TORONTO – This time it was the Leafs stifling their opponent, furiously dictating the play, and peppering the opposing netminder. But in what was easily their most complete performance of the season they were on the wrong side of the scoresheet. "Its amazing isnt it?" said an optimistic Randy Carlyle late Wednesday night. "Thats what pro sports [is], theres always something that happens that makes you shake your head. By far was our best effort in the last couple months, but no reward for it." Despite outshooting their opponent for just the fourth time all season – yielding just 23 shots while firing 39 at rookie netminder Martin Jones – the Leafs ultimately fell for the 12th time in the past 18 games (6-9-3), edged 3-1 by the savvy L.A. Kings at the ACC. In control of the play for the better part of 60 minutes – while playing without the suspended Dion Phaneuf – the Leafs more closely resembled the plucky, feisty group they were for so much of last season. Energetic on the forecheck, feisty on the backcheck, and finally effective at moving the puck out of the defensive zone, there was a lot to like for the home side in defeat. "Ive got no complaints with the work ethic of our group," said Carlyle. "We executed from a defensive standpoint. We made good breakout passes, we attacked, we forechecked, but we didnt win. Simple as that." "Its what we were discussing and what we needed to do to give ourselves better chances to win games," said Cody Franson, the 26-year-old who scored his first goal of the year in defeat. No team in the NHL has yielded more shots nightly than the Leafs this season – 37 per game prior to Wednesdays game – but against the Kings it was something different entirely. Facing his former team for the first time, Jonathan Bernier saw just 23 shots or about half of the 44 he had faced on average in his previous four starts. "We definitely played our best game of the year tonight," said Bernier. "We deserve a better fate." "Be better on the defensive side of the puck and in turn thatll give us more good offensive chances," said Franson. "It showed tonight. We really paid attention to the details of defence and we were able to keep them to a lower shot count than us for the first time in a while. We had some good chances, we just didnt score enough tonight." Coming off back-to-back shutouts, Jones stopped 38 of 39 shots, including an impressive stop on Joffrey Lupul shortly after Franson scored the lone Leaf goal. Jones held the Kings in it long enough for Jeff Carter to score the go-ahead marker midway through the final period, a bad pinch from Paul Ranger ending up in the back of the net. The Leafs were fortunate to swipe many victories in the opening two months on the shoulders of goaltending and a terrific power-play, but rare was the game in which their performance rarely wavered from start to finish. Despite falling short of the desired result, this was one of those nights. Amid a difficult portion of the schedule – the Blues, Blackhawks and Penguins are up next – more of the same will be needed in the days ahead. "If we have that type of dogged work ethic, if we can effectively move the puck out of our zone the way we did tonight and backcheck as hard and create as many offensive opportunities then well win our share of games," said Carlyle. "But pushing that snowball, every time you lose it gets bigger." "Weve got to build off what weve done," Mason Raymond said. "I dont think theres any question that was one of our better games weve played in a long time. The shot totals, not giving up odd-man rushes, a lot of good things you can take from it. "Sometimes you dont deserve wins and you get them and we were on the opposite of that maybe tonight." Five Points 1. Bernier vs. L.A. Then the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks, Carlyle got his first glimpse of Jonathan Bernier in London, England at the O2 Arena on Sept. 29, 2007. It was the first start of Berniers NHL career and the outset of the 2007-08 season. "He was a young kid then," Carlyle recalled of the now 25-year-old Leafs netminder, drafted by the Kings in the first round of the 2006 Draft. Bernier stopped 26 of 27 shots that day across the pond, backstopping Los Angeles to a 4-1 win. "For an 18-year-old to come out of junior hockey and start in the NHL it was quite a feat," said Carlyle. Starting against his former team for the first time, Bernier made 20 saves. He was beaten five-hole by Carter for the eventual game-winner. Speaking prior to the game, Carlyle said the Leafs were "very, very fortunate" to have Bernier on their side. "Theres been a focus right from the day we acquired him that he was going to be our starting goaltender, he was going to be this, he was going to be that, he was here to seize the opportunity, seize the job, and he hasnt disappointed," said Carlyle of Bernier, who owns a .927 save percentage this season. 2. Rielly Checks In Simplicity was the message for Morgan Rielly as he re-entered the lineup on Wednesday night. "The simple things are the best way to go right now," Carlyle said in regards to Rielly prior to the game. "Make the simple play; make the good first pass, take the body, stop progression, jump up in the play when you have an opportunity, but move the puck. Move the puck, move it effectively. Dont try to do too much." Paired with Jake Gardiner for the first time all season, the 19-year-old logged nearly 20 minutes against the Kings, replacing John-Michael Liles on the Toronto back-end. Rielly had been a healthy scratch in the previous three games.  "We felt Morgan Riellys worked hard and is deserved of an opportunity and well make decisions again for the next one [Thursday] night," said Carlyle. 3. Defensive Effort Among the more encouraging elements of the Leafs game in defeat was the ferocity with which they defended, eliminating many of the odd-man opportunities which had plagued their game in October and November. Especially impressive for the group in that regard was the effort of the forwards on the backcheck. "If youre not giving up odd-man rushes it makes easy on a goaltender and the shot numbers as I kind of mentioned earlier," said Raymond. "We were better on the defensive side of the puck," said Franson. "Our forwards worked real hard on our forecheck and they backchecked hard all night and made it an easier night on [the defence] to make reads when to jump in and when to back out." The 23 shots against was the second fewest for the Leafs all season. Back on Nov. 25, they yielded just 22 in a 6-0 blowout loss to Columbus. 4. Welcome to the NHL It was the lockout year (2005-06) and a young Jason Spezza was playing in Jerry DAmigos hometown of Binghamton, New York. DAmigo was just in bantam hockey then, but it was there at a team function with the Senators AHL affiliate – spaghetti dinner! – that he met Spezza. Befitting of his welcome into the NHL, the 22-year-old lined against the Senators captain over the weekend and was suitably in awe. "It was just crazy just seeing him out there and playing against him," DAmigo told the Leaf Report. "I actually thought to myself Im like wow this actually really happened." 5. Road to the NHL Picked in the sixth round of the 2009 Draft, DAmigo played in 208 games with the Marlies before finally getting his first NHL opportunity with the Leafs. "Its definitely been awhile," said DAmigo, limited to just under five minutes against the Kings. "The three years I spent in the minors, it seems like a long time, but when [I was called up] obviously everything kind of flushes from your mind and you dont think about that stuff anymore. You just think about that youre here and youre not wanting to leave basically." DAmigo arrived at his first NHL training camp in the fall of 2010 amid considerable hype and (probably unfair) expectation. There was even talk that he might crack the Leafs opening night lineup. But when that failed to materialize the buzz on the former American World Junior star quieted down to the point of his long-awaited debut against the Stars on Dec. 5. "It was one of those things where I had high hopes to make it, but I didnt know how hard it was going to be and then I sort of got that," DAmigo said. "You want to think its going to happen soon, but it doesnt. It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of learning of systems, learning how to prepare on and off the ice basically and thats what I had to do the past couple years to sharpen those tools a little bit and be where I am now." Former Marlies coach and now Oilers bench boss Dallas Eakins often spoke of the need for DAmigo and other young Toronto prospects to learn what it takes to become a professional. "And you dont really notice it until it happens, until you see the progression that youve made," DAmigo said. "I can see my first year, my weight, my eating habits were terrible. Ive had guys along the way that helped me, especially Dallas, and a lot of other coaches and players as well." Stats Pack 6-9-3 – Leafs record over the past 18 games. 4 – Games this season in which the Leafs have outshot their opponent. 4 – Consecutive games with a point for Jake Gardiner. Gardiner has a goal and three assists in that span and now has 10 points in 31 games this season. 19:28 – Minutes for Morgan Rielly against the Kings. 1 – Goal for Cody Franson this season, scoring his first against the Kings on a five-on-three advantage. 216 – Consecutive games streak snapped Wednesday for Dion Phaneuf, who served the first of a two-game suspension against the Kings. 9 – Consecutive games in which the Leafs have allowed a power-play goal. 6 – Shots for David Clarkson against the Kings, a season-high. 35-21 – Shots advantage for the Leafs at even-strength. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-3Season: 24 per cent (4th overall) PK: 1-2Season: 76.6 per cent (27th overall) Quote of the Night "Sometimes you dont deserve wins and you get them and we were on the opposite of that maybe tonight." -Mason Raymond, on falling to the Kings despite the largely positive performance. Up Next The Leafs get right back at it on Thursday night, visiting the Blues in St. Louis. wholesale jerseys . Forward Evgeni Malkin led the Russian attack with a goal and two assists. Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring and added an assist. Ilya Kovalchuk, Valeri Nichushkin and Aton Belov also scored for Russia. nfl jerseys china . Ibrahimovic drilled in a first-half penalty, then set up Cavani before grabbing his second of the night to take his league tally to 17 in 20 games season. PSG never let up and could even have added further goals against a dispirited Nantes side. They will meet again next month in the semifinals of the League Cup and Nantes will hardly be looking forward to that contest. http://www.authenticdiscountnfljerseys.com/.C. -- The Bobcats have announced that backup centre Brendan Haywood will miss at least 12 weeks with a stress fracture in his left foot. cheap nfl jerseys . -- Brett Cecil walked into spring training last year with his career in limbo. cheap jerseys from china . In a playoff season full of overtimes, one-goal games, and road wins, this one truly is a toss-up. San Jose can look to the fact that only three NHL teams have blown a 3-0 lead and failed to advance, but Detroit can shoot holes in that one by simply mentioning that the Philadelphia Flyers did it last year against Boston.OKLAHOMA CITY -- Commissioner David Stern believes the NBA is need of some tweaking even after following the black eye of the lockout with a better-than-expected regular season. The first forum for change will come next Monday, when the competition committee will discuss ways to try and eliminate flopping for the sake of drawing a foul and to consider whether to expand instant replay. "Flopping almost doesnt do it justice," Stern said Tuesday just prior to the start of the NBA Finals. "Trickery. Deceit designed to cause the game to be decided other than on its merits. Well be looking at that. "Well be looking at a number of things that make it easier for us to say to our fans what we all know to be true: our referees want to get everything right." Stern celebrated success that was "better than we could have hoped for" out of a season that was in jeopardy of even happening and said fans showed their admiration for the league in record numbers. It concludes with a marquee matchup in the finals, pitting three-time MVP LeBron James and Miami against three-time scoring champion Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City. "Its really very exciting, and its going to be, we think, a great matchup, and America is very interested in getting to it," Stern said. So, what more could Stern hope for? Well, there are still some remnants of the labour dispute -- so-called "B-list" items that still must be taken up. Deputy commissioner Adam Silver said that wont take place until after the finals. Stern also wants to discuss whether NBA players should continue to play in the Olympics or if there should be an age cutoff. He admits the "Dream Team" that won gold in the 1992 Barcelona Games and helped grow the game globally was a good move, but he sees merit in questions raised by often-controversial Dallas owner Mark Cuban and his peers about their players risking injury in the process. "Usually when Mark says something, I try to go the other way," Stern joked, "but actually when he is right about something -- he may actually be right and here I think he actually has a point. I really do." There are also decisions to be made after the Memphis Grizzlies found a buyer this week, now that Sacramentos plan for a new arena to keep the Kings fell through and as Seattle continues to pursue a team to replace the SuperSonics. Stern said the league would have to go through the "somewhat boring" process of gathering facts to determine whether the board of governors should approve the sale of the Grizzlies to a group led by 34-year-old California billionaire Robert J.dddddddddddd Pera. That wrangling is made somewhat more interesting since the last time majority owner Michael Heisley tried to sell the team -- in 2006 to a group headed by Christian Laettner -- the deal was not approved. Pera "has been a successful entrepreneur and he has a few dollars, a few hundred million dollars, whatever the number is, and I have heard that hes a huge fan," Stern said. "He reminds me a little bit of (Portland owner) Paul Allen, who when he came into the league used to drive around in his car with a basketball in the trunk and stop if he thought he could get a good game." Stern complimented Heisley for staying the course through tough economic times to keep the team in Memphis, where it relocated from Vancouver in 2001, and expressed hope the franchise could stay put. "The best way to kill that conversation for the team to be supported by the community. Im positive that the community is going to rally around the next ownership," Stern said. "Theyve got a great building, theyve got a really good team." The issue in Sacramento, as it was in Seattle, is the lack of what the NBA considers an adequate arena. Stern said he believes the team will continue, for now, to play at aging Power Balance Pavilion after the Maloof familys ownership group balked at plans for a new arena. "Thats their prerogative. As long as it stands and passes the fire code, I think its been a terrific place for the fans of Sacramento," Stern said, not exactly giving his seal of approval. "I think if you ask the fans, theyd say its better there than no place. Ill say it again: The fans of Sacramento, the businesses of Sacramento, the city of Sacramento have been great partners of the NBA." As for Seattle, Stern said he met Monday with Mayor Mike McGinn and was encouraged by the interest from the city, which lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008. "Were just delighted that the mayor is interested, that theres considering legislation and that somebody wants an NBA team," Stern said. "Were not planning to expand and we dont have a lot of teams available, to say the least." ' ' '