Leaf Playoff Chances Slipping Away
Last night's horrendous 5-0 loss at the hands of their ancient rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, has left the Toronto Maple Leafs playoff hopes in a shaky position as they head out for a 3 game Western Canadian road trip. For the third game in a row, the Leafs power play was awful, they were unable to create consistent scoring chances, their defensive zone coverage was brutal and they refused to play with the desperation that is needed for a team looking to make the playoffs for the first time since the lockout.
Prior to their trip to Winnipeg, there was plenty of talk that the Leafs might not make a deal because the team was playing well and Brian Burke might not want to mess with the team chemistry. But, this unwilligness to play responsibily in their own end and bring more bodies in front of the other team's net began in the Monday victory over Edmonton. These last four games just highlight what is a problem for this Leaf team: they don't have enough size upfront to work the boards and create chances. The Leafs propensity to try to skate into the other team's zone and make cute plays is not working and will not work if they make the playoffs. This is also the problem with the power play where there are too many passes on the outside and nothing happening in front of the opposing goalie.
I have said all along that the Leafs need to make a trade and the last four games have solidified my opinion. Brian Burke cannot be too happy with what he has seen over the last four games, particularly last night. With the ceremony honoring Leaf great Mats Sundin and playing against the Habs on Saturday Night, one would have to think that this Leaf team would have come out firing on all cyclinders particularly after coming off two straight losses. But instead they were flat and at times looking disinterested. It might be time to bring Mike Kommisarek back into the lineup and in spite of Ron Wilson's defense, Tim Connolly may need to get a seat up in the press box. One thing is clear: something needs to change in a hurry otherwise Leaf Nation will once again be on the outside looking in come playoff time.
Leafs Fall To 8th With 4-3 Loss
Last night was not a good one for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not only did they lose to the Flyers in Phildelphia by the score of 4-3, but Ottawa defeated Nashville and Florida knocked off L.A. which means the Leafs are now in 8th place only one point ahead of the Washington Capitals. While its unrealistic to think that the Leafs are going to win every game, what's disturbing was how flat the Leafs were in the first period and how poor their defensive zone coverage was throughout the game. In order for the Leafs to make the playoffs they need to be more defensively responsible than they were last night.
For anyone to question James Reimer last night I'm not sure what game they were watching. Reimer was hung out to dry many times throughout the game and really had no chance on any of the Flyer goals. Defensive zone coverage doesn't only apply to the defensemen. The forwards have a role to play in that and Tim Connolly was brutal last night. On Brayden Schenn's goal, which proved to be the winner, Connolly allowed the Flyer youngster to swoop in without laying a glove on him. Jake Gardiner was out of position and Luke's little brother lit the lamp to give the Flyers a 4-2 lead. Connolly's only contribution has been on the penalty kill but $4.5 million for a penalty killer is difficult to swallow.
In the last two games, the Leafs have had quite a bit of difficulty getting out of their own end. Both the Jets and the Flyers had an aggressive forecheck and the Leafs were unable to handle it. The quick breakout passes that allows them to utilize their speed has been limited in the past two games. It seems that they tend to be running around a little too much and that is also evident when trying to breakout of their own end when they have a man advantage. In both games, the Leafs were unable to generate any scoring chances at the end of the game when they were trying to tie it up. Last night was particularly frustrating as they had a power play and pulled Reimer with about 1:30 left and could not get any quality scoring chances.
Saturday night is a must-win for the Leafs as they take on the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens are a team that the Leafs should be beat. They are the better team. However, 3 weeks ago they dropped a 3-1 decision to Montreal in a lacklustre game at the ACC. With a 3 game western road trip facing them next week, the Leafs need these two points. I would hope that they will come out early and play with a sense of urgency as you know that the Habs would like nothing better than to throw a monkey wrench into the Leafs' playoff chances.
