TAMPA – Tim Gleason has built a career in the NHL on protecting the house. "You hate when they score," he said with some distaste at the thought. "You take pride in it. You think its your fault every time it goes into the net, whether youre on the ice or not. From a defensive standpoint or mindset, its something that you do have to take pride in." At the core of another failed season with the Maple Leafs sitting outside the postseason picture (theyre still technically alive, but just barely) is a defensive foundation that ranks as one of the worst in hockey. And if there is one dominant trend in the organizations failures since the end of the 2004-05 lockout its just that: they cant keep the puck out of their own net. Season Rank (Goals Against) 2005-06 21st 2006-07 27th 2007-08 27th 2008-09 30th 2009-10 29th 2010-11 24th 2011-12 29th 2013 17th 2013-14 26th Hired to replace the high-octane Ron Wilson in the spring of 2012, Randy Carlyle was supposed to help change all that. "I think that our defensive play, its been sporadic," said Carlyle after a late season practice in Tampa, his team nearing elimination from the postseason for the eighth time in the past nine years. And if Carlyle does lose his job for the house of cards that eventually collapsed in Toronto this year it will be in large part to his failing to influence change in the way the Leafs play defence. But a related question that Dave Nonis and the management team will have to ponder in the summer assessment that follows is how much of the defensive struggle is related to coaching and Carlyles system and how much is simply a failing in personnel and their subsequent commitment to defence. Carl Gunnarsson, one half of the teams top pairing on the back-end, downplayed the trouble as a matter of system. "I dont think theres anything wrong with the system," he told the Leaf Report. Instead, Gunnarsson believed it was a matter of execution within that system. He pointed to a lack of patience, a tendency to stray from the game-plan at the first sign of adversity. And if there was one thing, he said, that made a club like Boston the stingiest of stingy it was their wholehearted commitment to the system Claude Julien has put into place. "If theyre down, if theyre up, they always play the same way and they know that it works," he said. "For some reason, we dont seem to get it in our heads [that] when we do play according to the system and everyone is executing its been working." All of which would explain the unpredictability and inconsistency imbued in the Leafs performance this season. One good period has quickly spiraled into two bad ones. One good game has rarely translated into another. Without saying so quite bluntly, Gleason seemed to suggest that an ingredient of will was missing with this Leafs team when it came to keeping the puck out of the net. That was never more apparent than in a lacklustre loss to Winnipeg over the weekend, one that saw Toronto simply outworked with their playoff chances riding on the line. The Jets grinded pucks down low in the Leafs zone for minutes on end, one-on-one battles lost with alarming frequency. "I think were hoping to get things out of the zone instead of bearing down and knowing its going to get out," Gleason said. "The hopes got to stop. "Were good enough offensively to put numbers on the board, we just have to find a way to bear down, take care of our zone first and then go from there." Otherwise, the Leafs have been doomed by an uneasy assortment of fatal blunders resulting in a steady stream of breakaways, odd-man opportunities and two-time Rocket Richard trophy winners left open with far too much time and space. That was the case when the Leafs last played the Lightning – theyll square off again on Tuesday night – Steven Stamkos scoring a hat trick in a Tampa win. At practice Monday, Jake Gardiner went back to retrieve a puck in the defensive zone with pressure from an oncoming forward. "Get inside," Carlyle bellowed. "Dont let him come inside." Only Gardiner did and the puck was quickly lost. "Obviously with the defensive zone coverage we need to be a lot more inside and lot more stiffer and not as giving of many opportunities from that critical area," Carlyle said afterward. It was a point of emphasis for the coaching staff during the Olympic break. "Theres looseness," he said. "We have people back in position and the stick is not in the right position. Its a foot, six inches, two inches [in the wrong place]. And those things are happening to us. Those are the things that are frustrating for everybody." That was evident, he said, in the two of the goals scored by the Bruins in a third period comeback last week (the Leafs won in overtime). Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron tallied the second and third Boston goals with a swarm of Leafs in and around the puck. "We had people right there," Carlyle said. "We had all five guys around the puck. But somehow they snuck the puck through us – they made good plays – but we were in position. Stick position was an area that obviously we didnt have it in good enough position." On the day of his first training camp in Toronto, the Leafs head coach declared that "its going to just as important to prevent a goal as it is to score a goal and recognition of that is not going to be taken lightly." Part of his job then would be to enforce that mandate, infuse his will on the group. He has not managed to do that in either of his two full seasons behind the bench, his preferred style of play often clashing with the personnel. The Leafs have been one of the leagues worst possession teams under his purview, spending far too much time in the defensive zone. They subsequently yield more shots against than any other team and fail all too often in that defence – they rank fifth worst in goals against despite boasting terrific goaltending from Jonathan Bernier for most of the year. A bad penalty kill, one that ranks third from last this season, has only added to the trouble. And if theres credit owed to the coaching staff for the units improvement a year ago, then responsibility must go the other way when that performance falters. But the question for Nonis is how much of the defensive trouble goes beyond coaching and into personnel? A defence that features Gunnarsson and Dion Phaneuf at the very top isnt likely to have much success at goal prevention and needs obvious upgrade. Beyond that is a forward group long on skill, but short on the requisite commitment, competitiveness and attention to detail. Torontos best players are often amongst its worst offenders. Nonis will wrestle with those questions of coaching and personnel in another offseason that comes earlier than was hoped. Whats clear is where improvement for the club has to begin. "Defence," Gleason said, "I think at the end of the day wins championships." Air Max Scontate . 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. Air Max 200 Scontate . The right-hander pitched into the seventh inning and boosted Cincinnatis struggling offence by hitting a double and scoring as the Reds ended a seven-game losing streak by beating the Atlanta Braves 1-0 Saturday night. http://www.airmaxitaliascarpe.it/scarpe-...s-scontate.html. - Maxence Parrot of Bromont, Que. Scarpe Air Max 2019 Scontate . - Kentucky freshmen Stanley Boom Williams, Dorian Baker, Drew Barker and Tymere Dubose have been charged with disorderly conduct for their involvement with air pistol shots being fired near a residence hall on the South campus Sunday night. Air Max 95 Nere Scontate . The 18-year-old centre was the Senators first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The six-foot 196-pound native of Salmon Arm, B.SAN JOSE, Calif. - Matt Tennyson scored, thats all he knows and all he cares to know.Tennyson and Barclay Goodrow scored within 34 seconds of each other midway through the third period to lift the San Jose Sharks to a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.Its always good to get that first one out of the way, Tennyson said of his first NHL goal. It tied it up for us and that makes it even better. I was trying to go off the far post and I dont know if it was tipped or misplayed. Ill take it.Logan Couture and James Sheppard also scored for the Sharks, who won their season-best fourth straight and eight of nine overall.It got better as it went on, Sharks Joe Pavelski said. It took us a little longer than we wanted to get going.Steven Pinizzotto and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a couple of minutes apart in the second period to give the offensively challenged Oilers a 3-2 lead. Boyd Gordon, in his first game since returning from a back injury, also scored.Edmonton scored three goals for the first time in 10 games but still fell a fifth straight time in San Jose. The Oliers have not won when scoring at least three goals since Nov. 9, a span of 19 games. Edmonton has scored a league low 69 goals.Close isnt good enough, Gordon said. Were struggling to win games the whole season and tonight was a prime example of that.Antti Niemi saved 25 of 28 shots for the Sharks to remain undefeated (5-0-1) against the Oilers in San Jose.Scrivens stopped 26 of 30 shots as Oilers interim coach Todd Nelson saw his bid for a victory in his second game at thhe helm fall short.ddddddddddddGordon gave the Oilers, who are 1-12-5 since Nov. 11, the early lead with his fifth goal of the season late in the first period. David Perrons pass found Gordon open in front of the net.I like the effort, Gordon said. Its just a mistake here and there and thats a really good hockey team and they make you pay.Sheppard tied the game early in the second period with his fourth goal, and the first since scoring in three straight between Nov. 1-8 — a span of 18 games.Couture scored less than two minutes later to put the Sharks on top, but Pinizzotto tied the game when he batted the puck into the net during a scramble in front of Niemi.Nugent-Hopkins scored on a rebound from a shot by Jordan Eberle, who has 10 points in his last seven games against the Sharks.Tennyson scored his first NHL goal during a power play and Goodrow followed with the game winner shortly thereafter.I had a sense a guy would catch me and I tried to fight him off the best I could, Goodrow said. I was yelling but I dont know if (Brent) Burnsie heard me. He made a great pass up the middle.NOTES: Perron had his first multiple point game since the seasons second game on Oct. 11. . Oilers F Matt Hendricks assisted on Pinizzottos goal to end a nine-game scoreless streak. . The Oilers only win over their past 18 games is against the Sharks. . Couture has 12 points in his last 11 games. . Oilers F Taylor Hall extended his career-long scoreless streak to 11 games. . The Sharks and Oilers were playing each other for the third time in 12 days. ' ' '