The Toronto Maple Leafs begin the critical month of December with the difficult task of facing the high-scoring San Jose Sharks, who currently lead the Pacific Division with 41 points and have lost only three games in regulation this season.
The Sharks only trail the Chicago Blackhawks in goals scored with 92 goals this season and boasts a lineup of numerous candidates for the upcoming Olympics in Sochi, including Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Mark-Edouard Vlasic, Dan Boyle and Antti Niemi.
The Leafs task became more difficult with the news that they will be without the services of center Nazem Kadri, who left the team to be with his family after the death of his grandfather.
Head coach Randy Carlyle was already preparing to mix up his forward lines other than the top unit of Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk, due to their overall lack of production in November and injuries to Joffrey Lupul and Dave Bolland. Peter Holland will replace Kadri on a line with Mason Raymond and Nikolai Kulemin, David Clarkson moves to the third line with Trevor Smith and Carter Ashton and Jay McClement centers Colton Orr and Fraser McLaren.
The matchup to watch will be the Sharks strength up the middle(Thornton, Couture and Pavelski) against the Leafs depleted center corps(Bozak, Holland and Smith/McClement).
Defenseman Cody Franson did not play on Saturday in Montreal due to a lower body injury and according to Carlyle will be a game time decision.
James Reimer, who has lost his last two starts to Columbus and Buffalo, will be in goal for Toronto and Antti Niemi will be between the pipes for San Jose.
INTERESTED IN TICKETS TO THE GAME???: Get Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets For Any Game At FanXchange.com.
The cameras of HBO's 24/7 - Road to the Winter Classic will begin filming for the premiere episode of the series on December 14/15. The two teams involved in the January 1st outdoor game at the University of Michigan's "Big House" both had their share of trouble in November, as the Red Wings lost seven of eight before winning their last four games. Detroit could be without one of their stars, as center Henrik Zetterberg will be out at least two weeks with a herniated disc.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.*******
Rumors regarding Toronto’s renewed interest in Florida defenseman Dmitri Kulikov that were mentioned by CBC’s Elliotte Friedman over the weekend are curious not because the Leafs are not looking for a defenseman, but due to the fact that the 23-year-old Russian is having the same growing pains and difficulties in his own zone as current members of the Leafs blueline.
According to Hockeybuzz colleague
Dan Spiegel , Kulikov “shows flashes of being every bit of a tough defenseman with good offensive skills. One shift he'll destroy an opponent with a bone-crushing hit and be strong on the puck, the next he'll turn it over in such boneheaded fashion you'd wonder if that was the same player.”
Toronto GM Dave Nonis has to be looking for defensive help via trade for most of the season, but adding a stabilizing stay-at-home presence like Carolina’s Tim Gleason makes more sense than another young defender in Kulikov who is struggling to find himself. Florida’s Dale Tallon is not usually someone who is taken advantage of in a deal, so the price tag is likely be high.
For Those on Twitter:
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information
click here.