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

Reimer Records 2nd Shutout As Leafs Win 5-0

The Toronto Maple Leafs stormed into Scotiabank Centre in beautiful Kanata, Ontario and sent the Ottawa Senators deeper into their tailspin with a convincing 5-0 victory on Saturday night. Leaf specialty teams ruled the day as they killed off all 3 penalties and score twice on the power play. Leafs netminder James Reimer posted his second consecutive shutout making 49 saves. Reimer was solid in net seeming to be postioned always in the right place. It is apparent that he is beginning to regain the confidence which made the Leafs believe he was their number one goalie. With the way Jonas Gustavsson had played in the month of January, it looks like the Leafs have a pretty stable goaltending situation. In my opinion, I'm more confident with Reimer in goal as there seems to be less chance for a soft one going in when he is at the top of his game.

Phil Kessel showed last night that he is not only a goal scorer but also a fine passer as he set up Dion Phaneuf and Tyler Bozak for the Leafs 2nd and 3rd goal. Kessel scored the Leafs first goal as he drove to the net to tap in his own rebound as his speed totally befuddled Sens defenseman Matt Carkner. Bozak, Kessel and Joffrey Lupul were dangerous all night. The Leafs third and fourth lines did a good job forechecking the Sens and created scoring chances.

One of the big differences from this Leaf team compared to others in the recent past is the offensive contribution that their defensemen have made. Cody Franson, Luke Schenn and Phaneuf each scored a goal last night and you can see what a difference John-Michael Liles makes on the power play. I thought Schenn played one of his best games of the year last night as he had a physical edge to his play, more so than usual. When looking at the defensemen, I don't know what more I can say about young Jake Gardiner. I said in preseason that I thought this kid was the best young Leaf defenseman they have had since Borje Salming and he continues to support my initial thoughts. The kid has ice water in his veins and his speed allows him to take chances because he has the ability to get back in defensive position. He showed that last night when he chased down Nick Foligno and took the puck away from him after Gardiner had pinched in and Foligno was able to breakout of the Ottawa zone. What looked like a possible Senator scoring chance was foiled when Gardiner took the puck away from Foligno in the Leaf zone before he could make a play.

The Leafs find themselves in 8th place in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Senators with the Leafs having 3 games in hand. They are also one point behind New Jersey and four points behind Pittsburgh. Those two teams play each other this afternoon and hopefully it is not a 3 point game. Washington hosts the Bruins this afternoon and that is one worth watching as a Leaf fan. The Capitals are two points in back of the Leafs. A Bruin win keeps the Caps behind Toronto. If the Caps win, Washington would move into first in the Southeast Division and the Florida Panthers would fall into ninth place one point behind the Maple Leafs.

The Leafs are in action Monday at the ACC against the Edmonton Oilers who are riding a 3 game winning streak, including last night's shoot out victory over Detroit. Toronto can't take Edmonton lightly. After tomorrow's contest, the Leafs head out on the road for two games: Tuesday in Winnipeg and Thursday in Philadelphia.
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I will have my Super Bowl pick posted at 3pm today!!!

Reimer Posts Shutout As Leafs Win 1-0

In a game that had the feel of one in a playoff series, the Toronto Maple Leafs bounced back from a disappointing shoot out loss the night before by defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 1-0. James Reimer played in his first game since January 17th and posted the shut out. Reimer looked shaky in the first period but seemed to get stronger as the game went on. He benefitted from a couple of goal posts and a crossbar but he provided the Leafs with the goaltending that they needed to bang out a win in this tight defensive contest. Hopefully, the win boosts Reimer's confidence and is something that the young netminder can build on for the rest of the season.

The Leafs played a good game defensively which obviously helped out their young netminder. The second and fourth lines of the Maple Leafs were especially responsible defensively. Once again, the Mikhail Grabovski line shut down the other teams big line as Evgeni Malkin was kept off the score sheet. There was a moment in the third period after the Leafs had scored where Malkin had the puck along the boards in the Leafs zone and the much-smaller Grabovski was tying up the towering Malkin. It was Grabovski's line that scored the Leafs only goal after some beautiful puck movement by Jake Gardiner. Gardiner made a nice pass to Nikolai Kulemin who made a nice play at the blue line to get the puck to Grabovski. The 28 year old center man found an open Clarke MacArthur who put it past Brent Johnson to give the Leafs the lead that they would not rellinquish.

The Leafs newly constructed fourth line of Mike Brown, David Steckel and Colby Armstrong were strong all night. Armstrong, who has been injured more than he has played, had a good first game back. With less than 3 minutes to play his persistent forechecking kept the Penguins bottled up in their own end and eventually forced a faceoff as the Leafs 4th line created a goal mouth scrum that forced Johnson to cover up the puck.

One thing the Leafs have to be concerned about is the scoring drought of the first line. They are obviously getting a lot of attention and they are getting pushed around. It makes one think that Brian Burke may have to make a deal to get a big bodied center for Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. That will be easier said then done, but if anyone can pull it off its Burke.

This morning the Leafs find themselves in seventh place, one point ahead of New Jersey and two points behind Ottawa. Saturday's game against the Senators is a huge one. It will be interesting to see who is in goal and if Jay Rosehill and Mike Kommisarek find their way back into the lineup against the physical Senators. Saturday night on Hockey Night In Canada from Kanata, Ontario. Can't wait!!!

Leafs Dominate & Lose In Shoot Out 5-4

For 48 minutes last night the Toronto Maple Leafs dominated the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Console Energy Center and had a 4-1 lead. (which should have been 5-1 but more on that later) Then Jake Gardiner fell at the blue line and Steve Sullivan rushed down the right wing and took a shot from at the top of the circle beating Jonas Gustavsson on his glove side and the Penguins pulled to within 2 goals. Then with just under 5 minutes remaining, Joe Vitale scored off a goal mouth scrum that Gustavsson should have covered and the Penguins made it 4-3. This just after the Leafs had successfully killed off a Penguin power play. The rest is history as Evgeni Malkin scored with 6 seconds remaining in the game to send it to overtime. Malkin's goal was lucky as James Neal shot deflected off Malkin's shoulder and found the back of the net.

The Leafs came out flying and Tyler Bozak scored on a beautiful pass from Phil Kessel which should have made the score 1-0. However, the referees waived the goal off saying that Marc-Andre Fleury was interferred with by Joffrey Lupul. Replays clearly showed that Lupul was no where near Fleury. Even the ridiculously terrible Pittsburgh broadcast team admitted that it was a bad call.

It's really hard to fault anyone for this loss however Jonas Gustavsson has to be better. There has been a disturbing trend with Gustavsson as he seems to allow a terrible goal at least once a game. This can't happen if the Leafs are to make the playoffs and defnitely can't happen once in the playoffs. One can make the argument that the second Penguin goal was simply bad luck as Jake Gardiner blew a tire at the blue line which resulted in Steve Sullivan's breakaway. I maintain that Gustavsson should have stopped Sullivan's shot however I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. But the third goal is inexcusable. Gustavsson had an opportunity to cover that puck and didn't. The Leafs had just killed off a penalty. Should Vitale have been tied up? Yes. But if you watch the replay on that goal, Gustavsson had his glove on the puck and couldn't smother it. Really, no excuse for not covering it up. In the end, Fleury outplayed Gustavsson.

Last night, the NHL Center Ice package only carried the Pittsburgh feed for the game. Without a doubt, these two guys were flat out terrible. They might be bigger homers than Jack Edwards of NESN. In the second period after Mikhail Grabovski's second goal, Paul Steigerwald lamented over a non-call on Grabovski on a supposed hook on Evgeni Malkin. It looked to me like Malkin embellished. Steigerwald was yelling that the reason why the Leafs are not taking many penalties is because the referees aren't calling them. Bob Errey explains to his flabbergasted broadcast partner that this is what happens when the referees acknowledge that they have made a bad call. You see, according to Errey, the refs were told during the intermission that they blew the no goal call in the 1st period and that they had to even things up for the Leafs. Really???? It was at that point that I watched the rest of the game with the mute button on. These guys are the worst. Unfortunately, Center Ice may only have the Pittsburgh feed again. Looks like a no sound game for me once again.

These two teams meet again tonight at the Air Canada Centre. If the Leafs win tonight, last night's loss won't sting as bad as they would have got 3 out of a possible 4 points in this pair against Pittsburgh. A loss tonight and last night's game will sting worse. The Leafs need to take this game to the Penguins once again. A lack lustre performance tonight will be terrible. It will be interesting to see if Coach Ron Wilson comes back with Gustavsson. Personally, I'd consider James Reimer tonight. Last season I can't remember Reimer allowing one stinker a game.

This game is huge as the Capitals and Panthers play each other tonight. The Leafs are one point ahead of Florida however the Panthers have 2 games in hand on the Leafs. Conversely, the Leafs are only 4 points behind Ottawa with 3 games in hand. Tonight is one of those games.

