Opportunistic Leafs lean of Reimer to beat Wild Randy Carlyle found an asterisk beside Jonathan Bernier's name Tuesday morning and ... aw, what the heck ... it doesn't matter who's in goal these days for the Toronto Maple Leafs, does it? From win and you're in, to "finding a balance," to "the quality of play in front of the goal ... along with the number of games in a row," to "three or four factors," there's no point in doing anything other than going along with the head coach. The Maple Leafs" charmed start continued with a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild at the Air Canada Centre, a game in which James Reimer made his third start of the season (his first since being pulled after allowing four goals on 21 shots on Oct. 5) and in which the Leafs scored three goals on their first seven shots. They are confounding statistical analysts and talking heads and panelists and everything you thought you knew about turnovers, defensive zone play and such drivel. They are 6-1 without three of their top forwards. They are 6-1 after a first period Tuesday in which they were outshot 18-3, survived four minor penalties - and still led 2-1, with farmhand Trevor Smith scoring one of the goals. They are 6-1 after a second period in which they managed four shots, saw the defence pairing of Carl Gunnarsson and Dion Phaneuf unable to get off the ice on a change for the first three minutes - and still led 3-1, chasing Wild goaltender Darcy Kuemper after Mason Raymond's power move down low on the power-play at 12 minutes 23 seconds. They are 6-1 despite being outshot 38-14 on the night, and while there's no guarantee Bernier (3-1 lifetime against the Wild) couldn't have pulled this off, Carlyle's gut-call certainly didn't hurt the cause. "Woodpeckers," Carlyle called goalie-obsessed reporters before the game (thank goodness he remembered the "wood") as in: "You guys are like woodpeckers at the mailbox. You know what I mean. What Carlyle means is this: With two goalies of relatively the same age (Reimer is five months older) and developing pedigrees as starters, all bets are off until the morning skate - or until a team like the Edmonton Oilers cries uncle and comes calling for Reimer. In the meantime, why not enjoy the ride? The Leafs starting lineup handed out in the Foster Hewitt media gondola listed three defencemen: Gunnarsson, Phaneuf and Jake Gardiner, which raised eyebrows given how many people keep running out the idea of moving the quicksilver Gardiner to a forward spot. But it was no fantasy flyer; merely a miscue. Dave Bolland was the name missing from the starting lineup on a night when James van Riemsdyk was scratched with an undisclosed injury. Smith, one of the Toronto Marlies call-ups pressed into service during this time of injury crisis, scored the second of two first-period goals the Leafs got on two shots, beating Kuemper between the legs, with Morgan Rielly collecting his first of two assists. Cody Franson keyed the Leafs" first goal on the power play at 4:24, finding Bolland at the side of the net - kudos to Phil Kessel for stretching the Wild defenders - before Bolland slipped the puck over to Tyler Bozak for the first goal. Raymond finished up the scoring with an empty-netter on a play that spoke volumes about this team: it was essentially a pass to Kessel, who simply let the puck roll in, trailing it just in case. Of the Wild's 18 first-period shots, 11 came on the power play. Reimer was brilliant, and couldn't be faulted for Jason Pominville's goal from his doorstep at 17:27, with Raymond in the penalty box and Phaneuf and Gunnarsson flailing in their own end. Those woodpeckers are going to keep tap, tap, tapping away, if not on the mailbox then, in the very least, on their keyboards. Carlyle has shown, so far, he knows when to stick his fingers in his ears and go with his gut - and the Leafs, right now at least, can pretty much win regardless. It's a charmed existence these guys are living. Charmed beyond all get out. Follow me on Twitter: @GloBlair