Archiv » a over the next 10 days and progress to throwing live batting

TORONTO -- Seemingly unable to play their game for a full 60 -- or 65 -- minutes, the Toronto Maple Leafs have found themselves turning to the shootout. And this season, it has been working for them. Jonathan Bernier stopped all three Sabres in the shootout to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 win over Buffalo on Friday. It was a Toronto-record fourth straight shootout -- the Leafs split the four -- and improved its shootout record to 6-4 this season. Toronto is tied with Los Angeles with six shootout victories, behind only Washingtons 10. Five of those shootout wins have come at home. Prior to this season, Torontos career record was 29-45 in the shootout. Matt Moulson, Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons all failed to beat Bernier in the shootout Friday. Ryan Miller stopped Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk in the shootout. But Joffrey Lupul beat him on a nifty backhand. Sabres captain Steve Ott had scored with 25 seconds left in regulation with the Leafs trying to kill off a six-on-four after Dion Phaneuf was called for hooking with 51 seconds remaining and Miller out of the Buffalo goal. Ott, who had been flying in the third period, pounced on a Bernier rebound during a scramble and fired it into the net for his fifth of the season. "That hurt," said Toronto coach Randy Carlyle, whose crossed arms body language on the bench looked like he was suffering from a severe stomach ache. Jake Gardiner, Peter Holland and Kessel had scored second-period goals to put Toronto ahead 3-2 as the Leafs rallied from an ugly start. It appeared that would be enough for only the Leafs second regulation win in their last 19 outings. Toronto (19-16-5) was coming off shootout losses to the Rangers and Red Wings and early on looked like it was headed for disaster against the leagues worst team. The Leafs fell behind 2-0 in the first period but owned Buffalo for almost all of the final 40 minutes. Outshot 15-10 in the first period, the Leafs roared back in the second when they outshot Buffalo 17-5. "We were like two different hockey clubs," said Carlyle, who added most of the first-period woes were self-inflicted. "The stress level goes up in games like this," he added. "We dont dwell on the negative (although) well touch base with it. But the positive is we found a way to regroup and get ourselves back on track. But we have to play 60 minutes like we played the last two periods, as closer to it as we possibly can. "Its not easy winning in the NHL. Its proved night in, night out. Theres a lot of shootouts taking place. Were four in a row now." Despite Torontos shootout success, Carlyle is no fan. "Do we like shootouts? No." After the morning skate, he had said he would take three-on-three, even two-on-two over the shootout to decide games. Moulson and John Scott also scored for Buffalo (10-24-4) as the NHL re-opened for business after the Christmas break. "I thought we started off real well, but the second period shows you how you can get yourself in trouble when you keep turning the puck over," said interim Buffalo coach Ted Nolan. "We turned it over a number of times." "If theres any merit to what we deserved tonight, its what we got," he added. "Its one of those things where we played as bad as we could play and still get a point. We got what we deserved tonight." For Scott, a six-foot-eight, 259-pound tough guy, the score ended a 164-game goal drought. But he was in the penalty box for Torontos go-ahead goal in the second period by Kessel. Both teams had chances in overtime with the Leafs dominating the final minutes. Miller made huge saves on both Van Riemsdyk and Phaneuf. Bernier made 32 saves for the Leafs, who outshot Buffalo 42-35 including overtime. Bernier was shaken up early in the third when Ott, diving after a puck, plowed into him but the goalie stayed in. Miller deserved a better fate in the Buffalo goal. The Sabres arrived on a mini-streak, having won three of their last four and gone 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. That included a 2-1 overtime win over Phoenix on Monday in a game where Buffalo was only able to dress 16 because of a flu bug. Toronto was 3-5-2 over the same period. Buffalo has been woeful on the road this season, compiling a 3-13-1 record. No one else has less than six wins away from home. Toronto opened with some jump, outshooting the Sabres 6-2 with the second line of Lupul, Holland and Mason Raymond threatening. But Buffalo then ran off eight straight shots and two goals, with members of the Lupul-Holland-Raymond line on the ice for both of them. The two goals were just 52 seconds apart, drawing loud boos from the crowd of 19,405. Moulson scored the opening goal -- something the Sabres have only done eight times this season -- after Girgensons, coming out of the corner, fended off Holland like he was his kid brother. Girgensons then sent the puck to the crease where it appeared to hit Moulson and then Phaneuf. Moulson got credit for his 13th of the season at 7:01. Things got uglier when the Leafs turned the puck over and Bernier misplayed the ensuing shoot-in on goal and shot. There were rebounds galore before the puck bounced back to Scott in the slot and the big man fired it into a gaping goal at 7:53. Playing in his 200th career NHL game, Scott had doubled his goals total to two. Even Buffalos official Twitter feed was taken aback. "OH. MY. GOD! John Scott has given Buffalo a 2-0 lead!" read the Sabres tweet. Scotts only other goal was in November 2009. The Leafs looked in disarray and Carlyle couldnt get to the dressing room quick enough as the period ended to more boos. Things changed in the second period with the Sabres back on their heels seemingly trying to protect a rare lead. Toronto had an early power play but Miller hung tough in the face of prolonged pressure. Then the Leafs top line of Kessel, Nazem Kadri and Van Riemsdyk began to turn the screw. Gardiner finally beat Miller from the blue-line at 11:38 with Van Riemsdyk standing in front of goal and the Leafs dominating as if they had a man-advantage. It was Gardiners second of the season. Holland tied it up after Jamie McBain coughed the puck up in the Sabres corner and a falling Raymond managed to send it over to his centre, who beat Miller in-close for his sixth of the season at 16:25. That led to a mocking chant of "Miller, Miller" from the crowd. In truth, the goalie was all that was keeping the Sabres together in the period. A Scott penalty led a third Leaf goal from Kessel, who benefited from a nifty pass from Van Riemsdyk after a howitzer from Phaneuf at the blue-line. Kessels goal at 19:43 was his 18th of the season. The ice continued to tilt in Torontos favour in the third but it was slightly less so and the sandpaper-like Ott made things interesting by throwing himself into the fray. Bernier had to be sharp a couple of times when the Leafs defence sagged late. And Moulson mistimed a puck that went flying through the crease. Toronto defenceman Morgan Rielly hit the post at the other end seconds later. Custom Football Jerseys Throwback .Y. -- AJ Allmendingers journey is almost complete. Stitched Football Jerseys Throwback . TSN was honoured with several awards, with Rod Smith and James Duthie sharing the win for Best Sports Host for SportsCentre and the NHL: Season On The Brink coverage, respectively. http://www.cheapfootballthrowback.com/ . Its the second straight year he has decided not to play as he cuts back his schedule. Stricker was replaced in the field by Ryo Ishikawa of Japan. Football Jerseys Throwback Outlet . Last July, F1 teams held in-season testing sessions at Silverstone to assess new tires provided by Pirelli after several blowouts on the same circuit at the British Grand Prix in June prompted a furious response from drivers and even a boycott threat the following week. Clearance Football Jerseys Throwback . Picard had a goal and two assists to help Canada improve to 2-0 at the tournament. Seven different players scored for the two-time defending champions. "Today all four lines played excellent," said head coach Laura Schuler.PHOENIX - Richard Sherman didnt draw the biggest crowd Tuesday at media day, despite doing his best to spice up Super Bowl week with a running feud with New England owner Robert Kraft.Thats the way the lunacy of media day works. Marshawn Lynch has yet to voice a quality thought in public, yet he was somehow in more demand than a player who will debate almost anything in the world with whoever happens to ask.No matter. Sherman had enough to say for everyone, including a thought about the media responsibilities of his less than loquacious teammate in a league that demands its players be accountable but is often not accountable itself.I dont think they should be obligated any more than the commissioner is obligated to speak to the media, he said. I think that if players are going to be obligated to speak to the media then every one of the NFL personnel should be obligated to speak to the media weekly, and thats not the case.Makes sense, actually, though thats hardly surprising. While the public perception of the Seattle cornerback as a dreadlocked trash talker is well deserved, but it hardly tells the entire story of Richard Sherman, the man.The Stanford grad sat on his perch for 60 minutes Tuesday, and would have gladly sat for 60 more, answering questions about everything from his back-and-forth with Kraft to the kind of reality show he would most like to star in.He called for a phone-a-friend on one question about a reality show star. He danced a salsa with a woman from a Mexican television network, then asked a more serious reporter what his name was when he was finally asked a question that went to the heart of his game.Thank you Bob, Sherman said.At one point he got into a long debate with a New England area reporter who challenged him on his claim over the weekend that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is so tight with Kraft that he couldnt judge him fairly in the deflated balls dustup.Its difficult to have a discussion with someone who has no information, he told the woman. Did you do your research? I wish this had been a better debate, but its not. The levels arent there for us to properly debate this.And if that wwasnt enough, the son of a Compton, California, garbage man had enough time since the conference final to pen a column for Sports Illustrated, where he talked about the impending birth of his son and the different world he will come into than the one his father did.ddddddddddddWhere I came from, in Compton, kids were brainwashed into thinking that if they werent athletes or rappers or drug dealers they were nothing, Sherman wrote. My son will understand that hes in control of his own destiny and that education, work ethic and discipline will guide him to an even better life than Ive enjoyed.And you thought Sherman just berated opponents on national television. This is a guy so multitalented that Kraft, the razor salesman, called him a very smart marketing whiz Tuesday even after Sherman questioned his relationship with Goodell.Hes an extraordinary guy, Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. Hes got a great mind. Hes bright, hes sharp. Hes got wit, hes got creativity to him which is really what his game is like as well. Its just the whole person that were talking about.Seattle fans hope that whole person is actually whole come Sunday, when he and the secondary that has dominated for the past two seasons take on Tom Brady and the Patriots. Sherman suffered a sprained elbow against the Green Bay Packers, but he said it is responding to treatment.One thing that isnt hurting is Shermans mouth. Hes not hesitant to take on any opponent, as he showed in 2012 when he went up against Brady who was yelling at the game officials about some calls.You mad, Bro? Sherman asked.The conversations usually last longer but, well, Sherman had some game left to play. Hes got an even bigger one Sunday, when the play of he and the Seahawks secondary will almost surely be the key in the Super Bowl.Someone suggested that perhaps the thought of facing the fearsome secondary was giving Brady nightmares.Ever ready with a quip, Sherman didnt disappoint.I didnt know I was in his dream-sphere, he said.____Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg ' ' '