Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering if there is any team that can beat the Miami Heat in a best of 7 series, here is what's on my mind this morning:
* It's been a week since the Toronto Maple Leafs were knocked out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and I still haven't gotten over it. The loss was extremely painful after having a 3 goal lead in the third period. In retrospect, I guess if someone would have told me in January that they would go seven games in the first round of the playoffs with the Bruins I guess I would have taken it. One has to wonder if they had faced Montreal in the first round if they would still be playing right now.
* The Leaf off season will be very interesting as GM Dave Nonis has some decisions to make. I was very encouraged by his end of the season press conference. His position on Tyler Bozak is right on the money: would like to keep him but at the right price. If Bozak goes I would love to see the Leafs give Joe Colborne a shot at the center spot between JVR and Phil Kessel. That is provided they don't make a trade. Getting another top 4 defenseman should also be a need though they don't grow on trees and would have to be acquired via trade. As I have stated before the future is bright for the Blue and White: the youngest team to make the playoffs.
* Speaking of interesting off seasons, the New York Knicks will have to figure out a way to get more help for Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks were terrible in providing secondary scoring in the Indiana series. The old folks home dressed in blue and orange needs to be adjusted in a big way. From everything I read, the Knicks don't have a lot of options due to being in cap space hell so it will be very interesting to see what they do going into next season.
* Credit to Iman Shumpert for telling it like it is by saying that the Knicks didn't get the job done and as a result the season was not a success. As New York's youngest player, if Shumpert can improve his offensive game he may be a much better number 2 scoring threat than J.R.Smith.
* The NBA cannot be happy with a Final Four consisting of San Antonio, Memphis, Indiana and Miami. Hardly big market teams. Ratings should be awful.
* The Toronto Raptors kicked Bryan Colangelo up to the executive offices and out of his General Manager's position. Isn't this what Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment did with Brian Burke??
* It's really stupid how there is this allegiance on the part of some Canadians toward the Ottawa Senators because they are the only Canadian based team left in the playoffs. Like none of the other teams have Canadian born players. It's as bad as the morons in Boston chanting "USA, USA" when the Bruins were playing the Maple Leafs.
* Here's hoping the Penguins dispatch of Ottawa in short order.
* Would love to see a Chicago-Los Angeles Western Conference finals.
* Here's hoping that Norv Turner is true to his word and the Browns give Brandon Weeden an honest shot at being the number one QB for the Cleveland Browns.
* Had to laugh at all of the flutter about the Browns signing QB Brian Hoyer. Really???
* Last night's come from behind victory over the Baltimore Orioles may have been the biggest win for the New York Yankees so far this year. Travis Hafner had two big RBI's, including the game-tying 9th inning home run. Vernon Wells drove in the winning run in the 10th inning after Ichiro led the inning off with a double. Hafner plated his second RBI driving in Wells to give the Yanks a big insurance run.
* For the first time all year the Yankees have me excited about this season as some of the Baby Bombers are starting to play. David Adams has been a breath of fresh air as he has been contributing offensively including his first home run of the season last night off of Freddy Garcia. Austin Romine has been swinging the bat well and the Yanks have been getting a contribution from Preston Claiborne. It's great to see some young blood and gives you reason for some hope for better days long term.
* Kudos to Yankee Manager Joe Girardi who has done a remarkable job with a patchwork lineup. Of course, it also helps having a pitching staff that as of Monday morning was second in the American League in ERA.
* The Buffalo Bills made a good move in promoting Doug Whaley to be their general manager. Everything seems to indicate that Whaley is the type of young mind the Bills have been in need of. As many of you know, I am not a Bills fan but this could be a good move.
* As far as the other professional sports team in Buffalo, the Sabres' big announcement is that they signed John Scott to a one year contract. Whoopie!!!!!
* And finally, prayers go out to the people of Oklahoma in dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in this country's history.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering who the Toronto media will pick on for last night's loss to Boston, here is what's on my mind this morning:
* The Toronto Maple Leafs played their first playoff game at home in 9 years and dropped a 5-2 decision to the Boston Bruins and now trail in the series 2-1. The game was closer than the score indicated as the 5th goal was in an empty net. The Leafs deserve full marks for not quitting in the third period as they scored early and had numerous chances to pull the game within one goal and possibly tie it.
* The Leafs failed to use their speed when breaking out of their own zone and made way to many passes which resulted in giveaways or missed opportunities. Tyler Bozak possibly had his worst game of the season as he lost face off after face off and made some terrible passes. The Leaf power play was awful and Cody Franson seemed to have all kinds of trouble handling passes. Seems that the Bruins are really pressuring the points so the Leafs may have to cycle more down low when they have the man-advantage.
* Nazem Kadri was a no-show for most of the game and one has to wonder if the playoff experience is overwhelming the young center. One youngster who does not seem to be overwhelmed is Jake Gardiner. His offensive ability was evident last night and it is clear that the Bruins can't skate with this kid. Would like to see him get more power play time.
* The New York Knicks face a must win situation tonight as they face the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 at MSG. The Knicks are successful when there is ball movement as opposed to everything revolving around Carmelo Anthony. It's very frustrating watching Anthony dribbling up top and the four other guys just standing around.
* Before the playoffs started, I thought the Knicks were going to be hurting next year if they could not re-sign JR Smith. However, after seeing his last four games, I wonder if the Knicks truly would be hurt if Smith takes his act elsewhere. JR can be an electric player if he drives to the basket. When he just sits out there and takes 20 to 30 foot jump shots, it's difficult to watch.
* Tonight's Game 3 of the Montreal-Ottawa series should be very interesting. The Canadiens were pathetic Sunday night getting whipped on the scoreboard and in every fight. Montreal needs to get themselves emotionally under control otherwise this series could end in 5 games.
* By the way the bush league antics of Chris Neil & Company after the third period brawl on Sunday night is one of the reasons why they are one of my least favorite teams. Waving their arms to exhort the crowds is wrestling-like. I would love to see them get their clocks cleaned.
* Felt bad for the New York Islanders on Sunday as they played their hearts out against Pittsburgh only to lose in overtime.
* The Yankees have been staying afloat with a makeshift lineup but one has to wonder how long this will last. It appears that some of the walking wounded may be getting ready to comeback which will certainly help.
* I'm beginning to wonder if Eduardo Nunez is injury prone. This being his first shot at being the full-time shortstop has been marred by being out of the lineup on several occasions. Remember, this was the guy that Brian Cashman would not part with for Cliff Lee.
* A caller to Mike Francesa yesterday was critical of the Yankees not developing any homegrown players. Francesa defended the Yankees by saying that because they have been in the playoffs 16 out of the last 17 years that they have not been in a position to draft top line talent. Please!!! The Yankees are the richest team in all of sports. With that in mind, they should have the best scouting staff available to find talent all over the world. How does a team like the St. Louis Cardinals do it???
* Don't know why but I have grown to admire the play of the Chicago Bulls. Their intensity is unmatched and their head coach is underrated.
* If I read one more time in the Cleveland Plain Dealer that Jason Campbell has a legitimate shot to be the number one QB for the Browns I am going to spit blood. Campbell is not the answer and anyone who believes that is out of their minds. I don't know why but I'm thinking it will be another long season for my Brownies.
* And finally, the Buffalo Sabres handling of Mikhail Grigerenko is a glaring example of the ineptitude of Darcy Reiger. If they wanted to expose him to professional hockey they should have given him more time in the American Hockey League. Keeping him with the big club and giving him limited minutes or putting him in the press box did him no good. But what do you expect from a GM who signed Ville Leino to a six year $27 million contract.
Leafs Learn Valuable Lesson With 4-2 Win
Before last night's Game 2 in Boston, many Leaf fans waited to see what type of effort they would get from their beloved hockey team. There was no question we would learn a lot about Randy Carlyle's team. Well, whatever happens in the rest of this series one thing is clear: the Maple Leafs can play with the Boston Bruins. More importantly, this young Leafs team learned a valuable lesson from Game One: they need to play with urgency and use their speed to be successful.
After Nathan Horton gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead, it would have been easy for this young team to fold on the road. But that didn't happen as the Leafs tied the game on a power play goal from Joffrey Lupul (his first of two goals) and from that point forward the Leafs never trailed again. The Leafs were successful because they used their speed to get out of their own end and provide an aggressive forecheck. They also banged away at the Bruin defense corp, including Zdeno Chara. In the end, it created plenty of odd man rushes which led to a breakaway goal for Phil Kessel which proved to be the game winner. For Kessel, it silenced all of the critics along with the capacity crowd at the TD Garden.
After the Bruins made the score 3-2, James van Riemsdyk scored a beautiful goal that salted the game away. van Riemsdyk continues to use his body to go to the net and his goal was a classic example of that. His first shot was stopped but he kept with it and shoveled the rebound past Tuukka Rask that ended the Bruins hope for a comeback.
The Leaf lineup changes, which many in the media said would be of no consequence, also played a huge part in the Leaf victory. Ryan Hamilton and Matt Frattin were definite factors. Hamilton had two assists and Frattin made a beautiful play setting up Lupul's second goal. These two also delivered many body checks on anyone wearing a Bruin jersey, something that was lacking in Game One. Both of them made an impact.
On the back end, while Jake Gardiner had a couple of miscues that made for some scary moments, his ability to move the puck out of his own end was a big plus for the Leafs. He also made a couple of nice defensive plays, including one on Tyler Seguin. Ryan O'Bryne was very solid and should remain in the lineup. Overall, the Leaf defense corp had a good night and James Reimer was solid in the Leaf net.
Frattin, Hamilton, Nikolai Kulemin, Leo Komorov and Colton Orr did a great job in laying the body on the Bruins and this must continue as the series shifts to Toronto. Like in a prize fight, these body blows soften up the opponent which can lead to scoring chances for the Leafs more skilled players. Mikhail Grabovski, a whipping boy by many, has played very well the last two games. His speed resulted in the van Reimsdyk goal and it is evident that the Bruins can't match it. You have to love the way Grabovski is playing because he continues to get banged around but gets right back up and keeps on going. In fact, last in the third period he went right at Bruin power forward Milan Lucic with a body check deep inside the Bruins zone after he was leveled just minutes before that.
Game 2 has given the Leafs the blueprint for success in this series and in playoff hockey. For the youngest team in the league, this experience is invaluable. Hopefully, they can build on this at the Air Canada Centre on Monday night where you know that the crowd will be electric. Once again, this Leaf team has bounced back from adversity which is not only a good sign for the rest of this series but is also a good sign for the future.
Leafs Need To Bounce Back Tonight
Tonight we will find out a lot about the 2012-13 Toronto Maple Leafs. After having been thoroughly dominated by the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night, the Maple Leafs must try to find a way to straighten out their game and give themselves a chance to win. Reports are that Leaf Coach Randy Carlyle will be making some line-up changes for Game 2. It would appear that Jake Gardiner will make his first NHL playoff appearance to replace the injured Mike Kostka. Carlyle should go one step further and replace John-Michael Liles with Ryan O'Bryne. O'Byrne has playoff experience and provides toughness on the back end. He also is a good penalty killer.
Up front it appears that Ryan Hamilton may be in the lineup. In my opinion, this is a good move as Hamilton was in the lineup in the last two games against the Bruins in the regular season where the Leafs went 1-1 and were every bit as good as Boston. Hamilton is a rugged forward who has some scoring touch and is a good penalty killer. Coach Carlyle should make another move, one that I know that he won't. Clarke MacArthur should be replaced by Matt Frattin. MacArthur has been slumping and Frattin is not afraid to take the body, has speed and can score.
There are some who confuse fighting with toughness. The Leafs had both Colton Orr and Fraser MacLaren in the lineup on Wednesday yet the only one to fight was Leo Komorov. If it were me, I'd keep Orr in the lineup and take MacLaren out. How about these lines: Kessel-Bozak-JVR, Lupul-Grabovski-Kulemin, Frattin-Kadri-Komorov and Hamilton-McClement-Orr. Carlyle wouldn't have a problem rolling these four lines and would have enough players in the lineup who will finish their checks and not be afraid to use their body.
The Leafs need to use their speed as they are much faster than the Bruins. Utilizing their speed should help them to have an aggressive forecheck. They need to test Tuukka Rask and put a body on the Bruins defense every chance they get. This team has exceeded all expectations this year. No one had the Leafs making the playoffs this year. For a young team, this is a learning experience. Hopefully, they have learned from the lesson of Game One. They have an opportunity to minimally lay the groundwork for seasons to come. It starts tonight. Anything is possible, just ask the Islanders.
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