The good news for the Leafs is that Ray Emery is out of the Sens lineup and will be replaced by Martin Gerber, who is 3-3-0 with a 3.34 goals-against average lifetime against Toronto. The bad news is that as mediocre as those numbers are, them's Raycroft-esque numbers, and Raycroft may well be the Leafs' opening night goaltender. Fuck.According to TSN, Paul Maurice has indeed made his mind up about who he'll play...but won't be disclosing that information until Wednesday afternoon. Raycroft played better than Vesa Toskala in the pre-season, but it says here that the smart choice is Vesa to play against Ottawa. Here's why: the Sens dominated the Leafs last season, going 5-1-2. Raycroft was eaten alive by Ottawa's offense at every opportunity, and has shown no signs of being able to handle their attack. None. Paul Maurice is an intelligent man, and I believe he'll choose Toskala, who is a relative unknown to the Sens. And, he's just a better goaltender, despite a weak pre-season.
The Leafs trimmed their roster earlier this week, sending the following players to the Marlies: Scott Clemmensen, Jay Harrison, Simon Gamache, Ben Ondrus, Tony Salmelainen, and Jiri Tlusty. All but Tlusty must clear waivers. Not the choices I'd have made, but well, I'm not the GM. Kris Newbury has survived the cut at the forward position, and Andy Wozniewski, Anton Stralman, and Staffan Kronwall survived as d-men.
In case you are optimistic about the Leafs chances tomorrow night, keep this in mind: the Sens were undefeated in the pre-season. So, be realistic about the game tomorrow night, but cheer your fucking hearts out for the boys.
I can't hear you!
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