nuisance of themselves up front, dont expect the 2014 versi

DENVER – Even a six-game win streak isnt enough to ease the nerves of a head coach. Acheter Air Jordan 1 Pas Cher . “Coaches never breathe easy,” said Randy Carlyle with a chuckle after his team pulled out an unlikely 5-2 win in Colorado. Make it six straight for the Maple Leafs, who despite the challenges of the blistering Avalanche – one regulation loss in the previous 10, thin air of the Mile High City, and third game in four nights, managed to overcome with two points in the second tilt of a four-game road trip. The primary components of the win streak stood tall yet again. There was more terrific goaltending, this time from James Reimer, who stopped 35 of 37 Avalanche flurries. There was continued dominance from Phil Kessel, who extended his wild point streak to seven games with a pair of goals. There was another quick strike in the opening frame. And there was another fine special teams outing, the Leafs scoring again on the power-play while halting a scorching Colorado man advantage in all four opportunities. Sunny times roll on in the dead of winter for a once victory-challenged squad. “Theres a lot more life in the room,” said Dion Phaneuf after the latest victory. “Weve got a confidence in our dressing room right now that we feel good about ourselves. And thats a good feeling for a team.” Its been eight years since a Toronto club won six in a row, the last run coming during the 2005-06 season. This streak was especially unforeseen considering how dour the scene looked less than two weeks earlier and really for the better part of the season. The Leafs had just four wins in regulation during a stretch of two months and had dropped four consecutive games in the early days of 2014, including a pair of disastrous blowout losses to the Rangers and Hurricanes. But from those ashes has risen an unlikely string of victories – including four in regulation in this run alone – some good fortune aligning with good goaltending, strong special teams and elevated performance from some of the teams top guns, notably Kessel and the top line. “It was a tough stretch,” said Kessel, who has 26 goals on the year, “but we stayed positive and we fought our way out of it and were on a pretty good roll right now.” Five Points 1. En Fuego About the hottest hes ever been as an NHL player, Phil Kessel added two more points to a scorching seven-game point streak. Kessel, who scored twice against the Avalanche and now has goals in four straight games, has six goals and 14 points during the sizzling run. “Hes a mutant almost,” Morgan Rielly beamed to the Leaf Report during Tuesdays game. “Hes just scoring. Hes getting points. Hes happy. Hes flying around out there so its been great. Hes one of the top players in the world and hes proving it.” Kessel managed the two markers, but could have ended up with three or four considering the dozen or so opportunities he had on this night. He scored his first on a breakaway, beating Semyon Varlomov far-side, adding another on a rebound opportunity. “What did he have like 12 shots on goal tonight,” van Riemsdyk said of his linemate, who managed eight shots. “It was pretty incredible the display he put on.” “I couldve had a bunch tonight,” Kessel agreed. “I missed some good chances.” 2. Scoring First With the first of two goals from Kessel – a stretch pass from Dion Phaneuf feeding the winger – Toronto scored first for the fifth time during their rare six-game win streak, a point of emphasis for a team thats been outscored in first periods all season. “That was a big thing weve been keying on is having better starts,” said Tyler Bozak on Tuesday morning. “When you get that first goal the odds say that youve got a way better chance of winning so thats something that we want to do as much as we can.” Scoring first against the Avalanche was especially important. Colorado entered the night with 25-1-3 record when they landed the games first goal. And though the Leafs didnt exactly storm out of the gate – they were being outshot 11-2 at one point, no doubt stung by the altitude – they did manage to hang in, mostly due to the early efforts of James Reimer. “Reims stood tall for us,” said Carlyle of Reimer, who won his second straight start. “Thats what were asking of our goaltenders. When you get a chance to get in there give us what you can … Give us goaltending that you can hang your hat on.” 3. No Fly Zone James van Riemsdyk took hold of the team lead with his eighth power-play goal of the year against Colorado, redirecting yet another Cody Franson point shot beyond Varlamov for the Leafs second goal. “JVRs got a no-fly zone,” Franson chirped afterward. “Put it in a certain airspace its going down.” van Riemsdyk has proven adept at the tactic of tipping pucks, a skill-set he began practicing on the driveway of his home as a kid. That practice picked up when he reached the NHL in Philadelphia. Flyers assistant coach Joe Mullen helped the former University of New Hampshire star formulate a daily routine for working on it. And now at the end of just about every on-ice workout, the 24-year-old does exactly that. “I owe a lot of that to him because he would hammer away some slappers at me every single day,” said van Riemsdyk of Mullen. “And then Id have Chris Pronger breathing down my neck, getting me out there before practice sometimes doing it. Ive worked on it a lot over the years. It comes a little bit more naturally thanks to those guys.” 4. Offence from the D The Leafs stable of defenders barely made a blip on the offence in the opening two months of the season – just three goals in the first 28 games. Since that point, however, theyve offered a much greater contribution. The group had scored at least a goal in four consecutive games before Tuesday, totaling 17 on the year and a hearty 14 in the past 24 games. And though they didnt find the scoreboard against the Avalanche they did manage to aid in the attack. A pair of point shots – one from Franson on van Riemsdyks 20th of the season and one from Jake Gardiner on Nazem Kadris 13th this season – were redirected for goals. “Our job is to get the puck through or make plays with it up top,” said Phaneuf, who sits second on the team with 20 points this season. “Our forwards have done a really good job down-low of getting us the puck and giving us some time and moving it quickly up to us [at the point]. Weve been able to get some pucks through with some good screens and when you do that you generate chances and thats what weve had success with.” 5. Lead Protection Third period lead protection has been a recurring struggle for the Leafs this season – theyve been outscored 61-42 – and one thats been tested amid the win streak. Just a night earlier in Phoenix, the club had some difficulty protecting a big lead in the final frame – lackadaisical at times, according to Carlyle – before pulling out an eventual win. Again on Tuesday they were tested, but after a quick goal from Nathan MacKinnon, which closed the gap to 4-2, the club gradually found its bearings. “Hopefully this is a sign of growth for our group and we can continue to go forward,” said Carlyle. “Theyve got a lot of offence,” Phaneuf said of the high-powered Avalanche. “Theyre coming with four guys the whole time. We gave up some chances, but really we kept a lot of it to the outside. And when they were coming they obviously were pushing when theyre down by as many as they were. We did a good job holding them off.” Bonus Point – Man Advantage Now ranked third in the NHL, the Toronto power-play struck for the seventh time in the six-game win streak. The unit has sizzled with a 31 per cent success rate during the run (7-23). Stats-Pack 7 – Consecutive games with a point for Phil Kessel, who has six goals and 14 points in that span. 4 – Consecutive games with at least a goal for Kessel. .930 – Even-strength save percentage this season for James Reimer, tied for sixth-best among NHL netminders with at least 20 starts. 4 – Consecutive games with a point for Nazem Kadri, who has two goals and six points in that span. 8 – Shots on goal for Kessel on Tuesday, a season-high. 19 – Points in the past 16 games for Tyler Bozak, who had two assists against Colorado. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-4Season: 22.9% (4th) PK: 4-4Season: 77.8% (27th) Quote of the Night “JVRs got a no-fly zone. Put it in a certain airspace its going down.” -Cody Franson, on James van Riemsdyks redirection abilities. Up Next The Leafs continue their four-game road swing in Dallas on Thursday night. Air Max Fausse . On Thursday, they signed former Browns linebacker DQwell Jackson. Terms of the deal were not immediately available. Yeezy 350 Fausse . Anderson shook off some unusually poor shooting and hit two clutch 3-pointers in overtime that carried the New Orleans Pelicans to a 111-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. http://www.airmaxpaschervente.fr/destockage-balenciaga-france.html . Not Peyton Manning. Hes holding on to the heartache to stoke his competitive fire.SHAPES OF MLS – Whitecaps fail to take advantage of Chivas red card THE FORMATIONS Both teams came into the game on the back of opening day victories: Chivas USA got a late goal from Bobby Burling to defeat the Chicago Fire 3-2, while the Vancouver Whitecaps destroyed the New York Red Bulls 4-1. Chivas named an unchanged lineup from the opening day, while Vancouver were forced to make one change, as Russell Teibert was unavailable due to a slight hamstring strain. Kenny Miller took up Teiberts place on the right, with designated player, Pedro Morales, occupying the attacking midfield role for the Whitecaps. THE GAME Given that the on-field temperature was over 30 degrees Celsius at kick-off, the tempo of the game was understandably slow at the start. Vancouver was content to move the ball around the back as it tried to find a way to get Morales involved in the game. Chivas started the game brightly, but its game plan went out the window in the 13th minute when Augustin Pelletieri was harshly sent off for a challenge on Morales in midfield. The challenge from Pelletieri was a strong block tackle, but in no way did it merit a red card. The tackle could not be classed as violent conduct, nor was it made with excessive force. The sending off forced Chivas to drop Thomas McNamara back into midfield, leaving Erick Torres to play up front on his own in a 4-4-1 formation. The red card galvanized Chivas, though, as they defended stoutly for the remainder of the game. Credit has to go to their new head coach, Wilmer Cabrera, who has transformed Chivas from a dysfunctional group of also-rans into a well-oiled, well-organized unit. In Mauro Rosales and Leandro Barrera, Chivas had two wingers who provided a genuine threat from wide areas. Both players terrorized Vancouver on the counter attack, as time and time again, Chivas repelled the Whitecaps buildup play. In Oswaldo Minda, Chivas had a midfield destroyer who sat in front of the back four and disrupted play. His defensive work alongside McNamara in the middle of the park made life difficult for Vancouvers central trio of Matias Laba, Nigel Reo-Coker and Morales. In fact, Morales was virtually anonymous until the second half, when a formation change allowed him to get more time on the ball. In Burling and Carlos Bocanegra, Chivas had two experienced MLS defenders. Neither player is especially quick, but given Vancouvers inability to move the ball quickly, this didnt pose a problem for either defender on the day. With the home side looking bright, Chivas took the lead just before the half-time break after Reo-Coker forced a pass in midfield that was intercepted by Rosales. The winger broke quickly and played the ball to Torres, whose strike from the edge of the penalty area hit the backside of Whitecaps skipper Jay DeMerit, deflecting past the helpless David Ousted in goal. Chivas fully deserved their lead, as the Whitecaps were second-best throughout the first half. Slow, methodical, deliberate and predictable. All of these words can be used to describe Vancouvers play in the opening 45 minutes. It was a complete reversal from the slick, fluid passing performance that the Whitecaps displayed just one week earlier and head coach Carl Robinson had some choice words for his players in the locker room at half-time – buck up your ideas or changes were coming in 10 minutes. THE TURNING POINT Robinson gave his team 15 minutes in the second half before introducing Kekuta Manneh in the 60th minute. Manneh came on for Reo-Coker and brought with him a change in formation for the Whitecaps. Vancouver shifted to a 4-4-2 formation with Miller partnering Darren Mattocks up front, Morales dropping alongside Laba in central midfield, and Manneh and Sebastian Fernandez occupying roles on the flanks. Manneh iinstantly changed the game for Vancouver. Air Force 1 Pas Cher Chine. Every time he got the ball, he ran at the Chivas defenders, forcing them onto the back foot. This forced the Chivas midfield to help out defensively by applying back pressure on Manneh, creating space in midfield for Morales to dictate the tempo of the game. The Chileans passing range is superb and his through balls for the likes of Mattocks, Manneh and Erik Hurtado, who entered the game in the 75th minute for Fernandez, were a threat for Vancouver, although they failed to produce a goal for the Whitecaps. Instead, the equalizer came from good work by Mattocks down the left. The Jamaican recovered possession after pressurizing the Chivas backline, drove to the byline and cut the ball back to the top of the penalty area, where Manneh was able to calmly side-foot the ball past Kennedy. It was a cool finish from the youngster, and the move gave a glimpse of just how dangerous the Whitecaps can be when their young guns are flying. THE POSITIVES The play of the three substitutes (Manneh, Hurtado and Christian Dean, who made his professional debut after replacing the slightly injured Andy OBrien) made a real difference for Vancouver. The team as a whole looked lethargic until after the substitutions were made and too many key players struggled to impact the game. But the youngsters came on and made a difference by upping the tempo, allowing Vancouver to rescue a point from a game in which they were often second-best. Carl Robinson deserves a mention for not only his willingness to make early substitutions, giving those players enough time to alter the course of the game, but also for his decision to change to a 4-4-2 formation. Morales was ineffective in an advanced midfield role, as Chivas did an excellent job of compressing the space between lines, as well as across the pitch. Dropping Morales deeper (and putting Miller up front alongside Mattocks) allowed the Chilean to get on the ball and do what he does best – pull the strings. Too often, coaches are married to a tactical formation and Robinson showed that he is savvy enough to make in-game changes to produce the desired result. THE NEGATIVES Too many below-par performances from too many key players – DeMerit, Reo-Coker and Miller, in particular – saw the Whitecaps struggle to dictate a game in which they had a man advantage for 77 minutes. Playing Miller on the right in place of Teibert did not work. While one game is not enough to come to a conclusion on his ability to be effective in a wider role, there will be plenty of discussion and debate amongst the coaching staff before they choose a employ the Scot in a similar role. It is often said that it is difficult to play against 10 men, but this is only true if you play the game at a pedestrian pace. This is exactly what Vancouver did against Chivas, as the Whitecaps ball movement was slow and predictable and their off-the-ball movement was non-existent. Chivas were able to set two solid lines of four with Torres operating as an outlet up front, which allowed them to break quickly on the flanks through Rosales and Barrera whenever they recovered possession. THE STAR MAN It is very difficult to pick out a star player for Vancouver, as so many players were below average. However, Manneh showed glimpses of what he can offer as a dynamic attacking threat and he took his goal very well. If Teibert is still unavailable for this Saturdays game away to New England (watch on CTV BC at 11am pt), Manneh could very well have played his way into Robinsons starting eleven. For Chivas, Leandro Barrera looks like a perfect complement to Mauro Rosales. With Torres and McNamara making a nuisance of themselves up front, dont expect the 2014 version of Chivas USA to be a pushover. ' ' '