Die Nacktbar » again on Saturday, held

TORONTO – The Maple Leafs dont have to look back too far in history to know how this story ends. Toronto has happily snatched up 15 of 18 points in the past three weeks, but not without a few troubling signs of late that has the group on alert. An all too brief window of shot suppression and structure after a pair of November blowouts has veered precisely in the opposite direction. The club has surrendered an average of 37 shots in the past six games, outshot by an average of nearly 10 in that span. Theyve scratched out wins on the strength on a powerhouse offence and of late, some fine goaltending, a formula history has proven flawed. Obviously winning is the No. 1 thing, head coach Randy Carlyle said. But we know and history has proven to us, if its proven to anybody, that if it continues, then our chances of having long-term success are going to go down. Last seasons nightmarish finish is all too fresh, the Leafs skating on a house of cards that eventually collapsed in another failed playoff miss. Process, rather than simple results, has been the approach in avoiding a similar fate this time around. That was the mindset after they were pummeled twice in a matter of days last month. They would focus on the details and let the results play out from there. One such detail or process goal as they dubbed it, was holding opponents under 25 shots, something they came close to managing in a trio of late November games. It was all about playing the right way, a mantra players and coaches co-opted last month. But as Carlyle noted Friday, the Leafs have gotten away from doing just that. Detroit peppered James Reimer with 42 shots on Wednesday, controlling the puck almost without exception in a game the Leafs lucked out in a shootout. A night earlier, the Leafs clung nervously to a one-goal lead in the third period, prevailing on the strength of Jonathan Berniers theatrics in a misleading 4-1 win over Calgary. Its not the recipe for success, said 37-year-old sage, Stephane Robidas. You look at teams that are successful, they play really good defensively and thats something we feel we need to correct, those areas of our game that can be better. For Robidas, it starts in those details; taking care of the puck, holding tighter position in the neutral zone and attacking the opposing defence with rigour. The Leafs dug out from the lowest point of their season – that 9-2 thrashing to Nashville at home – by focusing on those habits, subsequently spending less time defending and more time on the attack. The more time we can spend in the offensive zone, the better it is, Robidas said. Thats the best way to defend. The Red Wings, whom the Leafs host again on Saturday, held possession of the puck for more than 70 per cent of the affair at Joe Louis Arena. Only Reimers 41 saves kept it close enough for the visitors to steal in the shootout. However wearisome their play has been most recently, this Leafs group looks different from the one that flamed out last season. For one, they boast a deeper and more versatile lineup, no longer entirely reliant on one line for offence. Among others, Mike Santorelli, Peter Holland, Leo Komarov (still out with a concussion), and Richard Panik have spurred a more balanced attack. The Leafs trail only Tampa in nightly offence – 3.36 goals per game – managing 17 goals more than they had at this point a year ago. And thats with that aforementioned top unit puttering through the last few weeks at even-strength. We know we can score, thats just a given, said Nazem Kadri, whos emerged with eight points in the past seven games, but its just preventing goals and keeping goals out of our net and having those shot totals decrease a little bit. I think the last couple games have been a little iffy for us as far as the shot department goes, but thats something we can limit, no problem. This Leafs team also has shown to be capable on the penalty kill thus far, boasting a top-10 unit for much for the season. Continued success there alone would help stem some of the damage that gutted the club last year. And unlike that group of a year ago, the goaltending (until just recently) has been just good, but not great. Maybe most notable of all is the awareness of a group that now includes more seasoned types like Robidas, Santorelli and Daniel Winnik. Torontos group last year proved stubborn to Carlyles constant prodding and the need for change, rarely accepting that their flawed process to victory was ill-suited for long-term success. At about this point in December last year, they lost for the eighth time in 10 games at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Kadri brazenly declared afterward that theres lots of time. Fifty games left, theres no reason to panic. Its just something weve got to figure out in the dressing room. They never did. And while Kadri observed that the rising shot totals recently was something we can limit, no problem there was, at the very least, an acceptance of the concern. If less likely to completely implode, theres reason to believe this hot streak will cool some soon. Beyond just the obvious faults of their very recent play is that aforementioned offence, which is unlikely to pop at such a furious pace. The Leafs have scored four goals per game since Nov. 20, scoring on a better percentage of their shots than every team but one this season. Their PDO – which combines shooting percentage and save percentage to measure luck – suggests that such luck will regress some in the future. Continuing to yield nearly 40 shots every night is also an obvious formula for trouble and if improved marginally in the possession game – theyve crept from 30th to 27th overall – the Leafs are still amongst the worst in the league. I dont like to compare last year because we all know what happened in the end, said Carlyle, and thats really what were trying to guard against in this situation. We cant accept whats happening, but well accept the points. Nobody is going to say no we dont want the points but we understand that there is a better and more productive way for us to have long-term success. We have to change some of the things that are happening out there. Carlyle sold that point ahead of a weekend set with the Red Wings and Kings. The proof will be in our reaction, he said. Cheap Wade Boggs Jersey . Thats what he did over the past 2 1/2 years with the Washington Wizards. Wittmans approach helped turn the Wizards from pushover to playoff winners. Cheap Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys . - Their offence is underperforming. http://www.cheapraysjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-evan-longoria-jersey . -- J.R. Sweezy was the one part of the Seattle Seahawks offensive line that had avoided injuries or having to change positions this season. Cheap MLB Jerseys . He was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 5th. The 34-year-old Laval, Que. native has played six seasons with the Penguins. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . He still wanted out. "It just seemed like the direction they were going didnt fit what I thought my career was going to be," Kesler said. "At the end of the day I want to win a championship and I want to win it now, and four years is a little too long for me.Shenzhen, China (SportsNetwork.com) - Simona Halep of Romania was among the second-round winners Wednesday at the season-opening Shenzhen Open tennis tournament. The top-seeded Halep cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Russian wild card Natalia Vikhlyantseva to reach the quarterfinals. Next up for the French Open runner-up will be Serbian qualifier Aleksandra Krunic, who rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1 triumph over Slovakias Anna Schmiedlova. Eighth-seeded Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland also advanced Wednesday with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Italys Karin Knapp, setting up a quarterfinal against Russian veteran Vera Zvonareva. The former Wimbledon aand U.ddddddddddddS. Open runner-up followed her first-round upset of third-seeded Peng Shuai with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) win against Turkish qualifier Cagla Buyukakcay. Also Wednesday, Tereza Smitkova beat fellow Czech native Katerina Siniakova, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, earning a quarterfinal matchup with countrymate Petra Kvitova. The second seed advanced Tuesday with a second-round win over Serbias Bojana Jovanovski. Thursdays remaining quarterfinal will pit fourth-seeded Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan against Chinas Zheng Saisai -- both second-round winners Tuesday. Shenzhen serves as a tune-up for the Australian Open, which will begin Jan. 19 in Melbourne. ' ' '