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| TORONTO -- When the Toronto Marlies and Grand Rapids Griffins open the AHL season next week, the rosters should look similar to the ones the Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings put on the ice Saturday night at Air Canada Centre. This was an NHL pre-season game, the finale for both teams, but it wasnt much of a dress rehearsal for the regular season. Two dozen players expected to start in the minor leagues helped decide the Leafs 3-1 win. One of those players was Toronto defenceman John-Michael Liles, who scored on the power play in the second period and picked up a primary assist in the third. Waivers could await the 32-year-old, whos likely on the outside of the Leafs picture on the blue line. "Weve got a lot of depth on the blue line, a lot of really good players -- good, young players, as well," Liles said. "Its never easy. There hasnt been a camp in my NHL career where its your position set in stone. It just makes it even tougher when youve got kids pushing you. Youve got some great, young blue-liners in this organization, and they should be proud of the camp they had." Liles has a $3.875-million salary-cap hit, and his contract has two years left on it after this one. The Leafs have Dion Phaneuf, Carl Gunnarsson, Jake Gardiner, Mark Fraser, Paul Ranger and the recently signed Cody Franson ahead of him, and thats not even counting prospect Morgan Rielly. Riellys status remains in question, and the Leafs must decide whether to keep the 19-year-old around for at least a nine-game cameo or send him back to Moose Jaw of the WHL. He was satisfied at how he acquitted himself during the pre-season, but coach Randy Carlyle wasnt revealing much when asked about Riellys chances of playing in the NHL right now. "I think Morgan Riellys very close," Carlyle said. "To say that, unequivocally, hes ready to play in the NHL is a tough question to ask and a tougher question to answer at this point. We know hes played very well for our hockey club, hes a talented young man and hes only going to get better. Those are the tough decisions that youre faced with." Carlyle also mentioned the idea of tough decisions when asked Saturday to review Liles play in his previous two pre-season games. Liles was largely a nonfactor with a plus-2 rating in those games. Toronto is over the cap ceiling and the roster the team submits Monday at 5 p.m. is expected to have fewer than 23 players. Right-winger David Clarksons 10-game suspension complicates the situation in general, but its likely not something that factors in with Liles. Instead, he very well could be on the bad end of a numbers game. If nothing else, Liles may have used an afterthought of a pre-season game to show another team why he deserves a chance to stick around in the NHL. "I think every time you step on the ice youre trying to build toward something," Liles said. "For me, this is my third pre-season game, youre trying to build toward the regular season. I dont necessarily think it was a conscious thing to say, I need to go out there and assert myself. I think youre trying to build and prepare for the regular season, and thats all you can do as a player. Im no different than any other guy." Liles performance probably wont make enough of a difference within the Leafs organization, but in the long term forward Josh Leivo made a nice impression. The 2011 third-round pick who is about to embark on his first professional season scored twice Saturday and was the first star of the game on national television. "I slid under the radar my whole life, so I think today was a pretty big game for me, and hopefully I can keep it going," Leivo said. Leivos first goal, a deflection that was "a little bit of luck and a little bit of skill," was made possible by Fransons shot from the point. Unlike Liles, Franson knows he will be around Tuesday when the season opens at Montreal. But that was a late-camp development after the 26-year-old signed a one-year, $2-million deal Thursday. Goaltender James Reimers spot in the opening-night lineup isnt so secure even after a strong pre-season that wrapped up with 24 saves on 25 shots against a Red Wings team that dressed one over the minimum amount of veterans required for pre-season games. Competing with Jonathan Bernier for playing time, Reimer finished the exhibition season with a .923 save percentage. "I tried to prove myself every day in practice and preparing myself and taking care of myself off the ice," Reimer said. "I feel like Ive done the best that I can, and now its up to Randy." Carlyle already said Reimer and Bernier would split the regular seasons first two games. Who starts the season opener "probablys going to be