Atlanta 3 at Toronto 2 (OT)

A nice run of three wins comes to an end as the upstart Thrashers eke out a huge comeback to take two points out of overtime at the ACC.

It's funny to put this game in perspective. After a slow start, the Leafs get some momentum with wins over Dallas, Phoenix and Washington. They get McCabe and Mogilny back in the lineup, and fire up some big offense. They started this game the same way, with Belfour making glorious saves off Ilya Kovalchuk and the dangerous Marc Savard to keep the Leafs in charge. Tom Fitzgerald comes out of the closet as a speedy playmaking winger and the Leafs sit pretty with a 2-0 lead.

Then late in the third period, Atlanta presses around the net and within 22 seconds, the game is tied. Belfour starts losing his mind as the crease is getting awfully crowded and the Leafs are exhibiting an unfortunate tenancy to collapse back on him. This gives the Thrashers all kinds of room to move. While the Leafs blew a huge power play chance in overtime, Atlanta pushed the Buds back, creating enough open ice that Marc Savard had an easy time of pocketing the winner on a shot that Belfour should have seen. Fourteen seconds to go, and the Leafs fade into ignominy.

And that would be the story that some media pundits tell you. While third period collapses are bad news, they aren't everything, and a steadily improving team is what the bigger picture is all about. It's unlikely to me that this game represents a big blow to the Leaf's confidence. It certainly would have been worse if it had happened against Phoenix when the team hadn't yet turned itself around, but I sense that the last week has gelled the crew together and it's this game, a loss to a young, hot team, isn't as much of a disaster as many think.

With games coming up against the Sabres, Philly, Carolina and Pittsburgh, the Leafs should have a chance to keep their pace going ahead of the western road trip later in November and build on the confidence from the streak.

What is serious though, is the loss of Nik Antropov, whose shoulder came undone again. This time it could be serious, especially if it requires surgery. If that is the case, we won't see Nik until the spring.

Karel Pilar is clear to play now which means the Leaf defensive corps is back to full strength and guys like Marchment can pick up their game under fear of sitting some out. Work on the power play and defensive zone coverage is probably what the practices are all about this week.

Posted 11:50 PM by Chris |

Toronto 3 at Dallas 1

I have a sneaky little laugh that comes out after I watch the highlight reel from a game like this. An immensely frustrating first two periods turns to gold as the Leafs come out a new team in the third and streak past Dallas for a great road win.

In fact it was two different games, except for the first minute when the Nieuwendyk line set their tempo. Other than that it was fairly safe hockey from both sides. Dallas scored their only goal in the second when Jackman had a huge defensive gaff, leaving joining three Leafs on the right side of the net while Modano was open on the left side. With Belfour sprawled after making a great save, big Mike had an easy job to notch the opener.

But a funny think happened. The Leafs got a goal off a point shot from the solid Ken Klee that was tipped by newcomer Alexi Ponikarovsky who brought a new idea from the press box: stand in front of the net and tip things in. Somehow, during the second intermission, a consensus was reached that this would be the offensive strategy for the rest of the game and so the Leafs repeated, next with Sundin blasting one from the top of the circle and Nieuwendyk finding the deflection. That goal came after some gritty play with great chances by Sundin, Tucker and Nolan, who hit the post.

With 6:35 left to go, the Leafs had almost too much time and not enough lead. In other games, I was fully expecting them to cave under the pressure of six attackers, but with a nice save from Belfour and some great defensive play from the Nieuwendyk line, the Leafs got the insurance marker when Reichel managed to hit the empty net and lock the game up.

Now the lesson here, boys, surely must be that you must shoot the puck. After only managing nine shots in the first two periods, they added 15 in the third, including three from Nieuwendyk. That was the difference, and the unrelenting pressure and sheer numbers, means some of those are going to go in. It’s simple hockey but it’s what broke them out of the long slump last year, and it must surely point the way to better things this fall.

As a note, the Stars were only held to 16 shots. The Leafs D is doing a good job restricting the shots from the opposition. Except that in New York, 30% of the shots went in. Anyway, Phoenix should be a less difficult test, and with the Leafs already assured of a .500 record on this road trip, the team has to be feeling upbeat.

