OTTAWA – Jonathan Bernier and Nazem Kadri left the nations capital under the cloud of injuries as the Leafs pulled out a 3-2 exhibition victory. [url=http://www.vapormaxkaufenschweiz.com/vapormax-damen-schweiz/vaporma x-weiss-outlet.html]Vapormax Damen Schwarz Schweiz[/url] . Scheduled to play his fir

OTTAWA – Jonathan Bernier and Nazem Kadri left the nations capital under the cloud of injuries as the Leafs pulled out a 3-2 exhibition victory. Vapormax Damen Schwarz Schweiz . Scheduled to play his first full outing of the exhibition season against the Senators on Thursday night, Bernier departed after just a period at the Canadian Tire Centre, nursing an undisclosed injury. Kadri left two shifts into the third frame with a bruised left hand. Neither injury appeared serious, but both offered a scare with the regular season less than two weeks away. Competing for the starting job with James Reimer this fall, Berniers injury first occurred at the Leafs morning skate in Toronto, the team flying to Ottawa later that afternoon. "I wanted to give it a try," said Bernier, reluctant to offer much in the way of details as to his injury. "[But] it just felt worse, I guess, as the game was going so I just figured it was a better move to step off. Its a long season." The 25-year-old faced 11 shots in 20 minutes – yielding a goal to Fredrik Claesson – giving way to Drew MacIntyre following the opening frame. "It felt okay," he continued, "but I guess thats why I came off." Bernier didnt consider the mysterious injury to be overly concerning and hoped to play in at least two of the remaining six exhibition games. Overall, after two-plus periods in two games, the former King is feeling optimistic about his performance. "I want to play a full game and obviously that was the plan tonight, but it didnt happen," he said. "Im starting to feel better, seeing the play a little bit slower than the first game." Kadri, meanwhile, managed to defeat Jean-Gabriel Pageau in the faceoff dot early in the third before he too was forced to depart. The 23-year-old took a puck awkwardly off the hand late in the second frame, suffering from a "little bit of bruising" shortly thereafter. "He just felt that he couldnt grasp his stick," Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said of Kadris exit from the game. X-rays came back negative on the prospective second line centre, a huge sigh of relief to the organization with the October 1 opener in Montreal fast approaching. The Leafs are already dealing with injuries to Colton Orr (bone bruise) and Frazer McLaren (finger) and appear to have just gotten past an early issue with Joffrey Lupul (back). Injuries to the likes of Kadri and Bernier thus would only add to the concern. At this point, it appears the club may have dodged a pair of bullets. Five Points 1. Time is now for Colborne Randy Carlyle issued a challenge of sorts to a player on the bubble ahead of Thursdays game with the Senators. "Joe Colbornes got to separate himself from some people here," Carlyle said of the 23-year-old, paired with James van Riemsdyk and David Clarkson at the outset of an eventual win. "The time is now for a player like Colborne to show that hes got the necessary assets and attitude and commitment to make an impression in the NHL." So far, that case remains muddled. While he boasts a real shot to crack an NHL roster for the first time in his career, Colborne, as of yet, has done little to "separate himself" at camp. He has yet to consistently demonstrate the capacity in which he could be of use at the next level. On Thursday night, the Calgary native totaled 15-plus minutes opposite Ottawa, mustering just one shot while falling on 11 of 16 draws. Before the injury to Kadri, he had been shifted away from the power duo of van Riemsdyk and Clarkson and onto a unit with Nik Kulemin and David Broll. "The bus only goes by so many times and you want to be on that bus," Carlyle continued, though speaking more generally about the process of earning a job. "Youre going to get so many opportunities. Who knows when the last one is... If you want to ride to downtown you want to get on the bus." Following Thursdays game, Carlyle said he thought Colborne "played okay". 2. Rielly Watch Morgan Rielly suited up for the third of the Leafs three exhibition games, totaling 20 minutes alongside Paul Ranger. Looking to crack the NHL as a 19-year-old, Rielly has focused his attention this fall on proving his worth in the defensive zone. "Obviously I knew that would be an area of the game that I would have to concentrate on," he told TSN.ca of the physical aspect of defending. "And I put quite a bit of hard work in terms of training into that area in order to be okay down low and what not. I feel like its going pretty well so far." Rielly got his first taste of the professional game with the Marlies this past spring, the B.C.-native playing in 14 games before adding eight more in the playoffs. The experience, defending against bigger and stronger competition, proved beneficial, handing the fifth overall pick an early lesson ahead of his first full training camp this fall. "I was pretty happy with the way that I played in terms of handling the puck and on the power-play and that kind of stuff," he said of the American League experience, "but when it came to playing in our own end, having to play against some older players down low I knew that that was an area I had to improve. "I kind of realized that if I wanted to make the jump I had to keep getting stronger and I think thats an area I put a lot of work into and Im happy with the way it went." 3. Positive impressions continue from Raymond For the second time in as many games Mason Raymond offered a burst of the speed that may well earn him a place on the Leafs roster. Raymond broke free of Chris Wideman by just a step, enough to tap in a cross-ice feed from the streaking James van Riemsdyk in the second frame against Ottawa. "It feels good," he said, "but yeah I need to continue to build on that." A veteran of six NHL seasons, Raymond finds himself in the uncomfortable and unusual position of being without a contract, toiling on a professional tryout with the Leafs. "Its different, but those are situations you cant control," Raymond said of his current standing. "This is reality, this is a situation that Im in and youve got to make the most of it. Again I dont know why it happened or what it is, but as I said thats reality and you just have to go out and control what you can control and put your best foot forward." 