Preview for tonight's Thrashing:

Playing desperately: Both teams need this win
Leaf strategy: Total domination
Thrasher's strategy: Get new blood

Possible line up twiddling tonight: McCauley has been sick and he might sit out whil Belak gets the call with Fitzgerald and Reichel . Colaiacovo will probably be in the line up tonight and perhaps Lumme will sit.

Posted 9:44 AM by Chris |

Down on the farm Ponikarovksky, Leeb, Holden and Jackman are all hot, and played well in a recent game against Manitoba on October 23. . But the best thing about the Baby Leafs right now might be the play of Mikael Tellqvist.

Tellqvist has been impressive in his two starts so far this year, a far cry from the early troubles of last season. The Swedish netminder, with a mask showing the face of fellow Swede former Leaf Hall of Famer Borje Salming (who Tellqvist considers an idol), told Hockey's Future that last season was a real adjustment for him to the North American game and "I wasn't used to playing back to back games in Sweden." He is also showing a difference in his game by challenging shooters and not going down too early. Tellqvist stopped former Leaf Jeff Farkas cold on a breakaway during the game and stopped three other breakaways during the game.

Posted 12:15 PM by Chris |

October 28, 2002
Anaheim 2 at Toronto 5

Forwards
Renberg – Sundin - Mogilny
Tucker – Green - Corson
Domi – Reichel – Amac
Fitzgerald – Antro – Hoglund

Defense
McCabe - Kaberle
Pilar - Berg
Svehla - Lumme

Goal
Belfour

A solid game. Finally some of the messages are taking. The Leafs clearly showed improvement in the areas they have been weakest on tonight, including limiting their turnovers, tightening up the second period, playing more solidly in front of Belfour and notching up the physical game a little The result was a good win, solid in the fundamentals, if not a complete salve to the current skid, but it puts them in a good position to claw back some more dignity in Thursday against the Thrashers.

Importantly tonight, Reichel and Amac got their first goals, and the top line contributed with 5 points. That’s the kind of play that needs to happen to win games. Reichel had some pep tonight, playing with Amac and Domi on the third line but moving into an effective powerplay unit with Hoglund and Antropov. That was an inspired combo from Quinn who sat Fitzgerald for a lot of the night, even keeping him off the PK. McCauley saw a lot of PK time with Corson and as a result Domi rested. That all worked out pretty well.

The turnovers thing didn’t completely disappear, and a couple of first period ones were heart stopping. Lumme got burned with one as a shot bounced past him as he pinched allowing the Ducks to break up ice. Belfour didn’t generate a lot of confidence with the goal he let in off that rush, but later, McCabe had an even more brutal defensive zone turnover that Belfour bailed him out of. Eddie played a lot better after that and seemed determined to keep the Leafs in the game. He got his first home win as a result. In the third he solidified his game with a good save off Rucchin from a chance that was created by a Pilar turnover.

But on the plus side, the Leafs generated a lot of chances themselves and did it off of turnovers too, especially the last goal, a shorthanded marker from Hoglund. That was Hoglund’s second shorthanded chance, the first coming during an early Antropov penalty. Antro continues to be strong in the physical department and the Tucker – Green– Corson line really sparked up the physical game. Sundin looked bigger especially in the early going and his second period goal was intimidating coming as it did from the top of the crease. Renberg was responsible for that goal and he continues to catch my eye as a steady forechecker. He makes space for Mogilny and allows the play to get free as he bangs down low for possession.

No major complaints about the defense corps, although Lumme looked weak tonight. They just have to keep playing it simple, and eventually their game will come back to them. The high risk transition game which was so devastating in the first game against Pittsburgh will return only after they can build on the good D-zone coverage they worked on tonight. A couple more games in this direction and that big offense will get more confidence and start o break out more.

Cola was seated tonight which was a bit of a surprise, although I called it after the Ranger game. He is a solid kid and he’ll take it well. Perhaps he’ll get some time against Atlanta while Lumme gets the night off.

Feels good. Nowhere to go but up anyway and there is an opponent on the radar who is not looking too strong at the moment, but who can provide a useful foil for the Leafs to improve the weak parts of the game leading into Saturday’s tilt against Montreal. After that the home stand is over and the Leafs can get away, breathe a little and assess the damage.


Posted 2:24 AM by Chris |

Preview for tonight's game against the Ducks:

Rejigging the defence: Cola stays and Lumme may ride the pine
Preview: Oates out with a broken hand
Another preview: Leafs have to stop the skid

Posted 10:52 AM by Chris |

Predictably there is a whole crap load of finger pointing now going on about the Leafs season. Heres a rundown:

There is close to panic in the locker room as Quinn tries to figure out what is going on with these guys. "There's a lot of mistakes happening out there and it's not just the defensemen," Quinn said. "We are so risky with the puck. We made some no-look plays (Saturday night) that were just guesses -- that's all they are, just guesses. It usually gets you in trouble and sometimes can change the game."


The veterans have seen this all before and know that it will turn around, and the Leafs will be better for it. "I'm confident in the group we have here," Sundin said. "We've gone through stretches like this in every year we've played (in the Pat Quinn era). Not at the start of season, but we'll come through this, too, and we'll be a stronger team for it."


In Ottawa, the journalists in the national capital can't hide their glee


Damien Cox, in the same class as the wags in Ottawa, can't believe his luck. He writes "To be sure, Quinn the coach isn't the only problem with this flagging team. But stripped of the services of a goalie that could save the team on nights it was disorganized or disinterested, he might be in danger of being exposed as a coach in the same way his summertime paralysis and excuse-making exposed him as an ineffective GM."


And finally, a disasterous practice yesterday had Belak flattening McCauley (and maybe taking him out of toinight's line up) and Cola, and Kaberle pissing off Sundin. McCabe is described as having a "death stare" during the one on ones drills.

Whoopee. It's always fun to be a Leaf fan. I'd forgotten about just how bad it feels when it gets as bad as this. But, we have trademarked unbridled optimism, so let's all just look ahead and ponder the drubbings coming to Anaheim and Atlanta this week. We'll be back in the saddle soon. One good thing about a team full oif vets is that they know this stuff, they have all been through cycles of losing bad games and then firing up the engine and getting back on track. It's a tough lesson for the young guys to learn, but it's one they are going to learn sooner or later and October is the best month to practice losing, if that's what you are going to do.

