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Jan 31 '18
TORONTO – Shootouts have proven a nemesis for Jonathan Bernier. Nick Perry Jersey . But with a few adjustments on Friday evening, the 25-year-old managed to secure his team an extra point, stopping all three Buffalo shooters in a 4-3 triumph at the ACC. "I just changed a few things and felt more comfortable in net," Bernier said after the win, the Leafs fourth straight to end in a shootout. History hasnt been kind to the emerging, young netminder in the skills portion of extra time. Bernier entered the night with eight losses in 11 career shootouts – two of his three victories coming this season – his .500 save percentage amongst the worst of any active goaltender. In the final two games before the three-day Christmas break – both shootout losses – he failed to stop any of the four shots he faced from the Red Wings and Rangers. He was particularly sour with the result after a 2-1 defeat at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, one that saw him backstop the Leafs with an impressive 42 saves. He found a flaw though, with the help of video, and put it to work against the Sabres. "I think I was backing too quick the last two I did and thats the adjustment I made," said Bernier, who stopped 32 of 35 shots in regulation and overtime. "They were seeing too much net. I feel Im agile enough to get there and thats where I wanted to get the angle right and take away the net behind me." Luck was also on his side. Tyler Ennis hit a bar on the Sabres second attempt while Zemgus Girgensons failed to tuck the puck across the goal-line after beating Bernier with a clever move. Still, it was victory all the same and one the Leafs needed after two defeats to the cellar-dwelling Sabres earlier this season. Bernier improved to 3-4 in shootouts this season and now boasts a .543 career mark. Five Points 1. Unpredictable Coming off a three-day break for the Christmas holidays, Randy Carlyle wondered aloud on Friday morning what type of team might show up against the Sabres. "These games are different games Im going to tell you," he said, citing the now CBA-mandated three days off the ice with only a morning skate to speak of. "You never know what youre going to get." Unpredictable and inconsistent as they have been all year, the Leafs were under siege for most of the opening period. Buffalo scored twice in a span of 53 seconds and outshot Toronto 15-4 over the final 16 minutes of the first frame. "We self-inflicted a lot of things that happened to us in the first period," said Carlyle, highlighting an offensive zone turnover from Joffrey Lupul on Buffalos second goal. "We seemed to be trying to be too cute and played fancy and obviously that wasnt really what we needed to do. We needed to put the puck in and find ways to get through the neutral ice and establish more of a grind game and offensive zone time and we were able to do that in the second period. We were like two different hockey clubs." The Sabres 2-0 lead was quickly vanquished. Jake Gardiner, Peter Holland and Phil Kessel all scored in a dominant second frame, one that saw the Leafs outshoot their Atlantic division rival 17-5 while playing with the punishing down-low game they have been searching for all season. "We said theres nothing we can do about the first – it was done," Dion Phaneuf said afterward. "We felt that we could play better and we went out and we did that. It was a really big second period for our team." The lead nearly survived regulation. But with Phaneuf whistled for hooking in the final minute of regulation, Steve Ott managed to knot the score at three, eventually pushing the Leafs to their fourth straight shootout. "The positive is that we found a way to regroup and get ourselves back on track," said Carlyle. "But we have to play 60 minutes like we played the last two periods – as close to that as we possibly can." 2. Disdain for Shootouts Carlyle made no secret of his disdain for shootouts prior to the game. "My personal opinion on shootouts is they can take them and they can take it someplace else," he said with a hearty laugh. "Id rather see us go to overtime, go to three-on-three, two-on-two to find a winner. I look at it differently than obviously the people that have it in place." The Leafs, now 6-4 in shootouts, have won six games since Nov. 19, four of them coming in the shootout. 3. Offence from the Defence A source of some concern in the opening two months of the season, the Leaf offence is finally getting a boost from the back-end. Gardiners second goal this season gave the Leafs six goals from the defence corps in the past 11 games compared with a scant three in the first 29 games. Phaneuf leads the group with three goals this season, Franson pacing the way with 20 points, including a pair of assists on Friday. 4. Necessary Adjustments Paul Ranger played in each of the Leafs first 22 games this season, but over the course of the past month he has bounced in and out of the Toronto lineup. Carlyle said he the rust element for Ranger, following a four-year NHL absence, but "were in the business to win hockey games". Among the adjustments being asked of the 6-foot-3, 210 pound defender is a more consistent physical dimension. "I think Paul Ranger is a big, hulking man that has got much power as any player that Ive saw – hes that strong," said Carlyle of the 29-year-old. "He does things that normal people cant do as far as power. And Id like to see him use that power element on the defensive side of it..." What the Leafs would like specifically is for Ranger to assert himself with a physical edge in the defensive zone, eliminate the opposition with the size and strength hes