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Despite a stronger start for the Maple Leafs against the Vancouver Canucks – building a 7-1 lead at one point on the shot clock – things didnt look too good until the final 20 minutes. Struggling to generate much offence in the second half of the first period and into the middle frame, the Leafs found their legs in the third period, scoring three unanswered goals to split their season series with the Canucks at a win apiece with a 3-1 victory. “We were pleading, begging, crying, all those things to change the way we were playing and it just seemed that we didnt have our sharpness in terms of making tape-to-tape passes,” said Carlyle. “Then we tried to make plays as individuals in the second period and they just sat back with their 1-4 (formation) and trapped.” But with a chance to head into the Olympic break on a high and post an impressive 11-2-1 record in their last fourteen games, Carlyle asked his team during the second intermission to find twenty inspired minutes. “The idea is that it was a one-goal hockey game, here we have an opportunity to pull a game out of the fire by scoring one goal to give ourselves a chance,” explained Carlyle. “We had a break coming. Wouldnt it be nice for everybody to feel a lot better about ourselves with a win here versus a loss?” Tied with Montreal at 70 points in the Atlantic, the Leafs run has positioned them well for the final 22 games of the regular season, sitting seven points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final Wild Card spot. “We talked about wanting to go into the break I think probably six games ago,” said Dion Phaneuf. “Our focus really focused in on playing well going into the break. We feel weve done that, we got some big wins and we wanted to get as many points as we possibly could going into the break and we did that.” Five Points 1) Burrows Pokes The Bear Alex Burrows drew the ire of Phil Kessel late in the second period, cross checking him near the chin before giving him a glove on punch. Kessel responded with a few shots of his own and was noticeably agitated as he left the ice. But the Leaf sniper responded in the third period with what held up as the game-winning goal along with an assist on James Van Riemsdyks insurance marker. “I dont know, its just a hockey game,” said Kessel, after the game. “I wasnt too happy, but its part of the game." It wasnt the first time, though, this season that Burrows had gone after Kessel. In the previous meeting on Nov. 2, the two players fought in what was only Kessels second career NHL fight. On Saturday, both players received just two minutes for roughing with an extra two minutes going to Burrows for high sticking. “I think Burrows has kind of a mandate to disrupt Phil so its always nice when you come out on the right end of a big game like that and Phil scored a big goal for us,” added Carlyle. 2) Kulemins New-Found Talent Nikolai Kulelmin surprised many by how well he performed playing centre between Mason Raymond and Troy Bodie on Thursday in Tampa. But he showed it was no fluke with another solid outing on that same line against Vancouver. Assisting on Mason Raymonds goal that tied the game 1-1 early in the third period, Kulemin also improved in the faceoff circle going 7-for-16. “There has been kind of an unveiling of Kulemin at centre,” said Carlyle. “Its been a big surprise for everybody.” With Kulemin heading towards unrestricted free agency this summer, it will be interesting to see if his new-found versatility will affect how the Leafs approach the decision they will have to make. Additionally, Carlyle also indicated that David Bolland should be available once the Leafs resume their schedule on February 27th against the Islanders, giving the Leafs a wealth of strength down the middle with Tyler Bozak, Nazem Kadri, Nik Kulemin, Dave Bolland and Jay McClement. 3) Bodie Plays Into Carlyles Good Books Bodie continued to be featured regularly by Randy Carlyle against the Vancouver Canucks, playing 14:13 on a line with Raymond and Kulemin. On Thursday in Tampa, Carlyle suggested that Bodies play has been so strong of late that he felt he owed the Portage Le Prarie native more ice time. “Its a nice vote of confidence,” said Bodie before Saturdays game, regarding Carlyles comment. “Being up and down from the minors, its not the easiest thing to do but to get in the line-up and get some opportunity and to play well with it, its nice. To hear it from him (Carlyle) is good too.” Bodie rewarded his coach, assisting on Mason Raymonds tying goal, and tied for the team lead with six hits. “I think just being strong on pucks, getting into fore-checks and being hard on fore-checks,” said Bodie, on what has allowed him to play into Carlyles good books. “Thats really my game, getting in there and just getting pucks back for the skill guys on the line.” 4) JVR and Kessel Excited For Their Olympic Experience Van Riemsdyk and Kessel played a big part in the Leafs come-from-behind 3-1 win but next week, they will be hoping to display that same prowess for Team USA at the Olympics. The two players along with Kulemin will head to Newark on Sunday and then on to Sochi. “Im excited,” said Kessel. “Obviously whenever you get the chance to play for your country its a big honour and Im looking forward to it.” “Its a huge thrill on this stage,” added van Riemsdyk. “One of the highest levels of sport you can play at is the Olympics and to be with a guy I play with day in, day out, it should be fun.” It would stand to reason that JVR and Kessel would play on the same line with Team USA but both indicated they have not been told as of yet who they will be playing with. One thing is for sure though. If they do play together, theyll have to find a new centre to mesh with. “Im excited to watch them play; I think theyre going to do great,” said Tyler Bozak, who said hell be watching his teammates from the Bahamas over the Olympic break. “Its nice that theyre coming into the Olympics really hot. Im Canadian so if Canada and the U.S. play each other, its going to be tough. I dont know who Im going to cheer for yet.” 5) Olympic Break Concerns The Olympic break couldnt come at a better time for the Vancouver Canucks, having lost seven straight. But for the Maple Leafs, the concern for Randy Carlyle is that the break will interrupt the hot streak the Leafs have found themselves on. “It gives us an opportunity to get our team back together and not to drop what weve done now, its to maintain some level of consistency and push for the last 22 games to get ourselves in the best possible position to qualify for the playoffs,” said Carlyle. With four sets of back-to-back games remaining and a five-game road trip that will take them to Anaheim, San Jose, Los Angeles, Washington and Detroit, the schedule will be a grind. “We know that the games are going to get tougher, were going to go out west, play some Western Conference teams, its not going to be an easy schedule that weve got coming,” Carlyle cautioned. “There are no easy ones in the NHL and theyre just going to get tougher when we come back, thats for sure.” He also opted to leave his players with a message he hopes they heed over the break. “The message was ‘the break is here for you to rest and relax but youd be well advised to make sure that you have some form of exercise taking place a few times during the break because when we come back, were going to go to work,” said Carlyle. Injury Update: Jay McClement left in the second period after tangling with Dan Hamhuis, falling awkwardly into the corner boards. He did not return to the game, playing just 5:22. Randy Carlyle confirmed after the game that McClement had a gash over his eye and went to the quiet room. Stats Pack: 11-2-1: Leafs record in final 14 games 100: Career assists for Tyler Bozak; earned it on Phil Kessels goal 14:13: Troy Bodies ice time; second highest among this season 60%: Tyler Bozaks night in the faceoff circle going 12/20 57%: Nazem Kadris night in the faceoff circle going 12/21 7: Losses in a row for the Vancouver Canucks 19: Games since Daniel Sedin last scored a goal 28: Games Alexander Burrows has gone without a goal Quote of the night: “I dont think anyones happy when stuff like that happens, he kind of went after (Phil). I mean its a scrum, theres going to be tons in hockey but I think Phil kind of likes that stuff secretly. It kind of fired him up. They say dont poke the bear and I think they kind of did there. Phil showed it in the third period.” – Tyler Bozak on Phil Kessels skirmish with Alexander Burrows. Up Next: The New York Islanders to kick off the final 22 games of the regular season in New York on February 27th. Garrett Temple Nets Jersey .com) - Novak Djokovic captured a mens Open Era-record fifth Australian Open title on Sunday by defeating rival Andy Murray in the final in Melbourne. Jarrett Allen Nets Jersey . Mission accomplished. Now the Royals will take the field on Saturday with a World Series lead for the first time in team history when they play Game 4 