Posted 10:25 AM by Chris |

October 26, 2002
New York Rangers 4 at Toronto 3

Forwards
Renberg – Sundin - Mogilny
Tucker – Green - Corson
Domi – Reichel – Amac
Fitzgerald – Antro – Hoglund

Defense
McCabe - Kaberle
Pilar - Lumme
Svehla - Colaiacovo

Goal
Belfour

I remember Mike Richter in the 1996 World Cup. It seemed like destiny was following him around like a shoe licking lackey. His team might fold up in front of him, but he was never going to abandon them and he made saves that gave the USA too many lives, lives that they otherwise would have squandered.

Six years later, Richter pulled another one out of the bag, turning away a million shots including 22 in the second period alone, and robbing the Leafs on four or five occasions when the puck should have ended up in the net. He was sensational, and when the Rangers were back on their heels – and make no mistake, they were outplayed badly for two periods – Richter’s play spoke of a ray of hope that no one else could see. So when Bure scored the winning goal in the last minute, there could be no doubt that despite the barrage, and the slight resurgence in the Leafs spirits, it was a New York win that was neatly engineered by Richter all night.

There is something disturbing about the way the Leafs are losing games this year. It’s like a guy who has everything going for him who suddenly commits suicide. No one can figure out what happened, or why he would pull the trigger. In this case the trigger is turnovers and Carlo Colaiacovo pulled the biggest of them all last night. Caught out on a line change with three Rangers charging him at centre ice, he didn’t make the safe play and bang the puck into the Rangers’ zone. Instead he feathered a weak pass to Travis Green that never had a chance to get there. The Rangers swarm pounced on it and by the time Bure had buried the puck behind Belfour and Sundin had snapped his stick in disgust, Carlo was a distant memory, still floundering in the neutral zone, contemplating no doubt the long bus ride back to Erie.

But perhaps it’s not fair to entirely blame Cola for a fatal turnover. Pilar had one too, on a similar kind of play. Trying to clear the puck from deep in his own zone early in the first, he fanned on the attempt and dribbled a soft one to Messier who came charging in from the point and scored. That goal really set back the Leafs who were coming off a strong first period and looking for a reason to play with passion. Luckily they recovered, but the foreshadowing was creepy.

Defensive zone coverage was the problem and that has got to improve and fast. The kids (Pilar, Cola) are a little too tentative and putting pressure on their partners to play a little more conservatively. McCabe, finally liberated from the rookies, had his best game of the season riding shotgun with Kaberle, who also looked strong. That paining played almost ten minutes longer than any other, logging nearly 29 minutes, which is high for any Leaf player. Unfortunately they were the sole bright spot, with the possible exception of Robert Svehla’s 5 shots. It may well be time to make a major change in the D core, send Cola away, and bring Belak and Jackman into the mix to get some experience on the line. The rookies, although not the only guys to be screwing up, are certainly causing their share of problems. If anyone doubted how hard it is to learn the game at this level, watching Pilar and Cola struggle to keep up should clear that up.

Up front, the forward lines were all re-jigged. Hockey is a funny game because it isn’t the whole team that matters so much as who is playing with whom. Juggling lines can create a whole new profile and this is what was on the books for last night. Every line has struggled in the last few games, so they all got broken up. Sundin and Mogilny saw Renberg appear on their left wing and that was an obvious and helpful move. Renberg’s play has been solid lately, even if he has been searching for points, and his forechecking prowess has topped Tucker’s of late. The days of Darcy the playmaker, as evidenced from the first game, are over.

Tucker joined his brother in law and Green on a line that did a little damage, although didn’t make it on the score sheet. They pressed in the second period and Corson had a couple of chances that Richter denied.

The other lines got out there to try to keep the ice slick between until Sundin could get back out. Reichel, playing with Amac and Domi, was great in the face off circle, winning 76% of his draws. Antro was the high point of the fourth line with one dangerous breakaway. Hoglund and Fitzgerald had a couple of other chances also stolen by Richter, and Hoglund especially, peppered Richter in the second.

Belfour may be the untold story of the game though. He is looking stunningly average, and while the Leafs are providing him with a disproportionate number of challenges, he hasn’t been scintillating in bailing them out. He made a few key saves tonight, including one from a puck that bounced weirdly off the backboards and came out in front for a chance. It wasn’t a really tough save, but it was a key one. If that goal had been scored, it would have hung on him like a bad smell. What isn’t happening though is that Belfour is not doing the kinds of things that inspire a team, the kinds of things that Cujo used to do: making impossible and inspiring stops that turn the play back up ice and immediately shift the momentum.

This is a dark time, and the Leafs seem to be playing like the world is collapsing in around them. They can put together some good hockey but small mistakes that loom large are undermining all that good work. Their confidence is shot, no one knows where the next gaff is going to come from and the home stand continues meaning that they won’t be able to get away from it all. This may well be the toughest stretch of the year, and unless they can get a win at home and soon, this is the kind of slump that can set them back a long way, maybe even into the late season fight for a playoff spot. Quinn’s decision to shift the lines around will be a good one, and once the guys settle in together in the new combinations, things will start to happen, but the defense needs work and the powerplay, second in the league coming into the game, needs to regain it’s early season form, the form that has fled as it has now gone 0-22.

Posted 2:11 AM by Chris |

Previews for the Rangers game:

Game preview
Leafs changing it up: Quinn mixes up the forward lines
Rangers reshuffling too:Not the fan darlings at the moment
Pilar's benching: Too many chances
Rangers strategy: They stink. What now?

Posted 1:11 PM by Chris |

October 23, 2002
Florida 4 at Toronto 1

Forwards
Tucker – Sundin - Mogilny
Renberg – McCauley - Corson
Domi – Reichel - Hoglund
Fitzgerald – Green – Antropov

Tucker - Green – Corson
Renberg – Sundin - Mogilny

Defense
Lumme - Berg
McCabe - Colaiacovo
Svehla - Kaberle

Lumme-McCabe

Goal
Belfour 1.95 .933

The worst effort of the year. Not that it was all bad – the Leafs had some good pep at the beginning of the second period – but the way they lost this game was appalling, with turnovers and defensive zones lapses contributing to the three goals that mattered.

Toronto is going to have to get serious about shaking things up, and Quinn perhaps gave some hints of that as he put out two new lines late in the game. But it was too little too late as Carlo Colaiacovo’s NHL debut (nicely capped with an assist) is spoiled.

The culprits were:

Shane Corson, who tries a drop pass in the Florida zone SHORTHANDED and gets picked off leading to a goal by Jokkinen.

Jonas Hoglund who, while on the powerplay, had a similar gaff dropped the puck at the Florida blue line for Nielsen who broke away, pulled a nice move on Belfour and scored.

Those were the major gaffs, but there was a lot to chew over and work on for these guys.

The top line sputtered and Sundin went to the penalty box three times, the frustration showing. Mogilny also took a penalty late in the game. That line got broken up on it’s last shift and Renberg skated for Tucker.

