ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Jonathan Bernier sported retro-coloured pads and a navy Maple Leafs toque atop his mask in a blustery Winter Classic at the Big House. “It was actually keeping me warm,” said Bernier with a sly grin of the extra insulation, “and I thought it looked good.” The 25-year-old remained a fiery difference-maker yet again for the Leafs on Wednesday afternoon. Bernier stopped 41 of 43 Detroit shots in front of 105,591 spectators at Michigan Stadium as his club won three straight for the first time since late October, edging the Red Wings 3-2 in the shootout. Bernier has, for the moment at least, snatched control of the Toronto crease. On Wednesday he became the first Leaf goaltender to start four straight all season and owns a scorching .950 save percentage in his past six games. “We look at it and say that Jonathan Bernier has come in and given us a chance and given us an opportunity in games and thats really what were looking for,” Randy Carlyle said after the historic tilt in front of a record crowd at the football stadium in Ann Arbor. “[But] we feel that James Reimer has done the same. Right now, [Jonathan] is on a little bit of a run and as long as he can continue to provide us with the level of goaltending that he has it would be foolish for us to look another direction.” Facing at least 40 shots for the seventh time already this season, Bernier had another busy, yet effective night. He may have been at his best in a windy second frame. With his team under siege and already trailing 1-0 on a goal from Daniel Alfredsson, Bernier first turned aside Daniel Cleary on a partial breakaway before stopping the scary duo of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg moments later. “If we wouldve went down 2-0 there it wouldve been very difficult to come back given the condition of the ice,” said Joffrey Lupul afterward. The Leafs rallied on the efforts of their goaltender shortly after with James van Riemsdyk ending an eight-game dry spell with his 15th this season before the visitors moved ahead on a nifty redirection from Tyler Bozak. Detroit tied it with less than seven minutes to go in the final period before Toronto raked in the extra point in the shootout. The victory pushed the Leafs to 47 points on the year, one up on their Original Six rival. They have now registered at least a point in six consecutive games, turning the corner somewhat from a miserable stretch that began at the outset of November. As for Bernier, he continued whats been an excellent first half for Torontos goaltending. To proclaim him the Leafs No. 1 though after a strong string of starts would be unwise, especially in light of the stability Reimer has offered with a .924 save percentage in 18 starts this season. Carlyle is sure to continue rotating between the two while riding the hot hand when it emerges. “I know that there has been this constant ‘Whos number one? question hovering over our hockey club,” said Carlyle. “I know youre tired of hearing it and you think Im full of it when I say 1A and 1B, but thats what I believe in and I think competition for the position allows people to compete and bring the best out of them.” Five Points 1. Road to the Winter Classic Ends Carlyle was famously opposed to the all-encompassing presence of HBO en route to Wednesdays Winter Classic and couldnt have been happier to have it conclude on this day. “Its been a long three weeks, thats for sure,” he said, still sporting a ball cap atop his suit. “With whats gone on with our hockey club, the way weve played, the inconsistencies that weve played to and the microscope that weve been under you get to see a lot of it. Theres a lot of things that are going on inside that are hard to deal with it when youre always constantly under a camera or a microphone.” Just as those cameras from the 24/7 series exit, the Leafs have ever-so-subtly turned a corner, picking up points in six consecutive games. They have just two regulation wins though in the past 21 games – winning five shootouts – and were outshot 43-26 by the Red Wings on Wednesday. “The general feeling in the room was that we got through a really, really tough stretch in December with a lot of travel and a lot of games in a short period of time,” said Lupul. “And [we] probably didnt have the results we wouldve liked, but we kind of kept our head above water there and now were getting some bodies back in the lineup, getting more healthy and hopefully this is the turning point for us where we can kind of put something together.” 2. Wintery Conditions To combat the freezing of his blocker in the chilly conditions, Bernier employed unusual measures. “The trainer would give me hot-packs and I would just put [the blocker] in my pants as well, try to keep it warm.” Snow fell vigorously on the ice surface at the Big House from start to finish, a crew with shovels clearing the surface frequently. “I was watching them shovel it,” said Dion Phaneuf, who notched a pair of assists a day after signing a seven-year extension, “and you could see the piles by the time they done there it was this high coming off the ice [raises hand about a foot off the ground]. “The ice conditions were really good,” he continued. “The ice was real hard, but the snow on it made it difficult to keep the puck flat.” “Everyones hands and feet were a little cold,” added Lupul, “but other than that it wasnt too bad.” 3. Gleason Acquisition In looking to upgrade their defence on Wednesday, the Leafs swapped a player/contract in John-Michael Liles who didnt fit under Carlyle for one in Tim Gleason who promises to gain at least a more consistent look. “The decision was made to find a player that we felt was going to fit into our back-end more so than what [Liles] was,” said Carlyle. Like Liles, the 30-year-old Gleason has two years remaining on his contract after this season, carrying a slightly higher cap hit of $4 million annually ($3.875 for Liles). Describing the six-foot, 217-pound Gleason as “very competitive”, Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis said that the new addition would have to earn his ice. “It changes the look of our back end a little bit and I think it gives Randy some more options in terms of pairings,” said Nonis. “We just want him to make a contribution,” Carlyle said of Gleason, whose game strays toward the defensive side of things. “And his contribution wont be expected to be a power-play guy, it wont be expected to be an offensive guy, but a big strong guy that can move the puck.” Gleason, a left-handed shot, figures to be in a fight for opportunity on the Leafs third pair, battling the likes of Paul Ranger and Mark Fraser for a chance alongside 19-year-old Morgan Rielly. 4. Bozaks Hot Streak Though about a month passed in between – he missed 12 games with an oblique injury – Tyler Bozak continues to thrive amid a six-game point streak. Bozak, who scored in regulation and added the shootout winner, has tallied two goals and seven assists in that span. The 27-year-old played nearly 24 minutes against the Red Wings and won 14 of 24 draws. “Hes a reliable player,” said Carlyle. “And if we had a model for the younger players to follow, it would be Tyler Bozak as far as the confident player, not a big guy but he gets in the way, he gets inside, he wins his share of one-on-one battles, very strong in the faceoff circle, and hes got the hockey sense.” 5. Phaneuf Leadership Style Phaneuf was named the 18th Toronto captain at the just-ripe age of 25. Inked to a seven-year extension with the club three and a half years later, Carlyle believes time and experience has allowed Phaneuf to mature into the burdensome duties he assumes for the Leafs. “Dion was put in a situation at a very young age to be the captain of an Original Six team in a very intense market,” said Carlyle, shortly after the Phaneuf extension was officially announced. “I think Dion has softened his approach – not only the way he brings himself to the rink day in, day out – but I think to his teammates, to everybody around him, I think hes become much more accommodating. I think its a sign of maturity. “We all know the captaincy for an NHL team is a letter that you wear proudly, but when your team is not having success it becomes a pretty big item on your chest. People look to you as being the leader and positively or negatively – depending on if it goes well or not going well – you can get ripped apart for it or accolades for it. Those are the things that take place and I think as a young player it takes some maturing, not only just from a hockey player standpoint, but from the expectations that are put on you.” Matched up against Pavel Datsyuk and the Red Wings top line, the 28-year-old played nearly 28 minutes in the Winter Classic, notching his 12th and 13th assists this season. Bonus Point – U.S. Olympic Duties Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk were named to the American Olympic team following Wednesdays game. It will be the second go-around at the games for Kessel – who will also be joined there by his sister Amanda, representing the U.S. women – and the first for the 24-year-old van Riemsdyk. Stats-Pack .950 – Save percentage for Jonathan Bernier over the past six games. 4-0-2 – Record for the Leafs during a six-game point streak. 9 – Points for Tyler Bozak during a six-game point streak. 4 – Consecutive starts for Jonathan Bernier, the first time either he or James Reimer have started four straight all season. 2 – Goals for James van Riemsdyk in the past 12 games. JVR snapped an eight-game drought with 15th this season against the Red Wings. 28:24 – Ice-time for Dion Phaneuf on Wednesday, a game-high. 38 – Face-offs for Jay McClement against the Red Wings, the 30-year-old winning 45 per cent of the time. 1-6-4 – Record for the Leafs in their past 11 road games. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-4 Season: 22% (6th) PK: 2-2 Season: 78.1% (27th) Quote of the Night “I was born and raised in Sudbury and spent 18 years in Winnipeg, so I know a little bit about cold weather. - Randy Carlyle, following Wednesdays blustery Winter Classic. Up Next The Leafs return home to host the Rangers on Saturday. Stephon Marbury Jersey . However, the intensity and physicality that has characterized the postseason so far has caught Gretzky by surprise. "Its a little bit risqué right now," Gretzky told Philadelphia radio station 97. Suns Jerseys 2021 . They kicked off the still-going trend of host cities winning the Grey Cup and sent Hall of Fame head coach Wally Buono to the front office a champion. https://www.cheapsunsonline.com/169z-ced...ersey-suns.html. - A retired Indiana school principal who was NASCAR star Jeff Gordons drivers education teacher was killed with his wife in a Tennessee crash while returning from watching Gordon race. Richard Dumas Jersey . Future Hall of Famer Ricky Ray is in his prime and back for a third season in double blue. The 34-year old was magnificent in 2013, throwing for just under 2,900 yards despite missing eight games, tossing an impressive 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions, completing 66 per cent of his passes in the process. Goran Dragic Jersey . Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN Habs at 7:30pm et/8:30pm at.GLENEAGLES, Scotland - The U.S. rookies are being thrown straight into the mix at the Ryder Cup.American captain Tom Watson is sending out all three of his rookies for Friday mornings opening session of fourballs at Gleneagles a€” including two of them paired together against a European duo featuring another rookie.Newcomer Jimmy Walker is paired with Rickie Fowler for the second match against Martin Kaymer and Thomas Bjorn, the 43-year-old Dane playing in the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2002.In the biggest surprise, Watson chose to pair first-timers Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed for the third match, where theyll face Ian Poulter and Scottish rookie Stephen Gallacher.Watson offered this message to his rookie pairing: Im going to throw you in the ocean without a life preserver. Youre on your own. You get out there and you get it done.Watson said its important to get the three rookies to play the morning session, rather than sending them out first in the afternoon foursomes.Its a good place to get their feet wet, Watson said. You would like to get them to play all 18 holes, play their own ball and get them out that way.The 21-year-old Spieth, who has five top-five finishes this year on the PGA Tour, will become the youngest player in 15 years to play in the Ryder Cup. Hes back in familiar surroundings: He played in the 2010 Junior Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, winning all three of his matches.Hes on the fast track because he played the Junior Ryder Cup here at Gleneagles, Watson said. Hes a very strong-willed man and Im very impressed with his attitude.Same goes for the 24-year-old Reed, who declared himself one of the top five players in the world after winning at Doral this year.When he gets it going, he thinks he can beat the world, Watson said. I like that attitude in a player.If Spieth and Reed can take down Poulter and Gallacher, it could provide a huge confidence boost and momentum swing for the underdog Americans.Poulter has won seven straight matches dating to Celtic Maanor in 2010 and was the catalyst in Europes great comeback at Medinah two years ago.ddddddddddddI dont think you could have picked out two people that we want to play against more, Spieth said. I feel like our job is to win a point. We can do that with those two guys. Were going to really lower their team morale, I feel like.Europe captain Paul McGinley left out his two other rookies a€” Victor Dubuisson of France and Jamie Donaldson of Wales a€” for the morning. He was asked about Watsons decision to play all three of his rookies.That might be a genius move by Tom, might not, he said.Walker is the veteran of the U.S. rookie trio. Hes 35 and has played on the tour for nearly a decade. He won events early this season and finished in the top 10 at three majors this year.Ive been playing professional golf for a long time, Reed said. Ive been on a couple of tours, made some big putts at key times, keeping my card, that type of stuff.I know this is a new event for me, but Ive done a lot, so I dont feel like a rookie.Reed is impatient for the competition to finally begin.This week seems like its lasted forever, he said. It just seems like Monday through today has been such a long process, just waiting and waiting and waiting just to get there and play and represent your country.Reeds wife, Justine, will not work as his caddie, with the duties going to Kessler Karain. Reed said Justine decided to be the wife and join in with the other wives and girlfriends for the weeks activities.Shell be cheering pretty loud on the sideline, he said.Spieth played in the Presidents Cup last year, something he feels gave him vital experience for this week. Hell find out quickly enough.I still dont know what to expect on that first tee, Spieth said. Thats a pretty incredible setting that they have here, but its a shot Im looking forward to hitting. I hope that Im one of those guys that elevates his game for this event.___Follow Stephen Wilson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stevewilsonap ' ' '