UNIONDALE, N.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. . Everton Preview West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has been around the game long enough to not get too high when things are going well and not get too low when they arent. . It was my fifth straight year attending and, as always, there are many interesting matters discussed as it pertains to the use of statistics in sports.
http://www.canadiensauthority.com/authe ... ns-jersey/. Felix Pie had an RBI double earlier in the inning, as Baltimore rallied for three runs to overcome a 3-2 deficit. J.J. Hardy had two hits and Matt Wieters chipped in with an RBI double for the Orioles, who pushed their winning streak to three games. . Torres scored the first goal by an English team in the knockout phase of the Champions League this season when he met Cezar Azpilicuetas cutback in the ninth minute of their first leg match in the last 16. But Chelsea failed to make the most of its counterattacks and the Turkish champions equalized in the second half after gaining in confidence and cutting out their defensive mistakes. . "There are a lot of things that are going very well in this organization. Im not coming in here to rip things apart," Nicholson told reporters Friday. "I know what Hockey Canada was when I started, and I know where this (Oilers) organization is today.TORONTO - They came into the CFL combine as the top prospects and Pierre Lavertu and David Foucault didnt do anything Sunday to diminish that standing. The two offensive linemen capped the weekend with solid performances in the one-on-one drills at Varsity Stadium although Foucault, who was battling the flu, also showed he was human. The six-foot-eight, 300-pound tackle was knocked on his backside in a one-on-one matchup with Western defensive end Dylan Ainsworth, who gave up six inches and 75 pounds on the Montreal Carabins offensive lineman. "He did the bullrush and kicked my ass," Foucault said with a chuckle. "I was too high in my stance and he took advantage of my weakness. "It was a good experience here to see all the best guys in Canada as well as the CFL teams. It was a good weekend." Lavertu, a six-foot-three, 300-pound lineman from Laval, and Foucault finished the season ranked second and third, respectively, on the CFL scouting bureaus top-15 prospects for this years draft. McGill tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who ended up No. 1, didnt attend as hell hold his pro day in Montreal next week for both NFL and CFL officials. That left the offensive line contingent with three of the remaining four top-ranked players — Simon Frasers Matthias Goossen ended the year at No. 5. The other was fourth-ranked St. Francis receiver Devon Bailey. Ottawa Redblacks scout Miles Gorrell, who played 19 CFL seasons as an offensive lineman, gushed about the O-line talent at the combine. "Their footwork and hand placement are very good, its clear theyre well coached," Gorrell said. "You see guys like Pierre Lavertu, David Foucault and Matthias Goossen stepping up to the plate and being able to prove to the coaches and scouts theyre ready to take the next step. "But a kid like Jaskaran Dhillon of UBC really impressed me, this was his first year playing on the offensive line. I also thought Terry Hart from Mount Allison did a great job and I also liked Kyle Patterson of Regina and Aaron Wheaton from the U of T." Gorrell also had words of encouragement for Foucault. "Ill guarantee you every offensive lineman has had that day," he said. "You consider a defensive lineman has 12 sacks in 18 games and hes had a great year but that means the offensive line has stopped him 98 per cent of the time. "Its all about how many times did you stop your opponent and David Foucault got beat on one play and Id say he was out there for 30 plays so what would you grade that as? Yes, Dylan Ainsworth rolled him but its going to happen to the best of them ... you just hope it doesnt stay on film forever." Mike OShea, the former CFL standout linebacker whos now the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, was impressed with Lavertus play. "Polished, he looked very good," OShea said. "Theres a bunch who look ready to go in the CFL and contribute right away." Predictably, Lavertu was hard on his performance Sunday. "I think it was half and half," he said. "I won some, lost some, but overall Im satisfied. "We were up against the best (defensive linemen) in the country and I have to show the scouts Im one of the top-ranked players." Unfortunately for Lavertu and the other prospects, the CFL draft wont be held until May 13. But Lavertu has plenty to keep himself occupied with between now and then. "Ill go back to the gym to make sure I am ready," he said. "Ill work on my core, my leg strength and my technique." Manitobas Evan Gill, the scouting bureaus top-ranked defensive lineman at No. 6, displayed impressive brute strength Sunday. However, not having been in pads since the end of the season took its toll on the six-foot-three 300-pound Winnipeg native. "It was tough knocking the rust off," he said. "Youre getting a lot of reps at once and youre getting gassed out there, its tough moving at that fast pace. "But its not necessarily how you perform, its how you move, how your body works ... theyre the top coaches, theyre professionals and theyll mould you into what they want. Overall, I think the weekend was a success because I met with all nine teams and I wanted to tell them my story and I feel I accomplished that." Laval defensive back Adam Thibault was a standout individually. Thibault, ranked No. 13 on the CFLs top-15 list, had the top 40-yard dash time of 4.454 seconds and also finished first in the left and right agility drills as well as the shuttle. However Thibault, who had a personal-best 18 reps in the bench press Saturday — tops among the defensive backs — couldnt go in the one-on-one drills due to an apparent hamstring injury. Many prospects showed their versatility Sunday. Concordia defensive lineman Quinn Smith performed quite well lining up as an offensive lineman while both Ainsworth and Saint Marys Nigel Romick also worked with the linebackers. As well, Simon Fraser linebacker Casey Chin was impressive as a long-snapper. Given the limitations of a CFLs 42-man active roster, versatility is a much sought-after commodity by coaches and GMs. "The more you can do the better," Gorrell said. "If you can carry the water jug and get the coaches doughnuts, its all good." Here is a list of all the top performers in each event. Bench Press Rank Player Pos School Result 1 David Menard DL Montreal 33 T2 Pierre Lavertu OL Laval 32 T2 Terry Hart OL St.dddddddddddd Francis Xavier 32 4 Kyle Paterson OL Regina 30 T5 Matthias Goosen OL Simon Fraser 29 T5 Evan Gill DL Manitoba 29 Complete results 40-Yard Dash Rank Player Pos School Result 1 Adam Thibault DB Laval 4.45 2 Antoine Pruneau DB Montreal 4.48 3 Derek Jones DB Simon Fraser 4.51 4 Anthony Coombs RB Manitoba 4.52 5 Tore Corrado WR Simon Fraser 4.56 Complete results Vertical Jump Rank Player Pos School Result 1 Evan Pszczonak WR Windsor 40.00 2 Jesse Briggs LB McGill 38.5 3 Adam Thibault DB Laval 37.5 4 Anthony Coombs RB Manitoba 37.0 5 Andrew Lue DB Queens 36.5 Complete results Broad Jump Rank Player Pos School Result 1 Andrew Lue DB Queens 105 2 Raye Hartman DB St. Francis Xavier 104 3 Dylan Ainsworth DE Western 102.5 4 Kris Bastien WR Concordia 101 5 Kris Bastien WR Concordia 1005 Complete results Shuttle Rank Player Pos School Result 1 Adam Thibault DB Laval 4.03 2 Antoine Pruneau DB Montreal 4.05 3 Anthony Coombs RB Manitoba 4.15 4 Devon Bailey WR St. Francis Xavier 4.19 5 Tore Corrado WR Simon Fraser 4.22 Complete results Three-Cone Drill Rank Player Pos School Result 1 Tore Corrado WR Simon Fraser 7.03 2 Andrew Lue DB Queens 7.07 3 Derek Jones DB Simon Fraser 7.21 T4 Guillaume Bourassa RB Laval 7.22 T4 Eric Black DB St. Marys 7.22 Complete results ' ' '
