Toronto Maple Leafs Cooled Down In Close Loss

The Toronto Maple Leafs short-lived winning streak was brought to an end tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite out shooting the Bolts, dominating them in the faceoff circle, and controlling the pace of the game, the Leafs just could not beat goaltender Mike Smith for most of the night, and fell 3-2. With the game tied at 1, Vinny Lecavalier managed to score two goals to give the Lightning a 3-1 lead. Lately, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been good at playing from behind and erasing defecits, but this time they could not complete the comeback. Despite Leafs defenceman Mike Van Ryn bringing them to within one goal in the second period they could not find the last goal they needed.

Overall, I thought the Maple Leafs outplayed their opponents and they deserved the win. However, in hockey the win does not always go to the hardest working team, and Tampa managed to capitalize on the few chances they did get in the game. As has been the theme in many of the Leafs close losses they simply failed to convert their scoring oppurtunities, and their speed and tough checking was not enough to pull out the win. The good news for Maple Leafs fans is that their team continues to match up well against most of their opponents, and rarely have they been clearly outplayed in regulation time. This team refuses to give up, even when playing from behind, and their work ethic is a clear improvement over years past. It is making the Leafs an exciting team to watch this season and it's worth noting that they have lost only two games by more than one goal. While the Toronto Maple Leafs aren't considered a serious contender at this point in the season, they have not been a doormat as many analysts expected them to be. They are giving their fans plenty of exciting games and hopefully if they can keep up this level of play, more pucks will bounce their way and more wins will add up. All the Leafs really need to do right now to be seriously competitive is learn to finish their scoring chances.

One silver lining that stood out for the Leafs in the game tonight was the outstanding play of John Mitchell. Mitchell was not expected to even be on the roster this season, but tonight he looked like a serious offensive threat for the Maple Leafs. Ron Wilson certainly thought so, and midway through the game he promoted Mitchell to the second line, replacing Nikolai Kulemin and playing him alongside Mikhail Grabovski and Niklas Hagman. He really stood out in the 3rd period where he set up multiple scoring chances that nearly tied the game up for the Leafs. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see John Mitchell getting substantially more ice time in the future.

Meanwhile on the blue line, Mike Van Ryn continues to be one of the Maple Leafs best defenders. He continued his point streak tonight with a goal that gave the Leafs some hope to come from behind. This seems to be a recurring theme! Whenever it looks like a team has the Leafs on the ropes, Van Ryn is always there to score a goal (or set up one) that gets Toronto right back into the game. He just doesn't give up. He has officially made Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher look like a genius for bringing him to Toronto in a trade for Bryan McCabe. While McCabe sits on the injured reserve in Florida, Van Ryn is lighting up the scoreboard for the Leafs and providing solid defensive play as well. Despite all the trade rumors that surrounded him when he first came to the Maple Leafs, I hope Mike Van Ryn will be here to stay. It is for these reasons he has been named my "player of the week."

Sadly though, the Leafs did not get the result they wanted on the scoreboard and Tampa's ability to convert their chances was their downfall. They will get a chance for a fast rebound though as they will be in New Jersey to face the Devils tomorrow night. The Toronto Maple Leafs will face a good defense and an even better goalie, but if they can show the energy and hard work they showed tonight, they should put themselves in position to grab the win. Of course, a few lucky bounces wouldn't hurt either!

Luke Schenn Will Remain With Maple Leafs

It has been announced that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be keeping Luke Schenn up for the remainder of the year. This is not a surprise given how solid Schenn's play has been, but there have still been those in the hockey world calling for him to be sent back down to juniors. This should effectively silence the naysayers. Anyone who has watched Luke Schenn since the start of the season knows that he has easily been one of the Leafs top d-men. When you are one of the best players on an NHL team there is no sense in going back to the junior leagues. There is obviously nothing more he can learn there, and I am glad that Ron Wilson made the right decision on this one. Congratulations to Luke Schenn for far surpassing expectations! I look forward to seeing him progress in the blue and white. If this is his learning year, I can only imagine what level of play he will bring to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a couple seasons down the road.