Steve Smith Revisited!

Bryan McCabe - or McGaybe as one especially witty goatee'd Leaf fan so eloquently said last night - did his best Steve Smith impression and scored on his own net in overtime to hand the game to the Sabres.

McCabe was ripped into by every Toronto newspaper this morning - as he should have been. Damien Cox's article this morning was significantly less shitty than normal. He proposes that both McCabe and the team might be better served if he was Larry Murphy'd out of town. Now, I'm not ready to go that far, but Cox's point is well made - if McCabe continues to disappoint, fans at the ACC will literally lynch him and, at the very least, that's not good for business.

The game winning goal aside, McCabe looked terrible again last night. Paul Maurice was nice enough to stick up for McCabe in his post-game conference, "He did lots of good things, he blocked shots, and that's what he's got to take away from this game." Very nice of you to say that, Paul, but - aside from McCabe not being credited with one single blocked shot - this is the same McCabe that you effectively benched last night during minutes of any significance. For instance, McCabe played only 1:12 during powerplays - Pavel Kubina received 5:58 of PP icetime.

Paul Maurice knows exactly how bad Bryan McCabe is playing. McCabe's quality icetime has dropped dramatically in the last couple of games to reflect Maurice's waning confidence in his highest-paid player. He has been relegated to picking up the garbage minutes where he can't hurt the team as much.

Maybe McCabe's hockey career is like a junkie's life - it can never truly be turned around until rock bottom is hit. Well Bryan, last night was rock bottom. You are at a crossroads - continue to play like Aki Berg, or cowboy up and earn your fucking money. We all know what you are capable of, but do you?


Now that we have the anti-McCabe propaganda over with, I'll note that he wasn't the worst player on the ice last night. The Leafs' first line of Blake, Sundin, and Steen were -11 in the 3rd period alone. Ouch. Pavel Kubina didn't respond all that well to receiving McCabe's quality icetime.

The Kilger, Antropov, and Pohl line looked fantastic when they played together. Notice how well Chad Kilger played last night when paired with Nik Antropov? Not a coincidence. Did you see Antropov's backhand, no look, tape-to-tape pass through two Sabres that lead to Kilger's goal to make it 3-2? Wow. Boner! I've said it before, and I'll likely asy it again - Hal Gill is a monster on the penalty kill. He made a sliding glove save while down 4 on 3 that looked like it was well on its way to the back of the net. Andrew Raycroft looked very solid last night despite the loss. I am getting more and more comfortable saying that goaltending is a strength of this team, which seems fucked considering the numbers.


The Blue & White's latest bold statement: Nik Antropov is the most improved player not named Martin Gerber in the NHL this season.

Selected Wisdom From My Game Notes:
- The Leafs were dominated for the first several minutes of the first and third periods, and slightly less so in the second. Slow starts have been characteristic of this Leaf team so far. Here is my theory: during the first few minutes of the period, the ice is freshly cleaned and the game is much faster. The Leafs - being a team that lacks both speed and the ability to defend against it - are being exposed more easily on the fresh ice. They simply can't keep up when speed is able to flourish. When the ice is choppy, the benefits of speed are less pronounced, and the Leafs fare much better.

- Fucking TV time-outs. An especially good save by Andrew Raycroft in the first period had the building buzzing and the team pumped. A seemingly 12 minute commercial break quickly followed, effectively ruining the moment. How's that for home ice advantage for the Sabres?

- The book on Raycroft is officially out. Every shot from the point on Sabres' powerplays was high. Normally, point shots are low to increase chances of tipping the puck. Methinks opposing teams are furthering their attempts to exploit his weakness.

- I dare say that Greg Millen's excellent (but objective) evaluation of Nik Antropov's great play would have gone unsaid if Harry Neale was still in the booth. Harry was not one of Nik's biggest admirers, and often took the opportunity to slag him.

- Kilger's second goal was undoubtedly the best Holy Mackinaw of the year. Joe Bowen's enthusiasm made me physically smile.