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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 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. Air Max Uk . Lawries batting helmet hit an umpire during his ninth-inning outburst in the Jays 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. The 22-year-old threw his helmet to the ground and it bounced up and hit home plate umpire Bill Miller on the right hip after Lawrie was called out on strikes for the second out. Cheap Air Max Uk . After missing 20 games as a rookie a year ago, Valanciunas - like the Raptors as a whole - has been fortunate to be in good health this season. As he spoke about it, the Raptors sophomore centre scanned the room for wood to knock on. "It is disappointing because we lost today so thats the worst part of the day," said Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays game with a lower-back sprain in the third quarter, missing the rest of Torontos 118-113 overtime defeat at the hands of the Hawks. http://www.cheapukairmax.com/.ca. The NHL Play of the Year showdown kicks off with some slick moves going head-to-head with a combination of soft hands and endless patience. Cheap Air Max Uk Sale . -- Pinch-runner Rajai Daviss decision to steal third base just as Oakland catcher Derek Norris was throwing the ball back to the pitcher caught most everyone by surprise -- including several of his Detroit teammates. Wholesale Air Max . Playing in his 19th career final, the second-seeded Tsonga was favourite to win the Open 13 for the third time and to secure an 11th career title, but he struggled with Gulbis attacking approach.MANCHESTER, England -- As a new era began at Manchester United on Monday, a lingering problem from the final days of Alex Fergusons trophy-laden tenure was casting a shadow over David Moyes first official day in charge of the English champions. Nearly two months after being hired as successor to Ferguson, Moyes was met by a row of photographers under grey skies when he arrived at Uniteds training ground to start his planning ahead of the new season. Moyes has already put his stamp on the new role, bringing in three coaches from former club Everton to join his backroom staff, but its the future of Wayne Rooney that will be the Scots biggest priority this week. Speculation over where the England striker will be playing next season has been dominating the sports pages in British newspapers this off-season -- and will continue to do so until he sits down with Moyes and the pair decide where Rooneys future lies. Rooney, who isnt due in for the first day of training until Wednesday or Thursday, sat out the final matches of Fergusons 26-year tenure after putting in a transfer request because he was frustrated at being substituted in some matches last season, notably the Champions League last-16 second leg against Real Madrid. Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have been heavily linked with the burly striker, even though Ferguson insisted before he ended his time at United that Rooney wouldnt be leaving. The situation is even more delicate because it was Moyes who sold Rooney to United back in 2004, when manager of Everton, and then launched successful legal action against the striker over allegations in Rooneys autobiography that the Scot leaked details of a private conversation to the media about the factors behind the move from Everton. The pairs relationship has improved since then, but Moyes has to decide whether to persevere with a player who has tested the patience and loyalty of United fans after putting in two transfer requests in 2 1/2 years. If there is no official announcement regarding Rooney over the next week, the make-up of the United squad to tour the Far East from July 10 will make interesting reading.dddddddddddd Life at United will be much different compared to Moyes 11 years at Everton, where he was heralded as one of the brightest managers in English football despite never winning a major trophy. Silverware will be demanded at United in the first year of his six-year deal, with the northwest club having been accustomed to capturing titles under Ferguson. Moyes will also be under the spotlight much more off the pitch. Uniteds global appeal was further underlined Monday when it added True Corporation Plc, one of Thailands leading telecommunications companies, to its growing array of commercial sponsors on a three-year deal. True will become Uniteds official mobile partner for Thailand, the clubs official in-house TV broadcaster in the country and also be the associate match sponsor for the Bangkok leg of the preseason tour, when United plays Singha All Stars on July 13. Moyes will need his squad to be in perfect shape for the start of the new Premier League season, with United having been given a tough early fixture list that includes games against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in the opening five matches. Steve Round will be Moyes assistant, replacing Mike Phelan, after being the Scots No. 2 at Everton since July 2008. Former England international Chris Woods also arrives from Goodison Park to be goalkeeping coach and Jimmy Lumsden will be another coach on Uniteds books. "I have worked with Steve, Chris and Jimmy for a number of years and I am delighted they have decided to join me at this great club," Moyes said. "They bring great qualities in their respective fields and I know that, like me, they feel that this is a challenge to relish. "I have great faith that, together, we can build upon the success this club has enjoyed over many years." Ed Woodward, Uniteds executive vice chairman, said: "This is an exciting and challenging time for the club and I have great belief that David and his team will have all the energy and attributes needed to help this club continue in its long-standing traditions." ' ' '