I’m currently in Florida on a family trip, we had a journey to Gator World yesterday and enjoyed some alligator, crocodile, snake, spider, splash pad and train ride action. My son thought it was “crazy… how big and how many teeth the big lazy gators had. It was a great day, but I can certainly say I’d be perfectly content not seeing another alligator or crocodile for quite some time!
As for our beloved Toronto Maple Leafs performance last night, I still taste burp puke in my mouth after watching that display of hockey.
But at the end of the day a loss is a loss, whether it is one to nothing or a seven nothing slaughtering. Perhaps the young buds were still relishing their three game win streak and wild finish to the feisty game versus Vancouver on Saturday night. It really was quite the show against the Canucks with a number of bone crushing hits, goals and fights. As much as the game of hockey has changed over the years with the removal of true enforcers, it’s great to see the raw emotion of this young Leafs team having each other’s backs.
The energy and excitement level of Babcock’s Maple Leafs is something special. The hype in the dressing room amongst the players is very noticeable and the youth movement is pushing the team forward on the ice; most night’s at least.
Of course there will be the odd hurdle that doesn’t get jumped as we’ve seen a few times as the Leafs roll over and take a beating on the score sheet. That may be a common theme this season with so many rookies and sophomore players. I’m certainly not worried about it, as I feel Babcock will ensure a lesson is learned after each loss, especially the putrid ones like last night versus Los Angeles. Nothing like a bag skate after election night and a 7-0 pounding; I’m sure it’s just a lovely time skating blue line to blue line without much puck action.
It’s been obvious all season that the Leafs will need to shore up their defense before they can reach the next step in the Shanaplan. Whether Lou Lamoriello is working the phone lines and or trying to find another KHL gem as he did with Zaitsev. Toronto fans will have to be patient and remember we were a 30th place team and there is still more work to be done.
Matt Martin may have taken a couple games before he started to ruffle some of the opposition’s feathers. But I’ll tell you, watching him chirp away at Derek Dorsett with one leg over the bench was classic. As per usual Dorsett had his skirt on when Martin attempted to drop the gloves with him, and the class act that Dorsett is he and Komarov got into it directly after a faceoff in what looked to be a helmet punching affair. Uncle Leo removed his helmet after the fight and had a lovely smile on his face, one I’ve missed. Hopefully this sparks up Leo and he can start chipping in with some offense as he did last season. It’s only a matter of time before he gets into his groove; just keep your expectations limited as its doubtful fan favorite Komarov will be participating in another all-star game. Well, at least until Lamoriello let’s Leo grow back his grizzly facial hair.
So what next for the Leafs?
The Leafs will be in action against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night. The Flyers and Leafs are both off to a similar starts in terms of their records and struggles to keep the puck out of the net. Both Mason and Neuvirth have been struggling mightily, but what’s kept the Flyers alive is their vast amount of goals scored. Only the New York Rangers have more goals for, so if Toronto can keep the puck out of their net, they shouldn’t have too much trouble burying a few goals and coming out with two points. With Philidelphia having the most goals against in the NHL, it could be quite the goal scoring affair if both teams continue their trend.
Goaltender stats:
Neuvirth: Goals against average 3.56, save percent .859
Mason:Goals against average 3.23, save percent .888
Andersen: Goals against average 3.41, save percent .897
As you can see, goaltending has really been an issue for the orange and black which is somewhat surprising as both Mason and Neuvirth played well down the stretch last season and were pushing each other for the starting position.
My hope is that Babcock has a game plan in place to play a more structured game against this high powered offensive team. The season is still young but the Leafs are sitting just one point out of a wildcard spot and are up with the pack.
Friday’s game will likely be a fast moving with a number of high quality scoring chances, hopefully the Leafs rebound after that ugly affair versus the Kings last night.
Thanks for reading!