Pumping tires became a trending topic involving goalies Roberto Luongo and Tim Thomas at the 2011 Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks. For the first time since that matchup, the two goalies face each other tonight as the Canucks host Thomas new team, the Florida Panthers. Going into Game 6, Luongo had an infamous rant in which he used the term to describe the praise he was showing Thomas in the media, but complained about not receiving the same from his Bruins goaltender. "I never did have any animosity toward him. I wasnt thinking about him. I was thinking about doing my job," Thomas told the Vancouver Sun on Monday. The series went seven games and Thomass 37 saves outdid Luongos 17 to a 4-0 championship clinching win at Rogers Arena. The Canucks are in danger of posting their longest losing streak in nearly five years, so now seems like a good time for a visit from the Panthers. The Canucks try to avoid a fifth straight defeat overall and just their second at home all-time against the Panthers. Vancouver has been held to a single goal during each game of its current 0-3-1 slide. That includes a setback in the first two of a six-game homestand, with the Canucks losing an overtime decision to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday prior to Sundays 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars. Roberto Luongo had 21 saves and Henrik Sedin got the Canucks onto the board just over three minutes into the third period. Sedin, though, also had a potential game-tying goal on the power play waived off near the midway point of the second period when it was ruled twin brother Daniel Sedin made incidental contract with Dallas netminder Kari Lehtonen. Though Canucks head coach John Tortorella said afterwards that no one play costs a team a game, it was a sequence he would have liked to have been reviewed. "Its a big play in the game. I think we need to get the call right. If you can review that, I think you get the call right. But its unreviewable," said Tortorella, who said he did not get an explanation of the call. "All the crap we review, and they dont review an important thing like that. I just think that needs to change. Its the wrong call." That leaves the Canucks in danger of their longest losing streak since an 0-5-3 skid from Jan. 9-31, 2009. That makes this visit from the Panthers well timed. Florida has not won in Vancouver since its inaugural 1993-94 season, going 0-5-1 with five ties since. The Canucks are also 8-1-1 with a pair of ties in their previous 12 meetings with the Panthers overall, though Florida did snap a three-game series losing streak with a 2-1 win at home in the most recent encounter on Jan. 9, 2012. Luongo is 4-1-1 with a 1.79 goals against average in six career games versus the Panthers, who he played with for five seasons before getting traded to Vancouver ahead of the 2006-07 campaign. The Panthers are looking to get rolling under interim head coach Peter Horachek, having gone 2-3-0 since he replaced a fired Kevin Dineen on Nov. 8. Florida defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 on Saturday, its second win in three games following an 0-5-4 slide and first on the road since its season- opener in Dallas on Oct. 3. The club had gone 0-8-1 on the road following that victory, but got a goal from Brad Boyes in the first period on Saturday, one from Brian Campbell and Tomas Kopecky in the second and a fourth from Jonathan Huberdeau in the final frame. Tim Thomas made 32 saves for his 200th career win and Tom Gilbert had three assists. "We didnt commit many turnovers and we kept the puck deep in their zone," Gilbert said. The Panthers will play the third of a five-game road trip tonight and could stay with Thomas in net. He has had success in his career versus the Canucks, going 3-1-0 with a 1.26 GAA in four regular-season meetings. He also helped the Boston Bruins knock off the Canucks in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, notching a pair of shutouts and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. Nike Free Run Homme . Hes had three top-10 results this season and feels ready to put it all together and finally hoist a trophy at the top level. Nike Free 3.0 Flyknit Homme - Pas Cher Noir/Blanche . - For a general manager who preaches building through the draft, Reggie McKenzie has struggled to find impact players his first two years in Oakland. http://www.ventefreerunpascher.fr/nike-free-rn.html. 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell. Nike Femme Nike Free 3.0 Flyknit Bleu/Blanche . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. Nike Free 3.0 Flyknit Homme - Pas Cher Bleu Royal/Blanche . -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are bringing back quarterback Chad Henne -- and making him the starter.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. 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 hhas 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.dddddddddddd 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. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '