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

Reimer Injured As Leafs Lose In OT 3-2

For the second day in a row, the Toronto Maple Leafs allowed a valuable second point get away by blowing a 2-0 lead in the third period and falling to the Atlanta Thrashers 3-2 in overtime.  But what may be a bigger loss is to what extent James Reimer is injured and how much time may he miss.  Reimer was injured as a result of a collision with Evander Kane which resulted in a two minute penalty to Kane.  Replays showed that Kane's knee hit Reimer in the head area.  The Leafs are mum on Reimer's condition which gives me a bad feeling and could really impact this team' s quest for a playoff spot.

Before and after the collision, Reimer looked solid as it seemed he was prepared to bounce back from a rough game against the Penguins.  However, it was evident that Reimer was having difficulty as he came to the bench twice during television time outs.  With J.S. Giguere loosening up, Reimer stood in the game to keep the Leafs ahead 2-0.  Late in the second period, Giguere came in and Reimer went off into the dressing room never returning to the bench.

The third period started off badly as the Leafs allowed a goal early as Giguere had little chance on a scramble in front of his net.  The Thrashers tied it up later on after Giguere made the first save but couldn't get back in position to stop the rebound which led to the Thrashers ultimately winning in the extra frame.

The Leafs did little to generate any offense in the third period and in the overtime after taking a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Nik Kulemin and Phil Kessel.  Kessel's goal was a beauty as he drove the net and was stopped by Chris Mason but stuck with the play and slapped the rebound home passed Mason.

Not sure if it was the earlier start after the night game on Saturday or the goalie switch, but the Leafs certainly lost their legs in the third period.  Ron Wilson placed blame on blown power play opportunities.  It's funny but at one point I was thinking: they have to score on one of these power plays.

Making the playoffs is not the key to me this year.  As I've stated before, this season is about this team learning how to win and growing together to build for the future.  Brian Burke has done a good job in making this team younger and bringing draft picks and young talent to the farm system.  As we get close to the 3pm trade deadline, I don't think its imperative that the Leafs break up what they have right now for someone to just get them in the playoffs.  This is more about next year and beyond.

The Leafs are back at it Wednesday against Pittsburgh at the ACC and hopefully some good news on James Reimer.

Another Saturday Night, Another SO Loss!!!

Not sure I can remember the last time the Leafs won on a Saturday night.  Last week's 1-0 shoot out loss to Ottawa was tough but Craig Anderson stood on his head.  But yesterday's 6-5 shoot out loss to the injury-depleted Pittsburgh Penguins is a tough one to swallow particularly since Carolina lost and Buffalo lost in a shoot out to Detroit.  What also makes it difficult to take was that the Leafs 4 times had one goal leads that they could not hold onto.

Last night, James Reimer struggled as three of the Penguin goals were stoppable.  Reimer seemed to be too deep in his crease and fought the puck most of the night.  The kid did make several big saves late in the game and in the overtime period, none bigger than the one on Mark Letestu.  What will be interesting to see will be who Ron Wilson has in the nets this afternoon against Atlanta.  If it's Reimer we will get a good look at the development of this kid and his ability to bounce back.  Every good NHL goalie has bad games but its the ability to put it behind you that the very good ones are able to do.  If Wilson goes with Giguere, what does that do to Reimer's confidence??  Not sure if that will be an issue since the kid seems to have a good attitude.

It was nice to see Joffrey Lupul score a couple.  He has made a difference on this line with Kessel and Bozak.  I couldn't help but thinking last night that every time they were on the ice that they were a threat to score.  I thought Dion Phaneuf played one of his better games last night delivering some big hits and scoring a big goal after his giveaway which led to a short handed goal for the Pens.  Mike Brown and Colby Armstrong played a strong game once again.  However, when the team needed to repeat what they did late in the game against Montreal on Thursday, they were unable to hold on to a 5-4 lead.

Am I down on the Leafs?? No, not by no means.  What we are seeing is the growth of a young team involved in a playoff chase which for some may be the first time in their young NHL careers.  Today's game with Atlanta will be a good test for this young team and I think we will learn a lot about how these youngsters are progressing.  The game starts at 5pm in Atlanta.

Leafs Win 5-4, It’s Getting To Be Fun Again.

It's funny how a 5-4 Leafs win against their long time rival, the Montreal Canadiens, can get me pumped up.  But the truth is that watching this team continue to grow and gain confidence, while moving up in the standings, is what has me quite hopeful and convinced that the Leafs are moving in the right direction.

