TORONTO – James Reimer chose his words carefully, but made no secret of his unhappiness. “I dont know if theres a goaltender in the league thats happy when they get pulled,” said Reimer following an eventual 5-4 shootout loss to the Red Wings on Saturday night. The 25-year-old got the hook after just 20 minutes at the ACC – in yet another sloppy first period for the Leafs – yielding three goals to the Red Wings on 12 shots. It was the fourth time in 18 starts that Reimer has been pulled and clearly it stung. “Obviously I didnt want to get pulled,” he said. “Thats the last thing I wanted. I wanted to hang in there. But thats Randys decision. And I respect what he decides. I may not like it, but thats irrelevant. Hes the one who makes those decisions.” Randy Carlyle sensed something amiss with his starting goaltender on the very first shot of the game, one that he says bounced in and out of Reimers glove. “I thought the rebounds were bouncing away from him,” added Carlyle. And though the first goal was a strike of brilliance from Pavel Datsyuk – opposite Torontos fourth line no less – he felt the final two markers were stoppable. The first, a wraparound from Joakim Andersson, was one Reimer admittedly wanted back. The second saw Tomas Jurco camped all alone in front of the net – Jake Gardiner falling down in the corner – able to tuck a backhand through the Leafs netminder. “When a goaltender is in the zone, pucks usually dont go through him,” said Carlyle, “and their third goal went through him.” Two minutes still remained in the period when Jurcos goal made it 3-1 for the Red Wings, but it was at that moment that Carlyle decided to start Jonathan Bernier in the second frame. He told Bernier as much as the team exited the ice after a disappointing opening frame. “When you do that you do that based upon not specifically the individual thats getting pulled,” Carlyle explained, “you do it for your team, that somehow you can get a spark for your team and I thought Bernier came in and did that for us.” The Leafs scored twice in a resilient second period before snatching a temporary 4-3 lead in the third on David Clarksons first goal since Nov. 23. Tomas Tatar would even the action at four with less than seven minutes to go – capitalizing on a turnover by Gardiner along the wall – before Daniel Alfredsson iced the first meeting between the two clubs in a shootout. Though Bernier stepped in and stopped 25 of 26 shots, thus backstopping the comeback, one could understand Reimers displeasure with the quick hook. First, the team in front of him was admittedly far off-point early, standing around, in the words of Carlyle, as Detroit strangled hold of the action. And then there was the effort of the Manitoba native just two nights earlier, his 34 saves effectively carrying the Leafs to an eventual two points against Phoenix. Throw in the fact that Reimer has been pulled four times already versus zero for his counterpart in Bernier (despite entering the night with slightly better numbers) and its easy to understand where some frustration might lie with the lack of rope from the head coach. “I dont know if I want to really get into that,” said Reimer, who was making three consecutive starts for the first time all season. It was Joffrey Lupul after the game against the Coyotes who observed that “the one thing we know we can count on Reims for is compete level and battle.” And on this night Reimer was not given that opportunity to battle and perhaps thats what stung most of all. “I think thats what any goaltender wants,” said Reimer. “You want that chance to get in there and fight and battle for your teammates and try and get a win. Obviously Randy had other thoughts and hes the coach and hes the one who makes those decisions. I dont. I just try and stop pucks.” Five Points 1. Glass Half-Empty The Leafs actually scored first for the 22nd time this season – Cody Fransons second of the year – but the lead evaporated less than two minutes later on the goal from Datsyuk. “Obviously we didnt have a very good first period,” said Carlyle. “We score the first goal and then we basically stood around for the rest of the period and watched them do their thing. They out-competed us badly in the first period. We thought that there was no way that we could duplicate that period again. We found a way in the second to get our game going.” “We dug ourselves a hole and it takes a toll on you trying to dig out of a two-goal hole like that,” said Lupul, who scored the third Toronto goal on a power-play. “If we take one thing from the game its probably get off to a little better start.” Toronto has been outscored 31-23 in first periods this season, capturing the lead just 10 times in 38 games. 