Saturday night is also Mats Sundin night as the Leafs will honor their former captain and all-time point leader as they raise his banner up to the rafters. Boy, couldn't the Leafs use the Big Swede now. Imagine him centering Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. It would have been quite an upgrade for Mats as opposed to centering Jonas Hoglund and Mikhael Renberg.
NHL Needs To Look At Goalie Interference
Within the last week there have been several goalie interference calls which have taken goals off the scoreboard and in some instances have played a significant role in determining the outcome of the game. Last night's phantom goaltender interference call against the Boston Bruins' Rick Peverley wiped out a Milan Lucic goal that would have tied the game at 1-1. I'm not going to say that this would have changed the outcome because the Bruins were outplayed by the Sabres but the call illustrated how bad these calls have been. Peverley was nowhere near Ryan Miller which was very similar to the call against Joffrey Lupul last week against Pittsburgh which wiped out a Maple Leaf goal.
The simple solution to this should be that these types of plays ought to be reviewed by the NHL Control Room in Toronto. It should be automatic. In fact, I will go one step further: every goal should be reviewed. It would not slow the game up because most goals would be clearly identified. If you watch as many NHL games as I do, it's clear that the NHL has a problem that they need to deal with. The interesting thing is that I never remember so many situations like what we have seen within the past week. Just from the games I have watched since January 31st, there were 4 goals that were waved off as a result of questionable goaltender interference calls.
Commissioner Gary Bettman and his cadre of league officials need to take a hard look at this issue. The system is already in place to correct this problem and protect the integrity of the game. By reviewing all goals, these types of calls would be made correctly. It would not slow down the game because on clear cut goals there would be no reason for play to be stopped. The league could review during the goal celebration and the center ice faceoff would take place with no interruption. If Bettman buries his head in the sand on this, he hurts the game's credibility. Take a look at it Gary!!
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering if Jordon Leopold will hit the Boston Bruins as hard as he hit Lindy Ruff, here is what's on my mind this morning:
* The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to stay hot as they defeated the Edmonton Oilers last night 6-3. The game started out badly for the Leafs when Jordan Eberle scored the first of his two goals 21 seconds into the first period after a bad giveaway by Dion Phaneuf. Phil Kessel had two goals and an assist and his linemates, Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul, each scored a goal. James Reimer didn't have much of a chance on the first two Oiler goals and made some key saves throughout the game.
* With the win the Maple Leafs pushed past the Ottawa Senators into seventh place and they still have two games in hand on the slumping Senators. The team heads to Winnipeg for a game tonight at MTS Centre. The Jets are tough on home ice and they defeated the Leafs 3-2 on New Year's Eve at their very loud arena. The Leafs will need to be on their game. Reports yesterday were that Jonas Gustavsson will get the start tonight for the Leafs. The puck drop is scheduled for 8:35.
* On Saturday afternoon the NHL Network had the Boston-Pittsburgh game with the feed being that of the dynamic duo, Bob Errey and Paul Steigerwald. These guys were just as bad as they were earlier in the week during the Leafs-Penguins back-to-back games. Interestingly, I commented how bad these guys were and I received a number of responses back from Penguin fans agreeing with me!!
* The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl 46 and become World Champions once again. Eli Manning was the game's MVP and hopefully this puts to bed the discussion of how good this guy is. Manning carried the Giants during the regular season and he has developed an ability to make big plays when his team needs them. Along with Manning, Head Coach Tom Coughlin deserves a lot of credit and should hopefully silence his critics in New York.
* The Giants win did not surprise me as I indicated in an earlier Tuesday's Thoughts that the NFC had the better teams this year. The Patriots had a fine season but just like the Green Bay Packers, their defense was terrible all year long and at the end of the day allowed the Giants to drive almost the length of the field to score a touchdown.
* The Giant victory closes out the NFL season and brought my overall record for selecting winners to 35-21 ATS (62.5%). I was 31-13 (70.4%) over the last 15 weeks, which included the playoffs and during the playoffs I was 5-1 (83.3%). Looking forward to September and hopefully for continued success in NFL prognosticating.