Amac’s line played reasonably well, and was dangerous on a few occasions when Renberg was getting into the play. Other than Corson’s gaff on the PK, they were fairly responsible.

Likewise Green’s line. Green actually finished at +1 thanks to Antropov’s goal from a lovely give and go with Coloaiacovo and then some solid defensive play for the rest of the game. Antro is playing well at the moment, using his size to create havoc on the forecheck and finding ways to get some things happening.

Green and McCauley both won 76% of their face offs.

Reichel’s line is becoming increasingly invisible, with Domi fading from his early season form and Hoglund just sucking wind. Late in the third they got broken up and Renberg went to play on the top line with Tucker dropping to a line with Green and Corson.

On D, Colaiacovo played well in his first game but got nailed a couple of times, once going into the Florida zone with his head down. Ouch. His partner McCabe had a bunch of shots, most of which were dangerous, and one of which, in the second, would have been a timely goal if Luongo hadn’t robbed him. McCabe though was burned on the Nilson goal. I was surprised to see Pilar sit down instead of Lumme, but perhaps that too will come with the post mortem of this game. The D was caught flatfooted a few times, and they are still running around and being caught out of position.

Belfour played okay, stopping 27 shots, but letting three in. he was most heavily tested about half way through the second when, after almost nine minutes without a shot, he stopped 7 in 1:50 during a Florida power play.

Florida played well, especially Luongo, Nilson and the Bure line, who found a way to choke the middle and keep the Leafs out of it. But the bottom line was that the Leafs killed themselves tonight, and this can’t go on. I expect some line changes and maybe a few more bums in the press box seats. In truth, the Leafs are not far off turning this thing around. They continue to show promise in pressuring the forecheck, getting lots of shots, especially from their defensemen, and having some reliable if not stellar goaltending. The problem is that they seem to be playing reactively and are not creating opportunities. The momentum gets easily stolen from them and the turnovers are creating moments of opportunity of which the opposition is taking full advantage.

It’s ugly, but it might not be too late to stop the rot. A little more defensive discipline, and some mindful playmaking might be the keys to getting out of the slump.


Posted 2:36 AM by Chris |

Preview for Leafs and Panthers tomorrow night:

Yushkevich homecoming: Stressful for Dmitri
Yushkevich and Svehla: Seperated at birth?
Panthers update: Weiss won't shoot
Worrel: Still a goon

Posted 11:27 PM by Chris |

October 21, 2002
Boston 4 at Toronto 1

Forwards
Tucker – Sundin - Mogilny
Renberg – McCauley - Corson
Domi – Reichel - Hoglund
Fitzgerald – Green – Antropov

Defense
Svehla - Kaberle
Pilar - McCabe
Lumme - Berg

Goal
Belfour 1-0-1 0.93 GAA

A big home stand starts with a bad loss. This game was mostly defensive gaffs punctuated by moments of brilliance, which were stopped by Steve Shields. As usual, the Leafs got a good start out of the gate, but faded by the end of the game, as the Bruins sat on the lead they opened up late in the second.

Turnovers killed the team. Svehla, on his first shift had two, one of which was converted by Josef Stumpel as Glenn Murray recovered it. The second Bruins goal emerged from a Kaberle give away as he was pinching in the offensive zone. As the Bruins turned the puck back on a three on two, Renberg skated right past his man, Murray who scored on Belfour’s left side. The fourth Boston goal came off a face off in the Leafs zone which was prompted by an icing.

In the other net, the Leafs only goal, a cross crease pass from Mogilny to Sundin on a 5 on 3 was the only Leaf marker, and it extended both player’s point streaks to five games. Another goal was scored by Sundin in the third, but was called back after Tucker was ruled to have interfered with Shields. Replay looked dubious – he was pushed - but the refs can’t be blamed for this one. Sloppy play was the culprit in this loss, and it’s going to have to get better and soon. Substitutions may yet be in the offing for the next game, but Ric Jackman went to St. John’s to get some playing time, so it might be Carlo, who doesn't mind waiting, or Belak who suits up.

The penalty kill continued it’s good success, with a healthy does of shot blocking from McCauley and Corson on the fourth Bruins power play.

It’s perhaps no exaggeration to say that Green’s line was the most effective tonight. Antropov continues to improve and even thought these guys had the thornotn assignment for half the night, they were able to make some chances happen.

The defense was simply brutal with giveaways, missed assignments and a lack of pressure from the point. Pilar and Kaberle were the most promising offensive defensmen, but both had off nights. Lumme was terrible and McCabe still doesn’t look healthy, afraid to take those huge point shots.

Belfour, who came into the game with the League’s leading GAA and save percentage has certainly had better games, but a lack of turnovers would have helped him.

The home stand continues, getting more and more difficult as the fans have started to turn.

At this point, there is nothing the Leafs are doing well in their own end. Their efforts at turning the puck back up the ice too often result in giveaways, either from errant passes or being knocked off the puck by a fore-checker.

"Our defence was pushed fairly effectively by one guy," Quinn said of Boston's use of a lone fore-checker. "But [the Bruins] didn't work well together, either. They are a typical 1-2-2 team and we should have had three people back to move the puck, but we weren't doing it very well."

Posted 1:36 AM by Chris |

Nice piece today on Nik Antropov and the steady rise in his currency. From my view, he has improved with every game. Tom Fitzgerald seems to agree:

"Maybe it was thinking too much, maybe it was thinking about his knee, maybe he wasn't happy with his conditioning," said veteran forward Tom Fitzgerald. "But you sure see the jump in his game now."

Posted 9:59 AM by Chris |

Preview for the Bruins game:

Boston strategy: Getting the D into the play
Leafs Strategy: Tightening up D zone coverage
Leafs looking at Kyle McLaren?: But at what price
Matchup: Bruins powerplay could be their undoing
The long view: Seven game homestand is critical

Posted 10:06 PM by Chris |

October 19, 2002
Toronto 2 at Montreal 2

Forwards
Tucker – Sundin - Mogilny
Renberg – McCauley - Corson
Domi – Reichel - Hoglund
Fitzgerald – Green – Antropov

Defense
Lumme - Berg
Pilar - McCabe
Svehla - Kaberle

Goal
Belfour

What a way to rekindle the rivalry. Ever since Toronto moved to the Eastern conference, the Habs haven’t been much competition for them, missing the playoffs for a bunch of years and not ever really making the season series all that it could be. But now Montreal is coming back and if tonight’s game is any indication, the rivalry will be up and running in no time.