accumulated since he last played in the league in 2008. "He has that kind of power and strength," Carlyle said. "We think thats the quickest for him to get back to the confidence level that he played at before. We need him to do that for our hockey team." Ranger was not that type of defenceman when he played in Tampa for five seasons. "He was an offensive guy," Carlyle said of Ranger, who posted a career-high of 10 goals and 31 points in 2007-08. "He was asked to join the rush all the time. And we dont think that that suits his model right now for him to get back to where he was." "I think playing consistently," said Ranger of needed improvements during a conversation with the Leaf Report. "Just reliable and consistent. And then be able to play my game a little bit more. I guess relax a little bit out there and just play my game like I know I can." 5. Christmas Break Reset The Leafs were hopeful that the recent three-day break would offer an opportunity to recharge the batteries with a furious January ahead. "You kind of hit the reset button and get away for a little bit," said Franson. "I think thats big for a lot of us right now, just having gone through what we went through the last little while here and trying to find our identity a bit. The breaks big for that, to be able to step away from the game for a couple days and be with some family and think about other things than hockey." Stats-Pack 4-8 – Career record for Jonathan Bernier in the shootout. 1 – Regulation victory for the Leafs in the past 19 games. 8 – Points for Peter Holland in the past 10 games, including his sixth goal this season against the Sabres. 6 – Goals from the Toronto defence in the past 11 games. 3 – Goals from the Toronto defence in the first 29 games. 2 – Points from Phil Kessel on Friday, his first multi-point outing since Dec. 7, a nine-game stretch. 5-6-2 – Leafs record in December. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-3Season: 22.7 per cent (4th) PK: 0-1Season: 77.9 per cent (27th) Quote of the Night "Do we like shootouts? No." -Randy Carlyle, following his teams fourth straight shootout decision. Up Next The Leafs host the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday night, their final game before Wednesdays Winter Classic. Davon House Jersey . Hazard lasted just 18 minutes in Tuesdays contest before being substituted with the calf problem, and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes he will be without his star winger for at least the next two weeks. Josh Jones Jersey . -- Wes Welker is unlikely to suit up for Denvers game Thursday against San Diego after leaving Sundays win over Tennessee with his second concussion in four games.The NFL is full of statistics, analytics and predictions as fans and the media alike attempt to plot their teams route to the Super Bowl. Sky Sports has teamed up with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to look at the numbers that make up the NFL this season.What is the outlook for your team?In short, its good news if youre a New England Patriots fan. Simulating 50,000 outcomes, footballoutsiders.com have predicted a 99.1 per cent chance of Bill Belichicks side making the play-offs, halfway through the season. HPE Data Zone Analysis that gives insight, understanding and opinion across major sporting moments. Find out more. The Patriots are 7-1, despite not having had Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski available for the first four games, and sit alone at the top of the AFC East. Their nearest rival, the Buffalo Bills are three games back and have faltered after winning four games on the spin. Rob Gronkowskis return has helped the Patriots to a 7-1 record at the halfway stage The simulated match results vary on the presence/absence of players, including Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, Bills running back LeSean McCoy and Kansas City linebacker Justin Houston. Other teams sitting pretty include the Dallas Cowboys (94.5 per cent likelihood), Atlanta Falcons (84.3 per cent) and interestingly the Seattle Seahawks (84 per cent), who have just one more win than the second-placed Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West. On the other side, the algorithm gives the Cleveland Browns a 0 per cent chance, and its not much better the San Francisco 49ers (0.3 per cent) or the New York Jets (1 per cent). Terrelle Pryor has played at quarterback, running back and wide receiver this season The Super Bowl hangover is realAfter an almost perfect regular season, the Carolina Panthers dominated the post-season before freezing on the biggest stage as the Denver Broncos claimed Super Bowl 50.Ahead of the 2016 season, hopes were still high in Carolina - Kelvin Benjamin returning and MVP Cam Newton pulling the strings. Seven games in and optimism has all-but evaporated for the 2-5 Panthers. The Carolina Panthers have started 2016 slowly, can they overcome the Super Bowl hangover and still make the play-offs? But is it really their fault, or should we have been expecting this decline? Simply put, returning to the Super Bowl after the disappointment of losing it is an almost impossible task.Not since the 1972 Dolphins has a team won the NFLs biggest prize after slipping up the year before. Potentially more concerning for Panthers fans is that they could be the first Super Bowl loser to miss out on the play-offs altogether since 2008. A realistic fate for a team at the bottom of the NFC South.Fifty not out?A year ago Tom Brady suggested he would play until he was 50, if his body allowed. The Patriots quarterback went on to lead his injury-plagued team to the AFC Championship game where they were beaten by Denver.Brady has been selected