Bewerben zum clanbeitritt » Smith wasnt surprised when he was told

TORONTO -- Another night, another tough outing for Jonathan Bernier. The Toronto goaltender wasnt sharp in a disappointing 5-3 home loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday. It came just three nights after Bernier was pulled after allowing five goals on 32 shots in the Maple Leafs lopsided 7-1 home defeat to the New York Rangers. Bernier was the victim of some bad luck as two Islanders goals were deflected off Toronto players. But Berniers inability to keep the puck from entering the no-play zone behind the Leafs net allowed New Yorks Michael Grabner to score easily unassisted early in the second, to the dismay of the Air Canada Centre gathering of 19,164. "That was obviously my bad," Bernier said. "I thought the puck was stopped. "When I looked up to see where the guy was, the puck was still rolling." Despite giving up five goals against the Rangers, Bernier made his sixth straight start Tuesday. And he wasnt surprised that Leafs coach Randy Carlyle let him finish the contest rather than go to James Reimer for a second consecutive contest. "Why would I get pulled," Bernier said when asked if he appreciated Carlyles decision to leave him in. Bernier has often been outstanding this season for Toronto (21-18-5) and Carlyle wasnt about to blame his netminder for the clubs second straight disappointing defeat following three consecutive wins. "You could say it wasnt one of his better nights, thats for sure," Carlyle said. "Weve called upon him too many times this year in a lot of situations. "We did some good things but it just seemed like we were climbing a mountain. Every time we got things going and got back even we couldnt push it over the mountain. I thought we played passive, we were afraid to make a mistake versus being aggressive and going after it." Frans Nielsen, Calvin De Haan and Cal Clutterbuck had third-period goals as New York (16-22-7) outscored Toronto 3-1 in the final period to kick off a six-game road trip with its second win in as many nights. The Islanders beat the Dallas Stars 7-3 on Monday. Toronto outshot the Islanders 26-25 and made it interesting when Nazem Kadris shot deflected in off Joffrey Lupul at 16:55 of the third to cut New Yorks lead to 4-3. It was Lupuls 13th goal of the season but Clutterbuck cemented the win with an empty-net goal at 19:51, his sixth. "Early on I dont know if it was nerves or a lack of poise or confidence," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "But now were just playing with an attitude, playing with an edge, playing with confidence and doing the right things to give us a chance." Islanders captain John Tavares had another productive outing with three assists. Tavares, named to Canadas Olympic team earlier Tuesday, had three goals and two assists against Dallas. "We got some timely goals and you take advantage of those when they come your way," Tavares said. "We did a good job trying to limit their chances. "When you start to win a few, your confidence starts to come back. I still think the ability is here, its the execution and obviously thats been there the last few weeks." Kyle Okposo had the other goal for the Islanders. Tyler Bozak and Mason Raymond also scored for Toronto, which fell to 14-10-1 at home. Forward Nazem Kadri added two assists and caught Carlyles eye. "I though Nazem was more noticeable around the puck, I thought he was much more visible with the puck," Carlyle said. "I just think weve got to get a lot more aggressive. "Were not skating and being the tenacious Toronto Maple Leafs that I expect or everybody expects. Obviously we dont have enough tenacity in our game right now." Kadri said theres only one way for Toronto to get out of its present funk. "You just have to go back to work," he said. "Obviously it takes away a bit of momentum with those lucky bounces but theres nothing you can do. "I have to play like that more often, its about finding that consistency. The best is ahead of me, I just have to make sure I keep working." Bozak opened the scoring, deflecting Paul Rangers point shot past New York goalie Kevin Poulin at 5:05 of the first, his sixth of the season. Bozak has two goals and four assists in four games since returning from an oblique injury. Poulin started ahead of regular Evgeni Nabokov, who was injured in Monday nights 7-3 win over Dallas. Nabokovs absence is a definite concern as the Islanders were 1-9-2 when he was out with a groin injury earlier this season. Okposo pulled New York even at 19:16 with his 17th goal of the season, his wrist shot eluding Bernier. New York went ahead on the peculiar no-play zone incident early in the second. Bernier left his crease to stop a loose puck behind the Toronto goal but couldnt prevent it from going outside the no-play zone. That allowed Grabner to take the loose puck and score his sixth goal unassisted on the wraparound at 3:06. Toronto had four power-play chances in the period but only scored at 8:25 to make it 2-2. Poulin stopped Jake Gardiners point shot but Raymond converted the rebound for his 12th goal of the season but just his second in 16 contests. NOTES -- Defenceman Tim Gleason made his Toronto debut . . . Toronto beat the Islanders 5-2 in the first meeting of the season Nov. 19 at the ACC . . . The Leafs visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday before heading to Washington on Friday night. Their next home game is Sunday against New Jersey . . . The Islanders placed Nabokov (lower body) on injured reserve after Mondays game and recalled Anders Nilsson from Bridgeport of the AHL . . . Okposo missed Mondays win over Dallas to be present for the birth of his daughter . . . Tavares extended his points streak to seven straight games but teammate Thomas Vaneks string ended at nine contests. Air Max Clearance . Of all the names out there who could realistically be dealt by Wednesdays deadline, Ryan Kesler remains No. 1 on the most desired list. And while were not sure if theyre any closer to a deal, we now have a defined price. Cheap Air Max China Wholesale . Ricciardo made it only halfway around the Jerez track before his RB10 rolled to a stop and began spouting smoke from the back. After team mechanics tended to the car, Ricciardo went back out for a mere two trips around the circuit before calling it quits. http://www.cheapairmaxfromchina.us/. The 10-year deal the league and players agreed to that ended the 2011 lockout gave either side the right to opt out after six years. With the league projecting financial growth, there has been speculation that players will take that option in three years, especially since a new national TV contract will be in place by then. Cheap Air Max From China . - After a back-and-forth battle throughout the season, Alex Guenette has earned the 2013 rookie of the year award for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 by just one point over Ryley Seibert. Cheap Air Max Free Shipping . Thornton emerged as one of the leagues best defensive ends against the run in 2013. The former undrafted free agent from Division II Southern Arkansas led Philadelphias linemen with 78 tackles and had one sack. FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Geno Smith is staying put as the New York Jets starting quarterback. His hold on the job, however, is tenuous at best. "Hes our best shot, in my opinion," coach Rex Ryan said. Ryan confirmed Monday that hes sticking with the rookie despite Smiths struggles in the last several games. "I believe in Geno," Ryan said. "I think he has the tools to be a good quarterback in this league." Smith wasnt surprised when he was told Monday morning by quarterbacks coach David Lee that he would start the home game Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. "Every day I come into this building, I fully expect to play," Smith said. "I prepare that way. When I got the news, it wasnt a major reaction." Smith was benched in favour of Matt Simms at halftime of the Jets 23-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins following another brutal performance. The rookie was 4 for 10 for 29 yards with an interception and an 8.3 quarterback rating in two quarters. "If it was a tactic to wake me up or get me going," Smith said, "it definitely worked because right now I definitely feel a sense of urgency." He has one touchdown pass -- against New England on Oct. 20 -- and 11 interceptions in his last seven games. The Jets (5-7) have lost three straight to go from controlling their playoff destiny a few weeks ago to barely hanging on in the post-season mix. Still, Smith will get the start against Oakland over Simms and veteran David Garrard, who hasnt played a regular-season game since 2010. "His perseverance is impressive to me," Ryan said about Smith. "Hell bounce back from this, and Im just waiting for him to have a great game." Simms said he was anxious coming to the facility, not knowing if he would get his first NFL start or remain Smiths backup -- at least for the next game. "Obviously, when you get out there on the field and you get a little taste of the real action, all you want is you want more of it," Simms said. "But nonetheless, Genos the man and Im going to support him and prepare like I have been. "If my numbers called again, then Ill go out there and play as hard I can again." Smith was booed loudly by the MetLife Stadium crowd at times before being replaced by Simms. The son of former Giants star Phil Simms was cheered as he jogged onto the field to start the third quarter, but didnt fare much better. He was 9 for 18 for 779 yards with an interception, and was sacked three times.dddddddddddd "I did enough to solidify that Im still the (backup)," Simms said, smiling. "So, at least I didnt play myself out of my job, so thats the key." Garrard spoke to Smith on the sideline after the benching, encouraging him to continue to cheer for the team and keep his spirits up. The veteran also thinks Smith will be able to bounce back. "He has it in him," Garrard said. "I think these are the growing pains of a young quarterback. Being able to play your way out of it is also going to be another good lesson for him too moving forward with his career. He has to find somewhere to dig down." While Smith is getting the bulk of the criticism among the players, the fact is there are several other culprits in the Jets recent spiral. The offensive line has been inconsistent, the defence -- particularly the secondary -- has been uncharacteristically leaky and the spate of injuries to key players on offence has left a dearth of top talent on the field. "Hes only struggling because were not helping him out," left guard Willie Colon said. "Thats the bottom line." After watching the film, Ryan reiterated what he said Sunday of the teams play against the Dolphins, calling it "just a poor performance on our part." The Dolphins dominated during the first two quarters, outgaining the Jets 265 yards to 39, with 16 first downs to New Yorks 2. Miami took control in the second half and finished by outgaining New York 453-177. "Obviously, hes going through some rough times," Ryan said about Smith. "These last three games havent been good for him. Quite honestly, it hasnt been good for a lot of us." NOTES: Ryan said KR-WR Josh Cribbs shoulder injury is "pretty bad. I think its pretty serious." The Jets could be in the market for a kick returner, especially since Ryan indicated that Antonio Cromartie (four returns, 31.5 yard average) wouldnt be an ideal option since hes the teams top cornerback. ... Ryan said S Ed Reed, off to a slow start with the Jets, will continue to start "unless hes injured." ... WR Santonio Holmes only played two snaps after sitting out all week with a hamstring injury. "We thought he was going to play a little more than that," said Ryan, who added that the coaches noticed "that burst wasnt quite there." ' ' '