2. Glass Half-Full “If were looking at positives, its the way we battled back in the second,” said Lupul. Just as he did on the opening goal from Franson, it was the effort of Peter Holland on the forecheck that spurred the Leafs second goal and subsequent comeback. Holland freed the puck from Kyle Quincey behind the Detroit goal before it eventually found its way to Dion Phaneuf for a one-time blast. Quincey was then whistled for a high-stick on Kadri later in the period propelling Lupuls game-tying power-play marker, his 11th this season. Clarkson gave the Leafs a brief lead in the third, crashing the crease of former Leaf Jonas Gustavsson, who made 19 saves. “Coming back against a good team like this it should be a huge confidence [boost],” said Bernier. Toronto has outscored the opposition 44-33 in second periods this season and has led 16 times after 40 minutes. 3. Clarkson Snaps Drought Clarkson had gone 12 consecutive games without a goal and had just one assist in that span, but he broke the spell with his third this season against Detroit. Earlier in the day he remarked on his struggles to generate offence. “A lot of athletes go through a lot of ups and downs no matter what sport it is,” he said. “Youll see a guy hit well for a long time and all of a sudden hes on a lull.” Just as he had against the Coyotes, the 29-year-old remained in a shutdown role against the Red Wings. Paired with Jay McClement and Nik Kulemin, Clarksons line was pegged to play up against Detroits top unit of Datsyuk, Todd Bertuzzi and the aforementioned Tatar. Datsyuk did find the scoresheet, but managed to do so with the Leafs fourth line and third defensive pairing on the ice. “Youre pleased when you win,” said Clarkson, asked if he was happy to find some offence. “Its not an individual game or an individual effort.” 4. Kadris struggles on the Draw Of the 88 centres who qualify for the league faceoff crown, only four have been worse this season than Nazem Kadri, who sits 84th overall. Kadri, who finished 4-14 on the draw against the Red Wings, has won only 42.3 per cent of the 494 faceoffs hes taken this season. The 23-year-old is down slightly from the 44 per cent mark he posted last season. Jerred Smithson, a career 55 per cent marksman, said the biggest lesson hed offer to a young centre in need of advice is “compete level”. “Its just wanting to win the battle more than that other guy,” he told the Leaf Report. “Thats the biggest thing for me anyway. You know theres always different techniques, but just the will and the compete going into the circle and wanting it just that much more.” Smithson acknowledges that different tricks and techniques also make a difference, but notes that “if youre going to start with one thing its just the battle. For me its so much harder when I know a guys coming in there and hes going to battle his butt off to win that draw. For me, that would be the starting point.” 5. Kadri on the Top Line Kadri had a pair of goals against Dallas on Dec. 5 when he replaced an injured Tyler Bozak on the Leafs top unit. But since that point, the 23-year-old has been quiet offensively alongside Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk, totaling just three points over the next nine games. “Youre asking a young player in Kadri to fill some shoes of a veteran player,” said Randy Carlyle of the shift from Bozak to Kadri. “Hes a young player still cutting his teeth to become a higher level first line, second line centre, whatever word you want to describe an offensive player. Were asking a lot of a young player right now where last year we were able to use Nazzie more as a third line option and protect him from having to play up against the top two lines of other hockey clubs.” Squaring off mostly against third and fourth lines, Kadri had 14 goals and 35 points through the first 34 games last season. Through the same number of games this season, matched mostly against first and second units, he has 10 goals and 22 points. Bozak is due to return from an oblique injury on Dec. 29. Stats-Pack 4 – Number of times James Reimer has been pulled this season. 31-23 – Deficit for the Leafs in first periods this season. 3-10-1 – Leafs record when trailing after the first period. 44-33 – Advantage for the Leafs in second periods this season. 12-8-1 – Leafs record on home ice this season. 4-14 – Nazem Kadri in the faceoff circle against the Red Wings. 3 – Goals from Dion Phaneuf this season. Phaneuf snapped a 25-game drought with the Leafs second goal on Saturday. 4-5-2 – Leafs record versus the Atlantic division. 34-16 – Shot advantage at even-strength for Detroit. 17 – Number of times in the past 24 games that the Leafs have allowed at least three goals. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-4Season: 23.1% (4th) PK: 1-1Season: 77.8% (27th) Quote of the Night Up Next The Leafs visit the Rangers at MSG on Monday night, their final game before the Christmas break. Nike Air Max Online Store . Viewers in the Jets region can watch the game on TSN Jets at 6:30pm ct/7:30pm et. The game is also avialable on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg at 7pm ct. Nike Air Max Mens Sale .A. remained bitter for Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers on the long flight back home to New York. http://www.airmaxtrainerswholesale.com/ .com) - Many people at Eastern Washington are waiting to see if star quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. Air Max Cheap Sale . Julien coached the Bruins to the Stanley Cup championship in 2010-11 and