shot from the point by Nate Guenin for his third career goal. "Its just one of those plays where it just goes in," Rinne said. "I think it hit the post and went in. It was a good tip for him. Our guy, Gaustad, was trying to block the shot and it went through his legs." Nashville cut the lead in half with a goal at the end of a power play. Gaustad spun and used Avalanche defenceman Jan Hejda as a screen to beat Varlamov with 5:50 left in the second. The Predators couldnt get the equalizer, but they got back at Downie when defenceman Victor Bartley checked him into the Nashville goal at the end of a play midway through the third. "They came up and were supporting a teammate," Trotz said. Parenteau put the game away with an empty-net goal with 1:12 left. NOTES: The Predators said Josi will be evaluated this weekend. ... Avalanche C Gabriel Landeskog (leg) was scratched. He is day to day. ... Rinne is 11-4-1 against Colorado in his career. ... Nashville C Filip Forsberg was scratched with a lower body injury. ' ' '