The schedule is now starting to swing into our favour. No Boston or no Pittsburgh games left. Sure, we get Krusty and the red klowns and we get the Smurfs twice each. If we win tomorrow, we can start looking forward towards 40 points. The teams behind us will eliminate each other. Five games with at least a point, no complaints. Seems strange that this has happened, now that Gardiner is back on the team.
- PrinceLH

It seems to miss the recollection that in these two last games.. we beat probably the best team in the east and got 3 points out of it.. All these boo birds were expecting 2 losses.. and yet we got 3 points...

That is why you can see directly through the haters... these were good results... yet thoe same haters thought the Leafs should've won both.. wake up dreamboys Boston is not easy and we still managed to beat them in points in the last two games...

Reimer in these two games against Boston, .939 on 35 shots, .931 on 29 shots....

less complaining about the "loser" point in here the last week or two. strange.

The thing the Leafs have is depth. They have 3 good offensive lines when everyone is going. I am glad Carlyle sat JVR tonight and gave Kessel less ice time in the 3rd period. I predict they will be going hard against the Panthers tomorrow.
- Rang

yes.

i think the team is at the point where how they play that depth out is vital to long term success. they can't treat this core like it's a tinker away from a championship. nonis has to find a way to turn that depth into some elite talent, without gutting the franchises future.

.. wouldnt want his job.

I know that was a jab at somebody on here, but Gardiner really hasn't been that good. A few nice breakout plays, but he's not exactly lugging it up the ice like Bobby Orr every shift.

Looks scared/hesitant in his own end more often that not.

Oh well, tons of pressure, idiot agent didn't help anything either; stirred up a poop storm for really no reason at all.

Sophomore slump, and would probably be a different story if he'd have made it out of camp.
- gravyface

Looks sharp defensively, but terrible at times on defense.

Maybe, just maybe, the man with the Norris Trophy and cup ring knew something we didn't about him?

A few comments.....

By far the worse play of the night was Franson getting beat by lucic... it was a 2 on 4 an clearly lucic was his man

Can we ever stop pooping on the leafs...... I believe we are .500 in 6 games against the Bruins and Penguins, we take care of business against the rest of the teams and we are fine.... we are over five hundred against the top 4 teams in the east.....

JVR... why do we always crap on people all the time.... As soon as someone isn't scoring they are crap.... JVR has been busting his butt in front of the net and along the boards deep..... Maybe tonight wasn't his best game but suggesting press box is ridiculous...

less complaining about the "loser" point in here the last week or two. strange.
- scotch_tape

I would have been more than happy to see our last 4 shootout losses end in ties, as they should have.

I'd do it in a second, not because I don't' like Phaneuf but because I really like B. Schenn.
- MapleLeafsFTW

i think the schenns are a force as they grow. that combo will win championships. don't see phaneuf captaining any championship teams.

i agree.. but we all know how well the win by committee deal has worked..

i think even in that era, the leafs had impact players who could deliver in big pressure situations. you knew something game changing was going to happen when sundin hit the ice, even roberts, and tucker to a degree. mogilny was a bit flakey like kessel..

i lack that feeling that the game is going to be either tied or over any second when JVR and kessel hit the ice, even lupul.
- joel878

Yeah, no real game-breakers in the lineup, save for maybe Kadri; he seems to be able to make everyone better and not be a liability out there anymore either. Faceoffs are still brutal, but that takes time. Bozak wasn't great first year or two either.

Kessel. Well, it just happened that the team we (up until a few days) could never beat just happened to be the team that Kessel can't score against; lots of players slump against particular teams, but because it was Boston and they had our number for so long, it just magnified the slump, for both Kessel and the Leafs.

Funny all the Reimer backers disappeared pretty quick after the loss? Shoulda pulled him and put Scrivens in.... period
- cdjaakkola

Reimer played decent throughout the game, did his job. The shootout.... Not so much.

JVR is like a chick who pulls out your Richard, gives it a nice rub, starts to put it in her mouth, then sacks you and steals your wallet.