is the longest serving coach in consecutive seasons in the teams history. Claude is one of the top coaches in the NHL and has consistently shown a passion for winning, general manager Peter Chiarelli said Sunday in announcing the signing. Nike Air Max Womens Sale . A spokeswoman for the NLRB says its "a very incremental move" and does not necessarily indicate the board is close to a finding in the case. NFL owners filed an unfair labour charge against the players union in February, arguing that the union was not negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement in good faith. NEW YORK -- Phil Jackson is back in New York, providing the Knicks stability, championship-building ideas and a link to the franchises best days. Now they need him to get some good players. Jackson was introduced Tuesday as team president of the Knicks, in the midst of another difficult season and with no easy path to a quick fix. But Jackson has won here before, done plenty of it since and says a couple of years off have left him ready to take on what might be his toughest challenge, turning this dysfunctional franchise into a champion again. "It would be a capstone on the remarkable career that Ive had," Jackson said. Jackson was a member of the Knicks title teams in 1970 and 1973, and they havent won since. He went on to win 11 championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls. This will be his first time as an executive and the Knicks say he will be in charge of all basketball decisions. Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan said he "willingly and gratefully" is stepping back to give Jackson the power to make the changes. "Phil has a vision for the Knicks that I know will put us on the path for success," Dolan said. Steve Mills will remain general manager. "I think that we have a teamwork situation here thats going to be really quite swift and capable of making some important changes as we move forward," Jackson said. The Knicks announced the hiring in the lobby of Madison Square Garden, with a giant "Welcome Home Phil" sign overhead and racks of his old No. 18 jersey on sale. He signed a five-year contract that reportedly will pay at least $12 million annually. After living in California for many years, Jackson said he would spend significant time in New York, starting with Wednesdays game against Indiana. Hes got big decisions coming up involving Carmelo Anthony and coach Mike Woodson. Its the second reorganization in six months for the Knicks, who fired GM Glen Grunwald days before the start of training camp. Mills replaced him even though he had no previous experience running the basketball side. The deal began to take shape at a holiday party hosted by a mutual friend of Jackson and Dolan. Though Jackson quickly declined interest in coaching, they agreed to keep talking. It will be tough for Jackson to makke big changes quickly in New York, where the Knicks face with the salary cap problems.dddddddddddd Amare Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler and Andrea Bargnani will all be in the final year of expensive contracts, making them difficult to unload. And they traded their first-round pick to Denver in 2011 to acquire Anthony. Jackson alluded to that, saying the Knicks "were going to have to go out and work the bushes for players this next year." But he has a vision for how he wants to do it, a change from the Knicks way of too frequently adding big-name players who dont fit any particular style. Jackson said he wont insist that the Knicks run the triangle offence that worked so well for him with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, then Kobe Bryant and Shaquille ONeal. But he made it clear he believes in the systems principles of passing, movement and teamwork. But its not just Xs and Os that have doomed the Knicks during a mostly disastrous decade. Its the policies of Dolan, who has too often involved himself in basketball decisions. Jackson said he will be accessible and will focus on things such as "how players are treated" and "the kind of culture thats built." "This organization has suffered in the past few years from things I think have just been created, by press, by lack of continuity, by lack of solidarity." It wasnt like that when Jackson played in New York. Those teams not only thrived on the court but were well-known and well-liked around the city, players such as Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley and Dave DeBusschere. "This is the best place to play basketball," Jackson said. Jackson is marrying the daughter of late Lakers owner Jerry Buss and said he will continue to spend time in California, where his children and grandchildren live. Jackson said he didnt know how much day-to-day work he would handle. After five knee and hip surgeries, Jackson is "not easily able to move around" on commercial airlines or scouting at small gyms. That ruled out coaching, the job that Knicks would have loved him to do. But the work needed from the front office might ultimately be more important. "Now to come back to where Ive started in basketball, its a great feeling," Jackson said. ' ' '