the toughest decision," the Leafs coach said. "Those are good decisions," he said. "Its tough on coaches and tough on management to pick one guy when both have played well. But the underlying fact is its a great decision because we have 1A and 1B quality goaltenders. Both guys can start." CARDIFF -- Wales gave a two-time defending champions response to a demoralizing defeat by whipping France 27-6 and keeping its Six Nations title defence alive on Friday. So shaken to the core was Wales by its 26-3 demolition from Ireland, the only unbeaten team left in the championship, that coach Warren Gatland warned his British Lions-laden side that careers were on the line under the Millennium Stadium roof. The players answer was a robust performance of power, pace and poise, adding up to a third straight win over France last achieved 42 years ago. "That was the response we were looking for," captain Sam Warburton said. "We knew we had it in us." He admitted playing for their jobs was also an incentive. "We said in the week that we dont want to take our places for granted. We have probably worked our hardest in the last two weeks," he said. Stand-in centre George North scored after five minutes and fullback Leigh Halfpennys boot punished frequent French errors and a second-rate scrum with five penalties that propped up a 20-6 halftime lead. When Warburton reached out to plant the ball on the line in the 64th, the score became Wales biggest win over France at home since 1950. That margin will be vital in terms of points difference in the standings if Wales, which jumped over previously unbeaten France into second place, can stay on track and Ireland lose somewhere. The Irish are at Twickenham on Saturday. Wales performance wasnt assured beforehand, certainly not after lock Alun-Wyn Jones, who captained the Lions in their series-clinching win in Australia last year, withdrew just before the match with a foot injury. That gave a second Welshman, Jake Ball, his first test start beside scrumhalf Rhys Webb, whose zippy pass was a big factor in Wales frantic start. Five minutes in, lineout ball was spread left and inside centre Jamie Roberts drew two defenders. North gave Halfpenny an overlap and he chipped ahead. France fullback Bruce Dulin claimed the ball just before the tryline, but he was accidentally clipped in the head by teammate Jean-Marc Doussain and dropped the ball, which North pounced on in goal.dddddddddddd Halfpenny couldnt convert. He seemed to kick only the hardest goalkicks, and France kept giving him chances, especially from a scrum that Wales eventually got on top of. Captain Pascal Pape conceded the second penalty from a ruck, and tighthead prop Nicolas Mas the third for slipping in a scrum. Wesley Fofana was milked by North in a ruck for Halfpennys fourth, and a tighthead conceded just before halftime ended up giving Halfpenny his fifth penalty. Moments before then, referee Alain Rolland told both captains the scrum was a mess and threatened to dish out cards. He upheld his promise in the 50th, sin-binning Mas and counterpart Gethin Jenkins. By then, Wales was in charge and the outmuscled French had few options. "It was a catastrophic first half, our discipline was poor, and we gave away too many penalties," France coach Philippe Saint-Andre said. "We were totally apathetic in the first half." Dulin said, "They got on top of us very quickly and we couldnt pull ourselves together. We didnt go about things the right way. "We didnt start the game well and they just gained in confidence. After their match against Ireland they really wanted to put their foot down." France had a try rightfully disallowed early in the first half for a knockon, but the backs received no ball and didnt go close again until the 50th, when centre Mathieu Bastareaud slipped North and was stopped just short of the tryline, and couldnt offload to Dulin or winger Hugo Bonneval. The French backs were more involved in the second half, but Wales defence was smothering. Frustrated No. 8 Louis Picamoles got himself sin-binned in the 62nd and Wales took advantage. From a Roberts barging run up the middle, Warburton charged off a ruck and just managed in a double tackle with an outstretched arm to put the ball on the line. With 10 minutes to go, Wales substituted Adam Jones and Jenkins, Ball, Dan Lydiate, Webb, Rhys Priestland and Halfpenny, and all were cheered off as returning heroes deserve to be. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap soccer jerseys wholesale jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap nfl jerseys china ' ' ' |
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posted on: 03/01/2016 07:52:27 AM
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