Hilfestellungen » another third down, Griffins run fell short,

PHILADELPHIA – Restructuring the Toronto defence was primary in the objectives of Maple Leafs management as they strode into the busiest stage of a lengthy offseason. And on the final day of draft weekend, they took the first step toward doing just that. Carl Gunnarsson, selected with the 194th overall pick at the draft in Columbus seven years earlier, was dealt to St. Louis on Saturday morning for thick Czech defenceman and longtime Blue, Roman Polak. He is the first addition to a roster that promised to change following another late season meltdown. Adjustment to a mismatched and ineffective back-end was a must for the Leafs, who finished near the league basement defensively last season – yielding more shots against than any other club. Polak, while not an upgrade to the steady, but increasingly over-taxed Gunnarsson, does offer a different kind of presence to the Toronto defence, something brawnier and edgier for head coach Randy Carlyle, if not quite better. Gunnarsson, it was ultimately deemed, could be replaced on the top pairing with something similar internally. "We like our defence individually," general manager Dave Nonis said after the final round of the draft was completed on Saturday afternoon, "[but] we didnt necessarily like how they fit together last year. We wanted to move some pieces and change the look, rebuild it a little bit. I wouldnt say its a major overhaul by doing something like this, but it does give us a different element and its a player we didnt really have." Maybe more significant is how the trade promises to open up further opportunity for the clubs two top guns on defence: Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner. By removing Gunnarsson – who teamed with Dion Phaneuf on left side of the top pair – and adding the right-handed Polak, the Leafs opened up room for Rielly and Gardiner to become more prominent members of the defence. Rielly should move from a place on the bottom pair to something more substantial in the top-four. Gardiner, who led the team in even-strength ice-time, might be the one to replace Gunnarsson on the top pair. "Those guys are going to have to take steps forward," Nonis said of the promising duo. "It might be a lot to ask for Morgan a little bit in his second year, but he made some pretty big strides last year and we would expect that hell take some more next [year]. And I think Jake is a good possibility [of doing the same] as well." Left-handed shots, Rielly and Gardiner were both forced to play the right side often last season – nearly the entire season for the rookie – due to the rarity of right-handed defenders on the Toronto defence (Gardiner, specifically, struggled with the change and eventually had to move back to the left). The addition of the 6-foot-1, 227-pound Polak will ease that glut and allow more options for Carlyle. The Blues, who ranked third in the league defensively a year ago, employed Polak in shutdown capacities as well as on their second-ranked penalty kill. He was known in St. Louis as a fierce, physical competitor willing to play through injury. The 28-year-old, who has two years remaining on a five-year contract ($2.75 million cap hit), led the Blues defence in hits and finished second in blocked shots. "Hes a tough guy to play against," Nonis said of Polak, picked in the sixth round of 2004 Draft. "If you look at the minutes he plays he often plays against teams top players. He is very physical, hes very strong. I think theres a perception that because hes so big hes not mobile, I dont think thats true at all. We think that one of his strengths is his skating ability. Hes going to provide a little bit of edge." The fifth overall pick in 2012, Rielly had a fine first season in Toronto, demonstrating improvement with each passing month. He finished with 27 points in nearly 18 minutes of nightly work, emerging as one of the Leafs top possession players in 73 games. It remains to be seen whether he can climb another rung as a sophomore next season though the organization is certainly hopeful based on all that they saw a year ago. "We are hoping that he improves next year," said Nonis. "He may not. He might go through a year where hes not quite ready to go up the lineup, but were comfortable that hes going to get there and hes going to be an impact player and were going to give him an opportunity to do that." Gardiner, meanwhile, finished a rollercoaster third season on a high. He was easily the teams best defenceman down the stretch of another alarming late season collapse, totaling five goals and 14 points in the final 21 games. "Jakes going to have times where [the media] sitting below me in the press-box will hear me smacking on the wall, but the fact is hes got God-given ability that you just cant teach," Nonis said of the 23-year-old. "I think hes getting the other part of his game under control. The last half of the season the turnovers and some of the mistakes he was making earlier were decreasing … He did come a long way." Nonis expects the Leafs to be active at the outset of free agency on July 1st. He was inclined to add another defenceman to the mix, while stating his acceptance to the status quo if furthers upgrades were unavailable. Gunnarsson had mixed feelings after a five-year stay in Toronto. He received word of the trade shortly after 11 a.m. on Saturday morning and was "kind of shocked". "I didnt expect it," he told TSN.ca, still piecing together the emotions of his first trade in the NHL. "Sucks leaving Toronto…its been great." 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The NFL fined Tomlin $100,000 on Wednesday for interfering with Baltimores Jacoby Jones on a kickoff return in the third quarter of a 22-20 loss to the Ravens on Thanksgiving night.Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Asiatas third touchdown of the game led the Minnesota Vikings to a 29-26 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday. Asiata finished the game with just 26 yards on 10 carries and also converted a two-point attempt. Teddy Bridgewater went 26-for-42 for 268 yards with a touchdown for the Vikings (4-5), who head into their bye week having won two straight games. Robert Griffin III returned to play for the first time since Week 2 and was 18-for-28 for 251 yards with one touchdown and an interception for the Redskins (3-6), who had won their previous two games. Washington had gone on top on Alfred Morris second score of the game with just over nine minutes to play, but Minnesota answered to again take the lead. Facing a 3rd-and-10, Bridgewater and Jarius Wright got together for a 21-yard connection to the Washington 36. Bridgewater converted another third down with a completion to Greg Jennings for a 1st-and-goal at the 4, and Asiata punched it in three plays later. Asiata also ran in the two-point conversion for a 29-26 lead with 3:27 to play. Washingtons bid to either tie the game or go ahead fell short as Griffins pass on 4th-and-6 was incomplete and Washington was able to kill off most of the remainder of the clock. Griffin had been out with a dislocated ankle, but we was able to show off his athleticism on Washingtons first drive. Facing a 3rd-and-7, Griffin escaped two potential sackers before hitting Roy Helu for a short pass that turned into a 24-yard gain. Kai Forbath made a 36- yard field goal to polish off the 13-play, 62-yard drive and give the Redskins a 3-0 lead with just over six minutes to play in the first. Minnesotas next touch saw Bridgewater miss a wide open Cordarrelle Patterson on a deep pass and the team eventually had to punt. It was all Morris on Washingtons next possession as his first three carries went for 27 yards down to the Minnesota 19. Griffins next two passes fell incomplete, but the team got a fresh set of downs thanks to an illegal contact penalty. The next snap saw Morris take a handoff around the right tackle and in on a 14-yard score for a 10-0 lead early in the second. The next sevveral drives all ended in punts and the Vikings failed on a 4th- and-2 at the Washington 39 late in the half.dddddddddddd However, the Vikings defense came up with a big play as Captain Munnerlyn picked off Griffin to get the ball back for his team near midfield. The first play of the ensuing drive saw Bridgewater and Jennings get together for 22 yards down to the Washington 24. Two plays later, Bridgewater found Chase Ford alone in the end zone for a 20-yard score to make it a 10-7 game going into the break. Minnesota went on top on its first touch of the second half as it started with the ball near midfield and a 15-yard catch by Jerick McKinnon coupled with a roughing the passer call on Washington got the ball down to the 25. After McKinnon had runs of 15 and nine yards, Asiata punched it in from a yard out for a 14-10 lead just over four minutes into the third. The Redskins came right back, though, to take the lead. Griffin converted a 3rd-and-4 with a 17-yard pass to Jordan Reed. Facing another third down, Griffins run fell short, but an unnecessary roughness call on Harrison Smith gave Washington a fresh set of downs and the ball at the Minnesota 13. The next snap saw Griffin hit DeSean Jackson in the end zone for a 17-14 lead. Washington tacked on to its lead on its next touch, as Forbath hit a 26-yard field goal to cap a nine-play, 43-yard drive for a 20-14 lead with under two minutes to play in the third. Minnesota came right back as the team moved 76 yards over 10 plays, with Asiata finishing off the drive on a 7-yard run for a 21-20 lead just two minutes into the fourth quarter. Griffin hit Jackson down the right sideline for 56 yards to help set up Morris 2-yard score with 9:01 to play. The two-point conversion, though, failed and it was a 26-21 contest. Game Notes Morris totaled 92 yards on 19 carries, and Jackson had four catches for 120 yards ... Jennings led Minnesotas receivers with six catches for 76 yards ... Washington hosts Tampa Bay in two weeks ... Minnesota plays at Chicago following the bye ... Minnesota has won four of the last five games against Washington. ' ' '