A tie was perhaps the fairest result, as both teams matched strength and strength. Belfour and Hackett both played well, and made sensational saves when needed. Perhaps none was so amazing or important as Hackett’s rob of Sundin in overtime as he dove across his crease to stop a shot on an otherwise wide open net.

Each team’s top line shone as well, with the Sundin line applying a lot of pressure and the Koivu line (with Zednik and McKay) causing absolute havoc on almost every shift. As a result the game was back and forth a lot, and the momentum swung far and wide.

So how were the Leafs?

Well, the top line threatened all night but didn’t click like they have been, and for the first time the Leafs’ power play was blanked. Mogilny and Sundin hit posts, but the Habs had the cross ice game nailed down and none of those plays were able to develop. The best display from these guys came on the equalizer in the third when Sundin made a great play, coming down the left wing, crossing over across the blue line and looking to leave the puck to Mogilny. Instead he kept going cross ice and left it for Kaberle instead who came cruising down the middle of the ice. Sundin cleared the lane for Kabby by taking a huge check after he dropped the puck and that pick allowed Kaberle to notch his fourth goal, and his the leafs first shorthanded goal of the year.

I am increasingly thinking of Sundin’s line with Svehla and Kaberle as a unit, they play that well together. Sundin and Mogilny bring the forward out in Kaberle and Svehla and the chemistry shows. Coming into last night’s game, Sundin and Tucker were in the top four in scoring and Kaberle and Svehla were the top scoring defensemen in the NHL.

So if that crew is a unit, I’m thinking of Corson and McCauley as a pair. They continued to play well, and Corson blocked a shot late in overtime to perhaps save the game, reminding me of his heroics in game six against Ottawa last year. Renberg is a very useful forechecker and although the line was the most dangerous early in the third, they would have benefited from having someone stand up in the slot a little longer. Centering passes weren’t getting home. Defensively they continue to see a lot of the NHL’s top lines, Renberg goofed on Zedniks’ goal, allowing him to come in front and then following him as he arced across the crease and finally put the puck over Belfour. Renberg didn’t even so much as touch him.

Green’s line was a pleasant surprise, and Fitzgerald and Antropov got PK time. More significantly, after scoring a lovely goal to open the scoring, Green’s line got some power play time which Antro wasted by coughing up the puck on their only possession. Green though had five shots on the night, many of them legitimate scoring chances.

Reichel’s line was okay. Domi wasn’t as sparky as he has been and Reichel and Hoglund saw a lot of action as a pair. Hoglund had four solid shots, most of them from the side of the net after Reichel found him there.

On the blueline the Svehla – Kaberle unit continues to be the story and McCabe is improving after his return from the hand injury. At the other extreme, Jyrki Lumme continues to frighten me. His worst transgression was a giveaway to Zednik which required Reichel to come back and help out. In doing so, Reichel highsticked Zednik resulting a penalty. I wouldn’t mind if Lumme were rested soon and Jackman or Colaiacovo dressed.

So a game that started with an honouring of Ken Dryden ends in an honourable tie and the season series is poised to be a good one.


Posted 2:32 AM by Chris |

October 17, 2002
Phoenix 3 at Toronto 5

Forwards
Tucker – Sundin - Mogilny
Renberg – McCauley - Corson
Domi – Reichel - Hoglund
Fitzgerald – Green – Antropov

Defense
Lumme - Berg
Pilar - McCabe
Svehla - Kaberle

Goal
Kidd

Both teams were coming into this game 1-3, which meant heartache for one, and a snap for another. Luckily it was the Buds who snapped the streak, and sent the Coyotes home with a mostly steady 5-3 victory.

The Leafs were strong in the first period as they have been thus far this season, and they faded a little in the second and third, hanging on for the win rather than nailing the sucker down. Better efforts tonight from guys that needed to step up, notably the McCauley line, who finally broke out from their slump, and Kidd who was very strong in net.

McCauley's line really was the story as they generated two Shane Corson goals from agressive forechecking from Renberg and creative play from McCauley. This is what this line was supposed to be, and they played much better tonight. Amac and Corson continued to see time on the PK playing 4:34 and 5:08 respectively.

The Sundin line, played full of piss and vinegar too generating another six points tonight led by Mogilny with three assists. As a powerplay unit they are very strong, paired with Svehla and Kaberle, and they had two more goals that way tonight.

Reichel's line showed up tonight too, as they have been, and Domi and Hoglund tried hard to get each other on the scoresheet in the first two periods with two or three nice set plays. Domi even got in on the cross ice act that the number one line has perfected, feeding Hoglund a beauty in the first period who fed Reichel. The puck was moving on the goal line when the whistle blew.

As for the fourth line, the best thing about them was that they didn't make any costly mistakes. Antro stepped up with Fitzgerald on the PK, and he also played a more physical game down low, creating traffic in front of the net. Some nights I think he could be this decade's Dave Andreychuk, and sometimes Nic disabuses me of that dream. Green has been demoted to a 5 on 5 specialist.

I guess the real defensive story of the night was Kaberle and Svehla who seem to have gotten the green light to shoot the puck. The shots in the official stats don;t do justcie to their play tonight. Kaberle's goal was a beauty, sneaking in on the left side to take a perfect pass from Sundin who was standing at the side of the net. Kaberle snapped it home. Likewise, Svehla stepped into the action getting his first goal as a Leaf by cruising in from the point behind Tucker who was wreacking havoc in front of the net, to take a soft pass from Mogilny who was bhind the goal. Svehla was deep in the slot when he was able to push the puck under Boucher's right leg. That was a big goal, as it came 57 seconds after Mike Johnson had put the Coyotes to within one, threatening to turn the game Phoenix's way. The Leafs scored two more unanswered which sealed the deal.

McCabe played a schizophrenic game, starting off by giving away the puck early in the first, but then redeeming himself with some nice defensive play later on. He finished -2 though, the worst of all Leafs, suggesting that it wasn't all sweetness and light for him. On his flank, Pilar impressed with some cocky offensive playmaking in the second period.

In goal though, Trevor Kidd had a good game, arguably his best yet. Although he let in three goals, he made four key saves on the first four shots, none of which was easy, but all of which game off Leaf turnovers. Let any of those in and it's a very different hockey game. He made a couple of brilliant saves to redeem his teammates, notably one of Claude Lemieux late in the second. In the third he turned away 17 shots to keep the Leafs lead safe.

Belfour should be back on Saturday against Montreal after succesfully beat a strep infection in his thumb, which could have turned serious.

The game was always going to hinge on special teams, and the PK did come out well tonight. Phoenix was kept to 1-7 including a great kill of a 5 on 3 situation to start the third. Toronto's powerplay, which has not been a problem at all this year, continued to put up impressive numbers. The Sundin/Kaberle-Svehla unit is very very strong.