PS…Reichel was outstanding again in the face off circle, as was Matt Stajan. Stajan has playmaker written all over him and he is proving everything his scouting reports said about him. It will be a pleasure to watch him evolve.

PPS...Power play still needs work.


Posted 11:32 PM by Chris |

Toronto 2 at New York Islanders 5

Even the most rosy eyed Leaf fan will have a hard time finding something to like about this game, but I’m going to try. A blowout by any other standards, the Leafs did not play too badly as a whole. Belfour had an off-night and that reflected in the score, and for me the alarming news is that it confirms just how dependant Toronto is on their goaltending.

Out of the gate, the Leafs charged well and some freaky goals – one form a short angle and one off a weird bounce behind the net that fooled Belfour – conspired to erode the advantage the Leafs had built up with continued forechecking pressure. With Roberts getting a nice goal off a jam play to pull within one, the Leafs went into the dressing room looking all right.

The second period however, proved to be one where the good players unraveled. Ric Jackman, who has been solid all year, and was actually better than his numbers said he was tonight, gave the puck away to Czerkawski in his own zone and he ripped it past Belfour, the first of three nice goals from the Islanders. Following a Tom Fitzgerald penalty, the Leafs lost their focus and gave up another a Kvasha was left unhassled in front of the net. That goal sent Belfour packing and Tellqvist came in to try to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately he later let in a goal off Mike Peca who was sprung by Jason Blake out of the penalty box and who beat the young Swede on a nice deke.

Renberg was sent off in the second with an injury and the Leafs lines were in shambles after that. The bright spot was Matt Stajan and Nathan Perrott who were joined by Antropov, Domi and Nolan at various points. Stajan got his first of the year off a lovely feed from Nolan late in the third, but the game was already out of reach then. Some physical play followed on in this period too with Marchment standing up Bergenheimer and tangling with Goddard who earlier had fought Domi.

Quinn revamped the defensive lines tonight, but Marchment and Kondratiev both looked terrible. Maxim has overstayed his welcome and rumours of McCabe’s imminent return on Saturday must have everyone breathing a little easier. Kondratiev needs to work on his game in St. John’s and get used to the pace. He’ll be a decent player, but not yet.

Sundin continues his woes although he had four shots tonight and was outstanding again in the face off circle. In fact the Leafs outplayed the Islanders for long stretches of the game early on, but the conversions didn’t come and the Isles mad better use of their opportunities. It was a strange blow out, not overly worrying, but not very reassuring either.


Posted 11:11 PM by Chris |

Toronto 1 at Montreal 0

Forwards
Tucker – Reichel – Nolan
Roberts – Nieuwendyk – Fitzgerald
Renberg – Sundin – Antropov
Perrott – Stajan – Domi

Defense
Jackman – Kaberle
Berg – Klee
Marchment – Kondratiev

Goal
Belfour

Power Play
Tucker – Reichel – Nolan
Roberts – Nieuwendyk – Antropov
Roberts – Sundin – Antropov

Penalty Kill
Antropov – Sundin
Tucker – Nolan

No one was happy with the state of affairs in Leaf-land coming into tonight’s game against Montreal. The practices have become edgy and the lines have been juggled. The Leafs haven’t played as badly as people are saying, except for their opener when a disciplined Montreal defensive style shut them down. The Washington game started slow but they dominated. Likewise in New Jersey where smoother ice, and two seconds might have made the difference.

But after tonight’s great tilt in Montreal, a road shutout for Belfour, the Leafs have gone from winless in three to undefeated in three, and it seems to me that the momentum is heading in the right direction.

Toronto hasn’t played a game this year with the crowd so jacked up. The game started with incredible energy from Montreal and the Leafs' immediate challenge was getting a handle on the pace. An early Habs penalty, the first of many, helped the Leafs slow it down and soon enough the crowd was back in their seats and the game could progress a little more surgically.

In fact surgery was a good word for what was happening out there, with numerous stick fouls from the likes of Ward and Hossa. Tucker, Reichel and Domi all took high sticks to the head and Jackman lost two teeth. The slashing seems to be back in the game.

None of this seemed to affect the play of the warhorses though, and Jackman especially found his feet and got the only goal in the first period. That was his first goal in 70-odd games. He last scored on December 31, 1999. His offensive style, and his nice fit with Kaberle on the blue line, has finally translated into a goal. If he keeps this up, he might actually blossom this year.

In fact this game was something of a coming out party for a lot of the Leafs, although there are still some notable names NOT on the score sheet. Montreal was held to 15 shots, but each one seemed like a good chance, including one from Dackle from three feet out on Belfour late in the third which Eddie stopped with a remarkable move to his left. That was one of the few truly abhorrent defensive breakdowns. The rest of the time, Klee, Jackman, Kaberle and Berg played well. Marchment and Kondratiev were the weaker pairing, with Kondratiev still showing that he’s very much beatable with speed.

The forwards seemed to stick by a strategy of thoughtfully targeting dump ins and following up with tenacious forechecking. Up front, Belak was finally benched and Nathan Perrott took his place on a line centered by Stajan and supported by Domi. They acquitted themselves well, with Perrott doing the forechecking. That role was also handled by Nieuwendyk, Tucker and the deliciously good Nik Antropov, who moved onto Sundin’s wing. I thought the new line combos worked well, and Sundin and Antropov were an engaging PK pairing, with Antro having a terrific chance in the third period, as he found open ice and bowled into Theodore shorthanded. Sundin generated some great chances too n the very next penalty kill. They are looking more like last year in that respect.

But by far the best player on the Leafs last night was Robert Reichel. He seemed to be everywhere and his line was outstanding. Towards the end of the first period Reichel set up Tucker for the best chance at that point in the game and he followed it up with some great defensive plays in the third period to knock away some chances. His line was out there for the heart stopping last 30 seconds and Reichel missed a chance at the open net in the dying moments of the game.

Reichel as a two-way playmaking centre? We perhaps always hoped he had it in him. He seems increasingly comfortable in that role, and his play has been consistent this year so far, one of the few bright stars along with Antropov and Belfour in the early going.

Finally credit where it is due in the face off circle. The Leafs have been dominating face offs this season and last night was no exception. Reichel won 79% of the 15 face off-s he took, including all three against face off king Yannic Perrault. Matt Stajan went 5 for 6 and the Leafs as a team finished with 65% of the pucks won off the draw. That is very impressive and is going to go a long way to establishing a controlled offensive game for the Leafs.


Posted 11:28 PM by Chris |

Hockey's Future has just re-ranked the Leafs' top prospects. The article includes scouting repots and interviews. For your quick reference, here they are:

1. Carlo Colaiacovo, D


2. Alexander Steen, F


3. Matt Stajan, F


4. Maxim Kondratiev, D


5. Brendan Bell, D


6. Jay Harrison, D


7. Kyle Wellwood, F


8. Ian White, D


9. Jarko Immonen, F


10. Todd Ford, G

Posted 1:41 AM by Chris |

Toronto 2 at New Jersey 2



Forwards
Roberts – Nieuwendyk – Tucker
Renberg – Sundin – Nolan
Stajan – Reichel – Domi
Belak – Antropov – Fitzgerald

Belak – Reichel – Tucker
Domi – Reichel – Tucker
Stajan – Fitzgerald – Domi
Roberts – Nieuwendyk – Antropov

Defense
Klee – Berg
Kaberle – Jackman
Marchment – Kondratiev

Goal
Belfour

Power Play
Roberts – Sundin – Nieuwendyk
Antropov – Sundin - Nolan

Penalty Kill
Sundin – Nolan
Reichel – Fitzgerald

Overtime
Sundin – Renberg
Nolan – Antropov
Nieuwendyk – Roberts

Ed Belfour plays brilliantly his 800th game and Scott Steven plays his 1600th. And from there it got even more interesting.

This was an intensely frustrating game. The Leafs were manhandled through the first period and were lucky to come out only a goal down. They only had three shots, and spent much of the time buzzing around their own zone staying away from the likes of Gomez and Elias. The Devils played a possession game for the first, scoring eventually when Belfour gave the puck away at the point and Rafalski’s subsequent shot bounced off of Pandolfo and in.

