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TORONTO – The earliest foundations of the partnership that would rally the Leafs to victory on Tuesday night began almost 10 years earlier in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Then an 18-year-old, Phil Kessel had just completed his second season with the U.S. National Development Team Program and was headed to the University of Minnesota. Nearly two years younger, James van Riemsdyk was just arriving. “We got to watch their highlight film the first day at the program,” van Riemsdyk recalled of a team that featured Kessel and Patrick Kane. “They were just showing us what the two years of work will get you. You see a lot of highlights of his goals. Hes definitely a special player to watch.” Running and gunning with van Riemsdyk after a three-game slowdown of just one point, Kessel would net his fourth career hat trick – second in Toronto – lifting the Leafs from a two-game losing skid and beyond a Ducks squad that had won seven straight. “JVR made two great passes to me and was fortunate to bury both of them,” Kessel said succinctly afterward. His team desperately needed the lift. Full of tension in the first 20 minutes against Anaheim, the Leafs would muster just two shots on Jonas Hiller – down 1-0 – the third time in a week they had managed fewer than three shots in a period. “The first period we were awful tight,” said Randy Carlyle of the early effort, imploring his team to “relax” in the first intermission. Though Hiller would rob Jay McClement with a theatrical glove save on the first shot of the frame that followed – Mathieu Perrault had upped the lead to two – the Leafs would lose some tension and find some energy. A man advantage fewer than two minutes later – Corey Perry whistled for boarding – would swing the door open for the teams top duo, quiet three nights earlier in a one-sided loss to Chicago. Snatching a rebound from just beyond the blue paint, van Riemsdyk, falling to the ice, would twirl around and find an open Kessel on the door-step for the Leafs first goal. Dion Phaneuf would even the proceedings at two just over a minute later. The Leafs would go on to erase a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage later in the period before Kessel and van Riemsdyk would connect once more. Bursting down the right side, Kessel would employ his towering linemate as a decoy, firing a laser under the bar and beyond the blocker of Hiller. “I was just trying to drive and hopefully get the goalie distracted a little bit,” van Riemsdyk said of Kessels go-ahead goal. “I dont think he really needed me to do that because he put it right under the bar, right in the elbow. No goalies going to stop that.” He and the 26-year-old would put a wrap on the evening in the third. Charging with speed on yet another odd-man rush, van Riemsdyk would feather a backhand pass beyond the last defence of a sprawling Francois Beauchemin, Kessel tapping it in for his second Leaf hat trick. “He made some great shots tonight and showed why he has that world-class finishing ability,” van Riemsdyk concluded. Five Points 1. Kessel Recollections JVR first learned of his future teammate when he watched the 2005 World Junior Championships. There in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Kessel scored four goals and six points in seven games. “I see this guy, what was he? 16? 17-years old, and he was just flying down the wing, toe-dragging guys and putting it low-blocker,” van Riemsdyk recalled. Playing alongside younger brother Blake Kessel at the University of New Hampshire, van Riemsdyk met the elder Kessel on occasion, even attending the odd Bruins game with his Wildcats teammate. 2. Searching for Identity Randy Carlyle requested an increase in work ethic before facing his former Ducks squad for the first time since being fired in the winter of 2011. “We havent looked back on many games this year and said weve outworked the opposition,” he said before the game. “Our work ethic has to be elevated to a point where we can create more of an identity for ourselves. I dont know if we can say what type of hockey club we are yet.” That identity began to establish itself in the opening minutes of the second frame, the Leafs creating havoc with improved pressure on the Ducks defence. “Our hockey club is based upon our ability to get in on the puck,” Carlyle would note of the forecheck after the game. Speaking prior to the victory, Carlyle suggested that underlying elements such as the forecheck would improve with greater intensity. “And once we start to establish more of that dogged work ethic then I think the other things will fall into place,” he explained. “And its not that we havent worked hard, its just that we havent worked hard enough in the small areas of the ice and havent won enough one-on-one battles to establish any momentum and keep the momentum going.” 3. Shots vs. Scoring Chances The Leafs allowed a season-low 25 shots against Anaheim, the first time all year they yielded fewer than 30. Never in Los Angeles did Jonathan Bernier face the nightly quantity of shots that have come his way early as a Leaf, but as he explained to the Leaf Report, shot totals form only one half of the picture. “Its more the scoring chances,” said Bernier. “You can look at having 40 shots and five scoring chances its going to be a pretty easy night. But if you get 20 shots and 16 scoring chances thats going to be a really tough night.” “Its all about where you get your shots from,” he continued. “If you get them from the outside and you control your rebounds all night thats going to be a pretty easy night.” All that being said, “In a 40-shot [night] usually youll get more scoring chances against than on a 20-shot night.” Bernier stopped all but two of 25 Anaheim shots. He made his best stop to preserve the Leafs lead early in the third. Sprawling with both pads flaring outward, his left pad would keep a Teemu Selanne shot on the outside. 4. Draft Day Jake Gardiner was picked 17th overall by the Ducks in 2008. “It was one of my most memorable days Id say,” he recalled in conversation with the Leaf Report. “I remember my Dad just being so excited for me; I think he was a little bit more excited than I was.” All the speculation that day in Ottawa had Gardiner either going to the Ducks at 17 or the Senators at 15. Ottawa sprung for Erik Karlsson with their first pick, the Ducks landing Gardiner two spots later. “Youre surprised,” he said of hearing your name called. “You never think youre going to go in the first round of the NHL Draft when youre a kid. Obviously everybody wants to, but its never that realistic. And then when it actually happens its a crazy feeling. That day, being said, its special, but at the same time youre not in the NHL yet; some guys think you are but theres a lot of work to be done.” Gardiner logged 21 and a half minutes on Tuesday night. 5. Bozak on the Draw Tyler Bozak entered Tuesday in midst of a year-long struggle on the draw – 47.2 per cent, 65th among qualifying centres – but he got the job done against the Ducks. Bozak finished 12-24, including 4-5 in the defensive zone opposite Ryan Getzlaf. “You get bounces,” he said before the game. “Ill go on a 10-game stretch where Ill get all the 50/50 bounces and my wingers will get the bounces and theyll come back to our D and Ill win them. Theyre not all clean and they never will be all clean wins and losses; a lot of it is other things. Just havent maybe been getting the bounces, obviously havent been winning as many as I want, but hopefully just key in on the defensive zone ones, win those most importantly and go from there.” Stat-Pack 4 – Career hat tricks for Phil Kessel, including his second as a Leaf against Anaheim. 25 – Shots for the Ducks, the fewest the Leafs have allowed all season. 2 – Number of shots for the Leafs in the first frame against Anaheim. 3 – Number of periods this season that the Leafs have registered three or fewer shots. 11 – Points for Phil Kessel this season, leading the team. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-3 PK: 4-4 Quote of the Night “You can tell when your group cant make a 20-foot pass to somebody whos wide open.” -Randy Carlyle on how he knew his group was pressing early against the Ducks. Up Next David Clarkson makes his debut when the Leafs visit the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Friday. Custom Winnipeg Jets Jerseys .ca! Hi Kerry, The recent issues in the Boston-Pittsburgh game have highlighted a number of officiating, game control, and player sportsmanship aspects. Dale Hawerchuk Jersey . Three days after falling to Hamilton, Abbotsford scored three goals in 53 seconds en route to a convincing 5-1 win over the Bulldogs Saturday in American Hockey League play. http://www.jetsauthentic.com/authentic-k...uk-jets-jersey/. An in-person hearing allows for Garbutt to be suspended for five games or longer as per the leagues Collective Bargaining Agreement. Garbutt delivered a high hit to Penner in the second period of Sundays game. Teemu Selanne Jersey . -- Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh says he isnt going to change what he does on the field. Laurie Boschman Jersey . Even that couldnt slow them down against the New Orleans Hornets. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scored 31 points apiece and the Thunder overcame injuries to two key backups to beat New Orleans 101-93 Monday night for their 10th straight home win. Dallas Stars 2 Winnipeg Jets 1 (Jets 32-32-9, 15-17-3 Road) – It was the Jets 41st one-goal game of the season. The loss dropped the Jets seven points back of Phoenix for the final playoff spot in the West. It was another case of the effort being there, but the result not. It was game one of a five-game-in-nine-day trip for the Jets. Jets were minus Andrew Ladd (birth of daughter), Zach Bogosian (upper body) and Ondrej Pavelec (Lower), to go along with a number of other players that are more long term. As a result, Paul Maurice was forced to juggle his lines, putting Evander Kane with Bryan Little and Micheal Frolik. Other than four games early this season when Kane played the left side with Little, Little has had Ladd on his left side the majority of the time. Eric ODell was flipped to left wing, while Patrice Cormier was recalled and centered the fourth line. With Bogosian out, Paul Postma was back in the lineup. All three goals came on the power play, with Ray Whitney opening the scoring at 5:32 of the first. Shots were 12-11 Dallas, with Whitneys eighth the only goal. One goal in the second and again it came on a power play. Tyler Seguins first chance went off the post, but he stayed with it and put home a loose puck for his 32nd of the year. It also extended his point streak to nine games. Shots in the second were 9-7 Dallas. Both teams had chances to score, including an Evander Kane shot off the crossbar. Both Al Montoya and Kari LLehtonen were terrific in this game, Montoya keeping the Jets in it, Lehtonen keeping the Jets off the score-sheet.dddddddddddd Late in the period offsetting minors put the teams four-on-four when Alex Goligoski drew a penalty. Maurice immediately pulled Montoya to make it five-on-three and Little with his 22nd of the year and eighth power play goal of the year got the Jets on the board.? Little banged home the rebound of a Kane shot, with Toby Enstrom also picking up an assist. The Jets were also minus Blake Wheeler who crashed into an open door at the Stars bench moments earlier and then headed for the Jets dressing room. He did return for the final minute of regulation.? The Jets outshot Dallas 15-6 in the third but could just get the one by Lehtonen. Jacob Trouba again led the team in ice time at 24:51, Kane had four shots on goal, while Adam Pardy was the only Jet to not record a shot on goal. Little won 21 of 31 face-offs and is closing in on establishing a new career high for number of face-offs in a season. “Were getting close to how we want to play, but we are not there yet,” Maurice said post-game. “We were short some people but these guys are giving it their all. Our goaltender was solid.” On Wheelers toughness after returning from his injury: “Those are the things you can hang your hat on going forward.” The Jets return to action Thursday in San Jose (TSN Jets, TSN 1290). 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