Phoenix did not put up a great showing, and their special teams continued to fizzle. In many ways they suffered the same fate as the Leafs have been. Amonte was the most threatening of the Desert Dogs.


Posted 1:21 AM by Chris |

Preview for tonight's tilt vs. Phoenix:

Leaf injuries: McCabe, Belak, Belfour...
Leafs strategy: No more "oh, boy" plays
Coyotes strategy: Special teams will win it

Posted 4:28 PM by Chris |

October 15, 2002
Toronto 4 at New York Rangers 5

Forwards
Tucker – Sundin - Mogilny
Renberg – McCauley - Corson
Domi – Reichel - Hoglund
Fitzgerald – Green – Antropov

Defense
Lumme - Belak
Pilar - Berg
Svehla - Kaberle

Goal
Kidd

I’m not liking this little losing streak very much. Some very sloppy play from the Leafs handed the Rangers this win. Tough to say what the whole reason was but I have a few theories.

Number one, bad ice. Mogilny looked like he was trying to herd cats in the third period as he waited to put anything near the side of the net in.

Number two, tired team. Two straight games with a short bench on D back to back, as Belak left in the second after Lindros crushed him. Kidd has had three straight starts in four nights with some travel. He’s done for this week. I’ll bet Tellqvist gets the call against Phoenix on Thursday.

Number three, crap defensive play. Horrible turnovers which sealed the deal and the strangely evolving pattern of the Leafs giving away the momentum once the steal it back.

Number four, penalty kill. It seems to be happening more often than not, that Leaf players spend less than their full sentence in the box.

So the game sucked, but there were bright spots.

Overall I get a strong sense that there is no deficit these guys won’t fight to claw back. With a little more discipline (whether it’s penalties or defense) they will be able to play more solidly. But they are fundamentally and offensive team with 15 goal in four games so far, and they look a lot like the Leafs of 1999 in that respect. Lots of goals at both ends. One gets the feeling that there will be a lot of one goal games this year.

So down the lineup.

Top line was threatening tonight, but not lethal. All three had strong offensive games, although they had trouble with bouncing pucks all night, and Sundin wore Holik for a lot of the evening.

The Amac line showed improvement. With fewer penalties, they were able to play as a unti more rather than Amac and Corson on the PP all night. Renberg especially was strong forechecking. They almost certainly would have had some offense if they hadn’t had to contain the Bure - Lindros – Nedved line all night.

Domi is the third line at the moment although Hoglund’s goal was a beauty. Feed from Kaberle and Hoglund pots it on at the side of the net. The Leafs have patented that play, although it’s usually the top line that executes it. Domi was great again tonight, all over the place while getting mugged by Kasperitis and Barnaby. Barnaby owned the line otherwise.

Fourth line was very shaky and Fitzgerald’s turnover was appalling. The less said the better on these guys. The bright spot was Antropov with a nice goal and an assist and some aggressive play down low from him for a change. He even got PK duty.

Of the blueliners, it’s clear that Kaberle wears the QB when it comes to the power play. It’s like playing tic tac toe with him: he waits to see which lane will open up, and then he wires passes where they need to go. The passing play that set up the first leaf goal by Hoglund was astounding. Svehla is a big reason why Kaberle can free wheel. He can move the puck as well as any defenseman the leafs have had in the last few years. He fills the role that Bryan Berard left open in terms of a guy to get the transition games moving fast. Putting these two on with the Sundin line is a foreboding PP unit.

On the other side of the ledger, Lumme should take a break. He wears the goat’s horns tonight for a disgusting blind pass to clear the zone that resulted in Samulsson’s goal. That was a move worthy of the press box, and one wonders if inserting Jackman and Colaiacovo on Thursday is entirely out of the question.

Kidd played rusty. He didn’t make mistakes as much as he suffered from errors in judgment. Probably time to rest him too and start Tellqvist against the dogs.

On the Rangers side, Bure and Barnaby were both picked and it’s hard to argue with that. Barnaby especially was great and had a goal and one called back. He is a different player now, not the brass knuckle toting goon he was with Buffalo. It looks good on him.

Special teams have to pick it up. The powerplay was pretty good, but they sputtered on the five minute stretch at the beginning of the second period and that shifted the momentum away from the leafs for the rest of the game. Ranger were 2-3 on their powerplay, which says something. What’s; the point of playing smarter if the opposition wins the game while you are shorthanded?

I ask you…


Posted 1:44 AM by Chris |

News from the farm where the Baby Leafs are getting into penalty trouble too.

Stock is up on Holden, Leeb and Boyes at the moment. Minard is back in uniform after holding out over a transfer to Memphis. We'll see what happens when Tellqvist gets sent down this weekend.

Posted 3:16 PM by Chris |

Meanwhile, in South Africa...

They take shots on a wall sized mural of Cujo...

I love this!

Posted 4:11 AM by Chris |

Preview for tonight against the Rangers:

Rangers Notes
Ranger's Strategy
Bure's back

Posted 4:07 AM by Chris |

Pittsburgh 5 at Toronto 4

Forwards
Tucker – Sundin - Mogilny
Renberg – McCauley - Corson
Domi – Reichel - Hoglund
Fitzgerald – Green – Antropov

Defense
Lumme - Berg
Pilar - McCabe
Svehla - Kaberle

Goal
Kidd

Strange game, full of powerplay goals and special teams. See sawing back and forth, but in the end, and with the help of a goal called back with 24 seconds left, the Penguins pulled it out.

Coming into the game, the Pens needed to do two three things: go to the net, shut down the Sundin line and rely less on Mario to score. The actually managed only the third goal well, and Morozov contributed two power play goals in similar fashion, leaking out of the coverage while the Leafs were double teaming Mario.

Again, Kidd can't be blamed for the loss, although the last goal which Mario bounced off of him was a bit ragged. He got beat on a couple of beauties including Nieminen's shorthanded goal that looked like a lacrosse shot, spinning backwards and draining one around Pilar.

Sundin's line looked good and they finished the night with three goals, all of them on the power play. The Pens needed to take away the cross ice passing lanes, and they mostly did except for those three occasions. Sundin's goal, his 400th career was gorgeous as was the pass from Kaberle that went from the left point to the right side of the net where Mogilny banged it home. This line has perfected the one timer.

And if that is their style, then it must be said that Reichel's line has evolved into the legitimate number two powerplay line with Domi crowding the net and looking for rebounds. But even Domi got into the one timer mood with his goal. He looked great all night, generating lots of offense and creating a number of chances down low. He even imitated Gretzsky a couple of time s and parked himself behind the net looking for a man in the slot. Reichel has trouble staying on his feet out there. He's no Jari Kurri.

