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Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • Fan 590 •
TORONTO (Nov. 4) — Though the result was familiar, this was not the same effort we’ve come to anticipate from the Maple Leafs after they return from a respectable trip out of town.
With one victory in 13 games — and still winless at the Air Canada Centre — the Leafs will not feel much consolation after an exhausted Tampa Bay club made off with a 2-1 overtime victory Tuesday night. But, purposeful, committed displays such as this will beget results as the season evolves. Problem with the Leafs is they need wins now. They are tied in points in with 14th-place Carolina, but the Hurricanes have more victories, as does every team in the league.
The Lightning and Atlanta both gained on the Leafs Tuesday, and that’s why the playoffs become more of a distant possibility with every point lost to one the seven teams Toronto must overcome in the Eastern Conference.
Having played Monday evening in Philadelphia, the Lightning grew increasingly weary as the game wore on. But, the Toronto players have less finish most nights than a raw chunk of plywood. Some people will chalk up this defeat to rotten luck and there’s a hint of legitimacy to that claim. Far more of an issue, however, is a general lack of touch around the opposition net. Even hired gun Phil Kessel couldn’t penetrate Antero Nittymaki in the Tampa Bay goal, on a night when Kessel proved he’s very much game worthy after a six-month layoff.
Other forwards — Matt Stajan, Jason Blake, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Mikhail Grabovski and John Mitchell — had no shooting eye, which is mostly a recurring problem.
The Leafs were counting heavily on Mitchell to improve on his decent rookie effort of a year ago, but he is still without a goal after 13 games. Blake tries hard every shift, but seems better suited for “Battle of the Blades” right now. So much of his energy is wasted, and he has only one goal.
On the flip side, Jonas Gustavsson continues to be a force between the pipes, despite his Spartan 1-2-3 record. Yes, he threw the puck away on Tampa Bay’s first goal [by Vincent Lecavalier], but he is a rookie in the NHL and he still has a bit to learn about playing the North American game. The call on Ryan Malone’s overtime winner was correct, as Gustavsson tumbled backward and dislodged the net. Malone did nothing wrong on the play… he simply went hard to the crease and put himself in position to bat in a loose puck from mid-air. It’s the sort of aggressive, precision play the Leafs are generally lacking in the opposition end this season.
But, at least the Air Canada Centre fans weren’t ripped off on this night, as they’ve been so many times when the Leafs lollygag after a road trip. Credit Ron Wilson for having his players in the proper frame of mind to compete in what always seems to be a tough situation. Maybe the coach is right: Perhaps his team is “knocking on the door” of achieving a string of results.
But, Wilson knows — better than anyone — that the clock is ticking, and the mountain is growing steeper every day.
E-mail howardlberger@gmail.com
With one victory in 13 games — and still winless at the Air Canada Centre — the Leafs will not feel much consolation after an exhausted Tampa Bay club made off with a 2-1 overtime victory Tuesday night. But, purposeful, committed displays such as this will beget results as the season evolves. Problem with the Leafs is they need wins now. They are tied in points in with 14th-place Carolina, but the Hurricanes have more victories, as does every team in the league.
The Lightning and Atlanta both gained on the Leafs Tuesday, and that’s why the playoffs become more of a distant possibility with every point lost to one the seven teams Toronto must overcome in the Eastern Conference.
Having played Monday evening in Philadelphia, the Lightning grew increasingly weary as the game wore on. But, the Toronto players have less finish most nights than a raw chunk of plywood. Some people will chalk up this defeat to rotten luck and there’s a hint of legitimacy to that claim. Far more of an issue, however, is a general lack of touch around the opposition net. Even hired gun Phil Kessel couldn’t penetrate Antero Nittymaki in the Tampa Bay goal, on a night when Kessel proved he’s very much game worthy after a six-month layoff.
Other forwards — Matt Stajan, Jason Blake, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Mikhail Grabovski and John Mitchell — had no shooting eye, which is mostly a recurring problem.
The Leafs were counting heavily on Mitchell to improve on his decent rookie effort of a year ago, but he is still without a goal after 13 games. Blake tries hard every shift, but seems better suited for “Battle of the Blades” right now. So much of his energy is wasted, and he has only one goal.
On the flip side, Jonas Gustavsson continues to be a force between the pipes, despite his Spartan 1-2-3 record. Yes, he threw the puck away on Tampa Bay’s first goal [by Vincent Lecavalier], but he is a rookie in the NHL and he still has a bit to learn about playing the North American game. The call on Ryan Malone’s overtime winner was correct, as Gustavsson tumbled backward and dislodged the net. Malone did nothing wrong on the play… he simply went hard to the crease and put himself in position to bat in a loose puck from mid-air. It’s the sort of aggressive, precision play the Leafs are generally lacking in the opposition end this season.
But, at least the Air Canada Centre fans weren’t ripped off on this night, as they’ve been so many times when the Leafs lollygag after a road trip. Credit Ron Wilson for having his players in the proper frame of mind to compete in what always seems to be a tough situation. Maybe the coach is right: Perhaps his team is “knocking on the door” of achieving a string of results.
But, Wilson knows — better than anyone — that the clock is ticking, and the mountain is growing steeper every day.
E-mail howardlberger@gmail.com
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