* Reports out of Cleveland are indicating that the Browns may have softened their stance toward Peyton Hillis. Hillis has proven that he can play against the AFC North heavyweights. The Browns would be smart to bring him back and hopefully have him with a healthy Brandon Jackson, Chris Ogbonnaya and Montario Hardesty.
* It will be interesting to see what the Browns do with the 4th pick overall in the first round. Reports out of Cleveland indicate that the Browns may be looking defense with that first pick. That will put many Browns fans over the edge. Conversely, Mel Kiper Jr. is projecting that the Browns will use that pick to take Robert Griffin III.
* NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that the league will consider ending the Pro Bowl after this year's performance which was criticized by Packer QB Aaron Rodgers. Maybe Goodell read my post a week or so ago calling for the end of all All-Star games.
* The Yankees are reportedly in serious talks with free agent Raul Ibanez. The 40 year old outfielder would be the Yankees left-handed DH and spare outfielder. Not sure this makes any sense with aging stars like ARod and Derek Jeter who are going to need time at the DH role. I say rotate those duties between AROD, Jeter and Eduardo Nunez. The Yanks could always get a bat before the trade deadline in July.
* The sordid details of Yankee GM Brian Cashman's affairs is making for plenty of stories in the two NY dailies. Now I guess I know why the Yankees have done nothing the last two trade deadlines because the GM was too busy cheating on his wife.
* It will be interesting to see what happens Wednesday night when the Buffalo Sabres host the Boston Bruins. I wonder if Paul Gaustad will be trash talking like he was against the smallish Montreal Canadiens.
* And finally, what are the odds that the geniuses at WGR550 will spend anytime talking about the upcoming NCAA Basketball Tournament. It's probably a bigger long shot than Gaustad picking a fight with Milan Lucic.
Super Bowl Pick!!!
Well it's time for my Super Bowl pick. Before I get to the game, let's recap how my season has been. My overall record ATS was 34-21 (61.8%). The last 14 weeks including playoffs I'm 30-13 ATS (69.7%) For the playoffs, my record is 4-1 ATS (80%). This game is a tough one to call but here goes:
New York (+3) over New England: Right now I believe that the Giants are the better overall team. New England's pass defense is terrible and will have a tough time against the Giant passing attack. The key to the game will be whether the Giants will be able to pressure Tom Brady using only their front four. I will be shocked if this game is a blow out either way. Even if the Patriots win this game they won't cover the spread. This one should be a dandy. New York 24 New England 23.
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!!!
LSU Head Coach Miles: Class Act?? Not!!!
It was reported last night that LSU Head Football Coach Les Miles made a point of mocking Gunner Kiel for his decision not to play for Miles and instead go to Notre Dame. Kiel is arguably the best high school quarterback prospect graduating this year. He had initially committed to LSU but in the eleventh hour decided that he wanted to play closer to home and chose Notre Dame.
Here is what the adult football coach of a major college football power had to say about an 18 year old high school senior:
"We needed a quarterback," Miles told the crowd. "We lost two. We needed a quarterback in this class. There was a gentleman from Indiana that thought about coming to the Bayou State. He did not necessarily have the chest and the ability to lead a program, so you know."  
Really??? I'd like to ask Coach Miles how many blue chip recruits have decided to leave a school they initially committed to and ended up at LSU??? I wonder if the coaches at those jilted schools cried and whined like a baby.
Kiel is an Indiana kid whose father, Blair Kiel, was a Notre Dame quarterback in the early 80's. Is it out of the realm of possibility for an 18 year old to change his mind on what school he or she is going to go to in the fall?? Les Miles should be ashamed of himself for calling out an 18 year old kid. In all the years that I have followed sports, I have never heard a college coach call out a recruit who changed his mind. It happens in every college sport on every level. But Miles' behavior is indicative of college football coaches forgetting that they are not coaching professionals but are coaching kids. In essence, they should be teachers. Teachers of not only the game of football but how to conduct yourself once you leave college. The lesson of Miles' boorish behavior is that if I don't get what I want from someone then I need to lash out as opposed to respecting another person's decision and figuring out how I move on.
