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TORONTO – Stephane Robidas isnt making any excuses. Not about the more than five months of rehab and recovery from another broken right leg. Not about missing training camp. Not about the one exhibition game he was able to play before making his Maple Leafs debut. Not about the quality of competition. Not about the challenge of revving the engine back up after such a significant injury at the crisp old age of 37. Its up to me, said Robidas after his team squeaked out an overtime win against the Avalanche on Tuesday night. Its my job to get ready and be a good player for this team and help this team. Im not doing that right now. Its something Im going to work on and Ill get back to where I should be. Robidas is feeling fine physically – great most days he says – but theres a sharpness to his game thats lacking right now and he knows it. Whether its making the wrong read or the wrong pass or getting beat for a puck that should be his – Sidney Crosbys first goal in a Saturday night loss to Pittsburgh – theres an element thats not there right now. Perhaps its the predictable rust of a player who spent nine months in less than a years time recovering from two different knee injuries, including the longest stretch from mid-April until the point of his exhibition debut on Oct. 3. Robidas wont go there though, that would be an excuse. Its not easy doing what hes doing – we know that, said head coach Randy Carlyle prior to Tuesdays game. He missed a good part of training camp [and] he only got to play one exhibition game so all those things are hurdles that he has to overcome in this situation. And its not like were hiding him in our lineup, hes playing and hes playing big minutes and hes playing up against some of the oppositions best lines. Or at least that was the case until Tuesday evening. Robidas had been playing with Dion Phaneuf on the teams top pairing for the first three games of the regular season, but against the Avalanche, he was shifted onto the third unit with second-year defender, Morgan Rielly. And while Carlyle said the move was more about the performance of Cody Franson on Sunday, its evident that the real aim was to lighten the load and pressure on Robidas. Its a wise move given the circumstance. Robidas didnt look sharp against Colorado. He was forced to take a penalty on the very first shift of the game and nearly cost the Leafs a chance at victory when he gave the puck away to Matt Duchene in the final frame of regulation – Duchene failed to score on the breakaway – with his team trailing by a goal. He finished with less than 14 minutes of ice time for the second time in four games, fewest among the Leafs six defenders. Im always making the wrong read and making the wrong plays or the wrong pass at the wrong time, he said. Im not where I want to be. It was a tough one again tonight for me. I dont know really know how to explain it. Robidas broke his right knee twice in a span of four months last season, a crazy set of bad luck for a player who donned the Dallas Stars uniform proudly for 11 seasons. He was carted off the ice in his last shift for the Stars, reinjuring the knee once more as a Duck against Dallas in the playoffs. Given his age and the severity of the injury, the Leafs took a risk in signing him to a three-year pact this past summer, but were confident that he would overcome the injury and offer the valuable veteran presence they had been lacking on the back-end. He can still be that guy, but its clear it will take some time. Its all the little things that Im not doing right, Robidas concluded. I cant blame anyone but me. Its up to me to find a way to be better. Im going to keep working at it and Ill get better. Five Points 1. Game-Winner Phil Kessel was point-less and totally displeased with his early performance after two games and two losses. Since then, hes scored twice and totaled five points in back-to-back wins, including the Leafs first on home-ice Tuesday. He beat Semyon Varlamov five-hole in overtime for his 37th career game-winning goal. Hes a dynamic player, said Joffrey Lupul of Kessel. You can not notice him for a stretch of time and then he gets the puck with speed and has an ability to change a game in a matter of seconds. Not many guys in the league have that. 2. Winnik Effect Surely the Leafs best line of the early season is the trio of Nazem Kadri, Joffrey Lupul and Daniel Winnik. The unit dominated possession against Colorado – approaching 70 per cent at even-strength – with Lupul scoring the game-tying goal midway through the final frame. That goal was instigated by Winnik, who pressured Avalanche defender Brad Stuart into turning over the puck in the defensive zone. Winnik, a former member of the Avalanche who spent the past two seasons in Anaheim, has been sneaky good in his early Leafs tenure. He has killed penalties effectively (including more than four minutes Tuesday) – and has yet to be scored on in four games. And hes provided a valuable puck-hounding and trustworthy presence alongside Kadri and Lupul. Hes had a good effect on the whole team, said Lupul. Hes a veteran that knows what to do in the big situation, any situation really. Winnik currently boasts an even-strength possession rating that exceeds 60 per cent, amongst the best on the team through four games. 3. Healthy Scratch Two seasons ago – during the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign – Jake Gardiner, then struggling through his second NHL season, was made a healthy scratch on 10 different occasions. He was scratched twice last year and again, for the second straight game, on Tuesday night. This happens, Gardiner said Tuesday morning. Its happened to me a few times before. It happens to everybody. You cant play great all the time. Just rebound the next time I get an opportunity. Those are coachs decisions that you have to deal with, Carlyle said. We feel that we have a quality hockey player that can play to a higher level and he agrees with that. So to me, thats end of story. Theres a history of disconnect between player and organization here, stemming from a stream of trade rumours, trips to the Marlies, lineup decisions and performance. The 24-year-old also just started a new five-year contract worth more than $20 million, a real show of faith to someone who wondered about his future in Toronto previously. Carlyle insists hes just sticking to the philosophy of meritocracy pushed at training camp, but theres a careful line he has to walk between alienating Gardiner and guiding him along in what the Leafs hope will be a fruitful career. 