The puck drop is 7:35 at the ACC.

Hockey Night In Canada: Leafs-Canadiens

For the last 44 years on Saturday nights, unless I have something to do that I can't get out of, I'm usually in front of my television set watching the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night In Canada. As a child, I can remember being extremely upset when on the rare occasion the Leafs were not playing on Saturday night or were on the road and the Montreal Canadiens were on Hockey Night instead. As a Leaf fan in the late 60's and 70's it was tough having to deal with Montreal Canadien fans. The Canadiens always seemed to win. They won multiple championships during that time period, while the closest the Leafs came was reaching the semi-finals in th 1977-78 season only to lose to the Canadiens. Then of course, Punch Imlach came onto the scene and the rest was history.

While for me, HNIC on Saturday night is always a must, when the Leafs play the Canadiens it is always extra special. I'll never forget a game back during the 1967-68 season when the Leafs were at the Forum and playing against a much talented Montreal team. The Leafs played hard and were about to walk away with a well deserved one point as a result of a tie. (this was before a five minute overtime and the ridiculous shoot out). There were 3 seconds remaining and there was a faceoff deep inside the Toronto zone. I was quite pleased at that point. But my happiness soon changed to sadness as the Montreal center won the draw and the puck went back to the point where Canadiens defenseman Jacques Laperierre fired a slap shot that beat Leaf netminder Bruce Gamble and the Canadiens would come away with a 3-2 win. I was devastated. To this day when I hear Jacques Laperierre's name I bristle with anger.

Tonight these two ancient rivals meet again at the Air Canada Centre. The Canadiens are coming off last night's heartbreaking 5-4 shoot out loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins after blowing a 4-2 lead going into the third period. The Leafs last game was Thursday night's 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. This is a huge game for the Leafs as they are one point behind the Florida Panthers for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East and only 3 points behind the New Jersey Devils for 7th. On the flip side they are only 2 points ahead of 10th place Winnipeg, who hosts the aforementioned Panthers Saturday night. Because of the rivalry you know this will be a tough one. The Canadiens have saved Carey Price for tonight's game. The Leafs will be going once again with Jonas Gustavsson. Records mean nothing when the Leafs and Canadiens meet but this is a game that the Leafs should win. They are the better team. Just like the Canadiens were in that game during the 67-68 season when Jacques Laperierre scored with less than three seconds left.

The puck drops at the ACC at 7:05.

Leafs Stop The Bleeding With 4-1 Win

The Toronto Maple Leafs were in danger of losing their fourth game in a row heading into Thursday's game against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild had been struggling badly on the road and the Leafs took advantage of that last night by posting a 4-1 win at the Air Canada Centre. Jonas Gustavsson played a solid game in net for Toronto and it would seem that he would be in goal for the remaining two games of the homestand.

Coach Ron Wilson mixed the lines up by splitting Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul and Lupul ended up with 3 assists, the first one 50 seconds into the game on a nice pass to Nazem Kadri. The Leafs led 2-0 and the game was still in doubt until Phil Kessel's power play goal late in the second period put the game away. The Leafs once again were very disciplined only having to kill off one penalty which they did effectively. While the power play only scored one goal on five chances, there was plenty of puck movement and the Wild did a good job of blocking shots.

Joey Crabb scored the Leafs second goal on a beautiful rush toward the net beating the Wild defenseman. Crabb showed a good burst of speed and has really been a nice contributor for the Leafs. Mikhail Grabovski scored the Leafs fourth goal and his line was its usual dangerous self throughout the game. Wilson mixed up the defensive pairings and it seemed to work as I thought the Luke Schenn-Dion Phaneuf pairing provided a physical presence and Schenn seemed to be finishing off checks with authority. It was once again apparent to me that Jake Gardiner is going to be very special player. His skating and passing ability certainly provides an added dimension to the Maple Leafs. He also makes a difference on the second power play unit. Once John-Michael Liles comes back, which could be as early as Tuesday or just after the All-Star break, the Leafs will have eight NHL ready defenseman. I just find it hard to believe that a trade won't happen with the Leafs sending a defenseman as part of the deal. The acquisition of Lupul and Gardiner may be the trade that Leaf fans look back on as being the piece which put the Leafs back into the playoffs.