for the Pro Bowl 11 times, and every year since 2009. Despite changes in offensive weapons as well as protection, he is as consistent as ever.But could he really play until hes 50? Peyton Manning bowed out at 40 and Bradys idol Dan Marino called time on his career at 39. The oldest quarterback to take an NFL snap was 48 year old George Blanda, who was used as a relief QB during the 1975 season. Tom Brady wants to play until his 50th birthday, and his meticulous planning may get him close Warren Moon was still playing regularly for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1998, aged 42, but played just three more games in the following two years before retiring.Brady will be 40 at the end of this season. He has dietary advisors, personal trainers and sleep schedulers, all of which lend weight to the argument that the four-time Super Bowl winner can continue to be productive into his forties. Turner steps down as Vikings OC Norv Turner resigns after back-to-back Vikings losses Year of the rookie quarterback?It was only last season when NFL fans pondered the future of the quarterback position. Given the advancing ages of Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees among others considered elite, it seemed as though there might be a lack of players ready to step in and replace the elder statesmen.Fans and critics alike werre concerned that Andrew Luck, the highest paid player in the NFL might be on the decline after a year full of injuries, which really only left MVP Cam Newton as the beacon of hope for ascendant quarterbacks. Ahmad Brooks Jersey. However 2016 has become one of the more prominent quarterback classes in recent history. Of course that is a judgement after only eight games, and it may be that things dont shake out this way. After all, Robert Griffin III was the most promising QB in his rookie year.Dak Prescott has emerged, through luck more than judgement as an NFL-ready quarterback after leading the Dallas Cowboys to a 6-1 career start, throwing 176 passes without an interception to start his career, an NFL record. Dak Prescott has excelled after being thrown into the spotlight in Dallas Prescott has excelled in his opportunity, following the back injury to Tony Romo which has sidelined him since pre-season. Though critics will claim he is playing behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, the rookie has still made the throws and perhaps more pertinently ran the ball with veteran-like awareness and confidence. Another young player outperforming predictions is Eagles passer Carson Wentz. Expected to redshirt his rookie season in Philadelphia behind Sam Bradford, the North Dakota State product was thrown into the limelight following Bradfords last-minute trade to Minnesota. Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is one of six rookies to have started at the position so far this year The Eagles went 4-0 before losing their last three, but the problems lay outside of the quarterback. Poor receiving talent, as well as conservative play-calling have led to Wentzs decrease in production. Six rookies have started at quarterback so far this season, and not one of them is first overall pick Jared Goff. Left on the Los Angeles Rams bench, Goff has watched his fellow draft class take to the field, some through managed opportunity, and others because of necessity. 2016 No 1 draft pick Jared Goff (left) is yet to see competitive action despite poor performances from Case Keenum However it raises the question of value, when the Rams trade the house for a player that they dont believe is ready to start halfway through the season, despite consistently underwhelming performances from the player in front of him. Drafting franchise talent is a difficult business, and is much about intangibles - handling a press conference or locker room, as well as the measurable skills like speed and arm strength. Prescott and Wentz are already commanding their teams, locker rooms and playbooks, while the wait for Goff to catch up continues.0-16?Hue Jackson is still searching for his first win as Cleveland head coach, after the team dropped a 20-7 half time lead against a poor New York Jets team. Could Hue Jackson and the Cleveland Browns be the next team to have a winless season? It was always going to be a rebuilding process as the Browns management spent the summer dismantling the previous regime, selling off talent and collecting draft picks to essentially start over. But did anyone think it would be this bad? Injuries havent helped the franchise, particularly at quarterback where Jackson has already used six different players at the position. The teams starter was ruled out for the season in week one and since then it has been a revolving door of inexperienced rookies and veterans lacking quality. Kevin Hogan is one of six players who has seen time at QB for the Browns The 2008 Detroit Lions are the only side in NFL history to have finished a season 0-16, and the similarities are concerning for any Browns fan. A revolving door at quarterback was the start of the issues as the Lions ranked worst in points conceded and 27th on offence. Cleveland is currently bottom in total defence and 25th in points scored per game, averaging just three points more than the Chicago Bears who prop up the table. Looking at a challenging schedule against teams all still challenging for the play-offs, it is difficult to see where Jackson turns this one around. Find out more about Hewlett Packard Enterprise data solutions.Sky Sports is your home of the NFL. Watch all the action, including a Sunday night triple header every week from 5:30pm, live on Sky Sports 2. 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