4. Gunnarssons health At issue for the entirety of the 2013 season, Carl Gunnarsson is feeling good about his hip after a weeks worth of training camp. Inked to a three-year contract in the summer, the 26-year-old told TSN.ca that while the injury would still require treatment throughout the year, it felt considerably better from where it began last season. "Not saying that Im not going to have to get treatment or stay on top of it every day because thats what its going to be," Gunnarsson said, noting the need for regular treatment, including electronic acupuncture. "I think thats how it is for every injury. If you have a knee surgery or you strained your ACL or whatever it might be, youve got to stay on top of that. Some guys play with braces or whatever it might be. I feel way better from last year so thats a good feeling coming into this season. Hopefully its going to stay on this level and whenever we get a couple days off just treat it the way it needs to be treated." 5. Depth in Marshall Kevin Marshall has quietly made a positive impression on the Leafs coach through the first week of training camp. Formerly of the Flyers, where he played in 10 games, Marshall adds depth for the club on the back-end. "You notice him in his battle and compete level," Carlyle observed of Marshall. "When you can surround your organization and fill your organization with people that have that attitude towards playing it makes everybody better because youve got to compete for your space on the ice and youve got to compete for your job." A second round selection of Philadelphia in 2007, Marshall spent last season in the American League, splitting time between Hershey and Toronto, the latter as a Marlie for 24 games (including the playoffs). With T.J. Brennan added in the offseason via free agency, the Leafs now boast 10 defenders with NHL experience – including the unsigned Cody Franson – a valuable commodity over the grind of 82 games. Vapormax Plus Schweiz . The 36-year-old said a few months ago he would hang up his boots at the end of the season, but has since changed his mind. "Its a pity the season is ending now, as I am in good physical shape and enjoying myself," Di Natale said. Vapormax Schweiz . This week, they discuss the NCAAs revenue sharing, Don Zimmer, soccer language and Super Bowl 50. http://www.vapormaxkaufenschweiz.com/vapormax-herren-schweiz.html . -- Theres nothing like winning to bring hope for a struggling team.TORONTO – What a difference three and a half weeks makes. At about this point last month the Maple Leafs were embarrassed, disillusioned, and broken after the second serious drubbing in a matter of days. “It can’t get worse than that can it?” Phil Kessel wondered a day after his team was pumped for nine goals at the ACC. Completely unforeseeable then, the Leafs have emerged almost unscathed from that point, now pushing Tampa, Detroit and Montreal for a share of the Atlantic Division lead. They won for the ninth time in 11 games Sunday night (9-1-1) – fifth straight – edging past the defending champs in a shootout on the second end of a back-to-back. “I think we’ve definitely come a long way,” Cody Franson said after the 4-3 win over L.A., the 13th for Toronto in 20 home games. “We’ve paid attention to the details that make us successful and we’re becoming more consistent with it.” They’ve won in all kinds of ways since that low-point, but the Leafs have mostly relied on the league’s hottest offence, solid special teams and, of late, very fine goaltending. It’s not always been pretty or consistent in the manner conducive to long-term success, but this group has managed to stack chips in an unforeseen way since they were booed off the ice in mid-November. On this night Toronto built up a two-goal lead, fell back in a middle frame owned by the Kings, lost control of the lead and then rebounded to win on the strength of a power-play goal and perfect shootout effort by James Reimer. They did this just one night after outplaying the equally hot Red Wings in a game that showcased the kind of structure they’ve strived to play with more consistently. “I think it shows we’re growing as a team,” said Stephane Robidas, credited with 12 hits against the Kings. “We always talk about playing the right way and we want to do it for 60 minutes. And obviously playing two games in two nights you’d need to play the right way, you just can’t show up.” L.A.’s size presented a whole whack of challenges for the Leafs and they dominated the possession battle as such. But the home side stuck with it even after Marian Gaborik pushed the Kings ahead early in the third frame, tying the score on a James van Riemsdyk power-play goal. What’s maybe most impressive about this stretch for the Leafs is how little they’ve really gotten from van Riemsdyk and some of their top players. Power-play theatrics aside, the Leafs top line of Kessel, van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak has done little in the past month. Not only is the trio not producing offence at even-strength, but they continue to spend