'Cause Nothin' Lasts Forever, Even Cold November Rain

The Leafs turned things around Thursday, overcoming the slumping Atlanta Thrashers and their skilled forwards Hossa and Kovalchuk.


So I was wrong from what I said. I stated that Kovalchuk would get 3 pts. last night, but he ended up getting 1 goal and being a -2. Something that I noticed the Thrashers did good of was not take very many penalties while having the worst penalty-killing unit in the league. The Leafs only had 1 power-play the whole game, and did not take advantage of it.

The Leafs came out great on all cylinders in last nights game, and never gave away any great chances. Any great chances by Atlanta resulted in a blocked shot or a timely save by VeTo. The one goal on Kovalchuk was a weak goal which Toskala should've had, but it is possible that White's stick deflected it or messed up Toskala's view. Some things that the Leafs altered to win this game were the strong points of the win. The Leafs had recovery of almost all of the offensive AND defensive rebounds. On the powerplay or great chances with lots of cycling they had two men in front of the net for deflections and rebounds, and every Leafs rush was the result of bad transition mistakes by Atlanta.

I'm not sure if Wellwood is the best player at dangling on the Leafs....Oh wait, he is. On Steen's goal, him and Wellwood went into the Atlanta zone, Steen wide open, Wellwood makes his way past two guys, and then a strong tape-to-tape drop pass to Steen who was awaiting with his stick in the air. Steen sniped it top shelf, right where the peanut butter goes!

Random Game Notes:

- The line of Steen-Stajan-Devereaux seems to becoming increasingly better every game. Last night, both Steen and Stajan ended long overdue goal droughts.

- After a four game losing skid, the Leafs will take any kind of goals, including the Wozniewski goal off the glass, off the top of the net, off Hedberg and in. There was speculation that Antropov batted it in from above but the review found he did not even touch it.

- Belak's fight against Boulton was amazing. Finally a fight from the Leafs where our team didn't get annihilated. Belak put up a great fight and arguably won with the bombs he was throwing in the early part of the fight.

- Vesa Toskala (VeTo) came out with another strong night for the Leafs, allowing just 2 goals on 20 shots. Maybe we could see our league-worst GA slow down a bit with some solid play from Toskala going into December.

Shine of Hope:

Well, the title pretty much says itself, the Leafs cold November is over. In November, the Leafs went 4-6-4, or as Mr. Bone would say, 4-10. That's balls, and it's unacceptable. The Leafs really need to turn things around come December, and hopefully become a .500 team or better. Saturday's game against the Penguins will be the first game of December. Poni is expected back in the lineup, and expect VeTo to start again, as he has clearly taken over the number one job in T.O.

You stay classy, Leafs Nation.

Do The Thrashers Have Large Talons?

The impotent Leafs are in Atlanta tonight to face the Thrashers. The most burning question before the game tonight is: Why the fuck do people insist on referring to Atlanta as Hotlanta? It doesn't really even rhyme! It's hot in Atlanta - I get it - but can we fucking move on? You don't hear people from Houston calling it Hotston. Or Charlotte getting called Charlhot. Why? Because its fucking lame.

I guess in Atlanta it's especially hot in the 'hood.

Toronto is 2-5-3 in its past 10 games, including 0-3-1 since shutting out Ottawa just under 2 weeks ago.

Something needs to be said:
I really dislike the overtime/shootout losses (OTL) category, as it makes bad records seem more acceptable. Anyone that watches hockey today grew up in a time when that 3rd column was for ties (i.e. W-L-T rather than W-L-OTL). Obviously there are no longer tie games in the NHL, but the 3rd column has remained and has effectively skewed the idea of a .500 record.

A .500 record is supposed to denote a record of equal wins and losses. In the NHL, however, it means the same number of points as games played. There is a difference.

Buffalo's 11-11-1 record, for example, is called a .500 record in today's NHL, but really is not. Buffalo has won 11 games and lost 12, which equates to .478, not .500. New Jersey, on the other hand, is considered above .500, but their 12-10-2 record actually means they are exactly at .500 with 12 wins and 12 losses.

