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SAN JOSE – Through the first 10 minutes of an incredibly one-sided middle period the hometown Sharks had wrung up 15 shots to just a single measly one for their counterparts from Toronto. Air Max 270 Mens Canada . It was that kind of night in San Jose for the Maple Leafs, trounced 6-2 on the second stop of their three-game tour through the perilous California triangle. Though they managed to elude the Ducks in Anaheim just a night earlier, Toronto could not ultimately find the necessary juice to topple another giant at the SAP Center on Tuesday night. “It was like there was one puck and they had it,” said head coach Randy Carlyle afterward. “We didnt have a chance to play with it much. That gets frustrating for everybody.” About as dominant as they get in the NHL on home ice – theyre now 25-4-4 – and in the league generally speaking, the Sharks took control for good on this night midway through the first and right on into that dominant second frame, one that saw them plaster 17 shots on an often helpless James Reimer. In fact, San Jose had rung up more shots at one point in the early stages of the period alone than the Leafs had mustered all night. “I thought we did a lot of things that gave them a lot of opportunities, specifically turning the puck over,” Carlyle said of the effort, his team outshot 48-21 overall. “And we didnt skate. We were standing still.” Marc-Edouard Vlasic landed the games first goal before four minutes had elapsed on the clock, capitalizing on a careless Jake Gardiner defensive zone giveaway. Gardiner matched the marker himself 25 seconds later on a rush with Mason Raymond, but from that point on the waters firmly swung in the Sharks direction. Punishing the Leafs with their size, speed and skill, they would score four unanswered, including a pair from Joe Pavelski. “Just from the very beginning we werent ready to play,” said Gardiner, who added a second goal in defeat. It was only the fourth regulation loss for the Leafs in the past 21 games – 14-4-3 – an unlikely stretch which has seen them capture points with incredible regularity. They sit second in the Atlantic division even after Tuesdays defeat, one point up on the Canadiens with 78 points. Considering that overall performance in the past two months, this most recent defeat would appear a one-off beat-down at the hands of an elite opponent, one with very real Stanley Cup aspirations this season. One loss can turn into two pretty quickly on the left coast though with another lofty challenge lying ahead for the Leafs on Thursday night. Theyll face the Kings, winners of eight straight, at the Staples Center. “You have to flush it,” said Dion Phaneuf of the loss, which snapped a three-game win streak. “Theres no sitting around pouting about it because were going into a building with a team thats playing very well right now. Theres no time to sit around and pout.” Five Points 1. Scary Collision It was the signature Phaneuf open-ice hit. Only instead of landing the desired opponent, Patrick Marleau in this case, Phaneufs shoulder caught the head of James van Riemsdyk in a thunderous collision of teammates. Remaining down for a few moments, van Riemsdyk left the ice for concussion tests only to return a short while later, however unlikely given the blowout. “I was pretty worried when [I saw] him go off the ice, but very relieved to see him come back and talk to him and know that hes okay,” said Phaneuf. It was odd to see the 24-year-old return – he had four shifts afterward – given his recent concussion history. van Riemsdyk missed 15 games with a concussion during the 2011-12 season, but was deemed fine to return in the latter stages of the final frame on this night. Oddly enough, his skate laces on both skates were cut in the collision. “I dont know how that happened,” said Carlyle, managing a grin. 2. Scraps Plenty frustrated with the nights proceedings, Toronto assumed the league-lead in fighting with four more scraps in San Jose and 44 now on the year. Troy Bodie, David Clarkson, Tim Gleason and Joffrey Lupul all fought on Tuesday night, just a day after the group fought three times in Anaheim. “Frustration more than anything I would say,” Carlyle said of the fisticuffs. Employing Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren only sparingly this season – due to injuries or otherwise – the Leafs have not fought with any near the regularity of a year ago. They dropped the gloves 44 times in 48 games last season, only now hitting that mark with 15 games to play. 3. Reimers Rough Night Roughed up for six goals on 48 shots against the Sharks, James Reimer rarely looked comfortable in the Toronto crease. Playing second fiddle to Jonathan Bernier, the 25-year-old was making just his fourth start since his last win on Jan. 21. “I felt pretty good out there,” said Reimer afterward. “I felt like I was battling and working as hard as I could, just pucks found a way through.” Some of those pucks found a way through under challenging circumstances. The Sharks second goal, a blast from Brent Burns, found its way through after a scrum in the Toronto crease that saw Joe Thornton fall on Reimer. The goal was initially waved off – the official hadnt seen it go in – but ruled good via replay from NHL headquarters in Toronto. In other situations, Reimer was either helpless – Vlasics goal for instance, which sailed through a maze of traffic after the Gardiner giveaway – or just plain fighting the puck, Pavelskis first marker of the night sliding under his right arm. “It just was one of those nights where things didnt go my way, whether it was people sitting on me or scrums that pucks found a way through the bodies or tipped off people or what,” Reimer said. 4. Effects of Seven Defencemen Because of an illness to Cody Fransonthe Leafs did not dress seven defenders