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

Bruins Beat Leafs, Again

The Boston Bruins seem to have the Toronto Maple Leafs number as they once again defeated the Leafs 6-3 at the Air Canada Center. Unlike the previous 2 games where they were outscored 13-2, the Leafs were in this game in the third period after Matt Frattin's goal cut the Bruins lead to 4-3. But a Luke Schenn giveaway deep inside the Toronto zone and his inability to tie up Milan Lucic resulted in Lucic scoring his second goal of the game and the Bruins were on their way to another victory.

The Bruins made the Leafs pay each time there was a defensive miscue. On the Bruins second goal, John-Michael Liles was made to look silly by Nathan Horton and David Krejci scored on a slight tap in which seemed to glance off of the skate of Tyler Bozak. On Zdeno Chara's goal, Phil Kessel should have had Chara tied up but instead the big defenseman was wide open and he put a wrister behind Jonsa Gustavsson. Gustavsson made some big saves however on Chara's goal he needed to come up big and didn't. Unfortunately, with the Leafs' style of play, the goaltender needs to make that save.

While the Leafs hung with the Bruins throughout the game, three things stand out which they must improve upon. 1.: They need to limit their penalties against the Bruins. Boston had 5 power plays to the Leafs 2. 2.: They need exceptional goaltending. When they beat Boston last year, James Reimer backstopped them to victory. 3.: They need to be smarter defensively. They cannot let up on any shift.

They played a better game against the Stanley Cup Champions last night and hopefully they can build off that heading into their rematch on Saturday in Boston. It's being reported that James Reimer will be the back up for that game and could start Monday's game against the Rangers. As the Leafs begin to get healthier, they need to maintain their confidence heading into December. Three of the next 4 games are on the road, with visits to Boston, MSG and Washington. The lone home game is Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils. A good December could mean that they will have set the foundation for a return to playoff hockey in April.