What this means to the Leafs is that their 2-5-3 record over the past 10 games is actually 2-8; their 0-3-1 losing streak is actually 0-4; and their 8-11-6 overall record is actually an 8-17 record. They are tied with Washington for the most losses in the NHL. Sure, they have a few more points than the Capitals, but lets not kid ourselves...the team is doing extremely poorly. The media talks of the Leafs being 3 games under .500 when they are actually 9 games under .500. It gives typical Leafs fans - incapable of thinking for themselves - a false sense of accomplishment and hope.

(I wonder if a team has ever made the playoffs after leading the league in losses this late into the season. It really doesn't seem likely.)

The Good News
Atlanta is on a 2 game losing streak wherein they haven't scored a goal, and they are 4-5-0 at home this year. Atlanta's penalty kill is dead last in the league at 72.6%, so this is a great opportunity for the Leafs to improve their powerplay. Atlanta's #1 goaltender Kari Lehtonen - recently activated from the injured reserve - is still on a conditioning stint and will not play. Expect Johan Hedberg to start.

The Bad News
Atlanta is 7-3-0 in their past 10, and this highly offensive team won't be shut out forever. Misters Kovalchuk & Hossa might have something to say about a 3rd straight defeat.

The Pain Continues

Sorry for being late on a post, have been swarmed with school work and busy doing other things.

Last night the Leafs tried to end their three-game losing streak, while losing 6 out of their last 7. It did not happen, as the Canadiens came out the victors in a 4-3 shootout win. The shootout loss moved the Leafs to a disgusting record of 8-11-6.

The Leafs went down with a bang - as Sundin scored a cheapy right in front of the net with 18 seconds left in regulation - to tie the game at 3 a piece. Overtime didn't prove much, as there were few good scoring chances for each team and the goalies were stellar.

The shootout has haunted the Leafs all season; they haven't won once after 65 minutes played. Toskala seems to be strong when the pressure is on him, but in shootouts he has been very weak. After Kovalev sniped one top shelf, it seemed as though the Leafs were done for. Toskala came up huge on the next 3 shooters, but the Leafs were only able to score one to tie it up. Then when it seemed as though the Leafs might actually win in a shootout, Andrei Kostitsyn slipped an easy one through VeTo's five-hole to end it.

That makes it four god damn losses in a row. And with all the rumours of Paul Maurice, and/or John Ferguson Jr. being fired, rumoured trades, and even some talk of Richard Peddie being forced to step down after his comments on JFJ, everyone wants to know - including me - when all this madness is over.

Random Game Notes:
- Pohl, Kilger, and Belak all returned to the lineup with the absence of Battaglia, Poni, and Tlusty.

- Jason Blake had another huge shot totals game with 8. Result = 0 goals. He did add two assists, and was a +2. The line of Blake-Wellwood-Tucker seemed to add a jolt of energy to the Leafs lineup, and Mark Bell joined Sundin and Antropov on the first line. Later in the game, Blake rejoined Mats and Nik on the number one line.

- Ian White and Woz are officially the two biggest losers on the Leafs. Every game they constantly make bad plays, and giving away the puck. Last night, they combined for 4 giveaways. Woz was two steps behind the play which resulted in a great scoring chance for Montreal, and it seems to becoming more frequent.

Something must be done very soon, or the Leafs will find themselves in last place in the East, and the only option will be to blow up and rebuild.

If the Leafs put together a big stretch of being over .500, you can believe the rumours will subside, and Mr.Bone's boner will be back.

The Leafs play tomorrow in Atlanta, and expect Kovalchuk to get three points off our poor goaltending.

The Day Ahead

It seems the Steve Simmons article I linked to yesterday has generated quite the buzz in the hockey world. Leafs' management has given their typical response, void of any information and full of corporate-speak. JFJ has downright denied trying to fire Paul Maurice. Paul Maurice said he is looking for the dressing room leaders to change the course of the team.

In short, nobody is taking responsibility for a forgettable season, and nobody within the organization seems alarmed that the team is as low in the standings as an expansion team. 'Tis a typical day in Leafs Nation, I suppose.

The Leafs' season thusfar, explained in one image.