If the Leafs were going to make anything happen they needed to do two things: generate some more energy on the attack and keep the New Jersey forwards outside and away from the crease. In the second period they did this by and large and the more tenacious play was rewarded with two goals. The first resulted from Tom Fitzgerald throwing the puck on the net from a sharp angle to the left of Brodeur. Marty didn’t jam up the short side and Antropov, standing right there, poked it in. The second goal was a beauty. Stajan, who has the makings of a real playmaker stole the puck off Niedermayer’s stick, fed it to Tucker who spun and blasted a shot past Brodeur. The Leafs took the lead and started playing more defensively. They generally kept the Devils forwards at bay and created a few more chances for their own offense. The New Jersey scorers, traditionally stingy with awarding shots, recorded only one shot in the last 28 minutes for the Leafs, but in truth the game was closer than that.

New Jersey tried to get something going, and the Leafs would sit back and wait before seeing a small hole open up. Icings, missed passes and mistakes caused by the really lumpy ice all provided the Leafs with a few more chances to score an insurance marker, but it never came.

And too bad it didn’t for with two seconds left, and the New Jersey net empty, Tucker and Roberts failed to cover the low slot and Brylin parked on the door step and scored to tie the game.

Overtime resolved nothing, except that three games into the season the Leafs have blown third period leads in two games that they otherwise played well in, and are still looking for their first win of the season.

Nothing gets easier as the road trip continues to Montreal on Saturday.


Posted 2:22 AM by Chris |

Update on the injuries and resulting line changes ahead of Thursday's tilt against New Jersey. Mogilny's injury now seems to be a knee. He'll be replaced by Reichel on the line with Antropov and Stajan. Matt was starting to get some juice going with Almo, and their timing was coming together nicely. Reichel isn't the playmaker that Almo is, but perhaps he can pressure a little on the forecheck and spring Antropov and Stajan for some fireworks.

Replacing Reichel on the fourth line will be Tom Fitzgerald who returns from a minor injury. He'll play between Domi and Belak (if Belak plays). Wade has not proven himself this year at all, and needs to really shape up his game or ride some pine. Personally I think one more chance would be a waste. Quinn is going to tire out Tucker if he has to double shift him for half the game every night. And a tired Tucker is a dirty Tucker. And that doesn't fix the problem.



Posted 11:00 PM by Chris |

Washington 2 at Toronto 2

Forwards
Roberts – Nieuwendyk – Tucker
Renberg – Sundin – Nolan
Stajan – Antropov – Mogilny
Belak – Reichel – Domi

Tucker – Reichel – Domi

Defense
Klee – Berg
Kaberle – Jackman
Marchment – Kondratiev

Goal
Belfour

Power Play
Mogilny – Antropov – Nolan
Roberts – Nieuwendyk – Sundin
Renberg – Nieuwendyk – Sundin
Tucker – Reichel – Domi
Domi – Nieuwendyk – Sundin
Tucker – Sundin – Nolan

Penalty Kill
Sundin – Mogilny
Nolan – Antropov
Tucker – Nieuwendyk
Antropov – Reichel

It could only get better, and in truth it did although this was a bit of a weird game, and not just because Kerry Fraser was reffing.

The Leafs should have got away with more than a tie and the loss of their best players on the night. They outshot Washington badly, but penalties killed them, notably a questionable call on Sundin the third that led to the tying goal. In the injury department, Reichel was nailed into the boards and suffered a back injury, which needs more tests, and Mogilny, after potting his first power play goal in 38 games and looking good the rest of the night, inexplicably blew his groin in the third.

Much better performance from the defensemen tonight, especially Jackman who showed more of the form he developed in the pre-season. He led the team in shots with a whopping six, several of which came on the power play. Ken Klee and Aki Berg played well too tonight which was good, because the third pairing gave me the willies. Kondratiev was soundly beat several times by Lang and Jagr. The eye popping speed of the NHL might be dazzling him a little.

The other really sour note on the night was Wade Belak who played like a selfish goon. It’s as if he missed the team meeting, taking and asinine penalty and generally being a nuisance. Once Quinn benched him in the second and double shifted Tucker with Reichel and Domi, that line got pretty interesting. Reichel played with a lot of spark, making his injury all the more regretful.

