A Week in the Life of the Maple Leafs

Tuesday March 13, 2007 - Leafs 3 v. Lightning 2: Season Sweep

This game was closer than it had to be as the Leafs' shooters again made a subpar goalie look like a world beater. The game was one-way traffic for the first 50 minutes as the Leafs completely dominated the play save for Ian White's lovely deflection into his own net and Dan Boyle potting a shorty 20 seconds after clipping Mats in the face. Great call.

Thankfully, the Leafs were able to eventually take the lead courtesy of a personal favourite, Nik Antropov, who showed some good anticipation and hands in creating some space for himself down low before tucking a shot in at the far post.

Friday March 16, 2007 - Leafs 1 v. Capitals 5: I Want A Refund

Stupidly, I thought that a well-rested Leafs team might be able to handle a Hershey Bears team that had lost to the Bruins the previous night and in fact was on a 9 game win streak. Unfortunately, Olaf Kolzig was back in net and with the Leafs in the mood to make Johnson look great they were not going to get any favours playing against an actual world class goalie.

I compounded my error by purchasing the LeafsTV interactive feed for my computer. In a pinch it is actually worth it but that money would have bought me more happiness if they had been used for anything else. The worst part was that my buddy and I were conversing over MSN about how McCabe seems to have picked up his defensive play over the past few games and had dedicated himself to a simpler game. Literally 20 seconds later he tried to freaking pokecheck Alex Semin in front of the net. HIT HIM!

Saturday March 17, 2007 - Leafs 2 v. Canadiens 3 (SO): St. Patrick Returns

Maybe the Leafs' long-term plan is to screw the Habs over by making them think that Jaroslav Halak is a good goalie rather than a goalie that is benefitting from a Leafs team that has gone into another offensive funk. The Spirit of St. Patrick (no, Roy is not dead) was certainly in a giving mood for the Habs. I missed the Tucker-Bouillon fight but I heard it was a much fairer tilt than last time what with the Hab waiting for Tucker to join the fight before punching him in the face.

The Leafs' again dominated the Habs (that's 6 times out of 7 for those keeping count) and again lost in a shootout. Mats went to his patented move, top shelf, but Wellwood lost the handle on his deke, Perreault ran out of room, and Tucker took a bad shot. Unused after their previous success were O'Neill and Steen. Raycroft was looking good until Koivu scored with the Habs' third shot and Andrei Kostitsyn potted the winner.

The upcoming week sees the Leafs host the Devils and Sabres to bookend a trip to Buffalo. The Leafs will probably have to pick up three points at a minimum which means that the forwards cannot be happy chucking 30 shots at the net. They have to tap their inner-snipers and find a way to shot somewhere other than at the goalie's crest. Anywhere else. Ask McCabe how he misses the net entirely and adjust a bit.

A Week In The Life...

The past week for the Leafs has seen Wellwood and Tucker make their returns to the lineup, Kaberle continue his recuperation from the scrub's hit, a couple of tough losses, a stultifying win, and a momentum shifting comeback.

Saturday March 3, 2007 - Leafs 1 v. Sabres 3: Will No One Finish?

The Leafs hosted a Sabres team that was ripe for the picking as they were (and continue to be) in their first real injury crisis since last year's playoffs. I guess the Leafs understood how they felt and wanted to do their part to help the Sabres through their troubled time. It was a magnanimous gesture on the part of the Leafs but one that they could hardly afford. Despite keeping a lid on the Slugs the buds coughed up enough mental errors and missed chances to allow the team from across the Peace Bridge to steal a 3-1 decision.

If you assume that the Leafs will face the Sabres in the first round if they qualify then it could hvae been a strategic move to play the inept possum. However, considering the Leafs have two games left against these same Sabres then you would not be wrong in thinking that the Leafs lacked a certain finishing edge to their chances. Something that a player like Tucker or Wellwood could provide when healthy.

Tuesday March 6, 2007 - Leafs 3 v. Capitals 0: Shoot Me

This was a terrible game that lacked flow, passion, and excitement but the Leafs won so I cannot be too upset despite having to pay MLSE's ridiculous prices. We kept joking that we did not realize that Ovechkin and Semin were healthy scratches as they were completely invisible. Raycroft had a good solid game as he turned away 24 shots for his second shutout of the season and Tucker picked up the GWG. Yanic Perreault scored his first goal in his third run with the team on a nice burst of speed down the boards before slotting the puck behind the Hershey Bears' starting goaltender. Nik Antropov and Alex Ponikarovsky combined to ice the game on a nice bit of interplay. Poni dropped the puck at the blueline and drove to the net where he deflected Antro's low, hard shot into the net.

Thursday March 8, 2007 - Leafs 1 v. senators 5: No Goals Please, We're Grinders

This was a game of missed opportunities as Travis Green, Matt Stajan, Bates Battaglia (TWICE!), and John Pohl all missed wide open nets. Each (save for Green's) came at crucial junctions that could have changed the momentum of a game that saw the senators score on their first two powerplays and one of Toronto's. Not the start that the Leafs wanted to this home-and-home series with their nemesis.

Saturday March 10, 2007 - Leafs 4 v. senators 3 (OT): Domination Rewarded

I stretched my personal win streak to three games with this one although the result was in doubt for most of the game. It was an odd one that, despite numerous scoring chances for the Leafs, had a bit of a dull feeling to it until the last 10 minutes of the third. The senators looked poised to steal a win on the back of some opportunism and excellent goaltending by Ray Emery despite being heavily outplayed by the good guys.

First, Boyd Devereaux scored on the only mistake in an otherwise stunning display of goaltending when he sneaked a shot over the shoulder of Ray Emery who had gone down too early. Then, Mats outskated Wade Redden and slipped a pass to the much maligned Nik Antropov who used his 8 foot reach to whack home his own rebound. That set the stage for the Leaf fans' sweetheart, Darcy Tucker, to finish the game off on a nice one-two with Pavel Kubina to notch his second goal of the game. The ACC erupted as the Leafs' faithful celebrated a deserved victory and smug sens' fans sat shocked wondering how another lead slipped away in the third.

Wellwood made a welcome return to the Leafs lineup and his skill showed as he set up a number of chances. Last night was the first time since December 19th that he and Tucker were both in the lineup. No surprise that one of them was the difference in the game as both picked up stars. They provided the skill and finishing that was lacking on Thursday night and that has cost the Leafs so many points in 2007. The race for eighth is down to the final 13 games and the cavalry looks to have made its appearance just in time.

Leafs 2 v. Capitals 2: Mighty Mats Almost Makes It

Game Recap

Another game, another loss. The Leafs made this game much harder on themselves by once again being unable to capitalize on their powerplay chances while the Capitals scored 3 with the man advantage. The worst part about this game was that they had the game in control. The Leafs were playing a solid defensive game and were creating chances. If they had been able to kill penalties (paging Mr. Peca) then they would have been in much better shape. Of course, his 'icing' skills, as Harry Neale would put it, would have prevented a couple of goals since the first two came on plays where the Leafs were unable to clear the zone.

On the bright side of the ledger, Aleksander Suglobov played a wonderful game. For the first time he received over 11 minutes of ice and he made it count. He showed a willingness to backcheck (that was the mark against him earlier in the season) as well as the kind of offensive creativity that the Leafs have been lacking. On one great play he burst into the zone, deked one defender, drew the other to him, and slid a perfect pass to Stone Hands Kilger. The Peca injury could be the opening for Sugar to get into the lineup on a consistent basis.

Jeff O'Neill also had a barnburner on a line with Bates and Mats. All three were buzzing, hitting, and were the most consistently dangerous line for the Leafs. Carlo and Kubina largely had a good game together and Kaberle was his usual steady self. McCabe had a decent game, at one point he just missed putting Ovechkin through the boards with a hip check, but he blew the end of the game by letting a pass get past him and out of the zone.

In the end, the Leafs were undone by the individual skill of Ovechkin, Semin, and Zubrus. The bright side was the evidence that the Leafs might have another player with the skill to turn a game.

Having said that, Merry Christmas, Happy HanukKah, Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Ramadan (I know it's past but I never wished it), and Happy whatever you celebrate. All the best in the New Year. I'll be around over the holiday posting so if you are looking for something to do while lounging around the house with your recently received presents then stop by.

Leafs 7 v. Capitals 1: Quick-Strike Rout

Game Recap

Last night I had the pleasure of watching my sister in the role of Jacqueline "Jack" Ross in her high school's performance of Aaron Sorkin's A Few Good Men. Aside from the obvious star quality of my sister, the actors portraying Lt.-Col. Nathan Jessop and Daniel Caffee were not only very good but they sounded the part as well. All in all it was a good night. Maybe not as good as the Leafs night as they skated into Washington and drilled the Caps 7-1.

The Leafs spread out the scoring and benefited from big nights from Jeff O'Neill (1-2-3), Hal Gill (1-1-2), and Darcy Tucker who added his 16th of the season and ffith at even strength. Andrew Raycroft got the sort of restful night that will have him ready for tonight's game against the Bruins. He only had to deal with 11 shots over the last two periods as the Capitals sank beneath two scoring outburst that saw the buds score two goals in the first three minutes of the game and three in one minute in the second.

I'll be in attendance at tonight's game and hopefully I'll be able to get some video and pictures up on Sunday.

The Final Word

Defensive breakdowns. Soft goals. Inexcusable penalties. You name it, and the Washington Capitals committed it -- and probably more than once -- last night at Verizon Center, where Darcy Tucker, Jeff O'Neill and the Toronto Maple Leafs humbled the home team, 7-1.
Tarik El-Bashir, Washington Post, makes me angry that I missed a wonderful Leafs performance.

The Leafs survived Sundin's seven-game absence with four victories and gained an additional point in an overtime loss to the Bruins 10 days ago.
Tim Wharnsby, Globe and Mail, forgets to mention that the Leafs averaged 4 goals per game in compiling a 4-2-1 record.