The Leafs are back in Toronto tonight to take on the Canadiens. This game might be what the Leafs need, as they have a 2-0-1 record this season against Montreal, who have lost 5 of their last 8. It should be noted, however, that the Leafs haven't fared much better of late (1-4-2 over last 7 games). Divisional rivalries are often great matchups featuring two teams pulling out all the stops to better their opponent, but considering these teams' recent play, tonight's game might look more like fancy boys fighting over an autographed Rip Taylor t-shirt.

Random Pre-Game Notes:
- Expect Vesa Toskala to start for Toronto, and Carey Price to start for Montreal.

- Mark Bell leads the Leafs in penalty minutes with 35 - despite missing 15 of 24 games - and averages only 8:35 of icetime per game. I'm not sure this is an accomplishment. I'm also not sure Bell is being used in the right role on this team; the man can score almost as well as he can drink and drive!

- The Leafs own a laughable .167 win percentage when leading after 1 period. Translation? They lose 5 of 6 games in which they're ahead going into the first intermission. How is that even possible?

- Maybe even more comical is that the Leafs' win percentage when leading after 2 periods is only .500. Yep, one of every two leads is blown in the third period.

- With stats like these, the team has more chance at Steve Stamkos than a playoff spot. And, at this point in the season, isn't the smarter move to make the push for last place overall - in order to have the best shot at the #1 overall draft choice next summer in the draft lottery - rather than making the push for the 8th playoff spot? Placing 8th would only match the Leafs up against Ottawa, a team they're incapable of beating over a 7 game series.

10 Degrees of Kevin Bacon
Ok, this has nothing to do with Kevin Bacon, but David Amber's latest '10 Degrees' column looks at the top 10 'nightmare contracts' in the NHL's new-ish salary cap world. You may be asking yourself how this applies to the Leafs, but I'd question your mental health if you were. Our good friends Pavel Kubina (#9) and Bryan McCabe (#2) both made the list. Way to go, boys!

Media Roundup...again

The Toronto hockey media is odd. There are more writers covering hockey in this city than there are pock marks on Cameron Diaz's face, yet there is very little in common with their writing. This post is my effort to show that everything you read - even with respect to something as trivial as sports - must be taken with a grain of salt, because most people are full of shit, at least some of the time. Today, for example:

Steve Simmons at The Sun is reporting that John Ferguson Jr. tried to fire Paul Maurice last week. And that the team is also 'frantically searching' for JFJ's replacement.

Mark Zwolinski at The Star is reporting that no changes are coming from the Leafs.

Lance Hornby at The Sun is reporting that JFJ is standing pat with his team.

Darren Dreger at TSN ponders whether the team would be best served by a GM-by-committee approach.

Damien Cox is calling for mass changes in Leafs' management...and dare I say that his article is actually pretty reasonable?

So much opinion. So little fact. For every writer that tries to create credibility in his story by citing anonymous sources, there is another writer citing sources for the exact opposite. I'd love to believe that Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment brass is misleading the media by planting fake stories in an effort to keep the truth from being written, but I really don't believe they have the brains or the bollocks for that.

*EDIT - Fucking Coxsucker. I go and give him props for an article well written, then I check out Cox's other staple - The Spin - and he contradicts what he wrote in the article cited above. See below:

An excerpt from Leafs should start chopping from the top:
"Still, it says here that the Leafs, by recognizing the mess they're in immediately and moving proactively, could by this time next year have made the same leap back into competitiveness that the Philadelphia Flyers made in a single season.

Keep the draft picks intact and draft high in June. Make it clear to the other 29 teams that Mats Sundin, Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle and Nik Antropov are all available to the highest bidders by March. Collect all the draft picks and prospects you can, and then dip back into free agency in the summer."

And from The Spin:
"One of the most popular suggestions these days for the Maple Leafs, a team without a clear immediate future or long-term future, is that the team should "blow up" its current roster, sink to the bottom of the NHL standings for a few years and rebuild with stars through the draft.

You know, just like the Pittsburgh Penguins did it. Sort of.

Well, the Washington Capitals should serve as a warning to the Leafs or any other team considering that strategy.

