TORONTO – His teammates have said all the right things.
Bruce Smith Bills Jersey . Theyve defended
him, branded the furious finger-pointing as unfair and claimed that they, not he
alone, were responsible for the anxious beginnings of a slide that nearly and
may still sweep them out of the playoff picture in the East. With
Jonathan Bernier sidelined for the remainder of the regular season – he has an
MCL strain in his left knee and will be out three weeks – the Maple Leafs will
turn once more to the beleaguered, doubted and frequently dissected James Reimer
in what may be his final days as a Leaf. But their goal of reviving playoff
hopes that simmer tepidly with four games left dont rest solely on his
26-year-old shoulders. "Now its about time we have his back and step up to the
plate," said Nazem Kadri defiantly after a much-needed overtime win against
Boston on Thursday night. That wasnt the case the first time around. Reimer, who
hasnt won a start in more than two and a half months, may have struggled badly
in his first rescue attempt for Bernier last month – he posted an .871 save
percentage in five starts (all losses) – but he was deserted on an island
through much of the wreckage. Of the 18 goals he allowed in relief of his
younger counterpart, four came via breakaway, two via odd-man rush and two more
from the back-door with little to no opportunity for a save. "At that point when
we were losing the team in front of him just couldnt bring it together and
figure things out and obviously the goalies left out there to dry by himself,"
Kadri said. "We didnt play too good as a team," Carl Gunnarsson concurred. "We
didnt help him out." That will have to change, starting Saturday when the Leafs
host the Jets in the final regular season game at the ACC this spring. Trailing
Detroit and Columbus for the final two wild card positions in the East, their
hopes cannot rest on Reimer alone – especially at a point when his confidence
has sunk to its lowest at the NHL level. Improvement isnt likely to magically
appear in the teams defensive play – a struggle from start to finish – but the
glut of glaring and often fatal mistakes needs to be kept to a minimum. Errors
like two-time Rocket Richard winner Steven Stamkos being left alone to score
three goals or Gustav Nyquist burning away for a pair of breakaway markers on
the same night. Until recently, Bernier proved an acrobat at masking such
deficiencies, piling up eight wins when he faced more than 40 shots in a game
this season. Those theatrics, however, have evolved into expectation in Toronto,
an unfair burden that became Reimers to shoulder when Bernier went down with a
groin injury last month. The situation may have bubbled over in Detroit on Mar.
18. It was after that game against the Red Wings – a 3-2 loss for the Leafs –
that head coach Randy Carlyle described his struggling goaltenders performance
as "okay, just okay", comments that ignited a firestorm back home. While he
later downplayed the remarks – addressing them with Reimer personally a day
later – Carlyles blunt post-game observation seemed to ignore the manner in
which Reimer was beat that night – two of the three goals came via the Nyquist
breakaway, the third circa the odd-man rush – and thereby singled out the
goaltender on a night when he was left alone on far too many occasions. It was
the culmination of doubt which has surrounded Reimer upon his landing in Toronto
for good in January 2011. "Its a non-issue as far as were concerned," Carlyle
said Friday of the since quieted controversy. Reimer hasnt won a start since
Jan. 21. Like his teammates, his level will need to rise substantially from
where its been for the Leafs to have any hope of spicing up a late season race.
For all the follies of those around him during the spiral last month, he could
not deliver the one or two timely, game-changing saves needed most nights for
success. That will have to change in the days ahead. A restricted free agent and
almost certainly playing elsewhere next season, Reimer wondered before Thursdays
surprise relief appearance if he had seen his last game as a Leaf. Now comes one
final (in all likelihood) opportunity to exit on a positive and perhaps even
uplifting note – if he and the Leafs can somehow defy the odds and get into the
playoffs. "Honestly right now theres lots of thoughts swirling in your head
about a lot of things," he said ahead of a clash with the Jets, "but now its
just time to stop the puck. It doesnt really matter what transpires after the
season or all that white noise per se. All Im trying to do is just play my best,
get those two points (Saturday), and then go on to Florida. Try not to think
about other stuff." "Ive had a lot of success in the past and had to carry the
load in different scenarios and Ive been successful in that. I feel confident."
Stephon Gilmore Bills Jersey . Machado tore
his medial patellofemoral ligament on Sept. 23. He decided to have surgery after
consulting with several doctors.
Cyrus Kouandjio Jersey . -- Seattle Seahawks
wide receiver Sidney Rice tweeted an apparent goodbye after a report about his
pending release.It appears the all-time leading receiver in CFL history is set
to retire. TSNs Farhan Lalji is reporting that Geroy Simon is expected to call
it a career after 15 seasons. Lalji says that Simon will not be in uniform on
Sunday when the Saskatchewan Roughriders open training camp. The 38-year-old
will retire as a member of the Roughriders after spending just one season in the
prairie province, and winning his thhird Grey Cup in the process.
E. J. Manuel Jersey. A formal press
conference is expected to take place later this week. Simon spent most of his
career in British Columbia with the Lions winning Grey Cups in 2006 and 2011. He
spent the first two seasons of his career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Simon
tallied 16,352 yards receiving and 103 touchdown receptions over his tenure in
the league.
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