McCauley's line settled in after starting slowly. Renberg seemed so tentative for the game, unwilling to pass the puck with any authority. Later, in the second and espcially the third that line created some great pressure, but they are still lacking the finishing touch they developed in the preseason.

Antro played well on the fourth line tonight, even though he took a dumb penalty in the second. He had some responsible two way plays and forechecked hard. All three of the guys on this line have to tighten up their disciplne and stop taking crappy penalities.

On the blueline, McCabe went out early with a serious hand injury after blocking a shot on his first shift. Kaberle and Svehla took over the bulk of the d-corps playing time and both looked good. Kabby's pass to Mogs on the fourth goal was outstanding. Lumme played well at home and Pilar sucked, especially in not taking out Niemenen on his shorthanded goal.

But this was a game of powerplays, the Leafs going 4-8 and Pitteburgh going 3-5. The new NHL is going to be dominated by special teams, and although the leafs did get teh PP clicking again, they were woeful on the kill.

The Pens played well, especially the Lemieux-Morozov-Kovalev line. Every other line was just sent out to shut down the leaf skaters. Quinn tried matching Sundin with Lemieux, while the Pens were trying to counter with the Niemenen or the Primeau line. Obviously it all worked 5 on 5, but once the Pens were down to 4 men, the Sundin line could go to work on them. 11 points in the opener and 6 points tonight. 17 points from one line against a team in two games. That's harsh.

So a strange loss, but not a dispriting one. For the next game, either Colaiacovo or Jackman will suit up for McCabe with Kidd in net for Belfour again. Give the Amac line another couple of games to break out and see what happens. And maybe think about Belak on the fourth line if those guys keeps taking stupid calls.


Posted 2:16 AM by Chris |

Preview for tonight's game against Pittsburgh:

Stats
Preview
Penguins strategy

Posted 12:53 PM by Chris |

Belfour put on the injured reserve for an infected thumb. Sheesh.

The injury is worse than the team first thought and he probably will not return to the lineup until at least Saturday. He was unable to play last Saturday against Ottawa.

Belfour, signed during the summer to replace Curtis Joseph, is unable to firmly grasp a stick and will be examined again Monday.

"It's not real good. It's pretty weak," said Belfour, who kept his thumb hidden in his fist or behind his back while speaking Sunday. "It feels like a broken bone just because of the swelling."

Belfour's hand began puffing up on the flight home from Pittsburgh on Thursday, after he had played well in a 6-0 shutout of the Penguins. He had cut his thumb after the final exhibition game, nicking it on the eyelet of one of his gloves.

Tellqvist has been called up.

Posted 12:04 AM by Chris |

Ottawa 2 at Toronto 1

Forwards
Tucker – Sundin - Mogilny
Renberg – McCauley - Corson
Domi – Reichel - Hoglund
Fitzgerald – Green – Antropov

Defense
Lumme - Berg
Pilar - McCabe
Svehla - Kaberle

Goal
Kidd

Dumb way to lose a game. When the whole team has contributed to keep it close, Green takes a run at Curtis Lechyshyn with overtime looming and 21 seconds left to play in the third. Granted the goal was a weird one, but what was the reason for a dumb move like that?

"It was full speed," Green explained. "I was coming full speed and he tried to move at the last second, and I tried to get him and I think my arm came up a bit. If I could do it over again, I wouldn't have done it."

Wouldn't have done it? He left his feet and threw an elbow. Dumb.

This was not a stellar performance by the Leafs at any rate. It was a fast game, and end to end at times but Toronto had 12 penalites, which meant that the offensive production was way down. The top line was dangerous occasionally but although Sundin won 10 of 15 faceoffs, the whole line had only four shots between them and they were all from Mogilny. Toronto was outshot 35 to 23 with only 9 shots in the last two periods.

In fact none of the offensive lines really shined tonight. Domi was the pick of the third line with a couple of scruffy attempts at producing chaos by shooting the puck in and following it up. He had a nice goal on the powerplay with Hoglund and Sundin as he one timed Hoglund's pass through Lalime.

Green and Fitzgerald continue to impress me on the penalty kill. The Leafs had no shorthanded chances to speak of, but they generally kept the Senators passing or on the run, and blocked a alot of shots to boot.

The power play needs to be stronger for sure. Sundin played over 7 minutes on the PP with not a shot to his credit. Same with Tucker.

The defensive corps were fairly solid, other than a few gaffs that Kidd bailed them out on. The most notable was McCabe getting caught down ice at the end of a powerplay, falling and allowing Ottawa to create a 4 on 1 with Bonk coming out of the box. Svehla had a good game, logged a lot of time and fired the transition game early on. He sprang Mogilny early in the first period and Almo rang one off the post. The Sens strategy was to try and get to the net, and they were mostly restricted in this plan.

Kidd was outstanding, and kept the Leafs in the game, notably stopping Mike Fisher on a breakaway in the third to save the game to that point. In the first period, after setting the tempo with some key saves on the first Sens PP, he made a big save off White on an odd man rush. He didn't deserve the loss. Wish it could be pinned on Green. By the way, Kidd was subbing for Belfour who cut his index finger taking off his equipment the other night. The finger got infected and now it looks like Kidd will start on Monday backed by Tellqvist.

Pick of the opposition had to be Lalime who made some key saves as well as Alfredsson who was very dangerous, even after Tucker got a piece of revenge from him in the third. Chara played almost half the game and is just a monster presence both on the blueline and down low, where he occasionally wanders. The Sens tightened up their defense in the third and had a perfect penality kill towards the end, where they plugged the neutral zone, forced the shoot in, recovered every puck and fired them out. Very impressive.

Other reports on the game from The Star and The Sun..

Posted 3:22 AM by Chris |

Previews for tonight's game:

Stats
Notes
Sens Strategy

Posted 9:02 AM by Chris |

Around the Web.

Who's going to be the first to name the first line? Mike Zeisberger is pushing for the MAD line (Mats-Alex-Darcy). They were clearly the spark in the engine last night.

Belfour's efforts of course didn't go unnoticed, becoming the first Leaf goalie to record a shutout in his first game with the team. It won't get the dogs off his shoulder, but should get the question mark off his jersey. Even that idiot Damien Cox couldn't find anything bad to write about him.

As for the verdict on the new rules: lots of penalities, but the game is way faster and there is more ice out there. As Mogilny said, "even Lemieux had trouble keeping up."