See, it just may not work. There's no guarantee."

Damien, you're seriously the worst sports writer in the city. Probably in the country. What you've written is that the team has a great opportunity to sell off its assets in order to rebuild, hopefully for next year...and then you go and take the piss out of that very idea in your blog. What the fuck? Just because you don't directly call the former method 'blowing up the team' doesn't mean it's not the same thing. Getting rid of Sundin, McCabe, Kaberle, and Antropov is blowing up the team, and that's a scientific fact.

According to you, the team is in dire straits, has been for 40 years, needs to rebuild drastically...but shouldn't rebuild in case it doesn't work? Do you have any idea how little sense that makes? Maybe in your next article, you'll include the Damien Cox model for team building - you write as if you're an expert on the topic. Even a couple of ideas about how to improve the team might help.

You constantly write about how the team has done poorly in trades, free-agent signings, and personnel decisions, but since your hindsight is no better than everyone elses, why not keep your empty-headed bullshit opinion to yourself? Do you know what I call people that constantly regurgitate the problem without any hint of a solution? I call them Coxsuckers, Damien. And you're the biggest Coxsucker out there.

Extra! Extra! Maple Leafs now less exciting than Dancing With The Stars!

Normally, claiming that anything is less exciting than Dancing With The Stars is more of a bold statement than wearing a "I Fuck On The First Date" t-shirt to a job interview. Alas, the Leafs are in a downward spiral not seen since...well, since last season when they hit the shitter.

In a stunning turn of events, the Leafs lost again last night, this time to the Phoenix Coyotes. Okay, so it isn't so stunning - more stunning would have been this Leafs team pulling their heads out of their own asses and winning a game.

Andrew Raycroft, Vesa Toskala, and Raycroft's molester moustache combined to allow 5 goals against a very weak offensive team. Raycroft was actually pulled after 2 goals on 7 shots, but not because he played badly - his moustache just needed to air out.

Tomas Kaberle was -4 last night. For anyone keeping count, that's -7 in his last two games. Isn't he supposed to be our top defenseman?

Random Game Notes:
- There are no game notes from last night. After the first period, I was so drunk that I actually contemplated growing a Raycroft 'stache. Then I crushed a few beer cans on my forehead and passed out on my living room floor.

The Leafs are off until Tuesday, when they'll lose to the Canadiens.

Kill me now.

Next Stop: Last Place

Last night was the Dallas Stars' turn to beat the Leafs. The Leafs were again unable to hold a lead and it cost them the game. It's official: the Leafs are harder to watch than Fred Claus.


The loss comes only a day after the Leafs took in the Thanksgiving Day NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets. You know, the game that was intended to get their minds away from their own shittiness. The game that was supposed to be a great team-building exercise. Methinks the day would have been better spent practicing the game of hockey that the team obviously hasn't mastered. Seriously though, I am glad the team was able to take a vacation...in the midst of especially weak play. 'Tis a good life if you can get it, I suppose. I hope everyone remembers the Leafs enjoying their private box at Texas Stadium the next time the team whines about fans booing them.

BONEhead of the game: Tomas Kaberle
Tommy, Tommy, Tommy. It wasn't enough that you were -3 last night - on the ice for every Dallas goal. No, you had to be directly responsible for both Dallas goals that weren't empty-net goals. You gave the puck away to Mike Ribiero and he made you look silly before he scored (albeit on a weak goal by Vesa Toskala). Then, you and Andy Wozniewski decided to shit the bed in tandem, giving the puck to Antti Miettinen so that he could waltz in on a breakaway and score the game winner. Tommy, why were you that close to your defense partner? Do you know how easy it is for a forechecker when you are within a stick length of your partner? I guess you didn't know - but you do now. What are you, taking direction from Bryan McCabe? Fuckkkk.

Hot & Cold...again:
Vesa Toskala let in a weak goal to Mike Ribiero to tie the game, but previous to that he made two really fucking fantastic saves in the first period to preserve the lead. We'd be talking about those saves this morning if the Leafs had managed a little offense last night. Instead, all the talk is focusing on the one weak goal Toskala let in.