shift after shift in the defensive zone. The line held less than 30 per cent possession on Sunday and has been under 40 per cent for the past three-plus weeks. Instead it’s those like Mike Santorelli, Daniel Winnik and Nazem Kadri who continue to make contributions in their place. That trio not only produced two of the three goals on this night, but held L.A.’s top line of Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter and Dustin Brown off the board entirely. “I think this is probably the best our team’s been playing,” said Kadri. “These aren’t easy games to come out and play, especially off back-to-backs.” The Leafs have beaten a slew of quality teams during this hot streak, topping the Lightning, Canucks, Wings (three times) and now the Kings. They’ve outscored the opposition 44-25 in that span, the goaltending picking up steam along the way. Reimer, who made 33 saves Sunday, and Jonathan Bernier have combined to post a .957 save percentage in the past five games. “We’d like to keep this ball rolling in our direction and not allow it to go in any other direction,” Carlyle said. Five Points 1. Top Line in Name Only Continuing one of the better all-around stretches of his NHL career, Kadri led Toronto forwards in ice-time Sunday, also out-pacing Bozak in that department for the seventh time in nine games while adding his 10th point in the past 10 games. He and linemates, Winnik and Santorelli, were the Leafs most productive at playing in the offensive zone, thereby forcing the Kings top trio, whom they were matched up with, to defend. “They’re able to play their game and they’re able to create chances and possitive possession time and positive zone time,” Carlyle said. Air Max 97 Outlet. “So I think those are the three things that you look at. If you’re playing in the other team’s zone it’s pretty hard for them to score on you.” On the opposite end of that spectrum were Kessel, van Riemsdyk and Bozak. They were the Leafs worst at possessing the puck and have been for the past month. 2. Unsustainable Only Kessel has more points at even-strength among Leafs than Santorelli, who celebrated his 29th birthday with his sixth goal of the year and an assist. Santorelli has an unlikely 18 even-strength points and is on pace for 60 points overall, a mark that would smash the career-high 41 points he managed as a Florida Panther in 2010-11. It’s unlikely though that he continues to produce offence at such a potent rate. The B.C. native entered the game against the Kings with an on-ice shooting percentage (which measures team shooting percentage when a player is on the ice) approaching 13 per cent, an inflated level that’s higher than the career mark of Sidney Crosby. Kadri thrived with such luck during the lockout campaign. He posted 44 points in 48 games on the strength of a league-best on-ice shooting percentage of nearly 15 per cent. That number tumbled to a more reasonable level of nine per cent last year and a dip in production followed; Kadri posted a respectable 50 points, not close though to the near point-per-game mark of that fortunate season. Likely offensive cool-down aside, Santorelli has nonetheless been a valuable find at $1.5 million for the Leafs. He was recently added to both the penalty kill and power-play units. 3. More Santorelli Daniel Winnik offered this assessment on Santorelli. “I think probably the most unique part of his game is his cutbacks,” Winnik said. “I don’t think I’ve played with a guy with quicker turn-backs than him.” That’s an area of the game – quickly changing directions along the boards – Santorelli targets daily after practice and during the offseason. 4. 48 Hours Sunday’s affair against the Kings completed the Leafs seventh back-to-back set of 18 this season. They improved to 5-1-1 in the second game of those sets, an impressive mark. Robidas, on the road to 1,000 NHL games, says two games in 48 hours should be no big deal. “You’ve just got to go out there and play,” he said. “We’ve done it in the past. You play in the minors [and] you play three games in three nights. For me it’s not an excuse.” The early 5 p.m. start time required some adjustments to routines, though, including the always important pre-game nap. “You address your schedule accordingly,” said Winnik beforehand. “Just push everything back two hours pretty much.” 5. Mumps Sidney Crosby’s positive mumps diagnosis dragged the issue into the NHL’s forefront, even pushing Carlyle to get his shot Sunday. “They dragged me in,” he said with a chuckle. “I was the last one. I thought that I had it 58 years ago so I didn’t think I’d need another one, but I guess there’s a new strain out...” Players have been offered the shot and advised to take precaution where possible. Crosby was the 13th NHL player diagnosed with the mumps this season, Rangers centre, Derrick Brassard joining that list later in the day. Stats-Pack 20 – Points combined in the past 10 games for Nazem Kadri and Mike Santorelli. 12 – Hits credited to Stephane Robidas on Sunday. 7 – Number of times in the past nine games that Kadri has gained more ice-time than Tyler Bozak. 5-1-1 – Leafs record on the second game of back-to-back sets. 6-2-1 – Leafs record vs. the Western Conference. 13-0-0 – Leafs record when scoring first. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-3 Season: 20.7% PK: 2-2 Season: 83.6% Quote of the Night “Looking back at that that was definitely a time of a little bit of soul-searching. We knew that’s not going to be acceptable, especially on home ice. The way we lost that game was very disheartening, but we took it the right way and were able to learn from it and it turned out to be a good thing I guess.” - James van Riemsdyk, on the Leafs response to a 9-2 home loss last month. Up Next The Leafs host the Ducks on Tuesday night. ' ' '