e Islanders held a 13-9 shots edge in the first peri

TORONTO – It took whole pile of stops for the Maple Leafs to withstand an all-out Blackhawks rally and win their third in a row. Forty-five saves in all for James Reimer on a Saturday night in Toronto, including each and every one of the 26 peppered on goal during Chicago’s furious third period push – a tilted 20 minutes that saw the Leafs held to just seven shots and none in the final seven minutes. “He was first star, simple as that,” head coach, Randy Carlyle, said of the 26-year-old after the game. “The way he played and just the number of saves that he made in the third period [and] quality saves. A lot of times you’ll get a lot of stuff from the outside, but they had some point-blank chances and he stood tall to the task that’s for sure.” Peter Holland scored his first of the year just two minutes into that final frame – the eventual game-winner – and from there the floodgates opened and the Blackhawks simply poured it on. They pumped shot after shot at Reimer, but were continually turned aside. There was one particular two-minute power-play barrage – just after Holland made it 3-2 – that saw five shots flung at the Leafs goal, an improbable glove stop on Brent Seabrook among those kept out. “I think it was pretty self-explanatory,” Dion Phaneuf said of Reimer’s performance afterward. “He made not only big saves, but at key times and it’s about momentum swings and I thought that he really swung the momentum in our favour many times.” Reimer was making his first start in more than two weeks and if there was some rust early it quickly wore off as the evening rolled along. “The more pucks you see and stop the better you feel,” said Reimer, who holds a .929 save percentage in five games this season. He couldn’t quite remember Chicago’s first goal – both came on the power-play – unable to see the second one, a point shot from Seabrook with Andrew Shaw camped in front. From there nothing made it through. Reimer made one key left pad stop on Patrick Kane with less than four minutes left and then a handful more as the Blackhawks kept pressuring until the final buzzer. “He battles when there are second opportunities and sometimes third ones,” Phaneuf said. “He was a difference-maker for us tonight and I can’t say enough good things about the way that he played.” Sputtering out of the gates in October – five losses in the first eight games – the Leafs appear to be turning a corner of sorts, scoring wins over the resource-depleted likes of Buffalo and Columbus before outlasting Chicago by the slimmest of margins on this night. It was arguably their most difficult test so far. “I think for us it’s a good measuring stick,” Stephane Robidas said of the challenge before the game. “It’s one of the better teams in the NHL the past few years and we’ve got to use it as a measuring stick and see where we’re at.” And while they were under complete siege for nearly all of the final 20 minutes, the Leafs actually held tough with the Blackhawks for the opening two periods, especially at even-strength. “We stuck with the game-plan,” Carlyle said. “We weren’t pretty. And our goaltender gave us a chance in the end and that’s all you can really ask of your team.” Five Points 1. 5-on-5 A testament to some recent improvement, Toronto has outscored opponents 9-1 at even-strength during this three-game win streak – the lone goal coming in Columbus on Friday night. Chicago’s dangerous collection was held off the board in such situations Saturday, both of their markers coming on the power-play. Asked what stood out about his team’s play in 5-on-5 situations, Carlyle responded with four words and only four words. “More offensive zone time,” he said. 2. Limiting the Load Dion Phaneuf didn’t have a lot left in the tank by the time March rolled around last spring, the pile of hugely difficult minutes admittedly taking their toll. “I’d be lying to say that it did not wear you down,” Phaneuf said on the first day of training camp. “When you’re playing those big minutes, by the time Game 70 comes around you might be feeling it a little more.” Phaneuf averaged more than 24 minutes before the Olympic break last season and struggled down the stretch, but so far this year that number is down to less over 22 minutes nightly and that’s not by accident. The coaching staff implemented an soft minute count for their captain this season. That threshold would seem lie at 22 minutes. “í think what we’ve tried to do is tried to share minutes more evenly,” Carlyle said. “We felt that there was a threshold that we would try to keep him underneath and some games we have, some games we haven’t.” Phaneuf played more than 24 minutes Saturday for just the third time this season, helping to hold Chicago’s top line off the score-sheet. 