OTTAWA – Carl Gunnarsson had a simple explanation for the sky-high shot totals peppered at Leaf goaltenders on a nightly basis and once more in the nations capital on Saturday evening. Marvin Bagley Kings Jersey . "You know what? I think its a conspiracy," Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report with a large, sarcastic grin in the bowels of the Canadian Tire Centre. "I think the guys counting the shots, theyre doubling up on it." Two nights after Jonathan Bernier stopped 48 of 50 shots in an overtime win against the Stars did James Reimer stop 47 of 50 in a shootout victory against the Senators, one that also snapped the Leafs seven-game road losing streak. The primary force in the teams success so far this season (16-11-3,) goaltending, after a slight dip under increasing strain in late November, have re-emerged as the backbone of victory in the early days of December. "When we get those wins on a night like this its their win," Gunnarsson said of the goaltenders, Reimer on this particular night. "We need them right now and theyre really showing [up.]" While they raced out to a 3-1 lead on goals from James van Riemsdyk, Phil Kessel and Jake Gardiner, the Leafs nearly fumbled victory away again on this night. Another late letdown, highlighted by continued discipline issues, saw the Senators push back with a pair of goals from Erik Condra and Erik Karlsson, the latter coming on a power-play midway through the third. "When we skate and we attack we can be a hockey club that can have success," said Randy Carlyle, pleased with the effort through two periods, but not so much in the third. "And when we sit back and receive the game, we allow the opposition to dictate the pace of the game." Only the efforts of Reimer kept Ottawa, now nine points back of Toronto in the Atlantic Division, from swiping the lead and two points entirely. "My job is to stop them, whether its 10 shots or 100 shots," said Reimer, who remains unbeaten in Ottawa. "We dont really care how many shots were giving up. Our job is just to stop the puck from going in the net." "We feel were fortunate to have the level of goaltending from Reimer and Bernier," said Carlyle. "We can go with either of them on any given night." Five Points 1. Challenges of a Busy Night Interestingly, Reimer explained that bloated shot totals arent what wear down a goaltender. "They threw a lot of pucks at the net," he said of the Senators, "but what tires a goaltender out on pretty much any team [is] their in-zone time. Its not necessarily the shots, its them working, cycling. Thats when youre in your crouch and youre looking at the pass across and youre moving trying to fight through traffic. Thats whats the most tiring." Regardless, the Leafs are forcing their goaltenders to be spectacular on too many nights. Theyve yielded 37 shots per game against this season, most in the NHL. 2. Reimers Capital City Dominance The unbeaten streak and brilliance for Reimer in the nations capital continued on Saturday. With the 47-save performance – and two more in a perfect shootout – Reimer improved to 7-0-0 lifetime at the Canadian Tire Centre with a .970 save percentage. The 25-year-old, for his part, had no explanation for his success in Ottawa, attributing it to simple randomness. Date Shots Faced Goals Against Jan. 11, 2011 33 1 Apr. 2, 2011 25 2 Feb. 4, 2012 49 0 Mar. 17, 2012 30 1 Mar. 30, 2013 31 0 Apr. 20, 2013 50 1 Dec. 7, 2013 50 3 3. Liles Season Debut John-Michael Liles hadnt played a game for the Leafs since Game 7 of a first round playoff series with Boston last May. He returned from the Marlies on Saturday, playing nearly 18 minutes alongside Mark Fraser against the Senators. "I thought he gave us a good game," said Carlyle of Liles. "He gave us what he does best. Hes a puck-moving defenceman. I thought he did a heck of a job for us." The 33-year-old, who has seen his role in the NHL dwindle in recent years, said he chose to assess his situation in the minors without negativity. "Theres an opportunity to dwell on it and maybe give the kind of woe is me but at the same time thats not really who I am," said Liles, recalled to help a struggling Toronto defence in their puck-moving pursuits. "That was something I tried to not let myself get caught up in." By all accounts, Liles had been terrific with the Marlies, totaling 13 points in 16 games. He credits Steve Spott, the Marlies head coach, for helping to ease his transition to the American League. "Spotter has been fantastic for me," said Liles. "He said he expected a lot of me [and] I expect a lot of myself." 