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| Gönderen: 2018-03-Nisan Saat 10:05 | Kayıtlı IP
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TAMPA – The Maple Leafs best player ambled out of the
Tampa Times Forum sorting through a gamut of emotions,
mostly embarrassment and disappointment for the events of
another epic spring of failure.
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There will be no playoff hockey in the city of Toronto
for the eighth time in the past nine seasons. This 18-
wheeler veered off the road once and for all on a cloudy
and cool night in Tampa, another stunning late-season
collapse destroying what seemed all but certain less than
one month earlier. "Obviously, Im disappointed –
disappointed for Leafs Nation," said Phil Kessel, thick
red stubble dotting his face after the teams 10th loss in
the past 12 games. "Obviously its not good enough. I
havent been good enough for the last 15 games. I need to
be better." Boasting 37 goals and 80 points on the year,
the 26-year-old carried the Leafs for the better part of
two months in early 2014 – along with Jonathan Bernier
– helping to mask the troubles of a flawed club en route
to 15 wins in 22 games. He had a mesmerizing 35 points in
that stretch – not to mention a dominant Olympics. But
when he cooled (which was inevitable given the scorching
run he was on) so too did the Leafs. Without Kessel and
first-line amigos James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak
piling up points on the regular and Bernier no longer
performing like a superhero (James Reimers struggles
notwithstanding), cracks that lingered beneath the
surface suddenly became too glaring to ignore amid a
losing streak that hit eight sour games. Worrying
defensive issues were unmasked for all to see, an endless
parade of breakaways and odd-man rushes highlighting the
troubles. A dominant power-play fizzled – one big factor
in the top lines slowdown – coupling with a bad penalty
kill for unsavoury special teams. Support staff behind
Kessel, van Riemsdyk and Bozak failed to emerge. And a
team that promised to be harder to play against at
seasons open remained mostly the opposite. "Obviously we
didnt play well enough," Kessel said. "I think both ends
of the rink we didnt play well enough. We obviously didnt
get it done." Back in mid-March, after a triumphant
victory over the Kings – their second on the daunting
California triangle – Toronto sat ahead of every team in
the East but Boston and Pittsburgh, icing a three-point
lead for that matter on Tampa (who is now 11 points up
after Tuesdays game). There was talk of home-ice in the
first round of the playoffs and a confrontation with
either the Lightning or Canadiens. And then another
disturbing swoon, from which they could not escape
happened. "After that we never got our groove back,"
Kessel said. "The last 15 games we didnt get it done and
thats why Im really disappointed. We just need to be
better. Obviously Im not happy the way this has ended
here. I dont think anyone is." Kessel has just three
goals and seven points in the past 13 games – just four
of those coming during the eight-game slide. Perhaps worn
down by heavy minutes in an Olympic year, he could no
longer shoulder the kind of burden his club required for
survival or maybe the bounces, as he always describes
them, simply went the other way. The Leafs are just 7-23-
3 when their leading scorer fails to record a point. And
yet Kessel still sits sixth in league scoring and fifth
in goals, boasting the kind of sterling numbers one would
expect of a top flight offensive player. There he was
though after the sting of another looming spring without
playoffs, bearing more than his fair share of the brunt
for the second late season collapse in the past three
years. It was the kind of accountability required for
growth from this kind of wreckage and a sign of
leadership from a player not known for anything of the
kind. "Obviously Im really disappointed and I feel like
Ive let a lot of people down," he said with some emotion.
"(The fans) expect a lot from us. They love us. We need
to be better these last 15 games. I think everyones
pretty disappointed." Five Points 1. Cloud of Emotions A
rarity for the Leafs head coach, Randy Carlyle didnt say
a word to his team after the 3-0 loss to Tampa, which
sealed their playoff fate in conjunction with a Columbus
victory. "Numb and shock" were among the emotions Carlyle
was experiencing afterward along with extreme
disappointment and embarrassment. Why embarrassment?
"Because I think we have more than what we were able to
accomplish and thats the most troubling issue here is we
just didnt find a way to compete to a level that was
necessary and execute to a level [that was necessary],"
Carlyle said, looking defeated. "We felt that this group
coming into the start of the season would be a better
hockey club than we had last year and I dont think we
proved that." Carlyle, whose future remains cloudy at
best, said plenty of time would be taken in the days
ahead to analyze what exactly happened and why. "Theres
going to be lots of questions and lots of prodding going
on on the answers to that," he said. "We dont have the
answers right now as to why it happened, but were all
responsible. We win and lose as a team and thats
basically the way we have to approach it now." 2. PP
Demise One of the more prominent factors in the cooling
off of the Leafs top line was their inability to score on
the power-play after the Olympic break. Kessel has just
one power-play point in the past 23 games and hasnt
scored there since Feb. 1. van Riemsdyk, who leads the
Leafs with nine power-play markers himself, hasnt scored
with the man advantage since Jan. 30 and has gone 24
consecutive games there without even a single point.
