TAMPA – The Maple Leafs best player ambled out of the Tampa Times Forum sorting through a gamut of emotions, mostly embarrassment and disappointment for the events of another epic spring of failure. There will be no playoff hockey in the city of Toronto for the eighth time in the past nine seasons. This 18-wheeler veered off the road once and for all on a cloudy and cool night in Tampa, another stunning late-season collapse destroying what seemed all but certain less than one month earlier. "Obviously, Im disappointed – disappointed for Leafs Nation," said Phil Kessel, thick red stubble dotting his face after the teams 10th loss in the past 12 games. "Obviously its not good enough. I havent been good enough for the last 15 games. I need to be better." Boasting 37 goals and 80 points on the year, the 26-year-old carried the Leafs for the better part of two months in early 2014 – along with Jonathan Bernier – helping to mask the troubles of a flawed club en route to 15 wins in 22 games. He had a mesmerizing 35 points in that stretch – not to mention a dominant Olympics. But when he cooled (which was inevitable given the scorching run he was on) so too did the Leafs. Without Kessel and first-line amigos James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak piling up points on the regular and Bernier no longer performing like a superhero (James Reimers struggles notwithstanding), cracks that lingered beneath the surface suddenly became too glaring to ignore amid a losing streak that hit eight sour games. Worrying defensive issues were unmasked for all to see, an endless parade of breakaways and odd-man rushes highlighting the troubles. A dominant power-play fizzled – one big factor in the top lines slowdown – coupling with a bad penalty kill for unsavoury special teams. Support staff behind Kessel, van Riemsdyk and Bozak failed to emerge. And a team that promised to be harder to play against at seasons open remained mostly the opposite. "Obviously we didnt play well enough," Kessel said. "I think both ends of the rink we didnt play well enough. We obviously didnt get it done." Back in mid-March, after a triumphant victory over the Kings – their second on the daunting California triangle – Toronto sat ahead of every team in the East but Boston and Pittsburgh, icing a three-point lead for that matter on Tampa (who is now 11 points up after Tuesdays game). There was talk of home-ice in the first round of the playoffs and a confrontation with either the Lightning or Canadiens. And then another disturbing swoon, from which they could not escape happened. "After that we never got our groove back," Kessel said. "The last 15 games we didnt get it done and thats why Im really disappointed. We just need to be better. Obviously Im not happy the way this has ended here. I dont think anyone is." Kessel has just three goals and seven points in the past 13 games – just four of those coming during the eight-game slide. Perhaps worn down by heavy minutes in an Olympic year, he could no longer shoulder the kind of burden his club required for survival or maybe the bounces, as he always describes them, simply went the other way. The Leafs are just 7-23-3 when their leading scorer fails to record a point. And yet Kessel still sits sixth in league scoring and fifth in goals, boasting the kind of sterling numbers one would expect of a top flight offensive player. There he was though after the sting of another looming spring without playoffs, bearing more than his fair share of the brunt for the second late season collapse in the past three years. It was the kind of accountability required for growth from this kind of wreckage and a sign of leadership from a player not known for anything of the kind. "Obviously Im really disappointed and I feel like Ive let a lot of people down," he said with some emotion. "(The fans) expect a lot from us. They love us. We need to be better these last 15 games. I think everyones pretty disappointed." Five Points 1. Cloud of Emotions A rarity for the Leafs head coach, Randy Carlyle didnt say a word to his team after the 3-0 loss to Tampa, which sealed their playoff fate in conjunction with a Columbus victory. "Numb and shock" were among the emotions Carlyle was experiencing afterward along with extreme disappointment and embarrassment. Why embarrassment? "Because I think we have more than what we were able to accomplish and thats the most troubling issue here is we just didnt find a way to compete to a level that was necessary and execute to a level [that was necessary]," Carlyle said, looking defeated. "We felt that this group coming into the start of the season would be a better hockey club than we had last year and I dont think we proved that." Carlyle, whose future remains cloudy at best, said plenty of time would be taken in the days ahead to analyze what exactly happened and why. "Theres going to be lots of questions and lots of prodding going on on the answers to that," he said. "We dont have the answers right now as to why it happened, but were all responsible. We win and lose as a team and thats basically the way we have to approach it now." 2. PP Demise One of the more prominent factors in the cooling off of the Leafs top line was their inability to score on the power-play after the Olympic break. Kessel has just one power-play point in the past 23 games and hasnt scored there since Feb. 1. van Riemsdyk, who leads the Leafs with nine power-play markers himself, hasnt scored with the man advantage since Jan. 30 and has gone 24 consecutive games there without even a single point. Torontos power-play went 0-3 against the Lightning and is 8-57 after the Olympics (14 per cent). The unit still ranks fifth overall this season. 