tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

Leafs Dominate Bruins 5-2

Five different players scored a goal, none of which were on the first two lines, and James Reimer made 34 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Boston Bruins.  Luke Schenn, Mike Brown, Nazem Kadri, Keith Aulie and Joey Crabb all scored for Toronto.   Crabb also chipped in with two assists.

Reimer was outstanding, particularly in the second and third periods where he robbed Tyler Seguin twice, once on a breakaway.  The rookie netminder seemed to be having trouble controlling rebounds in the first period and allowed one goal on a deflection off of Dion Phaneuf's skate.  After that he was extremely solid as he continues to impress Leaf fans with his play.  In fact, it was the first time since the Eddie Belfour days that the ACC crowd was chanting their goalie's name late in the third period as a tribute to the youngster's solid effort.

Once again I was impressed with the play of Keith Aulie.  The goal that he scored was nice but what continues to impress is the fact that being teamed up with Dion Phaneuf means that he is usually out there against the other team's top lines and he doesn't look out of place.  Will the 21 year old make mistakes: yes.  But as each game goes by you can see Aulie gain confidence and if he continues progressing he will be a top 4 defenseman next year for the Maple Leafs.

Another 21 year old defenseman showed some offensive skill last night the likes of which we haven't seen in years.  Luke Schenn's end to end rush that resulted in the Leafs first goal was a wonderful effort that if he can continue to develop his offensive game could make him a Norris Trophy candidate someday.  What was also impressive was Schenn's skating on that rush, particularly his speed.

During the day yesterday I was actually wondering whether or not the Leafs willl ever see Nazem Kadri develop into something more than Kyle Wellwood.  To be honest, I have not been impressed by the kid.  He seems too small but more importantly I didn't see any offensive creativity in the games previous with the Leafs.  Last night was different as he set up a couple of his line mates and showed a burst in and around the net.  It was nice to see him get his first NHL goal but it was also nice to see that it appears that his stint with the Marlies may have taught him the importance of being defensively responsible.

Not sure what the Leafs have in mind in the future for Joey Crabb and Mike Brown but in my mind they need to be with the team next year.  Brown has tremendous speed, is a  good penalty killer, and is gritty as all get out.  The 25 year old is excellent on a third or fourth line.  I've liked Crabb since they called him up to play with Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak.  He's another character guy who gives it his all.

The third defense pair of Brett Lebda and Matt Lashoff also had a strong game.  I thought Lashoff played well and also looked quite good on his opportunity to be on the power play.  Lebda had his best game defensively as a Leaf last night which begs the question: what are the Leafs going to do with Mike Komisarek?

I thought the Komisarek signing was a good one when Burke did it.  All I could remember was how the Canadiens would send him out there every time Mats Sundin was on the ice.  He would give the Big Swede fits.  Unfortunately, we haven't seen that while he has been a Maple Leaf.

While their playoff hopes hang by a thread, there is no doubt that there is hope out of what we are seeing from this team.  This is the latest in the season that the Leafs have been in the playoff hunt since the 2005-2006 season when the Islanders knocked them out on Easter Sunday which was the last game of the year.  But in order to be a legitimate playoff team more work needs to be done.

This off season will be the biggest since Brian Burke has been in charge.  Should the Leafs go after Bryzgalov or are they convinced that James Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson are the goalies to get them into the playoffs???  Will the Leafs be able to get a top line center in free agency (Brad Richards) or via trade??  Will they sign Clarke MacArthur??  What will they do with Mike Komisarek??  Answers to these questions will dictate what will happen next season for the Maple Leafs and could also determine the fate of Ron Wilson and possibly Brian Burke.

The Leafs are next in action Tuesday at Minnesota to take on the Wild.