Phil Kessel, the kid who some in the Toronto media love to dump on, continued his hot scoring hand by netting two goals and two assists.  Kessel's first goal was a bullet that Alex Auld had no chance on as Joffrey Lupul did a great job providing traffic in front of Auld.  Tyler Bozak was the beneficiary of the two Kessel assists as he scored the game winner in the third period.  But what may have been more important was the play he made on Andrei Kostitsyn minutes before his second goal while the Canadiens were on the power play.  With Kostitsyn streaking toward the net, Bozak did enough to tie the Canadien winger up to prevent a sure goal.

Brett Lebda, not necessarily one of my favorites, had his strongest game as a Leaf as he scored a goal, was an offensive presence and played solidly in his own end.  Despite giving up two power play goals, I thought the penalty killing unit did a very good job particularly in killing a couple of third period penalties.

The Leafs play after the Canadiens made it 5-4 was very impressive.  With about 2:27 left in the game, the Leafs put the clamps down as the Canadiens were unable to enter the Leafs zone and could not get Carey Price out of the net, who replaced Auld midway in the third period.  Colby Armstrong was unreal holding the puck inside the Canadiens zone.  They couldn't move him off the puck.  Joey Crabb and Freddie Sjostrom assisted in clamping down on the Canadiens.

Despite giving up 4 goals, James Reimer was solid and came up with some big saves, particularly in the third period.  He had little chance on the two power play goals scored by the Canadiens.  It's evident that this kid provides confidence and a calmness in the nets which the team seems to feed off  of.

Questions abound as to what the Leafs should do with 4 days until the trade deadline.  It would seem unlikely that they would move anyone from the current roster, though its reported that the Leafs have received many inquiries on Clarke MacArthur.  With this team continuing to grow together and climbing within 4 points of a playoff spot, I would be satisfied if we just sat back and watched this team continue to grow.  Suddenly, it's fun again to be a Leaf fan and I have to tell you: I Love It!!

The Leafs are back in action Saturday against the Penguins at the ACC.  It's time for a win on Saturday night!!!

Glimpse of the Future in Leafs 2-1 win

Last night elements of the pieces that could bring the Maple Leafs back  into hockey relevance were on display as the Leafs defeated the NY Islanders 2-1 at the ACC.  Phil Kessel's end-to-end rush which resulted in the winning goal late in the 3rd period was a picture of what this talented 23 year old brings to the table and why Brian Burke made the trade that some continue to ridiculously lament over.  As Kessel took the puck in his own zone and began to attack, you had the sense something good was about to happen as he wired a shot past Al Montoya to give the Leafs the lead.

But what may have saved the game was minutes earlier when James Reimer made an incredible glove save on Jack Hillen, which had the Islanders shaking their heads.   In watching the video replay it was amazing how Reimer saw that puck.  Be it instinct, be it being lucky or being at the right place at the right time, Reimer came up big just before Kessel's end to end rush.  Reimer's continual solid play is certainly giving Leafs management quite a bit to think about for next season.  What was incredible, was Reimer was battling a bad case of an upset stomach and was almost ready to sit out after the first period.  Thankfully for the Leafs, the medical staff was able to get the goalie's stomach calmed down.

What was also impressive last night was the steady play of Luke Schenn, Keith Aulie and Carl Gunnarsson.  Were they perfect? No.  But they were steady and made plays in their own end which provide the basis for a pretty solid defensive core along with Dion Phanuef.  It's apparent that Coach Ron Wilson is not afraid to put any one of the 3 out in key situations and on the penalty kill.  It was also nice to see Gunnarsson on the power play.  Hopefully, that continues.

Clarke MacArthur scored the Leafs first goal putting them ahead 1-0 in the first period on a bullet wrister that beat Montoya.  A pretty goal and one that will give Brian Burke something to think about as he begins negotiations with MacArthur's agent, Don Meehan.  After taking a slew of penalties, the Islanders tied it up on a power play goal by Matt Moulson in the second period.

While the game was not perfect as the power play continues to struggle and they took too many penalties, there is hope as you watch these young Leafs continue to grow.  Mistakes will be made and there were mistakes made last night.  But speed and youthful exuberance were able to make up for it.  It also helps to have a goalie who can come up big when you need him.

The Leafs are next in action Thursday at Montreal with hopefully revenge on their minds after a brutal 3-0 loss a couple of Saturdays ago at the Bell Center.