WINNIPEG – James Reimer was hoping to reignite the Leafs goaltending competition with a start just outside his hometown of Morweena, Manitoba. It didnt go as planned. Reimer allowed two goals on the first four Winnipeg shots, the was pulled for the fifth time this season in an eventual overtime loss to the Jets. Afforded just his fourth start in the past 16 games, the 25-year-old was unable to snatch an opportunity toward reclaiming some part of his old no. 1 job, one that has become the tentative property of counterpart Jonathan Bernier. "Just a tough one," said a sullen Reimer after the 5-4 defeat, which concluded a four-game western road trip. "I felt my head was in the right place and sometimes things just dont go your way. And when theyre not going your way, its obviously harder mentally, but you have to find a way to stay focused and I felt that I did what I could to stay focused and ready and prepared and it just didnt happen." Trading starts with Bernier for the opening three months, Reimers season has gradually slid in the wrong direction, the unquestioned starter a year ago now the unofficial backup. Though he offered a sturdy start in Colorado earlier this week, that performance failed to translate into any semblance of momentum. Reimer gave up four goals in relief of Bernier in Dallas and was pegged for four more on just 19 shots in Winnipeg. He now owns an unflattering .870 save percentage in six appearances this month and a .911 mark on the season. "Its tough when you get in there and you dont have a good game," said Reimer. "It doesnt sit well." Seven minutes had not yet elapsed before the Jets had struck twice on the embattled netminder. Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler both snuck shots through the body of Reimer, one under the arm and another through the five-hole with the latter a partial power-play rush by the Jets winger and future US Olympian. "The first two goals were goals that I thought were scored in the middle of the net," said Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle. "Those are tough ones." It was at that point, down 2-0 on the road, that Carlyle considered pulling the seemingly nervous netminder, only to leave him in for a chance to fight back. And though Reimer managed to rebound in some respect, including a shorthanded stop on Michael Frolik, he was unable to close the door entirely, allowing two more goals in the middle frame. Bernier stepped in with 13 saves as the Leafs rallied from a 4-1 deficit, only to fall on Dustin Byfugliens overtime winner. Pocketing five of a possible eight points on the four-game swing, Toronto now sits third in the Atlantic division with 60 points. Five Points 1. Kessel in Winnipeg Winnipeg remains advantageous hunting ground for Phil Kessel. The 26-year-old knotted the score at 4-4 with less than two minutes to go in regulation, beating Ondrej Pavelec with his 27th goal of the season, an unlikely snipe from just above the goal-line. He has scored at least a goal in eight-straight games at the MTS Centre, totaling nine in that span. Kessel has 16 points in the past nine games overall and has vaulted to sixth in league scoring with 54 points in 54 games. 2. Sour Penalty Kill Yielding two more power-play goals to the Jets, the Toronto penalty kill fell deeper into whats become a year-long hole. The unit has allowed a bloated 13 goals over the past 15 games and sits as the second-worst in the NHL this season (76.8%.) "Weve found ways to leave people uncovered in that critical area," said Carlyle of the penalty kill. Wheeler scored the first of two power-play goals when he burst wide on Cody Franson, beating Reimer through the five-hole. Bryan Little added the second marker, redirecting a sneaky point pass from Tobias Enstrom. "We shouldve had coverage on that and we vacated that area," Carlyle said, noting a need to intercept the pass with a stick in the lane. 3. Potent Power-play Countering the teams struggles on the penalty kill has been a continually productive power-play, one that ranks as the third-best in the NHL. Dion Phaneuf scored his first power-play goal of the season against the Jets, giving the Leafs at least one mark on the man advantage in eight of the past 11 games. Cody Franson, second on the team with 16 power-play points, detailed the different components of the top unit, which also includes Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, and how theyve functioned to have success. "Obviously, [Phaneufs] got a big shot and teams are aware of that and they want to try and take that away. Phil can do so many things with the puck. Hes very deceptive. He makes guys think that hes going to pass and hell have that quick release shot. And its not a quick release where theres nothing on it – he can rip a puck. Theres that shot threat. I take pride in being able to shoot the puck, so hopefully thats something other teams are thinking about when Im out there. Youve got JVR in front. Hes one of the best at providing a screen and knocking pucks out of the air. Hes a guy that if teams are doing a good job on us, we can just throw it at the net and we know that hes going to be there whacking at rebounds or tipping pucks into goalies and making it tough on them." Franson calls Bozak the secret facilitator of the units success. "When teams are pressuring really quick, you usually need that quick out to try and get away from the pressure and make them back off and allow us to set up and Bozies probably the most important piece of that," explained Franson. "Hes the guy that controls the middle of the ice and has to make those reads in order to be in the right spot for the guys that are getting the puck in tight situations. He does a great job with that and it allows us to break away from pressure and allow us to set up and do what we want to do out there." 4. Career-High Dishing to Kessel on the game-tying goal, van Riemsdyk notched his 40th point of the season, matching a career-high he set with the Flyers in the 2010-11 season (78 games.) The 24-year-old required 51 games to meet the mark, on pace to set new career-highs in just about every offensive category. "Ever since I got here Ive been given an opportunity to play some key minutes and some key situations," said van Riemsdyk, who also screened Pavelec on the Phaneuf marker. "Ive always had the confidence in myself to be able to contribute when I knew I was getting the chance to do that." Sitting at 20 goals on the year, van Riemsdyk remains one off from matching another career-high (21.) 