man-advantages. Khudobin, filling in for Ward, improved to 5-0 this sea

MONTREAL -- Toronto Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle had a gut feeling that James Reimer would rise to the occasion in the teams NHL regular season opener. It turned out he was right, as Reimer made 34 saves and Mason Raymond got the game-winner in his first game with the Leafs as Toronto downed the rival Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in a fight-filled opener on Tuesday night. One of the fights led to a scary moment when Montreals new enforcer George Parros was carried off on a stretcher in the third period after falling on his face during his second bout of the night with Colton Orr. Parros suffered a concussion and went to hospital for further evaluation. Between the five fights in the game, Reimer made the saves and won a fourth straight start against Montreal. "That was the hunch," said Carlyle. "Hes played very well in this building in the time Ive been here. I felt he gave us the best chance to win." Reimer got the nod over Jonathan Bernier, who joined the Leafs from the Los Angeles Kings in the off-season. Reimer proved his coach right, even if he doesnt acknowledge the debate among fans and media over who should be the Leafs starter. "When Im in there, Im not competing against anybody on my team," said Reimer. "Thats not what its about. "Im competing against the other team, not the guys sitting beside me. They gave me the nod and I wanted to make the most of it and play my hardest for my teammates. And luckily enough, we won." Tyler Bozak scored shorthanded at 17:19 of the second frame and Raymond got the winner 5:10 into the third before Lars Ellers second of the night closed the gap to one goal with 2:22 left in the game. The Canadiens pushed hard in the closing minutes, but could not get the equalizer. "The execution by our team was not there," said Montreal coach Michel Therrien. "A lack of execution with the puck led to two goals and a lack of focus without the puck cost the other two." James van Riemsdyk and Dion Phaneuf also scored for Toronto, who play again Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Ellers three-point night included an assist on a Brendan Gallagher goal for Montreal, which next faces the Flyers at home on Saturday night. The Canadiens 350th consecutive sellout crowd was electric as usual for a Montreal-Toronto game and it didnt lack for action. But the mood turned sombre 2:34 into the third period when Parros was prone on the ice. Orr had fallen and pulled down Parros, who was bleeding and looked woozy. Torontos trainers joined those from Montreal in treating him on the ice for several minutes. "Give credit to our training staff, our medical staff," said Canadiens defenceman Josh Gorges. "The doctors were out there in five seconds. They didnt waste any time. I just hope hes all right." The crowd chanted Parros name as he was wheeled off the ice. Carlyle credited his teams special teams for the win. They got the short-handed effort from Bozak and opened the scoring on a power play. "I thought out special teams were the difference in the game," he said. "The short-handed goal turned everything in our favour and the power play got us going. "But I liked that when we got up 4-2 we were able to play more of the grind game in the offensive zone and chew the clock up." The Leafs were on a two-man advantage when Van Riemsdyk partially fanned on a shot at the side of the net that slipped between Carey Prices pads 8:01 into the game. The teams were each down a man when Raphael Diaz slipped a pass to Eller for a goal at 10:08 and Toronto was caught on a 3-on-1 when Montreal got the puck behind Carl Gunnarsson and Eller fed Gallagher at 13:54. Phaneuf tied it 8:36 into the second as he broke in on the left side to put a wrist shot inside the far post. It was the 19,000th goal in Leafs history in 6,169 games since 1917. Bozak put Toronto ahead shorthanded at 17:39 when he poked the puck away from defenceman Andrei Markov at the point and went in on a break to beat Price to the stick side. Raymond finished a give-and-go with Troy Bodie 5:10 into the third. Price faced 38 shots. Montreal got a scare midway through the first period when Max Pacioretty left with an apparent wrist injury after a hit from Orr. He returned in the second frame. Notes: It was the fifth season in a row Montreal and Toronto played each other in an opener. Toronto leads 4-1, winning the last four. . . The Canadiens called up defenceman Nathan Beaulieu as insurance with Douglas Murray, Davis Drewiske and Alexei Emelin all injured.. . . Nazem Kadri played his 100th game for Toronto. . . Morgan Rielly was scratched for Toronto, while Montreal sat out Beaulieu, Michael Bournival and Ryan White. Discount Air Max Shoes Wholesale . 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You put a young player with potential in a winning environment where there is veteran leadership, outstanding coaching and management and a way that things are done and its a wonderful environment for growth, improvement in a climate of constant accountability and expectation of achievement/production.RALEIGH, N.C. -- Coach Kirk Muller and the rest of the Carolina Hurricanes are making the most of a makeshift lineup. Without No. 1 goalie Cam Ward and captain Eric Staal, the Hurricanes stretched their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday night. "Momentum is a big thing," Muller said. Alexander Semin and Jeff Skinner both had a goal and an assist, and Anton Khudobin made 31 saves. Skinner netted the winner with 3:31 left on a shot from the right wing that slipped under goalie Carter Huttons pads for his team-leading 20th goal. He has scored six times during the winning streak. "Were just trying to keep this thing going right now," Skinner said. "Were being consistent in our game and playing solid for all 60 minutes." Patric Hornqvist had tied it for Nashville with a power-play goal at 6:46 of the third period when he tipped in the puck at the right post for his ninth goal. But the Predators, who had earned points in four straight games, dropped their third in a row. The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead on Semins goal 4:28 into the game. Semin gathered the puck from behind the net and sent a shot in off of Huttons back. Nashville coach Barry Trotz wasnt pleased with either goal allowed by Hutton. "I thought we really held them down to no chances," Trotz said. "We got zero saves. (Skinners goal) wasnt much of a shot at all." The Predators will now return to Nashville for a five-game homestand after an 0-3 trip. "We should have had five or six points out of this trip," Trotz said. "We came away with two, annd thats discouraging.dddddddddddd We put ourselves in the position to get points, so we just need a save." Staal sat out after he sustained a lower-body injury Saturday night in a win at the New York Islanders. He could be sidelined for a few more days. Nashville, which avoided its first shutout against the Hurricanes, held a 32-25 shots advantage. The Predators went 1 for 2 on the power play and killed Carolinas two man-advantages. Khudobin, filling in for Ward, improved to 5-0 this season and helped the Hurricanes win both ends of a back-to-back set for the first time this season. "It wasnt easy at all," Khudobin said. "I was just doing my job, trying to stop the pucks. We know the situation right now with every game being important." Khudobin started his third straight game after missing 33 because of an ankle injury. Muller said it was a risk to go back to him after Khudobins 38-save effort against the Islanders. "We took a chance, three in four nights for him, but hes been playing well," Muller said. "We just went for it." The Hurricanes, in their third game in four nights, played well without Staal in the lineup. Staal, who missed his first game since Feb. 26, 2011, had played in 191 consecutive regular-season games -- the third longest streak in franchise history. He holds the team record of 349 straight games. NOTES: Skinner extended his point streak to five games. ... The Hurricanes activated D Jay Harrison from the injured list and placed Ward on it, retroactive to Dec. 31. ... Hornqvist moved into a tie for seventh place on the Predators career goal list. ' ' '