Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Connolly Out 2 Weeks /A Beneficial Blowout?

November 7, 2011, 2:42 AM ET [ Comments]
Mike Augello
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Per CBC's Nabil Karim, Leafs center Tim Connolly will be out two weeks with an upper body injury. It is unknown whether this is a re-occurrence the upper body injury that kept him out of the lineup for most of the pre-season and the first eight regular season games.

Will update......

******

After a month of success, recognition and notoriety, the Toronto Maple Leafs were bound to have a reality check. It came in the form of the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, who inflicted a 7-0 drubbing in front of the perturbed patrons of the Air Canada Center on Saturday night.

In spite of their conference leading 9-3-1 record going into the game, Ron Wilson's bunch had been dodging bullets throughout October, getting away with a series of defensive gaffes that were only camouflaged by an unexpectedly potent offensive attack led by Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. Toronto ranks third in the NHL in goals, trailing only Washington and Chicago.

After giving up seven on Saturday night, Toronto ranks next to last in the league with 46 goals against. With James Reimer between the pipes, they were able to play a more structured and conscientious defensive game, yielding only 14 goals in his 5+ starts, but with Jonas Gustavsson and rookie Ben Scrivens in net, they have not put forth the same effort.

The club has displayed a shocking propensity for neutral zone turnovers and allowing breakaways, the most recent example being Milan Lucic’s dagger-like goal in the early moments of the second period. The three clear chances given up to Philadelphia's Jaromir Jagr weeks ago was not just a momentary lapse of concentration, it was just the most glaring example of a continuing problem that the coaching staff has yet to find an answer for.

Against a physical Boston squad, the Leafs blueline was geared more towards speed and finesse, with Luke Schenn sitting in the press box. Rookie Jake Gardiner, John-Michael Liles, Carl Gunnarsson and Cody Franson were a collective -7 on the night. The Bruins effectively plugged up the neutral zone, hindered breakout passes and did not allow the Toronto forwards to enter their zone with speed.

It is not enough to say that Toronto's penalty killing has been the league's worst, their 70.9% success rate is over 22% worse than Buffalo's league best penalty killers. They allow on average over one power-play goal per game(16 goals in 55 penalty kill opportunities) and showed no signs of getting any better.

The luxury that Toronto has is that their shortcomings have not buried them in the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with little or no hope of catching up. While the instructions of the Leafs coaching staff likely fell on deaf ears because the team kept winning, Wilson and his staff now have an abominable performance against a division rival to pound through their thick skulls.

Maybe the young Leafs squad will listen, learn and adapt to a new set of challenges. If they can, there is a good chance that this team will see the postseason for the first time in seven years.

*******

KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz. For more information click here.

Follow me on Twitter: @mikeinbuffalo
Join the Discussion: » Comments » Post New Comment
More from Mike Augello
» Matthews Game-Time Decision; 2023 Draftees Update; Leafs vs. Capitals
» Leafs Frustrated And Immature In Loss To Devils
» Practicing Load Management Down The Stretch; Leafs vs. Devils
» Woll Wonderful In Loss To Canes; Keefe Downplaying Samsonov Injury
» Podcast Sunday – Off The Post Radio