Basisphilosophie » reaching the final

DETROIT – Randy Carlyle needed very few words to get his message across. The Leafs head coach was asked directly if Jake Gardiner was back to resembling the player who performed so prominently in the playoffs. He responded firmly in the negative. "No," he said, before repeating himself with some emphasis. "No, hes not." Gardiner is looking to right himself after a generally lost 2013 regular season, one that saw him re-emerge with five points in six games during a thrilling opening round series with Boston. And yet, with training camp nearly at its end and the regular season opener in Montreal drawing near, its clear he has yet to make a positive impression. "We havent got too many more days [left]," Carlyle sniped. Though his hold on a job in the Leafs top-6 would seem secure at the outset of the regular season, Gardiner does face internal competition for opportunity, notably in 19-year-old Morgan Rielly, who could fill a similar role, in theory, to his more experienced 23-year-old counterpart. "Feeling pretty good," said Gardiner of his training camp performance, unaware of his Carlyles assessment. "I think Ive been limiting my turnovers and trying to still play offensive and join the play as much as I can." Gardiners presence at an optimal level is vastly important to the structure of the Toronto defence, one that had its share of instabilities last season. With no major upgrades to the back-end in the offseason – save for added stability from Paul Ranger – and some uncertainty as to expectations for Cody Franson, Mark Fraser and the aforementioned Ranger, it was thought that Gardiner could be the difference-maker. Stunted by the after-effects of a December concussion last year, Gardiner got off on the wrong foot with Carlyle in 2013. His performance was generally off the mark in trips between the Leafs, Marlies and press-box. Previously lacking the assertiveness defensively that his coach required, the former Ducks prospect re-emerged in the playoffs, once again resembling the confident, aggressive asset that gave the organization so much optimism during a banner rookie season under Ron Wilson. Of his playoff play, Gardiner explained that he was, "still skating a lot, still being offensive, but at the same time responsible defensively. I wasnt a liability at all. Thats what Im going to try to do this year." So far, at least according to Carlyle, that hasnt happened. Early in the first period at Joe Louis Arena on Friday evening, Gardiner was unable to push the heftier Todd Bertuzzi off the puck in the defensive zone and moments later it was in the back of the net, redirected from the point past Jonathan Bernier. It was the first of two goals against that Gardiner was on the ice for, the Minnesota native also adding two assists in 18 minutes. Displeased with what he has seen so far, Carlyle could just be looking to rattle the cage of his promising young defender, an early attempt to prevent complacency before the puck drops at the Bell Centre on October 1. Whatever the motive, Gardiner had better take notice. Five Points 1. Final exhibition for Bernier Jonathan Bernier yielded five goals on 37 shots in what figures to be his final exhibition start. Friday proved his first full start of the preseason, the 25-year-old compiling an .891 save percentage in four games. "In my game Ive got to be patient and I felt like tonight I made some stand-up saves which for me its the way I play," said Bernier of the effort. "I was seeing the puck a lot better than the past few games so its just got to get better." Bernier was still smarting afterward about the fifth and final Detroit goal, one that snuck five-hole off the tape of Johan Franzen. "For me, that fifth one, thats just a basic save," he said. "Thats definitely a save that Ive got to have." Randy Carlyle has yet to make clear whether Bernier or his counterpart, James Reimer, will start in the regular season opener against Montreal, but did note that both goaltenders would play in the back-to-back set that also includes a Wednesday date in Philadelphia. 2. Franson debut After he and the Leafs finally agreed to a one-year deal on Thursday, Cody Franson stepped into his first exhibition tilt against the Red Wings. "I felt pretty good all in all," said Franson, who logged 21 minutes alongside Gardiner. "Theyre a quick and skilled team so coming in against that you have to be sure of what youre doing and make sure youre in a good position." Franson spent most of the exhibition schedule training with the Ryerson Rams and thus was expected to suit up in both remaining exhibition games, including the finale on Saturday with Detroit visiting Toronto. "Just get my confidence up and get used to the pace of the game and the skill-set and your reads," he said of getting on track before the season officially opened. 3. Red Wings Now an Atlantic division rival, the Red Wings sure made an impression in their first meeting with the Leafs, controlling Fridays affair from the second period onward. With Daniel Alfredsson and Stephen Weiss added to a group that already features the likes of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, skill and puck possession was not in short supply. "Its like the Swedish national team over there," Franson chimed of the Wings, the pace furious throughout the Wings 5-2 win. "They hold onto the puck, they move it around really well, they pick their spots to dump it in well, and theyre effective in what they do." 4. Barometer? Icing nearly a full lineup opposite an equally full Wings group – the Leafs were notably short the suspended Phil Kessel – Carlyle conceded that Fridays game was viewed as a barometer to "some degree", the results not particularly appealing. "Were trying to do some evaluations," he said. "We had some kids in the lineup. Thats what exhibition games are for." Of particular concern for the Leafs coach was the effort defensively and in particular the three power-play goals Detroit scored. "Some of the goals that we allowed them to score were in the critical areas," he stated. "We didnt have stiff enough protection in those areas." The Leafs had the second-ranked penalty kill last season, but were ineffective at even-strength defensively, yielding the fourth-most goals league-wide. Considering the weak performance in such areas against the Wings on Friday with a group of mostly regulars – including the projected top-6 on defence – Carlyle had reason to be concerned. 5. Waiting game for Ashton Carter Ashton dressed alongside Colton Orr and Jay McClement against Detroit, the 22-year-old looking to secure his first full-time job in the NHL. With energy and a physical presence, Ashton made himself noticeable at times throughout the preseason, but whether itll be enough to claim a roster spot remains unclear. "Mentally you have to realize that there are decisions to be made," said the Lightning draft pick. "To ease your mind you just have to do everything you can in your power so you obviously dont second-guess yourself." With an injury sidelining Frazer McLaren at the outset of the season, a roster spot (perhaps two) would appear to be open in the Leafs bottom-6, one that Ashton looks primed to snatch. "Training camps a stressful time," he said. "You have to come in and prove yourself every day." Up Next The Leafs host the Red Wings in their final exhibition game on Saturday. Jonathan Ogden Jersey . Jacob Jacques, Andrew Ryan and Jonathan Drouin also scored for Halifax (37-18-3), who outshot the Islanders 40-26. Kevin Darveau stopped 25 shots. Bradley Kennedy had the lone goal for Charlottetown (18-33-5), which has nine losses in its last 10 games. Cheap Ravens Jerseys Free Shipping . As they are wont to do, the Spurs made things real easy. The Spurs signed Parker to a multi-year contract extension on Friday, ensuring that the six-time All-Star point guard will be in the fold whether Duncan and Ginobili are able to continue their careers or not. http://www.cheapravensjerseyssale.com/?tag=chris-board-jersey-sale . Not only that, when Julian de Guzman first stepped on the pitch for Deportivo de la Coruna he became the very first Canadian to play in Spains top tier. Terrell Suggs Jersey . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U. Michael Pierce Jersey . 9 Baylor Bears just needed some time to get on track in their first game after the Christmas break.MONTREAL -- Milos Raonic called it a learning experience. It certainly wasnt the victory party the Uniprix Stadium crowd was hoping for as Rafael Nadal took only one hour eight minutes to down Canadas top tennis player 6-2, 6-2 in the US$3.49 million Rogers Cup final on Sunday. But it had taken 55 years for a Canadian just to get to the final of the countrys biggest tournament, so Raonic had much to celebrate despite the defeat. For one, by reaching the final he will be ranked 10th in the world when the next rankings appear Monday morning, making him the first Canadian to crack the top-10. He will be the youngest player in the top 10 as well. "The tournament overall was a great thing," the 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., said. "There were a lot of situations that Im very happy with the way I dealt with them, and there were a lot of learning experiences through it all. "A lot of stepping stones that I need to do in my career happened this week, so thats great. The match, obviously Im a little disappointed with myself. I would have hoped to deal with that situation a little bit better." The last Canadian to reach the final of what was then called the Canadian Open, the now 81-year-old Robert Bedard of Sherbrooke, Que., was among the more than 11,000 at centre court to see the power-serving Raonic meticulously taken apart by fourth-seeded Nadals service returns and brilliant baseline play. Nadal, one of the worlds best who was playing for the first time since his first-round loss at Wimbledon in June, posted his eighth tournament win this year and the 58th of his career. He sees Raonic as one of the rising talents in the sport. "With his serve, his chance to be in the top 10 for a long time is very good," the Spaniard said. "Then what you need is to work on the mental part and in the game from the baseline, to try to play the right way on the important points. "I think he will do it. Hes still young. Hes having great results. This week is going to be very important for him and for tennis in Canada in general." It was an unprecedented week for Canada, which already reached a milestone in April when it defeated Italy to make the Davis Cup semifinals for the first time. Of the six Canadians in the Rogers Cup main draw, a record five got to the second round. Then Raonic and Vernon, B.C., native Vasek Pospisil became the first two Canadians to make the semifinals of an ATP Tour tournament since Andrew Sznajder and Martin Wostenholme inn 1990 in Rio de Janeiro.dddddddddddd They played each other in a semifinal, a cliffhanger that went to a third-set tiebreaker. So the one-sided loss in the final stung, but it was still a big week as he made the final for the first time in a Masters series event, one level below the grand slams. Raonic had worn different coloured Davis Cup-style shirts with a maple leaf over the heart all week, but saved a red-and-white one for the final. When he walked onto the court, he got a standing ovation. "That was one of the most special feelings Ive had in my career to this date," he said. "I even got a little bit of goosebumps from that. Im very, very grateful to have that memory and that experience here." The crowd stayed with him despite the beating. Nadal had two service breaks in a quick first set, including one game that Raonic led 40-0. The Canadian wasted three break points on Nadals serve in the fourth game of the second set and saw his chance to make a contest of it slip away. His best weapon, his serve, was not on form. He got only 50 per cent of his first serves in, and had only four aces. "I was trying more to serve hard rather than hitting spots," he said. "I wasnt getting the percentages I needed on my first serve. "Obviously, (Nadal) was playing great. He wasnt making many errors, if any. But at some points, I wasnt making him play enough, or waiting for the right shot. I think I was rushing a lot in the first set and a half. "But you live and learn. Its an experience I can learn a lot from and Im sure I will." Asked to comment on Raonic, Bedard says he has a bright future but needs to work on his game. "His return of serve is his weakness, for sure," said Bedard, who still plays doubles a few times per week. "He relies too much on his serve. "If I were his coach, and Im not close to that, I wouldnt let him serve for a while and just make him play and improve on the other shots that he has. One thing he might not be able to improve as much as he should, as much as Pospisil will, is that his mobility is not that great. But that can improve also." Nadal, who is 4-0 against Raonic in his career, won $547,300, while Raonic took in $268,350. Nadal stretched his record for wins in Masters series tournaments to 25 with his fourth this year. He is 48-3 and has reached the final of 10 out of 11 tournaments played in 2013. Raonic and Pospisil are slated to play this week in Cincinnati. 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