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TORONTO – Third periods have been a glass half-full, glass half-empty debate for the Toronto Maple Leafs recently. They let a third period lead slip for the fourth time in the past five games against the Flyers on Saturday evening – twice in fact on this night – only to rally for a second straight overtime win. “We dont want to make a habit of blowing third period leads,” said Joffrey Lupul, who scored the overtime winner, “but things are going to happen, other teams are going to make plays. We stuck with it. There was a good feeling on our bench going into overtime. It seemed like everyone had their composure and was calm and we got the result we needed.” Rather than focus their attention on fumbled leads – Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn did the damage for Philadelphia in the final frame – the Leafs opted for the glass half-full approach, looking at how they responded to such deflation, first rallying in overtime to beat the Rangers on Wednesday night before doing the same against the Flyers in a 4-3 victory on this night. “Thats really what we focus on,” said Nazem Kadri, who scored his 17th of the year before initiating the rush that led to Lupuls overtime winner. “We showed character to stay in games even though its a little bit deflating at times giving up a couple [one]-goal leads in the third period, especially late, to force overtime. But we stayed positive and came out with the right outcome.” “We were able to regroup and thats a positive for us because a lot of times when the game gets away from you your team goes and continues to spiral,” added head coach Randy Carlyle. “Well, we didnt spiral in my mind. Maybe if I re-watch it again Ill have a different opinion, but it didnt seem like we were under siege in the third.” The tight-rope is perilous to walk on and in fumbling leads to the Islanders and Canadiens shortly after the Olympic break, the Leafs ended up losing in overtime twice, two points left on the table in the playoff race.And so for whatever credit they deserve for rallying under such circumstances, the trend of slipping third period leads is of legitimate concern, especially considering how frequently its happened. Whether due to inexperience, poor decision-making, poor defence, a poor power-play or the feisty push-back of their competition, the Leafs have been unable to lock down leads with the game on the line. Its a trend that dates back to their infamous collapse in Game 7 against Boston. “A little bit of sometimes can be inexperience by us, but its also the other team being desperate,” said Lupul. “Phillys a team in a desperate situation and they were making a lot of good plays.” Timonen erased the first lead when he dipped in from the point untouched, Coburn vanquishing the second such deficit on a blast through traffic from the point. “They go both ways sometimes and tonight we got it,” said Jake Gardiner, who scored in the first frame, “but I dont think we want to keep that path going.” Waged in a heated playoff race, the danger in losing such leads are points left on the table and points otherwise given to competitors. And yet, in spite of the recent tightrope act the Leafs have managed to keep picking up points. Now third in the Atlantic division with 76 on the year, theyve taken points in 16 of the past 19 games (13-3-3). Five Points 1. Secondary Scoring Torontos top line of Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk entered the evening with 49 per cent of the teams goals in the 2014 calendar, but went rarely silent against the Flyers. Secondary contributions were found though from the likes of Kadri, Lupul, Gardiner and Mason Raymond, all four lines creating opportunities to score opposite Steve Mason, especially in an energetic first frame. “I think thats whats going to have to be a key to our success as the season goes on because as good as our first line has been it would be asking a lot for them to sustain the pace that theyve had these past 10, 15 games,” said Lupul. “Were going to have to step up.” 2. Bodies Opportunity Tim Leiweke, current President and CEO of MLSE, made a beeline for Troy Bodie in the Leafs dressing room after their narrow win against the Flyers. He was there to congratulate his son-in-law for another effective night at the office, one that saw him chip in with two assists in nearly 16 minutes of ice (just shy of a season-high). “Hes a big, hard-working, honest hockey player,” Carlyle said afterward of Bodie. The 29-year-old has played in every game since being recalled from the Marlies in mid-January, an energetic presence in whatever opportunity hes been dealt. That was filling the skates of the injured David Clarkson on this night, Bodie occupying the right side on a line with Peter Holland and Mason Raymond. “Hes been a noticeable player for us for a while now,” Lupul said. “Hes always getting a couple chances during the game, he finishes his checks and drives the net hard. For him to be a difference-maker tonight its a nice reward for him, but hes been playing that way since the last time he got called up.” Bodie was the driving force on goals from Gardiner and Raymond. 3. Power-Play Still Searching Still nestled in amongst the top-10 in the NHL this season – now seventh-best – the Leaf power-play remained empty for the eighth consecutive game Saturday, 0-3 against the Flyers and now 0-18 in that eight-game span. 4. Bozak on the Draw Though hes surged in point production this season – and especially in the past three months – Tyler Bozak has not, until very recently, been his usual productive self in the faceoff circle. The low-point may have come in Colorado on Jan. 21. Bozak was drubbed by Paul Stastny and the Avalanche that night, losing 20 of 29 draws. Since that point, however, hes simply sizzled, winning 55 per cent of his faceoffs during an 11-game stretch. “Hes back to the Bozie that we know in the faceoff circle,” said Carlyle. Hovering right under 53 per cent in the past two seasons, the 27-year-old has inched up to 49 per cent this year with the recent hot streak, right on the outskirts of the NHLs top 30. As hot as hes been lately though, Bozak actually struggled on the draw against the Flyers. He lost 13 of 23 faceoffs – mostly to Claude Giroux – and dropped a critical draw late in regulation, beaten by Brayden Schenn on the sequence that led to Coburns game-tying goal. 5. 7-D Carlyle trotted out seven defenders for the sixth time in the past seven games, keeping Paul Ranger in the lineup as the rover on the back-end. “We think that it does two things,” said Carlyle. “It gives our offensive players a little bit more ice-time. We try to spread Phil around a little bit more, try to get some more minutes for Clarkson and Lupul … And then it takes a little bit more load off of some our defencemen. If you get into a special teams game where youve got lots of power-play and penalty killing it chews some of the minutes there also.” Stats-Pack 0-18 – Toronto power-play in the past eight games. 21 – Games missed this season by David Clarkson due to suspensions and injuries. Clarkson suffered a muscle pull (left leg) at practice Friday and did not play against the Flyers. 16 – Number of times in the past 19 games that the Leafs have registered at least a point. 1 – Multipoint nights this season for Troy Bodie, who had two assists against the Flyers. 8-4-0 – Leafs record when outshooting an opponent this season. They mustered 36 to 31 for the Flyers. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-3Season: 20.7% (7th) PK: 2-2Season: 77.9% (28th) Quote of the Night “We were able to regroup and thats a positive for us because a lot of times when the game gets away from you your team goes and continues to spiral. Well, we didnt spiral in my mind.” -Randy Carlyle, on recovering from a blown third period lead. Up Next The Leafs hit the road for a five-game trip, beginning Monday night when Randy Carlyle returns to Anaheim for the first time since he was fired by the Ducks. Cheap Vapormax China .Y. -- A month ago, Syracuse was unbeaten, ranked No. Cheap Air Max 95 China . The 25-year-old Lu, a regular on the Japan LPGA Tour after giving up her LPGA Tour membership in 2010, shot an 8-under 64 in windy, wet conditions at Kintetsu Kashikojima. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/wholesale-air-max-china/max-90-clearance-sale.html . -- Wes Welker is unlikely to suit up for Denvers game Thursday against San Diego after leaving Sundays win over Tennessee with his second concussion in four games. Cheap Fake Air Max 95 . Not that he was complaining. Davis had 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocks, and the New Orleans Pelicans emphatically snapped a three-game skid with a 135-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. Nike Air Max China Wholesale Paypal .C. -- Benn Ferrieros familiar with scoring important goals, just not in back-to-back games.And oh how the enigmatic goaltender shines in the spotlight, much to the chagrin of the league. Bryzgalov is just what the NHL hates: unique, outspoken, not from Red Deer. The embattled and well-traveled goaltender is the antithesis of the typical NHLer. His idiosyncrasies, strange even for a goalie, rankle the entire NHL establishment, from players to management to media to that guy who lives in the apartment below yours with his mother who has a "prominent Predators blog." And as Bryz adds some animation to the typically lifeless NHL discourse in his return to centre scrum, its interesting to consider why hockey hates him so. [Getty Images] For much of his career, Bryzgalov and his delightfully absurd aloofness was left to the bliss of the uncovered hinterland of the NHL. He was allowed to ply his trade in Anaheim and Phoenix with relatively little attention paid. But, in league circles, his oddities were well known, and even celebrated when the media required moments of levity. But upon his arrival in hockey hotbed, and noted goalie-killer Philadelphia, the affection the league had for Bryzgalov turned quickly to venom. His play certainly didnt help, but many an average NHLer with a slight sense of humour has been left to his own devices. But Bryzgalovs appalling strangeness in the eyes of the hockey establishment, a sinister outfit run by old white men housed in a secret lair below the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, made him a