against the Sharks, but the effects of their preferred lineup construction are interesting to digest. Outside of offering an extra shift or two a period to the likes of Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul, or James van Riemsdyk, adjusting to a lineup featuring seven defencemen has allowed Carlyle (or Dave Farrish more specifically) to spread the minutes more evenly amongst the blueline. The two who have been most effected by the change are Gardiner and his regular defence partner, Franson. From a season-high of nearly 24 minutes on average in December, the 23-year-old Gardiner has seen that ice drawn back considerably to under 18 minutes most nights. He also been effectively removed from the penalty kill. Franson meanwhile averaged better than 20 minutes for the first four months of the regular season, but he too has seen that opportunity dip in recent weeks. The 26-year-old did not play 20 minutes in any of the previous six games featuring seven defencemen, stuck most nights between 15-19 minutes. His penalty killing opportunities have also diminished though not to the extent of Gardiner. Battling undisclosed “bumps and bruises” post-Olympic break and annually overworked, Dion Phaneuf has had his ice-time slightly eased with the shift to seven defenders, playing 22-23 minutes recently. Carl Gunnarsson – who remains a top pairing penalty killer – and Morgan Rielly – who does not kill penalties – have been unaffected by Rangers addition. 5. Goin Back To Cali Jonathan Bernier will meet some former Kings teammates for dinner on Wednesday night. The 25-year-old is getting set to visit his old L.A. stomping grounds for the first time as rival on Thursday evening. “Try to let them know that theyve got to shoot wide,” he said with a laugh. Stats-Pack 44 – Fights for the Leafs this season, leading the league. 48-21 – Shot advantage for the Sharks on Tuesday night. 6-2-1 – Record for the Leafs in their past nine games against the Western Conference. 6 – Fights for David Clarkson this season. Clarkson fought Andrew Desjardins in the middle period, his third fight in the past two games. 14-4-3 – Leafs record in the past 20 games. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-2Season: 20.8% (7th) PK: 4-4Season: 78.7% (28th) Quote of the Night “It was like there was one puck and they had. We didnt have a chance to play with it much. That gets frustrating for everybody.” -Randy Carlyle, following the loss to San Jose. Up Next Jonathan Bernier visits his former L.A. confines when the Leafs visit the Kings on Thursday in the third game of a five-game swing. Air Max 200 Canada . Speaking with TSN 1050 following Brendan Shanahans introductory press conference, the Leafs GM also addressed the clubs perceived leadership issues and the type of working relationship that can be expected within Torontos front office. Air Max 98 Canada . Golden States second straight road win wasnt painless. David Lee scored a season-high 29 points -- 13 in the fourth quarter -- and Nate Robinson added 17 points, leading the Warriors to a 105-95 win Tuesday night over the road-worn Cleveland Cavaliers. http://www.clearanceairmaxcanada.com/air-max-270-bowfin-canada-sale.html . LOUIS - The St.TORONTO - If Tuesdays date with the two-time defending NBA champions was in fact an early-season litmus test, the results were mostly inconclusive. In the eight months that have elapsed since Miamis last visit to the Air Canada Centre the Heat have been busy. They flirted with NBA history, winning 27 straight games. They clawed their way past worthy postseason adversaries. They went on to claim their second title in as many years and LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all added to their growing collection of rings. Even as they tinker and bide their time early in a season where they hope to three-peat, we know who they are. The Raptors are a different story, the opposite end of the spectrum. Very little has changed for them since mid-March - the last meeting between the two teams - yet their identity and future is clouded with more questions than answers. "We put ourselves in a position to beat the best team in the league," Coach Dwane Casey said after his teams fourth-quarter collapse did them in, falling 104-95 to the Heat. "Now the next step for our team is to be able to bust through that." "Are we there yet?" he asked rhetorically. "Were not there yet. But I see us getting better and improving. Were getting there." Its too early to tell where they are or who they are as a team, now 2-2 on the young season. Theyve stolen a pair of ugly wins - akin to the gritty, defensive-oriented team they aspire to become - and theyve suffered a couple of disappointing losses, looking eerily similar to the Jekyll and Hyde version of the club that fooled observers a year ago. They were not expected to beat the Heat on Tuesday but they themselves expected to show progression and to learn something about where they are as a team, four games into a long season. Their hot start - getting off to a 17-8 lead on the champs - and their resiliency, clawing back after Miami appeared to have taken control, were positives to be taken out of their first real test of the campaign. But these are qualities theyve flashed before, even facing a challenge of this magnitude. The Raptors have now lost 12 straight meetings with the Heat, including all 11 since the Big Three joined forces in 2010. However, their two meetings with Miami at home last season followed a similar storyline. In both games, both towards the end of the season, the Raptors played competitive basketball for three quarters, hanging in with the champs until the final frame. Combined, the Heat outscored Toronto 147-140 in the first three quarters of both games. They obliterated them in the fourth to the tune of a 61-36 advantage. Toronto ceded momentum to