At the beginning of this month, I stated that the Leafs needed to win at least 6 out of the 9 home games that they had in the month of January if they were to have a good shot to make the playoffs. They are currently 5-2 at the ACC for the month with two games remaining at home: Montreal on Saturday and the Islanders on Monday which is the first of a back-to-back against the Islanders. Tuesday's game vs the Isles will be their last game before the All-Star break. All three games are winnable as both teams are below the Leafs in the standings. However, there are no gimme games for the Leafs. They need to continue to take care of business at home. Arguably they should be 6-1 right now at home for January in that they blew a two-goal lead on Tuesday against Ottawa. Saturday night they face the Canadiens who are playing tonight against the Penguins. The Leafs need to jump on Montreal early. It won't be easy as its Saturday Hockey Night In Canada against their ancient rivals. But if this team is to make the playoffs this is a game they have to win.

The puck drop is 7:05. Leafs-Canadiens on Hockey Night. Can't beat it.

Trade On The Horizon For Leafs??

Last night the Toronto Maple Leafs blew a 2 goal lead and lost to the Ottawa Senators 3-2. What has become painfully evident over the last 2 games is that the Leafs are being outmuscled by teams who happen to be ahead of them in the Eastern Conference. Brian Burke has said that he just doesn't want to make the playoffs, he wants to be a factor in those playoffs. If the Leafs make the playoffs they will not be a factor the way this team's roster currently sits. Along with the lack of muscle, there has been a lack of scoring. Over the last four games, the Leafs have managed to score 6 goals while giving up 9. Their lone win over those four games was as a result of a 2-0 shutout. Now what??

Brian Burke is known for making trades well before the late February trade deadline. He sees what all of us see: a team with skilled forwards who are being banged around. The strategy against Phil Kessel is to make sure you have a big body on him. The Bruins do it and the Rangers did it and unless others step up offensively, you get 6 goals over four games. I honestly believe that we may see two trades made, one for a big scoring forward, hopefully a center and then a bruising forward who has some offensive ability. Think Bobby Ryan and Ryan Malone. The acquisition of 2 such players would immediately make the Leafs a tougher team to play.

Their recent play has put the Leafs in ninth place, behind Pittsburgh and Washington. A prolonged scoring slump could end whatever legitimate chance they have to make the playoffs. The lack of scoring is related to the Leafs being banged around and outmuscled. Something has to be done to save what has been a most promising season. Burke has done it before and I have faith that he will do something again, this time to save a season.

Rangers Get Revenge With 3-0 Win At ACC

There are times heading into a game when you know that the odds might not be looking too good. The Toronto Maple Leafs had defeated the New York Rangers twice at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers were coming off a terrible loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs were coming off a tough 3-2 loss at Buffalo the night before. Well while it didn't look good before the game started it looked worse when the game was over as the Rangers manhandled the Maple Leafs 3-0.

The Rangers banged around the Leaf forwards as if they were pinballs. Toronto was unable to get their speed advantage going as the Rangers bottled up the Leafs, especially the Kessel-Connolly-Lupul line. The Rangers made sure that Kessel was shadowed by a big body all night and leads one to wonder if Brian Burke's pursuit of a big forward will intensify as a result. The only line that had any jump was that centered by Mikhail Grabovski, who has been the best Leaf in the new year.

The Rangers intense and physical forechecking caused the Leafs to cough up the puck on numerous occasions. The one highlight for the Leafs was their penalty killing as they were 100% successful. It's obvious that their more aggressive style has been successful. Success cannot describe the power play unit, firing blanks once again. It's apparent that the loss of John-Michael Liles is really hurting them. I also think that the Leafs need to put an end to a forward on the point with the first power play unit. They either have to rotate three defensemen, Dion Phaneuf, Carl Gunnarsson and Cody Franson, or put Jake Gardiner back in the lineup. It's obvious that the power play unit needs a change.

The Maple Leafs' next four games are at home with Ottawa the opponent on Tuesday night. It will be interesting to see who Coach Ron Wilson will put in goal. Wilson indicated earlier this month that he would play the goalie who was winning and he rode Jonas Gustavsson for the first 4 games of 2012. But, Gustavsson has lost two in a row and in each game there has been a soft goal. In my mind, James Reimer needs to be in goal on Tuesday night. The Leafs need to give the young 23 year-old a chance to take over.

The Leafs need to win 3 out of 4 of these next home games. In fact, these are all winnable games for the Leafs: Ottawa, Minnesota, Montreal and the Islanders. It is important that the Leafs get back on a roll. They have lost two in a row. The playoffs are there for the taking and hopefully the Leafs will grab it.