Posted 11:51 AM by Chris |

Toronto 6 at Pittsburgh 0

Forwards
Tucker - Sundin - Mogilny
Renberg - McCauley - Corson
Domi - Reichel - Hoglund
Fitzgerald - Green - Antropov

Defense
Lumme - McCabe
Berg - Pilar
Svehla - Kaberle

Goal
Belfour

A perfectly played game. Belfour makes 33 saves to make his first shutout and get his first win. He didn't look at all jittery, played with confidence and control and was able to dictate the tempo in the Leaf zone in the third when the Pens started applying pressure. He is very cool when it gets hot.

The forward lines all played well, and the top line especially. Four goals and 11 points among them. Outstanding. They were dangerous all night, and even as the Leafs sat on the lead throughout the third period they still pounced on chances. They seemed to have got the signals straight. Mogs gets the puck on the fly and if the line gets set up, they go to Sundin. That might be a fairly easy strategy to build a book on, but if Tucker continues to be a playmaker then it might be unpredictable enough to stay fresh.

Amac and Corson got a lot of work on the PK, with Corson logging almost seven minutes shorthanded. As a result they weren't as much of a threat as they had been in the pre-season, but they had their share of chances.

Reichel's line also played well down low and Reichel set up a nice goal by Pilar in the third to seal the game.

Like Amac, Fitz and Green played a lot of shorthanded hockey and were great on the PK. At full strength they couldn't seem to connect with Antropov, and a few times Nik was left behind the Pens net looking for a play to get made.

On defense, Berg and Lumme had great stay at home games while Svehla, Kaberle and Pilar sparked the offense. Svehla had a beuatiful uncredited assist in the second period when he spotted daylight on a transition feed to Tucker who set up a great goal. The transition game clicked and three goals were scored on 2 on 1s.

Special teams dominated as they were always going to. The Pens had almost 17 minutes on the PP but couldn't convert, going 0-9. A lot of that was Belfour, but it was also responsible D from the Leafs and some silly play from the Pens who seemed to be looking for Mario on every play. After a while it became predictable. Kovalev or Hrdina would always look for Lemieux and the D just had to block the passing lane.

Kovalev seemed to be the most dangerous guy for the Pens, and he logged a lot of ice time: 25:30 with 14 minutes on the PP.

Although it was against a weak team, it was altogether a great game, a great start and an awesome way to return to Toronto for the home opener on Saturday.

Posted 1:18 AM by Chris |

Straight off the Erie Otters local paper is this great testamonial to Carlo

CARLO Colaiacovo did all the right things in training camp to earn a spot on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster.

Now the Erie Otters defenseman is saying all the right things in his bid to stick with the team.

Colaiacovo isn't scheduled to play tonight when the Leafs open the season at Mellon Arena against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It had to be a million-dollar comedown Tuesday to learn he wouldn't skate just a day after signing a record rookie contract that could pay him $10 million over three seasons.

An NBA rookie in the same situation would invoke the code of conduct in the league handbook, which apparently goes like this: Whine to reporters, mope at practice, force the coach to reconcile publicly, say I told you so, gloat. Repeat as needed.

Not Colaiacovo.

``I'm still a young kid,'' he told the Toronto Sun. ``The learning process starts now by being able to practice with these guys. I've got to learn the pace of the NHL.

``I want to develop into a great hockey player wherever that may be, here or (Erie).''
That's why the NHL is so refreshing. Age 19 or 40, players remain dreamy kids who never seem to forget how lucky they are to be on the NHL stage.

The more I hear about this kid, the more I love what he's about.

Posted 2:23 PM by Chris |

Preview for tonight's game against Pittsburgh.

Lemieux will be in the line up although he didn't play in the preseason. Straka is out until November. Pens lost their last five preseason games, so they maybe a little rusty. This is the first of a home and home series over a week that will see the back end on October 14.

Special teams got much of the attention during the Penguins' final preseason workout, a 50-minute session at Mellon Arena yesterday. The No. 1 power play featured Mario Lemieux and his linemates, Jan Hrdina and Aleksey Morozov up front, with Alexei Kovalev and Michal Rozsival on the points. Kent Manderville and Shean Donovan look like the top penalty-killers. Coach Rick Kehoe described those two as "experienced guys" who "have done that throughout their careers." He also said he has no immediate plans to use skilled forwards such as Lemieux and Kovalev when the Penguins are short-handed because he doesn't want to drain their energy reserves, although he did attach an asterisk. "There might be situations where we have to use them," Kehoe said. "That's something that, as you go along, you might change a couple of things."

Figure on the Pens to form their strategy around this idea:

Penguins coach Rick Kehoe said the NHL’s new hurry-up faceoff rule will make it imperative that he use all four lines consistently. Star players won’t be able to rest as much during stoppages in play. Kehoe also said his system will be aggressive. Of course, it only makes sense that different lines will have different styles of play. Kent Manderville’s line, for example, won’t have the same offensive latitude as Mario Lemieux’s line.

“It’s a system that will benefit the players we have,” Kehoe said. “We have some highly skilled forwards. We don’t want to have a defensive-type system that will hold them back.”

Penguins lines:

Jan Hrdina-Lemieux-Aleksey Morozov
Ville Nieminen-Kovalev-Vladimir Vujtek
Robitaille-Wayne Primeau-Daigle
Steve McKenna-Kent Manderville-Shean Donovan

Josef Melichar-Michal Roszival
Janne Laukkanen-Ian Moran
Hans Jonsson-Jamie Pushor.

Posted 2:21 PM by Chris |

The preseason wraps up with a win against Montreal and an overtime loss against Tampa Bay.

For the Tampa Bay game, Quinn rolled lines that are thought to be the ones he'll start the season with. This is how they shook down:

Forwards
Tucker - Sundin - Mogilny
Corson - McCauley - Renberg
Hoglund - Reichel - Antropov
Domi - Fitzgerald - Green

Defense
McCabe - Lumme
Berg - Pilar
Svehla - Kaberle

Goal
Belfour
Kidd

The defensive parings might continue to evolve a little, especially with Colaiacovo and Jackman sitting in the press box.

To end camp the Leafs made their final round of cuts and sent down Eriksson, Gavey, Healy, Holden, Ponikarovsky and Tellqvist. That means the bubble guys that survived camp are Belak, Jackman and Colaiacovo. Carlo can be sent to junior at any time, and Roberts will be back in February. I think that's a solid core, and with guys like Tellqvist, Healy and Ponikarovsky ready to be called up, we have some depth at all positions.

Of course it was not a perfect preseason and there is work to do in a few areas. The power play will need some tinkering. All through the pre-season I saw Quinn simply roll four lines through out the power play. There was no experiementing with a fourth forward, like they did last year. But with Kaberle, Svehla and McCabe as strong offensive contributers, that strategy might pay off again if they put out units like Sundin - Mogilny - Tucker - Renberg and then follow up with Amac - Corson - Hoglund - Antro/Green/Domi.