their more accomplished rivals at the end of each quarter and in familiar fashion they fell apart when Miami opened the final period on a 12-0 run. Nine turnovers and 38 per cent shooting did them in during the quarter, the final nail in the coffin they buried themselves in. The Raptors believed they could compete in this game, whereas the Heat never had a doubt. They were poised and they were dominant when they needed to be. Like the season itself, they were just biding their time. "I thought we put ourselves back in a position to win," Casey said. "In those situations you have to be able to execute. But youre not talking about chopped liver, [the Heat] had something to do with that. They did a good job of getting into our guys [and] taking us out of plan A." "It just showed us where were at and how much we have to work on," said Rudy Gay, who finished with his second straight double-double - 13 points and 10 rebounds - despite another poor shooting night. "Were still a good team," he continued. "We lost to a good team. We lost to the two-time defending champs but I still think we can grow. We played them pretty solid through three quarters, weve just got to learn how to finish games out." Late-game rotation Searching for answers to stop James and the Heats quicker lineup, Casey cycled through his rotation in the fourth and landed on a variation of the small lineup hes used to close games this season. Instead of Amir Johnson, who was mysteriously absent from the floor in the final quarter, Casey used Jonas Valanciunas at the five and alternated between Gay and Landry Fields to counter James at the four. Johnson played the entire third quarter, going to the bench when the Raptors trailed 78-74, but never returned. Nike Air Max 97 Canada. Casey confirmed that Johnson was fully healthy and said he wanted to stick with Tyler Hansbrough, who started the fourth, and go back to Valanciunas, who checked in for Hanbrough with 3:58 remaining. "They were small also," Casey pointed out after the game. "I dont think the small lineup had anything [to do with the loss]." "I thought Tyler was doing a good job [and] Jonas was doing a good job. They stayed with LeBron at the four so we stayed with Landry at the four." Valanciunas played 27 minutes after logging fewer than 18 in each of the last two games, with Johnson anchoring the small unit down the stretch. The sophomore centre got off to a quick start, scoring 10 of his 18 points in the opening quarter as the Raptors took advantage of their superior size with Bosh out of Miamis lineup (he missed the game following the birth of his daughter). Did the Raptors squander their biggest advantage when they matched up with the smaller Heat? Did they wait too long to bring their starters back in? Would it have made a difference? Would Johnson have made a difference? These are all fair questions. The best there is As the Heat eased their way in to the game, playing without a third of their all-star trio, James was superb from start to finish. The four-time MVP scored 35 on 13-of-20 shooting, adding eight rebounds and eight assists in his 500th straight game with 10 or more points (becoming the fifth player in NBA history to accomplish that feat). Primarily using Gay and Fields to check James, the Raptors had no answer for the leagues best player as he dominated in every facet of the game on Tuesday. Although Gay has matched up well with him in the past - as well as anyone can match-up with him - James had him beat in every way this go around. "Its LeBron James. Hes good. He had a good game," Gay said, frustrated with the question regarding their matchup but mostly frustrated in general after shooting 3-of-10 and committing four turnovers. Quest for three Its hard to believe after Tuesdays comeback victory that resembled so many theyve pulled off in the recent past, but the Heat are still evolving. Even after back-to-back titles and three consecutive NBA Finals appearances, the Heat - like the Raptors, or any other team - are in the process of getting their footing in the new season. "Theyre trying to find themselves [and] were trying to find ourselves," Lowry pointed out after practice on Monday. Miami almost certainly has a head start given the Big Threes experience together and the success theyve had since coming together in 2010. However, this is a new year and another, potentially more challenging test for the defending champs as they pursue the illustrious three-peat. "We dont use the word defence," veteran Shane Battier said when asked about defending their title. "Were trying to win one. Thats all were trying do, just like last year we were just trying to win one in a row." They retooled in the offseason, bringing back Chris Anderson for his first full season with the team and signing low risk, high upside players in Greg Oden and Michael Beasley but playing in an improved Eastern Conference, theyll have their work cut out for them. The target on their back has never been bigger. "What we have to do this year is the same thing we last year, we have to reinvent ourselves," Battier said. "We cant assume that what worked last year is going to work this year. Thats the fun part of the journey." Since falling to Casey - then an assistant in Dallas - and the Mavs in the 2011 Finals, the Heat have had to evolve each season as the competition zeroes in, trying to figure them out. "That was a long, long time ago but certainly we remember the zone [defence]," Coach Spoelstra said, looking back at the loss and his first season coaching the Big Three in Miami. "Weve had to work on that extensively in the years past to the extent now that we feel comfortable with it." "That was a very painful experience for us," the Heats coach admitted. "Sometimes the ultimate pain makes you have to change and adapt. That was only the first of many things we had to work on." ' ' '