TORONTO a€“ Jonathan Bernier wants to be like Henrik Lundqvist. Or at least something approaching the greatness of the New York Rangers goaltender. He wants to earn that respect, be the guy in Toronto that Lundqvist has become in the borough of Manhattan. But he also knows that respect of that kind isnt earned overnight, in a week or with one season full of highlights. Its partly why he wont he even call himself the Leafs No. 1, even after finishing last season with career highs in wins, starts, and save percentage a€“ his .923 even-strength save mark fifth among goalies with at least 30 starts. Doing it for 55 games is nothing though, not compared to the nine fantastic seasons and 575 games of Lundqvist, who boasts 50 career shutouts, a cumulative .920 save percentage and one gleaming Olympic gold medal. Theres something about that track record, of being that guy year after year in the New York pressure cooker that perhaps not surprisingly appeals to Torontos unofficial No. 1. To me its not a matter of being a No. 1 or a No. 2, Bernier said, its just to prove that I want to win every night and prove that I can be one of the top in this league. And thats what Im working on every day to get better. It would seem that hes even out to prove to his own team, the same one that traded for and believed in his upside two summers ago, but also the same one that has yet to fully recognize him as their guy this fall. Head coach, Randy Carlyle, perhaps mindful of stirring the Toronto pot and likely paying some deference to James Reimer, has veered far away from talk about the top job in the Leafs crease. Its been the usual song and dance instead about two good goaltenders both being able to contribute, neither designated as anything but. We cant ignore what Bernier did for our hockey club, simple as that, Carlyle said on the first day of training camp. And we cant ignore what James Reimers done for our hockey club. Here we are at training camp and the questions going to be Whos No. 1? Is he clear-cut? Is he this? Is he that? Well, right now, we would have to say that [its] 1-A and 1-B. You laugh at me and you say hes full of this, hes full of that. [But] the reality is if you go to every team you have to have somebody thats going to emerge and be your guy. Bernier was that guy last season. He took hold of the goaltending reigns in late December and never looked back. And though he wont spell it out explicitly, it would seem that even Carlyles 1-A, 1-B designation is quiet fuel to the fire. At no point during the teams two-week training camp would Bernier proclaim himself this or that. His explanation earlier this week provided some insight as to why. Its up to Randy I guess, he said of being the No. 1. To me, Im not going to say Im the No. 1 [because] if I play 20 games this year then I look like a fool right? So it just depends on Randy, how much he wants to play me, how much he wants to play [Reimer]. But obviously it comes from the head coach. If the head coach says Ive got my No. 1 guy thats when you feel you are. Bernier earned the opening night nod against his hometown team. It didnt go great. Uncharacteristically quiet in the early going, Bernier didnt face his first shot until nearly five minutes had ticked off the clock. The shot, from Max Pacioretty, surprised him and snuck through, a bad goal he wouldnt hide from. Theres going to be a lot of bad goals in my career, just got to flush it out, he said afterward, four goals finding their way through on 32 shots. Bernier wasnt able to spend a ton of time on the ice this summer, undergoing sports hernia surgery after his first season in Toronto wrapped earlier that spring. He didnt get much game action in either, so the inactive start against the Canadiens didnt help much to jump into the rhythm of things. Bernier though hasnt been limited at all from the surgery; he felt fine after a month. What hes had to monitor and stay on top of instead is his left knee, which he injured in the Leafs fifth-to-last game of what was a disastrous late season collapse. Its nothing serious, he says. Patrice Bergeron, competing for position with former Leaf defender, Paul Ranger, fell in just the right spot. He felt the pain immediately when it happened, knew it right away. The injury is one that only heals with time. Its stiff from time to time, Bernier says, and requires a series of special stretches to get warm. Sometimes Ill feel a little pinch and obviously [Wednesday] that was a good test when I got run into it, Bernier said of Brendan Gallaghers charge into the net on Wednesday evening. Youre always kind of scared in the back of your head, but I have nothing to worry about. No two goalies were under siege last season quite like Bernier and Reimer, and if there was one encouraging sign for the former during exhibition season it was the hints of improvement defensively. The biggest thing, he noticed, was the stemming of opposition speed through the neutral zone. And as a goalie, and as a defenceman, thats probably the worst play in hockey when guys are coming full speed on the three-on-two or two-on-one, he said. I think we limited that and thats a big change for our group. If not exactly good pals, he and Reimer share a healthy respect for one another. I dont think its ever going to be a case where were buddy-buddy, said Reimer. Its not like were going to be going out for beers, but its a thing where we respect each other, we like each other. Its not necessarily about beating him out but its about playing your best and leaving it up to the coaches to decide, Reimer continued. Its not even necessarily that youre against the other guy, its more youre just playing your game, youre fighting as hard as you can and you hope that the coach gets impressed with how youre playing and you can get the nod. Bernier is hoping for the same. His path towards being a No. 1, which took a years-long detour in L.A., is now firmly underway in Toronto. Its a road thats only just beginning. Luc Robitaille Jersey . GQ Lundqvist quite well.Three rounds, and nearly two months later, will the Kings have the strength to reach the summit of the Empire State to claim the cup?Truer words have never been spoken. Ilya Kovalchuk Jersey . DArnaud hit one of three doubles for the Mets as they took a 4-0 lead in the first. Then the catchers seventh home run of the season broke the game open in the fifth. 