It was a real son of a bitch bastard ending to the game last night. The Leafs fell to the New York Islanders - 4-3 in overtime - thanks to a Ponikarovsky-esque giveaway by Jason Blake.
The majority of the scoring took place in the first period, when Andrew Raycroft and Rick DiPietro tried to out duel each other and see who could allow the most shitty goals in the shortest period of time. You expect this sort of performance from Andy, but not DiPietro - one of the top goaltenders in the league. His flat performance made a little more sense when Wade Dubielewicz* took over in the Islanders net thanks to a knee injury to DiPietro. He'd been playing hurt. Translation: Raycroft was outdone by a goaltender barely mobile enough to play.
(*I tried to link to a picture of Stewie Griffin from the Family Guy Viewer Mail #1 episode - you know, where the family gets into some chemical waste and gain super powers, leaving Stewie with a gigantic bald head featuring veins straining to pop out - but Google failed me. Bastards! But yeah, doesn't Dubie look exactly like that Stewie? I can't imagine he gets any ass, even as a professional athlete. Unless he met a girl with a Family Guy fetish. Or glaucoma.)
Some Facts:
[1] The Islanders are the lowest-scoring team in the league.
[2] Their back-up goaltender played the majority of the game.
[3] The Leafs found a way to lose.
This is getting frustrating, no?
The Leafs have shown flashes of being a contending team, but their continued mediocrity toward the halfway point of the season is a reason to panic. There has been no sustained brilliance by the Leafs. Their inability to string together great play is a dead giveaway that this team is built to be rebuilt.
Random Game Notes:
- The Stajan/Steen/Devereaux line again forechecked the Islanders to their wit's end. Steen had two goals, and was joined by Stajan for some rare powerplay time.
- The more I watch the above noted line, the more I see Matt Stajan as dead weight. I've gone easy on him this season because he started well. But, almost halfway through the season, he's settled into a third line role on an average team, yet still often looks out of place. Matt, why the fuck are you such a floppy cock all the time? You play a sport wherein the best players show a drive and determination that propels them above the pack. Your laissez-faire attitude and impotent gameplay are ensuring you'll always be a non-factor. Spend the rest of the road trip with Darcy Tucker, get into a couple of booze-fueled bar fights, and sort yourself out. Show some balls, Stajan! Fuck!
- Pavel Kubina and Tomas Kaberle belong together. I've been impressed by both since they became a pair - both on the ice and off. Awww, isn't that sweet? Man-love!
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