nt told the Leaf Report on Thursday afternoon. \'Were just not g

BUFFALO – In about half as many games, the Toronto penalty kill has already allowed more power-play goals this season than it did all of last year. Kirk Cousins Redskins Jersey . A once dominant unit that finished second best in the league in 2013 (87.9%) has fallen to 20th overall (79.4%) after two months this winter. The groups increasing woes were highlighted on Wednesday night by a season-high three-goal outburst from the Penguins power play in an eventual 6-5 shootout loss. "We havent changed anything," Jay McClement told the Leaf Report on Thursday afternoon. "Were just not getting the job done. I dont know what it is, but weve gotten away from the basic things that made us successful. You can say that weve had a couple bad bounces here and there, but were getting too many [scored] on us the last little while to say that." Over the past 11 games – a stretch that began at the outset of November – the Leafs have allowed 13 power play goals, hovering at just 71 per cent in that span. Already this season, theyve given up 20 power play goals or one more than all of last season. The sure-fire attitude once owned by the group has gradually taken a hit. "Thats a confidence were going to have to build back up over a big stretch of games here," said McClement, who leads the NHL in average ice-time shorthanded. "It seems like we have a couple good kills and we start to get it, start to build on it and then we give one up. [Its] something we just have to stick with and try not to lose all our confidence and get frustrated with it." A confident bunch last season, the Leafs rarely allowed sustained opportunity for opposing power plays, typically clearing the puck and changing personnel with seamless precision. The job hasnt gone quite so smoothly so far this season, be it because of positional mistakes, failed clears, easy entries, or simple confusion. Increasingly, the unit has relied far too heavily upon its two goaltenders. Consider that in 48 games last season, the Toronto penalty kill allowed 193 shots against; already this season, in just 25 games, the same unit has given up 182 shots. Under increased strain, the goaltending has been good, but not quite as good as a year ago. James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier have combined to post a .890 save percentage shorthanded this season, slightly worse than the .902 mark set by Reimer and Ben Scrivens last season. "I think theres some trends that have come in," said Randy Carlyle of the penalty kill. "I think weve vacated the critical areas. I think weve won faceoffs and not cleared the puck. I think weve given up the middle of the ice too many times, gotten on the wrong side of the puck. "Those are things that were going to continue to try to fix because it has been a staple of our game. When those staples go away it reveals that youre not playing anywhere near where youre capable of playing." Not helping matters either is the discipline of the group. The Leafs have taken more minor penalties (113) than any team but the Ottawa Senators this season; up to 4.52 minors per game from 3.69 last season. A string of five straight such penalties helped propel the Penguins to come back from a 4-1 second period deficit on Wednesday night. "When youve got a good PK," said Carl Gunnarsson, third on the team in shorthanded minutes, "you feel good going out there and you know youre going to kill it probably 80, 90 per cent of the time." Just as the strut of the penalty kill has gradually diminished from the stronghold of last season, so too have a few key parts. Most prominently absent this year is Leo Komarov, an energetic and effective component in 2013 who returned to the KHL this season. Two additional pieces who made significant contributions, Mark Fraser and Nik Kulemin, missed nearly a month with injuries. "I think right now when you go through a spell like were going through, its tough to have that attitude," McClement said. "Its just really up and down right now. I guess more downs than ups right now. I think the biggest thing is we cant lose our confidence in it. We know what were doing works, weve just got to do it better." Sean Taylor Authentic Jersey . United released a statement saying Mata will move for a club-record fee "subject to a medical and the agreement of personal terms." Although United didnt give any further details, the club this week made a bid of 37 million pounds ($61 million) for Mata, which would eclipse the 30. Alfred Morris Authentic Jersey . -- The new starting quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs is a former first-round draft pick on a one-year deal whose career thus far has been a disappointment. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Each time Matt Lampson made a critical stop, his Columbus Crew teammates responded at the other end of the field. He helped the Crew earn a 2-0 victory against New York on Saturday that ended a three-game losing streak. Lampson, starting for the injured Andy Gruenebaum for the third time this season, got his second shutout by making two saves. Within minutes of each the Crew got goals by Federico Higuain, who converted a penalty kick in the 62nd minute and added his first goal from the run of play in more than five months in the 76th. "Those saves were huge," Crew defender Chad Barson said. "They definitely kept us in the game. It takes pressure off us when were able to keep a clean sheet." New York (11-8-5) was without top players Tim Cahill and Thierry Henry, but stayed in the match through several excellent saves by Luis Robles. But the match changed when Chad Marshall drew a penalty call during a free kick. "Actually, when (the referee) blew the whistle I thought he was calling that Luis had been fouled," said New York assistant coach Robin Fraser, who was in chaarge while head coach Mike Petke served a suspension. Keenan Robinson Jersey. "Certainly I was surprised." Robles stopped an Higuain penalty on May 4 that led to a Red Bulls 1-0 win, but Higuain converted against him on May 26 during a 2-2 draw. This time, Higuain powered the shot down the middle and Robles had no chance. Higuain has seven goals this season; five have come via seven penalty attempts. Lampson made a critical save two minutes prior to the goal when got his fingertips on a sneaky strike by Jonathan Steele. The shot went off Lampson and hit the crossbar. Just before the insurance goal that helped snap New Yorks three-game winning streak, Lampson made a diving stop of an Espindola header to preserve the lead. "One of the biggest jobs as a goalkeeper is to give the team confidence," Lampson said. "When you make big saves they really thrive off it and I think thats exactly what happened." Soon thereafter, rookie Wil Trapp put the ball into open space along the right side. Higuain took it and put a 25-yard chip shot past Robles as Trapp collected his first career assist. cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '