Burke Night A Success For Maple Leafs

So it is now official. Today, Brian Burke was announced as the new General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and official Pope of Leafs Nation. For better or for worse, Leafs fans are going to be in for an interesting 6 years. I have expressed my doubts in the recent past as to whether or not Burke truly is the right man to rebuild this team. I have to admit though, after watching his press conference today I do feel quietly optimistic, and now that it is a done deal I am willing to throw my faith behind our new Pope. Oh, and did I mention the Leafs won tonight?

Before I get to that though, there are a couple of points from Burke's press conference which may have won me over. The guy honestly sounds like a real class act, and he seems genuinely excited to be here. You know, like it doesnt have the feel of just being another job. Oh, and he called Toronto The "Vatican of hockey." Hey Montreal, put that in your pipe and smoke it!

(Brian Burke-seen here being welcomed by Leafs Nation)

He seemed to place an emphasis on making the 3rd and 4th lines alot tougher. As in getting down and blocking shots, aggressive checking, and of course, roughing up anybody that takes a run at our players. Sounds good to me! As long as the top two lines are capable of scoring goals Im perfectly fine with a bottom 6 "goon unit." I think it could be interesting If Burke is able to mix flashy, European-style scoring with North-American, goonish play. He seemed genuinely impressed with Niklas Hagman and Mikhail Grabovski, which helped soothe my fears about losing those guys. He also placed emphasis on creating a shutdown defensive pair, which the Maple Leafs have tried to do this season but failed miserably so far. With that being said, I think the blue-line is where we will see him make the most changes.

Maple Leafs d-men that I think Burke will like are Jeff Finger, Luke Schenn, and of course Jonas Frogren. Finger did have a horrible showing on Wendel Night against the Blackhawks, but seems to have recovered so far. He is a hard hitter and a shot blocker. Burke will like the guy, but Im not so sure if he will like his contract. We will have to wait and see on that one. Luke Schenn goes without saying-a young, physical player who is already capable of shutting down top players in this league. And of course, Frogren the Viking who plays the balls-to-the-wall style that Burke loves. I honestly dont think Jonas Frogren feels any pain. All the hits hes thrown and shots hes blocked have made him permanently numb. He even played with a torn muscle against Chicago, and that is probably why hes going to be on the IR for awhile. Hes going to have to be a bit more careful, but as long as he can stay healthy when he comes back Im sure Burke will be excited about him.

Thomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina, and probably even Anton Stralman may have trade bullseyes on them. I think it goes without saying that the trade deadline is going to be an exciting time for Leafs fans, but I hope he is able to finally make the Leafs a tight defensive team.

Oh yeah, the game of course! The Toronto Maple Leafs finally got back into the win column and kept pace with their fellow basement dwellers in the Eastern Conference. The most promising part about this game-as well as the last one against Ottawa-has been the recovery of Vesa Toskala. The Vesa has looked like a much different goalie the past couple of games. If you dont believe me, just ask Dany Heatley! His 34 saves on 35 shots on Thursday had Heatley slamming his stick into the baords in frustration. Coincidentally, Leafs fans had the same reaction just a couple games before-although for different reasons.

The Vesa's lateral movement in the crease has been nothing short of superb. The Leafs now sit 4 points out of a playoff position and if they are going to get back into the hunt, Vesa Toskala will hold the key. If he can keep this up the Leafs offense should have no problem stringing together a winning streak for him. They scored 4 tonight, and among the scorers was Lee Stempniak recording his first goal as a Toronto Maple Leaf! Another plus is that Mike Van Ryn has been skating recently, and may soon be ready to rejoin his teammates on the blueline. This defence misses MVR badly, and if they can hold out until he returns I think he could also have a significant impact on what direction this team goes in. All in all, a great night. The Maple Leafs got their new saviour and a win all in the same night. Here's to a (hopefully) bright future!

Hey NHL-Let Ilya Kovalchuk Answer For His Actions!

Given how the Maple Leafs humiliated themselves last night in the worse possible fashion, Im going to choose not to discuss the score, and instead focus on something else in last night's game that deserves plenty of griping about.

It is pretty clear that the league is in love with Ilya Kovalchuk. The guy is a proven 50 goal scorer, and he is the sole entertainer for all 15 fans of the Atlanta Thrashers. Without him they would certainly have nothing to cheer for. Even so, the guy should still have to account for his actions on the ice. Why then, after taking a cheap shot at defenceman/forward/mustache conisseur Ian White, was he not allowed by the officials to be pummelled in a fight later in the game? When White tracked down the Russian sniper to drop the gloves in response to his dirty hit, the referrees jumped in almost immediately to stop the fight.

Had this been any other player in the Thrashers roster, they most certainly would have allowed this fight to continue. These same officials had no problem letting a fight go on between Leafs forward Jamal Mayers and Thrashers d-man Garnett Exelby. (In case you didnt see it, Mayers owned Exelby, and dropped him to the ice fairly easily). This type of double standard by the league is uncalled for, and it suggests to Kovalchuk that he can take a run at anybody he wants without being held accountable. This could end up being very dangerous for the next guy that Kovalchuk decides to throw a cheap shot at. While Ian White was't hurt by the hit, somebody else on another night might be. The NHL shouldnt be sacrificing the safety of other players just to preserve Ilya Kovalchuk's pretty face.

So I say this, the next time the Maple Leafs face Atlanta, let Ian White and Ilya Kovalchuk go at it. From the moment the fight started, it looked like Ian White had the upper hand. Here is some food for thought: If Kovalchuk had the advantage on White would the officials have jumped in to stop it? A fighting injury to Ian White certainly wouldnt cost the Toronto Maple Leafs any ticket sales.

A few home games down in Atlanta without their star sniper on the other hand.....

So it is pretty clear where the NHL's head is at. I understand they are trying to sell seats in Atlanta, but maybe they should have thought about that before they put a hockey team in one of the worse markets on the continent. My point is, if Kovalchuk is going to be making dirty hits on our players (or anybody else's players for that matter) the NHL officials should allow him to be held accountable on the ice when those players go to drop the gloves with Kovy.

Now having said that, Ilya Kovalchuk would look damn good in the blue amd white! He is and always has been one of my favorite players-I would just like to see him held to the same standard as other players who decide to take runs at the other team. Thats what hockey is all about. Brian Burke, do what you have to do to bring Kovy to the Toronto Maple Leafs! We'll certainly appreciate him more here than the 15 fans in Atlanta....

Cliff Fletcher Makes Final Push To Remain As Toronto Maple Leafs GM

It is being reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs have made a trade with the St. Louis Blues to acquire forward Lee Stempniak. Stempniak is nearly a point-per-game player so far this season, having tallied 3 goals and 10 assists for a total of 13 points. He has played in 14 games so far, so those numbers are encouraging for Leafs fans. In exchange, the Blues will receive the man made of glass (d-man Carlo Colaiacovo) and our biggest underperformer (forward Alex Steen).

On the surface this appears to be a great deal by Cliff Fletcher. The Maple Leafs have a surplus of defensemen, and of all the blue-liners in their roster Colaiacovo is the most injury prone. This certainly makes him expendable, and another plus to this is that Jonas Frogren will likely be the player that replaces him in the lineup. I have made it known on more than one occassion that I believe Frogren is deserving of more ice time than the Leafs are currently giving him. His punishing hits and shot blocking abilities will be an upgrade over the fragile Colaiacovo in my opinion.

Alex Steen has shown some promising potential in the past, but this season he has been a disappointing underachiever for the Leafs. He has a meager 2 goals and 2 assists in 20 games played-which pales in comparison the the numbers Stempniak has been putting up so far. Steen's most promising season was 2005-06 where he tallied 18 goals and 27 assists for a total of 45 points. Compare that to the best season of Lee Stempniak where he put up 27 goals and 25 assists for 52 points in 2006-07. Looking at those numbers, it certainly appears the Leafs have made a big upgrade to their forward lineup. Steen may turn his game around in St. Louis, but for now Lee Stempniak is the more proven player and is the better match for the Maple Leafs future plans. He is only 25 years old which means he can be around well into the future of the Leafs and fits in with their plan of a youthful, speedy team. He will be a great addition to Fletcher's rebuilding plan.

(Lee Stempniak-the newest Leaf, is nearly a point-per-game player)

In my opinion, the timing of this move suggests to me that Cliff Fletcher wants to make a final case to MLSE to remain on as the Leafs permanent GM. It is expected that talks will begin soon with former Anaheim GM Brian Burke to bring him on as the new General Manager. Personally, I hope MLSE is paying attention, because changing the direction of the team yet again could end up being a step backward for the Leafs. Fletcher has done a remarkable job giving this team a new identity and a new direction in which to build for the future.

Already, the Maple Leafs are one of the youngest and fastest teams in the league. The acquisitions made by Fletcher during the offseason have resulted in surprising success for the offense of this team. The Leafs are sitting in the top 10 in the NHL for total goals scored. This unexpected offensive flare has made them exciting to watch, and Fletcher deserves alot of credit for bringing in players like Niklas Hagman and Mikhail Grabovski. Now add Lee Stempniak to the mix of exciting youth on this team, and its clear that Fletcher has a plan for the future. The early signs of success are showing already. In fact, if the Leafs only had slightly better goaltending they would likely be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Therefore, would it really be wise for MLSE to change General Managers right now? They certainly risk destroying all the progress that has been made in the rebuild, and hiring Burke is a risky gamble. It is well known that he is not a fan of European players (most of the Leafs are European) and I fear that could result in the departure of exciting young talent like Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, or Jiri Tlusty. Certainly trading those guys now would garnish little return, and they could be key players to the future success of this team.

My point is: this team is on the right track. Not to mention the fact that Cliff Fletcher has shown a good ability to get the better end of a trade deal with other General Managers in this league. Remember Grabovski being acquired for only a 2nd round pick? You can bet Bob Gainey is kicking himself over that one, and the Blues will probably be doing the same thing over the Stempniak trade. The Toronto Maple Leafs need to stay the course, so please MLSE let Cliff Fletcher do what he knows how to do, and dont ruin the future of this team yet again.

Just say no to Brian Burke.

Should Ron Wilson Bench Himself?

Let me start off by saying that I have had nothing but good things to say about Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson. Ever since I heard he was available for hire, I was excited about the possibility of him coming to Toronto to lift my beloved Leafs out of the pit of mediocrity. My archive is filled with praises for the guy, and I still feel he was by far the best candidate for the job. He deserves alot of credit simply for being brave enough to agree to come here and try and clean up the mess that is the Maple Leafs. Weaker men surely would have trembled at the thought.

However, there seem to be some contradictions emerging in his coaching style that are worth pointing out, and they may or may not have anything to do with the Maple Leafs recent free fall back into the pack of not-so-playoff teams. These are becoming more frustrating with each passing loss, including tonight's overtime disappointment.

The biggest of these is his stubborn refusal to bench Vesa Toskala. I went into this issue in detail in my last post so I wont rehash it here. However, Coach Wilson needs to put his foot down now. Simply saying that Vesa needs to work more in practice with his goalie coach is no longer going to cut it. He had his shot to redeem himself tonight after 4 days off, and he responded by letting in 5 goals. While he didnt let in any blatant "soft shots" he still failed to make the big saves when it counted. Toskala is forcing the forward lines to score 4-6 goals a game to stay competitive, and that is unacceptable for a starting goalie. If Vesa Toskala is going to be salvaged before heading down the path of Andrew Raycroft, Wilson needs to show him some tough love.

As is the case with any problem, the first step to recovery is admitting there is actually a problem. Toskala has said in recent interviews that he "feels great" and doesnt believe he has let in "too many bad goals." Coach Wilson needs to make sure that Vesa understands his level of play is unacceptable right now. Once he realizes that, he should sit on the bench for a few games and think about how he is going to get his starting job back. Then maybe, just maybe, he will come back showing that top goalie flare he showed last season. Ron Wilson, it is time to call out your goaltender. If he fails to do this he risks losing the respect of his players. Picking and choosing which players he will take to task for poor play is a slippery slope. He needs to apply this standard to everyone in the locker room no matter the position they play.

Another unacceptable contradiction (albeit a lesser one) is his refusal to make defenceman Jonas Frogren a mainstay on the Maple Leafs lineup. While he did get a start tonight, he has only played in half of all the Leafs total games. For a coach who preaches defense first this is bewildering. Frogren shows every time he hits the ice that he can block shots, knock players off the puck, and provide the physical play that is needed in high traffic situations. His reward for this is to ride the bench 50% of the time-all the while a struggling goaltender starts every game. Frogren did sustain an injury tonight though, and it is unknown how serious it is. When he returns, there is no reason he should not be placed right back into the starting lineup. He is a defensive defenceman, and should fit right in with the system Ron Wilson says he wants to play.

So if Coach Wilson refuses to call out Vesa Toskala, or give one of his best defensive players a more prominent role, than I propose that he watch the next few games from the press box until he gets his act together. Having said that, I am still thrilled that he is coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs. We love you Ron! To end on a positive note, here are some encouraging events to take away from tonight's game.

-Matt Stajan is now a point-per-game player. He had a goal and an assist tonight, and has 19 points total. He is looking more and more like a true number one centre.

-Alex Ponikarovsky is sticking up for his teammates. When Mikhail Grabovski was hit from behind tonight, Poni rushed to the scene and jumped the Chicago player. I was very surprised to see this and I have to admit it made me smile. Poni looks like he is playing the game with more passion this season. That could also be why he has 15 points on the year so far.

-Jason Blake appears to be embracing his role as a playmaker. He set up another great goal tonight, this time to Dominic Moore.

-Jonas Frogren finally hit the ice after watching the last few games from the pressbox. He looked damn good before he went down with an injury. He needs to play every game!

Time For The Maple Leafs To Stop Making Excuses For Toskala

The Toronto Maple Leafs returned to the Air Canada Centre tonight to face the Boston Bruins in their first game back from a Western Canadian road trip. They dominated the B's completely, as they outshot them, outworked them, and clearly outplayed them for most of the game. The Bruins seemed to be on their heels for the vast majority of the 2nd and 3rd periods, as the Maple Leafs dictated puck possession. So of course, it is only fitting that the Leafs wound up losing this game. 3-2 was the final score, and the Leafs dropped yet another game that they deserved to win.

Starting in net once again for the Maple Leafs was Andrew "The Razor" Raycroft. Er...I mean Vesa Toskala. Please forgive my mistake-its getting harder and harder to tell the difference. Tonight did nothing to help that, as Toskala allowed 3 goals on 22 shots overall. No matter how you slice it, that is a pretty abysmal number. The troubling part is, only one of the goals scored against him truly looked like he had no chance of stopping. The other two were questionable at best. This isnt just my opinion however, as Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson was quoted as calling the first goal scored by Phil Kessel "an easy stop." Another one scored by Michael Ryder in the 2nd period looked harmless as well. If Toskala manages to stop just one of these "softies," then the game would have seen overtime and the Maple Leafs would have had a shot at winning it. Instead, he cost his team 2 points when the Leafs did everything they could to win this game.

Now, Im not saying this loss is 100% Vesa's fault, but it is time to stop making excuses. If our goaltending had been even marginally better the Toronto Maple Leafs likely would have been the victors tonight, as well as on Saturday night in Vancouver, and a handful of other games I wont mention. Now, one can say the defense is not helping him and the Leafs need to do a better job in their own end. This is a rather popular excuse and I have heard it many times this year. So let's take a look at how little help Toskala is receiving from the Maple Leafs defense shall we?

One statistic that immediately stands out for me, is that the Leafs are currently allowing an average of 26.6 shots on goal per game. If you dont feel like looking it up, that is the 3rd lowest average in the league. That means the Maple Leafs are doing a pretty good job of limiting the amount of shots the opposition has, and lets face it-26 shots isnt a whole lot for an NHL goalie to face on any given night. Lately though, the Leafs have allowed even fewer than that average in their last couple of games. They only gave up 22 shots tonight against Boston. Even more impressive though, was that they held Vancouver to a meager 15 shots on Saturday. Does that sound like a defense not doing its job? Somewhere in those 15 shots however, Toskala managed to allow 4 goals. The only way that number can even be remotely acceptable is if the Leafs decided to start Stevie Wonder in net.

Another measure of how well a defense is playing is how many pucks they throw their bodies in front of. Blocking shots has been a gospel that Ron Wilson has preached to the Maple Leafs since he first arrived in Toronto. His reasoning with this is simple: if your team is blocking shots, the goalie is forced to make fewer saves, thus making his job easier. How have the Leafs fared in this department? They currently sit 3rd in the NHL with 153 blocked shots. Clearly Wilson's message has gotten through, and this team has been fearlessly blocking shots since the beginning of the season. Here's the depressing part though: through all this Vesa Toskala still manages a dismal 3.23 GAA and an .878 save percentage. Im sorry, but you cant pin that one on the defense. The numbers dont lie, and Kubina, Finger, Schenn and company have all done their jobs as well as Wilson expected them too.

Clearly, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a problem. Or rather, Vesa Toskala has one. It is time to stop making excuses and start holding the guilty party accountable. Jason Blake and Matt Stajan have been benched for poor play and its high time Toskala was held to the same standard. I think watching a few games from the press box would help to wake him up. The Leafs may not have many options in goal, but they have to do something. I have advocated calling up Pogge in a previous post, but even the senior citizen Curtis Joseph would be an upgrade over Vesa's horrible play right now. Actually, just about anybody would be better at the moment. Perhaps Ian White could continue shuffling positions and try his hand at goalie? Im willing to bet he could deflect pucks with that God awful mustache of his, and post a better save percentage than Toskala. The Toronto Maple Leafs need to find some way to shake him up.

Maple Leafs Get Back On Track In Oil Country

The Toronto Maple Leafs were in Oil Country tonight to face the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place. In net they were up against Jeff Deslauriers, who has been one of the league's hottest goaltenders as of late. However, he was no match for the offensive storm the Maple Leafs threw at him, and the Leafs cruised to a 5-2 victory. The story of the game though, was the incredible play of Jason Blake. Blake was scratched from the Leafs lineup in Tuesday's matchup against the Calgary Flames, and made no attempt to hide his frustration in the media. He was visibly angry with this decision. Tonight though, he finally seemed to get the message Ron Wilson has been trying to send him, and his play was downright outstanding. I'll get back to this later though.

The Maple Leafs did not look like they would win this game early on. Quite frankly, their play in the 1st period was sloppy, unorganized, and just plain boring. They looked like the same team that had come out flat in Calgary, and they failed to sustain anything that could be considered pressure in the attacking zone. The Oilers dominated puck possession, and took a 1-0 lead on a powerplay goal. I was quite relieved the Leafs were able to go into the 1st intermission down by only a goal, and Vesa Toskala kept this game close through the 1st period. Toskala looked more comfortable in his crease tonight, and was tested with some difficult saves. Fortunately he came through.

The 2nd period was all Toronto however. I don't know what happened in the Maple Leafs dressing room, but for the first time in their tour of the West, they came out playing with some real energy. Thomas Kaberle got the equalizer for the Leafs on a powerplay goal. Kaberle ripped a beautiful shot from the point that found its way past a screened Jeff Deslauriers. Barely two minutes later, on yet another powerplay, Thomas Kaberle again fired a shot from the point. Only this time the puck was deflected past Deslauriers by Nikolai Kulemin who was stationed in front of the crease. Two quick goals on almost identical plays gave the Maple Leafs a sudden 2-1 lead. This was Kulemin's 3rd goal of the season, and he has been building a point streak of his own as of late. While his linemates Nik Hagman and Mikahil Grabovski are scoring goals left and right, Kulemin has been quietly racking up assists. Im sure it felt good for him though to finally put another one in the net.

Edmonton briefly tied the game back up when Ethan Moreau banged in a rebound past a sprawling Vesa Toskala. However, Nik Antropov gave the lead right back to the Maple Leafs on a perfectly placed wrist shot right before the 2nd came to a close. 3-2 was the score heading into the 2nd intermission, in favor of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 3rd period was all about the redemption of Jason Blake. He looked downright fast tonight, but what was most impressive about him was he finally started making passes, rather than fire weak shots on net with no chance of beating the goalie. It turns out that Blake is actually capable of setting up plays with perfect precision. Who knew? Its been so long since Ive seen him pass the puck, that I had no idea how good he was at it. My words won't do it justice, so if you want to see just how great his playmaking was tonight you should find a video clip. He slid two great passes to Ian White and Mikhail Grabovski, both of whom buried the puck into the back of the net with sniper-like shots. It was good to see Blake find his game, and he was smiling about it in a post-game interview with Leafs TV. I hope this is the start of something for him. Tonight's game will hopefully boost his confidence, and if it does, the Maple Leafs will have yet another offensive weapon. Jason Blake has taken alot of criticism for his bad play thus far, but I really want to see him turn it around. Tonight he took a big first step in that direction, and was a huge reason why the Toronto Maple Leafs won this game.

Overall a great team effort. Once that ugly first period ended, everything went right for the Maple Leafs. The defense played well, and Luke Schenn and Carlo Colaiacovo in particular were solid in their own end. This was the first game I have seen Colaiacovo really make an impressive statement. Toskala made the difficult saves when he needed to, and the Leafs offense once again fired on all cylinders. Also, much thanks to all the Toronto Maple Leafs fans out in Edmonton. Rexall Place looked like our home-away-from-home tonight with so much blue and white in the crowd. It was exciting to see the team win one for you guys, and give you some bragging rights out in Alberta.

Toronto Maple Leafs Should Give Jonas Frogren More Ice Time

It seems lately that many Toronto Maple Leafs fans have been down on Swedish defenseman Jonas Frogren. I have seen more than one post on the Leafs fan boards calling Frogren a "bust signing." This needs to be discussed, as I disagree greatly with the negative opinions on Frogren. I can't help but wonder if these fans have actually paid attention to what he brings to the Maple Leafs.

First of all, Frogren was brought to the Leafs to fill a particular role-as a physical, defensive-minded player. He was not brought here to score points, so there will be plenty of nights when his name isn't called much, or where he just doesn't stand out. For a purely defensive player, this is not always a bad thing. In my opinion he has filled his role nicely for the Toronto Maple Leafs. As far as being a physical presence, consider this: Jonas Frogren is second on the Leafs in hits, and he has only appeared in 9 games. Luke Schenn is the only player who has more hits than he does, and Schenn has played in almost twice as many games. His hits aren't small either. Frogren is capable of laying bodies out on the ice, and he has shown that he can rough up opposing players in his own zone. If the Maple Leafs are going to tighten up their defense and lower their goals-against ranking, they are going to have to utilize this element of Frogren's game much more often. That means no more scratching him from the lineup every other game, and limiting him to the 3rd pairing when he does play. With Mike Van Ryn injured, the Leafs might benefit from giving him much more ice time.

Personally, I would like to see the Maple Leafs place Jonas Frogren on the second pairing with Luke Schenn, and try that out for a couple games. That could prove to be a very effective shutdown pair, and one that the Leafs could use to wear down opposing forwards later in the game when fatigue starts to set in. Both players like to hit, and hit hard. Not to mention that pairing would be very effective at blocking shots. Jonas Frogren is absolutely fearless when it comes to putting his body on the line for his team. Whether he is brave, or just plain crazy, Frogren is not afraid to throw himself into the shooting lane and stop the puck at all costs. The Leafs would be foolish to not take full advantage of this craziness, especially at a time when they need to figure out a way to stop letting the puck in their net.

One argument I have heard against Frogren's play is that his plus/minus rating is bad. While this is true, its important to remember that this can often be a misleading stat. It is a measure of the entire line that is currently on the ice, and not always reflective of an individual's level of play. For the record, both Luke Schenn and Pavel Kubina are minus players. Most of the time, those guys are solid in their own end. Schenn leads the team in hits and Kubina leads the team in blocked shots, so their defensive play is not reflected accurately in their minus ratings. I believe Frogren's play is not accurately reflected in this stat as well.

The Toronto Maple Leafs as a team have simply loosened up in their own end. They need to find the tight defense they had earlier in the season, and one way to do that might be to switch up the defensive pairings and experiment a little. With Mike Van Ryn out, the Toronto Maple Leafs can certainly afford to give a defensive minded player like Frogren much more ice time. Since weve been allowing 4 or 5 goals a game recently, we really dont have anything to lose. So I say give the Viking his chance. Make him a regular on the Leafs second pairing, and the bodies will start to fall. Hopefully, so too will the Leafs goals against.

Toronto Maple Leafs Back In Win Column After Pounding Habs

The Toronto Maple Leafs snapped their losing streak in the best possible fashion last night. They soundly defeated their oldest rival, the Montreal Canadiens, 6-3 last night in a game that put a spark back into the NHL's most famous rivalry. The game was a solid effort all around, and the entire Leafs team seemed to be playing with some fire last night. The Habs did keep the game close through two periods, but after a game filled with cheap shots and dirty hits, they could not match the Maple Leafs play in the 3rd period.

The game got off to a bitter start for the Toronto Maple Leafs however. During the 1st period, Montreal forward Tom Kostopolous put a dirty hit from behind on Leafs defenseman Mike Van Ryn. Kostopolous rammed Van Ryn's head into the boards with his back turned, and it was immediately clear the nasty hit had injured Van Ryn. Kostopolous was rightfully ejected from the game by the officials, and the Maple Leafs were given a five minute powerplay. Kostopolous's cheap shot may have done his team in, as the Maple Leafs seemed to be playing with a chip on their shoulder from that point on. On the ensuing powerplay, the Leafs made their rivals pay by opening the scoring on a beautiful shot from Niklas Hagman. The 1st period would end with the Maple Leafs up 1-0. Before I go on however, I will say this regarding the Van Ryn hit. The NHL has stated they will be reviewing the hit, and Tom Kostopolous may be facing a suspension from the league. Personally, I hope the bum is suspended for a very long time, but he did redeem himself somewhat, in saying that he will be personally calling Mike Van Ryn to apologize. Van Ryn is expected to miss at least a month with a concussion, a broken nose, and broken finger. I wish him a speedy recovery, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to miss him greatly while he is gone. Losing one of our top defeseman to such a cheap shot is a tough pill to swallow.

The 2nd period would be the most exciting of the game, with each team scoring 3 times as the game began to heat up. The Maple Leafs struck first, when Mikhail Grabovski was fed a perfect pass from behind the net, and ripped in a shot that Carey Price had no chance of stopping. Mikhail Grabovski continues his point streak, and has been tearing up the scoreboard along with his linemate Nik Hagman. Grabovski appears to be the skilled sniper that analysts said the Maple Leafs lacked going into the season. He truly has a lethal shot, and I have a feeling now that he has found his groove, we have only seen the beginning of his offensive skills. After going up 2-0 the Maple Leafs would let their foes back into the game by taking penalty after penalty, and giving the Habs two powerplay goals. Hagman would then strike again for his second goal of the night, giving the Leafs the lead once again, but Saku Koivu replied right away to lock the game up at 3 each. That would be the last goal Montreal would score, and Nik Antropov would put the Maple Leafs up for good by fighting his way to the crease and banging in a puck that a sprawling Carey Price couldnt find. At the end of a crazy 2nd period, the Toronto Maple Leafs led 4-3.

The 3rd period was dominated completely by Toronto, and it was satisfying to finally see them play such a complete game. Pavel Kubina scored on a heavy shot from the point. I have to say, Kubina has been more and more impressive as the year goes on. Opposing teams are going to have to start worrying about his wicked shots from the point, and the Leafs are making full use of that weapon on the powerplay. He is also using all of his 245 pounds to knock opposing players off the puck with ease. This is good to see, because with Van Ryn out the Leafs will need solid play from Kubina in their own end. Finally, Antropov and Ponikarovsky once again teamed up to put the game away on a beautiful 2 on 1 rush. Antropov carried the puck into the zone, then slid the puck past the Montreal defender to Ponikarovsky, who had no trouble beating Carey Price on a nifty move in front of the net. Final score 6-3. Maple Leafs win!

All in all, a great game that was probably the most dominating win for them yet. I would call it a good ol' fashioned ass whoopin! To make such a statement against their most hated rivals, said alot about this team. The Toronto Maple Leafs are here to compete this year, and the rest of the league better take note.

Should The Maple Leafs Give Pogge A Shot?

Given the beating that the Toronto Maple Leafs took last night in Boston, there is a glaring weakness that has begun to appear for this team. Suddenly, the Leafs goaltending is looking not-so-solid. Last night's performance from Vesa Toskala was reminiscent of a time when our net was occupied by Andrew Raycroft. This was the second weak showing in a row for him, and the 3rd consecutive game that the Maple Leafs have lost. He also allowed 5 goals last week against the Devils, though the Leafs managed to win that one in an exciting shootout. All of a sudden, a team who's focus was to be in the top half of the league for goals against is now ranked a dismal 27th with 48 goals against. In short, the Toronto Maple Leafs are keeping the puck out of the net about as well as a slice of swiss cheese.

Of course, this isn't to say that the Leafs troubles in this department are entirely the goalie's fault. The defense, for whatever reason, has decided to stop covering the points. Actually, they've pretty much decided to stop covering everywhere. This breakdown in coverage is a dream come true for any opposing defenseman with a decent point shot. The recent penalty trouble the Maple Leafs have gotten into isn't making things easier either. However, a good NHL goalie is expected to make some tough saves on most nights, and even the top teams in the league will call upon their goalie to bail them out of a tight situation once in awhile. Lately, Vesa Toskala has simply come up short in delivering that for the Maple Leafs. I had hoped he would rebound in last night's game against Boston, but instead he continued his inconsistent play with his worse showing yet. It seemed as almost every shot from the point would find its way into the net. A starting goaltender just can not let every point shot glide by him the way Toskala did for the Leafs. Those are saves that just have to be made.

Now, this situation goes from bad to worse when you remember that his backup is a 41 year old senior citizen who simply cannot move as quickly in the crease as he once did. The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to be hard-pressed to win even a single game with Curtis Joseph in net. This only adds to the pressure on Toskala, as he knows that the Maple Leafs can not provide him with reliable relief. At least for now. So here is an interesting proposition: I think that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be well served to call up Justin Pogge for a couple of games. I don't believe it would be bad for his development to just try it out for one or two games, and see how he does. If he plays bad, and shows he isn't yet ready, then he can be sent right back down. No harm to the Maple Leafs would be done-as Joseph would drop those games anyway. On the other hand however, if he does well, and shows that he can handle the NHL, the Leafs might finally find a consistent goaltender, and some competent relief might help Toskala get his game back.

So I say the Maple Leafs should give Pogge his shot. He did well in preseason, and he would be fired up to prove himself. Both of the Leafs goaltenders are struggling right now so there is really nothing to lose from it. He can always be sent back to the AHL, but I have a feeling he would build on his solid preseason showing. In that case, a Toskala/Pogge tandem could really turn some heads-assuming Vesa finds his form. The Toronto Maple Leafs have to do something to shake things up. I have a hard time beleiving scratching old man Joseph and calling up Pogge would be a bad move in any way.

Toronto Maple Leafs Manage To Be Both Surprising And Frustrating So Far

The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped another game to the Hurricanes on Tuesday, but not before turning a blowout into an exciting game and forcing overtime. The Leafs managed to escape with a point in a matchup that looked out of reach pretty early on. Though they have become known for erasing two goal defecits, the Leafs upped the ante in this game by fighting their way back from three goals down.

The Leafs went down 4-1 after some horrible defensive breakdowns, and some less-than-stellar goaltending from Vesa Toskala. Though mediocre goaltending is to be expected from his 41 year old backup, Toskala's performance early on in this game was disappointing. Maple Leafs fans know he is capable of standing on his head, and on his good nights he is easily one of the top goalies in the league. Tuesday however, was not one of his good nights. In fact, it was a rather bad one, and I hope he is able to get his focus back and show the form we know he can. The 4 goals scored against the Toronto Maple Leafs though were not entirely his fault. The Leafs defence seems to be developing a disturbing habit of not covering the points in their own end. This is giving opposing teams an easy chance to set up their plays, as well as providing them with shooting lanes. For a team that was solid defensively in the first month of the season, they seem to be losing their discipline in their own zone.

Another bad trend I see the Leafs slipping into is penalty trouble. They are spotting the opposition too many power plays by taking rather pointless penalties, and those chances are beginning to result in goals against. It seems that Ron Wilson's message of strict defensive play, and staying out of the box has been forgotten by the players in their last few games. Coach Wilson is going to have to find a way to drill it back into their heads, even if it means benching more players. Perhaps it is time to shake things up on the blue line in order to get them back to the form they showed earlier on. I would personally like to see Jonas Frogren back in the lineup more often. When he was a mainstay on the Maple Leafs blue line, they werent allowing many goals. Now that he has been scratched, the Leafs have been allowing 4-5 goals in the past few games. I dont think this is a coincidence. No, Frogren isn't the greatest passer or shooter, but he is a solid defensive presence. The guy hits like a Mac truck, and the Leafs could use that to get their defence back on track. Not to mention he is one of the best on the team at blocking shots. There is no better help a goalie can get then to make sure the puck never gets to his crease in the first place. Jonas Frogren provides that for the Maple Leafs, and if they need to scratch someone to make room for him they should do it.

Despite all those issues however, the Toronto Maple Leafs have somehow managed to find their offense. This has been the reason they have remained competitive. Nobody thought heading into this season that the Leafs would be a team capable of scoring four, five, or six goals a game. Surprise! The Leafs second line has finally begun to score, after many games of coming painfully close. Niklas Hagman is now tied for most points on the team, with 4 goals and 6 assists. Mikhail Grabovski has hit his stride as well, and now leads the Toronto Maple Leafs in goals with 5. Nikolai Kulemin has 5 assists, as he has helped set up many of those goals. As a result of their play, I have named Mikhail Grabovski as my latest "player of the week" but this whole line is worthy of recognition. They have been nothing short of outstanding-if only the Leafs defence and goaltending would give them a bit of help.

The Maple Leafs need to figure out how to get their offence and defence working at the same time. It seems that when one is on its game, the other is off. Although I suppose this is all part of the roller coaster ride that is this season. Whether it ends up in the basement or the playoffs, nobody knows. That's what has made this team both exciting and frustrating. I suppose I should be happy with the surprise showing so far, but watching the Toronto Maple Leafs almost makes me think they are capable of more, if only they can find that balance between offensive and defensive play.

Maple Leafs Fail to Continue Their Momentum in Carolina

After a wild last couple of games which saw the Toronto Maple Leafs beat Marty Brodeur in a shootout, and score 5 goals in 5 minutes against the Rangers, the momentum finally worked against the surging Leafs. They were in Carolina tonight for an early game against the Hurricanes. Though it looked like the Leafs would cruise to a victory against an injured and un-inspired looking Hurricanes team, Toronto would be the ones who would suffer the collapse this time around.

The Maple Leafs jumped out to an early lead in the 1st period. Ian White put the Leafs on the board with a perfect shot after being left undefended in front of the Carolina net. White got his first start of the year for the Maple Leafs up front. Given how crowded the Leafs are on the blue-line, Ron Wilson seems to be continuing his pre-season experiment with playing Ian White as a forward. The good news is, he seems to be well suited for playing this position-much more so than on defence. In the spirit of his new role, White seems to be trying a new look as well. He was sporting a porn star like mustache, one that is rivalled only by George Parros of the Anaheim Ducks. Though the porn star look might not be working for Ian White, making the switch from the blue-line is. He looked fast, and handled the puck very well in the attacking zone. His efforts were rewarded with a goal, and personally I would like to see Ian White be given a permanent roster position. Lets face it: White is a horrible defenceman. However, as a forward he is a completely different player, as he gets to use his offensive talents to their full capabilites. Playing as a defenceman seems to hold back these talents, and I think the Maple Leafs offense would receive a boost if they played him more regularly there.

The Toronto Maple Leafs also found a way to finally wake up their 2nd line of Hagman-Grabovski-Kulemin. Mikhail Grabovski scored twice in the 2nd period, the first of which came off a beautiful pass from Niklas Hagman behind the net. This line was impressive tonight, and they finally showed that they can finish off their plays. They led the Maple Leafs to a 3-1 lead in the 2nd, and the Leafs appeared to be taking control of the game for good. However, by the end of the period the entire team would completely fall apart, and the Hurricanes managed to score 3 quick goals in the closing minutes after the Leafs took some costly penalties. The first of these goals came when the Leafs were trying to kill off a 5-on-3, but the next two came on even strength and I have to say, Curtis Joseph looked his age tonight. He got the start in goal for Toronto in order to give Toskala some rest. Though he did make some impressive saves in the game, his overall performance was poor. If only Vesa Toskala could never get tired. I have a bad feeling that the Maple Leafs are going to be in for a long night every time they start Joseph in net.

Another player starting for the Maple Leafs tonight that probably didn't derserve too was Carlo Colaiacovo. Tonight was his chance to prove to Ron Wilson that he could play at the same level as the other Leafs defencemen, but he came up short and solidified his role as nothing more than an injury back-up. Jonas Frogren and Anton Stralman have outplayed him by a longshot, and tonight left no doubt in my mind about that. Though this collapse can't be blamed on Joseph and Colaiacovo alone, those two guys failed miserably to do their parts.

So after letting in 3 unanswered goals in the 2nd, the Maple Leafs would go on to lose the game 6-4. Niklas Hagman had Toronto's only goal in the 3rd period, so that makes 3 total goals for their 2nd line. They were awesome tonight, and it was good to see those guys come alive. Unfortunately for them, the rest of the team fell flat. If the Toronto Maple Leafs can take any positives away from the game though, it would be the great play of Ian White at forward, and the renewed confindence of Mikhail Grabovski and Niklas Hagman as they finally turned their dominance with the puck into goals on the scoreboard. The Toronto Maple Leafs will face the Hurricanes again on Tuesday, this time at the ACC. So they will have their chance for revenge, but hopefully with Toskala in net and Colaiacovo on the bench.

Shocking Comeback Leads Toronto Maple Leafs To Another Win

There is a strange phenomenon that has been gripping the Toronto Maple Leafs lately. It is known as the reverse-meltdown. The latest team to fall victim to this shocking occurrence was the hapless New York Rangers at the ACC. The Rangers currently own the best record in the league, and were arguably the best team in the NHL coming into tonight's game. So they should of had no trouble with the Leafs than right? For most of the game, it certainly looked that way.

The Maple Leafs started off the game strong, winning most of the faceoffs and outshooting their foes, but they couldn't translate their hard work into success early on. Yet again, it would be their opponent who would capitalize on their chances, and New York took a 1-0 lead headed into the 1st intermission. The Maple Leafs started off the 2nd period playing with some good intensity, but halfway through it appeared as though they were running out of gas, and another Rangers goal seemed to sap all the life out of the Leafs and the entire ACC. By the end of the 2nd period, the Leafs were down 2-0. Does this sound familiar? If it doesn't, it should, because a 2 goal defecit appears to be the boiling point at which the reverse-meltdown begins to take its effect on the Leafs.

By the time the final period rolled around, it seemed as though the Leafs didn't have another comeback in them. For half of the 3rd period, the Rangers defense was having no problem choking the life out of the Maple Leafs. Toronto couldn't get the puck into the attacking zone, and they were turned back every time they crossed into center ice. Frustration began to set in, and John Mitchell took a penalty that would rob the Leafs of precious time, but more importantly give the Rangers a chance to seal the game if they could score on the powerplay. They did not. The Maple Leafs penalty killing unit kept the Leafs alive, with some help from Vesa Toskala in goal. Then John Mitchell stepped back onto the ice, and this is where things get exciting for Maple Leafs fans.

Mitchell quickly redeemed himself for the costly penalty he took, by ripping an excellent shot that easily beat Steve Valiquette, who was in goal for the Rangers. This brought the Leafs to within one, and the Air Canada Centre exploded at this point. The burst of energy from Leafs fans seemed to have been felt by their team, and much to the terror of Steve Valiquette, the onslaught was just beginning. Less than two minutes later, Jason Blake deflected a shot into the net that evened the score at 2 a piece. Old man Blake deserves some credit, as he has worked hard to keep up with the work ethic of the young roster around him. Tonight it paid off with his 2nd goal of the season. However, Leafs fans in the building hadn't even finished celebrating the tying goal yet, before Pavel Kubina would rifle a heavy shot from the point that found its way through traffic and into the back of the net. Less than a minute later, it was 3-2 in favor of Toronto. Still with me? Good, because it doesnt end there. John Mitchell would net his 2nd goal of the game not even a minute and a half later. He made the game 4-2 on a beautiful shot from almost the same angle as his first one.

The Maple Leafs still weren't done though, and their 5th goal was the wildest one of them all. With John Mitchell racing towards the net to try and complete his hat trick, New York goalie Steve Valiquette charged out of his crease to stop the shot. Fortunately for him, he did. Unfortunately for him however, the rebound landed right onto the stick of Dominic Moore. Bummer! With Valiquette sprawled out on the ice way out in front of his crease, his net was completely unprotected, and Moore had no problem finding the empty net to make the final score 5-2 for the Maple Leafs. The Leafs scored 5 goals in a span of 5:21 in the 3rd period. And that my friends, is the reverse-meltdown.

Wow. I am too lazy to look it up, but I can't help but wonder if that is some kind of record. Never have I seen so many goals scored so fast. The Toronto Maple Leafs never say die. The fact that this team just will not go away when they fall behind is making them one of the most exciting teams in the NHL to watch. Looks like somebody forgot to tell Ron Wilson that his team was supposed to be one of the worst in the league, because it doesnt look like he got that memo. The work ethic he has installed in these young Maple Leafs is a vast improvement over the lazy play of last year. He has worked hard to make his team better at every level than they were last season, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are showing those improvements every time they hit the ice. Of course, it doesn't hurt to get a bit of help from the phenomon known as the reverse-meltdown. Maybe from now on we should just start the game down 2 goals?