There are certain college football teams you kind of always pull for. My list includes Alabama, Oklahoma, UCLA, Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, Penn State and Notre Dame. LSU has never made that list and as long as Les Miles is head coach they never will.
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.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering if Ron Paul has approached Tim Thomas to be his running mate, here is what's on my mind this morning:
* The Maple Leafs begin a critical back-to-back series with the Penguins in Pittsburgh. The Leafs need to split these two games and win on Saturday against provincial rival Ottawa in order to start the remaining 33 games on the right track. After sweeping the Islanders before the All-Star break, the Leafs need to keep the momentum going as they are in a 3-way tie for the 7th and 8th spot in the Eastern Conference.
* Trade rumors are swirling throughout the NHL and nowhere do they swirl more than in the centre of the hockey universe: Toronto. Former Leaf GM Bill Watters reported a rumor that had the Leafs and Blue Jackets involved which had Rick Nash & Kristian Huselius going to Toronto for Mikhail Grabovski, Nazem Kadri, Luke Schenn and Mike Kommisarek. Not sure the Leafs make out in this trade. I like Nash a lot but they lose a center and that is a position they need to strengthen unless they were prepared to bring up Joe Colborne. Another rumor had the Leafs trading Luke Schenn, Clarke MacArthur and the Leafs 2012 first round pick for Eric Staal. This deal would seem to make more sense for the Leafs. One thing is for sure: I believe Brian Burke will make a trade before the February 27th deadline.
* Plenty of controversy over Alex Ovechkin sitting out the NHL All-Star Game. Ovechkin said it wasn't right for him to play while he was on suspension. Maybe the real reason was that he was afraid that he would have been picked last in the All-Star Fantasy Draft.
* Last Tuesday New York Yankee catcher Jorge Posada announced his retirement. Posada was a part of a Yankee dynasty built around home-grown players such as Bernie Williams, Andy Petitte, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. Posada is another in a line of great Yankee catchers. With his retirement, only Jeter and Rivera are left from the dynasty core. Sad.
* Prince Fielder's signing with the Detroit Tigers made it even more imperative that the Yankees beef up their pitching. To represent the American League in the World Series will not be an easy task. It should make for an exciting summer.
* Last week, former Cincinnati Bengal quarterback Greg Cook passed away at the age of 65. Some of you may not know anything about Cook. He was the fifth pick overall in the 1969 NFL Draft by Paul Brown nad his Bengals. Cook's rookie season started out with impressive wins against the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. Cook suffered an injury to his shoulder in his third game but continued to play the rest of the season. He was named AFL Rookie of the Year. The shoulder injury ended up being a torn rotator cuff which was misdiagnosed. After 3 surgeries, his career was over. I had the opportunity to see Cook play at the old War Memorial Stadium against the Buffalo Bills. Bill Walsh, legendary Hall of Fame Coach of the 49ers, was an assistant coach for the Bengals at the time and said that if Cook wasn't injured he might have been the greatest quarterback of all time.
* As I had on a post a few days ago, the Cleveland Plain Dealer removed long-time Browns beat reporter, Tony Grossi from this assignment. Apparently, the Browns were not happy with a tweet that Grossi sent out inadvertently. Check out the article from Pro Football Talk
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bdFW7?utm_source=&utm_medium=newsletter
* The Yankees have some interest in Bill Hall. Hall as a platoon player is not a bad move. I don't understand though why they would sign Manny Delcarmen. Really???? There has to be someone better than that.
* And finally, what are the odds that Darcy Reiger and Lindy Ruff are with the Sabres at the beginning of next season??? Indications from Sabres President, Ted Black, would lead one to believe that the misery will continue for awhile down at the FN Center.
