The Toronto Maple Leafs did their best to aid the Calgary Flames playoff chances, surrendering a pair of first period short-handed goals in a 6-3 loss at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday.
Presumptive Calder Trophy candidate Johnny Gaudreau and Drew Shore staked the hometown Flames to an early 2-0 lead before Richard Panik replied for Toronto on the power play midway through the opening stanza. The turning point of the game was a five-minute penalty to Calgary’s Lance Bouma for kneeing Leafs forward Brandon Kozun, but the long power play swung the game decidedly in favor of the Flames, as Michael Backlund and Sean Monahan scored on breakaways to all but seal Toronto’s fate.
Monahan and Jiri Hudler added goals in the middle frame and David Booth continued his bid for a new contract next season with a pair of goals. The winger was not traded at the trade deadline as were most of the Leafs pending free agents, but after scoring just one goal in 41 games, Booth has scored five goals in the last five games.
The Leafs continue on their brief Western road swing with a match against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Saturday. As with the Flames, the Canucks are embroiled in a tight battle for a Western Conference playoff spot, with the LA Kings trailing Vancouver by one point for third place in the Pacific Division and Winnipeg two points behind in the race for a wild card spot.
Eddie Lack is the likely starter in goal for Vancouver, while Toronto will go with Jonathan Bernier in the second of back-to-back games after James Reimer took the loss on Friday.
Lack is 4-2-1 since taking over the starting duties from the injured Ryan Miller in late February, but allowed three goals on 19 shots in a 4-0 loss to Los Angeles on Thursday.
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As the end of the season approaches, questions regarding the management and coaching of the Maple Leafs are the first that will need to be addressed by Team President Brendan Shanahan. At the start of Toronto’s decline in the standings, it appeared a forgone conclusion that Dave Nonis would befall the same fate as Randy Carlyle, but the Leafs GM was heavily involved in their deals at the deadline and his future with the club is more of a 50/50 proposition.
Peter Horachek replacing Carlyle as interim coach was simply to be a seat filler for the remainder of the season, as Toronto’s aspirations appear to be aimed at bringin in a big name bench boss like Detroit’s Mike Babcock, San Jose’s Todd McLellan or Boston’s Claude Julien. These coaches may be available this summer depending on their team’s post-season fate, but the chances of them coming to Toronto are likely to depend on how much money MLSE will offer and their willingness to endure a teardown of the current roster and lengthy rebuild.
Using MLSE’s financial might as an advantage has been part of Shanahan’s methodology thus far, as the club will pay $26 Million over the next five years to the injured Nathan Horton to erase the mistaken signing of David Clarkson off the books, but all the money in the world may not be enough to bring Stanley Cup winners like Babcock and Julien or someone looking for an opportunity with immediate success in the postseason like McLellan to take on the challenge of three or four years of struggling with the Leafs.
The fallback position may be to hire a coach who has a reputation of working well with youngsters that can direct Toronto through a transition and some growing pains. Former Panthers and Devils coach Peter DeBoer, ex-Oilers and Marlies head coach Dallas Eakins may fit that profile, as does ex-Capitals and current London Knights bench boss Dale Hunter.
Hunter replaced Bruce Boudreau as Washington head coach in November 2011 and upset the Boston Bruins in the first round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it is unknown whether he is interested in taking another stab at the NHL.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Leafs may talk to Hunter(whose brother Mark is the Leafs current Director of Player Personnel and assistant GM) after the season about the vacant coaching position, but many who know the former NHL super pest believe he would be interested in taking the job.
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McEichel Race – Points(Games Played)
8. PHILADELPHIA 70(69) 7. NEW JERSEY 67(68) 6. COLUMBUS 64(68) 5. TORONTO 60(69) 4. CAROLINA 58(66), 3. ARIZONA 50(68), 2. EDMONTON 48(69), 1. BUFFALO 44(67)
Current Leafs odds at winning Draft Lottery(8.5%) Same
Friday’s Results – Columbus ties Edmonton late in the third and wins a 5-4 shootout in Columbus, moving 4 points ahead of Toronto. The Jackets have a game in hand and idle Carolina has three games in hand on the Leafs, who remain at 60 points with the loss to Calgary.
Games to Watch:
Florida vs Carolina
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