COLUMBUS – The Maple Leafs continue to search for an identity. On a chilly Friday evening in Columbus, that reality was hammered home once more. The Leafs fell for the third time in the past four games, outworked by the Blue Jackets in a 5-2 loss at Nationwide Arena. A fast, physical, determined bunch in 2013 en route to the first playoff berth in nine years, the group this fall has bared only a passing resemblance to that identity so far. “We know what it was – I think everybody knows what it was,” Jay McClement said of the teams identity in conversation with the Leaf Report following the latest loss. “Were struggling to live up to that every night I think right now.” There were signs of that identity emerging in a hearty 4-2 win against Anaheim on Tuesday night. Though they started slowly with the Ducks in town – just two shots in the first frame – the Leafs got to playing a harder, more refined game as they took control of the final two periods en route to their seventh victory this season. It appeared to be a potential starting point. “For the most part, the last game we played was probably back to our identity and then we come out tonight and you dont really see any resemblance of it,” said McClement, second among Toronto forwards with upwards of 21 minutes against the Blue Jackets. “Its just a consistency in getting that game back. Its all the things we talked about all year last year; just being a physical team, a forechecking team, and playing fast.” Stumbling starts have become an increasingly concerning part of the equation. Friday was the fourth time in five games that the Leafs (sans Joffrey Lupul, who was nursing a bruised right foot) have managed five shots or fewer in the first frame, a mere five against Sergei Bobrosky within a sloppy, uninspired opening 20 minutes which saw Columbus draw 16 shots and a 1-0 lead. “Just seems to be one of those things,” said James van Riemsdyk. “Every game we come out and get outshot 16-3 in the first period and then start to play a little bit better. Usually when you do that you dont leave yourself much breathing room to find ways to win games. We definitely didnt play anywhere close to our abilities tonight.” “If I had the answer to that,” Randy Carlyle said with a sigh of his teams sluggish starts. “I wish I did have the answer to that.” Concerned with his teams performance throughout an uneven and yet successful start, Carlyle called for an improved work ethic prior to the win over Anaheim. “Our work ethic has to be elevated to a point where we can create more of an identity for ourselves,” he said on Tuesday morning. “I dont know if we can say what type of hockey club we are yet.” Recovering from their off-kilter start – Jonathan Bernier stopped 22 of the first 23 shots – the Leafs entered the third frame on Friday even at one. But after a quick goal from Marian Gaborik and a shorthanded back-breaker from Brandon Dubinsky, any hope of success was all but extinguished. “Were 11 games in and were nowhere near the peak of playing our best hockey,” said van Riemsdyk of his group, now 7-4-0 on the year. “Obviously we know we have a lot of work to do.” The Leafs established a physical presence last year by being a quick and often relentless group on the forecheck, wearing opponents down by mucking it up in the corners. They would chip pucks, chase, and grind. And in conjunction with solid special teams, sturdy goaltending and a lot of offence – the Leafs were a poor defensive team at even-strength – theyd win a fair number of games. “We think as a forechecking hockey club that you dont go in and swing by people, you go in and take the body,” said Carlyle before the Friday loss. “Thats probably the mandate that were going to try and play to. I would say that we havent done a very good job of that … Were a team still trying to find its identity.” The wins were there early this year – six in the first seven games – despite underlying concerns, but of late those results have turned; three losses now in the past four games with the daunting Penguins in town on Saturday. The search continues for who and what the Leafs are. “Weve got to start with being prepared mentally to play that game,” McClement said. “I just think we cant rest on that identity, we have to earn that identity every night. “You have to live up to it. Thats how teams expect us to play. Its disappointing when we dont play like that because thats how we can win games.” Five Points 1. Long-awaited debut David Clarkson played just under 16 minutes in his Maple Leafs debut. The 29-year-old began the night alongside Dave Bolland and Jay McClement, eventually finishing the proceedings with Nazem Kadri and Mason Raymond. Clarkson finished with four shots, whistled for hooking on his third shift of the game. “I think he looked rusty,” said Carlyle of Clarkson, who hadnt played since Sept. 27 in the preseason. [But] the one thing you know [is] hes going to try.” “No I didnt feel that,” said Clarkson of any rust in spite of a month-long layoff. “Thats maybe what Randy feels. Getting used to playing with guys, minutes, I guess youd have to ask him those questions.” Clarkson did present some of the promised elements in his first action with the club. He was a force in some instances on the forecheck and proved an irritant at times. 2. Alarming starts “The first period wasnt us at all,” McClement said of the teams start against the Blue Jackets. Sluggish first periods have become all too familiar for the Leafs in the past 10 days or so. A mere three shots were on the clock in the opening frame against the Wild, three shots during a clash with the Blackhawks, two shots against the Ducks and five shots against Columbus most recently. Overall this season the Leafs have been outshot 125-92 in first periods, outscored 10-7. 3. Clarksons evolution Though he remains a pesky presence, Clarkson has evolved from the player who first entered the league with New Jersey in 2007. “I fought my way into the league,” he said before his debut with the Leafs on Friday. “Thats still part of my game, but I think the more I got used to the level and everything I think the game started coming together for me.” A look at Clarksons fighting history reveals such a shift. “Definitely when I was younger there was more fighting or agitating, but I still dont shy away from that now,” he said. Year Fighting Majors* 2007-08 21 2008-09 20 2009-10 9 2011-12 7 2013 6 *HockeyFights.com 4. Subtle adjustments with a new team Just weeks into his Leafs career, Bernier continues to adjust to the style of his new team and more specifically, the defence core. As the backup to Jonathan Quick for years in Los Angeles, Bernier “had to step in on what [Jonathan] Quick liked” as far as working with the teams defenders. “Obviously when youre a backup its different,” he told the Leaf Report earlier this week. “When the guy plays a lot you have to read what hes doing so when you step in its going to be the same thing.” Now in Toronto and a competitor for the No. 1 job, Bernier is trying to assert his own preferences. Because he intends to square up every shooter, the 25-year-old wants to ensure that back-door assignments are handled by his defenders. Adjustments typically come through game experience. “It has to happen on the play,” he said of hashing out any changes. “Lets say I get beat in the game and Ill be like ‘Look I think thats going to work for us if we do this. It takes time to adjust.” “I dont know about the other D, but Im talking to Bernier every day about positioning when theres a point shot, when hes out playing the puck, all that,” Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report. “If we let the back-door pass through its going to be a tough one for him right … Weak-side, weve got to make sure weve got the guy, at least tie up his stick and try to box out so he sees it. “Just trying to figure out what he wants because in the end hes the guy whos doing all the work back there.” 5. Rielly Morgan Rielly played his ninth game with the Leafs on Friday. When he suits up against the Penguins on Saturday night he will have exercised the first year of his entry-level contract. The 19-year-old will have additionally secured one year towards eventual arbitration rights (four are required). The next big hurdle for Rielly is the 40-game plateau. After 40 games on the active roster (even those he doesnt play), Rielly will have garnered one “accrued” season in the NHL, thus initiating the clock on his path toward unrestricted free agency. With seven accrued seasons in the league (or the age of 27), players qualify for UFA status. Stat-Pack 23:05 – Ice-time for Cody Franson versus Columbus, leading the team. 12-41 – Combined mark on the draw for Tyler Bozak and Dave Bolland against the Blue Jackets. Bozak finished 9-26, continuing his year-long struggles, Bolland far off the mark with a 3-15 showing. 43.7 per cent – Leafs overall mark on faceoffs this season, second-worst in the NHL. 15:41 – Ice-time for David Clarkson in his Leafs debut. 36 – Shots for Columbus. 10 – Number of games the Leafs have yielded 30-plus shots this season. 21:33 – Minutes for Jay McClement against Columbus, a season-high. 31 – Saves for Jonathan Bernier. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-3 PK: 5-6 Quote of the Night “You have to live up to it. Thats how teams expect us to play. Its disappointing when we dont play like that because thats how we can win games.” -Jay McClement on the Leafs identity. Up Next The Leafs host Sidney Crosby and the Penguins at the ACC on Saturday. Fake China Jerseys . -- Adrian Peterson takes a look around the league and sees big money flying everywhere. China Jerseys Stitched .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks take aim at their longest winning streak of the season on Sunday when they host the Calgary Flames in a battle at the United Center. https://www.chinajerseyscheap.us/.ca. The NHL Play of the Year showdown kicks off with some slick moves going head-to-head with a combination of soft hands and endless patience. China Jerseys Wholesale . It took five games, but the Celtics finally helped Stevens earn his first NBA victory. "Im going to celebrate for a whole 12 minutes, and then Im going to start watching Orlando and trying to figure them out," the first-year Celtics coach said after Boston beat the Utah Jazz, one of the leagues other winless teams, 97-87 on Wednesday night. Cheap Jerseys From China . Ontario Superior Court Case Management Master Ronald Dash released the decision on Monday, saying John McCaw Jr. must testify in front of a jury by live video conference. Moores lawyer, Tim Danson, asked the court to compel McCaw - who is based in Seattle - to testify in the case back on February 27.WASHINGTON -- Ten former National Hockey League players, including all-star forward Gary Leeman, claimed in a class-action lawsuit that the league hasnt done enough to protect players from concussions. The lawsuit seeks damages and court-approved, NHL-sponsored medical monitoring for the players brain trauma and/or injuries, which they blame on their NHL careers. It was filed in federal court in Washington on behalf of players who retired on or before February 14 of this year and have suffered such injuries. The suit comes just three months after the National Football League agreed to pay US$765 million to settle lawsuits from thousands of former players who developed dementia or other concussion-related health problems -- and in an era when more attention is being paid to the damages of head injuries sustained in sports. Among other things, the suit claims that: -- The NHL knew or should have known about scientific evidence that players who sustain repeated head injuries are at greater risk for illnesses and disabilities both during their hockey careers and later in life. -- Even after the NHL created a concussion program to study brain injuries affecting NHL players in 1997, the league took no action to reduce the number and severity of concussions during a study period from 1997 to 2004. "Plaintiffs relied on the NHLs silence to their detriment," the suit says. -- The league didnt do anything to protect players from unnecessary harm until 2010, when it made it a penalty to target a players head. "The NHLs active and purposeful concealment of the severe risks of brain injuries exposed players to unnecessary dangers they could have avoided had the NHL provided them with truthful and accurate information and taken appropriate action to prevent needless harm," the lawsuit says. Bill Daly, the leagues deputy commissioner, issued a statement Monday. "We are aware of the class-action lawsuit filed today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of a group of former NHL players. While the subject matter is very serious, we are completely satisfied with the responsible manner in which the league and the players association have managed player safety over time, including with respect to head injuries and concussions," the statement said. "We intend to defend the case vigorously and have no further commment at this time.dddddddddddd." The NHL didnt respond to APs requests for comment, but earlier this year, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told The Canadian Press the league had "taken tremendous strides and put a great deal of effort and time and money into dealing with the issue of player safety, in general, and concussions, specifically. "We were the first sports league in 97 to have a joint working group to study concussions with the Players Association and our trainers and our physicians. We were the first sports league to do baseline testing, we were the first sports league to have protocols for diagnosis and return-to-play decisions. "This is something that we have always treated as important and will continue to treat as important," he added. The suit argues that the league continues to contribute to injuries today, by refusing to ban fighting and body-checking, and by employing "enforcers" whose main job is to fight or violently body-check opponents. And the lawsuit accuses the league of promoting a "culture of violence," in which players are praised for their fighting and "head-hunting" skills. Leeman, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadians, Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues from 1983-1996, suffered multiple concussions and sub-concussive impacts during his career, according to the lawsuit. Since his retirement, hes suffered from post-traumatic head syndrome, headaches, memory loss and dizziness, the lawsuit says. In addition to Leeman, the other ex-players on the lawsuit are: Bradley Aitken (Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers); Darren Banks (Boston Bruins); Curt Bennett (Blues, New York Rangers and Atlanta Flames); Richard Dunn (Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames); Warren Holmes, (Los Angeles Kings); Robert Manno, (Canucks, Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings); Blair James Stewart (Red Wings, Washington Capitals and Quebec Nordiques); Morris Titanic, (Sabres); and Rick Vaive (Canucks, Maple Leafs, Sabres, and Chicago Blackhawks). In a statement, Vaive said players "were kept in the dark about the risks of concussions and many of the former NHL players are now suffering from debilitating head injuries from their time in the league. Hopefully this lawsuit will shine a light on the problem and the players will get the help they deserve." ' ' '