3. Balance Saturday was indicative of that newfound balance on defence. None of the six dressed against Chicago played less than 17 minutes and only Phaneuf topped 21 minutes. Leafs Defence Ice-Time DEFENDER TOI VS. CHICAGO Dion Phaneuf 24:41 Roman Polak 20:55 Cody Franson 20:31 Jake Gardiner 19:35 Morgan Rielly 17:21 Stephane Robidas 17:11 4. An Opportunity Maybe the biggest beneficiary in Joffrey Lupul’s absence is 23-year-old Peter Holland. Holland leapt one rung higher in the Leafs lineup with Lupul out, centering a third unit with Leo Komarov and Mike Santorelli. Totaling a season-high of nearly 16 minutes, he scored the eventual game-winner and also took Lupul’s former spot on the team’s second power-play unit. “I think anytime you move up the lineup and you take on a bigger role it’s definitely an opportunity so it was something I was trying to focus on tonight and I thought [Santorelli], Leo and myself did a great job tonight,” he said. Oddly, four of his 11 career goals have come against Chicago. “I’m not really sure [why but] I seem to be a bit of a Blackhawk killer,” he said. Lupul, meanwhile, will miss three weeks with the broken right hand or in the neighbourhood of nine more games – he’s already sat out the past two. 5. Carrick’s debut An odd text popped up on Sam Carrick’s phone from Marlies teammate on Saturday morning, Frazer McLaren. “Congrats buddy,” it read. McLaren had been at the Marlies home rink, the Ricoh Coliseum, and saw that Carrick’s equipment had been removed. Carrick, picked 144th overall in 2010, was confused. Two minutes later the phone sprung to life again, this time with Leafs assistant general manager, Kyle Dubas, on the line. Carrick was being recalled to the big club, Dubas said, and would make his NHL debut against Chicago. “I was pretty excited,” said Carrick before the game. Coming off an increasingly impactful second AHL season – he had nine points in 14 playoff games – the 22-year-old offered a strong impression to Leaf coaches and brass at training camp and was the first Marlie to get the call when Joffrey Lupul broke his hand Friday in Columbus. “What we’ve tried to do is always make a statement that if you go down and play well you’re going to be recognized,” Carlyle said. Stats-Pack 9-1 – Mark by which Toronto has outscored opponents at even-strength in the past three games. 22:09 – Average ice-time for Dion Phaneuf this season. 5-0-0 – Leafs record when scoring first this season. 6-0-0 – Leafs record this season when Phil Kessel records a point. 26-7 – Blackhawks shot advantage in the third period on Saturday. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-3 Season: 16.% PK: 2-4 Season: 81% Quote of the Night “Enough was enough because we couldn’t continue to go the way we were going.” - Randy Carlyle, on turning things around after a one-sided loss to Boston last week. Up Next The Leafs leave the earliest signs of winter behind, visiting the newly minted Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday. Aleksander Barkov Jersey . 1 player in the world. So Duval gutted it out Thursday at the Byron Nelson Championship despite the pain from a muscle issue in his right elbow, a day after his stepson had to drive him because he couldnt even use that arm. Denis Malgin Panthers Jersey . "I have had no discussions with Chad Johnson or his representation," Popp said Friday in an email. However, he appeared to confirm a report on Twitter from TSN this week that Johnson was on Montreals negotiation list. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/ian-mccoshen-hockey-jersey/ . Head coach Randy Carlyle confirmed the news after the Leafs morning skate on Monday. Kozun was hurt during Friday nights home game against the Red Wings and did not make the return trip to Detroit for Saturdays game. Keith Yandle Jersey . The English Football Association had charged the German right back with violent conduct after retrospectively reviewing video evidence of an incident that was missed by match officials at Craven Cottage on Saturday. Denis Malgin Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Darcy Kuemper, Minnesota (5): He was calm, poised, and looked comfortable all game.NEW YORK, N.Y. - All the accolades and platitudes the New York Rangers received during their recent three-game California sweep were quickly transferred to the rival New York Islanders, who dismantled the Broadway Blueshirts upon their return to Madison Square Garden.Undaunted and unfazed by the positive press heaped onto the Rangers, the Islanders made yet another statement in their surprisingly successful season. They vaulted to the top of the Eastern Conference on Tuesday night with a 3-0 win over the previously surging Rangers.Frans Nielsens short-handed tally capped the Islanders three-goal second period, Jaroslav Halak made 27 saves in his fourth shutout of the season, and the Islanders stretched their winning streak to three.We have a lot of hockey left, Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. This was a big game with a lot of media attention, and I thought we played well.For us, its about getting the two points. To play a team that is playing so well, and for them to come off the trip they came off, it gives the guys confidence that they can play against good hockey teams.The Islanders jumped over Tampa Bay for the top spot in the East, and maintained a one point lead in the Metropolitan Division over the Pittsburgh Penguins, whom they will host Friday.We recognize were battling for the top of the division and the conference, Islanders captain John Tavares said.The Rangers had won five straight and 13 of 14 — a run punctuated by their trek through California last week — but the Islanders finished a seven-game road trip with a flourish.They are 2-0 this season against the Rangers with three meetings remaining, and heard chants of Lets Go Islanders in the last minute of this one.Shortly after the Islanders had a goal waved off because of goalie interference, Anders Lee broke the deadlock at 8:49 of the second. Nikolay Kulemin made it 2-0 with 3:39 left, and Nielsen pushed the lead to three with the Islanders NHL-leading seventh short-handed goal of the season — but first on the road. That came with 40.9 seconds remaining to put an exclamation point on the dominant frame in which the Islanders had a 19-12 shots advantage.We kept our heads on our shoulders and played our game, Lee said. On the road you want to play a simple game and really wear them down.ddddddddddddHalak improved to 23-8 this season as he posted his 34th NHL shutout.Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers found themselves in a most unfamiliar position, trailing at all and being behind by multiple goals. They fell behind 2-0 at Los Angeles last Thursday before rallying to win. Their previous three-goal deficit was in a 6-3 home loss to Tampa Bay on Dec. 1.In the second period, there is no doubt we were a step behind in our execution, a step behind in our decision-making, and they took over, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.The short-handed goal that squeezed under Lundqvists arm was the back-breaker.I made a lot of good saves and I felt like I was playing the way I should, but that was a big goal, Lundqvist said. Weve been good lately minimizing periods like that and playing hard, but that was a tough outing.Cam Talbot took over in the third for Lundqvist, who stopped 29 of 32 shots. Talbot made 12 saves. Only four times in the previous 15 games had the Rangers allowed as many as three goals.The Islanders (29-13-1) hold a seven-point lead over the fourth-place Rangers (24-12-4), who have three games in hand.The Islanders held a 13-9 shots edge in the first period.Lundqvist squared up to most of the Islanders chances, and Halak had his moments of pressure. He denied Mats Zuccarello in tight with 8:58 left and then got bailed out by the posts in a Rangers flurry with 3:30 remaining.Rangers All-Star Rick Nash got between defenders in the slot and sent a drive off the right post. The carom came to Derick Brassard, who fired the puck so hard off the right post that it came across and struck the left post, as well.NOTES: Rangers C Derek Stepan sustained an upper-body injury and didnt play in the third period. The extent of the injury wasnt immediately known. ... Lee and Kulemin both scored for the second straight game. ... It was the third time since yielding five goals to Tampa Bay that Lundqvist allowed three goals in a game. He was 11-1 in his previous 12 appearances. ... The Islanders, who beat the Rangers 6-3 at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 14, went 5-2 on their road trip. ... The Rangers will begin a three-game trip Thursday at Boston. ' ' '