SAN JOSE – Through the first 10 minutes of an incredibly one-sided middle period the hometown Sharks had wrung up 15 shots to just a single measly one for their counterparts from Toronto. Cheap Thomas Morstead Jersey . It was that kind of night in San Jose for the Maple Leafs, trounced 6-2 on the second stop of their three-game tour through the perilous California triangle. Though they managed to elude the Ducks in Anaheim just a night earlier, Toronto could not ultimately find the necessary juice to topple another giant at the SAP Center on Tuesday night. “It was like there was one puck and they had it,” said head coach Randy Carlyle afterward. “We didnt have a chance to play with it much. That gets frustrating for everybody.” About as dominant as they get in the NHL on home ice – theyre now 25-4-4 – and in the league generally speaking, the Sharks took control for good on this night midway through the first and right on into that dominant second frame, one that saw them plaster 17 shots on an often helpless James Reimer. In fact, San Jose had rung up more shots at one point in the early stages of the period alone than the Leafs had mustered all night. “I thought we did a lot of things that gave them a lot of opportunities, specifically turning the puck over,” Carlyle said of the effort, his team outshot 48-21 overall. “And we didnt skate. We were standing still.” Marc-Edouard Vlasic landed the games first goal before four minutes had elapsed on the clock, capitalizing on a careless Jake Gardiner defensive zone giveaway. Gardiner matched the marker himself 25 seconds later on a rush with Mason Raymond, but from that point on the waters firmly swung in the Sharks direction. Punishing the Leafs with their size, speed and skill, they would score four unanswered, including a pair from Joe Pavelski. “Just from the very beginning we werent ready to play,” said Gardiner, who added a second goal in defeat. It was only the fourth regulation loss for the Leafs in the past 21 games – 14-4-3 – an unlikely stretch which has seen them capture points with incredible regularity. They sit second in the Atlantic division even after Tuesdays defeat, one point up on the Canadiens with 78 points. Considering that overall performance in the past two months, this most recent defeat would appear a one-off beat-down at the hands of an elite opponent, one with very real Stanley Cup aspirations this season. One loss can turn into two pretty quickly on the left coast though with another lofty challenge lying ahead for the Leafs on Thursday night. Theyll face the Kings, winners of eight straight, at the Staples Center. “You have to flush it,” said Dion Phaneuf of the loss, which snapped a three-game win streak. “Theres no sitting around pouting about it because were going into a building with a team thats playing very well right now. Theres no time to sit around and pout.” Five Points 1. Scary Collision It was the signature Phaneuf open-ice hit. Only instead of landing the desired opponent, Patrick Marleau in this case, Phaneufs shoulder caught the head of James van Riemsdyk in a thunderous collision of teammates. Remaining down for a few moments, van Riemsdyk left the ice for concussion tests only to return a short while later, however unlikely given the blowout. “I was pretty worried when [I saw] him go off the ice, but very relieved to see him come back and talk to him and know that hes okay,” said Phaneuf. It was odd to see the 24-year-old return – he had four shifts afterward – given his recent concussion history. van Riemsdyk missed 15 games with a concussion during the 2011-12 season, but was deemed fine to return in the latter stages of the final frame on this night. Oddly enough, his skate laces on both skates were cut in the collision. “I dont know how that happened,” said Carlyle, managing a grin. 2. Scraps Plenty frustrated with the nights proceedings, Toronto assumed the league-lead in fighting with four more scraps in San Jose and 44 now on the year. Troy Bodie, David Clarkson, Tim Gleason and Joffrey Lupul all fought on Tuesday night, just a day after the group fought three times in Anaheim. “Frustration more than anything I would say,” Carlyle said of the fisticuffs. Employing Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren only sparingly this season – due to injuries or otherwise – the Leafs have not fought with any near the regularity of a year ago. They dropped the gloves 44 times in 48 games last season, only now hitting that mark with 15 games to play. 3. Reimers Rough Night Roughed up for six goals on 48 shots against the Sharks, James Reimer rarely looked comfortable in the Toronto crease. Playing second fiddle to Jonathan Bernier, the 25-year-old was making just his fourth start since his last win on Jan. 21. “I felt pretty good out there,” said Reimer afterward. “I felt like I was battling and working as hard as I could, just pucks found a way through.” Some of those pucks found a way through under challenging circumstances. The Sharks second goal, a blast from Brent Burns, found its way through after a scrum in the Toronto crease that saw Joe Thornton fall on Reimer. The goal was initially waved off – the official hadnt seen it go in – but ruled good via replay from NHL headquarters in Toronto. In other situations, Reimer was either helpless – Vlasics goal for instance, which sailed through a maze of traffic after the Gardiner giveaway – or just plain fighting the puck, Pavelskis first marker of the night sliding under his right arm. “It just was one of those nights where things didnt go my way, whether it was people sitting on me or scrums that pucks found a way through the bodies or tipped off people or what,” Reimer said. 4. Effects of Seven Defencemen Because of an illness to Cody Fransonthe Leafs did not dress seven defenders against the Sharks, but the effects of their preferred lineup construction are interesting to digest. Outside of offering an extra shift or two a period to the likes of Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul, or James van Riemsdyk, adjusting to a lineup featuring seven defencemen has allowed Carlyle (or Dave Farrish more specifically) to spread the minutes more evenly amongst the blueline. The two who have been most effected by the change are Gardiner and his regular defence partner, Franson. From a season-high of nearly 24 minutes on average in December, the 23-year-old Gardiner has seen that ice drawn back considerably to under 18 minutes most nights. He also been effectively removed from the penalty kill. Franson meanwhile averaged better than 20 minutes for the first four months of the regular season, but he too has seen that opportunity dip in recent weeks. The 26-year-old did not play 20 minutes in any of the previous six games featuring seven defencemen, stuck most nights between 15-19 minutes. His penalty killing opportunities have also diminished though not to the extent of Gardiner. Battling undisclosed “bumps and bruises” post-Olympic break and annually overworked, Dion Phaneuf has had his ice-time slightly eased with the shift to seven defenders, playing 22-23 minutes recently. Carl Gunnarsson – who remains a top pairing penalty killer – and Morgan Rielly – who does not kill penalties – have been unaffected by Rangers addition. 5. Goin Back To Cali Jonathan Bernier will meet some former Kings teammates for dinner on Wednesday night. The 25-year-old is getting set to visit his old L.A. stomping grounds for the first time as rival on Thursday evening. “Try to let them know that theyve got to shoot wide,” he said with a laugh. Stats-Pack 44 – Fights for the Leafs this season, leading the league. 48-21 – Shot advantage for the Sharks on Tuesday night. 6-2-1 – Record for the Leafs in their past nine games against the Western Conference. 6 – Fights for David Clarkson this season. Clarkson fought Andrew Desjardins in the middle period, his third fight in the past two games. 14-4-3 – Leafs record in the past 20 games. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-2Season: 20.8% (7th) PK: 4-4Season: 78.7% (28th) Quote of the Night “It was like there was one puck and they had. We didnt have a chance to play with it much. That gets frustrating for everybody.” -Randy Carlyle, following the loss to San Jose. Up Next Jonathan Bernier visits his former L.A. confines when the Leafs visit the Kings on Thursday in the third game of a five-game swing. Cameron Jordan Saints Jersey . Baumann misjudged a long ball from Milan Badelj and failed to clear after emerging outside the penalty area, allowing Maximilian Beister to open the scoring in the 37th minute. Cheap Drew Brees Jersey .ca. In addition to the game being aired in its entirety on CTV Two Vancouver Island and TSN.ca, TSN2 will also have coverage of Whitecaps FC immediately following NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Toyota Owners 400.CHARLOTTE - Jonas Valanciunas took a quick glance at the stat sheet, no longer banned post-game, crumpled it up into a ball and hurled it across the locker room. At the bottom of the page the final score read "100-95" - Torontos third loss in four games - but it was how they got there that had the Raptors young centre shaking his head as he destroyed the evidence. In the less literal sense he wasnt alone. The Raptors locker room was filled with distraught players drowning their sorrows in a sea of chicken fingers and mac and cheese at the post-game buffet, eager to forget about their most recent setback. "We cant really panic, but weve got to hold each other accountable," said Greivis Vasquez, moments after his team failed to close out