Leafs 5 for 5 On PK, Win 7-3 Over Tampa Bay
Well, it appears that the old adage, "practice makes perfect", rang true last night as the Toronto Maple Leafs killed off all 5 Tampa Bay power plays (including a 45 second 5 on 3) on their way to a big 7-3 win at Air Canada Center. Monday, the Leafs had an intense practice that focused on the penalty kill, blocking shots and an acknowledgement that they needed to be more aggressive and physical. Last night, the Leafs did all of that and it proved to be successful.
Seven different Leafs scored, with two coming on the power play and Joffrey Lupul notched four points with a goal and three assists. But in the end it was all about the penalty killing that has Leaf fans hopeful. There was a marked difference in strategy as the Leafs were aggressive in the neutral zone and were in fact blocking shots. David Steckel and Darryl Boyce played like they were possessed and that is what is needed from your penalty killing unit.
The victory gives the Leafs 43 points, one point behind Washington and New Jersey who occupy the 7th and 8th playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The standings are so tight that the Leafs are only three points behind 5th place Pittsburgh. Last night was a great start to a critical part of the season with 9 of the next 12 games at home. Thursday night Winnipeg comes to the ACC and the Leafs are currently tied with the Jets. Winnipeg plays tonight in Montreal so they will head into Toronto at the end of a back-to-back situation. The Leafs will need to take advantage of that and avenge their loss on New Year's Eve to the Jets.
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Here is what's coming up: Thursday: Recap of my NFL Picks, Friday: Leaf Recap & Playoff Game Picks, and Sunday: Analysis of Mike Holmgren/Tom Heckert's end of the season press conference.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering what it would be like if there was a college football playoff with Oklahoma State, Stanford, LSU and Alabama involved, here is what's on my mind this morning:
* The Maple Leafs face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at the ACC and it marks the beginning of 9 out of the next 10 games being played at home. If they are to make the playoffs they need to win 6 out of those 9 games. Good news out of practice yesterday was that Mike Brown and Mike Kommisarek could be back by the weekend.
* After watching some of the Fiesta Bowl last night, if the Cleveland Browns have the opportunity to draft Justin Blackmon with their first pick they better just do it. This kid would immediately become their best wide receiver.
* Was stunned yesterday when it was announced that the Colts had fired Bill Polian and his son, Chris. Conflicting reports as to what this means for Peyton Manning and Jim Caldwell. Colt fans have to be concerned as to who Irsay will hire to take over the team.
* Interesting note, the Bengals, Broncos and Titans were all vying for a playoff spot heading into Sunday's games. The Bengals and Broncos lost and are in, the Titans won and they are out.
* Yankee pitchers and catchers report on February 19th and as it stands right now this will be the quietest off season in the team's recent history.
* Kudos to Chan Gailey for sticking to his guns and benching Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson. Wonder if Gailey does the same thing if the Bills needed to win on Sunday to make the playoffs.
* Can't see how Stevie Johnson stays in Buffalo. His actions on Sunday, while not as bad as his act against the Jets, resulted in a 15 yard penalty for the Bills. As a result, another selfish act that hurt is team. Johnson represents a bigger problem: the ever-present me first attitude by many players in the NFL.
* Johnson was also pretty gutless yesterday by skipping out on the media in the morning but appearing on his afternoon radio spot on WGR 550 with Schopp and the Bulldog. The morning slight prompted a twitter confrontation between Buffalo News reporter Mike Harrington and WGR 550's resident genius Paul Hamilton. Was rather comical.
* After a sluggish first period, the Winter Classic turned into a very entertaining game. Some observations from the game: 1.) the Flyers still have goaltender issues which could hurt their chances in the playoffs, 2.) Henrik Lundqvist right now may be the best goalie in the NHL and 3.) the refereeing in the NHL has been brutal this year.
* The duet of Kate Smith and Lauren Hart singing "God Bless America" was awesome.
* During the Bills game on Sunday, resident NFL know-nothing Jeremy White tweeted that the Bills have showed improvement this season. Really, Jeremy??? The defense has progressively gotten worse and the offense has been inconsistent. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a good guy but I still say that the Bills are crazy if they think he is a franchise quarterback.
* No surprise that Raheem Morris and Steve Spagnuolo were fired yesterday. What is surprising is that reports out of San Diego are that Norv Turner and A.J.Smith may not lose their jobs.
* And finally, would you be surprised if Prince Fielder signs with the Washington Nationals??
It’s Crunch Time For The Maple Leafs
Heading into Christmas the Toronto Maple Leafs were riding high after defeating the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders. They were sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and were facing three winnable games after the break: Florida, Carolina and Winnipeg. What an opportunity to solidify their position heading into January and they blew it getting only one point out of a possible six. So as 2012 begins the Maple Leafs will have nine out of their next twelve games at home. Failure to win at least six of those nine home games could prove to be costly if this team is to make the playoffs for the first time since the lockout.
The biggest problem that the Leafs face has been documented over and over again: the inability to kill off penalties. As was mentioned in the Toronto Star yesterday, killing penalties is not a specialty skill. It's about hard work, speed and a desire to do whatever it takes to prevent the other team from scoring while your down a man. The Leafs do not pressure the other team at all. The opposing team's point men have all day to make a pass. How many shots are actually blocked when the Leafs are shorthanded?? If the Leafs are to improve in this area, I would have the following forward penalty-killing units: Joey Crabb/Matthew Lombardi and Darryl Boyce, David Steckel and Matt Frattin, and Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin. As far as defensemen go, I would not have Keith Aulie or Cody Franson on the ice for penalty killing purposes. The six forwards I have mentioned need to be aggressive, including in the neutral zone. If the Leafs are going to make the playoffs, they are going to have to improve in this area.
At even strength, the Leafs need to get scoring from the second and third lines. With Tyler Bozak out of the lineup, I would call up Joe Colborne and send Korbinian Holzer back down to the Marlies. I would have Colborne centering Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul and put Tim Connolly back on a line with Nazem Kadri and Clarke MacArthur. Connolly-MacArthur-Kadri seemed to be developing good chemistry and taking Connolly off that line I think reduces opportunities for the two wingers. I'm not sure what to do with Matthew Lombardi. If Lombardi can be utilized as a penalty-killer and face off guy, then the Leafs have to determine if Matt Frattin or Joey Crabb have a spot on the roster at this time. If neither one has to pass through waivers, I would probably send Crabb down.
As I indicated last week, Ron Wilson needs to change the team's philosophy when it is up a goal or two in the third period. Defensemen should not be allowed to pinch into the other team's zone. If they do they should be benched for the remainder of the game. An aggressive forecheck by the forwards and clogging up the neutral zone should be the Leaf strategy when up a goal or more late in a game. As a whole, the Leafs need to be more responsible defensively. I also think that once John-Michael Liles and/or Mike Kommisarek comes back that Keith Aulie should be sent back to the Marlies. Aulie has taken a step backwards in my mind and I wonder if his play hasn't also effected the play of Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf seemed to have good chemistry with Carl Gunnarsson when they were paired together before the Liles injury.
Goaltending hasn't been right since October 22 when James Reimer was knocked out of the game against Montreal. Both he and Jonas Gustavsson have flashed signs of stepping up and providng the Leafs good goaltending. However, both have also exhibited the ability to let in bad goals. In Reimer's case, Glenn Healey and Greg Millen (both former goalies) have made the same observation: Reimer is too deep in his crease. With his size, if he comes up to the top of the blue ice he really cuts down on angles. If Wilson fails to get this team to be more defensive-minded, particularly when protecting a lead, goaltending will have to be better than it has shown. In addition, its been said over and over again, a team's best penalty-killer is its goaltender. If the Leafs are to improve in killing penalties, goaltending must improve.
A bad January would most certainly call into question the job status of Ron Wilson. All of the excuses are gone. This team is now Brian Burke's team. They have obviously showed that they can play 5-on-5 with anybody else in the league, with the possible exception of the Boston Bruins. However, special teams and the inability to win consistently on home ice has been a constant under Wilson. In addition, the notoriously slow starts that this team has is unexplainable. It calls into question Wilson's ability to get his team ready. There is no doubt in my mind that Brian Burke will make a move before the trade deadline. For me the only untouchables on this team would be Phaneuf, Kessel and Lupul. But before Burke is able to make a trade, the Leafs may have squandered an opportunity to make a move in the conference standings. If that happens I feel that Burke would have to make a coaching change. If he doesn't do it during the season, failure to make the playoffs should be enough to remove Wilson as head coach when the season ends regardless of the much bally-hooed contract extension.
Starting Tuesday we will find out what this team is made of and if they are going to turn a bad December into a good January or more of the same losing hockey. The playoffs hang in the balance along with Ron Wilson's job. Stay tuned.
Will 2012 See The 28th World Championship In The Bronx??
The New York Yankees have won 27 world championships, the most in all of professional sports. As we enter 2012 the question is: Will the Yankees win their 28th world championship?? Before I tell you what I think the answer is to that question, here is something to consider. In the last 10 years, the Yankees have qualified for the playoffs nine times. They won the World Series in 2009 and in 2003 made the World Series and lost to the Florida Marlins. In the remaining seven years, they made the ALCS twice and were eliminated in the first round five times. Oh and by the way, this ten year period includes the most monumental post season collapse in team history: blowing a 3-0 lead in the 2004 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox.
My point in bringing this up is that the Yankees are built to excel in the regular season. Making the playoffs is an accomplishment and the Yankees have been successful since 1995 having only been out of the playoffs once in 2008. However, the Yankees sell to their fans that a season is not a success unless they win it all. That goal was established by George Steinbrenner and as Yankee fans we knew he meant it. A couple of days ago, Randy Levine indicated that this past season was not a success because they didn't win the World Series and it rang as hollow as a three dollar bill. So the question becomes: are the Yankees built to win their 28th World Championship in 2012??
Based on the current roster, the answer to that question is no. General Manager Brian Cashman has done absolutely nothing to improve a team that was knocked out in the first round. Now the argument will be that this is a team which won 97 games in 2011 and won the AL East. But upon further examination, Cashman lucked out with Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. Colon is not back and Cashman is going to rely once again on Garcia. Offensively, the Yankees benefitted from a monster season by Curtis Granderson. Granderson hit 41 home runs and had 119 RBI's. Both were career bests. Can we believe that Granderson will duplicate those numbers again??? And if he doesn't who will make up that offensive production.
Of course some may say that 2011 also saw a sub-par ARod due to injury and a bad first half of the season for Derek Jeter and the expectation would be that Jeter will pick up where he left off and ARod will be ARod. I would agree with that except for the fact that Jeter will be 38 and ARod will be 37. And there in lies the problem with the Yankees. Where is the youth???? With Jorge Posada leaving, the Yankees only have Jeter and Mariano Rivera left from the glory years. Years that many Yankee fans in their 20's and 30's were spoiled with. In order for the Yankees to win the World Series, they will need their aging stars to perform as they have in the past. They will also need Mark Teixiera to justify the big contract that he signed with the Yankees. And they will need CC Sabathia to be CC Sabathia not to mention Phil Hughes bouncing back and no sophomore slump for Ivan Nova.
I honestly believe that the management team of Hal Steinbrenner, Lonn Trost and Randy Levine are more interested in the financial bottom line than winning. Getting into the playoffs is their goal. It gives them lucrative extra home dates which not only benefits gate receipts but also benefits the YES Network. When looking at the AL East, along with the additional wild card team, I think its a safe bet that the Yankees will make the playoffs. Boston has its problems and Tampa Bay may not have the guns to snag the division away from the Yankees. Once the Yankees get in, its all financial gravy for the Yankee bean counters.
Those of you who read this blog know that I am a Browns and Maple Leaf fan. Both teams have not made the playoffs in years. The Leafs have made improvements, purging their roster and becoming one of the youngest teams in the NHL. Their is hope for long term success. The Browns, on the other hand, seem to be treading water even though they are one of the youngest teams in the NFL. My point in bringing this up is that I can live with rebuilding. If the Yankees came out today and said we are going with youth I wouldn't have a problem with that. Banuelos and Betances were going to get a shot to be in the starting rotation. Jesus Montero was going to catch at least half of the games this year, splitting time with Russell Martin. Eduardo Nunez was going to have more of a role, playing in at least 100 games. But this will never happen because it could jeopardize their chance at making the playoffs and that's what its all about for Hal and the boys.
While the Yankees will make the playoffs, unless something is done between now and opening day, they will not win their 28th Championship. But what is scarier than that is if they don't acquire younger established players via trade or Cashman's prized farm system doesn't come true, that 28th Championship could be years away. One final point, you will notice I did not mention acquiring free agents. The Hal, Trost, Levine trio are hell bent on reducing the Yankees luxury tax assessment. There latest assessment was $14 million, less than the previous year. It would appear the days of signing a Reggie Jackson or a CC Sabathia are gone particularly when they will be paying ARod over $25 million a year for the next 6 years and another $25 million per year for Sabathia for the next 4. You can't reduce luxury tax if you add to those numbers. Hopefully, I'm wrong but if I'm right we are looking at a long dark period that if you are under 35 years old you have never experienced. Having gone through that twice, I can tell you it's not fun when all you have to talk about is days gone by.
Week 17 NFL Picks
Last week was not good as I went 1-2. My overall record is 26-20 and I'm 22-10 in the last 10 weeks. It's been fun and I hopefully will finish off strong. Will have playoff picks starting next Friday.
* Atlanta (-12) over Tampa Bay: The Falcons could be the 5th seed with a win and a Detroit loss to Green Bay. It would mean playing the winner of the weak NFC East as opposed to the New Orleans Saints. The Falcons are 4-0 as a home favorite while the Buccaneers are 2-4 as road underdogs. The Bucs are the type of team that the Falcons beat up on and Sunday should be no different. Atlanta 30 Tampa Bay 14.
* Baltimore (-2) over Cincinnati: If the Ravens win they will draw a 1st round bye and guarantee at least one home playoff game. Cincinnati needs to win and they are in the playoffs. The Ravens are the better team and have made it their goal to win the division. This game will be close. Baltimore 24 Cincinnati 21.
* NY Giants (-3) over Dallas: This game is going to come down to the quarterbacks and I have to give Eli Manning the edge over Tony Romo. It should be a dandy and high scoring. New York Giants 35 Dallas 30.
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Tomorrow my Yankee post.
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