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

Leafs Comeback, But Lose In A Shootout

In a game that for two periods looked like the Toronto Maple Leafs would go scoreless, the Blue & White came up with a goal from an unlikely source, Mike Kommisarek and a second goal from a familiar source, Phil Kessel to tie the game at two only to lose in a shootout to the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2. The first period was not a good one for young goaltender Ben Scrivens as both Coyote goals were weak. The ACC crowd derisively cheered when Scrivens made a save. But in the third period and in the overtime the young goalie from Cornell had the fans on their feet applauding as he made a number of brilliant saves to keep his team in the game and helping them earn a point in the standings.

Phil Kessel was an offensive threat all night and showed why Brian Burke made the move to acquire him. But the Leafs are not going to be able to survive with scoring only from the Kessel line and things could get worse as Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur both left the game with injuries. Hopefully, we will find out today the severity and for how long these two may be out of action. The good news is that Tim Connolly should be back on Thursday which should help if Grabovski and/or MacArthur are out for Thursday's game against Nashville. But it certainly doesn't help for a team struggling for offense if two-thirds of their second line is out for an extended period of time.

Mike Kommisarek has been criticized plenty since coming to the Leafs but last night may have been his best game since coming to Toronto. It's not just the fact that he scored a goal but has more to do with his physical play which seemed to spark the team. Luke Schenn also had his best game of the season as he logged around 20 minutes of ice time and was out there in critical situations. A back to form for Schenn will certainly help the Leafs.

Last night's game really showed how important James Reimer is to this team. Reimer, as a good goalie can do, can cover up for mistakes that occur as evidenced by the two on one goal for Phoenix that gave them an early one goal lead. You can see why the Leafs feel strongly about Scrivens' ability but you also can see rookie mistakes or jitters particularly at home. That is why the Leafs need to start games stronger. To be honest, the Leafs have really not had a solid 60 minute performance for weeks. It is going to be needed night in and night out if they are to survive Reimer's absence particularly if Brian Burke does not acquire a veteran backup. It appears that the team has lost confidence in Jonas Gustavsson. It's already being reported that Scrivens will probably be in net against the Predators which would mean that Gustavsson won't play until the weekend when the Leafs have back-to-back games against the Capitals and Hurricanes.

I'm finding it hard to believe that Burke & Company won't make a move before his self-imposed holiday deadline. The Leafs are entering a critical part of their early schedule with 5 games in 8 nights with 4 of those games on the road. They really can't afford a rough patch if they want to build on their strong start. Thursday night will be a tough game against the defensive-minded Predators and their goalie Pekka Rinne. The next 8 days could be very telling in where this Leaf team will be come April and I'm sure Brian Burke knows that.