pariah, and nearly led to the end of his career. And by "end of career" I mean playing in Edmonton. Perhaps no player has incurred the wrath of the NHL like the man the Wild acquired as insurance, and who is now their last hope to extend the season. But why? Unfortunately, hockey lacks Bryzgalovs. Of the four major sports leagues, it by far eschews personality and flavour more than all others. Hell, out of any sport it certainly boasts the most boring membership. No interview is less interesting than conversations with hockey players. Vanilla mocks the rabid blandness of NHLers. And those in NHL circles who do have personalities, like Sean Avery, Ted Nolan, or P.K. Subban, find themselves ostracized from the community, or like Subban unfairly labeled as troublesome on and off the ice. One would think a league that has struggled to find a market against its more successful sports brethren would embrace personality, but thats not the hockey way. Bryzgalov is more than a goalie, more than a hockey player. Hes a genuinely interesting and interested person. He has big questions. Like, "Im very into the universe, you know like how was created, you know, like, what is it, you know? Solar system is so humongous big, right? But if you see like our solar system and our galaxy on the side, you know, like, were so small you can never see it. Our galaxy is like huge, but if you see the big picture our galaxy (is) like a small tiny-like dot in the universe." Bryz is the opposite of boring. [HBO] But hockey is a factory of boring. The sport grabs youngsters at an early age, sends them to cosmopolitan metropoli like Chicoutimi, Lethbridge, and North Bay, and where representatives of the old boys club teach them to lack in colour and dissenting opinion. There must be courses in stock answers and cliché given to aspiring NHLers, lest they find some horrific off-ice personality. One can imagine a factory churning out 62 defencemen and gritty fourth liine centres somewhere outside of Medicine Hat whose only answers are limited to: • Gotta play all three periods and go hard into the boards.dddddddddddd • Its the coachs decision. • I enjoy CBCs Heartland. Unfortunately, this formulaic tendency has corrupted on-ice play as well. In the past quarter century weve seen the game become more systems-based, removing individuality and scoring from the game. (Lets call this Lou Lamoriellos fault.)Hockey enjoys being the definition of innocuous. What it finds funny, or interesting, is in the Jeremy Roenicks of its world, a sort of low brow, low risk comedy that makes Canadian sitcoms look like the bastard children of Louis CK and Sarah Silverman. And that affection for the benign has lowered scoring, homogenized the product, and made beat reporters quest for an interesting quote an exercise in futility. Bryzgalov is the kind of guy you like to keep in your pocket and take out at parties. He was the star of HBOs24/7, an ambitious show that tries to find intrigue in NHL locker rooms.His personality is as endearing as it playful. Hes intelligent, well read, and happy to speak on any subject. And the NHL hates him for it. This is a man who when asked if he feared the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins before a playoff matchup with his Flyers responded, "Im not afraid of anything – except bear. But bear in the forest." Whats not to love? The pundits cited his personality as one of the reasons he failed in Philly, despite the fact that the Flyers organization is a wasteland for goalies whose failures have been the result of a flawed organizational concept as opposed to a Russian who enjoys tea and literature. Whats most painfully difficult to entertain in this NHL with a hatred of the entertaining is the notion that there arent more personalities like Bryzgalov. The difference with Bryz is that he shares his self with the world. I cant even describe the weird that my peers tend towards in the privacy of dark corners of Montreal bars, so one cant be naïve enough to believe that similarly intriguing oddity doesnt exist in NHL locker rooms. NHLers are only permitted to show their game face, or as Bryz puts it, "You know, I have many faces … masks. In home, I have one face. Public, I have other face. Uh … ahhhh, on ice I have different face. Day off I have four face. With you [media] I have fifth face." The tradition of the league has implemented a gag order upon its membership, which limits both its on- and off-ice products. The marketing of contemporary sport is about personality. Its what makes the moments between on-field greatness interesting. Chad Johnson, Dennis Rodman, or Steve Lyons would never be allowed to exist in the NHL. From a young age, their personalities would never be given the chance to blossom into anything other than milquetoast. Bryzgalov once said, "OK, they fire the puck from the blue line. Chief usually yelling block the shot at the defensemen. They doesnt have the goalie gear, but they have to block the shot. So who is more crazy, me or the defencemen? Who is more weird?" No one, Bryz. No one. And thats a shame. For both the sport and its fans. This is likely his last few weeks as an NHL goaltender. And then exit Bryzgalov, pursued by bear. ' ' '