five of their last six tilts in Montreal. The Se

MONTREAL – The question was posed to Jonathan Bernier, perhaps the busiest netminder in the National Hockey League this season and a man who has witnessed the strength of terrific defensive hockey in Los Angeles firsthand en route to a Cup in 2012: Can his Toronto Maple Leafs, currently the top wild card in the East, threaten a deep playoff run without raising their substandard level of defensive play? "Goalies got to be good," Bernier said with an almost uncomfortable laugh. "I personally dont think so," he continued frankly. "Because some games [the goalie] wont get those bounces and [the puck is] going to go in somehow. But we know weve got it in this room. Weve just got to pay the price to play better defensively and, if we do, Im pretty sure we can be one of the top teams in this league." Its an uncomfortable truth for a team that wrung up 11 wins in 14 games before the Olympic break and has designs on making noise in the playoffs after a long-awaited return last spring. This is a hockey club that struggles badly to defend and relies most nights on terrific goaltending and an incredibly potent offence to win. Its a formula that might yield success in the regular season, and it has for the Leafs thus far, but is unlikely to gain much steam when the hockey tightens in mid-April. Head coach Randy Carlyle has been beating the drum loudly on the topic all season, but doesnt have much to show for it. His group remains a work in progress. "Weve been trying and stressing that defensive hockey is whats going to give your team the best chance to qualify for the playoffs," said Carlyle after an instructive practice in Brossard, Quebec. "[But] were in the qualification mode. Were not in the playoff mode [yet]." Only five teams have been worse than the Leafs defensively this season and only one of those teams, the Ottawa Senators, has any hope of qualifying for the playoffs. Toronto has allowed a bloated three goals per game despite boasting some of the finest goaltending in the league with the 25-year-old Bernier. No team, in fact, puts more pressure on their goaltender to be great than do the Leafs. Only Mike Smith in Phoenix has faced more shots than Bernier thus far and hes started 10 more games than the native of Laval. "I think weve seen it," said Bernier of sturdy defensive play. "I think everyones seen it, but I dont think weve seen it consistently enough." Hurting the effort is a bad penalty kill, one thats allowed the most goals (tied) in the league this season, an unstable defence which includes young and growing parts like Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner and a high-end forward group that has shown only spotty attention to defence. A pile of goals and timely goaltending have been required most nights to win. That was true during an 11-2-1 run before the 18-day Olympic stoppage. Running, then, behind the all-world efforts of Phil Kessel, who has been the hottest player on the planet in 2014, the club scored 51 goals – 3.64 per game – but also allowed 41 on the other end. Theyve won despite being outshot in 36 of 48 games – they have a record of 21-10-5 in those games – and despite the fact that theyve allowed a league-high of more than 36 shots per game. Cody Franson, second on the back-end in minutes, believes the instability is tied to confusion in the defensive end, too much thinking rather quick instinctual reaction. "I think were still a little indecisive on things sometimes," he said. "We try and play a quite aggressive style of defence and sometimes when you think too much you end up being a half second slow compared to where you should be. That comfort level just isnt quite there with us yet. I think we still think about things too much." They allowed five in their most recent affair against the Islanders on Thursday night, an overtime loss to a struggling club that was without its best player and leading scorer, John Tavares, and their third leading point-getter in Frans Nielsen. Two of the goals came by way of short circuiting on the power-play with Michael Grabner scoring twice shorthanded in a span of 48 seconds on the same power-play. Another found the back of the net via the aforementioned penalty kill with two more coming on defensive breakdowns, including the overtime winner. "Gifts," said Carlyle after the 5-4 defeat. "Ive got no other word to describe the goals that we gave up." A drastic reversal at this late stage in the year seems unlikely, though Carlyle and the coaching staff continue to push and prod. They did so with any available ice during the Olympic break and continued at practice Friday, narrowing their sights on a tighter neutral zone and improved forecheck – efforts aimed at spending less time in the defensive zone. But with just 21 games to play, including a division clash with the Canadiens on Saturday, its probably safe to say that this is what these Maple Leafs are. The question now is whether they can, as currently constructed, make a little noise in the postseason (assuming they get in) or whether their defensive liabilities will prove too onerous to overcome. Last spring, they nearly toppled a Bruins giant, but required some lightning in a bottle and forgotten brilliance from James Reimer in Games 5 and 6. History points emphatically in the direction of those that can defend. In fact, the last three Stanley Cup winners finished the regular season as either the best or second-best team defensively. And though the Leafs are not yet in the Cup conversation, that remains the goal somewhere down the road. Dave Nonis and the Toronto management team have to be mindful of that fact as it relates to the larger construction of the roster, both now with the Mar. 5 trade deadline looming and over the longer term with the core thats being put into place. Are these the foundations of a club that can eventually win the ultimate prize? "You always see it every year, strong defensive teams win," said Jay McClement. "I think we have the make-up for it. But not without being strong defensively. Obviously, youre not going to win a lot of games 5-4 in the playoffs. We have the goaltending for it and have had it all year. Weve just got to cut down on these mistakes and well be fine. "Were not changing the way we do it, weve just got to do it better." Wholesale Shoes Brands . Patton was placed on the restricted list testing positive for a banned amphetamine. Patton took Adderall, a drug commonly used to combat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, late in the 2013 season and then was given a random drug test. Wholesale Shoes From China . The second-ranked Jayhawks will play the Miners of Texas-El Paso at Imperial Arena in the Bahamas. The game can be seen live on TSN2 starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. http://www.wholesaleshoes.us.org/ .That sight softened the blow of what ended up as a 4-3 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.Knowing their teammate was fine after a scary headfirst fall in the opening minute of the game helped calm the Maple Leafs. Replica Shoes Wholesale . -- Syracuse was dangerously close to letting another less talented opponent pull off the upset when C. Replica Shoes Wholesale China . MacIntyre stopped 49 shots and the Marlies defeated the Texas Stars 5-1 in Game 1 of the American Hockey Leagues Western Conference final. "I felt in control, so that was nice," MacIntyre said.MONTREAL - The surging Ottawa Senators will shoot for their first four-game winning streak of the season when they visit the rival Montreal Canadiens for Saturdays Atlantic Division clash at the Bell Centre. The game can be heard live on TSN Radio 690 at 7pm et. A playoff team in each of the past two seasons, the Senators have struggled with consistency so far in 2013-14 and currently are sitting sixth in the Atlantic Division with 43 points. However, wins in three straight and four of the last five games gives hope that Ottawa is starting to find its groove. The Senators won all three games on their recent homestand and claimed those victories by a total margin of four goals. Ottawa hopes to stay hot on Saturday when it kicks off a four-game road trip in Montreal, but the Sens are just 7-8-3 as the guest this season and have dropped four straight away from Canadas capital city. Ottawa recorded a 4-3 regulation win over Winnipeg in the finale of its homestand on Thursday. Mika Zibanejad posted a goal and an assist to help the Senators notch the close victory at Canadian Tire Centre. Milan Michalek, Zack Smith and Clarke MacArthur also had goals for the Senators, while Craig Anderson stopped 32 shots in the win. "I thought it was a competitive game up and down the rink and thats the way I thought it would be," said Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean. "We found a way to win the game and thats what is moost important.dddddddddddd" The Sens have won their last three games without captain Jason Spezza in the lineup and the veteran forward expects to miss a fourth straight tilt on Saturday. Ottawa hasnt won four in a row since April 11-18 of last season and a victory could be difficult to come by on Saturday, as the Sens have lost four straight and five of their last six tilts in Montreal. The Sens have won two of the past three encounters with the Canadiens overall and Ottawa recorded a 4-1 home victory when the clubs met for the first of five matchups this season on Nov. 7. Montreal won Thursday night in Dallas, halting a two-game slide to complete a six-game road trip with a 3-2-1 mark. Lars Eller scored the winner in the third period to help the Canadiens take down the Stars, 6-4. Max Pacioretty had two goals and two assists, while P.K. Subban added a goal and three assists for the Habs. Carey Price gave up four goals on 32 shots. "Thats what we need. Weve been struggling scoring goals," said Pacioretty. "Weve been struggling trying to put 60 minutes together. We came out slow but we found a way to bounce back after a bad start. Carey (Price) bailed us out early in the game and I think we took it from there." The Canadiens are now home for two straight and they will host Florida on Monday. Montreal has identical 12-7-2 records at both home and on the road this season. ' ' '