Chatecke » The Saints answered with an elongated

PITTSBURGH – The good was ultimately overshadowed by the bad. Michael Young Rangers Jersey . Unraveling at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, the Leafs dropped their third game in the last four, falling prey to the potency of a relentless Penguins attack. The visitors failed to land even a single shot in the third period and overtime. "I thought we did some things good for parts of the game," said James van Riemsdyk, who had three points in the 6-5 shootout defeat, "but obviously against a team like that you give them an inch and theyre going to take it all." A string of penalties, an increasingly ineffective penalty kill, and a submissive third period spelled doom for the Leafs on this night. Leads of 4-1 and 5-3 evaporated into another concerning loss, this one on the heels of a 6-0 pounding from Columbus on Monday night. "Therere some good things we did in the game tonight that put us in the position we were in," said Cody Franson, referring to the aforementioned leads, "but weve got to do a better job from the position of holding a lead." Riding out the wave of an early first period storm, momentum was firmly on the Toronto side in the opening moments of the middle frame. Bang-bang goals from van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel 29 seconds apart in the first minute of the second bumped the lead to 4-1 while ending the night of Marc-Andre Fleury. What followed, however, was a disastrous string of five consecutive penalties, the imposing Pittsburgh power play scoring three times before Evgeni Malkin finally evened the score at five early in the third. Owning the final frame, the Penguins outshot the Leafs 17-0, not a single shot coming the way of rookie netminder Jeff Zatkoff until the shootout; he stopped both Tyler Bozak and David Clarkson. "We stopped skating. We stopped forechecking. We stopped playing," said Randy Carlyle of his teams final 25 minutes, frustrated with a number of issues including the officiating on this night. "Theres no explanation for us not getting any shots in the third period." The Leafs are now 4-5-2 in the month of November – only two of those wins in regulation – the underlying concerns of a seemingly quick start coming to the forefront. Carlyle has been banging loud on the drum for improvements all year – even amid a 6-1-0 start – more urgently of late though. And while the Leafs certainly did some good on this night, including an effective fore-check that helped generate two of the four even-strength goals – they had 10 such goals in the previous 10 games – it was disturbingly overshadowed by the ills of what went wrong. Defensive issues, both at even-strength and on the penalty kill – Jonathan Bernier faced 48 shots, four nights after James Reimer faced 50 – amid an inconsistently produced style have left the group in search of answers as a three-game road trip continues in Buffalo on Friday night. "There was obviously some really good stuff," said Carl Gunnarsson, "but how it ended doesnt feel that good. "We got one point, but the way it looked going into the third I think we all wanted more than that." Five Points 1. Struggling Penalty Kill As the second-best penalty kill in the NHL last season the Leafs allowed only 19 power play goals in 48 games. Disjointed in recent weeks and now ranked 20th overall this season, the unit has already allowed 20 power play goals in just 25 games. The Penguins scored three on Wednesday night, the fourth time already this season that the Leafs have yielded two or more in a game (they gave up two or more only three times all of last season). Over the past 11 games, the special teams unit has yielded 13 goals on 44 opportunities for a shallow success rate of 71 per cent. "PK wasnt really there today," said Gunnarsson. "We took too many stupid penalties." Increasing the pressure on the troubled penalty kill has been the number of penalties. Only one team (Ottawa) has taken more minor penalties this season than the 113 the Leafs have been whistled for. Jerred Smithson was called for a questionable hold in the offensive zone moments into the third and van Riemsdyk was then penalized less than a minute later for hooking, also in the offensive zone. James Neal scored on the subsequent five-on-three advantage, the third Pittsburgh goal with the man advantage. "It gave them all the momentum," Carlyle said of the penalties. "You cant take penalties in the offensive zone. You cant take penalties when youre down a man. It was a hooking and a hold." 2. More Pressure on the Goalie Yielding 48 to the Penguins the Leafs are now dead-last in shots against this season (36.1 per game). While Bernier and Reimer both succeeded amid relentless onslaughts early and often this season, including a 49-save performance from the latter on Saturday night, the heavy pressure has, of late, been too difficult to withstand. During this recent four-game struggle, of which the Leafs have lost three, Bernier and Reimer have combined to post an .892 save percentage. 3. Disaster Frame Cody Franson hadnt realized his team had failed to generate even a single shot in the third until it was announced in the arena. It was the first time since April 2000 that the Leafs landed zero shots on goal in a period. "We received most of that period," Franson said. Unable to mount any kind of resistance to the Penguins attack the Leafs wilted under the considerable pressure and skill of their opponent. Rarely was a moment or more spent in the offensive zone, almost no work to be had for Zatkoff and plenty on the opposite end for Bernier. "They were coming and we couldnt really ride out the storm," said Gunnarsson. "Weve got an old enough group and a veteran core that should be able to grab a hold of it and make a difference with our structure and the way we were playing," Carlyle said. 4. Officiating Concerns Among the frustrations for Carlyle and the Leafs was the officiating. Most disturbing to them was the non-call on Malkins game-tying goal. "He pushed the goalie first and then deposited the puck," said Carlyle of Malkin, who edged Bernier into the goal before pushing the puck across the line. "But were not supposed to complain about that stuff." Asked if he received any explanation, Carlyle said, "By that time they didnt want to talk to anybody. They get to a position where they think that they dont have to talk to people I guess." The Leafs coach also wasnt pleased with the "soft call" on Smithson early in the third. "I dont know what hes supposed to do," Carlyle said. "He got on the right side of the guy and he took the man out. They saw it differently." Additionally befuddling Nazem Kadri was a goaltender interference call that opened the doors to the home teams comeback. Bumping incidentally into Zatkoff behind the Pittsburgh goal, Kadri and the opposing Penguins were initially told that no call would be made; Zatkoff, they said, had caused the contact. An official behind the play though deemed it a penalty. 5. Gardiner Scratched A healthy scratch 10 times last season, Jake Gardiner was scratched for the first time this season on Wednesday night. Gardiner, who actually led the Leafs with nearly 24 minutes against the Blue Jackets on Monday, didnt appear pleased with the news but seemed to understand it. "I didnt play good so I wasnt too surprised," Gardiner said of his last game, which also saw him on the ice for three goals against in a 6-0 defeat to Columbus. "Ive just got to make better decisions with the puck." Carlyle, who had a lengthy chat with Gardiner at Wednesdays morning skate, said lineup changes would be made with the "best interest of the team" in mind. "That wont change," he said. "Thats our DNA and weve been very honest and forthcoming with our players that thats the decisions we make and sometimes it doesnt always sit well with individuals and it shouldnt. If your numbers not called you should be upset." Paul Ranger replaced Gardiner in the lineup against the Penguins. Teamed with Morgan Rielly, Ranger played nearly 22 minutes after sitting the past two games himself. "Just be a little more consistent, just all around with decisions," Ranger said of re-entering the lineup. "Keep pushing to get back into the pace of the game here. Be reliable in my own and make some good breakout passes and play the system that were playing." Bonus Point - Lupuls Luck Over the course of his first five seasons in the NHL, Joffrey Lupul rarely missed a game. Lupul played in 372 of 405 games (with the Ducks, Oilers and Flyers) or 92 per cent of the time. The next five seasons would bring with it a different strain of luck. The now 30-year-old played in 181 of 316 games (with the Ducks and Leafs) or just 57 per cent of the time. Having already missed time in Toronto with a dislocated right shoulder, fractured right forearm, concussion, and bruised foot, Lupul will now miss at least two weeks with a groin injury. "Thats the ballpark figure they gave us," said Carlyle, who replaced Lupul in the lineup with Peter Holland. Stat-Pack 71% – Success rate for the Leaf penalty kill in the past 11 games. 19 – Number of power play goals allowed by the Leafs in 48 games last season. 20 – Number of power play goals allowed by the Leafs in 25 games this season. 3 – Multi-goal games for James van Riemsdyk this season. 0 – Shots in the final 25 minutes for the Leafs on Wednesday night. 2 – Even-strength points for Phil Kessel in November. Kessel scored his team-leading 13th goal this season in the middle frame on Wednesday night. 24:37 – Ice-time for Tyler Bozak against the Penguins, first among Leaf forwards. 113 – Minor penalties for the Leafs this season, second most in the NHL. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-3 Season: 24.7% PK: 2-5 Season: 79.4% Quote of the Night "We cant expect our goalies to stop 50 shots a night." - Carl Gunnarsson, following a 48-shot outing for Jonathan Bernier on Wednesday night. Up Next The Leafs make their final trip to Buffalo on Friday, clashing with the Sabres for the third time this season. Nomar Mazara Rangers Jersey . It led to his downfall on Tuesday. The Major League Soccer club fired Rennie after a second straight up-and-down season that saw the Whitecaps start strong before limping across the finish line. Rangers Jerseys 2020 .Y. -- The Montreal Canadiens have had few reasons to celebrate this season as they have been mired near the basement of the Eastern Conference. https://www.cheaprangersbaseball.com/772h-will-clark-jersey-rangers.html . It has been eleven years, eight months, and 261 days since I played my last CFL game.Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - New Orleans followed up Sunday nights drubbing of Green Bay with another impressive showing. Except this one came on the road. And it put the Saints on top of the so-so NFC South. Mark Ingram ran for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns and New Orleans defeated the Carolina Panthers 28-10 on Thursday night. The Saints broke a scoreless deadlock by scoring on three straight possessions in between the second and third quarters to build a 21-7 advantage and cruised the rest of the way en route to ending their seven-game, regular-season road losing streak. Following a career-high 172 rush yards Sunday, Ingram topped the 100-yard mark again after tallying just one 100-yard rushing performance prior in his first 40 games. Drew Brees was 24-of-34 for 297 yards with a touchdown and an interception and added a rushing score for the Saints (4-4), who have bounced back from a 1-3 start by winning three of their last four contests. Jimmy Graham caught seven passes for 83 yards and a score, while Kenny Stills added five receptions for 72 yards in the triumph. Junior Galette recorded two of New Orleans four sacks and its defense held Cam Newton to just 151 yards passing with an interception on just 10-of-28 efficiency. Newton carried the ball seven times for 43 yards and a touchdown for Carolina (3-5-1), which accumulated just 231 total yards. The Panthers are 1-5-1 since a 2-0 start. The first of the Saints three straight scores came at the 2:38 mark of the second quarter. Newton initially eluded some Saints pressure by moving to his right, but didnt see a converging Galette from behind as he strip-sacked him at the Carolina 4. New Orleans linebacker Curtis Lofton recovered the loose ball and Ingram followed the pulling left guard Ben Grubbs off the right side for a 3-yard TD run two snaps later. The Saints defense then forced a three-and-out and briskly traveled 85 yards in 10 plays to put another touchdown on the board right before the half. Brees hit Stills for a 17-yard completion on a 3rd-and-10 and Carolina cornerback Antoine Cason committed a pass interference on Robert Meachem in the end zone on a 3rd-and-17 from the Carolina 33. Shawn Kelley Jersey. . Brees then flipped a back-shoulder throw to Graham isolated in coverage in the back right corner of the end zone with three ticks to go in the half. Carolina picked up 70 yards of offense on its initial march of the third, nearly matching its first half total of 89. DeAngelo Williams took a screen pass for 30 yards on the opening play and Newton finished off the sequence with a 10-yard TD run. On the highlight-reel score, Newton spun to his left to escape from cornerback Patrick Robinsons blitz off the edge and ran away from Galette along the left sideline before diving inside the 5 and reaching the ball out inside the left pylon. The Saints answered with an elongated 6:10, 14-play, 80-yard series. Brees found Brandin Cooks for a 15-yard completion on an initial 3rd-and-9, hit Stills to pick up 12 on a 3rd-and-7 and snuck it in on fourth down to complete the drive late in the third. Graham Gano nailed a 31-yard field goal early in the fourth to get Carolina within 21-10, but the Saints drained the ensuing 7:27 off the clock prior to Ingram darting through for the back-breaking 3-yard score with 5:30 left. New Orleans turned the ball over on its first two touches, each while in Carolina territory. Panthers defensive tackle Dwan Edwards hauled in a deflected pass while the Saints were driving inside the red zone on their first sequence, and Mario Addison recovered a Brees fumble following Charles Johnsons strip-sack on their second. Carolina, though, couldnt capitalize despite driving into Saints territory on each of its first three series. Saints cornerback Corey White picked off Newton to end the Panthers third drive after Brenton Bersin dropped a pass over the middle early in the second. Game Notes Ingram became the first Saints back to run for over 100 yards in consecutive games since Deuce McAllister from Dec. 3-10 of the 2006 season ... New Orleans began the season 0-4 away from home ... The Saints had 375 total yards ... New Orleans was 7-of-13 on third down, while the Panthers finished 6-of-14. ' ' '