TORONTO – James Reimer chose his words carefully, but made no secret of his unhappiness. Vladimir Tarasenko Jersey . “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. Pavol Demitra Jersey . The Toronto Blue Jays general manager made a series of bold moves that reshaped the club ahead of what would turn out to be a disastrous 2013 campaign. Pierre Turgeon Jersey . The No. 23 seed at the first Grand Slam event of the tennis season has worked out all the details, from his training regime right down to where hes going to eat dinner. http://www.officialbluesnhlshop.com/brett-hull-jersey/ .Y. -- Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire will have less time to remain eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot under changes made Saturday.CINCINNATI - Three seasons in the NFL, three times in the playoffs. Andy Dalton has done something special during his just-getting-started career. Now he gets another chance to win one when it matters most. Dalton threw four touchdown passes on Sunday, and linebacker Vincent Rey returned an interception 25 yards for a score and the Bengals had another big day at home, beating the Minnesota Vikings 42-14 on Sunday. A few minutes after their game ended, the Bengals (10-5) clinched a playoff berth when Miami lost at Buffalo 19-0. They later clinched the AFC North title when Baltimore lost at home to New England 41-7. Its Cincinnatis first division title since 2009 and the Bengals eighth overall in their 46 seasons. And it makes it 3 for 3 for Dalton, who will be in the spotlight more than anyone else at playoff time. Its the first time in their history that the Bengals have reached the playoffs in three straight seasons. "To be in the playoffs every year since Ive been here is huge," said Dalton, only the fifth quarterback in NFL history to make the playoffs in each of his first three seasons. "It gives you a chance to accomplish the ultimate goal." Something about Paul Brown Stadium brings out the best in Dalton and the Bengals, who are 7-0 at home. Theyve topped 40 points in each of their past four home games, a franchise first. Dalton has thrown for five, three, three and four TDs in those games. "He was really grooving out there today," said A.J. Green, who caught two of the touchdowns. "We got everybody involved today." The Vikings (4-10-1) had knocked off playoff contenders Chicago and Philadelphia in the past three weeks. Even with Adrian Peterson back from a foot injury, they couldnt keep up. The Vikings had allowed the second-most points in the league heading into the game. They gave up 40 for the third time this season. Two of Cincinnatis touchdowns came off their defence. "Turnovers definitely decided the game," said Peterson, who sat out the second half with the Vikings far behind. "We put them in a position to play the game the way they wanted to play. "Its tough getting behind the 8-ball like we did." Dalton has thrown 31 touchdown passes this season, onne shy of Carson Palmers club record from 2005. Robert Thomas Jersey. Dalton replaced Palmer in the 2011 season and has led the Bengals surge. His biggest shortcoming: 0-2 with two poor showings in the playoffs. The Bengals havent won a playoff game since the 1990 season, tied for the seventh-longest stretch of futility in NFL history. Dalton had good conditions for throwing the ball — breezy with temperatures in the 50s. And the defence helped out, too. Dalton threw touchdown passes of 29 yards to Green and 16 yards to Jermaine Gresham as the Bengals pulled ahead 28-7 before halftime, the most points that Minnesota had allowed in an opening half. Two of Cincinnatis first three touchdowns came courtesy of the defence. Reys interception and touchdown return made it 21-7. Giovani Bernard pulled off the games flashiest play, turning a short pass into a 41-yard play in the third quarter by doing a complete spin to avoid a tackler, stiff-arming another and reaching the 7-yard line. Dalton passed to Mohamed Sanu for his third touchdown. Green made a one-hand grab of a 2-yard pass for another TD. Peterson returned after missing a game with a sprained right foot. He got the ball on Minnesotas first two plays and gained only 4 yards. On third down, Cassel was sacked on a blitz and fumbled. End Carlos Dunlap picked up the ball and returned it to the 4-yard line. Two plays and 12 seconds later, BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran it in for a 7-0 lead. Peterson was limited to 45 yards on 11 carries. Cassel was 13 of 27 for 114 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. The Vikings took advantage of Dre Kirkpatrick for their first touchdown — the cornerback played off Jarius Wright, went for a fake and stumbled, allowing the receiver to run past him for a 36-yard score. Notes: Pat Haden of the Rams, Dan Marino of the Dolphins, Bernie Kosar of the Browns and Joe Flacco of the Ravens are the other four QBs to lead their teams to the playoffs in each of their first three seasons. ... The Vikings were 0 for 9 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth down. ... 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