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TORONTO – Third in league scoring, John Tavares entered the evening with at least a point in all but three of the Islanders 21 games this season. "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. Gunnarsson was among the stable that kept Tavares, who has 25 points this season, off the scoresheet entirely. The Islanders captain finished with just two shots and was rarely a threat, bottled up by the top pair of Gunnarsson and Dion Phaneuf and a recently assembled shutdown line of Jay McClement, Mason Raymond and Nik Kulemin. Tavares entered the night with eight goals and 16 points in 15 career games against the Leafs and had been responsible for 43 per cent of his teams offence this season. But he was held pointless for just the fourth time all season. "We played tight on him, we played hard and we didnt give him much time in our own end," Gunnarsson said of Tavares, who played alongside fellow top scorer Kyle Okposo and rookie Brock Nelson. "We couldve done some stuff better too, but when that line doesnt score we give ourselves a pretty good chance to win the game." Randy Carlyle has yet to employ a shutdown line consistently against opposing top lines so far this season – often using his top unit when healthy – but he did against the Islanders. As McClement explained it, the assignment isnt known to players until game-time and often beyond that. Unlike Andy Murray, his longtime coach in St. Louis, who would present line matchups to the group on a whiteboard in the morning, Carlyle prefers to keep his close to the vest. "He wont let you know too often," McClement said of Carlyle, leading Leaf forwards with over 20 minutes on Tuesday. "You dont really know until you start the game. And even the first shift we didnt start against them and then we played every other shift against them. You never know. Maybe its a good thing. Youre not thinking about it, youre just ready to play." What the McClement unit did effectively most of the night against Tavares, who had points in five straight, was keep him on the defensive. With consistent pressure and a simple chip-and-chase game, the line spent a good chunk of their shifts against him deep in the offensive zone. They would be rewarded when Raymond scored the eventual game-winner early in the third, the 27-year-old capping a McClement drive to the crease of Islanders goaltender Kevin Poulin. "We got to pucks on the forecheck and ended up having a lot of shifts in their end," McClement said, also beating Tavares on 10 of 19 draws. "Thats the easiest way to play defence is play offence." Five Points 1. Home ice dominance While theyve yet to establish a consistent brand of hockey (see below) the Leafs have nonetheless strung together a strong record through the quarter-mark of the season (13-7-1). Part of that success emanates from their effective showing on home ice. The Leafs have now won five straight at home and seven of their past eight, and are now 8-2-0 on the year at the ACC. Theyve outscored opponents 35-23 in that span, more effective offensively (3.5 goals per game) and defensively (2.3 goals against per game) than on the road. "That was one of the goals we wanted to create is when teams come into this building theres no more of this two points, kiss your relatives and go home," said Carlyle. "Its enough of that." With another power-play marker – this one from Phil Kessel – the Leafs also continued a trend of home dominance on the power-play; they rank first with a 32.4 per cent success rate. 2. Clarkson breaks the goose egg Without a goal in the first 10 games of his late-starting season, David Clarkson finally broke through with his first as a Leaf against the Islanders. The 29-year-old rifled a shot beyond the glove of Poulin midway through the final period, benefiting from the effective work of Joffrey Lupul and Trevor Smith down low in the offensive zone. "The better feeling is coming in here after a win and turning on that music," said Clarkson, who played nearly 19 minutes, adding five hits. "Thats the best feeling to me ever." 3. Gardiner on the left When Mark Fraser returned from a left knee injury last week – hes since re-injured a different part of the knee – Carlyle juggled his defence pairings, opting to move Jake Gardiner back to his natural left side position alongside Cody Franson. Gardiner had never played the right before and often appeared uncertain and inconsistent there alongside Paul Ranger. "I think Ive felt a lot more comfortable offensively," Gardiner told the Leaf Report prior to Tuesdays game. "I still have to fine-tune some things, but I feel like I see the ice a lot better from the left side." The 23-year-old is also pleased to be reunited with Franson, with whom hes played alongside for a good chunk of his NHL career. "We even talked about it – we know where each other are on the ice," said Gardiner of Franson. "Theres some plays that we do a lot of that seem to work and we know exactly when theyre going to be there, whether its in the offensive zone, neutral zone or defensive zone. Hes a vocal guy too. Its really easy to play with him. Hopefully he feels the same way." Gardiner led the Leafs with over 22 minutes against the Islanders, including 19:42 at even-strength. 