The Toronto Maple Leafs put forth a solid effort against the playoff-bound Minnesota Wild, but their late rally fell short as Thomas Vanek's third-period goal was the difference in a 2-1 victory at Air Canada Center on Monday.
The loss was Toronto's sixth straight and keeps them two points behind Carolina in the overall NHL standings, as the Hurricanes lost 3-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks in Raleigh.
After a fairly evenly played opening 20 minutes, the Wild broke through with 1:02 left in the first, as Charlie Coyle swept a loose puck past Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier. Minnesota dominated play in the middle frame, outshooting Toronto 16-10, but could not extend their lead.
Toronto pressed for the tying goal in the third firing 18 shots at Devan Dubnyk, but the Wild goalie withstood the onslaught and Vanek(a noted Leaf killer from his days in Buffalo) converted on a Ryan Suter pass to extend the Wild's lead to 2-0.
Jake Gardiner scored his fourth goal of the season and second goal in three games to break Dubnyk's shutout bid.
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With eight games left in their season, the status of the entire Toronto Maple Leafs organization is up in the air. The roster changes could be extensive, a new coach is a certainty and the future of GM Dave Nonis is in question. It is a good time to answer your questions about the Blue and White.
@MikeInBuffalo tell me who the heck Casey Bailey is and why he won't just turn into Tyler Bozak 2.0???
— Derek Ovenden (@Derek_O) March 23, 2015A - Bailey is a roll of the dice that costs the Leafs nothing except a pro contract and based on the wide interest in the 23-year-old forward, it is a risk worth taking. The Anchorage, Alaska native has the size to play in the NHL(6’3…, 195 lbs) and a quick release that enabled him to lead the Big-10 with 22 goals, but will have to improve his skating to make an impact.
Toronto could only be so lucky that Bailey turns out as well as Bozak. It is true that the University of Denver product is not suited to play a top line role, but that is more the fault of the Leafs organization than anything. The 29-year-old center has five straight seasons scoring double figures in goals and that kind of consistent offense would be welcomed from a player selected in the first three rounds of the draft, let alone a undrafted free agent.
@MikeInBuffalo Who's gone from the roster once the new season starts?
— Doug Stewart (@ldsooner) March 23, 2015@MikeInBuffalo Odds Leafs make a trade at the draft to move up/down? If so, what are the pieces involved?
— Cole Moro (@BrobourneMoro) March 23, 2015A – If you are talking about trading up to the first or second pick, the odds are about a million-to-one. There is no way that Arizona, Buffalo, Edmonton or a lower team who wins the lottery is going to trade out of a position to select Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. Even if the Oilers, who are flush with young forwards like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall won the lottery, they would more than likely draft McDavid and trade someone off their roster to make room for the 18-year-old phenom.
That is why the results of the remaining games of the regular season are imperative, as the Leafs could end up at #4 or #5 without having to rely on the long odds of another team being willing to trade down.
@MikeInBuffalo Who would you rather see in a #Leafs uniform in the future, Dylan Strome or Mitch Marner?
— Sports Corner (@SportsSavage) March 23, 2015A – Not sure the Leafs can go wrong either way, both Strome and Marner look to have top-end offensive talent, as evidenced by the race for the OHL scoring championship that went down to the final game. My personal preference would be Strome, since he appears to have the physical stature more conducive to becoming that big #1 center the Leafs have been looking for since Mats Sundin.
@MikeInBuffalo where does Phaneuf go and for what price? (Your guess)
— Jordan MacKenzie (@jordanmack66) March 23, 2015A – Won’t hazard a guess on where since the results of the first round of the playoffs could affect the amount of suitors interested in Phaneuf, but my suspicion is that any deal involving the Leafs captain will include Toronto taking back a contract with term and significant dollars to balance out the financial considerations (like the rumored inclusion of Stephen Weiss in the trade talks with Detroit prior to the deadline). It is likely that a first round pick and/or a significant prospect would need to be part of the package as well.
@MikeInBuffalo has any NCAA free agent signing ever gone on to be an impact player in the NHL? Seems there's always hype but not much else
— Michael Greig (@Tadpole_83) March 23, 2015A – Hockey Hall of Famer Adam Oates was an undrafted college free agent signed by Detroit out of RPI, current defensemen like Chris Tanev, Andy Greene, Danny DeKeyser and Torey Krug are all effective NHLers.
@MikeInBuffalo who graduates from the farm/prospect pool to make the big squad next year?
— à“ Grà¡dhaigh (@Ydargo_76) March 23, 2015A – There could be as many as six current members of the Marlies who make the Leafs next season, depending on how many veterans are cleared out. Blueliners Andrew MacWilliam, Petter Granberg and Stuart Percy, forwards Sam Carrick, Josh Leivo and Matt Frattin should all either make the Leafs out of training camp or get long looks with the Leafs, but expect youngsters Connor Brown, William Nylander and Brendan Leipsic to play most of next season in the AHL.
@MikeInBuffalo will the tears ever stop flowing?
— Rami Boraie (@ramsville) March 23, 2015A – Ask this girl…..
Crying "piccolo girl" is the viral talk of the NCAA Tournament: http://t.co/Kr0aqwqAYP pic.twitter.com/A7sudlU02w
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 23, 2015*******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.*******
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