I liked Antro’s line tonight, and Matt Stajan continues to impress. If Gordon hadn’t deflected Nik’s pass into his own goal, Matt Stajan would have done it, cruising into open space trailing the play like a pro. If Mogilny is all right and Stajan and Alex hook up, it might be something of a Roberts – McCauley reprise.

Top two lines produced nicely too, with the Sundin line taking a while to get going. Roberts took a two hander late in the second, but returned to start the power play in the third with a busted blood vessel in his wrist. Caps played chippy and a little cheap as the game wore on, but it worked, getting them back in it, largely riding Kolzig’s great goaltending.

Leafs travel to New Jersey on Thursday which isn’t any cup of tea either. Another good team with a good goalie. Hopefully Belak will sit this one out, Ponikarovsky will suit up and another couple of rookies will join the ranks to fill in for Almo and Reichel. It’s an interesting start so far. It’ll be tough to get any momentum going, but that’s what needs to happen here.


Posted 10:13 AM by Chris |

Montreal 4 Toronto 0

Forwards
Roberts – Nieuwendyk – Tucker
Renberg – Sundin – Nolan
Stajan – Antropov – Mogilny
Belak – Reichel – Domi

Renberg – Reichel – Stajan
Mogilny – Stajan – Domi
Nieuwendyk – Reichel – Roberts
Roberts – Nieuwendyk – Domi
Renberg – Stajan – Nolan
Renberg – Sundin – Mogilny

Defense
Klee – Berg
Kaberle – Jackman
Marchment – Kondratiev

Goal
Belfour

Power Play
Mogilny – Antropov – Nolan
Roberts – Nieuwendyk – Tucker
Roberts – Nieuwendyk – Sundin

Penalty Kill
Sundin – Mogilny
Nolan – Antropov
Tucker – Nieuwendyk
Reichel – Belak
Nolan – Sundin

Perhaps this could be the year that long standing dry spells are broken. It was 1918 when the Habs last won a season opener in Toronto. They ended that streak tonight with an effort that elicited the most critical of fan reviews: the jeering at the last minute mark of the third.

This was just an awful game. Defensive lapses, Ric Jackman out of position a lot, a sputtering offense and a complete inability to contain Zednik’s line all contributed to a terrible performance. Quinn even seemed to give up at the end of the game, sending seemingly random lines over the boards.

Perhaps the only highlight for the Leafs was the play of Matt Stajan and Maxim Kondratiev. Stajan managed two shots, and played pretty well with Mogilny, firing up a few chances, and getting free on a couple of nice breakaways, one of which ended at the chest of a Habs defender. Kondratiev was defensively responsible, nailed a couple of outlet passes and led the team in shots with three. Both were even in the +/- department, which was a feat on this night.

Belfour played okay. The first two goals he had no chance on. The third, a shorthanded effort was the result of Ric Jackman being WAY out of position and the fourth was a drive to the net that Ryder won for his first NHL marker. Theodore was more than his match coming up big on the odd decent scoring chances that Leafs lucked into. With a trapping game to sit on the lead, and flat energy on the Leaf's side, Jose had nothing much to do really but think about taxes for most of the game.

It doesn’t even make sense to look at the line combos and powerplay and penalty kill units. The whole team was a shambles really. Some serious retooling is in order for the Washington game on Monday. Leafs need some work on positional defensive play and special teams.

Welcome to the season. The good news is that it’s all up from here.


Posted 3:12 AM by Chris |

This is my favourite kind of story. Matt Stajan gets to play his first game for the Maple Leafs on national TV against Montreal. He still lives with his parents. Can he believe it?

Good luck Matt.


Posted 10:05 AM by Chris |

As we move into the regular season edition of Blogging the Leafs, I just want to direct your attention to the excellent site at TMLfans.ca which I have linked as "Penalty Box" under the news links at the left. Throughout the pre-season I have been getting my Leaf news primarily through their site, which to my mind is exactly what a non-commercial sports news site should be. There is a little bit of editorializing, but they provide an aggregation of important news and some commentary and add some depth about game reports too.

My own site here is not so much a news site, but rather a journal of my own relationship with the Leafs. Since I was old enough to remember (back to the late 1960s) I have been a Leaf fan. For whatever reason (only vaguely understandable to myself, and completely inexplicable to most non-Canadians) hockey defines a small part of our national and personal identity in this country. The meta narrative that underlies this site is my personal notes about how young men (most younger than me now) are coming of age on a hockey rink, tapping spirit and leadership and strength to push their own bodies and the bonds they form as a team to achieve something.

It is an amazing thing to watch unfold over the course of a season through adversity, victory and in complex and changing environments. That is why my focus here is always on the players, the relationships they have on ice (line combos) and the ways in which they bring strong individual identities to contribute to a team ethos.

So, that's my raison d'etre here. It may be perhaps a little esoteric for a hockey fan blog, but with great sources like Penalty Box out there, the last thing you need is a another Leaf news site.

So welcome to the Regular Season Edition of Blogging the Leafs. As they use to say in the pre-25 second face off days: "Drop the puck already!!"

Posted 8:59 AM by Chris |

So the Leafs opening day roster is set, and there are some fresh young faces to start the season.

Matt Stajan was perhaps the rookie with the best chance to make it, and he did. Nathan Perrott was rewarded for an excellent pre-season with a spot. Jamie Pushor was dropped from his tryout and his spot given to Kondratiev. Coalaiacovo and Hedin will play in St. John's this year. And Tellqvist will back-up Belfour until Kidd comes back from surgery in a month or so.

Stajan has my favourite quote:

Season opens on Saturday night against the Canadiens. Regular blogging of games will resmue then.

Posted 9:59 AM by Chris |

Ah shoot...the Leafs lost Travis Green in the waiver draft to Columbus.

Something is really stinky about this whole thing, although on the plus side, it is a big boost for Nathan Perrott who is the closest thing to this year's Carlo Colaiacovo. The stinky part is the role Green played in the alleged dressing room split last year, the result of which was Shayne Corson's departure. It seems pretty obvious that if Robert Reichel had been offered up to the waiver draft, he would have been harder to take, with a higher salary for maybe equal overall ability.

Anyway, rumours and innuendo aside, we didn't "lose" outright in the draft. As compensation for losing Green the Leafs picked up Petr Tenkrat, a forward. Tnrakt is not stranger to the waiver draft, having been claimed by Columbus from Nashville last year. Tenkrat is younger than Green, and seems capable of similar point production. There is a nice two year old profile of him at Hockey's Future.

UPDATE: Marko corrects me...Reichel was left unprotected as well. And he wasn't chosen.

In other news, Green has ended up in Boston after they traded with Columbus for a sixth round draft pick.



Posted 11:51 AM by Chris |

This just in. McCabe will miss 3-6 weeks and will have surgery on his knee. His loss will mean one rookie moves up into the D-corps for the start of the season.

Leafs will probably start Klee, Kaberle, Berg, Jackman, Belak and Marchment with Pushor, Colaiacovo, Hedin or Kondratiev doing press box duty. Assuming Jamie Pushor doesn't make the cut, that would be a big break for one of the rookies.

Posted 4:37 PM by Chris |

Here's a bit of a shocker. Travis Green was left unprotected rather than Robert Reichel in the waiver draft. Naturally he was disappointed, and I can see why, but this obvisouly is a big vote of confidence for Nathan Perrott who has played really well in camp and would maybe be a bigger loss to the club over the long run.

The Leafs are clearly blessed with depth at forward. It would be a shame to see Green gone, as I liked his play last year as a defensive player and on the PK. So fingers crossed, hopefully we're all together at the end of this and there are no hard feelings.

Posted 9:15 AM by Chris |

Nathan Perrott makes his case - but will he stay as a Leaf?

One of the highlights of this year's training camp has been Nathan Perrott:

The Leafs are not likely to start with rookies anywhere in their 20 man roster next week. I think that is just as well, as these guys have to learn the game in St. John's, get thier heads thinking near NHL speed and be ready to fill in when the vets start suffering injury problems.

Knowing there will be guys like Colaiacovo, Hedin, Kondratiev, Gavey and Leeb on the farm, ready to step in is a nice thought. All of them have a chance to blossom with call ups, but carrying them for practices and press box stints doesn't help their development.

Posted 11:48 AM by Chris |