Also needing work is the goaltending, but only if Belfour can't get his feet under him early on. The tandem of Belfour and Kidd, both hungry and both wanting to be number one should have enough motivation and security in it to hold down the fort without any problems. Belfour had a good game against Tampa and among those who do not panic, there is confidence in him as he gets set to play games that matter. Still, the Leafs are going to have to play more responsible defense in front of the net (one reason why Eriksson was sent down?)

Regular season opens Thursday against Pittsburgh.

Posted 10:56 AM by Chris |

Carlo signs

So this answers the question. Carlo will dress as a Leaf and have every chance to prove himself to be a legit NHL blueliner. If he needs to go back to junior his contract is structured in such a way that he can be sent down to play and still keep the big league salary. It's a great day for Carlo and a wonderful story to end training camp on.


Posted 10:23 AM by Chris |

What to do with Carlo. Cuts are coming this weekend, and although Carlo should be heading back to junior, Quinn has to weigh a lot of evidence before he makes the call.

Posted 1:51 AM by Chris |

Preseason: Montreal 3 at Toronto 4

Forwards
Tucker - Sundin - Mogilny
Corson - McCauley - Renberg
Antropov - Fitzgerald - Green
Hoglund - Reichel - Domi

Defense
McCabe - Colaiacovo
Berg - Lumme
Svehla - Kaberle

Goal
Belfour

The roster is taking shape, and the lines are starting to come together. The Leafs played really well for 40 minutes and then sat back a little and let Montreal back into the game, but Tucker put it away with less than a minute left for Belfour's first win.

Quinn was hard at work experimenting with the line combos tonight. He even kept them rolling right through power plays, with the result that Domi got a power play goal, which is something he has only ever done twice before. Each line got a goal tonight and the PP was 2-4.

So it all shook down like this.

The Sundin and the McCauley lines were clearly the best of the night. Sundin and Mogilny were playing off each other a little and would have been more successful if they had struck the right balance between passing and shooting. Almo had was on fire tonight, dipsey-doodling around in the offensive zone and creating some great chances. In the first period he even backchecked and broke up a play that resulted in a three on one and a great scoring chance on Hackett. The were always a threat on the ice, and they did put together the winning goal, with a feed from Colaiacovo on the rush to Sundin and then along the right wing to Tucker who slapped it from the top of the circle under Hackett’s glove hand with 52 seconds to go.

But as strong as that line was, McCauley's line was the most creative. In the first three or four shifts they had some great pressure forcing the play and creating turnovers and then getting some good chances. Corson got a goal out of the transition game and the line would have had another early in the third when Amac and Renberg on a two on one had the puck go through Hackett's legs, through the crease and wide.

Fitzgerald's line was mostly invisible, although Antropov played with a lot more zip than he has shown so far. Green and Fitzgerald are going to see a lot of PK time, I'm sure. The line checked well all night and played responsible defense. Fitzgerald's goal was the result of a brave defensive play by Green who hooked the puck away from a Habs player, got to his feet and threw it on the backhand down low where Fitz found a sliver of light and roofed it on the short side. Reichel's line was the worst, giving up the most dangerous chances and the bad goal off the top of the game. Domi was the bright spot there, with some tenacious forechecking, crashing and banging.

On defense, things went well on the score sheet for young Colaiacovo, with two assists, but he looked rough as the game went on and was the main reason behind the second Habs goal, when he left Perrault unmarked in front of Belfour to bag a rebound.

Svehla and Kabby contributed a lot of nice offense and McCabe had some very valuable defensive plays n the first period, but go undressed by Czerkawski in the third almost resulting in a goal. The Defense accounted for five of the eight assists, showing that the transition game and the offensive D strategy is paying off. Lumme seemed to play like a guy who was put on waivers today.

And then there was Belfour. He gave up another early goal, but recovered and made some stellar saves, especially off of Zednik in the second period when he had three shots in one sequence, and Eddie stopped them all. Other than the first one, Belfour looked sharp, and the team's confidence in him is still strong.

Posted 3:06 AM by Chris |

Goalie Mike Minard, who played in St. John's last year and will play in Memphis this year will be missed in Newfoundland.

Posted 9:23 AM by Chris |

Great article about the Leafs lines as they head into the last three preseason games against Montreal and Tampa Bay. Quinn has said that these games will be for getting the lines together, so it will make intriguing hockey, especially as the Habs come into the matches with a 6-0 preseason record and a game that has surged under the new rules.

For the Leafs, Quinn is going to start Mogilny on Sundin's right wing, and move Renberg to the second line with McCauley. Corson, Tucker, Hoglund and Domi will get slotted into the left wing spots, with a tip of the hat to Aaron Gavey who has played well in the preseason basically acting as a body double for Gary Roberts.

On the new experiement with Mats and Alex, the article states:

However, with his defence looking tattered and goaltender Ed Belfour making everyone nervous with his preseason pratfalls, Quinn has to start the season with at least two strong offensive lines. He is gambling that Mogilny can adjust his game enough to take advantage of Sundin's playmaking ability.

In 1992-93, Mogilny scored 76 goals for the Buffalo Sabres while playing with centre Pat LaFontaine, a nifty playmaker. In 1995-96, when Quinn was his coach with the Vancouver Canucks, Mogilny scored 55 goals while paired with another playmaker, Cliff Ronning, but he also managed to get 52 assists, a balanced output Quinn would like to see happen with Sundin.

Either way, the coach is hoping for a big improvement on the 24 goals and 33 assists Mogilny had last season.

In other news this morning Anders Eriksson has lost out the seventh defensman job to Ric Jackman, and his career is now in question. He will likely be exposed in the waiver draft, especially with the great play of Colaiacovo. Eriksson has lost his confidence this year, a confidence that was built up in a great run in St. John's starting in Januaury when he was demoted for being careless, heavy and generally full of bad judgement. He was awful early last season but when he came up at the end of the year he looked pretty good. But this training camp has been a lost opportunity for him and the younger guys have finally caught him up. So it's probably farewell Anders.

.

Posted 9:18 AM by Chris |

THe people speak on the bizarre situation at CBC, where yesterday Ron MacLean was let go because senior management wouldn't ratify the contract he negotiated with his manager.

What a weird thing to do, let go the guy that has carried you for 17 years on the eve of the new season over a couple of hundred thousand dollars over three years. One wonders how much money they will lose becasue of the decision.

Anyway, life goes on here in radio land....

Posted 1:10 AM by Chris |