4. Late Meltdowns Just as they did in near-defeat to the Stars on Thursday night, the Leafs very nearly let victory slip away against the Senators. Rather than attack with the lead, they simply sat back and saw it evaporate. "I guess its when we get a lead we freeze, do we freeze up or what are we doing?" said Carlyle, searching for answers himself. "Weve talked about it a lot. Were beating it to death. If we had the answer right now, we wouldve corrected it a long time ago." Ottawa cut the lead to one in the opening minutes of the third frame with Colin Greening outmaneuvering Gardiner for a puck in the Toronto zone, before feeding Condra high in the slot. Karlsson then tied it on the eighth Leaf minor penalty. "It seems we work hard for 40 minutes of the game and establish the type of game we want to play and then we take some penalties that change the momentum and we dont seem to be able to get it back," Carlyle said. "But we won the hockey game, found a way to win and thats the most important thing. Weve had some pretty down times here prior to the last two games, so no matter how you get the points, were going to take them and move on." "Its just a good feeling," said Gunnarsson. "We got the two points. Its not the way we wanted, but in the end the points matter so well take that." 5. Clarksons Production The first 20 games in a Maple Leafs jersey have passed rather quietly for David Clarkson. Clarkson has just two goals and five points, numbers that, while disappointing in the scope of his more recent production, align more closely to the bulk of his NHL career previously. On pace for just seven goals and 18 points this season, Clarkson averaged a not so dissimilar 12 goals and 24 points in his first four NHL seasons with the Devils. Though he played slightly less then – between 12-14 minutes – the 29-year-old garnered similar power-play time and a similar number of shots to those hes put forth this winter as a Leaf. His more recent outbursts,perhaps unsustainable, seemed to alter the conversation though as far as expectations for the Mimico, Ontario native are concerned. Two years ago, Clarkson posted career-highs with 30 goals and 46 points. That year he averaged a then-career-high of 2.85 shots per game, while shooting a career-high 13.2 per cent. While slightly less accurate the next year – a lockout shortened 48 games – Clarkson shot the puck with even greater frequency, establishing a new career-high of 3.75 shots per game. Also notable was the first unit power-play time he gathered in those two potent seasons, a fact of life thats diminished in Toronto to opportunity more closely aligned to those first four seasons in New Jersey. All of which is to say that Clarksons offensive production in the previous two seasons (120 games) may prove more exception than rule. Stats-Pack .970% - Career save percentage for James Reimer in Ottawa. 22 – Career goals for Phil Kessel in 44 games against the Senators. 42 – Career points for Kessel in 44 games against the Senators. 17:51 – Ice-time for John-Michael Liles in his season debut. 0.47 – Goals per game for James van Riemsdyk, who scored his 12th this season on Saturday. 6 – Consecutive games with a point for Kessel, who has four goals and eight points in that span. 28:32 – Ice-time for Dion Phaneuf, a season-high. 4 – Goals from the Toronto defence this season, Jake Gardiner scoring his first this season against the Senators. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-6 Season: 24.7% PK: 6-8 Season: 78.2% Quote of the Night "You know what? I think its a conspiracy. I think the guys counting the shots, theyre doubling up on it, I think thats what it is." -Carl Gunnarsson, musing on the amount of shots the Leafs have given up this season. Up Next The Leafs return home to host Boston at the ACC on Sunday night. Jason Williams Jersey . Subway workers in Rio de Janeiro, meanwhile, were holding an assembly to vote on whether they would strike to demand higher wages, threatening to disrupt transportation. By late Tuesday night there was no announcement of their decision. Peja Stojakovic Jersey . Thaddeus Young scored seven of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Evan Turner added 22 points, and the 76ers hung on for their first road win since Nov. 1, beating the depleted Los Angeles Lakers 111-104 on Sunday night. https://www.kingslockerroom.com/Nemanja-Bjelica-City-Edition-Jersey/ .The Hanwha Eagles said the team was impressed with Morgans contact ability and base-running skills.The 34-year-old debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007 and hit .INDIANAPOLIS - Chuck Pagano is pushing the Colts to get a grip on their most pressing problem.Otherwise, he fears they could fumble away their post-season dream.Less than 24 hours after putting the ball on the ground four more times at Cleveland, the Indianapolis coach calmly explained again that the Colts need a quick fix.Weve got to get it cleaned up, Pagano said Monday. You credit the opponent for stripping the ball and making plays, but its still no excuse. ... Weve got to get it cleaned up, period.So far, the mistakes have not caused too much damage. Indy (9-4) has won three straight, leads the AFC South by two games and can wrap up its second straight division crown with a win Sunday over Houston (7-6).But the Colts are testing conventional wisdom in a league where the best barometer for success is often turnover margin.Over the past three weeks, Indy has fumbled 13 times, lost seven, and thrown three interceptions. After Sundays games, the Colts were tied for the league lead in fumbles lost (13) and were minus-4 in the turnover margin. Only two teams have a worse turnover margin and a winning record: Kansas City (7-6) at minus-5 and NFC East co-leader Philadelphia (9-4) at minus-6.If the trend continues, nobody understands the ramifications better than quarterback Andrew Luck.Yes, he directed the second-largest playoff comeback in January, a 45-44 victory over the Chiefs. But the three interceptions he threw in that game helped put Indy in the 28-point hole.The next week, at New England, Luck threw four more interceptions and the Colts, predictably, were eliminated.Luck spent the off-season contemplating what he could do better, but lately its looked more like last season.Three weeks ago, against Jacksonville, Luck fumbled four times and lost two. His teammates added to the woes with two more fumbles.Against Washington, Luck lost a fumble on the first offensive play. Indy finished the game with three fumbles, two lost, and one interception.On Sunday, Luck threw two interceptions and fumbled two more times. The Browns recovered Lucks fumble in the end zone and scored on a 23-yard interception return.In some ways, with a quarterback who refuses to give up on plays, Pagano acknowledges it goes with the territorry. Richaun Holmes Jersey. ts competitiveness, its will, its all of those things, he said. Theres a ton of plays over the course of the last 2 3/4 seasons that if he (Luck) doesnt hang in there, doesnt do this or that, we dont get our touchdown.Luck isnt the only Colt struggling to get a handle on this problem. Indys top receiver, T.Y. Hilton, lost his first fumble in 202 receptions against Cleveland. Daniel Boom Herron, Indys most effective running back, lost the ball once against Jacksonville and once against Washington. Even the usually sure-handed return specialist Josh Cribbs had the ball knocked out in his former home stadium.All came even after Paganos continual speeches about ball security.Whats wrong?Injuries have certainly taken a toll on a young offensive line and could account for more pressure on Luck, and smaller running lanes.Rookie centre Jonotthan Harrison missed all but 17 plays Sunday after what Pagano described as a burner. Right guard Hugh Thornton has missed the last two games with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee. Thorntons replacement, Joe Reitz, was carted off the field Sunday with an ankle injury in the third quarter.Right tackle Gosder Cherilus is playing with a bad shoulder.But Pagano isnt looking for excuses. He expects results over the final three games.If we want to achieve our No. 1 goal, we know we have to win a game on Sunday to do that, to move on and take the next step, Pagano said. But to do what we want to do, weve got to play better.NOTES: Pagano clarified Monday that receiver Reggie Wayne tore the triceps in his left arm when he injured his elbow against Cincinnati in October. The first time Pagano mentioned the triceps injury was during the Colts postgame radio show Monday night. ... Pagano said doctors were still evaluating the injuries to Reitz and Harrison. Thornton is now listed as day to day, an upgrade from his previous status of week to week. ... Cornerback Vontae Davis, who missed Sundays game, will continue to go through the leagues concussion protocol this week. ... Pagano said he expects Xavier Nixon (foot) and linebacker Andy Studebaker (hamstring) to return to practice Wednesday.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '