I just read Danno's recap of the last Leaf game, and before I get into my own, this needs to be said:
Bryan McCabe is not one of the top defensemen in the league. At all. Not even close. McCabe might be one of the better offensive defensemen in the league. There is an important distinction to be made here. Those that watch only Maple Leafs games haven't had a great defenseman to look at in quite some time, so McCabe and Kaberle are often mistaken for top calibre defensemen. But they aren't. They are high-quality offensive d-men that are average at best defensively.
In any event, the Leafs did the impossible on Saturday night - they managed to make themselves look adequate defensively. Oh, and they shut out Ottawa 3-0.
The Leafs defensive system was totally different on Saturday night than it had been previously. At the very least, they were executing their defensive system correctly for the first time in a long time. They had one or two forecheckers heading into Ottawa's end, leaving three or four men back, most of the time. Moreover, the centreman was backchecking as far as the goal line, ensuring that the defensemen weren't being overwhelmed by the attacking Senators. It was a formula that worked, as Ottawa looked like an impotent version of its old self.
Danno's summary of the special teams was fairly accurate. The powerplay notched two goals, although Sundin's goal was a bit of a bed shitting by Martin Gerber.
Peanut Butter and Jaaaammmmmmmm!
Matt Stajan and Alex Steen are getting a lot of props since Saturday night for their play together. Kevin McGran at The Star intimated that they go together like peanut butter and jam. Kevin McGran's obvious mental illness aside (what a lame fucking comparison), I would like to remind everyone of something: the Leafs currently don't employ a man by the name of Chris Pronger because Alex Steen was thought of as too valuable by our (questionable) management. Now, Steen seems to be settling into a shutdown role on the team - and he seems to be damn good at it - but we are looking at the prospect of having a decent 3rd line winger instead of a superstar defenseman. Why would anyone be happy about that?
Bryan McCabe is not one of the top defensemen in the league. At all. Not even close. McCabe might be one of the better offensive defensemen in the league. There is an important distinction to be made here. Those that watch only Maple Leafs games haven't had a great defenseman to look at in quite some time, so McCabe and Kaberle are often mistaken for top calibre defensemen. But they aren't. They are high-quality offensive d-men that are average at best defensively.
In any event, the Leafs did the impossible on Saturday night - they managed to make themselves look adequate defensively. Oh, and they shut out Ottawa 3-0.
The Leafs defensive system was totally different on Saturday night than it had been previously. At the very least, they were executing their defensive system correctly for the first time in a long time. They had one or two forecheckers heading into Ottawa's end, leaving three or four men back, most of the time. Moreover, the centreman was backchecking as far as the goal line, ensuring that the defensemen weren't being overwhelmed by the attacking Senators. It was a formula that worked, as Ottawa looked like an impotent version of its old self.
Danno's summary of the special teams was fairly accurate. The powerplay notched two goals, although Sundin's goal was a bit of a bed shitting by Martin Gerber.
Peanut Butter and Jaaaammmmmmmm!
Matt Stajan and Alex Steen are getting a lot of props since Saturday night for their play together. Kevin McGran at The Star intimated that they go together like peanut butter and jam. Kevin McGran's obvious mental illness aside (what a lame fucking comparison), I would like to remind everyone of something: the Leafs currently don't employ a man by the name of Chris Pronger because Alex Steen was thought of as too valuable by our (questionable) management. Now, Steen seems to be settling into a shutdown role on the team - and he seems to be damn good at it - but we are looking at the prospect of having a decent 3rd line winger instead of a superstar defenseman. Why would anyone be happy about that?
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