of the Fall Classic against the Giants at AT&T Park. https://www.netsrookiesshop.com/Kenneth-Faried-City-Edition-Jersey/ .com) - Its fair to call Mike McCarthy one of the best coaches in the NFL but its also more than objective to point out that the veteran mentor bookended the Green Bay Packers season with two, truly awful game plans in Seattle. Caris LeVert Nets Jersey . Campbell, playing on loan with Greek club Olympiacos, found the net with a left-footed shot in the 44th minute off a pass from second-half substitute Jorge Rojas to open the scoring at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica. Wilson Chandler Nets Jersey .C. - Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek says guard Goran Dragic will return to the starting lineup against the Charlotte Hornets after missing the last two games with a strained back.VAL MARTELLO, Italy -- Nairo Quintana moved into the overall lead in the Giro dItalia after winning a tough and controversial 16th stage, in difficult weather conditions across the legendary Gavia and Stelvio climbs on Tuesday. Quintana, who is famed for his climbing skills, finished eight seconds ahead of Ryder Hesjedal. Pierre Rolland was third, 1:13 slower, on the 139-kilometre (86-mile) route from Ponte di Legno to Val Martello -- half of which was uphill. The 24-year-old Quintana -- one of the race favourites -- started the day 2 minutes and 40 seconds behind former leader Rigoberto Uran but beat his fellow Colombian by more than four minutes. Uran slipped to second, 1:41 behind Quintana, who showed he has recovered from a difficult opening two weeks, in which he suffered badly from a crash and also had to take antibiotics to fight a chest cold and fever. "It was raining a lot. We couldnt see any motorcycle. We all knew it was very dangerous," Quintana said. "We climbed the Stelvio together, and we all started to descend. There were four or five of us who pulled clear of the group. "I went at my rhythm. I gave everything today. I was climbing well in the end." Cadel Evans was third, 3:21 behind Quintana, and only five seconds ahead of Rolland, with other rivals also gaining time on the Australian. It was the first time both the Gavia and the Stelvio had been climbed on the same day and the stage was an exact copy of one of the legs in last years Giro, which had to be altered because of bad weather. There were fears the weather would again affect the stage this year and there was brief confusion as it was wrongly reported the route down the Stelvio had been neutralized with blizzards and rain making the technical descent even more treacherous. Some teams as well as the person responsible for the Giros official twitter acccount misinterpreted instructions to be careful on the descent, with riders slowing down at the top, wrongly understanding it to have been neutralized.dddddddddddd "The communication was badly interpreted by some teams," race director Mauro Vegni said. "The indications only highlighted the danger of several curves in a risky part of the descent. It was never said that the race was neutralized or that they shouldnt race." Several team directors continued to insist they had been told by the race radio to tell their cyclists the descent had been neutralized. That came after the cyclists had already dealt with heavy fog and snow on the Gavia. There was a group of 10 cyclists in the break which led up up the Stelvio and although, they had a lead of over two minutes, that started to come down on the climb. Dario Cataldo attacked 2km (1.2 mile) from the summit and went on to claim the Cima Coppi prize, awarded to the cyclist who crosses the highest point of the race first. He sped down the descent, as confusion appeared to reign in the peloton, with some cyclists sitting up and taking time to put on warmer clothing. Quintana went clear of Uran, and his chasing group was 1:20 behind Cataldo as the latter started the final climb up Val Martello, with the maglia rosa group more than two minutes further back. The Colombian and Rolland attacked with 18km (11 miles) remaining and caught Cataldo shortly afterward. Hesjedal caught up with the leading trio and Cataldo was then dropped as the leaders upped their pace. They continued to distance the overall leaders and Quintana accelerated with 7.5km (4.6 miles) to go, as the gradient ramped up to 14%. Rolland and Hesjedal managed to stay with Quintana, but had no response when the Movistar rider upped the pace yet again on an equally steep part just inside the final kilometre. ' ' '