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But in the case of Hurtado, its what the coach is NOT saying that may be the secret to a superb run of form. PINEHURST, N.C. -- Michelle Wie is becoming a regular contender in major championships, only now as an adult. She captivated womens golf as a teenager, contending in three straight LPGA Tour majors when she was 16. That was when she still was trying to compete against the men, when she didnt always look as if she was having fun and before injuries and criticism were a big part of her growing pains. On another tough day at Pinehurst No. 2, the 24-year-old from Hawaii held it together Friday with two key par putts and finished with back-to-back birdies for a 2-under 68, giving her a three-shot lead going into the weekend at the U.S. Womens Open. "I think you look at the way Michelle has played the last six months and you look at her differently," said Stacy Lewis, the No. 1 player in womens golf who was four shots out of the lead. "I think shes become one of the best ball-strikers on tour. She hits it really consistent. She knows where the balls going. And shes figuring out how to win. Thats the big thing." But theres a familiar name, and another teen prodigy, who joined Wie as the only players still under par. Lexi Thompson, who soundly beat Wie in the final round to win the Kraft Nabisco Championship for her first major title, powered her way out of the sand and weeds, running off three straight birdies to match Wies 68, the low score Friday. For all the interest in the men and women playing Pinehurst No. 2 in successive weeks, Wie and Thompson made the Womens Open more closely resemble the first LPGA major. Is it too early to start thinking rematch? "Definitely too early," Thompson said with a laugh. "Thirty-six holes in a major, thats a lot of golf to be played, especially at a U.S. Womens Open." For now, Wie had control. Her three-shot lead is the largest through 36 holes in the Womens Open in 11 years. She twice thought her shots were going off the turtleback greens, and twice she relied on her table-top putting stance to make long par saves. She finished with a 6-iron that set up a 12-foot birdie putt, and a 15-foot birdie on the par-5 ninth to reach 4-under 136. "End of the day yesterday, I was thinking if I just did this again, that would be nice," Wie said. "Finishing with two birdies is always great. Its a grind out there. Its not easy. Really grateful for the par putts that I made and some of the birdie putts that I made. I cant complain. Ill take it." Just when it looked as if this had the trappings of another runaway -- Martin Kaymer led by at least four shots over the final 48 holes to win the U.S. Open -- along came Thompson with a shot reminiscent of what Kaymerr did last week.dddddddddddd From the sand and bushes left of the fairway on the par-5 fifth hole, Thompson blasted a 5-iron from 195 yards just off the green, setting up two putts for birdie from about 60 feet. Kaymer was in roughly the same spot in the third round when he hit 7-iron from 202 yards to 5 feet, that pin position more toward the front. That was her third straight birdie, and she closed with four pars to reach 139. Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., each shot 73 to finish the second round in a tie for 14th place. Pinehurst No. 2 wasnt in much of a giving mood on another warm day in the North Carolina sandhills, with a brief shower in the middle of the afternoon that didnt do much to soften a dry, crusty golf course. Lewis, who opened with a bogey-free 67, picked up a bogey on her first hole in a wild round of six bogeys, three birdies and a tough 73. Even so, the two-time major champion managed to see the big picture. "I hung around, and thats what youve got to do at this tournament," said Lewis, at even-par with Amy Yang (69) and Minjee Lee, the 18-year-old amateur from Australia who played bogey-free on the back nine to salvage a 71. Lucy Li, the precocious 11-year-old and youngest qualifier in the history of the U.S. Womens Open, isnt leaving town until Monday. She just wont be playing any more golf. The sixth-grader from the Bay Area started with a double bogey for the second straight day and shot another 78 to miss the cut by seven shots. The cut was 9-over 149. Na Yeon Choi had a 70 and was at 1-over 141, followed by a Paula Creamer (72) at 2-over 142. The group at 143 included Karrie Webb (73) and So Yeon Ryu (74), who saved her hopes with three straight birdies on the front nine, and narrowly missing a fourth. All of them are former Womens Open champions. This is a different Wie they are chasing. She already has won this year in Hawaii, and she has eight top 10s and is No. 2 on the LPGA money list. Attribute that to a putting stroke that she owns, no matter how peculiar it looks with her back bent severely, almost parallel to the ground. And she has learned to play the shot -- she has a full allotment -- instead of worrying about her score or her position on the leaderboard. "I knew I could get better," Wie said. "I knew I could improve. But thats the game of golf. I think thats whats so fun about it. You work hard, you work hard, its a challenging game. You can never quite perfect it. I love working on my game. I love working on different shots. Just trying to get better every day. I never really lost a sense of determination or drive." 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