On a positive note:
This isn't a play that will make any of the highlight reels, but it led to the Leafs only goal last night. Staffan Kronwall and Andy Wozniewski both pinched in at the point to keep the puck in the Stars' zone for Alex Ponikarovsky's goal. Two rookie defensemen took chances on pinches on the same shift...in the midst of their coaching staff preaching nothing but defensive responsibility. It was a two-pack of really fantastic hockey decisions, back-to-back, by rookies. Really great play by both players.

Another Kronwall play struck me as fantastic: with three minutes to go in the game and the play in the Dallas zone, Kronwall snuck in from his spot at the point and stood, undetected, in front of the Dallas goal, waiting for the puck. It never got to him, but he was ready to put home the game-tying goal if his forwards were capable of getting him the puck. It was a refreshing sight on this Leafs team, whose defense might as well be stone statues stuck by the blueline. It's quite rare to see a Leafs d-man create scoring chances by sneaking in like that. Boner! This is the start of my petition to keep Kronwall with the Leafs for good.

Some interesting stats:
The folks at Sportsnet flashed a statistic last night that got me thinking. It showed the Leafs' goal-scoring over their first 12 games versus their 10 since:

1st 12 games: 46 goals for, 4 or more goals scored in 8 different games.
10 games since: 23 goals for, 4 or more goals scored 0 times.

So, I saw that and thought to myself "Fuck you're cool!". But immediately after that, I thought "The team is scoring much less lately in an effort to become defensively responsible, but I don't think their record is any better. Why not keep up the high-flying offense if the 'defensively responsible' system isn't doing you any better? At least you are guaranteeing goals for - half of what it takes to win."

Add in last night's game against Dallas and the 12/11 game split is almost a perfect comparison between the first and second halves of the season thusfar. The first half (1st 12 games), the Leafs scored 46 goals - an average of 3.8 per game - and had a record of 5-4-3. Not great, but much better than their second half: 23 goals scored - 2.1 per game - leading to a 3-6-2 record. Really fucking terrible.

Why the fuck not stay with the system that gave you more success, not to mention gave your fans a little excitement?

More bad news:
The Leafs are in 4th place in the Northeast division, despite having played more games than any other team in the division. The 5th place Buffalo Sabres are only two points down with three games at hand. The smart money is on the Leafs occupying the bottom of the division when Buffalo catches up to them in games played, as the Sabres are finally turning it on with a three game winning streak. Did I mention the Sabres won the President's Trophy last season for most points during the regular season? Yep, unexpected strong play from Boston and Montreal means the Leafs' mediocre play will land them (and keep them, unless something drastic changes) in last place in their division.

Media Roundup

Another off day after another loss. I thought I'd link to a few stories I've found interesting today.

Hockeynomics
Alan Ryder's Hockeynomics uses statistics to form opinion. This is rather refreshing considering that many sports writers form opinion, then find statistics to back up that opinion. Hockeynomics is unbiased; it lets the numbers tell the story. This week, Ryder looked at goaltender success in shootouts. His main findings, as they relate to the Leafs:

- There is very little correlation between goalie success in shootouts and the rest of the game. Translation? Strong goaltenders are often terrible in shootouts, and vice versa.

- Toronto is 7-16 all time in the shootout, good for 5th worst. This number seems very indicative of the Leafs' play since the inception of the shootout, but makes less sense when you consider that both Ottawa and San Jose - two very good teams - have been worse than them.

- Vesa Toskala is the worst shootout goaltender ever. He has stopped only 8 of 20 shots against. Andrew Raycroft comes in at 13th worst of all time, having saved 20 of 34. In other words, both Toronto goalies are really fucking terrible in shootouts.


What could have been...
This morning in The Sun, Scott Morrison reported a trade that almost was. It would have brought current NHL leading scorer Vincent Lecavalier to the Leafs in exchange for Tomas Kaberle, Nik Antropov, Jonas Hoglund and either Brad
Boyes, a first-round pick in 2000, or a first-round pick in 2002.

That's a big deal. Tampa Bay ownership decided it wouldn't part with Lecavalier, and I am almost glad. I mean, where would the Leafs be without Jonas Hoglund's years of service?


Brian Costello, you saucy bastard!
Brian Costello over at The Hockey News put together a killer article yesterday: THN.com Top 10: Reasons for trading Tuukka Rask. It's really worth a read.


Leafs to take in foozeball game
While the team is in Dallas awaiting their game with the Stars tomorrow night, they will take in the Thanksgiving Day NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets. What a nice diversion for a team that is circling the drain.

Before deciding on the foozeball game, a few other ideas were tossed around as possible day off activities. The runner-up to the Cowboys game was taking the interstate over to Nashville to see the Predators take on the Red Wings tonight - you know, to see how good hockey teams play the game.

It should also be noted that Bryan McCabe and Darcy Tucker both wanted to head over the border to Mexico to take in a ping pong show.

The Toronto Maple Leafs: The Official Team of Roy Munson

The Leafs are again under .500 after last night's loss to the Boston Bruins.

I'd love to write a long, detailed post about the game, but it'd be nothing you haven't read before. Two Boston goals came as the direct result of poor play by Leafs defensemen. Bryan McCabe's inability to clear the puck and Hal Gill's complete lack of coverage led to Phil Kessel's goal. On Boston's third goal, Ian White wasn't able to get the puck out, which led to a Chuck Kobasew shot that should have been stopped by Vesa Toskala - but obviously wasn't - even if it was probably tipped.

What is encouraging is that last night the problem wasn't defensive zone coverage. The Leafs have actually looked good in that respect over the last two games. Sure, Hal Gill should have been covering Kessel when he scored, but Boston was on the powerplay, and it's not quite the same sort of defensive assignment.

What has improved for the Leafs is that the centreman has been running a much more pronounced backcheck, effectively becoming a 3rd defenseman and negating any numbers advantage the opposing team has. It's been working. If it weren't for bad clearing attempts last night, the game would have been drastically different.

But, I guess you could say the Leafs found a way to lose again last night...against a third string goaltender. There are only so many excuses that can be made before the realization hits: with every game that the Leafs continue to hover around .500, the playoffs become more and more unrealistic.

The team hasn't shown anything in the way of desire to improve. After 22 games, the Leafs have 21 points, meaning there are 60 games to go in the season and the team realistically needs 72 more points to snag the final playoff spot. Do any worse than 72 points in 60 games and the playoffs will not happen.

Random Game Notes:
- Both Toronto goals went in off Bruins players.
- Ian White again took my vote for least effective Leafs defenseman. Instead of improving, he seems to be becoming worse with every game. He looks lost defensively and his offensive talents have been in hiding.
- Andy Wozniewski and Staffan Kronwall both played about 10 minutes last night. Contrast those numbers to Bryan McCabe's 32:55 and Paul Maurice's lack of confidence in the two young defensemen becomes quite apparent. Woz has consistently been logging fewer minutes than anyone else on the blueline, and I look for him to be the d-man scratched when (if?) Carlo Colaiacovo returns from injury.
- Just before Bryan McCabe's goal, Nik Antropov carried the puck into the Boston zone, and was lined up for a Scott Stevens-esque open ice hit by a Bruins player. Nik was seemingly unaware that the Bruin was coming at him. I cringed, thinking Nik was about to receive a career-ender. But, Nik simply laid his shoulder into the Bruin, who went down a boner that's seen Kelly Osbourne naked. It's not often you see the checker hit the ice like that.

If Jim Kelley says it, it's the truth...

Not exactly, but Kelley is a sports writer of the finest calibre. If you are looking for quality sports writing, you are looking for Jim Kelley. In his latest column, which is a rundown of the biggest surprises of the NHL season, Kelley gives the Leafs a less than honourable mention with respect to their play thusfar. He called the Leafs "...a team that simply refuses to work hard enough to play even decent defence". It's funny cause it's true.


Next up are the Dallas Stars on Friday night in Dallas. Cover your cornholes, guys!

Correction

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?

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It's About Fucking Time

On Saturday night, the battle of Ontario resumed for the fourth matchup between the Leafs and the Sens. The first three matchups, Ottawa lead the series 3-0-0, one win coming in overtime.