4. Jumping into the NHL Now 324 games into his NHL career, Cody Franson offered a detailed perspective on the challenges of jumping into the league as a young defenceman – much like 21-year-old Stuart Percy: If youre a defensive guy youre going to notice how quick and strong and shifty players are. When youre in the minors you can push guys around a little bit, youre playing against some younger kids sometimes and guys that arent at that [NHL] calibre. And then when you try to be a defensive guy in the NHL youre playing against guys like Datsyuk and Crosby, Malkin, and all those guys who can do unlimited things with the puck while being extremely strong on it. You cant just manpower them. If youre a defensive guy youll notice that. And if youre an offensive-minded guy youll notice how one little mistake can end up in the back of your net. You have to be very smart with the puck in this league. You really have to pick your spots; you cant just go, go, go. When you do that in the minors you can get away with things here and there. Obviously in that league theres guys that arent quite at this calibre and you might be able to get away with a turnover here or there, but here more times than not it ends up in your net. Percy played nearly 24 minutes against the Avalanche, trailing only Dion Phaneuf among Leafs. 5. First Week in the NHL Just about through his first week in the NHL, training camp sensation Brandon Kozun has learned a few things about life in the top league. I think the biggest thing that stands out is the pace, he said. The pace definitely is a step higher. Thats something that Ive had to adjust to. But I think overall that helps me. Playing at a higher pace forces me to keep my feet moving and when Im doing that Im most effective. Kozun, who started the year with Kadri and Lupul before moving to the teams fourth unit, is looking to shoot the puck more often as his rookie campaign rolls on. He had two attempts on goal in the opener – one leading to a goal from Kadri – but hasnt landed a shot on goal since. His NHL audition continues. The Leafs are closely evaluating the 24-year-old, intent on determining whether he can sustain his energetic presence and effect against the games top talent. Though he played just under six minutes Tuesday, Kozun did make his presence felt late against the Avalanche. His pressure on a third period penalty kill forced a holding penalty on Alex Tanguay, one that led to a dangerous power-play for the Leafs which Carlyle labeled the turning point of the teams first home win. Stats-Pack 23:34 – Ice-time for Stuart Percy on Tuesday, second-most among the Leafs. 6 – Points through four games for Tyler Bozak, including a pair versus Colorado. 11-16 – Faceoff mark for Nazem Kadri against the Avalanche. 31-12 – Shots advantage for the Leafs over the final two periods. 13:28 – Ice-time for Stephane Robidas on Tuesday. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-5 Season: 29.4 per cent PK: 3-3 Season: 75 per cent Quote of the Night Play better. -Randy Carlyle, on what Jake Gardiner needed to do upon returning to the lineup. Up Next The Leafs host the Red Wings Friday before visiting Detroit on Saturday. Paul George Jersey . And yet as they left TD Garden amid the slush and snow of a winter storm on Thursday evening, there was a sense among the Leafs that they had finally stood toe to toe with their long-time bully, only to fall just short. Cheap Pacers Jerseys China .com) - Lloyd Sam struck in stoppage time on Wednesday as Red Bull New York hung on for a crucial 1-0 win over Atlantic Cup rivals D. http://www.cheappacersjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-domantas-sabonis-jersey . Follow all the action live on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto, TSN Radio 690 in Montreal, TSN Radio 1260 in Edmonton and TEAM 1410 on Friday at 3pm et/Noon pt. Myles Turner Jersey . Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes, the bandleader of the beard brigade during Bostons run to the 2013 World Series title, said he will be shaving his off before spring training so that he can file it "in the archive" with his memories of the teams improbable championship. Wholesale Pacers Jerseys . Team officials did not indicate the extent of the injury Saturday, simply listing Rose with "left knee soreness." Rose has played two preseason games without any sign of problems. The first NBA game in South America now will be missing its biggest star. Winnipeg Goldeyes manager Rick Forney announced today the signing of veteran outfielder Reggie Abercrombie to a contract for the 2014 season. Abercrombie, 33, has played parts of the last four seasons in the American Association with the Sioux Falls Canaries, hitting .316 with 54 home runs and 213 RBI in 242 games with Sioux Falls. He also played parts of three seasons in the Major Leagues with the Florida Marlins and Houston Astros from 2006-2008. “We are super thrilled to have Reggie join the Goldeyes organization. With Rhyne Hughes not being able to come up and join our team, we needed to find someone that could replace Rhyne in the middle of the lineup and be an impact guy. Hes the best guy out there for that role,” Forney said of Abercrombie, who started the season in the Mexican League with Monclova, where he hit .314 with four home runs and 16 RBI in 16 games. The only player to have a 20/20 season in the American Association when he hit 22 home runs and stole 34 bases in 2010, Abbercrombie has played 14 professional seasons.dddddddddddd He reached the pinnacle on April 4, 2006 when he suited up for the National Leagues Florida Marlins. He went on to play 111 games with the Marlins in 2006, batting .212 with five home runs and 24 RBI in 255 at-bats. The following season he appeared in 35 games with Florida and another 34 games with the Astros in 2007. In 180 Major League games, he batted .223 with 9 home runs and 34 RBI. A career .280 hitter in the minor leagues, Abercrombie is a true power threat. Hes averaged 22 home runs and 82 RBI during the last four seasons in the American Association and Mexican L