For the fourth time in as many weeks, a horrific second period on the road cost the Maple Leafs any chance of victory, as woeful penalty killing allowed every goal in a 3-2 loss to the Jets at the MTS Center in Winnipeg.
Toronto weathered an early siege from the hometown Jets, who were visiting Manitoba for the first time since 1996, with Manitoban James Reimer stopping all 15 shots and Clarke MacArthur scoring a power play goal to give the Leafs the lead after 20 minutes, but things quickly unraveled in the second as Dion Phaneuf’s high sticking minor resulted in Zach Bogosian’s power play marker to tie the score.
Winnipeg took the lead less than three minutes later, as Cody Franson’s holding infraction put the Leafs a man down again. The Jets controlled the puck for most of the two minutes and mere seconds after Franson escaped captivity, former Leaf Kyle Wellwood fed a pass to Andrew Ladd who quickly snapped it by Reimer.
Phil Kessel responded less than two minutes later with his club leading 21st goal of the season to tie the game, but after a questionable charging call on Joey Crabb gave the Jets their third power play in the first half of the period, Blake Wheeler’s tip of a Ron Hainsey point shot gave them the lead for good.
Toronto pressed for the tying goal, but Ondrej Pavelec was equal to the task, making 12 third period saves to give Winnipeg the victory.
With the loss, the Leafs have fallen out of the top eight spots in the Eastern Conference for the first time, trailing New Jersey, Winnipeg and Ottawa by two points and Washington by one point.
December was once again troublesome for Toronto, as the club finished the month with an under .500 record(4-6-3) thanks to the three game post-Christmas road losing streak.
With two more power play goals allowed last night, the league’s worst penalty killing unit has now given up 41 goals in 38 games, but remarkably 13 of those goals were allowed in December during second periods alone. Whether that is a symptom of the Leafs not being able to change tired players with the long change, lack of confidence, aggressiveness or tactical/structural problems, it is clear that this weakness is dragging the young club down and unless resolved in the second half of the season, it will be their downfall.
This month will go far in determining whether the Leafs have any chance to make the post-season, as 9 of their 12 games will be on home ice. If they do not take advantage of the friendly confines of the ACC in January, they will not be hosting any playoff games in April.
Here is the second half of the list of most impactful and important events that occurred with the Leafs over the last 12 months:
5. Who Knew Brett Lebda was so valuable?? The Lombardi – Franson Deal: July 3 – A deal made solely due to the fact that Toronto had a large amount of cap room available and the Nashville Predators were a budget team facing the hefty arbitration reward of star defenseman Shea Weber. In Robert Slaney and Brett Lebda, the Leafs gave up a free agent signee who split time between the AHL and ECHL affiliates and a defenseman whose play had dropped off so precipitously that the Preds bought his contract out before the season began. After initially struggling to get into the lineup, Franson played regularly after Mike Komisarek’s injury and has contributed offensively. Lombardi was not expected to play until mid-season at the time of the trade, but was healthy enough to return for the last preseason game and 19 regular season games before injuring his shoulder in late November.
4. The Deaths of Former Leafs Wade Belak, Igor Korolev and Alexander Karpovtsev: August 31; September 6 – In a year where career threatening injuries and death were all too present in the hockey world, the Leafs community was impacted by the loss of former enforcer Wade Belak, found dead at his condo in Toronto and of Igor Korolev and Alexander Karpovtsev, who along with 41 others were killed in the tragic Lokomotiv plane crash outside of Yaroslavl in central Russia.
3. Francois Beauchemin for Joffrey Lupul and Jake Gardiner: February 9 – Perhaps the most lopsided deal the Leafs have made since the Doug Gilmour deal in 1992. Beauchemin was never able to play up to the level he did in Anaheim behind Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer and Burke was looking to acquire Gardiner, a young blueliner who he drafted in 2008 playing for the University of Wisconsin. Lupul, who was coming off a series of back surgeries and a severe blood infection, was looked upon by most as a salary dump, since he has another two years remaining on a high priced contract. As 2011 ends, Lupul is in the top 10 in NHL scoring, gelling with Phil Kessel to make up one of the league’s most effective offensive tandems, while Gardiner surprised many by making the club after a great training camp and has impressed with great speed, skills and poise beyond his years.
2. The Kaberle Deal: February 18 - The long rumored, much talked about deal of the Leafs veteran puck mover, traded to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Bruins for their first round pick in 2011, former first rounder Joe Colborne and a conditional second round pick, that the Leafs received since Boston reached the Stanley Cup Finals. Toronto swapped the first round pick along with their own second rounder to move up in the first round to select Miami(OH) winger Tyler Biggs, while the conditional pick was sent to Colorado for veteran defenseman John-Michael Liles. Liles has been one of the Leafs most consistent defenders this season and Colborne has impressed with the Marlies and during a brief stint with the Leafs. Kaberle signed as a free agent with Carolina over the summer and has since been traded to Montreal.
1. The Ascendancy of James Reimer: January 1 – With veteran Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Swedish import Jonas Gustavsson battling injuries and inconsistency, the 22 year old native of Morweena, Manitoba stepped into the void and became the Leafs #1 goaltender, playing most of the second half of the 2010-11 season, earning 20 wins, with a solid 2.60 GAA and sparkling .921 save percentage. His play, character and calm demeanor convinced Burke and Wilson that he is the goaltender to build the team around for the future. After starting the season with a 4-0-1 record, Reimer missed over a month with a concussion thanks to an errant elbow from Montreal’s Brian Gionta and has been inconsistent since his return.
To everyone of my readers and all the members of Leafs Nation, I wish you a healthy, happy and safe 2012.
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