what would have been a historic comeback in eventual defeat to a familiar, albeit perplexing foe, the Charlotte Bobcats. "Its easy when we win and you smile and youre cool, youre hanging around, but when you face adversity or obstacles, thats when you really show your character, so now weve really got to show what [were] made of." For Vasquez - who helped engineer Torontos late-game run - his teammates and his coach, there were no moral victories to be celebrated after cutting a 30-point third quarter deficit to one with 26 seconds remaining. No moral victories, not anymore, not if they fancy themselves a playoff contender. Instead the question was, how could they fall behind by 30 to the Bobcats - who had lost 10 of 13 and were playing without Kemba Walker - in the first place? "Effort," Kyle Lowry said, and repeated six times in a three-minute scrum. For the final 16 minutes they played with plenty of it, outscoring the nemesis Bobcats 54-29 to close out the game. For the first 32 it was nowhere to be found. "Thats it, effort," the Raptors point guard continued. "That simple. Effort." Its not that simple, not for the teams fans or coaching staff that were left to wonder where that effort went for two and a half quarters in a game the Raptors sorely needed. "Its a long season but you tell a lot about who you are in these situations," Dwane Casey said. "Today was a gut-check game and the fourth quarter we turned it around but its about what we did in the first three quarters thats disappointing." Coming off a loss to the corpse of the Los Angeles Lakers 24 hours earlier, and an equally disheartening defeat in Boston last week, the Raptors scored a season-low 11 points in the first quarter. For the second straight day they attempted nearly three times as many three-pointers as free throws and allowed the leagues 28th ranked offensive team to score 100 points on 49 per cent shooting. The loss was their seventh straight in Charlotte to a Bobcats team that has been varying degrees of terrible throughout that span of Raptors fuutility. Kenny Stills Jersey. "Weve got to take these two losses to heart," said Vasquez who had 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, his best line as Raptor. "Were professionals, we know what were playing for, so, [theres] no excuses on this team. Some guys just got to step up and understand what were playing for." "I think were fine," he continued. "Weve just got to wake up and understand that one loss cant really take us down, but one win can really build some good momentum." Veteran bruiser Chuck Hayes put it best. "Its an emotional roller coaster in this league." A week ago they were riding high, winners of three straight and eight of 10, since then theyve crashed back down to earth. Where do they truly stand in the grand scheme of things? Likely somewhere in the middle. Success in the league is fickle, as Casey knows and Hayes has learned in his years of service. "After the momentum we had in December you would kind of hope it would shift over into the New Year but the New Year aint been so good to us so far," said Hayes, who recorded his first double-double - 12 points and 13 rebounds - since Apr. 11, 2011. "But theres a lot of basketball left." Hayes, along with fellow reserves Vasquez and Patrick Patterson, played the bulk of the fourth quarter in place of frontcourt tandem Valanciunas and Amir Johnson, who each played less than 19 minutes, and Terrence Ross, who logged 21. For the fourth straight game Valanciunas failed to eclipse 23 minutes or score in double figures, shooting 6-for-21 over that stretch. On Monday he was overwhelmed in a daunting matchup with crafty, low-post shaman Al Jefferson. The Raptors sophomore bit on Jeffersons pump fakes, got beat on the boards and most alarmingly let his frustration get the better of him. Jefferson, who had a double-double after the first quarter, finished with 22 points and 19 boards. Fellow sophomore Ross has also seen his performance slip over the teams recent slide, recording just one point on Monday, shooting 0-for-6. Meanwhile, Johnson connected on just one of his four attempts and has exceeded 10 rebounds in one of his last 15 contests. "Weve got to find a start that fits us," said Casey, who wouldnt rule out an eventual lineup change but insisted its too early to make that call. "You cant spot any team in this league 25-30 points and expect to be successful." The Raptors will be given a much-needed day of reflection before hosting the Mavericks on Wednesday. It will be the first time theyve faced a winning team in seven games. After squandering three golden opportunities in six days, it could be the wakeup call they need. "Weve got another game," said Hayes. "This is not it, [its] just a little adversity and weve got to find a way to respond." ' ' '