3. Not 100% Limited and still dealing with pain in the left ankle which sidelined him for 56 games earlier this season, Dave Bolland did not play Tuesday against the Lightning and may be done for the year. "Whats happened is hes aggravated it and its bothered him," Carlyle said. Carlyle had hoped to employ Bolland more regularly after his return from the injury last month, but the 27-year-old is simply not at 100 per cent. He garnered between 9-13 minutes most nights upon return, even rolling the ankle in some situations according to Carlyle and requiring up to 10 minutes to get back for another shift. Bollands arduous recovery from the severed tendon took longer than was expected, but it appears that even a near five-month absence may not have been enough. The Mimico native is an unrestricted free agent this summer. Its worth wondering whether hell play again for the Leafs with only two meaningless games remaining. 4. Carter Ashton It was more than two years ago that Carter Ashton was shipped from the Lightning organization to Toronto in exchange for towering defender Keith Aulie. And while the 23-year-old has dipped his toes into the NHL waters here and there hes yet to establish himself in any firm capacity. "Its been one of those that when hes come here and played with us his confidence level seems to erode whereas when he goes back to the Marlies hes the best player," Carlyle said of Ashton, a first round pick of Tampa in 2009. Ashton has scored 16 goals and totaled 23 points in 24 games with the Marlies this season, but has yet to score with the Leafs in 47 games, adding just three assists. Part of the disconnect would seem to lie in the opportunity hes been granted under Carlyle. Playing mostly on unskilled fourth lines, Ashton has averaged six minutes per game this season, held under four minutes in nine of 32 games. "We think that we have to bridge some of the opportunity for him and maybe play him a little higher in the lineup versus playing him in the fourth line position," Carlyle said. "Let him play with some skilled players and give him more of an opportunity with minutes in the hockey game." Recalled on emergency status with Joffrey Lupul sidelined for the remainder of the regular season and Bolland sore, Ashton played Tuesday alongside Nazem Kadri and David Clarkson and totaled 12 minutes. "I dont think its a question of my confidence in my abilities," he said. "Its just translating it to the NHL." 5. Check the IR One question rose above all when the Maple Leafs signed Lupul to a five-year extension in Jan. 2013: could the now 30-year-old stay healthy? More than one year later and the answer would be well, sort of. Though hell miss the final the three games of the regular season with a knee injury, Lupul did manage 69 games this season – totaling 22 goals and 44 points – the most hes played in one campaign since 2008-09 when he dressed in 79 games for the Flyers. But over the past three seasons, Lupul will have missed 59 games with a variety of injuries, which include a dislocated shoulder, fractured forearm, concussion, bruised foot, groin tear, and now an injury to the knee. And while well attuned to the maintenance of his body – a transformation that took place as he aged – its worth wondering whether Lupul can stay healthy as he enters his 30s considering the challenge it became in his mid to late 20s. Saturdays game against Winnipeg, which he left because of the knee injury, was the 600th in his career. He underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday. Stats-Pack 8 – Times in the past nine seasons that the Leafs have missed the playoffs. 2-10-0 – Leafs record in the past 12 games. 47 – Career NHL games for Carter Ashton, who still has yet to record a goal. 24 – Consecutive games without a power-play point for James van Riemsdyk. 1 – Power-play point for Phil Kessel since Feb. 1. 0 – Victories in a start for James Reimer since Jan. 21. 8-57 – Toronto power-play after the Olympic break. 3 – Times this season that the Leafs have been shutout. 7-23-3 – Leafs record this season when Kessel fails to record a point. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-3Season: 20.3% (5th) PK: 0-1Season: 78.2% (28th) Quote of the Night "Obviously Im really disappointed and I feel like Ive let a lot of people down." -Phil Kessel, on the disappointment of playoff elimination. Quote of the Night II "Because I think we have more than what we were able to accomplish and thats the most troubling issue here is we just didnt find a way to compete to a level that was necessary and execute to a level [that was necessary]." -Randy Carlyle, on why he was embarrassed by the Leafs late season meltdown. Up Next The Leafs conclude their swing through Florida with a Thursday clash against the Panthers. Randall Cunningham Eagles Jersey . Or take a relaxing vacation somewhere warm. Brayden Schenn and Scott Hartnell scored, Ray Emery stopped 32 shots and the Flyers beat the Calgary Flames 2-1 on Saturday for their fourth straight victory. Harold Carmichael Jersey .J. - The New York Jets have signed former Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Graham Harrell, giving them some added depth at the position. https://www.eaglessportsgoods.com/Womens...nverted-Jersey/. Head coach Randy Carlyle confirmed the news after the Leafs morning skate on Monday. Kozun was hurt during Friday nights home game against the Red Wings and did not make the return trip to Detroit for Saturdays game. Randall Cunningham Youth Jersey . Finlands Kari Lehtonen made 26 saves to lead Dallas over the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 Saturday night. He received plenty of help from the Stars defence and got goals from Ray Whitney and Russias Valeri Nichushkin. Brian Dawkins Youth Jersey .Steamboat Ski Resort contends Steamboat Springs, Colorado has long been known as Ski Town, U.S.A., and claims in a new lawsuit that Salt Lake tourism officials violated their trademark when they rolled out the Ski City marketing campaign last month.TSN football analyst Chris Schultz breaks down all the teams and each division in the NFL leading up to the regular season. Next up, the Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks of the NFC West. San Francisco 49ers If you evaluate teams in terms of toughness and heart, the San Francisco 49ers are as tough and driven as any team in the NFL. They have an excellent offensive line that runs complex blocking patterns and led by Justin Smith, a defensive line that can create a pass-rush without linebackers and defensive backs. The line of scrimmage players are the strength of the team. A lot of emphasis will be put on quarterback Colin Kaepernick and as spectacular as he is and can be, he needs to improve. Surprisingly, San Francisco was the 30th-ranked football team in pass offence last season and when you consider how good the division is, that has to improve significantly to win that division. Kaepernick throws bullets and sometimes overpowers his receivers. Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Stevie Johnson with Vernon Davis give Kaepernick all he needs to improve as a complete passer. As a spontaneous or premeditated runner, I dont think he has a superior in the entire league. But to beat Seattle he has to have both skills at their best. With a new contract equal to any with his success and a fourth year pending, this could be - and should be - his best year ever. I also though the 49ers second draft pick, Carlos Hyde, was a good one. Frank Gore is in his ninth year and for a running back that is a lot. Hyde is a very similar type of back and because of his youth, he will have his opportunities. Bottom line for the 49ers is the two Seattle Seahawk games. Both are in the second half of the season - on November 27th and December 14th - so injuries and avoidance of injuries may determine everything. The recent history of success is very good for San Francisco and that is good and bad. Good in the sense that you know you can win because over the last three years the 49ers made it to the NFC championship game to lose to Seattle. They made it all the way to the Super Bowl and lost on the last play on offence 34-31 to Baltimore, and the year before lost to the Giants 20-17 in overtime. The 49ers know they are goo but do they have the energy to do it again and stay healthy all year long? The exhibition season has not been good for San Francisco so far and there are rumours that Jim Harbaugh is running out of his motivational ways. Still, this is a tough physical team in every way and is still hungry. Seattle is good but they have reached the mountain while San Francisco is still climbing. 49ers - first in the NFC West. Seattle Seahawks Even though the Seahawks lost 10 players to free agency, when you study personnel you must still conclude they have no individual weaknesses. What I find interesting when you look at the free agents that they signed is that the only well-known name is Terrelle Pryor. The other four free agents I dont recognize as previous starters to any major degree. Maybe Seattle does know something or evaluate and conclude a step better than the other 31 teams. The Seahawks are coming of not just a dominant 35-point Super Bowl victory but a dominant season. The total margin of loss in their three defeats was 15 (Colts by 4, 49ers by 2, Cardinals by 7). You can truly say Seattle showed up every single week. The goal this year is to "do it again" and with a healthy Percy Harvin they may be able to do it. But only eight of 47 previous teams have repeated as Super Bowl winners and none over the last 10 years. The confidence, composure and consistency of Russell Wilson was amazing to watch and the dominance of the secondary was the "group" reason for the teams success. They