5. Rare Goal It had been quite awhile for Tim Gleason. Gleason scored the third Leaf goal on Saturday, his first since Dec. 18, 2011 in a string of 117 scoreless games. Not relied upon for his offence in any sense, the 30-year-old grinder has just 16 goals in 627 career games. Stats-Pack 2-1-1 – Record for the Leafs on four-game road trip. 4 – Starts for James Reimer in the past 16 games. 10-11-5 – Leafs road record this season. .870 – Save percentage for Reimer in the month of January. 5 – Players on the Toronto roster from the province of Manitoba. 29 – Career points for Phil Kessel in 28 games against the Jets. 40 – Points for James van Riemsdyk this season, matching a career-high. 13 – Power-play goals scored against the Leafs in the past 15 games. 117 – Games without a goal for Tim Gleason, who finally scored Saturday against the Jets. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-5Season: 22.4% (3rd) PK: 1-3Season: 76.8% (29th) Quote of the Night "Its tough when you get in there and you dont have a good game. It doesnt sit well."-James Reimer, on a rough outing in Winnipeg. Up Next The Leafs host the Lighting on Tuesday night. Mitch Williams Jersey . -- Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu will be the Dodgers starting pitchers in their two-game season-opening series in Australia against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Francisco Rodriguez Jersey . -- Former NHL star Jeremy Roenick shot a second-round 69 to take the lead after 36 holes and former LPGA great Annika Sorenstam and Chad Pfeifer, who lost his left leg above the knee serving in Iraq, are among several players in contention in the American Century Championship tournament on Saturday. http://www.philliesrookiestore.com/Phill...ph-Kids-Jersey/. The 24-year-old Pruneau played his CIS football with the Montreal Carabins. The six-foot, 200-pound Montreal native had 41 tackles, 3. Steve Carlton Jersey . -- Jerel Worthy and his Michigan State teammates charged across the field, holding four fingers in the air while celebrating another sweet victory over their biggest rival. Pat Neshek Jersey . The Spanish champions decision not to sign a defender during the January transfer window may have backfired after Valencia took advantage of a lethargic, uninspired effort by its hosts at the Camp Nou, where former Spain coach Luis Aragones -- who previously coached the Catalan side -- was honoured after his death on Saturday.TSN Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun have the latest on the future of John Tortorella in Vancouver and Randy Carlyle in Toronto as well head as coaching candidates for Team Canada at the upcoming World Hockey Championship. John Tortorella admits the coaching swap - Tortorella for Vigneault - does not look good on him right now. Is he going to get a chance to redeem himself next year? LeBrun: I dont think so. Nothing has been officially decided but all indications lead to the fact the Canucks are likely headed for a separation with their head coach. Its going to be a costly one. He still has four years and $8 million left on the deal that he signed last summer. But hes never really been a great fit with this roster and I think hell pay the ultimate price for a very disappointing year in Vancouver. The more intriguing decision is with the GM, Mike Gillis. What will ownership do with him? Hes had a long run there and a lot of people think he deserves another year, at least, to redirect the ship but that decision has not been taken. What about the collapse in Toronto? Whos going to pay the price there? McKenzie: If the Maple Leafs miss the playoffs and theyre certainly trending in that direction, the expectation is that Randy Carlyle is the most vulnerable and the guy most likely to pay the price. General manager Dave Nonis has never fired a coach in his tenure in Toronto and he also never hired Carlyle. That was a Brian Burke hire. So the sense seems to be if the masses are crying for somebodys head, it would more likely be Carlyles than anybody elses. Dreger: Tim Leiweke, the president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment seems to be the wild card in all of this. Will he make a snap decision and try to force something? Well, Leiweke says there will be no knee-jerk decision between now and the end of the regular season, which obviously isnt that far away. Hes also well-schooled on the long term plans of Nonis and Leiweke is often around the players as well so if there are improvements that the players ffeel need to be made, hes going to know that and hell be heavily involved in the review process.dddddddddddd For the players who will be available come playoff time, the World Hockey Championship is coming up with Canada trying to earn its first medal since 2009. We know Rob Blake is leading the team from the management standpoint, who is his leading candidate for head coach? Dreger: Dave Tippett of the Phoenix Coyotes. But that all depends on whether or not the Coyotes qualify for the post-season. If Tippett is not available, Paul MacLean of the Ottawa Senators, Peter DeBoer of the New Jersey Devils and Paul Maurice of the Winnipeg Jets (if their teams dont make playoffs) could be other options that Blake and company would consider. One-Timers LeBrun: There hadnt been any contact between Sergei Berezin, the agent for pending unrestricted free agent Andrei Markov and the Montrel Canadiens since the trade deadline but there has been now. Berezin told me on Tuesday that he met with Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin in south Florida over the weekend and they had a very positive meeting. Berezin said they may not be as far apart as people think so theres some hope that before July 1, Markov may stay on. LeBrun: Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman met with Steven Bartlett, the agent for Ryan Callahan, who acquired from the New York Rangers, and said theyre not going to talk until the season is over but wanted to let Bartlett know that they want Callahan back. Theyre going to try and sign him. McKenzie: Look for the Calgary Flames to put a push on to sign Hobey Baker candidate Johnny Gaudreau, who plays at Boston College. Hes a diminutive but dynamic forward and one of the best players in college hockey. Hes playing in the Frozen Four right now but as soon as his season is over, Calgary will put the push on. If he goes back for his senior season, he could declare himself an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2015. The Flames would like to head that off by trying to get him signed to a contract this spring. ' ' '