Tucker celebrates his first powerplay goal this
year, second goal of the year, and a much needed
game-winning goal for the
Leafs.

Finally, the Leafs came out on top in the Battle of Ontario for the first time this season. Bryan McCabe seems to be regaining his old self back, Toskala earned his first shutout as a Leaf, and the Toronto special teams seems to have caught some success.

The Leafs ended a five game winless streak at home, and handed Ottawa their first road loss of the season, beating the Sens 3-0 with the superb goaltending of Vesa Toskala.

McCabe should finally gain the respect he deserves for being one of the top defenseman in the league. In Saturday's game against the Senators he played over 30 minutes of icetime, notching two powerplay assists, and getting +1 for Tlusty's third-period goal. THIRTY minutes of ice-time, that is alot for Caber (Gonchar 27 min, Pronger 28 min, Lidstrom 27 min). He definitely played like the McCabe we know of before the huge contract signing. In fact, I have never once seen McCabe have a better game defensively.

Vesa Toskala played like the Toskala we traded for from San Jose last night, making huge saves whenever it was needed, earning him his first shutout of the season, and finally having the fan support behind him. It made me so happy seeing Toskala absolutely school Daniel Alfredsson on his breakaway in the third period, after a giveaway by Tomas Kaberle. It was strange to see solid goaltending for a full 60 minutes, which I think the Leafs have missed for 5 or 6 years, especially against the best team in the league, the best line in hockey (Alfie-Spezza-Heatley), and a team that is unbeaten on the road, while the Leafs aren't very good at home of late.

The Leafs special teams were incredible last night, with the 29th rank PP scoring two goals on the hottest goalie in the league. The job they did shutting down Ottawas PP wasn't too bad either, with big Hal Gill, McCabe, Anty Nik, Devereaux, and the combo of Steen-Whistle and Stajan all coming up huge. Even after getting our old powerplay back, it needed to regain its formation with Cabers cannon at the point, Tucker beside the net and Kaberle feeding everyone with mind-blowing passes. Last night the Leafs had all of that, along with a barrage of shots on Martin "Baby food" Gerber. In past games the Leafs were doing far too much passing and not enough shooting, resulting in costly giveaways after the other team caught on.

Wozniewski had another bad night, playing 7 minutes, indirectly causing two giveaways and a penalty where I thought Ottawa would definitely score. Ian White didn't look too hot out there, according to Mr. Bone.

Danno's BIG TIME Players of the Game:

Vesa Toskala earned his #1 goalie status for the Leafs last night with the shutout against the Sens, coming after two straight Raycroft losses. The saves that he was making in the third period were so clutch and it's definitely something the Leafs need to be above .500 and beat teams like the Sens.

Bryan McCabe had a great night offensively and defensively, contributing to all the goals the Leafs scored, the powerplay, and shorthanded. And tonight, surprisingly, he didn't give up the game winner to the other team. I think he should keep that dirty handlebar moustache he's rockin' like I've said before, and maybe we will see the old Caber again.

Upcoming Leaf Game:

The Leafs next game comes Tuesday against the Boston Bruins at the ACC. Catch this game on Sportsnet at 7pm ;). The Leafs should keep an eye out for Tim Thomas' hot goaltending and Zdeno Chara. Let's see if Bell or Gill can beat Chara in a fight.. Not likely. After that the Leafs head West for a pair of games Friday in Dallas, Saturday in Pheonix.

The Dong Remains The Same

The Boston Bruins easily beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 last night. It was really a difficult game to watch from a Leafs point of view. Leaf haters: rejoice! You may not see a display that poor for quite some time.

This was the game, as I remember it:
- Marc Savard scored 19 seconds into the game. He was wide open after getting a pass from an equally wide open Glen Murray. The Leafs defense had more holes in it than a meth head's face.

- Milan Lucic pretended he was Zdeno Chara and Koci'd Mark Bell.

- Andrew Raycroft allowed 5 goals on 27 shots (.814 save % - ouch), at least 2 of which were very weak goals.

- The Leafs had 5 powerplays (including two in the third period) to Boston's 1 (early in the first) and were still dominated.

- Bryan McCabe nearly gave away a short-handed breakaway opportunity - similar to the gift he gave to Mike Komisarek recently - but the Bruins player fell.

- Andy Wozniewski has been looking worse and worse. Last night Woz was -3 over 9:35 of icetime. Brutal. For my money, if you are going to have a 6th defenseman on the team that'll play 10 minutes as Woz does, it should be Staffan Kronwall, who has looked good since his recall from the Marlies; or Anton Stralman, who is dying for another taste of the NHL.

- Sticking with the defense theme - I am supremely unimpressed with Ian White lately. He has somehow been the only Leaf defender who's escaped his share of the blame for the team's defensive woes. I think it's time that Ian was taken down a peg or two. My game notes from the last several games have White being directly responsible for opposition goals.

Paul Maurice may not have his head fully up his ass...
A quote by the coach after the game last night: "We've got to find a way to move the puck better from our end or Stralman's going to have to come back and move the puck for us."

BAM! That's it, Paul. You were too much of a sissy to bench players that were consistently underperforming (like you said you might), but threatening to bring in a rookie to right the ship? That may work. I mean, at the very least it'd be humbling to the current defensemen. After all, isn't puck movement supposedly one of the defense's strong points?

Wisdom from the new guy:
Staffan Kronwall quotes, from last night:

[1] "We're getting caught in our own end for too long,"

[2] "We don't make the aggressive play right away as we need to do. Instead, we get caught and wind up in our own zone for two minutes. Then you get tired and they score goals on us."

I fucking love it. The new guy is taking the piss out of the Leafs' defensive system. Translation: it is so bad that not only does the new guy realize, but he isn't afraid to say it.

P.S. Your new website is fucking garbage:
The first good thing to come out of The Hockey News since they switched to a new website format is the newest installment of Screen Shots by Adam Proteau (a The Hockey News blogger). He lists several instances where NHL general managers may have been better served by letting their star players go, rather than re-signing them to gigantic contracts that handcuff the team. The picture in the article is this close-up of Bryan McCabe. Go figure.

Jason, you've been given a lot of leeway this year...why fuck that up?
Jason Blake, last night: "To be honest, I'm getting a bit sick and tired of people pointing the finger at Bryan McCabe. They constantly scrutinize him, and that's wrong. It's not just one guy's fault, it's the whole team."

That may be true Jason, but the most glaring mistakes always catch the eye of the fan, and Bryan McCabe has made the most glaring mistakes. Everyone remembers Bill Buckner's epic error in the 1986 World Series, but it wasn't only his fault that the team lost the series. That's how most remember it, though, as it's the easiest single event to pinpoint.

Perhaps we should take your advice and begin to look elsewhere for players to scrutinize? Last night was the 1/4 mark of the season and you have 2 fucking goals. Jason, you're on pace for 8 goals. That's 1 goal per $500,000 salary you earn. You are ranked 451st in shooting percentage (5th worst of all players that have scored a goal). Should we transfer blame to you?

I want to note something else here: I was all set to rip into Damien Cox for not calling out Blake, because Cox is clearly more negative than Debbie Downer. There was no doubt in my mind that Jason Blake had been spared because of his illness. Damien then admitted to it in his latest column. Good on you, Damien. You're the worst, but you'll definitely get credit where it's due.

Rumours: Not just a killer album:
For a couple of weeks now, internet rumours - admittedly about as reliable as a 1992 Chevy Cavalier - have stressed that the Leafs' current stretch of games against their divisional opponents holds the key to the direction the team will take. Do well and the team remains. Do poorly and trades will be made.

So, with that in mind, I've actually been excited watching the team lose to the Rangers. Then to Montreal. Then to Boston. And, almost certainly against Ottawa tomorrow night. If you want to extrapolate a little further, the Leafs' next game after Ottawa is against the same Bruins that handed them their asses last night. Realistically, the Leafs could be in the midst of a 5 game losing streak before they play the Dallas Stars next Friday.

If that is the case, I pray to Mick Fleetwood that there are a couple of fresh faces on the team...