News/Ankündigungen » Randolph and Shannon Hale each netted 13 points f

As Randy Carlyle watched Team Canada clinch their second consecutive Olympic gold medal early Sunday morning, it was the way in which they went about achieving success - a complete defensive domination surrendering just three goals against in six games - which piqued his interest most. "I looked at it and I hope our players understand that defense does win, thats the simplest statement you can make," said the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach on Monday. If there is a goal for the Leafs over their remaining 22 games, it should be to clamp down defensively. Throughout the season, they have routinely been outshot, allowing 40 or more shots on 16 different occasions, and a league high 2175, 146 more than the next highest team, the Ottawa Senators. Of their 32 wins, the Maple Leafs lead the NHL with 25 wins in games that they have been outshot. A large part of their success has come from excellent goaltending and their ability to outscore their defensive issues, sitting behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins for the most goals scored in the Eastern Conference. But come playoff time, it is often the best defensive teams that emerge victorious. "We know that we can score goals as a team so if we can tighten up a little bit our defence, we feel were going to be a tough team to beat," said Jonathan Bernier, who has faced the third-most shots in the NHL this season. "I think that youve seen that over a long time, not just in that tournament, that good defensive teams have success," added captain Dion Phaneuf. "When you play good defence, it means you have the puck more and that generates more offence. Thats a fair statement when you say defence wins, its been like that for a long time." Team Canadas defence was made effective, primarily by the cohesion featured among the five players on the ice at any given time, and the relentless nature in which forwards back checked. While that system was executed by some of the finest players in the game, strong defensive skills are not like offensive talent. When it comes to scoring goals, some players simply have more of a knack at it than others but, as Dave Bolland explained, there should be no excuse for poor defensive play. "Defence is about commitment," he said. "I know coming into the NHL, my defensive skills were terrible, and I admit that. But I learned that defence wins you games. I sort of took a hold of that and set it up as my third-line role." Bollands impending return (he, like last week, remained coy today about the potential of dressing against the New York Islanders this Thursday) should help lead the way in terms of defensive commitment. In 15 games before going down with the severed tendon in his left ankle, Bolland showed himself to be among the Leafs top defensive forwards. "I learned a lot about back checking when I got into the league," said Bolland. "When I was in juniors, you didnt even think about coming back. Once I got up to the NHL, you learn backchecking is crucial. The first guy I learned that from was Marian Hossa. You see that guy backcheck, he corrupts [sic] a lot of puck and he corrupts [sic] a lot of sticks, hes always back in the right spots." For an example of the style of play he hopes his players can work toward, Carlyle looked no further than the gold medal game itself. "In that game, it was played at a very high pace, but defence, probably on both hockey clubs, was very evident in the way they approached it and how they tried to set up their defensive schemes," he explained. "On the big ice surface, it doesnt look as Fake Vans Outlet . Tyutin has missed the last nine games with an ankle injury which occurred while playing for Russia at the Olympics. The top-two defenceman has four goals and 20 assists, 30 penalty minutes and a plus-6 rating in 53 games with Columbus this season. Fake Vans Toy Story . Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer. http://www.fakevans.com/fake-vans-sk8/ . Hes still nowhere close to throwing yet. The four-time MVP was in good spirits when he made his first public appearance on the field since having neck surgery Sept. Cheap Fake Vans . It all would have been for naught, however, had it not been for some clutch shooting in the fourth quarter by Kobe Bryant and a couple of equally critical hustle plays by Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol in the final minutes. Fake Vans Online . Starters, when they struggle, have to live with it for five days. For Sergio Santos and Steve Delabar, two of the three men who authored one of the ugliest pitched innings in Blue Jays franchise history on Thursday night, the bounce-back chance came right away.Tucson, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Stanley Johnson had 18 points as No. 3 Arizona routed Oakland 101-64 on Tuesday night. Brandon Ashley posted 15 points and eight rebounds, while Gabe York added 15 points for the Wildcats (11-0), who closed out their five-game homestand. Kahlil Felder tallied 20 points, nine assists and four steals to lead the Golden Grizzlies (4-7). Final Score: (9) Texas 106, Lipscomb 61 Austin, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Myles Turner scored 19 of his 26 points in the first half to lead No. 9 Texas to a 106-61 win over Lipscomb on Tuesday. Turner also grabbed nine rebounds with six blocks in the lopsided win. Jonathan Holmes and Jordan Barnett added 17 and 11 points, respectively, for the Longhorns (9-1). Malcolm Smith tallied 17 points and Josh Williams deposited 13 for the Bisons (4-6). Final Score: (11) Wichita State 53, Alabama 52 Wichita, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Fred VanVleet fed Darius Carter for the game-deciding dunk with 11.9 seconds remaining as No. 11 Wichita State survived Alabama, 53-52, on Tuesday. The Crimson Tide led by 11 with under five minutes to play before a furious comeback pulled the Shockers even. Alabamas Levi Randolph, a 90-percent free throw shooter coming in, made 1- of-2 from the foul line with 32.1 seconds left. Following Carters dunk, Rodney Coopers rushed 3-poiint try missed everything at the buzzer as Wichita State (8-1) hung on for a school-record 23rd straight home win.ddddddddddddCarter and Ron Baker led the Shockers with 16 and 14 points, respectively, while Randolph and Shannon Hale each netted 13 points for the Tide (6-3). Final Score: (15) Oklahoma 85, Oral Roberts 53 Norman, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - Buddy Hield had 16 points, TaShawn Thomas scored 14 and No. 15 Oklahoma rolled to an 85-53 win over Oral Roberts on Tuesday night. Ryan Spangler and Isaiah Cousins added 13 points each for the Sooners (7-2), who have won three games in a row since a 69-56 loss to Wisconsin on Nov. 28 in the Bahamas. Bobby Word buried five 3s for a game-high 19 points to lead Oral Roberts (4-5) and Albert Owens scored 12. Final Score: (24) North Carolina 79, UNC-Greensboro 56 Greensboro, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Kennedy Meeks netted 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting to lead No. 24 North Carolina in a 79-56 rout of UNC Greensboro on Tuesday. Joel James scored 11 points off the bench, Brice Johnson finished with eight points and five rebounds and Justin Jackson chipped in seven points for the Tar Heels (7-3), who rebounded from an 84-70 loss to Kentucky on Saturday. Kayel Locke paced the Spartans (4-7) with 17 points, while Diante Baldwin and Nicholas Paulos scored 13 and 12, respectively, in the loss. ' ' '