PITTSBURGH – Just when it seems that the Maple Leafs might be turning a corner does the inconsistency, which has branded the team through the first two-plus months of the season, emerge yet again. Korbinian Holzer Jersey . Sidney Crosby ultimately sunk Torontos ship at the Consol Energy Center on Monday night, beating Jonathan Bernier with the eventual game-winner in the final minutes of the third frame.  Though his team would hold serve with the tattered Penguins for most of the evening, Randy Carlyle couldnt help but express disappointment at parts lacking, specifically a stunted start. "Its disappointing tonight," said Carlyle, clearly frustrated following the 3-1 loss. "We didnt come out jumping like I thought we would. I thought we would have lots of energy and be on the puck and jumping and we just seemed like were a step behind." Energy was to be expected after a stunning home victory against the defending Stanley Cup champions two nights earlier, but it was notably absent in the opening period. Whatever momentum theyd established against the Blackhawks seemed to short-circuit upon arrival in Pittsburgh, much in the way it did in St. Louis last week. Only 39 seconds had elapsed before the Penguins snatched hold of the lead, Chris Conner redirecting a point shot behind Bernier. "I thought we were a little flat off the gate," said Bernier, who made 28 saves.  Outshot 15-7 in the period, the Leafs managed to even things out in a second that saw them fire 13 shots at Marc-Andre Fleury. Morgan Rielly capped the resurgence with his first career NHL goal. "I think as a team we hoped to play a bit better than how we did," said Rielly, who played 19 minutes. "I dont think we were playing our game in terms of how we usually skate. I think we were a bit slower tonight." Unable to generate much in the third, the Leafs were ultimately undone by a series of mistakes and missed opportunities which resulted in Crosbys game-winner. There were the mostly failed efforts of the power-play, including one in the final minute. There was the Nik Kulemin attempt that missed just wide of an open cage. There was the icing which saw Jake Gardiner fire the puck beyond the tape of James van Riemsdyk (though he and his teammates believe it touched a Penguins defender at the offensive blue-line). And though Jay McClement won the subsequent defensive zone faceoff, there was the failed clearing attempt from Gardiner and the inability to check the games greatest player in the slot. "Hes the best player in the game for a reason," said Dion Phaneuf of the Penguins captain. "He has been for a long time. He makes a real good shot there."More good has emerged from the Leafs in recent days, including strong efforts against the Kings and Blackhawks, but the Jekyll and Hyde of their inconsistency remains.  "I think weve kind of flirted with the way we can play," said van Riemsdyk, "but weve got to do it more consistently." Five Points 1. Riellys First It took 41 shots for Morgan Rielly to score his first goal in the NHL. Winding up with a wrist shot at the top of the left circle on a power-play, Rielly slung the puck by a surprised Marc-Andre Fleury. "Its a pretty nice feeling," said the 19-year-old about the goal, "but its always tough when the team loses and youre not overly happy after the game because of what the score was. But its pretty nice just to get it out of the way." Rielly is tied for fifth in scoring among rookie defencemen with 10 points in 26 games. 2. World Juniors? Rielly had been a healthy scratch for three consecutive games last week, at which point it seemed that a trip to the World Juniors was all but certain. And then he was reinserted back into the lineup for four straight games, predictably quieting the assumption. Carlyle made clear after Mondays game though that a final decision had not yet been reached on whether to send Rielly to Sweden. "Were going to have a tough decision here coming thats for sure," he said. Be it Carlyle, Dave Nonis or any member of the management team, the Leafs have stressed that theyll do whats best for the long-term development of their prized rookie defender. But that assertion typically included the caveat that Rielly would remain in the NHL if he was playing regularly and contributing. "We feel that he can play here and make a contribution," said Carlyle, questioned on the subject on Dec. 2. The decision will come soon. Canada plays its first pre-tournament game on Friday. 