Torontos power-play went 0-3 against the Lightning and is
8-57 after the Olympics (14 per cent). The unit still
ranks fifth overall this season. 3. Not 100% Limited and
still dealing with pain in the left ankle which sidelined
him for 56 games earlier this season, Dave Bolland did
not play Tuesday against the Lightning and may be done
for the year. "Whats happened is hes aggravated it and
its bothered him," Carlyle said. Carlyle had hoped to
employ Bolland more regularly after his return from the
injury last month, but the 27-year-old is simply not at
100 per cent. He garnered between 9-13 minutes most
nights upon return, even rolling the ankle in some
situations according to Carlyle and requiring up to 10
minutes to get back for another shift. Bollands arduous
recovery from the severed tendon took longer than was
expected, but it appears that even a near five-month
absence may not have been enough. The Mimico native is an
unrestricted free agent this summer. Its worth wondering
whether hell play again for the Leafs with only two
meaningless games remaining. 4. Carter Ashton It was more
than two years ago that Carter Ashton was shipped from
the Lightning organization to Toronto in exchange for
towering defender Keith Aulie. And while the 23-year-old
has dipped his toes into the NHL waters here and there
hes yet to establish himself in any firm capacity. "Its
been one of those that when hes come here and played with
us his confidence level seems to erode whereas when he
goes back to the Marlies hes the best player," Carlyle
said of Ashton, a first round pick of Tampa in 2009.
Ashton has scored 16 goals and totaled 23 points in 24
games with the Marlies this season, but has yet to score
with the Leafs in 47 games, adding just three assists.
Part of the disconnect would seem to lie in the
opportunity hes been granted under Carlyle. Playing
mostly on unskilled fourth lines, Ashton has averaged six
minutes per game this season, held under four minutes in
nine of 32 games. "We think that we have to bridge some
of the opportunity for him and maybe play him a little
higher in the lineup versus playing him in the fourth
line position," Carlyle said. "Let him play with some
skilled players and give him more of an opportunity with
minutes in the hockey game." Recalled on emergency status
with Joffrey Lupul sidelined for the remainder of the
regular season and Bolland sore, Ashton played Tuesday
alongside Nazem Kadri and David Clarkson and totaled 12
minutes. "I dont think its a question of my confidence in
my abilities," he said. "Its just translating it to the
NHL." 5. Check the IR One question rose above all when
the Maple Leafs signed Lupul to a five-year extension in
Jan. 2013: could the now 30-year-old stay healthy? More
than one year later and the answer would be well, sort
of. Though hell miss the final the three games of the
regular season with a knee injury, Lupul did manage 69
games this season – totaling 22 goals and 44 points –
the most hes played in one campaign since 2008-09 when he
dressed in 79 games for the Flyers. But over the past
three seasons, Lupul will have missed 59 games with a
variety of injuries, which include a dislocated shoulder,
fractured forearm, concussion, bruised foot, groin tear,
and now an injury to the knee. And while well attuned to
the maintenance of his body – a transformation that took
place as he aged – its worth wondering whether Lupul can
stay healthy as he enters his 30s considering the
challenge it became in his mid to late 20s. Saturdays
game against Winnipeg, which he left because of the knee
injury, was the 600th in his career. He underwent
successful arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday. Stats-Pack 8
– Times in the past nine seasons that the Leafs have
missed the playoffs. 2-10-0 – Leafs record in the past
12 games. 47 – Career NHL games for Carter Ashton, who
still has yet to record a goal. 24 – Consecutive games
without a power-play point for James van Riemsdyk. 1 –
Power-play point for Phil Kessel since Feb. 1. 0 –
Victories in a start for James Reimer since Jan. 21. 8-57
– Toronto power-play after the Olympic break. 3 – Times
this season that the Leafs have been shutout. 7-23-3 –
Leafs record this season when Kessel fails to record a
point. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-3Season: 20.3% (5th)
PK: 0-1Season: 78.2% (28th) Quote of the Night "Obviously
Im really disappointed and I feel like Ive let a lot of
people down." -Phil Kessel, on the disappointment of
playoff elimination. Quote of the Night II "Because I
think we have more than what we were able to accomplish
and thats the most troubling issue here is we just didnt
find a way to compete to a level that was necessary and
execute to a level [that was necessary]." -Randy Carlyle,
on why he was embarrassed by the Leafs late season
meltdown. Up Next The Leafs conclude their swing through
Florida with a Thursday clash against the Panthers.
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The Force had two men, including former Wallabies No. 8
Ben McCalman, in the sin-bin in the dying minutes of the
match, but were able to resist a late Highlanders surge
to post a four-try, bonus point win.
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The Carolina Hurricanes used a strong third period to
extend their winning streak to three games.
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Sidney Rice should be fully recovered from a torn knee
ligament by the time the Seattle Seahawks start defence
of their Super Bowl title, general manager John Schneider
said Wednesday.RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks
expect to see the return of starting tight end Zach
Miller to the lineup Thursday night against the Arizona
Cardinals. Miller has missed the past two games with a
hamstring strain suffered in practice. Coach Pete Carroll
said Miller was close to returning last week against
Tennessee, but decided to give him a few more days to
recover. Millers return will be a boost for Seattle along
the line of scrimmage as he can help in pass protection
for an offensive line that will still be without starting
tackles Russell Okung and Breno Giacomini. "It was the
right decision to hold him back, but hes fine now,"
Carroll said. "Hes going to have to play himself back
oout there, but hes going to play in the game.
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Jersey. " Defensive end Chris Clemons will be a
game-time decision for Seattle. Clemons suffered a
hyperextended elbow last Sunday against the Titans. He
returned in limited participation in practice on
Wednesday and has a chance to play against the Cardinals.
Bobby Wagner and Spencer Ware both will not be able to
play as they are recovering from high ankle sprains.
Running back Marshawn Lynch was limited in practice
Wednesday with a hip injury, but Carroll said hes fine
and will play Thursday night. "The recycle process is a
little different in this week for him, but he feels good
enough and he should be good," Carroll said.
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