4. Kessel durability Phil Kessel played his first game as a Leaf on Nov. 3, 2009; he sat out the first 12 games recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. The 26-year-old has not missed a game since. Kessel extended his iron-man streak to 303 consecutive games, breaking a recent dry spell with a pair of goals against the Islanders. A bout with the flu a day earlier put his games played streak in jeopardy, but the teams leading scorer remained in the lineup, paired with James van Riemsdyk and Peter Holland for the second straight game. Kessel is a ways off the active leaders in consecutive games played. Jay Bouwmeester is the current iron man with 654 straight games played, according to TSN Research, trailed closely by Henrik Sedin at 651. Only three players remain from the Toronto lineup that dressed on the night of Kessels highly anticipated debut: Luke SchennGarnet ExelbyIan WhiteMike KomisarekNiklas HagmanLee StempniakMatt StajanTomas KaberleWayne PrimeauFrancois BeaucheminAlex PonikarovskyColton Orr*John MitchellNik Kulemin*Rickard WallinJason BlakePhil Kessel*Mikhail GrabovskiVesa ToskalaJonas Gustavsson*Still with the team 5. Standing at the quarter pole Joffrey Lupul offered the following assessment of the Leafs performance one quarter of the way into the season. "Weve battled through a lot of injuries and were still up near the top of the conference. Thats a positive," said Lupul. "Is there things we can do better? For sure there is. But Im sure every team in the league with the exception of maybe St. Louis or San Jose or one of these teams is saying the same thing. Everyone wants to do some things better. But its early in the season and youre just finding that identity as a team and you want to eventually be a team that plays the same way every night and a team that improves throughout the year. Were not there yet, but were still high in the standings so theres positives and negatives you could say." Added Randy Carlyle, "Weve tried to create a template that were more conservative from an offensive standpoint. Were not making the Hail Mary plays. Were not trying to just be a rush team. Were trying to do a lot of different things as far as getting away from just one and out. We want more puck possession time. Theres been a lot said in our statistics proving out that were having success when we shouldnt be. We look at it as weve been forced to do some things differently with personnel, suspensions and injuries. We are just trying to find a way to manufacture points. This isnt a development league were in, its about winning. The points that we can put up on the board, doesnt matter who we have in the lineup, it just bodes well for us in the future." Bonus Point – Extending an opportunity Trevor Smith played his first NHL game with the Islanders back on Dec. 31, 2008. On Tuesday against the same New York squad, the 28-year-old had a career-high three points. Playing alongside Lupul and Clarkson, Smith scored the games opening goal 22 seconds into the first frame, adding a pair of assists in the third. Plugging a hole at centre with Tyler Bozak and Dave Bolland both injured, Smith has compiled at least a point in three games since being recalled from the Marlies last Friday, totaling three goals and five points in that span. "The guys are making it really easy for me to come in and play and be confident to make plays with them," Smith said. "I was fighting the puck a little bit in the first, but they calmed me down and just told me to relax and do what I do and we went from there." Nazem Kadri is due to return from a three-game suspension on Thursday, but it would appear that Smith has earned, at the very least, an extended opportunity. How long that opportunity lasts is unclear with Bozak likely to return Saturday following a lengthy stint on injured reserve. Stat-Pack 1 – Goal for David Clarkson this season. 303 – Consecutive games played by Phil Kessel. 8-2-0 – Home record for the Leafs this season. 3 – Points for Trevor Smith against the Islanders, a career-high. 32.4 per cent – Leafs power-play effectiveness at home, first in the NHL. 3 – Assists for Joffrey Lupul against the Islanders, a season-high. 2 – Multi-assist games for Lupul this season. 13-16 – Faceoff mark for Jerred Smithson against the Islanders. 17:45 – Ice-time for Morgan Rielly. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-2Season: 24.3 per cent PK: 2-2Season: 84 per cent Quote of the Night "That was one of the goals we wanted to create is when teams come into this building theres no more of this two points, kiss your relatives and go home. Its enough of that." -Randy Carlyle on the Leafs home record. Up Next Nazem Kadri returns from a three-game suspension when the Leafs host the Predators on Thursday night. Yasmani Grandal Brewers Jersey . -- Jacksonvilles offensive makeover is just getting starting. Jay Jackson Jersey . Ortiz hit a pair of two-run homers, including his 400th shot in a Red Sox uniform, and drove in a career high-tying six runs to power Boston past the Houston Astros 10-7 on Saturday night. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/819y-travis...ey-brewers.html. Napoli hit two home runs, Jonny Gomes and prized rookie Xander Bogaerts also connected, and the Red Sox kept up their dizzying scoring spree at Yankee Stadium by bashing New York 13-9 Saturday for a fifth straight win. Bobby Wahl Brewers Jersey . Patty Mills had 20 points, Tim Duncan had 11 points and 13 rebounds in limited action, and San Antonio rolled to a 110-82 victory over Milwaukee that kept the Bucks winless in the new year. Chase Anderson Jersey . Vettel only needs to finish fifth or better Sunday to wrap up the championship with three races remaining, and bettered his own lap record to claim his third straight pole at Buddh International Circuit.The UFC holds a rare Friday night event with UFC Fight Night 33 from Brisbane, Australia. Featured is a main event pitting two fighters looking for redemption in the heavyweight division. As always myself (@LynchOnSports) and Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) have our preview and picks. Let us know which side youre on! Use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Also feel free to leave you opinions in the comment section below. Antonio “Bigfoot”Silva vs. Mark Hunt James Lynch TSN.ca (@LynchOnSports) American Top Team product Silva heads into enemy territory when he battles 39-year old Hunt in a very important matchup for the heavyweight division. Both fighters are coming off losses to the two best fighters in the division, with Silva losing to champion Cain Velasquez and Hunt losing to former champion Junior Dos Santos. Like many of their peers, both fighters have exceptional stand up, with a combined 26-knockouts between them. While they each share the same amount of knockout wins at 13 apiece, its Hunt who clearly possess more power. The South Wales native also is a former K-1 kickboxing champion and has an impressive 30-13 record during his tenure. If “Bigfoot” tries to test his boxing skills against Hunt, it could be a recipe for disaster. However should he get this fight to the mat, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt will have a significant advantage as six of Hunts eight losses have come by way of submission. In addition for Hunt, in both the Dos Santos loss and in the Stefan Struve win, his conditioning appeared very lackluster and its obvious that age has caught up to him. The 34-year old Brazilian should win this fight as he should implement a rare game-plan and go for the submission. Once hes found his range and taken down his elder foe, hell sink in the submission for the win. Silva via second round submission Jordan Cieciwa TSN 1290 (@FitCityJordan) Mark Hunt versus Antonio Silva is a solid fight, but Im not sure if its a main event. Weather it is or not isnt up for debate, its happening. Heres what I see going down. Ive been a big fan of Mark Hunt for a long time. The problem, hes very one dimensional. Hunt spent years in the K-1 Kickboxing organization. To excel there, you cant mess around with wrestling and jujitsu. Your focus has to be on perfect your kickboxing skills. Hunt did that and amassed an impressive 30-13 record in the K-1 league. Its no secret his weakness is his submission defense game. That is the only way Silva can beat him. Now flip to the other side of the cage and Silva gets KOd often. I see this going to experience, and striking. Hunt should be able to stay on his feet and end this with a bang. Hunt via first round knockout Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. James Te Huna Lynch Sticking with the theme of fighters coming off losses, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rua battles Australia native Te-Huna in the nights co-feature. Many (including myself) were shocked when in his last fight; “Shogun” was submitted by Chael Sonnen in the first round which handed the Brazilian his fourth loss in his last six-fights. Fans of the 32-year old PRIDE veteran are left with frustration as his lack of conditioning and preparation have been the catalyst for most of his recent losses. Te Huna meanwhile was on a roll after his UFC debut, amassing an impressive 5-1 record and looked well on his way to earning a title shot. Those dreams were shattered as he suffered a first round submission loss to Glover Teixeira back at UFC 160 this past May. The real question heading into this fight is, will the 2006 PRIDE Middleweight Grand-Prix champ feel the sense of urgency and not take his 32-year old counterpart lightly? Shogun has the clear advantage on the ground but will he implement that game plan? Five of Te Hunas six losses have come by way of tap out and Shogun is a BJJ black belt. Standing and trading with the Aussie could be risky, especially when you consider that in his 22-fight career, hes never been knocked out. This time around, we should see a more motivated and hungry “Shogun” as hell likely catch the hometown hero early in the first round. Rua via first round submission JC James Te Huna has been getting quite the following. Hes had mixed reviews in his last few fights, but overall the talk about him is good. He put a solid beating on Joey Beltran, and has looked like a solid power puncher in every outing. His opponent is the legend Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Rua has looked very human in his last few outings. His loses coming in fights where he looks unprepared and out of shape. Which leaves me wondering, whats going to show up at this event? Anything other than a fit, sharp, prepared MMA athlete is going to get his head knocked off. The better, more all-round fighter is Rua. The hungry fighter is Te Huna. My money is on the TKO for the hungry fighter. Te Huna via third round TKO Ryan Bader vs. Anthony Perosh Lynch Ultimate Fighter Season 8 winner Bader enters hostile territory when he battles 41-year old Perosh. Like Te Huna, Bader is also coming off a first round stoppage loss to Glover Teixeira in his last fight and hopes a win will keep his status as a contender in the division. “The Hippo” meanwhile is coming off a huge upset victory over Vinny Magalhaes in the first round, back at UFC 163 and hopes to do the same this Friday night. Lighting shouldnt strike twice as Bader is superior in all areeas of this fight.dddddddddddd We should see a similar bout to Peroshs loss to Ryan Jimmo as Bader will earn a quick victory over the South Wales native via knockout. Bader via first round knockout JC Ryan Bader burst on the scene after the season 8 Ultimate Fighter win. After that, he has had a lot of ups and downs. Tito Ortiz ran through him like a man on fire, as did Machida and Teixeira. So he has those loses in his recent memory, but lets talk about this one fact: He has faced the best in the division. Sure those fights combined represent less than 10 minutes of cage time. The point is, he prepared to that level, and is still close to there. That level is a long way above 41-year-old Anthony Perosh who got unconscious really quick against Ryan Jimmo. That being said, Perosh looked fantastic against Nick Penner (A good friend of mine, so its hard to write that) and spent 14 seconds in the cage in his last fight against Vinny Magalhaes. Here are the cold hard facts on fighting. The first minute of a fight is the scariest. Nerves, finding range, and small mistakes turn to quick knockouts. Anyone counting Perosh out based on a Jimmo KO is crazy. Perosh has something to bring to this fight, and I think we will see an over confident Ryan Bader get steam rolled Tito Ortiz style by a veteran who got caught a few fights ago. Perosh via third round submission Pat Barry vs. Soa Palelei Lynch Barry looks to rebound from his disappointing loss to Shawn Jordan back at UFC 161 as he takes on Aussie native Palelei. While Barry is superior in the striking department, he faces a fighter who has both a significant height and reach advantage. In addition, “The Hulk” is on a nine-fight win streak, while Barry has lost four of his last six fights. Barry is the favorite, but I think well see an upset as Palelei will thrive off the energy of his native crowd and catch the 34-year old on the chin, sometime in the second round. Palelei via second round knockout JC This is a clear case of hometown crowd and a good fighter whos been knocked out too many times. The flash knockout Pat Barry suffered at the hands of Shawn Jordan still wont be fully clear. It increases the risk of another "easy" knockout. That injury in addition to being the smaller fighter again puts Barry in a dangerous place. This is going to be another knock out he wont soon forget. Palelei via second round Knockout Dylan Andrews vs. Clint Hester Lynch New Zealand native Andrews looks for his seventh straight victory when he battles American Hester in a middleweight encounter. This is a typical striker versus grappler matchup, with Hester being predominantly known for his knockout power and Andrews being well versed on the mat. In most cases, the submission ace usually takes home the victory and this should be the case for this fight on Friday night. In addition, the 27-year old Hester injured himself a few months ago, so there is no telling if hes fully healed from that injury. This should be Andrews fight to lose and if he can avoid his American counterparts stand up, he should win this fight. Expect Andrews to land in a fight ending submission in the second round and keep his winning streak alive. Andrews via second round submission Im excited for this fight. Anytime there is a striker fighting an accomplished grappler Im instantly transported back to the original UFC days. Like those first few UFCs, I always bet on a jiu-jitsu practitioner to win. Its just the way life seems to go. This should be no different. I expect Dylan Andrews to use his grappling to push Hester into a mistake. That mistake will be capitalized on, and I strongly feel this will end with a TKO. Dylan Andrews via third round TKO Julie Kedzie vs. Bethe Correia Lynch Judo ace Kedzie makes her UFC debut against fellow promotional newcomer Correia. Despite losing her last three-fights, the 32-year old has a significant experience advantage with 28-fights under her belt compared to “Pitbulls" six fights. Even in her loss to current title challenger Miesha Tate back in 2012, Kedzie was winning the fight up until she was submitted. Usually when a veteran fighter faces an up and comer they generally lose (Case in point last weekend with Raquel Pennington defeating Roxanne Modafarri) However in this situation, I expect Kedzie to come out with a sense of urgency in her UFC debut and take home a unanimous decision. Kedzie via unanimous decision. JC This fight looks like it will be really tough for Bethe Correia. Her opponent, Julie Kedzie has been in the cage with the top challenger in the division (including Miesha Tate) and held her own. That means Correia has a tough night of high paced work ahead of her. Kedzie has 28 fights to her credit, which is tough to do in the womens division. That amount of time in the cage is a significant advantage. The only thing going in Correias favor is her underdog status. Shes not expected to win, that means the pressure isnt on her. She also may have some tricks up her sleeve that we dont know about. That being said, its a huge experience difference. Kedzie via unanimous decision Undercard Picks: Lynch: Mizugaki, Ring, Scoggins, Santos, Garcia JC: Mizugaki, Ring, Scoggins, Jotko, Garcia Also be sure to tune into the “Weigh-In” on TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg every Saturday as myself, Jordan and “Big Marv” Timog go toe to toe discussing the hottest topics in MMA. ' ' '