3. Surviving Injuries Like the Leafs – if not more so – the Penguins have endured a substantial amount of injuries at key positions, notably on defence. Pittsburgh has been without three of its top-four on the blue-line – Rob Scuderi, Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik – and just placed Kris Letang on injured reserve. And yet, theyve continued to win, now nine victories in the past 10 games. Boasting two of the top players in the world certainly helps, with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin pacing the league-wide scoring race, as does terrific goaltending, but the Penguins have also benefited from the steady contributions of players plucked from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre. "I think all the guys who have come in deserve a lot of the credit," said Crosby. "Theyve been thrown into some pretty important situations right off the bat here and theyve done an unbelievable job. They deserve a lot of the credit. Thats impressive. You have seven, eight guys from Wilkes-Barre coming in and playing the minutes that theyre playing and doing the job theyre doing that says a lot about the depth in our organization." Its a model to replicate for those clubs beset by injuries, including the Leafs, who remain without Dave Bolland and Tyler Bozak. Contributions from the organizational ranks have picked up steam for Toronto in recent days with Trevor Smith, Jerry DAmigo, and Peter Holland – who never played for the Marlies, but slides down the depth chart with a healthy lineup – all chipping in amid a challenging stretch. What the Penguins survival efforts highlights is the value of quality depth within an organization. "I dont know if you necessarily get an appreciation for it when theres only one or two guys coming up," said Crosby. "When its this many guys that have to come in you definitely get that appreciation." Pittsburgh entered the night with 161 man games lost to injury compared with 101 for Toronto following the game.  4. Leafs Goaltending Still Good, But Not Quite Heroic Despite their struggles defensively, the Leafs managed to win 10 games in October, largely on the heroics of their two goaltenders (and special teams). Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer have remained a solid duo in November and December, but not nearly to the largely unsustainable level they were at early on as the table below indicates. Save Percentage Splits for Toronto Goaltenders Goaltender October November December James Reimer .949 .916 .914 Jonathan Bernier .933 .923 .915 "Weve been very, very fortunate with our goaltenders," said Carlyle on Monday morning. "Theyve been very, very good for us. Weve made a lot of mistakes along the way, but our goaltenders have been able to provide with us that save and timely saves." 5. DAmigos Rough Night First Jerry DAmigo was hammered into the boards by Zach Sill. Then he was crunched twice in the neutral zone by Robert Bortuzzo, the first of which drew a penalty for a hit to the head, the latter ending the 22-year-olds night. The NHL said shortly after the game that Bortuzzo would not be suspended for the first offence. "Its a 6-foot-5 or 6-foot-6 guy on skates delivering a check to a 5-foot-10 guy," said Carlyle of the collision. "It didnt look good from the bench where he hit him with his shoulder, but I cant say that I can comment other than I only saw it in live time and its difficult." Departing the game briefly after the first hit (likely for a concussion test), DAmigo returned before he was crunched into the boards once more by Bortuzzo, appearing to favour his shoulder as he left the ice for good. Carlyle had no update on the Binghamton native following the game, but he was seen leaving the arena in considerable discomfort. Stats-Pack 1-1-1 – Leafs record against Pittsburgh this season. 1-6-3 – Road record for the Leafs in the past 10 games. 39 – Seconds elapsed before the Penguins opened the scoring. 40 – Shots on goal for Morgan Rielly before scoring his first career NHL goal against the Penguins. 15 – Assists for Cody Franson this season, tied for the team lead. 19:04 – Ice-time for Rielly against the Penguins. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-5Season: 24.1% (3rd) PK: 1-1Season: 76.9% (27th) Quote of the Night "Were going to have a tough decision here coming thats for sure." -Randy Carlyle, on the impending decision on Morgan Rielly and the World Jrs. Up Next The Leafs play host to the Panthers on Tuesday night. Samuel Pahlsson Jersey .The other side of the Bruins special teams unit delivered in the end.Gregory Campbell netted the game-winner with less than 10 minutes remaining and the Bruins fended off a late four-minute San Jose power play to earn a wild 5-3 win over the Sharks. Troy Loney Jersey .Y. -- Defenceman Ryan Murphy had a goal and an assist and Drew MacIntyre made 24 saves to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 4-2 in an exhibition game Wednesday night.MONTREAL - The gloom of starting the season with three straight defeats hasnt descended on the Montreal Impact just yet. The players and their new, as-yet winless coach Frank Klopas, were upbeat this week as they prepared to face the Union on Saturday in Philadelphia. "The effort and intensity have been very good," said Klopas. "Everybodys shown theyre ready to play. Those setbacks will go away if we keep working like we have been." There is reason for optimism, starting with the return of star forward Marco Di Vaio and midfielder Andres Romero from the three-game suspensions they incurred from a scuffle at the end of their playoff game in October in Houston. The 38-year-old Di Vaio, a 20-goal scorer last season, may help them end a goalless string that has reached 205 minutes after being shut out in their last two matches. "Hes a competitive person, but its for the right reasons — for the group," Klopas said of Di Vaio. "His ability to create, and wanting ball in difficult moments, and to score goals... dont mean anything to him unless it helps the team win." Di Vaio is likely to step in for Andrew Wenger, who had a goal in a season-opening 3-2 loss in Dallas while filling in as the lone forward. It was not clear if Romero would start in his usual left midfield position or be available off the bench. There were also reports this week that the club is close to signing a third designated player to go with the Italian Di Vaio and Argentine midfielder Hernan Bernarello. Ignacio Piatti, an attacking midfielder who usually plays on the left wing, is believed ready to ink a deal that would see him join the Impact in June from the San Lorenzo club in Argentina. The team that opened camp with no significant signings, despite a late season plummet from first to fifth place last season, looks ready to make some changes. They also added fullback Heath Pearce during camp. A former Major League Soccer all-star with the New York Red Bulls who is coming off hip surgery, Pearce saw his first game action off the bench in a 2-0 loss at home last week to the Seattle Sounders. "I feel healthy and fit," the 29-year-old Pearce said. "Its been a long process. I ffeel young again. Fake Ducks Jerseys. ." It was uncertain if he will start at left back, where the teams first round pick in this years draft, Eric Miller, has been impressive. Pearce likes how the Impact have not hung their heads despite the losses. The team started the 2013 campaign with four straight wins. "I dont think theres cause for alarm right now based on our results," he said. "Ive been in situations before where seasons didnt start well and Ive see a complete change in attitude and things get really dark and negative, but here its been upbeat." Defence has been an issue as Montreal has conceded six goals while scoring only twice. They have been lively on attack, leading the league with 57 shot attempts and 20 on target, but aging centreback Matteo Ferrari and converted fullback Hassoun Camera have been overwhelmed at times on counterattacks and set pieces. The Impact are missing centre back Adrian Lopez, who is due to resume practising soon after knee surgery, and the oft-injured Nelson Rivas. They hope to fix their defensive problems against Philadelphia. Montreal is 3-1-1 with 10 goals against the Union scored since joining MLS in 2012. The Union (1-1-1), coming off a 2-1 loss in Columbus, made major off-season changes including the addition of American midfielder Maurice Edu and midfielders Vincent Noguiera and Cristian Maidana. But they also have injury issues on defence, with converted forward Aaron Wheeler now playing in the middle. Impact goalkeeper Troy Perkins said the Union are a puzzle. "With the players they have, especially the new players theyve added, you dont know what youll get," he said. "You dont know if theyll be a high press team or if theyll sit back and counter or if theyll try to play possession. "So you just have to go in and play your game and make them adapt to you." The Impact start the season with three of four games on the road, but after Philadelphia they will be back at Olympic Stadium for their next two against New York and Chicago. Note _ The Impact have loaned 20-year-old midfielder Zakaria Messoudi to the Ottawa Fury of the NASL. The former Canada u20 player is a product of the Impacts academy. ' ' '