It feels great for awhile, but then she's gone and your nuts hurt and you're left alone to finish.
- AdamFrench

Love it.
- Two_For_Truth

i'm a big fan of it to. i would even find a way to add something to phaneuf to make it more appealing. phaneuf, percy for both schenns and a 5th rounder? or something like that? i pull that trigger all day, regardless of where the team is right now.

less complaining about the "loser" point in here the last week or two. strange.
- scotch_tape

it's cool when we get them, it's lame when other teams do, nothing strange about it

i'm a big fan of it to. i would even find a way to add something to phaneuf to make it more appealing. phaneuf, percy for both schenns and a 5th rounder? or something like that? i pull that trigger all day, regardless of where the team is right now.
- joel878

Can we then trade Luke Schenn again? Maybe for Aulie?

Yeah, no real game-breakers in the lineup, save for maybe Kadri; he seems to be able to make everyone better and not be a liability out there anymore either. Faceoffs are still brutal, but that takes time. Bozak wasn't great first year or two either.

Kessel. Well, it just happened that the team we (up until a few days) could never beat just happened to be the team that Kessel can't score against; lots of players slump against particular teams, but because it was Boston and they had our number for so long, it just magnified the slump, for both Kessel and the Leafs.
- gravyface

You don't think Lupul is a game breaker? Or are you talking about this game in particular?

Either way I disagree.

11-4-4

.918 sv%

2.63 GAA

What a chump. Let's go shell out three times as much for the next 10 years to address this "problem".
- Leeman4Gilmour

Not to mention give up tons of assets for a guy on his way down...

Screw that.. I have been very impressed how the Leafs have been in close for almost every game this season. That means a lot more to me than Wilson's Fire Wagon hocket where they went down and couldn't recover.

Boston was playing well.. and we held them to loser points... and a win.. that is awesome...

Whats his excuse in the shootouts?
- Arctic_AARDVARK

He has identifiable weaknesses in 1 on 1 situations. It's not an excuse it's just the reality. If not for him, they don't even make it that far.

Whats his excuse in the shootouts?
- Arctic_AARDVARK

That shootouts are a ridiculous gimmick designed by a basketball man to sell hockey in deserts and the tropics?

Shootouts have no place in the playoffs. Just sayin'.

less complaining about the "loser" point in here the last week or two. strange.
- scotch_tape

5 years at 7 per

Can we then trade Luke Schenn again? Maybe for Aulie?
- fifty__missions

Reimers biggest problem is his Athleticism... I think he may be the least athletic goalie in the NHL... It doesnt help he reminds me of Cochrane from Survivor....

But he battles, puts up decent numbers and looked better today than the past few games....

He has identifiable weaknesses in 1 on 1 situations. It's not an excuse it's just the reality. If not for him, they don't even make it that far.
- Two_For_Truth

Agreed! He kept us in and he's the reason that we took 3 out of 4 points. People are ragging Gardiner, over the second goal, but it was Phaneuf that didn't get out at Bergeron and get in his way.

You don't think Lupul is a game breaker? Or are you talking about this game in particular?

Either way I disagree.
- MapleLeafsFTW

no, i like lupul.. but not for a second does he strike me as the kind of player that's either going tie a game, or end it all by himself the second he hits the ice like sundin used to, even roberts.

the ability to change the game in a heartbeat. don't see it from anyone on this roster. hopefully kadri develops into that kind of player.

that's how i see it anyways..

That shootouts are a ridiculous gimmick designed by a basketball man to sell hockey in deserts and the tropics?

Shootouts have no place in the playoffs. Just sayin'.
- Leeman4Gilmour

At the very least they should extend the overtime by five mins.

i think the schenns are a force as they grow. that combo will win championships. don't see phaneuf captaining any championship teams.
- joel878

I just don't see an alternative right now. He may be a dud in the media scrums, but you don't hear a lot of griping from his teammates. What else is there to go on? Wins? Lot more to it than that. Looks the part? Yeah, could shave a little off the brow...