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OTTAWA – It was late November and Jake Gardiner was trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Ronald Leary Jersey . The 23-year-old wanted to pinpoint precisely what was keeping him from having success. "I obviously wasnt playing my best and wasnt really aware of what I was doing wrong," he told the Leaf Report ahead of a Saturday tilt with the Senators. So he decided to hit the tape. Gardiner pulled out his iPad and scrutinized video of his performance in the first round against Boston last spring. He watched clip upon clip of his shifts against the Bruins, keen on determining what gave him so much success. His performance then was electric. Gardiner scored a goal and strung together five points during an exhilarating six-game run. "I just wanted to figure out what I was doing differently in the playoffs, as opposed to now, because I wasnt happy with my game," he said of the video work. What Gardiner saw was an engaged defender who made quick decisions with and without the puck. The game seemed to slow down for the former Ducks first-round pick. He was assertive, unpredictable and dangerous on the rush and generally stable in the defensive zone. For the third-year Leaf, who has struggled with consistency this season, it was a helpful reminder of the player he had been not so long ago and the player he certainly had the potential to become once more. "It was nice to see what I was succeeding at then and try to replicate that now," Gardiner said. "Sometimes you get away from it and you dont know what the reason is." Gardiner was a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Nov. 27 in Pittsburgh. During the morning skate that day at Consol Energy Center, he engaged in a lengthy conversation with head coach Randy Carlyle, the former Norris Trophy winner advising on what hed seen and what needed to improve. Carlyle wanted Gardiner to make better decisions with the puck. He stressed that his young defender must move it faster, that he get his forwards involved more often and join the attack if and when the opportunity looked right. Too often, Gardiner gathered from the conversation, was he holding the puck before eventually making a poor decision with it and a turnover often the end result. "I wanted to know what I was doing that they didnt see that they wanted to see," Gardiner said of his conversations with the coaching staff. "I think Ive been more aware of it now; trying to move the puck quick and obviously still stay solid defensively." Gardiner was an offensive force in his rookie season with the Leafs. He scored seven goals and posted 30 points, tops among first-year players at the position. He has yet to score this season, though, and has just seven assists in 28 games. But by skewering the tape and picking the minds of the coaching staff, he finally seems to understand why the offence hasnt been there. "Its almost the fact of just doing less with the puck," he said. "Im able to skate the puck a lot, but that doesnt necessarily mean offence. I dont have many points this year, so I think moving the puck quicker to the forwards and letting them do their work, [then] maybe Ill create more offence that way. Itll create fewer turnovers for me and less time in our zone." Gardiner has not yet rediscovered the performance that made him such an elusive force against the Bruins, but hes inching gradually in that direction. In beating the Stars on Thursday, he led the team with nearly 26 minutes – matching a season-high – and also paced the group in Montreal last weekend. His return to form would help stabilize an increasingly wobbly Toronto back-end. Armed with new (and old) information, Gardiner is doing his best to get there. "I just want to be able to help the team as much as I can," he said, "and those are things that help me as a player and help our team too." Chad Kelly Jersey .55 million euros (US$18.6 million) to Spanish tax authorities on Monday to cover any potential irregularities in its signing of Neymar, all the while maintaining its innocence of the fraud charges levied against it. John Elway Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. 403 Forbidden .Y. -- The Montreal Canadiens have had few reasons to celebrate this season as they have been mired near the basement of the Eastern Conference.NEW YORK, N.Y. - The Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout, Pittsburghs Andrew McCutchen and Washingtons Ian Desmond have won their third straight Silver Slugger Awards. Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista also won for a third time after taking the honours in 2010 and 2011 as well. The 34-year-old put up his best numbers in four seasons in 2014 with 35 home runs, 103 RBI, a .286 average, and on-base percentage of .403 and a slugging percentage of .524 in 155 games. Chicago White Sox rookie first baseman Jose Abreu and Houston second baseman Jose Altuve were among eight first-time winners announced Thursday by Louisville Slugger, which presents the annual honours following voting by major league managers and coaches for the top hitter in each league at every position. Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre won for the fourth time and was joined on the AL team by White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez, Cleveland catcher Yan Gomes and Detroit deesignated hitter Victor Martinez. Shaquil Barrett Jersey. Trout joined Mike Piazza (1993-95) as the only players to win in each of their first three full big league seasons and was joined in the outfield by Bautista and Clevelands Michael Brantley. The NL team included Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, Pittsburgh second baseman Neil Walker and Washingtons left side of the infield, with Desmond at shortstop and Anthony Rendon at third. McCutchen was picked in the outfield along with Miamis Giancarlo Stanton and Atlantas Justin Upton. World Series champion San Francisco earned battery honours, with Madison Bumgarner winning at pitcher and Buster Posey at catcher. Brantley, Bumgarner, Gomes, Rendon, Stanton and Walker also were first-time winners. Beltre, Gonzalez and Martinez each earned $100,000 bonuses; Trout $75,000; Brantley, Bumgarner and Posey $50,000 apiece; Altuve $25,000; and Abreu and Ramirez $15,000 each. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '