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

Scrivens Leads The Way As Leafs Win 3-0

Ben Scrivens was solid in goal last night as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated their provincial rivals, the Ottawa Senators, 3-0 at the Air Canada Centre. With James Reimer out of action, the pressure was on Scrivens to perform and off of the last two games the Leafs have to be happy so far with his performance. Last night, the Maple Leafs did not play their best game and were still able to come up with two points as a result of the play of their young goaltender.

In the second period, Scrivens was solid as the Senators fired 19 shots at him without putting one in the back of the net. The Senators had a couple of point blank chances in the third that would have tied the game but Scrivens was equal to the task and shut the door. Credit must be given to Ottawa for mounting an attack with a depleted lineup but the Leafs young goalie showed that he can hold down the fort until Reimer comes back. It also allows Leaf General Manager Dave Nonis to concentrate on other areas of the team and not make a rush move for a veteran goaltender.

Both of the Leafs first 2 goals were a result of players going to the net. That is a positive and something that Coach Randy Carlyle has been preaching. However, it seems that the Leafs have not been able to utilize their speed to generate offense. I thought that they were better in their own zone last night but they didn't seem to have much going in pressuring Ottawa in the Senator end of the rink.

Nazem Kadri seems lost out there without Matt Frattin. The two had some good chemistry going and the injury to Frattin has impacted Kadri's play. In addition, Kadri is brutal on faceoffs and is a part of his game that he needs to work on. I did not have a problem with Colton Orr being on that line but until Clarke MacArthur is able to develop some chemistry with Kadri, it appears that this line will have difficulty generating offense.

The Leafs head to Florida for back-to-back games against the Panthers and the Lightning. It will be interesting to see how Carlyle handles the goaltending situation. Will Scrivens start both games or will Jussi Rynnas see his first start of the season with the Leafs. Either way, the rest of the team will have to be on its game defensively in order to pick up some valuable points. It won't be easy.