Toronto Maple Leafs End Their Drought

The Toronto Maple Leafs finally ended their streak of almost-wins tonight. After losing 3 of the last 4 games in shootouts, the Leafs were able to close out the Boston Bruins tonight in regulation time. Niklas Hagman added the empty netter to make the final score 4-2. Finally! After showing incredible work ethic and determination in their last few matchups against superior teams, the young Leafs finally got the win they have been working so hard for, and have come so close to getting. The Bruins didn't make it easy on the Maple Leafs though, and scored two quick goals in the 1st period to take a 2-0 lead and force the Leafs to come from behind yet again. This game seemed to play out like a carbon copy of Tuesdays game against the Ducks. After falling into a two goal defecit early on in the first period, the Maple Leafs once again barricaded their own zone in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Boston would not score again, and the Leafs would begin the long process of digging themselves out of a hole through tough defensive play. However, this time they managed to avoid the much feared shootout, and grind out the win in the 3rd period.

This time though, it was Mike Van Ryn who would put the Toronto Maple Leafs on the board first, and set the comeback in motion. Van Ryn deserves alot of credit for his grit and determination. Early in the 2nd period, he took a crushing hit from Boston's Milan Lucic, which shattered the glass panel he was rammed into. Several fans were cut pretty badly from the exploded glass that Lucic's hit caused, and were seen being attended to by security guards. The game was delayed for several minutes while the injured fans were looked after and the glass panel was replaced. After heading to the locker room to remove glass from his uniform, Mike Van Ryn would return to make the Bruins pay a price for their hit. After going on the powerplay, the Maple Leafs defenceman would bury a well-placed shot that found its way past Tim Thomas, and brought the Leafs to within a goal.

Shortly after that, it would be Maple Leafs forward Nik Antropov who would even the odds for his team-just as he did Tuesday against Anaheim. Antropov would deflect a beautiful setup from Matt Stajan into the net, on a play that Tim Thomas had no prayer of stopping. Stajan also deserves some credit, as he was the victim of a punishing hit early on in the game as well. Though no shattered glass was involved on Stajan's hit, he was still knocked flat on open ice, and was clearly feeling the effects from it as he picked himself up. Like Van Ryn, he would exact his revenge on the scoreboard, as his assist on Antropov's tying goal was perfectly placed. Big hits are supposed to throw players off their game. Tonight though, it clearly had the opposite effect on the Toronto Maple Leafs. The more Boston hit, the more it seemed to motivate the Leafs, and they deserve alot of respect for the toughness and character they showed tonight. It was great to see that neither Van Ryn or Stajan were injured, and even better to see them put up points for the Maple Leafs. I can think of no better revenge than that.

So after tying the game up at 2 goals a piece, the Toronto Maple Leafs would pull ahead for good in the final period. Anton Stralman notched the game winning goal on a rebound that went right to his stick. Though Boston had a few good scoring chances late in the game, Toskala was solid in goal for the Maple Leafs. As I mentioned above, an empty netter in the closing miute of the game would give the Toronto Maple Leafs all the insurance they would need to hang on for the win, and avoid the shootout.

Jason Blake Sits Out For The Maple Leafs

Another thing worth noting about tonight's game, is the fact that Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson benched Jason Blake. He has said before that he is not afraid to sit anybody out if they are not playing up to par. Blake becomes the latest Maple Leafs veteran to find himself in Ron Wilson's "doghouse" after putting forth a very mediocre effort in the last few games. Wilson deserves alot of praise from Leafs Nation. For too long, veteran players have been guaranteed roster spots, regardless of how motivated their play has been. This has led to certain Leafs veterans becoming too casual in their play. Some of them have simply assumed they can just show up, put forth a few lackluster shifts, then go home and collect their paychecks. Those days are over. If certain Maple Leafs players do not play to their full ability, they will be benched in favor of a younger player who is working harder. Hopefully this will wake Jason Blake up, and the next time he hits the ice he will know his roster spot on the Leafs is not guaranteed-he will have to earn it back, and to do that, he is going to have to play with some serious motivation. Something we have not seen him do yet this year. Wilson gave this same treatment to Nik Antropov, and all of a sudden, he leads the Toronto Maple Leafs in scoring with 4 goals. Lets see if it has the same result on Blake. Thank you Ron Wilson, for finally brining the discipline that the Toronto Maple Leafs have needed for a long time.