finished last year tops in total defence (273 yards per game), passing defence, (172 yards per game), points allowed (14 per game) and best takeaway/giveaway ratio (plus-20). And, the Seahawks are one if the youngest teams in all of football. I dont think Seattle will regress but I wonder if others will progress when they play Seattle now that they are the most hunted and identifiable team in the league. They will get the oppositions best each and every week. Seahawks - second in NFC West. Arizona Cardinals The toughest division in football is the NFC West. When the third place team finishes 10-6 (Arizona) and does not make the playoffs even though Green Bay in the NFC North finished 8-7-1 but had a home playoff game, youre in aa tough division.dddddddddddd And each team in the division has a great defence, with the Cardinals as good as any. Now, the loss of Darnell Dockett is significant. A very productive player and leader, it puts more emphasis on John Abraham as linebacker and defensive end to make an impact in his 15th year. The loss of Dockett is big but not insurmountable. Last year, Arizona finished number one against the run, number seven in least points allowed and number six overall. That side of the ball should still be exceptional without Karlos Dansby, but with Antonio Cromartie at cornerback and number one pick Deone Bucannon at safety. Defensively good. Offensively? Maybe. Carson Palmer begins his 12th year and Larry Fitzgerald his 11. The two oldest on the offence have to play with an absence of age for Arizona to repeat at 10-6 or better. Fitzgerald, I dont think there will be a problem; Palmer you just dont know. Last year, he had 24 touchdowns but 22 interceptions. Can Bobby Massie hold down the left tackle position? Can Jonathan Cooper live up to first round expectations? Can Micheal Floyd, first round pick from two years ago be another Larry Fitzgerald? Who will emerge as a productive tight end? Very few questions on defence, yet a lot on offence. When you look at the six losses last year for Arizona, three of them could have been wins -- opening game at St. Louis lost by three, game 12 lost in Philadelphia by 3, and the last game of the year lost to the 49ers by 3. Even the six losses can be rationalized as a positive. Only once last year did Arizona lose back-to-back games as four times after a loss it was a win. Finally, Bruce Arians seems to have a motivating effect on his players. From his days in Pittsburgh and assisting Ben Roethlisberger become what he is to his support and self-control in Indianapolis in regard to Chuck Pagano. To ask a rookie head coach creating 10 wins, you get the sense Bruce Arians knows the people side of pro football as well as any other aspect of the game. This division is going to come down to the six divisional teams when they play each other. Last year, Arizona lost to San Francisco twice, split winning one in Seattle and split with St. Louis. Going two wins and four losses. Key game to win the division is in Week 3 against San Francisco at Arizona on Sept 21. It all starts there. Cardinals - third in NFC West St. Louis Rams Amazing how things can change in one moment and one play. Sam Bradford out for the year and Shaun Hill becomes the starter for the opener against Minnesota. Shaun Hill is experienced with 12 years of NFL football but if he was better than Sam Bradford he would be the starter, so the regression is tangible. How the Rams will function in efficiency is unknown but they are in the toughest division in football so we will find out soon enough. Can the defence carry the team? Well, they do have one of the best defensive front sevens in football and maybe the best pure pass rusher in Robert Quinn but to depend on that area alone is too much to ask. The front seven is a known commodity but the secondary is not. Can Greg Williams reproduce a dominate turnover advantage as he did the year the Saints won the Super Bowl? As a coordinator, Williams is proven but to offset the inevitable of early offensive inefficiency, the Rams will have to finish plus- 15 in takeaway, giveaway and not zero as they did last year. The Rams use a running back rotation of Tre Mason, Zac Stacy, Bennie Cunningham and Isaiah Pea but it would be more beneficial if one became the number one. They do have explosiveness in Tavon Austin but can Chris Givens be similar in ability and can Kenny Britt rejuvenate his career? And more than in any year, they must stay healthy to off-set the absence of Bradford. Jake Long at left tackle, Scott Wells at centre and Rodger Saffold who plays both left and right tackle have to be 16 game starters in 2014. With heath and a good year from number one pick Greg Robinson who will probably start at guard, the Rams in front of Shaun Hill could be pretty good. Jeff Fisher and Les Snead have done a good job of collecting players but they have lost their most important one in Sam Bradford for the year. And in a division with a top defence in Seattle, a just as good defence in San Francisco and an underrated defence in Arizona that was number one against the run, it will be tough not to conclude. Rams - fourth in the NFC West ' ' '